Not all risks are equal: The risk taking inventory for high-risk sports

Although high-risk sport participants are typically considered a homogenous risk-taking population, attitudes to risk within the high-risk domain can vary considerably. As no validated measure allows researchers to assess risk taking within this domain, we validated the Risk Taking Inventory (RTI) for high-risk sport across four studies. The RTI comprises seven items across two factors: deliberate risk taking and precautionary behaviors. In Study 1 (n = 341), the inventory was refined and tested via a confirmatory factor analysis used in an exploratory fashion. The subsequent three studies confirmed the RTI's good model-data fit via three further separate confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 2 (n = 518) and in Study 3 (n = 290), concurrent validity was also confirmed via associations with other related traits (sensation seeking, behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, impulsivity, self-esteem, extraversion, and conscientiousness). In Study 4 (n = 365), predictive validity was confirmed via associations with mean accidents and mean close calls in the high-risk domain. Finally, in Study 4, the self-report version of the inventory was significantly associated with an informant version of the inventory. The measure will allow researchers and practitioners to investigate risk taking as a variable that is conceptually distinct from participation in a high-risk spor

Modulation of neutrophil function by the tripeptide feG

BACKGROUND: Neutrophils are critical in the defense against potentially harmful microorganisms, but their excessive and inappropriate activation can contribute significantly to tissue damage and a worsening pathology. Through the release of endocrine factors submandibular glands contribute to achieving a balance in neutrophil function by modulating the state of activation and migratory potential of circulating neutrophils. A putative hormonal candidate for these effects on neutrophils was identified as a heptapeptide named submandibular gland peptide T (SGP-T; sequence = TDIFEGG). Since the tripeptide FEG, derived from SGP-T, and its D-amino acid analogue feG had similar inhibitory effects on inflammatory reactions, we investigated the effects of feG on human and rat neutrophil function. RESULTS: With human neutrophils feG had no discernible effect on oxidative burst or phagocytosis, but in picomolar amounts it reduced PAF-induced neutrophil movement and adhesion, and the binding of CD11b by 34% and that of CD16b close to control values. In the rat feG (10(-11)M) reduced the binding of CD11b and CD16 antibodies to PAF-stimulated circulating neutrophils by 35% and 43%, respectively, and at 100 micrograms/kilograms intraperitoneally feG reduced neutrophil in vivo migration by 40%. With ovalbumin-sensitized rats that were challenged with antigen, feG inhibited binding of antibodies against CD16b but not CD11b, on peritoneal leukocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory effect of feG on neutrophil movement may be mediated by alterations in the co-stimulatory molecules CD11b and CD16

Adaptable System for Vehicle Health and Usage Monitoring

Aircraft and other vehicles are often kept in service beyond their original design lives. As they age, they become susceptible to system malfunctions and fatigue. Unlike future aircraft that will include health-monitoring capabilities as integral parts in their designs, older aircraft have not been so equipped. The Adaptable Vehicle Health and Usage Monitoring System is designed to be retrofitted into a preexisting fleet of military and commercial aircraft, ships, or ground vehicles to provide them with state-of-the-art health- and usage-monitoring capabilities. The monitoring system is self-contained, and the integration of it into existing systems entails limited intrusion. In essence, it has bolt-on/ bolt-off simplicity that makes it easy to install on any preexisting vehicle or structure. Because the system is completely independent of the vehicle, it can be certified for airworthiness as an independent system. The purpose served by the health-monitoring system is to reduce vehicle operating costs and to increase safety and reliability. The monitoring system is a means to identify damage to, or deterioration of, vehicle subsystems, before such damage or deterioration becomes costly and/or disastrous. Frequent monitoring of a vehicle enables identification of the embryonic stages of damage or deterioration. The knowledge thus gained can be used to correct anomalies while they are still somewhat minor. Maintenance can be performed as needed, instead of having the need for maintenance identified during cyclic inspections that take vehicles off duty even when there are no maintenance problems. Measurements and analyses acquired by the health-monitoring system also can be used to analyze mishaps. Overall, vehicles can be made more reliable and kept on duty for longer times. Figure 1 schematically depicts the system as applied to a fleet of n vehicles. The system has three operational levels. All communication between system components is by use of wireless transceivers operating at frequencies near 433 MHz. Electromagnetic-interference tests have demonstrated that the radio-frequency emissions from the transceivers do not influence civilian aircraft communication and navigation systems

Micro-Tubular Fuel Cells

Micro-tubular fuel cells that would operate at power levels on the order of hundreds of watts or less are under development as alternatives to batteries in numerous products - portable power tools, cellular telephones, laptop computers, portable television receivers, and small robotic vehicles, to name a few examples. Micro-tubular fuel cells exploit advances in the art of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. The main advantage of the micro-tubular fuel cells over the plate-and-frame fuel cells would be higher power densities: Whereas the mass and volume power densities of low-pressure hydrogen-and-oxygen-fuel plate-and-frame fuel cells designed to operate in the targeted power range are typically less than 0.1 W/g and 0.1 kW/L, micro-tubular fuel cells are expected to reach power densities much greater than 1 W/g and 1 kW/L. Because of their higher power densities, micro-tubular fuel cells would be better for powering portable equipment, and would be better suited to applications in which there are requirements for modularity to simplify maintenance or to facilitate scaling to higher power levels. The development of PEMFCs has conventionally focused on producing large stacks of cells that operate at typical power levels >5 kW. The usual approach taken to developing lower-power PEMFCs for applications like those listed above has been to simply shrink the basic plate-and-frame configuration to smaller dimensions. A conventional plate-and-frame fuel cell contains a membrane/electrode assembly in the form of a flat membrane with electrodes of the same active area bonded to both faces. In order to provide reactants to both electrodes, bipolar plates that contain flow passages are placed on both electrodes. The mass and volume overhead of the bipolar plates amounts to about 75 percent of the total mass and volume of a fuel-cell stack. Removing these bipolar plates in the micro-tubular fuel cell significantly increases the power density

Bound on Lorentz- and CPT-Violating Boost Effects for the Neutron

A search for an annual variation of a daily sidereal modulation of the frequency difference between co-located ${}^{129}$Xe and ${}^{3}$He Zeeman masers sets a stringent limit on boost-dependent Lorentz and CPT violation involving the neutron, consistent with no effect at the level of 150 nHz. In the framework of the general Standard-Model Extension, the present result provides the first clean test for the fermion sector of the symmetry of spacetime under boost transformations at a level of $10^{-27}$ GeV.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Towards quality control in cancer chemotherapy.

A survey of all hospital pharmacies in the former North Western Regional Health Authority has revealed that hospital personnel continue to prepare cytotoxic drugs in suboptimal conditions, despite the widespread introduction of pharmacy cytotoxic reconstitution services. Other concerns include the lack of formal training for medical staff in the administration of these agents and the frequent absence of written procedures for dealing with extravasation and chemotherapy errors

Topical steroid therapy for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines recommend topical steroids as first-line treatment for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). However, the evidence for this approach has been inconsistent in earlier reports. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the efficacy of topical steroid treatment in active EoE using updated evidence. METHODS: CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to May 2014 that compared topical steroids with control treatments for active EoE. Study bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool, and outcomes were pooled using random effects models. The primary outcome was the mean change in eosinophil counts. Secondary outcomes were symptom responses and adverse events. RESULTS: In total, seven RCTs (226 patients) were included. Topical steroids were associated with a significant reduction in esophageal mucosal eosinophil counts compared with control therapy although substantial heterogeneity between studies was observed (weighted mean difference (WMD) −27.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 45.3 to −9.1, I2=56.2%). Subgroup analysis indicated the reduction in eosinophil counts was only present in studies where a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) trial was used to exclude other diagnoses (WMD −46.3, 95% CI − 61.3 to − 31.4, I2=0.0%). Subdivision of studies on the use of a PPI trial also accounted for the majority of heterogeneity among RCTs. No clear trends in symptom resolution were observed. Eleven out of 127 patients who received topical steroids developed asymptomatic esophageal candidiasis. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide updated high-quality evidence that support current guidelines for first-line EoE treatment with topical steroids after an initial PPI trial to exclude non-EoE pathologies (PROSPERO ID: CRD42014008828).Ming-yu (Anthony) Chuang, Mohamed A. Chinnaratha, David G. Hancock, Richard Woodman, Geoffrey R. Wong, Charles Cock, and Robert JL. Frase

Membrane Traffic and Muscle: Lessons from Human Disease

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73369/1/j.1600-0854.2008.00716.x.pd

A Survey of Employee Perceptions of Information Privacy in Organizations

In this study of employees in five multinational corporations, assessment was made of (a) employees\u27 beliefs regarding the types of personal information stored their companies, (b) the accuracy of those perceptions, (c) reactions to various internal and external uses of this personal information, and (d) evaluations of the companies\u27 information handling policies and practices