1,720 research outputs found
Alien Registration- Robinson, Peter Arthur I. (Portland, Cumberland County)
https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26575/thumbnail.jp
Advanced Caution and Warning System
The current focus of ACAWS is on the needs of the flight controllers. The onboard crew in low-Earth orbit has some of those same needs. Moreover, for future deep-space missions, the crew will need to accomplish many tasks autonomously due to communication time delays. Although we are focusing on flight controller needs, ACAWS technologies can be reused for on-board application, perhaps with a different level of detail and different display formats or interaction methods. We expect that providing similar tools to the flight controllers and the crew could enable more effective and efficient collaboration as well as heightened situational awareness
Meningococcal disease in children in Merseyside, England:a 31 year descriptive study
Meningococcal disease (MCD) is the leading infectious cause of death in early childhood in the United Kingdom, making it a public health priority. MCD most commonly presents as meningococcal meningitis (MM), septicaemia (MS), or as a combination of the two syndromes (MM/MS). We describe the changing epidemiology and clinical presentation of MCD, and explore associations with socioeconomic status and other risk factors. A hospital-based study of children admitted to a tertiary children's centre, Alder Hey Children's Foundation Trust, with MCD, was undertaken between 1977 to 2007 (n = 1157). Demographics, clinical presentations, microbiological confirmation and measures of deprivation were described. The majority of cases occurred in the 1-4 year age group and there was a dramatic fall in serogroup C cases observed with the introduction of the meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) vaccine. The proportion of MS cases increased over the study period, from 11% in the first quarter to 35% in the final quarter. Presentation with MS (compared to MM) and serogroup C disease (compared to serogroup B) were demonstrated to be independent risk factors for mortality, with odds ratios of 3.5 (95% CI 1.18 to 10.08) and 2.18 (95% CI 1.26 to 3.80) respectively. Cases admitted to Alder Hey were from a relatively more deprived population (mean Townsend score 1.25, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.41) than the Merseyside reference population. Our findings represent one of the largest single-centre studies of MCD. The presentation of MS is confirmed to be a risk factor of mortality from MCD. Our study supports the association between social deprivation and MCD
The impact of target frequency on intra-individual variability in euthymic bipolar disorder: a comparison of two sustained attention tasks.
Greater intra-individual variability (IIV) in reaction time (RT) on a sustained attention task has been reported in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) compared with healthy controls. However, it is unclear whether IIV is task specific, or whether it represents general crosstask impairment in BD. This study aimed to investigate whether IIV occurs in sustained attention tasks with different parameters. Twenty-two patients with BD (currently euthymic) and 17 controls completed two sustained attention tasks on different occasions: a low target frequency (~20%) Vigil continuous performance test (CPT) and a high target frequency (~70%) CPT version A-X (CPT-AX). Variability measures (individual standard deviation and coefficient of variation) were calculated per participant, and ex-Gaussian modeling was also applied. This was supplemented by Vincentile analysis to characterize RT distributions. Results indicated that participants (patients and controls) were generally slower and more variable when completing the Vigil CPT compared with CPT-AX. Significant group differences were also observed in the Vigil CPT, with euthymic BD patients being more variable than controls. This result suggests that IIV in BD demonstrates some degree of task specificity. Further research should incorporate analysis of additional RT distributional models (drift diffusion and fast Fourier transform) to fully characterize the pattern of IIV in BD, as well as its relationship to cognitive processes
Isomerization dynamics of a buckled nanobeam
We analyze the dynamics of a model of a nanobeam under compression. The model
is a two mode truncation of the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation subject to
compressive stress. We consider parameter regimes where the first mode is
unstable and the second mode can be either stable or unstable, and the
remaining modes (neglected) are always stable. Material parameters used
correspond to silicon. The two mode model Hamiltonian is the sum of a
(diagonal) kinetic energy term and a potential energy term. The form of the
potential energy function suggests an analogy with isomerisation reactions in
chemistry. We therefore study the dynamics of the buckled beam using the
conceptual framework established for the theory of isomerisation reactions.
When the second mode is stable the potential energy surface has an index one
saddle and when the second mode is unstable the potential energy surface has an
index two saddle and two index one saddles. Symmetry of the system allows us to
construct a phase space dividing surface between the two "isomers" (buckled
states). The energy range is sufficiently wide that we can treat the effects of
the index one and index two saddles in a unified fashion. We have computed
reactive fluxes, mean gap times and reactant phase space volumes for three
stress values at several different energies. In all cases the phase space
volume swept out by isomerizing trajectories is considerably less than the
reactant density of states, proving that the dynamics is highly nonergodic. The
associated gap time distributions consist of one or more `pulses' of
trajectories. Computation of the reactive flux correlation function shows no
sign of a plateau region; rather, the flux exhibits oscillatory decay,
indicating that, for the 2-mode model in the physical regime considered, a rate
constant for isomerization does not exist.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure
An ontological foundation for ocular phenotypes and rare eye diseases.
BACKGROUND: The optical accessibility of the eye and technological advances in ophthalmic diagnostics have put ophthalmology at the forefront of data-driven medicine. The focus of this study is rare eye disorders, a group of conditions whose clinical heterogeneity and geographic dispersion make data-driven, evidence-based practice particularly challenging. Inter-institutional collaboration and information sharing is crucial but the lack of standardised terminology poses an important barrier. Ontologies are computational tools that include sets of vocabulary terms arranged in hierarchical structures. They can be used to provide robust terminology standards and to enhance data interoperability. Here, we discuss the development of the ophthalmology-related component of two well-established biomedical ontologies, the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO; includes signs, symptoms and investigation findings) and the Orphanet Rare Disease Ontology (ORDO; includes rare disease nomenclature/nosology).
METHODS: A variety of approaches were used including automated matching to existing resources and extensive manual curation. To achieve the latter, a study group including clinicians, patient representatives and ontology developers from 17 countries was formed. A broad range of terms was discussed and validated during a dedicated workshop attended by 60 members of the group.
RESULTS: A comprehensive, structured and well-defined set of terms has been agreed on including 1106 terms relating to ocular phenotypes (HPO) and 1202 terms relating to rare eye disease nomenclature (ORDO). These terms and their relevant annotations can be accessed in http://www.human-phenotype-ontology.org/ and http://www.orpha.net/ ; comments, corrections, suggestions and requests for new terms can be made through these websites. This is an ongoing, community-driven endeavour and both HPO and ORDO are regularly updated.
CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first effort of such scale to provide terminology standards for the rare eye disease community. We hope that this work will not only improve coding and standardise information exchange in clinical care and research, but also it will catalyse the transition to an evidence-based precision ophthalmology paradigm
An ontological foundation for ocular phenotypes and rare eye diseases.
BACKGROUND: The optical accessibility of the eye and technological advances in ophthalmic diagnostics have put ophthalmology at the forefront of data-driven medicine. The focus of this study is rare eye disorders, a group of conditions whose clinical heterogeneity and geographic dispersion make data-driven, evidence-based practice particularly challenging. Inter-institutional collaboration and information sharing is crucial but the lack of standardised terminology poses an important barrier. Ontologies are computational tools that include sets of vocabulary terms arranged in hierarchical structures. They can be used to provide robust terminology standards and to enhance data interoperability. Here, we discuss the development of the ophthalmology-related component of two well-established biomedical ontologies, the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO; includes signs, symptoms and investigation findings) and the Orphanet Rare Disease Ontology (ORDO; includes rare disease nomenclature/nosology). METHODS: A variety of approaches were used including automated matching to existing resources and extensive manual curation. To achieve the latter, a study group including clinicians, patient representatives and ontology developers from 17 countries was formed. A broad range of terms was discussed and validated during a dedicated workshop attended by 60 members of the group. RESULTS: A comprehensive, structured and well-defined set of terms has been agreed on including 1106 terms relating to ocular phenotypes (HPO) and 1202 terms relating to rare eye disease nomenclature (ORDO). These terms and their relevant annotations can be accessed in http://www.human-phenotype-ontology.org/ and http://www.orpha.net/ ; comments, corrections, suggestions and requests for new terms can be made through these websites. This is an ongoing, community-driven endeavour and both HPO and ORDO are regularly updated. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first effort of such scale to provide terminology standards for the rare eye disease community. We hope that this work will not only improve coding and standardise information exchange in clinical care and research, but also it will catalyse the transition to an evidence-based precision ophthalmology paradigm
Risk factors and pregnancy outcomes associated with placental malaria in a prospective cohort of Papua New Guinean women
BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum in pregnancy results in
substantial poor health outcomes for both mother and child,
particularly in young, primigravid mothers who are at greatest
risk of placental malaria (PM) infection. Complications of PM
include maternal anaemia, low birth weight and preterm delivery,
which contribute to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality
in coastal Papua New Guinea (PNG). METHODS: Placental biopsies
were examined from 1451 pregnant women who were enrolled in a
malaria prevention study at 14-26 weeks gestation. Clinical and
demographic information were collected at first antenatal clinic
visits and women were followed until delivery. Placental
biopsies were collected and examined for PM using histology. The
presence of infected erythrocytes and/or the malaria pigment in
monocytes or fibrin was used to determine the type of placental
infection. RESULTS: Of 1451 placentas examined, PM infection was
detected in 269 (18.5%), of which 54 (3.7%) were acute, 55
(3.8%) chronic, and 160 (11.0%) were past infections. Risk
factors for PM included residing in rural areas (adjusted odds
ratio (AOR) 3.65, 95% CI 1.76-7.51; p </= 0.001), being
primigravid (AOR 2.45, 95% CI 1.26-4.77; p = 0.008) and having
symptomatic malaria during pregnancy (AOR 2.05, 95% CI
1.16-3.62; p = 0.013). After adjustment for covariates, compared
to uninfected women, acute infections (AOR 1.97, 95% CI
0.98-3.95; p = 0.056) were associated with low birth weight
babies, whereas chronic infections were associated with preterm
delivery (AOR 3.92, 95% CI 1.64-9.38; p = 0.002) and anaemia
(AOR 2.22, 95% CI 1.02-4.84; p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Among
pregnant PNG women receiving at least one dose of intermittent
preventive treatment in pregnancy and using insecticide-treated
bed nets, active PM infections were associated with adverse
outcomes. Improved malaria prevention is required to optimize
pregnancy outcomes
The close limit from a null point of view: the advanced solution
We present a characteristic algorithm for computing the perturbation of a
Schwarzschild spacetime by means of solving the Teukolsky equation. We
implement the algorithm as a characteristic evolution code and apply it to
compute the advanced solution to a black hole collision in the close
approximation. The code successfully tracks the initial burst and quasinormal
decay of a black hole perturbation through 10 orders of magnitude and tracks
the final power law decay through an additional 6 orders of magnitude.
Determination of the advanced solution, in which ingoing radiation is absorbed
by the black hole but no outgoing radiation is emitted, is the first stage of a
two stage approach to determining the retarded solution, which provides the
close approximation waveform with the physically appropriate boundary condition
of no ingoing radiation.Comment: Revised version, published in Phys. Rev. D, 34 pages, 13 figures,
RevTe
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