Speech Communication

Contains reports on two research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-03)National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496)United States Air Force, Electronic Systems Division (Contract AF19(604)-6102

Assessing Technological Literacy of Middle School Students

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a rigorous and relevant pre-engineering curriculum implemented in middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. PLTW has a hands-on approach using activities and project-based learning. The College of Engineering at Wichita State University has partnered with three local school districts to implement the PLTW program to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This study begins to assess the impact of the PLTW program on student perceptions and attitudes toward engineering and technology as part of an ongoing three-year assessment. A pre- and post-assessment were administered to middle school students (N=1063 and N=800, respectively) at the beginning and end of the 2010-2011 academic school year. The assessment consisted of 67-questions addressing students’ attitudes toward engineering and technology. This assessment was a combination of subscales from the Pupils’ Attitude Toward Technology (PATT-USA) and the Middle School Attitudes to Engineering, Science & Mathematics survey. Dependent variables of interest included attitude differences between PLTW students and nonPLTW students, gender differences, and differences attributed to length of involvement in the PLTW program. Results indicated PLTW students have a greater interest in technology, however there were notable gender differences and differences attributed to length of involvement in the program. Males had a greater interest in technology and longer involvement (0-3 years) in the program resulting in more positive attitudes. Females tended to have more negative opinions about technology at both pre- and post-assessment

HSST crack-arrest studies overview

An overview is given of the efforts underway in the Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program to better understand and model crack-arrest behavior in reactor pressure vessel steels. The efforts are both experimental and analytical. The experimental work provides K/sub Ia/ data from laboratory-sized specimens, from thick-wall cylinders which exhibit essentially-full restraint and from nonisothermal wide-plate specimens. These data serve to define toughness-temperature trends and to provide validation data under prototypical reactor conditions. The analytical efforts interpret and correlate the data, plus provide LEFM, elastodynamic and viscoplastic methods for analyzing crack run-arrest behavior in reactor vessels. The analysis methods are incorporated into finite element computer programs which are under development at three separate laboratories. 22 refs., 10 figs

Antimicrobial Stewardship Meets Transitions of Care: Defining Length of Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)

Introduction: Hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship efforts have traditionally focused on inpatient settings. Antibiotic prescribing at discharge is often an overlooked area of focus for antimicrobial stewardship programs. Discharge prescribing optimization is necessary to combat antibiotic overuse. Methods: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study at a four–adult community hospital system. Four hundred adult patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia and discharged with antibiotics were included. The primary outcome was overall (inpatient and discharge) antibiotic length of therapy. The secondary outcome was percentage of patients discharged on a fluoroquinolone who had not received one in the hospital. Descriptive statistics were utilized. Results: The median total antibiotic length of therapy was 9.5 days (IQR 8, 11). The median inpatient and discharge antibiotic lengths of therapy were 4 days (IQR 3, 5) and 5 days (IQR 5, 7), respectively. Of the 108 patients prescribed a fluoroquinolone at discharge, 43% (46/108) had not previously received a fluoroquinolone while hospitalized. Conclusion: Both length of therapy and fluoroquinolone stewardship at discharge may represent possible antimicrobial stewardship targets in community-acquired pneumonia patients

Speech Communication

Contains research objectives and three research projects.U. S. Air Force (Electronic Systems Division) under Contract AF 19(604)-6102National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526)National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-02

Plasma-binding globulins and acute stress response

Within studies of acute stress physiology an increase in glucocorticoid secretion is thought to be the primary mediator of tissue response to stress. Corticosteroid-binding globulin may regulate tissue availability of steroids, but has not been considered a dynamic component of the acute stress response. Here, we examined CBG level over the common 60-minute time frame in an acute capture and handling protocol to investigate whether CBG capacity is dynamic or static over short stressors. Using a comparative approach, we measured CBG response to capture and handling stress in nine species of birds, representing five orders and nine families. CBG capacity significantly declined within 30-60 minutes of capture in five of the nine species examined. This decline may serve to significantly increase the level of corticosterone reaching tissues during acute stress. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Plasma-binding globulins and acute stress response

Within studies of acute stress physiology an increase in glucocorticoid secretion is thought to be the primary mediator of tissue response to stress. Corticosteroid-binding globulin may regulate tissue availability of steroids, but has not been considered a dynamic component of the acute stress response. Here, we examined CBG level over the common 60-minute time frame in an acute capture and handling protocol to investigate whether CBG capacity is dynamic or static over short stressors. Using a comparative approach, we measured CBG response to capture and handling stress in nine species of birds, representing five orders and nine families. CBG capacity significantly declined within 30-60 minutes of capture in five of the nine species examined. This decline may serve to significantly increase the level of corticosterone reaching tissues during acute stress. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Efficacy and safety of the anti-IL-12/23 p40 monoclonal antibody, ustekinumab, in patients with active psoriatic arthritis despite conventional non-biological and biological anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy: 6-month and 1-year results of the phase 3, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised PSUMMIT 2 trial

Objective: Assess ustekinumab efficacy (week 24/week 52) and safety (week 16/week 24/week 60) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) despite treatment with conventional and/or biological anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents. Methods: In this phase 3, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial, 312 adults with active PsA were randomised (stratified by site, weight (≤100 kg/>100 kg), methotrexate use) to ustekinumab 45 mg or 90 mg at week 0, week 4, q12 weeks or placebo at week 0, week 4, week 16 and crossover to ustekinumab 45 mg at week 24, week 28 and week 40. At week 16, patients with <5% improvement in tender/swollen joint counts entered blinded early escape (placebo→45 mg, 45 mg→90 mg, 90 mg→90 mg). The primary endpoint was ≥20% improvement in American College of Rheumatology (ACR20) criteria at week 24. Secondary endpoints included week 24 Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) improvement, ACR50, ACR70 and ≥75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75). Efficacy was assessed in all patients, anti-TNF-naïve (n=132) patients and anti-TNF-experienced (n=180) patients. Results: More ustekinumab-treated (43.8% combined) than placebo-treated (20.2%) patients achieved ACR20 at week 24 (p<0.001). Significant treatment differences were observed for week 24 HAQ-DI improvement (p<0.001), ACR50 (p≤0.05) and PASI75 (p<0.001); all benefits were sustained through week 52. Among patients previously treated with ≥1 TNF inhibitor, sustained ustekinumab efficacy was also observed (week 24 combined vs placebo: ACR20 35.6% vs 14.5%, PASI75 47.1% vs 2.0%, median HAQ-DI change −0.13 vs 0.0; week 52 ustekinumab-treated: ACR20 38.9%, PASI75 43.4%, median HAQ-DI change −0.13). No unexpected adverse events were observed through week 60. Conclusions: The interleukin-12/23 inhibitor ustekinumab (45/90 mg q12 weeks) yielded significant and sustained improvements in PsA signs/symptoms in a diverse population of patients with active PsA, including anti-TNF-experienced PsA patients

Foundations of Relational Particle Dynamics

Relational particle dynamics include the dynamics of pure shape and cases in which absolute scale or absolute rotation are additionally meaningful. These are interesting as regards the absolute versus relative motion debate as well as discussion of conceptual issues connected with the problem of time in quantum gravity. In spatial dimension 1 and 2 the relative configuration spaces of shapes are n-spheres and complex projective spaces, from which knowledge I construct natural mechanics on these spaces. I also show that these coincide with Barbour's indirectly-constructed relational dynamics by performing a full reduction on the latter. Then the identification of the configuration spaces as n-spheres and complex projective spaces, for which spaces much mathematics is available, significantly advances the understanding of Barbour's relational theory in spatial dimensions 1 and 2. I also provide the parallel study of a new theory for which positon and scale are purely relative but orientation is absolute. The configuration space for this is an n-sphere regardless of the spatial dimension, which renders this theory a more tractable arena for investigation of implications of scale invariance than Barbour's theory itself.Comment: Minor typos corrected; references update

Influence of Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Pathways on Longitudinal Symptom Experiences in Children With Leukemia

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of oxidative stress (F2-isoprostanes) and inflammatory (interleukin [IL]-8) biomarkers on symptom trajectories during the first 18 months of childhood leukemia treatment. Method: A repeated-measures design was used to evaluate symptoms experienced by 218 children during treatment. A symptom cluster (fatigue, pain, and nausea) was explored over four time periods: initiation of post-induction therapy, 4 and 8 months into post-induction therapy, and the beginning of maintenance therapy (12 months postinduction). F2-isoprostanes and IL-8 were evaluated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected at baseline (diagnosis) and then at the four time periods. The longitudinal relationships of these biomarkers with the symptom cluster were examined using the longitudinal parallel process. Results: Pain and fatigue levels were highest during the post-induction phases of treatment and decreased slightly during maintenance therapy, while nausea scores were relatively stable. Even in the later phases of treatment, children continued to experience symptoms. CSF levels of the biomarkers increased during the post-induction phases of treatment. Early increases in the biomarkers were associated with more severe symptoms during the same period; patients who had increased biomarkers over time also experienced more severe symptoms over time. Conclusions: Findings reveal that children experienced symptoms throughout the course of leukemia treatment and support hypothesized longitudinal relationships of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers with symptom severity. Activation of the biomarker pathways during treatment may explain underlying mechanisms of symptom experiences and identify which children are at risk for severe symptoms.National Institutes of Health [R01CA1693398]This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]