Communications-Inspired Projection Design with Application to Compressive Sensing

We consider the recovery of an underlying signal x \in C^m based on projection measurements of the form y=Mx+w, where y \in C^l and w is measurement noise; we are interested in the case l < m. It is assumed that the signal model p(x) is known, and w CN(w;0,S_w), for known S_W. The objective is to design a projection matrix M \in C^(l x m) to maximize key information-theoretic quantities with operational significance, including the mutual information between the signal and the projections I(x;y) or the Renyi entropy of the projections h_a(y) (Shannon entropy is a special case). By capitalizing on explicit characterizations of the gradients of the information measures with respect to the projections matrix, where we also partially extend the well-known results of Palomar and Verdu from the mutual information to the Renyi entropy domain, we unveil the key operations carried out by the optimal projections designs: mode exposure and mode alignment. Experiments are considered for the case of compressive sensing (CS) applied to imagery. In this context, we provide a demonstration of the performance improvement possible through the application of the novel projection designs in relation to conventional ones, as well as justification for a fast online projections design method with which state-of-the-art adaptive CS signal recovery is achieved.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, parts of material published in IEEE ICASSP 2012, submitted to SIIM

A comparison of sex offenders and other types of offenders referred to intellectual disability forensic services

This study compared 131 sex offenders with ID and 346 other types of offenders with ID using case file records. All the females in the study were non sexual offenders. Significantly more sexual offenders were referred from court and criminal justice services while significantly fewer were referred from secondary healthcare. A higher percentage of sex offenders had some form of legal status at time of referral. Greater proportions of non sexual offenders were referred for aggression, damage to property, substance abuse and fire setting while only the sex offenders had an index sex offence. For previous offending, the non sexual offenders had higher rates of aggression, cruelty and neglect of children, property damage and substance abuse while the sexual offenders had higher rates of previous sexual offending. For psychiatric disturbance and adversity in childhood, only ADHD showed a significant difference between groups with the non sexual offenders recording higher rates

Modular Architecture for the Measurement of Space Radiation

A modular architecture has been conceived for the design of radiation-monitoring instruments used aboard spacecraft and in planetary-exploration settings. This architecture reflects lessons learned from experience with prior radiation-monitoring instruments. A prototype instrument that embodies the architecture has been developed as part of the Mars Advanced Radiation Acquisition (MARA) project. The architecture is also applicable on Earth for radiation-monitoring instruments in research of energetic electrically charged particles and instruments monitoring radiation for purposes of safety, military defense, and detection of hidden nuclear devices and materials

Pathways into services for offenders with intellectual disabilities : childhood experience, diagnostic information and offence variables

The patterns and pathways into intellectual disability (ID) offender services were studied through case file review for 477 participants referred in one calendar year to community generic, community forensic, and low, medium, and maximum secure services. Data were gathered on referral source, demographic information, index behavior, prior problem behaviors, diagnostic information, and abuse or deprivation. Community referrers tended to refer to community services and secure service referrers to secure services. Physical and verbal violence were the most frequent index behaviors, whereas contact sexual offenses were more prominent in maximum security. Age at first incident varied with security, with the youngest in maximum secure services. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder was the most frequently recorded diagnosis, and severe deprivation was the most frequent adverse developmental experience. Fire starting, theft, and road traffic offenses did not feature prominently. Generic community services accepted a number of referrals with forensic-type behavior and had higher proportions of both women and people with moderate or severe ID

Oral Bromelain Attenuates Inflammation in an Ovalbumin-induced Murine Model of Asthma

Bromelain, a widely used pineapple extract with cysteine protease activity, has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects in a variety of immune system models. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of orally administered bromelain in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of acute allergic airway disease (AAD). To establish AAD, female C57BL/6J mice were sensitized with intraperitoneal (i.p.) OVA/alum and then challenged with OVA aerosols for 3 days. Mice were gavaged with either (phosphate buffered saline)PBS or 200 mg/kg bromelain in PBS, twice daily for four consecutive days, beginning 1 day prior to OVA aerosol challenge. Airway reactivity and methacholine sensitivity, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cellular differential, Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13, and lung histology were compared between treatment groups. Oral bromelain-treatment of AAD mice demonstrated therapeutic efficacy as evidenced by decreased methacholine sensitivity (P ≤ 0.01), reduction in BAL eosinophils (P ≤ 0.02) and IL-13 concentrations (P ≤ 0.04) as compared with PBS controls. In addition, oral bromelain significantly reduced BAL CD19+ B cells (P ≤ 0.0001) and CD8+ T cells (P ≤ 0.0001) in AAD mice when compared with controls. These results suggest that oral treatment with bromelain had a beneficial therapeutic effect in this murine model of asthma and bromelain may also be effective in human conditions

Control of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus in Health Care Facilities in a Region

Background In late 1996, vancomycin-resistant enterococci were first detected in the Siouxland region of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. A task force was created, and in 1997 the assistance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was sought in assessing the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in the region’s facilities and implementing recommendations for screening, infection control, and education at all 32 health care facilities in the region. Methods The infection-control intervention was evaluated in October 1998 and October 1999. We performed point-prevalence surveys, conducted a case– control study of gastrointestinal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and compared infection-control practices and screening policies for vancomycin-resistant enterococci at the acute care and long-term care facilities in the Siouxland region. Results Perianal-swab samples were obtained from 1954 of 2196 eligible patients (89 percent) in 1998 and 1820 of 2049 eligible patients (89 percent) in 1999. The overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci at 30 facilities that participated in all three years of the study decreased from 2.2 percent in 1997 to 1.4 percent in 1998 and to 0.5 percent in 1999 (P Conclusions An active infection-control intervention, which includes the obtaining of surveillance cultures and the isolation of infected patients, can reduce or eliminate the transmission of vancomycinresistant enterococci in the health care facilities of a region. (N Engl J Med 2001;344:1427-33.

Pregnancy Rates, Metabolites and Metabolic Hormones in Bighorn Sheep During and After the Breeding Season

Wildlife managers routinely draw blood and harvest serum when bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and other ungulates are captured for management and research purposes.  Serum samples are routinely submitted to state livestock labs that perform a panel of assays to access exposure to a variety of important pathogens that cause disease, providing managers important insights.  Wildlife managers would also benefit from similar procedures that could provide assessments of reproduction, nutrition, and physiological status.  The objectives of this preliminary study were to evaluate pregnancy rates, energy-related metabolites and hormones among herds of Montana and Wyoming bighorn sheep during and after the breeding season in order to assess the general ‘health’ of herds. Metabolites and metabolic hormones are frequently used in domestic animals to evaluate nutrition, reproduction and energy balance, and potentially may provide the same insights in wildlife for managers. A total of 240 bighorn ewes were sampled from 13 herds between December 2014 and March 2015.  Samples were assayed for progesterone (P4) and pregnancy specific protein B (PSPBs) to assess reproductive cycling and pregnancy. Assays were also performed for non-esterified fatty acid, insulin, triiodothyronine and thyroxine which are metabolites and metabolic hormones that indicate nutritional and energy states of animals. We will be presenting the results of this preliminary study and discussing the relationship between pregnancy rates, energy-related metabolites and hormones and how they might be used to inform wildlife management

Drought and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, 2012–2016: Environmental Review and Lessons

This paper reviews environmental management and the use of science in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta during California’s 2012–2016 drought. The review is based on available reports and data, and guided by discussions with 27 agency staff, stake-holders, and researchers. Key management actions for the drought are discussed relative to four major drought water management priorities stated by water managers: support public health and safety, control saltwater intrusion, preserve cold water in Shasta Reservoir, and maintain minimum protections for endangered species. Despite some success in streamlining communication through interagency task forces, conflicting management mandates sometimes led to confusion about priorities and actions during the drought (i.e., water delivery, the environment, etc.). This report highlights several lessons and offers suggestions to improve management for future droughts. Recommendations include use of pre-drought warnings, timely drought declarations, improved transparency and useful documentation, better scientific preparation, development of a Delta drought management plan (including preparing for salinity barriers), and improved water accounting. Finally, better environmental outcomes occur when resources are applied to improving habitat and bolstering populations of native species during inter-drought periods, well before stressful conditions occur.

Serratia marcescens bacteremia traced to an infused narcotic

BACKGROUND From June 30, 1998, through March 21, 1999, several patients in the surgical intensive care unit of a hospital acquired Serratia marcescens bacteremia. We investigated this outbreak. METHODS A case was defined as the occurrence of S. marcescens bacteremia in any patient in the surgical intensive care unit during the period of the epidemic. To identify risk factors, we compared patients with S. marcescens bacteremia with randomly selected controls. Isolates from patients and from medications were evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The hair of one employee was tested for fentanyl. RESULTS Twenty-six patients with S. marcescens bacteremia were identified; eight (31 percent) had polymicrobial bacteremia, and seven of these had Enterobacter cloacae and S. marcescens in the same culture. According to univariate analysis, patients with S. marcescensbacteremia stayed in the surgical intensive care unit longer than controls (13.5 vs. 4.0 days, PS. marcescens and E. cloacae. The isolates from the case patients and from the fentanyl infusions had similar patterns on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. After removal of the implicated respiratory therapist, no further cases occurred. Full Text of Results... CONCLUSIONS An outbreak of S. marcescens and E. cloacae bacteremia in a surgical intensive care unit was traced to extrinsic contamination of the parenteral narcotic fentanyl by a health care worker. Our findings underscore the risk of complications in patients that is associated with illicit narcotic use by health care workers

Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking for Strain Calculation With Harmonic Phase Imaging Analysis

ObjectivesTo compare a steady-state free precession cine sequence–based technique (feature tracking [FT]) to tagged harmonic phase (HARP) analysis for peak average circumferential myocardial strain (εcc) analysis in a large and heterogeneous population of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).BackgroundCurrent εcc assessment techniques require cardiac magnetic resonance–tagged imaging sequences, and their analysis is complex. The FT method can readily be performed on standard cine (steady-state free precession) sequences.MethodsWe compared mid-left ventricular whole-slice εcc by the 2 techniques in 191 DMD patients grouped according to age and severity of cardiac dysfunction: group B: DMD patients 10 years and younger with normal ejection fraction (EF); group C: DMD patients older than 10 years with normal EF; group D: DMD patients older than 10 years with reduced EF but negative myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE); group E: DMD patients older than 10 years with reduced EF and positive MDE; and group A: 42 control subjects. Retrospective, offline analysis was performed on matched tagged and steady-state free precession slices.ResultsFor the entire study population (N = 233), mean FT εcc values (−13.3 ± 3.8%) were highly correlated with HARP εcc values (−13.6 ± 3.4%), with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.899. The mean εcc of DMD patients determined by HARP (−12.52 ± 2.69%) and FT (−12.16 ± 3.12%) was not significantly different (p = NS). Similarly, the mean εcc of the control subjects by determined HARP (−18.85 ± 1.86) and FT (−18.81 ± 1.83) was not significantly different (p = NS). Excellent correlation between the 2 methods was found among subgroups A through E, except there was no significant difference in strain between groups B and C with FT analysis.ConclusionsFT-based assessment of εcc correlates highly with εcc derived from tagged images in a large DMD patient population with a wide range of cardiac dysfunction and can be performed without additional imaging