Research in space science and technology

Progress in various space flight research programs is reported. Emphasis is placed on X-ray astronomy and interplanetary plasma physics. Topics covered include: infrared astronomy, long base line interferometry, geological spectroscopy, space life science experiments, atmospheric physics, and space based materials and structures research. Analysis of galactic and extra-galactic X-ray data from the Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS-3) and HEAO-A and interplanetary plasma data for Mariner 10, Explorers 47 and 50, and Solrad is discussed

Rehabilitation of the Surgical Repair of a Recurrent Anterior Dislocation of the Glenohumeral Joint

Increasingly shoulder dislocations and instabilities are being recognized among athletes as a common disabling condition in the health care setting today. Dislocations of the shoulder represent approximately 50% of all major joint dislocations. Of these shoulder dislocations, 95% are anterior dislocations. After a primary anterior dislocation, recurrence of dislocation occurs in 90% to 95% of patients in their mid 20s or younger. A high percentage of these injuries occur in repetitive athletic activities in which large forces and high velocities are produced, such as hockey, football, and baseball. Consequently with the recognition of instability as the primary etiological factor for many forms of shoulder dysfunction syndromes, an accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment plan of shoulder disability in a group of athletes can be facilitated. The purpose of this study is to review the literature to describe the mechanisms of injury and factors promoting recurrent dislocations, review common surgical interventions, present a treatment protocol devised for athletes with recurrent anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint, and compare rehabilitation protocols following a Bristow surgical repair procedure to a Bankart repair protocol. This type of literature review will provide updated information on clinical implications of recurrent anterior dislocations and outline the differences in rehabilitation protocols following surgery. This information will be of value for physical therapists treating patients with this diagnosis. By knowing the anatomy involved in the various surgical procedures and the treatment protocol for the particular surgery performed on the patient, physical therapists can effectively provide treatment

Antibiotic prescribing frequency amongst patients in primary care: a cohort study using electronic health records

BACKGROUND: Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care is a public health priority. Objectives: We hypothesized that a subset of patients account for the majority of antibiotic prescriptions in primary care. We investigated the relationship between the total amount of antibiotics prescribed, individual-level antibiotic use and comorbidity. METHODS: This was a cohort study using electronic health records from 1 948 390 adults registered with 385 primary care practices in the UK in 2011-13. We estimated the average number of antibiotic prescriptions per patient and the association between prescribing and comorbidity. We modelled the impact on total prescribing of reducing antibiotic use in those prescribed antibiotics most frequently. RESULTS: On average 30.1% (586 194/1 948 390) of patients were prescribed at least one antibiotic per year. Nine percent (174 602/1 948 390) of patients were prescribed 53% (2 091 496/3 922 732) of the total amount of antibiotics, each of whom received at least five antibiotic prescriptions over 3 years. The presence of any comorbidity increased the prescribing rate by 44% [adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.44, 95% CI 1.43-1.45]; rates of prescribing to women exceeded those in men by 62% (adjusted IRR 1.62, 95% CI 1.62-1.63). CONCLUSIONS: Half of antibiotics prescribed to adults in primary care were for <10% of patients. Efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance should consider the impact of this on total prescribing

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disparity in Black Men who Have Sex With Men

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be a challenge in the men who have sex with men (MSM) population. Initiatives to decrease rates of new HIV infections have proven less than optimal. Despite evidence-based interventions to curtail the prevalence and incidence rates of HIV infection, Black MSM have been most impacted with increased HIV incidence. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to explore the relationship, if any, between age, online and physical venues attended by participants within the last thirty days, neighborhood\u27s perceived social environment, and HIV incidence in the non-Hispanic Black MSM population in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in Southern U.S. Social cognitive theory was used to frame this study. Secondary datasets from the Involve[MEN]t database were used in this study and included 810 Black and White MSM living in a MSA. Ages of the participants ranged between 18 and 39. Original data were collected through online questionnaires. Chi-square, independent samples t test, and logistic regression model were used to analyze data. Chi-square analysis showed a significant main effect (p = 0.006) for online venue Facebook and HIV incidence but no significance differences identified between age, online venues CraigsList and Black Gay Chat, physical venues (including bars and restaurants, gyms, and bath houses), and neighborhood\u27s perceived social environment (including neighborhood attachment, self-esteem/morale, and personal safety). Positive social implications of the study findings could include tailoring existing interventions with strategies to address self-esteem and morale, explore selected online and physical venues, and develop social and behavioral structured policies in the Black MSM population

Non-market Valuation Biases Due to Aboriginal Cultural Characteristics in Northern Saskatchewan: The Values Structures Component

Current non-market valuation techniques have been developed based on assumptions about values held within the Eurocentred culture. Contentions between cultures over natural resources are hypothesized to occur because of differences in held values resulting in different values being assigned to the resources in question. This study measured the held values of an Aboriginal band in Northern Saskatchewan as the first dimension of a non-market valuation study of natural resources. These held value structures are presented noting differences by age and gender and in comparison with the local Non-Aboriginal community and another Aboriginal group in northern Alberta.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ASSESSMENT OF THE LINEFISHERY IN TWO URBAN ESTUARINE SYSTEMS IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

The recreational linefisheries in Durban Harbour and the Mgeni Estuary were surveyed using roving creel and access-point surveys during the period January–December 2000. In total, 3 351 shore-anglers and 652 boat-anglers were checked for catch-and-effort information, and 432 shore-anglers were interviewed using a demographic and socio-economic questionnaire. Durban Harbour had much higher angling effort than the Mgeni Estuary. Angling activity was higher on weekends (121 and 23 anglers per count for the harbour and Mgeni Estuary respectively) than during the week (34 and 9 anglers per count respectively). Total effort expended in Durban Harbour and the Mgeni Estuary shore-fisheries during 2000 was estimated to be 54 024 and 11 977 angler-outings respectively. Annual effort for the Durban Harbour boat-fishery for the same period was estimated to be 9 991 angler-outings. The flathead mullet Mugil cephalus was the most commonly harvested species in both Durban Harbour and the Mgeni Estuary shore-fisheries (25.2 and 68.1&#37 respectively), and spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii (41.5&#37) was the most commonly harvested species in the Durban Harbour boat-fishery. Because of their small size, a large proportion (>63&#37) of the total fish catch at both localities was released. Mean catch per unit effort for the Durban Harbour boat-based fishery (0.11 fish angler-1 h-1 or 0.15 kg angler-1 h-1) was higher than that of the shore-based fishery (0.071 fish angler-1 h-1 or 0.034 kg angler-1 h-1). The questionnaire survey indicated that anglers had high site fidelity, considerable years of fishing experience (mean of 17.2 years for the harbour, 13.6 years for Mgeni) and high compliance with possession of fishing permits (86&#37 harbour, 84&#37 Mgeni). Although anglers generally supported the regulations currently applicable to the linefishery (>71&#37 harbour, >77&#37 Mgeni), the questionnaire results showed that specific nowledge for target species was poor (45–70&#37 harbour, 29–60&#37 Mgeni). The level of fisheries law enforcement (6.4&#37 of harbour outings inspected, 7&#37 Mgeni outings inspected) was poorer than in the previously studied KwaZulu-Natal marine shorefishery. Economic investment by participants in terms of angling equipment used in the shore-fisheries of the two systems was calculated to be &#62 R10 million, and expenditure in terms of bait, travel and tackle costs was approximately R9 million per year.Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 111–13

Health and criminal justice system involvement among African American siblings

Importance: Health disparities between African Americans and Whites have persisted in the United States. Researchers have recently hypothesized that the relatively poor health of African Americans may be caused, in part, by African American overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. Objectives: To test the hypothesis that criminal justice system involvement is associated with poor health and greater health risk when controlling for unobserved family factors through a discordant sibling design. Methods: Subjects were drawn from the Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging (CAATSA). Criminal conviction records were extracted from North Carolina\u27s Department of Public Safety. Six measures of health and one measure of health risk were analyzed. The health of convicted respondents was compared to that of unrelated non-convicted respondents matched on childhood and demographic factors (“matched sample”). Convicted respondents were also compared to non-convicted siblings (“discordant sibling sample”). Results: The matched sample included 134 CAATSA respondents. On average, convicted CAATSA respondents, compared to matched non-convicted respondents, were in worse health. Convicted respondents had worse mean self-reported health, worse lung function, more depressive symptoms, and smoked more. The discordant sibling sample included 74 respondents. Convicted siblings and non-convicted siblings had similar self-reported health, depressive symptoms, and smoking. In general, non-convicted siblings were in worse health than non-convicted respondents from the matched sample, implying that poor health runs in families. Conclusions: This study provided preliminary evidence that some of the association between a criminal record and poor health is confounded by family factors. Though more research is needed to support these results, the study suggests that criminal involvement may not be associated with the surfeit of health problems observed among African Americans. The criminal justice system, nonetheless, could be used to decrease the health disparity

Towards the GEOSAT Follow-On Precise Orbit Determination Goals of High Accuracy and Near-Real-Time Processing

The US Navy's GEOSAT Follow-On spacecraft (GFO) primary mission objective is to map the oceans using a radar altimeter. Satellite laser ranging data, especially in combination with altimeter crossover data, offer the only means of determining high-quality precise orbits. Two tuned gravity models, PGS7727 and PGS7777b, were created at NASA GSFC for GFO that reduce the predicted radial orbit through degree 70 to 13.7 and 10.0 mm. A macromodel was developed to model the nonconservative forces and the SLR spacecraft measurement offset was adjusted to remove a mean bias. Using these improved models, satellite-ranging data, altimeter crossover data, and Doppler data are used to compute both daily medium precision orbits with a latency of less than 24 hours. Final precise orbits are also computed using these tracking data and exported with a latency of three to four weeks to NOAA for use on the GFO Geophysical Data Records (GDR s). The estimated orbit precision of the daily orbits is between 10 and 20 cm, whereas the precise orbits have a precision of 5 cm

Psychiatric diagnoses and criminal convictions in youth: a population-based study of comorbidities of diagnoses

Background: Psychiatric diagnoses are important risk factors for criminal convictions, but few longitudinal studies have examined comorbidity patterns in relation to youth criminal convictions. Aim: To explore associations between specific psychiatric diagnoses (substance use disorder (SUD), ADHD, depression, PTSD, intellectual disabilities (ID), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)) and comorbidities of internalizing, externalizing, or neurodevelopmental diagnoses (NDD) in relation to risk of non-violent or violent criminal convictions in youth, including potential sex differences. Methods: Data on 1,411,538 individuals born in Sweden (1985–1998) were obtained from national population-based registers. Exposure was psychiatric diagnoses and outcome was criminal convictions between ages 15 and 20. Results: 17% of individuals had a psychiatric diagnosis, of whom 20% were convicted of a crime. All diagnoses, except ID and ASD, increased the risk of non-violent and violent crimes. Comorbidities of externalizing and internalizing diagnoses heightened the risk compared to single diagnoses. NDD increased the risk among SUD, depression, and PTSD, while NDD comorbid with another NDD decreased the risk for criminal convictions. Conclusion: Of the three comorbidity categories, externalizing disorders heightened risk the most, followed by internalizing disorders. This study highlights specific risk patterns for criminal convictions related to comorbidities, and to crime type and sex

Relief of the Dma1-mediated checkpoint requires Dma1 autoubiquitination and dynamic localization

© 2018 Jones, Chen, et al. Chromosome segregation and cell division are coupled to prevent aneuploidy and cell death. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the septation initiation network (SIN) promotes cytokinesis, but upon mitotic checkpoint activation, the SIN is actively inhibited to prevent cytokinesis from occurring before chromosomes have safely segregated. SIN inhibition during the mitotic checkpoint is mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Dma1. Dma1 binds to the CK1-phosphorylated SIN scaffold protein Sid4 at the spindle pole body (SPB), and ubiquitinates it. Sid4 ubiquitination antagonizes the SPB localization of the Polo-like kinase Plo1, the major SIN activator, so that SIN signaling is delayed. How this checkpoint is silenced once spindle defects are resolved has not been clear. Here we establish that Dma1 transiently leaves SPBs during anaphase B due to extensive autoubiquitination. The SIN is required for Dma1 to return to SPBs later in anaphase. Blocking Dma1 removal from SPBs by permanently tethering it to Sid4 prevents SIN activation and cytokinesis. Therefore, controlling Dma1’s SPB dynamics in anaphase is an essential step in S. pombe cell division and the silencing of the Dma1-dependent mitotic checkpoint