European Respiratory Society International Congress best abstract preview from the allied respiratory professionals from assembly 9

The 28th European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress [2018] in Paris features interesting research findings within the allied respiratory professional assembly (assembly 9). Excellent and high ranked abstracts were selected for this year’s ERS International Congress preview of assembly 9 and are put in the spotlights. A summary of the best three abstracts of every group, i.e., lung function technologists, physiotherapists and nurses, within assembly 9 is presented. Session, timing and location of the presentation of the abstract at this year’s ERS International Congress is indicated in squared brackets following the authors’ name.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Structuring cooperative nuclear risk reduction initiatives with China

The Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation engaged several Chinese nuclear organizations in cooperative research that focused on responses to radiological and nuclear terrorism. The objective was to identify joint research initiatives to reduce the global dangers of such threats and to pursue initial technical collaborations in several high priority areas. Initiatives were identified in three primary research areas: 1) detection and interdiction of smuggled nuclear materials; 2) nuclear forensics; and 3) radiological (“dirty bomb”) threats and countermeasures. Initial work emphasized the application of systems and risk analysis tools, which proved effective in structuring the collaborations. The extensive engagements between national security nuclear experts in China and the U.S. during the research strengthened professional relationships between these important communities.Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (PASCC)Grant Number N00244-14-I-003

Attribute Elicitation: Implications in the Research Context1

Three different methods of attribute elicitation for two different paper-based products were compared in this study. The three methods used were free elicitation (FE), hierarchical dichotomization (HD), and Kelly's repertory grid (RG). The two paper-based products used in this study were bathroom tissue and paper towels. The methods were compared by abstraction, efficiency in data collection, convergent validity, and respondents' reaction to the task. The results from this comparison indicated that the level of abstraction did not significantly differ between methods or products. However, a rank order analysis revealed that a substantial difference existed with 18 to 20% of the attributes being rated significantly different between the elicitation methods for paper towels and bathroom tissue, respectively. Convergent validity was exhibited between all the methods, although was found to be highest between HD and RG. These findings suggest that all three elicitation methods elicit very similar information from the consumers' knowledge base. The efficiency in data collection revealed that for both products FE took significantly less time to complete the task, as well as to elicit the individual attributes. Furthermore, HD was identified as being the least efficient of the methods for either product. For the comparison of the reaction to task, FE was found to be the least difficult of the three methods and also allowed the respondents to more freely express their opinion

Tenure of Girl Scout Volunteer Leaders: An Issue of Self-Role Merger

Past and present Girl Scout Volunteer Leaders (GSVLs) in a regional Girl Scout council were sampled to determine the factors that theoretically lead to self-role merger as a GSVL. Self-role merger as a GSVL exists when interacting with others, as a GSVL, is important in sustaining one\u27s sense of worth as a person. The relationship between self-role merger and tenure as a GSVL was also examined. A test of hypotheses shows that the following variables are strongly related with self-role merger: a sense of achievement gained through role performances, the friendships developed through volunteering, and the extent of activities performed by the GSVL and her troop. A moderate, positive association was found between self-role merger scores and tenure; however, the strength of the relationship was much stronger for GSVLs whose daughters had previously left scouting. These findings support the structural symbolic interactionist theory of GSVLs developed in this article. Regional Girl Scout councils should consider these findings when developing strategies to retain GSVL

Stressful life event appraisal and coping in patients with psychogenic seizures and those with epilepsy

AbstractUnderstanding stress and coping among individuals with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) may have important treatment implications. 40 patients with PNES, 20 with epilepsy (EPIL), and 40 healthy control (HC) participants reported the frequency of various stressful life events (both positive and negative) and appraised the distress these events induced. They also described their habitual coping behaviors. PNES patients reported no more frequent stressful life events than EPIL patients or HC. In addition, the stressors they experienced are not objectively more severe. However, they reported more severe distress due to negative life events, especially in the domains of work, social functioning, legal matters, and health. PNES patients also engaged in less planning and active coping than HC. Neither of these two coping behaviors was associated with distress ratings. The PNES group did not engage in more denial than either group. However, greater denial among PNES patients was associated with greater perceived distress. Coping in PNES is characterized by elevated levels of perceived distress and fewer action strategies than are normally employed to reduce the impact of a stressor. These findings may inform cognitive behavioral therapy of PNES patients

The Relation of Patient Dependence to Home Health Aide Use in Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND: Although there has been much research devoted to understanding the predictors of nursing home placement (NHP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, there is currently a lack of research concerning the predictors of home health care. The objective of this study was to examine whether the Dependence Scale can predict home health aide (HHA) use. METHODS: The sample is drawn from the Predictors Study, a large, multicenter cohort of patients with probable AD, prospectively followed annually for up to 7 years in three university-based AD centers in the United States. Markov analyses (n=75) were used to calculate annual transition probabilities for the "new onset" of HHA use (instances where an HHA was absent at the previous visit, but present at the next visit) as a function of HHA presence at the preceding year's visit and dependence level at that preceding year's visit. RESULTS: The dependence level at the previous year's visit was a significant predictor of HHA use at the next year's visit. Three specific items of the Dependence Scale (needing household chores done for oneself, needing to be watched or kept company when awake, and needing to be escorted when outside) were significant predictors of the presence of an HHA. CONCLUSION: The Dependence Scale is a valuable tool for predicting HHA use in AD patients. Obtaining a better understanding of home health care in AD patients may help delay NHP and have a positive impact on the health and well-being of both the caregiver and the patient

Neuropsychological Predictors of Dependency in Patients with Alzheimer Disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether specific cognitive deficits can predict the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: Two hundred fifty-two patients with AD enrolled in the Predictors Study were followed at 6-month intervals for up to 4.5 years with neurologic, cognitive, and psychiatric examinations. Neuropsychological functions were assessed by the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (mMMSE). Items of mMMSE were divided into five cognitive domains: temporospatial orientation, short-term memory, long-term memory, language, and visuoconstructive functions. Loss of autonomy was assessed by both the Dependency Scale (DS) and the Equivalent Institutional Care (EIC) rating. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, sex, estimated duration of illness at entry into the study, and presence of extrapyramidal signs and behavioral disturbances, were used to determine the predictive value of each neuropsychological domain on dependency outcomes. RESULTS: Global mMMSE, temporospatial orientation, and short-term memory scores were associated with a greater relative risk of moderate or severe dependency. The visuoconstructive score predicted the development of severe dependency. Long-term memory and language scores were not predictive of the EIC or DS endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of certain neuropsychological deficits at a patient's initial visit, such as short-term memory, temporospatial orientation, and constructive apraxia, predict more rapid dependency in patients with Alzheimer disease. Neuropsychological items have different weights in term of predictive power, and these effects are independent of the influence of age and disease duration at baseline

Participation in Clinical Trials and Long-Term Outcomes in Alzheimer's Disease

The objective of this study was to determine whether participation in clinical trials affects long-term outcomes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participation in clinical trials for persons with dementia is often justified on the grounds that patients benefit from the medical oversight typical of trials, even when experimental agents do not demonstrate short-term benefits. This claim has not been rigorously assessed. Of 215 community-resident subjects enrolled in a prospective study of outcomes in AD, 101 participated in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) during the first 2 years of follow-up. These subjects were compared with subjects who met eligibility requirements for RCTs but did not participate (N = 57) and with subjects who were ineligible (N = 57), over a total of 3.5 years of follow-up. Survival analyses assessed risk of death, nursing home placement, and incident functional deficit end points, adjusting for baseline differences. Subjects who participated in RCTs were younger and more highly educated. Mortality, risk of hospitalization, number of medical examinations conducted by study physicians, and onset of severe functional deficit did not differ between the groups, but risk of nursing home admission was significantly lower among RCT participants compared with eligible nonparticipants and ineligible subjects (16.8% versus 36.8% and 31.6%, respectively [p = 0.01]). The difference in risk of nursing home placement may represent a long-term, drug-related benefit to patients, a selection effect (caregivers of patients who participate in RCTs differ from caregivers of patients who do not), or a positive effect on caregivers (greater contact with a medical service may be associated with better care-giving outcomes). Further research is required to assess these effects

Post-processing CHARIS integral field spectrograph data with PyKLIP

We present the pyKLIP-CHARIS post-processing pipeline, a Python library that reduces high contrast imaging data for the CHARIS integral field spectrograph used with the SCExAO project on the Subaru Telescope. The pipeline is a part of the pyKLIP package, a Python library dedicated to the reduction of direct imaging data of exoplanets, brown dwarfs, and discs. For PSF subtraction, the pyKLIP-CHARIS post-processing pipeline relies on the core algorithms implemented in pyKLIP but uses image registration and calibrations that are unique to CHARIS. We describe the pipeline procedures, calibration results, and capabilities in processing imaging data acquired via the angular differential imaging and spectral differential imaging observing techniques. We showcase its performance on extracting spectra of injected synthetic point sources as well as compare the extracted spectra from real data sets on HD 33632 and HR 8799 to results in the literature. The pipeline is a python-based complement to the SCExAO project supported, widely used (and currently IDL-based) CHARIS data post-processing pipeline (CHARIS DPP) and provides an additional approach to reducing CHARIS data and extracting calibrated planet spectra.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure