Object-Oriented Design of an Automated Calibration System for an Analog I/O Process Control Device

The goal of this project was to deliver the design of object-oriented software for the control of a custom calibration/test system. This calibration/test system is to be used for the production testing and calibration of an Analog Input device used in a process control system. Software features include a GUI (Graphical User Interface), Analog Input device troubleshooting tools, calibration/test system calibration and troubleshooting tools, and report printing capability. This project followed the methodology defined by the Unified Process Model and delivered design documentation through the Inception and Elaboration phases. This paper discusses the planning, documentation and testing differences between a large software project and a small software project

Renal Cell Carcinoma with Angioleiomyoma-Like Stroma and Clear Cell Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma: Exploring SDHB Protein Immunohistochemistry and the Relationship to Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with angioleiomyoma-like stroma appears to be molecularly distinct from clear cell RCC; however, its relationship to clear cell papillary RCC remains debated. Recent studies have found that similar tumors sometimes occur in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), of which one study found unexpectedly negative succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) B immunostaining. We evaluated immunohistochemistry for SDHB in 12 apparently sporadic RCCs with angioleiomyoma-like stroma and correlated with clinical information for stigmata of TSC. Tumors were compared to a group of 16 clear cell papillary RCCs and 6 unclassified tumors with prominent stroma. With exception of 1 unclassified tumor, all exhibited at least focal cytoplasmic staining for SDHB protein, often requiring high magnification and better appreciated with increased antibody concentration. Detailed history information was available for 9/12 patients with smooth muscle-rich tumors, revealing no stigmata of undiagnosed TSC. Electron microscopy performed on 1 of these tumors revealed mitochondria to be very sparse, potentially accounting for the weak immunohistochemical labeling for SDHB protein. Weak SDHB immunostaining may represent another shared feature of RCC with angioleiomyoma-like stroma and clear cell papillary RCC, likely due to sparse mitochondria, strengthening the possible relationship of these entities. Although smooth muscle-rich tumors have been recently reported in patients with TSC, absence of staining in tumors with this pattern may not be specific for TSC. In tumors with pale or clear cytoplasm, immunohistochemical staining for SDHB should be interpreted with caution as evidence of abnormality in the SDH pathway

Onward and Upward: The Legacy of Black Urologists in America

In partnership with the American Urological Association\u27s William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History, Henry Ford Health hosted a Grand Rounds event from 7 – 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 14, in the Buerki Auditorium at Henry Ford Hospital. The event highlights the contributions of Black urologists to the history of medicine despite systemic racism in the medical field and across the country. Covering the impact of exclusion and segregation in the past, as well as present day issues such as microaggressions and cultural insensitivity, the lecture and discussion calls for a future of successfully integrating medicine to achieve better outcomes for physicians and their patients. The schedule of the event is as follows: 7 a.m.: Welcome by Craig Rogers, M.D., Chair, Department of Urology, Vattikuti Urology Institute. Introductory remarks by Adnan Munkarah, M.D., President, Care Delivery System and Chief Clinical Officer and Steven Kalkanis, M.D., CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group and CEO of Henry Ford Hospital. 7:10 a.m.: Keynote speaker Arthur L. Burnett II, M.D., MBA., FACS., professor of urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will present “Onward and Upward: The Legacy of Black Urologists in America. 7:30 a.m.: Panel discussion moderated by Linda McIntire, M.D., President, R. Frank Jones Urological Society, and graduate of Henry Ford urology program, featuring the panelists listed below. Melvin Hollowell, M.D., FACS Dr. Hollowell earned his medical degree in 1959 and has practiced in Detroit for 64 years. At 93 years young, he is still practicing today. Isaac Powell, M.D. Dr. Powell graduated with his medical degree in 1969 and became the first African American graduate from the Henry Ford Hospital urology program in 1974. Conrad Maitland, M.D. Dr. Maitland has been practicing for 40 years and is himself a survivor of prostate cancer - a disease that disproportionately affects Black men. Ray Littleton, M.D. Dr. Littleton joined the senior staff at Henry Ford Hospital in 1980 and helped pioneer minimally invasive surgery by performing the first percutaneous kidney stone removal in Michigan in 1983

The GAPS Experiment to Search for Dark Matter using Low-energy Antimatter

The GAPS experiment is designed to carry out a sensitive dark matter search by measuring low-energy cosmic ray antideuterons and antiprotons. GAPS will provide a new avenue to access a wide range of dark matter models and masses that is complementary to direct detection techniques, collider experiments and other indirect detection techniques. Well-motivated theories beyond the Standard Model contain viable dark matter candidates which could lead to a detectable signal of antideuterons resulting from the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles. The dark matter contribution to the antideuteron flux is believed to be especially large at low energies (E < 1 GeV), where the predicted flux from conventional astrophysical sources (i.e. from secondary interactions of cosmic rays) is very low. The GAPS low-energy antiproton search will provide stringent constraints on less than 10 GeV dark matter, will provide the best limits on primordial black hole evaporation on Galactic length scales, and will explore new discovery space in cosmic ray physics. Unlike other antimatter search experiments such as BESS and AMS that use magnetic spectrometers, GAPS detects antideuterons and antiprotons using an exotic atom technique. This technique, and its unique event topology, will give GAPS a nearly background-free detection capability that is critical in a rare-event search. GAPS is designed to carry out its science program using long-duration balloon flights in Antarctica. A prototype instrument was successfully flown from Taiki, Japan in 2012. GAPS has now been approved by NASA to proceed towards the full science instrument, with the possibility of a first long-duration balloon flight in late 2020. Here we motivate low-energy cosmic ray antimatter searches and discuss the current status of the GAPS experiment and the design of the payload.Comment: 8 pags, 3 figures, Proc. 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2017), Busan, Kore

Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: Introducing a thematic series on the Theoretical Domains Framework

Behaviour change is key to increasing the uptake of evidence into healthcare practice. Designing behaviour-change interventions first requires problem analysis, ideally informed by theory. Yet the large number of partly overlapping theories of behaviour makes it difficult to select the most appropriate theory. The need for an overarching theoretical framework of behaviour change was addressed in research in which 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour were identified and grouped. The resulting Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) appears to be a helpful basis for investigating implementation problems. Research groups in several countries have conducted TDF-based studies. It seems timely to bring together the experience of these teams in a thematic series to demonstrate further applications and to report key developments. This overview article describes the TDF, provides a brief critique of the framework, and introduces this thematic series. In a brief review to assess the extent of TDF-based research, we identified 133 papers that cite the framework. Of these, 17 used the TDF as the basis for empirical studies to explore health professionals’ behaviour. The identified papers provide evidence of the impact of the TDF on implementation research. Two major strengths of the framework are its theoretical coverage and its capacity to elicit beliefs that could signify key mediators of behaviour change. The TDF provides a useful conceptual basis for assessing implementation problems, designing interventions to enhance healthcare practice, and understanding behaviour-change processes. We discuss limitations and research challenges and introduce papers in this series

Effect of reminders on mitigating participation bias in a case-control study

BACKGROUND: Researchers commonly employ strategies to increase participation in health studies. These include use of incentives and intensive reminders. There is, however, little evidence regarding the quantitative effect that such strategies have on study results. We present an analysis of data from a case-control study of Campylobacter enteritis in England to assess the usefulness of a two-reminder strategy for control recruitment. METHODS: We compared sociodemographic characteristics of participants and non-participants, and calculated odds ratio estimates for a wide range of risk factors by mailing wave. RESULTS: Non-participants were more often male, younger and from more deprived areas. Among participants, early responders were more likely to be female, older and live in less deprived areas, but despite these differences, we found little evidence of a systematic bias in the results when using data from early reponders only. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the main benefit of using reminders in our study was the gain in statistical power from a larger sample size

Group interventions to improve health outcomes : a framework for their design and delivery

Peer reviewedPublisher PD