A method for calculation of free-space sound pressures near a propeller in flight including considerations of the chordwise blade loading

This report presents tabulated values of certain definite integral that are involved in the calculation of near-field propeller noise when the chordwise forces are assumed to be either uniform or of a Dirac delta type. The tabulations are over a wide range of operating conditions and are useful for estimating propeller noise when either the concept of an effective radius or radial distributions of forces are considered. Use of the tabulations is illustrated by several examples of calculated results for some specific propellers

Facilitating Learning Online: Modeling the Skills for Reflective Practice

This study examined the interactions of facilitators in online reflective practice groups, focusing on the types of strategies used to convey these skills. Learners were found to use the skills modeled by the group facilitator, with the content of the interactions having a greater influence than facilitator style on learners’ use

Facilitating Cross-Cultural Online Discussion Groups: Issues and Challenges

This action research identifies the issues and challenges experienced by facilitators who moderated cross-cultural group discussion activities in an online environment. This study found that in a cross-cultural online environment, the challenges of the facilitator expand beyond the currently identified range of problems for online discussion

Diagnosing Down-the-Drain Disposal of Unused Pharmaceuticals at a River Catchment Level:Unrecognized Sources of Environmental Contamination That Require Nontechnological Solutions

Down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals remains an overlooked and unrecognized source of environmental contamination that requires nontechnological “at-source” solutions. Monitoring of 31 pharmaceuticals over 7 days in five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving five cities in South-West UK revealed down-the-drain codisposal of six pharmaceuticals to three WWTPs (carbamazepine and propranolol in city A, sildenafil in city B, and diltiazem, capecitabine, and sertraline in city D), with a one-off record codisposal of estimated 253 pills = 40 g of carbamazepine and estimated 96 pills = 4 g of propranolol in city A accounting for their 10- and 3-fold respective increases in wastewater daily loads. Direct disposal of pharmaceuticals was found to affect the efficiency of wastewater treatment with much higher pharmaceutical removal (decrease in daily load) during “down-the-drain disposal” days. This is due to lack of conjugated glucuronide metabolites that are cleaved during “consumption-only” days, with the release of a parent pharmaceutical counterbalancing its removal. Higher removal of pharmaceuticals during down-the-drain disposal days reduced pharmaceutical loads reaching receiving environment, albeit with significant levels remaining. The estimated daily loads in receiving water downstream from a discharge point accounted for 13.8 ± 3.4 and 2.1 ± 0.2 g day–1 of carbamazepine and propranolol, respectively, during consumption-only days and peaked at 20.9 g day–1 (carbamazepine) and 4.6 g day–1 (propranolol) during down-the-drain disposal days. Actions are needed to reduce down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals. Our recent work indicated that down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals doubled since the last study in 2005, which may be due to the lack of information and messaging that informs people to dispose of unused medicines at pharmacies. Media campaigns that inform the public of how to safely dispose of medicines are key to improving rates of return and reducing pharmaceutical waste in the environment. The environment is a key motivator for returning unused medicines to a pharmacy and so messaging should highlight environmental risks associated with improper disposal

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors Alpha, Beta, and Gamma mRNA and Protein Expression in Human Fetal Tissues

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) regulate lipid and glucose homeostasis, are targets of pharmaceuticals, and are also activated by environmental contaminants. Almost nothing is known about expression of PPARs during human fetal development. This study examines expression of PPARα, β, and γ mRNA and protein in human fetal tissues. With increasing fetal age, mRNA expression of PPARα and β increased in liver, but PPARβ decreased in heart and intestine, and PPARγ decreased in adrenal. Adult and fetal mean expression of PPARα, β, and γ mRNA did not differ in intestine, but expression was lower in fetal stomach and heart. PPARα and β mRNA in kidney and spleen, and PPARγ mRNA in lung and adrenal were lower in fetal versus adult. PPARγ in liver and PPARβ mRNA in thymus were higher in fetal versus adult. PPARα protein increased with fetal age in intestine and decreased in lung, kidney, and adrenal. PPARβ protein in adrenal and PPARγ in kidney decreased with fetal age. This study provides new information on expression of PPAR subtypes during human development and will be important in evaluating the potential for the developing human to respond to PPAR environmental or pharmaceutical agonists

Does aging change docosahexaenoic acid homeostasis? Implications for the challenge to cognitive health in the elderly

Epidemiological studies fairly convincingly suggest that higher intake of fish and omega-3 fatty acids present in fish is associated with reduced risk for age-related cognitive decline (ARCD). Normally, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in plasma is positively associated with DHA intake. However, despite being associated with lower fish and DHA intake, unexpectedly, ARCD is not consistently associated with lower plasma DHA. Furthermore, DHA is often slightly but significantly higher in plasma and erythrocytes in the elderly without ARCD compared to young adults. Higher plasma DHA in the elderly may be a sign that their fish or DHA intake is higher but we show here that various aspects of DHA homeostasis also change with age. Our supplementation and tracer studies show that DHA metabolism, e.g. transit through the plasma and apparent retroconversion but not beta-oxidation, is different in healthy elderly compared to healthy young adults. Apolipoprotein E4 increases the risk of ARCD, possibly in part because it changes DHA homeostasis. Therefore, independent of differences in fish intake, changing DHA homeostasis may contribute to making the elderly more susceptible to cognitive decline despite them having similar or sometimes higher plasma DHA than in younger adults. Key words: aging, cognitive decline, dietary, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-3 fatty aci

Genetic therapies for cardiomyopathy: survey of attitudes of the patient community for the CureHeart project

Cardiomyopathies are a group of inherited heart muscle disorders. Expressivity is variable and while sometimes mild, complications can result in sudden cardiac death (SCD) at any age, heart failure and stroke. In around a third of patients a monogenic cause is identifiable, and development of genetic therapies that aim to correct the underlying genetic defect is underway. Here we describe results of a survey designed to understand preliminary views of the patient community about genetic therapies in the context of disease burden. The internet survey was publicized with a bespoke information video via patient support groups in the UK and USA; 634 people responded of whom 96% had a personal and/or family history of cardiomyopathy. Findings show that concern about cardiomyopathy-related issues with a future dimension, such as disease progression, is significantly greater than concern about current issues. A total of 93.6% thought that genetic therapies should be developed for cardiomyopathy. A majority would consider participation in a genetic therapy trial in six scenarios varying by age and clinical situation significantly more in the scenario of an adult with symptomatic disease and evident progression than an asymptomatic adult with SCD risk, or a child. In all scenarios, a majority said that the chance genetic therapy would stop or slow progression, and risk of serious adverse and unintended effects, were important considerations. Qualitative analysis of free-text responses found that concern was often informed by family experience. Patient consideration of genetic therapy is likely to require individualized assessment of the benefits and risks

Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, often debilitating mental health disorder that may develop after a traumatic life event. Fortunately, effective psychological treatments for PTSD exist. In 2017, the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) and the American Psychological Association (APA) each published treatment guidelines for PTSD, which are a set of recommendations for providers who treat individuals with PTSD. The purpose of the current review article is to briefly review the methodology used in each set of 2017 guidelines and then discuss the psychological treatments of PTSD for adults that were strongly recommended by both sets of guidelines. Both guidelines strongly recommended use of Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Each of these treatments has a large evidence base and is trauma-focused, which means they directly address memories of the traumatic event or thoughts and feelings related to the traumatic event. Finally, we will discuss implications and future directions