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Outlined is a proposal designed to culminate in the foundry fabrication of arrays of singly addressable quantum dot sources deterministically emitting single pairs of energy-time entangled photons at C-band wavelengths, each pair having negligible spin-orbit fine structure splitting, each pair being channeled into single mode pig-tail optical fibers. Entangled photons carry quantum state information among distributed quantum servers via I/O ports having two functions: the unconditionally secure distribution of decryption keys to decrypt publicly distributed, encrypted classical bit streams as input to generate corresponding qubit excitations and to convert a stream of quantum nondemolition measurements of qubit states into a classical bit stream. Outlined are key steps necessary to fabricate arrays of on-demand quantum dot sources of entangled photon pairs; the principles are (1) foundry fabrication of arrays of isolated quantum dots, (2) generation of localized sub-surface shear strain in a semiconductor stack, (3) a cryogenic anvil cell, (4) channeling entangled photons into single-mode optical fibers, (5) unconditionally secure decryption key distribution over the fiber network, (6) resonant excitation of a Josephson tunnel junction qubits from classical bits, and (7) conversion of quantum nondemolition measurements of qubit states into a classical bit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Telecommunications Science is the property of Beijing Xintong Media Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Video-enabled directly observed therapy (video-DOT) has been proposed as an additional option for treatment provision besides in-person DOT for patients with drug-resistant TB (DRTB) disease. However, evidence and implementation experience mainly originate from well-resourced contexts. This study describes the operationalization of video-DOT in a low-resourced setting in Eswatini facing a high burden of HIV and TB amid the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a retrospectively established cohort of patients receiving DRTB treatment during the implementation of video-DOT in Shiselweni from May 2020 to March 2022. We described intervention uptake (vs. in-person DOT) and assessed unfavorable DRTB treatment outcome (death, loss to care) using Kaplan-Meier statistics and multivariable Cox-regression models. Video-related statistics were described with frequencies and medians. We calculated the fraction of expected doses observed (FEDO) under video-DOT and assessed associations with missed video uploads using multivariable Poisson regression analysis. Results Of 71 DRTB patients eligible for video-DOT, the median age was 39 (IQR 30–54) years, 31.0% (n = 22) were women, 67.1% (n = 47/70) were HIV-positive, and 42.3% (n = 30) were already receiving DRTB treatment when video-DOT became available. About half of the patients (n = 37; 52.1%) chose video-DOT, mostly during the time when COVID-19 appeared in Eswatini. Video-DOT initiations were lower in new DRTB patients (aHR 0.24, 95% CI 0.12–0.48) and those aged ≥ 60 years (aHR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08–0.89). Overall, 20,634 videos were uploaded with a median number of 553 (IQR 309–748) videos per patient and a median FEDO of 92% (IQR 84–97%). Patients aged ≥ 60 years were less likely to miss video uploads (aIRR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.51). The cumulative Kaplan-Meier estimate of an unfavorable treatment outcome among all patients was 0.08 (95% CI 0.03–0.19), with no differences detected by DOT approach and other baseline factors in multivariable analysis. Conclusions Implementing video-DOT for monitoring of DRTB care provision amid the intersection of the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics seemed feasible. Digital health technologies provide additional options for patients to choose their preferred way to support treatment taking, thus possibly increasing patient-centered health care while sustaining favorable treatment outcomes.

Asiya Jabeen,1 Doerte Luensmann,1 Jill Woods,1 Jennifer S Hill,2 Lyndon Jones1 1Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada; 2SightGlass Vision, Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USACorrespondence: Asiya Jabeen, Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, Tel +1 519-888-5467, Ext. 36210, Fax +1 519-888-4303, Email ajabeen@uwaterloo.caPurpose: To evaluate the impact on the lag of accommodation (LOA) in emmetropic children after short-term wear of full-field Diffusion Optics TechnologyTM (DOT) spectacle lenses, designed to modulate retinal contrast to control myopia progression.Patients and Methods: This was a single-visit, prospective, randomized, subject-masked study of emmetropes (ametropes ± 1.00D or less in each meridian) with no history of myopia control treatment. Unaided logMAR visual acuity was measured, and ocular dominance was determined using the sighting method. In a randomized order, participants wore plano full-field contrast management (DOT) spectacles (no clear central aperture) or control spectacles (standard single vision spectacle lenses). Each participant was given 5 minutes for adaptation to the respective lenses before open field autorefraction measurements were taken at 6 meters and 40 cm. Ten measurements were taken for each eye. Data were evaluated from the right eye and the dominant eye separately.Results: A total of 30 participants (20 females and 10 males) with a mean age of 10.4 ± 2.8 (7 to 17) years completed the study. There was no significant difference in right eye mean LOA with contrast management spectacles 0.57 ± 0.39D versus control spectacles 0.62 ± 0.34D; Wilcoxon test, p = 0.37. For dominant eyes, LOA values were 0.60 ± 0.40D and 0.68 ± 0.33D with contrast management spectacles and control spectacles, respectively (p = 0.14). Additionally, no significant difference was observed in mean LOA between males and females or between age groups (7– 11 years vs 12– 17 years) for either right or dominant eyes with contrast management or control spectacles (all p > 0.05).Conclusion: Full-field contrast management spectacle lenses had no significant effect on LOA compared to standard single vision spectacle lenses, indicating no differential impact on accommodative response over the short period of lens wear tested.Keywords: myopia, children, accommodation, contrast, spectacles, Diffusion Optics Technology, DOT, contrast management optics

Accurate sensor placement is vital for non-invasive brain imaging, particularly for functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT), which lack standardized layouts such as those in electroencephalography (EEG). Custom, manually prepared probe layouts on textile caps are often imprecise and labor intensive. We introduce a method for creating personalized, 3D-printed headgear, enabling the accurate translation of 3D brain coordinates to 2D printable panels for custom fNIRS and EEG sensor layouts while reducing costs and manual labor. Our approach uses atlas-based or subject-specific head models and a springrelaxation algorithm for flattening 3D coordinates onto 2D panels, using 10-5 EEG coordinates for reference. This process ensures geometrical fidelity, crucial for accurate probe placement. Probe geometries and holder types are customizable and printed directly on the cap, making the approach agnostic to instrument manufacturers and probe types. Our ninjaCap method offers 2.7 x 1.8 mm probe placement accuracy. Over the last five years, we have developed and validated this approach with over 50 cap models and 500 participants. A cloud-based ninjaCap generation pipeline along with detailed instructions is now available at openfnirs.org. The ninjaCap marks a significant advancement in creating individualized neuroimaging caps, reducing costs and labor while improving probe placement accuracy, thereby reducing variability in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Video-enabled directly observed therapy (video-DOT) has been proposed as an additional option for treatment provision besides in-person DOT for patients with drug-resistant TB (DRTB) disease. However, evidence and implementation experience mainly originate from well-resourced contexts. This study describes the operationalization of video-DOT in a low-resourced setting in Eswatini facing a high burden of HIV and TB amid the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a retrospectively established cohort of patients receiving DRTB treatment during the implementation of video-DOT in Shiselweni from May 2020 to March 2022. We described intervention uptake (vs. in-person DOT) and assessed unfavorable DRTB treatment outcome (death, loss to care) using Kaplan-Meier statistics and multivariable Cox-regression models. Video-related statistics were described with frequencies and medians. We calculated the fraction of expected doses observed (FEDO) under video-DOT and assessed associations with missed video uploads using multivariable Poisson regression analysis. Results: Of 71 DRTB patients eligible for video-DOT, the median age was 39 (IQR 30–54) years, 31.0% (n = 22) were women, 67.1% (n = 47/70) were HIV-positive, and 42.3% (n = 30) were already receiving DRTB treatment when video-DOT became available. About half of the patients (n = 37; 52.1%) chose video-DOT, mostly during the time when COVID-19 appeared in Eswatini. Video-DOT initiations were lower in new DRTB patients (aHR 0.24, 95% CI 0.12–0.48) and those aged ≥ 60 years (aHR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08–0.89). Overall, 20,634 videos were uploaded with a median number of 553 (IQR 309–748) videos per patient and a median FEDO of 92% (IQR 84–97%). Patients aged ≥ 60 years were less likely to miss video uploads (aIRR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.51). The cumulative Kaplan-Meier estimate of an unfavorable treatment outcome among all patients was 0.08 (95% CI 0.03–0.19), with no differences detected by DOT approach and other baseline factors in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Implementing video-DOT for monitoring of DRTB care provision amid the intersection of the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics seemed feasible. Digital health technologies provide additional options for patients to choose their preferred way to support treatment taking, thus possibly increasing patient-centered health care while sustaining favorable treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Après un examen attentif des codes des personnes et de la famille de certains pays africains, il en ressort que les législateurs de ces Etats adoptent, pour contrer sa dénaturation, deux positions opposées. De ces positions, l’une prône la suppression pure et simple de la dot de leurs codes des personnes et de la famille. Il s’agit notamment, des législateurs du Gabonais, de la Côte d’Ivoirien et du Burkinabè. Toutefois, en dépit de toutes les justifications qui ont mené jusqu’à la suppression de celle-ci, mais, que constatons-nous sinon que cet effort, n’a pas atteint le but qu’il visait, à savoir, enrayer autant que cela le permet, cette pratique anachronique.

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En aquest article documentem les principals expressions jurídiques de dret matrimonial que apareixen al llarg de la història expressades en el document principal anomenat ketubah (escrit) que el marit lliura a l’esposa per comprar-la en matrimoni. Les documentem en la seva llengua original, arameu i hebreu, n’aportem una traducció a la llengua catalana i descrivim la seva posició dins la ketubah i el seu significat. Per això farem prèviament un breu recorregut per les pàgines del Primer Testament. Assenyalarem especialment els primers segles després de Crist, perquè és quan el rabinisme fixa amb detall les qüestions jurídiques més definitives que serviran fins a l’edat mitjana i encara als nostres dies, almenys en el judaisme ortodox. Volem mostrar l’evolució que els diversos elements jurídics han tingut al llarg dels temps. No tindrem en compte els elements jurídics que en l’antigor han usat i usen tant els caraïtes (s. VIII-XX) com els sabateus (s. XVII-XIX) i les diverses formes de judaisme modern, com ara el reformat, el conservador o el reconstruccionista, cosa que no impedirà que aquí i allí hi puguem fer alguna referència. Ens hem servit sobretot de l’obra cabdal en aquesta matèria, The Jewish Marriage Contract. A Study in the Status of Woman in Jewish Law (Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1927), de Louis M. Epstein, tenint en compte, és clar, el que posteriorment s’ha escrit sobre el tema, degut a les troballes a Naḥal Ḥeber i a Qumran, juntament amb els estudis, sobretot, de Menahem Elon, Shmuel Safrai i la mateixa Encyclopaedia Judaica (Skolnik i Berenbaum, 2007).

Abstract Background In 2017, the WHO recommended the use of digital technologies, such as medication monitors and video observed treatment (VOT), for directly observed treatment (DOT) of drug-susceptible TB. The WHO’s 2020 guidelines extended these recommendations to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), based on low evidence. The impact of COVID on health systems and patients underscored the need to use digital technologies in the management of MDR-TB. Methods A decision-tree model was developed to explore the costs of several potential DOT alternatives: VOT, 99DOTS (Directly-observed Treatment, Short-course) and family-observed DOT. Assuming a 9-month, all-oral regimen (as evaluated within the STREAM trial), we constructed base-case cost models for the standard-of-care DOTs in Ethiopia, India, and Uganda, as well as for the three alternative DOT approaches. The models were populated with STREAM Stage 2 clinical trial outcome and cost data, supplemented with market prices data for the digital DOT strategies. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on key parameters. Results Modelling suggested that the standard-of-care DOT approach is the most expensive DOT strategy from a societal perspective in all three countries evaluated (Ethiopia, India, Uganda), with considerable direct- and indirect-costs incurred by patients. The second most expensive DOT approach is VOT, with high health-system costs, largely caused by up-front technology expenditure. Each of VOT, 99DOTS and family-observed DOT would reduce by more than 90% patients’ direct and indirect costs compared to standard of care DOT. Results were robust to the sensitivity analyses. Conclusions While data on the costs and efficacy of alternative DOT approaches in the context of shorter MDR-TB treatment is limited, our modelling suggests alternative DOT approaches can significantly reduce patient costs in all three countries. Health system costs are higher for VOT and lower for 99DOTS and family-observed therapy when compared to standard of care DOT, as low smartphone penetration and internet availability requires the VOT health system to fund the cost of making them available to patients.

Background/Purpose: Precise detection of respiratory pathogens by molecular method potentially may shorten the time to diagnose and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. Methods: Medical records of hospitalized children from January 2020 to June 2021 with acute respiratory illness who received a FilmArray RP for respiratory pathogens were reviewed and compared with data from diagnosis-matched patients without receiving the test. Results: In total, 283 patients and 150 diagnosis-matched controls were included. Single pathogen was detected in 84.3% (193/229) of the patients. The most common pathogen was human rhinovirus/enterovirus (31.6%, 84/266), followed by respiratory syncytial virus (18.8%, 50/266) and adenovirus (15%, 40/266). Although antimicrobial days of therapy (DOT) was significantly longer in FilmArray group than the control [7.1 ± 4.9 days vs 5.7 ± 2.7 days, P = 0.002], the former showed a higher intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate (3.9% vs 0%; P = 0.010). All ICU admissions were in FilmArray RP-positive group. There was no difference in antimicrobial DOT between FilmArray RP-positive and the negative groups, in all admissions, even after excluding ICU admissions. Antimicrobial DOT was shorter in the positive than negative group in patients with lower respiratory tract infections without admission to ICU [median (IQR): 6 (4–9) days vs 9 (4–12) days, P = 0.047]. Conclusions: Shorter antimicrobial DOTs were identified in children with lower respiratory tract infection admitted to general pediatric ward and with an identifiable respiratory pathogen, indicating a role of the multiplex PCR in reducing antimicrobial use for children with respiratory tract infection.

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) both measure the hemodynamic response, and so both imaging modalities are expected to have a strong correspondence in regions of cortex adjacent to the scalp. To assess whether fNIRS can be used clinically in a manner similar to fMRI, 22 healthy adult participants underwent same-day fMRI and whole-head fNIRS testing while they performed separate motor (finger tapping) and visual (flashing checkerboard) tasks. Analyses were conducted within and across subjects for each imaging approach, and regions of significant task-related activity were compared on the cortical surface. The spatial correspondence between fNIRS and fMRI detection of task-related activity was good in terms of true positive rate, with fNIRS overlap of up to 68 % of the fMRI for analyses across subjects (group analysis) and an average overlap of up to 47.25 % for individual analyses within subject. At the group level, the positive predictive value of fNIRS was 51 % relative to fMRI. The positive predictive value for within subject analyses was lower (41.5 %), reflecting the presence of significant fNIRS activity in regions without significant fMRI activity. This could reflect task-correlated sources of physiologic noise and/or differences in the sensitivity of fNIRS and fMRI measures to changes in separate (vs. combined) measures of oxy and de-oxyhemoglobin. The results suggest whole-head fNIRS as a noninvasive imaging modality with promising clinical utility for the functional assessment of brain activity in superficial regions of cortex physically adjacent to the skull.

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In 2017, the WHO recommended the use of digital technologies, such as medication monitors and video observed treatment (VOT), for directly observed treatment (DOT) of drug-susceptible TB. The WHO's 2020 guidelines extended these recommendations to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), based on low evidence. The impact of COVID on health systems and patients underscored the need to use digital technologies in the management of MDR-TB. Methods: A decision-tree model was developed to explore the costs of several potential DOT alternatives: VOT, 99DOTS (Directly-observed Treatment, Short-course) and family-observed DOT. Assuming a 9-month, all-oral regimen (as evaluated within the STREAM trial), we constructed base-case cost models for the standard-of-care DOTs in Ethiopia, India, and Uganda, as well as for the three alternative DOT approaches. The models were populated with STREAM Stage 2 clinical trial outcome and cost data, supplemented with market prices data for the digital DOT strategies. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on key parameters. Results: Modelling suggested that the standard-of-care DOT approach is the most expensive DOT strategy from a societal perspective in all three countries evaluated (Ethiopia, India, Uganda), with considerable direct- and indirect-costs incurred by patients. The second most expensive DOT approach is VOT, with high health-system costs, largely caused by up-front technology expenditure. Each of VOT, 99DOTS and family-observed DOT would reduce by more than 90% patients' direct and indirect costs compared to standard of care DOT. Results were robust to the sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: While data on the costs and efficacy of alternative DOT approaches in the context of shorter MDR-TB treatment is limited, our modelling suggests alternative DOT approaches can significantly reduce patient costs in all three countries. Health system costs are higher for VOT and lower for 99DOTS and family-observed therapy when compared to standard of care DOT, as low smartphone penetration and internet availability requires the VOT health system to fund the cost of making them available to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The domain name system (DNS) that maps alphabetic names to numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses plays a foundational role in Internet communications. By default, DNS queries and responses are exchanged in unencrypted plaintext, and hence, can be read and/or hijacked by third parties. To protect user privacy, the networking community has proposed standard encryption technologies such as DNS over TLS (DoT), DNS over HTTPS (DoH), and DNS over QUIC (DoQ) for DNS communications, enabling clients to perform secure and private domain name lookups. We survey the DNS encryption literature published from 2016 to 2021, focusing on its current landscape and how it is misused by malware, and highlighting the existing techniques developed to make inferences from encrypted DNS traffic. First, we provide an overviewof various standards developed in the space of DNS encryption and their adoption status, performance, benefits, and security issues. Second, we highlight ways that various malware families can exploit DNS encryption to their advantage for botnet communications and/or data exfiltration. Third, we discuss existing inference methods for profiling normal patterns and/or detecting malicious encrypted DNS traffic. Several directions are presented to motivate future research in enhancing the performance and security of DNS encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) interventions have the potential to improve health through patient education and provider engagement while increasing efficiency and lowering costs. This raises the question of whether disparities in access to mobile technology could accentuate disparities in mHealth mediated care. This study addresses whether programs planning to implement mHealth interventions risk creating or perpetuating health disparities based on inequalities in smartphone ownership.MethodsVideo Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT) is an mHealth intervention for monitoring tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence through videos sent by patients to their healthcare provider using smartphones. We conducted secondary analyses of data from a single-arm trial of VDOT for TB treatment monitoring by San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City health departments. Baseline and follow-up treatment interviews were used to assess participant smartphone ownership, sociodemographics and TB treatment perceptions. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify correlates of smartphone ownership.ResultsOf the 151 participants enrolled, mean age was 41 years (range: 18-87 years) and 41.1% were female. Participants mostly identified as Asian (45.0%) or Hispanic/Latino (29.8%); 57.8% had at most a high school education. At baseline, 30.4% did not own a smartphone, which was similar across sites. Older participants (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.09 per year, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.12), males (AOR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.04-7.86), participants having at most a high school education (AOR = 4.48, 95% CI: 1.57-12.80), and those with an annual income below $10,000 (AOR = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.19, 7.89) had higher odds of not owning a smartphone.ConclusionsApproximately one-third of TB patients in three large United States of America (USA) cities lacked smartphones prior to the study. Patients who were older, male, less educated, or had lower annual income were less likely to own smartphones and could be denied access to mHealth interventions if personal smartphone ownership is required.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a fundamental component of the internet, responsible for resolving domain names into IP addresses. DNS servers are typically categorized into four types: recursive resolvers, root name servers, Top-Level Domain (TLD) name servers, and authoritative name servers. The latter three types of servers store actual records, while recursive resolvers do not store any real data and are only responsible for querying the other three types of servers and responding to clients. Recursive resolvers typically maintain a caching system to speed up response times, but these caching systems have the drawbacks of a low real-time performance, a poor accuracy, and many security and privacy issues. In this paper, we propose a caching system based on a consortium blockchain, namely DNS-BC, which uses the synchronization mechanism of the consortium blockchain to achieve a high real-time performance, uses the immutable mechanism of the consortium blockchain and our designed credibility management system to achieve up to a 100% accuracy, and has been combined with encrypted transmission protocols to solve common security and privacy issues. At the same time, this caching system can greatly reduce the traffic that name servers need to handle, thereby protecting them from Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. To further accelerate the data transmission speed, we have designed a new encrypted DNS protocol called DNS over KCP (DoK). The DoK protocol is based on the KCP protocol, which is a fast and reliable transmission protocol, and its latency can reach one-third of that of TCP when the network environment deteriorates. In our experiments, the transmission time of this protocol is about a quarter of that of the widely used encrypted protocols DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundWHO recommended multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) should be treated mainly under ambulatory model, but outcome of ambulatory treatment of MDR-TB in China was little known.MethodsThe clinical data of 261 MDR-TB patients treated as outpatients in Shenzhen, China during 2010–2015 were collected and analyzed retrospectively.ResultsOf 261 MDR-TB patients receiving ambulatory treatment, 71.1% (186/261) achieved treatment success (cured or completed treatment), 0.4% (1/261) died during treatment, 11.5% (30/261) had treatment failure or relapse, 8.0% (21/261) were lost to follow-up, and 8.8% (23/261) were transferred out. The culture conversion rate at 6 months was 85.0%. Although 91.6% (239/261) of patients experienced at least one adverse event (AE), only 2% of AEs caused permanent discontinuation of one or more drugs. Multivariate analysis showed that previous TB treatment, regimens containing capreomycin and resistance to FQs were associated with poor outcomes, while experiencing three or more AEs was associated with good outcomes.ConclusionGood treatment success rates and early culture conversions were achieved with entirely ambulatory treatment of MDR-TB patients in Shenzhen, supporting WHO recommendations. Advantageous aspects of the local TB control program, including accessible and affordable second-line drugs, patient support, active monitoring and proper management of AEs and well-implemented DOT likely contributed to treatment success rates.

In this research, we analyze the existing ontology visualization tools and conclude that there is no tool that represents the semantics of logical operations in ontologies, like Ch. S. Pierce's existential graphs does for first order logic. Previously we developed Logic Graphs -- the semantic-oriented visual language for ontologies, complete with respect to OWL DL. The goal of this research is to develop a tool for generating ontology visualizations in Logic Graphs. This tool parses an ontology to extract classes and their properties, converts ontology classes to their descriptions in dot format, and builds graphical representations of ontology classes from dot descriptions. Ontology visualization in Logic Graphs facilitates the perception of ontologies by users, and provides the possibility of diagrammatic reasoning.

Building telescope enclosures is vital for setting up any optical observatory. An enclosure was constructed in remote hilly terrain to provide shelter to India’s largest 3.6 m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT). Primarily, the enclosure was built to protect the telescope from tough weather conditions and provide optimum space for performing various telescope related operational and maintenance activities. Other elements that were considered in the building enclosure were low thermal mass, sustainability, seismic and acoustic considerations. A steel building designed with mostly bolted connections, suitably selected materials, and mechanical systems for facilitating construction activities on site has been built for the telescope at the Devasthal site of ARIES. The enclosure construction was quite a challenging task with various project complexities. Multidisciplinary works of civil, mechanical and electrical systems in enclosure required efforts on various fronts in parallel to achieve the targets. Limitations of resources, manpower, and site conditions were managed to keep flexibility and economics in construction. Numerous challenges faced during the making of enclosures have been discussed in the paper. Insights into the construction of enclosures will provide a basic framework and learning opportunities for managing such typical construction projects in adverse weather conditions at mountainous sites. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-02-05 Full Text: PDF

Copyright of Indonesian Journal of Human Nutrition is the property of Brawijaya University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: A high level of community awareness and positive perception towards tuberculosis and its management is crucial for the successful outcome of any control measure. In India the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) plays a key role in providing awareness and counselling on healthcare issues and management, particularly in remote areas. The tribal population is vulnerable to such infectious diseases due to resource limitations and remote locations. We assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding directly observed therapy (DOT) among ASHA workers in the tribal belt of the Sirohi district of Rajasthan state. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among ASHA workers of Sirohi district from January 2021 to June 2021. A predesigned and structured questionnaire was used to gather information on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the management of tuberculosis and DOT. Results: A total of 95 ASHAs participated in the study with a mean age of 35.82 years. Good knowledge (Mean score = 6.2947 ± 1.08052) was observed regarding tuberculosis and DOT. 81% (n = 74) have good knowledge regarding DOT whereas most have a poor attitude and only 47% have adequate practice. A 55% of ASHAs did not adhere even a single TB patient in the last three years. Conclusion: In our study, knowledge gaps were identified which may result in substandard patient care. The structured refresher training towards DOT and also training to work in tribal areas will further improve the KAP of ASHAs. It might be needed to provide a module or curriculum regarding awareness among ASHAs for strengthening follow-up system for tuberculosis patients among the tribal population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A high level of community awareness and positive perception towards tuberculosis and its management is crucial for the successful outcome of any control measure. In India the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) plays a key role in providing awareness and counselling on healthcare issues and management, particularly in remote areas. The tribal population is vulnerable to such infectious diseases due to resource limitations and remote locations. We assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding directly observed therapy (DOT) among ASHA workers in the tribal belt of the Sirohi district of Rajasthan state. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among ASHA workers of Sirohi district from January 2021 to June 2021. A predesigned and structured questionnaire was used to gather information on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the management of tuberculosis and DOT. Results: A total of 95 ASHAs participated in the study with a mean age of 35.82 years. Good knowledge (Mean score = 6.2947 ± 1.08052) was observed regarding tuberculosis and DOT. 81% (n = 74) have good knowledge regarding DOT whereas most have a poor attitude and only 47% have adequate practice. A 55% of ASHAs did not adhere even a single TB patient in the last three years. Conclusion: In our study, knowledge gaps were identified which may result in substandard patient care. The structured refresher training towards DOT and also training to work in tribal areas will further improve the KAP of ASHAs. It might be needed to provide a module or curriculum regarding awareness among ASHAs for strengthening follow-up system for tuberculosis patients among the tribal population.

A recent innovation to help patients adhere to daily tuberculosis (TB) treatment over many months is video (or virtually) observed therapy (VOT). VOT is becoming increasingly feasible as mobile telephone applications and tablet computers become more widely available. Studies of the effectiveness of VOT in improving TB patient outcomes are being conducted.

A recent innovation to help patients adhere to daily tuberculosis (TB) treatment over many months is video (or virtually) observed therapy (VOT). VOT is becoming increasingly feasible as mobile telephone applications and tablet computers become more widely available. Studies of the effectiveness of VOT in improving TB patient outcomes are being conducted.

Introduction: Updated international guidelines recommend the use of a two-step algorithm (glutamate dehydrogenase [GDH] or nucleic-acid amplification test [NAAT] plus toxin) rather than NAAT alone for the diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) infections. The goal of our project was to evaluate the impact of a new bundle on the rate of hospital-acquired C. difficile infections (CDIs), hospital-acquired CDI standardized infection ratio (SIR), antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), and financial cost. Materials and Methods: The new bundle was implemented in April 2018. This bundle was implemented across five hospitals in Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Texas Division. The bundle included a switch from NAAT to a two-step process (GDH and toxin). We placed the new test in an order panel which included enteric isolation and required indications for C. difficile testing. We used quarterly data pre- and post-intervention to calculate SIR and DOT. Results: In the pre-intervention period, 15.5% of the total 3513 C. difficile NAAT was positive. In the post-intervention period, 5.7% of a total of 2845 GDH and toxin assays was positive for both GDH and toxin (P < 0.0001). SIR, which adjusts for denominator and change in testing methodology, also dropped from 1.02 to 0.43. The estimated cost associated with positive C. difficile cases dropped from 1,932,150 USD to 1,113,800 USD with an estimated yearly cost saving of 794,150 USD. Compliance with enteric isolation improved from 73.1% to 92.5% (P = 0.008). Conclusion: The new testing bundle led to a marked reduction in hospital-acquired CDI and unnecessary treatment, reduction in C. difficile testing, an increase in compliance with enteric isolation, and significant cost savings.

The intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila, as well as other Legionella species, utilize the Icm/Dot type-IV secretion system to translocate an exceptionally large and diverse repertoire of effectors into their host cells. However, only nine core effectors were found to be present in all analyzed Legionella species. In this study, we investigated the core effectors, and used intracellular growth complementation to determine whether orthologs of core effectors perform the same function in different Legionella species. We found that three out of the nine L. pneumophila core effectors are required for maximal intracellular growth. Examination of orthologous core effectors from four Legionella species spread over the Legionella phylogenetic tree revealed that most of them perform the same function. Nevertheless, some of the orthologs of the core effector LegA3 did not complement the L. pneumophila legA3 deletion mutant for intracellular growth. LegA3 is encoded as part of an operon together with another gene, which we named legA3C, encoding a non-translocated protein. We found that LegA3 and LegA3C physically interact with each other, are both required for maximal intracellular growth, and the LegA3-LegA3C orthologous pairs from all the Legionella species examined fully complement the L. pneumophila legA3 deletion mutant for intracellular growth. Our results indicate that the Legionella core effectors orthologs generally perform the same function and establish that LegA3 requires LegA3C to fulfill its conserved function.

Tuberculosis is developing as a noteworthy medical problem in geriatrics. The indications are frequently non-particular and prompt postponed finding. Propelled infection state exhibit at the time of determination and regularly the analysis made at autopsy instead of amid life. Aging factors and presence of co-morbidities additionally modify the clinical picture. The doctors need a high record of doubt for the finding of tuberculosis in regards to geriatric patients give non-particular and misty side effects. Extraordinary consideration must be given to the observing for patients consistence with treatment, reactions of medications and medication associations.

BackgroundAlthough directly observed therapy (DOT) is recommended worldwide for monitoring anti-tuberculosis treatment, transportation and personnel requirements limit its use.ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of 'video DOT' (VDOT), which allows patients to record and transmit medication ingestion via videos watched remotely by health care providers to document adherence.MethodsWe conducted a single-arm trial among tuberculosis (TB) patients in San Diego, California, USA, (n = 43) and Tijuana, Mexico (n = 9) to represent high- and low-resource settings. Pre-/post-treatment interviews assessed participant characteristics and experiences. Adherence was defined as the proportion of observed doses to expected doses.ResultsThe mean age was 37 years (range 18-86), 50% were male, and 88% were non-Caucasian. The mean duration of VDOT use was 5.5 months (range 1-11). Adherence was similar in San Diego (93%) and Tijuana (96%). Compared to time on in-person DOT, 92% preferred VDOT, 81% thought VDOT was more confidential, 89% never/rarely had problems recording videos, and 100% would recommend VDOT to others. Seven (13%) participants were returned to in-person DOT and six (12%) additional participants had their phones lost, broken or stolen.ConclusionsVDOT was feasible and acceptable, with high adherence in both high- and low-resource settings. Efficacy and cost-effectiveness studies are needed.

Faktor sosiodemografi, biomedis, dan psikososial mempengaruhi durasi menyusui. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis determinan lama pemberian ASI pada anak usia 24 bulan di Indonesia dengan menggunakan data Survei Demografi dan Kesehatan Indonesia (SDKI-2017). Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian cross sectional yang menggunakan data sekunder SDKI-2017 dengan sampel anak usia 24 bulan sebanyak 226 subjek. Variabel bebas dalam penelitian ini adalah karakteristik sosiodemografi dan biomedis, sedangkan variabel terikatnya adalah lama menyusui. Pengolahan dan analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan IBM SPSS versi 25. Analisis data meliputi analisis univariat, bivariat, dan multivariat. Analisis bivariat menggunakan uji korelasi Spearman (berdasarkan normalitas data) untuk data numerik dan uji Chi-Square untuk data kategorik. Analisis multivariat menggunakan regresi logistik ganda. Variabel yang menjadi prediktor utama lama ASI

Background According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients admitted to the hospital are commonly discharged on antibiotic therapy with prolonged courses of therapy, which contributes to excessive antibiotic exposure and adverse events. The purpose of this study was to evaluate total antibiotic duration of therapy at hospital discharge at Indiana University Health Arnett, White Memorial, and Frankfort hospitals. Methods A multicenter, retrospective electronic health record review was conducted from 1 January to 30 June 2019. Patients were included if they were at least 18 years of age, began antibiotic therapy while admitted, and continued antibiotic therapy at hospital discharge for 1 of the following indications: skin/soft tissue infection (SSTI), urinary tract infection (UTI), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), or acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The number of days of therapy (DOT) of each inpatient and outpatient antibiotic prescribed was collected to calculate the total DOT, which was utilized to determine the appropriateness of the duration of therapy. Results Of the 547 patients included, 233 patients (42.6%) had CAP, 120 (21.9%) had UTI, 101 (18.5%) had SSTI, and 93 (17%) had AECOPD. The median duration of antibiotic therapy across all indications was 9 days (interquartile range [IQR], 7–11). Median duration for CAP was 9 days (IQR, 7–10), AECOPD was 7 days (IQR, 5–9), UTI was 8 days (IQR, 6–10), and SSTI was 12 days (IQR, 10–14). Conclusions Excess antimicrobial duration at hospital discharge represents an unmet need of antimicrobial stewardship programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India announced its first National Telecom Policy in 1994 and since then its telecommunications Industry has witnessed tremendous growth. At a teledensity of 89.92% (TRAI 2019), it is the second largest telecom market in the world. The policy maker, Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and the regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have taken several initiatives to ensure affordable services to telecom users. TRAI also drives initiatives to increase the level of awareness about telecom industry among users. To analyse impact of these initiatives by TRAI and DoT, this study presents an objective assessment of user's awareness and their assessment of affordability of telecom services. A structured questionnaire is used to collect data by surveying a sample of 408 telecom users. It was found that half of the respondents were aware of DoT; more than half were aware of the regulator TRAI and Indian governments vision for telecommunications and 85% of survey respondents found telecom services affordable. The level of affordability varied across gender, age group and education levels. Through regression analysis, the study found that awareness about telecom industry influences users' assessment of service affordability. Hence, TRAI and DoT should take actions to increase the level of awareness, which will improve users' perception of affordability and may lead to increased adoption of telecom services. In addition, it is suggested that affordability of female users can be addressed through customized tariff plan and schemes.

Abstract Background Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have the potential to improve health through patient education and provider engagement while increasing efficiency and lowering costs. This raises the question of whether disparities in access to mobile technology could accentuate disparities in mHealth mediated care. This study addresses whether programs planning to implement mHealth interventions risk creating or perpetuating health disparities based on inequalities in smartphone ownership. Methods Video Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT) is an mHealth intervention for monitoring tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence through videos sent by patients to their healthcare provider using smartphones. We conducted secondary analyses of data from a single-arm trial of VDOT for TB treatment monitoring by San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City health departments. Baseline and follow-up treatment interviews were used to assess participant smartphone ownership, sociodemographics and TB treatment perceptions. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify correlates of smartphone ownership. Results Of the 151 participants enrolled, mean age was 41 years (range: 18–87 years) and 41.1% were female. Participants mostly identified as Asian (45.0%) or Hispanic/Latino (29.8%); 57.8% had at most a high school education. At baseline, 30.4% did not own a smartphone, which was similar across sites. Older participants (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.09 per year, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.12), males (AOR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.04–7.86), participants having at most a high school education (AOR = 4.48, 95% CI: 1.57–12.80), and those with an annual income below $10,000 (AOR = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.19, 7.89) had higher odds of not owning a smartphone. Conclusions Approximately one-third of TB patients in three large United States of America (USA) cities lacked smartphones prior to the study. Patients who were older, male, less educated, or had lower annual income were less likely to own smartphones and could be denied access to mHealth interventions if personal smartphone ownership is required.

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) infringes substantial burden in terms of longer treatment duration, morbidity and mortality. Timely identification of patients at risks of DR-TB will aid individualized treatment. Current study was aimed to ascertain several factors associated with DR-TB among patients attending a tertiary care hospital. Methods This retrospective study was conducted among patients with confirmed diagnosis of DR-TB and drug susceptible TB (DS-TB) seeking medical care from a tertiary care hospital during 2014–2019. The types of DR-TB included were rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Appropriate statistical methods were implied to evaluate the factors associated with DR-TB. Results Out of 580 patients, DS-TB was diagnosed in 198 (34.1%) patients while DR-TB was present in 382 patients. Of resistance cases, RR-TB, MDR-TB and XDR-TB were diagnosed in 176 (30.3%), 195 (33.6%) and 11 (1.9%) patients, respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in demographics and clinico-laboratory characteristics were observed between patients with DS-TB and DR-TB. Logistic regression analysis revealed age ≤38 years (OR: 2.5), single marital status (OR: 11.1), tobacco use (OR: 2.9), previous treatment (OR: 19.2), treatment failure (OR: 9.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 30.1) as independent risk factors for MDR-TB. However, XDR-TB was independently associated with age group of ≤38 years (OR: 13.6), students (OR: 13.0), previous treatment (OR: 12.5), cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 59.6). The independent risk factors associated with RR-TB are age ≤38 years (OR: 2.8), females (OR: 5.7), unemployed (OR: 41.5), treatment failure (OR: 4.9), previous treatment (OR: 38.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 4.3). ROC curve analysis accentuate the excellent predictive accuracy of all logistic regression models as shown by AUC (0.968, P < 0.001) for MDR-TB, AUC (0.941, P < 0.001) for XDR-TB and AUC (0.962, P < 0.001) for RR-TB. Conclusions Current study demonstrates a sizeable extent of resistant cases among pulmonary TB patients. This study presaged significant risk of DR-TB among females, young adults, unemployed, smokers, patients with previous treatment failure and cavitation on chest X-ray. Timely identification of high risk patients will give pronounced advantages regarding appropriate choices of prevention, treatment and disease control.

Red dot basal cell carcinoma is a distinctive clinical subtype of basal cell carcinoma. It has been reported in eight individuals with a male to female ratio of 1:1; and the patients' ages ranged from 50 to 74 years. All patients had prior history of actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma. In addition, some patients also had prior squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and/or dysplastic nevus. The tumor was usually of recent onset, asymptomatic, and on sun-exposed skin. It was most commonly located on the nose (five patients); other sites were the upper lip, the mid back, or thigh—each in one patient. The red dot basal cell carcinoma was solitary and small—usually 4 mm or less in diameter. It typically presented as a red macule or papule; however, it sometimes appeared as a flesh-colored or pink to light-red papule with a bright-red central area. Microscopic features showed basaloid tumor cells (arranged as either nodular aggregates or superficial buds or both). In the central portion of the lesion, there was a proliferation of erythrocyte-containing vascular spaces between the epidermis and the neoplasm. The basal cell carcinoma pathology subtype was either nodular and superficial (three patients), nodular (two patients), or superficial (one patient). The clinical differential diagnosis of red dot basal cell carcinoma included not only benign vascular lesions (such as hemangioma and telangiectasia) but also inflammatory conditions and adnexal tumors. Other basaloid cell neoplasms were in the pathologic differential diagnosis. The pathogenesis of red dot basal cell carcinoma is similar to that of other basal cell carcinoma clinical subtypes. Mohs surgery is the treatment of choice for red dot basal cell carcinomas. Red dot basal cell carcinoma has two categories of biologic behavior based on the ratio of the postoperative wound size as compared with the size of the preoperative tumor: nonaggressive (for which the ratio was 5:1 or less for three patients) and aggressive (for which the ratio was greater than 12:1 for three patients). There was no recurrence of the red dot basal cell carcinoma after treatment. In conclusion, the incidence of red dot basal cell carcinoma—a unique morphologic variant of basal cell carcinoma—may be higher than suggested by the number of reported patients with this basal cell carcinoma subtype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) infringes substantial burden in terms of longer treatment duration, morbidity and mortality. Timely identification of patients at risks of DR-TB will aid individualized treatment. Current study was aimed to ascertain several factors associated with DR-TB among patients attending a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted among patients with confirmed diagnosis of DR-TB and drug susceptible TB (DS-TB) seeking medical care from a tertiary care hospital during 2014-2019. The types of DR-TB included were rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Appropriate statistical methods were implied to evaluate the factors associated with DR-TB. Results: Out of 580 patients, DS-TB was diagnosed in 198 (34.1%) patients while DR-TB was present in 382 patients. Of resistance cases, RR-TB, MDR-TB and XDR-TB were diagnosed in 176 (30.3%), 195 (33.6%) and 11 (1.9%) patients, respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in demographics and clinicolaboratory characteristics were observed between patients with DS-TB and DR-TB. Logistic regression analysis revealed age =38 years (OR: 2.5), single marital status (OR: 11.1), tobacco use (OR: 2.9), previous treatment (OR: 19.2), treatment failure (OR: 9.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 30.1) as independent risk factors for MDR-TB. However, XDR-TB was independently associated with age group of =38 years (OR: 13.6), students (OR: 13.0), previous treatment (OR: 12.5), cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 59.6). The independent risk factors associated with RR-TB are age =38 years (OR: 2.8), females (OR: 5.7), unemployed (OR: 41.5), treatment failure (OR: 4.9), previous treatment (OR: 38.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 4.3). ROC curve analysis accentuate the excellent predictive accuracy of all logistic regression models as shown by AUC (0.968, P < 0.001) for MDR-TB, AUC (0.941, P < 0.001) for XDR-TB and AUC (0.962, P < 0.001) for RR-TB. Conclusions: Current study demonstrates a sizeable extent of resistant cases among pulmonary TB patients. This study presaged significant risk of DR-TB among females, young adults, unemployed, smokers, patients with previous treatment failure and cavitation on chest X-ray. Timely identification of high risk patients will give pronounced advantages regarding appropriate choices of prevention, treatment and disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Diffuse optical tomography of the thyroid provides great promise for more accurate diagnosis of thyroid cancers. Thyroid cancer is usually diagnosed by ultrasound imaging and fine-needle aspiration biopsy. However, diagnosis of follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC) is difficult because FTC lacks nuclear atypia and a consensus on histological interpretation. Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) offers the potential to diagnose FTC because it can measure tumor hypoxia, while image reconstruction of the thyroid is still challenging mainly due to the complex anatomical features of the neck. In this study, we attempted to solve this issue by creating a finite element model of the human neck excluding the trachea (a void region). By reconstruction of the absorption coefficients at three wavelengths, 3D tissue oxygen saturation maps of the human thyroid are obtained for the first time by DOT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Industry / Industrija is the property of Economics Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Antibiotics are the most widely utilized therapeutic agents. Inappropriate use causes increase cost and antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization recommends assessment of antibiotics use to guide prescribing practices. Objective: To describe the pattern of antibiotic usage among paediatric inpatients aged > 1 month to 15 years in a tertiary hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria. Methods: Febrile children were recruited prospectively by systematic random sampling from January to October 2018. Socio-demographics, diagnosis, antibiotics administered were obtained from case notes. The WHO indicators of use of antibiotics were employed for evaluation. Data was analysed with SPSS version 23. Results: Out of 352 children, 318 (90.3%) received antibiotics; commonest being Ceftriaxone in 155/318 (48.7%), Cefuroxime in 74 (23.2%), and Metronidazole in 29 (9.1%). Average number of antibiotics per patient was 2.3±1.1 with treatment duration of 4.3±1.4days. Ant ibiotic consumption was 937.2 days of antibiotic therapy/1000 patient days (DOT/PD). Generic name was used in 92.3% while 100% of the drugs were on the essential medicine list. Frequent diagnoses were severe malaria 98/352 (27.8%), respiratory infections 39 (11.1%) and severe malnutrition in 38 (10.8%). Only 6 (1.7%) patients had microbiologic evidence of infection. Conclusion: Utilization of antibiotics is higher than recommended. There is need for improved diagnostic facilities to avoid antibiotic overuse and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scripta is the property of Scripta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Featured Application: System suitable for human brain imaging (fNIRS, DOT). We built a fiber-less prototype of an optical system with 156 channels each one consisting of an optode made of a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) and a pair of light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating at 700 nm and 830 nm. The system uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) imaging of the cortical activity of the human brain at frequencies above 1 Hz. In this paper, we discuss testing and system optimization performed through measurements on a multi-layered optical phantom with mechanically movable parts that simulate near-infrared light scattering inhomogeneities. The baseline optical characteristics of the phantom are carefully characterized and compared to those of human tissues. Here we discuss several technical aspects of the system development, such as LED light output drift and its possible compensation, SiPM linearity, corrections of channel signal differences, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We implement an imaging algorithm that investigates large phantom regions. Thanks to the use of SiPMs, very large source-to-detector distances are acquired with a high SNR and 2 Hz time resolution. The overall results demonstrate the high potentialities of a system based on SiPMs for fNIRS/DOT human brain imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The spatial correspondence between fNIRS and fMRI detection of motor and visual task-related activity was good in terms of true positive rate. • fNIRS overlap of up to 68 % of the fMRI for analyses across subjects (group analysis) with an average overlap of 47.25% for analyses within subject. • At the group level, the positive predictive value of fNIRS was 51 % relative to fMRI. • The positive predictive value for within subject analyses was lower (41.5 %). • Results suggest whole-head fNIRS as a noninvasive imaging modality with promising clinical utility for the functional assessment of brain activity in superficial regions of cortex physically adjacent to the skull. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) both measure the hemodynamic response, and so both imaging modalities are expected to have a strong correspondence in regions of cortex adjacent to the scalp. To assess whether fNIRS can be used clinically in a manner similar to fMRI, 22 healthy adult participants underwent same-day fMRI and whole-head fNIRS testing while they performed separate motor (finger tapping) and visual (flashing checkerboard) tasks. Analyses were conducted within and across subjects for each imaging approach, and regions of significant task-related activity were compared on the cortical surface. The spatial correspondence between fNIRS and fMRI detection of task-related activity was good in terms of true positive rate, with fNIRS overlap of up to 68 % of the fMRI for analyses across subjects (group analysis) and an average overlap of up to 47.25 % for individual analyses within subject. At the group level, the positive predictive value of fNIRS was 51 % relative to fMRI. The positive predictive value for within subject analyses was lower (41.5 %), reflecting the presence of significant fNIRS activity in regions without significant fMRI activity. This could reflect task-correlated sources of physiologic noise and/or differences in the sensitivity of fNIRS and fMRI measures to changes in separate (vs. combined) measures of oxy and de-oxyhemoglobin. The results suggest whole-head fNIRS as a noninvasive imaging modality with promising clinical utility for the functional assessment of brain activity in superficial regions of cortex physically adjacent to the skull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin structure in a magnetic dot is studied as a function of the exchange coupling strength and dot size within the semiclassical approximation on a discrete lattice. As the exchange coupling is decreased or the size is increased, the ground state undergoes a phase change from a homogeneous single-domain ferromagnet (HSDF) to a spin vortex. The line separating these two phases has been calculated numerically for small system sizes. The dipolar interaction has been fully included in our calculations. Magnon frequencies in such a dot have also been calculated in both phases by the linearized equation of motion method. These results have also been reproduced from the Fourier transform of the spin autocorrelation function. From the magnon density of states (DOS), it is possible to identify the magnetic phase of the dot, as well as to compute their finite temperature magnetization or vorticity. Furthermore, the magnon modes have been characterized for both the homogeneous ferromagnetic and the vortex phase, and the magnon instability mechanism leading to the vortex-HSDF transition has also been identified. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recently, there has been a great amount of interest in developing multi-modality imaging techniques for oncologic research and clinical studies with the aim of obtaining complementary information and, thus, improving the detection and characterization of tumors. In this present work, the details of a combined MR-diffuse optical imaging system for dual-modality imaging of small animals are given. As a part of this effort, a multi-spectral frequency domain diffuse optical tomography system is integrated with an MRI system. Here, a network analyzer provides the rf modulation signal for the laser diodes and measures the amplitude and the phase of the detected signals. Photomultiplier tubes are utilized to measure low-level signals. The integration of this optical imaging system with the 4T MRI system is realized by incorporating a fiber adaptive interface inside the MR magnet. Coregistration is achieved by a special probe design utilizing fiducial markers. A finite element algorithm is used to solve the diffusion equation and an inverse solver based on this forward solver is implemented to calculate the absorption and scattering maps from the acquired data. The MR a priori information is used to guide the optical reconstruction algorithm. Phantom studies show that the absorption coefficient of a 7 mm inclusion in an irregular object located in 64 mm phantom is recovered with 11 % error when MR a priori information is used. ENU induced tumor model is used to test the performance of the system in vivo.

Animal-vehicle collisions are an important issue in North America. Accidents are numerous and result in human injuries and fatalities, property damage, and the death or injury of the animals concerned. Some animal species may be affected at the population level and face increased risk of local or regional extinction due to the high number of road-kills and other negative effects of roads and traffic. Systematically collected road-kill data can help quantify the magnitude of this problem and potential changes in road-kill occurrences and “hot spots” over time. Such data allows for prioritization and focusing of mitigation efforts to avoid or reduce collisions. However, not all DOT’s or DOT districts record animal-vehicle collisions and the DOT’s that do record road-kill data often use different methods. A national standard and tool for the recording of animal-vehicle collisions would not only stimulate DOT’s and other organizations to collect animal-vehicle collision data, but would also allow for more effective analyses and use of the data. The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University (WTI-MSU) has developed software that allows for easy, standardized, and spatially precise collection of animal-vehicle collision data. The software runs on a Pocket PC that is linked to a Global Positioning System (GPS). The software distinguishes between “monitoring” and “incidental observation” modes and tracks the route of the observer. Road-kill data, including species name as well as optional parameters such as the sex of the animal, are stored in a separate file that can be uploaded to a PC and imported into standard spreadsheet or mapping software. Recording road-kill observations with this tool eliminates manual data entry and transcription. Beyond the basic data-collection software, we anticipate developing data-management and analysis software that will allow for easy merging and analyses of data from numerous sources, including cluster analyses, and linking to other spatial data in a Geographic Information System (GIS). This has the potential to allow for much faster and better feedback to plan and prioritize for mitigation to address human-safety or conservation concerns. Once mitigation measures have been put in place, the tools and procedures described above allow for proper evaluation of these measures. We expect that the tools and procedures will ultimately result in fewer animal-vehicle collisions, less work for road maintenance crews, and a reduction in the transportation and disposal costs of the carcasses. A CD-ROM that demonstrates the software is available on request. Please contact WTI-MSU if you have further questions or if your organization is interested in helping us with the testing and further development of this tool and procedures.