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Time domain terahertz (TD‐THz) non destructive evaluation (NDE) imaging is used to two‐dimensionally map the thickness of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBC) on aircraft engine turbine blades. Indications of thermal degradation can be seen. The method is non‐contact, rapid, and requires no special preparation of the blade.

Introduction: Preliminary data show that up to 10% of patients on early clinical trials have complete (CR) or partial (PR) responses. Exceptional responses (ER) are also observed in certain clinical cases using standard chemotherapy. The ERI Pilot study is evaluating the molecular alterations found in tumors from cancer patients who respond to a systemic treatment (standard or investigational) that is ineffective in at least 90% of patients. The study is available through the Cancer Trials Support Unit (www.ctsu.org). Experimental Procedures Cases of patients who achieve a CR or PR > 6 months are proposed by email at NCIExceptionalResponders@mail.nih.gov. Once provisionally approved, the proposer sends tissue to a central repository, where the tissue is evaluated for percent tumor &necrosis; nucleic acids are isolated & sent for whole exome, mRNA & deep targeted sequencing. Tissue may be frozen or formalin fixed paraffin embedded but must be at least an entire core biopsy. Data will be correlated with mechanism of action of the treatment given. The ERI pilot study will characterize > 100 ERs. If sufficient tissue is available, whole genome sequencing &other molecular analysis may be done. We anticipate that some specimens will not be of sufficient quality/quantity; thus many more tumors will need to be submitted to obtain these results. Six months after the genomic data are generated they will be released to a publicly available, controlled access database to facilitate research by qualified investigators. The ERI study accepts all types of malignant disease in adults or children if adequate tissue obtained prior to the ER exists. The ER could have been to an approved or investigational, targeted, or non-targeted systemic treatment. The feasibility of retrospectively collecting tumor tissue & clinical data for genomic analysis is a goal of the ERI study. Results: The ER study was activated on September 24, 2014. As of December 2, > 80 cases have been proposed, 46 are provisionally approved & 26 cases were not ERs or were withdrawn. Accepted Cases: solid & hematologic tumors (2 brain, 4 breast, 2 colon, 6 gastric, 1 hepatocellular, 7 head/neck, 2 renal, 2 lung cancer, 1 melanoma, 2 ovarian, 6 pancreatic, 2 prostate and 4 sarcomas; 2 acute leukemia, 2 lymphoma, 1 myeloma). Approximately 75% involved standard & 25% involved targeted drugs or combinations. Tissue analysis is ongoing & results will be presented. Conclusions: Collection of archived tissue from ERs for genomic evaluation is feasible. Efficient ER case identification occurs through expert review and consensus-based case selection. Citation Format: Barbara A. Conley, S Percy Ivy, James V. Tricoli, Jean-Claude Zenklusen, Roy Tarnuzzer, Irina Lubensky, Naoko Takebe, Paul M. Williams, JoAnne Zujewski, Richard Little, Jeffrey White, Elise Kohn, Shakun Malik, Ben Kim, Erin Souhan, Lou Staudt. The NCI exceptional responders initiatives: Initial feasibility result. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 612. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-612

Biosensors promise to impact many fields ranging from basic research of biological systems to the development of biomedical devices poised to revolutionize modern healthcare. The number of methods for developing biosensors continues to grow at an impressive rate representing the cutting-edge interface of chemistry and many other fields. This talk takes a step back to understand the fundamentals of sensor performance of a class of electrochemical-based sensors. We utilize a combination of electrochemistry, biochemistry, and biomolecular design and engineering to build better biosensors. By developing models for the electrochemical response and understanding the structure and function of nucleic acids (e.g., aptamers) and proteins (e.g., ion channels) we can tune the response of a sensor based on the bioanalytical application of the sensor. Coupling these designer sensors with micro- and nanoscale electrodes further enables us to tune sensor performance for applications ranging from single-cell analysis to implantable devices for real-time therapeutic monitoring.

The effects of soil moisture and temperature on the reproduction of twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), were examined in laboratory and field tests in strawberries, Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne, in Florida. Different soil moisture levels (low, moderate, and high) were compared to determine how soil moisture affects the reproduction and development of twospotted spider mite. In addition to soil moisture, different irrigation techniques (drip versus drip/overhead) were compared to determine their effects on twospotted spider mite reproduction as well as the incidence of angular leaf spot, Xanthomonas fragaria KennedyKing disease. Similar studies were conducted to determine how different temperatures (18, 27, and 35 degrees C) affect the reproduction and development of twospotted spider mites. In the laboratory, low soil moisture as well as temperatures27 degrees C promoted twospotted spider mite development. A similar trend was observed in a field study with low soil moisture promoting twospotted spider mite reproduction during the early season (11 November--8 December). Irrespective of moisture levels, a significantly higher incidence of X. fragaria was recorded in treatments with drip/overhead irrigation systems compared with drip irrigation. Implications for management of soil moisture levels are discussed with respect to the abundance of twospotted spider mite and X. fragaria in strawberries.

Several recent studies have investigated relationships between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and learning and memory problems. These reports have found in general that not only does PTSD affect trauma-related memories, but when patients with PTSD are compared with similar trauma patients without PTSD, general memory impairments have been found. The present paper reports a study in which associative learning, using Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning, was investigated in combat veterans with and without chronic PTSD, using interstimulus intervals of 500 and 1000 msec in two separate experiments. Although several recent reports suggest that larger-magnitude autonomic conditioned responses occur in patients with PTSD during Pavlovian conditioning, the present study found evidence of impaired Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning in combat veterans with and without PTSD, compared to non-combat veterans. Although these data suggest that combat leads to an impaired associative learning process regardless of whether PTSD is apparent, a group of community-dwelling combat veterans not under medical treatment showed normal conditioning, suggesting that variables other than prior combat must also be involved.

This study measured the response of deoxypyridinoline, a biomarker of bone resorption, during 11 weeks of Marine recruit training.Urine samples were obtained from 155 female and 58 male Marine recruits from the first morning void every 3 days during training. Training miles of weight-bearing exercise were recorded daily, and injury data were obtained from the medical clinic staff.Deoxypyridinoline was significantly (p0.001) increased at week 2 and weeks 9 through 11 for women and at weeks 10 and 11 for men. The increase in bone resorption corresponded to an increase in miles of weight-bearing exercise performed throughout training. The incidence of stress fracture and reaction was 3.9% and 14.8%, respectively, for women and 1.7% and 3.4%, respectively, for men.Significant bone resorption took place at the end of Marine recruit training due to accumulation of weight-bearing exercise throughout training and the increase in marching toward the end.

OBJECTIVE: To assess utilization of oral isotretinoin within a managed care organization. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of pharmacy and medical claims from a southern California HMO was performed to (1) determine the prescribing patterns of oral isotretinoin from 1997 to 2000, stratified by age and gender, (2) categorize and quantify the use of antiacne prescriptions in the 6-month period immediately prior to the first oral isotretinoin prescription claim observed during this study; and (3) identify the amount of oral isotretinoin dispensed in a 210-day period following the dispensing date of the first oral isotretinoin prescription. RESULTS: The number of prescriptions was distributed almost equally between males and females, and the average number of prescriptions dispensed per patient decreased with age. A total of 39% of patients who received an oral isotretinoin prescription had not received a prescription for any antiacne medication in the preceding 6 months, and an additional 31% had not received a prescription for a topical retinoid. Approximately 27% of patients received more than a 150-day supply within the 210-day period following the first oral isotretinoin claim. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that in the 6 months preceding the first observed oral isotretinoin prescription, up to 70% of patients had not received a trial of a topical retinoid before receiving oral isotretinoin even though the product labeling advises that oral isotretinoin should be used only in patients unresponsive to “conventional therapy” (which is generally defined as at least a topical retinoid plus an oral antibiotic). Up to 27% of patients appeared to continue a course of treatment for longer than the 15-20 weeks advised in the isotretinoin product labeling.

Background: Although medication adherence is one of the most important aspects of the management of diabetes mellitus, low rates of adherence have been documented. Objective: This study sought to examine medication adherence among patients with diabetes mellitus in a managed care organization who were receiving antidiabetic monotherapy (metformin or glyburide), combination therapy (metformin and glyburide), or fixed-dose combination therapy (glyburide/metformin). Methods: Medication adherence was evaluated through a retrospective database analysis of pharmacy claims. The adherence rate was defined as the sum of the days' supply of oral antidiabetic medication obtained by the patient during the follow-up period divided by the total number of days in the designated follow-up period (180 days). Health plan members were included in the analysis if they had an index pharmacy claim for an oral antidiabetic medication between August 1 and December 31, 2000, were continuously enrolled in the health plan, and were aged ≥18 years. A 6-month pre-index period was used to classify patients as newly treated or previously treated. Patients were grouped according to their medication-use patterns. Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, including overall medication burden at index, there were no significant differences in adherence rates among 6502 newly treated patients receiving monotherapy, combination therapy, or fixed-dose combination therapy. Among the 1815 previously treated patients receiving glyburide or metformin monotherapy who required the addition of the alternative agent, resulting in combination therapy, adherence rates were significantly lower (54.0%; 95% CI, 0.52–0.55) than in the 105 patients receiving monotherapy who were switched to fixed-dose combination therapy (77.0%; 95% CI, 0.72–0.82). The 59 previously treated patients receiving combination therapy who were switched to fixed-dose combination therapy had a significant improvement in adherence after the switch (71.0% vs 87.0%; P Conclusions: In a managed care organization, previously treated patients receiving monotherapy with an oral antidiabetic medication who required additional therapy exhibited significantly greater adherence when they were switched to fixed-dose combination therapy compared with combination therapy. Patients receiving combination therapy who were switched to fixed-dose combination therapy exhibited significantly greater adherence after the switch.

In the fall of 1988, a sequence of events occurred in the diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the United States which were both unusual and unprecedented. A series of diplomatic expulsions and staff reductions took place which were notable in that in their wake they left both of the countries diplomatic representations permanently and fundamentally changed. Although analyzing Soviet decision-making has its perils, an attempt will be made to evaluate the decision-making of both countries as a result of these events. In March, 1986, the Soviet Union was on its fourth General Secretary in the last Six years. Mikhai Sergeyevich Gorbachev had been in office a year. The youngest person to have held that position, his place within the Politburo was still not completely settled, despite the introduction or elevation of such supporters as Ryzhkov, Chebrikov Shevardnazdze and Yeltsin. He had already made some shifts in jobs, most notably moving Andrey Gromyko, the long-serving Foreign Minister who had nominated him to be General Secretary upon Chernenko's death, to the Presidium and filling behind him with Eduard Shevardzadze, an unknown and internationally-inexperienced technocrat from Soviet Georgia; and in bringing Anatoly Dobrinin, the almost equally long-serving ambassador to Washington, back to Moscow as head of the Communist Party's International Section. Gorbachev had seemed sufficiently in control during the twenty-seventh Party Congress in early 1986 to have taken a hard line publicly on cleaning up corruption and economic inefficiencies. On the other hand, the Chernobyl disaster in late April had indicated that the government was still not operating as effectively as the image that they were trying to project.

∗ Appreciation is expressed to the Raine Foundation, the Dyslexia Association of W.A., the Guidance and Special Education Branch of the Education Department of W.A., and the Faculty of Education, University of West Australia, for professional and financial assistance.

I have been asked to lecture on the subject of psychology this evening. This I feel to be an impossibility in the space of forty minutes or so, except in the most vague generalities, which would be meaningless and uninteresting. I take this opportunity, therefore, merely to make some observations on those aspects of psychological research which may be of interest to you as physiotherapists, and to attempt to outline some of the ways in which I feel the psychologist and the physiotherapist can work together on mutual problems.

(1984). Video Taping and Abnormal Psychology: Dramatized Clinical Interviews. Teaching of Psychology: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 41-42.