WorldWideScience

Sample records for receptive syringe sharing

  1. Safe and unsafe spaces: Non-fatal overdose, arrest, and receptive syringe sharing among people who inject drugs in public and semi-public spaces in Baltimore City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Kyle; Park, Ju Nyeong; Allen, Sean T; Chaulk, Patrick; Frost, Taeko; Weir, Brian W; Sherman, Susan G

    2018-04-13

    The spaces in which drug use occurs constitutes a key aspect of the "risk environment" of people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to add nuance to the characterization of "safe" and "unsafe" spaces in PWID's environments to further understand how these spaces amplify the risk of morbidities associated with injection drug use. PWID were recruited through the Baltimore City syringe service program and through peer referral. Participants completed a socio-behavioral survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify associations between utilization of public, semi-public and private spaces with arrest, non-fatal overdose, and receptive syringe sharing. The sample of PWID (N = 283) was mostly 45 years and older (54%), male (69%), Black (55%), and heroin users (96%). Compared to PWID who primarily used private settings, the adjusted odds of recent overdose were greater among PWID who mostly used semi-public and public locations to inject drugs. We also found independent associations between arrest and semi-public spaces, and between receptive syringe sharing and public spaces (all p spaces where PWID can reduce their risk of overdose, likelihood of arrest and blood-borne diseases, and the dual potential of the environment in promoting health and risk. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. The association of syringe type and syringe cleaning with HCV infection among IDUs in Budapest, Hungary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyarmathy, V. Anna; Neaigus, Alan; Mitchell, Mary M.; Ujhelyi, Eszter

    2008-01-01

    We assessed whether syringe type, syringe cleaning and distributive syringe sharing were associated with self-reported and laboratory confirmed HCV infection among Hungarian IDUs. Injecting drug users (N=215) were recruited from non-treatment settings in Budapest, Hungary between October 2005 and December 2006. Multivariate logistic regression models identified correlates of self-report of being HCV infected and testing positive for HCV. While 37% tested positive for HCV, 14% of the total (39% of those who tested positive) self-reported being HCV infected. Using any two piece syringes was significantly associated with self-reported HCV infection, while distributive syringe sharing was not associated with self-report of being HCV infected. Engaging in receptive sharing of only one-piece syringes but always cleaning before reuse was not associated with testing HCV positive, while any receptive sharing of only one-piece syringes and not always cleaning before reuse was significantly associated with testing HCV positive. Sharing cookers and squirting drugs from one syringe into another syringe were not associated with testing HCV positive. The high percent of those HCV infected who did not know they were infected highlights the need to provide better access to confidential testing and counseling services. Counseling should emphasize secondary prevention of HCV among HCV infected IDUs. Our findings also indicate that syringe type and syringe cleaning practices may play a role in HCV transmission. Ethnographic research should identify the reasons why IDUs may use two-piece syringes and suggest means to reduce their use. Thorough cleaning of one-piece syringes when sterile syringes are unavailable may be an efficient way to reduce the risk of HCV infection. PMID:19058925

  3. The Association Between Law Enforcement Encounters and Syringe Sharing Among IDUs on Skid Row: A Mixed Methods Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon-Freeman, Rebecca; Bluthenthal, Ricky N.

    2013-01-01

    The legal environment is one factor that influences injection drug users' (IDUs) risk for HIV and other bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis C virus (HCV). We examined the association between law enforcement encounters (i.e., arrests and citations) and receptive syringe sharing among IDUs in the context of an intensified policing effort. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of 30 qualitative and 187 quantitative interviews with IDUs accessing services at a Los Angeles, CA syringe exchange program from 2008 to 2009. Qualitative findings illustrate concerns related to visibility, drug withdrawal, and previous history of arrest/incarceration. In quantitative analysis, the number of citations received, current homelessness, and perceiving that being arrested would be a “big problem” were independently associated with recent syringe sharing. Findings illustrate some of the unintended public health consequences associated with intensified street-level policing, including risk for HIV and HCV transmission. PMID:23620243

  4. Sharing of Needles and Syringes among Men Who Inject Drugs: HIV Risk in Northwest Bangladesh.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Kamal Pasa

    Full Text Available Injection drug use is prevalent in northwestern Bangladesh. We sought to explore the context of needle/syringe sharing among persons who inject drugs (PWID, examining risk exposures to blood-borne infections like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV and hepatitis in a region where these dual epidemics are likely to expand.We used a qualitative research approach to learn about injection practices, conducting 60 in-depth interviews among PWID. We then conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs that generated a checklist of salient issues, and followed up with personal observations of typical days at the drug-use venues. Content and interpretative frameworks were used to analyze qualitative information and socio-demographic information, using SPSS software.We found that needle/syringe-sharing behaviours were integrated into the overall social and cultural lives of drug users. Sharing behaviours were an central component of PWID social organization. Sharing was perceived as an inherent element within reciprocal relationships, and sharing was tied to beliefs about drug effects, economic adversity, and harassment due to their drug user status. Carrying used needles/syringes to drug-use venues was deemed essential since user-unfriendly needle-syringe distribution schedules of harm reduction programmes made it difficult to access clean needles/syringes in off-hours. PWID had low self-esteem. Unequal power relationships were reported between the field workers of harm reduction programmes and PWID. Field workers expressed anti-PWID bias and judgmental attitudes, and also had had misconceptions about HIV and hepatitis transmission. PWID were especially disturbed that no assistance was forthcoming from risk reduction programme staff when drug users manifested withdrawal symptoms.Interventions must take social context into account when scaling up programmes in diverse settings. The social organization of PWID include values that foster needle-syringe

  5. Syringe Sharing Among a Prospective Cohort of Street-Involved Youth: Implications for Needle Distribution Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozinoff, Nikki; Wood, Evan; Dong, Huiru; Richardson, Lindsey; Kerr, Thomas; DeBeck, Kora

    2017-09-01

    The sharing of previously used syringes is associated with the transmission of Hepatitis C and HIV. This longitudinal study examines syringe borrowing and syringe lending within a prospective cohort of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. From September 2005 to May 2014, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study, a cohort of street-involved youth age 14-26 at enrollment, and analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Among 505 participants, 142 (28.1%) reported syringe borrowing and 132 (26.1%) reported syringe lending during the study period. In separate multivariable analyses, having difficulty finding clean needles and homelessness were significantly associated with syringe borrowing (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.28, 95% CI 1.66-3.12 and AOR = 1.52, CI 1.05-2.21, respectively) and syringe lending (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.32-2.71 and AOR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.11-2.44, respectively) (all p values people is warranted.

  6. Racial differences in acquisition of syringes from pharmacies under conditions of legal but restricted sales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costenbader, Elizabeth C; Zule, William A; Coomes, Curtis C

    2010-09-01

    Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at increased risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV and other bloodborne pathogens through the multi-person use of syringes. Although research has shown that increased access to syringes through syringe exchange programs (SEPs) is an effective strategy to reduce risky injection practices many areas of the United States still do not have SEPs. In the absence of SEPs, legislation allowing pharmacies over-the-counter sales of syringes has also been shown to reduce syringe sharing. The success of pharmacy sales however is limited by other legal stipulations, such as drug paraphernalia laws, which in turn may contribute to fear among IDUs about being caught purchasing and carrying syringes. Between 2003 and 2006, 851 out-of-treatment IDUs were recruited using street outreach in the Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina) area. Data were collected using audio-computer assisted interview (ACASI) technology. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with purchasing syringes from pharmacies. In our study sample, African-American IDUs were one-fifth as likely as white IDUs to report pharmacies as their primary source of syringes. Given the absence of syringe exchange programs and the relatively high prevalence of HCV and HIV among IDUs in the Raleigh-Durham area, the limited use of pharmacies as a source of syringes among African-American IDUs in this study sample is problematic. The study findings support the need for effective multilevel interventions to increase access to clean needles in this population, as well as for policy interventions, such as legalization of SEPs and elimination of penalties for carrying syringes, to reduce harm and eliminate the health threats posed by receptive syringe sharing. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. A syringe-sharing model for the spread of HIV: application to Omsk, Western Siberia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artzrouni, Marc; Leonenko, Vasiliy N; Mara, Thierry A

    2017-03-01

    A system of two differential equations is used to model the transmission dynamics of human immunodeficiency virus between 'persons who inject drugs' (PWIDs) and their syringes. Our vector-borne disease model hinges on a metaphorical urn from which PWIDs draw syringes at random which may or may not be infected and may or may not result in one of the two agents becoming infected. The model's parameters are estimated with data mostly from the city of Omsk in Western Siberia. A linear trend in PWID prevalence in Omsk could only be fitted by considering a time-dependent version of the model captured through a secular decrease in the probability that PWIDs decide to share a syringe. A global sensitivity analysis is performed with 14 parameters considered random variables in order to assess their impact on average numbers infected over a 50-year projection. With obvious intervention implications the drug injection rate and the probability of syringe-cleansing are the only parameters whose coefficients of correlations with numbers of infected PWIDs and infected syringes have an absolute value close to or larger than 0.40. © The authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.

  8. Social-structural contexts of needle and syringe sharing behaviours of HIV-positive injecting drug users in Manipur, India: a mixed methods investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shunmugam Murali

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Few investigations have assessed risk behaviours and social-structural contexts of risk among injecting drug users (IDUs in Northeast India, where injecting drug use is the major route of HIV transmission. Investigations of risk environments are needed to inform development of effective risk reduction interventions. Methods This mixed methods study of HIV-positive IDUs in Manipur included a structured survey (n = 75, two focus groups (n = 17, seven in-depth interviews, and two key informant interviews. Results One-third of survey participants reported having shared a needle/syringe in the past 30 days; among these, all the men and about one-third of the women did so with persons of unknown HIV serostatus. A variety of social-structural contextual factors influenced individual risk behaviours: barriers to carrying sterile needles/syringes due to fear of harassment by police and "anti-drug" organizations; lack of sterile needles/syringes in drug dealers' locales; limited access to pharmacy-sold needles/syringes; inadequate coverage by needle and syringe programmes (NSPs; non-availability of sterile needles/syringes in prisons; and withdrawal symptoms superseding concern for health. Some HIV-positive IDUs who shared needles/syringes reported adopting risk reduction strategies: being the 'last receiver' of needles/syringes and not a 'giver;' sharing only with other IDUs they knew to be HIV-positive; and, when a 'giver,' asking other IDUs to wash used needles/syringes with bleach before using. Conclusions Effective HIV prevention and care programmes for IDUs in Northeast India may hinge on several enabling contexts: supportive government policy on harm reduction programmes, including in prisons; an end to harassment by the police, army, and anti-drug groups, with education of these entities regarding harm reduction, creation of partnerships with the public health sector, and accountability to government policies that protect IDUs

  9. Options for reducing HIV transmission related to the dead space in needles and syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zule, William A; Pande, Poonam G; Otiashvili, David; Bobashev, Georgiy V; Friedman, Samuel R; Gyarmathy, V Anna; Des Jarlais, Don C

    2018-01-15

    When shared by people who inject drugs, needles and syringes with different dead space may affect the probability of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission differently. We measured dead space in 56 needle and syringe combinations obtained from needle and syringe programs across 17 countries in Europe and Asia. We also calculated the amounts of blood and HIV that would remain in different combinations following injection and rinsing. Syringe barrel capacities ranged from 0.5 to 20 mL. Needles ranged in length from 8 to 38 mm. The average dead space was 3 μL in low dead space syringes with permanently attached needles, 13 μL in high dead space syringes with low dead space needles, 45 μL in low dead space syringes with high dead space needles, and 99 μL in high dead space syringes with high dead space needles. Among low dead space designs, calculated volumes of blood and HIV viral burden were lowest for low dead space syringes with permanently attached needles and highest for low dead space syringes with high dead space needles. The dead space in different low dead space needle and syringe combinations varied substantially. To reduce HIV transmission related to syringe sharing, needle and syringe programs need to combine this knowledge with the needs of their clients.

  10. The effectiveness and safety of syringe vending machines as a component of needle syringe programmes in community settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Mofizul; Wodak, Alex; Conigrave, Katherine M

    2008-12-01

    Syringe vending machines (SVMs) have been introduced in Europe and Australasia as part of the effort to increase the availability of sterile needles and syringes to injecting drug users (IDUs). This qualitative review of 14 published and grey literature studies examines whether community-based SVMs as a component of a comprehensive needle syringe programme (NSP) assist to reduce the spread of HIV and other blood-borne viruses amongst IDUs. The available evidence suggests that SVMs increase access to sterile injecting equipment, reduce needle and syringe sharing, and are likely to be cost efficient. SVMs also complement other modes of NSP delivery as they are used by IDUs who are less likely to attend staffed NSPs or pharmacies. If installed and properly maintained in a well-chosen location and with the local community well prepared, SVMs can enhance the temporal and geographical availability of sterile injecting equipment.

  11. Reductions in HIV/STI Incidence and Sharing of Injection Equipment among Female Sex Workers Who Inject Drugs: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strathdee, Steffanie A.; Abramovitz, Daniela; Lozada, Remedios; Martinez, Gustavo; Rangel, Maria Gudelia; Vera, Alicia; Staines, Hugo; Magis-Rodriguez, Carlos; Patterson, Thomas L.

    2013-01-01

    Background We evaluated brief combination interventions to simultaneously reduce sexual and injection risks among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico during 2008–2010, when harm reduction coverage was expanding rapidly in Tijuana, but less so in Juarez. Methods FSW-IDUs ≥18 years reporting sharing injection equipment and unprotected sex with clients within the last month participated in a randomized factorial trial comparing four brief, single-session conditions combining either an interactive or didactic version of a sexual risk intervention to promote safer sex in the context of drug use, and an injection risk intervention to reduce sharing of needles/injection paraphernalia. Women underwent quarterly interviews and testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Trichomonas, blinding interviewers and assessors to assignment. Poisson regression with robust variance estimation and repeated measures ordinal logistic regression examined effects on combined HIV/STI incidence and receptive needle sharing frequency. Findings Of 584 initially HIV-negative FSW-IDUs, retention was ≥90%. After 12 months, HIV/STI incidence decreased >50% in the interactive vs. didactic sex intervention (Tijuana:AdjRR:0.38,95% CI:0.16–0.89; Juarez: AdjRR:0.44,95% CI:0.19–0.99). In Juarez, women receiving interactive vs. didactic injection risk interventions decreased receptive needle-sharing by 85% vs. 71%, respectively (p = 0.04); in Tijuana, receptive needle sharing declined by 95%, but was similar in active versus didactic groups. Tijuana women reported significant increases in access to syringes and condoms, but Juarez women did not. Interpretation After 12 months in both cities, the interactive sexual risk intervention significantly reduced HIV/STI incidence. Expanding free access to sterile syringes coupled with brief, didactic education on safer injection was necessary and sufficient for achieving robust, sustained

  12. Commentary on Vorobjov et al., "Comparison of injection drug users who obtain syringes from pharmacies and syringe exchange programs in Tallinn, Estonia"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werb Daniel

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Recent data suggest that globally, between 5% and 10% of all new HIV cases are the result of unsafe injecting practices, and experts agree that reducing these practices is key to tackling the spread of HIV. And yet, despite the overwhelming evidence that providing sterile syringes to injection drug users (IDU through syringe exchange programs (SEPs or other means is an effective way of reducing HIV transmission among high-risk subpopulations, IDU in most settings still do not have access to sterile injecting equipment or if they do, access remains too restricted to effectively reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Vorobjov and colleagues have presented in this journal an interesting and timely study from Estonia comparing individuals who obtain syringes from SEPs and those who obtain syringes from pharmacies. As the authors point out, Estonia faces an unacceptably high HIV incidence rate of 50 new HIV cases per 100,000, this rate driven primarily by injection drug use. As such, the authors argue that Estonia's SEP network does not have the capacity to serve a growing IDU population at risk of transmitting HIV and pharmacy dispensation of clean syringes may be one potential approach to decreasing syringe sharing among high-risk injectors. It may be overly optimistic to consider the impact of higher threshold interventions such as pharmacy-based SEPs, given that IDU populations that engage in HIV risk behaviours such as syringe sharing are often hidden or hard to reach. Despite the need for a cautious approach, however, the findings presented by Vorobjov et al. may chart one potential course towards a more comprehensive societal response to reducing the health harms associated with injection drug use.

  13. Policing behaviors, safe injection self-efficacy, and intervening on injection risks: Moderated mediation results from a randomized trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitpitan, Eileen V; Patterson, Thomas L; Abramovitz, Daniela; Vera, Alicia; Martinez, Gustavo; Staines, Hugo; Strathdee, Steffanie A

    2016-01-01

    We aim to use conditional or moderated mediation to simultaneously test how and for whom an injection risk intervention was efficacious at reducing receptive needle sharing among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSWs-IDUs) in Mexico. Secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial. A total of 300 FSW-IDUs participated in Mujer Mas Segura in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and were randomized to an interactive injection risk intervention or a didactic injection risk intervention. We measured safe injection self-efficacy as the hypothesized mediator and policing behaviors (being arrested and syringe confiscation) as hypothesized moderators. In total, 213 women provided complete data for the current analyses. Conditional (moderated) mediation showed that the intervention affected receptive needle sharing through safe injection self-efficacy among women who experienced syringe confiscation. On average, police syringe confiscation was associated with lower safe injection self-efficacy (p = .04). Among those who experienced syringe confiscation, those who received the interactive (vs. didactic) intervention reported higher self-efficacy, which in turn predicted lower receptive needle sharing (p = .04). Whereas syringe confiscation by the police negatively affected safe injection self-efficacy and ultimately injection risk behavior, our interactive intervention helped to "buffer" this negative impact of police behavior on risky injection practices. The theory-based, active skills building elements included in the interactive condition, which were absent from the didactic condition, helped participants' self-efficacy for safer injection in the face of syringe confiscation. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Syringe sociology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitellone, Nicole

    2015-06-01

    In this article I consider the impact of social epistemologies for understanding the object of the syringe. My aim is to examine the process through which the syringe transforms from an injecting device to a tool of social and political inquiry. Paying particular attention to the uses of Foucault, Becker, Bourdieu, Freud and Latour in empirical studies of injecting heroin use, I examine the sociology of the syringe through the lens of habit and habitus, discourse and deviance, mourning and melancholia, attachment and agencement. In pursuing the theory behind the object my goal is to address a sociological object in the making. In so doing I show how the syringe has been significant for social research, social theory, and sociology. It is the difference the object makes that this article seeks to describe. In tracing the epistemology of the syringe I show how the object is important not just for knowledge of addiction but sociology itself. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2015.

  15. Syringe access for the prevention of blood borne infections among injection drug users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rich Josiah D

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Approximately one-third of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome cases in the United States are associated with the practice of sharing of injection equipment and are preventable through the once-only use of syringes, needles and other injection equipment. Discussion Sterile syringes may be obtained legally by 4 methods depending on the state. They may be purchased over the counter, prescribed, obtained at syringe exchange programs or furnished by authorized agencies. Each of these avenues has advantages and disadvantages; therefore, legal access through all means is the most likely way to promote the use of sterile syringes. Summary By assisting illicit drug injectors to obtain sterile syringes the primary care provider is able to reduce the incidence of blood borne infections, and educate patients about safe syringe disposal. The provider is also able to initiate discussion about drug use in a nonjudgmental manner and to offer care to patients who are not yet ready to consider drug treatment.

  16. Syringe vending machines for injection drug users: an experiment in Marseille, France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obadia, Y; Feroni, I; Perrin, V; Vlahov, D; Moatti, J P

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the usefulness of vending machines in providing injection drug users with access to sterile syringes in Marseille, France. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were offered to 485 injection drug users obtaining syringes from 32 pharmacies, 4 needle exchange programs, and 3 vending machines. RESULTS: Of the 343 respondents (response rate = 70.7%), 21.3% used the vending machines as their primary source of syringes. Primary users of vending machines were more likely than primary users of other sources to be younger than 30 years, to report no history of drug maintenance treatment, and to report no sharing of needles or injection paraphernalia. CONCLUSIONS: Vending machines may be an appropriate strategy for providing access to syringes for younger injection drug users, who have typically avoided needle exchange programs and pharmacies. PMID:10589315

  17. Barriers to Access to Sterile Syringes as Perceived by Pharmacists and Injecting Drug Users: Implications for Harm Reduction in Lebanon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaddar, Ali; Nassar, Karine; Elsoury, Ghadier

    2017-09-19

    Access to sterile syringes to injecting drug users (IDU) reduces sharing behavior and prevents the transmission of HIV. To describe the barriers to access to sterile syringes for IDUs in Lebanon from the perspectives of pharmacists and IDUs. in this qualitative study conducted in Lebanon, data were collected from 72 syringe purchase tests at pharmacies, 64 interviewees with pharmacists and 2 focus groups with injecting drug users. Two independent researchers analyzed the verbatim transcripts. Results revealed that pharmacists often deny access to sterile syringes to IDUs who are frequently stigmatized and intimidated at pharmacies. While no large gender differences in pharmacists' attitudes and practices were observed, inequalities in syringe access were noticed with men IDUs more often denied purchase. Pharmacists had several barriers to sell syringes to IDUs including fear of disease spread, increased drug use, inappropriately discarded syringes, staff and customer safety, and business concerns. IDUs had several challenges to purchase syringes including stigmatization, intimidation, physical harassment, concern to reveal identity, fear of arrest and syringe price abuse. Identifying the barriers to and facilitators of access to sterile syringes to IDUs is important to guide the development of efficient policies. Findings implicate the importance of empowering IDUs to purchase syringes at pharmacies through reducing the negative attitude towards IDUs and strengthening pharmacists' role in the promotion of health of IDUs. Findings also suggest that the habit of syringe sharing would decrease if the legal and cultural barriers to access are reduced.

  18. Not sold here: limited access to legally available syringes at pharmacies in Tijuana, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollini, Robin A; Rosen, Perth C; Gallardo, Manuel; Robles, Brenda; Brouwer, Kimberly C; Macalino, Grace E; Lozada, Remedios

    2011-05-24

    Sterile syringe access is a critical component of HIV prevention programs. Although retail pharmacies provide convenient outlets for syringe access, injection drug users (IDUs) may encounter barriers to syringe purchase even where purchase without a prescription is legal. We sought to obtain an objective measure of syringe access in Tijuana, Mexico, where IDUs report being denied or overcharged for syringes at pharmacies. Trained "mystery shoppers" attempted to buy a 1 cc insulin syringe according to a predetermined script at all retail pharmacies in three Tijuana neighborhoods. The same pharmacies were surveyed by telephone regarding their syringe sales policies. Data on purchase attempts were analyzed using basic statistics to obtain an objective measure of syringe access and compared with data on stated sales policies to ascertain consistency. Only 46 (28.4%) of 162 syringe purchase attempts were successful. Leading reasons for unsuccessful attempts were being told that the pharmacy didn't sell syringes (35.3%), there were no syringes in stock (31.0%), or a prescription was required (20.7%). Of 136 pharmacies also surveyed by telephone, a majority (88.2%) reported selling syringes but only one-third (32.5%) had a successful mystery shopper purchase; the majority of unsuccessful purchases were attributed to being told the pharmacy didn't sell syringes. There was similar discordance regarding prescription policies: 74 pharmacies said in the telephone survey that they did not require a prescription for syringes, yet 10 of these pharmacies asked the mystery shopper for a prescription. IDUs in Tijuana have limited access to syringes through retail pharmacies and policies and practices regarding syringe sales are inconsistent. Reasons for these restrictive and inconsistent practices must be identified and addressed to expand syringe access, reduce syringe sharing and prevent HIV transmission.

  19. Do your syringes count?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brewster, K.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: This study was designed to investigate anecdotal evidence that residual Sestamibi (MIBI) activity vaned in certain situations. For rest studies different brands of syringes were tested to see if the residuals varied. The period of time MIBI doses remained in the syringe between dispensing and injection was also considered as a possible source of increased residual counts. Stress Mibi syringe residual activities were measured to assess if the method of stress test affected residual activity. MIBI was reconstituted using 13 Gbq of Technetium in 3mls of normal saline then boiled for 10 minutes. Doses were dispensed according to department protocol and injected via cannula. Residual syringes were collected for three syringe types. In each case the barrel and plunger were measured separately. As the syringe is flushed during the exercise stress test and not the pharmacological stress test the chosen method was recorded. No relationship was demonstrated between the time MIBI remained in a syringe prior to injection and residual activity. Residual activity was not affected by method of stress test used. Actual injected activity can be calculated if the amount of activity remaining in the syringe post injection is known. Imaging time can be adjusted for residual activity to optimise count statistics. Preliminary results in this study indicate there is no difference in residual activity between syringe brands.Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

  20. Comparative evaluation of endodontic pressure syringe, insulin syringe, jiffy tube, and local anesthetic syringe in obturation of primary teeth: An in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiremath, Mallayya C; Srivastava, Pooja

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare four methods of root canal obturation in primary teeth using conventional radiography. A total of 96 root canals of primary molars were prepared and obturated with zinc oxide eugenol. Obturation methods compared were endodontic pressure syringe, insulin syringe, jiffy tube, and local anesthetic syringe. The root canal obturations were evaluated by conventional radiography for the length of obturation and presence of voids. The obtained data were analyzed using Chi-square test. The results showed significant differences between the four groups for the length of obturation (P tube showed the poor results (37.5% optimal fillings) for the length of obturation. The insulin syringe (79.2% optimal fillings) and local anesthetic syringe (66.7% optimal fillings) showed acceptable results for the length of root canal obturation. However, minor voids were present in all the four techniques used. Endodontic pressure syringe produced the best results in terms of length of obturation and controlling paste extrusion from the apical foramen. However, insulin syringe and local anesthetic syringe can be used as effective alternative methods.

  1. [The effect of colored syringes and a colored sheet on the incidence of syringe swaps during anesthetic management].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirabayashi, Yoshihiro; Kawakami, Takayuki; Suzuki, Hideo; Igarashi, Takashi; Saitoh, Kazuhiko; Seo, Norimasa

    2005-09-01

    Syringe swap is an important problem in anesthetic care, causing harm to patients. We examined the effect of colored syringe and a colored sheet on the incidence of syringe swaps during anesthetic management. We determined the color code. The blue-syringe contains local anesthetics; yellow-syringe, sympathomimetic drugs; and white-syringe with a red label fixed opposite the scale, muscle relaxants. The colored sheet displays the photographs of the syringe with drug name, dose and volume. The colored syringe and colored sheet were supplied for use from February 2004. We compared the incidence of syringe swaps during the period from February 2004 to January 2005 with that from February 2003 to January 2004. Although five syringe swaps were recorded from February 2003 to January 2004, in 5901 procedures, we encountered no syringe swaps from February 2004 to January 2005, in 6078 procedures. The colored syringe and colored sheet significantly decreased the incidence of syringe swaps during anesthetic management (P sheet together with colored syringes can prevent syringe swaps during anesthesia.

  2. Comparative evaluation of endodontic pressure syringe, insulin syringe, jiffy tube, and local anesthetic syringe in obturation of primary teeth: An in vitro study

    OpenAIRE

    Hiremath, Mallayya C.; Srivastava, Pooja

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare four methods of root canal obturation in primary teeth using conventional radiography. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 root canals of primary molars were prepared and obturated with zinc oxide eugenol. Obturation methods compared were endodontic pressure syringe, insulin syringe, jiffy tube, and local anesthetic syringe. The root canal obturations were evaluated by conventional radiography for the length of obturation and presenc...

  3. The evaluation of a trial of syringe vending machines in Canberra, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, David

    2009-07-01

    Syringe vending machines (SVMs) have been trialled in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, as an intervention aiming to increase the availability of sterile injecting equipment for use by IDUs. This study evaluated the 12-month trial. A utilisation-focused evaluation model, with both formative and summative components, was employed. Four SVMs were installed, each dispensing packs containing four 1 mL syringes and associated injecting paraphernalia. The trial participants were the clients of the SVMs and other key informants. The core measurements used were the number of syringes dispensed in Canberra by SVMs and other outlets, SVM clients' demographics and experiences of and attitudes towards SVMs, perceived impacts of SVMs on needle sharing, unsafe disposal of used syringes in the vicinity of SVMs, and community and stakeholder attitudes. The trial was implemented successfully, with no adverse consequences identified. The SVMs appear to be serving both the usual clients of the other outlets for sterile injecting equipment (community pharmacies and the Needle Syringe Program outlets) and others who are reluctant to use such outlets or find them inconvenient. The out-of-business-hours provision of syringes through the SVMs was particularly welcomed by both SVM clients and other stakeholders. The continuing operation of the initial four SVMs is widely supported, and additional machines are requested by clients and others. Owing to the success of the trial in terms of feasibility and outcomes for both IDUs and for the broader community, it is desirable that providing sterile injecting equipment through SVMs continues and be expanded as an integral component of harm reduction strategies.

  4. Extractables and leachables considerations for prefilled syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenke, Dennis R

    2014-10-01

    Use of pre-filled syringes as both a packaging and delivery system for pharmaceutical drug products is accelerating. Pre-filled syringes must meet the quality and suitability for use requirements for both systems, including compatibility with the drug product. Relevant incompatibilities between pre-filled syringes and drug products include the safety of syringe-based leachables that accumulate in drug products and the ability of leachables to interact with the drug product's ingredients as such interactions can affect safety, efficacy, stability and physical viability. Relevant suitability considerations for pre-filled syringes are discussed herein and specific examples of suitability for use issues for pre-filled syringes are cited, focusing on extractables associated with pre-filled syringes and leachables derived from such syringes. Aspects considered include the toxicological impact of leachables, their ability to alter the efficacy of drug products and to produce other undesirable outcomes such as aggregation and immunogenic responses. Materials used in pre-filled syringes and the conditions of use minimize the traditional safety risk associated with leachables. However, drug products that use pre-filled syringes are prone to non-traditional interactions such as disruption of protein conformation, leading to potential efficacy, safety and quality issues. In order to qualify pre-filled syringes for use, the traditional approach of measuring extractables and leachables and inferring their effect must be augmented by rigorous compatibility testing. Research into the fundamental relationship between leachables and drug substances will be necessary so the more time- and cost-efficient 'measure and infer' approach can be widely implemented.

  5. Safety syringes and anti-needlestick devices in orthopaedic surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibbitt, Wilmer L; Band, Philip A; Kettwich, Lawrence G; Sibbitt, Cristina R; Sibbitt, Lori J; Bankhurst, Arthur D

    2011-09-07

    The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS), The Joint Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act encourage the integration of safety-engineered devices to prevent needlestick injuries to health-care workers and patients. We hypothesized that safety syringes and needles could be used in outpatient orthopaedic injection and aspiration procedures. The study investigated the orthopaedic uses and procedural idiosyncrasies of safety-engineered devices, including (1) four safety needles (Eclipse, SafetyGlide, SurGuard, and Magellan), (2) a mechanical safety syringe (RPD), (3) two automatic retractable syringes (Integra, VanishPoint), (4) three manual retractable syringes (Procedur-SF, Baksnap, Invirosnap), and (5) three shielded syringes (Safety-Lok, Monoject, and Digitally Activated Shielded [DAS] Syringe). The devices were first tested ex vivo, and then 1300 devices were used for 425 subjects undergoing outpatient arthrocentesis, intra-articular injections, local anesthesia, aspiration biopsy, and ultrasound-guided procedures. During the clinical observation, there were no accidental needlesticks (0 needlesticks per 1300 devices). Safety needles could be successfully used on a Luer syringe but were limited to ≤1.5 in (≤3.81 cm) in length and the shield could interfere with sonography. The mechanical safety syringes functioned well in all orthopaedic procedures. Automatic retractable syringes were too small for arthrocentesis of the knee, and the plunger blew out and prematurely collapsed with high-pressure injections. The manual retractable syringes and shielded syringes could be used with conventional needles for most orthopaedic procedures. The most effective and reliable safety devices for orthopaedic syringe procedures are shielded safety needles, mechanical syringes, manual retractable syringes, and shielded syringes, but not automatic retractable syringes. Even when adopting

  6. Community syringe collection and disposal policies in 16 states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turnberg, Wayne L; Jones, T Stephen

    2002-01-01

    To review laws, regulations, and guidelines that affect the collection and disposal of hypodermic needles, syringes, and lancets used outside of professional health care settings (hereafter referred to as "community syringes"). Law and policy analysis. Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin. Information on syringe collection and disposal in the community was gathered from federal and state records and state agency personnel. Legally permissible means of syringe collection and disposal available to persons in the community injecting medical treatments and injection drug users. Laws, regulations, or guidelines in 13 states allowed community syringes to be legally discarded in household trash; guidelines for in-trash disposal varied among the states. Only 6 states had laws or regulations that specifically addressed community syringe collection. In 10 states, infectious waste laws and regulations that apply to medical facilities such as clinics would also apply to community syringe collection sites. In the 16 states studied, laws, regulations, and guidelines relating to community syringe collection and disposal were somewhat inconsistent and confusing and presented potential barriers to safe disposal. States should consider amending laws, regulations, and guidelines to promote community syringe collection programs. A national effort is needed to achieve consistent community syringe collection and disposal laws and guidelines for all states. Pharmacists can aid in safe syringe disposal by counseling their patients about safe disposal, providing or selling sharps containers, and accepting used syringes for safe disposal. Pharmacists can join other interested groups in advocating clarification of disposal laws and regulations that favor community programs designed to keep syringes out of the trash so that they can be disposed of as

  7. Development of Syringe/Bottle Hybrids for Sampling Slurries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coleman, C.J.

    1998-01-01

    A convenient and effective sample bottle system based on simple modifications of disposable plastic syringes and bottles has been devised and tested for slurry samples. Syringe/ bottle hybrids (hereafter referred to as syringe bottles) have the convenience of regular flat-bottom bottles with screw cap closures. In addition, the syringe imparts a sliding and adjustable bottom to the bottle that forces the entire contents from the bottle. The system was designed especially to collect samples for high temperature work-ups of DWPF slurry samples. The syringe bottles together with fixed-bottom sample vial inserts would provide the DWPF with convenient and reliable methods for dealing with slurry samples

  8. Making a difference? Applying Vitellone's Social Science of the Syringe to performance and image enhancing drug injecting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Aaron

    2018-04-18

    Vitellone's Social Science of the Syringe investigates epistemologies of injecting drug use. She argues for a methodology that can be simultaneously sensitive to biopolitical power regimes; the trajectories of social stratification; and the resistance, creativity and dignity of human agency. She proposes a methodological focus on the syringe-in-use as an active participant in these dynamics. Harm reduction policy and service provision frameworks have paid little attention to the phenomena of performance and image enhancing drug (PIEDs) injection. One way of assessing the merit of Vitellone's proposal is to use it to investigate these phenomena. I argue that Vitellone's method can be used to articulate a range of significant differences between people who inject PIEDs and other people who inject drugs, and that these differences can inform harm reduction initiatives. When compared to the heroin syringe, the PIED syringe participates in different socio-economic and material contexts, gendered identities, and biopolitical governance regimes. These differences materialise in different rates of syringe sharing and blood-borne virus transmission; and different experiences of needle exchange services. I offer a thought experiment demonstrating how a different syringe might alter the structural dynamics, biopolitical governance, and the agentic choices of people who inject PIEDs. Judging by the productive effects of diffracting Vitellone's analysis through an empirical concern with PIED injecting, I concur with Vitellone's proposition that 'something objective may be gained from an empirical investigation of the syringe-in-use' (p. 33). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Syringe injectable electronics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Guosong; Zhou, Tao; Jin, Lihua; Duvvuri, Madhavi; Jiang, Zhe; Kruskal, Peter; Xie, Chong; Suo, Zhigang; Fang, Ying; Lieber, Charles M.

    2015-01-01

    Seamless and minimally-invasive three-dimensional (3D) interpenetration of electronics within artificial or natural structures could allow for continuous monitoring and manipulation of their properties. Flexible electronics provide a means for conforming electronics to non-planar surfaces, yet targeted delivery of flexible electronics to internal regions remains difficult. Here, we overcome this challenge by demonstrating syringe injection and subsequent unfolding of submicrometer-thick, centimeter-scale macroporous mesh electronics through needles with a diameter as small as 100 micrometers. Our results show that electronic components can be injected into man-made and biological cavities, as well as dense gels and tissue, with > 90% device yield. We demonstrate several applications of syringe injectable electronics as a general approach for interpenetrating flexible electronics with 3D structures, including (i) monitoring of internal mechanical strains in polymer cavities, (ii) tight integration and low chronic immunoreactivity with several distinct regions of the brain, and (iii) in vivo multiplexed neural recording. Moreover, syringe injection enables delivery of flexible electronics through a rigid shell, delivery of large volume flexible electronics that can fill internal cavities and co-injection of electronics with other materials into host structures, opening up unique applications for flexible electronics. PMID:26053995

  10. Open-Source Syringe Pump Library

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijnen, Bas; Hunt, Emily J.; Anzalone, Gerald C.; Pearce, Joshua M.

    2014-01-01

    This article explores a new open-source method for developing and manufacturing high-quality scientific equipment suitable for use in virtually any laboratory. A syringe pump was designed using freely available open-source computer aided design (CAD) software and manufactured using an open-source RepRap 3-D printer and readily available parts. The design, bill of materials and assembly instructions are globally available to anyone wishing to use them. Details are provided covering the use of the CAD software and the RepRap 3-D printer. The use of an open-source Rasberry Pi computer as a wireless control device is also illustrated. Performance of the syringe pump was assessed and the methods used for assessment are detailed. The cost of the entire system, including the controller and web-based control interface, is on the order of 5% or less than one would expect to pay for a commercial syringe pump having similar performance. The design should suit the needs of a given research activity requiring a syringe pump including carefully controlled dosing of reagents, pharmaceuticals, and delivery of viscous 3-D printer media among other applications. PMID:25229451

  11. Syringe-injectable electronics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jia; Fu, Tian-Ming; Cheng, Zengguang; Hong, Guosong; Zhou, Tao; Jin, Lihua; Duvvuri, Madhavi; Jiang, Zhe; Kruskal, Peter; Xie, Chong; Suo, Zhigang; Fang, Ying; Lieber, Charles M

    2015-07-01

    Seamless and minimally invasive three-dimensional interpenetration of electronics within artificial or natural structures could allow for continuous monitoring and manipulation of their properties. Flexible electronics provide a means for conforming electronics to non-planar surfaces, yet targeted delivery of flexible electronics to internal regions remains difficult. Here, we overcome this challenge by demonstrating the syringe injection (and subsequent unfolding) of sub-micrometre-thick, centimetre-scale macroporous mesh electronics through needles with a diameter as small as 100 μm. Our results show that electronic components can be injected into man-made and biological cavities, as well as dense gels and tissue, with >90% device yield. We demonstrate several applications of syringe-injectable electronics as a general approach for interpenetrating flexible electronics with three-dimensional structures, including (1) monitoring internal mechanical strains in polymer cavities, (2) tight integration and low chronic immunoreactivity with several distinct regions of the brain, and (3) in vivo multiplexed neural recording. Moreover, syringe injection enables the delivery of flexible electronics through a rigid shell, the delivery of large-volume flexible electronics that can fill internal cavities, and co-injection of electronics with other materials into host structures, opening up unique applications for flexible electronics.

  12. Botulinum Toxin Therapy: Is Syringe Type Related to Cost-Effectiveness?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foglietti, Mark Anthony; Wright, Lauren; Foglietti-Fostyk, Alanna

    2018-03-01

    Clostridium botulinum toxin is effective through cleaving presynaptic proteins at the neuromuscular junction, which prevents the release of acetylcholine and inhibits muscle contraction. Several serotypes of botulinum toxin (BT) exist; however, only 2 types have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for commercial and medical use, A and B. Both types of BT must be administered intramuscularly with a syringe, but the type of syringe is the injector's preference. Which syringe type is most efficient in minimizing product waste and most cost-effective for the patient and provider? We performed a single-center, open-label, analytical study using BT therapy and 2 types of syringes for analytics of cost-effectiveness. OnabotulinumtoxinA was the neuromodulator used in this report. Vials (100 U) of BT A were each reconstituted with 2.5 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride, for a final concentration of 4 U/0.1 mL. High-dead-space syringes are compared with low-dead-space syringes: 1-mL tuberculin (TB) luer slip syringe with detachable 25-gauge needle and 1-mL ultrafine insulin syringe with an attached 31-gauge needle, respectively. After each syringe was evacuated, the TB syringe was noted to contain 0.05 mL of the remaining product in the hub. Providers are discarding approximately 2 U of BT per TB syringe product injection. If the physician uses 30 syringes per day, 3 days a week, for 1 year, it equals to a lost revenue of approximately $155,500 per year. To individualize the cost-effective analysis, average quantity of syringes used per patient and overall patient volume must be considered, with corresponding adjustment of cost and units discarded. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that the use of neuromodulators has increased by approximately 797% from 2000 to 2016. During that period, the price of neuromodulators has also increased by approximately 85%. Considering these statistics, the type of syringe used for BT neuromodular injection is a

  13. Combination syringe provides air-free blood samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pool, S. L.

    1970-01-01

    Standard syringe and spinal needle are combined in unique manner to secure air-free blood samples. Combination syringe obtains air free samples because air bubbles become insignificant when samples greater than 1 cc are drawn.

  14. [Morphine self-administration by rats using a pneumatic syringe].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akiyama, Y; Takayama, S

    1988-06-01

    An apparatus for drug self-administration by rats using a pneumatic syringe was developed by Weeks. A microliter syringe operated by a pneumatic cylinder supplies an accurate volume of drug solution within one second. When coefficient of variation of infusion volume was compared among pneumatic syringe, infusion pump, and peristaltic pump, pneumatic syringe showed higher accuracy in infusion volume than the other two pumps. Since the infusion speed by a pneumatic syringe is very rapid (less than one second per infusion), the effect of infusion speed on reinforcing property of morphine was investigated. When rats self-administered 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg/infusion of morphine by pneumatic syringes, the patterns of self-infusion were more stable, the number of self-infusions and the amount self-administered were larger, and a dose-response relationship was clearer in comparison with those self-infused the same doses of morphine for 5.6 seconds by infusion pumps or peristaltic pumps.

  15. Predicting pharmacy syringe sales to people who inject drugs: Policy, practice and perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyerson, Beth E; Davis, Alissa; Agley, Jon D; Shannon, David J; Lawrence, Carrie A; Ryder, Priscilla T; Ritchie, Karleen; Gassman, Ruth

    2018-06-01

    Pharmacies have much to contribute to the health of people who inject drugs (PWID) and to community efforts in HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) prevention through syringe access. However, little is known about what predicts pharmacy syringe sales without a prescription. To identify factors predicting pharmacy syringes sales to PWID. A hybrid staggered online survey of 298 Indiana community pharmacists occurred from July-September 2016 measuring pharmacy policy, practice, and pharmacist perceptions about syringe sales to PWID. Separate bivariate logistical regressions were followed by multivariable logistic regression to predict pharmacy syringe sales and pharmacist comfort dispensing syringes to PWID. Half (50.5%) of Indiana pharmacies sold syringes without a prescription to PWID. Pharmacy syringe sales was strongly associated with pharmacist supportive beliefs about syringe access by PWID and their comfort level selling syringes to PWID. Notably, pharmacies located in communities with high rates of opioid overdose mortality were 56% less likely to sell syringes without a prescription than those in communities with lower rates. Pharmacist comfort dispensing syringes was associated with being male, working at a pharmacy that sold syringes to PWID and one that stocked naloxone, having been asked about syringe access by medical providers, and agreement that PWID should be able to buy syringes without a prescription. As communities with high rates of opioid overdose mortality were less likely to have pharmacies that dispensed syringes to PWID, a concerted effort with these communities and their pharmacies should be made to understand opportunities to increase syringe access. Future studies should explore nuances between theoretical support for syringe access by PWID without a prescription and actual dispensing behaviors. Addressing potential policy conflicts and offering continuing education on non-prescription syringe distribution for pharmacists may improve comfort

  16. INJECTING EQUPMENT SHARING AND PERCEPTION OF HIV AND HEPATITIS RISK AMONG INJECTING DRUG USERS IN BUDAPEST

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyarmathy, V. Anna; Neaigus, Alan; Ujhelyi, Eszter

    2008-01-01

    In Central European states, rates of HIV among IDUs have been low although HCV infection is widespread. The goal of our study was to assess HIV infection, risk perceptions and injecting equipment sharing among injection drug users in Budapest, Hungary. Altogether 150 IDUs were interviewed (121 structured between 1999-2000 and 29 ethnographic between 2003-2004). The majority of them injected heroin (52% and 79%) and many injected amphetamines (51% and 35%). One person tested positive for HIV. Two thirds (68% of 121) shared injecting equipment (syringes, cookers and filters). Some participants said they shared syringes because they were not carrying them for fear of police harassment, and that they reused filters as a backup drug supply. In multivariate analysis, sharing of injecting equipment was associated with higher perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS, lower self-efficacy for sterile equipment use, higher motivation to comply with peer pressure to use dirty injecting equipment, and with having a criminal record. The high levels of injecting risk behaviors found in this study are a cause for serious concern. HIV prevention interventions need to address not only sharing syringes but also sharing and reusing other injecting equipment and drug filters. PMID:17129858

  17. Syringe confiscation as an HIV risk factor: the public health implications of arbitrary policing in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beletsky, Leo; Lozada, Remedios; Gaines, Tommi; Abramovitz, Daniela; Staines, Hugo; Vera, Alicia; Rangel, Gudelia; Arredondo, Jaime; Strathdee, Steffanie A

    2013-04-01

    Female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) face elevated risk for HIV/STIs and constitute a key population for public health prevention. Through direct and indirect pathways including human rights violations, policing practices like syringe confiscation can compound FSW-IDU health risk and facilitate the spread of disease. We studied correlates of experiencing syringe confiscation among FSW-IDUs in northern Mexico, where formal policy allows for syringes to be available over the counter without a prescription, but police practices are often at odds with the law. FSW-IDUs reporting recent syringe sharing and unprotected sex with clients in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez were administered surveys and HIV/STI testing. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of syringe confiscation. Among 624 respondent FSW-IDUs, prevalence of syringe confiscation in the last 6 months was 48%. The following factors were positively associated with syringe confiscation: testing positive for HIV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-5.80), reporting sexual abuse by police (aOR = 12.76, 95% CI = 6.58-24.72), engaging in groin injection (aOR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.15-2.93), injecting in public (aOR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.14-2.36), and obtaining syringes from pharmacies (aOR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.06-2.23). Higher education level was negatively associated with syringe confiscation (aOR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87-0.98) as was frequent injection with clients within the last month (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44-0.94). This analysis adds to the body of evidence linking unauthorized law enforcement actions targeting high-risk groups with HIV and other adverse health outcomes. Using a public health lens to conceptualize abuse as a structural risk factor, we advocate for multi-prong prevention, systematic monitoring, and evidence-based intervention response to deleterious police practices.

  18. Beyond Reception

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    This book argues that it is time to rethink reception as a traditional paradigm for understanding the relation between the ancient Greco-Roman traditions and early Judaism and Christianity. The concept of reception implies taking something from one fixed box into another, often a chronological...... intend to develop a more multi-faceted view of such precesses and to go beyond the term reception....

  19. Retention and variability of hydrogen (H2) samples stored in plastic syringes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rumessen, J J; Gudmand-Høyer, E

    1987-01-01

    The utility of two brands of 20 ml plastic syringes for storage of hydrogen (H2) samples as obtained in H2 breath tests were studied. Plastipak syringes were found to be significantly better with regard to the stability of the H2 concentration and the variability between the H2 samples. Storage...... of the H2 samples in Plastipak syringes at 5 degrees C significantly improved the H2 retention, whereas refrigeration of H2 samples stored in Once syringes did not reduce H2 loss. Storage of H2 samples in refrigerated plastic syringes is efficient and reliable for several days if syringes with minimal...... sample variation are used....

  20. Drug residues in used syringes in Switzerland: A comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lefrançois, Elodie; Augsburger, Marc; Esseiva, Pierre

    2018-05-01

    Harm reduction services, including needle-exchange programmes, have been implemented in Switzerland for over 20 years. Their main aim is to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with illicit drug consumption and, therefore, improve prevention messages. To this end, knowledge of illicit drug consumption practices is necessary. Periodic self-report surveys are the primary source of data for monitoring drug users' behaviour. Analysis of residual content of used syringes can bring further and objective knowledge about consumed products through analytically confirmed data. Used syringes were sampled in 2 syringe-exchange facilities in Lausanne. These structures are a bus where the users bring back their syringes (ABS) and an automatic injecting kit dispenser (AIKD). Once syringes were collected, a validated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was implemented in order to detect drugs (licit or illicit) contained in the residual content of used syringes. Cocaine was the most common drug detected alone (39% in ABS and 31% in AIKD), followed by the simultaneous detection of heroin and cocaine (12% and 17%) and heroin and midazolam (12% and 17%). The differences between the illicit drugs distribution of used syringes collected in AIKD and ABS were not statistically significant. Analysis of residual content of used syringes as a monitoring tool is an original approach that has already led to a better understanding of the habits of drug-injection users. Over the long term, this approach is a powerful tool to track and detect new consumption practices in a quasi-real-time. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Social network-related risk factors for bloodborne virus infections among injection drug users receiving syringes through secondary exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De, Prithwish; Cox, Joseph; Boivin, Jean-François; Platt, Robert W; Jolly, Ann M

    2008-01-01

    Secondary syringe exchange (SSE) refers to the exchange of sterile syringes between injection drug users (IDUs). To date there has been limited examination of SSE in relation to the social networks of IDUs. This study aimed to identify characteristics of drug injecting networks associated with the receipt of syringes through SSE. Active IDUs were recruited from syringe exchange and methadone treatment programs in Montreal, Canada, between April 2004 and January 2005. Information on each participant and on their drug-injecting networks was elicited using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Subjects' network characteristics were examined in relation to SSE using regression models with generalized estimating equations. Of 218 participants, 126 were SSE recipients with 186 IDUs in their injecting networks. The 92 non-recipients reported 188 network IDUs. Networks of SSE recipients and non-recipients were similar with regard to network size and demographics of network members. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age and gender, SSE recipients were more likely than non-recipients to self-report being HIV-positive (OR=3.56 [1.54-8.23]); require or provide help with injecting (OR=3.74 [2.01-6.95]); have a social network member who is a sexual partner (OR=1.90 [1.11-3.24]), who currently attends a syringe exchange or methadone program (OR=2.33 [1.16-4.70]), injects daily (OR=1.77 [1.11-2.84]), and shares syringes with the subject (OR=2.24 [1.13-4.46]). SSE is associated with several injection-related risk factors that could be used to help focus public health interventions for risk reduction. Since SSE offers an opportunity for the dissemination of important prevention messages, SSE-based networks should be used to improve public health interventions. This approach can optimize the benefits of SSE while minimizing the potential risks associated with the practice of secondary exchange.

  2. [Trial manufacture of a plunger shield for a disposable plastic syringe].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Shigeki; Emoto, Takashi; Mori, Hiroshige; Fujita, Katsuhisa; Kubo, Naoki

    2008-08-20

    A syringe-type radiopharmaceutical being supplied by a manufacturer has a syringe shield and a plunger shield, whereas an in-hospital labeling radiopharmaceutical is administered by a disposable plastic syringe without the plunger shield. In cooperation with Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd., we have produced a new experimental plunger shield for the disposable plastic syringe. In order to evaluate this shielding effect, we compared the leaked radiation doses of our plunger shield with those of the syringe-type radiopharmaceutical (Medi shield type). Our plunger shield has a lead plate of 21 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. This shield is equipped with the plunger-end of a disposal plastic syringe. We sealed 99mTc solution into a plastic syringe (Terumo Co.) of 5 ml with our plunger shield and Medi shield type of 2 ml. We measured leaked radiation doses around syringes using fluorescent glass dosimeters (Dose Ace). The number of measure points was 18. The measured doses were converted to 70 microm dose equivalent at 740 MBq of radioactivity. The results of our plunger shield and the Medi shield type were as follows: 4-13 microSv/h and 3-14 microSv/h at shielding areas, 3-545 microSv/h and 6-97 microSv/h at non-shielding areas, 42-116 microSv/h and 88-165 microSv/h in the vicinity of the syringe shield, and 1071 microSv/h and 1243 microSv/h at the front of the needle. For dose rates of shielding areas around the syringe, the shielding effects were approximately the same as those of the Medi shield type. In conclusion, our plunger shield may be useful for reducing finger exposure during the injection of an in-hospital labeled radiopharmaceutical.

  3. The Washington Needle Depot: fitting healthcare to injection drug users rather than injection drug users to healthcare: moving from a syringe exchange to syringe distribution model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glickman Andrea

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Needle exchange programs chase political as well as epidemiological dragons, carrying within them both implicit moral and political goals. In the exchange model of syringe distribution, injection drug users (IDUs must provide used needles in order to receive new needles. Distribution and retrieval are co-existent in the exchange model. Likewise, limitations on how many needles can be received at a time compel addicts to have multiple points of contact with professionals where the virtues of treatment and detox are impressed upon them. The centre of gravity for syringe distribution programs needs to shift from needle exchange to needle distribution, which provides unlimited access to syringes. This paper provides a case study of the Washington Needle Depot, a program operating under the syringe distribution model, showing that the distribution and retrieval of syringes can be separated with effective results. Further, the experience of IDUs is utilized, through paid employment, to provide a vulnerable population of people with clean syringes to prevent HIV and HCV.

  4. Efficacy trial of Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ujaoney, S; Mamtani, M; Thakre, T; Tote, J; Hazarey, V; Hazarey, P; Kulkarni, H

    2013-12-01

    Dental fear and anxiety in early childhood are widely prevalent and contribute to dental problems and behaviour in adulthood. Novel ways to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children are needed. Our aim was to conduct an efficacy trial of a novel Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children. randomised controlled trial of efficacy of the Camouflage Syringe. We designed a Camouflage Syringe with a toy-like appearance that veils the conventional syringe to permit topical application and injection of local anaesthesia and ensure more involvement of the patient in the treatment process. We conducted a concurrent parallel, randomised controlled trial (NCT01398007) on the efficacy of this Camouflage Syringe to reduce the dental fear and anxiety in children seeking dental treatment who required the use of local anaesthesia. Using Venham's clinical rating scale, Venham's picture test, parental stress questionnaire and recall questionnaire, the efficacy of the Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety ranged from 82% to 97% for various outcomes and from 60% to 100% for prevention of related adverse outcomes. For all outcomes, the number needed to treat was close to unity. Our results strongly favour the use of Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children.

  5. Attitudes of North Carolina law enforcement officers toward syringe decriminalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Corey S.; Johnston, Jill; Zerden, Lisa de Saxe; Clark, Katie; Castillo, Tessie; Childs, Robert

    2015-01-01

    Background North Carolina, like much of the U.S. South, is disproportionately affected by HIV and hepatitis. This persistently high disease burden may be driven in part by laws that criminalize the possession and distribution of syringes for illicit drug use. Legal change to decriminalize syringes may reduce infection rates in the state, but is unlikely absent support from law enforcement actors. Methods We analyzed the responses of 350 North Carolina law enforcement officers to a confidential, anonymous survey. The survey instrument collected data regarding self-reported needle-stick injury (NSI), blood borne disease risk perception and attitudes toward syringe decriminalization. Results 82% of respondents reported that contracting HIV was a “big concern” for them. 3.8% of respondents reported ever receiving a job-related NSI, a rate of 36 NSI per 10,000 officer-years. Majorities of respondents reported positive views regarding syringe decriminalization, with approximately 63% agreeing that it would be “good for the community” and 60% agreeing that it would be “good for law enforcement.” Black and female officers were significantly less likely to agree that on-the-job NSI was a “big concern” and significantly more likely to agree that it would be good for law enforcement. Conclusions These findings suggest that many North Carolina LEOs understand the public health benefits of syringe access programs and may be inclined to support syringe decriminalization legislation. Further research is indicated to determine the causes of observed differences in perceptions of bloodborne disease risk and attitudes toward syringe decriminalization by race and sex. PMID:25193720

  6. A Comparison of Protein Stability in Prefillable Syringes Made of Glass and Plastic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waxman, Lloyd; Vilivalam, Vinod D

    2017-01-01

    The development of protein therapeutics requires stabilization of these labile molecules during shipment and storage. Biologics, particularly monoclonal antibodies, are frequently packaged at high concentration in prefillable syringes traditionally made of glass. However, some biologics are unstable in glass due to sensitivity to silicone oil, tungsten, glue, or metal ions. Syringes made from the plastic cyclic olefin polymer, Daikyo Crystal Zenith® (CZ), with a Flurotec-laminated piston, have none of these issues. This study compared the stability of several proteins including biotherapeutics when stored up to 14 months at 5 °C and 25 °C in prefillable siliconized syringes made of glass or silicone oil-free CZ syringes, and when subjected to mild agitation by end-over-end rotation at room temperature. At each time point, proteins were analyzed by several techniques including turbidity, size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography, reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, electrophoresis, and light scattering to monitor changes in aggregation and degradation. The results show that proteins have comparable stability when stored in glass syringes or in syringes made of CZ sterilized by E-beam or autoclave. In addition, proteins stressed by agitation were generally more stable and aggregated less in syringes made of CZ than in ones made of glass. LAY ABSTRACT: Biotherapeutic protein drugs such as monoclonal antibodies are frequently packaged at high concentration in prefillable syringes, which allows the drug to be directly administered by the patient or caregiver. Protein drugs, or biologics, can be unstable, and may aggregate, particularly when shaken. These aggregates can be immunogenic, stimulating the body's immune system to produce antibodies that can reduce the drug's efficacy. Although prefillable syringes are traditionally made of glass, some biologics are unstable in glass syringes due to the presence of

  7. 21 CFR 870.1670 - Syringe actuator for an injector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Syringe actuator for an injector. 870.1670 Section 870.1670 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... actuator for an injector. (a) Identification. A syringe actuator for an injector is an electrical device...

  8. Survival of Hepatitis C Virus in Syringes: Implication for Transmission among Injection Drug Users

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paintsil, Elijah; He, Huijie; Peters, Christopher; Lindenbach, Brett D.; Heimer, Robert

    2010-01-01

    Background We hypothesized that the high prevalence of HCV among injection drug users (IDUs) might be due to prolonged virus survival in contaminated syringes. Methods We developed a microculture assay to examine the viability of HCV. Syringes were loaded with blood spiked with HCV reporter virus (Jc1/GLuc2A) to simulate two scenarios of residual volumes; low (2 μl) void volume for 1-ml insulin syringes, and high (32 μl) void volume for 1-ml tuberculin syringes. Syringes were stored at 4°C, 22°C, and 37°C for up to 63 days before testing for HCV infectivity using luciferase activity. Results The virus decay rate was biphasic (t½ α = 0.4h and t½β = 28h). Insulin syringes failed to yield viable HCV beyond day one at all storage temperatures except for 4o in which 5% of syringes yielded viable virus on day 7. Tuberculin syringes yielded viable virus from 96%, 71%, and 52% of syringes following storage at 4o, 22° and 37o for 7 days, respectively, and yielded viable virus up to day 63. Conclusions The high prevalence of HCV among IDUs may be partly due to the resilience of the virus and the syringe type. Our findings may be used to guide prevention strategies. PMID:20726768

  9. Epinephrine syringe exchange events in a paediatric cardiovascular ICU: analysing the storm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Achuff, Barbara-Jo; Achuff, Jameson C; Park, Hwan H; Moffett, Brady; Acosta, Sebastian; Rusin, Craig G; Checchia, Paul A

    2018-03-01

    Introduction Haemodynamically unstable patients can experience potentially hazardous changes in vital signs related to the exchange of depleted syringes of epinephrine to full syringes. The purpose was to determine the measured effects of epinephrine syringe exchanges on the magnitude, duration, and frequency of haemodynamic disturbances in the hour after an exchange event (study) relative to the hours before (control). Materials and methods Beat-to-beat vital signs recorded every 2 seconds from bedside monitors for patients admitted to the paediatric cardiovascular ICU of Texas Children's Hospital were collected between 1 January, 2013 and 30 June, 2015. Epinephrine syringe exchanges without dose/flow change were obtained from electronic records. Time, magnitude, and duration of changes in systolic blood pressure and heart rate were characterised using Matlab. Significant haemodynamic events were identified and compared with control data. In all, 1042 syringe exchange events were found and 850 (81.6%) had uncorrupted data for analysis. A total of 744 (87.5%) exchanges had at least 1 associated haemodynamic perturbation including 2958 systolic blood pressure and 1747 heart-rate changes. Heart-rate perturbations occurred 37% before exchange and 63% after exchange, and 37% of systolic blood pressure perturbations happened before syringe exchange, whereas 63% occurred after syringe exchange with significant differences found in systolic blood pressure frequency (pexchange events.

  10. Spring-loaded syringe for multiple rapid injections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C R Srinivas

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Mesotherapy refers to multiple injections of small quantity of the drug over a large area. The mesoguns available are expensive and the motor-driven models tends to waste the expensive material to be injected since the plunger stops after injecting without recoil. We searched for a less expensive device which would inject like the mesogun and still not waste the solution. On searching the web, we identified a spring-loaded syringe. We describe the assembly and use of this inexpensive syringe for delivering multiple injections with minimal wastage.

  11. Spring-loaded Syringe for Multiple Rapid Injections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srinivas, CR; Somani, Anirudh; Shashidharan Nair, CK; Mylswamy, Thirumurthy

    2017-01-01

    Mesotherapy refers to multiple injections of small quantity of the drug over a large area. The mesoguns available are expensive and the motor-driven models tends to waste the expensive material to be injected since the plunger stops after injecting without recoil. We searched for a less expensive device which would inject like the mesogun and still not waste the solution. On searching the web, we identified a spring-loaded syringe. We describe the assembly and use of this inexpensive syringe for delivering multiple injections with minimal wastage. PMID:28529423

  12. Methods To Determine the Silicone Oil Layer Thickness in Sprayed-On Siliconized Syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loosli, Viviane; Germershaus, Oliver; Steinberg, Henrik; Dreher, Sascha; Grauschopf, Ulla; Funke, Stefanie

    2018-01-01

    The silicone lubricant layer in prefilled syringes has been investigated with regards to siliconization process performance, prefilled syringe functionality, and drug product attributes, such as subvisible particle levels, in several studies in the past. However, adequate methods to characterize the silicone oil layer thickness and distribution are limited, and systematic evaluation is missing. In this study, white light interferometry was evaluated to close this gap in method understanding. White light interferometry demonstrated a good accuracy of 93-99% for MgF 2 coated, curved standards covering a thickness range of 115-473 nm. Thickness measurements for sprayed-on siliconized prefilled syringes with different representative silicone oil distribution patterns (homogeneous, pronounced siliconization at flange or needle side, respectively) showed high instrument (0.5%) and analyst precision (4.1%). Different white light interferometry instrument parameters (autofocus, protective shield, syringe barrel dimensions input, type of non-siliconized syringe used as base reference) had no significant impact on the measured average layer thickness. The obtained values from white light interferometry applying a fully developed method (12 radial lines, 50 mm measurement distance, 50 measurements points) were in agreement with orthogonal results from combined white and laser interferometry and 3D-laser scanning microscopy. The investigated syringe batches (lot A and B) exhibited comparable longitudinal silicone oil layer thicknesses ranging from 170-190 nm to 90-100 nm from flange to tip and homogeneously distributed silicone layers over the syringe barrel circumference (110- 135 nm). Empty break-loose (4-4.5 N) and gliding forces (2-2.5 N) were comparably low for both analyzed syringe lots. A silicone oil layer thickness of 100-200 nm was thus sufficient for adequate functionality in this particular study. Filling the syringe with a surrogate solution including short

  13. Making Nasopalatine Blocks Comfortable: A Randomised Prospective Clinical Comparison of Pain Associated with the Injection Using an Insulin Syringe and a Standard Disposable 3 mL Syringe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhu, Sundararaman; Faizel, Syed; Pahlajani, Vedant; Prabhu, Shweta Jha

    2013-12-01

    This study was conducted to compare and evaluate the pain associated with administration of Nasopalatine blocks using a disposable insulin syringe and the conventional disposable 3 mL syringe. Forty patients requiring intraalveolar extractions of maxillary central incisors were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 patients each; one (Group A) received the nasopalatine block with a standard 3mL syringe and the other (Group B) received the block with an insulin syringe. Patients were asked to rate the pain associated with the injection on a visual analog scale (VAS) and the results were analysed using a Chi Square Test. The mean VAS score for Group A and B was 1.55 and 1 respectively. Chi Square value was calculated to be 8.603 (degree of freedom= 3, P value= 0.0351). There were no differences in the effectiveness of anesthesia between the groups. Pain associated with administration of the nasopalatine blocks may be significantly mitigated by using the Insulin syringe.

  14. Predicting Volleyball Serve-Reception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paulo, Ana; Zaal, Frank T J M; Fonseca, Sofia; Araujo, Duarte

    2016-01-01

    Serve and serve-reception performance have predicted success in volleyball. Given the impact of serve-reception on the game, we aimed at understanding what it is in the serve and receiver's actions that determines the selection of the type of pass used in serve-reception and its efficacy. Four

  15. Variability in syringe components and its impact on functionality of delivery systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathore, Nitin; Pranay, Pratik; Eu, Bruce; Ji, Wenchang; Walls, Ed

    2011-01-01

    Prefilled syringes and autoinjectors are becoming increasingly common for parenteral drug administration primarily due to the convenience they offer to the patients. Successful commercialization of such delivery systems requires thorough characterization of individual components. Complete understanding of various sources of variability and their ranking is essential for robust device design. In this work, we studied the impact of variability in various primary container and device components on the delivery forces associated with syringe injection. More specifically, the effects of barrel size, needle size, autoinjector spring force, and frictional forces have been evaluated. An analytical model based on underlying physics is developed that can be used to fully characterize the design space for a product delivery system. Use of prefilled syringes (syringes prefilled with active drug) is becoming increasingly common for injectable drugs. Compared to vials, prefilled syringes offer higher dose accuracy and ease of use due to fewer steps required for dosage. Convenience to end users can be further enhanced through the use of prefilled syringes in combination with delivery devices such as autoinjectors. These devices allow patients to self-administer the drug by following simple steps such as pressing a button. These autoinjectors are often spring-loaded and are designed to keep the needle tip shielded prior to injection. Because the needle is not visible to the user, such autoinjectors are perceived to be less invasive than syringes and help the patient overcome the hesitation associated with self-administration. In order to successfully develop and market such delivery devices, we need to perform an in-depth analysis of the components that come into play during the activation of the device and dose delivery. Typically, an autoinjector is activated by the press of a button that releases a compressed spring; the spring relaxes and provides the driving force to push the

  16. Direct observation of syringeal muscle function in songbirds and a parrot

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Ole Næsbye; Goller, Franz

    2002-01-01

    on the syrinx. Contraction of m. tracheobronchialis ventralis enlarges the syringeal lumen and thus increases airflow by abducting the LL but does not affect the ML. The largest syringeal muscle, m. syringealis ventralis, plays a minor role, if any, in direct aperture control and thus in gating airflow...... the LTMs further into the tracheal lumen but does not close the syringeal aperture fully. The intrinsic deep muscle, m. syringealis profundus, abducts the LTMs through cranio-laterad movement of a paired, protruding half-ring. The weakly developed extrinsic m. sternotrachealis seems to increase tension......The role of syringeal muscles in controlling the aperture of the avian vocal organ, the syrinx, was evaluated directly for the first time by observing and filming through an endoscope while electrically stimulating different muscle groups of anaesthetised birds. In songbirds (brown thrashers...

  17. Syringe calibration factors and volume correction factors for the NPL secondary standard radionuclide calibrator

    CERN Document Server

    Tyler, D K

    2002-01-01

    The activity assay of a radiopharmaceutical administration to a patient is normally achieved via the use of a radionuclide calibrator. Because of the different geometries and elemental compositions between plastic syringes and glass vials, the calibration factors for syringes may well be significantly different from those for the glass containers. The magnitude of these differences depends on the energies of the emitted photons. For some radionuclides variations have been observed of 70 %, it is therefore important to recalibrate for syringes or use syringe calibration factors. Calibration factors and volume correction factors have been derived for the NPL secondary standard radionuclide calibrator, for a variety of commonly used syringes and needles, for the most commonly used medical radionuclide.

  18. Life Is Strange : a mediated game reception analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Mänder, Leili

    2017-01-01

    In this essay a mediated video game reception of the game Life Is Strange is made, with the purpose of examining the players' meaning-making processes from a gender perspective. The materials of this essay consist of videos from six different YouTube channels where each player film themselves whilst playing through Life Is Strange as a way to review and share the gaming experience. The results show how the meaning-making processes are littered with gender discourses and affects. The affects o...

  19. Low-Cost Touchscreen Driven Programmable Dual Syringe Pump for Life Science Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Jamin; Garcia, Valentina; Derisi, Joseph

    2018-01-01

    Syringe pumps are powerful tools able to automate routine laboratory practices that otherwise consume large amounts of manual labor time. Commercially available syringe pumps are expensive, difficult to customize, and often preset for a narrow range of operations. Here, we show how to build a programmable dual syringe pump (PDSP) that overcomes these limitations. The PDSP is driven by a Raspberry Pi paired with a stepper motor controller to allow maximal customization via Python scripting. Th...

  20. Aquagenic syringeal acrokeratoderma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belkiz Uyar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aquagenic syringeal acrokeratoderma is a rare, transient, and usually bilaterally symmetric, palmoplantar keratoderma. Patients complain of tingling and pain in the hands starting a few minutes after exposure to water and lasting for 20-30 minutes after removal. Clinically, there is marked wrinkling with edematous white papules on the palms or, less often, the soles. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman who used spironolactone for polycystic ovary syndrome and had similar clinical features 2 weeks later, after withdrawing the drug.

  1. Large sharing networks and unusual injection practices explain the rapid rise in HIV among IDUs in Sargodha, Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qureshi Salman U

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Of the nearly 100,000 street-based IDUs in Pakistan, 20% have HIV. We investigated the recent rise in HIV prevalence from 12 to 52% among IDUs in Sargodha despite > 70% coverage with syringe exchanges. Methods We interviewed approximately 150 IDUs and 30 outreach workers in focus group discussions. Results We found six rural and 28 urban injecting locations. Urban locations have about 20–30 people at any time and about 100 daily; rural locations have twice as many (national average: 4–15. About half of the IDUs started injecting within the past 2 years and are not proficient at injecting themselves. They use street injectors, who have 15–16 clients daily. Heroin is almost exclusively the drug used. Most inject 5–7 times daily. Nearly all injectors claim to use fresh syringes. However, they load, inject and share using a locally developed method called scale. Most Pakistani IDUs prefer to double pump drug the syringe, which allows mixing of blood with drug in the syringe. The injector injects 3 ml and keeps 2 ml (the scale as injection fee. The injector usually pools all the leftover scale (now with some blood mixed with drug either for his own use or to sell it. Most IDUs backload the scale they buy into their own fresh syringes. Discussion Use of an unprecedented method of injecting drugs that largely bypasses fresh syringes, larger size of sharing networks, higher injection frequency and near universal use of street injectors likely explain for the rapid rise in HIV prevalence among IDUs in Sargodha despite high level provision of fresh syringes. This had been missed by us and the national surveillance, which is quantitative. We have addressed this by hiring injectors as peer outreach workers and increasing syringe supply. Our findings highlight both the importance of qualitative research and operations research to enrich the quality of HIV prevention programs.

  2. Over-the-counter but out of reach: a pharmacy-based survey of OTC syringe sales in Tijuana, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollini, Robin A; Gallardo, Manuel; Ruiz, Serena; Case, Patricia; Zaller, Nickolas; Lozada, Remedios

    2014-05-01

    Sterile syringe access is critical to HIV prevention efforts targeting injection drug users (IDUs) but some pharmacies do not sell syringes over-the-counter (OTC) even where such sales are legal. We conducted a pharmacy survey in Tijuana, Mexico (where OTC sales are legal) to characterize attitudes toward syringe sales and to explore support for expanding pharmacy-based HIV prevention efforts. Of 203 respondents, 28% supported OTC syringe sales to IDUs and 74% said their pharmacy required a prescription for at least some syringe sales. Support for OTC syringe sales was independently associated with selling OTC syringes, understanding the role of sterile syringes in HIV prevention, and recognizing pharmacies as an important health resource for IDUs. Most respondents supported an expanded role for pharmacies in HIV prevention, exclusive of OTC syringe sales. Our study provides information for developing interventions to promote OTC syringe sales and expanding pharmacy-based distribution of HIV-related information and resources.

  3. The benefits and drawbacks of syringe drivers in palliative care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costello, John; Nyatanga, Brian; Mula, Carole; Hull, Jenny

    2008-03-01

    This article will outline the use of continuous subcutaneous infusion pumps, known as syringe drivers, including their benefits and drawbacks in a palliative care context. There have been over 5000 articles published globally describing syringe drivers in the medical and nursing literature within the last decade. Many provide guidance on their use, although much of the data are repetitious, disease or age-group specific, and focused on pragmatic issues to do with clinical application. Several trusts and hospices across the UK are carrying out trials of the recently launched McKinley T34 syringe driver. Therefore, it seems timely to consider their wider use internationally. Globally, practitioners in palliative care are very familiar with their use, although the literature lacks specific guidance and, at times, the information is ambiguous. Having briefly reviewed their benefits, the article considers the limitations of using syringe drivers and comments on some of the lesser known/reported practical and patient-focused drawbacks associated with their use. We conclude by considering why, when so much education and training exists to help practitioners use these devices effectively, so many human errors occur.

  4. Reuse prevention syringes for reconstitution of lyophilized vaccines: Operational study and UNICEF plans for expanding introduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleming, Jessica A; Hoekstra, Edward John; Moniaga, Vanda; Widjaya, Anton; Soepardi, Jane; Supartha, Nyoman; Salovaara, Annika; Khamassi, Selma; Nelson, Carib

    2009-01-01

    Since the 1990s, the United Nation's Children's Fund has encouraged injection safety for immunizations through bundling vaccines with appropriate amounts of supporting equipment and by supplying autodisable (AD) syringes for injections. However, poor vaccine reconstitution practices continue to be reported worldwide. By 2009, UNICEF will begin to phase out the distribution of standard disposable syringes for vaccine reconstitution and replace them with reuse prevention (RUP) syringes, with a full transition expected by the end of 2010. A field evaluation in Indonesia was conducted to identify introduction requirements, issues with healthcare worker training and acceptance, and RUP syringe performance and safety. Managers and health workers felt that RUP syringes improved injection safety and fit easily into country logistical systems. Healthcare workers felt they were intuitive to use, but recommended special training. The integration of RUP reconstitution syringes by UNICEF could increase injection safety by preventing the reuse of syringes and reducing vaccine contamination.

  5. High dead-space syringe use among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafful, Claudia; Zule, William; González-Zúñiga, Patricia E; Werb, Dan; Medina-Mora, María Elena; Magis-Rodriguez, Carlos; Strathdee, Steffanie A

    2015-05-01

    High dead-space syringes (HDSS) are believed to confer an elevated risk of acquiring HIV and other blood-borne infections. We identified prevalence and correlates of HDSS use among injection drug users (IDU) in Tijuana, Mexico, where syringe purchase and possession is legal without a prescription. Beginning in 2011, IDU who reported being 18 years or older and injected drugs within the last month were recruited into a prospective study. At baseline and semi-annually, 557 IDU underwent HIV-testing and interviewer-administered surveys. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of using HDSS. Of 557 IDU, 40% had ever used HDSS, mostly because no other syringe type was available (72%), or because they were easier to get (20%). Controlling for sex and age at first injection, use of HDSS was associated with cocaine as the first drug injected (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.68; Confidence Interval 95% [CI]: 1.15-6.22), having been stopped or arrested by police (AOR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.11-3.07), being deported from the US (AOR: 1.64; 95% CI:1.06-2.53), and believing it is illegal to carry syringes (AOR:1.78; 95% CI: 1.01-3.15). Use of HDSS is surprisingly common among IDU in Tijuana. Efforts are needed to expand coverage of low-dead space syringes through existing syringe exchange programs. Education is required to increase awareness of the harms associated with HDSS, and to inform IDU that syringe possession is legal across Mexico.

  6. An introduction to the Micrel Micropump MP Daily portable syringe driver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Karen E

    2003-11-01

    In this article the author describes the Micrel Micropump MP Daily (MP Daily) portable syringe driver. This follows the author's experience of a 4-month pilot of the device by an inpatient palliative care unit. Portable syringe drivers are commonly used to deliver continuous subcutaneous infusions in palliative care situations. Those in current use are not without problems and serious adverse events have occasionally been reported, mainly resulting from confusion between models. The MP Daily syringe driver addresses some of these issues while remaining small, lightweight and inexpensive, with a long battery life and fitting into the pocket of a shirt of pyjama jacket. Improvements over current models include an on/off button, the absence of facilities to set a zero rate or change the rate once the syringe driver is running, and the absence of a boost button. In addition, there are improved alarms, a message display system and a configuration menu. Although confusion remains a problem, and the ideal has not yet been reached, the MP Daily goes some considerable way towards reducing risks and opportunities for human error.

  7. Reception research 2.0

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathieu, David

    Some might argue that reception analysis is a remnant of the past in an age where “people formerly known as the audience” (Rosen, 2006) are producing and circulating content on a diversity of interactive and participatory media platforms. Far from being the case, reception research must continue......, which appears increasingly complex, multi-formed and integrated to the audience. The original dimensions of Schrøder’s model need to be looked at with reference to both reception and circulation (Jenkins et al., 2013), and to the network that binds participatory media culture. It appears that with media...... 2.0, phenomena which traditionally fell under the labels of interpretation or reception are increasingly taking part in the media text itself. As audiences become textual matters, they contribute to set a new agenda for media research....

  8. In-syringe-stirring: A novel approach for magnetic stirring-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horstkotte, Burkhard; Suárez, Ruth; Solich, Petr; Cerdà, Víctor

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •We propose a new automatic magnetic stirring assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. •It allows the extraction of aluminum from seawater and freshwater samples within less than 4 min. •The method was applicable to the natural samples. -- Abstract: For the first time, the use of a magnetic stirrer within the syringe of an automated syringe pump and the resulting possible analytical applications are described. A simple instrumentation following roughly the one from sequential injection analyzer systems is used in combination with an adaptor, which is placed onto the barrel of a glass syringe. Swirling around the longitudinal axis of the syringe and holding two strong neodymium magnets, it causes a rotating magnetic field and serves as driver for a magnetic stirring bar placed inside of the syringe. In a first study it was shown that this approach leads to a sealed but also automatically adaptable reaction vessel, the syringe, in which rapid and homogeneous mixing of sample with the required reagents within short time can be carried out. In a second study in-a-syringe magnetic stirring-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (MSA-DLLME) was demonstrated by the application of the analyzer system to fluorimetric determination of aluminum in seawater samples using lumogallion. A linear working range up to 1.1 μmol L −1 and a limit of detection of 6.1 nmol L −1 were found. An average recovery of 106.0% was achieved for coastal seawaters with a reproducibility of 4.4%. The procedure lasted 210 s including syringe cleaning and only 150 μL of hexanol and 4.1 mL of sample were required

  9. Influence of Syringe Volume on Foam Stability in Sclerotherapy for Varicose Vein Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Taoping; Jiang, Wentao; Fan, Yubo

    2018-05-01

    Despite the popularity of sclerotherapy for treating varicose veins, it still exhibits various problems, such as pulmonary embolism, deep-vein thrombosis, phlebitis, and visual disorders. To investigate syringe volume influence on foam stability, obtain the foam decay rule, and provide a reference for clinics. Five types of syringes are used to prepare foam at room temperature with various liquid-gas ratios. Foam decay process experiments were performed 5 times and recorded by video. The stability indices used include drainage time, half-life, bubble diameter, bubble surface density, and drainage rate. The 30 and 2-mL syringes, respectively, recorded the highest and lowest drainage speeds. Foam drainage time and half-life, differences varied between 15 and 70 seconds, and 20 and 100 seconds, respectively. Foam bubble diameters were distributed over 0.1 to 2.0 mm with roughly 200 to 700 bubbles per square centimeter. Increased syringe volume causes the bubble diameter to increase. Thus, foam dispersion increases and foam half-life decreases; hence, foam becomes unstable. It is, thus, better to use a small syringe several times to prepare foam in clinics using segmented injections.

  10. Receptive processer og IT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ambjørn, Lone

    2002-01-01

    Sproglæringsteoretisk værktøj til udvikling af IT-støttede materialer og programmer inden for sproglig reception......Sproglæringsteoretisk værktøj til udvikling af IT-støttede materialer og programmer inden for sproglig reception...

  11. Large volume syringe pump extruder for desktop 3D printers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kira Pusch

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Syringe pump extruders are required for a wide range of 3D printing applications, including bioprinting, embedded printing, and food printing. However, the mass of the syringe becomes a major challenge for most printing platforms, requiring compromises in speed, resolution and/or volume. To address these issues, we have designed a syringe pump large volume extruder (LVE that is compatible with low-cost, open source 3D printers, and herein demonstrate its performance on a PrintrBot Simple Metal. Key aspects of the LVE include: (1 it is open source and compatible with open source hardware and software, making it inexpensive and widely accessible to the 3D printing community, (2 it utilizes a standard 60 mL syringe as its ink reservoir, effectively increasing print volume of the average bioprinter, (3 it is capable of retraction and high speed movements, and (4 it can print fluids using nozzle diameters as small as 100 μm, enabling the printing of complex shapes/objects when used in conjunction with the freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH 3D printing method. Printing performance of the LVE is demonstrated by utilizing alginate as a model biomaterial ink to fabricate parametric CAD models and standard calibration objects. Keywords: Additive manufacturing, 3D bioprinting, Embedded printing, FRESH, Soft materials extrusion

  12. Adrenaline in cardiac arrest: Prefilled syringes are faster.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helm, Claire; Gillett, Mark

    2015-08-01

    Standard ampoules and prefilled syringes of adrenaline are widely available in Australasian EDs for use in cardiac arrest. We hypothesise that prefilled syringes can be administered more rapidly and accurately when compared with the two available standard ampoules. This is a triple arm superiority study comparing the time to i.v. administration and accuracy of dosing of three currently available preparations of adrenaline. In their standard packaging, prefilled syringes were on average more than 12 s faster to administer than the 1 mL 1:1000 ampoules and more than 16 s faster than the 10 mL 1:10,000 ampoules (P adrenaline utilising a Minijet (CSL Limited, Parkville, Victoria, Australia) is faster than using adrenaline in glass ampoules presented in their plastic packaging. Removing the plastic packaging from the 1 mL (1 mg) ampoule might result in more rapid administration similar to the Minijet. Resuscitation personnel requiring rapid access to adrenaline should consider storing it as either Minijets or ampoules devoid of packaging. These results might be extrapolatable to other clinical scenarios, including pre-hospital and anaesthesia, where other drugs are required for rapid use. © 2015 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  13. Invocation Receptivity in Female of Rabbit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Fik

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The target of this work was verified effect of transport females in the car for advance state of receptivity in young females broiler rabbits. We used nulliparous females of broiler hybrid HYCOLE (age 4-5 months, weight 3.5-3.8 kg. Experiment was realizated twice. First in half of November (31 females, second in half of February (32 females. Females was layed individually in boxes. After they were transported by car 1 hour (50 km. Before and after experiment we detected state of receptivity in females with coloration of vulva. The state of receptivity was determited from 1 for 4 colour of vulva. ( 1 – anemic coloration of vulva, 2- pink, 3 – red, 4- violet. We detected positive state of transport, on the receptivity. In November before transport was average of receptivity 1.87, after transport 2.25. The state of receptivity will be improve in 12 females (38.71 %. Improve from 1 to 2 was detected in 4 females, from 2 to 3 in 8 females. Improved from 2 to 4 , or from 3 to 4 wasn´t noticed in this group. The state of receptivity wasn´t changed in 19 females (61.29 %. In the state of receptivity 1 stayed 2 females, in the state 2 stayed 15 females, in the state 3 stayed 2 females and in the state 4 wasn´t any female. In February after the end of experiment, state of receptivity was improved with transport in the car from 2.19 to 2.65. The state of receptivity was improved in 13 females  (40.63 %.  Improve from 1 to 2 we detected in 1 female, from 2 to 3 we detected in 8 females, from 2 to 4 we detected in 2 females, from 3 to 4 in 2 females. In 19 females (59.38% we don´t noticed change state of receptivity. In the state of receptivity 1 were 2 females, in 2 were 11 females, in 3 were 5 females, in 4 was 1 female.

  14. Retraction of the Plunger on a Syringe of Hyaluronic Acid Before Injection: Are We Safe?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Wayne; Weinkle, Susan

    2015-12-01

    Controversy exists concerning the need for aspiration before injection with hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. The authors undertook a study of HA products to determine if blood could be aspirated back into a syringe of HA when the needle has been primed or filled with HA. Two studies were set up to determine if or when blood could be withdrawn from a heparinized fresh tube of blood into the HA syringe. Two different techniques were tested; one using a slow-pull retraction of the plunger and up to a 5-second waiting time before release versus a rapid pullback and quick release. Review of these data demonstrates that the usual clinical method, which involves quick withdrawal and instant release of the syringe plunger does not allow for sufficient removal of the filler found intraluminal in the needle and may give rise to false negative results in vitro and likely in vivo with the exception being the Galderma/Medicis products. In summary, withdrawal of the syringe plunger with no visible blood in the syringe does not eliminate the possibility of intravascular placement of the syringe needle.

  15. Measuring receptive collocational competence across proficiency ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The present study investigates (i) English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners' receptive collocational knowledge growth in relation to their linguistic proficiency level; (ii) how much receptive collocational knowledge is acquired as linguistic proficiency develops; and (iii) the extent to which receptive knowledge of ...

  16. Relations Among Maternal Life Satisfaction, Shared Activities, and Child Well-Being

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina Richter

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Maternal well-being is assumed to be associated with well-being of individual family members, optimal parenting practices, and positive developmental outcomes for children. The objective of this study was to examine the interplay between maternal well-being, parent-child activities, and the well-being of 5- to 7-year-old children. In a sample of N = 291 mother-child dyads, maternal life satisfaction, the frequency of shared parent-child activities, as well as children’s self-regulation, prosocial behavior, and receptive vocabulary were assessed using several methods. Data were collected in a special study of the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP, a representative longitudinal survey of private households in Germany. Using structural equation modeling, significant positive direct and indirect relations between maternal life satisfaction, frequency of shared parent-child activities, children’s self-regulation, prosocial behavior, and receptive vocabulary were found. The more satisfied the mother was, the more she shared activities with her child and the more the child acted prosocially. Furthermore, the higher the frequency of shared parent-child activities, the higher the child scored in all three analyzed indicators of children’s well-being: self-regulation, prosocial behavior, and receptive vocabulary. The current study supports the assumption of maternal well-being as the basis of positive parenting practices and child well-being.

  17. Adsorption of technetium-99m tetrofosmin and technetium-99m furifosmin on plastic syringes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartosch, R.; Granegger, S.; Sinzinger, H.

    1998-01-01

    Some groups have reported that adsorption of radiopharmaceuticals on disposable plastic syringes can reach levels of almost 50%. This high loss of radioactivity stimulated us to carry out similar studies. Our measurements were done in combination with patient studies. Therefore, we used 2-ml syringes, all of the same brand. The radioactivity in the syringe was measured immediately before and after injection. a total of 500-600 MBq technetium-99m labelled tetrofosmin or technetium-99m furifosmin was administered to 48 patients using four different injection techniques (n = 6 for each technique with each tracer): with needles, 1 min blood incubation at 22 C, 10 or 30 min after preparation of the tracer; with butterflies, 1 min blood incubation at 22 C, 10 or 30 min after preparation of the tracer. Neither in syringes nor in needles or butterflies did more than 7% of the initial radioactivity remain. The entire residual activity in syringe plus needle or syringe plus butterfly together never exceeded the 9% limit. Furthermore, in a pilot study we measured the remaining radioactivity in the vial; here, too, we found no more than 14% of total radioactivity. These findings indicate that total retention of radioactivity during elution and application of 99m Tc-tetrofosmin and 99m Tc-furifosmin with material used in our setting does not approach relevant amounts. (orig.)

  18. Syringe irrigation: blending endodontics and fluid dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boutsioukis, C.; van der Sluis, L.W.M.; Basrani, B.

    2015-01-01

    Syringe irrigation remains a widely used irrigant delivery method during root canal treatment. An interdisciplinary approach involving well-established methods from the field of fluid dynamics can provide new insights into the mechanisms involved in cleaning and disinfection of the root canal system

  19. Developing a Vocabulary Size Test Measuring Two Aspects of Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge: Visual versus Aural

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aizawa, Kazumi; Iso, Tatsuo; Nadasdy, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Testing learners' English proficiency is central to university English classes in Japan. This study developed and implemented a set of parallel online receptive aural and visual vocabulary tests that would predict learners' English proficiency. The tests shared the same target words and choices--the main difference was the presentation of the…

  20. Werner Sombart and his reception in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Pisanelli

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This article intends to focus on the difficulty encountered by Werner Sombart’s works in gaining a hearing in various Italian intellectual circuits. As is well known, Sombart belonged to the German Historical School of economics, sharing with other scholars of that school the same problems in getting his work known in Italy. Our aim is to explain the reason for this hostile reception. First of all, we will analyze the factors which generally hindered the spread of the German Historical School in Italy, recognizing in economists like Francesco Ferrara, Idealists like Benedetto Croce and Marxists like Antonio Labriola some of its strongest opponents. We will dwell on the cases of Gustav Schmoller and Max Weber, in order to give two representative examples of the slow and complicated Italian reception of methodological approaches and analytical perspectives which characterized the scientific experience of the German Historical School. Secondly, we will try to show why Sombart was even less appreciated than other German social scientists, giving the reasons that attracted severe criticism from economists, economic historians and sociologists towards his interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of modern capitalism. Finally, we will show the reasons of the contemporary rediscovery of Sombart and of his works.

  1. Social marketing of low dead space syringes in Vietnam: findings from a 1-year pilot program in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huong, Ngo Thi Thanh; Mundy, Gary; Neukom, Josselyn; Zule, William; Tuan, Nguyen Minh; Tam, Nguyen Minh

    2015-05-30

    Although a growing body of evidence suggests that low dead space syringes may reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C virus infection associated with sharing syringes among people who inject drugs, there is little evidence of effective approaches to motivate people who inject drugs (PWID) to shift from high to low dead space syringes. Using a mix of consumer and trade marketing approaches, informed by rapid assessments of both the syringe market and PWID preferences, practices, and behaviors in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Population Services International (PSI) Vietnam piloted an intervention to increase the use of low dead space syringes (LDSS) in the three provinces of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Thai Nguyen, where an estimated 31% of PWID are HIV positive and 58% are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This paper provides a summary of the social marketing activities implemented and results achieved by PSI Vietnam during an initial 1-year pilot period from December 2012 to December 2013 in these three provinces to explore their effectiveness in motivating PWID to use low dead space syringes. We found major increases in sales of LDSS accompanied by increases in reported use and consistent use of LDSS among PWID in the three provinces included in the pilot program and a positive and independent association (odds ratio (OR) 21.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.6-27.3) between LDSS use and exposure to social marketing activities. We also found that LDSS use had a stronger association with perceptions of LDSS product quality than with perceptions regarding LDSS potential to reduce HIV transmission risk and use. We conclude that social marketing interventions have an important role to play in widening access to and the use of LDSS for PWID, as they address the need for PWID to find LDSS when and where they need them and also promote the benefits of LDSS use to PWID. High coverage of these activities among PWID appears to be the key in

  2. Bruce X Longwood television reception survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatanaka, G.K.

    1992-01-01

    Property owners living close to a proposed 500-kV transmission line route in Ontario expressed concerns that the line would affect their television reception. To give a reasonable evaluation of the impact of the transmission line, tests were conducted before and after installation of the line in which the possibility of active or passive interference to reception was assessed. Measurements were made of signal strength and ambient noise, and television reception was also recorded on videotape. Possible transmission line effects due to radiated noise, signal reduction, and ghosts are analyzed. The analysis of signal and noise conditions, and the assessment of videotaped reception, provide reasonable evidence that the line has had negligible impact on the television reception along the line route. 13 refs., 18 figs., 12 tabs

  3. Adsorption of technetium-99m tetrofosmin and technetium-99m furifosmin on plastic syringes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bartosch, R.; Granegger, S.; Sinzinger, H. [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Vienna (Austria)

    1998-09-01

    Some groups have reported that adsorption of radiopharmaceuticals on disposable plastic syringes can reach levels of almost 50%. This high loss of radioactivity stimulated us to carry out similar studies. Our measurements were done in combination with patient studies. Therefore, we used 2-ml syringes, all of the same brand. The radioactivity in the syringe was measured immediately before and after injection. a total of 500-600 MBq technetium-99m labelled tetrofosmin or technetium-99m furifosmin was administered to 48 patients using four different injection techniques (n = 6 for each technique with each tracer): with needles, 1 min blood incubation at 22 C, 10 or 30 min after preparation of the tracer; with butterflies, 1 min blood incubation at 22 C, 10 or 30 min after preparation of the tracer. Neither in syringes nor in needles or butterflies did more than 7% of the initial radioactivity remain. The entire residual activity in syringe plus needle or syringe plus butterfly together never exceeded the 9% limit. Furthermore, in a pilot study we measured the remaining radioactivity in the vial; here, too, we found no more than 14% of total radioactivity. These findings indicate that total retention of radioactivity during elution and application of {sup 99m}Tc-tetrofosmin and {sup 99m}Tc-furifosmin with material used in our setting does not approach relevant amounts. (orig.) With 4 figs., 1 tab., 7 refs.

  4. Aspects of syringeal mechanics in avian phonation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Larsen, O.N.; Goller, F.; Leeuwen, van J.L.

    2006-01-01

    The vocal organ of birds, the syrinx, is formed by modified cartilages of the trachea and bronchi. Recently, the use of thin, flexible endoscopes has made direct observation of the syrinx possible in situ. The effects of direct muscle stimulation on the syringeal aperture identified adductor and

  5. Negotiating access: social barriers to purchasing syringes at pharmacies in Tijuana, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Peter J; Lozada, Remedios; Rosen, Perth C; Macias, Armando; Gallardo, Manuel; Pollini, Robin A

    2012-07-01

    One common public health response to the emergence of HIV has been the provision of sterile syringes to people who inject drugs. In Mexico specialized syringe exchanges are rare, and the sale of needles through pharmacies is often the only way people who inject drugs can obtain sterile syringes. However, people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico report considerable social barriers to successfully purchasing syringes at pharmacies. Between October 2008 and March 2009 we conducted seven in-depth focus groups with 47 people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico. Focus group transcripts were analysed using a descriptive and thematic approach rooted in grounded theory. We found that injectors offered a number of explanations for why pharmacies were reluctant to sell them syringes, including fear of police; attitudes toward drug use; fear of stereotypical drug user behaviour such as petty theft, violence, or distressing behaviour; and related fears that an obvious drug using clientèle would drive away other customers. Injectors described a range of ways of attempting to re-frame or negotiate interactions with pharmacy staff so that these and related concerns were ameliorated. These included tactics as simple as borrowing cleaner clothing, through to strategies for becoming 'known' to pharmacy staff as an individual rather than as a member of a stigmatized group. Increasing the ability of pharmacy staff and people who inject drugs to successfully negotiate syringe sales are highly desirable. Interventions designed to improve this likelihood need to capitalize on existing solutions developed ad hoc by people who inject drugs and pharmacy staff, and should focus on broadening the range of 'identities' which pharmacy staff are able to accept as legitimate customers. Approaches to achieve this end might include sensitizing pharmacy staff to the needs of people who inject drugs; facilitating individual drug users meeting individual pharmacy staff; and working with drug users

  6. Syringe Decriminalization Advocacy in Red States: Lessons from the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cloud, David H; Castillo, Tessie; Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren; Dubey, Manisha; Childs, Robert

    2018-05-08

    Syringe access programs (SAPs) are cornerstone harm reduction interventions for combatting the national opioid epidemic. The goal of this paper is to describe effective advocacy strategies for enacting syringe decriminalization legislation to foster the expansion of SAPs in high-need areas amidst political opposition. Decades or research shows that SAPs prevent the transmission of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) and are a cost-effective tool for linking PWID to medical care, health education, and social services. In the USA, state laws criminalizing distribution and possession of syringes impede the expansion of SAPs into areas where they are sorely needed. In 2016, North Carolina became the first state to legalize SAPs with a Republican super majority. This paper distills strategies for community organizations seeking to advance syringe decriminalization legislation in politically conservative states with histories of prioritizing punitive sanctions over public health responses to drug use.

  7. Homicide by Sch from a syringe-like dart ejected by a compound crossbow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wei; Luo, Guochang; Wang, Hao; Meng, Xiangzhi

    2015-02-01

    The compound crossbow can be used to eject syringe-like dart loaded with poisonous solution. Succinylcholine (Sch) is a short-acting neuromuscular blocker medically used to achieve complete relaxation of muscle for a good intubation condition. Without the help of an artificial respirator, intramuscular injection of a large dose of Sch can paralyze the respiratory muscle and result in the receiver's death. In this paper, we present the homicide case of a young male killed by Sch from a syringe-like dart ejected by a compound crossbow. The subcutaneous and muscular hemorrhages observed around the entry were more severe than that caused by a medical injection. Additionally, other autopsy results showed the external appearance of a pinhole, general asphyxia signs and pathological findings which were not characteristic. The discovery of a syringe-like dart at the scene is the critical clue and reason for analyzing for Sch, which is commonly used to load syringe-like dart to paralyze and steal dog in the countryside of China. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  8. Dump the pump: manual aspiration thrombectomy (MAT) with a syringe is technically effective, expeditious, and cost-efficient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Bradley A; Jadhav, Ashutosh P; Jovin, Tudor G; Jankowitz, Brian Thomas

    2018-04-01

    Syringe aspiration for manual aspiration thrombectomy (MAT) is a cost- and time-efficient alternative to an aspiration pump with likely similar efficacy. It is counterintuitive to expect the pump to perform better than direct vacuum with a syringe, as the pump must deliver vacuum additionally through a canister and meters of tubing. To present in vitro and clinical results of MAT with a syringe. An in vitro analysis was performed comparing vacuum pressures generated by syringe aspiration and with pump aspiration. This was then complemented with prospective clinical data providing details of angiographic and clinical outcomes for syringe MAT. The in vitro analysis demonstrated that equal to slightly greater vacuum pressures were generated by a 60 cc syringe as compared with the pump in both static and partial flow conditions. In our clinical series, 106/113 acute stroke thrombectomies over a 6-month period were performed with syringe MAT on the first pass. Syringe usage instead of pump tubing and a canister led to a total savings of $58 300. The rate of Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b/3 recanalization was 93%. Adjunctive stentriever usage was performed in 23% of cases. Median puncture to reperfusion time was 25 min; mean change in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at 24 hours was an improvement of 5.1 (median 6). The in-hospital mortality rate was 10%. Seventy percent of patients were discharged to home (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0-2) or a rehabilitation facility (mRS score 2-4). MAT using a syringe is a safe, fast, and more cost-effective approach than using an aspiration pump. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  9. Investigating Liquid Leak from Pre-Filled Syringes upon Needle Shield Removal: Effect of Air Bubble Pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Edwin; Maa, Yuh-Fun; Overcashier, David; Hsu, Chung C

    2011-01-01

    This study is to investigate the effect of headspace air pressure in pre-filled syringes on liquid leak (dripping) from the syringe needle upon needle shield removal. Drip tests to measure drip quantity were performed on syringes manually filled with 0.5 or 1.0 mL of various aqueous solutions. Parameters assessed included temperature (filling and test), bulk storage conditions (tank pressure and the type of the pressurized gas), solution composition (pure water, 0.9% sodium chloride, and a monoclonal antibody formulation), and testing procedures. A headspace pressure analyzer was used to verify the drip test method. Results suggested that leakage is indeed caused by headspace pressure increase, and the temperature effect (ideal gas expansion) is a major, but not the only, factor. The dissolved gases in the liquid bulk prior to or during filling may contribute to leakage, as these gases could be released into the headspace due to solubility changes (in response to test temperature and pressure conditions) and cause pressure increase. Needle shield removal procedures were found to cause dripping, but liquid composition played little role. Overall, paying attention to the processing history (pressure and temperature) of the liquid bulk is the key to minimize leakage. The headspace pressure could be reduced by decreasing liquid bulk storage pressure, filling at a higher temperature, or employing lower solubility gas (e.g., helium) for bulk transfer and storage. Leakage could also be mitigated by simply holding the syringe needle pointing upward during needle shield removal. Substantial advances in pre-filled syringe technology development, particularly in syringe filling accuracy, have been made. However, there are factors, as subtle as how the needle shield (or tip cap) is removed, that may affect dosing accuracy. We recently found that upon removal of the tip cap from a syringe held vertically with needle pointed downwards, a small amount of solution, up to 3-4% of

  10. A computational theory of visual receptive fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindeberg, Tony

    2013-12-01

    A receptive field constitutes a region in the visual field where a visual cell or a visual operator responds to visual stimuli. This paper presents a theory for what types of receptive field profiles can be regarded as natural for an idealized vision system, given a set of structural requirements on the first stages of visual processing that reflect symmetry properties of the surrounding world. These symmetry properties include (i) covariance properties under scale changes, affine image deformations, and Galilean transformations of space-time as occur for real-world image data as well as specific requirements of (ii) temporal causality implying that the future cannot be accessed and (iii) a time-recursive updating mechanism of a limited temporal buffer of the past as is necessary for a genuine real-time system. Fundamental structural requirements are also imposed to ensure (iv) mutual consistency and a proper handling of internal representations at different spatial and temporal scales. It is shown how a set of families of idealized receptive field profiles can be derived by necessity regarding spatial, spatio-chromatic, and spatio-temporal receptive fields in terms of Gaussian kernels, Gaussian derivatives, or closely related operators. Such image filters have been successfully used as a basis for expressing a large number of visual operations in computer vision, regarding feature detection, feature classification, motion estimation, object recognition, spatio-temporal recognition, and shape estimation. Hence, the associated so-called scale-space theory constitutes a both theoretically well-founded and general framework for expressing visual operations. There are very close similarities between receptive field profiles predicted from this scale-space theory and receptive field profiles found by cell recordings in biological vision. Among the family of receptive field profiles derived by necessity from the assumptions, idealized models with very good qualitative

  11. Evaluation and validation of a bee venom sting challenge performed by a micro-syringe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortellini, Gabriele; Severino, Maurizio; Francescato, Elisabetta; Turillazzi, Stefano; Spadolini, Igino; Rogkakou, Anthi; Passalacqua, Giovanni

    2012-12-01

    The honeybee sting challenge is considered a reliable procedure to evaluate the efficacy of specific immunotherapy, but it is difficult and unpractical to perform in clinical practice, because live insects are required. To assess the feasibility and reliability of a challenge test using a micro-syringe, and compared the procedure with sting challenge. Patients on bee venom immunotherapy and without systemic reactions at field sting were enrolled. They underwent a sting challenge with live bee, and large local reactions were assessed up to 48 hours. Those patients displaying systemic reactions at the sting challenge were excluded from the syringe challenge for ethical reasons. The syringe challenge was done by injecting 0.5 μL fresh unfiltered bee venom at 2 mm depth (the length of the sting left by a bee). The same follow-up as at the first challenge was performed. Bee-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and tryptase were measured after each challenge. Nineteen patients underwent the sting challenge with live bees. Four had immediate systemic reactions (urticaria or asthma) and were excluded from the second challenge. The remaining 15 patients with large local reaction underwent the syringe challenge. No significant difference was seen in the maximum area of the large local reactions between the challenge with live bees and the syringe challenge. Also, no change was seen in tryptase and specific antibodies. This preliminary study suggests that the micro-syringe challenge with honeybee venom is feasible and produces results indistinguishable from those of the traditional sting challenge. Copyright © 2012 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The measurement of activity in vials and syringes using a radionuclide assay calibrator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hooper, S.A.; Davies, I.H.

    1993-01-01

    To enable accurate measurements of the activity in both vials and syringes, a series of measurements was undertaken to ascertain the changes in response with geometry in nine isotope assay calibrators. From these measurements, two jigs were made for each calibrator to enable (a) optimal measurement of activity in vials and (b) optimal measurement of activity in a variety of syringe sizes. (Author)

  13. The pneumatic syringe: a simple apparatus for self-administration of drugs by rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weeks, J R

    1977-12-01

    Drug solution is delivered by a syringe operated by a pneumatic cylinder. Recommended delivery volumes are from 10 to 200 microliter. A solid-state control unit is described which can operate two syringes (drug injection and flush), has outputs for recording responses and injections, and can be programmed to provide several schedules of reinforcement. All components are readily commercially available.

  14. In-syringe magnetic-stirring-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction for the spectrophotometric determination of Cr(VI) in waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henríquez, Camelia; Horstkotte, Burkhard; Solich, Petr; Cerdà, Víctor

    2013-08-01

    A fully automated method for the determination of chromate is described. It is based on the selective reaction of Cr(VI) with diphenylcarbazide in acidic media to form a colored complex of Cr(III) with the oxidation product diphenylcarbazone. The reaction was performed within the syringe of an automatic burette containing a magnetic stirrer for homogenization of the sample and the required reagents. In-syringe stirring was made possible using a specially designed driving device placed around the syringe barrel to achieve a rotating magnetic field in the syringe, forcing the stirrer to spin. In a second step, the reaction mixture in the syringe was neutralized to allow in-syringe magnetic-stirring-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of the complex into 125 μL of n-hexanol. After phase separation by droplet flotation over 30 s, the organic phase was propelled into a coupled spectrophotometric detection cell. The entire multistep procedure including in-system standard preparation was done within 270 s. The method was used for the analysis of natural waters, achieving average analyte recovery of 103%, a limit of detection of 0.26 μg L(-1), and a repeatability of less than 4% relative standard deviation.

  15. Syringe-vacuum microfluidics: A portable technique to create monodisperse emulsions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abate, Adam R; Weitz, David A

    2011-03-16

    We present a simple method for creating monodisperse emulsions with microfluidic devices. Unlike conventional approaches that require bulky pumps, control computers, and expertise with device physics to operate devices, our method requires only the microfluidic device and a hand-operated syringe. The fluids needed for the emulsion are loaded into the device inlets, while the syringe is used to create a vacuum at the device outlet; this sucks the fluids through the channels, generating the drops. By controlling the hydrodynamic resistances of the channels using hydrodynamic resistors and valves, we are able to control the properties of the drops. This provides a simple and highly portable method for creating monodisperse emulsions.

  16. Nonprescription naloxone and syringe sales in the midst of opioid overdose and hepatitis C virus epidemics: Massachusetts, 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stopka, Thomas J; Donahue, Ashley; Hutcheson, Marguerite; Green, Traci C

    To determine the prevalence of nonprescription naloxone and sterile syringe sales, factors associated with nonprescription sales, geospatial access to nonprescription naloxone and syringe-selling pharmacies, and targets for potential interventions. Cross-sectional study. Massachusetts has experienced steep increases in reported opioid overdoses and hepatitis C virus cases in the past decade. Pharmacists have the potential to play a substantial role in increasing access to nonprescription naloxone and sterile syringes, which can reverse opioid overdoses and decrease hepatitis C virus transmission, respectively. We completed brief telephone surveys with 809 of 1042 retail pharmacies across Massachusetts (response rate = 77.6%) during 2015 to assess experience with nonprescription sales of naloxone and sterile syringes. Our primary outcomes were the stocking and selling of naloxone in the pharmacy (yes or no) for nonprescription sales and nonprescription syringe sales (yes or no). We conducted multivariable regression analyses and created maps using a geographic information system to identify factors associated with nonprescription sales of naloxone and sterile syringes, and to improve our understanding of geospatial access to pharmacy-based naloxone and syringe sales. More than 97% of pharmacies reported selling sterile syringes without requiring a prescription, and 45% of pharmacies reported stocking and selling naloxone. Factors associated with nonprescription sales included hours of operation, experience with and interest in harm reduction activities, and presence in an opioid overdose hotspot. Geographic access to nonprescription sale of sterile syringes is widespread, whereas geospatial access to naloxone is limited. Training to understand the benefits, applications, and distribution needs of naloxone is of interest to surveyed pharmacists. Access to sterile syringes through nonprescription sales is strong across Massachusetts, and although more than 350

  17. Prefilled syringes for intravitreal injection reduce preparation time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Subhi, Yousif; Kjer, Birgit; Munch, Inger Christine

    2016-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: The demand for intravitreal therapy has increased dramatically with the introduction of vascular endo-thelial growth factor inhibitors. Improved utilisation of existing resources is crucial to meeting the increased future demand. We investigated time spent preparing intravitreal inj...... had no influence on the design of the study, analysis of the data, preparation of the manuscript or the decision to publish. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.......INTRODUCTION: The demand for intravitreal therapy has increased dramatically with the introduction of vascular endo-thelial growth factor inhibitors. Improved utilisation of existing resources is crucial to meeting the increased future demand. We investigated time spent preparing intravitreal...... injection treatment using either prefilled syringes or vials in routine clinical practice. METHODS: We video-recorded preparations of intravitreal injections (n = 172) for each preparation type (ranibizumab prefilled syringe (n = 56), ranibizumab vial (n = 56) and aflibercept vial (n = 60)) in a multi...

  18. Embedded nanomicro syringe on chip for molecular therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jalil MA

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Muhammad Arif Jalil1, Nathaporn Suwanpayak2,3, Kathawut Kulsirirat3, Saisudawan Suttirak3, Jalil Ali4, Preecha P Yupapin31Ibnu Sina Institute of Fundamental Science Studies, Nanotechnology Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia; 2King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chumphon Campus, Chumphon, Thailand; 3Nanoscale Science and Engineering Research Alliance, Advanced Research Center for Photonics, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand; 4Institute of Advanced Photonics Science, Nanotechnology Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, MalaysiaBackground: A novel nanomicro syringe system was proposed for drug storage and delivery using a PANDA ring resonator and atomic buffer. A PANDA ring is a modified optical add/drop filter, named after the well known Chinese bear. In principle, the molecule/drug is trapped by the force generated by different combinations of gradient fields and scattering photons within the PANDA ring. A nanomicro needle system can be formed by optical vortices in the liquid core waveguide which can be embedded on a chip, and can be used for long-term treatment. By using intense optical vortices, the required genes/molecules can be trapped and transported dynamically to the intended destinations via the nanomicro syringe, which is available for drug delivery to target tissues, in particular tumors. The advantage of the proposed system is that by confining the treatment area, the effect can be decreased. The use of different optical vortices for therapeutic efficiency is also discussed.Keywords: nanomicro syringe, nanomicro needle, molecular therapy, therapeutic efficiency, cancer

  19. Microbial contamination of syringes during preparation: the direct influence of environmental cleanliness and risk manipulations on end-product quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stucki, Cyril; Sautter, Anna-Maria; Favet, Jocelyne; Bonnabry, Pascal

    2009-11-15

    The direct influence of environmental cleanliness and risk manipulations on prepared syringes was evaluated. Media-fill testing was used to estimate potential microbial contamination. Syringes were prepared in three different environments using four different uncontrolled high-risk manipulations. The three environments included an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 5 horizontal laminar-airflow hood in an ISO class 6 cleanroom (in accordance with United States Pharmacopeia [USP] chapter 797), an ISO class 7 drug preparation area of an operating room, and an uncontrolled decentralized pharmacy in a ward. For each combination of environment and manipulation, 100 syringes were filled by a single operator. The four high-risk manipulations used included simple filling of syringes with trypticase soy broth, three-second contact by the ungloved fingers of the operator with the hub of the syringe, three-second contact between an object and the hub of the syringe, and exposure of the filled syringes to ambient air for 10 minutes. Of the 1500 syringes prepared in three different environments, none produced within the cleanroom contained microorganisms, 6% were contaminated in the operating room, and 16% were contaminated in the ward (p ISO class 5 cleanroom in accordance with USP chapter 797 requirements was demonstrated to be the best way to avoid bacterial or fungal contamination of injectable drugs directly resulting in patient infections.

  20. Legal syringe purchases by injection drug users, Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, 2000-2001.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Des Jarlais, Don C; McKnight, Courtney; Friedmann, Patricia

    2002-01-01

    To assess preliminary results of the Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP) in New York City. Temporal trends of pharmacy use among injection drug users (IDUs) in Brooklyn and Queens were analyzed from December 2000 through December 2001. Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. PARTIPANTS: IDUs. Attempts to purchase syringes from pharmacies and success in doing so. Of the 1,072 IDUs interviewed from December 2000 through December 2001, the majority were daily heroin injectors, but there was also substantial speedball and cocaine injection. There was a clear increase over time in both the percentage of subjects who attempted to purchase syringes in pharmacies and in the percentage who successfully purchased syringes. Among IDUs interviewed 4 or more months after ESAP began, large majorities of those who attempted to purchase syringes were successful in doing so. No differences in use of ESAP by IDUs were identified in Brooklyn versus Queens: 27% of IDUs interviewed in Queens reported that they had attempted to purchase syringes in pharmacies versus 28% in Brooklyn. Persons who reported injecting on a daily or more frequent basis were more likely to have attempted pharmacy purchases than persons who reported injecting less frequently, 32% versus 21%. The ESAP program has led to an increase in the use of pharmacies as sources of sterile injection equipment among IDUs in New York City. The extent to which pharmacies become an important source of sterile injection equipment and the effect of legal pharmacy sales on risk behaviors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain to be determined.

  1. The provision of non-needle/syringe drug injecting paraphernalia in the primary prevention of HCV among IDU: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Syed

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Sharing drug injecting paraphernalia other than needles and syringes (N/S has been implicated in the transmission of Hepatitis C virus (HCV among injecting drug users (IDU. We aimed to determine whether the provision of sterile non-N/S injecting paraphernalia reduces injecting risk behaviours or HCV transmission among IDU. Methods A systematic search of seven databases and the grey literature for articles published January 1989-February 2010 was undertaken. Thirteen studies (twelve observational and one non-randomized uncontrolled pilot intervention were identified and appraised for study design and quality by two investigators. Results No studies examined the association between the provision of non-N/S injecting paraphernalia and incident HCV infection. One cross-sectional study found that individuals who frequently, compared to those who infrequently, used sterile cookers and water, were less likely to report prevalent HCV infection. Another found no association between the uptake of sterile non-N/S injecting paraphernalia and self-reported sharing of this paraphernalia. The remaining observational studies used attendance at needle and syringe exchange programmes (NSP or safer injection facilities (SIF that provided non-N/S injecting paraphernalia as a proxy measure. Eight studies presented adjusted odds ratios, ranging from 0.3 to 0.9, suggesting a reduced likelihood of self-reported sharing of non-N/S injecting paraphernalia associated with use of NSP or SIF. There was substantial uncertainty associated with these estimates however. Three unadjusted studies reported a reduction in the prevalence of sharing of non-N/S injecting paraphernalia over time among NSP users. Only one study reported an adjusted temporal trend in the prevalence of sharing non-N/S injecting paraphernalia, finding higher rates among non-NSP users than NSP users at each time point, and a greater reduction in sharing among non-NSP than NSP users over

  2. Decreased Odds of Injection Risk Behavior Associated With Direct Versus Indirect Use of Syringe Exchange: Evidence From Two California Cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behrends, Czarina N; Li, Chin-Shang; Gibson, David R

    2017-07-29

    While there is substantial evidence that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are effective in preventing HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID), nearly all the evidence comes from PWID who obtain syringes from an SEP directly. Much less is known about the benefits of secondary exchange to PWID who get syringes indirectly from friends or acquaintances who visit an SEP for them. We evaluated the effectiveness of direct versus indirect syringe exchange in reducing HIV-related high-risk injecting behavior among PWID in two separate studies conducted in Sacramento and San Jose, California, cities with quite different syringe exchange models. In both studies associations between direct and indirect syringe exchange and self-reported risk behavior were examined with multivariable logistic regression models. Study 1 assessed effects of a "satellite" home-delivery syringe exchange in Sacramento, while Study 2 evaluated a conventional fixed-site exchange in San Jose. Multivariable analyses revealed 95% and 69% reductions, respectively, in high-risk injection associated with direct use of the SEPs in Sacramento and San Jose, and a 46% reduction associated with indirect use of the SEP in Sacramento. Conclusions/Importance: The very large effect of direct SEP use in Sacramento was likely due in part to home delivery of sterile syringes. While more modest effects were associated with indirect use, such use nevertheless is valuable in reducing the risk of HIV transmission of PWID who are unable or unwilling to visit a syringe exchange.

  3. A study of gross morphological and histological syringeal features of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A study of gross morphological and histological syringeal features of true francolins (Galliformes: Francolinus, Scleroptila, Peliperdix and Dendroperdix spp.) and spurfowls ( Pternistis spp.) in a phylogenetic context.

  4. Stability of erythropoietin repackaging in polypropylene syringes for clinical use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Marsili

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Epoetin alfa (Eprex® is a subcutaneous, injectable formulation of short half-life recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO. To current knowledge there are no published studies regarding the stability of rHuEPO once repackaging occurs (r-EPO for clinical trial purposes. Materials and methods: We assessed EPO concentration in Eprex® and r-EPO syringes at 0, 60, 90, and 120 days after repackaging in polypropylene syringes. R-EPO was administered to 56 patients taking part in a clinical trial in Friedreich Ataxia. Serum EPO levels were measured at baseline and 48 h after r-EPO administration. Results: No differences were found between r-EPO and Eprex® syringes, but both globally decreased in total EPO content during storage at 4 °C. Patients receiving r-EPO had similar levels in EPO content as expected from previous trials in Friedreich Ataxia and from pharmacokinetics studies in healthy volunteers. Discussion: We demonstrate that repackaging of EPO does not alter its concentration if compared to the original product (Eprex®. This is true both for repackaging procedures and for the stability in polypropylene tubes. The expiration date of r-EPO can be extended from 1 to 4 months after repackaging, in accordance with pharmacopeia rules.

  5. Investigation of Two Prototypes of Novel Noncontact Technologies for Automated Real-Time Capture of Incremental Drug Administration Data From Syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eagle, Benjamin; Williams, David J; Dingley, John

    2017-08-01

    An ideal electronic anesthesia recording system would be capable of not only recording physiological data but also injectable drug doses given, including those given incrementally from one syringe, without recourse to manual data entry. We compared 2 prototype devices which wirelessly recognized individual syringes and measured changes in their plunger positions via 2 different optical noncontact means, allowing calculation of incremental drug doses given. Both devices incorporated a radio-frequency identification reader, which wirelessly read a unique code from a radio-frequency identification tag within syringe drug labels. A custom-designed cradle oriented any inserted 1-mL to 20-mL syringe in a repeatable position. The "laser" device had a moving laser beam broken by the end of the syringe plunger. The infrared (IR) device measured time of travel of IR light from a sender to a syringe plunger and back to a receiver. Both devices could therefore determine the drug and volume administered since the previous occasion when any syringe had been used. For each syringe size of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 mL, 121 plunger-length measurements were made over their full range, with each machine against a reference method of water filling and weighing using a randomized de Bruijn sequence. For every syringe size, the laser device showed greater accuracy and precision, lower bias, and narrower limits of agreement (95% confidence intervals = bias ± 1.96 SD) than the IR device when compared to the reference method. For all syringe sizes, the range of bias was -0.05 to 0.32 mL for the laser and -2.42 to 1.38 mL for the IR. Lin concordance correlation coefficient values for the IR versus reference methods ranged from 0.6259 to 0.9255, with the lowest coefficients seen in syringes with the shortest distance of plunger travel (2 and 5 mL), while in laser versus reference comparisons, these coefficients were similar (0.9641-0.9981) over all syringe lengths. Both devices measured syringe

  6. Central auditory neurons have composite receptive fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlov, Andrei S; Gentner, Timothy Q

    2016-02-02

    High-level neurons processing complex, behaviorally relevant signals are sensitive to conjunctions of features. Characterizing the receptive fields of such neurons is difficult with standard statistical tools, however, and the principles governing their organization remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate multiple distinct receptive-field features in individual high-level auditory neurons in a songbird, European starling, in response to natural vocal signals (songs). We then show that receptive fields with similar characteristics can be reproduced by an unsupervised neural network trained to represent starling songs with a single learning rule that enforces sparseness and divisive normalization. We conclude that central auditory neurons have composite receptive fields that can arise through a combination of sparseness and normalization in neural circuits. Our results, along with descriptions of random, discontinuous receptive fields in the central olfactory neurons in mammals and insects, suggest general principles of neural computation across sensory systems and animal classes.

  7. Negative emotions in art reception: Refining theoretical assumptions and adding variables to the Distancing-Embracing model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menninghaus, Winfried; Wagner, Valentin; Hanich, Julian; Wassiliwizky, Eugen; Jacobsen, Thomas; Koelsch, Stefan

    2017-01-01

    While covering all commentaries, our response specifically focuses on the following issues: How can the hypothesis of emotional distancing (qua art framing) be compatible with stipulating high levels of felt negative emotions in art reception? Which concept of altogether pleasurable mixed emotions does our model involve? Can mechanisms of predictive coding, social sharing, and immersion enhance the power of our model?

  8. Potential air contamination during CO2 angiography using a hand-held syringe: theoretical considerations and gas chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, David R; Cho, Kyung J; Hawkins, Irvin F

    2006-01-01

    To assess air contamination in the hand-held syringes currently used for CO2 delivery and to determine whether there is an association between their position and the rate of air contamination. Assessment of air contamination in the syringe (20 ml) included theoretical modeling, mathematical calculation, and gas chromatography (GC). The model was used with Fick's first law to calculate the diffusion of CO2 and the amount of air contamination. For GC studies, the syringes were placed in the upright, horizontal, and inverted positions and gas samples were obtained after 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 min. All trials with each position for each sampling time were performed five times. The amounts of air contamination with time calculated mathematically were 5-10% less than those of GC. With the diffusivity of air-CO2 at 0.1599 cm2/sec (9.594 cm2/min), air contamination was calculated to be 60% at 60 min. With GC air contamination was 13% at 5 min, 31% at 20 min, 43% at 30 min, and 68% at 60 min. There was no difference in air contamination between the different syringe positions. Air contamination occurs in hand-held syringes filled with CO2 when they are open to the ambient air. The amounts of air contamination over time are similar among syringes placed in the upright, horizontal, and inverted positions.

  9. TEACHING COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION: AN ACTIVE RECEPTION ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE TRANSLATION AND READER’S RECEPTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venny Eka Meidasari

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Literary theory sees reception theory from the reader response that emphasizes the reader’s reception of a literary text. It is generally called audience reception in the analysis of communications models. In literary studies, reception theory originated from the work of Hans-Robert Jauss in the late 1960s. Communication only means that the original message will be clearly sent in its equivalent context to the target receptor. Similarly, the main role of translators is to send the message across without any form of distortion or emphasis. It is delivering the genuine context of the message to the language that the active receptor understands. A single mistake in a context translation can result to offensive message that can eventually lead to misunderstandings between active receptors. This paper proposes on the role of translator as the mediator between a writer of the original text and the active target language receptors of translated version in the course of communication which definitely affects the process and result of translation practice. It also reveals the emphasis on the creation text of the translation theories originated from the strategic communication theories, which hopefully leads to a dream of the most equivalence between the text and the translated version.

  10. Autologous fat grafting: use of closed syringe microcannula system for enhanced autologous structural grafting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander RW

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Robert W Alexander,1 David Harrell2 1Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Harvest-Terumo Inc, Plymouth, MA, USA Objectives: Provide background for use of acquiring autologous adipose tissue as a tissue graft and source of adult progenitor cells for use in cosmetic plastic surgery. Discuss the background and mechanisms of action of closed syringe vacuum lipoaspiration, with emphasis on accessing adipose-derived mesenchymal/stromal cells and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF for use in aesthetic, structural reconstruction and regenerative applications. Explain a proven protocol for acquiring high-quality autologous fat grafts (AFG with use of disposable, microcannula systems. Design: Explain the components and advantage of use of the patented super luer-lock and microcannulas system for use with the closed-syringe system. A sequential explanation of equipment selection for minimally traumatic lipoaspiration in small volumes is presented, including use of blunt injection cannulas to reduce risk of embolism. Results: Thousands of AFG have proven safe and efficacious for lipoaspiration techniques for large and small structural fat grafting procedures. The importance and advantages of gentle harvesting of the adipose tissue complex has become very clear in the past 5 years. The closed-syringe system offers a minimally invasive, gentle system with which to mobilize subdermal fat tissues in a suspension form. Resulting total nuclear counting of undifferentiated cells of the adipose-derived -SVF suggests that the yield achieved is better than use of always-on, constant mechanical pump applied vacuum systems. Conclusion: Use of a closed-syringe lipoaspiration system featuring disposable microcannulas offers a safe and effective means of harvesting small volumes of nonmanipulated adipose tissues and its accompanying progenitor cells within the SVF. Closed syringes and microcannulas are

  11. Evaluation of clot formation in blood-contrast agent mixture: experimental study on ionic/nonionic contrast agents and plastic/ glass syringes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shim, Hyung Jin; Lee, Jong Beum; Lee, Yong Chul; Lee, Kwan Seh; Kim, Kun Sang

    1991-01-01

    Recent introduction of low-osmolar nonionic contrast agents has allowed the performance of angiography with certain advantages such as reduced pain, reduced osmotic load and other potential advantages, over high osmolar ionic contrast agents. But the potential thrombogenic risk of nonionic contrast agent has been debate because of their weak anticoagulation effect. Several reports have recently documented the formation of thrombi in catheters and syringes containing nonionic contrast agent, and thromboembolic episodes have been noted during angiographic procedures. We have also been experienced blood clotting within blood mixed contrast agent syringe during angiography. Thus, we have studied with blood mixed ionic (Diatrizoate, Ioglicate) agents and nonionic (Iopamidol, Iopromide) agents, that used usually in our hospital, and saline in plastic and glass syringes. Each syringes were checked the clot formation on 10,30,60,90 minutes. Total 340 samples were obtained from 8 adults before angiography. Our data showed that nonionic contrast agents had significantly lesser anticoagulation effect than ionic contrast agents (ρ < 0.0001) on Chi-square test), both in plastic and glass syringes. And formation of clotting in glass syringes were significantly greater than that in plastic syringes (ρ < 0.0001). Thus meticulous technique is required to prevent thrombosis during angiographic procedure using nonionic contrast agents

  12. Potential Air Contamination During CO2 Angiography Using a Hand-Held Syringe: Theoretical Considerations and Gas Chromatography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, David R.; Cho, Kyung J.; Hawkins, Irvin F.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose. To assess air contamination in the hand-held syringes currently used for CO 2 delivery and to determine whether there is an association between their position and the rate of air contamination. Methods. Assessment of air contamination in the syringe (20 ml) included theoretical modeling, mathematical calculation, and gas chromatography (GC). The model was used with Fick's first law to calculate the diffusion of CO 2 and the amount of air contamination. For GC studies, the syringes were placed in the upright, horizontal, and inverted positions and gas samples were obtained after 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 min. All trials with each position for each sampling time were performed five times. Results. The amounts of air contamination with time calculated mathematically were 5-10% less than those of GC. With the diffusivity of air-CO 2 at 0.1599 cm 2 /sec (9.594 cm 2 /min), air contamination was calculated to be 60% at 60 min. With GC air contamination was 13% at 5 min, 31% at 20 min, 43% at 30 min, and 68% at 60 min. There was no difference in air contamination between the different syringe positions. Conclusion. Air contamination occurs in hand-held syringes filled with CO 2 when they are open to the ambient air. The amounts of air contamination over time are similar among syringes placed in the upright, horizontal, and inverted positions

  13. Note from the Goods Reception services

    CERN Multimedia

    FI Department

    2008-01-01

    Members of the personnel are invited to take note that only parcels corresponding to official orders or contracts will be handled at CERN. Individuals are not authorised to have private merchandise delivered to them at CERN and private deliveries will not be accepted by the Goods Reception services. Goods Reception Services

  14. Rehabilitering og 'motion på recept'

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Niels Sandholm; Larsen, Kristian

    2008-01-01

    af disse forskningsarbejder er etablering af fænomenet 'motion på recept'. Konceptet om 'motion på recept' stammer oprindelig fra Sverige, hvor praktiserende læger i en periode har haft mulighed for at henvise visse typer af patienter til fysisk træning hos praktiserende fysioterapeuter. Ribe Amt...... 2007)....

  15. The impact of citrate introduction at UK syringe exchange programmes: a retrospective cohort study in Cheshire and Merseyside, UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wareing Michelle

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In 2003, it became legal in the UK for syringe exchange programmes (SEPs to provide citrate to injecting drug users to solubilise heroin. Little work has been undertaken on the effect of policy change on SEP function. Here, we examine whether the introduction of citrate in Cheshire and Merseyside SEPs has altered the number of heroin/crack injectors accessing SEPs, the frequency at which heroin/crack injectors visited SEPs and the number of syringes dispensed. Methods Eleven SEPs in Cheshire and Merseyside commenced citrate provision in 2003. SEP-specific data for the six months before and six months after citrate was introduced were extracted from routine monitoring systems relating to heroin and crack injectors. Analyses compared all individuals attending pre and post citrate and matched analyses only those individuals attending in both periods (defined as 'longitudinal attenders'. Non-parametric tests were used throughout. Results Neither new (first seen in either six months period nor established clients visited SEPs more frequently post citrate. New clients collected significantly less syringes per visit post citrate, than pre citrate (14.5,10.0; z = 1.992, P Conclusion The introduction of citrate did not negatively affect SEP attendance. 'Longitudinal attenders' visited SEPs more frequently post citrate, providing staff with greater opportunity for intervention and referral. As the number of syringes they collected each visit remained unchanged the total number of clean syringes made available to this group of injectors increased very slightly between the pre and post citrate periods. However, new clients collected significantly less syringes post citrate than pre citrate, possibly due to staff concerns regarding the amount of citrate (and thus syringes to dispense safely to new clients. These concerns should not be allowed to negatively impact on the number of syringes dispensed.

  16. Container Closure Integrity Testing of Prefilled Syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peláez, Sarah S; Mahler, Hanns-Christian; Matter, Anja; Koulov, Atanas; Singh, Satish K; Germershaus, Oliver; Mathaes, Roman

    2018-04-04

    Prefilled syringes (PFSs) are increasingly preferred over vials as container closure systems (CCSs) for injectable drug products when facilitated or self-administration is required. However, PFSs are more complex compared to CCSs consisting of vial, rubber stopper and crimp cap. Container closure integrity (CCI) assurance and verification has been a specific challenge for PFSs as they feature several sealing areas. A comprehensive understanding of the CCS is necessary for an appropriate CCI assessment as well as for packaging development and qualification. A comprehensive CCI assessment of six different PFSs from three different manufacturers (including one polymeric PFS) was conducted using helium leak testing. PFS components were manipulated to systematically assess the contribution of the different sealing areas to CCI, namely rigid needle shield (RNS)/needle, RNS/tip cone and the individual ribs of a syringe plunger. The polymeric PFS required an equilibrium measurement for accurate CCIT. The different sealing areas and a single plunger rib were shown to provide adequate CCI. Acceptable tip cap movement until the point of CCI failure was estimated. The assessment of acceptable tip cap movement demonstrated the importance of considering the RNS/tip cone seal design to ensure CCI of the PFS upon post assembly possesses and shipment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. The immigrants’ reception system in Italy. Reflections emerging from an experience of reception upon landing

    OpenAIRE

    Concetta Chiara Cannella; Gandolfa Cascio; Francesca Molonia; Serena Vitulo

    2014-01-01

    After the description of the main migration routes toward Italian territory, the article provides an overview of the laws and administrative policy instruments that characterize the system of reception and detention of migrants in Italy. This type of information can help psychosocial workers supporting migrants to better cope with various psychosocial issues, such as the landing in a foreign country. Following a report on the first reception intervention carried out in Palermo, Sicily, by Psi...

  18. Drugs given by a syringe driver: a prospective multicentre survey of palliative care services in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilcock, Andrew; Jacob, Jayin K; Charlesworth, Sarah; Harris, Elayne; Gibbs, Margaret; Allsop, Helen

    2006-10-01

    The use of a syringe driver to administer drugs by continuous subcutaneous infusion is common practice in the UK. Over time, drug combinations used in a syringe driver are likely to change and the aim of this survey was to obtain a more recent snapshot of practice. On four separate days, at two-week intervals, a questionnaire was completed for every syringe driver in use by 15 palliative care services. Of 336 syringe drivers, the majority contained either two or three drugs, but one-fifth contained only one drug. The median (range) volume of the infusions was 15 (9.5-48) mL, and duration of infusion was generally 24 hours. Only one combination was reported as visually incompatible, and there were 13 site reactions (4% of total). Laboratory physical and chemical compatibility data are available for less than half of the most frequently used combinations.

  19. Language, gay pornography, and audience reception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leap, William L

    2011-01-01

    Erotic imagery is an important component of gay pornographic cinema, particularly, where work of audience reception is concerned. However, to assume the audience engagement with the films is limited solely to the erotic realm is to underestimate the workings of ideological power in the context and aftermath of reception. For example, the director of the film under discussion here (Men of Israel; Lucas, 2009b) intended to present an erotic celebration of the nation-state. Yet, most viewers ignore the particulars of context in their comments about audience reception, placing the "Israeli" narrative within a broader framework, using transnational rather than film-specific criteria to guide their "reading" of the Israeli-centered narrative. This article uses as its entry point the language that viewers employ when describing their reactions to Men of Israel on a gay video club's Web site; this article shows how the work of audience reception may draw attention to a film's erotic details while invoking social and political messages that completely reframe the film's erotic narrative.

  20. Unaccompanied adolescents seeking asylum - Poorer mental health under a restrictive reception : poorer mental health under a restrictive reception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijneveld, S.A.; de Boer, J.B.; Bean, T.; Korfker, D.G.

    2005-01-01

    We assessed the effects of a stringent reception policy on the mental health of unaccompanied adolescent asylum seekers by comparing the mental health of adolescents in a restricted campus reception setting and in a setting offering more autonomy (numbers [response rates]: 69 [93%] and 53 [69%],

  1. Diversity Networking Reception

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-01

    Join us at the APS Diversity Reception to relax, network with colleagues, and learn about programs and initiatives for women, underrepresented minorities, and LGBT physicists. You'll have a great time meeting friends in a supportive environment and making connections.

  2. Community Impact of Pharmacy-Randomized Intervention to Improve Access to Syringes and Services for Injection Drug Users

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, Natalie D.; Amesty, Silvia; Rivera, Alexis V.; Harripersaud, Katherine; Turner, Alezandria; Fuller, Crystal M.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: In an effort to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users (IDUs), New York State deregulated pharmacy syringe sales in 2001 through the Expanded Syringe Access Program by removing the requirement of a prescription. With evidence suggesting pharmacists' ability to expand their public health role, a structural, pharmacy-based…

  3. Receptivity to Tobacco Advertising and Susceptibility to Tobacco Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, John P; Sargent, James D; White, Martha M; Borek, Nicolette; Portnoy, David B; Green, Victoria R; Kaufman, Annette R; Stanton, Cassandra A; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Strong, David R; Pearson, Jennifer L; Coleman, Blair N; Leas, Eric; Noble, Madison L; Trinidad, Dennis R; Moran, Meghan B; Carusi, Charles; Hyland, Andrew; Messer, Karen

    2017-06-01

    Non-cigarette tobacco marketing is less regulated and may promote cigarette smoking among adolescents. We quantified receptivity to advertising for multiple tobacco products and hypothesized associations with susceptibility to cigarette smoking. Wave 1 of the nationally representative PATH (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health) study interviewed 10 751 adolescents who had never used tobacco. A stratified random selection of 5 advertisements for each of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless products, and cigars were shown from 959 recent tobacco advertisements. Aided recall was classified as low receptivity, and image-liking or favorite ad as higher receptivity. The main dependent variable was susceptibility to cigarette smoking. Among US youth, 41% of 12 to 13 year olds and half of older adolescents were receptive to at least 1 tobacco advertisement. Across each age group, receptivity to advertising was highest for e-cigarettes (28%-33%) followed by cigarettes (22%-25%), smokeless tobacco (15%-21%), and cigars (8%-13%). E-cigarette ads shown on television had the highest recall. Among cigarette-susceptible adolescents, receptivity to e-cigarette advertising (39.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 37.9%-41.6%) was higher than for cigarette advertising (31.7%; 95% CI: 29.9%-33.6%). Receptivity to advertising for each tobacco product was associated with increased susceptibility to cigarette smoking, with no significant difference across products (similar odds for both cigarette and e-cigarette advertising; adjusted odds ratio = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09-1.37). A large proportion of US adolescent never tobacco users are receptive to tobacco advertising, with television advertising for e-cigarettes having the highest recall. Receptivity to advertising for each non-cigarette tobacco product was associated with susceptibility to smoke cigarettes. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Predictors of sharing injection equipment by HIV-seropositive injection drug users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latkin, Carl A; Buchanan, Amy S; Metsch, Lisa R; Knight, Kelly; Latka, Mary H; Mizuno, Yuko; Knowlton, Amy R

    2008-12-01

    Among HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs), we examined baseline predictors of lending needles and syringes and sharing cookers, cotton, and rinse water in the prior 3 months at follow-up. Participants were enrolled in Intervention for Seropositive Injectors-Research and Evaluation, a secondary prevention intervention for sexually active HIV-positive IDUs in 4 US cities during 2001-2005. The analyses involved 357 participants who reported injecting drugs in the prior 6 months at either the 6- or 12-month follow-up visit. About half (49%) reported at least 1 sharing episode. In adjusted analyses, peer norms supporting safer injection practices and having primary HIV medical care visits in the prior 6 months were associated with reporting no sharing of injection equipment. Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with a greater likelihood of reporting drug paraphernalia sharing. These findings suggest that intervention approaches for reducing HIV-seropositive IDUs' transmission of blood-borne infections should include peer-focused interventions to alter norms of drug paraphernalia sharing and promoting primary HIV care and mental health services.

  5. Receptivity to alcohol marketing predicts initiation of alcohol use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriksen, Lisa; Feighery, Ellen C; Schleicher, Nina C; Fortmann, Stephen P

    2008-01-01

    This longitudinal study examined the influence of alcohol advertising and promotions on the initiation of alcohol use. A measure of receptivity to alcohol marketing was developed from research about tobacco marketing. Recall and recognition of alcohol brand names were also examined. Data were obtained from in-class surveys of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Participants who were classified as never drinkers at baseline (n = 1,080) comprised the analysis sample. Logistic regression models examined the association of advertising receptivity at baseline with any alcohol use and current drinking at follow-up, adjusting for multiple risk factors, including peer alcohol use, school performance, risk taking, and demographics. At baseline, 29% of never drinkers either owned or wanted to use an alcohol branded promotional item (high receptivity), 12% students named the brand of their favorite alcohol ad (moderate receptivity), and 59% were not receptive to alcohol marketing. Approximately 29% of adolescents reported any alcohol use at follow-up; 13% reported drinking at least 1 or 2 days in the past month. Never drinkers who reported high receptivity to alcohol marketing at baseline were 77% more likely to initiate drinking by follow-up than those were not receptive. Smaller increases in the odds of alcohol use at follow-up were associated with better recall and recognition of alcohol brand names at baseline. Alcohol advertising and promotions are associated with the uptake of drinking. Prevention programs may reduce adolescents' receptivity to alcohol marketing by limiting their exposure to alcohol ads and promotions and by increasing their skepticism about the sponsors' marketing tactics.

  6. Analysis of event logs from syringe pumps: a retrospective pilot study to assess possible effects of syringe pumps on safety in a university hospital critical care unit in Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastrup, Marc; Balzer, Felix; Volk, Thomas; Spies, Claudia

    2012-07-01

    Medication errors occur in approximately one out of five doses in a typical hospital setting. Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are particularly susceptible to errors during the application of intravenous drugs as they receive numerous potent drugs applied by syringe pumps. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects on potential harmful medication errors and to address factors that have potential for improving medication safety after the introduction of a standardized drug library into syringe pumps with integrated decision support systems. A team of physicians and nurses developed a dataset that defined standardized drug concentrations, application rates and alert limits to prevent accidental overdosing of intravenous medications. This dataset was implemented in 100 syringe pumps with the ability to log programming errors, alerts, reprogramming events and overrides ('smart pumps'). In this retrospective pilot study, all pump-related transaction data were obtained from the pump logs, by downloading the data from the pumps, covering 20 months of use between 1 April 2008 and 30 November 2009. Patient data were gathered from the electronic patient charts. The study was performed in a cardiothoracic ICU of the Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany. A total of 7884 patient treatment days and 133,601 infusion starts were evaluated. The drug library with the features of the dose rate was used in 92.8% of the syringe pump starts, in 1.5% of the starts a manual dosing mode without the use of the drug library was used and in 5.7% of the starts the mode 'mL/h', without any calculation features, was used. The most frequently used drugs were vasoactive drugs, followed by sedation medication. The user was alerted for a potentially harmful overdosing in 717 cases and in 66 cases the pumps were reprogrammed after the alert. During the early morning hours a higher rate of alarms was generated by the pumps, compared with the rest of the day. Syringe pumps with

  7. Comparison between syringe irrigation and RinsEndo in reduction of Enterococcus faecalis in experimentally infected root canal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharareh Mousavi Zahed

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aims: To ensure root canal treatment success, endodontic microbiota should be efficiently reduced. Several irrigation devices have been recently introduced with the main objective of improving root canal disinfection.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rinsing effect of RinsEndo system in reduction of enterococcus faecalis in comparison with conventional hand syringe in infected root canals.   Materials and Methods: 60 extracted single canal anterior teeth were infected with enterococcus faecalis and divided into 3 groups: RinsEndo system, conventional hand syringe and control group. The enterococcus faecalis colonies were counted in each group before and after rinsing. Data were analyzed using Variance and Kruskal Wallis test.   Results: The mean of enterococcus faecalis growth after rinsing was 3.50×103 in group with conventional syring rinsing, 2.04×103 in group with RinsEndo washing and 6.11×103 in control group. Reduction of enterococcus faecalis after rinsing was statistically significant in each group (P<0.001. The amount of reduction in number of colonies with RinsEndo and conventional syringe rinsing was higher in comparison with control group and this difference was significant (P<0.001. RinsEndo rinsing effect was statistically significantly higher in comparison to conventional syringe as well (P<0.001.   Conclusion: Rinsing with RinsEndo system was significantly more efficient in reduction of enterococcus faecalis from root canal in comparison with hand syringe washing.

  8. The association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and high-risk injection behavior among people who inject drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeCuir, Jennifer; Lovasi, Gina S; El-Sayed, Abdulrahman; Lewis, Crystal Fuller

    2018-02-01

    Although much research has been conducted on the determinants of HIV risk behavior among people who inject drugs (PWID), the influence of the neighborhood context on high-risk injection behavior remains understudied. To address this gap in the literature, we measured associations between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and high-risk injection behavior, and determined whether these associations were modified by drug-related police activity and syringe exchange program (SEP) accessibility. Our sample was comprised of 484 pharmacy-recruited PWID in New York City. Measures of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage were created using data from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey. Associations with high-risk injection behavior were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression. Effect modification by drug-related police activity and SEP accessibility was assessed by entering cross-product terms into adjusted models of high-risk injection behavior. Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with decreased receptive syringe sharing and unsterile syringe use. In neighborhoods with high drug-related police activity, associations between neighborhood disadvantage and unsterile syringe use were attenuated to the null. In neighborhoods with high SEP accessibility, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with decreased acquisition of syringes from an unsafe source. PWID in disadvantaged neighborhoods reported safer injection behaviors than their counterparts in neighborhoods that were relatively better off. The contrasting patterns of effect modification by SEP accessibility and drug-related police activity support the use of harm reduction approaches over law enforcement-based strategies for the control of blood borne virus transmission among PWID in disadvantaged urban areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. A review of recommendations for sequencing receptive and expressive language instruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petursdottir, Anna Ingeborg; Carr, James E

    2011-01-01

    We review recommendations for sequencing instruction in receptive and expressive language objectives in early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) programs. Several books recommend completing receptive protocols before introducing corresponding expressive protocols. However, this recommendation has little empirical support, and some evidence exists that the reverse sequence may be more efficient. Alternative recommendations include teaching receptive and expressive skills simultaneously (M. L. Sundberg & Partington, 1998) and building learning histories that lead to acquisition of receptive and expressive skills without direct instruction (Greer & Ross, 2008). Empirical support for these recommendations also is limited. Future research should assess the relative efficiency of receptive-before-expressive, expressive-before-receptive, and simultaneous training with children who have diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders. In addition, further evaluation is needed of the potential benefits of multiple-exemplar training and other variables that may influence the efficiency of receptive and expressive instruction.

  10. Stigma development and receptivity in almond (Prunus dulcis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Weiguang; Law, S Edward; McCoy, Dennis; Wetzstein, Hazel Y

    2006-01-01

    Fertilization is essential in almond production, and pollination can be limiting in production areas. This study investigated stigma receptivity under defined developmental stages to clarify the relationship between stigma morphology, pollen germination, tube growth and fruit set. Light and scanning electron microscopy were employed to examine stigma development at seven stages of flower development ranging from buds that were swollen to flowers in which petals were abscising. Flowers at different stages were hand pollinated and pollen germination and tube growth assessed. Artificial pollinations in the field were conducted to determine the effect of flower age on fruit set. Later stages of flower development exhibited greater stigma receptivity, i.e. higher percentages of pollen germination and more extensive tube growth occurred in older (those opened to the flat petal stage or exhibiting petal fall) than younger flowers. Enhanced stigma receptivity was associated with elongation of stigmatic papillae and increased amounts of stigmatic exudate that inundated papillae at later developmental stages. Field pollinations indicated that the stigma was still receptive and nut set was maintained in older flowers. Stigma receptivity in almond does not become optimal until flowers are past the fully open stage. The stigma is still receptive and fruit set is maintained in flowers even at the stage when petals are abscising. Strategies to enhance pollination and crop yield, including the timing and placement of honey bees, should consider the effectiveness of developmentally advanced flowers.

  11. Integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Hui; Song, Allen W; Truong, Trong-Kha

    2013-07-01

    To develop a new concept for a hardware platform that enables integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming. This concept uses a single coil array rather than separate arrays for parallel excitation/reception and B0 shimming. It relies on a novel design that allows a radiofrequency current (for excitation/reception) and a direct current (for B0 shimming) to coexist independently in the same coil. Proof-of-concept B0 shimming experiments were performed with a two-coil array in a phantom, whereas B0 shimming simulations were performed with a 48-coil array in the human brain. Our experiments show that individually optimized direct currents applied in each coil can reduce the B0 root-mean-square error by 62-81% and minimize distortions in echo-planar images. The simulations show that dynamic shimming with the 48-coil integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming array can reduce the B0 root-mean-square error in the prefrontal and temporal regions by 66-79% as compared with static second-order spherical harmonic shimming and by 12-23% as compared with dynamic shimming with a 48-coil conventional shim array. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of the integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming concept to perform parallel excitation/reception and B0 shimming with a unified coil system as well as its promise for in vivo applications. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. 33 CFR 158.310 - Reception facilities: General.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... order to pass the inspection under § 158.160, must— (1) Be a reception facility as defined under § 158... residue; (5) Be capable of receiving NLS residue from an oceangoing ship within 24 hours after notice by that ship of the need for reception facilities; and (6) Be capable of completing the transfer of NLS...

  13. Iloprost infusion by a new device as a portable syringe pump: safety, tolerability and agreement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Faggioli

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Background Iloprost, prostacyclin (PGI2 analogue, effective in treatment of peripheral arterial disease, secondary Raynaud's phenomenon (RP to connective tissue disease (CTD, vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension, is usually infused through peristaltic pump, or recently through a flow regulator.Materials and methods We tested a new portable syringe pump (Pompa Infonde®, Italfarmaco S.p.A., Cinisello Balsamo, Milano on 120 patients affected by RP to CTD and cryoglobulinaemia, in iloprost therapy with a flow regulator.Results Iloprost infused through portable syringe pump is better tolerated, better appreciated by the patients and nurses and no difference was observed on therapeutic effects, with a lower incidence of side effects statistically significant. Only 3 patients were unable to tolerate the device (2 for changes in pressure and 1 for fear and shifted to traditional method of iloprost infusion.Conclusions Iloprost infusion through the portable syringe Pompa Infonde® appears to be safe, better tolerated, more acceptable and equally effective compared to infusion through a flow regulator.

  14. Job Sharing Through Part Time Contracts. A Consideration in the Context of Declining School Enrolments in Ontario.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Krishna

    Two questionnaires were sent to all school boards and a sample of teachers in Ontario to assess how receptive boards and teachers are to job sharing as an alternative work pattern in schools affected by declining enrollment. The report gives the background of the concept of job sharing and an analysis of the benefits, work situations, and problems…

  15. Feasibility of Using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry to Develop a Sensitive Dye Immersion Method for Container Closure Integrity Testing of Prefilled Syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xujin; Lloyd, David K; Klohr, Steven E

    2016-01-01

    A feasibility study was conducted for a sensitive and robust dye immersion method for the measurement of container closure integrity of unopened prefilled syringes using fluorescence spectrophotometry as the detection method. A Varian Cary Eclipse spectrofluorometer was used with a custom-made sample holder to position the intact syringe in the sample compartment for fluorescence measurements. Methylene blue solution was initially evaluated as the fluorophore in a syringe with excitation at 607 nm and emission at 682 nm, which generated a limit of detection of 0.05 μg/mL. Further studies were conducted using rhodamine 123, a dye with stronger fluorescence. Using 480 nm excitation and 525 nm emission, the dye in the syringe could be easily detected at levels as low as 0.001 μg/mL. The relative standard deviation for 10 measurements of a sample of 0.005 μg/mL (with repositioning of the syringe after each measurement) was less than 1.1%. A number of operational parameters were optimized, including the photomultiplier tube voltage, excitation, and emission slit widths. The specificity of the testing was challenged by using marketed drug products and a protein sample, which showed no interference to the rhodamine detection. Results obtained from this study demonstrated that using rhodamine 123 for container closure integrity testing with in-situ (in-syringe) fluorescence measurements significantly enhanced the sensitivity and robustness of the testing and effectively overcame limitations of the traditional methylene blue method with visual or UV-visible absorption detection. Ensuring container closure integrity of injectable pharmaceutical products is necessary to maintain quality throughout the shelf life of a sterile drug product. Container closure integrity testing has routinely been used to evaluate closure integrity during product development and production line qualification of prefilled syringes, vials, and devices. However, container closure integrity testing

  16. Syringeal specialization of frequency control during song production in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristen R Secora

    Full Text Available Singing in songbirds is a complex, learned behavior which shares many parallels with human speech. The avian vocal organ (syrinx has two potential sound sources, and each sound generator is under unilateral, ipsilateral neural control. Different songbird species vary in their use of bilateral or unilateral phonation (lateralized sound production and rapid switching between left and right sound generation (interhemispheric switching of motor control. Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica have received considerable attention, because they rapidly modify their song in response to manipulations of auditory feedback. However, how the left and right sides of the syrinx contribute to acoustic control of song has not been studied.Three manipulations of lateralized syringeal control of sound production were conducted. First, unilateral syringeal muscular control was eliminated by resection of the left or right tracheosyringeal portion of the hypoglossal nerve, which provides neuromuscular innervation of the syrinx. Spectral and temporal features of song were compared before and after lateralized nerve injury. In a second experiment, either the left or right sound source was devoiced to confirm the role of each sound generator in the control of acoustic phonology. Third, air pressure was recorded before and after unilateral denervation to enable quantification of acoustic change within individual syllables following lateralized nerve resection.These experiments demonstrate that the left sound source produces louder, higher frequency, lower entropy sounds, and the right sound generator produces lower amplitude, lower frequency, higher entropy sounds. The bilateral division of labor is complex and the frequency specialization is the opposite pattern observed in most songbirds. Further, there is evidence for rapid interhemispheric switching during song production. Lateralized control of song production in Bengalese finches may enhance acoustic

  17. Costs of a Hospital-Based, Ready-To-Use Syringe Delivery Programme

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risør, Bettina Wulff; Vand, S; Lisby, M

    2017-01-01

    %) and at €20,905 (an increase of 228%) for the endoscopy department. The ready-to-use delivery program imposed an additional cost of €11.32 per day surgery operation and €2.41 per endoscopy procedure. Conclusion: This ready-to-use programme increased the cost of the medical handling process. This incremental......Objective: The risk of errors in the medication administration process is high. Applications of pre lled syringes may improve patient safety but could be more costly. The objective of this study was to assess the additional costs of a ready-to-use syringe delivery programme in comparison...... with a conventional delivery programme at day surgery and endoscopy departments at a large university hospital. Methods: The cost analysis used the hospital perspective and developed an “activity-based costing” model to assess the costs of medicine- handling activities. The model was calibrated with six-month data...

  18. Determining serum bicarbonate; a simple syringe titrator and colorimeter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    BOONE, C W; FIELD, J B

    1953-12-01

    The use of a tuberculin syringe as a burette has made possible an easy bedside technique for the determination of serum bicarbonate. By combining it with the use of a simple colorimeter, a relatively untrained person can do numerous bicarbonate determinations with a high degree of accuracy. The same technique also lends itself to other colorimetric clinical procedures such as determination of gastric acidity.

  19. DETERMINING SERUM BICARBONATE—A Simple Syringe Titrator and Colorimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boone, Charles W.; Field, John B.

    1953-01-01

    The use of a tuberculin syringe as a burette has made possible an easy bedside technique for the determination of serum bicarbonate. By combining it with the use of a simple colorimeter, a relatively untrained person can do numerous bicarbonate determinations with a high degree of accuracy. The same technique also lends itself to other colorimetric clinical procedures such as determination of gastric acidity. PMID:13106724

  20. Professional ideologies and the development of syringe exchange: Wales as a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keene, J M; Stimson, G V

    1997-12-01

    This paper is derived from an evaluative study of HIV prevention programs for drug injectors across Wales. It considers how different professional territories and ideologies, concepts of drug misuse and models of HIV prevention may influence policy development. The research involved monitoring the introduction and development of agency and community based syringe exchange schemes and initiatives taken by community pharmacists. Interviews with staff, managers and administrators, and descriptions of service history, development and delivery inform the discussion. HIV prevention varied in different areas of Wales depending on the particular professional group involved, local ideologies regarding drug use treatment, and the extent to which HIV prevention was seen either as a specialist area of expertise and specific remit of drug workers or a generic health care task. Drug agencies with an abstinence policy rejected syringe exchange; instead, prevention in those areas developed in ad hoc ways as health care workers and pharmacists attempted to develop a community based service. Drug agencies with a pre-existing harm minimisation model easily integrated syringe exchange into their work and played the major part in establishing the service, but there was difficulty in extending it beyond their professional caseloads. As there were disincentives to use treatment agencies, and their catchment areas were limited, these factors influenced effective service provision.

  1. New Year’s reception

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    At a reception on 28 January, the CERN management presented their best wishes for 2009 to politicians and representatives of the administrations in the local area, and diplomats representing CERN’s Member States, Observer States and other countries.

  2. The reception of Bollywood in Malaysia (1991-2012): a contextual study

    OpenAIRE

    Sreekumar, Rohini

    2017-01-01

    Bollywood films are increasingly drawing scholarly attention for their global appeal and reception. Transnational studies have examined the reception of Bollywood in Australia, Britain, Scotland, South Africa, Russia, the United States of America, Bangladesh and Nepal. However, academic work on the Southeast Asian reception of these films is scarcer. This research seeks to fill this gap by looking at the reception of Bollywood in Malaysia from 1991-2012. The thesis adopts a...

  3. How will military/civilian coordination work for reception of mass casualties from overseas?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackenzie, Colin; Donohue, John; Wasylina, Philip; Cullum, Woodrow; Hu, Peter; Lam, David M

    2009-01-01

    In Maryland, there have been no military/civilian training exercises of the Medical Mutual Aid Agreement for >20 years. The aims of this paper are to describe the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), to coordinate military and civilian medical mutual aid in response to arrival of overseas mass casualties, and to evaluate the mass-casualty reception and bed "surge" capacity of Maryland NDMS Hospitals. Three tabletop exercises and a functional exercise were performed using a simulated, overseas, military mass-casualty event. The first tabletop exercise was with military and civilian NMDS partners. The second tested the revised NDMS activation plan. The third exercised the Authorities of State Emergency Medical System and Walter Reed Army Medical Center Directors of Emergency Medicine over Maryland NDMS hospitals, and their Medical Mutual Aid Agreement. The functional exercise used Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program tools to evaluate reception, triage, staging, and transportation of 160 notional patients (including 20 live, moulaged "patients") and one canine. The first tabletop exercise identified deficiencies in operational protocols for military/civilian mass-casualty reception, triage, treatment, and problems with sharing a Unified Command. The second found improvements in the revised NDMS activation plan. The third informed expectations for NDMS hospitals. In the functional exercise, all notional patients were received, triaged, dispatched, and accounted in military and five civilian hospitals within two hours. The canine revealed deficiencies in companion/military animal reception, holding, treatment, and evacuation. Three working groups were suggested: (1) to ensure 100% compliance with triage tags, patient accountability, and return of equipment used in mass casualty events and exercises; (2) to investigate making information technology and imaging networks available for Emergency Operation Centers and Incident Command; and (3) to establish NDMS

  4. Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced Search. Journal Home > Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced Search. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  5. Morning Receptions in a Danish ECE Context

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kornerup, Ida; Gravgaard, Mette Lykke

    This paper focus on a special pedagogical context; morning receptions as a learning environment. The studies of mornings are part of a 3 year long research project in which different types of learning environments were investigated. Few studies have researched morning receptions in this perspecti...... even though pedagogues often emphasize that this particular pedagogical context have implications on the children’s wellbeing and learning possibilities throughout the day....

  6. Comparison of Measures of E-cigarette Advertising Exposure and Receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokhrel, Pallav; Fagan, Pebbles; Herzog, Thaddeus A; Schmid, Simone; Kawamoto, Crissy T; Unger, Jennifer B

    2017-10-01

    We tested how various measures of e-cigarette advertising exposure and receptivity are related to each other and compare to each other in their associations with e-cigarette use susceptibility and behavior. Cross-sectional data were collected from young adult college students (N = 470; M age = 20.9, SD = 2.1; 65% women). Measures of e-cigarette advertising exposure/receptivity compared included a cued recall measure, measures of marketing receptivity, perceived ad exposure, liking of e-cigarette ads, and frequency of convenience store visit, which is considered a measure of point-of-sale ad exposure. The cued-recall measure was associated with e-cigarette use experimentation but not current e-cigarette use. Marketing receptivity was associated with current e-cigarette use but not e-cigarette use experimentation. Liking of e-cigarette ads was the only measure associated with e-cigarette use susceptibility. Frequency of convenience store visit was associated with current e-cigarette use but not e-cigarette use experimentation or susceptibility. Inclusion of multiple measures of marketing exposure and receptivity is recommended for regulatory research concerning e-cigarette marketing. Marketing receptivity and cued recall measures are strong correlates of current and ever e-cigarette use, respectively.

  7. Sharing information books with kindergartners: The role of parents’ extra-textual talk and socioeconomic status

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mol, S.E.; Neuman, S.B.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to explore how features of parent-child extra-textual talk during information book-sharing might vary across different socioeconomic backgrounds, and to determine if certain interactional patterns might mediate their effects on children's receptive and expressive

  8. Learning receptive fields using predictive feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jehee, Janneke F M; Rothkopf, Constantin; Beck, Jeffrey M; Ballard, Dana H

    2006-01-01

    Previously, it was suggested that feedback connections from higher- to lower-level areas carry predictions of lower-level neural activities, whereas feedforward connections carry the residual error between the predictions and the actual lower-level activities [Rao, R.P.N., Ballard, D.H., 1999. Nature Neuroscience 2, 79-87.]. A computational model implementing the hypothesis learned simple cell receptive fields when exposed to natural images. Here, we use predictive feedback to explain tuning properties in medial superior temporal area (MST). We implement the hypothesis using a new, biologically plausible, algorithm based on matching pursuit, which retains all the features of the previous implementation, including its ability to efficiently encode input. When presented with natural images, the model developed receptive field properties as found in primary visual cortex. In addition, when exposed to visual motion input resulting from movements through space, the model learned receptive field properties resembling those in MST. These results corroborate the idea that predictive feedback is a general principle used by the visual system to efficiently encode natural input.

  9. Receptivity of Hypersonic Boundary Layers to Distributed Roughness and Acoustic Disturbances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balakumar, P.

    2013-01-01

    Boundary-layer receptivity and stability of Mach 6 flows over smooth and rough seven-degree half-angle sharp-tipped cones are numerically investigated. The receptivity of the boundary layer to slow acoustic disturbances, fast acoustic disturbances, and vortical disturbances is considered. The effects of three-dimensional isolated roughness on the receptivity and stability are also simulated. The results for the smooth cone show that the instability waves are generated in the leading edge region and that the boundary layer is much more receptive to slow acoustic waves than to the fast acoustic waves. Vortical disturbances also generate unstable second modes, however the receptivity coefficients are smaller than that of the slow acoustic wave. Distributed roughness elements located near the nose region decreased the receptivity of the second mode generated by the slow acoustic wave by a small amount. Roughness elements distributed across the continuous spectrum increased the receptivity of the second mode generated by the slow and fast acoustic waves and the vorticity wave. The largest increase occurred for the vorticity wave. Roughness elements distributed across the synchronization point did not change the receptivity of the second modes generated by the acoustic waves. The receptivity of the second mode generated by the vorticity wave increased in this case, but the increase is lower than that occurred with the roughness elements located across the continuous spectrum. The simulations with an isolated roughness element showed that the second mode waves generated by the acoustic disturbances are not influenced by the small roughness element. Due to the interaction, a three-dimensional wave is generated. However, the amplitude is orders of magnitude smaller than the two-dimensional wave.

  10. Gas ampoule-syringe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gay, D.D.

    1986-01-01

    This patent describes disposable gas ampoule holding or containing a gas such as a radioactive gas, comprising: (a) a cylindrical glass tube which is adapted to hold the gas; (b) a layer of absorbent material which circumscribes and which contacts cylindrical glass tube (a) which absorbs the gas; (c) a plastic tube, which circumscribes and contacts absorbent material layer (b) and which is externally threaded on each of its end portions; (d) a cap, which is threaded onto a first end of plastic tube (c); (e) a cylindrical block, which is positioned in the first end of cylindrical glass tube (a) adjacent to cap (d), which contacts cylindrical glass tube (a), which is composed of a foamed material and which is impregnated with a gas adsorbent material; (f) a cylindrical plunger tip, which is located in the first end of cylindrical glass tube (a) in a gas-tight manner adjacent to cylindrical block (e); (g) an end stopper, which has a central cylindrical shaft that is positioned in the second end of cylindrical glass tube (a); and (h) a cap, which is threaded onto the second end of plastic tube (e). A combination of the disposable gas ampoule and syringe adapted to operably interface with the gas ampoule is also described

  11. THE RECEPTION OF A CONTROVERSIAL PLAY – EVANGHELISTII – IN POST-COMMUNIST ROMANIAN SOCIETY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CARMEN D. CARAIMAN

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we intend to present the reception of the play Evangheliştii [The Evangelists] (published in volume in 1993 and represented on stage in 2005 written by Alina Mungiu Pippidi in post-communist Romanian society. In the interpretation of this topic we have considered the author’s artistic goals in relation to the “horizon of expectation” of the Romanian theatre public, as well as to the reaction that critics and institutions outside the world of theatre, such as the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and local public institutions, had as regards its publication and stage representation. Thus, we have pointed out the clash and the gap that exist between the author’s postmodernist approach to religious faith (i.e. the deconstruction of the Christian ideology and the often wrong reception of the play’s topic coming basically from the Church and in part from the theatre audience. The reception of this play in post-communist Romania is analysed in relation to the rigid, formalist perspective on art shared by an important part of the theatre audience. One of the main conclusions we have drawn is that the openness degree of our society members to the freedom of artistic creation illustrates, in fact, the degree of civilization and, implicitly, of tolerance which we have acquired up to a certain point in time as a society, especially that today our country is no longer totalitarian and, in consequence, no artistic manifestation can be censored by any ideologies coming from the public space.

  12. The Comparative Reception of Darwinism: A Brief History

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glick, Thomas F.

    2010-01-01

    The subfield of Darwin studies devoted to comparative reception coalesced around 1971 with the planning of a conference on the subject, at the University of Texas at Austin held in April 1972. The original focus was western Europe, Russia and the United States. Subsequently a spate of studies on the Italian reception added to the Eurocentric…

  13. The Prison Economy of Needles and Syringes: What Opportunities Exist for Blood Borne Virus Risk Reduction When Prices Are so High?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carla Treloar

    Full Text Available A formal Needle and Syringe Program (NSP is not provided in Australian prisons. Injecting equipment circulates in prisons as part of an informal and illegal economy. This paper examined how this economy generates blood-borne virus (BBV risk and risk mitigation opportunities for inmates.The HITS-p cohort recruited New South Wales inmates who had reported ever injecting drugs and who had a negative HCV serological test within 12 months prior to enrolment. For this study, qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 participants enrolled in HITS-p. Participants included 10 women and were incarcerated in 12 prisons.A needle/syringe was nominated as being typically priced in the 'inside' prison economy at $100-$150, with a range of $50-$350. Purchase or hire of equipment was paid for in cash (including transactions that occurred outside prison and in exchange for drugs and other commodities. A range of other resources was required to enable successful needle/syringe economies, especially relationships with visitors and other prisoners, and violence to ensure payment of debts. Strategies to mitigate BBV risk included retaining one needle/syringe for personal use while hiring out others, keeping drug use (and ownership of equipment "quiet", stealing used equipment from the prison health clinic, and manufacture of syringes from other items available in the prison.The provision of prison NSP would disrupt the inside economies built around contraband needles/syringes, as well as minimise BBV risk. However, any model of prison NSP should be interrogated for any unanticipated markets that could be generated as a result of its regulatory practices.

  14. The Prison Economy of Needles and Syringes: What Opportunities Exist for Blood Borne Virus Risk Reduction When Prices Are so High?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treloar, Carla; McCredie, Luke; Lloyd, Andrew R

    2016-01-01

    A formal Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) is not provided in Australian prisons. Injecting equipment circulates in prisons as part of an informal and illegal economy. This paper examined how this economy generates blood-borne virus (BBV) risk and risk mitigation opportunities for inmates. The HITS-p cohort recruited New South Wales inmates who had reported ever injecting drugs and who had a negative HCV serological test within 12 months prior to enrolment. For this study, qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 participants enrolled in HITS-p. Participants included 10 women and were incarcerated in 12 prisons. A needle/syringe was nominated as being typically priced in the 'inside' prison economy at $100-$150, with a range of $50-$350. Purchase or hire of equipment was paid for in cash (including transactions that occurred outside prison) and in exchange for drugs and other commodities. A range of other resources was required to enable successful needle/syringe economies, especially relationships with visitors and other prisoners, and violence to ensure payment of debts. Strategies to mitigate BBV risk included retaining one needle/syringe for personal use while hiring out others, keeping drug use (and ownership of equipment) "quiet", stealing used equipment from the prison health clinic, and manufacture of syringes from other items available in the prison. The provision of prison NSP would disrupt the inside economies built around contraband needles/syringes, as well as minimise BBV risk. However, any model of prison NSP should be interrogated for any unanticipated markets that could be generated as a result of its regulatory practices.

  15. Measuring receptive collocational competence across proficiency levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Déogratias Nizonkiza

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study investigates, (i English as Foreign Language (EFL learners’ receptive collocational knowledge growth in relation to their linguistic proficiency level; (ii how much receptive collocational knowledge is acquired as proficiency develops; and (iii the extent to which receptive knowledge of collocations of EFL learners varies across word frequency bands. A proficiency measure and a collocation test were administered to English majors at the University of Burundi. Results of the study suggest that receptive collocational competence develops alongside EFL learners’ linguistic proficiency; which lends empirical support to Gyllstad (2007, 2009 and Author (2011 among others, who reported similar findings. Furthermore, EFL learners’ collocations growth seems to be quantifiable wherein both linguistic proficiency level and word frequency occupy a crucial role. While more gains in terms of collocations that EFL learners could potentially add as a result of change in proficiency are found at lower levels of proficiency; collocations of words from more frequent word bands seem to be mastered first, and more gains are found at more frequent word bands. These results confirm earlier findings on the non-linearity nature of vocabulary growth (cf. Meara 1996 and the fundamental role played by frequency in word knowledge for vocabulary in general (Nation 1983, 1990, Nation and Beglar 2007, which are extended here to collocations knowledge.

  16. Developing Reception Competence in Children with a Mild Intellectual Disability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Koritnik

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents research paradigms which study factors that allow influencing the language development of children with mild intellectual disabilities to the greatest extent possible. Special attention is dedicated to the development of the reception competence with the use of reception didactics methods based on a relatively frequent use of less demanding non-language semiotic functions. The core of the paper presents results of an experimental case study (on a sample of five children with a mild intellectual disability over a one school year period, through which the reception competence in these children was developed with a systematic use of an adapted communication model of literary education as an experimental factor. The results have confirmed the initially set hypothesis about reception progress.

  17. [Safe injection rooms and police crackdowns in areas with heavy drug dealing. Evaluation by counting discarded syringes collected from the public space].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vecino, Carmen; Villalbí, Joan R; Guitart, Anna; Espelt, Albert; Bartroli, Montserrat; Castellano, Yolanda; Brugal, M Teresa

    2013-01-01

    The evolution of drug injection in public places is analysed using as indicator the number of syringes collected from public spaces, evaluating as well the influence of public health harm reduction interventions and of police actions, with a before and after quasi experimental study. Monthly syringe counts on the semester before and after each intervention were compared both in the involved district and in the city as a whole, using the U and z tests with a 95% confidence level. The average number of collected syringes drops from 13.132 in 2004 to 3.190 in 2012. Comparing indicators before and after health and police interventions, the opening of a facility with a supervised drug consumption room in the inner city was associated with a huge reduction in the number of abandoned syringes in the city, while its number did not rise in the district where the facility was located. The subsequent opening of another drug consumption room did not have a significant impact in collected syringes in the area. Some police interventions in 2005-2006 and 2011 had a significant impact in the indicators of the involved districts, while others did not. Harm reduction programs might have a favourable impact on drug injection in public spaces and related syringe presence. Some police interventions appear to have an impact while others do not or just have a modest local and temporary effect.

  18. The Early Literary Reception of Ernest Hemingway in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atefeh Ghasemnejad

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This essay investigates the dynamics that led to the literary reception of Ernest Hemingway before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. This article deploys reception studies as a branch of Comparative Literature with a focus upon conceptions of Siegbert Salomon Prawer and the practical method of George Asselineau to unearth the ideological, political, and historical milieu that embraced Hemingway’s literary fortune in Iran. This investigation, unprecedented in the study of Iranian literature, discusses how and why Hemingway was initially received in Iran. As such, the inception of literary fortune of Ernest Hemingway in Iran is examined by the contextual features, Persian literary taste, and the translator’s incentives that paved the way for this reception. This article also uncovers the reasons for the delay in the literary reception of Hemingway in Iran and discussed why some of Hemingway’s oeuvres enjoyed recognition while others were neglected by the Iranian readership.

  19. Expressive and receptive language skills in preschool children from a socially disadvantaged area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Ashling; Gibbon, Fiona E; O'shea, Aoife

    2016-02-01

    Evidence suggests that children present with receptive language skills that are equivalent to or more advanced than expressive language skills. This profile holds true for typical and delayed language development. This study aimed to determine if such a profile existed for preschool children from an area of social deprivation and to investigate if particular language skills influence any differences found between expressive and receptive skills. Data from 187 CELF P2 UK assessments conducted on preschool children from two socially disadvantaged areas in a city in southern Ireland. A significant difference was found between Receptive Language Index (RLI) and Expressive Language Index (ELI) scores with Receptive scores found to be lower than Expressive scores. The majority (78.6%) of participants had a lower Receptive Language than Expressive score (RLI ELI), with very few (3.2%) having the same Receptive and Expressive scores (RLI = ELI). Scores for the Concepts and Following Directions (receptive) sub-test were significantly lower than for the other receptive sub tests, while scores for the Expressive Vocabulary sub-test were significantly higher than for the other expressive sub tests. The finding of more advanced expressive than receptive language skills in socially deprived preschool children is previously unreported and clinically relevant for speech-language pathologists in identifying the needs of this population.

  20. Single patient doses of {sup 99m}Tc-HDP: Assessment of radiochemical purity, sterility and extractables from a polypropylene syringe over six hours

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parkes, S.L.; Varelis, P. [St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW (Australia). Department of Nuclear Medicine

    1997-12-01

    Full text: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the radiochemical purity (RCP), sterility and extractables for {sup 99m}Tc oxidronate ({sup 99m}Tc-HDP) stored in polypropylene syringes over < six-hour period. The radiochemical purity was determined using a two-strip ITLC procedure, performed at time 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 hours. The sterility and endotoxin levels were tested by a NATA accredited laboratory, after allowing the radiopharmaceutical to stand at room temperature for six hours in the syringes. Plasticisers and other likely compounds that could be extracted from the syringes into the aqueous solution were determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) diode array detection. This analysis involved shaking normal saline in a syringe over night and then injecting an aliquot of this solution onto a C18 analytical column and monitoring the effluent at 200 and 253 nm. The radiochemical purity of {sup 99m}Tc-HDP did not significantly change over the course of the study and remained above the recommended RCP for this radiopharmaceutical. Furthermore, at six hours the RCP of {sup 99m}Tc-HDP stored in both the manufacturer`s vial and a syringe were identical. Sterility testing of {sup 99m}Tc-HDP stored in syringes showed no microbial growth and less than 10 endotoxin units/mL (pass). The HPLC analysis did not show the presence of any extraneous compounds in the aqueous solution. Single patient doses of {sup 99m}Tc-HDP stored in polypropylene syringes over a six-hour period fulfill all the quality control requirements for administration to humans.

  1. [2000-year history of the ear syringe and its relationship to the enema. Images from the history of otorhinolaryngology, represented by instruments from the collection of the Ingolstadt Medical History Museum].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldmann, H

    1999-08-01

    SYRINGES WITH A PISTON AND THEIR USE AS "CLYSTER ORICULARIUS" IN THE ANCIENT ROME: Syringes with a piston were already known in ancient times and have been mentioned as a device for spraying rose water (Philon of Byzantium, about 230 BC), and for fighting fires (Heron of Alexandria about 110 AD). Celsus mentions it several times in his grand opus "De Medicina" (1st century AD) in the treatment of purulent discharge from the ear and for removing foreign bodies from the external ear canal. He always calls it "clyster oricularius", i.e. ear syringe, even when he describes its use in applications other than otological, such as in urology. Later the ear syringe fell from favor for a very long time and was reinvented only at the beginning of the 19th century. IRRIGATION OF THE BOWELS, FROM THE BAG SYRINGE TO THE PISTON SYRINGE: Irrigations of the bowels, clysters, were performed from ancient times to the 18th century with a baglike syringe using the bladder of animals as a pouch. Syringes with a piston were used by barbers and surgeons only for cleansing wounds or irrigating natural cavities of the body. Irrigation of the external ear canal had completely fallen from favor. In France in the 18th century large syringes with a piston made of tin oder brass came into use for enemas and replaced the old baglike devices. THE REINVENTION OF THE EAR SYRINGE AFTER THE PROTOTYPE OF THE ENEMA SYRINGE: Itard, an otologist in France in 1821, was the first to describe irrigating the ear with a syringe to remove hard wax. He recommended using an enema syringe ("seringue à lavement") for the procedure. Soon after his publication special ear syringes of appropriate size were developed and described by Beck in Freiburg, Germany, in 1827; by Fabrizi in Modena, Italy, 1839; and Schmalz in Dresden, Germany, 1846, who also introduced the kidney-shaped bowel for catching the water. Apart from that, small baglike syringes made of rubber were devised especially for use by the patient himself

  2. An examination of the concept of driving point receptance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, X.; He, Y.; Zhong, T.

    2018-04-01

    In the field of vibration, driving point receptance is a well-established and widely applied concept. However, as demonstrated in this paper, when a driving point receptance is calculated using the finite element (FE) method with solid elements, it does not converge as the FE mesh becomes finer, suggesting that there is a singularity. Hence, the concept of driving point receptance deserves a rigorous examination. In this paper, it is firstly shown that, for a point harmonic force applied on the surface of an elastic half-space, the Boussinesq formula can be applied to calculate the displacement amplitude of the surface if the response point is sufficiently close to the load. Secondly, by applying the Betti reciprocal theorem, it is shown that the displacement of an elastic body near a point harmonic force can be decomposed into two parts, with the first one being the displacement of an elastic half-space. This decomposition is useful, since it provides a solid basis for the introduction of a contact spring between a wheel and a rail in interaction. However, according to the Boussinesq formula, this decomposition also leads to the conclusion that a driving point receptance is infinite (singular), and would be undefinable. Nevertheless, driving point receptances have been calculated using different methods. Since the singularity identified in this paper was not appreciated, no account was given to the singularity in these calculations. Thus, the validity of these calculation methods must be examined. This constructs the third part of the paper. As the final development of the paper, the above decomposition is utilised to define and determine driving point receptances required for dealing with wheel/rail interactions.

  3. Are major reductions in new HIV infections possible with people who inject drugs? The case for low dead-space syringes in highly affected countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zule, William A; Cross, Harry E; Stover, John; Pretorius, Carel

    2013-01-01

    Circumstantial evidence from laboratory studies, mathematical models, ecological studies and bio behavioural surveys, suggests that injection-related HIV epidemics may be averted or reversed if people who inject drugs (PWID) switch from using high dead-space to using low dead-space syringes. In laboratory experiments that simulated the injection process and rinsing with water, low dead space syringes retained 1000 times less blood than high dead space syringes. In mathematical models, switching PWID from high dead space to low dead space syringes prevents or reverses injection-related HIV epidemics. No one knows if such an intervention is feasible or what effect it would have on HIV transmission among PWID. Feasibility studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be needed to answer these questions definitively, but these studies will be very expensive and take years to complete. Rather than waiting for them to be completed, we argue for an approach similar to that used with needle and syringe programs (NSP), which were promoted and implemented before being tested more rigorously. Before implementation, rapid assessments that involve PWID will need to be conducted to ensure buy-in from PWID and other local stakeholders. This commentary summarizes the existing evidence regarding the protective effects of low dead space syringes and estimates potential impacts on HIV transmission; it describes potential barriers to transitioning PWID from high dead space to low dead space needles and syringes; and it presents strategies for overcoming these barriers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Modulation of horizontal cell receptive fields in the light adapted goldfish retina

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verweij, J.; Kamermans, M.; van den Aker, E. C.; Spekreijse, H.

    1996-01-01

    In the isolated goldfish retina, 700 nm background illumination increases the horizontal cell receptive field size, as measured with 565 nm slits of light, but decreases the receptive field size, when measured with 660 nm slits. These background-induced changes in receptive field size are absent

  5. Receptivity of Hypersonic Boundary Layers to Acoustic and Vortical Disturbances (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balakumar, P.

    2015-01-01

    Boundary-layer receptivity to two-dimensional acoustic and vortical disturbances for hypersonic flows over two-dimensional and axi-symmetric geometries were numerically investigated. The role of bluntness, wall cooling, and pressure gradients on the receptivity and stability were analyzed and compared with the sharp nose cases. It was found that for flows over sharp nose geometries in adiabatic wall conditions the instability waves are generated in the leading-edge region and that the boundary layer is much more receptive to slow acoustic waves as compared to the fast waves. The computations confirmed the stabilizing effect of nose bluntness and the role of the entropy layer in the delay of boundary layer transition. The receptivity coefficients in flows over blunt bodies are orders of magnitude smaller than that for the sharp cone cases. Wall cooling stabilizes the first mode strongly and destabilizes the second mode. However, the receptivity coefficients are also much smaller compared to the adiabatic case. The adverse pressure gradients increased the unstable second mode regions.

  6. Health Challenges in Refugee Reception: Dateline Europe 2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blitz, Brad K; d'Angelo, Alessio; Kofman, Eleonore; Montagna, Nicola

    2017-11-30

    The arrival of more than one million migrants, many of them refugees, has proved a major test for the European Union. Although international relief and monitoring agencies have been critical of makeshift camps in Calais and Eidomeni where infectious disease and overcrowding present major health risks, few have examined the nature of the official reception system and its impact on health delivery. Drawing upon research findings from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project, this article considers the physical and mental health of asylum-seekers in transit and analyses how the closure of borders has engendered health risks for populations in recognised reception centres in Sicily and in Greece. Data gathered by means of a survey administered in Greece (300) and in Sicily (400), and complemented by in-depth interviews with migrants (45) and key informants (50) including representatives of government offices, humanitarian and relief agencies, NGOs and activist organisations, are presented to offer an analysis of the reception systems in the two frontline states. We note that medical provision varies significantly from one centre to another and that centre managers play a critical role in the transmission of vital information. A key finding is that, given such disparity, the criteria used by the UNHCR to grade health services reception do not address the substantive issue that prevent refugees from accessing health services, even when provided on site. Health provision is not as recorded in UNHCR reporting but rather there are critical gaps between provision, awareness, and access for refugees in reception systems in Sicily and in Greece. This article concludes that there is a great need for more information campaigns to direct refugees to essential services.

  7. Federal funding for syringe exchange in the US: Explaining a long-term policy failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Showalter, David

    2018-05-01

    The United States prohibited federal funding for syringe exchange programs for people who inject drugs nearly continuously from 1988 to 2015, despite growing scientific evidence, diminishing AIDS-related controversy, and tens of thousands of deaths from injection-related AIDS. This study investigates the political and institutional bases of this long-term failure to support lifesaving public policy. This study draws on national, regional, and local media coverage, archival sources, and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 6 long-time syringe exchange researchers and activists from California. I use case-oriented process tracing methods to explain the persistence and reform of the federal funding ban. Though previous studies focus on the symbolic clash between conservative morality and empirical science, I find that changing demographic and regional inequalities in the effects of the AIDS epidemic and dynamics produced by the federal structure of US government were more important factors in the creation and persistence of the funding ban. The persistence and eventual repeal of the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange was a product of the changing demographic, geographic, and political effects of the AIDS epidemic within the federal structure of US government, rather than a consequence of intractable morality politics. These contextual dynamics continue to shape AIDS and public health policy at all levels of government. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Predicting Receptive-Expressive Vocabulary Discrepancies in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDaniel, Jena; Yoder, Paul; Woynaroski, Tiffany; Watson, Linda R

    2018-05-15

    Correlates of receptive-expressive vocabulary size discrepancies may provide insights into why language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) deviates from typical language development and ultimately improve intervention outcomes. We indexed receptive-expressive vocabulary size discrepancies of 65 initially preverbal children with ASD (20-48 months) to a comparison sample from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories Wordbank (Frank, Braginsky, Yurovsky, & Marchman, 2017) to quantify typicality. We then tested whether attention toward a speaker and oral motor performance predict typicality of the discrepancy 8 months later. Attention toward a speaker correlated positively with receptive-expressive vocabulary size discrepancy typicality. Imitative and nonimitative oral motor performance were not significant predictors of vocabulary size discrepancy typicality. Secondary analyses indicated that midpoint receptive vocabulary size mediated the association between initial attention toward a speaker and end point receptive-expressive vocabulary size discrepancy typicality. Findings support the hypothesis that variation in attention toward a speaker might partially explain receptive-expressive vocabulary size discrepancy magnitude in children with ASD. Results are consistent with an input-processing deficit explanation of language impairment in this clinical population. Future studies should test whether attention toward a speaker is malleable and causally related to receptive-expressive discrepancies in children with ASD.

  9. First-year university students’ receptive and productive use of academic vocabulary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Déogratias Nizonkiza

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The present study explores academic vocabulary knowledge, operationalised through the Academic Word List, among first-year higher education students. Both receptive and productive knowledge and the proportion between the two are examined. Results show that while receptive knowledge is readily acquired by first-year students, productive knowledge lags behind and remains problematic. This entails that receptive knowledge is much larger than productive knowledge, which confirms earlier indications that receptive vocabulary knowledge is larger than productive knowledge for both academic vocabulary (Zhou 2010 and general vocabulary (cf. Laufer 1998, Webb 2008, among others. Furthermore, results reveal that the ratio between receptive and productive knowledge is slightly above 50%, which lends empirical support to previous findings that the ratio between the two aspects of vocabulary knowledge can be anywhere between 50% and 80% (Milton 2009. This finding is extended here to academic vocabulary; complementing Zhou’s (2010 study that investigated the relationship between the two aspects of vocabulary knowledge without examining the ratio between them. On the basis of these results, approaches that could potentially contribute to fostering productive knowledge growth are discussed. Avenues worth exploring to gain further insight into the relationship between receptive and productive knowledge are also suggested.

  10. The Past in the Future: Problems and Potentials of Historical Reception Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Klaus Bruhn

    1993-01-01

    Gives examples of how qualitative methodologies have been employed to study media reception in the present. Identifies some forms of evidence that can creatively fill the gaps in knowledge about media reception in the past. Argues that the field must develop databases documenting media reception, which may broaden the scope of audience research in…

  11. A clinical comparative study between conventional and camouflaged syringes to evaluate behavior and anxiety in 6-11-year-old children during local anesthesia administration-a novel approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melwani, Anjana M; Srinivasan, Ila; Setty, Jyothsna V; D R, Murali Krishna; Pamnani, Sunaina S; Lalitya, Dandamudi

    2018-02-01

    The sight of dental injection can bring about severe anxiety in children. Therefore, an alternative method that is convenient, effective, and keeps the needle hidden making it child friendly is necessary. The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of a camouflaged syringe and conventional syringe on behavior and anxiety in 6-11-year-old children during local anesthesia administration. The study was a randomized, crossover clinical study including 30 children. Children were separated into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 15 children aged 6-8 years while group 2 consisted of 15 children aged 9-11 years. This study involved two sessions wherein all the children were injected using conventional and camouflaged syringes in separate sessions. Their behavior was assessed using the Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) behavior pain scale and anxiety was assessed by measuring changes in pulse rate. Patient and operator preferences were compared. The results showed a lower mean change in pulse rate and FLACC scores in the camouflaged group, suggesting a positive behavior and lesser anxiety with camouflaged syringes than with conventional syringes. The use of camouflaged syringes for anesthesia was demonstrated to be effective in improving the behavior of children and decreasing their anxiety, and is therefore recommended as an alternative to the use of conventional syringes for local anesthesia.

  12. What is so ‘classical’ about Classical Reception? Theories, Methodologies and Future Prospects

    OpenAIRE

    Anastasia Bakogianni

    2016-01-01

    This paper delivered at the University of Rio on 3rd June 2015 seeks to explore different approaches to the most fundamental questions in classical reception studies. What is classical reception? And more particularly what is so ‘classical’ about classical reception? It discusses current trends in theory and methodology via an analysis of two cinematic receptions of the ancient story of Electra; one that proclaims its debt to a classical text while the other masks its classical connections.

  13. Multiple access to sterile syringes for injection drug users: vending machines, needle exchange programs and legal pharmacy sales in Marseille, France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moatti, J P; Vlahov, D; Feroni, I; Perrin, V; Obadia, Y

    2001-03-01

    In Marseille, southeastern France, HIV prevention programs for injection drug users (IDUs) simultaneously include access to sterile syringes through needle exchange programs (NEPs), legal pharmacy sales and, since 1996, vending machines that mechanically exchange new syringes for used ones. The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of IDUs according to the site where they last obtained new syringes. During 3 days in September 1997, all IDUs who obtained syringes from 32 pharmacies, four NEPs and three vending machines were offered the opportunity to complete a self-administered questionnaire on demographics, drug use characteristics and program utilization. Of 485 individuals approached, the number who completed the questionnaire was 141 in pharmacies, 114 in NEPs and 88 at vending machines (response rate = 70.7%). Compared to NEP users, vending machine users were younger and less likely to be enrolled in a methadone program or to report being HIV infected, but more likely to misuse buprenorphine. They also had lower financial resources and were less likely to be heroin injectors than both pharmacy and NEP users. Our results suggest that vending machines attract a very different group of IDUs than NEPs, and that both programs are useful adjuncts to legal pharmacy sales for covering the needs of IDUs for sterile syringes in a single city. Assessment of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of combining such programs for the prevention of HIV and other infectious diseases among IDUs requires further comparative research. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

  14. Health Challenges in Refugee Reception: Dateline Europe 2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blitz, Brad K.; d’Angelo, Alessio; Kofman, Eleonore; Montagna, Nicola

    2017-01-01

    The arrival of more than one million migrants, many of them refugees, has proved a major test for the European Union. Although international relief and monitoring agencies have been critical of makeshift camps in Calais and Eidomeni where infectious disease and overcrowding present major health risks, few have examined the nature of the official reception system and its impact on health delivery. Drawing upon research findings from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project, this article considers the physical and mental health of asylum–seekers in transit and analyses how the closure of borders has engendered health risks for populations in recognised reception centres in Sicily and in Greece. Data gathered by means of a survey administered in Greece (300) and in Sicily (400), and complemented by in-depth interviews with migrants (45) and key informants (50) including representatives of government offices, humanitarian and relief agencies, NGOs and activist organisations, are presented to offer an analysis of the reception systems in the two frontline states. We note that medical provision varies significantly from one centre to another and that centre managers play a critical role in the transmission of vital information. A key finding is that, given such disparity, the criteria used by the UNHCR to grade health services reception do not address the substantive issue that prevent refugees from accessing health services, even when provided on site. Health provision is not as recorded in UNHCR reporting but rather there are critical gaps between provision, awareness, and access for refugees in reception systems in Sicily and in Greece. This article concludes that there is a great need for more information campaigns to direct refugees to essential services. PMID:29189766

  15. Health Challenges in Refugee Reception: Dateline Europe 2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brad K. Blitz

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The arrival of more than one million migrants, many of them refugees, has proved a major test for the European Union. Although international relief and monitoring agencies have been critical of makeshift camps in Calais and Eidomeni where infectious disease and overcrowding present major health risks, few have examined the nature of the official reception system and its impact on health delivery. Drawing upon research findings from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC funded project, this article considers the physical and mental health of asylum–seekers in transit and analyses how the closure of borders has engendered health risks for populations in recognised reception centres in Sicily and in Greece. Data gathered by means of a survey administered in Greece (300 and in Sicily (400, and complemented by in-depth interviews with migrants (45 and key informants (50 including representatives of government offices, humanitarian and relief agencies, NGOs and activist organisations, are presented to offer an analysis of the reception systems in the two frontline states. We note that medical provision varies significantly from one centre to another and that centre managers play a critical role in the transmission of vital information. A key finding is that, given such disparity, the criteria used by the UNHCR to grade health services reception do not address the substantive issue that prevent refugees from accessing health services, even when provided on site. Health provision is not as recorded in UNHCR reporting but rather there are critical gaps between provision, awareness, and access for refugees in reception systems in Sicily and in Greece. This article concludes that there is a great need for more information campaigns to direct refugees to essential services.

  16. Attention operates uniformly throughout the classical receptive field and the surround

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhoef, Bram-Ernst; Maunsell, John HR

    2016-01-01

    Shifting attention among visual stimuli at different locations modulates neuronal responses in heterogeneous ways, depending on where those stimuli lie within the receptive fields of neurons. Yet how attention interacts with the receptive-field structure of cortical neurons remains unclear. We measured neuronal responses in area V4 while monkeys shifted their attention among stimuli placed in different locations within and around neuronal receptive fields. We found that attention interacts uniformly with the spatially-varying excitation and suppression associated with the receptive field. This interaction explained the large variability in attention modulation across neurons, and a non-additive relationship among stimulus selectivity, stimulus-induced suppression and attention modulation that has not been previously described. A spatially-tuned normalization model precisely accounted for all observed attention modulations and for the spatial summation properties of neurons. These results provide a unified account of spatial summation and attention-related modulation across both the classical receptive field and the surround. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17256.001 PMID:27547989

  17. Nonlinear Hebbian Learning as a Unifying Principle in Receptive Field Formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brito, Carlos S N; Gerstner, Wulfram

    2016-09-01

    The development of sensory receptive fields has been modeled in the past by a variety of models including normative models such as sparse coding or independent component analysis and bottom-up models such as spike-timing dependent plasticity or the Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro model of synaptic plasticity. Here we show that the above variety of approaches can all be unified into a single common principle, namely nonlinear Hebbian learning. When nonlinear Hebbian learning is applied to natural images, receptive field shapes were strongly constrained by the input statistics and preprocessing, but exhibited only modest variation across different choices of nonlinearities in neuron models or synaptic plasticity rules. Neither overcompleteness nor sparse network activity are necessary for the development of localized receptive fields. The analysis of alternative sensory modalities such as auditory models or V2 development lead to the same conclusions. In all examples, receptive fields can be predicted a priori by reformulating an abstract model as nonlinear Hebbian learning. Thus nonlinear Hebbian learning and natural statistics can account for many aspects of receptive field formation across models and sensory modalities.

  18. Correlates of lending needles/syringes among HIV-seropositive injection drug users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metsch, Lisa R; Pereyra, Margaret; Purcell, David W; Latkin, Carl A; Malow, Robert; Gómez, Cynthia A; Latka, Mary H

    2007-11-01

    Among HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs), we examined the correlates of lending needles/syringes with HIV-negative and unknown status injection partners. HIV-positive IDUs (N=738) from 4 cities in the United States who reported injection drug use with other IDUs in the past 3 months participated in an audio computer-assisted self-administered interview. Eighteen percent of study participants self-reported having lent their needles to HIV-negative or unknown status injection partners. Multivariate analyses showed that 6 variables were significantly associated with this high-risk injecting practice. Older IDUs, high school graduates, and those reporting more supportive peer norms for safer drug use were less likely to lend needles/syringes. Admission to a hospital for drug treatment in the past 6 months, having injected with >1 person in the past 3 months, and having more psychiatric symptoms were all associated with more risk. These findings underscore the need for a continued prevention focus on HIV-positive IDUs that recognizes the combination of drug use, mental health factors, and social factors that might affect this high-risk injecting practice, which could be associated with HIV and hepatitis C transmission.

  19. What is so ‘classical’ about Classical Reception? Theories, Methodologies and Future Prospects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasia Bakogianni

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper delivered at the University of Rio on 3rd June 2015 seeks to explore different approaches to the most fundamental questions in classical reception studies. What is classical reception? And more particularly what is so ‘classical’ about classical reception? It discusses current trends in theory and methodology via an analysis of two cinematic receptions of the ancient story of Electra; one that proclaims its debt to a classical text while the other masks its classical connections.

  20. Advertising Receptivity and Youth Initiation of Smokeless Tobacco.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timberlake, David S

    2016-07-28

    Cross-sectional data suggests that adolescents' receptivity to the advertising of smokeless tobacco is correlated with use of chewing tobacco or snuff. Lack of longitudinal data has precluded determination of whether advertising receptivity precedes or follows initiation of smokeless tobacco. The objective of this study was to test for the association between advertising receptivity and subsequent initiation of smokeless tobacco among adolescent males. Adolescent males from the 1993-1999 Teen Longitudinal California Tobacco Survey were selected at the baseline survey for never having used smokeless tobacco. Separate longitudinal analyses corresponded to two dependent variables, ever use of smokeless tobacco (1993-1996; N = 1,388) and use on 20 or more occasions (1993-1999; N = 1,014). Models were adjusted for demographic variables, risk factors for smokeless tobacco use, and exposure to users of smokeless tobacco. Advertising receptivity at baseline was predictive of ever use by late adolescence (RR(95% CI) = 2.0 (1.5, 2.8)) and regular use by young adulthood (RR(95% CI) = 3.7 (2.1, 6.7)) in models that were adjusted for covariates. Conclusions/ Importance: The findings challenge the tobacco industry's assertion that tobacco marketing does not impact youth initiation. This is particularly relevant to tobacco control in the United States because the 2009 Tobacco Control Act places fewer restrictions on smokeless tobacco products compared to cigarettes.

  1. Longitudinal analysis of receptive vocabulary growth in young Spanish English-speaking children from migrant families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Carla Wood; Schatschneider, Christopher; Leacox, Lindsey

    2014-01-01

    The authors of this study described developmental trajectories and predicted kindergarten performance of Spanish and English receptive vocabulary acquisition of young Latino/a English language learners (ELLs) from socioeconomically disadvantaged migrant families. In addition, the authors examined the extent to which gender and individual initial performance in Spanish predict receptive vocabulary performance and growth rate. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling of 64 children's receptive vocabulary performance to generate growth trajectories, predict performance at school entry, and examine potential predictors of rate of growth. The timing of testing varied across children. The ELLs (prekindergarten to 2nd grade) participated in 2-5 testing sessions, each 6-12 months apart. The ELLs' average predicted standard score on an English receptive vocabulary at kindergarten was nearly 2 SDs below the mean for monolingual peers. Significant growth in the ELLs' receptive vocabulary was observed between preschool and 2nd grade, indicating that the ELLs were slowly closing the receptive vocabulary gap, although their average score remained below the standard score mean for age-matched monolingual peers. The ELLs demonstrated a significant decrease in Spanish receptive vocabulary standard scores over time. Initial Spanish receptive vocabulary was a significant predictor of growth in English receptive vocabulary. High initial Spanish receptive vocabulary was associated with greater growth in English receptive vocabulary and decelerated growth in Spanish receptive vocabulary. Gender was not a significant predictor of growth in either English or Spanish receptive vocabulary. ELLs from low socioeconomic backgrounds may be expected to perform lower in English compared with their monolingual English peers in kindergarten. Performance in Spanish at school entry may be useful in identifying children who require more intensive instructional support for English vocabulary

  2. Sparse coding can predict primary visual cortex receptive field changes induced by abnormal visual input.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Jonathan J; Dayan, Peter; Goodhill, Geoffrey J

    2013-01-01

    Receptive fields acquired through unsupervised learning of sparse representations of natural scenes have similar properties to primary visual cortex (V1) simple cell receptive fields. However, what drives in vivo development of receptive fields remains controversial. The strongest evidence for the importance of sensory experience in visual development comes from receptive field changes in animals reared with abnormal visual input. However, most sparse coding accounts have considered only normal visual input and the development of monocular receptive fields. Here, we applied three sparse coding models to binocular receptive field development across six abnormal rearing conditions. In every condition, the changes in receptive field properties previously observed experimentally were matched to a similar and highly faithful degree by all the models, suggesting that early sensory development can indeed be understood in terms of an impetus towards sparsity. As previously predicted in the literature, we found that asymmetries in inter-ocular correlation across orientations lead to orientation-specific binocular receptive fields. Finally we used our models to design a novel stimulus that, if present during rearing, is predicted by the sparsity principle to lead robustly to radically abnormal receptive fields.

  3. Stability of busulfan solutions in polypropylene syringes and infusion bags as determined with an original assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guichard, Nicolas; Bonnabry, Pascal; Rudaz, Serge; Fleury-Souverain, Sandrine

    2017-11-15

    The stability of busulfan solution in 0.9% sodium chloride and stored in polypropylene syringes or infusion bags was evaluated. Busulfan solutions (0.54 mg/mL) were prepared and transferred to 50-mL polypropylene syringes and 100- and 500-mL polypropylene infusion bags and stored at 2-8 and 23-27 °C. Chemical stability was measured using a stability-indicating, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry method. The stability of busulfan was assessed by measuring the percentage of the initial concentration remaining at the end of each time point of analysis. The initial busulfan concentration was defined as 100%. Stability was defined as retention of at least 90% of the initial busulfan concentration. A visual inspection of the samples for particulate matter, clarity, and color without instrumentation of magnification was conducted at each time point of analysis. The visual inspection demonstrated no influence of the storage container when busulfan infusions diluted in 0.9% sodium chloride injection were stored at 23-27 °C. No color change or precipitate was observed at this temperature; however, a rapid decrease of the busulfan content in all containers stored at room temperature was observed. Busulfan in syringes was chemically stable for 12 hours, while busulfan in infusion bags (100 and 500 mL) was stable only for 3 hours at 23-27 °C. Busulfan 0.54-mg/mL solution in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was physically and chemically stable for 30 hours when stored in 50-mL polypropylene syringes at 2-8 °C and protected from light. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Receptive fields selection for binary feature description.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Bin; Kong, Qingqun; Trzcinski, Tomasz; Wang, Zhiheng; Pan, Chunhong; Fua, Pascal

    2014-06-01

    Feature description for local image patch is widely used in computer vision. While the conventional way to design local descriptor is based on expert experience and knowledge, learning-based methods for designing local descriptor become more and more popular because of their good performance and data-driven property. This paper proposes a novel data-driven method for designing binary feature descriptor, which we call receptive fields descriptor (RFD). Technically, RFD is constructed by thresholding responses of a set of receptive fields, which are selected from a large number of candidates according to their distinctiveness and correlations in a greedy way. Using two different kinds of receptive fields (namely rectangular pooling area and Gaussian pooling area) for selection, we obtain two binary descriptors RFDR and RFDG .accordingly. Image matching experiments on the well-known patch data set and Oxford data set demonstrate that RFD significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art binary descriptors, and is comparable with the best float-valued descriptors at a fraction of processing time. Finally, experiments on object recognition tasks confirm that both RFDR and RFDG successfully bridge the performance gap between binary descriptors and their floating-point competitors.

  5. HIV Risk Behavior among Amphetamine Injectors at U.S. Syringe Exchange Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braine, Naomi; Des Jarlais, Don C.; Goldblatt, Cullen; Zadoretzky, Cathy; Turner, Charles

    2005-01-01

    The goal of this study was to compare HIV risk behaviors of amphetamine and non-amphetamine injectors at syringe exchange programs (SEP) in the United States and to identify factors associated with injection risk. This analysis is based on data from a random cross-section of participants at 13 SEPs in different parts of the country. All interviews…

  6. Behavioral response and pain perception to computer controlled local anesthetic delivery system and cartridge syringe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T D Yogesh Kumar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The present study evaluated and compared the pain perception, behavioral response, physiological parameters, and the role of topical anesthetic administration during local anesthetic administration with cartridge syringe and computer controlled local anesthetic delivery system (CCLAD. Design: A randomized controlled crossover study was carried out with 120 children aged 7-11 years. They were randomly divided into Group A: Receiving injection with CCLAD during first visit; Group B: Receiving injection with cartridge syringe during first visit. They were further subdivided into three subgroups based on the topical application used: (a 20% benzocaine; (b pressure with cotton applicator; (c no topical application. Pulse rate and blood pressure were recorded before and during injection procedure. Objective evaluation of disruptive behavior and subjective evaluation of pain were done using face legs activity cry consolability scale and modified facial image scale, respectively. The washout period between the two visits was 1-week. Results: Injections with CCLAD produced significantly lesser pain response, disruptive behavior (P < 0.001, and pulse rate (P < 0.05 when compared to cartridge syringe injections. Application of benzocaine produced lesser pain response and disruptive behavior when compared to the other two subgroups, although the result was not significant. Conclusion: Usage of techniques which enhance behavioral response in children like injections with CCLAD can be considered as a possible step toward achieving a pain-free pediatric dental practice.

  7. Problems of generation and reception of gravitational waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pisarev, A.F.

    1975-01-01

    The present day status of the problems of gravitation, wave radiation and reception is surveyed. The physical presentation and mathematical description of the processes of radiation, propagation and interaction of gravitation waves with matter and the electromagnetic field are given. The experiments on the search for gravitation waves of astophysical nature are analysed. The laboratory and cosmic sources of these waves and the methods of their reception are described. Special attention is drawn to the analysis of the proposals to perform a complete laboratory gravitation wave experiment

  8. Nonlinear Hebbian Learning as a Unifying Principle in Receptive Field Formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos S N Brito

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The development of sensory receptive fields has been modeled in the past by a variety of models including normative models such as sparse coding or independent component analysis and bottom-up models such as spike-timing dependent plasticity or the Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro model of synaptic plasticity. Here we show that the above variety of approaches can all be unified into a single common principle, namely nonlinear Hebbian learning. When nonlinear Hebbian learning is applied to natural images, receptive field shapes were strongly constrained by the input statistics and preprocessing, but exhibited only modest variation across different choices of nonlinearities in neuron models or synaptic plasticity rules. Neither overcompleteness nor sparse network activity are necessary for the development of localized receptive fields. The analysis of alternative sensory modalities such as auditory models or V2 development lead to the same conclusions. In all examples, receptive fields can be predicted a priori by reformulating an abstract model as nonlinear Hebbian learning. Thus nonlinear Hebbian learning and natural statistics can account for many aspects of receptive field formation across models and sensory modalities.

  9. The Foucault-Habermas Debate: the Reflexive and Receptive Aspects of Critique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Ejvind

    2005-01-01

    In this paper I discuss the relationship between two different approaches to critical theory – the reflective and the receptive approaches. I show how it can be fruitful to discuss the relationship between Habermas and Foucault through this distinction. My point is that whereas Habermas focusses...... on critique as a reflexive activity, Foucault mainly focusses on the receptive conditions for critique to be possible. I argue further that Foucault focusses on the receptive aspects of critique, the quest for universality is not as pressing as it is in Habermas’ approach, because problematizing critique can...

  10. Deaf Students' Receptive and Expressive American Sign Language Skills: Comparisons and Relations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beal-Alvarez, Jennifer S.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents receptive and expressive American Sign Language skills of 85 students, 6 through 22 years of age at a residential school for the deaf using the American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test and the Ozcaliskan Motion Stimuli. Results are presented by ages and indicate that students' receptive skills increased with age and…

  11. Treatment of herniated lumbar disc by percutaneous laser disc decompression combined with synchronous suction technique through syringe

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Dhir B. Gurung; Gaojian Tao; Hongyi Lin; Yanning Qian; Jian Lin

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To compare the outcomes of percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) and PLDD with synchronous suction through syringe in the patients with herniated lumbar disc (HLD). Methods: Forty-two patients with HLD on MRI and those who did not respond to conservative treatment for 6 weeks were randomly divided into group A and group B. In group A, the patients were treated with PLDD and those in group B with PLDD and synchronous suction through syringe. GaAIAS diode laser at 810 nm was used for the ablation in both groups. The treatment effect was evaluated by modified MacNab's criteria on the 7th, 30th and 90th day. Results: Evaluated by modified MacNab's criteria, the percentages of the excellent and good cases in total patients treated for group B and A were 80.95% and 57.14% on the 7th follow-up day, 85.71% and 66.67% on the 30th follow-up day, and 95.24% and 71.43% on the 90th follow-up day, respectively. Conclusion: Synchronous suction technique through syringe during PLDD improves the overall outcome in the treatment of herniated lumbar disc.

  12. The Receptive Side of Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hruska, Barbara

    2008-01-01

    When observing teachers in action, one is likely to witness explaining, modeling, managing, guiding, and encouraging. These expressive behaviors constitute a directive force moving outward from teacher to students. Though less visible to an outside observer, teaching also requires receptive skills, the ability to take in information by being fully…

  13. Trend Analyses of Users of a Syringe Exchange Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1999-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurer, Laurie A; Bass, Sarah Bauerle; Ye, Du; Benitez, José; Mazzella, Silvana; Krafty, Robert

    2016-12-01

    This study examines trends of injection drug users' (IDUs) use of a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, syringe exchange program (SEP) from 1999 to 2014, including changes in demographics, drug use, substance abuse treatment, geographic indicators, and SEP use. Prevention Point Philadelphia's SEP registration data were analyzed using linear regression, Pearson's Chi square, and t-tests. Over time new SEP registrants have become younger, more racially diverse, and geographically more concentrated in specific areas of the city, corresponding to urban demographic shifts. The number of new registrants per year has decreased, however syringes exchanged have increased. Gentrification, cultural norms, and changes in risk perception are believed to have contributed to the changes in SEP registration. Demographic changes indicate outreach strategies for IDUs may need adjusting to address unique barriers for younger, more racially diverse users. Implications for SEPs are discussed, including policy and continued ability to address current public health threats.

  14. Developmental Stages in Receptive Grammar Acquisition: A Processability Theory Account

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buyl, Aafke; Housen, Alex

    2015-01-01

    This study takes a new look at the topic of developmental stages in the second language (L2) acquisition of morphosyntax by analysing receptive learner data, a language mode that has hitherto received very little attention within this strand of research (for a recent and rare study, see Spinner, 2013). Looking at both the receptive and productive…

  15. Regulation regarding the reception of the construction works and the corresponding installations in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Chirică

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The new Regulation regarding the reception of construction works and corresponding installations, approved by Government's Decision no. 347/2017 (“Regulation 2017” has general applicability for all construction works for which there is an obligation to obtain a building permit. Regulation 2017 brings significant changes and clarifications expected by the real estate sector regarding: (i the composition of the commissions involved in the reception procedure, (ii the role of the site supervisor who thus gains significant participation in the reception procedure, and (iii the participation of the public authorities' representatives at the reception, having the veto right on the decision of the reception commission upon the completion of the construction works. Another element of novelty brought by Regulation 2017 is the possibility to do the reception upon the completion of the construction works, respectively the final reception for parts / objectives / sectors of or from the building, if they are distinct/ independent from a physical and functional point of view. Thus, the new regulation facilitates the procedure of authorizing investment objectives and the costs of the process. The partial reception is another innovation brought by the Regulation 2017 in support of the investor, who can thus take over a part of the construction, at a certain stage, and obtain its registration with the Land Book.

  16. Communication from Goods Reception services

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    Members of the personnel are invited to take note that only parcels corresponding to official orders or contracts will be handled at CERN. Individuals are not authorised to have private merchandise delivered to them at CERN and private deliveries will not be accepted by the Goods Reception services. Thank you for your understanding.

  17. The receptive-expressive gap in the vocabulary of young second-language learners: Robustness and possible mechanisms

    OpenAIRE

    Gibson, Todd A.; Oller, D. Kimbrough; Jarmulowicz, Linda; Ethington, Corinna A.

    2012-01-01

    Adults and children learning a second language show difficulty accessing expressive vocabulary that appears accessible receptively in their first language (L1). We call this discrepancy the receptive-expressive gap. Kindergarten Spanish (L1) - English (L2) sequential bilinguals were given standardized tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary in both Spanish and English. We found a small receptive-expressive gap in English but a large receptive-expressive gap in Spanish. We categorized chi...

  18. Contact with hospital syringes containing body fluids: implications for medical waste management regulation Jeringas en contacto con sangre y fluidos corporales utilizadas en el hospital: implicaciones para el manejo de desechos hospitalarios

    OpenAIRE

    Patricia Volkow; Bénédicte Jacquemin; Diana Vilar-Compte; José Ramón Castillo

    2003-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To determine amount of syringes used in the hospital and extent of contact with blood and body fluids of these syringes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Syringe use was surveyed at a tertiary care center for one week; syringes were classified into the following four categories according to use: a) contained blood; b) contained other body fluids (urine, gastric secretion, cerebrospinal fluid, wound drainage); c) used exclusively for drug dilution and application in plastic intravenous (IV) tu...

  19. Unaccompanied adolescents seeking asylum: Poorer mental health under a restrictive reception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijneveld, S.A.; Boer, J.B.de; Bean, T.; Korfker, D.G.

    2005-01-01

    We assessed the effects of a stringent reception policy on the mental health of unaccompanied adolescent asylum seekers by comparing the mental health of adolescents in a restricted campus reception setting and in a setting offering more autonomy (numbers [response rates]: 69 [93%] and 53 [69%],

  20. The impact of harm reduction programs and police interventions on the number of syringes collected from public spaces. A time series analysis in Barcelona, 2004-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espelt, A; Villalbí, J R; Bosque-Prous, M; Parés-Badell, O; Mari-Dell'Olmo, M; Brugal, M T

    2017-12-01

    To estimate the effect of opening two services for people who use drugs and three police interventions on the number of discarded syringes collected from public spaces in Barcelona between 2004 and 2014. We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis of the monthly number of syringes collected from public spaces during this period. The dependent variable was the number of syringes collected per month. The main independent variables were month and five dummy variables (the opening of two facilities with safe consumption rooms, and three police interventions). To examine which interventions affected the number of syringes collected, we performed an interrupted time-series analysis using a quasi-Poisson regression model, obtaining relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The number of syringes collected per month in Barcelona decreased from 13,800 in 2004 to 1655 in 2014 after several interventions. For example, following the closure of an open drug scene in District A of the city, we observed a decreasing trend in the number of syringes collected [RR=0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.95)], but an increasing trend in the remaining districts [RR=1.11 (95% CI: 1.05-1.17) and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.99-1.18) for districts B and C, respectively]. Following the opening of a harm reduction facility in District C, we observed an initial increase in the number collected in this district [RR=2.72 (95% CI: 1.57-4.71)] and stabilization of the trend thereafter [RR=0.97 (95% CI: 0.91-1.03)]. The overall number of discarded syringes collected from public spaces has decreased consistently in parallel with a combination of police interventions and the opening of harm reduction facilities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Determination of bismuth and cadmium after solid-phase extraction with chromosorb-107 in a syringe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokman, Nilgun; Akman, Suleyman

    2004-01-01

    The determination of bismuth and cadmium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after solid-phase extraction (SPE) on Chromosorb-107 filled in a syringe was described. To retain the analytes, the sample solution treated with and without ammonium pyrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was drawn into the syringe filled with Chromosorb-107 and discharged back manually. Bismuth and cadmium were quantitatively sorbed at pH ≥ 6 irrespective of whether the analyte was complexed with APDC prior to passing through the Chromosorb-107. Analyte elements sorbed on the resin were quantitatively eluted with 3.0 M of HNO 3 again drawing and discharging the eluent into the syringe and ejected it back. Optimum flow rates of sample or eluent for sorption and elution processes were 20 ml min -1 for drawing and 20 ml min -1 for discharging in all cases. Bismuth and cadmium were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The elements could be concentrated by drawing and discharging several portions of sample successively but eluting only one time. The validity of the proposed method was checked with standard reference materials (NIST SRM 1515 Apple-Leaves, CWW-TM-E Waste Water and CRM-SW Sea Water). The analyte elements were quantitatively (>95%) recovered from different matrices irrespective of treated samples with APDC. Detection limits (δ) were 0.8 and 1.2 μg l -1 for Bi and Cd, respectively. The method can be characterized with fastness, simplicity, quantitative recovery and high reproducibility

  2. Syringe shape and positioning relative to efficiency volume inside dose calibrators and its role in nuclear medicine quality assurance programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, J.A.M.; Carrasco, M.F.; Lencart, J.; Bastos, A.L.

    2009-01-01

    A careful analysis of geometry and source positioning influence in the activity measurement outcome of a nuclear medicine dose calibrator is presented for 99m Tc. The implementation of a quasi-point source apparent activity curve measurement is proposed for an accurate correction of the activity inside several syringes, and compared with a theoretical geometric efficiency model. Additionally, new geometrical parameters are proposed to test and verify the correct positioning of the syringes as part of acceptance testing and quality control procedures.

  3. Syringe shape and positioning relative to efficiency volume inside dose calibrators and its role in nuclear medicine quality assurance programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, J.A.M. [Servico de Fisica Medica, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal); Centro de Investigacao, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal)], E-mail: a.miranda@portugalmail.pt; Carrasco, M.F. [Servico de Fisica Medica, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal); Centro de Investigacao, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal); Lencart, J. [Servico de Fisica Medica, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal); Bastos, A.L. [Servico de Medicina Nuclear, Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E., Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida, 4200072 Porto (Portugal)

    2009-06-15

    A careful analysis of geometry and source positioning influence in the activity measurement outcome of a nuclear medicine dose calibrator is presented for {sup 99m}Tc. The implementation of a quasi-point source apparent activity curve measurement is proposed for an accurate correction of the activity inside several syringes, and compared with a theoretical geometric efficiency model. Additionally, new geometrical parameters are proposed to test and verify the correct positioning of the syringes as part of acceptance testing and quality control procedures.

  4. Are They Listening? Parental Social Coaching and Parenting Emotional Climate Predict Adolescent Receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregson, Kim D; Erath, Stephen A; Pettit, Gregory S; Tu, Kelly M

    2016-12-01

    Associations linking parenting emotional climate and quality of parental social coaching with young adolescents' receptivity to parental social coaching were examined (N = 80). Parenting emotional climate was assessed with adolescent-reported parental warmth and hostility. Quality of parental social coaching (i.e., prosocial advice, benign framing) was assessed via parent-report and behavioral observations during a parent-adolescent discussion about negative peer evaluation. An adolescent receptivity latent variable score was derived from observations of adolescents' behavior during the discussion, change in adolescents' peer response plan following the discussion, and adolescent-reported tendency to seek social advice from the parent. Parenting climate moderated associations between coaching and receptivity: Higher quality coaching was associated with greater receptivity in the context of a more positive climate. Analyses suggested a stronger association between coaching and receptivity among younger compared to older adolescents. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2015 Society for Research on Adolescence.

  5. Physical stability of 20% lipid injectable emulsions via simulated syringe infusion: effects of glass vs plastic product packaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, David F; Ling, Pei-Ra; Bistrian, Bruce R

    2007-01-01

    The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has proposed large-globule-size limits to ensure the physical stability of lipid injectable emulsions, expressed as the percent fat >5 microm, or PFAT(5), not exceeding 0.05%. Visibly obvious phase separation as free oil has been shown to occur in some samples if PFAT(5) is >0.4%. We recently found that lipids, newly packaged in plastic (P), exceed the proposed USP limits and seem to produce less stable total nutrient admixtures compared with those made from conventional glass (G), which do meet proposed USP standards. We tested the possible stability differences between 20% lipid injectable emulsions in either P or G in a simulated neonatal syringe infusion study. Eighteen individual syringes were prepared from each 20% lipid injectable emulsion product (n = 36) and attached to a syringe pump set at an infusion rate of 0.5 mL/hour. The starting PFAT(5) levels were measured at time 0 and after 24 hours of infusion, using a laser-based light obscuration technique as described by the USP Chapter . The data were assessed by a 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Container (G vs P) and Time as the independent variables and PFAT as the dependent variable. At time 0, the starting PFAT(5) level for lipids packaged in G was 0.006% +/- 0.001% vs 0.162% +/- 0.026% for P, whereas at the end of the infusion they were 0.013% +/- 0.003% and 0.328% +/- 0.046%, respectively. Significant differences were noted overall between groups for Container, Time, and Container-Time interaction (all p emulsions packaged in newly introduced plastic containers exceed the proposed USP PFAT(5) limits and subsequently become significantly less stable during a simulated syringe-based infusion. Although modest growth (p = NS) in large-diameter fat globules was observed for the glass-based lipids, they remained within proposed USP globule size limits throughout the study. Glass-based lipids seem to be a more stable dosage form and potentially a safer way to

  6. Teaching receptive naming of Chinese characters to children with autism by incorporating echolalia.

    OpenAIRE

    Leung, J P; Wu, K I

    1997-01-01

    The facilitative effect of incorporating echolalia on teaching receptive naming of Chinese characters to children with autism was assessed. In Experiment 1, echoing the requested character name prior to the receptive naming task facilitated matching a character to its name. In addition, task performance was consistently maintained only when echolalia preceded the receptive manual response. Positive results from generalization tests suggested that learned responses occurred across various nove...

  7. Receptivity to television fast-food restaurant marketing and obesity among U.S. youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Auden C; Tanski, Susanne E; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Adachi-Mejia, Anna M; Li, Zhigang; Li, Zhongze; Sargent, James D

    2013-11-01

    Advertisement of fast food on TV may contribute to youth obesity. The goal of the study was to use cued recall to determine whether TV fast-food advertising is associated with youth obesity. A national sample of 2541 U.S. youth, aged 15-23 years, were surveyed in 2010-2011; data were analyzed in 2012. Respondents viewed a random subset of 20 advertisement frames (with brand names removed) selected from national TV fast-food restaurant advertisements (n=535) aired in the previous year. Respondents were asked if they had seen the advertisement, if they liked it, and if they could name the brand. A TV fast-food advertising receptivity score (a measure of exposure and response) was assigned; a 1-point increase was equivalent to affirmative responses to all three queries for two separate advertisements. Adjusted odds of obesity (based on self-reported height and weight), given higher TV fast-food advertising receptivity, are reported. The prevalence of overweight and obesity, weighted to the U.S. population, was 20% and 16%, respectively. Obesity, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, fast-food restaurant visit frequency, weekday TV time, and TV alcohol advertising receptivity were associated with higher TV fast-food advertising receptivity (median=3.3 [interquartile range: 2.2-4.2]). Only household income, TV time, and TV fast-food advertising receptivity retained multivariate associations with obesity. For every 1-point increase in TV fast-food advertising receptivity score, the odds of obesity increased by 19% (OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.01, 1.40). There was no association between receptivity to televised alcohol advertisements or fast-food restaurant visit frequency and obesity. Using a cued-recall assessment, TV fast-food advertising receptivity was found to be associated with youth obesity. © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

  8. Receptivity to Television Fast-Food Restaurant Marketing and Obesity Among U.S. Youth

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Auden C.; Tanski, Susanne E.; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Adachi-Mejia, Anna M.; Li, Zhigang; Li, Zhongze; Sargent, James D.

    2013-01-01

    Background Advertisement of fast food on TV may contribute to youth obesity. Purpose The goal of the study was to use cued recall to determine whether TV fast-food advertising is associated with youth obesity. Methods A national sample of 2541 U.S. youth, aged 15–23 years, were surveyed in 2010–2011; data were analyzed in 2012. Respondents viewed a random subset of 20 advertisement frames (with brand names removed) selected from national TV fast-food restaurant advertisements (n=535) aired in the previous year. Respondents were asked if they had seen the advertisement, if they liked it, and if they could name the brand. A TV fast-food advertising receptivity score (a measure of exposure and response) was assigned; a 1-point increase was equivalent to affirmative responses to all three queries for two separate advertisements. Adjusted odds of obesity (based on self-reported height and weight), given higher TV fast-food advertising receptivity, are reported. Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity, weighted to the U.S. population, was 20% and 16%, respectively. Obesity, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, fast-food restaurant visit frequency, weekday TV time, and TV alcohol advertising receptivity were associated with higher TV fast-food advertising receptivity (median=3.3 [interquartile range: 2.2–4.2]). Only household income, TV time, and TV fast-food advertising receptivity retained multivariate associations with obesity. For every 1-point increase in TV fast-food advertising receptivity score, the odds of obesity increased by 19% (OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.01, 1.40). There was no association between receptivity to televised alcohol advertisements or fast-food restaurant visit frequency and obesity. Conclusions Using a cued-recall assessment, TV fast-food advertising receptivity was found to be associated with youth obesity. PMID:24139768

  9. Effect of leading-edge geometry on boundary-layer receptivity to freestream sound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Nay; Reed, Helen L.; Saric, W. S.

    1991-01-01

    The receptivity to freestream sound of the laminar boundary layer over a semi-infinite flat plate with an elliptic leading edge is simulated numerically. The incompressible flow past the flat plate is computed by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations in general curvilinear coordinates. A finite-difference method which is second-order accurate in space and time is used. Spatial and temporal developments of the Tollmien-Schlichting wave in the boundary layer, due to small-amplitude time-harmonic oscillations of the freestream velocity that closely simulate a sound wave travelling parallel to the plate, are observed. The effect of leading-edge curvature is studied by varying the aspect ratio of the ellipse. The boundary layer over the flat plate with a sharper leading edge is found to be less receptive. The relative contribution of the discontinuity in curvature at the ellipse-flat-plate juncture to receptivity is investigated by smoothing the juncture with a polynomial. Continuous curvature leads to less receptivity. A new geometry of the leading edge, a modified super ellipse, which provides continuous curvature at the juncture with the flat plate, is used to study the effect of continuous curvature and inherent pressure gradient on receptivity.

  10. [Preference for etanercept pen versus syringe in patients with chronic arthritis. Nurse education workshop].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Diaz, Silvia; Girabent-Farrés, Montserrat; Roig-Vilaseca, Daniel; Reina, Delia; Cerdà, Dacia; González, Marina; Torrente-Segarra, Vicenç; Fíguls, Ramon; Corominas, Hèctor

    2013-01-01

    The aims of this study are to evaluate the level of fear of post-injection pain prior to the administration, the difficulty in handling the device, and the level of satisfaction of patients using a pre-filled syringe versus an etanercept pen, as well as to evaluate the usefulness of the training given by nursing staff prior to starting with the pen, and the preferences of patients after using both devices. A prospective study was designed to follow-up a cohort of patients during a 6 months period. The data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS 18.00. Rank and McNemar tests were performed. Statistical significance was pre-set at an α level of 0.05. A total of 29 patients were included, of whom 69% female, and with a mean age 52.5±10.9 years. Of these, 48% had rheumatoid arthritis, 28% psoriatic arthritis, 21% ankylosing spondylitis, and 3% undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy. There were no statistically significant differences either with the fear or pain or handling of the device between the syringe and the pen (P=.469; P=.812; P=.169 respectively). At 6 months, 59% of patients referred to being satisfied or very satisfied with the pen. Almost all (93%) found useful or very useful the training given by nursing staff prior to using the pen, and 55% preferred the pen over the pre-filled syringe. The etanercept pen is another subcutaneous device option for patients with chronic arthritis. According to the present study, nursing educational workshops before starting this therapy are recommended. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  11. A two-stage procedure for determining unsaturated hydraulic characteristics using a syringe pump and outflow observations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wildenschild, Dorthe; Jensen, Karsten Høgh; Hollenbeck, Karl-Josef

    1997-01-01

    A fast two-stage methodology for determining unsaturated flow characteristics is presented. The procedure builds on direct measurement of the retention characteristic using a syringe pump technique, combined with inverse estimation of the hydraulic conductivity characteristic based on one......-step outflow experiments. The direct measurements are obtained with a commercial syringe pump, which continuously withdraws fluid from a soil sample at a very low and accurate how rate, thus providing the water content in the soil sample. The retention curve is then established by simultaneously monitoring......-step outflow data and the independently measured retention data are included in the objective function of a traditional least-squares minimization routine, providing unique estimates of the unsaturated hydraulic characteristics by means of numerical inversion of Richards equation. As opposed to what is often...

  12. Problems of generation and reception of gravitational waves. [Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pisarev, A F [Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research, Dubna (USSR)

    1975-01-01

    The present day status of the problems of gravitation, wave radiation and reception is surveyed. The physical presentation and mathematical description of the processes of radiation, propagation and interaction of gravitation waves with matter and the electromagnetic field are given. The experiments on the search for gravitation waves of astophysical nature are analysed. The laboratory and cosmic sources of these waves and the methods of their reception are described. Special attention is drawn to the analysis of the proposals to perform a complete laboratory gravitation wave experiment.

  13. From conciliar ecumenism to transformative receptive ecumenism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article attends to ecumenicity as the second reformation. The ecumenical organisations and agencies hugely influenced the theological praxis and reflection of the church during the past century. The First World Council of Churches (WCC Assembly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has been described as the most significant event in church history since the Reformation during the past decade. We saw the emergence of two initiatives that are going to influence ecumenical theology and practice in future, namely the Receptive Ecumenism and Catholic Learning research project, based in Durham, United Kingdom, and the International Theological Colloquium for Transformative Ecumenism of the WCC. Both initiatives constitute a fresh approach in methodology to ecumenical theology and practice. Attention will be given in this article to conciliar ecumenism, receptive ecumenism, transformative ecumenism and its implications for the development of an African transformative receptive ecumenism. In doing so, we should take cognisance of what Küng says about a confessionalist ghetto mentality: ‘We must avoid a confessionalistic ghetto mentality. Instead we should espouse an ecumenical vision that takes into consideration the world religions as well as contemporary ideologies: as much tolerance as possible toward those things outside the Church, toward the religious in general, and the human in general, and the development of that which is specifically Christian belong together!’

  14. 47 CFR 73.825 - Protection to reception of TV channel 6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Protection to reception of TV channel 6. 73.825... RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Low Power FM Broadcast Stations (LPFM) § 73.825 Protection to reception of TV... separation distances in the following table are met with respect to all full power TV Channel 6 stations. FM...

  15. Efficiency of an automated reception and turnaround time management system for the phlebotomy room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Soon Gyu; Shin, Jeong Won; Park, Eun Su; Bang, Hae In; Kang, Jung Gu

    2016-01-01

    Recent advances in laboratory information systems have largely been focused on automation. However, the phlebotomy services have not been completely automated. To address this issue, we introduced an automated reception and turnaround time (TAT) management system, for the first time in Korea, whereby the patient's information is transmitted directly to the actual phlebotomy site and the TAT for each phlebotomy step can be monitored at a glance. The GNT5 system (Energium Co., Ltd., Korea) was installed in June 2013. The automated reception and TAT management system has been in operation since February 2014. Integration of the automated reception machine with the GNT5 allowed for direct transmission of laboratory order information to the GNT5 without involving any manual reception step. We used the mean TAT from reception to actual phlebotomy as the parameter for evaluating the efficiency of our system. Mean TAT decreased from 5:45 min to 2:42 min after operationalization of the system. The mean number of patients in queue decreased from 2.9 to 1.0. Further, the number of cases taking more than five minutes from reception to phlebotomy, defined as the defect rate, decreased from 20.1% to 9.7%. The use of automated reception and TAT management system was associated with a decrease of overall TAT and an improved workflow at the phlebotomy room.

  16. Housing Service: Receptions of the CERN and St.-Genis-Pouilly Hostels

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    Opening times Please note the new and definitive opening times of the Receptions of the hostels on the Swiss site of CERN and in St. Genis : CERN hostels St.-Genis hostel from Monday to Friday 7:30 - 19:30 8:00 - 12:00 16:00 - 19:00 Saturday 9:00 - 13:00 closed Sunday 9:00 - 13:00 closed Outside these times keys to rooms reserved in advance can be obtained from the guards on duty at the main entrance to the Meyrin, Switzerland, CERN site (Gate B), where they are deposited some fifteen minutes after the closure of the Reception. As for the St. Genis hostel, for arrivals on Saturdays and Sundays, the keys are deposited with the guards in advance on the preceding Friday evening. Reminder : reservations, whether for the CERN hostels or the St. Genis hostel, are available through the Reception of the CERN hostels. Once the reservation has been confirmed, in the case of St. Genis, all other business, including payment, is dealt with by the St. Genis hostel reception. As far as possible, all r...

  17. The Critical Reception of Lewis Nordan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerre, Thomas Ærvold

    2010-01-01

    The essay covers the critical reception of Mississippi-writer Lewis Nordan from his debut in 1983 to the boost in scholarly attention in the new millennium. The essay covers newspaper reviews but pays particular attention to the many academic essays that have placed Nordan as a writer...

  18. Needle syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy for preventing hepatitis C transmission in people who inject drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Platt, Lucy; Minozzi, Silvia; Reed, Jennifer; Vickerman, Peter; Hagan, Holly; French, Clare; Jordan, Ashly; Degenhardt, Louisa; Hope, Vivian; Hutchinson, Sharon; Maher, Lisa; Palmateer, Norah; Taylor, Avril; Bruneau, Julie; Hickman, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    very low-quality evidence that high NSP coverage did not reduce risk of HCV acquisition (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.61) with high heterogeneity (I2 = 77%) based on five studies from North America and Europe involving 3530 participants. After stratification by region, high NSP coverage in Europe was associated with a 76% reduction in HCV acquisition risk (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.62) with less heterogeneity (I2 =0%). We found low-quality evidence of the impact of combined high coverage of NSP and OST, from three studies involving 3241 participants, resulting in a 74% reduction in the risk of HCV acquisition (RR 0.26 95% CI 0.07 to 0.89). Authors' conclusions OST is associated with a reduction in the risk of HCV acquisition, which is strengthened in studies that assess the combination of OST and NSP. There was greater heterogeneity between studies and weaker evidence for the impact of NSP on HCV acquisition. High NSP coverage was associated with a reduction in the risk of HCV acquisition in studies in Europe. Interventions for reducing hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs Review question We examine research on the effect of needle syringe programmes (NSP) and opioid substitution treatment (OST) in reducing the risk of becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus. Background There are around 114.9 million people living with hepatitis C and 3 to 4 million people newly infected each year. The main risk for becoming infected is sharing used needles/syringes. Almost half the people who inject drugs have hepatitis C. The provision of sterile injecting equipment through NSPs reduces the need for sharing equipment when preparing and injecting drugs. OST is taken orally and reduces frequency of injection and unsafe injecting practices. We examined whether NSP and OST, provided alone or together, are effective in reducing the chances of becoming infected with hepatitis C in people who inject drugs. Search date The evidence is current to November 2015. Study

  19. Spectrotemporal dynamics of auditory cortical synaptic receptive field plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froemke, Robert C; Martins, Ana Raquel O

    2011-09-01

    The nervous system must dynamically represent sensory information in order for animals to perceive and operate within a complex, changing environment. Receptive field plasticity in the auditory cortex allows cortical networks to organize around salient features of the sensory environment during postnatal development, and then subsequently refine these representations depending on behavioral context later in life. Here we review the major features of auditory cortical receptive field plasticity in young and adult animals, focusing on modifications to frequency tuning of synaptic inputs. Alteration in the patterns of acoustic input, including sensory deprivation and tonal exposure, leads to rapid adjustments of excitatory and inhibitory strengths that collectively determine the suprathreshold tuning curves of cortical neurons. Long-term cortical plasticity also requires co-activation of subcortical neuromodulatory control nuclei such as the cholinergic nucleus basalis, particularly in adults. Regardless of developmental stage, regulation of inhibition seems to be a general mechanism by which changes in sensory experience and neuromodulatory state can remodel cortical receptive fields. We discuss recent findings suggesting that the microdynamics of synaptic receptive field plasticity unfold as a multi-phase set of distinct phenomena, initiated by disrupting the balance between excitation and inhibition, and eventually leading to wide-scale changes to many synapses throughout the cortex. These changes are coordinated to enhance the representations of newly-significant stimuli, possibly for improved signal processing and language learning in humans. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Perfil de los usuarios de drogas por vía parenteral que mantienen conductas de riesgo relacionadas con la inyección en Cataluña Characteristics of intravenous drug users who share injection equipment in Catalonia (Spain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cinta Folch

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Objetivos: Estimar la prevalencia de las prácticas de riesgo directas e indirectas relacionadas con la inyección de drogas e identificar los factores asociados en los usuarios de drogas por vía parenteral (UDVP en centros de reducción de daños en Cataluña. Métodos: Estudio transversal realizado entre 2008 y 2009 en centros de reducción de daños. La información conductual se recogió mediante un cuestionario anónimo administrado por entrevistadores previamente formados. Resultados: De los 748 entrevistados, el 31,5% compartió jeringas usadas en los últimos 6 meses y el 55,2% compartió la cuchara, el agua o el filtro, o realizó el front/backloading con jeringas usadas. Los UDVP que se inyectan diariamente (odds ratio [OR]=1,5, se inyectan cocaína (OR=1,6, obtienen menos jeringas gratuitas (OR=2,5 menos de la mitad a ninguna, tienen una pareja sexual UDVP (OR=1,8 y comparten indirectamente (OR=4,1 presentaron una mayor probabilidad de haber compartido jeringas. Por otro lado, tener una fuente de ingresos ilegal (OR=1,5, inyectarse diariamente (OR=1, 5, inyectarse cocaína (OR=1,4, haber compartido jeringas (OR=3,9 y haber tenido alguna sobredosis en la vida (OR=1,5 fueron factores asociados a compartir de forma indirecta. Conclusiones: A pesar de la generalización de los programas de reducción de daños, en Cataluña se mantiene un porcentaje de UDVP que realizan conductas de riesgo relacionadas con la inyección. Sería necesario mejorar el acceso a todo el material estéril de inyección, en especial entre los que se inyectan cocaína y los que se inyectan con mayor frecuencia, e incluir también a las parejas sexuales UDVP en estas intervenciones preventivas.Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of direct and indirect syringe sharing among intravenous drug users (IDUs attending a harm reduction center in Catalonia (Spain and to identify factors associated with risk behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted

  1. Design of signal reception and processing system of embedded ultrasonic endoscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ming; Yu, Feng; Zhang, Ruiqiang; Li, Yan; Chen, Xiaodong; Yu, Daoyin

    2009-11-01

    Embedded Ultrasonic Endoscope, based on embedded microprocessor and embedded real-time operating system, sends a micro ultrasonic probe into coelom through the biopsy channel of the Electronic Endoscope to get the fault histology features of digestive organs by rotary scanning, and acquires the pictures of the alimentary canal mucosal surface. At the same time, ultrasonic signals are processed by signal reception and processing system, forming images of the full histology of the digestive organs. Signal Reception and Processing System is an important component of Embedded Ultrasonic Endoscope. However, the traditional design, using multi-level amplifiers and special digital processing circuits to implement signal reception and processing, is no longer satisfying the standards of high-performance, miniaturization and low power requirements that embedded system requires, and as a result of the high noise that multi-level amplifier brought, the extraction of small signal becomes hard. Therefore, this paper presents a method of signal reception and processing based on double variable gain amplifier and FPGA, increasing the flexibility and dynamic range of the Signal Reception and Processing System, improving system noise level, and reducing power consumption. Finally, we set up the embedded experiment system, using a transducer with the center frequency of 8MHz to scan membrane samples, and display the image of ultrasonic echo reflected by each layer of membrane, with a frame rate of 5Hz, verifying the correctness of the system.

  2. The importance of social networks in their association to drug equipment sharing among injection drug users: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De, Prithwish; Cox, Joseph; Boivin, Jean-François; Platt, Robert W; Jolly, Ann M

    2007-11-01

    To examine the scientific evidence regarding the association between characteristics of social networks of injection drug users (IDUs) and the sharing of drug injection equipment. A search was performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Current Contents, PsycINFO databases and other sources to identify published studies on social networks of IDUs. Papers were selected based on their examination of social network factors in relation to the sharing of syringes and drug preparation equipment (e.g. containers, filters, water). Additional relevant papers were found from the reference list of identified articles. Network correlates of drug equipment sharing are multi-factorial and include structural factors (network size, density, position, turnover), compositional factors (network member characteristics, role and quality of relationships with members) and behavioural factors (injecting norms, patterns of drug use, severity of drug addiction). Factors appear to be related differentially to equipment sharing. Social network characteristics are associated with drug injection risk behaviours and should be considered alongside personal risk behaviours in prevention programmes. Recommendations for future research into the social networks of IDUs are proposed.

  3. Difficulties Using Standardized Tests to Identify the Receptive Expressive Gap in Bilingual Children's Vocabularies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Todd A; Oller, D Kimbrough; Jarmulowicz, Linda

    2018-03-01

    Receptive standardized vocabulary scores have been found to be much higher than expressive standardized vocabulary scores in children with Spanish as L1, learning L2 (English) in school (Gibson et al., 2012). Here we present evidence suggesting the receptive-expressive gap may be harder to evaluate than previously thought because widely-used standardized tests may not offer comparable normed scores. Furthermore monolingual Spanish-speaking children tested in Mexico and monolingual English-speaking children in the US showed other, yet different statistically significant discrepancies between receptive and expressive scores. Results suggest comparisons across widely used standardized tests in attempts to assess a receptive-expressive gap are precarious.

  4. Analysis of Hypodermic Needles and Syringes for the Presence of Blood and Polydimethylsiloxane (Silicone) Utilizing Microchemical Tests and Infrared Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, John B; Lanzarotta, Adam; Witkowski, Mark R; Andria, Sara E

    2015-07-01

    Suspect hypodermic needles and syringes were seized from an unlicensed individual who was allegedly injecting patients with silicone (polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS]) for cosmetic enhancement. Since control syringe barrels and needles often contain an interfering PDMS lubricant, a risk for false positives of foreign PDMS exists. The focus of this report was to minimize this risk and determine a quick and reliable test for the presence of blood in PDMS matrices. Using ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy, the risk for false-positive identification of foreign PDMS was reduced by (i) overfilling the sampling aperture to prevent spectral distortions and (ii) sampling a region of the suspect syringe/needle assembly where manufacturer-applied PDMS is not typically located. Analysis for blood indicated that the Teichman microchemical test was effective for detecting blood in the presence of PDMS. Overall, detecting PDMS established intent and detecting blood established that the needle containing the PDMS had been used for injection. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  5. Effects of Humor Production, Humor Receptivity, and Physical Attractiveness on Partner Desirability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Tornquist

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This study examined women’s and men’s preferences for humor production and humor receptivity in long-term and short-term relationships, and how these factors interact with physical attractiveness to influence desirability. Undergraduates viewed photographs of the opposite sex individuals who were high or low in physical attractiveness, along with vignettes varying in humor production and receptivity. Participants rated physical attractiveness and desirability for long-term and short-term relationships. The main findings were that individuals desired partners who were high in humor production and receptivity, though the effects were particularly pronounced for women judging long-term relationships. Moreover, humor production was more important than receptivity for women’s ratings of male desirability. Notably, we also found that ratings of physical attractiveness were influenced by the humor conditions. These results are discussed in terms of the fitness indicator, interest indicator, and encryption hypotheses of the evolutionary functions of humor.

  6. More than Decadence - Johannes Jørgensen's early reception of Arthur Schopenhauer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nord, Johan Christian

    Fremmedsproglig forskningsformidling af hovedpunkterne i artiklen "En Poet og en Religionsstifter, med hvem jeg er enig i næsten alle Ting" Indledende betragtninger over Johannes Jørgensens Schopenhauer-reception.......Fremmedsproglig forskningsformidling af hovedpunkterne i artiklen "En Poet og en Religionsstifter, med hvem jeg er enig i næsten alle Ting" Indledende betragtninger over Johannes Jørgensens Schopenhauer-reception....

  7. Organic Extractives from Mentha spp. Honey and the Bee-Stomach: Methyl Syringate, Vomifoliol, Terpenediol I, Hotrienol and Other Compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Jerković

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available The GC and GC/MS analyses of the solvent organic extractive from the stomach of the bees, having collected Mentha spp. nectar, revealed the presence of methyl syringate (6.6%, terpendiol I (5.0% and vomifoliol (3.0% that can be attributed to the plant origin. Other major compounds from the bee-stomach were related to the composition of cuticular waxes and less to pheromones. Organic extractivesfrom Mentha spp. honey were obtained by solvent-free headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME and ultrasonic solvent extraction (USE and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major honey headspace compounds were hotrienol (31.1%–38.5%, 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (0.5–6.0%, cis- and trans-linalool oxides (0.9–2.8%, linalool (1.0–3.1% and neroloxide (0.9–1.9%. Methyl syringate was the most abundant compound (38.3-56.2% in the honey solvent extractives followed by vomifoliol (7.0–26.6%. Comparison of the honey organic extractives with the corresponding bee-stomach extractive indicated that methyl syringate and vomofoliol were transferred to the honey while terpendiol I was partially transformed to hotrienol in ripened honey.

  8. Genome-Wide Association Study of Receptive Language Ability of 12-Year-Olds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harlaar, Nicole; Meaburn, Emma L.; Hayiou-Thomas, Marianna E.; Davis, Oliver S. P.; Docherty, Sophia; Hanscombe, Ken B.; Haworth, Claire M. A.; Price, Thomas S.; Trzaskowski, Maciej; Dale, Philip S.; Plomin, Robert

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Researchers have previously shown that individual differences in measures of receptive language ability at age 12 are highly heritable. In the current study, the authors attempted to identify some of the genes responsible for the heritability of receptive language ability using a "genome-wide association" approach. Method: The…

  9. Implementation Study of Patient-Ready Syringes Containing 25 mg/mL Methotrexate Solution for Use in Treating Ectopic Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Respaud

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Ectopic pregnancy (EP is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality during the first trimester of pregnancy. Small unruptured tubal pregnancies can be treated medically with a single dose of methotrexate (MTX. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of a 25 mg/mL solution of MTX to devise a secure delivery circuit for the preparation and use of this medication in the management of EP. Method. MTX solutions were packaged in polypropylene syringes, stored over an 84-day period, and protected from light either at +2 to +8°C or at 23°C. We assessed the physical and chemical stability of the solutions at various time points over the storage period. A pharmaceutical delivery circuit was implemented that involved the batch preparation of MTX syringes. Results. We show that 25 mg/mL MTX solutions remain stable over an 84-day period under the storage conditions tested. Standard doses were prepared, ranging from 50 mg to 100 mg. The results of this study suggest that MTX syringes can be prepared in advance by the pharmacy, ready to be dispensed at any time that a diagnosis of EP is made. Conclusion. The high stability of a 25 mg/mL MTX solution in polypropylene syringes makes it possible to implement a flexible and cost-effective delivery circuit for ready-to-use preparations of this drug, providing 24-hour access and preventing treatment delays.

  10. Rise in needle sharing among injection drug users in Pakistan during the Afghanistan war.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strathdee, Steffanie A; Zafar, Tariq; Brahmbhatt, Heena; Baksh, Ahmed; ul Hassan, Salman

    2003-07-20

    The war in Afghanistan in 2001 may have had direct or indirect effects on drug users' behaviors in nearby Pakistan. We studied drug use patterns and correlates of needle sharing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Lahore, Pakistan, before and after the beginning of the Afghanistan war. Between August and October 2001, 244 drug users registering for needle exchange and other services underwent an interviewer-administered survey on sociodemographics, drug use and HIV/AIDS awareness. chi(2)-tests were used to compare drug use behaviors among subjects interviewed before and after October 6th, 2001, coinciding with the start of the Afghanistan war. Correlates of needle sharing among IDUs were identified using logistic regression. Comparing IDUs interviewed before and after October 6th, 2001, levels of needle sharing were significantly higher after the war (56% versus 76%, respectively; P=0.02). Factors independently associated with needle sharing included registering after the war began (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=3.76 (95% CI: 1.23-11.48)), being married (AOR=0.36), being homeless (AOR=3.91), having been arrested (AOR=6.00), and re-using syringes (AOR=6.19). Expansion of needle exchange, drug treatment and supportive services is urgently needed to avoid an explosive HIV epidemic in Pakistan.

  11. Prediction of turning stability using receptance coupling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jasiewicz, Marcin; Powałka, Bartosz

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents an issue of machining stability prediction of dynamic "lathe - workpiece" system evaluated using receptance coupling method. Dynamic properties of the lathe components (the spindle and the tailstock) are assumed to be constant and can be determined experimentally based on the results of the impact test. Hence, the variable of the system "machine tool - holder - workpiece" is the machined part, which can be easily modelled analytically. The method of receptance coupling enables a synthesis of experimental (spindle, tailstock) and analytical (machined part) models, so impact testing of the entire system becomes unnecessary. The paper presents methodology of analytical and experimental models synthesis, evaluation of the stability lobes and experimental validation procedure involving both the determination of the dynamic properties of the system and cutting tests. In the summary the experimental verification results would be presented and discussed.

  12. Mapping the receptivity of malaria risk to plan the future of control in Somalia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noor, Abdisalan Mohamed; Alegana, Victor Adagi; Patil, Anand Prabhakar; Moloney, Grainne; Borle, Mohammed; Yusuf, Fahmi; Amran, Jamal; Snow, Robert William

    2012-01-01

    To measure the receptive risks of malaria in Somalia and compare decisions on intervention scale-up based on this map and the more widely used contemporary risk maps. Cross-sectional community Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate (PfPR) data for the period 2007-2010 corrected to a standard age range of 2 to contemporary (2010) mean PfPR(2-10) and the maximum annual mean PfPR(2-10) (receptive) from the highest predicted PfPR(2-10) value over the study period as an estimate of receptivity. Randomly sampled communities in Somalia. Randomly sampled individuals of all ages. Cartographic descriptions of malaria receptivity and contemporary risks in Somalia at the district level. The contemporary annual PfPR(2-10) map estimated that all districts (n=74) and population (n=8.4 million) in Somalia were under hypoendemic transmission (≤10% PfPR(2-10)). Of these, 23% of the districts, home to 13% of the population, were under transmission of 10%-50% PfPR(2-10)) and the rest as hypoendemic. Compared with maps of receptive risks, contemporary maps of transmission mask disparities of malaria risk necessary to prioritise and sustain future control. As malaria risk declines across Africa, efforts must be invested in measuring receptivity for efficient control planning.

  13. Multi-reception strategy with improved SNR for multichannel MR imaging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing Wu

    Full Text Available A multi-reception strategy with extended GRAPPA is proposed in this work to improve MR imaging performance at ultra-high field MR systems with limited receiver channels. In this method, coil elements are separated to two or more groups under appropriate grouping criteria. Those groups are enabled in sequence for imaging first, and then parallel acquisition is performed to compensate for the redundant scan time caused by the multiple receptions. To efficiently reconstruct the data acquired from elements of each group, a specific extended GRAPPA was developed. This approach was evaluated by using a 16-element head array on a 7 Tesla whole-body MRI scanner with 8 receive channels. The in-vivo experiments demonstrate that with the same scan time, the 16-element array with twice receptions and acceleration rate of 2 can achieve significant SNR gain in the periphery area of the brain and keep nearly the same SNR in the center area over an eight-element array, which indicates the proposed multi-reception strategy and extended GRAPPA are feasible to improve image quality for MRI systems with limited receive channels. This study also suggests that it is advantageous for a MR system with N receiver channels to utilize a coil array with more than N elements if an appropriate acquisition strategy is applied.

  14. New insights into flood warning reception and emergency response by affected parties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreibich, Heidi; Müller, Meike; Schröter, Kai; Thieken, Annegret H.

    2017-11-01

    Flood damage can be mitigated if the parties at risk are reached by flood warnings and if they know how to react appropriately. To gain more knowledge about warning reception and emergency response of private households and companies, surveys were undertaken after the August 2002 and the June 2013 floods in Germany. Despite pronounced regional differences, the results show a clear overall picture: in 2002, early warnings did not work well; e.g. many households (27 %) and companies (45 %) stated that they had not received any flood warnings. Additionally, the preparedness of private households and companies was low in 2002, mainly due to a lack of flood experience. After the 2002 flood, many initiatives were launched and investments undertaken to improve flood risk management, including early warnings and an emergency response in Germany. In 2013, only a small share of the affected households (5 %) and companies (3 %) were not reached by any warnings. Additionally, private households and companies were better prepared. For instance, the share of companies which have an emergency plan in place has increased from 10 % in 2002 to 34 % in 2013. However, there is still room for improvement, which needs to be triggered mainly by effective risk and emergency communication. The challenge is to continuously maintain and advance an integrated early warning and emergency response system even without the occurrence of extreme floods.

  15. Simultaneous extraction and determination of albendazole and triclabendazole by a novel syringe to syringe dispersive liquid phase microextraction-solidified floating organic drop combined with high performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asadi, Mohammad; Dadfarnia, Shayessteh; Haji Shabani, Ali Mohammad

    2016-08-17

    A syringe to syringe dispersive liquid phase microextraction-solidified floating organic drop was introduced and used for the simultaneous extraction of trace amounts of albendazole and triclabendazole from different matrices. The extracted analytes were determined by high performance liquid chromatography along with fluorescence detection. The analytical parameters affecting the microextraction efficiency including the nature and volume of the extraction solvent, sample volume, sample pH, ionic strength and the cycles of extraction were optimized. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.1-30.0 μg L(-1) and 0.2-30.0 μg L(-1) with determination coefficients of 0.9999 and 0.9998 for albendazole and triclabendazole respectively. The detection limits defined as three folds of the signal to noise ratio were found to be 0.02 μg L(-1) for albendazole and 0.06 μg L(-1) for triclabendazole. The inter-day and intra-day precision (RSD%) for both analytes at three concentration levels (0.5, 2.0 and 10.0 μg L(-1)) were in the range of 6.3-10.1% and 5.0-7.5% respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to determine albendazole and triclabendazole in water, cow milk, honey, and urine samples. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Natural image sequences constrain dynamic receptive fields and imply a sparse code.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Häusler, Chris; Susemihl, Alex; Nawrot, Martin P

    2013-11-06

    In their natural environment, animals experience a complex and dynamic visual scenery. Under such natural stimulus conditions, neurons in the visual cortex employ a spatially and temporally sparse code. For the input scenario of natural still images, previous work demonstrated that unsupervised feature learning combined with the constraint of sparse coding can predict physiologically measured receptive fields of simple cells in the primary visual cortex. This convincingly indicated that the mammalian visual system is adapted to the natural spatial input statistics. Here, we extend this approach to the time domain in order to predict dynamic receptive fields that can account for both spatial and temporal sparse activation in biological neurons. We rely on temporal restricted Boltzmann machines and suggest a novel temporal autoencoding training procedure. When tested on a dynamic multi-variate benchmark dataset this method outperformed existing models of this class. Learning features on a large dataset of natural movies allowed us to model spatio-temporal receptive fields for single neurons. They resemble temporally smooth transformations of previously obtained static receptive fields and are thus consistent with existing theories. A neuronal spike response model demonstrates how the dynamic receptive field facilitates temporal and population sparseness. We discuss the potential mechanisms and benefits of a spatially and temporally sparse representation of natural visual input. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. The Social Nature of Argumentative Practices: The Philosophy of Argument and Audience Reception

    OpenAIRE

    Paula Olmos

    2018-01-01

    Abstract: This article reviews Christopher W. Tindale’s The Philosophy of Argument and Audience Reception (Cambridge, 2015). Résumé: Cet article est une critique de The Philosophy of Argument and Audience Reception (Cambridge, 2015) de Christopher W. Tindale.

  18. The receptiveness toward remotely supported myofeedback treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huis in 't Veld, M.H.A.; Voerman, Gerlienke; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam Marie Rosé

    Remotely supported myofeedback treatment (RSMT) is considered to be a potentially valuable alternative to the conventional myofeedback treatment, as it might increase efficiency of care. This study was aimed at examining the receptiveness of potential end users (patients and professionals) with

  19. Knockout mutations of insulin-like peptide genes enhance sexual receptivity in Drosophila virgin females.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Kazuki; Sakai, Takaomi

    2016-01-01

    In the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, females take the initiative to mate successfully because they decide whether to mate or not. However, little is known about the molecular and neuronal mechanisms regulating sexual receptivity in virgin females. Genetic tools available in Drosophila are useful for identifying molecules and neural circuits involved in the regulation of sexual receptivity. We previously demonstrated that insulin-producing cells (IPCs) in the female brain are critical to the regulation of female sexual receptivity. Ablation and inactivation of IPCs enhance female sexual receptivity, suggesting that neurosecretion from IPCs inhibits female sexual receptivity. IPCs produce and release insulin-like peptides (Ilps) that modulate various biological processes such as metabolism, growth, lifespan and behaviors. Here, we report a novel role of the Ilps in sexual behavior in Drosophila virgin females. Compared with wild-type females, females with knockout mutations of Ilps showed a high mating success rate toward wild-type males, whereas wild-type males courted wild-type and Ilp-knockout females to the same extent. Wild-type receptive females retard their movement during male courtship and this reduced female mobility allows males to copulate. Thus, it was anticipated that knockout mutations of Ilps would reduce general locomotion. However, the locomotor activity in Ilp-knockout females was significantly higher than that in wild-type females. Thus, our findings indicate that the high mating success rate in Ilp-knockout females is caused by their enhanced sexual receptivity, but not by improvement of their sex appeal or by general sluggishness.

  20. Receptivity of a high-speed boundary layer to temperature spottiness

    OpenAIRE

    Fedorov, A. V.; Ryzhov, A. A.; Soudakov, V. G.; Utyuzhnikov, S. V.

    2013-01-01

    Two-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the receptivity of a flat-plate boundary layer to temperature spottiness in the Mach 6 free stream is carried out. The influence of spottiness parameters on the receptivity process is studied. It is shown that the temperature spots propagating near the upper boundary-layer edge generate mode F inside the boundary layer. Further downstream mode F is synchronized with unstable mode S (Mack second mode) and excites the latter via the inter-mod...

  1. Effective Strategies for Turning Receptive Vocabulary into Productive Vocabulary in EFL Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faraj, Avan Kamal Aziz

    2015-01-01

    Vocabulary acquisition has been a main concern of EFL English teachers and learners. There have been tons of research to examine the student's level of receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary, but no research has conducted on how turning receptive vocabulary into productive vocabulary. This study has reported the impact of the teaching…

  2. Lab-In-Syringe automation of stirring-assisted room-temperature headspace extraction coupled online to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection for determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in surface waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horstkotte, Burkhard; Lopez de Los Mozos Atochero, Natalia; Solich, Petr

    2018-06-22

    Online coupling of Lab-In-Syringe automated headspace extraction to gas chromatography has been studied. The developed methodology was successfully applied to surface water analysis using benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes as model analytes. The extraction system consisted of an automatic syringe pump with a 5 mL syringe into which all solutions and air for headspace formation were aspirated. The syringe piston featured a longitudinal channel, which allowed connecting the syringe void directly to a gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector via a transfer capillary. Gas injection was achieved via opening a computer-controlled pinch valve and compressing the headspace, upon which separation was initialized. Extractions were performed at room temperature; yet sensitivity comparable to previous work was obtained by high headspace to sample ratio V HS /V Sample of 1.6:1 and injection of about 77% of the headspace. Assistance by in-syringe magnetic stirring yielded an about threefold increase in extraction efficiency. Interferences were compensated by using chlorobenzene as an internal standard. Syringe cleaning and extraction lasting over 10 min was carried out in parallel to the chromatographic run enabling a time of analysis of <19 min. Excellent peak area repeatabilities with RSD of <4% when omitting and <2% RSD when using internal standard corrections on 100 μg L -1 level were achieved. An average recovery of 97.7% and limit of detection of 1-2 μg L -1 were obtained in analyses of surface water. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Technological Development and Its Impact on Student Reception of a Campus Radio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Shafizan; Wok, Saodah; Lahabou, Mahaman

    2018-01-01

    In 2011, a study was conducted to look at students' reception of IIUM.FM, a newly launched online campus radio. Using the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM), the study found that factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude highly influenced audience reception of the online radio. In 2016, a corresponding study,…

  4. The Receptive-Expressive Gap in the Vocabulary of Young Second-Language Learners: Robustness and Possible Mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Todd A.; Oller, D. Kimbrough; Jarmulowicz, Linda; Ethington, Corinna A.

    2012-01-01

    Adults and children learning a second language show difficulty accessing expressive vocabulary that appears accessible receptively in their first language (L1). We call this discrepancy the receptive-expressive gap. Kindergarten Spanish (L1)-English (L2) sequential bilinguals were given standardized tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary in…

  5. Review of foreign reception of Jovan Babić’s works

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dobrijević Aleksandar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the author discusses foreign reception of Jovan Babić’s works, which turns out to be very much alive and diverse. More precisely, the author limits himself to a short and very partial review of reception of only two Babić’s texts that, so far, attracted the most attention. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 43007 i br. 179041

  6. Tobacco marketing receptivity and other tobacco product use among young adult bar patrons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrul, Johannes; Lisha, Nadra E.; Ling, Pamela M.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Use of other tobacco products (smokeless tobacco, hookah, cigarillo, e-cigarettes) is increasing, particularly among young adults, and there are few regulations on marketing for these products. We examined the associations between tobacco marketing receptivity and other tobacco product (OTP) use among young adult bar patrons (aged 18-26 years). Methods Time-location sampling was used to collect cross-sectional surveys from 7,540 young adult bar patrons from January 2012 through March of 2014. Multivariable logistic regression analyses in 2015 examined if tobacco marketing receptivity was associated (1) with current (past 30 day) OTP use controlling for demographic factors, and (2) with dual/poly use among current cigarette smokers (n=3,045), controlling for demographics and nicotine dependence. Results Among the entire sample of young adult bar patrons (Mage=23.7, SD=1.8; 48.1% female), marketing receptivity was consistently associated with current use of all OTP including smokeless tobacco (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 2.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.90-3.27, pmarketing receptivity was significantly associated with use of smokeless tobacco (AOR=1.44, 95% CI 1.05-1.98, pmarketing receptivity. Efforts to limit tobacco marketing should address OTP in addition to cigarettes. PMID:27707516

  7. Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting rabbit doe sexual receptivity as estimated from one generation of divergent selection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Theau.Clément

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Sexual receptivity of rabbit does at insemination greatly influences fertility and is generally induced by hormones or techniques known as “biostimulation”. Searching for more sustainable farming systems, an original alternative would be to utilise the genetic pathway to increase the does’receptivity. The purpose of the present study was to identify genetic and non-genetic factors that influence rabbit doe sexual receptivity, in the context of a divergent selection experiment over 1 generation. The experiment spanned 2 generations: the founder generation (G0 consisting of 140 rabbit does, and the G1 generation comprising 2 divergently selected lines (L and H lines with 70 does each and 2 successive batches from each generation. The selection rate of the G0 females to form the G1 lines was 24/140. The selection tests consisted of 16 to 18 successive receptivity tests at the rate of 3 tests per week. On the basis of 4716 tests from 275 females, the average receptivity was 56.6±48.2%. A batch effect and a test operator effect were revealed. The contribution of females to the total variance was 20.0%, whereas that of bucks was only 1.1%. Throughout the experiment, 18.2% of does expressed a low receptivity (< 34%, 50.7% a medium one and 33.1% a high one (>66%. Some does were frequently receptive, whereas others were rarely receptive. The repeatability of sexual receptivity was approximately 20%. The results confirmed the high variability of sexual receptivity of non-lactating rabbit does maintained without any biostimulation or hormonal treatment. A lack of selection response on receptivity was observed. Accordingly, the heritability of receptivity was estimated at 0.01±0.02 from an animal model and at 0.02±0.03 from a  sire and dam model. The heritability of the average receptivity of a doe was calculated as 0.04. In agreement with the low estimated heritability, the heritability determined was no different from zero

  8. Speech recognition employing biologically plausible receptive fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fereczkowski, Michal; Bothe, Hans-Heinrich

    2011-01-01

    spectro-temporal receptive fields to auditory spectrogram input, motivated by the auditory pathway of humans, and ii) the adaptation or learning algorithms involved are biologically inspired. This is in contrast to state-of-the-art combinations of Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and Hidden Markov...

  9. Ableism and the Reception of Improvised Soundsinging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tonelli, Christopher

    2016-01-01

    Soundsinging is one name for the practice of making music using an idiosyncratic palette of vocal and non-vocal oral techniques. This paper is concerned with the reception of soundsinging and, more specifically, with listeners whose reactions to soundsinging involve attempts to contain the practice.

  10. The reception of relativity in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Besouw, J.; van Dongen, J.A.E.F.

    2013-01-01

    This article reviews the early academic and public reception of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity in the Netherlands, particularly after Arthur Eddington's eclipse experiments of 1919. Initially, not much attention was given to relativity, as it did not seem an improvement over Hendrik A.

  11. Endometrial Receptivity Profile in Patients with Premature Progesterone Elevation on the Day of hCG Administration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Delphine Haouzi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The impact of a premature elevation of serum progesterone level, the day of hCG administration in patients under controlled ovarian stimulation during IVF procedure, on human endometrial receptivity is still debated. In the present study, we investigated the endometrial gene expression profile shifts during the prereceptive and receptive secretory stage in patients with normal and elevated serum progesterone level on the day of hCG administration in fifteen patients under stimulated cycles. Then, specific biomarkers of endometrial receptivity in these two groups of patients were tested. Endometrial biopsies were performed on oocyte retrieval day and on day 3 of embryo transfer, respectively, for each patient. Samples were analysed using DNA microarrays and qRT-PCR. The endometrial gene expression shift from the prereceptive to the receptive stage was altered in patients with high serum progesterone level (>1.5 ng/mL on hCG day, suggesting accelerated endometrial maturation during the periovulation period. This was confirmed by the functional annotation of the differentially expressed genes as it showed downregulation of cell cycle-related genes. Conversely, the profile of endometrial receptivity was comparable in both groups. Premature progesterone rise alters the endometrial gene expression shift between the prereceptive and the receptive stage but does not affect endometrial receptivity.

  12. Aesthetic-Receptive and Critical-Creative in Appreciative Reading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titin Setiartin

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Reading is a process of aesthetically appreciative receptive to emphasize critical-creative reading activities. Metacognitively students understand, address any and explore the idea of the author in the text. Students responded, criticize, and evaluate the author's ideas in the text. At this stage, students can construct their post read text into other forms (new text. The aim of this strategy equips students to understand the meaning of the story, explore ideas, responding critically, and creatively pouring backstory idea. Reading strategies aesthetically-critical-creative receptive grabbed cognitive, effective, and psychomotor toward literacy critical reading and creative writing. Read appreciative included into the activities of reading comprehension. This activity involves the sensitivity and ability to process aesthetically-receptive reading and critical-creative. Readers imagination roam the author to obtain meaningful understanding and experience of reading. Some models of reading comprehension proposed experts covering the steps before reading, when reading, and after reading. At that stage to enable students after reading thinking abilities. Activities that can be done at this stage, for example, examine the back story, retell, make drawings, diagrams, or maps the concept of reading, as well as making a road map that describes the event. Other activities that can be done is to transform our student's text stories through reinforcement form illustrated stories into comic book form, for example (transliteration.

  13. Randomized, community-based pharmacy intervention to expand services beyond sale of sterile syringes to injection drug users in pharmacies in New York City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, Natalie D; Amesty, Silvia; Rivera, Alexis V; Harripersaud, Katherine; Turner, Alezandria; Fuller, Crystal M

    2013-09-01

    Structural interventions may help reduce racial/ethnic disparities in HIV. In 2009 to 2011, we randomized pharmacies participating in a nonprescription syringe access program in minority communities to intervention (pharmacy enrolled and delivered HIV risk reduction information to injection drug users [IDUs]), primary control (pharmacy only enrolled IDUs), and secondary control (pharmacy did not engage IDUs). Intervention pharmacy staff reported more support for syringe sales than did control staff. An expanded pharmacy role in HIV risk reduction may be helpful.

  14. A Methodology for Conus APOE Reception Planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-09-01

    mentioned, the reception process is a service-type system, which produces services to be rendered to the personnel and cargo flowing through it. The... Heizer , Ramon N. Chief, Supply Systems Branch, Dir- ectorate of Distribution, DCS/Logistics Operations, HQ AFLC, Wright-Patterson AFB OH. Personal inter

  15. Chamber of Commerce reception for Dr. Lucas

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-01-01

    Dr. William R. Lucas, Marshall's fourth Center Director (1974-1986), delivers a speech in front of a picture of the lunar landscape with Earth looming in the background while attending a Huntsville Chamber of Commerce reception honoring his achievements as Director of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

  16. Reception Shop Special Stand

    CERN Multimedia

    Education and Technology Transfer Unit/ETT-EC

    2004-01-01

    Friday 15.10.2004 CERN 50th Anniversary articles will be sold in the Main Building, ground floor on Friday 15th October from 10h00 to 16h00. T-shirt, (S, M, L, XL) 20.- K-way (M, L, XL) 20.- Silk tie (2 models) 30.- Einstein tie 45.- Umbrella 20.- Caran d'Ache pen 5.- 50th Anniversary Pen 5.- Kit of Cartoon Album & Crayons 10.- All the articles are also available at the Reception Shop in Building 33 from Monday to Saturday between 08.30 and 17.00 hrs. Education and Technology Transfer Unit/ETT-EC

  17. Teaching Receptive Naming of Chinese Characters to Children with Autism by Incorporating Echolalia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Jin-Pang; Wu, Kit-I

    1997-01-01

    The facilitative effect of incorporating echolalia on teaching receptive naming of Chinese characters to four Hong Kong children (ages 8-10) with autism was assessed. Results from two experiments indicated echolalia was the active component contributing to the successful acquisition and maintenance of receptive naming of Chinese characters.…

  18. An Examination of College Students' Receptiveness to Alcohol-Related Information and Advice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leahy, Matthew M.; Jouriles, Ernest N.; Walters, Scott T.

    2013-01-01

    This project examined the reliability and validity of a newly developed measure of college students' receptiveness to alcohol related information and advice. Participants were 116 college students who reported having consumed alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Participants completed a measure of receptiveness to alcohol-related…

  19. The Effects of Receptive and Productive Learning of Word Pairs on Vocabulary Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Stuart

    2009-01-01

    English as a foreign language students in Japan learned target words in word pairs receptively and productively. Five aspects of vocabulary knowledge--orthography, association, syntax, grammatical functions, and meaning and form--were each measured by receptive and productive tests. The study uses an innovative methodology in that each target word…

  20. Active versus receptive group music therapy for major depressive disorder-A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atiwannapat, Penchaya; Thaipisuttikul, Papan; Poopityastaporn, Patchawan; Katekaew, Wanwisa

    2016-06-01

    To compare the effects of 1) active group music therapy and 2) receptive group music therapy to group counseling in treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). On top of standard care, 14 MDD outpatients were randomly assigned to receive 1) active group music therapy (n=5), 2) receptive group music therapy (n=5), or 3) group counseling (n=4). There were 12 one-hour weekly group sessions in each arm. Participants were assessed at baseline, 1 month (after 4 sessions), 3 months (end of interventions), and 6 months. Primary outcomes were depressive scores measured by Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Thai version. Secondary outcomes were self-rated depression score and quality of life. At 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, both therapy groups showed statistically non-significant reduction in MADRS Thai scores when compared with the control group (group counseling). The reduction was slightly greater in the active group than the receptive group. Although there were trend toward better outcomes on self-report depression and quality of life, the differences were not statistically significant. Group music therapy, either active or receptive, is an interesting adjunctive treatment option for outpatients with MDD. The receptive group may reach peak therapeutic effect faster, but the active group may have higher peak effect. Group music therapy deserves further comprehensive studies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  1. Tobacco Marketing Receptivity and Other Tobacco Product Use Among Young Adult Bar Patrons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrul, Johannes; Lisha, Nadra E; Ling, Pamela M

    2016-12-01

    Use of other tobacco products (smokeless tobacco, hookah, cigarillo, and e-cigarettes) is increasing, particularly among young adults, and there are few regulations on marketing for these products. We examined the associations between tobacco marketing receptivity and other tobacco product (OTP) use among young adult bar patrons (aged 18-26 years). Time-location sampling was used to collect cross-sectional surveys from 7,540 young adult bar patrons from January 2012 through March of 2014. Multivariable logistic regression analyses in 2015 examined if tobacco marketing receptivity was associated (1) with current (past 30 day) OTP use controlling for demographic factors and (2) with dual/poly use among current cigarette smokers (n = 3,045), controlling for demographics and nicotine dependence. Among the entire sample of young adult bar patrons (Mean age  = 23.7, standard deviation = 1.8; 48.1% female), marketing receptivity was consistently associated with current use of all OTP including smokeless tobacco (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.08-3.16, p marketing receptivity was significantly associated with use of smokeless tobacco (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.22-2.18, p marketing receptivity. Efforts to limit tobacco marketing should address OTP in addition to cigarettes. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Intrathecal catheter-syringe adaptor for short-term intrathecal analgesia with an externalized pump: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkes, Denise; Cook, Michael; Solanki, Daneshvari

    2010-01-01

    In most patients, cancer pain is effectively treated with conservative medical management consisting of oral and/or transdermal analgesics. Cancer patients tend to fail conservative medical management near the end of their life expectancy, thus requiring alternative routes of analgesia such as intravenous, epidural, or intrathecal. The intrathecal route provides the most effective analgesia due to the close proximity of the opioid receptors in the spinal cord. Though there are many techniques that exist for intrathecal drug delivery, complications can limit effectiveness such as infection, bleeding, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, post-dural puncture headaches (PDPH), pump and/or catheter malfunctions, or limitations of technical expertise. Therefore, an important goal in palliative cancer pain therapy is to use equipment that is going to have the fewest number of complications and will be the most familiar to the health care providers. We describe the combination of the Medtronic Indura 1P catheter, which has the least catheter-related complications and can be used with any external drug infusion pump. These are regular infusion pumps that the health care workers are familiar with so they can provide excellent and efficient service to the patient. In an operating room, the intrathecal catheter was placed using sterile technique under fluoroscopic guidance. The epidural space was identified with loss of resistance technique. Then the introducer needle (supplied in the Indura 1P catheter kit) was advanced until free-flowing CSF was obtained. The spinal catheter was advanced into the intrathecal space through the introducer needle to lumbar 2-3 level. The catheter was tunneled subcutaneously 10 cm lateral to the catheter exit site. A syringe filling device was inserted into the catheter opening and was secured with silk suture. A luer lock syringe was attached to the syringe filling device and CSF was aspirated. The syringe filling device was capped and later

  3. New insights into flood warning reception and emergency response by affected parties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Kreibich

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Flood damage can be mitigated if the parties at risk are reached by flood warnings and if they know how to react appropriately. To gain more knowledge about warning reception and emergency response of private households and companies, surveys were undertaken after the August 2002 and the June 2013 floods in Germany. Despite pronounced regional differences, the results show a clear overall picture: in 2002, early warnings did not work well; e.g. many households (27 % and companies (45 % stated that they had not received any flood warnings. Additionally, the preparedness of private households and companies was low in 2002, mainly due to a lack of flood experience. After the 2002 flood, many initiatives were launched and investments undertaken to improve flood risk management, including early warnings and an emergency response in Germany. In 2013, only a small share of the affected households (5 % and companies (3 % were not reached by any warnings. Additionally, private households and companies were better prepared. For instance, the share of companies which have an emergency plan in place has increased from 10 % in 2002 to 34 % in 2013. However, there is still room for improvement, which needs to be triggered mainly by effective risk and emergency communication. The challenge is to continuously maintain and advance an integrated early warning and emergency response system even without the occurrence of extreme floods.

  4. K-pop Reception and Participatory Fan Culture in Austria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang-Yeon Sung

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available K-pop’s popularity and its participatory fan culture have expanded beyond Asia and become significant in Europe in the past few years. After South Korean pop singer Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video topped the Austrian chart in October 2012, the number and size of K-pop events in Austria sharply increased, with fans organizing various participatory events, including K-pop auditions, dance festivals, club meetings, quiz competitions, dance workshops, and smaller fan-culture gatherings. In the private sector, longtime fans have transitioned from participants to providers, and in the public sector, from observers to sponsors. Through in-depth interviews with event organizers, sponsors, and fans, this article offers an ethnographic study of the reception of K-pop in Europe that takes into consideration local interactions between fans and Korean sponsors, perspectives on the genre, patterns of social integration, and histories. As a case study, this research stresses the local situatedness of K-pop fan culture by arguing that local private and public sponsors and fans make the reception of K-pop different in each locality. By exploring local scenes of K-pop reception and fan culture, the article demonstrates the rapidly growing consumption of K-pop among Europeans and stresses multidirectional understandings of globalization.

  5. Moving beyond non-engagement on regulated needle-syringe exchange programs in Australian prisons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levy Michael

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Australia is at a fork in the road with the possibility of a needle-syringe exchange program (NSP to be introduced at the new prison in the ACT. However, the current situation is characterised by non-engagement from major stakeholders. We explore why informed discussion will not be enough to convince prison officers, policy makers and the wider community of the benefits of prison-based NSPs. Other methods of engagement and communication will be proposed – in that may provide avenues for "breakthrough". Methods A review of the literature on needle-syringe exchanges and harm reduction strategies within the context of prisons and prisoner health was conducted. Literature on strategies to change attitudes and move beyond intractable situations was also consulted. In addition, one author, DM, conducted a two-hour interview with an ex-prison officer. Results No studies were found which investigated the potential efficacy of interventions to modify attitudes or behaviours in the specific context of introducing an NSP into a prison. Nonetheless, several theories were identified which may explain the failure of informed discussion alone to create change in this situation and may therefore lead to suggestions for engagement and communication to move towards a resolution Discussion Cognitive-behavioural therapy highlights the importance of individual cognitions and how they shape behaviours in any change campaign. Social identity theory emphasizes changes to social processes that may open the prison officer workforce to change. Peace studies also suggests socialization strategies such as observing an established and effective prison-based needle-syringe exchange. Social marketing provides suggestions on how to sell an exchange to ensuring the benefits are framed to outweigh the costs. Conclusion Psychology, peace studies and social marketing all agree people's views must be carefully collected and analysed if people are going to be

  6. [New data on olfactory control of estral receptivity of female rats].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satli, M A; Aron, C

    1976-03-01

    Olfactory bulb deprivation increased sexual receptivity in 4-day cyclic female rats on the late afternoon of prooestrus (6-7, p.m.). The proportion of receptive females was higher in bulbectomized (B) than in sham operated (SH) animals. On the contrary the same proportion of B and SH females mated in the evening of prooestrus (10. 30-11. 30 p.m.). An increased lordosis quotient was observed in the B females at either of these two stages of the cycle.

  7. The sentence verification task: a reliable fMRI protocol for mapping receptive language in individual subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanjuan, Ana; Avila, Cesar; Forn, Cristina; Ventura-Campos, Noelia; Rodriguez-Pujadas, Aina; Garcia-Porcar, Maria; Belloch, Vicente; Villanueva, Vicente

    2010-01-01

    To test the capacity of a sentence verification (SV) task to reliably activate receptive language areas. Presurgical evaluation of language is useful in predicting postsurgical deficits in patients who are candidates for neurosurgery. Productive language tasks have been successfully elaborated, but more conflicting results have been found in receptive language mapping. Twenty-two right-handed healthy controls made true-false semantic judgements of brief sentences presented auditorily. Group maps showed reliable functional activations in the frontal and temporoparietal language areas. At the individual level, the SV task showed activation located in receptive language areas in 100% of the participants with strong left-sided distributions (mean lateralisation index of 69.27). The SV task can be considered a useful tool in evaluating receptive language function in individual subjects. This study is a first step towards designing the fMRI task which may serve to presurgically map receptive language functions. (orig.)

  8. The sentence verification task: a reliable fMRI protocol for mapping receptive language in individual subjects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanjuan, Ana; Avila, Cesar [Universitat Jaume I, Departamento de Psicologia Basica, Clinica y Psicobiologia, Castellon de la Plana (Spain); Hospital La Fe, Unidad de Epilepsia, Servicio de Neurologia, Valencia (Spain); Forn, Cristina; Ventura-Campos, Noelia; Rodriguez-Pujadas, Aina; Garcia-Porcar, Maria [Universitat Jaume I, Departamento de Psicologia Basica, Clinica y Psicobiologia, Castellon de la Plana (Spain); Belloch, Vicente [Hospital La Fe, Eresa, Servicio de Radiologia, Valencia (Spain); Villanueva, Vicente [Hospital La Fe, Unidad de Epilepsia, Servicio de Neurologia, Valencia (Spain)

    2010-10-15

    To test the capacity of a sentence verification (SV) task to reliably activate receptive language areas. Presurgical evaluation of language is useful in predicting postsurgical deficits in patients who are candidates for neurosurgery. Productive language tasks have been successfully elaborated, but more conflicting results have been found in receptive language mapping. Twenty-two right-handed healthy controls made true-false semantic judgements of brief sentences presented auditorily. Group maps showed reliable functional activations in the frontal and temporoparietal language areas. At the individual level, the SV task showed activation located in receptive language areas in 100% of the participants with strong left-sided distributions (mean lateralisation index of 69.27). The SV task can be considered a useful tool in evaluating receptive language function in individual subjects. This study is a first step towards designing the fMRI task which may serve to presurgically map receptive language functions. (orig.)

  9. Building Harmony through Religious Reception in Culture: Lesson Learned from Radin Jambat Folktale of Lampung

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agus Iswanto

    2018-12-01

    Full Text Available Understanding of the existence of various religious receptions in culture gives a great opportunity for the building and nurturance of harmony among religious followers and for the creating of solidarities in the society. This article uncovers receptions of religious aspects (ultimate truth aspect/god, cosmological aspect and religious ritual aspect in the cultural products of Radin Lambat, a folktale from Lampung. The article is based on the texts of Radin Lambat folktale, interviews, and other literary sources about Lampung cultures. Religious receptions as shown in Radin Lambat folktale indicate the preservation of past beliefs, coupled with the gentle addition and inclusion of Islamic teachings, to create harmonization between religion and tradition through folktale. This shows that Islam in the societies of Lampung is Islam that values cultures through the processes of gradual and varied receptions. This article is expected to add evidence to related sources about the concepts and practices of harmony among religious followers in Indonesia in local tradition, and the addition to the range of the rare religious-cultural reception studies of Lampung society

  10. Effects of Humor Production, Humor Receptivity, and Physical Attractiveness on Partner Desirability

    OpenAIRE

    Michelle Tornquist; Dan Chiappe

    2015-01-01

    This study examined women’s and men’s preferences for humor production and humor receptivity in long-term and short-term relationships, and how these factors interact with physical attractiveness to influence desirability. Undergraduates viewed photographs of the opposite sex individuals who were high or low in physical attractiveness, along with vignettes varying in humor production and receptivity. Participants rated physical attractiveness and desirability for long-term and short-term rela...

  11. Assessment of hemispheric dominance for receptive language in pediatric patients under sedation using magnetoencephalography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezaie, Roozbeh; Narayana, Shalini; Schiller, Katherine; Birg, Liliya; Wheless, James W; Boop, Frederick A; Papanicolaou, Andrew C

    2014-01-01

    Non-invasive assessment of hemispheric dominance for receptive language using magnetoencephalography (MEG) is now a well-established procedure used across several epilepsy centers in the context of pre-surgical evaluation of children and adults while awake, alert and attentive. However, the utility of MEG for the same purpose, in cases of sedated patients, is contested. Establishment of the efficiency of MEG is especially important in the case of children who, for a number of reasons, must be assessed under sedation. Here we explored the efficacy of MEG language mapping under sedation through retrospective review of 95 consecutive pediatric patients, who underwent our receptive language test as part of routine clinical evaluation. Localization of receptive language cortex and subsequent determination of laterality was successfully completed in 78% (n = 36) and 55% (n = 27) of non-sedated and sedated patients, respectively. Moreover, the proportion of patients deemed left hemisphere dominant for receptive language did not differ between non-sedated and sedated patients, exceeding 90% in both groups. Considering the challenges associated with assessing brain function in pediatric patients, the success of passive MEG in the context of the cases reviewed in this study support the utility of this method in pre-surgical receptive language mapping.

  12. Assessment of hemispheric dominance for receptive language in pediatric patients under sedation using magnetoencephalography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roozbeh eRezaie

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Non-invasive assessment of hemispheric dominance for receptive language using Magnetoencephalography (MEG is now a well-established procedure used across several epilepsy centers in the context of pre-surgical evaluation of children and adults while awake, alert and attentive. However, the utility of MEG for the same purpose, in cases of sedated patients, is contested. Establishment of the efficiency of MEG is especially important in the case of children who, for a number of reasons, must be assessed under sedation. Here we explored the efficacy of MEG language mapping under sedation through retrospective review of 95 consecutive pediatric patients, who underwent our receptive language test as part of routine clinical evaluation. Localization of receptive language cortex and subsequent determination of laterality was successfully completed in 78% (n=36 and 55% (n=27 of non-sedated and sedated patients, respectively. Moreover, the proportion of patients deemed left hemisphere dominant for receptive language did not differ between non-sedated and sedated patients, exceeding 90% in both groups. Considering the challenges associated with assessing brain function in pediatric patients, the success of passive MEG in the context of the cases reviewed in this study support the utility of this method in pre-surgical receptive language mapping.

  13. Emission characteristics of plastic syringes sterilized with ethylene oxide--a controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Yeh-Chung; Su, Po-Chi; Lee, Lien-Hsiung; Chen, Chang-Yuh

    2009-11-01

    This study examined the emission characteristics of ethylene oxide (EO)-sterilized syringes under various environmental conditions, aiming to develop control strategies to minimize worker exposure. Experiments were performed in a facility in which temperature, relative humidity (RH), and air change rate (ACR) were controlled. Analytical results indicate that the main effects of the four test variables on kinetic parameters were statistically significant (p Plastic content, temperature, RH, and ACR affected EO emissions. ACR is an achievable means of control; however, the aeration area/system should be isolated to ensure adequate ventilation is achieved.

  14. Contour detection based on nonclassical receptive field inhibition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grigorescu, Cosmin; Petkov, Nicolai; Westenberg, Michel A.

    We propose a biologically motivated computational step, called nonclassical receptive field (non-CRF) inhibition, more generally surround inhibition or suppression, to improve contour detection in machine vision. Non-CRF inhibition is exhibited by 80% of the orientation-selective neurons in the

  15. Surface-Borne Time-of-Reception Measurements (STORM), Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Invocon proposes the Surface-borne Time-Of-Reception Measurements (STORM) system as a method to locate the position of lightning strikes on aerospace vehicles....

  16. Improved CORF model of simple cell combined with non-classical receptive field and its application on edge detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiao; Chai, Guobei; Liu, Wei; Bao, Wenzhuo; Zhao, Xiaoning; Ming, Delie

    2018-02-01

    Simple cells in primary visual cortex are believed to extract local edge information from a visual scene. In this paper, inspired by different receptive field properties and visual information flow paths of neurons, an improved Combination of Receptive Fields (CORF) model combined with non-classical receptive fields was proposed to simulate the responses of simple cell's receptive fields. Compared to the classical model, the proposed model is able to better imitate simple cell's physiologic structure with consideration of facilitation and suppression of non-classical receptive fields. And on this base, an edge detection algorithm as an application of the improved CORF model was proposed. Experimental results validate the robustness of the proposed algorithm to noise and background interference.

  17. Consuming Carmen Miranda: Dislocations and Dissonances in the Reception of an Icon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando de Figueiredo Balieiro

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available From the perspective of cultural studies, in its dialogs with feminist and queer studies, this article analyzes the identification of various publics with Carmen Miranda based on the consumption of her filmic, musical and artistic products, accessing her professional trajectory in its imbrication with its various forms of reception. The focus will be on the negotiations of the artist with her publics, touching on how her career involved reconfigurations concerning aspects of gender, race and sexuality. It is based on a perspective that considers the dynamism of mass culture, considering possibilities for various forms of appropriation of cultural products, as well as shifts and dissonances in receptions. To analyze these aspects, the paper focuses on feminine receptions in Brazil and the United States, and those of a male homosexual public contemporary to her career.

  18. Membrane–initiated estradiol signaling regulating sexual receptivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul E Micevych

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Estradiol has profound actions on the structure and function of the nervous system. In addition to nuclear actions that directly modulate gene expression, the idea that estradiol can rapidly activate cell signaling by binding to membrane estrogen receptors (mERs has emerged. Even the regulation of sexual receptivity, an action previously thought to be completely regulated by nuclear ERs, has been shown to have a membrane-initiated estradiol signaling (MIES component. This highlighted the question of the nature of mERs. Several candidates have been proposed, ERα, ERβ, ER-X, GPR30 (G protein coupled estrogen receptor; GPER, and a receptor activated by a diphenylacrylamide compound, STX. Although each of these receptors has been shown to be active in specific assays, we present evidence for and against their participation in sexual receptivity by acting in the lordosis-regulating circuit. The initial MIES that activates the circuit is in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH. Using both activation of μ-opioid receptors (MOR in the medial preoptic nucleus and lordosis behavior, we document that both ERα and the STX receptor participate in the required MIES. ERα and the STX receptor activation of cell signaling are dependent on the transactivation of type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1a that augment progesterone synthesis in astrocytes and protein kinase C (PKC in ARH neurons. While estradiol-induced sexual receptivity does not depend on neuroprogesterone, proceptive behaviors do. Moreover, the ERα and the STX receptor activation of medial preoptic MORs and augmentation of lordosis were sensitive to mGluR1a blockade. These observations suggest a common mechanism through which mERs are coupled to intracellular signaling cascades, not just in regulating reproduction, but in actions throughout the neuraxis including the cortex, hippocampus, striatum and DRGs.

  19. Membrane-Initiated Estradiol Signaling Regulating Sexual Receptivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micevych, Paul E.; Dewing, Phoebe

    2011-01-01

    Estradiol has profound actions on the structure and function of the nervous system. In addition to nuclear actions that directly modulate gene expression, the idea that estradiol can rapidly activate cell signaling by binding to membrane estrogen receptors (mERs) has emerged. Even the regulation of sexual receptivity, an action previously thought to be completely regulated by nuclear ERs, has been shown to have a membrane-initiated estradiol signaling (MIES) component. This highlighted the question of the nature of mERs. Several candidates have been proposed, ERα, ERβ, ER-X, GPR30 (G protein coupled estrogen receptor), and a receptor activated by a diphenylacrylamide compound, STX. Although each of these receptors has been shown to be active in specific assays, we present evidence for and against their participation in sexual receptivity by acting in the lordosis-regulating circuit. The initial MIES that activates the circuit is in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH). Using both activation of μ-opioid receptors (MOR) in the medial preoptic nucleus and lordosis behavior, we document that both ERα and the STX-receptor participate in the required MIES. ERα and the STX-receptor activation of cell signaling are dependent on the transactivation of type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1a) that augment progesterone synthesis in astrocytes and protein kinase C (PKC) in ARH neurons. While estradiol-induced sexual receptivity does not depend on neuroprogesterone, proceptive behaviors do. Moreover, the ERα and the STX-receptor activation of medial preoptic MORs and augmentation of lordosis were sensitive to mGluR1a blockade. These observations suggest a common mechanism through which mERs are coupled to intracellular signaling cascades, not just in regulating reproduction, but in actions throughout the neuraxis including the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and dorsal root ganglias. PMID:22649369

  20. Syringe-Injectable Electronics with a Plug-and-Play Input/Output Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuhmann, Thomas G; Yao, Jun; Hong, Guosong; Fu, Tian-Ming; Lieber, Charles M

    2017-09-13

    Syringe-injectable mesh electronics represent a new paradigm for brain science and neural prosthetics by virtue of the stable seamless integration of the electronics with neural tissues, a consequence of the macroporous mesh electronics structure with all size features similar to or less than individual neurons and tissue-like flexibility. These same properties, however, make input/output (I/O) connection to measurement electronics challenging, and work to-date has required methods that could be difficult to implement by the life sciences community. Here we present a new syringe-injectable mesh electronics design with plug-and-play I/O interfacing that is rapid, scalable, and user-friendly to nonexperts. The basic design tapers the ultraflexible mesh electronics to a narrow stem that routes all of the device/electrode interconnects to I/O pads that are inserted into a standard zero insertion force (ZIF) connector. Studies show that the entire plug-and-play mesh electronics can be delivered through capillary needles with precise targeting using microliter-scale injection volumes similar to the standard mesh electronics design. Electrical characterization of mesh electronics containing platinum (Pt) electrodes and silicon (Si) nanowire field-effect transistors (NW-FETs) demonstrates the ability to interface arbitrary devices with a contact resistance of only 3 Ω. Finally, in vivo injection into mice required only minutes for I/O connection and yielded expected local field potential (LFP) recordings from a compact head-stage compatible with chronic studies. Our results substantially lower barriers for use by new investigators and open the door for increasingly sophisticated and multifunctional mesh electronics designs for both basic and translational studies.

  1. Stability of Hydromorphone-Ketamine Solutions in Glass Bottles, Plastic Syringes, and IV Bags for Pediatric Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensom, Mary H H; Decarie, Diane; Leung, Karen; Montgomery, Carolyne

    2009-03-01

    To evaluate the stability of mixtures of hydromorphone and ketamine in 0.9% sodium chloride (normal saline [NS]) after storage for up to 7 days at room temperature (25°C). The stability of 3 standard mixtures of hydromorphone and ketamine (hydromorphone 0.2 mg/mL + ketamine 0.2 mg/mL, hydromorphone 0.2 mg/mL + ketamine 0.6 mg/mL, and hydromorphone 0.2 mg/mL + ketamine 1.0 mg/mL) in NS was studied. Portions of each mixture were transferred to 3 brown glass bottles (100 mL), 3 plastic syringes (50 mL), and 3 IV bags (50 mL), which were then stored at room temperature (25°C). Physical characteristics, including pH, colour, and precipitation, were evaluated daily. Three 1.5-mL samples were collected from each bottle, syringe, and IV bag at baseline, at 24, 48, and 72 hours, and on day 7. Samples were analyzed in triplicate by a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method. Solutions were considered stable if they maintained 90% of the initial concentration of each drug. Samples from syringes and IV bags were subjected to standard sterility testing by incubation for 5 days in an enriched culture media. No notable changes in pH or colour were observed, and no precipitation occurred in any of the solutions. All formulations maintained more than 90% of the initial concentration of each drug on day 7. No bacterial growth was observed in any of the samples tested. Mixtures of hydromorphone and ketamine were stable for up 7 days at 25°C, and the sterility of the preparations was maintained. Because stability alone does not guarantee efficacy, it is recommended that clinical studies be conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these formulations.

  2. In-syringe dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with liquid chromatographic determination of synthetic pyrethroids in surface water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed S. Albaseer

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available An indigenously fabricated in laboratory glass syringe was used for in-syringe dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (is-DLLME and preconcentration of synthetic pyrethroids (SPs from surface waters suitable for their determination by high performance liquid chromatography. In contrast to classical DLLME, is-DLLME allows the use of lighter-than-water organic solvents and the analysis of environmental contaminants’ samples without prior filtration, which is of great importance due to the high affinity of pyrethroids to adsorb to solid particulates present in environmental samples. The effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency were evaluated and optimized systemically using one-factor-at-a-time method (OFAT and statistically using full factorial design (24. Three SPs (viz.; cypermethrin, resmethrin and permethrin were analyzed. The method showed good accuracy with RSD% in the range of of 4.8–6.9%. The method detection limits of the three pesticides ranged from 0.14 to 0.16 ng mL-1. The proposed method was applied for the determination of synthetic pyrethroids in lake water

  3. Self-reported injection practices among people who use drugs in French prisons: Public health implications (ANRS-Coquelicot survey 2011-2013).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Laurent; Trouiller, Philippe; Chollet, Aude; Molinier, Marie; Duchesne, Lucie; Jauffret-Roustide, Marie

    2018-04-01

    The aims of this study were to describe the prevalences of injection practices and needle/syringe sharing in people who use drugs in French prisons, and to investigate associated factors. Using the ANRS-Coquelicot survey (2011-2013), a random sample of 1718 people who used drugs in free society was included. Information regarding a history of incarceration, drug-injection practices inside prison and needle/syringe sharing was collected during interviews. In our sample, 65.5% reported a history of injection and 57.4% had been incarcerated at least once. Among those who reported both of these conditions, 14% reported injection practices inside prison, 40.5% of whom had shared needles/syringes. In the multivariable model, the following variables were associated with injection practices inside prison: being a Russian-speaking detainee, having spent more time in prison, and having started to inject before 1996 and especially before 1987. Being Russian speaking was also associated with needle/syringe sharing in prison. The prevalences of injection practices and needle/syringe sharing in prisons are alarmingly high. Effective interventions to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases among people who use drugs in the prison setting are essential. The implementation of international recommendations on the principle of equivalence between prisons and the community is still very limited in most countries, and should be complemented with tailored interventions for the most vulnerable prison populations, especially Russian-speaking detainees. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  4. Transfer and Reception of New Institutional Economics: An Example of Two Universities in Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Jovanović

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The research “Transfer and Reception of New Institutional Economics: An Example of Two Universities in Serbia” was conducted in 2005/2006. In order to achieve the goals of the Serbian team of the DIOSCURI project, the main aim of the case study is analysis of the influence of Western institutions in the light of transfer and reception of new institutional economics in two academic institutions in Serbia: The Faculty of Law (The Department of Law and Economics of the University of Belgrade, and The Faculty of Management of BK University. The title of the case study illustrates the focus of the entire research: analysis of Western influence, namely transfer and reception of new institutional economics, on the two institutions and possible obstacles caused by old-fashioned stakeholders and informal institutions. Bearing in mind that the Department of Law and Economics is the leader in the reception of the new institutional economics (NIE in Serbia, the case study will be mostly about it. The Faculty of Management was chosen because of its “greenfield” character and the fact that from its very beginning it followed the experiences of North American universities. The research investigates whether and how the transfer and reception of the Western ideas and economic theory, particularly the NIE, is affected by the difference between an institution with a two-hundred-year tradition and a newly established one. The question is how a traditionalist institution like the Faculty of Law communicated Western economic thought and whether endurance in teaching the exclusively Marxian paradigm up until the 1990s, was an obstacle to the reception of Western economic thought, particularly NIE.

  5. Non-destructive vacuum decay method for pre-filled syringe closure integrity testing compared with dye ingress testing and high-voltage leak detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonetti, Andrea; Amari, Filippo

    2015-01-01

    In reaction to the limitations of the traditional sterility test methods, in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the guidance "Container and Closure System Integrity Testing in Lieu of Sterility Testing as a Component of the Stability Protocol for Sterile Products" encouraging sterile drug manufacturers to use properly validated physical methods, apart from conventional microbial challenge testing, to confirm container closure integrity as part of the stability protocol. The case study presented in this article investigated the capability of four container closure integrity testing methods to detect simulated defects of different sizes and types on glass syringes, prefilled both with drug product intended for parenteral administration and sterile water. The drug product was a flu vaccine (Agrippal, Novartis Vaccines, Siena, Italy). Vacuum decay, pharmacopoeial dye ingress test, Novartis specific dye ingress test, and high-voltage leak detection were, in succession, the methods involved in the comparative studies. The case study execution was preceded by the preparation of two independent sets of reference prefilled syringes, classified, respectively, as examples of conforming to closure integrity requirements (negative controls) and as defective (positive controls). Positive controls were, in turn, split in six groups, three of with holes laser-drilled through the prefilled syringe glass barrel, while the other three with capillary tubes embedded in the prefilled syringe plunger. These reference populations were then investigated by means of validated equipment used for container closure integrity testing of prefilled syringe commercial production; data were collected and analyzed to determine the detection rate and the percentage of false results. Results showed that the vacuum decay method had the highest performance in terms of detection sensitivity and also ensured the best reliability and repeatability of measurements. An innovative technical

  6. Adolescent weight status and receptivity to food TV advertisements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adachi-Mejia, Anna M; Sutherland, Lisa A; Longacre, Meghan R; Beach, Michael L; Titus-Ernstoff, Linda; Gibson, Jennifer J; Dalton, Madeline A

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between adolescent weight status and food advertisement receptivity. Survey-based evaluation with data collected at baseline (initial and at 2 months), and at follow-up (11 months). New Hampshire and Vermont. Students (n = 2,281) aged 10-13 in 2002-2005. Overweight. Generalized estimating equations to model the relationship between identifying a food advertisement as their favorite and being overweight. Overall, 35.9% of the adolescents were overweight. Less than one fifth named a food advertisement as their favorite (16.1%). Most of the food advertisements were for less-healthful food (89.6%). After controlling for school, age, sex, sociodemographics, physical activity, number of TV sessions watched, and having a TV in the bedroom, overweight adolescents were significantly less likely to be receptive to food advertisements (relative risk = 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.70, 0.98) compared to non-overweight adolescents. This study provides preliminary evidence that normal-weight adolescents are receptive to unhealthful food advertisements. Longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate whether consistent exposure to advertisements for unhealthful food, particularly if they are promoted with healthful behaviors such as being physically active, influence adolescents' food choices, and ultimately their body mass index, over the long term. Copyright © 2011 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Depression. Does it affect the comprehension of receptive skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashtchi, Mojgan; Zokaee, Zahra; Ghaffarinejad, Ali R; Sadeghi, Mohammad M

    2012-07-01

    To compare the comprehension of depressed and non-depressed male and female Iranian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in receptive skills, and to investigate whether inefficiency in learning English could be due to depression. We selected 126 boys and 96 girls aged between 15 and 18 by simple random sampling from 2 high schools in Kerman, Iran to examine whether there was any significant relationship between depression and comprehension of receptive skills in males and females. We undertook this descriptive, correlational study between January and May 2011 in Kerman, Iran. After administration of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), we found that 93 students were non-depressed, 65 had minimal depression, 48 mild depression, and 16 suffered from severe depression. The correlation between participants` scores on listening and reading test with depression level indicated a significant relationship between depression and comprehension of both listening, and reading. Males had higher scores in both reading and listening. In listening, there was no significant difference among the levels of depression and males and females. Regarding the reading skill, there was no significant difference among levels of depression; however, the reading comprehension of males and females differed significantly. Learners who show a deficiency in receptive skills should be examined for the possibility of suffering from some degree of depression.

  8. Radiation Emergency Preparedness Tools: Virtual Community Reception Center

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is an overview of resources from the Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call: Practical Tools for Radiation Emergency Preparedness. A specialist working with CDC's Radiation Studies Branch describes a web-based training tool known as a Virtual Community Reception Center (vCRC).

  9. ”Savage Spain”? On the reception of Spanish art in Britain and Ireland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward Payne

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Review of: Nigel Glendinning and Hilary Macartney, eds, Spanish Art in Britain and Ireland, 1750–1920: Studies in Reception in Memory of Enriqueta Harris Frankfort, Woodbridge: Tamesis, 2010. This review evaluates the first scholarly study exclusively dedicated to the reception history of Spanish art in Britain and Ireland, 1750–1920. Progressing systematically through the different chapters, it highlights the various responses and perspectives that are addressed in the book. Issues of taste and collecting are examined, followed by historiographical concerns such as the methods and techniques of writing, illustrating and reproducing Spanish art in the nineteenth century. Shifting attitudes towards Spain and Spanish art are also explored, as are the roles of prominent figures in disseminating knowledge and appreciation of Spanish art, notably Sir William Stirling Maxwell and Richard Ford. Finally, the review outlines the critical fortunes of Spain’s foremost artists: Murillo, Velázquez, Ribera, Zurbarán and Goya. It ends by suggesting how this study could be expanded methodologically, considering the reception history of Spanish art in the light of important literature on reception theory and aesthetics.

  10. Case study of French and Spanish fan reception of Game of Thrones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mélanie Bourdaa

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The reception of the American TV show Game of Thrones (2011– by French and Spanish fans and nonfans is addressed via a qualitative methodology, the goal of which is to understand how European viewers perceive themselves as fans and what it means for them to be fans. Analysis of characteristics of a specifically European reception helps us learn what fan studies tell us about fans and what fans really think about fandoms.

  11. First-year university students' receptive and productive use of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kate H

    Keywords: academic vocabulary, receptive knowledge, productive knowledge, collocations, vocabulary ...... The challenge of validation: Assessing the performance of a test of ..... This is a new drug used to tr…………… depression. 56.

  12. The Reception of German Progressive Education in Russia: On Regularities of International Educational Transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mchitarjan, Irina

    2015-01-01

    This article reports a historical case study of extensive educational transfer: the reception, adaptation, and use of German progressive education and German school reform ideas and practices in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The reception of German educational ideas greatly enriched the theory and practice of the Russian school…

  13. Cultivation and Differentiation of Encapsulated hMSC-TERT in a Disposable Small-Scale Syringe-Like Fixed Bed Reactor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weber, Christian; Pohl, Sebastian; Pörtner, Ralf

    2007-01-01

    The use of commercially available plastic syringes is introduced as disposable small-scale fixed bed bioreactors for the cultivation of implantable therapeutic cell systems on the basis of an alginate-encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cell line. The system introduced is fitted with a noninvasiv...

  14. Learning color receptive fields and color differential structure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Haar Romenij, B.M.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we study the role of brain plasticity, and investigate the emergence and self-emergence of receptive fields from scalar and color natural images by principal component analysis of image patches. We describe the classical experiment on localized PCA on center-surround weighted patches

  15. Risk factors for children's receptive vocabulary development from four to eight years in the longitudinal study of Australian children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine L Taylor

    Full Text Available Receptive vocabulary develops rapidly in early childhood and builds the foundation for language acquisition and literacy. Variation in receptive vocabulary ability is associated with variation in children's school achievement, and low receptive vocabulary ability is a risk factor for under-achievement at school. In this study, bivariate and multivariate growth curve modelling was used to estimate trajectories of receptive vocabulary development in relation to a wide range of candidate child, maternal and family level influences on receptive vocabulary development from 4-8 years. The study sample comprised 4332 children from the first nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC. Predictors were modeled as risk variables with the lowest level of risk as the reference category. In the multivariate model, risks for receptive vocabulary delay at 4 years, in order of magnitude, were: Maternal Non- English Speaking Background (NESB, low school readiness, child not read to at home, four or more siblings, low family income, low birthweight, low maternal education, maternal mental health distress, low maternal parenting consistency, and high child temperament reactivity. None of these risks were associated with a lower rate of growth from 4-8 years. Instead, maternal NESB, low school readiness and maternal mental health distress were associated with a higher rate of growth, although not sufficient to close the receptive vocabulary gap for children with and without these risks at 8 years. Socio-economic area disadvantage, was not a risk for low receptive vocabulary ability at 4 years but was the only risk associated with a lower rate of growth in receptive vocabulary ability. At 8 years, the gap between children with and without socio-economic area disadvantage was equivalent to eight months of receptive vocabulary growth. These results are consistent with other studies that have shown that social gradients in children

  16. Risk factors for children's receptive vocabulary development from four to eight years in the longitudinal study of Australian children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Catherine L; Christensen, Daniel; Lawrence, David; Mitrou, Francis; Zubrick, Stephen R

    2013-01-01

    Receptive vocabulary develops rapidly in early childhood and builds the foundation for language acquisition and literacy. Variation in receptive vocabulary ability is associated with variation in children's school achievement, and low receptive vocabulary ability is a risk factor for under-achievement at school. In this study, bivariate and multivariate growth curve modelling was used to estimate trajectories of receptive vocabulary development in relation to a wide range of candidate child, maternal and family level influences on receptive vocabulary development from 4-8 years. The study sample comprised 4332 children from the first nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Predictors were modeled as risk variables with the lowest level of risk as the reference category. In the multivariate model, risks for receptive vocabulary delay at 4 years, in order of magnitude, were: Maternal Non- English Speaking Background (NESB), low school readiness, child not read to at home, four or more siblings, low family income, low birthweight, low maternal education, maternal mental health distress, low maternal parenting consistency, and high child temperament reactivity. None of these risks were associated with a lower rate of growth from 4-8 years. Instead, maternal NESB, low school readiness and maternal mental health distress were associated with a higher rate of growth, although not sufficient to close the receptive vocabulary gap for children with and without these risks at 8 years. Socio-economic area disadvantage, was not a risk for low receptive vocabulary ability at 4 years but was the only risk associated with a lower rate of growth in receptive vocabulary ability. At 8 years, the gap between children with and without socio-economic area disadvantage was equivalent to eight months of receptive vocabulary growth. These results are consistent with other studies that have shown that social gradients in children's developmental outcomes

  17. Evaluation of receptivity of the medical students in a lecture of a large group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vidyarthi SurendraK, Nayak RoopaP, GuptaSandeep K

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Lecturing is widely used teaching method in higher education. Instructors of large classes may have only option to deliver lecture to convey informations to large group students.Aims and Objectives: The present study was to evaluate the effectiveness/receptivity of interactive lecturing in a large group of MBBS second year students. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted in the well-equipped lecture theater of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital (DSMCH, Tamil Nadu. A fully prepared interactive lecture on the specific topic was delivered by using power point presentation for second year MBBS students. Before start to deliver the lecture, instructor distributed multiple choice 10 questionnaires to attempt within 10 minutes. After 30 minutes of delivering lecture, again instructor distributed same 10 sets of multiple choice questionnaires to attempt in 10 minutes. The topic was never disclosed to the students before to deliver the lecture. Statistics: We analyzed the pre-lecture & post-lecture questions of each student by applying the paired t-test formula by using www.openepi.com version 3.01 online/offline software and by using Microsoft Excel Sheet Windows 2010. Results: The 31 male, 80 female including 111 students of average age 18.58 years baseline (pre-lecture receptivity mean % was 30.99 ± 14.64 and post-lecture receptivity mean % was increased upto 53.51± 19.52. The only 12 students out of 111 post-lecture receptivity values was less (mean % 25.8± 10.84 than the baseline (mean % 45± 9.05 receptive value and this reduction of receptivity was more towards negative side. Conclusion: In interactive lecture session with power point presentation students/learners can learn, even in large-class environments, but it should be active-learner centered.

  18. A Pixel-Encoder Retinal Ganglion Cell with Spatially Offset Excitatory and Inhibitory Receptive Fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keith P. Johnson

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The spike trains of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs are the only source of visual information to the brain. Here, we genetically identify an RGC type in mice that functions as a pixel encoder and increases firing to light increments (PixON-RGC. PixON-RGCs have medium-sized dendritic arbors and non-canonical center-surround receptive fields. From their receptive field center, PixON-RGCs receive only excitatory input, which encodes contrast and spatial information linearly. From their receptive field surround, PixON-RGCs receive only inhibitory input, which is temporally matched to the excitatory center input. As a result, the firing rate of PixON-RGCs linearly encodes local image contrast. Spatially offset (i.e., truly lateral inhibition of PixON-RGCs arises from spiking GABAergic amacrine cells. The receptive field organization of PixON-RGCs is independent of stimulus wavelength (i.e., achromatic. PixON-RGCs project predominantly to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN of the thalamus and likely contribute to visual perception.

  19. Gravitational wave reception by a sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashby, N.; Dreitlein, J.

    1975-01-01

    The reception of gravitational waves by an elastic self-gravitating spherical detector is studied in detail. The equations of motion of a detector driven by a gravitational wave are presented in the intuitively convenient coordinate system of Fermi. An exact analytic solution is given for the homogeneous isotropic sphere. Nonlinear effects of a massive self-gravitating system are computed for a body of mass equal to that of the earth, and are shown to be numerically important

  20. Variation Theory and the Reception of Chinese Literature in the English-speaking World

    OpenAIRE

    Cao, Shunqing

    2015-01-01

    In his article "Variation Theory and Reception of Chinese Literature in the English-Speaking World" Shunqing Cao introduces "variation theory" he developed and suggests that the framework can be applied in studying the dissemination and reception of Chinese literature in the English-speaking world. Cao argues that cultural and literary differences produce variations in literary exchanges among different cultures and variation theory concentrates on these variations. With unique perspectives o...

  1. A Reception Analysis on the Youth Audiences of TV Series in Marivan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omid Karimi

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to describe the role of foreign media as the agitators of popular culture. For that with reception analysis it’s pay to describe decoding of youth audiences about this series. Globalization theory and Reception in Communication theory are formed the theoretical system of current article. The methodology in this research is qualitative one, and two techniques as in-depth interview and observation are used for data collection. The results show different people based on individual features, social and cultural backgrounds have inclination toward special characters and identify with them. This inclination so far the audience fallow the series because of his/her favorite character. Also there is a great compatibility between audience backgrounds and their receptions. A number of audience have criticized the series and point out the negative consequences on its society. However, seeing the series continue; really they prefer watching series enjoying to risks of it.

  2. Syringe test screening of microbial gas production activity: Cases denitrification and biogas formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Østgaard, Kjetill; Kowarz, Viktoria; Shuai, Wang; Henry, Ingrid A; Sposob, Michal; Haugen, Hildegunn Hegna; Bakke, Rune

    2017-01-01

    Mass produced plastic syringes may be applied as vessels for cheap, simple and large scale batch culture testing. As illustrated for the cases of denitrification and of biogas formation, metabolic activity was monitored by direct reading of the piston movement due to the gas volume formed. Pressure buildup due to friction was shown to be moderate. A piston pull and slide back routine can be applied before recording gas volume to minimize experimental errors due to friction. Inoculum handling and activity may be conveniently standardized as illustrated by applying biofilm carriers. A robust set of positive as well as negative controls ("blanks") should be included to ensure quality of the actual testing. The denitrification test showed saturation response at increasing amounts of inoculum in the form of adapted moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) carriers, with well correlated nitrate consumption vs. gas volume formed. As shown, the denitrification test efficiently screened different inocula at standardized substrates. Also, different substrates were successfully screened and compared at standardized inocula. The biogas potential test showed efficient screening of different substrates with effects of relative amounts of carbohydrate, protein, fat. A second case with CO 2 capture reclaimer waste as substrate demonstrated successful use of co-feeding to support waste treatment and how temperature effects on kinetics and stoichiometry can be observed. In total, syringe test screening of microbial gas production seems highly efficient at a low cost when properly applied. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Vaccine Images on Twitter: Analysis of What Images are Shared

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dredze, Mark

    2018-01-01

    Background Visual imagery plays a key role in health communication; however, there is little understanding of what aspects of vaccine-related images make them effective communication aids. Twitter, a popular venue for discussions related to vaccination, provides numerous images that are shared with tweets. Objective The objectives of this study were to understand how images are used in vaccine-related tweets and provide guidance with respect to the characteristics of vaccine-related images that correlate with the higher likelihood of being retweeted. Methods We collected more than one million vaccine image messages from Twitter and characterized various properties of these images using automated image analytics. We fit a logistic regression model to predict whether or not a vaccine image tweet was retweeted, thus identifying characteristics that correlate with a higher likelihood of being shared. For comparison, we built similar models for the sharing of vaccine news on Facebook and for general image tweets. Results Most vaccine-related images are duplicates (125,916/237,478; 53.02%) or taken from other sources, not necessarily created by the author of the tweet. Almost half of the images contain embedded text, and many include images of people and syringes. The visual content is highly correlated with a tweet’s textual topics. Vaccine image tweets are twice as likely to be shared as nonimage tweets. The sentiment of an image and the objects shown in the image were the predictive factors in determining whether an image was retweeted. Conclusions We are the first to study vaccine images on Twitter. Our findings suggest future directions for the study and use of vaccine imagery and may inform communication strategies around vaccination. Furthermore, our study demonstrates an effective study methodology for image analysis. PMID:29615386

  4. Vaccine Images on Twitter: Analysis of What Images are Shared.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tao; Dredze, Mark

    2018-04-03

    Visual imagery plays a key role in health communication; however, there is little understanding of what aspects of vaccine-related images make them effective communication aids. Twitter, a popular venue for discussions related to vaccination, provides numerous images that are shared with tweets. The objectives of this study were to understand how images are used in vaccine-related tweets and provide guidance with respect to the characteristics of vaccine-related images that correlate with the higher likelihood of being retweeted. We collected more than one million vaccine image messages from Twitter and characterized various properties of these images using automated image analytics. We fit a logistic regression model to predict whether or not a vaccine image tweet was retweeted, thus identifying characteristics that correlate with a higher likelihood of being shared. For comparison, we built similar models for the sharing of vaccine news on Facebook and for general image tweets. Most vaccine-related images are duplicates (125,916/237,478; 53.02%) or taken from other sources, not necessarily created by the author of the tweet. Almost half of the images contain embedded text, and many include images of people and syringes. The visual content is highly correlated with a tweet's textual topics. Vaccine image tweets are twice as likely to be shared as nonimage tweets. The sentiment of an image and the objects shown in the image were the predictive factors in determining whether an image was retweeted. We are the first to study vaccine images on Twitter. Our findings suggest future directions for the study and use of vaccine imagery and may inform communication strategies around vaccination. Furthermore, our study demonstrates an effective study methodology for image analysis. ©Tao Chen, Mark Dredze. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 03.04.2018.

  5. Sibship size, sibling cognitive sensitivity, and children's receptive vocabulary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prime, Heather; Pauker, Sharon; Plamondon, André; Perlman, Michal; Jenkins, Jennifer

    2014-02-01

    The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between sibship size and children's vocabulary as a function of quality of sibling interactions. It was hypothesized that coming from a larger sibship (ie, 3+ children) would be related to lower receptive vocabulary in children. However, we expected this association to be moderated by the level of cognitive sensitivity shown by children's next-in-age older siblings. Data on 385 children (mean age = 3.15 years) and their next-in-age older siblings (mean age = 5.57 years) were collected and included demographic questionnaires, direct testing of children's receptive vocabulary, and videos of mother-child and sibling interactions. Sibling dyads were taped engaging in a cooperative building task and tapes were coded for the amount of cognitive sensitivity the older sibling exhibited toward the younger sibling. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted and showed an interaction between sibship size and sibling cognitive sensitivity in the prediction of children's receptive vocabulary; children exposed to large sibships whose next-in-age older sibling exhibited higher levels of cognitive sensitivity were less likely to show low vocabulary skills when compared with those children exposed to large sibships whose siblings showed lower levels of cognitive sensitivity. Children who show sensitivity to the cognitive needs of their younger siblings provide a rich environment for language development. The negative impact of large sibships on language development is moderated by the presence of an older sibling who shows high cognitive sensitivity.

  6. Vanillic and syringic acids from biomass burning: Behaviour during Fenton-like oxidation in atmospheric aqueous phase and in the absence of light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, Gabriela T.A.D.; Santos, Patrícia S.M., E-mail: patricia.santos@ua.pt; Duarte, Armando C.

    2016-08-05

    Highlights: • The rate of oxidation of small aromatic acids increase with the pH decrease. • With the oxidation of aromatic acids are formed new small aromatic compounds. • The initial and formed compounds are not totally degraded during the night period. • The substituents and their positions in ring affect the oxidation of aromatic acids. • The OH radical attack to vanillic and syringic acids is different in atmospheric waters. - Abstract: Biomass combustion is a threat to the environment since it emits to the atmosphere organic compounds, which may react and originate others more aggressive. This work studied the behaviours of vanillic and syringic acids, small aromatic tracers of biomass burning, during Fenton-like oxidation in aqueous phase and absence of light. For both compounds, the extent of oxidation increased with pH decrease from neutral to acid in atmospheric waters, but for vanillic acid the neutral pH was not able of promoting the oxidation. With the oxidation of both acids were formed chromophoric compounds, and the formation rate increased with the degree of electron-donator substituents in benzene ring. The initial and produced compounds were not totally degraded up to 24 h of reaction at pH 4.5, suggesting that the night period may be not sufficient for their full degradation in atmospheric waters. The major compounds formed were the 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid for vanillic acid, and the 1,4-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethoxybenzene for syringic acid. These findings suggest the occurrence of an ipso attack by the hydroxyl radical preferential to the methoxy and carboxyl groups of vanillic and syringic acids, respectively. It is important to highlight that for both aromatic acids the main compounds produced are also small aromatic compounds.

  7. Doses rate in contact with plastic syringes of 1, 2 and 5 mL for different beta and gamma emitting radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres Berdeguez, Mirta; Ayra Pardo, Enrique; Falcon, Lazaro

    2008-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to calculate the dose rate in contact with plastic syringes of 1, 2 and 5 m L volume, unshielded and the dose rate in the same syringes after a lead or a Lucite shield of various thickness has been installed, depending on the emission of the radionuclide used. The radionuclides involved in the assessment were 32 P, 51 Cr, 90 Y, 99m Tc, 125 I, 131 I, 153 Sm, 186 Re, 188 Re, 169 Er and 177 Lu. The code used was the MCNP4C. The results are intended to be used by a Radiation Protection Officer wherever the radionuclides in question are handled to rapidly assess the dose in hands of the operators. (author)

  8. Stability of sodium bicarbonate injection 8.4% in syringes over a six-week period in refrigerated temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seki, Jack T; Wang, Tian Q; Yip, Paul M; Mazzulli, Tony; Minden, Mark D

    2018-04-01

    Background Dysfunctional central venous catheter prohibits the administration of potential life-saving chemotherapy and the delivery of essential supportive care needs to patients. Sodium bicarbonate injection has been shown to impede against fibrin clot formation and prolong prothrombin time and thrombin clotting time. Sodium bicarbonate injection has been tried as a second-line agent with good results in a small number of patients (internal data not published) when alteplase failed. We assessed whether the pre-filled sodium bicarbonate injection in 5 mL syringes would not only preserve sterility and retain its pH and concentration but also amount to the potential cost savings for future use when stored in a refrigerated environment. Methodology Twelve pre-filled 5 mL syringes were prepared aseptically, of which four each were tested for pH, sodium bicarbonate injection concentration and sterility when stored in refrigerated temperature over a six-week period. A standard pH meter, enzymatic carbon dioxide analyzer, and a 14-day incubation for microbial detection were employed for this study. Results Sodium bicarbonate concentration measured in the form of carbon dioxide ranged from 923 mmol/L or (1846 mosol/L) to 1006 mmol/L or (2012 mosmol/L), and pH ranged from (7.88 to 8.05) were reported over the duration of the study period. The 14-day incubation period resulted in no microbial growth. Conclusion Our study results have indicated that the pH and sodium bicarbonate injection concentration values were stable and within range, comparable to those reported by the manufacturer within the study period. The contents of the subdivided sodium bicarbonate injection 5 mL syringes retained sterility over a 14-day incubation period.

  9. A new solid phase microextraction method using organic ligand in micropipette tip syringe system packed with modified carbon cloth for preconcentration of cadmium in drinking water and blood samples of kidney failure patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panhwar, Abdul Haleem; Kazi, Tasneem Gul; Afridi, Hassan Imran; Arain, Salma Aslam; Naeemullah; Brahman, Kapil Dev; Arain, Mariam Shahzadi

    2015-03-01

    A simple and efficient miniaturized solid phase microextraction (M-SPμE) in a syringe system was developed for preconcentration of cadmium (Cd) in environmental and biological samples, followed by flame atomic absorption technique. The syringe system contains the micropipette tip packed with activated carbon cloth, coated with modified magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide Triton X114 (ACC-NPs). Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy used for characterization of the size, morphology and elemental composition of ACC-NPs. The sample solution treated with a complexing reagent 8-hydroxyqunilone (8-HQ), and drawn into the syringe, filled with ACC-MNPs and dispensed manually for 2-10 drawing/discharging cycles. The analyte retained on ACC-NPs in micropipette tip-syringe system were then eluted with different volume of 1.5 mol L-1 HCl by 1-5 drawing/discharging cycles. The syringe system directly couple with FAAS for analysis. The influence of different variables on the extraction efficiency of Cd, including adsorbent dosage, pH, sample volume, eluent volume and drawing/discharging cycles of syringe system were optimized. At optimized extraction conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 5-250 μg L-1, with a limit of detection 0.15 μg L-1. Repeatability of the extraction (%RSD) was <5%, n = 5. The validity and accuracy of the method was checked by the certified reference materials. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of Cd in different drinking water and biological samples of kidney failure patients and healthy controls.

  10. Structure of receptive fields in a computational model of area 3b of primary sensory cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detorakis, Georgios Is; Rougier, Nicolas P

    2014-01-01

    In a previous work, we introduced a computational model of area 3b which is built upon the neural field theory and receives input from a simplified model of the index distal finger pad populated by a random set of touch receptors (Merkell cells). This model has been shown to be able to self-organize following the random stimulation of the finger pad model and to cope, to some extent, with cortical or skin lesions. The main hypothesis of the model is that learning of skin representations occurs at the thalamo-cortical level while cortico-cortical connections serve a stereotyped competition mechanism that shapes the receptive fields. To further assess this hypothesis and the validity of the model, we reproduced in this article the exact experimental protocol of DiCarlo et al. that has been used to examine the structure of receptive fields in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex. Using the same analysis toolset, the model yields consistent results, having most of the receptive fields to contain a single region of excitation and one to several regions of inhibition. We further proceeded our study using a dynamic competition that deeply influences the formation of the receptive fields. We hypothesized this dynamic competition to correspond to some form of somatosensory attention that may help to precisely shape the receptive fields. To test this hypothesis, we designed a protocol where an arbitrary region of interest is delineated on the index distal finger pad and we either (1) instructed explicitly the model to attend to this region (simulating an attentional signal) (2) preferentially trained the model on this region or (3) combined the two aforementioned protocols simultaneously. Results tend to confirm that dynamic competition leads to shrunken receptive fields and its joint interaction with intensive training promotes a massive receptive fields migration and shrinkage.

  11. Structure of Receptive Fields in a Computational Model of Area 3b of Primary Sensory Cortex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios eDetorakis

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In a previous work, we introduced a computational model of area 3b which is built upon the neural field theory and receives input from a simplified model of the index distal finger pad populated by a random set of touch receptors(Merkell cells. This model has been shown to be able to self-organize following the random stimulation of the finger pad model and to cope, to some extent, with cortical or skin lesions. The main hypothesis of the model is that learning of skin representations occurs at the thalamo-cortical level while cortico-cortical connections serve a stereotyped competition mechanism that shapes the receptive fields. To further assess this hypothesis and the validity of the model, we reproduced in this article the exact experimental protocol of DiCarlo et al. that has been used to examine the structure of receptive fields in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex. Using the same analysis toolset, the model yields consistent results, having most of the receptive fields to contain a single region of excitation and one to severalregions of inhibition. We further proceeded our study using a dynamic competition that deeply influences the formation of the receptive fields. We hypothesized this dynamic competition to correspond to some form of somatosensory attention that may help to precisely shape the receptive fields. To test this hypothesis, we designed a protocol where an arbitrary region of interest is delineated on the index distal finger pad and we either (1 instructed explicitly the model to attend to this region (simulating an attentional signal (2 preferentially trained the model on this region or (3combined the two aforementioned protocols simultaneously. Results tend to confirm that dynamic competition leads to shrunken receptive fields and its joint interaction with intensive training promotes a massive receptive fields migration and shrinkage.

  12. A practical guide for nurses in diluent selection for subcutaneous infusion using a syringe driver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Fiona; Flowers, Charne

    2006-12-01

    Appropriate diluent selection in continuous subcutaneous infusion optimises symptom management and client well-being. The responsibility of diluent selection is commonly one of the attending nurse. This paper was developed with the intention of providing nurses with practical instruction for diluent selection when preparing medications for administration subcutaneously using a syringe driver. A literature review was undertaken of published journal databases and published guidelines sites. Recommendations regarding diluent choice were reviewed in two iterations by an expert panel of palliative care nurse clinicians. The principles for diluent selection are presented. They are based primarily on expert opinion level of evidence given a lack of primary research evidence in the area of diluent selection. There is a pressing need for manufacturers' guidance on diluent selection and independent research to establish the impact of diluents on drug and drug combinations when using syringe drivers. Until such time that this evidence is available to guide practice, clinicians need to be trained to inspect solutions and assess the effectiveness of the medication in controlling symptoms. The capacity of this paper to provide practical instruction has been limited by the lack of rigorous evidence available, and indeed, the process of developing this guide identified perhaps more questions than answers available at the present time.

  13. Online Movie Trailers - A Reception Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Jensen, Frida Videbæk; Rozé, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    This project is a reception analysis of how a target group receive online movie trailers. It utilized a focus group as means of research with participants from the dormitories Kollibrien and Korallen. We concluded that the group we investigated were not interested in online movie trailers as anything else than a preview of a movie. They preferred to experience movie trailers in the cinema. Their opinion of specific movie trailers were also determined by whether or not they identified with the...

  14. Pre-adolescent Receptivity to Tobacco Marketing and Its Relationship to Acquiring Friends Who Smoke and Cigarette Smoking Initiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, David R; Messer, Karen; Hartman, Sheri J; Nodora, Jesse; Vera, Lisa; White, Martha M; Leas, Eric; Pharris-Ciurej, Nikolas; Borek, Nicolette; Pierce, John P

    2017-10-01

    This study extends research on receptivity to tobacco marketing over a key developmental period for cigarette smoking experimentation. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of receptivity to tobacco marketing and exposure to friends who smoke on smoking experimentation. Participants were 10 to 13 years old who had never tried cigarettes (n = 878), interviewed six times at 8-month intervals. At baseline, 25% percent of the 10 and 11 years old in the sample of never smokers were receptive to tobacco marketing, while less than 5% had friends who smoked. Having a friend who smoked at study baseline and acquiring such friends for the first time during the study were the strongest predictors of smoking experimentation. Initial receptivity to tobacco marketing increased the risk of smoking experimentation independently of having friends who smoke at baseline or acquiring friends who smoke throughout the study period. The high level of receptivity observed even among 10 and 11 years old and its robust relationship with cigarette smoking experimentation independent of the significant risk associated with having friends who smoke suggests that successful prevention of receptivity may require intervention at an early age.

  15. Adapting a receptive vocabulary test for preschool-aged Greek-speaking children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okalidou, Areti; Syrika, Asimina; Beckman, Mary E; Edwards, Jan R

    2011-01-01

    Receptive vocabulary is an important measure for language evaluations. Therefore, norm-referenced receptive vocabulary tests are widely used in several languages. However, a receptive vocabulary test has not yet been normed for Modern Greek. To adapt an American English vocabulary test, the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-II (ROWPVT-II), for Modern Greek for use with Greek-speaking preschool children. The list of 170 English words on ROWPVT-II was adapted by (1) developing two lists (A and B) of Greek words that would match either the target English word or another concept corresponding to one of the pictured objects in the four-picture array; and (2) determining a developmental order for the chosen Greek words for preschool-aged children. For the first task, adult word frequency measures were used to select the words for the Greek wordlist. For the second task, 427 children, 225 boys and 202 girls, ranging in age from 2;0 years to 5;11 years, were recruited from urban and suburban areas of Greece. A pilot study of the two word lists was performed with the aim of comparing an equal number of list A and list B responses for each age group and deriving a new developmental list order. The relative difficulty of each Greek word item, that is, its accuracy score, was calculated by taking the average proportion of correct responses across ages for that word. Subsequently, the word accuracy scores in the two lists were compared via regression analysis, which yielded a highly significant relationship (R(2) = 0.97; p word item from the two lists was a better fit. Finally, new starting levels (basals) were established for preschool ages. The revised word list can serve as the basis for adapting a receptive vocabulary test for Greek preschool-aged children. Further steps need to be taken when testing larger numbers of 2;0 to 5;11-year-old children on the revised word list for determination of norms. This effort will facilitate early identification and remediation

  16. Factors associated with drug-related harms related to policing in Tijuana, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Objective To assess factors associated with drug-related harms related to policing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods IDUs who were over 18 years old and had injected drugs within the last six months were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and underwent questionnaires and testing for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), syphilis and TB (tuberculosis). Random effects logistic regression was used to simultaneously model factors associated with five drug-related harms related to policing practices in the prior six months (i.e., police led them to rush injections; affected where they bought drugs; affected locations where they used drugs; feared that police will interfere with their drug use; receptive syringe sharing). Results Of 727 IDUs, 85% were male; median age was 38 years. Within the last 6 months, 231 (32%) of IDUs reported that police had led them to rush injections, affected where they bought or used drugs or were very afraid police would interfere with their drug use, or shared syringes. Factors independently associated with drug-related harms related to policing within the last six months included: recent arrest, homelessness, higher frequencies of drug injection, use of methamphetamine, using the local needle exchange program and perceiving a decrease in the purity of at least one drug. Conclusions IDUs who experienced drug-related harms related to policing were those who were most affected by other micro and macro influences in the physical risk environment. Police education programs are needed to ensure that policing practices do not exacerbate risky behaviors or discourage protective behaviors such as needle exchange program use, which undermines the right to health for people who inject drugs. PMID:21477299

  17. Factors associated with drug-related harms related to policing in Tijuana, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patterson Thomas L

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective To assess factors associated with drug-related harms related to policing among injection drug users (IDUs in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods IDUs who were over 18 years old and had injected drugs within the last six months were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and underwent questionnaires and testing for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, syphilis and TB (tuberculosis. Random effects logistic regression was used to simultaneously model factors associated with five drug-related harms related to policing practices in the prior six months (i.e., police led them to rush injections; affected where they bought drugs; affected locations where they used drugs; feared that police will interfere with their drug use; receptive syringe sharing. Results Of 727 IDUs, 85% were male; median age was 38 years. Within the last 6 months, 231 (32% of IDUs reported that police had led them to rush injections, affected where they bought or used drugs or were very afraid police would interfere with their drug use, or shared syringes. Factors independently associated with drug-related harms related to policing within the last six months included: recent arrest, homelessness, higher frequencies of drug injection, use of methamphetamine, using the local needle exchange program and perceiving a decrease in the purity of at least one drug. Conclusions IDUs who experienced drug-related harms related to policing were those who were most affected by other micro and macro influences in the physical risk environment. Police education programs are needed to ensure that policing practices do not exacerbate risky behaviors or discourage protective behaviors such as needle exchange program use, which undermines the right to health for people who inject drugs.

  18. How do psychological factors influence adolescent smoking progression? The evidence for indirect effects through tobacco advertising receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audrain-McGovern, Janet; Rodriguez, Daniel; Patel, Vaishali; Faith, Myles S; Rodgers, Kelli; Cuevas, Jocelyn

    2006-04-01

    To determine whether novelty seeking and depressive symptoms had mediated or indirect effects on adolescent smoking progression through tobacco advertising receptivity. More than 1000 adolescents were monitored from 9th grade to 12th grade and completed annual surveys that measured demographic characteristics, smoking behavior, tobacco advertising receptivity, novelty-seeking personality, depressive symptoms, family and peer smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use. Latent growth modeling indicated that novelty seeking had a significant indirect effect on smoking progression through baseline tobacco advertising receptivity. For each 1-SD increase in novelty seeking, the odds of being more receptive to tobacco advertising increased by 12% (ie, being in a specific category or higher), which in turn resulted in an 11% increase in the odds of smoking progression from 9th grade to 12th grade. The indirect effect from depressive symptoms to smoking progression did not reach significance. These findings may inform future research on other factors that influence tobacco advertising receptivity, as well as programs aimed at preventing adolescent smoking initiation and progression.

  19. From Iser to Turner and beyond: reception theory meets cognitive criticism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig Hamilton

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In this essay, we review the work of Wolfgang Iser, the major proponent of reception theory, and Mark Turner, the major proponent of cognitive criticism. The two theoretical lines advocated by Iser and Turner focus on the cognitive processes involved with reading literary texts. Unfortunately, bibliographic blind spots in both lines lead to the assumption that there is little overlap between reception theory and cognitive criticism. We put this assumption to rest by comparing and contrasting works by Iser and Turner in detail, starting with Iser’s work in the mid-1970s and ending with Turner’s work in the late 1990s.

  20. Mapping the receptivity of malaria risk to plan the future of control in Somalia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alegana, Victor Adagi; Patil, Anand Prabhakar; Moloney, Grainne; Borle, Mohammed; Yusuf, Fahmi; Amran, Jamal; Snow, Robert William

    2012-01-01

    Objectives To measure the receptive risks of malaria in Somalia and compare decisions on intervention scale-up based on this map and the more widely used contemporary risk maps. Design Cross-sectional community Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate (PfPR) data for the period 2007–2010 corrected to a standard age range of 2 to Somalia. Participants Randomly sampled individuals of all ages. Main outcome measure Cartographic descriptions of malaria receptivity and contemporary risks in Somalia at the district level. Results The contemporary annual PfPR2–10 map estimated that all districts (n=74) and population (n=8.4 million) in Somalia were under hypoendemic transmission (≤10% PfPR2–10). Of these, 23% of the districts, home to 13% of the population, were under transmission of 10%–50% PfPR2–10) and the rest as hypoendemic. Conclusion Compared with maps of receptive risks, contemporary maps of transmission mask disparities of malaria risk necessary to prioritise and sustain future control. As malaria risk declines across Africa, efforts must be invested in measuring receptivity for efficient control planning. PMID:22855625

  1. The effectiveness of correcting codes in reception in the whole in additive normal white noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shtarkov, Y. M.

    1974-01-01

    Some possible criteria for estimating the effectiveness of correcting codes are presented, and the energy effectiveness of correcting codes is studied for symbol-by-symbol reception. Expressions for the energetic effectiveness of binary correcting codes for reception in the whole are produced. Asymptotic energetic effectiveness and finite signal/noise ratio cases are considered.

  2. Vocabulary and Receptive Knowledge of English Collocations among Swedish Upper Secondary School Students

    OpenAIRE

    Bergström, Kerstin

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study is to examine the vocabulary and receptive collocation knowledge in English among Swedish upper secondary school students. The primary material consists of two vocabulary tests, one collocation test, and a background questionnaire. The first research question concerns whether the students who receive a major part of their education in English have a higher level of vocabulary and receptive collocation knowledge in English than those who are taught primarily in Swedish. T...

  3. The effects of echolalia on acquisition and generalization of receptive labeling in autistic children.

    OpenAIRE

    Charlop, M H

    1983-01-01

    This investigation, consisting of two experiments, was designed to assess the effects of autistic immediate echolalia on acquisition and generalization of receptive labeling tasks. Experiment 1 addressed whether autistic children could use their echolalia to facilitate acquisition. The results indicated that incorporating echolalia (echo of the requested object's label) into the task before manual response (handing the requested object to the experimenter) facilitated receptive labeling. Expe...

  4. Clinical investigations of receptive and expressive musical functions after stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken eRosslau

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available There is a long tradition of investigating various disorders of musical abilities after stroke. These impairments, associated with acquired amusia, can be highly selective, affecting only music perception (i.e., receptive abilities/functions or expression (music production abilities, and some patients report that these may dramatically influence their emotional state. The aim of this study was to systematically test both the melodic and rhythmic domains of music perception and expression in left- and right-sided stroke patients compared to healthy subjects. Music perception was assessed using rhythmic and melodic discrimination tasks, while tests of expressive function involved the vocal or instrumental reproduction of rhythms and melodies. Our approach revealed deficits in receptive and expressive functions in stroke patients, mediated by musical expertise. Those patients who had experienced a short period of musical training in childhood and adolescence performed better in the receptive and expressive subtests compared to those without any previous musical training. While discrimination of specific musical patterns was unimpaired after a right-sided stroke, patients with a left-sided stroke had worse results for fine melodic and rhythmic analysis. In terms of expressive testing, the most consistent results were obtained from a test that required patients to reproduce sung melodies. This implies that the means of investigating production abilities can impact the identification of deficits.

  5. Clinical investigations of receptive and expressive musical functions after stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosslau, Ken; Steinwede, Daniel; Schröder, C; Herholz, Sibylle C; Lappe, Claudia; Dobel, Christian; Altenmüller, Eckart

    2015-01-01

    There is a long tradition of investigating various disorders of musical abilities after stroke. These impairments, associated with acquired amusia, can be highly selective, affecting only music perception (i.e., receptive abilities/functions) or expression (music production abilities), and some patients report that these may dramatically influence their emotional state. The aim of this study was to systematically test both the melodic and rhythmic domains of music perception and expression in left- and right-sided stroke patients compared to healthy subjects. Music perception was assessed using rhythmic and melodic discrimination tasks, while tests of expressive function involved the vocal or instrumental reproduction of rhythms and melodies. Our approach revealed deficits in receptive and expressive functions in stroke patients, mediated by musical expertise. Those patients who had experienced a short period of musical training in childhood and adolescence performed better in the receptive and expressive subtests compared to those without any previous musical training. While discrimination of specific musical patterns was unimpaired after a left-sided stroke, patients with a right-sided stroke had worse results for fine melodic and rhythmic analysis. In terms of expressive testing, the most consistent results were obtained from a test that required patients to reproduce sung melodies. This implies that the means of investigating production abilities can impact the identification of deficits.

  6. Receptivity to protobacco media and its impact on cigarette smoking among ethnic minority youth in California.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xinguang; Cruz, Tess Boley; Schuster, Darleen V; Unger, Jennifer B; Johnson, Carl Anderson

    2002-01-01

    Adolescents from different ethnic groups show different cigarette smoking prevalence rates, suggesting potential differences in receptivity to and influences from protobacco media. Understanding these differences will be helpful in tailoring smoking prevention and cessation programs for diverse adolescent populations in the United States. Data from cross-sectional surveys of 20,332 randomly sampled California boys and girls, 12-17 years of age, were analyzed. Results indicate that receptivity to protobacco media was lower among African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics than among White youth. There was a consistent dose-response relationship between receptivity to protobacco media and 30-day cigarette smoking across ethnic groups. Having a cigarette brand preference was associated with the highest risk for cigarette smoking, having a favorite tobacco ad showed the lowest risk, while having received or being willing to use tobacco promotional items was associated with a moderate risk. After controlling for 13 covariates, the odds ratio for receptivity to protobacco media and 30-day cigarette smoking was significant for Whites (RR = 1.38, p 0.05) and Asian American (RR = 1.17, p > 0.05) youth. African American, Asian American, and Hispanic adolescents have a lower level of receptivity to protobacco media than do Whites. The association between media receptivity and 30-day cigarette smoking exists for all four ethnic groups without controlling for other smoking predictor variables, but only for Hispanics and Whites when other variables are controlled. Protecting adolescents from protobacco advertising influences is an important element in tobacco control among ethnic minority youth.

  7. Receptivity to Kinetic Fluctuations: A Multiple Scales Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Luke; Tumin, Anatoli

    2017-11-01

    The receptivity of high-speed compressible boundary layers to kinetic fluctuations (KF) is considered within the framework of fluctuating hydrodynamics. The formulation is based on the idea that KF-induced dissipative fluxes may lead to the generation of unstable modes in the boundary layer. Fedorov and Tumin solved the receptivity problem using an asymptotic matching approach which utilized a resonant inner solution in the vicinity of the generation point of the second Mack mode. Here we take a slightly more general approach based on a multiple scales WKB ansatz which requires fewer assumptions about the behavior of the stability spectrum. The approach is modeled after the one taken by Luchini to study low speed incompressible boundary layers over a swept wing. The new framework is used to study examples of high-enthalpy, flat plate boundary layers whose spectra exhibit nuanced behavior near the generation point, such as first mode instabilities and near-neutral evolution over moderate length scales. The configurations considered exhibit supersonic unstable second Mack modes despite the temperature ratio Tw /Te > 1 , contrary to prior expectations. Supported by AFOSR and ONR.

  8. Cortico-Cortical Receptive Field Estimates in Human Visual Cortex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koen V Haak

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Human visual cortex comprises many visual areas that contain a map of the visual field (Wandell et al 2007, Neuron 56, 366–383. These visual field maps can be identified readily in individual subjects with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI during experimental sessions that last less than an hour (Wandell and Winawer 2011, Vis Res 718–737. Hence, visual field mapping with fMRI has been, and still is, a heavily used technique to examine the organisation of both normal and abnormal human visual cortex (Haak et al 2011, ACNR, 11(3, 20–21. However, visual field mapping cannot reveal every aspect of human visual cortex organisation. For example, the information processed within a visual field map arrives from somewhere and is sent to somewhere, and visual field mapping does not derive these input/output relationships. Here, we describe a new, model-based analysis for estimating the dependence between signals in distinct cortical regions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI data. Just as a stimulus-referred receptive field predicts the neural response as a function of the stimulus contrast, the neural-referred receptive field predicts the neural response as a function of responses elsewhere in the nervous system. When applied to two cortical regions, this function can be called the cortico-cortical receptive field (CCRF. We model the CCRF as a Gaussian-weighted region on the cortical surface and apply the model to data from both stimulus-driven and resting-state experimental conditions in visual cortex.

  9. Study on the radiation effect of plastic syringe materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byun, H.C.; Yun, B.M.; Kim, K.Y.; Kong, Y.K.; Park, H.Y.

    1983-01-01

    From the viewpoint of gammasterilization, the defects of domestic polypropylene as the syringe material are to get worse the mechanical properties and discoloration by irradiation. Therefore, the domestic polystyrene (GPPS 150) were inspected to use as substitute for the polypropylene. The gel point of the polystyrene was about 100Mrad and none momentous change of the mechanical properties were appeared until the dose reached to the point. Above the point, as the crosslinking reaction proceed both strength of tensile and impact were increased with discoloration. No significant problem was also found in the water extract test and chemical resistance test. In addition to the pure polystyrene, the copolymer of butadiene (HIPS 425) and the blend material of polypropylene were also inspected for the purpose and almost same results were obtained in the radiation irradiation. From the above result, it is considered that polystyrene and the copolymer and the blend mentioned above are available for the medical plastics which would be sterilized by gamma-radiation. (Author)

  10. Nonlinear absorption and receptivity of the third order in InAs infrared region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musayev, M.A.

    2005-01-01

    Nonlinear absorption and receptivity of the third order and coefficient nonlinear absorption in InAs n-type with different degree of alloying was measured. Obtained score considerably exceed sense, calculated on the basis of the models describing nonlinear receptivity of electrons, situated in the nonparabolic area of conductivity. It was shown that, observable deviations withdraw; if in the calculation apply energy dissipation of electrons. Growth of the efficiency under four-wave interaction in low-energy-gap semiconductors confines nonlinear absorption of interacting waves

  11. Direct preparation of a graphene oxide modified monolith in a glass syringe as a solid-phase extraction cartridge for the extraction of quaternary ammonium alkaloids from Chinese patent medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Xiaojing; Wang, Licheng; Wang, Shuai; Li, Yijing; Guo, Yong

    2017-11-01

    Packed cartridges have been widely used in solid-phase extraction. However, there are still some drawbacks, such as they are blocked easily and the method is time-consuming. In view of the advantages of monoliths, a monolithic extraction material has been directly synthesized in a glass syringe without any gap between the monolith and syringe inner wall. The monolithic syringe was modified with graphene oxide by loading graphene oxide dispersion onto it. The content of graphene oxide and the surface topography of the monolith have been evaluated by elemental analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, which confirmed the successful modification. This prepared graphene oxide-modified monolithic syringe was directly used as a traditional solid-phase extraction cartridge. As expected, it shows good permeability and excellent capability for the extraction of quaternary ammonium alkaloids. The sample loading velocity (1-6 mL/min) does not affect the recovery. Under the optimal conditions, good linearities (R = 0.9992-0.9998) were obtained for five quaternary ammonium alkaloids, and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.5-1 and 1-2 μg/L, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of quaternary ammonium alkaloids in Chinese patent medicine. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. A computer-controlled syringe driver for use during anaesthesia. A modification of the Graseby MS16A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, A T

    1986-06-01

    The requirements of a drug infusion device for use in theatre are discussed. A modification of the Graseby MS16A syringe pump and an interface circuit permitting its remote control by microcomputer are described. The pump is controlled via a standard computer interface (RS232) which makes it a unique and powerful research tool. Aspects of safety are considered.

  13. Qualitative Audience Research: Toward an Integrative Approach to Reception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Klaus Bruhn

    1987-01-01

    Analyzes research about the mass communication audience and describes a theoretical and methodological framework for further empirical studies. Discusses the (1) explanatory value of qualitative research; (2) social and cultural implications of the reception process, with special reference to television; and (3) applications and social relevance…

  14. Do Sex, Sex-Role Orientation, and Exposure to Gender-Congruent Therapy Models Influence Receptivity to Psychotherapy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Heather L.; Hatchett, Gregory T.

    2006-01-01

    This study had two objectives. The first objective was to evaluate how well sex and sex-role orientation predicted receptivity to psychotherapy. The second objective was to evaluate whether exposure to gender-congruent therapy videos influenced participants' receptivity to psychotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: (1)…

  15. Eugen Bleuler 150: Bleuler's reception of Freud.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalzell, Thomas G

    2007-12-01

    On the 150th anniversary of Eugen Bleuler's birth, this article examines his reception of Sigmund Freud and his use of Freudian theory to understand the symptoms of schizophrenia. In addition, in contrast to earlier interpretations of Bleuler's relationship with Freud in terms of an eventual personal and theoretical incompatibility, the article demonstrates that, although Bleuler did distance himself from the psychoanalytic movement, he remained consistent in his views on Freud's theories.

  16. Conceptual scoring of receptive and expressive vocabulary measures in simultaneous and sequential bilingual children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Megan; Buac, Milijana; Kaushanskaya, Margarita

    2014-11-01

    The authors examined the effects of conceptual scoring on the performance of simultaneous and sequential bilinguals on standardized receptive and expressive vocabulary measures in English and Spanish. Participants included 40 English-speaking monolingual children, 39 simultaneous Spanish-English bilingual children, and 19 sequential bilingual children, ages 5-7. The children completed standardized receptive and expressive vocabulary measures in English and also in Spanish for those who were bilingual. After the standardized administration, bilingual children were given the opportunity to respond to missed items in their other language to obtain a conceptual score. Controlling for group differences in socioeconomic status (SES), both simultaneous and sequential bilingual children scored significantly below monolingual children on single-language measures of English receptive and expressive vocabulary. Conceptual scoring removed the significant difference between monolingual and simultaneous bilingual children in the receptive modality but not in the expressive modality; differences remained between monolingual and sequential bilingual children in both modalities. However, in both bilingual groups, conceptual scoring increased the proportion of children with vocabulary scores within the average range. Conceptual scoring does not fully ameliorate the bias inherent in single-language standardized vocabulary measures for bilingual children, but the procedures employed here may assist in ruling out vocabulary deficits, particularly in typically developing simultaneous bilingual children.

  17. Attention directed by expectations enhances receptive fields in cortical area MT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghose, Geoffrey M; Bearl, David W

    2010-02-22

    Expectations, especially those formed on the basis of extensive training, can substantially enhance visual performance. However, it is not clear that the physiological mechanisms underlying this enhancement are identical to those examined by experiments in which attention is directed by explicit instructions rather than strong expectations. To study the changes in visual representations associated with strong expectations, we trained animals to detect a brief motion pulse that was embedded in noise. Because the nature of the pulse and the statistics of its appearance were well known to the animals, they formed strong expectations which determined their behavioral performance. We used white-noise methods to infer the receptive field structure of single neurons in area MT while they were performing this task. Incorporating non-linearities, we compared receptive fields during periods of time when the animals were expecting the motion pulse with periods of time when they were not. We found receptive field changes consistent with an increased reliability in signaling pulse occurrence. Moreover, these changes were not consistent with a simple gain modulation. The results suggest that strong expectations can create very specific changes in the visual representations at a cellular level to enhance performance. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Perceptions of shared decision making and decision aids among rural primary care clinicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Valerie J; Davis, Melinda M; Gorman, Paul N; Rugge, J Bruin; Fagnan, L J

    2012-01-01

    Shared decision making (SDM) and decision aids (DAs) increase patients' involvement in health care decisions and enhance satisfaction with their choices. Studies of SDM and DAs have primarily occurred in academic centers and large health systems, but most primary care is delivered in smaller practices, and over 20% of Americans live in rural areas, where poverty, disease prevalence, and limited access to care may increase the need for SDM and DAs. To explore perceptions and practices of rural primary care clinicians regarding SDM and DAs. Cross-sectional survey. Setting and Participants Primary care clinicians affiliated with the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network. Surveys were returned by 181 of 231 eligible participants (78%); 174 could be analyzed. Two-thirds of participants were physicians, 84% practiced family medicine, and 55% were male. Sixty-five percent of respondents were unfamiliar with the term shared decision making, but following definition, 97% reported that they found the approach useful for conditions with multiple treatment options. Over 90% of clinicians perceived helping patients make decisions regarding chronic pain and health behavior change as moderate/hard in difficulty. Although 69% of respondents preferred that patients play an equal role in making decisions, they estimate that this happens only 35% of the time. Time was reported as the largest barrier to engaging in SDM (63%). Respondents were receptive to using DAs to facilitate SDM in print- (95%) or web-based formats (72%), and topic preference varied by clinician specialty and decision difficulty. Rural clinicians recognized the value of SDM and were receptive to using DAs in multiple formats. Integration of DAs to facilitate SDM in routine patient care may require addressing practice operation and reimbursement.

  19. Stability of Fentanyl Citrate, Hydromorphone Hydrochloride, Ketamine Hydrochloride, Midazolam, Morphine Sulfate, and Pentobarbital Sodium in Polypropylene Syringes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Collin; MacKay, Mark

    2015-12-16

    Determine the stability of fentanyl 10 mcg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, fentanyl 10 mcg/mL in 5% dextrose, fentanyl 50 mcg/mL, hydromorphone 100 mcg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, ketamine 10 mg/mL, midazolam 0.4 mg/mL in 5% dextrose, midazolam 5 mg/mL, morphine 1 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, morphine 1 mg/mL in 5% dextrose, and pentobarbital 50 mg/mL when stored as single drug entities at room temperature in polypropylene syringes. Four 5 mL samples of each drug and concentration were prepared in 10 mL polypropylene syringes. The samples were stored at ambient room temperature in a locked cabinet. Triplicate determinations of drug concentration for each sample were performed initially, on day 50 or 51, and on day 100 using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. With the exception of the hydromorphone 100 mcg/mL dilution, all compounds were found to contain greater than 95% of their initial concentration remaining at 100 days. Each sample remained clear and colorless when visually inspected.

  20. The Judaeo-Karaite Reception of the Hebrew Bible

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sabih, Joshua

    DESCRIPTION: The Karaites emerged as a school of thought within Middle Eastern Judaism in the 8th century. The Karaites were a “reading community” whose intellectual activity and daily lives were based around the divine scriptures. Over time Karaism became one of the two main competing schools of...... between the Rabbinate and the Karaite reception and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible....

  1. Intervention for Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Impairment: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, James; McCartney, Elspeth; O'Hare, Anne; Law, James

    2010-01-01

    Studies indicate that language impairment that cannot be accounted for by factors such as below-average non-verbal ability, hearing impairment, behaviour or emotional problems, or neurological impairments affects some 6% of school-age children. Language impairment with a receptive language component is more resistant to intervention than specific…

  2. Semi-quantitative analysis of endometrial receptivity marker mRNA ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In fertile women, expression of molecular marker of endometrial receptivity, HOXA11, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and basic transcriptional element binding protein 1 (BTEB1), rises during the luteal phase with the peak occurring during the implantation window. We evaluated the transcript levels of HOXA-11, LIF and ...

  3. Population receptive field (pRF) measurements of chromatic responses in human visual cortex using fMRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welbourne, Lauren E; Morland, Antony B; Wade, Alex R

    2018-02-15

    The spatial sensitivity of the human visual system depends on stimulus color: achromatic gratings can be resolved at relatively high spatial frequencies while sensitivity to isoluminant color contrast tends to be more low-pass. Models of early spatial vision often assume that the receptive field size of pattern-sensitive neurons is correlated with their spatial frequency sensitivity - larger receptive fields are typically associated with lower optimal spatial frequency. A strong prediction of this model is that neurons coding isoluminant chromatic patterns should have, on average, a larger receptive field size than neurons sensitive to achromatic patterns. Here, we test this assumption using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We show that while spatial frequency sensitivity depends on chromaticity in the manner predicted by behavioral measurements, population receptive field (pRF) size measurements show no such dependency. At any given eccentricity, the mean pRF size for neuronal populations driven by luminance, opponent red/green and S-cone isolating contrast, are identical. Changes in pRF size (for example, an increase with eccentricity and visual area hierarchy) are also identical across the three chromatic conditions. These results suggest that fMRI measurements of receptive field size and spatial resolution can be decoupled under some circumstances - potentially reflecting a fundamental dissociation between these parameters at the level of neuronal populations. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Rethinking clinical language mapping approaches: discordant receptive and expressive hemispheric language dominance in epilepsy surgery candidates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gage, Nicole M; Eliashiv, Dawn S; Isenberg, Anna L; Fillmore, Paul T; Kurelowech, Lacey; Quint, Patti J; Chung, Jeffrey M; Otis, Shirley M

    2011-06-01

    Neuroimaging studies have shed light on cortical language organization, with findings implicating the left and right temporal lobes in speech processing converging to a left-dominant pattern. Findings highlight the fact that the state of theoretical language knowledge is ahead of current clinical language mapping methods, motivating a rethinking of these approaches. The authors used magnetoencephalography and multiple tasks in seven candidates for resective epilepsy surgery to investigate language organization. The authors scanned 12 control subjects to investigate the time course of bilateral receptive speech processes. Laterality indices were calculated for left and right hemisphere late fields ∼150 to 400 milliseconds. The authors report that (1) in healthy adults, speech processes activated superior temporal regions bilaterally converging to a left-dominant pattern, (2) in four of six patients, this was reversed, with bilateral processing converging to a right-dominant pattern, and (3) in three of four of these patients, receptive and expressive language processes were laterally discordant. Results provide evidence that receptive and expressive language may have divergent hemispheric dominance. Right-sided receptive language dominance in epilepsy patients emphasizes the need to assess both receptive and expressive language. Findings indicate that it is critical to use multiple tasks tapping separable aspects of language function to provide sensitive and specific estimates of language localization in surgical patients.

  5. Investigating Arabic Academic Vocabulary Knowledge Among Middle School Pupils: Receptive Versus Productive Knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makhoul, Baha

    2017-08-01

    The current study attempted to investigate the development of Arabic academic vocabulary knowledge among middle-school Arabic native speakers, taking into account the socioeconomic status of the Arab population in Israel. For this purpose, Arabic academic word list was developed, mapping the required academic words that are needed for adequate coping with informational texts as appearing in the different content areas text-books. Six-hundred Arabic speaking middle school pupils from the different areas in Israel, representing the different Arab subgroups: general Arab community, Druze and Bedouins, have participated in the current study. Two academic vocabulary tests, including receptive and productive academic vocabulary evaluation tests, were administrated to the students across the different age groups (7th, 8th and 9th). The results pointed to no significant difference between 7th and 9th grade in academic vocabulary knowledge. In contrast, significant difference was encountered between the different Arab sub-groups where the lowest scores were noted among the Bedouin sub-group, characterized by the lowest SES. When comparing receptive and productive academic vocabulary knowledge between 7th and 9th grade, the results pointed to improvement in receptive academic knowledge towards the end of middle school but not on the productive knowledge level. In addition, within participants' comparison indicated a gap between the pupils' receptive and productive vocabulary. The results are discussed in relation to the existing scientific literature and to its implication of both research and practice in the domain of Arabic literacy development.

  6. Nonredundant sparse feature extraction using autoencoders with receptive fields clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayinde, Babajide O; Zurada, Jacek M

    2017-09-01

    This paper proposes new techniques for data representation in the context of deep learning using agglomerative clustering. Existing autoencoder-based data representation techniques tend to produce a number of encoding and decoding receptive fields of layered autoencoders that are duplicative, thereby leading to extraction of similar features, thus resulting in filtering redundancy. We propose a way to address this problem and show that such redundancy can be eliminated. This yields smaller networks and produces unique receptive fields that extract distinct features. It is also shown that autoencoders with nonnegativity constraints on weights are capable of extracting fewer redundant features than conventional sparse autoencoders. The concept is illustrated using conventional sparse autoencoder and nonnegativity-constrained autoencoders with MNIST digits recognition, NORB normalized-uniform object data and Yale face dataset. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. THE AUDIT OF RECEPTION PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorina MOCUŢA

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The object of study case is to analyze the quality of the logistics department, focusing on the audit process. Purpose of this paper is to present the advantages resulting from the systematic audit processes and methods of analysis and improvement of nonconformities found. The case study is realised at SC Miele Tehnica SRL Brasov, twelfth production line, and the fourth from outside Germany. The specific objectives are: clarifying the concept of audit quality, emphasizing requirements ISO 19011:2003 "Guidelines for auditing quality management systems and / or environment" on audits; cchieving quality audit and performance analysis; improved process performance reception materials; compliance with legislation and auditing standards applicable in EU and Romania.

  8. Mechanized syringe homogenization of human and animal tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurien, Biji T; Porter, Andrew C; Patel, Nisha C; Kurono, Sadamu; Matsumoto, Hiroyuki; Scofield, R Hal

    2004-06-01

    Tissue homogenization is a prerequisite to any fractionation schedule. A plethora of hands-on methods are available to homogenize tissues. Here we report a mechanized method for homogenizing animal and human tissues rapidly and easily. The Bio-Mixer 1200 (manufactured by Innovative Products, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK) utilizes the back-and-forth movement of two motor-driven disposable syringes, connected to each other through a three-way stopcock, to homogenize animal or human tissue. Using this method, we were able to homogenize human or mouse tissues (brain, liver, heart, and salivary glands) in 5 min. From sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric enzyme assay for prolidase, we have found that the homogenates obtained were as good or even better than that obtained used a manual glass-on-Teflon (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) homogenization protocol (all-glass tube and Teflon pestle). Use of the Bio-Mixer 1200 to homogenize animal or human tissue precludes the need to stay in the cold room as is the case with the other hands-on homogenization methods available, in addition to freeing up time for other experiments.

  9. THE RECEPTION OF GALATIANS 2:20 IN THE PATRISTIC PERIOD ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article explores the reception of Galatians 2:20 in the Patristic period, and ... theological framework in which later generations placed the communities wherein ... quality of reality – and in Christ that is as perfect as eternal life can ever be.

  10. Hypothesis: Co-transfer of genuine embryos and implantation-promoting compounds via artificial containers improve endometrium receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik, Onder; Acet, Mustafa; Celik, Sudenaz; Sahin, Levent; Koc, Onder; Celik, Nilufer

    2017-06-01

    As with other organs endometrial functions are altered with the advancing age. Age related decrease in reproductive functions leads to decline in the number of oocytes retrieved and the synthesis of endometrial receptivity molecules. Despite the significant improvement in assisted reproductive technologies we do not have so many options to enhance endometrial receptivity. Due to lack of drugs having endometrium receptivity enhancement properties, oocyte donation seems to be the only solution for women with implantation failure. The euploid oocytes come from young and healthy donors may overcome age associated endometrial receptivity defect. Nevertheless, many reasons restrict us from using oocyte donation in women with implantation failure. We, therefore, hypothesized that by mimicking a young blastocyst's effect on endometrium, the transfer of genuine embryos and implantation-promoting compounds together might be the new treatment option for infertile women with recurrent implantation failure. Artificial beads, MI or GV oocytes, and empty zona can be used as a container for intrauterine replacement of implantation-promoting compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Concern About Hunger May Increase Receptivity to GMOs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, B Elijah; Conn, Caitlin C; Wiles, Jason R

    2016-07-01

    Due to a phenomenon known as the 'backfire effect', intuition-based opinions can be inadvertently strengthened by evidence-based counterarguments. Students' views on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be subject to this effect. We explored the impact of an empathetically accessible topic, world hunger, on receptivity to GMO technology as an alternative to direct evidence-based approaches. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Adolescent Weight Status and Receptivity to Food TV Advertisements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adachi-Mejia, Anna M.; Sutherland, Lisa A.; Longacre, Meghan R.; Beach, Michael L.; Titus-Ernstoff, Linda; Gibson, Jennifer J.; Dalton, Madeline A.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: This study examined the relationship between adolescent weight status and food advertisement receptivity. Design: Survey-based evaluation with data collected at baseline (initial and at 2 months), and at follow-up (11 months). Setting: New Hampshire and Vermont. Participants: Students (n = 2,281) aged 10-13 in 2002-2005. Main Outcome…

  13. KIRA1 and ORESARA1 terminate flower receptivity by promoting cell death in the stigma of Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhen; Daneva, Anna; Salanenka, Yuliya; Van Durme, Matthias; Huysmans, Marlies; Lin, Zongcheng; De Winter, Freya; Vanneste, Steffen; Karimi, Mansour; Van de Velde, Jan; Vandepoele, Klaas; Van de Walle, Davy; Dewettinck, Koen; Lambrecht, Bart N; Nowack, Moritz K

    2018-05-28

    Flowers have a species-specific functional life span that determines the time window in which pollination, fertilization and seed set can occur. The stigma tissue plays a key role in flower receptivity by intercepting pollen and initiating pollen tube growth toward the ovary. In this article, we show that a developmentally controlled cell death programme terminates the functional life span of stigma cells in Arabidopsis. We identified the leaf senescence regulator ORESARA1 (also known as ANAC092) and the previously uncharacterized KIRA1 (also known as ANAC074) as partially redundant transcription factors that modulate stigma longevity by controlling the expression of programmed cell death-associated genes. KIRA1 expression is sufficient to induce cell death and terminate floral receptivity, whereas lack of both KIRA1 and ORESARA1 substantially increases stigma life span. Surprisingly, the extension of stigma longevity is accompanied by only a moderate extension of flower receptivity, suggesting that additional processes participate in the control of the flower's receptive life span.

  14. Inventário de ciclo de vida da manufatura de seringas odontológicas Life cycle inventory of dental syringes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biagio F. Giannetti

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Uma das formas mais integradas, completas e eficazes para a gestão ambiental de atividades produtivas é baseada no ciclo de vida do produto, sendo a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida sua principal ferramenta. O produto avaliado é a seringa odontológica tipo Carpule. O objetivo é a realização do Inventário de Ciclo de Vida (ICV simplificado da fabricação de seringas odontológicas tipo Carpule, visando quantificar o uso de energia elétrica e a emissão de resíduos sólidos desde a mineração até o descarte do produto. A estrutura metodológica está baseada nas normas da série NBR ISO 14.040 e ISO 14.040. As fronteiras do estudo incluem as etapas de mineração, beneficiamento e manufatura; a produção do polietileno que compõe o tubete e a embalagem da agulha; a produção do aço, utilizado na fabricação da agulha, e o uso do conjunto pelos dentistas. A unidade funcional utilizada é 10(6 (um milhão de anestesias aplicadas. Na avaliação de melhorias, as soluções propostas permitem reduzir o consumo de energia elétrica em aproximadamente 20% na etapa de manufatura. A quantidade de resíduos sólidos pode ser reduzida de 40% na etapa de manufatura, o que corresponde a aproximadamente 6,50% do total de resíduos sólidos no ciclo de vida da seringa odontológica.Among the methods proposed to environmental management of productive activities, Life Cycle Assessment is one of the most integrated, complete and efficacious. The product assessed is the dental carpule syringe. The aim of this work is to to perform a Streamlined Life Cycle Inventory (LCI to quantify the electric energy consumption and the solid waste release from dental carpule syringes manufacture. The methodological structure is based on NBR ISO 14.040 and ISO 14.040 series. The LCI covers the syringe life cycle from mining to disposal. The limits of the system include the stages of copper and zinc mining and ore beneficiation; the production of polyethylene used for

  15. Early language processing efficiency predicts later receptive vocabulary outcomes in children born preterm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchman, Virginia A; Adams, Katherine A; Loi, Elizabeth C; Fernald, Anne; Feldman, Heidi M

    2016-01-01

    As rates of prematurity continue to rise, identifying which preterm children are at increased risk for learning disabilities is a public health imperative. Identifying continuities between early and later skills in this vulnerable population can also illuminate fundamental neuropsychological processes that support learning in all children. At 18 months adjusted age, we used socioeconomic status (SES), medical variables, parent-reported vocabulary, scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) language composite, and children's lexical processing speed in the looking-while-listening (LWL) task as predictor variables in a sample of 30 preterm children. Receptive vocabulary as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (fourth edition) at 36 months was the outcome. Receptive vocabulary was correlated with SES, but uncorrelated with degree of prematurity or a composite of medical risk. Importantly, lexical processing speed was the strongest predictor of receptive vocabulary (r = -.81), accounting for 30% unique variance. Individual differences in lexical processing efficiency may be able to serve as a marker for information processing skills that are critical for language learning.

  16. Transition Prediction in Hypersonic Boundary Layers Using Receptivity and Freestream Spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balakumar, P.; Chou, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    Boundary-layer transition in hypersonic flows over a straight cone can be predicted using measured freestream spectra, receptivity, and threshold values for the wall pressure fluctuations at the transition onset points. Simulations are performed for hypersonic boundary-layer flows over a 7-degree half-angle straight cone with varying bluntness at a freestream Mach number of 10. The steady and the unsteady flow fields are obtained by solving the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in axisymmetric coordinates using a 5th-order accurate weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for space discretization and using a third-order total-variation-diminishing (TVD) Runge-Kutta scheme for time integration. The calculated N-factors at the transition onset location increase gradually with increasing unit Reynolds numbers for flow over a sharp cone and remain almost the same for flow over a blunt cone. The receptivity coefficient increases slightly with increasing unit Reynolds numbers. They are on the order of 4 for a sharp cone and are on the order of 1 for a blunt cone. The location of transition onset predicted from the simulation including the freestream spectrum, receptivity, and the linear and the weakly nonlinear evolutions yields a solution close to the measured onset location for the sharp cone. The simulations over-predict transition onset by about twenty percent for the blunt cone.

  17. Risk factors for low receptive vocabulary abilities in the preschool and early school years in the longitudinal study of Australian children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Christensen

    Full Text Available Receptive vocabulary development is a component of the human language system that emerges in the first year of life and is characterised by onward expansion throughout life. Beginning in infancy, children's receptive vocabulary knowledge builds the foundation for oral language and reading skills. The foundations for success at school are built early, hence the public health policy focus on reducing developmental inequalities before children start formal school. The underlying assumption is that children's development is stable, and therefore predictable, over time. This study investigated this assumption in relation to children's receptive vocabulary ability. We investigated the extent to which low receptive vocabulary ability at 4 years was associated with low receptive vocabulary ability at 8 years, and the predictive utility of a multivariate model that included child, maternal and family risk factors measured at 4 years. The study sample comprised 3,847 children from the first nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate risks for low receptive vocabulary ability from 4-8 years and sensitivity-specificity analysis was used to examine the predictive utility of the multivariate model. In the multivariate model, substantial risk factors for receptive vocabulary delay from 4-8 years, in order of descending magnitude, were low receptive vocabulary ability at 4 years, low maternal education, and low school readiness. Moderate risk factors, in order of descending magnitude, were low maternal parenting consistency, socio-economic area disadvantage, low temperamental persistence, and NESB status. The following risk factors were not significant: One or more siblings, low family income, not reading to the child, high maternal work hours, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ethnicity. The results of the sensitivity-specificity analysis showed that a well

  18. Metal-organic framework based in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Peiyi; Han, Qiang; Li, Hengzhen; Wang, Tong; Ding, Mingyu

    2018-04-01

    In-syringe solid-phase extraction is a promising sample pretreatment method for the on-site sampling of water samples because of its outstanding advantages of portability, simple operation, short extraction time, and low cost. In this work, a novel in-syringe solid-phase extraction device using metal-organic frameworks as the adsorbent was fabricated for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental waters. Trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were effectively extracted through the self-made device followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Owing to the excellent adsorption performance of metal-organic frameworks, the analytes could be completely adsorbed during one adsorption cycle, thus effectively shortening the extraction time. Moreover, the adsorbed analytes could remain stable on the device for at least 7 days, revealing the potential of the self-made device for on-site sampling of degradable compounds in remote regions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.20 to 1.9 ng/L under the optimum conditions. Satisfactory recoveries varying from 84.4 to 104.5% and relative standard deviations below 9.7% were obtained in real samples analysis. The results of this study promote the application of metal-organic frameworks in sample preparation and demonstrate the great potential of in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of trace contaminants in environmental waters. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Syringe needle skull penetration reduces brain injuries and secondary inflammation following intracerebral neural stem cell transplantation

    OpenAIRE

    Gao, Mou; Dong, Qin; Zhang, Hongtian; Yang, Yang; Zhu, Jianwei; Yang, Zhijun; Xu, Minhui; Xu, Ruxiang

    2017-01-01

    Intracerebral neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation is beneficial for delivering stem cell grafts effectively, however, this approach may subsequently result in brain injury and secondary inflammation. To reduce the risk of promoting brain injury and secondary inflammation, two methods were compared in the present study. Murine skulls were penetrated using a drill on the left side and a syringe needle on the right. Mice were randomly divided into three groups (n=84/group): Group A, receiving...

  20. Receptive Learning Styles Of Introverts, Ambiverts And Extroverts In ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Learning to relate with people in their own style is important in helping to understand why they react the way they do. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the differences in the receptive learning styles of introverts, ambiverts and extroverts in Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, ...

  1. The routes to be followed into Alberto Caeiros’s poetry: a reception aesthetics approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabrício César Aguiar

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to study the 8th poem Num meio dia de fim de primavera written by Alberto Caeiro. The analysis proposed will be based on some of the Reception Aesthetics concepts mainly focusing on enriching the sensory aspects of the text, especially the visual one. For that purpose, the poetic devices used in the construction of the text as well as its reception by the readers will be highlighted. The analysis will be based on the concepts theorized by Wolfgang Iser. Such concepts are: a the interaction between text and reader and the position of the latter at the time of the former reception; b the blank places; c the negation and negativity structures; and d it will also consider the approach to reading as an act in which the reader is responsible for achieving the meaning for the text and for creating an “aesthetic pleasure” through it. This last concept is grounded in Hans Robert Jauss theory.

  2. Discriminative learning of receptive fields from responses to non-Gaussian stimulus ensembles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Arne F; Diepenbrock, Jan-Philipp; Happel, Max F K; Ohl, Frank W; Anemüller, Jörn

    2014-01-01

    Analysis of sensory neurons' processing characteristics requires simultaneous measurement of presented stimuli and concurrent spike responses. The functional transformation from high-dimensional stimulus space to the binary space of spike and non-spike responses is commonly described with linear-nonlinear models, whose linear filter component describes the neuron's receptive field. From a machine learning perspective, this corresponds to the binary classification problem of discriminating spike-eliciting from non-spike-eliciting stimulus examples. The classification-based receptive field (CbRF) estimation method proposed here adapts a linear large-margin classifier to optimally predict experimental stimulus-response data and subsequently interprets learned classifier weights as the neuron's receptive field filter. Computational learning theory provides a theoretical framework for learning from data and guarantees optimality in the sense that the risk of erroneously assigning a spike-eliciting stimulus example to the non-spike class (and vice versa) is minimized. Efficacy of the CbRF method is validated with simulations and for auditory spectro-temporal receptive field (STRF) estimation from experimental recordings in the auditory midbrain of Mongolian gerbils. Acoustic stimulation is performed with frequency-modulated tone complexes that mimic properties of natural stimuli, specifically non-Gaussian amplitude distribution and higher-order correlations. Results demonstrate that the proposed approach successfully identifies correct underlying STRFs, even in cases where second-order methods based on the spike-triggered average (STA) do not. Applied to small data samples, the method is shown to converge on smaller amounts of experimental recordings and with lower estimation variance than the generalized linear model and recent information theoretic methods. Thus, CbRF estimation may prove useful for investigation of neuronal processes in response to natural stimuli and

  3. Discriminative learning of receptive fields from responses to non-Gaussian stimulus ensembles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arne F Meyer

    Full Text Available Analysis of sensory neurons' processing characteristics requires simultaneous measurement of presented stimuli and concurrent spike responses. The functional transformation from high-dimensional stimulus space to the binary space of spike and non-spike responses is commonly described with linear-nonlinear models, whose linear filter component describes the neuron's receptive field. From a machine learning perspective, this corresponds to the binary classification problem of discriminating spike-eliciting from non-spike-eliciting stimulus examples. The classification-based receptive field (CbRF estimation method proposed here adapts a linear large-margin classifier to optimally predict experimental stimulus-response data and subsequently interprets learned classifier weights as the neuron's receptive field filter. Computational learning theory provides a theoretical framework for learning from data and guarantees optimality in the sense that the risk of erroneously assigning a spike-eliciting stimulus example to the non-spike class (and vice versa is minimized. Efficacy of the CbRF method is validated with simulations and for auditory spectro-temporal receptive field (STRF estimation from experimental recordings in the auditory midbrain of Mongolian gerbils. Acoustic stimulation is performed with frequency-modulated tone complexes that mimic properties of natural stimuli, specifically non-Gaussian amplitude distribution and higher-order correlations. Results demonstrate that the proposed approach successfully identifies correct underlying STRFs, even in cases where second-order methods based on the spike-triggered average (STA do not. Applied to small data samples, the method is shown to converge on smaller amounts of experimental recordings and with lower estimation variance than the generalized linear model and recent information theoretic methods. Thus, CbRF estimation may prove useful for investigation of neuronal processes in response to

  4. Receptive Language Skills in Slovak-Speaking Children With Intellectual Disability: Understanding Words, Sentences, and Stories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polišenská, Kamila; Kapalková, Svetlana; Novotková, Monika

    2018-06-05

    The study aims to describe receptive language skills in children with intellectual disability (ID) and to contribute to the debate on deviant versus delayed language development. This is the 1st study of receptive skills in children with ID who speak a Slavic language, providing insight into how language development is affected by disability and also language typology. Twenty-eight Slovak-speaking children participated in the study (14 children with ID and 14 typically developing [TD] children matched on nonverbal reasoning abilities). The children were assessed by receptive language tasks targeting words, sentences, and stories, and the groups were compared quantitatively and qualitatively. The groups showed similar language profiles, with a better understanding of words, followed by sentences, with the poorest comprehension for stories. Nouns were comprehended better than verbs; sentence constructions also showed a qualitatively similar picture, although some dissimilarities emerged. Verb comprehension was strongly related to sentence comprehension in both groups and related to story comprehension in the TD group only. The findings appear to support the view that receptive language skills follow the same developmental route in children with ID as seen in younger TD children, suggesting that language development is a robust process and does not seem to be differentially affected by ID even when delayed.

  5. Effects of serial and concurrent training on receptive identification tasks: A Systematic replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wunderlich, Kara L; Vollmer, Timothy R

    2017-07-01

    The current study compared the use of serial and concurrent methods to train multiple exemplars when teaching receptive language skills, providing a systematic replication of Wunderlich, Vollmer, Donaldson, and Phillips (2014). Five preschoolers diagnosed with developmental delays or autism spectrum disorders were taught to receptively identify letters or letter sounds. Subjects learned the target stimuli slightly faster in concurrent training and a high degree of generalization was obtained following both methods of training, indicating that both the serial and concurrent methods of training are efficient and effective instructional procedures. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  6. Determination of ammonium in aqueous samples using new headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivitazation coupled with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muniraj, Sarangapani; Yan, Cheing-Tong; Shih, Hou-Kung; Ponnusamy, Vinoth Kumar; Jen, Jen-Fon

    2012-11-19

    A new simultaneous derivatization and extraction method for the preconcentration of ammonia using new one-step headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization was developed for the trace determination of ammonium in aqueous samples by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FLD). The acceptor phase (as derivatization reagent) containing o-phthaldehyde and sodium sulfite was held within a syringe barrel and immersed in the headspace of sample container. The gaseous ammonia from the alkalized aqueous sample formed a stable isoindole derivative with the acceptor phase inside the syringe barrel through the reciprocated movements of plunger. After derivatization-cum-extraction, the acceptor phase was directly injected into LC-FLD for analysis. Parameters affecting the ammonia evolution and the extraction/derivatization efficiency such as sample matrix, pH, temperature, sampling time, and the composition of derivatization reagent, reaction temperature, and frequency of reciprocated plunger, were studied thoroughly. Results indicated that the maximum extraction efficiency was obtained by using 100μL derivatization reagent in a 1-mL gastight syringe under 8 reciprocated movements of plunger per min to extract ammonia evolved from a 20mL alkalized aqueous solution at 70°C (preheated 4min) with 380rpm stirring for 8min. The detection was linear in the concentration range of 0.625-10μM with the correlation coefficient of 0.9967 and detection limit of 0.33μM (5.6ng mL(-1)) based on SN(-1)=3. The method was applied successfully to determine ammonium in real water samples without any prior cleanup of the samples, and has been proved to be a simple, sensitive, efficient and cost-effective procedure for trace ammonium determination in aqueous samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Receptivity to e-cigarette marketing, harm perceptions, and e-cigarette use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokhrel, Pallav; Fagan, Pebbles; Kehl, Lisa; Herzog, Thaddeus A

    2015-01-01

    To test whether exposure and receptivity to e-cigarette marketing are associated with recent e-cigarette use among young adults through increased beliefs that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. Data were collected from 307 multiethnic 4- and 2-year college students; approximately equal proportions of current, never, and former cigarette smokers [mean age = 23.5 (SD = 5.5); 65% female]. Higher receptivity to e-cigarette marketing was associated with perceptions that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, which in turn, were associated with higher recent e-cigarette use. The findings provide preliminary support to the proposition that marketing of e-cigarettes as safer alternatives to cigarettes or cessation aids is associated with increased e-cigarette use among young adults. The findings have implications for development of e-cigarette regulations.

  8. The Anion Paradox in Sodium Taste Reception: Resolution by Voltage-Clamp Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Qing; Heck, Gerard L.; Desimone, John A.

    1991-11-01

    Sodium salts are potent taste stimuli, but their effectiveness is markedly dependent on the anion, with chloride yielding the greatest response. The cellular mechanisms that mediate this phenomenon are not known. This "anion paradox" has been resolved by considering the field potential that is generated by restricted electrodiffusion of the anion through paracellular shunts between taste-bud cells. Neural responses to sodium chloride, sodium acetate, and sodium gluconate were studied while the field potential was voltage-clamped. Clamping at electronegative values eliminated the anion effect, whereas clamping at electropositive potentials exaggerated it. Thus, field potentials across the lingual epithelium modulate taste reception, indicating that the functional unit of taste reception includes the taste cell and its paracellular microenvironment.

  9. Instability of the socio-economic systems as a factor of their receptivity towards changes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. A. Romanova

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available In this article author marks out the life phases of socio-economic systems from the point of view of theirs stability / instability, determines the correlation between life phase and receptivity degree of system to changes. They offer the order parameters of socio-economic system and assessment methods through which instability is conveyed. The suggested methods have been used for solving the problem of assessing the degree of receptivity of the regional economic systems to the currents global crisis and the following modernization process.

  10. Receptivity to free stream acoustic disturbances due to a roughness element on a flat plate

    OpenAIRE

    Ashour, Osama Naim

    1993-01-01

    The boundary-layer receptivity resulting from acoustic forcing over a flat plate with a surface irregularity is investigated. The unsteady free-stream disturbances couple with the steady perturbations resulting from the surface irregularity to form a traveling-wave mode. The resonance condition necessary for receptivity requires a forcing at a wave number equal to that of the Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) eigenmode and a frequency equal to that of the free-stream acoustic disturban...

  11. Spatiotemporal profiles of receptive fields of neurons in the lateral posterior nucleus of the cat LP-pulvinar complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piché, Marilyse; Thomas, Sébastien; Casanova, Christian

    2015-10-01

    The pulvinar is the largest extrageniculate thalamic visual nucleus in mammals. It establishes reciprocal connections with virtually all visual cortexes and likely plays a role in transthalamic cortico-cortical communication. In cats, the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the LP-pulvinar complex can be subdivided in two subregions, the lateral (LPl) and medial (LPm) parts, which receive a predominant input from the striate cortex and the superior colliculus, respectively. Here, we revisit the receptive field structure of LPl and LPm cells in anesthetized cats by determining their first-order spatiotemporal profiles through reverse correlation analysis following sparse noise stimulation. Our data reveal the existence of previously unidentified receptive field profiles in the LP nucleus both in space and time domains. While some cells responded to only one stimulus polarity, the majority of neurons had receptive fields comprised of bright and dark responsive subfields. For these neurons, dark subfields' size was larger than that of bright subfields. A variety of receptive field spatial organization types were identified, ranging from totally overlapped to segregated bright and dark subfields. In the time domain, a large spectrum of activity overlap was found, from cells with temporally coinciding subfield activity to neurons with distinct, time-dissociated subfield peak activity windows. We also found LP neurons with space-time inseparable receptive fields and neurons with multiple activity periods. Finally, a substantial degree of homology was found between LPl and LPm first-order receptive field spatiotemporal profiles, suggesting a high integration of cortical and subcortical inputs within the LP-pulvinar complex. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  12. Compressibility effects on the non-linear receptivity of boundary layers to dielectric barrier discharges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denison, Marie F. C.

    The reduction of drag and aerodynamic heating caused by boundary layer transition is of central interest for the development of hypersonic vehicles. Receptivity to flow perturbation in the form of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) wave growth often determines the first stage of the transition process, which can be delayed by depositing specific excitations into the boundary layer. Weakly ionized Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) actuators are being investigated as possible sources of such excitations, but little is known today about their interaction with high-speed flows. In this framework, the first part of the thesis is dedicated to a receptivity study of laminar compressible boundary layers over a flat plate by linear stability analysis following an adjoint operator formulation, under DBD representative excitations assumed independent of flow conditions. The second part of the work concentrates on the development of a coupled plasma-Navier and Stokes solver targeted at the study of supersonic flow and compressibility effects on DBD forcing and non-parallel receptivity. The linear receptivity study of quasi-parallel compressible flows reveals several interesting features such as a significant shift of the region of maximum receptivity deeper into the flow at high Mach number and strong wave amplitude reduction compared to incompressible flows. The response to DBD relevant excitation distributions and to variations of the base flow conditions and system length scales follows these trends. Observed absolute amplitude changes and relative sensitivity modifications between source types are related to the evolution of the offset between forcing peak profile and relevant adjoint mode maximum. The analysis highlights the crucial importance of designing and placing the actuator in a way that matches its force field to the position of maximum boundary layer receptivity for the specific flow conditions of interest. In order to address the broad time and length scale spectrum

  13. The media's reception of the risk associated with radioactive disasters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vettenranta, S.

    1996-01-01

    There is an urgent need to develop methodologies to examine the response by the media to radioactive disasters. 'Reception study' is a new research approach in the field of mass communication, studying how the viewers construct meaning from TV news. This ongoing reception study explores how fifteen respondents, all involved in the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, recall and interpret TV news coverage nine years after the accident. The main aim is to discover how the news affects the recipients' interpretations of a disaster and what kind of thoughts, reactions and associations risk messages provoke in retrospect, in the present and in the beliefs about the future. The initial findings indicate that the Chernobyl news on TV was mainly based on technical rationality, while viewers construct meaning founded on symbolic, cultural rationality. The transmission of catastrophe news is not just a matter of responding to the information needs of the public. Denotative risk messages simultaneously convey connotative, symbolic resonance of risk on a metaphysical level. (author)

  14. Early expressive and receptive language trajectories in high-risk infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Longard

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background & aims In response to limited research on early language development in infants at high risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, the current prospective study examined early expressive and receptive language trajectories in familial high-risk (HR infants who were and were not later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD and HR-N, respectively, and low-risk (LR controls with no family history of ASD. Methods Participants were 523 children (371 HR siblings, 56% boys; 152 LR controls, 52% boys followed from age 6 or 12 months to 36 months. Based on independent, best-estimate clinical diagnoses at 36 months, HR participants were classified as HR-ASD (n = 94; 69% boys, or HR-N (n = 277; 52% boys; the sample also included 152 LR controls (52% boys. Expressive and receptive language trajectories were examined based on corresponding domain standard scores on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning ( MSEL at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. In the combined sample of HR and LR infants, semi-parametric group-based modeling was used to identify distinct trajectories in MSEL standard scores. Results A 3-group solution provided optimal fit to variation in both expressive and receptive language, with the following patterns of scores: (1 inclining from average to above average, (2 stable-average, and (3 declining from average to well below average. For both expressive and receptive language, membership in these trajectories was related to 3-year diagnostic outcomes. Conclusions Although HR-ASD, HR-N, and LR control infants were in each trajectory group, membership in the declining trajectory (expressive and/or receptive was associated with an ASD diagnosis. Implications Evidence of declining trajectories in either expressive or receptive language may be a risk marker for ASD in a high-risk sample.

  15. Evaluation of syringe shield effectiveness in handling radiopharmaceuticals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cho Yong-In

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the radiation shield of radionuclide syringes and the personal dose equivalent by performing a simulation of radionuclides used in nuclear medicine diagnosis. In order to evaluate the dose depending on the distance between the radiation source and the ICRU sphere against the thickness of the shielding device, the distance at which a nuclear medicine worker may inadvertently come into contact with radiation from the radiation source was set at 0 cm to 30 cm according to the thickness of the shield, thus fixing the ICRU sphere. For a dose evaluation, Hp(10, Hp(3, and Hp(0.07 measurable in specific depth of the ICRU were evaluated. It was found that a dose measured on skin surface of nuclear medicine workers was relatively higher, that the dose varied in relation to the thickness of the radiation shield, and that the shielding effect decreased for some radiation sources such as 67Ga and 111In. It proved necessary to increase thickness of shielding device to the radiation sources such as 67Ga and 111In. It is also considered that a study of proper shielding thickness will be needed in future.

  16. Two syringe spinal anesthesia technique for cesarean section: A controlled randomized study of a simple way to achieve more satisfactory block and less hypotension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keera, Amr Aly Ismail; Elnabtity, Ali Mohamed Ali

    2016-01-01

    Multiple trials have been tried to prevent hypotension during spinal anesthesia. However, the drug choice and mode of administration is still a matter of debate. To compare the outcome of spinal injection of hyperbaric bupivacaine and fentanyl separately to standard injection of mixed fentanyl with hyperbaric bupivacaine. A randomized, controlled clinical trial. One hundred twenty-four parturient scheduled for elective cesarean section were randomly allocated into two groups, each 62 parturient: Group M received spinal anesthesia using 10 mg bupivacaine 0.5% premixed with 25 μg fentanyl in the same syringe and Group S received 25 μg fentanyl in one syringe and 10 mg bupivacaine 0.5% without barbotage in a second syringe. Patients with intraoperative pain that was controllable without the need for a shift to general anesthesia was significantly lower in Group S (3.2%) than in Group M (16.1%). The frequency of hypotension was significantly lower in Group S compared to Group M (P 0.05). There was no significant difference in the time till occurrence of hypotension, duration of hypotension, mean dose of ephedrine used for the treatment of hypotension and frequency of patients developed itching between the groups (P > 0.05). Separate intrathecal injection of fentanyl and hyperbaric bupivacaine provided a significant improvement in the quality of sensory block and significant reduction of the frequency of hypotension compared to injection of mixed medications.

  17. Food in film : a study on audience reception

    OpenAIRE

    Civelek, Ece Simin

    2012-01-01

    Ankara : The Department of Communication and Design, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, 2012. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2012. Includes bibliographical references leaves 140-149. This study intends to analyze audience reception of foodstuff and related practices in films. In the study foodstuff and related practices are taken into consideration as a powerful semiotic system and in that respect are evaluated as an important property of filmic narration. Study e...

  18. Receptivity to E-cigarette Marketing, Harm Perceptions, and E-cigarette Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokhrel, Pallav; Fagan, Pebbles; Kehl, Lisa; Herzog, Thaddeus A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To test whether exposure and receptivity to e-cigarette marketing are associated with recent e-cigarette use among young adults through increased beliefs that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. Methods Data were collected from 307 multiethnic 4- and 2-year college students; approximately equal proportions of current, never, and former cigarette smokers [mean age = 23.5 (SD = 5.5); 65% female]. Results Higher receptivity to e-cigarette marketing was associated with perceptions that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, which in turn, were associated with higher recent e-cigarette use. Conclusions The findings provide preliminary support to the proposition that marketing of e-cigarettes as safer alternatives to cigarettes or cessation aids is associated with increased e-cigarette use among young adults. The findings have implications for development of e-cigarette regulations. PMID:25290604

  19. Long-term stability of morphine hydrochloride in 0.9% NaCl infusion polyolefin bags after freeze-thaw treatment and in polypropylene syringes at 5 degrees C + 3 degrees C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hecq, J-D; Godet, M; Gillet, P; Jamart, J; Galanti, L

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term stability of morphine hydrochloride in 0.9% NaCI infusion polyolefin bags and polypropylene syringes after storage at 5 degrees C + 3 degrees C and to evaluate the influence of initial freezing and microwave thawing on this stability. Ten polyolefin bags and five polypropylene syringes containing 100 mL of 1 mg/mL of morphine hydrochloride solution in 0.9% NaCI were prepared under aseptic conditions. Five polyolefin bags were frozen at -20 degrees C for 90 days before storage. Immediately after the preparation and after thawing, 2 mL of each bag were withdrawn for the initial concentration measurements. All polyolefin bags and polypropylene syringes were then refrigerated at 5 degrees C + 3 degrees C for 58 days during which the morphine concentrations were measured periodically by high-performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column, naloxone as internal standard, a mobile phase consisting of 5% acetonitrile and 95% of KH2PO4 buffer (pH 3.50), and detection with diode array detector at 254 nm. Visual and microscopic observations and spectrophotometric and pH measurements were also performed. Solutions were considered stable if the concentration remained superior to 90% of the initial concentration. The degradation products peaks were not quantitatively significant and were resolved from the native drug. Polyolefin bag and polypropylene syringe solutions were stable when stored at 5 degrees C + 3 degrees C during these 58 days. No color change or precipitation in the solutions was observed. The physical stability was confirmed by visual, microscopic, and spectrophotometric inspection. There was no significant change in pH during storage. Freezing and microwave thawing didn't influence the infusion stability. Morphine hydrochloride infusions may be prepared in advance by centralized intravenous additive service, frozen in polyolefin bags, and microwave thawed before storage under refrigeration

  20. Psychological Models of Art Reception must be Empirically Grounded

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nadal, Marcos; Vartanian, Oshin; Skov, Martin

    2017-01-01

    We commend Menninghaus et al. for tackling the role of negative emotions in art reception. However, their model suffers from shortcomings that reduce its applicability to empirical studies of the arts: poor use of evidence, lack of integration with other models, and limited derivation of testable...... hypotheses. We argue that theories about art experiences should be based on empirical evidence....

  1. Assessing the role of syringe dispensing machines and mobile van outlets in reaching hard-to-reach and high-risk groups of injecting drug users (IDUs: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam Md Mofizul

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Reaching hard-to-reach and high-risk injecting drug users (IDUs is one of the most important challenges for contemporary needle syringe programs (NSPs. The aim of this review is to examine, based upon the available international experience, the effectiveness of syringe vending machines and mobile van/bus based NSPs in making services more accessible to these hard-to-reach and high-risk groups of IDUs. A literature search revealed 40 papers/reports, of which 18 were on dispensing machines (including vending and exchange machines and 22 on mobile vans. The findings demonstrate that syringe dispensing machines and mobile vans are promising modalities of NSPs, which can make services more accessible to the target group and in particular to the harder-to-reach and higher-risk groups of IDUs. Their anonymous and confidential approaches make services attractive, accessible and acceptable to these groups. These two outlets were found to be complementary to each other and to other modes of NSPs. Services through dispensing machines and mobile vans in strategically important sites are crucial elements in continuing efforts in reducing the spread of HIV and other blood borne viruses among IDUs.

  2. Particle Characterization for a Protein Drug Product Stored in Pre-Filled Syringes Using Micro-Flow Imaging, Archimedes, and Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Songyan; Puri, Aastha; Li, Jinjiang; Jaiswal, Archana; Adams, Monica

    2017-01-01

    Micro-flow imaging (MFI) has been used for formulation development for analyzing sub-visible particles. Archimedes, a novel technique for analyzing sub-micron particles, has been considered as an orthogonal method to currently existing techniques. This study utilized these two techniques to investigate the effectiveness of polysorbate (PS-80) in mitigating the particle formation of a therapeutic protein formulation stored in silicone oil-coated pre-filled syringes. The results indicated that PS-80 prevented the formation of both protein and silicone oil particles. In the case of protein particles, PS-80 might involve in the interactions with the hydrophobic patches of protein, air bubbles, and the stressed surfaces of silicone oil-coated pre-filled syringes. Such interactions played a role in mitigating the formation of protein particles. Subsequently, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was utilized to characterize the interactions associated with silicone oil, protein, and PS-80 in the solutions. Based on QCM-D results, we proposed that PS-80 likely formed a layer on the interior surfaces of syringes. As a result, the adsorbed PS-80 might block the leakage of silicone oil from the surfaces to solution so that the silicone oil particles were mitigated at the presence of PS-80. Overall, this study demonstrated the necessary of utilizing these three techniques cooperatively in order to better understand the interfacial role of PS-80 in mitigating the formation of protein and silicone oil particles.

  3. The 1623 Plan for Global Governance: the obscure history of its reception

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GERMAN A. DE LA REZA

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In the present article we analyze the characteristics and the reception of the first plan for global governance, the New Cyneas by Émeric Crucé. With this goal in mind, we examine the history of its readings and the possible influence on the Duke of Sully's project for European confederation, the case most often cited by historians of ideas. Our analysis takes into consideration the 17th century reception, the scant dissemination of the work and the possible causes of its limited impact. Our conclusions support, on the one hand, the novelty of Crucé's principal ideas, and on the other, their limited impact over the time with the exception of the period surrounding the creation of the League of Nations.

  4. The public reception of the Research Assessment Exercise 1996.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julian Warner

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the public reception of the Research Assessment Exercise 1996 (RAE from its announcement in December 1996 to the decline of discussion at end May 1997. A model for diffusion of the RAE is established which distinguishes extra-communal (or exoteric from intra-communal (or esoteric media. The different characteristics of each medium and the changing nature of the discussion over time are considered. Different themes are distinguished in the public reception of the RAE: the spatial distribution of research; the organisation of universities; disciplinary differences in understanding; a perceived conflict between research and teaching; the development of a culture of accountability; and analogies with the organisation of professional football. In conclusion, it is suggested that the RAE and its effects can be more fully considered from the perspective of scholarly communication and understandings of the development of knowledge than it has been by previous contributions in information science, which have concentrated on the possibility of more efficient implementation of existing processes. A fundamental responsibility for funding councils is also identified: to promote the overall health of university education and research, while establishing meaningful differentiations between units.

  5. Seeing, wanting, owning: the relationship between receptivity to tobacco marketing and smoking susceptibility in young people

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feighery, E.; Borzekowski, D.; Schooler, C.; Flora, J.

    1998-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—To assess the effect of the tobacco industry's marketing practices on adolescents by examining the relationship between their receptivity to these practices and their susceptibility to start smoking.
DESIGN—Paper-and-pencil surveys measuring association with other smokers, exposure to tobacco industry marketing strategies, experience with smoking, and resolve not to smoke in the future.
SETTING—25 randomly selected classrooms in five middle schools in San Jose, California.
SUBJECTS—571 seventh graders with an average age of 13 years and 8 months; 57% were female. Forty-five per cent of the students were Asian, 38% were Hispanic, 12% were white, and 5% were black.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Exposure to social influences, receptivity to marketing strategies, susceptibility to start smoking.
RESULTS—About 70% of the participants indicated at least moderate receptivity to tobacco marketing materials. Children who are more receptive are also more susceptible to start smoking. In addition to demographics and social influences, receptivity to tobacco marketing materials was found to be strongly associated with susceptibility.
CONCLUSIONS—Tobacco companies conduct marketing campaigns that effectively capture teenage attention and stimulate desire for their promotional items. These marketing strategies may function to move young teenagers from non-smoking status toward regular use of tobacco. Our results demonstrate that there is a clear association between tobacco marketing practices and youngsters' susceptibility to smoke. The findings, along with other research, provide compelling support for regulating the manner in which tobacco products are marketed, to protect young people from the tobacco industry's strategies to reach them.


Keywords: adolescents; advertising; smoking initiation PMID:9789929

  6. Cross-Language Associations in the Development of Preschoolers' Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maier, Michelle F; Bohlmann, Natalie L; Palacios, Natalia A

    The increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) entering preschool classrooms highlights a continued need for research on the development of dual language acquisition, and specifically vocabulary skills, in this age group. This study describes young DLL children's ( N = 177) vocabulary development in both English and Spanish simultaneously, and how vocabulary skills in each language relate to one another, during a contextual shift that places greater emphasis on the acquisition of academic English language skills. Findings demonstrated that DLL preschoolers made gains in vocabulary in both languages with more change evidenced in receptive, in comparison to expressive, vocabulary as well as in English in comparison to Spanish. When examining whether children's vocabulary scores in one language at the beginning of preschool interact with their vocabulary scores in the other language to predict vocabulary growth, no significant associations were found for receptive vocabulary. In contrast, the interaction between initial English and Spanish expressive vocabulary scores was negatively related to growth in English expressive vocabulary. This cross-language association suggests that children who have low expressive vocabulary skills in both languages tend to grow faster in their English expressive vocabulary. The study extends previous work on dual language development by examining growth in expressive and receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. It also provides suggestions for future work to inform a more comprehensive understanding of DLL children's development in both languages.

  7. Anterior and middle superior alveolar nerve block for anesthesia of maxillary teeth using conventional syringe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ignacio Velasco

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Dental procedures in the maxilla typically require multiple injections and may inadvertently anesthetize facial structures and affect the smile line. To minimize these inconveniences and reduce the number of total injections, a relatively new injection technique has been proposed for maxillary procedures, the anterior and middle superior alveolar (AMSA nerve block, which achieves pulpal anesthesia from the central incisor to second premolar through palatal approach with a single injection. The purpose of this article is to provide background information on the anterior and middle superior alveolar nerve block and demonstrate its success rates of pulpal anesthesia using the conventional syringe. Materials and Methods: Thirty Caucasian patients (16 men and 14 women with an average age of 22 years-old, belonging to the School of Dentistry of Los Andes University, were selected. All the patients received an AMSA nerve block on one side of the maxilla using the conventional syringe, 1 ml of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1:100.000 was injected to all the patients. Results: The AMSA nerve block obtained a 66% anesthetic success in the second premolar, 40% in the first premolar, 60% in the canine, 23.3% in the lateral incisor, and 16.7% in the central incisor. Conclusions: Because of the unpredictable anesthetic success of the experimental teeth and variable anesthesia duration, the technique is disadvantageous for clinical application as the first choice, counting with other techniques that have greater efficacy in the maxilla. Although, anesthetizing the teeth without numbing the facial muscles may be useful in restorative dentistry.

  8. Effect of liposomes on rheological and syringeability properties of hyaluronic acid hydrogels intended for local injection of drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Kechai, Naila; Bochot, Amélie; Huang, Nicolas; Nguyen, Yann; Ferrary, Evelyne; Agnely, Florence

    2015-06-20

    The aim of this work was to thoroughly study the effect of liposomes on the rheological and the syringeability properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels intended for the local administration of drugs by injection. Whatever the characteristics of the liposomes added (neutral, positively or negatively charged, with a corona of polyethylene glycol chains, size), the viscosity and the elasticity of HA gels increased in a lipid concentration-dependent manner. Indeed, liposomes strengthened the network formed by HA chains due to their interactions with this polymer. The nature and the resulting effects of these interactions depended on liposome composition and concentration. The highest viscosity and elasticity were observed with liposomes covered by polyethylene glycol chains while neutral liposomes displayed the lowest effect. Despite their high viscosity at rest, all the formulations remained easily injectable through needles commonly used for local injections thanks to the shear-thinning behavior of HA gels. The present study demonstrates that rheological and syringeability tests are both necessary to elucidate the behavior of such systems during and post injection. In conclusion, HA liposomal gels appear to be a promising and versatile formulation platform for a wide range of applications in local drug delivery when an injection is required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Engagement with dietary fibre and receptiveness to resistant starch in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, Philip; Quinn, Sinéad; Morell, Matthew; Topping, David

    2010-11-01

    To investigate community engagement with the health benefits of dietary fibre (DF) and its potential as a framework for the promotion of increased consumption of resistant starch (RS). A nationwide postal Food and Health Survey conducted in Australia by CSIRO Human Nutrition. Adults aged 18 years and above, selected at random from the Australian Electoral Roll (n 849). A cross-sectional design was employed to analyse ratings of (i) the importance of various RS health and functional claims and (ii) receptiveness to different foods as RS delivery vehicles, according to the respondents' level of fibre engagement as classified under the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) of Health Behaviour. There was a high level of recognition (89·5 %) of DF as being important for health. Significant gender differences were found for ratings of RS attributes and RS delivery options. Women were both more fibre-engaged than men and more receptive than men to RS and its potential benefits. Ratings of the acceptability of several foods as means of delivering RS revealed a general preference for healthy staples over indulgences, with the margin between acceptability of staples and indulgences increasing markedly with increased fibre engagement. Application of the PAPM to awareness of DF reveals a ready-made target group for health messages about RS and pockets of differential potential receptiveness. The findings support the promotion of RS as providing health benefits of DF with the added reduction of risk of serious disease, its delivery through healthy staples and the targeting of messages at both fibre-engaged individuals and women in general.

  10. Definition of neutron multiplication in a reception capacity of radioactive waste shop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dulin, V.A.; Dulin, V.V.; Pavlova, O.N.

    2006-01-01

    To determine neutrons multiplication the measurements and calculations of spatial distributions of neutron counting and absolute fission rates in a reception capacity of IPPE radioactive waste shop have been carried out and analyzed. A content of fissionable medium was unknown. The approach developed has allowed implementing a calculation analysis of the experimental data on determination of the most probable spatial distributions of basic parameters of the fissionable medium of unknown content. It has allowed determining the neutrons multiplication factor in a reception capacity of a tank No. 17. It has been found that the value of neutrons multiplication factor in a tank is 1.07 ± 0.03. The developed measurement method and calculation analysis used for experimental data also can be applied in other cases when the multiplication medium content is unknown [ru

  11. Russian Translations of Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien as the Stage of their Cultural Reception in Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellina V. Shustova

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article identifies problems of translation of J.R.R. Tolkien`s works to the Russian language. Due to complexity of their reception in the Russian literature and culture, these problems continue at the present time. The purpose of this article is to consider the translational interpretations as a form of reception of J.R.R. Tolkien`s works in Russia and perform analysis of relevant stages of the receptive process. The leading approach to the study of this problem is the methodology of receptive aesthetics; this takes into account the development trends of the method. This research shows that it is the translation, in many respects, that sets trends for further understanding of writings by J.R.R. Tolkien in Russia and includes them in a Russian cultural and literary context, as well as set their level of systematic perception. Contents of this article may be used for readings in general and special courses for Western literature at universities, and may be useful to a wide range of readers interested in the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

  12. Simultaneous bilingual language acquisition: The role of parental input on receptive vocabulary development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macleod, Andrea An; Fabiano-Smith, Leah; Boegner-Pagé, Sarah; Fontolliet, Salomé

    2013-02-01

    Parents often turn to educators and healthcare professionals for advice on how to best support their child's language development. These professionals frequently suggest implementing the 'one-parent-one-language' approach to ensure consistent exposure to both languages. The goal of this study was to understand how language exposure influences the receptive vocabulary development of simultaneous bilingual children. To this end, we targeted nine German-French children growing up in bilingual families. Their exposure to each language within and outside the home was measured, as were their receptive vocabulary abilities in German and French. The results indicate that children are receiving imbalanced exposure to each language. This imbalance is leading to a slowed development of the receptive vocabulary in the minority language, while the majority language is keeping pace with monolingual peers. The one-parent-one-language approach does not appear to support the development of both of the child's languages in the context described in the present study. Bilingual families may need to consider other options for supporting the bilingual language development of their children. As professionals, we need to provide parents with advice that is based on available data and that is flexible with regards to the current and future needs of the child and his family.

  13. Lexical knowledge of Serbian L1 English L2 learners: Reception vs. production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilović-Jeremić Jelena

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The acquisition of lexical knowledge in a second/foreign language is often investigated by means of vocabulary size tests which assess two aspects of the learners' competence: reception and production. Estimates of these two dimensions, as well as the (potential gap between them, have important pedagogical implications in that they indicate the degree to which the learners can comprehend or use the language autonomously. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the vocabulary size of three generations of B2-level L2 learners (CEFR, first-year students majoring in English at the Faculty of Philology and Arts in Kragujevac, Serbia, by means of Vocabulary Levels Tests (Laufer & Nation, 1999; Nation, 1990. The results of the statistical analyses show that the receptive vocabulary of Serbian L2 learners is much more developed than their productive vocabulary, and that the gap between lexical production and reception changes depending on the frequency of the lexemes and the proficiency level of L2 learners. The findings imply that, at the primary and secondary level of education, more attention should be paid to the development of productive lexical knowledge which is crucial not only for success in English degree courses but communication in English in general.

  14. A rapid and economic in-house DNA purification method using glass syringe filters.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Cheol Kim

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Purity, yield, speed and cost are important considerations in plasmid purification, but it is difficult to achieve all of these at the same time. Currently, there are many protocols and kits for DNA purification, however none maximize all four considerations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We now describe a fast, efficient and economic in-house protocol for plasmid preparation using glass syringe filters. Plasmid yield and quality as determined by enzyme digestion and transfection efficiency were equivalent to the expensive commercial kits. Importantly, the time required for purification was much less than that required using a commercial kit. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This method provides DNA yield and quality similar to that obtained with commercial kits, but is more rapid and less costly.

  15. Contact with hospital syringes containing body fluids: implications for medical waste management regulation Jeringas en contacto con sangre y fluidos corporales utilizadas en el hospital: implicaciones para el manejo de desechos hospitalarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Volkow

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine amount of syringes used in the hospital and extent of contact with blood and body fluids of these syringes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Syringe use was surveyed at a tertiary care center for one week; syringes were classified into the following four categories according to use: a contained blood; b contained other body fluids (urine, gastric secretion, cerebrospinal fluid, wound drainage; c used exclusively for drug dilution and application in plastic intravenous (IV tubes, and d for intramuscular (IM, subcutaneous (SC, or intradermic (ID injections. RESULTS: A total of 7 157 plastic disposable syringes was used; 1 227 (17% contained blood during use, 346 (4.8%, other body fluids, 5 257 (73% were used exclusively for drug dilution and application in plastic IV lines, and 327 (4.5% were utilized for IM, SC, or ID injections. An estimated 369 140 syringes used annually, or eight syringes per patient per in-hospital day. All syringes were disposed of as regulated medical waste, in observance of the law. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to review recommendations for medical waste management by both international agencies and local governments, based on scientific data and a cost-benefit analysis, to prevent resource waste and further environmental damage.OBJETIVO: Cuantificar el número de jeringas que se utilizan en el hospital y calcular cuántas de éstas entran en contacto con sangre o fluidos corporales. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se hizo una encuesta del uso de jeringas en un hospital de tercer nivel de atención durante toda una semana. Se clasificaron, de acuerdo con el uso que se les dio, en cuatro categorías: a aspiración de sangre, b otros fluidos corporales (orina, secreción gástrica, líquido cefalorraquídeo, drenaje de herida, etcétera, c uso exclusivo para diluir medicamentos y administrarlos a través de tubos de terapia intravenosa, d para aplicación de inyecciones intramusculares (IM, subcutáneas (SC o

  16. (Un)receptiveness in interactions with professionals: experiences of parents of children with retinopathy of prematurity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Facio, Beatriz Castanheira; Marski, Bruna de Souza Lima; Higarashi, Ieda Harumi; Misko, Maira Deguer; Silveira, Aline Oliveira; Wernet, Monika

    2016-01-01

    To analyze the influence of health professionals' receptiveness on parental care of children with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). A qualitative study developed under the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism and using a narrative research methodology. Six women and three men, being parents of children with retinopathy of prematurity were individually interviewed in depth. From the scope of information, emotions and their rights, the parents experienced receptiveness from some professionals and unreceptiveness from others. The predominance of unreceptive attitudes in the parental narratives originated the following analysis themes: Informational (un)receptiveness, Emotional (un)receptiveness, and (Un)receptiveness of rights. The study supports human and comprehensive healthcare in the context of retinopathy of prematurity by pointing out the interactive process with health professionals as a potential stressor of parental care. The results signal a nuclear of attitudinal changes and reinforce challenges to the child and family-centered approach. Analisar a influência do acolhimento do profissional de saúde no cuidado parental junto ao filho com retinopatia da prematuridade. Estudo qualitativo desenvolvido sob o referencial teórico do Interacionismo Simbólico e metodológico da pesquisa de narrativas. Foram entrevistados em profundidade e individualmente seis mulheres e três homens, pais de crianças com retinopatia da prematuridade. Os pais vivenciam, nos âmbitos informacional, emocional e de direitos, acolhimento com alguns profissionais e destrato com outros. A predominância da postura de desacolhimento nas narrativas parentais deu origem aos temas de análise: (Des)acolhimento informacional, (Des)acolhimento emocional, e (Des)acolhimento de direitos. O estudo oferece subsídios ao cuidado humano e integral em saúde no contexto da retinopatia da prematuridade ao apontar o processo interativo com os profissionais de saúde enquanto potencial

  17. Acoustic receptivity and transition modeling of Tollmien-Schlichting disturbances induced by distributed surface roughness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raposo, Henrique; Mughal, Shahid; Ashworth, Richard

    2018-04-01

    Acoustic receptivity to Tollmien-Schlichting waves in the presence of surface roughness is investigated for a flat plate boundary layer using the time-harmonic incompressible linearized Navier-Stokes equations. It is shown to be an accurate and efficient means of predicting receptivity amplitudes and, therefore, to be more suitable for parametric investigations than other approaches with direct-numerical-simulation-like accuracy. Comparison with the literature provides strong evidence of the correctness of the approach, including the ability to quantify non-parallel flow effects. These effects are found to be small for the efficiency function over a wide range of frequencies and local Reynolds numbers. In the presence of a two-dimensional wavy-wall, non-parallel flow effects are quite significant, producing both wavenumber detuning and an increase in maximum amplitude. However, a smaller influence is observed when considering an oblique Tollmien-Schlichting wave. This is explained by considering the non-parallel effects on receptivity and on linear growth which may, under certain conditions, cancel each other out. Ultimately, we undertake a Monte Carlo type uncertainty quantification analysis with two-dimensional distributed random roughness. Its power spectral density (PSD) is assumed to follow a power law with an associated uncertainty following a probabilistic Gaussian distribution. The effects of the acoustic frequency over the mean amplitude of the generated two-dimensional Tollmien-Schlichting waves are studied. A strong dependence on the mean PSD shape is observed and discussed according to the basic resonance mechanisms leading to receptivity. The growth of Tollmien-Schlichting waves is predicted with non-linear parabolized stability equations computations to assess the effects of stochasticity in transition location.

  18. 3D Printing Prototypes for Healthcare Professionals: Creating a Reciprocating Syringe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothenberg, Steven; Abdullah, Selwan; Hirsch, Jeffrey

    2017-10-01

    3D printing (additive manufacturing) has been around since 1984, but interest in the technology has increased exponentially as it has become both accessible and inexpensive. The applications of the technology in healthcare are still being explored; however, initial forays have been encouraging. It has the potential to revolutionize the process of prototyping for healthcare professionals by democratizing the process and enhancing collaboration, making it cheaper to do iterative prototyping with little or no engineering experience. This case report details the creation of a multi-lumen reciprocating syringe with 3D printing. The product has been created and tested using a variety of publicly available resources. It provides a detailed overview of the approach and the framework required to create such a medical device. However, the implications of this report are much larger than this one product, and the fundamental ideas discussed here could be used for creating customized solutions for many healthcare problems.

  19. The media`s reception of the risk associated with radioactive disasters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vettenranta, S. [Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dragvoll (Norway). Dept. of edcation

    1996-12-31

    There is an urgent need to develop methodologies to examine the response by the media to radioactive disasters. `Reception study` is a new research approach in the field of mass communication, studying how the viewers construct meaning from TV news. This ongoing reception study explores how fifteen respondents, all involved in the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, recall and interpret TV news coverage nine years after the accident. The main aim is to discover how the news affects the recipients` interpretations of a disaster and what kind of thoughts, reactions and associations risk messages provoke in retrospect, in the present and in the beliefs about the future. The initial findings indicate that the Chernobyl news on TV was mainly based on technical rationality, while viewers construct meaning founded on symbolic, cultural rationality. The transmission of catastrophe news is not just a matter of responding to the information needs of the public. Denotative risk messages simultaneously convey connotative, symbolic resonance of risk on a metaphysical level. (author).

  20. An open-label, multicenter study to evaluate the safe and effective use of the single-use autoinjector with an Avonex® prefilled syringe in multiple sclerosis subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuccillo Dianne

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to self-inject in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS has been associated with a reduced risk of missed injections and drug discontinuation, and a beneficial effect on patients' independence. However, injection anxiety, needle phobia and disease-related disability are major barriers to a patient's ability to self-administer treatment. Use of an autoinjector may improve patients' ability to self-inject. This study evaluated the safe and effective use of Avonex Pen™ (prefilled pen, a single use autoinjector, for intramuscular delivery of interferon beta-1a (IM IFNβ-1a, Avonex in MS patients. Methods This was a Phase IIIb, open-label, single-country, multicenter trial in MS patients currently using IM IFNβ-1a prefilled syringes. Patients received weekly 30 mcg IM IFNβ-1a treatment over 4 weeks. On Day 1, patients self-administered IM IFNβ-1a using a prefilled syringe at the clinic. On Day 8, patients received training on the prefilled pen and self-administered IM IFNβ-1a using the device. On Day 15, patients self-administered IM IFNβ-1a at home using the prefilled pen. A final injection occurred at the clinic on Day 22 when patients self-administered IM IFNβ-1a using the prefilled pen while clinic staff observed and completed a detailed questionnaire documenting patients' ability to self-inject with the device. Serum neopterin levels were evaluated pre and post-injection on Days 1 and 8. Adverse events were monitored throughout. Results Seventy-one (96% patients completed the study. The overall success rate in safely and effectively using the prefilled pen was 89%. No device malfunctions occurred. One unsuccessful administration occurred at Day 22 due to patient error; no patient injury resulted. Patients gave the prefilled pen high ratings (8.7-9.3 on a 10-point scale for ease of use (0 = extremely difficult, 10 = extremely easy. Ninety-four percent of patients preferred the prefilled pen over the

  1. Cross-Language Associations in the Development of Preschoolers’ Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maier, Michelle F.; Bohlmann, Natalie L.; Palacios, Natalia A.

    2016-01-01

    The increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) entering preschool classrooms highlights a continued need for research on the development of dual language acquisition, and specifically vocabulary skills, in this age group. This study describes young DLL children's (N = 177) vocabulary development in both English and Spanish simultaneously, and how vocabulary skills in each language relate to one another, during a contextual shift that places greater emphasis on the acquisition of academic English language skills. Findings demonstrated that DLL preschoolers made gains in vocabulary in both languages with more change evidenced in receptive, in comparison to expressive, vocabulary as well as in English in comparison to Spanish. When examining whether children's vocabulary scores in one language at the beginning of preschool interact with their vocabulary scores in the other language to predict vocabulary growth, no significant associations were found for receptive vocabulary. In contrast, the interaction between initial English and Spanish expressive vocabulary scores was negatively related to growth in English expressive vocabulary. This cross-language association suggests that children who have low expressive vocabulary skills in both languages tend to grow faster in their English expressive vocabulary. The study extends previous work on dual language development by examining growth in expressive and receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. It also provides suggestions for future work to inform a more comprehensive understanding of DLL children's development in both languages. PMID:26807002

  2. "The first shot": the context of first injection of illicit drugs, ongoing injecting practices, and hepatitis C infection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria de Lourdes Aguiar Oliveira

    Full Text Available The context of first drug injection and its association with ongoing injecting practices and HCV (hepatitis C virus infection were investigated. Injection drug users (IDUs (N = 606 were recruited in "drug scenes" (public places, bars in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, interviewed, and tested for HCV. Sharing of needles/syringes was more prevalent at the first injection (51.3% than at the baseline interview (36.8%. Those who shared syringes/needles at first injection were more likely to be currently engaged in direct/indirect sharing practices. Among young injectors (< 30 years, those reporting sharing of needles/ syringes at the first injection were about four times more likely to have been infected by HCV. Hepatitis C virus prevalence among active IDUs (n = 272 was 11%. Prison history and longer duration of drug injection were identified as independent predictors of HCV infection. To effectively curb HCV transmission among IDUs and minimize harms associated with risk behaviors, preventive strategies should target individuals initiating drug injection beginning with their very first injection and discourage the transition from non-injecting use to the self-injection of illicit drugs.

  3. English, Spanish and Ethno-Racial Receptivity in a New Destination: A Case Study of Dominican Immigrants in Reading, PA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oropesa, R.S.

    2015-01-01

    Scant information is available on experiences with language among immigrant populations in new destinations. This study provides a multi-dimensional portrait of the linguistic incorporation of Dominican immigrants in the “majority-minority” city of Reading, Pennsylvania. The results show that daily life for most largely occurs in a Spanish-language milieu, but English proficiency and use in social networks is primarily a function of exposure to the United States. This is consistent with the standard narrative of assimilation models. At the same time, negative experiences with the use of both English and Spanish suggest that the linguistic context of reception is inhospitable for a substantial share of this population. Negative experiences with English are particularly likely to be mentioned by those with dark skin and greater cumulative exposure. Lastly, language plays an important role in experiences with ethno-racial enmity more broadly. Nonetheless, the persistent effect of skin tone indicates that such experiences are not reducible to language per se. PMID:26004453

  4. DS-CDMA satellite diversity reception for personal satellite communication: Downlink performance analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeGaudenzi, Riccardo; Giannetti, Filippo

    1995-01-01

    The downlink of a satellite-mobile personal communication system employing power-controlled Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) and exploiting satellite-diversity is analyzed and its performance compared with a more traditional communication system utilizing single satellite reception. The analytical model developed has been thoroughly validated by means of extensive Monte Carlo computer simulations. It is shown how the capacity gain provided by diversity reception shrinks considerably in the presence of increasing traffic or in the case of light shadowing conditions. Moreover, the quantitative results tend to indicate that to combat system capacity reduction due to intra-system interference, no more than two satellites shall be active over the same region. To achieve higher system capacity, differently from terrestrial cellular systems, Multi-User Detection (MUD) techniques are likely to be required in the mobile user terminal, thus considerably increasing its complexity.

  5. Radiation Emergency Preparedness Tools: Virtual Community Reception Center

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2011-02-28

    This podcast is an overview of resources from the Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call: Practical Tools for Radiation Emergency Preparedness. A specialist working with CDC's Radiation Studies Branch describes a web-based training tool known as a Virtual Community Reception Center (vCRC).  Created: 2/28/2011 by National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) Radiation Studies Branch and Emergency Risk Communication Branch (ERCB)/Joint Information Center (JIC); Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR).   Date Released: 2/28/2011.

  6. Conditional deletion of Msx homeobox genes in the uterus inhibits blastocyst implantation by altering uterine receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daikoku, Takiko; Cha, Jeeyeon; Sun, Xiaofei; Tranguch, Susanne; Xie, Huirong; Fujita, Tomoko; Hirota, Yasushi; Lydon, John; DeMayo, Francesco; Maxson, Robert; Dey, Sudhansu K

    2011-12-13

    An effective bidirectional communication between an implantation-competent blastocyst and the receptive uterus is a prerequisite for mammalian reproduction. The blastocyst will implant only when this molecular cross-talk is established. Here we show that the muscle segment homeobox gene (Msh) family members Msx1 and Msx2, which are two highly conserved genes critical for epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during development, also play crucial roles in embryo implantation. Loss of Msx1/Msx2 expression correlates with altered uterine luminal epithelial cell polarity and affects E-cadherin/β-catenin complex formation through the control of Wnt5a expression. Application of Wnt5a in vitro compromised blastocyst invasion and trophoblast outgrowth on cultured uterine epithelial cells. The finding that Msx1/Msx2 genes are critical for conferring uterine receptivity and readiness to implantation could have clinical significance, because compromised uterine receptivity is a major cause of pregnancy failure in IVF programs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Reception theory and the Christian reader: A preliminary perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. L. Comhrink

    1983-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years there has been a significant shift in emphasis from text- centred criticism in literature to reader-centred criticism. This new field of criticism, called Reception Theory or Reader Response Criticism, denies the immutable nature of the "text” and regards as its object of study the work of literature that is created through the co-constituent creative and interpre­tive acts o f both writer and reader.

  8. Impaired receptivity and decidualization in DHEA-induced PCOS mice

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Shu-Yun; Song, Zhuo; Song, Min-Jie; Qin, Jia-Wen; Zhao, Meng-Long; Yang, Zeng-Ming

    2016-01-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a complex endocrine disorder, is a leading cause of female infertility. An obvious reason for infertility in PCOS women is anovulation. However, success rate with high quality embryos selected by assisted reproduction techniques in PCOS patients still remain low with a high rate of early clinical pregnancy loss, suggesting a problem in uterine receptivity. Using a dehydroepiandrosterone-induced mouse model of PCOS, some potential causes of decreased fertility...

  9. Syringe needle skull penetration reduces brain injuries and secondary inflammation following intracerebral neural stem cell transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Mou; Dong, Qin; Zhang, Hongtian; Yang, Yang; Zhu, Jianwei; Yang, Zhijun; Xu, Minhui; Xu, Ruxiang

    2017-03-01

    Intracerebral neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation is beneficial for delivering stem cell grafts effectively, however, this approach may subsequently result in brain injury and secondary inflammation. To reduce the risk of promoting brain injury and secondary inflammation, two methods were compared in the present study. Murine skulls were penetrated using a drill on the left side and a syringe needle on the right. Mice were randomly divided into three groups (n=84/group): Group A, receiving NSCs in the left hemisphere and PBS in the right; group B, receiving NSCs in the right hemisphere and PBS in the left; and group C, receiving equal NSCs in both hemispheres. Murine brains were stained for morphological analysis and subsequent evaluation of infiltrated immune cells. ELISA was performed to detect neurotrophic and immunomodulatory factors in the brain. The findings indicated that brain injury and secondary inflammation in the left hemisphere were more severe than those in the right hemisphere, following NSC transplantation. In contrast to the left hemisphere, more neurotrophic factors but less pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected in the right hemisphere. In addition, increased levels of neurotrophic factors and interleukin (IL)-10 were observed in the NSC transplantation side when compared with the PBS-treated hemispheres, although lower levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were detected. In conclusion, the present study indicated that syringe needle skull penetration vs. drill penetration is an improved method that reduces the risk of brain injury and secondary inflammation following intracerebral NSC transplantation. Furthermore, NSCs have the potential to modulate inflammation secondary to brain injuries.

  10. Extraction of mandibular premolars and molars: comparison between local infiltration via pressure syringe and inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiem, Daniel G E; Schnaith, Florian; Van Aken, Caroline M E; Köntges, Anne; Kumar, Vinay V; Al-Nawas, Bilal; Kämmerer, Peer W

    2018-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anesthetic efficiency of local infiltration anesthesia administered with a pressure syringe (P-INF) via a special technique versus direct block anesthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve (IANB) for tooth extraction in the posterior mandible. In a prospective randomized study, 101 teeth in 101 patients were extracted in the posterior mandible under local anesthesia whereby two different administration techniques were used (P-INF n = 48; IANB n = 53). Primary objectives were comparisons of anesthetic success rate (yes/no) and efficacy (full/sufficient vs. insufficient). Secondary objectives were patients' pain perception during treatment, pain of injection (numerical rating scale), need for second injections (always IANB), time until onset of anesthetic action (min), and duration of local numbness (min). IANB was successful in all cases, whereas initial P-INF achieved 35% of success only. Furthermore, IANB reached significant higher values of anesthetic efficacy compared to P-INF (P block anesthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve (IANB) turned out to be more proficient to local infiltration via special delivering system with a special technique. Infiltration, even when performed with 4% articaine and a pressure syringe system, is not a suitable method of anesthesia in the posterior mandible.

  11. Direct Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Receptivity and Instability

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Zhong, Xiaolin

    2007-01-01

    .... During the three-year period, we have conducted extensive DNS studies on the receptivity of hypersonic boundary layer flows over a sharp wedge, a flat plate, a blunt cone, and the FRESH aeroshell...

  12. Factors influencing students' receptivity to formative feedback emerging from different assessment cultures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harrison, C.J.; Konings, K.D.; Dannefer, E.F.; Schuwirth, L.W.; Wass, V.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

    2016-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Feedback after assessment is essential to support the development of optimal performance, but often fails to reach its potential. Although different assessment cultures have been proposed, the impact of these cultures on students' receptivity to feedback is unclear. This study aimed to

  13. Comparison of distributed vortex receptivity coefficients at excitation of 3D TS-waves in presence and absence of surface waviness and pressure gradient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borodulin, V. I.; Ivanov, A. V.; Kachanov, Y. S.; Mischenko, D. A.; Fedenkova, A. A.

    2016-10-01

    The paper is devoted to quantitative experimental investigation of effective mechanisms of excitation of 3D TS instability waves due to distributed boundary layer receptivity to free-stream vortices. Experiments carried out in a self-similar boundary layer with Hartree parameter βH = -0.115 and concentrated on studying two receptivity mechanisms connected with distributed scattering of 3D unsteady free-stream vortices both on the natural boundary layer nonuniformity (smooth surface) and on 2D surface nonuniformity (waviness). Obtained quantitative characteristics (distributed receptivity coefficients) are compared directly with those obtained in Blasius boundary layer. It is found that the adverse pressure gradient leads to reduction of efficiency of the vortex-roughness receptivity mechanism.

  14. Receptivity of African American Adolescents to an HIV-Prevention Curriculum Enhanced by Text Messaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornelius, Judith B.; St Lawrence, Janet S.

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE This study assessed African American adolescents’ receptivity to an HIV-prevention curriculum enhanced by text messaging. DESIGN AND METHODS Two focus groups were conducted with 14 African American adolescents regarding how an HIV-prevention curriculum could be enhanced for text messaging delivery. RESULTS The adolescents were receptive to the idea of text messaging HIV-prevention information but wanted to receive a maximum of three messages per day during the hours of 4:00–6:00 p.m. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS By taking the findings of this study, nurses, other healthcare providers, and community-based organizations can adapt evidence-based interventions for text messaging delivery to individuals at high risk for HIV infection. PMID:19356206

  15. The works of Aleksandar Petrov and the reception of his opus, with a special reference about Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ratković Dragana M.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present and analyze the creativity of Aleksandar Petrov, and the reception of his work in the country and abroad. In the first part, Petrov's literary and scientific work and its reception in Serbia and the world are described, and in the second-we give Petrov's view on poetry and prose, and we write about its reception in Poland. The subject of the analysis in the second part consists of the following: the poetry published in the January issue of the maga­zine Creativity (Twórczosc in 1987, the collection of peoms Gold in fire (Ztoto w ogniu from 2005, Alexandria with Ithaca in mind (Aleksandria z Itakq wpamiqci from 2013, and an excerpt from Turkish Vienna (2000 called 'October again' (Znów pazdziernik, published in the no. 1-3 of the magazine Tygiel kultury of tódž in 2007.

  16. SU-F-T-57: Delivered Activity Accuracy of Radium 223 Dichloride Injections, When Being Administrated for Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer, Symptomatic Bone Metastases. The Impact of Residual Activity in the Spent Syringe and Dispensing Accuracy of Ra 223

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jennings, G

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify the delivered activity accuracy of Radium 223 dichloride injections, when being administrated for castration – resistant prostate cancer, symptomatic bone metastases. The impact of residual activity in the spent syringe and dispensing accuracy of Ra 223. Methods: The administration is by slow intravenous injection over 1 minute followed by double flushing of the 10 mL syringe and IV with saline. Eighty (80) procedures was used to investigate variations in the activity from the amount prescribed (µCi) = 1.35 × Patient weight Kg. The Activity dispensed into a 10mL syringe using a NIST traceable Capintec CRC-25R Chamber and a cross calibrated capintec CRC-15R to measure activity in the syringe immediately before and after administration Results: The patients weight range from 121Ib to 235lb and doses ranging 74.25 µCi to 144.2 µCi. The deviation of dispensed dose vs Prescribed dose average +2.1% with a range of −1.1% to +5.7%. The Dose measured before administration ranges 79.3 µCi to 154.9 µCi. Deviation from the dispensed dose was show to average +2.9% with a range of −0.8% to +7.3%. The average residual dose post injection was 2.5 µCi or 2.2% of the pre injection activity. Ranging from 0.9 µCi to 6.2 µCi, 0.7% to 5.4% respectively. Subtracting the residual activity from that measured activity before injection and comparing it to prescription dose was shown to have an average variation of +2.7% with a range of −0.8% to 7.4%. Conclusion: The case resulted in the 6.2 µCi maximum residual dose had two syringes. A small, 82.8 µCi activity, case resulted in the 7.4% maximum variation in measures less residual verses prescription dose. The average +2.1 % dispenses activity of Ra 223 over the prescription dosage was seen to counteract the average 2.2% residual dosage found to remain in the syringe

  17. SU-F-T-57: Delivered Activity Accuracy of Radium 223 Dichloride Injections, When Being Administrated for Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer, Symptomatic Bone Metastases. The Impact of Residual Activity in the Spent Syringe and Dispensing Accuracy of Ra 223

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jennings, G [Marsden Medical Physics Associates, Denville, NJ (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To quantify the delivered activity accuracy of Radium 223 dichloride injections, when being administrated for castration – resistant prostate cancer, symptomatic bone metastases. The impact of residual activity in the spent syringe and dispensing accuracy of Ra 223. Methods: The administration is by slow intravenous injection over 1 minute followed by double flushing of the 10 mL syringe and IV with saline. Eighty (80) procedures was used to investigate variations in the activity from the amount prescribed (µCi) = 1.35 × Patient weight Kg. The Activity dispensed into a 10mL syringe using a NIST traceable Capintec CRC-25R Chamber and a cross calibrated capintec CRC-15R to measure activity in the syringe immediately before and after administration Results: The patients weight range from 121Ib to 235lb and doses ranging 74.25 µCi to 144.2 µCi. The deviation of dispensed dose vs Prescribed dose average +2.1% with a range of −1.1% to +5.7%. The Dose measured before administration ranges 79.3 µCi to 154.9 µCi. Deviation from the dispensed dose was show to average +2.9% with a range of −0.8% to +7.3%. The average residual dose post injection was 2.5 µCi or 2.2% of the pre injection activity. Ranging from 0.9 µCi to 6.2 µCi, 0.7% to 5.4% respectively. Subtracting the residual activity from that measured activity before injection and comparing it to prescription dose was shown to have an average variation of +2.7% with a range of −0.8% to 7.4%. Conclusion: The case resulted in the 6.2 µCi maximum residual dose had two syringes. A small, 82.8 µCi activity, case resulted in the 7.4% maximum variation in measures less residual verses prescription dose. The average +2.1 % dispenses activity of Ra 223 over the prescription dosage was seen to counteract the average 2.2% residual dosage found to remain in the syringe.

  18. Adolescents with and without gestational cocaine exposure: Longitudinal analysis of inhibitory control, memory and receptive language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betancourt, Laura M; Yang, Wei; Brodsky, Nancy L; Gallagher, Paul R; Malmud, Elsa K; Giannetta, Joan M; Farah, Martha J; Hurt, Hallam

    2011-01-01

    Preclinical studies of gestational cocaine exposure (GCE) show evidence of changes in brain function at the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral levels, to include effects on developing dopaminergic systems. In contrast, human studies have produced less consistent results, with most showing small effects or no effects on developmental outcomes. Important changes in brain structure and function occur through adolescence, therefore it is possible that prenatal cocaine exposure has latent effects on neurocognitive (NC) outcome that do not manifest until adolescence or young adulthood. We examined NC function using a set of 5 tasks designed to tap 4 different systems: inhibitory control, working memory, receptive language, and incidental memory. For each NC task, data were collected longitudinally at ages 12, 14.5 and 17 years and examined using generalized estimating equations. One hundred and nine children completed at least two of the three evaluations. Covariates included in the final model were assessment number, gender, participant age at first assessment, caregiver depression, and two composites from the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), Environmental Stimulation and Parental Nurturance. We found no cocaine effects on inhibitory control, working memory, or receptive language (p=0.18). GCE effects were observed on incidental face memory task (p=0.055), and GCE by assessment number interaction effects were seen on the incidental word memory task (p=0.031). Participant performance on inhibitory control, working memory, and receptive language tasks improved over time. HOME Environmental Stimulation composite was associated with better receptive language functioning. With a larger sample size smaller differences between groups may have been detected. This report shows no evidence of latent effects of GCE on inhibitory control, working memory, or receptive language. GCE effects were observed on the incidental face memory task, and GCE by

  19. Entering the Corridors of Power: State and Church in the Reception ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Entering the Corridors of Power: State and Church in the Reception History of Revelation. ... In this regard, it focuses as example on the rereading of Revelation by Oecumenius, the Greek commentator of the sixth century C.E. This will be illustrated in terms of two examples. First, the article will discuss how Oecumenius ...

  20. Children's Reactions to a Children's News Program: Reception, Recognition and Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Sara Ann

    The major objectives of this study were to determine the reception of "In the News" by children within the target audience's ages, to determine if children within the target audience recognize the news program as a program, to determine if children learn from "In the News," and to compare children's learning from hard news…

  1. Clarifying the Effects of Human Resource Diversity Management Practices on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Diversity Receptiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Nizan Mat Noor

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to scrutinize the impact of employees’ perceptions of their organization’s human resource diversity management (HRDM practices on their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB level. The influence of diversity receptiveness as a mediator in the proposed relationship is also examined. Survey data were gathered from operational employees attached to large hotel in Malaysia. 430 usable questionnaires were used in statistical analyses. The results indicated that the hypothesized linkage between HRDM practices and diversity receptiveness as well as between HRDM practices and OCB were partially supported. The mediating role of diversity receptiveness in the relationship was also partially supported. Implications and limitations of the findings are specified. Finally, directions for future research are suggested.

  2. Implantation in assisted reproduction: a look at endometrial receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatemi, H M; Popovic-Todorovic, B

    2013-11-01

    Implantation failure in assisted reproduction is thought to be mainly due to impaired uterine receptivity. With normal uterine anatomy, changes in endocrine profile during ovarian stimulation and medical conditions of the mother (i.e. thrombophilia and abnormal immunological response) could result in a non-receptive endometrium. High oestradiol concentrations during ovarian stimulation lead to premature progesterone elevation, causing endometrial advancement and hampering implantation, which can be overcome by a freeze-all approach and embryo transfer in natural cycles or by milder stimulation protocols. Patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) should be tested for inherited and acquired thrombophilias. Each patient should be individually assessed and counselled regarding therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Empirical treatment with LMWH, aspirin or corticosteroids is not effective for women with RIF who have negative thrombophilic tests. If thrombophilic tests are normal, patients should be tested for immunological causes. If human leukocyte antigen dissimilarity is proven, treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin might be beneficial. Preliminary observational studies using intralipid infusion in the presence of increased natural killer cytotoxic activity are interesting but the proposed rationale is controversial and randomized controlled trials are needed. Hysteroscopy and/or endometrial scratching in the cycle preceding ovarian stimulation should become standard for patients with RIF. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Printing and Curing of Conductive Ink Track on Fabric using Syringe Deposition System with DLP Projector and Hot Plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khirotdin Rd. Khairilhijra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Printing is a technique to transfer ink onto substrates to create pattern and syringe deposition system has shown some great potential in printing due to its ability to produce filamentary bead tracks which is important concerning conductivity and easily adopted on conformal surfaces which could not be realized by conventional technique. Fabrics with integrated electrical features able to create intelligent articles and may potentially open up new perspective areas of application in textile printing. However, the applicability of this technique on fabrics remains unknown which the ink used has to meet certain requirements including high electrical conductivity, resistance to oxidation, dry out without clogging, good adhesion with suitable viscosity and surface tension. Thus, there is a need to do this study which is to determine the feasibility of syringe deposition system to print a conductive ink tracks using silver epoxy-based conductive ink on fabric substrate via lycra material. This study is also aim to investigate the feasibility of using DLP projector with hot plate as another source of heat to be used in curing the ink tracks on fabric. The effect of printing and curing parameters to the characteristics and conductivity of the ink track is investigated. Several mechanical and electrical tests were also administered to determine the cure, hardness, adhesion and resistance level of the ink tracks. The results obtained were as expected which higher printing speed and lower deposition height used, a narrower and thinner ink tracks were produced. Sample with 4 mm/s of printing speed and deposition height of 1 mm resulted in dimension closer to the targeted dimension. The longer curing time and higher temperature used, a lower resistance is produced. The lowest resistance achieved is 0.9 Ω cured at 150°C for 60 minutes. The conductivity of the ink track was affected by curing process and cross-sectional area of the ink track. It is proven

  4. Development of a new comprehensive and reliable endometrial receptivity map (ER Map/ER Grade) based on RT-qPCR gene expression analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enciso, M; Carrascosa, J P; Sarasa, J; Martínez-Ortiz, P A; Munné, S; Horcajadas, J A; Aizpurua, J

    2018-02-01

    Is it possible to determine the receptivity status of an endometrium by combined quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) expression analysis of genes involved in endometrial proliferation and immunity? The new ER Map®/ER Grade® test can predict endometrial receptivity status by RT-qPCR using a new panel of genes involved in endometrial proliferation and the maternal immune response associated to embryonic implantation. The human endometrium reaches a receptive status adequate for embryonic implantation around Days 19-21 of the menstrual cycle. During this period, known as the window of implantation (WOI), the endometrium shows a specific gene expression profile suitable for endometrial function evaluation. The number of molecular diagnostic tools currently available to characterize this process is very limited. In this study, a new system for human endometrial receptivity evaluation was optimized and presented for the first time. ER Map®/ER Grade® validation was achieved on 312 endometrial samples including fertile women and patients undergoing fertility treatment between July 2014 and March 2016. Expression analyses of 184 genes involved in endometrial receptivity and immune response were performed. Samples were additionally tested with an independent endometrial receptivity test. A total of 96 fertile women and 120 assisted reproduction treatment (ART) patients participated in the study. Endometrial biopsy samples were obtained at LH + 2 and LH + 7 days in fertile subjects in a natural cycle and at the window of implantation (WOI) in patients in a hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) cycle. Total RNA was purified, quality-checked and reverse-transcribed. Gene expression was quantified by high-throughput RT-qPCR and statistically analyzed. Informative genes were selected and used to classify samples into four different groups of endometrial receptivity status. Significantly different gene expression levels were found in 85 out of 184 selected genes when

  5. The concurrent use of three implicit measures (eye movements, pupillometry, and event-related potentials) to assess receptive vocabulary knowledge in normal adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledoux, Kerry; Coderre, Emily; Bosley, Laura; Buz, Esteban; Gangopadhyay, Ishanti; Gordon, Barry

    2016-03-01

    Recent years have seen the advent and proliferation of the use of implicit techniques to study learning and cognition. One such application is the use of event-related potentials (ERPs) to assess receptive vocabulary knowledge. Other implicit assessment techniques that may be well-suited to other testing situations or to use with varied participant groups have not been used as widely to study receptive vocabulary knowledge. We sought to develop additional implicit techniques to study receptive vocabulary knowledge that could augment the knowledge gained from the use of the ERP technique. Specifically, we used a simple forced-choice paradigm to assess receptive vocabulary knowledge in normal adult participants using eye movement monitoring (EM) and pupillometry. In the same group of participants, we also used an N400 semantic incongruity ERP paradigm to assess their knowledge of two groups of words: those expected to be known to the participants (high-frequency, familiar words) and those expected to be unknown (low-frequency, unfamiliar words). All three measures showed reliable differences between the known and unknown words. EM and pupillometry thus may provide insight into receptive vocabulary knowledge similar to that from ERPs. The development of additional implicit assessment techniques may increase the feasibility of receptive vocabulary testing across a wider range of participant groups and testing situations, and may make the conduct of such testing more accessible to a wider range of researchers, clinicians, and educators.

  6. Black European voices: The ambivalent reception of Jacobus Eliza Capitein (1717-1747)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hondius, D.G.

    2010-01-01

    In the early modern period, black European lives were and remained highly visible and exceptional. This article focuses on the experiences and reception of Jacobus Capitein and two other African men who came to Europe as children in the eighteenth century. Jacobus Capitein was enslaved when he

  7. The Continued Relevance of Reception Analysis in the Age of Social Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathieu, David

    2015-01-01

    Far from being a remnant of the past, reception analysis must continue to set the question of meaning as a central issue in media studies, an issue that appears to be missing from current understandings of social media in which audiences are often reduced to a single reality or simply ignored...... as empirical reality. This paper argues for the continued relevance of reception analysis, inspite of the mismatch of the label, and develops this argument by applying one of its most fundamental insights, namely its investigation of the relationship between media and audience —or between text and context......—, to the study of social media audiences. In particular, the paper suggests three ways to look at the text-context relationship on Facebook with reference to its use during the “student crisis” in Quebec, Canada in 2012. It suggests three nexuses that represent as many sites of circulation of meaning in society...

  8. The reception of Austrian economics in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Magliulo

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays the Austrian School enjoys high reputation in Italy: books by Mises, Hayek and other Austrian economists are constantly republished and reviewed with great interest, both inside and outside academic circles. The situation was very different decades ago, when just a few Italian economists devoted attention to the Austrian School. This work studies the reception of Austrian Economics in Italy, from the beginning to our days, so as to bring out, by way of comparison, relevant features of Italian economic culture. We will try to offer just an overview of the entire story, in an attempt to provide useful elements for a deeper analysis of further topics and periods.

  9. Reception of the Warsaw Autumn Festival in Lithuania: Cultural Discourse and Political Context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanevičiūtė Rūta

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to offer a broader understanding of the Lithuanian reception of the Warsaw Autumn festival in relation to the modernisation of national music in Lithuania since the late 1950s – early 1960s. Based on a micro-historical and comparative approach to the network of individuals and events, it is intended to explore the shifts of reception through analysis of musical criticism, composers’ work and discourse, and artistic exchange between the Lithuanian and Polish new music scenes. The author discusses the cultural and political factors which affected the changing role of the Warsaw Autumn festival and its impact on the modernisation processes in Lithuanian music. In addition, the asymmetries of mutual understanding and interests between the Polish and Lithuanian music cultures have been highlighted both during the Cold War and the post-communist transformation periods.

  10. Evidence-based policy versus morality policy: the case of syringe access programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Saxe Zerden, Lisa; O'Quinn, Erin; Davis, Corey

    2015-01-01

    Evidence-based practice (EBP) combines proven interventions with clinical experience, ethics, and client preferences to inform treatment and services. Although EBP is integrated into most aspects of social work and public health, at times EBP is at odds with social policy. In this article the authors explore the paradox of evidence-based policy using syringe access programs (SAP) as a case example, and review methods of bridging the gap between the emphasis on EBP and lack of evidence informing SAP policy. Analysis includes the overuse of morality policy and examines historical and current theories why this paradox exists. Action steps are highlighted for creating effective policy and opportunities for public health change. Strategies on reframing the problem and shifting target population focus to garner support for evidence-based policy change are included. This interdisciplinary understanding of the way in which these factors converge is a critical first step in moving beyond morality-based policy toward evidence-based policy.

  11. In-syringe extraction using dissolvable layered double hydroxide-polymer sponges templated from hierarchically porous coordination polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghani, Milad; Frizzarin, Rejane M; Maya, Fernando; Cerdà, Víctor

    2016-07-01

    Herein we report the use of cobalt porous coordination polymers (PCP) as intermediates to prepare advanced extraction media based on layered double hydroxides (LDH) supported on melamine polymer foam. The obtained dissolvable Ni-Co LDH composite sponges can be molded and used as sorbent for the in-syringe solid-phase extraction (SPE) of phenolic acids from fruit juices. The proposed sorbent is obtained due to the surfactant-assisted self-assembly of Co(II)/imidazolate PCPs on commercially available melamine foam, followed by the in situ conversion of the PCP into the final dissolvable LDH coating. Advantageous features for SPE are obtained by using PCPs with hierarchical porosity (HPCPs). The LDH-sponge prepared using intermediate HPCPs (HLDH-sponge) is placed in the headspace of a glass syringe, enabling flow-through extraction followed by analyte elution by the dissolution of the LDH coating in acidic conditions. Three phenolic acids (gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and caffeic acid) were extracted and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography. Using a 5mL sample volume, the obtained detection limits were 0.15-0.35μgL(-1). The proposed method for the preparation of HLDH-sponges showed a good reproducibility as observed from the intra- and inter-day RSD's, which were <10% for all analytes. The batch-to-batch reproducibility for three different batches of HLDH-sponges was 10.6-11.2%. Enrichment factors of 15-21 were obtained. The HLDH-sponges were applied satisfactorily to the determination of phenolic acids in natural and commercial fruit juices, obtaining relative recoveries among 89.7-95.3%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Fides Publica in Ancient Rome and its Reception by Grotius and Locke

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Wilde, M.

    2011-01-01

    The article analyzes the Roman notion of des publica and its reception by Grotius and Locke. The Romans considered des publica a general standard of behavior for all those invested with state power. It was regarded as a legal norm with moral connotations, which applied especially, though not

  13. Examining Second Language Receptive Knowledge of Collocation and Factors That Affect Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Thi My Hang; Webb, Stuart

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated Vietnamese EFL learners' knowledge of verb-noun and adjective-noun collocations at the first three 1,000 word frequency levels, and the extent to which five factors (node word frequency, collocation frequency, mutual information score, congruency, and part of speech) predicted receptive knowledge of collocation. Knowledge…

  14. Wolfgang Klafki's Concept of "Didaktik" and Its Reception in Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Meinert A.; Rakhkochkine, Anatoli

    2018-01-01

    We take the reception of Wolfgang Klafki's didactics in Russia as our example for the difficult relations between knowledge transfer and knowledge transformation. We start with a description, analysis and evaluation of Klafki's two didactical models, categorical didactics and critical-constructive didactics, and then describe and evaluate their…

  15. Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... with HIV is a key predictor of the development of AIDS. Because of their compromised immune system, ... needle sharing. When people who inject drugs share "equipment"—such as needles, syringes, and other drug injection ...

  16. Two-dimensional receptive-field organization in striate cortical neurons of the cat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, M; Bonds, A B

    1994-01-01

    The two-dimensional organization of receptive fields (RFs) of 44 cells in the cat visual cortex and four cells from the cat LGN was measured by stimulation with either dots or bars of light. The light bars were presented in different positions and orientations centered on the RFs. The RFs found were arbitrarily divided into four general types: Punctate, resembling DOG filters (11%); those resembling Gabor filters (9%); elongate (36%); and multipeaked-type (44%). Elongate RFs, usually found in simple cells, could show more than one excitatory band or bifurcation of excitatory regions. Although regions inhibitory to a given stimulus transition (e.g. ON) often coincided with regions excitatory to the opposite transition (e.g. OFF), this was by no means the rule. Measurements were highly repeatable and stable over periods of at least 1 h. A comparison between measurements made with dots and with bars showed reasonable matches in about 40% of the cases. In general, bar-based measurements revealed larger RFs with more structure, especially with respect to inhibitory regions. Inactivation of lower cortical layers (V-VI) by local GABA injection was found to reduce sharpness of detail and to increase both receptive-field size and noise in upper layer cells, suggesting vertically organized RF mechanisms. Across the population, some cells bore close resemblance to theoretically proposed filters, while others had a complexity that was clearly not generalizable, to the extent that they seemed more suited to detection of specific structures. We would speculate that the broadly varying forms of cat cortical receptive fields result from developmental processes akin to those that form ocular-dominance columns, but on a smaller scale.

  17. Drug choice, spatial distribution, HIV risk, and HIV prevalence among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaboltas Alla V

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The HIV epidemic in Russia has been driven by the unsafe injection of drugs, predominantly heroin and the ephedrine derived psychostimulants. Understanding differences in HIV risk behaviors among injectors associated with different substances has important implications for prevention programs. Methods We examined behaviors associated with HIV risk among 900 IDUs who inject heroin, psychostimulants, or multiple substances in 2002. Study participants completed screening questionnaires that provided data on sociodemographics, drug use, place of residence and injection- and sex-related HIV risk behaviors. HIV testing was performed and prevalence was modeled using general estimating equation (GEE analysis. Individuals were clustered by neighborhood and disaggregated into three drug use categories: Heroin Only Users, Stimulant Only Users, and Mixed Drug Users. Results Among Heroin Only Users, younger age, front/backloading of syringes, sharing cotton and cookers were all significant predictors of HIV infection. In contrast, sharing needles and rinse water were significant among the Stimulant Only Users. The Mixed Drug Use group was similar to the Heroin Only Users with age, front/back loading, and sharing cotton significantly associated with HIV infection. These differences became apparent only when neighborhood of residence was included in models run using GEE. Conclusion The type of drug injected was associated with distinct behavioral risks. Risks specific to Stimulant Only Users appeared related to direct syringe sharing. The risks specific to the other two groups are common to the process of sharing drugs in preparation to injecting. Across the board, IDUs could profit from prevention education that emphasizes both access to clean syringes and preparing and apportioning drug with these clean syringes. However, attention to neighborhood differences might improve the intervention impact for injectors who favor different drugs.

  18. Mobile television news: a study on the reception of the news on the mobile audience by adults / seniors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristiane Finger Costa

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available By inserting digital television in Brazil, the programming of open television becomes available in mobile and portable devices without any additional fares. The reception of contents anytime and anywhere is bound to provoke change in the relation between journalists and viewers. For this work, a survey was made in the field of reception to identify, in a qualitative way, the expectations and needs of senior/adult public when watching news in cell phones.

  19. A social dimension to enjoyment of negative emotion in art reception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastian, Brock

    2017-01-01

    The proposed model overlooks the contribution of a relational/prosocial dimension to the enjoyment of negative emotion in art reception. Negative experiences have a unique capacity to build social bonds and may also increase motivation to "connect" with the artist. This affiliative motivation ensures that people experience an artwork as more emotional, more intense, more interesting, and ultimately more rewarding.

  20. The feature-weighted receptive field: an interpretable encoding model for complex feature spaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    St-Yves, Ghislain; Naselaris, Thomas

    2017-06-20

    We introduce the feature-weighted receptive field (fwRF), an encoding model designed to balance expressiveness, interpretability and scalability. The fwRF is organized around the notion of a feature map-a transformation of visual stimuli into visual features that preserves the topology of visual space (but not necessarily the native resolution of the stimulus). The key assumption of the fwRF model is that activity in each voxel encodes variation in a spatially localized region across multiple feature maps. This region is fixed for all feature maps; however, the contribution of each feature map to voxel activity is weighted. Thus, the model has two separable sets of parameters: "where" parameters that characterize the location and extent of pooling over visual features, and "what" parameters that characterize tuning to visual features. The "where" parameters are analogous to classical receptive fields, while "what" parameters are analogous to classical tuning functions. By treating these as separable parameters, the fwRF model complexity is independent of the resolution of the underlying feature maps. This makes it possible to estimate models with thousands of high-resolution feature maps from relatively small amounts of data. Once a fwRF model has been estimated from data, spatial pooling and feature tuning can be read-off directly with no (or very little) additional post-processing or in-silico experimentation. We describe an optimization algorithm for estimating fwRF models from data acquired during standard visual neuroimaging experiments. We then demonstrate the model's application to two distinct sets of features: Gabor wavelets and features supplied by a deep convolutional neural network. We show that when Gabor feature maps are used, the fwRF model recovers receptive fields and spatial frequency tuning functions consistent with known organizational principles of the visual cortex. We also show that a fwRF model can be used to regress entire deep

  1. It's Not Given Us to Foretell How Our Words Will Echo through the Ages: The Reception of Novel Ideas by Scientific Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valentin Bazhanov

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper reveals some mostly unnoticed and unexpected trends in reception of novel ideas in science. The author formulates certain principles of the reception of these ideas by scientific communities and justifies them by examples from modern mathematics and non-classical logic.

  2. Approximation of Measurement Results of “Emergency” Signal Reception Probability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gajda Stanisław

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The intended aim of this article is to present approximation results of the exemplary measurements of EMERGENCY signal reception probability. The probability is under-stood as a distance function between the aircraft and a ground-based system under established conditions. The measurements were approximated using the properties of logistic functions. This probability, as a distance function, enables to determine the range of the EMERGENCY signal for a pre-set confidence level.

  3. Franklin and Marshall Career Center Sets up Receptions in 5 Cities to Promote "Networking."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biemiller, Lawrence

    1987-01-01

    A Pennsylvania college arranges a series of receptions in several cities to encourage seniors to meet alumni with similar career interests and to help students develop the social skills to make further contacts. (MSE)

  4. Promoting the Aesthetic Experience: The Rise of Receptive Art Education in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dieleman, C.

    2014-01-01

    In 1999, a mandatory and interdisciplinary art course, Cultural and Artistic Education (Culturele en Kunstzinnige Vorming, or CKV), was introduced in the Dutch secondary school system. The course focuses on receptive, rather than active, art education. Cultural activities, such as visiting an art

  5. Characterization of a Laser-Generated Perturbation in High-Speed Flow for Receptivity Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Amanda; Schneider, Steven P.; Kegerise, Michael A.

    2014-01-01

    A better understanding of receptivity can contribute to the development of an amplitude-based method of transition prediction. This type of prediction model would incorporate more physics than the semi-empirical methods, which are widely used. The experimental study of receptivity requires a characterization of the external disturbances and a study of their effect on the boundary layer instabilities. Characterization measurements for a laser-generated perturbation were made in two different wind tunnels. These measurements were made with hot-wire probes, optical techniques, and pressure transducer probes. Existing methods all have their limitations, so better measurements will require the development of new instrumentation. Nevertheless, the freestream laser-generated perturbation has been shown to be about 6 mm in diameter at a static density of about 0.045 kg/cubic m. The amplitude of the perturbation is large, which may be unsuitable for the study of linear growth.

  6. Timing of pollen release and stigma receptivity period of Piper vicosanum: New insights into sexual reproduction of the genus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valentin-Silva, Adriano; Coelho, Victor Peçanha de Miranda; Ventrella, Marília Contin; Vieira, Milene Faria

    2015-04-01

    Dichogamy is a common characteristic among angiosperms, including Piper species. In this genus, the tiny flowers are morphologically similar and have an asynchronous stamen development. However, there is no information on the duration of stigma receptivity and whether it overlaps with pollen release. To better understand mechanisms of floral function in Piper vicosanum, we provide a detailed characterization of the timing of pollen release from the four stamens and the period of stigma receptivity and exposure mode of the receptive areas. We investigated plants of a natural population in a semideciduous seasonal forest (Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil), based on chemical tests, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. Incomplete protogyny-a mechanism that favors outcrossing-was recorded. The period of stigma receptivity was long (14 d), and the sequential exposure and senescence of stigmatic papillae occurred gradually and in a basipetal direction. Pollen release began 2-6 d after the beginning of the pistillate phase, with an average pollen viability of 87.7%, during the bisexual flower phase. Pollen was released for up to 6 d and occurred in one stamen at a time. The fruit set observed in tests of self-pollination indicated self-compatibility. The gradual and sequential exposure of stigmatic papillae in P. vicosanum flowers is described here as the mechanism for the long duration of receptivity. Anther development and pollen release were also sequential. These findings are yet unreported reproductive characteristics of the genus and offer new perspectives for future studies on the floral biology of other Piper species. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

  7. Determination of desipramine in biological samples using liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction combined with in-syringe derivatization, gas chromatography, and nitrogen/phosphorus detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saraji, Mohammad; Mehrafza, Narges; Bidgoli, Ali Akbar Hajialiakbari; Jafari, Mohammad Taghi

    2012-10-01

    A method was established for the determination of desipramine in biological samples using liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction followed by in-syringe derivatization and gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphorus detection. The extraction method was based on the use of two immiscible organic solvents. n-Dodecane was impregnated in the pores of the hollow fiber and methanol was placed inside the lumen of the fiber as the acceptor phase. Acetic anhydride was used as the reagent for the derivatization of the analyte inside the syringe barrel. Parameters that affect the extraction efficiency (composition of donor and acceptor phase, ionic strength, sample temperature, and extraction time) as well as derivatization efficiency (amount of acetic anhydride and reaction time and temperature) were investigated. The limit of detection was 0.02 μg/L with intra and interday RSDs of 2.6 and 7.7%, respectively. The linearity of the method was in the range of 0.2-20 μg/L (r(2) = 0.9986). The method was successfully applied to determine desipramine in human plasma and urine. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. English, Spanish and ethno-racial receptivity in a new destination: A case study of Dominican immigrants in Reading, PA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oropesa, R S

    2015-07-01

    Scant information is available on experiences with language among immigrant populations in new destinations. This study provides a multi-dimensional portrait of the linguistic incorporation of Dominican immigrants in the "majority-minority" city of Reading, Pennsylvania. The results show that daily life for most largely occurs in a Spanish-language milieu, but English proficiency and use in social networks is primarily a function of exposure to the United States. This is consistent with the standard narrative of assimilation models. At the same time, negative experiences with the use of both English and Spanish suggest that the linguistic context of reception is inhospitable for a substantial share of this population. Negative experiences with English are particularly likely to be mentioned by those with dark skin and greater cumulative exposure. Lastly, language plays an important role in experiences with ethno-racial enmity more broadly. Nonetheless, the persistent effect of skin tone indicates that such experiences are not reducible to language per se. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Histochemical location of key enzyme activities involved in receptivity and self-incompatibility in the olive tree (Olea europaea L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano, Irene; Olmedilla, Adela

    2012-12-01

    Stigma-surface and style enzymes are important for pollen reception, selection and germination. This report deals with the histochemical location of the activity of four basic types of enzyme involved in these processes in the olive (Olea europaea L.). The detection of peroxidase, esterase and acid-phosphatase activities at the surface of the stigma provided evidence of early receptivity in olive pistils. The stigma maintained its receptivity until the arrival of pollen. Acid-phosphatase activity appeared in the style at the moment of anthesis and continued until the fertilization of the ovule. RNase activity was detected in the extracellular matrix of the styles of flowers just before pollination and became especially evident in pistils after self-pollination. This activity gradually decreased until it practically disappeared in more advanced stages. RNase activity was also detected in pollen tubes growing in pollinated pistils and appeared after in vitro germination in the presence of self-incompatible pistils. These findings suggest that RNases may well be involved in intraspecific pollen rejection in olive flowers. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that evidence of enzyme activity in stigma receptivity and pollen selection has been described in this species. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Analysing a Whole CLIL School: Students' Attitudes, Motivation, and Receptive Vocabulary Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arribas, Mario

    2016-01-01

    CLIL keeps on gaining ground in the European educational context, one clear example is Spain, where the number of schools adopting this methodology has kept growing exponentially in recent years. The present study has a dual perspective looking at the motivation of students towards English and CLIL and showing students' receptive vocabulary…

  11. Theoretical analysis on radiation and reception characteristics of an oblate spheroidal antenna for electron plasma waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnuki, S.; Adachi, S.; Ohnuma, T.

    1978-01-01

    The radiation and reception characteristics of the oblate spheroidal antenna for electron plasma waves are theoretically investigated. The analysis is carried out as a boundary-value problem. The formulas for the radiation and reception characteristics such as radiation impedance, electron charge distributions, radiated wave potential, directional properties, and receiving voltage of the oblate spheroidal antenna are analytically obtained. As a result, it is concluded that the radiation and reception characteristics of the antennas are not uniquely determined by k/sub p/a (k/sub p/ is the wave number of an electron plasma wave, and a is the radius of the circular-plate antenna), but are determined by two out of three factors, k/sub p/a, zeta (radius divided by Debye length), and ω/ω/sub p/ (angular signal frequency to angular plasma frequency). This conclusion is in marked contrast to the conventional theory in which the charge distribution on the antenna is assumed a priori as uniform and, thus, the antenna characteristics are uniquely determined by k/sub p/a. It is claimed that the experimental results obtained hitherto support the present new theory

  12. "Ornithorhynchus Paradoxus": The Reception of Arthur Schopenhauer between 1818 and 1848

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Héctor del Estal Sánchez

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This essay intends to examine the reception of Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy in the period betweeen 1818 and 1848, thereby contributing to a demythologization of the luck of the philosopher’s thought on these three decades prior to the beginning of his fame. In order to achieve this, after showing a general picture of the personal myth that has characterised a great part of the historiographic tradition according to which his philosophy would have been ignored or silenced (1, we will present the four key lines of his reception, through the analysis of the news that his contemporaries gave of his philosophy in reviews, manuals of history of philosophy, or encyclopedias. Those four key lines are: a reading of Schopenhauer’s philosophy that stressed on its oriental features (2, an interpretation in an idealistic key which placed a lack of originality in Schopenhauer’s philosophy (3, an academic community that placed it against “the spirit of the times” due to the secondary place of Reason against the Will (4 and finally, the emergence of the first followers of Schopenhauer’s philosophy (5.

  13. The context of HIV risk behaviours among HIV-positive injection drug users in Viet Nam: Moving toward effective harm reduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thanh Duong

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Injection drug users represent the largest proportion of all HIV reported cases in Viet Nam. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of risk and risk behaviours among HIV-positive injection drug users, and their experiences related to safe injection and safe sex practices. Methods This study used multiple qualitative methods in data collection including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation with HIV-positive injection drug users. Results The informants described a change in the sharing practices among injection drug users towards more precautions and what was considered 'low risk sharing', like sharing among seroconcordant partners and borrowing rather than lending. However risky practices like re-use of injection equipment and 'syringe pulling' i.e. the use of left-over drugs in particular, were frequently described and observed. Needle and syringe distribution programmes were in place but carrying needles and syringes and particularly drugs could result in being arrested and fined. Fear of rejection and of loss of intimacy made disclosure difficult and was perceived as a major obstacle for condom use among recently diagnosed HIV infected individuals. Conclusion HIV-positive injection drug users continue to practice HIV risk behaviours. The anti-drug law and the police crack-down policy appeared as critical factors hampering ongoing prevention efforts with needle and syringe distribution programmes in Viet Nam. Drastic policy measures are needed to reduce the very high HIV prevalence among injection drug users.

  14. Power/Knowledge for Educational Theory: Stephen Ball and the Reception of Foucault

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chia-Ling

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores the significance of the concept of power/knowledge in educational theory. The argument proceeds in two main parts. In the first, I consider aspects of Stephen J. Ball's highly influential work in educational theory. I examine his reception of Foucault's concept of power/knowledge and suggest that there are problems in his…

  15. To share and be shared

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Ida Wentzel

    2018-01-01

    to another. To a certain degree, they share their everyday lives, things, places, memories, and past/future, but as the ones who move back and forth, they belong a little less in each place. This article is about children who are shared between their parent, households and siblings. They are shared...

  16. Differences in early cognitive and receptive-expressive neurodevelopment by ancestry and underlying pathways in Brazil and Argentina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehby, George L; Trujillo, Antonio J

    2017-02-01

    We examine disparities in early child cognitive and receptive-expressive skills by ethnic ancestry among infants aged 3-24 months from Brazil and Argentina. We employ unique data on the neurodevelopment of children who were seeking routine well-child care at a set of pediatric clinics in these countries. The sample included children who had normal birth outcomes and no major health complications, allowing us to focus on variation in neurodevelopment among children without major physical health limitations. The physicians attending the pediatric clinics were trained in administering the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener, a standardized instrument used to screen an infant's risk of neurodevelopmental problems on various domains of abilities. We evaluate disparities in overall neurodevelopmental scores and risk for neurodevelopmental problems as well as in cognitive functioning and receptive-expressive neurodevelopment. We also examine the extent to which household demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and geographic location explain these disparities. We find large gaps in both cognitive and receptive-expressive neurodevelopment by ancestry. In Brazil, children of African ancestry have lower scores on both cognitive and receptive-expressive domains and on overall neurodevelopment than children of European ancestry. In Argentina, children of Native ancestry have lower scores on these outcomes than children of European ancestry. These gaps however are largely explained by differences in geographic location and household characteristics, highlighting the importance of policies that reduce socioeconomic and geographic disparities in social capital and economic development for eliminating ethnic disparities in infant neurodevelopment. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Association Between Receptivity to Tobacco Advertising and Progression to Tobacco Use in Youth and Young Adults in the PATH Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, John P; Sargent, James D; Portnoy, David B; White, Martha; Noble, Madison; Kealey, Sheila; Borek, Nicolette; Carusi, Charles; Choi, Kelvin; Green, Victoria R; Kaufman, Annette R; Leas, Eric; Lewis, M Jane; Margolis, Katherine A; Messer, Karen; Shi, Yuyan; Silveira, Marushka L; Snyder, Kimberly; Stanton, Cassandra A; Tanski, Susanne E; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Trinidad, Dennis; Hyland, Andrew

    2018-03-26

    Cigarette marketing contributes to initiation of cigarette smoking among young people, which has led to restrictions on use of cigarette advertising. However, little is known about other tobacco advertising and progression to tobacco use in youth and young adults. To investigate whether receptivity to tobacco advertising among youth and young adults is associated with progression (being a susceptible never user or ever user) to use of the product advertised, as well as conventional cigarette smoking. The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study at wave 1 (2013-2014) and 1-year follow-up at wave 2 (2014-2015) was conducted in a US population-based sample of never tobacco users aged 12 to 24 years from wave 1 of the PATH Study (N = 10 989). Household interviews using audio computer-assisted self-interviews were conducted. Advertising for conventional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), cigars, and smokeless tobacco products at wave 1. Progression to susceptibility or ever tobacco use at 1-year follow-up in wave 2. Of the 10 989 participants (5410 male [weighted percentage, 48.3%]; 5579 female [weighted percentage, 51.7%]), receptivity to any tobacco advertising at wave 1 was high for those aged 12 to 14 years (44.0%; 95% confidence limit [CL], 42.6%-45.4%) but highest for those aged 18 to 21 years (68.7%; 95% CL, 64.9%-72.2%). e-Cigarette advertising had the highest receptivity among all age groups. For those aged 12 to 17 years, susceptibility to use a product at wave 1 was significantly associated with product use at wave 2 for conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco products. Among committed never users aged 12 to 17 years at wave 1, any receptivity was associated with progression toward use of the product at wave 2 (conventional cigarettes: adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.43; 95% CL, 1.23-1.65; e-cigarettes: AOR, 1.62; 95% CL, 1.41-1.85; cigars: AOR, 2.01; 95% CL, 1.62-2.49; and smokeless (males only

  18. Merely Misunderstood? Receptive, Expressive, and Pragmatic Language in Young Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gremillion, Monica L.; Martel, Michelle M.

    2015-01-01

    Children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) often seem to have poorer language skills compared to same-age peers; however, language as an early risk factor for DBD has received little empirical attention. The present study provides an empirical examination of associations between normal language variation and DBD by investigating receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language skills and preschool DBD symptoms. The sample consisted of 109 preschoolers ages 3 to 6 (M = 4.77 years, SD = 1.10, 59% boys; 73% with DBD, including oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) along with their primary caregivers, who completed a clinician-administered interview, symptom questionnaires, and a questionnaire measure of pragmatic language, and teacher and/or daycare providers completed symptom questionnaires. Children completed objective tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary. Preschoolers with DBD showed poorer receptive, expressive, and pragmatic skills compared to preschoolers without DBD. Preschoolers with ADHD-only or ADHD+ODD exhibited poorer language skills, compared to ODD and non-DBD groups. Specificity analyses suggested that parent-rated hyperactivity-impulsivity were particularly associated with poorer language skills. Thus, preschoolers with DBD exhibited poorer language skills compared to preschoolers without DBD, and preschoolers with increased hyperactivity-impulsivity exhibited particular problems with language skills. This work suggests the need for early assessment of language in preschoolers, particularly those with ADHD, as well as the possible utility of tailored interventions focused on improving language skills, particularly for those with high hyperactivity-impulsivity. PMID:23924073

  19. Shyness-Anxiousness and Receptive Language Skills Development in Spanish- and English-Speaking Preschoolers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strand, Paul S.; Pula, Kacy; Parks, Craig D.; Cerna, Sandra

    2011-01-01

    The present study utilized a short-term longitudinal research design to model the relationship between shyness-anxiousness and receptive language skills. Hypotheses regarding the direction of the causal relationship, mediation, and moderation were evaluated. Subjects included 340 Head Start attendees from primarily English- and Spanish-speaking…

  20. Longitudinal Receptive American Sign Language Skills across a Diverse Deaf Student Body

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beal-Alvarez, Jennifer S.

    2016-01-01

    This article presents results of a longitudinal study of receptive American Sign Language (ASL) skills for a large portion of the student body at a residential school for the deaf across four consecutive years. Scores were analyzed by age, gender, parental hearing status, years attending the residential school, and presence of a disability (i.e.,…

  1. Cortical depth dependent population receptive field attraction by spatial attention in human V1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klein, Barrie P.; Fracasso, Alessio; van Dijk, Jelle A.; Paffen, Chris L.E.; te Pas, Susan F.; Dumoulin, Serge O.

    2018-01-01

    Visual spatial attention concentrates neural resources at the attended location. Recently, we demonstrated that voluntary spatial attention attracts population receptive fields (pRFs) toward its location throughout the visual hierarchy. Theoretically, both a feed forward or feedback mechanism could

  2. Stability of Fentanyl Citrate, Hydromorphone Hydrochloride, Ketamine Hydrochloride, Midazolam, Morphine Sulfate, and Pentobarbital Sodium in Polypropylene Syringes

    OpenAIRE

    Anderson, Collin; MacKay, Mark

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Determine the stability of fentanyl 10 mcg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, fentanyl 10 mcg/mL in 5% dextrose, fentanyl 50 mcg/mL, hydromorphone 100 mcg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, ketamine 10 mg/mL, midazolam 0.4 mg/mL in 5% dextrose, midazolam 5 mg/mL, morphine 1 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride, morphine 1 mg/mL in 5% dextrose, and pentobarbital 50 mg/mL when stored as single drug entities at room temperature in polypropylene syringes. Methods: Four 5 mL samples of each drug and concentra...

  3. Shawki’s Poetic Tales In The Light of Reception Theory

    OpenAIRE

    EKHTIAR, Ousama

    2018-01-01

    This research tackles the poetic tales in Ahmed Shawki’s poetry in terms of reception theory. This theory comprises readers’ perception of literary texts. One of the objectives of this theoretical approach is to examine the horizon of expectation of the reader, either explicit or implied. We have studied the horizon of expectation of the explicit reader in the following points: Rhythmic expectation, Linguistic expectation, and Dramatic expectation. We have also got to know the aesthetic dista...

  4. Culturally Specific Texts, Culturally Bound Audiences: Ethnography in the Place of Its Reception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Poonam; Irving, Katrina

    1991-01-01

    Continues questioning the position of the ethnographer as filmmaker in relation to those of whom the filmmaker speaks, while arguing that attention be given to the position of those to whom the filmmaker speaks. Refocuses attention on the effects of the ethnographic film in the place of its reception. (PRA)

  5. Analyses of Receptive and Productive Korean EFL Vocabulary: Computer-Based Vocabulary Learning Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Scott Sungki

    2013-01-01

    The present research study investigated the effects of 8 versions of a computer-based vocabulary learning program on receptive and productive knowledge levels of college students. The participants were 106 male and 103 female Korean EFL students from Kyungsung University and Kwandong University in Korea. Students who participated in versions of…

  6. Isocyanates useful for forming synthetic antigens receptive to radiolabelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisenhardt, W.A. Jr.; Hedaya, E.; Theodoropulos, S.

    1981-01-01

    This patent claim on behalf of Union Carbide Corporation, relates to synthesizing isocyantes useful for forming synthetic antigens receptive to radio labelling. The claim is for an isocyanate having the structural formula (R) 3 SiO-R' -N=C=O, wherein each R is independently selected from alkyl, alicyclic, aryl, alkaryl and aralkyl groups, each having no more than 10 carbon atoms and being optionally substituted by one or more halogen atoms, and R' is selected from -C 6 H 4 -CH 2 -CH 2 - and -C 6 H 4 -CH 2 -CH-COOCH 3 . (U.K.)

  7. Failure mode and effects analysis applied to the administration of liquid medication by oral syringes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva María Guerra-Alia

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available To carry out a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA to the use of oral syringes. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was assembled within the Safety Committee. The stages of oral administration process of liquid medication were analysed, identifying the most critical and establishing the potential modes of failure that can cause errors. The impact associated with each mode of failure was calculated using the Risk Priority Number (RPN. Preventive actions were proposed. Results: Five failure modes were identified, all classified as high risk (RPN> 100. Seven of the eight preventive actions were implemented. Conclusions: The FMEA methodology was a useful tool. It has allowed to know the risks, analyse the causes that cause them, their effects on patient safety and the measures to reduce them

  8. Portable system of programmable syringe pump with potentiometer for determination of promethazine in pharmaceutical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Tawfik A; Abulkibash, A M; Ibrahim, Atta E

    2012-04-01

    A simple and fast-automated method was developed and validated for the assay of promethazine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations, based on the oxidation of promethazine by cerium in an acidic medium. A portable system, consisting of a programmable syringe pump connected to a potentiometer, was constructed. The developed change in potential during promethazine oxidation was monitored. The related optimum working conditions, such as supporting electrolyte concentration, cerium(IV) concentration and flow rate were optimized. The proposed method was successfully applied to pharmaceutical samples as well as synthetic ones. The obtained results were realized by the official British pharmacopoeia (BP) method and comparable results were obtained. The obtained t-value indicates no significant differences between the results of the proposed and BP methods, with the advantages of the proposed method being simple, sensitive and cost effective.

  9. Chinese paleontology and the reception of Darwinism in early twentieth century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiaobo

    2017-12-01

    The paper examines the social, cultural and disciplinary factors that influenced the reception and appropriation of Darwinism by China's first generation paleontologists. Darwinism was mixed with Social Darwinism when first introduced to China, and the co-option of Darwinian phrases for nationalistic awakening obscured the scientific essence of Darwin's evolutionary theory. First generation Chinese paleontologists started their training in 1910s-1920s. They quickly asserted their professional identity by successfully focusing on morphology, taxonomy and biostratigraphy. Surrounded by Western paleontologists with Lamarckian or orthogenetic leanings, early Chinese paleontologists enthusiastically embraced evolution and used fossils as factual evidence; yet not enough attention was given to mechanistic evolutionary studies. The 1940s saw the beginning of a new trend for early Chinese paleontologists to incorporate more biological and biogeographical components in their work, but external events such as the dominance of Lysenkoism in the 1950s made the Modern Synthesis pass by without being publicly noticed in Chinese paleontology. Characterized by the larger goal of using science for nation building and by the utilitarian approach favoring local sciences, the reception and appropriation of Darwinism by first generation Chinese paleontologists raise important questions for studying the indigenizing efforts of early Chinese scientists to appropriate Western scientific theories. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A Mobile System for Music Anamnesis and Receptive Music Therapy in the Personal Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denecke, Kerstin

    2017-01-01

    Receptive music therapy is active hearing of music that is specifically selected to cause a certain effect on a person, such as pain reduction, mental opening, confrontation etc. This active, guided hearing could be helpful as a supporting ritual for patients at home and could extend traditional therapy. However, patients are often unable to select the music pieces that might be helpful for them in a current situation. We are suggesting a self-learning decision support system that allows a patient to answer questions on music anamnesis, is ready for inclusion into an electronic health record, and which enables a therapist to compile a therapeutic music program for the patient at home. Beyond this, the system also suggests appropriate music and duration of listening based on the patient's reported current mental state. In this paper, a concept for such a mobile system for receptive music therapy will be proposed.

  11. Male Reception Towards Masculinity Construction on L-MEN's Instagram Social Media

    OpenAIRE

    Izdihar Khalisha, Annisa; Dwiningtyas, S.Sos, MA, Dr. Hapsari

    2016-01-01

    This research envisages information about how the construction of masculinty showed on @LMEN's Instagram influences male's perspective in case of the ideal appearance of masculinity. The purposes of this research are to analyze how @LMEN's Instagram constructs the male's masculinity and how the man interprets those of masculinity concepts. Critical paradigm is used to analyze this research, furthurmore, this research also uses reception analysis method written by Ien Ang. Muscular Male Body I...

  12. "Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study of Freeman and Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization of the Knowledge Base of Second Language Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Joseph J.; Murphy, John; Baker, Amanda

    2015-01-01

    This study traces the reception history of Freeman and Johnson's (1998) widely cited article dedicated to theory and practices of second language teacher education (SLTE). It illuminates the degree to which that article has impacted SLTE theory, research, and potentially instructional practices. The reception study analysis is based on a data set…

  13. Receptivity and Forced Response to Acoustic Disturbances in High-Speed Boundary Layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balakumar, P.; King, Rudolph A.; Chou, Amanda; Owens, Lewis R.; Kegerise, Michael A.

    2016-01-01

    Supersonic boundary-layer receptivity to freestream acoustic disturbances is investigated by solving the Navier-Stokes equations for Mach 3.5 flow over a sharp flat plate and a 7-deg half-angle cone. The freestream disturbances are generated from a wavy wall placed at the nozzle wall. The freestream acoustic disturbances radiated by the wavy wall are obtained by solving the linearized Euler equations. The results for the flat plate show that instability modes are generated at all the incident angles ranging from zero to highly oblique. However, the receptivity coefficient decreases by about 20 times when the incident angle increases from zero to a highly oblique angle of 68 degrees. The results for the cone show that no instability modes are generated when the acoustic disturbances impinge the cone obliquely. The results show that the perturbations generated inside the boundary layer by the acoustic disturbances are the response of the boundary layer to the external forcing. The amplitude of the forced disturbances inside the boundary layer are about 2.5 times larger than the incoming field for zero azimuthal wavenumber and they are about 1.5 times for large azimuthal wavenumbers.

  14. Does attention play a role in dynamic receptive field adaptation to changing acoustic salience in A1?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritz, Jonathan B; Elhilali, Mounya; David, Stephen V; Shamma, Shihab A

    2007-07-01

    Acoustic filter properties of A1 neurons can dynamically adapt to stimulus statistics, classical conditioning, instrumental learning and the changing auditory attentional focus. We have recently developed an experimental paradigm that allows us to view cortical receptive field plasticity on-line as the animal meets different behavioral challenges by attending to salient acoustic cues and changing its cortical filters to enhance performance. We propose that attention is the key trigger that initiates a cascade of events leading to the dynamic receptive field changes that we observe. In our paradigm, ferrets were initially trained, using conditioned avoidance training techniques, to discriminate between background noise stimuli (temporally orthogonal ripple combinations) and foreground tonal target stimuli. They learned to generalize the task for a wide variety of distinct background and foreground target stimuli. We recorded cortical activity in the awake behaving animal and computed on-line spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRFs) of single neurons in A1. We observed clear, predictable task-related changes in STRF shape while the animal performed spectral tasks (including single tone and multi-tone detection, and two-tone discrimination) with different tonal targets. A different set of task-related changes occurred when the animal performed temporal tasks (including gap detection and click-rate discrimination). Distinctive cortical STRF changes may constitute a "task-specific signature". These spectral and temporal changes in cortical filters occur quite rapidly, within 2min of task onset, and fade just as quickly after task completion, or in some cases, persisted for hours. The same cell could multiplex by differentially changing its receptive field in different task conditions. On-line dynamic task-related changes, as well as persistent plastic changes, were observed at a single-unit, multi-unit and population level. Auditory attention is likely to be pivotal in

  15. A self-organizing model of perisaccadic visual receptive field dynamics in primate visual and oculomotor system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mender, Bedeho M W; Stringer, Simon M

    2015-01-01

    We propose and examine a model for how perisaccadic visual receptive field dynamics, observed in a range of primate brain areas such as LIP, FEF, SC, V3, V3A, V2, and V1, may develop through a biologically plausible process of unsupervised visually guided learning. These dynamics are associated with remapping, which is the phenomenon where receptive fields anticipate the consequences of saccadic eye movements. We find that a neural network model using a local associative synaptic learning rule, when exposed to visual scenes in conjunction with saccades, can account for a range of associated phenomena. In particular, our model demonstrates predictive and pre-saccadic remapping, responsiveness shifts around the time of saccades, and remapping from multiple directions.

  16. THE INVESTIGATION OF PRODUCTIVE AND RECEPTIVE COMPETENCE IN V+N AND ADJ+N COLLOCATIONS AMONG INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saudin Saudin

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The important role of collocation in learners’ language proficiency has been acknowledged widely. In Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL, collocation is known as one prominent member of the super-ordinate lexical cohesion, which contributes significantly to the textual coherence, together with grammatical cohesion and structural cohesion (Halliday & Hasan, 1985. Collocation is also viewed as the hallmark of truly advanced English learners since the higher the learners’ proficiency is, the more they tend to use collocation (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011; Hsu, 2007; Zhang, 1993. Further, knowledge of collocation is regarded as part of the native speakers’ communicative competence (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011; and lack of the knowledge is the most important sign of foreignness among foreign language learners (McArthur, 1992; McCarthy, 1990. Taking the importance of collocation into account, this study is aimed to shed light on Indonesian EFL learners’ levels of collocational competence. In the study, the collocational competence is restricted to v+n and adj+n of collocation but broken down into productive and receptive competence, about which little work has been done (Henriksen, 2013. For this purpose, 49 second-year students of an English department in a state polytechnic were chosen as the subjects. Two sets of tests (filling in the blanks and multiple-choice were administered to obtain the data of the subjects’ levels of productive and receptive competence and to gain information of which type was more problematic for the learners. The test instruments were designed by referring to Brashi’s (2006 test model, and Koya’s (2003. In the analysis of the data, interpretive-qualitative method was used primarily to obtain broad explanatory information. The data analysis showed that the scores of productive competence were lower than those of receptive competence in both v+n and adj+n collocation. The analysis also revealed that the scores of productive

  17. Comparison of drug delivery with autoinjector versus manual prefilled syringe and between three different autoinjector devices administered in pig thigh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hill RL

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Robert L Hill,1,* John G Wilmot,1,* Beth A Belluscio,1 Kevin Cleary,2 David Lindisch,3 Robin Tucker,4 Emmanuel Wilson,2 Rajesh B Shukla11Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Columbia, MD, 2Children’s National Medical Center, 3Washington DC VA Medical Center, 4Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA *These authors have contributed equally to this work Abstract: Parenteral routes of drug administration are often selected to optimize actual dose of drug delivered, assure high bioavailability, bypass first-pass metabolism or harsh gastrointestinal environments, as well as maximize the speed of onset. Intramuscular (IM delivery can be preferred to intravenous delivery when initiating intravenous access is difficult or impossible. Drugs can be injected intramuscularly using a syringe or an automated delivery device (autoinjector. Investigation into the IM delivery dynamics of these methods may guide further improvements in the performance of injection technologies. Two porcine model studies were conducted to compare differences in dispersion of injectate volume for different methods of IM drug administration. The first study compared the differences in the degree of dispersion and uptake of injectate following the use of a manual syringe and an autoinjector. The second study compared the spatial spread of the injected formulation, or dispersion volume, and uptake of injectate following the use of five different autoinjectors (EpiPen® [0.3 mL], EpiPen® Jr [0.3 mL], Twinject® [0.15 mL, 0.3 mL], and Anapen® 300 [0.3 mL] with varying needle length, needle gauge, and force applied to the plunger. In the first study, the autoinjector provided higher peak volumes of injectate, indicating a greater degree of dispersion, compared with manual syringe delivery. In the second study, EpiPen autoinjectors resulted in larger dispersion volumes and higher initial dispersion ratios, which decreased rapidly over time, suggesting a greater

  18. Receptivity of Hypersonic Boundary Layers over Straight and Flared Cones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balakumar, Ponnampalam; Kegerise, Michael A.

    2010-01-01

    The effects of adverse pressure gradients on the receptivity and stability of hypersonic boundary layers were numerically investigated. Simulations were performed for boundary layer flows over a straight cone and two flared cones. The steady and the unsteady flow fields were obtained by solving the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in axi-symmetric coordinates using the 5th order accurate weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for space discretization and using third-order total-variation-diminishing (TVD) Runge-Kutta scheme for time integration. The mean boundary layer profiles were analyzed using local stability and non-local parabolized stability equations (PSE) methods. After the most amplified disturbances were identified, two-dimensional plane acoustic waves were introduced at the outer boundary of the computational domain and time accurate simulations were performed. The adverse pressure gradient was found to affect the boundary layer stability in two important ways. Firstly, the frequency of the most amplified second-mode disturbance was increased relative to the zero pressure gradient case. Secondly, the amplification of first- and second-mode disturbances was increased. Although an adverse pressure gradient enhances instability wave growth rates, small nose-tip bluntness was found to delay transition due to the low receptivity coefficient and the resulting weak initial amplitude of the instability waves. The computed and measured amplitude-frequency spectrums in all three cases agree very well in terms of frequency and the shape except for the amplitude.

  19. Effects of Nose Bluntness on Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Receptivity and Stability Over Cones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara, Kursat; Balakumar, Ponnampalam; Kandil, Osama A.

    2011-01-01

    The receptivity to freestream acoustic disturbances and the stability properties of hypersonic boundary layers are numerically investigated for boundary-layer flows over a 5 straight cone at a freestream Mach number of 6.0. To compute the shock and the interaction of the shock with the instability waves, the Navier-Stokes equations in axisymmetric coordinates were solved. In the governing equations, inviscid and viscous flux vectors are discretized using a fifth-order accurate weighted-essentially-non-oscillatory scheme. A third-order accurate total-variation-diminishing Runge-Kutta scheme is employed for time integration. After the mean flow field is computed, disturbances are introduced at the upstream end of the computational domain. The appearance of instability waves near the nose region and the receptivity of the boundary layer with respect to slow mode acoustic waves are investigated. Computations confirm the stabilizing effect of nose bluntness and the role of the entropy layer in the delay of boundary-layer transition. The current solutions, compared with experimental observations and other computational results, exhibit good agreement.

  20. The Effects of Echolalia on Acquisition and Generalization of Receptive Labeling in Autistic Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlop, Marjorie H.

    1983-01-01

    Two experiments, with about five autistic children (two to 14 years old) in each experiment, assessed the effects of autistic immediate echolalia on acquisition and generalization of receptive labeling tasks. These results indicated that echolalia faciliated generalization for echolalic autistic children but not for functionally mute autistic…

  1. The beginnings of the reception of Ludwik Fleck’s ideas in Polish (1936-1989

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paweł Jarnicki

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the beginnings of the reception of Ludwik Fleck’s theory of thought styles and thought collectives in Polish, from his first polemics with Izydora Dąmbska in 1936 to the first edition of the Polish translation of Entstehung und Entwicklung

  2. Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Learning: The Effects of Reading and Writing on Word Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Stuart

    2005-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of receptive and productive vocabulary learning on word knowledge. Japanese students studying English as a foreign language learned target words in three glossed sentences and in a sentence production task in two experiments. Five aspects of vocabulary knowledge--orthography, syntax, association, grammatical…

  3. A communicational framework for evaluating interaction with IT by analyzing user-reception of electronic texts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wentzer, Helle

    2006-01-01

    Interpreting IT as a medium for continuous communication across time and place of the communicators offers a way of analyzing the effect of IT in concrete practices. The users’ readings determine the actual communication with IT. A poetics of how meaning is translated from one person to another...... through semiotic texts is presented, termed the poetics of the e-text. The poetics of the e-text offers a meta-communicational framework for identifying user constraints in the possibilities of interacting with the system. Identifying communicational problems with ICT-mediated interactions again offer...... grounds for redesigning and re-author the e-text. The poetics of the e-text are subsequently applied as a method of analyzing user-reception and evaluating the interaction with ICT. Examples are given from user-receptions of collaborating with ICT in home care, Denmark....

  4. "The first shot": the context of first injection of illicit drugs, ongoing injecting practices, and hepatitis C infection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Maria de Lourdes Aguiar; Hacker, Mariana A; Oliveira, Sabrina Alberti Nóbrega de; Telles, Paulo Roberto; O, Kycia Maria Rodrigues do; Yoshida, Clara Fumiko Tachibana; Bastos, Francisco I

    2006-04-01

    The context of first drug injection and its association with ongoing injecting practices and HCV (hepatitis C virus) infection were investigated. Injection drug users (IDUs) (N = 606) were recruited in "drug scenes" (public places, bars) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, interviewed, and tested for HCV. Sharing of needles/syringes was more prevalent at the first injection (51.3%) than at the baseline interview (36.8%). Those who shared syringes/needles at first injection were more likely to be currently engaged in direct/indirect sharing practices. Among young injectors (drug injection were identified as independent predictors of HCV infection. To effectively curb HCV transmission among IDUs and minimize harms associated with risk behaviors, preventive strategies should target individuals initiating drug injection beginning with their very first injection and discourage the transition from non-injecting use to the self-injection of illicit drugs.

  5. A survey of physician receptivity to molecular diagnostic testing and readiness to act on results for early-stage colon cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Ronald E; Wolf, Thomas; Shwae, Phillip; Hegarty, Sarah; Peiper, Stephen C; Waldman, Scott A

    2016-10-03

    We sought to assess physician interest in molecular prognosic testing for patients with early stage colon cancer, and identify factors associated with the likelihood of test adoption. We identified physicians who care for patients with early-stage (pN0) colon cancer patients, mailed them a survey, and analyzed survey responses to assess clinician receptivity to the use of a new molecular test (GUCY2C) that identifies patients at risk for recurrence, and clinician readiness to act on abnormal test results. Of 104 eligible potential respondents, 41 completed and returned the survey. Among responding physicians, 56 % were receptive to using the new prognostic test. Multivariable analyses showed that physicians in academic medical centers were significantly more receptive to molecular test use than those in non-academic settings. Forty-one percent of respondents were ready to act on abnormal molecular test results. Physicians who viewed current staging methods as inaccurate and were confident in their capacity to incorporate molecular testing in practice were more likely to say they would act on abnormal test results. Physician receptivity to molecular diagnostic testing for early-stage colon cancer patients is likely to be influenced by practice setting and perceptions related to delivering quality care to patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01972737.

  6. Pengaruh Kepuasan Kerja terhadap Loyalitas Staf Reception pada Hotel X di Madiun Jawa Timur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anwar Basalamah

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Reception staff loyalty is much influenced by several factors, one of them is job satisfaction. Employee job satisfaction plays important role in creating employee loyalty. For hoteliers who serve as provider of accommodation services, the demand for the creation of quality human resources is maximum achievement. One of the important section in the front office is receptionist. Today, hoteliers pay very close attention because the employee turnover will certainly affect the consistency of services offered by the hotel. Therefore, the hotel is getting active in increasing the satisfaction of its staff in order to minimize employee turnover especially in a very important role such the receptionist. Although the validity of the relationship between job satisfaction and reception staff loyalty is still an exciting debate, the result of the research conducted in the Hotel X is expected to help increase employee satisfaction in order to create quality of life that will improve labor productivity.

  7. MOBIUS-STRIP-LIKE COLUMNAR FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIONS ARE REVEALED IN SOMATO-SENSORY RECEPTIVE FIELD CENTROIDS.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Joseph Wright

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Receptive fields of neurons in the forelimb region of areas 3b and 1 of primary somatosensory cortex, in cats and monkeys, were mapped using extracellular recordings obtained sequentially from nearly radial penetrations. Locations of the field centroids indicated the presence of a functional system, in which cortical homotypic representations of the limb surfaces are entwined in three-dimensional Mobius-strip-like patterns of synaptic connections. Boundaries of somatosensory receptive field in nested groups irregularly overlie the centroid order, and are interpreted as arising from the superposition of learned connections upon the embryonic order. Since the theory of embryonic synaptic self-organisation used to model these results was devised and earlier used to explain findings in primary visual cortex, the present findings suggest the theory may be of general application throughout cortex, and may reveal a modular functional synaptic system, which, only in some parts of the cortex, and in some species, is manifest as anatomical ordering into columns.

  8. Combined free-stream disturbance measurements and receptivity studies in hypersonic wind tunnels by means of a slender wedge probe and direct numerical simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Alexander; Schülein, Erich; Petervari, René; Hannemann, Klaus; Ali, Syed R. C.; Cerminara, Adriano; Sandham, Neil D.

    2018-05-01

    Combined free-stream disturbance measurements and receptivity studies in hypersonic wind tunnels were conducted by means of a slender wedge probe and direct numerical simulation. The study comprises comparative tunnel noise measurements at Mach 3, 6 and 7.4 in two Ludwieg tube facilities and a shock tunnel. Surface pressure fluctuations were measured over a wide range of frequencies and test conditions including harsh test environments not accessible to measurement techniques such as pitot probes and hot-wire anemometry. Quantitative results of the tunnel noise are provided in frequency ranges relevant for hypersonic boundary layer transition. In combination with the experimental studies, direct numerical simulations of the leading-edge receptivity to fast and slow acoustic waves were performed for the slender wedge probe at conditions corresponding to the experimental free-stream conditions. The receptivity to fast acoustic waves was found to be characterized by an early amplification of the induced fast mode. For slow acoustic waves an initial decay was found close to the leading edge. At all Mach numbers, and for all considered frequencies, the leading-edge receptivity to fast acoustic waves was found to be higher than the receptivity to slow acoustic waves. Further, the effect of inclination angles of the acoustic wave with respect to the flow direction was investigated. The combined numerical and experimental approach in the present study confirmed the previous suggestion that the slow acoustic wave is the dominant acoustic mode in noisy hypersonic wind tunnels.

  9. The thalamo-cortical auditory receptive fields: regulation by the states of vigilance, learning and the neuromodulatory systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edeline, Jean-Marc

    2003-12-01

    The goal of this review is twofold. First, it aims to describe the dynamic regulation that constantly shapes the receptive fields (RFs) and maps in the thalamo-cortical sensory systems of undrugged animals. Second, it aims to discuss several important issues that remain unresolved at the intersection between behavioral neurosciences and sensory physiology. A first section presents the RF modulations observed when an undrugged animal spontaneously shifts from waking to slow-wave sleep or to paradoxical sleep (also called REM sleep). A second section shows that, in contrast with the general changes described in the first section, behavioral training can induce selective effects which favor the stimulus that has acquired significance during learning. A third section reviews the effects triggered by two major neuromodulators of the thalamo-cortical system--acetylcholine and noradrenaline--which are traditionally involved both in the switch of vigilance states and in learning experiences. The conclusion argues that because the receptive fields and maps of an awake animal are continuously modulated from minute to minute, learning-induced sensory plasticity can be viewed as a "crystallization" of the receptive fields and maps in one of the multiple possible states. Studying the interplays between neuromodulators can help understanding the neurobiological foundations of this dynamic regulation.

  10. Bioinspired magnetic reception and multimodal sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Brian K

    2017-08-01

    Several animals use Earth's magnetic field in concert with other sensor modes to accomplish navigational tasks ranging from local homing to continental scale migration. However, despite extensive research, animal magnetic reception remains poorly understood. Similarly, the Earth's magnetic field offers a signal that engineered systems can leverage to navigate in environments where man-made positioning systems such as GPS are either unavailable or unreliable. This work uses a behavioral strategy inspired by the migratory behavior of sea turtles to locate a magnetic goal and respond to wind when it is present. Sensing is performed using a number of distributed sensors. Based on existing theoretical biology considerations, data processing is performed using combinations of circles and ellipses to exploit the distributed sensing paradigm. Agent-based simulation results indicate that this approach is capable of using two separate magnetic properties to locate a goal from a variety of initial conditions in both noiseless and noisy sensory environments. The system's ability to locate the goal appears robust to noise at the cost of overall path length.

  11. Common sense radiation protection in the radiopharmacy: utilization of existing resources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, W.J.; Beightol, R.W.; Christian, P.E.; Datz, F.L.

    1981-01-01

    Lead delivery containers furnished by commercial manufacturers can be used to build storage containers for radioactive waste, which can reduce background radiation levels in a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing area. Shields from Squibb generators can be cut and joined to make decay pots, syringe and glove receptables, and vial containers. One-quarter inch sheet lead can be held in place by home-made supports to build side shields for drawing stations. The use of these shielding devices and storage containers has decreased the radiation exposure to personnel despite handling multicurie quantities of activity daily

  12. Polyvinylpyrrolidone Matrix as an Effective Reducing Agent and Stabilizer during Reception of Silver Nanoparticles in Composites

    OpenAIRE

    Semenyuk, Nataliya; Kostiv, Ulyana; Dudok, Galyna; Nechay, Jaroslav; Skorokhoda, Volodymyr

    2013-01-01

    The use of polyvinylpyrrolidone matrix as an effective reducing agent and stabilizer during reception of silver nanoparticles in composites is substantiated. The influence of various factors on patterns of obtaining silver nanoparticles and their size.

  13. Audience Reception of Celebrity Private Sphere Through Janji Suci Raffi & Gigi

    OpenAIRE

    N. Mandagi, Natasya; Lailiyah, S.Sos, M.I.Kom, Nuriyatul

    2016-01-01

    The emergence of reality show programs on various television stations became a unique phenomenon to the community. Trans TV station became one of the famous private television that has many programs in television reality show, one of which is Janji Suci Raffi & Gigi. The program presents stories about the private lives of households Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina, as well as the story of the people around them. The purpose of this study is to determine audience reception of the private sp...

  14. Design of a Millimeter-Wave Concentrator for Beam Reception in High-Power Wireless Power Transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukunari, Masafumi; Wongsuryrat, Nat; Yamaguchi, Toshikazu; Nakamura, Yusuke; Komurasaki, Kimiya; Koizumi, Hiroyuki

    2017-02-01

    This study examined the performance of a developed taper-tube concentrator for 94-GHz millimeter-wave beam reception during wireless power transfer. The received energy is converted into kinetic energy of a working gas in the tube to drive an engine or thruster. The concentrator, which is assumed to have mirror reflection of millimeter waves in it, is designed to be shorter than conventional tapered waveguides of millimeter waves. A dimensionless design law of a concentrator is proposed based on geometric optics theory. Because the applicability of geometric optics theory is unclear, the ratio of its bore diameter to its wavelength was set as small compared to those in other possible applications. Then, the discrepancy between the designed and measured power reception was examined. Results show that the maximum discrepancy was as low as 7 % for the bore-to-wavelength ratio of 20 at the narrow end of the concentrator.

  15. Information Sharing and Knowledge Sharing as Communicative Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savolainen, Reijo

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: This paper elaborates the picture of information sharing and knowledge sharing as forms of communicative activity. Method: A conceptual analysis was made to find out how researchers have approached information sharing and knowledge sharing from the perspectives of transmission and ritual. The findings are based on the analysis of one…

  16. Syringe needle-based sampling coupled with liquid-phase extraction for determination of the three-dimensional distribution of l-ascorbic acid in apples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Sheng; Lee, Hian Kee

    2016-05-15

    A novel syringe needle-based sampling approach coupled with liquid-phase extraction (NBS-LPE) was developed and applied to the extraction of l-ascorbic acid (AsA) in apple. In NBS-LPE, only a small amount of apple flesh (ca. 10mg) was sampled directly using a syringe needle and placed in a glass insert for liquid extraction of AsA by 80 μL oxalic acid-acetic acid. The extract was then directly analyzed by liquid chromatography. This new procedure is simple, convenient, almost organic solvent free, and causes far less damage to the fruit. To demonstrate the applicability of NBS-LPE, AsA levels at different sampling points in a single apple were determined to reveal the spatial distribution of the analyte in a three-dimensional model. The results also showed that this method had good sensitivity (limit of detection of 0.0097 mg/100g; limit of quantification of 0.0323 mg/100g), acceptable reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 5.01% (n=6)), a wide linear range of between 0.05 and 50mg/100g, and good linearity (r(2)=0.9921). This interesting extraction technique and modeling approach can be used to measure and monitor a wide range of compounds in various parts of different soft-matrix fruits and vegetables, including single specimens. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. It was the night before the interview: perceptions of resident applicants about the preinterview reception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlitzkus, Lisa L; Schenarts, Paul J; Schenarts, Kimberly D

    2013-01-01

    Hosting a reception for prospective interns the evening before the interview has become a well-established expectation. It is thought that these initial impressions significantly influence the ranking process. Despite these well-held beliefs, there has been a paucity of studies exploring the preinterview reception. A survey tool was created and piloted to ensure validity. The survey was then administered to a fourth-year class of allopathic medical students immediately after interviews but before Match Day. A university, teaching hospital. Fourth-year allopathic medical students. The response rate was 100% (n = 69). Ninety-six percent of programs hosted an event. Although these events were minimally stressful (86%), the same percent felt that not attending would limit their knowledge of the program, and 66% felt that it would negatively affect their application. Forty percent believe this event to be extremely important to residency programs in selecting interns. Ninety-five percent are attended by residents only, and approximately half were at a casual restaurant. Most applicants (97%) never paid for their own meal, and 69% felt that if they did, it would leave a negative impression of the program. Candidates believe the preinterview reception is important in the selection process, that failing to attend would negatively affect their application, and provides insight about the program. Alcohol is often provided but rarely has a negative effect. Applicants prefer an informal setting with unfettered interactions with the residents. © 2013 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Rapid word-learning in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children: effects of age, receptive vocabulary, and high-frequency amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pittman, A L; Lewis, D E; Hoover, B M; Stelmachowicz, P G

    2005-12-01

    This study examined rapid word-learning in 5- to 14-year-old children with normal and impaired hearing. The effects of age and receptive vocabulary were examined as well as those of high-frequency amplification. Novel words were low-pass filtered at 4 kHz (typical of current amplification devices) and at 9 kHz. It was hypothesized that (1) the children with normal hearing would learn more words than the children with hearing loss, (2) word-learning would increase with age and receptive vocabulary for both groups, and (3) both groups would benefit from a broader frequency bandwidth. Sixty children with normal hearing and 37 children with moderate sensorineural hearing losses participated in this study. Each child viewed a 4-minute animated slideshow containing 8 nonsense words created using the 24 English consonant phonemes (3 consonants per word). Each word was repeated 3 times. Half of the 8 words were low-pass filtered at 4 kHz and half were filtered at 9 kHz. After viewing the story twice, each child was asked to identify the words from among pictures in the slide show. Before testing, a measure of current receptive vocabulary was obtained using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III). The PPVT-III scores of the hearing-impaired children were consistently poorer than those of the normal-hearing children across the age range tested. A similar pattern of results was observed for word-learning in that the performance of the hearing-impaired children was significantly poorer than that of the normal-hearing children. Further analysis of the PPVT and word-learning scores suggested that although word-learning was reduced in the hearing-impaired children, their performance was consistent with their receptive vocabularies. Additionally, no correlation was found between overall performance and the age of identification, age of amplification, or years of amplification in the children with hearing loss. Results also revealed a small increase in performance for both

  19. Sexual and gender-based violence in the European asylum and reception sector: a perpetuum mobile?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keygnaert, I.; Dias, S.F.; Degomme, O.; Devillé, W.; Kennedy, P.; Kovats, A.; Meyer, S. de; Vettenburg, N.; Roelens, K.; Temmerman, M.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and subsequent ill-health in Europe; yet, European minimum reception standards do not address SGBV. Hence, this paper explores the nature of SGBV occurring in this sector and

  20. Sexual and gender-based violence in the European asylum and reception sector: a perpetuum mobile?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keygnaert, I.; Dias, S.F.; Degomme, O.; Devillé, W.; Kennedy, P.; Kováts, A.; De Meyer, S.; Vettenburg, N.; Roelens, K.; Temmerman, M.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and subsequent ill-health in Europe; yet, European minimum reception standards do not address SGBV. Hence, this paper explores the nature of SGBV occurring in this sector and