171 research outputs found
In-office insertion of a miniaturized insertable cardiac monitor: results from the Reveal LINQ In-Office 2 randomized study
No full textBackground: Recent miniaturization of an insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) may make it possible to move device insertion from a hospital to office setting. However, the safety of this strategy is unknown. Objectives: The primary objective was to compare the safety of inserting the Reveal LINQ ICM in an office vs a hospital environment. Ancillary objectives included summarizing device- and procedure-related adverse events and responses to a physician questionnaire. Methods: Five hundred twenty-one patients indicated for an ICM were randomized (1:1 ratio) to undergo ICM insertion in a hospital or office environment at 26 centers in the United States in the Reveal LINQ In-Office 2 study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02395536). Patients were followed for 90 days. Results: ICM insertion was successful in all 482 attempted patients (office: 251; hospital: 231). The untoward event rate (composite of unsuccessful insertion and ICM- or insertion-related complications) was 0.8% (2 of 244) in the office and 0.9% (2 of 227) in the hospital (95% confidence interval, −3.0% to 2.9%; 5% noninferiority: P 15 minutes (16% vs 35%; P < .001) and patient response was more often “very positive.” Physicians considered the office location “very convenient” more frequently than the hospital location (85% vs 27%; P < .001). Conclusion: The safety profile for the insertion of the Reveal LINQ ICM is excellent irrespective of insertion environment. These results may expand site of service options for LINQ insertion.John D. Rogers, Prashanthan Sanders, Christopher Piorkowski, M. Rizwan Sohail, Rishi Anand, Karl Crossen, Farhat S. Khairallah, Rachelle E. Kaplon, Kurt Stromberg, Robert C. Kowa
Finding Purpose in Pain: Using Logotherapy as a Method for Addressing Survivor Guilt in First-Generation College Students
No full textFirst-generation college students face a variety of academic and personal challenges, including survivor guilt (Piorkowski, 1983). Survivor guilt for these students involves negative emotions related to leaving family and friends “behind” in difficult contexts and lived experiences. This article provides (a) an overview of first-generation college students’ participation in higher education, (b) a review of survivor guilt as experienced by these students, (c) a description of how logotherapy (Frankl, 2006) can be implemented by college counselors, and (d) the implications of this approach for college counselors
Planet-scale human mobility measurement
No full textWorkshop held as part of the 8th Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services (MobiSys 2010)Research into, and design and construction of mobile systems and algorithms requires access to large-scale mobility data. Unfortunately, the research community lacks such data. For instance, the largest available human contact traces contain only 100 nodes with very sparse connectivity, limited by experimental logistics. In this paper we pose a challenge to the community: how can we collect mobility data from billions of human participants? We re-assert the importance of large-scale datasets in communication network design, and claim that this could impact fundamental studies in other academic disciplines. In effect, we argue that planet-scale mobility measurements can help to save the world. For example, through understanding large-scale human mobility, we can track and model and contain the spread of epidemics of various kinds
Analysis Of Long-Term Spatially Varying Vertical Accretion Rates Within Paleo-Environments And Vulnerable Wetlands Of The Mid-Barataria Diversion Receiving Basin, Louisiana, USA
No full textThe Mid-Barataria Diversion basin is an interlobe basin located south of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Along with the proximal Mid-Breton Sound, these two basins are proposed locations for river sediment diversion projects to restore Louisiana’s receding wetlands and marshes. Following ratification of the Flood Control Act of 1928, anthropogenic levees were constructed along the banks of the Mississippi River to prevent flooding and to protect the state’s infrastructure. As a result, the floodplains are starved of their natural sediment replenishment and are now subject to the effects of subsidence and relative sea level rise (RSLR; total subsidence + geocentric sea level rise). The river-sediment diversion proposed by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has great potential to restore the subsiding wetlands, though it is crucial to be certain that the basin can support such a drastic increase in water and sediment flux. A larger, over-arching study aims to quantify the rates of differential subsidence across the Mid-Barataria Diversion basin, along with how different basin lithologies in the subsurface are affected by RSLR. The research presented here leverages previous work by Hughes (2016) and Bomer et al. (2019) by using 137Cs and 210Pb geochronology to calculate long-term (~100 year) rates of vertical accretion within targeted shallow subsurface environments (e.g. marsh, paleochannel, bay). The data are then compared to physical sediment properties to estimate marsh surface stability over this time period. It was found that no spatial trends of VARs were observed in Mid-Barataria, though VARs were greater in marsh sites than bay sites. Geochronology results provided by Drs. Liz Chamberlain & Kelly Sanks show that the St. Bernard delta complex is responsible for creating most of the underlying lithology of Mid-Barataria and more recent active delta complexes served to maintain marsh surfaces. Materials deposited since the St. Bernard delta were found to have very low density in surface marsh units and are actively converting to bay environments due to wave action on marsh edges coupled with RSLR. Direct measurements of wet and dry bulk density of surface marshes were found to be 0.54 ± 0.15 g/cm3 and 0.24 ± 0.19 g/cm3, respectively, much lower than wet bulk densities of 1.1 – 1.3 g/cm3 reported in Bomer et al. (2019). Caution should be exercised while operating the diversion as the hydraulic head gradient will be large, regardless of season, and surface marshes were found to be more susceptible to erosion and subsidence than previously thought. However, these marshes were able to survive thousands of years of natural overbank deposition in Mid-Barataria basin
Ebola virus quasi species study following favipiravir treatment in non-human primate model using new generation sequencing
No full textLa maladie à virus Ébola (EBOV) est un enjeu de santé publique majeur puisqu’aucune molécule antivirale ni candidat vaccin n’a reçu d’autorisation de commercialisation. L’ampleur des récentes a montré l’importance de trouver des traitements efficaces. La première partie de cette thèse porte sur le développement d’un modèle d’infection à EBOV chez des primates non-humains. Après l’administration de différentes doses d’EBOV, les paramètres vitaux ainsi que l’évolution du génome viral au cours de l’infection ont été étudiés. Les résultats montrent que l’évolution de la maladie, dans ce modèle, est plus proche de ce qui est observé chez l’homme que les modèles précédemment proposés (les signes cliniques, la détérioration des paramètres biologiques et la mort surviennent plus tardivement). La létalité est de 100%. La variabilité virale est assez faible et la dose d’infection a une influence limitée sur l’évolution de la maladie. La seconde partie porte sur l’utilisation dans ce modèle d’une molécule antivirale, le favipiravir (T-705), administrée à différentes doses (100, 150, 180mg/kg). Les paramètres cliniques, biologiques et la variabilité virale ont été suivis au cours de l’infection. L’administration de la plus forte dose de favipiravir (180 mg/kg) a été associée à la survie de 60% des singes.Les sous populations ayant une fréquence supérieure à 1% étaient significativement plus nombreuses dans le groupe traité que dans le groupe témoin et fournissent des indications sur le mécanisme d’action du favipiravir. Il s’agit d’un analogue du GTP inhibiteur de la polymérase virale qui engendre des mutations conduisant à un mécanisme inhibiteur de type « error catastrophe ».Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a major public health issue due to the lack of antiviral treatment or candidate vaccine receiving market authorisation. The scope of the recent outbreaks (2014-2016 and 2018) has highlighted the urgent need to develop efficient treatments.The first scope of this thesis concerns the implementation of a non-human model (Mauritian Cynomolgus Macaques) of Ebola virus (EBOV-Gabon 2001 strain) infection. Following intramuscular administration of EBOV, vital parameters and viral genomic evolution (consensus mutations and viral quasi species) over the disease course were observed. Results demonstrated that evolution of EVD, in this model, is closer from human than previously described models (clinical, biological parameters deteriorate later, and death occurs later). Lethality is 100%. Viral variability is low and infectious dose has a limited impact on disease course.The second scope would highlight the antiviral efficacy of different favipiravir (T-705) doses (100, 150, 180mg/kg) administrated intravenously in this model. Clinical, biological parameters and viral variability were evaluated during disease course. The highest favipiravir dose administration (180 mg/kg) was associated with 60% of monkeys’ survival.Next generation sequencing of viral quasi species over disease course has given some insights into the Proposed mechanism of action of favipiravir. Viral quasi specie number was increased by five between treated monkeys and negative controls. Favipiravir is a GTP analogue inhibiting viral polymerase which induces C to T and G to A mutations leading to error catastrophe mechanism
Finer limit circle/limit point classification for Sturm-Liouville operators
No full textIn this paper we introduce an index which we call the `regularization index\u27 associated to the endpoints, , of nonoscillatory Sturm-Liouville differential expressions with trace class resolvents. This notion extends the limit circle/limit point dichotomy in the sense that at some endpoint if and only if the expression is in the limit circle case. In the limit point case , a natural interpretation in terms of iterated Darboux transforms is provided. We also show stability of the index for a suitable class of perturbations, extending earlier work on perturbations of spherical Schrödinger operators to the case of general three-coefficient Sturm-Liouville operators. We demonstrate our results by considering a variety of examples including generalized Bessel operators, Jacobi differential operators, and Schrödinger operators on the half-line with power potentials.47 page
Car-Park Management using Wireless Sensor Networks
No full textA complete wireless sensor network solution for car-park management is presented in this paper. The system architecture and design are first detailed, followed by a description of the current working implementation, which is based on our DSYS25z sensing nodes. Results of a series of real experimental tests regarding connectivity, sensing and network performance are then discussed. The analysis of link characteristics in the car park scenario shows unexpected reliability patterns which have a strong influence on MAC and routing protocol design. Two unexpected link reliability patterns are identified and documented. First, the presence of the objects (cars) being sensed can cause significant interference and degradation in communication performance. Second, link quality has a high temporal correlation but a low spatial correlation. From these observations we conclude that a) the construction and maintenance of a fixed topology is not useful and b) spatial rather than temporal message replicates can improve transport reliability
Minimally Invasive Surgical Approach to Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Is the Game Worth the Candle?
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