The Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer (L'TES) Instrument

The Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer (L'TES) will provide remote measurements of the thermophysical properties of the Trojan asteroids studied by the Lucy mission. L'TES is build-to-print hardware copy of the OTES instrument flown on OSIRIS-REx. It is a Fourier Transform spectrometer covering the spectral range 5.71-100 μm (1750-100 cm-1) with spectral sampling intervals of 8.64, 17.3, and 34.6 cm-1 and a 7.3-mrad field of view. The L'TES telescope is a 15.2-cm diameter Cassegrain telescope that feeds a flat-plate Michelson moving mirror mounted on a linear voice-coil motor assembly to a single uncooled deuterated l-alanine doped triglycine sulfate (DLATGS) pyroelectric detector. A significant firmware change from OTES is the ability to acquire interferograms of different length and spectral resolution with acquisition times of 0.5, 1, and 2 seconds. A single ∼0.851 μm laser diode is used in a metrology interferometer to provide precise moving mirror control and IR sampling at 772 Hz. The beamsplitter is a 38-mm diameter, 1-mm thick chemical vapor deposited diamond with an antireflection microstructure to minimize surface reflection. An internal calibration cone blackbody target, together with observations of space, provides radiometric calibration. The radiometric precision in a single spectrum is ≤2.2 × 10-8 W cm-2 sr-1 /cm-1 between 300 and 1350 cm-1. The absolute temperature error is <2 K for scene temperatures >75 K. The overall L'TES envelope size is 37.6 × 29.0 × 30.4 cm, and the mass is 6.47 kg. The power consumption is 12.6 W average. L'TES was developed by Arizona State University with AZ Space Technologies developing the electronics. L'TES was integrated, tested, and radiometrically calibrated on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, AZ. Initial data from space have verified the instrument's radiometric and spatial performance.

Level of agreement of occupational titles between persons with traumatic brain injury and their informants

BACKGROUND

Returning to work is one of the most important goals cited by individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, they may have difficulty evoking past work history. The ability to recall work history is integral to the rehabilitation process of return to work.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine 1) the level of agreement on the reporting of occupations and 2) if agreement is affected when specific occupational details are required in recall between adults with traumatic brain injury and their informants.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of 259 individuals, with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, and their selected informants (e.g. spouse, parent). Interviews were conducted separately for the individual and respective informant to gather information on type of occupation at time of injury and at time of interview. Reported occupations were coded using a standard classification system. Level of agreement was analyzed by interclass correlation coefficients and percent agreement, and the significance of bias was calculated.

RESULTS

Participants were a mean age of 44.5 at time of study with 40% employed compared to 77% at time of injury. Agreement between participants and their informants for occupational title was high for both time periods though more so at the time of injury compared to current status. Level of agreement for specificity was moderate to high however, decreased as need for specificity of detail increased.

CONCLUSION

While participant-informant responses appear to be reliable for occupational classification, when detailed information is required corroborating information is likely needed.

A continuous dry 300 mK cooler for THz sensing applications

We describe and demonstrate the automated operation of a novel cryostat design that is capable of maintaining an unloaded base temperature of less than 300 mK continuously, without the need to recycle the gases within the final cold head, as is the case for conventional single shot sorption pumped (3)He cooling systems. This closed dry system uses only 5 l of (3)He gas, making this an economical alternative to traditional systems where a long hold time is required. During testing, a temperature of 365 mK was maintained with a constant 20 μW load, simulating the cooling requirement of a far infrared camera.

Evaluation of Anatomical and Functional Hip Joint Center Methods: The Effects of Activity Type, Gender, and Proximal Reference Segment

Accurate hip joint center (HJC) location is critical when studying hip joint biomechanics. The HJC is often determined from anatomical methods, but functional methods are becoming increasingly popular. Several studies have examined these methods using simulations and in vivo gait data, but none has studied high-range of motion activities, such a chair rise, nor has HJC prediction been compared between males and females. Furthermore, anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) marker visibility during chair rise can be problematic, requiring a sacral cluster as an alternative proximal segment; but functional HJC has not been explored using this approach. For this study, the quality of HJC measurement was based on the joint gap error (JGE), which is the difference in global HJC between proximal and distal reference segments. The aims of the present study were to: (1) determine if JGE varies between pelvic and sacral referenced HJC for functional and anatomical methods, (2) investigate which functional calibration motion results in the lowest JGE and if the JGE varies depending on movement type (gait versus chair rise) and gender, and (3) assess whether the functional HJC calibration results in lower JGE than commonly used anatomical approaches and if it varies with movement type and gender. Data were collected on 39 healthy adults (19 males and 20 females) aged 14–50 yr old. Participants performed four hip “calibration” tests (arc, cross, star, and star-arc), as well as gait and chair rise (activities of daily living (ADL)). Two common anatomical methods were used to estimate HJC and were compared to HJC computed using a published functional method with the calibration motions above, when using pelvis or sacral cluster as the proximal reference. For ADL trials, functional methods resulted in lower JGE (12–19 mm) compared to anatomical methods (13–34 mm). It was also found that women had significantly higher JGE compared to men and JGE was significantly higher for chair rise compared to gait, across all methods. JGE for sacrum referenced HJC was consistently higher than for the pelvis, but only by 2.5 mm. The results indicate that dynamic hip range of movement and gender are significant factors in HJC quality. The findings also suggest that a rigid sacral cluster for HJC estimation is an acceptable alternative for relying solely on traditional pelvis markers.

Neutrophils exposed to A. phagocytophilum under shear stress fail to fully activate, polarize, and transmigrate across inflamed endothelium

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterium that has evolved mechanisms to hijack polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) receptors and signaling pathways to bind, infect, and multiply within the host cell. E-selectin is upregulated during inflammation and is a requisite endothelial receptor that supports PMN capture, rolling, and activation of integrin-mediated arrest. Ligands expressed by PMN that mediate binding to endothelium via E-selectin include sialyl Lewis x (sLe(x))-expressing ligands such as P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) and other glycolipids and glycoproteins. As A. phagocytophilum is capable of binding to sLe(x)-expressing ligands expressed on PMN, we hypothesized that acute bacterial adhesion to PMN would subsequently attenuate PMN recruitment during inflammation. We assessed the dynamics of PMN recruitment and migration under shear flow in the presence of a wild-type strain of A. phagocytophilum and compared it with a strain of bacteria that binds to PMN independent of PSGL-1. Acute bacterial engagement with PMN resulted in transient PMN arrest and minimal PMN polarization. Although the wild-type pathogen also signaled activation of beta2 integrins and elicited a mild intracellular calcium flux, downstream signals including PMN transmigration and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were inhibited. The mutant strain bound less well to PMN and failed to activate beta2 integrins and induce a calcium flux but did result in decreased PMN arrest and polarization that may have been partially mediated by a suppression of p38 MAPK activation. This model suggests that A. phagocytophilum binding to PMN under shear flow during recruitment to inflamed endothelium interferes with normal tethering via E-selectin and navigational signaling of transendothelial migration.

Prediction of long-term occupational performance outcomes for adults after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

PURPOSE

To examine predictors of long-term occupational performance outcomes for adults after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHOD

This study involved analysis of data from a retrospective cohort of adults (N = 306) with moderate to severe TBI discharged from a Pennsylvania rehabilitation treatment facility. Extensive pre-injury sociodemographic, injury-severity, post-injury personal (cognitive, physical, affective), post-injury environmental (social, institutional, physical), and post-injury occupational performance (participation in self-care, productivity, leisure activities) data were gathered from hospital records and using in-person interviews. Interviews occurred at a mean time of 14 (range, 7-24) years post-injury. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to investigate determinants of long-term occupational performance outcomes.

RESULTS

Pre-injury behavioural problems, male gender, post-injury cognitive and physical deficits, and lack of access to transportation were significant independent predictors of worse occupational performance outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The study supports the use of a comprehensive model for long-term outcomes after TBI where pre-injury characteristics and post-injury cognitive and physical characteristics account for the greatest proportion of explained variance.

Aging with traumatic brain injury: long-term health conditions

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in young adults, older adults over the age of 75 are also at high risk for TBI. As even mild injury can lead to disabling consequences, the long-term consequences of TBI need to be better understood, especially as the survival rate has increased dramatically in the last few decades. This research examined the prevalence of long-term health conditions after TBI. Using a retrospective cohort design, we examined consecutive records of adults with moderate to severe TBI discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1989. Baseline clinical information was abstracted from medical records. We interviewed consenting participants up to 24 years after injury. Our findings show a higher than expected prevalence of self-reported arthritis in the middle-aged population. There was also a high prevalence of problems with sleep and nerves many years post-injury. Some of the health conditions documented in this study could potentially be addressed early in rehabilitation; this study supports the screening of more physical health conditions in persons aging with TBI.

Long-term outcomes after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE

This research examined the long-term outcomes of rehabilitation patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING AND SUBJECTS

We examined consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1989. We interviewed consenting participants (n = 306) up to 24 years post-injury.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-rated health, activity limitations, employment, living arrangements, marital status, Community Integration Questionnaire, and use of rehabilitation services.

RESULTS

Participants were most limited in activities such as managing money and shopping. Twenty-nine per cent of our participants were working full time. There were significant relationships between activity limitations and residual cognitive impairment at follow-up. Self-rated health was correlated with most instrumental activities of daily living.

CONCLUSION

Our findings document health and function in a large post acute TBI population and implications for rehabilitation are discussed.

The content, integrity, and efficacy of a nurse coaching intervention in type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the content, integrity, and efficacy of a nurse coaching intervention provided after diabetes education that focused on dietary and exercise lifestyle change in persons with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A multimethod design incorporated an interpretive approach to examine the content and integrity of the intervention and a multiple-baseline, single-subject method to determine the preliminary efficacy of the intervention.

RESULTS

The primary strategies of the nurse coaching intervention consisted of facilitating lifestyle change through educational reinforcement, psychosocial support, and motivational guidance. Aggregate quantitative outcomes revealed a modest increase in health-promoting behaviors and a decrease in fasting blood glucose, indicating a trend toward physiologic adaptation. Participants demonstrated a significant increase in integration reflective of psychosocial adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing individualized nursing care after diabetes education may improve health outcomes and the quality of life of persons newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This multimethod design is a cost-effective approach for preliminary evaluation of complex and/or novel interventions.

Factors associated with perceived quality of life many years after traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVES

To explore factors associated with perceived quality of life (QOL) 8 to 24 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred seventy-five individuals who sustained moderate to severe TBI who were discharged from a rehabilitation hospital participated in this study. We interviewed consenting participants up to 24 years after injury.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-rated Quality of Life Scale.

RESULTS

Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that perceived mental health, self-rated health, gender (women rating QOL higher), participation in work and leisure, and the availability of emotional support were significantly associated with QOL (P <.05).

CONCLUSION

The importance of designing ongoing support programs to further reintegrate TBI survivors several years after injury is discussed.

Clients' perspectives on problems many years after traumatic brain injury

This study investigated the types of self-reported main problems that persons report many years following a traumatic brain injury. This preliminary study is part of a large ongoing study of disability and handicap in adults following traumatic brain injury. As part of an extensive interview, subjects were asked an open-ended question regarding their current main problems which they thought resulted from their traumatic brain injury. Responses were obtained from 166 adult subjects (119 men and 47 women) whose time postinjury ranged from 9 to 24 years. Categories for responses were subsequently developed. The most commonly reported categories of problems were those relating to movement (39%), cognition (36%), and sensory impairment (31%). Findings suggest that subjects' long-term concerns were related to specific impairments more than to psychosocial, emotional, or behavioral issues. Methodological issues concerning this research are discussed in relation to findings.

Medication adherence in patients with HIV infection: a comparison of two measurement methods

Two measurements of adherence, patient self-report and electronic measurement by the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), were compared in a 3-month adherence study of 44 HIV-infected patients who had been placed on regimens that included protease inhibitors (PIs). The dose percentage and degree of clinically significant dosing time fluctuation were calculated monthly. The mean dose percentage by self-report versus MEMS was 97.5% versus 90.3% during month 1 of adherence monitoring, 96.5 versus 90.1% during month 2, and 98.4% versus 92.8% during month 3. Thirty-two percent of patients taking PIs and 21% of patients taking nucleoside analogues demonstrated clinically significant dosing time fluctuation. Our data confirm that self-reports of adherence overestimate true adherence behavior, and patients' self-reports of dosing times may not accurately reflect their deviation from those times.

Activities of several novel oxazolidinones against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a murine model

The activities of linezolid, eperezolid, and PNU-100480 were evaluated in a murine model of tuberculosis. Approximately 10(7) viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis ATCC 35801 organisms were given intravenously to 4-week-old outbred CD-1 mice. In the first study, treatment was started 1 day postinfection and was given by gavage for 4 weeks. Viable cell counts were determined from homogenates of spleens and lungs. PNU-100480 was as active as isoniazid. Linezolid was somewhat less active than PNU-100480 and isoniazid. Eperezolid had little activity in this model. In the next two studies, treatment was started 1 week postinfection. A dose-response study was performed with PNU-100480 and linezolid (both at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg of body weight). PNU-100480 was more active than linezolid, and its efficacy increased with an escalation of the dose. Subsequently, the activity of PNU-100480 alone and in combination with rifampin or isoniazid was evaluated and was compared to that of isoniazid-rifampin. The activity of PNU-100480 was similar to that of isoniazid and/or rifampin in the various combinations tested. Further evaluation of these oxazolidinones in the murine test system would be useful prior to the development of clinical studies with humans.

Do clinicians use diagnostic labels to direct intervention selection?

The authors report a descriptive, correlational study that evaluated the relationship between accuracy in selecting diagnostic labels and nursing interventions, and the relationship between accuracy in selecting outcome statements and nursing interventions. An instrument developed by the authors was used, based on previously published case studies. For two case studies, respondents (N = 17) were asked to indicate how important the nursing problem, the intervention, and the outcome statement would be in patient care. No relationship between accuracy in diagnostic label selection and accuracy in intervention selection was found. A positive correlation between accuracy in outcome selection and accuracy in intervention selection was found for one of the cases.

A quantitative model for simultaneous brightness induction

The brightness that results from stimulating a particular test-region of the retina may be depressed or enhanced by simultaneous stimulation of other "inducing"-regions. The test-region brightness may be affected by contiguous inducing-regions (local contrast effects), and by non-contiguous inducing regions (long-range effects sometimes called "assimilation"). We describe a computational model for early vision that can predict the results of brightness-matching procedures commonly used to measure these phenomena. According to this model, brightness depression reflects primarily lateral inhibition that underlies local contrast effects; whereas brightness enhancement results from processes similar, in spirit, to those described in Helson's adaptation-level theory.

Context effects in visual pattern recognition by pigeons

In the experiments described in this paper we examined the effects of contextual stimuli on pigeons' recognition of visual patterns. Experiment 1 showed a context-superiority effect. Specifically, two target forms that were identical except for location in the visual field were not discriminated when presented alone, but the compounds formed when each of these targets was placed between a nearby pair of flanking stimuli were readily discriminated. The size of the context-superiority effect decreased with increasing target-flanker separation. In Experiments 2 and 3 the two targets differed in form rather than spatial location and were readily discriminated in the absence of flankers. Under these circumstances, adding an identical pair of flankers to each target resulted in a context-inferiority effect; this is, the two target-plus-flankers compounds were less readily discriminated than the targets alone. The size of the context-inferiority effect decreased with increasing target-flanker separation. The observed effects of context are predictable from the Heinemann-Chase (1990) model of pattern recognition.

Taxable item or not

DSSNY has legally challenged the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance twice over the propriety of the department imposing sales tax on various dental purchases. In those cases, the court upheld the department's determination that "cavity-fillers," orthodontic retainers, positioners and habit-breaking appliances are taxable to dentists. However, the court agreed with the Dental Society that space maintainers are not subject to tax. The following is a brief tax guide for dentists that takes into account these two decisions.

Treatment of vasospasm with a 480-nm pulsed-dye laser

Laser energy at a wavelength of 480 nm was applied in 1-microseconds pulses of 3 to 10 mJ to two models of vasospasm. Rabbit common carotid arteries (CCA's) were constricted chronically by the application of human blood within a silicone sheath. Peak vasospasm developed 24 to 48 hours later, and persisted for up to 6 days. Endovascular laser treatment was delivered to 40 CCA's via a 200-microns diameter silica quartz fiber introduced through the femoral artery. The CCA caliber increased from 60% of the pre-vasospasm control diameter to a minimum post-laser diameter of 83% of control. No instances of laser-induced perforation or of arterial thrombosis were observed for up to 60 days after treatment. Prophylactic laser application to nine normal vessels was able to attenuate the development of vasospasm if blood was applied immediately thereafter (88% vs. 59% of control diameter, p less than 0.02), but not if blood was applied 7 days later. Studies in 16 normal CCA's established that there was a considerable margin between the laser energy required to induce dilatation and that which caused perforation, providing that the fiber remained relatively central within the artery. Morphological examination demonstrated focal loss of endothelial cells immediately after laser application, followed approximately 7 days later by the development of areas of intimal hyperplasia. Only minimal changes were observed in the medial or adventitial layers. In a second study, the basilar artery of seven dogs was constricted chronically by two intracisternal injections of autologous blood 3 days apart. Five dogs received endovascular laser treatment 7 or 10 days after the first injection, when basilar artery diameter was reduced to a mean of 61% and 77% of control, respectively. Immediately following treatment, basilar artery diameter increased to 104% and 102% of resting diameter, respectively. Both untreated and laser-treated arteries were smaller than the control diameter at 30 days (80% and 82%, respectively), but in each group the vasodilatory response to hypercapnia was preserved. These findings indicate that 1-microsecond laser pulses are well tolerated by systemic and cerebral arteries in two different animal models, and suggest that the 480-nm pulsed-dye laser may have an application for the treatment or prophylaxis of cerebral vasospasm.

Tube esophagostomy. A new technique in the management of long-term swallowing disorders

Surgeons whose patients require long-term management of nutritional intake must usually choose from among nasogastric tube feedings, hyperalimentation by intravenous route, and/or gastrostomy. Cervical esophagostomy has been a useful but not widely employed alternative. The advantages of cervical esophagostomy over other modalities include the avoidance of laparotomy, absence of a nasogastric tube, and lack of the complications of a long-term indwelling intravenous catheter. The disadvantages of standard esophagostomy include the need to wear a tube to keep the fistula open, leakage, and skin irritation. Dobie et al presented a skin flap esophagostomy technique in 1978. We report a variation of this concept that has resulted in no salivary leakage and that allows the patient to dispense a tube between feedings. It provides a directional stoma in which the internal orifice is considerably inferior to the external one, resulting in continence and thus preventing substantial leakage.

Intensity perception. XII. Effect of presentation probability on absolute identification

Identification experiments using 13 tone-pulse stimuli (1000 Hz, 500 ms) spaced by equal decibel increments from 42 to 90 dB SPL were conducted under three conditions: all intensities equally likely (denoted Q), the middle intensity presented on roughly 1/3 of the trials (M), and each of the extreme intensities presented on roughly 1/5 of the trials (E). Experiments were performed both with and without feedback, and results were analyzed in terms of sensitivity and bias. Similar results were obtained with and without feedback: listeners generally shifted biases in the M and E conditions relative to the Q condition to increase percent-correct scores, but there were only minor changes in sensitivity from condition to condition. However, sensitivities were generally higher and biases more optimal when feedback was available. The results on sensitivity are consistent with those associated with payoff variation [Lippmann et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 59, 129-134 (1976)], but are inconsistent with those reported for presentation probability variation in tone frequency identification [Cuddy et al., J. Exp. Psychol. 100, 218-220 (1973)]. In an auxilliary experiment concerned with tone frequency identification, results consistent with those obtained for intensity, but inconsistent with those reported by Cuddy et al., were obtained.

Treatment of tardive dyskinesia with propranolol

A double-blind, intensive case design was used to study the effect of propranolol on tardive dyskinesia. No short-term improvement was observed, but two of the four subjects responded to long-term propranolol use. Properties of propranolol other than acute beta blockade are suggested as possible mechanisms of action.

Decision making in an interdisciplinary team

Decision making in an interdisciplinary team occurs at the interface between groups with varied backgrounds, orientations, interests, and goals. Most interdisciplinary teams attempt to identify the complex set of variables influencing their decisions and then utilize this knowledge to maximize efficiency in health care delivery. Models of information and decision analysis developed by general systems theory are suggested as a method for advancing the understanding of where, when, and how decisions are made by the interdisciplinary team. A university-affiliated psychiatric service in a private general hospital is studied. Here the following forces meet, complement, compete, and collide: the community, university, hospital administration, private practitioners, insurance companies, consultation and liaison psychiatrists, university staff psychiatrists and residents, nurses, aides, social workers, activities personnel, patients and their families, the patient group, the ward milieu. Considering these factors, we describe: (1) the flow of information and feedback loops into, within, and out of the psychiatric service; (2) the location of decision nodes; (3) decision-making echelons. The general systems theory concepts utilized in this analysis are proposed as pragmatic tools for improving interdisciplinary team function.

The inpatient psychiatric unit as a system

A university-affiliated psychiatric inpatient unit in a private general hospital is an organization which serves many purposes. However, the primary purpose is quite evident: to provide various psychiatric therapies to patients with diverse psychopathologies. This becomes extremely complicated if the unit attempts an eclectic approach. Thus, the unit must consider: (1) psychopathological frameworks such as genetic, sociocultural, psychoanalytic, behavioral, and biochemical etiologies; (2) therapeutic interventions such as individual, group, and family therapy; insight-oriented, supportive, and behavioral psychotherapy; milieu therapy; and psychopharmacological treatment; (3) the various philosophies, attitudes, and skills of the multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, aides, social workers, activities therapists, expressive therapists, and administrative support personnel. General systems theory and general living systems models may further the conceptualization and understanding of the inpatient unit. This, in turn, may improve patient treatment. For the inpatient psychiatric unit, we describe the 19 critical subsystems of general living systems theory, with special emphasis on the decider subsystem.

Discriminative control of "attention"

Three pigeons were trained to discriminate between two tones differing in frequency in the presence of light of one color (A), and not to discriminate between the tones in the presence of light of another color (B). Generalization functions that were determined in the presence of light A showed control of behavior by the frequency of the tone; those determined in the presence of light B did not.