Search

Five New World mammarenaviruses (NWMs) cause life-threatening hemorrhagic fever (HF). Cellular entry by these viruses is mediated by human transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1). Here, we demonstrate that an antibody (ch128.1/IgG1) which binds the apical domain of hTfR1, potently inhibits infection of attenuated and pathogenic NWMs in vitro. Computational docking of the antibody Fab crystal structure onto the known structure of hTfR1 shows an overlapping receptor-binding region shared by the Fab and the viral envelope glycoprotein GP1 subunit that binds hTfR1, and we demonstrate competitive inhibition of NWM GP1 binding by ch128.1/IgG1 as the principal mechanism of action. Importantly, ch128.1/IgG1 protects hTfR1-expressing transgenic mice against lethal NWM challenge. Additionally, the antibody is well-tolerated and only partially reduces ferritin uptake. Our findings provide the basis for the development of a novel, host receptor-targeted antibody therapeutic broadly applicable to the treatment of HF of NWM etiology.

Five New World mammarenaviruses (NWMs) cause life-threatening hemorrhagic fever (HF). Cellular entry by these viruses is mediated by human transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1). Here, we demonstrate that an antibody (ch128.1/IgG1) which binds the apical domain of hTfR1, potently inhibits infection of attenuated and pathogenic NWMs in vitro. Computational docking of the antibody Fab crystal structure onto the known structure of hTfR1 shows an overlapping receptor-binding region shared by the Fab and the viral envelope glycoprotein GP1 subunit that binds hTfR1, and we demonstrate competitive inhibition of NWM GP1 binding by ch128.1/IgG1 as the principal mechanism of action. Importantly, ch128.1/IgG1 protects hTfR1-expressing transgenic mice against lethal NWM challenge. Additionally, the antibody is well-tolerated and only partially reduces ferritin uptake. Our findings provide the basis for the development of a novel, host receptor-targeted antibody therapeutic broadly applicable to the treatment of HF of NWM etiology.

Population-based neuroimaging studies that feature complex sampling designs enable researchers to generalize their results more widely. However, several theoretical and analytical questions pose challenges to researchers interested in these data. The following is a resource for researchers interested in using population-based neuroimaging data. We provide an overview of sampling designs and describe the differences between traditional model-based analyses and survey-oriented design-based analyses. To elucidate key concepts, we leverage data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ Study (ABCD Study®), a population-based sample of 11,878 9–10-year-olds in the United States. Analyses revealed modest sociodemographic discrepancies between the target population of 9–10-year-olds in the U.S. and both the recruited ABCD sample and the analytic sample with usable structural and functional imaging data. In evaluating the associations between socioeconomic resources (i.e., constructs that are tightly linked to recruitment biases) and several metrics of brain development, we show that model-based approaches over-estimated the associations of household income and under-estimated the associations of caregiver education with total cortical volume and surface area. Comparable results were found in models predicting neural function during two fMRI task paradigms. We conclude with recommendations for ABCD Study® users and users of population-based neuroimaging cohorts more broadly.

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Objectives To estimate the effects of nationwide replacement of discretionary salt (used at table or during cooking) with potassium enriched salt substitute on morbidity and death from cardiovascular disease in China. Design Modelling study. Setting China. Population Adult population in China, and specifically individuals with chronic kidney disease (about 17 million people). Interventions Comparative risk assessment models were used to estimate the effects of a nationwide intervention to replace discretionary dietary salt with potassium enriched salt substitutes (20-30% potassium chloride). The models incorporated existing data and corresponding uncertainties from randomised trials, the China National Survey of Chronic Kidney Disease, the Global Burden of Disease Study, and the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium. Main outcome measures Averted deaths from cardiovascular disease, non-fatal events, and disability adjusted life years from a reduction in blood pressure were estimated after implementation of potassium enriched salt substitution. In individuals with chronic kidney disease, additional deaths from cardiovascular disease related to hyperkalaemia from increased intake of potassium were calculated. The net effects on deaths from cardiovascular disease were estimated as the difference and ratio of averted and additional deaths from cardiovascular disease. Results Nationwide implementation of potassium enriched salt substitution could prevent about 461 000 (95% uncertainty interval 196 339 to 704 438) deaths annually from cardiovascular disease, corresponding to 11.0% (4.7% to 16.8%) of annual deaths from cardiovascular disease in China; 743 000 (305 803 to 1 273 098) non-fatal cardiovascular events annually; and 7.9 (3.3 to 12.9) million disability adjusted life years related to cardiovascular disease annually. The intervention could potentially produce an estimated 11 000 (6422 to 16 562) additional deaths related to hyperkalaemia in individuals with

Multiple-frame sampling has been regarded as a device for increasing efficiency in identifying small subpopulations. However, there has been a lack of empirical evidence in supporting the efficiency of the multiple-frame approach and in guiding best practices. The current study focuses on a special scenario in which two frames were used to recruit sample members. Using paradata from the U.S. National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), the current analysis focuses on recruiting households that received Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a sub-goal of the survey sampling. SNAP households account for around one-fifth of the general U.S. population, compared to a survey goal of 30 percent of responding households. Our findings were consistent with theoretical expectations. Having and using additional SNAP list frames improved the efficiency of identifying SNAP households as opposed to screening a general address-based sample frame. This efficiency remained even as the SNAP list frames aged.

Responsive survey designs introduce protocol changes to survey operations based on accumulating paradata. Case-level predictions, including response propensity, can be used to tailor data collection features in pursuit of cost or quality goals. Unfortunately, predictions based only on partial data from the current round of data collection can be biased, leading to ineffective tailoring. Bayesian approaches can provide protection against this bias. Prior beliefs, which are generated from data external to the current survey implementation, contribute information that may be lacking from the partial current data. Those priors are then updated with the accumulating paradata. The elicitation of the prior beliefs, then, is an important characteristic of these approaches. While historical data for the same or a similar survey may be the most natural source for generating priors, eliciting prior beliefs from experienced survey managers may be a reasonable choice for new surveys, or when historical data are not available. Here, we fielded a questionnaire to survey managers, asking about expected attempt-level response rates for different subgroups of cases, and developed prior distributions for attempt-level response propensity model coefficients based on the mean and standard error of their responses. Then, using respondent data from a real survey, we compared the predictions of response propensity when the expert knowledge is incorporated into a prior to those based on a standard method that considers accumulating paradata only, as well as a method that incorporates historical survey data.

This article investigates how different strategies used by interviewers when recording interviewer observations relate to observation accuracy. Before conducting interviews in a refreshment sample of the general population for the German PASS panel study, interviewers were asked to observe one key target variable of the study -- whether a household is at risk of poverty or not -- for all sampled households. In addition, interviewers recorded what strategies they had used to make their observations. For responding households, we assessed the accuracy of the observation by comparing it to an actual survey measure of poverty risk. Separate multilevel regression models attempting to explain the observed interviewer variance in observation accuracy for two types of households (those at risk and not at risk of poverty) using case-level strategies and aggregate interviewer tendencies reveal unique strategies that result in more accurate observations for each type of household. An aggregate fixed-effects model then reveals strategies that prove to be effective regardless of the type of household when accounting for unobserved interviewer heterogeneity.

Interviewer-administered surveys are a primary method of collecting information from populations across the United States and the world. Various types of interviewer-administered surveys exist, including large-scale government surveys that monitor populations (e.g., the Current Population Survey), surveys used by the academic community to understand what people think and do (e.g., the General Social Survey), and surveys designed to gauge public opinion at a particular time point (e.g., the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll). Interviewers participate in these data collection efforts in a multitude of ways, including creating lists of housing units for sampling, persuading sampled units to participate, and administering survey questions (Morton-Williams 1993). In an increasing number of surveys, interviewers are also tasked with collecting blood, saliva, and other biomeasures, and asking survey respondents for consent to link survey data to administrative records (Sakshaug 2013). Interviewers are also used in mixed mode surveys to recruit and interview non respondents after less expensive modes like mail and web have failed (e.g., the American Community Survey and the Agricultural Resource Management Survey; de Leeuw 2005; Dillman, Smyth and Christian 2014; Olson et al. 2019). In completing these varied tasks, interviewers affect survey costs and coverage, nonresponse, measurement, and processing errors (Schaeffer, Dykema and Maynard 2010; West and Blom 2017).

Interviewer-administered surveys are a primary method of collecting information from populations across the United States and the world. Various types of interviewer-administered surveys exist, including large-scale government surveys that monitor populations (e.g., the Current Population Survey), surveys used by the academic community to understand what people think and do (e.g., the General Social Survey), and surveys designed to gauge public opinion at a particular time point (e.g., the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll). Interviewers participate in these data collection efforts in a multitude of ways, including creating lists of housing units for sampling, persuading sampled units to participate, and administering survey questions (Morton-Williams 1993). In an increasing number of surveys, interviewers are also tasked with collecting blood, saliva, and other biomeasures, and asking survey respondents for consent to link survey data to administrative records (Sakshaug 2013). Interviewers are also used in mixed mode surveys to recruit and interview non respondents after less expensive modes like mail and web have failed (e.g., the American Community Survey and the Agricultural Resource Management Survey; de Leeuw 2005; Dillman, Smyth and Christian 2014; Olson et al. 2019). In completing these varied tasks, interviewers affect survey costs and coverage, nonresponse, measurement, and processing errors (Schaeffer, Dykema and Maynard 2010; West and Blom 2017).

The importance of correctly accounting for complex sampling features when generating finite population inferences based on complex sample survey data sets has now been clearly established in a variety of fields, including those in both statistical and non-statistical domains. Unfortunately, recent studies of analytic error have suggested that many secondary analysts of survey data do not ultimately account for these sampling features when analyzing their data, for a variety of possible reasons (e.g., poor documentation, or a data producer may not provide the information in a public-use data set). The research in this area has focused exclusively on analyses of household survey data, and individual respondents. No research to date has considered how analysts are approaching the data collected in establishment surveys, and whether published articles advancing science based on analyses of establishment behaviors and outcomes are correctly accounting for complex sampling features. This article presents alternative analyses of real data from the 2013 Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey (BRDIS), and shows that a failure to account for the complex design features of the sample underlying these data can lead to substantial differences in inferences about the target population of establishments for the BRDIS.

"This article presents analyses of data from a pilot study in Nepal that was designed to provide an initial examination of the errors and costs associated with an innovative methodology for survey data collection. We embedded a randomized experiment within a long-standing panel survey, collecting data on a small number of items with varying sensitivity from a probability sample of 450 young Nepalese adults. Survey items ranged from simple demographics to indicators of substance abuse and mental health problems. Sampled adults were randomly assigned to one of three different modes of data collection: a standard one-time telephone interview, a 'single sitting' back-and-forth interview with an interviewer using text messaging, and an interview using text messages within a modular design framework. Respondents in the modular group were asked to respond (via text message exchanges with an interviewer) to only one question on a given day, rather than complete the entire survey. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses demonstrate that the two text messaging modes increased the probability of disclosing sensitive information relative to the telephone mode, and that respondents in the modular design group, while responding less frequently, found the survey to be significantly easier. Further, those who responded in the modular group were not unique in terms of available covariates, suggesting that the reduced item response rates only introduced limited nonresponse bias. Future research should consider enhancing this methodology, applying it with other modes of data collection (e.g., web surveys), and continuously evaluating its effectiveness from a total survey error perspective." (author's abstract)

Preovulatory human oocytes were cooled to 0degreeC at 1degreeC/min, with or without the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), to assess the effects of cooling on the meiotic spindles and on oocyte structure. Batches of oocytes, cultured for 3-9 h, were held at 0degreeC for 20 or 60 min and then fixed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) either at 0 or 8degreeC. Control oocytes were not cooled and were fixed at 22 or 37degreeC for comparison. TEM revealed that 80% of the oocytes were at metaphase II, while 20% were at metaphase I and most had resumed meisosis recently. Control oocytes had more or less barrel-shaped meiotic spindles composed of microtubules (MT), some associated with chromosomes at kinetochores. Both metaphase I and II spindles were disassembled when cooled and fixed at 0degreeC, with or without DMSO, due to extensive depolymerization of MT. The few MT that survived were found at the poles or were bundled together or were associated with chromosomes. Kinetochores were not prominent. Some oocytes cooled with DMSO and fixed at 0 or 8degreeC showed evidence of MT, but the spindles were still disorganized and were abnormal in structure. Chromosomes tended to clump together or were dislocated in the cortical ooplasm in cooled oocytes, but widespread scattering was not observed. This was particularly evident in the absence of DMSO. Elements of the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, mitochondria and the cytosol were also adversely affected in some of the cooled oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells. The results show that meiotic spindles are very sensitive to simple cooling and that DMSO does not provide substantial stabilization of the meiotic spindle even at 0degreeC. The findings are discussed with reference to recent work on frozen human and mouse oocytes.

A fertile woman suffering from mild dystrophia myotonica had undergone sterilization because of the 50% genetic risk of this disease developing in her offspring. In her second treatment cycle on the donor oocyte program, four anonymously donated oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed sperm of her husband. Three embryos were obtained and two surviving embryos were deep-frozen at the eight-cell stage and kept in storage for 9 months. These embryos were successfully thawed and transferred to the recipient 97 hr after the onset of her luteinizing hormone surge. A normal singleton pregnancy developed and a healthy male infant was delivered by cesarean section at 36 weeks of gestation.

Preovulatory human oocytes were cooled to 0degreeC at 1degreeC/min, with or without the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), to assess the effects of cooling on the meiotic spindles and on oocyte structure. Batches of oocytes, cultured for 3-9 h, were held at 0degreeC for 20 or 60 min and then fixed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) either at 0 or 8degreeC. Control oocytes were not cooled and were fixed at 22 or 37degreeC for comparison. TEM revealed that 80% of the oocytes were at metaphase II, while 20% were at metaphase I and most had resumed meisosis recently. Control oocytes had more or less barrel-shaped meiotic spindles composed of microtubules (MT), some associated with chromosomes at kinetochores. Both metaphase I and II spindles were disassembled when cooled and fixed at 0degreeC, with or without DMSO, due to extensive depolymerization of MT. The few MT that survived were found at the poles or were bundled together or were associated with chromosomes. Kinetochores were not prominent. Some oocytes cooled with DMSO and fixed at 0 or 8degreeC showed evidence of MT, but the spindles were still disorganized and were abnormal in structure. Chromosomes tended to clump together or were dislocated in the cortical ooplasm in cooled oocytes, but widespread scattering was not observed. This was particularly evident in the absence of DMSO. Elements of the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, mitochondria and the cytosol were also adversely affected in some of the cooled oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells. The results show that meiotic spindles are very sensitive to simple cooling and that DMSO does not provide substantial stabilization of the meiotic spindle even at 0degreeC. The findings are discussed with reference to recent work on frozen human and mouse oocytes.

A fertile woman suffering from mild dystrophia myotonica had undergone sterilization because of the 50% genetic risk of this disease developing in her offspring. In her second treatment cycle on the donor oocyte program, four anonymously donated oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed sperm of her husband. Three embryos were obtained and two surviving embryos were deep-frozen at the eight-cell stage and kept in storage for 9 months. These embryos were successfully thawed and transferred to the recipient 97 hr after the onset of her luteinizing hormone surge. A normal singleton pregnancy developed and a healthy male infant was delivered by cesarean section at 36 weeks of gestation.

Objective : Prostate cancer (PCa) patients often must decide between several treatment modalities considered equally efficacious, but associated with different benefits and side-effects. For some, the decision-making process can be difficult, but little is known about patient characteristics and cognitive processes that might influence the difficulty of such decisions. This study investigated the roles of dispositional optimism and self-efficacy in PCa treatment decision-making difficulty and satisfaction. Methods : One hundred and twenty-five patients with clinically localized PCa completed a mail-in paper-and-pencil survey after they had made their treatment decision, but prior to treatment. Results : After adjusting for covariates, optimism and treatment decision-making self-efficacy were associated with less difficulty and greater satisfaction with the treatment decision-making process. Effects of optimism on difficulty and satisfaction were partially mediated by self-efficacy for making the treatment decision. Conclusions : Men with PCa and who are low in optimism may be at greater risk for treatment decision-making difficulty and lack of treatment decision-making satisfaction, in part, because they have lower confidence in their ability to make the decision compared with those who are more optimistic. As self-efficacy perceptions are modifiable, consideration should be given to including self-efficacy enhancing components as part of PCa treatment decision-making interventions. Copyright ?? 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Japanese answer to the 90’s depression by (i). presenting a case study of the framework developed to address the new business challenges and value creation in complex, ambiguous and uncertain environment, i.e., Development of Project and Programme Management for Enterprise Innovation (P2M) and Project Management Association Japan (PMAJ) in Japan; and (ii). Exposing what in our view are the underlying theoretical bases supporting this framework and from this drawing some theoretical lessons learnt which could be helpful to the development of sound PM standards and PM competence model. This theoretical approach is assumed to be useful to transpose the Japanese experience to other analogical contexts and situations.

In this study, we explore motivation in collocated and virtual project teams. The literature on motivation in a project set.,ting reveals that motivation is closely linked to team performance. Based on this literature, we propose a set., of variables related to the three dimensions of ‘Nature of work’, ‘Rewards’, and ‘Communication’. Thirteen original variables in a sample size of 66 collocated and 66 virtual respondents are investigated using one tail t test and principal component analysis. We find that there are minimal differences between the two groups with respect to the above mentioned three dimensions. (p= .06; t=1.71). Further, a principal component analysis of the combined sample of collocated and virtual project environments reveals two factors- ‘Internal Motivating Factor’ related to work and work environment, and ‘External Motivating Factor’ related to the financial and non-financial rewards that explain 59.8% of the variance and comprehensively characterize motivation in collocated and virtual project environments. A ‘sense check’ of our interpretation of the results shows conformity with the theory and existing practice of project organization

Instrumented rock bolts have been used to measure strain during mining at the Stillwater mine in Montana. Two strain-gauged rock bolts were grouted into the middle of the rib next to the face. The drift was excavated in three 2 m blasts of one-half drift width. Strains were recorded hourly and results showed that the average change in axial bolt strain for the first and second advance was about the same and that there was almost no change in strain after the third advance. Bending strain was observed 19 cm from the head of the bolt, mostly as a result of the second blast., Instrumented rock bolts have been used to measure strain during mining at the Stillwater mine in Montana. Two strain-gauged rock bolts were grouted into the middle of the rib next to the face. The drift was excavated in three 2 m blasts of one-half drift width. Strains were recorded hourly and results showed that the average change in axial bolt strain for the first and second advance was about the same and that there was almost no change in strain after the third advance. Bending strain was observed 19 cm from the head of the bolt, mostly as a result of the second blast.

Several osmotic cataract models as well as human diabetic lenses were tested by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Both longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation times increased with increase in lens hydration. Therefore proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect changes of the biophysical environment of water proton in the lens. T2-weighted imaging sequence (spin-echo) can be used to differentiate lenses with hydrational changes since they exhibit higher signal intensity (because of long T2) than normal lenses at the same TE (echo time). A greater contrast can be achieved with the inversion-recovery sequence, which, in addition to contribution from T2, also incorporates T1 and proton density terms. Proton MRI is potentially useful for the detection of pre-cataractous changes

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hall-of-fame/1553/thumbnail.jpg

NIOSH'S Spokane Research Laboratory is undertaking a project to incorporate data on weak rock masses into existing design relationships for conditions in which the RMR (Rock Mass Rating) is 15 to 45%, with an emphasis on updating the span design curve for manned entries and the overbreak curve for longhole entries. The common factor is the presence of weak back and/or walls; in most cases the ore zone is the weakest unit and must be stabilised. Weak ground conditions, ground support and mining methods used in several underground mines in Nevada were observed. The RMR values were calculated to update span design calculations and stability graphs, and a database on underhand mining methods was developed for mining conditions. The immediate rock mass was also characterised and analysed in terms of type of ground support, potential failure mechanisms and rock behaviour. Variability in field conditions results in difficulty in assessing overall support for a given heading; mines must therefore develop their own databases based on the type of support used so that unexpected ground conditions can be analysed., NIOSH'S Spokane Research Laboratory is undertaking a project to incorporate data on weak rock masses into existing design relationships for conditions in which the RMR (Rock Mass Rating) is 15 to 45%, with an emphasis on updating the span design curve for manned entries and the overbreak curve for longhole entries. The common factor is the presence of weak back and/or walls; in most cases the ore zone is the weakest unit and must be stabilised. Weak ground conditions, ground support and mining methods used in several underground mines in Nevada were observed. The RMR values were calculated to update span design calculations and stability graphs, and a database on underhand mining methods was developed for mining conditions. The immediate rock mass was also characterised and analysed in terms of type of ground support, potential failure mechanisms and rock behaviour. Variability in field conditions results in difficulty in assessing overall support for a given heading; mines must therefore develop their own databases based on the type of support used so that unexpected ground conditions can be analysed.

Details are given of research conducted by the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the University of British Columbia Geomechanics group to develop safe and cost-effective underground design guidelines for weak rock masses with a rock mass rating (RMR) in the range 15-45%. Weak ground conditions, ground support and mining methods used in several Nevada underground mines were observed. The RMR values were calculated to update both span design calculations and stability graphs, and a database on mining methods was developed to reflect existing mining conditions. The immediate rock mass was also characterised and analysed in terms of prevailing type of ground support, potential failure mechanisms and rock behaviour. The results from augmented design curves and pull-out tests are presented to aid in designing safe working environments. Collaboration with the mines has resulted in a large decline in injury statistics., Details are given of research conducted by the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the University of British Columbia Geomechanics group to develop safe and cost-effective underground design guidelines for weak rock masses with a rock mass rating (RMR) in the range 15-45%. Weak ground conditions, ground support and mining methods used in several Nevada underground mines were observed. The RMR values were calculated to update both span design calculations and stability graphs, and a database on mining methods was developed to reflect existing mining conditions. The immediate rock mass was also characterised and analysed in terms of prevailing type of ground support, potential failure mechanisms and rock behaviour. The results from augmented design curves and pull-out tests are presented to aid in designing safe working environments. Collaboration with the mines has resulted in a large decline in injury statistics.

The goal of the present study, a collaboration between the Spokane Research Center, the Homestake Mining Company and the University of Utah, which draws on a rock mechanics information base developed from past studies, is to improve mine safety and stability through better understanding of time-dependent responses of hard rock masses to mining. An elasto-viscoplastic material model produced rounded stair-step curves of displacement versus time that are qualitatively similar to those obtained from borehole extensometer measurements made in the central portion of the Ross shaft pillar at Homestake. The work includes 2- and 3-D finite element analyses using the UTAH2/3 codes. The model may still be oversimplified; it may be necessary to introduce an allowance for strength reduction with inelastic deformation., The goal of the present study, a collaboration between the Spokane Research Center, the Homestake Mining Company and the University of Utah, which draws on a rock mechanics information base developed from past studies, is to improve mine safety and stability through better understanding of time-dependent responses of hard rock masses to mining. An elasto-viscoplastic material model produced rounded stair-step curves of displacement versus time that are qualitatively similar to those obtained from borehole extensometer measurements made in the central portion of the Ross shaft pillar at Homestake. The work includes 2- and 3-D finite element analyses using the UTAH2/3 codes. The model may still be oversimplified; it may be necessary to introduce an allowance for strength reduction with inelastic deformation.