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Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate and correct the cupping effect artefact that occurs owing to the presence of beam hardening and scatter radiation during image acquisition in cone beam CT (CBCT). Methods: A uniform aluminium cylinder (6061) was used to demonstrate the cupping effect artefact on the Planmeca Promax 3D CBCT unit (Planmeca OY, Helsinki, Finland). The cupping effect was studied using a line profile plot of the grey level values using ImageJ software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD). A hardware-based correction method using copper pre-filtration was used to address this artefact caused by beam hardening and a software-based subtraction algorithm was used to address scatter contamination. Results: The hardware-based correction used to address the effects of beam hardening suppressed the cupping effect artefact but did not eliminate it. The software-based correction used to address the effects of scatter resulted in elimination of the cupping effect artefact. Conclusion: Compensating for the presence of beam hardening and scatter radiation improves grey level uniformity in CBCT.

PurposeThis study assessed the effectiveness of three antimicrobial mouthrinses in reducing microbial growth on photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates.Materials and MethodsPrior to performing a full-mouth radiographic survey (FMX), subjects were asked to rinse with one of the three test rinses (Listerine®, Decapinol®, or chlorhexidine oral rinse 0.12%) or to refrain from rinsing. Four PSP plates were sampled from each FMX through collection into sterile containers upon exiting the scanner. Flame-sterilized forceps were used to transfer the PSP plates onto blood agar plates (5% sheep blood agar). The blood agar plates were incubated at 37℃ for up to 72 h. An environmental control blood agar plate was incubated with each batch. Additionally, for control, 25 gas-sterilized PSP plates were plated onto blood agar and analyzed.ResultsThe mean number of bacterial colonies per plate was the lowest in the chlorhexidine group, followed by the Decapinol, Listerine, and the no rinse negative control groups. Only the chlorhexidine and Listerine groups were significantly different (p=0.005). No growth was observed for the 25 gas-sterilized control plates or the environmental control blood agar plates.ConclusionThe mean number of bacterial colonies was the lowest in the chlorhexidine group, followed by the Decapinol, Listerine, and the no rinse groups. Nonetheless, a statistically significant difference was found only in the case of Listerine. Additional research is needed to test whether a higher concentration (0.2%) or longer exposure period (two consecutive 30 s rinse periods) would be helpful in reducing PSP plate contamination further with chlorhexidine.

This article summarizes the 451 titles of theses and dissertations completed in family and consumer sciences in colleges and universities from all four regions of the United States in 2001. The tables represent the information by reporting institution and by subject matter.

Milestoning is a theory and an algorithm that computes kinetics and thermodynamics at long time scales. It is based on partitioning the (phase) space into cells and running a large number of short trajectories between the boundaries of the cells. The termination points of the trajectories are analyzed with the Milestoning theory to obtain kinetic and thermodynamic information. Managing the tens to hundreds of thousands of Milestoning trajectories is a challenge, which we handle with a python script, ScMiles. Here, we introduce a new version of the python script ScMiles2 to conduct Milestoning simulations. Major enhancements are: (i) post analysis of Milestoning trajectories to obtain the free energy, mean first passage time, the committor function, and exit times; (ii) similar to (i) but the post analysis is for a single long trajectory; (iii) we support the use of the GROMACS software in addition to NAMD; (iv) a restart option; (v) the automated finding, sampling, and launching trajectories from new milestones that are found on the fly; and (vi) support Milestoning calculations with several coarse variables and for complex reaction coordinates. We also evaluate the simulation parameters and suggest new algorithmic features to enhance the rate of convergence of observables. We propose the use of an iteration-averaged kinetic matrix for a rapid approach to asymptotic values. Illustrations are provided for small systems and one large example.

Introduction: Drawing from positive youth development theory, the research team examined purpose in life among adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Members of the research team conducted paired interviews about purpose in life with adolescents diagnosed with an ASD and one of each adolescent's parents. Data collection took place in the south-central region of the US. The eight adolescent participants were in middle school, high school, and early college. The research team open-coded interview transcripts and condensed these codes into meta-codes to aid in determining the form of purpose for each participant.Results: Similar to what has been found in studies of neurotypical youth, participants distributed diversely across the forms of purpose, with all but one participant demonstrating some aspect of purpose. Conclusions: The authors recommend practitioners consider the variety of supports they could provide to adolescents diagnosed with an ASD and consider encouraging these youth when their creative interests are sparked. Additionally, the research team invites the scholarly community to further investigate specific contextual supports and to develop ways of measuring purpose that do not rely on advanced language and social skills.

Central venous access devices (CVADs) are the standard of care in pediatric oncology. Occlusion is a common complication that can lead to delays in therapy, readmission, and CVAD removal and reinsertion. Early treatment of partial occlusions using a standardized protocol may restore patency and increase life span of CVADs. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a nurse-led protocol to manage partial CVAD occlusions in pediatric oncology and autologous bone marrow transplant patients. The protocol enabled nurses to manage partially occluded CVADs by administering thrombolytic therapy following an algorithm and patient-specific standing order. The primary outcome was time from recognition of the partial occlusion to instillation of a thrombolytic. Secondary outcomes were thrombolytic dwell time, number of complete occlusions, and CVAD life span. We used a quasi-experimental, after-only, nonequivalent control group design to compare patients not exposed (retrospective cohort, n = 137) and patients exposed (prospective cohort, n = 101) to the nurse-led protocol. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare time to treatment, dwell time, and CVAD life span between cohorts, and χ2 was used to compare the proportion of occlusions classified as complete. Time to treatment was significantly lower in the prospective cohort ( M = 99.9 minutes) versus the retrospective cohort ( M = 483.7 minutes), U = 1366.50, p < .01, as was thrombolytic dwell time, U = 282.50, p < .01. Proportion of complete occlusions and CVAD life span did not differ between cohorts. The nurse-led protocol was effective to manage partial CVAD occlusions in pediatric oncology patients.

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