Effects of Brazilian Propolis on Dental Plaque and Gingiva in Patients with Oral Cleft Malformation Treated with Multibracket and Removable Appliances: A Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Tanasiewicz, Marta; Niedzielska, Iwona

2016-01-01

Orthodontic appliances modify the local environment of the oral cavity, increase the accumulation of dental plaque, and affect the condition of the gingiva. The aim of this study is assessment of Brazilian propolis toothpaste's effect on plaque index (PLI) and gingival index (GI) in patients with CL/CLP treated using orthodontic appliances in the 35-day study period. The study population included 96 patients of an Orthodontic Outpatient Clinic, ACSiMS in Bytom. All the patients participated in the active phase of orthodontic treatment using buccal multibracket appliances or removable appliances. During the first examination, each patient was randomly qualified to the propolis group or control group. A statistically significant decrease in GI and PLI in the entire propolis group (P < 0.01) was shown during repeated examination. Insignificant change in GI was in the entire control group during the repeated examination compared to the baseline. Similar result was obtained in patients treated with multibracket and removable appliances. The orthodontic appliance type did not affect the final dental plaque amount and gingival condition in patients using the propolis toothpaste. These results may be clinically useful to improve prevention and control oral infectious diseases during orthodontic treatment patients with oral cleft. PMID:27672397

Renal function in HIV-infected children and adolescents treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and protease inhibitors.

PubMed

Pontrelli, Giuseppe; Cotugno, Nicola; Amodio, Donato; Zangari, Paola; Tchidjou, Hyppolite K; Baldassari, Stefania; Palma, Paolo; Bernardi, Stefania

2012-01-23

Kidney disease is an important complication in HIV infected people, and this may be related to infection or antiretroviral therapy (ART). Our aim is to assess renal function in HIV infected paediatric patients, who may be particularly affected and are likely to take ART for longer than adults, and investigate the long term role of Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) alone or co-administered with Ritonavir-boosted Protease Inhibitors (PI). Serum creatinine, phosphate and potassium levels, with estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR), had been prospectively evaluated for 2 years in a cohort of HIV infected children and adolescents (age 9-18) on ART, and data analyzed according to the exposure to TDF or simultaneous TDF and PI. Forty-nine patients were studied (57% female, mean age 14). Sixty-three percent were treated with ART containing TDF (Group A), and 37% without TDF (Group B); 47% with concomitant use of TDF and PI (Group C) and 53% without this combination (Group D). The groups didn't differ for age, gender or ethnicity. The median creatinine increased in the entire cohort and in all the groups analyzed; eGFR decreased from 143.6 mL/min/1.73 m2 at baseline to 128.9 after 2 years (p = 0.006) in the entire cohort. Three patients presented a mild eGFR reduction, all were on TDF+PI. Phosphatemia decreased significantly in the entire cohort (p = 0.0003) and in TDF+PI group (p = 0.0128) after 2 years. Five patients (10%) developed hypophosphatemia (Division of Acquired Immune Deficiency AE grade 1 or 2), and four of them were on TDF+PI. Renal function decrease and hypophosphatemia occur over time in HIV infected children and adolescents on ART. The association with co-administration of TDF and PI appears weak, and further studies are warranted.

Descriptive study of relationship between cardio-ankle vascular index and biomarkers in vascular-related diseases.

PubMed

Liu, Jinbo; Liu, Huan; Zhao, Hongwei; Shang, Guangyun; Zhou, Yingyan; Li, Lihong; Wang, Hongyu

2017-01-01

Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was supposed to be an independent predictor for vascular-related events. Biomarkers such as homocysteine (Hcy), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and urine albumin(microalbumin) (UAE) have involved the pathophysiological development of arteriosclerosis. The present study was to investigate relationship between CAVI and biomarkers in vascular-related diseases. A total of 656 subjects (M/F 272/384) from department of Vascular Medicine were enrolled into our study. They were divided into four groups according to the numbers of suffered diseases, healthy group (group 0: subjects without diseases of hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary heart disease (CHD); n = 186), group 1 (with one of diseases of hypertension, CHD, DM; n = 237), group 2 (with two of diseases of hypertension, CHD, DM; n = 174), and group 3 (with all diseases of hypertension, CHD, DM; n = 59). CAVI was measured by VS-1000 apparatus. CAVI was increasing with increasing numbers of suffered vascular-related diseases. Similar results were found in the parameters of biomarkers such as Hcy, log NT-ProBNP, and log UAE. There were positive correlation between log NT-proBNP, Hcy, log UAE, and CAVI in the entire study group and nonhealthy group. Positive correlation between log UAE and CAVI were found in the entire study group after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, uric acid, and lipids. Multivariate analysis showed that log UAE was an independent associating factor of CAVI in all subjects. CAVI was significantly higher in subjects with hypertension, CHD, and DM. There was correlation between arterial stiffness and biomarkers such as NT-proBNP, Hcy, and UAE.

Assessment of three risk evaluation systems for patients aged ≥70 in East China: performance of SinoSCORE, EuroSCORE II and the STS risk evaluation system.

PubMed

Shan, Lingtong; Ge, Wen; Pu, Yiwei; Cheng, Hong; Cang, Zhengqiang; Zhang, Xing; Li, Qifan; Xu, Anyang; Wang, Qi; Gu, Chang; Zhang, Yangyang

2018-01-01

To assess and compare the predictive ability of three risk evaluation systems (SinoSCORE, EuroSCORE II and the STS risk evaluation system) in patients aged ≥70, and who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in East China. Three risk evaluation systems were applied to 1,946 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG from January 2004 to September 2016 in two hospitals. Patients were divided into two subsets according to their age: elderly group (age ≥70) with a younger group (age <70) used for comparison. The outcome of interest in this study was in-hospital mortality. The entire cohort and subsets of patients were analyzed. The calibration and discrimination in total and in subsets were assessed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow and the C statistics respectively. Institutional overall mortality was 2.52%. The expected mortality rates of SinoSCORE, EuroSCORE II and the STS risk evaluation system were 0.78(0.64)%, 1.43(1.14)% and 0.78(0.77)%, respectively. SinoSCORE achieved the best discrimination (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.829), followed by the STS risk evaluation system (AUC = 0.790) and EuroSCORE II (AUC = 0.769) in the entire cohort. In the elderly group, the observed mortality rate was 4.82% while it was 1.38% in the younger group. SinoSCORE (AUC = .829) also achieved the best discrimination in the elderly group, followed by the STS risk evaluation system (AUC = .730) and EuroSCORE II (AUC = 0.640) while all three risk evaluation systems all had good performances in the younger group. SinoSCORE, EuroSCORE II and the STS risk evaluation system all achieved positive calibrations in the entire cohort and subsets. The performance of the three risk evaluation systems was not ideal in the entire cohort. In the elderly group, SinoSCORE appeared to achieve better predictive efficiency than EuroSCORE II and the STS risk evaluation system.

Effect of DETOX as an adjuvant for melanoma vaccine.

PubMed

Schultz, N; Oratz, R; Chen, D; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, A; Abeles, G; Bystryn, J C

1995-04-01

The identification of effective adjuvants is critical for tumor vaccine development. Towards this end, we examined whether the immunogenicity of a melanoma vaccine could be potentiated by DETOX, an adjuvant consisting of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and purified mycobacterial cell-wall skeleton (CWS). Nineteen patients with resected stage III melanoma were immunized with a polyvalent melanoma antigen vaccine (40 micrograms) admixed with DETOX, q3 wks x 4. Seven patients received vaccine + low-dose DETOX (10 micrograms MPL + 100 micrograms CWS) and 12 received vaccine + high-dose DETOX (20 micrograms MPL + 200 micrograms CWS). A non-randomized control group of 35 patients was treated similarly with 40 micrograms vaccine + alum. One week after the fourth vaccine immunization, melanoma antibodies were increased over baseline in 7/7 (100%) patients treated with vaccine + low-dose DETOX, 8/12 (67%) patients treated with vaccine + high-dose DETOX, and in 4/19 (21%) of vaccine + alum patients. For the entire DETOX group, the antibody response rate was 15/19 (79%) compared 4/19 (21%) in the alum group (p < 0.001). In contrast, a strong delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response (> or = 15 mm increase in DTH response over baseline) was induced in 50% of the entire DETOX group versus in 47% of the alum group. Median disease-free (DF) survival for the entire DETOX group was 17.8 months compared with 32.1 months in the alum group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, DETOX markedly potentiated antibody but had little effect on DTH responses to melanoma vaccine immunization. It did not appear to improve disease-free survival in comparison to alum in this non-randomized study.

Petroselinum crispum extract attenuates hepatic steatosis in rats fed with fructose enriched diet.

PubMed

Nair, V Yuneesha; Balakrishanan, N; Antony Santiago, J Victor

2015-01-01

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease and ongoing research efforts are focused on understanding the underlying pathophysiology of hepatic steatosis with the anticipation that these efforts will identify novel therapeutic targets. This study investigated the Petroselinum crispum extract in hepatic steatosis in rats fed with fructose enriched diet. Rats were divided into the 4 groups: Group 1 rats received standard pellet diet with corn starch for the entire experimental period of 8 weeks. Group 2 rats received standard pellet diet and 2 gm/kg body weight crude Parsley leaf ethanol extract for the entire experimental period of 8 weeks. Group 3 rats received modified fructose diet. Group 4 rats received modified fructose diet and 2gm/kg crude Parsley leaf ethanol extract. Hepatic function and structure was evaluated in these rats. Modified fructose diet produced dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver and higher plasma hepatic markers. Petroselinum crispum extract reversed metabolic changes such as abnormal crispum extract attenuated chronic changes in modified fructose diet induced NAFLD (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 43).

Temperament and character traits in patients with conversion disorder and their relations with dissociation.

PubMed

Sarisoy, Gökhan; Kaçar, Ö Mer Faruk; Öztürk, Arif; Yilman, Tuba; Mor, Sema; Özturan, Deniz Deniz; Yazici, Neslihan; Gümüş, Kübra

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate temperament and character traits in patients with conversion disorder and the relation of these traits with dissociative symptoms. Sixty patients (60) diagnosed with conversion disorder according to DSM-IV-TR and 60 healthy volunteers were included in the study. All participants' temperament and character traits were determined using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Patients with conversion disorder were divided into two subgroups using the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), dissociative (n=30, 50%) and non-dissociative (n=30, 50%). The two conversion disorder subgroups were compared with the control group in terms of temperament and character traits. Correlation analysis was also performed between TCI and DES scores in the entire conversion group. Novelty seeking (NS) scores were lower in both the dissociative and non-dissociative groups compared to the control group. Harm avoidance (HA) scores were higher in the dissociative group than in the control group. Reward dependence (RD) scores were lower in the dissociative group than in the non-dissociative and control group. Self-directedness (SD) scores were lower in the dissociative group than in the control group. Self-transcendence (ST) scores were higher in the dissociative group than in the non-dissociative group. DES scores were negatively correlated with RD and SD scores in the entire conversion group and positively correlated with ST scores. Low NS temperament traits may be associated with conversion disorder. High HA and low RD temperament traits and low SD and high ST character traits may be associated with pathological dissociation in patients with conversion disorder.

Social outcomes due to the interplay between language competition and ideology struggle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barreira da Silva Rocha, André

2018-02-01

I study the interplay between language competition and ideology struggle in a country where there are two competing languages. Language transition is governed by a three-state model similar to Minett-Wang (2008) and Heinsalu et al. (2014). In this class of models, I further assume that among monolinguals of one of the competing languages there is an ideology struggle between assimilationist individuals who accept to deal with foreign language speakers and nationalist individuals who oppose any form of foreign culture. Ideology transition follows a two-state model as in Abrams-Strogatz (2003). Depending on both ideology and language status, the possible equilibria show that when nationalism is introduced in the language competition model, complete assimilation might take place and one language disappears with the entire population becoming monolingual. On the other hand, when bilingualism emerges, it is associated with a segregated society with a bilingual group surviving in the long run together with an isolated monolingual group entirely composed of nationalist individuals. Another kind of segregation might also emerge in the equilibrium, in which two monolingual groups survive in the long run, one of them entirely composed of nationalists. In the latter case, both linguistic segregation and isolation are the negative social outcomes of ideology struggle.

Formation and Stabilization of Vertical Hierarchies among Adolescents: Towards a Quantitative Ethology of Dominance among Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, John Levi

2009-01-01

Social psychological investigations of hierarchy formation have been almost entirely confined to the case of task-oriented groups and hence have produced theories that turn on the existence of such a task. But other forms of vertical hierarchy may emerge in non-task groups. One form, orderings of dominance, has been studied among animals using…

Using a claims data-based sentinel system to improve compliance with clinical guidelines: results of a randomized prospective study.

PubMed

Javitt, Jonathan C; Steinberg, Gregory; Locke, Todd; Couch, James B; Jacques, Jeffrey; Juster, Iver; Reisman, Lonny

2005-02-01

To demonstrate the potential effect of deploying a sentinel system that scans administrative claims information and clinical data to detect and mitigate errors in care and deviations from best medical practices. Members (n = 39 462; age range, 12-64 years) of a midwestern managed care plan were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. The sentinel system was programmed with more than 1000 decision rules that were capable of generating clinical recommendations. Clinical recommendations triggered for subjects in the intervention group were relayed to treating physicians, and those for the control group were deferred to study end. Nine hundred eight clinical recommendations were issued to the intervention group. Among those in both groups who triggered recommendations, there were 19% fewer hospital admissions in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < .001). Charges among those whose recommendations were communicated were dollar 77.91 per member per month (pmpm) lower and paid claims were dollar 68.08 pmpm lower than among controls compared with the baseline values (P = .003 for both). Paid claims for the entire intervention group (with or without recommendations) were dollar 8.07 pmpm lower than those for the entire control group. In contrast, the intervention cost dollar 1.00 pmpm, suggesting an 8-fold return on investment. Ongoing use of a sentinel system to prompt clinically actionable, patient-specific alerts generated from administratively derived clinical data was associated with a reduction in hospitalization, medical costs, and morbidity.

Empirical study on social groups in pedestrian evacuation dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Krüchten, Cornelia; Schadschneider, Andreas

2017-06-01

Pedestrian crowds often include social groups, i.e. pedestrians that walk together because of social relationships. They show characteristic configurations and influence the dynamics of the entire crowd. In order to investigate the impact of social groups on evacuations we performed an empirical study with pupils. Several evacuation runs with groups of different sizes and different interactions were performed. New group parameters are introduced which allow to describe the dynamics of the groups and the configuration of the group members quantitatively. The analysis shows a possible decrease of evacuation times for large groups due to self-ordering effects. Social groups can be approximated as ellipses that orientate along their direction of motion. Furthermore, explicitly cooperative behaviour among group members leads to a stronger aggregation of group members and an intermittent way of evacuation.

Bridging the transition from cancer patient to survivor: Pilot study results of the Cancer Survivor Telephone Education and Personal Support (C-STEPS) program

PubMed Central

Garrett, Kathleen; Okuyama, Sonia; Jones, Whitney; Barnes, Denise; Tran, Zung; Spencer, Lynn; Lewis, Karl; Maroni, Paul; Chesney, Margaret; Marcus, Al

2015-01-01

Objective To develop a feasibility study of a theory-driven telephone counseling program to enhance psychosocial and physical well-being for cancer survivors after treatment. Methods Participants (n = 66) were recruited from two Colorado hospitals with self-administered questionnaires at baseline and two weeks post-intervention. The one group, intervention only design included up to six thematic telephone counseling sessions over three months. Topics included nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and medical follow-up. Primary outcomes were cancer-specific distress, self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Results Of 66 subjects, 46 completed at least one counseling module and the follow-up assessment (70% retention rate). Mean satisfaction was 9 out of 10, and all participants would recommend C-STEPS to other survivors. Cancer-specific distress (Impact of Event Scale – Intrusion subscale) decreased for entire study population (p < 0.001) and stress management session participants (p < 0.001). Fruit and vegetable consumption increased for nutrition and exercise session participants (p = 0.02) and the entire sample (p = NS). Physical activity increased in the entire group (p = 0.006) and for nutrition and exercise session participants (p = 0.01). Conclusion and practice implications C-STEPS is a feasible telephone counseling program that transcends geographic barriers, demonstrating the potential to decrease distress and promote coping and healthy lifestyles among cancer survivors. PMID:23647980

Mortality among members of a heavy construction equipment operators union with potential exposure to diesel exhaust emissions.

PubMed Central

Wong, O; Morgan, R W; Kheifets, L; Larson, S R; Whorton, M D

1985-01-01

A historical prospective mortality study was conducted on a cohort of 34 156 male members of a heavy construction equipment operators union with potential exposure to diesel exhaust emissions. This cohort comprised all individuals who were members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Locals 3 and 3A, for at least one year between 1 January 1964 and 31 December 1978. The mortality experience of the entire cohort and several subcohorts was compared with that of United States white men, adjusted for age and calendar time. The comparison statistic was the commonly used standardised mortality ratio (SMR). Historical environmental measurements did not exist, but partial work histories were available for some cohort members through the union dispatch computer tapes. An attempt was made to relate mortality experience to the union members' dispatch histories. Overall mortality for the entire cohort and several subgroups was significantly lower than expected. When cause specific mortality was examined, however, the study provided suggestive evidence for the existence of several potential health problems in this cohort. Mortality from liver cancer for the entire cohort was significantly high. Although mortality from lung cancer for the entire cohort was similar to expected, a positive trend by latency was observed for lung cancer. A significant excess of mortality from lung cancer was found among the retirees and the group for whom no dispatch histories were available. Other dispatch groups showed no evidence of lung cancer excess. In addition, the total cohort experienced significant mortality excess from emphysema and accidental deaths. PMID:2410010

Diabetes Care Management Teams Did Not Reduce Utilization When Compared With Traditional Care: A Randomized Cluster Trial.

PubMed

Kearns, Patrick

2017-10-01

PURPOSE: Health services research evaluates redesign models for primary care. Care management is one alternative. Evaluation includes resource utilization as a criterion. Compare the impact of care-manager teams on resource utilization. The comparison includes entire panes of patients and the subset of patients with diabetes. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, cohort study comparing change in utilization rates between groups, pre- and post-intervention. METHODOLOGY: Ten primary care physician panels in a safety-net setting. Ten physicians were randomized to either a care-management approach (Group 1) or a traditional approach (Group 2). Care managers focused on diabetes and the cardiovascular cluster of diseases. Analysis compared rates of hospitalization, 30-day readmission, emergency room visits, and urgent care visits. Analysis compared baseline rates to annual rates after a yearlong run-in for entire panels and the subset of patients with diabetes. RESULTS: Resource utilization showed no statistically significant change between baseline and Year 3 (P=.79). Emergency room visits and hospital readmission increased for both groups (P=.90), while hospital admissions and urgent care visits decreased (P=.73). Similarly, utilization was not significantly different for patients with diabetes (P=.69). CONCLUSIONS: A care-management team approach failed to improve resource utilization rates by entire panels and the subset of diabetic patients compared to traditional care. This reinforces the need for further evidentiary support for the care-management model's hypothesis in the safety net.

USSR Report, Political and Sociological Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-05

gratifying that you at your accountability and election meeting have concerned yourselves both with the affairs of the shop and of the entire plant...demanding approach at meetings in party groups. You rightly emphasized that we cannot tolerate that a part of workers, engineering and...businesslike discussion and it disclosed that you did not hide weak aspects in the work of the party group and the entire lathe section. Such a party

Wavefront aberrations and retinal image quality in different lenticular opacity types and densities.

PubMed

Wu, Cheng-Zhe; Jin, Hua; Shen, Zhen-Nv; Li, Ying-Jun; Cui, Xun

2017-11-10

To investigate wavefront aberrations in the entire eye and in the internal optics (lens) and retinal image qualities according to different lenticular opacity types and densities. Forty-one eyes with nuclear cataract, 33 eyes with cortical cataract, and 29 eyes with posterior subcapsular cataract were examined. In each group, wavefront aberrations in the entire eye and in the internal optics and retinal image quality were measured using a raytracing aberrometer. Eyes with cortical cataracts showed significantly higher coma-like aberrations compared to the other two groups in both entire eye and internal optic aberrations (P = 0.012 and P = 0.007, respectively). Eyes with nuclear cataract had lower spherical-like aberrations than the other two groups in both entire eye and internal optics aberrations (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). In the nuclear cataract group, nuclear lens density was negatively correlated with internal spherical aberrations (r = -0.527, P = 0.005). Wavefront technology is useful for objective and quantitative analysis of retinal image quality deterioration in eyes with different early lenticular opacity types and densities. Understanding the wavefront optical properties of different crystalline lens opacities may help ophthalmic surgeons determine the optimal time to perform cataract surgery.

Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Growth Parameters and Nutrient Adequacy in Children with Picky Eating Behaviors Who Received Nutritional Counseling With or Without an Oral Nutritional Supplement

PubMed Central

Sheng, Xiaoyang; Tong, Meiling; Zhao, Dongmei; Leung, Ting Fan; Zhang, Feng; Hays, Nicholas P; Ge, John; Ho, Wing Man; Northington, Robert; Terry, Donna L; Yao, Manjiang

2014-01-01

In this study, changes in growth parameters and nutrient intake were compared in Chinese children (ages 30–60 months) with picky eating (PE) behaviors and weight-for-height ≤25th percentile, who were randomized to receive nutrition counseling alone (NC; n = 76) or with a nutritional milk supplement (NC + NS; n = 77) for 120 days. Increases in weight-for-height z-scores were significantly greater in the NC + NS group at days 30 and 90 and over the entire study period (all P < 0.05), but not at day 120. Increases in weight-for-age z-scores were significantly greater in the NC + NS group at day 90 (P = 0.025) and over the entire study period (P = 0.046). Mean intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, D, E, and B6 were significantly higher in the NC + NS group at days 60 and 120 (all P < 0.01). Thus, in young children with PE behaviors, nutritional supplementation given as an adjunct to NC resulted in greater improvements in nutrient intake compared with NC alone. Growth parameters differed between groups at several timepoints during the study, but not at day 120. PMID:25342910

Palaearctic species of the Spathius exarator species group (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) with entirely sculptured mesopleuron.

PubMed

Belokobylskij, Sergey A; Samartsev, Konstantin G

2014-12-24

The Palaearctic species of the S. exarator species group of the genus Spathius Nees with entirely sculptured mesopleuron are discussed. Four new species, Spathius austriacus sp. nov., S. intercontinentalis sp. nov., S. pseudodentatus sp. nov., and S. sculptipleurum sp. nov., are described and illustrated. Spathius curvicaudis Ratzeburg, 1944 treated here as junior synonym of S. erythrocephalus Wesmael, 1838 (syn. nov.) The key for determination of the Palaearctic species of this group with constantly or temporary sculptured mesopleuron is provided. 

Reliability of Pentacam HR Thickness Maps of the Entire Cornea in Normal, Post-Laser In Situ Keratomileusis, and Keratoconus Eyes.

PubMed

Xu, Zhe; Peng, Mei; Jiang, Jun; Yang, Chun; Zhu, Weigen; Lu, Fan; Shen, Meixiao

2016-02-01

To measure the repeatability and reproducibility of Pentacam HR system thickness maps for the entire cornea in normal, post-laser in situ keratomileusis (post-LASIK), and keratoconus (KC) eyes. Reliability study. Sixty normal subjects (60 eyes), 30 post-LASIK subjects (60 eyes), and 14 KC patients (27 eyes) were imaged with the Pentacam HR system by 2 well-trained operators. For pachymetry the cornea was divided into 4 zones: a central zone (2-mm diameter) and concentric pericentral zone (2-5 mm), transitional zone (5-7 mm), and peripheral zone (7-10 mm). The 3 concentric zones were subdivided into 8 sectors. Intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of entire corneal thickness maps were tested by the repeatability and reproducibility coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients, coefficient of variation, and 95% limits of agreement. From central to peripheral zones, the precision of corneal thickness measurements became gradually smaller. Central zone repeatability and reproducibility were the best in the normal, post-LASIK, and KC groups. The peripheral superior sectors showed poorer repeatability and reproducibility for all subjects. The intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility for all zones were ≤19.3 μm, ≤22.1 μm, and ≤20.7 μm, in the normal, post-LASIK, and KC groups, respectively. The intraobserver and interobserver coefficients of variation for all zones were ≤1.3%, ≤1.6%, and ≤1.6% for all 3 groups. Pentacam HR system pachymetry of the entire cornea provided good precision in normal, post-LASIK, and KC corneas. Thickness measurements in the peripheral cornea should be interpreted with caution in abnormal corneas after surgery or with diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Luminescent tunable polydots: Charge effects in confined geometry

DOE PAGES

Wijesinghe, Sidath; Maskey, Sabina; Perahia, Dvora; ...

2017-06-28

Long-lived soft nanoparticles, formed by conjugated polymers, constitute a new class of far-from-equilibrium responsive structures for nano-medicine. Tethering ionizable groups to the polymers enables functionality. However concurrently, the ionic groups perturb the delicate balance of interactions that governs these particles. Using fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, this study probed the effects of charged groups tethered to poly para phenylene ethynylene substituted by alkyl groups on the polymer conformation and dynamics in confined geometry. As a result, we find that the ionizable groups affect the entire shape of the polydots and impact the conformation and dynamics of the polymer.

Foreign body impaction in the esophagus: are there underlying motor disorders?

PubMed

Mazzadi, S; Salis, G B; García, A; Iannicillo, H; Fucile, V; Chiocca, J C

2017-11-01

Compared with the control group, the impacted subjects presented marked reduction in amplitude and duration of esophageal contraction in the proximal esophagus. These motor disorders could be responsible for the foreign body impaction in the esophagus. However, we believe this patient group should be further studied by 24-hour esophageal manometry to reach a more accurate diagnosis by studying each patient's entire circadian cycle. © 1998 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus/Harcourt Brace & Co. Ltd

Association of tongue brushing with the number of fungiform taste buds and taste perception: A preliminary study using confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with a filter-paper disc method.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Junichi; Saito, Takehisa; Ito, Tetsufumi; Yoshimura, Hitoshi; Matsuda, Shinpei; Yoshida, Hisato; Fujita, Ryousuke; Sano, Kazuo

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of tongue brushing with the number of fungiform taste buds and taste perception using a confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with a filter-paper disc method (FPDM). Twenty-four subjects with or without a habit of tongue brushing (11 males and 13 females, 20-46 years old) participated in this study. Nine of the 24 subjects had no habit of tongue brushing (Group 1, n=9). Fifteen subjects had a habit of tongue brushing, and the brushing regions of the tongue were as follows: central region (Group 2, n=7), or entire region (Group 3, n=8) of the tongue dorsum. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, the average number of taste buds per fungiform papilla (FP) was counted. Taste perception was evaluated using an FPDM. These observations were performed in the midlateral region of the tongue since the distribution of fungiform papillae is large in the midlateral region compared to that in the central region. The subjects in Group 3 showed a significantly decreased number of fungiform taste buds compared to Group 1 and Group 2. Group 3 also showed significantly higher FPDM scores than the other two groups. Excessive tongue brushing of the entire tongue dorsum, including the midlateral region, may have an association with the decreased number of FP and taste buds and decreased taste sensation. To avoid these conditions, instituting proper tongue brushing methods, such as limiting it to the central region of the tongue and using a light touch, is suggested and is important for the subjects who are eager to participate in tongue brushing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hepatic damage in newborns from female rats exposed to the pesticide derivative ethylenethiourea.

PubMed

Lemos, Patrícia Veruska Ribeiro Barbosa; Martins, José Luiz; Lemos, Sidney Pereira Pinto; Santos, Fernando Leandro dos; Silva, Sílvio Romero Gonçalves e

2012-12-01

To evaluate hepatic morphological-histological abnormalities in newborns from female rats exposed to ethylenethiourea. A randomized study was conducted on fifty-five newborn Wistar rats were studied: 34 in the experimental group, whose mothers had been exposed to 1% ethylenethiourea; and 21 in the control group, whose mothers had received 0.9% physiological solution. The solution was administered via gavage on the 11(th) day of gestation. Cesarean section was performed on the 20(th) day of gestation. The newborns' livers were examined and any morphological-histological abnormalities were registered. The presence of megakaryocytes was quantified in 50 microscope fields, as the total number of these cells per mm(2). The entire experimental group presented abnormalities of embryonic formation, with musculoskeletal anomalies, digestive system anomalies, hepatic congestion and friability, hydrops and delayed intrauterine growth. The histopathological analysis showed that morphological-histological hepatic destructuring had occurred in all entire experimental with removal of the hepatic trabeculae and severe hepatic megakaryocytosis. The mean megakaryocyte density ranged from 107.9 to 114.2 per mm(2), and it was eight times greater than in the control group, thus characterizing a situation of extramedullary hematopoiesis. The fetal exposure to ethylenethiourea caused hepatic damage characterized by severe extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Quantitative histological grading methods to assess subchondral bone and synovium changes subsequent to medial meniscus transection in the rat

PubMed Central

Kloefkorn, Heidi E.; Allen, Kyle D.

2017-01-01

Aim of the Study The importance of the medial meniscus to knee health is demonstrated by studies which show meniscus injuries significantly increase the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis (OA), and knee OA can be modeled in rodents using simulated meniscus injuries. Traditionally, histological assessments of OA in these models have focused on damage to the articular cartilage; however, OA is now viewed as a disease of the entire joint as an organ system. The aim of this study was to develop quantitative histological measures of bone and synovial changes in a rat medial meniscus injury model of knee OA. Materials and Methods To initiate OA, a medial meniscus transection (MMT) and a medial collateral ligament transection (MCLT) were performed in 32 male Lewis rats (MMT group). MCLT alone served as the sham procedure in 32 additional rats (MCLT sham group). At weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 post-surgery, histological assessment of subchondral bone and synovium was performed (n = 8 per group per time point). Results Trabecular bone area and the ossification width at the osteochondral interface increased in both the MMT and MCLT groups. Subintimal synovial cell morphology also changed in MMT and MCLT groups relative to naïve animals. Conclusions OA affects the joint as an organ system, and quantifying changes throughout an entire joint can improve our understanding of the relationship between joint destruction and painful OA symptoms following meniscus injury. PMID:27797605

Visualized Evaluation of Blood Flow to the Gastric Conduit and Complications in Esophageal Reconstruction.

PubMed

Noma, Kazuhiro; Shirakawa, Yasuhiro; Kanaya, Nobuhiko; Okada, Tsuyoshi; Maeda, Naoaki; Ninomiya, Takayuki; Tanabe, Shunsuke; Sakurama, Kazufumi; Fujiwara, Toshiyoshi

2018-03-01

Evaluation of the blood supply to gastric conduits is critically important to avoid complications after esophagectomy. We began visual evaluation of blood flow using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent imaging in July 2015, to reduce reconstructive complications. In this study, we aimed to statistically verify the efficacy of blood flow evaluation using our simplified ICG method. A total of 285 consecutive patients who underwent esophagectomy and gastric conduit reconstruction were reviewed and divided into 2 groups: before and after introduction of ICG evaluation. The entire cohort and 68 patient pairs after propensity score matching (PS-M) were evaluated for clinical outcomes and the effect of visualized evaluation on reducing the risk of complication. The leakage rate in the ICG group was significantly lower than in the non-ICG group for each severity grade, both in the entire cohort (285 subjects) and after PS-M; the rates of other major complications, including recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and pneumonia, were not different. The duration of postoperative ICU stay was approximately 1 day shorter in the ICG group than in the non-ICG group in the entire cohort, and approximately 2 days shorter after PS-M. Visualized evaluation of blood flow with ICG methods significantly reduced the rate of anastomotic complications of all Clavien-Dindo (CD) grades. Odds ratios for ICG evaluation decreased with CD grade (0.3419 for CD ≥ 1; 0.241 for CD ≥ 2; and 0.2153 for CD ≥ 3). Objective evaluation of blood supply to the reconstructed conduit using ICG fluorescent imaging reduces the risk and degree of anastomotic complication. Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Psycholinguistic Description of the Development of Writing in Selected First Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milz, Vera E.

A study was conducted to examine writing development in first grade children. The writings from an entire classroom were collected. From these, six children's writings were chosen for cross-sectional analysis. Two children from this group were then selected for further in-depth case studies. Interviews, parent surveys, and observations were used…

Reculturing for Equity through Integrated Services: A Case Study of One District's Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dentith, Audrey; Frattura, Elise; Kaylor, Maria

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the early stages of an urban district's special education reform effort in which the entire district moved from a programme model to an integrated services delivery approach. We studied teacher and building administrator's responses garnered through focus group, individual interviews and observations at five…

Social Studies, Book II: A Bilingual Multicultural Guide, English-Spanish.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cedillo, Gustavo F.

This is the second of two social science guides designed for the bilingual, multicultural, upper elementary classroom. The guide may be used independently or as a supplement to other social studies programs. Activities may be done in writing or orally, in English or Spanish, with the entire class, in small groups, or individually. Eight curriculum…

Hypoglycemic and antioxidant effect of Tai chi exercise training in older adults with metabolic syndrome

PubMed Central

Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor Manuel; Arista-Ugalde, Taide Laurita; Rosado-Pérez, Juana; Ruiz-Ramos, Mirna; Santiago-Osorio, Edelmiro

2018-01-01

Introduction The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Tai chi (TC) exercise training in healthy older adults has been demonstrated. However, there are no studies on this effect in older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the effect of TC exercise on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in older adults with MetS. Methods A quasi-experimental study was carried out with a sample of 110 older sedentary volunteers with clinical diagnoses of MetS: (i) a control group, n = 50, of individuals who do not participate in physical exercise, of which 37 fulfilled the entire study protocol, and (ii) an experimental group, n = 60, of subjects enrolled in a TC exercise training program (eight-form easy), 5 days a week for 6 months, in sessions of 50 min, under the supervision of a qualified instructor, of which 48 fulfilled the entire study protocol. We measured in both groups (pre- and post-intervention) the following cardiovascular parameters: resting heart rate (RHR), diastolic and systolic blood pressure (DBP and SBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), RHR-SBP product, RHR-MAP product; glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c); oxidative stress markers (superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant status, thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, and oxidative stress score); and inflammation markers (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10). Results A statistically significant decrease in HbA1c concentration was observed in the TC group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). This group also showed a statistically significant increase in TAS and a decrease in the oxidative stress score (p < 0.05). We did not observe changes in the cardiovascular parameters (RHR, DBP, SBP, MAP, RHR-SBP product, and RHR-MAP product) in the TC experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the practice of TC exercise has an antioxidative and hypoglycemic effect in the elderly with MetS. PMID:29662308

Seeking Optimal Region-Of-Interest (ROI) Single-Value Summary Measures for fMRI Studies in Imaging Genetics

PubMed Central

Tong, Yunxia; Chen, Qiang; Nichols, Thomas E.; Rasetti, Roberta; Callicott, Joseph H.; Berman, Karen F.; Weinberger, Daniel R.; Mattay, Venkata S.

2016-01-01

A data-driven hypothesis-free genome-wide association (GWA) approach in imaging genetics studies allows screening the entire genome to discover novel genes that modulate brain structure, chemistry, and function. However, a whole brain voxel-wise analysis approach in such genome-wide based imaging genetic studies can be computationally intense and also likely has low statistical power since a stringent multiple comparisons correction is needed for searching over the entire genome and brain. In imaging genetics with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) phenotypes, since many experimental paradigms activate focal regions that can be pre-specified based on a priori knowledge, reducing the voxel-wise search to single-value summary measures within a priori ROIs could prove efficient and promising. The goal of this investigation is to evaluate the sensitivity and reliability of different single-value ROI summary measures and provide guidance in future work. Four different fMRI databases were tested and comparisons across different groups (patients with schizophrenia, their siblings, vs. normal control subjects; across genotype groups) were conducted. Our results show that four of these measures, particularly those that represent values from the top most-activated voxels within an ROI are more powerful at reliably detecting group differences and generating greater effect sizes than the others. PMID:26974435

Supplementing entire male pig diet with hydrolysable tannins: Effect on carcass traits, meat quality and oxidative stability.

PubMed

Rezar, Vida; Salobir, Janez; Levart, Alenka; Tomažin, Urška; Škrlep, Martin; Batorek Lukač, Nina; Čandek-Potokar, Marjeta

2017-11-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential impact on carcass and meat quality of a sweet chestnut wood extract (SCWE)diet supplement for pigs, in particular on oxidative stability and fatty acid composition. Entire (non-castrated) male pigs (n=24) were assigned to treatment groups within litter and offered one of 4 finisher diets on an ad libitum basis: T0 (control), T1, T2 or T3, supplemented with 0, 1, 2 or 3% of commercially available SCWE, respectively. The highest SCWE supplementation reduced carcass fat deposition and water holding capacity of meat (higher thawing loss). In fresh meat, SCWE supplementation increased lipid (malondialdehyde) and protein oxidation (carbonyl groups in myofibril isolates). With regard to fat tissue, SCWE supplementation increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Dietary Fermented Seaweed and Seaweed Fusiforme on Growth Performance, Carcass Parameters and Immunoglobulin Concentration in Broiler Chicks

PubMed Central

Choi, Y. J.; Lee, S. R.; Oh, J-W.

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of brown seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) by-product and seaweed fusiforme (Hizikia fusiformis) by-product supplementation on growth performance and blood profiles including serum immunoglobulin (Ig) in broilers. Fermentation of seaweeds was conducted by Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus oryzae. In a 5-wk feeding trial, 750 one-d-old broiler chicks were divided into 5 groups, and were assigned to the control diet or experimental diets including control+0.5% brown seaweed (BS) by-product, control+0.5% seaweed fusiforme (SF) by-product, control+0.5% fermented brown seaweed (FBS) by-product, and control+0.5% fermented seaweed fusiforme (FSF) by-product. As a consequence, body weight gain (BWG) and gain:feed of seaweed by-product groups were clearly higher, when compared to those of control diet group from d 18 to 35 and the entire experimental period (p<0.05). In mortality rate, seaweed by-product groups were significantly lower when compared to control diet group during entire experimental period (p<0.05). However, Feed Intake of experimental diets group was not different from that of the control group during the entire experimental period. Whereas, Feed Intake of fermented seaweed by-product groups was lower than that of non-fermented seaweed groups (p<0.05). Total organ weights, lipids, and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) of all treatment groups were not different from those of control group. However, glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT) of all treatment groups was higher than that of control group at d 17 (p<0.05). In case of serum Igs concentration, the concentration of IgA antibody in BS, SF, FSF treatment groups was significantly higher than in control group at d 35 (p<0.01). IgA concentration in FBS supplementation groups was negligibly decreased when compared to the control group. IgM concentration in the serums of all treatment groups was significantly higher than in control group (p<0.05) and in fermented seaweed by-product groups were much higher than in non-fermented seaweed groups (p<0.05). On the other hand, IgG concentrations in all treatment groups were lower than in control group (p<0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that by-product dietary supplementation of BS, SF, FBS, and FSF in poultry may provide positive effects of growth performance and immune response. PMID:25050025

Arterial stiffness evaluation by cardio-ankle vascular index in hypertension and diabetes mellitus subjects.

PubMed

Wang, Hongyu; Liu, Jinbo; Zhao, Hongwei; Fu, Xiaobao; Shang, Guangyun; Zhou, Yingyan; Yu, Xiaolan; Zhao, Xujing; Wang, Guang; Shi, Hongyan

2013-01-01

Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor for vascular diseases. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a new index of arterial stiffness. In the present study, we investigated the possible risk factors involving CAVI in hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) subjects. One thousand sixty-three subjects (M/F 533/530) from Shougang Corporation Examination Center were divided into four groups: healthy group (n = 639); hypertension group (n = 312); DM group (n = 58); and hypertension with DM group (n = 54). CAVI was measured by VS-1000 apparatus. Our results showed that CAVI was significantly higher in hypertension subjects with DM than in healthy and hypertension group, respectively (8.59 ± 1.08 vs 7.23 ± 1.10; 8.59 ± 1.08 vs 7.94 ± 1.33; both P < .05). CAVI was positively correlated with age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides in the entire group (r = 0.633, 0.280, 0.172, 0.269, 0.209, 0.254, 0.176, 0.129, 0.175; all P < .05, respectively). There was negatively correlation between CAVI and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the entire group (r = -0.167; P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed that age, body mass index, HbA1c, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent associating factors of CAVI in all subjects (β = 0.699; P < .001, β = -0.189; P = .001, β = 0.144; P = .015, β = -0.136; P = .019, respectively). Our present study suggested that CAVI was significantly higher in hypertension subjects with DM compared with healthy and hypertension groups. Copyright © 2013 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selected Sports Bras: Overall Comfort and Support.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, LaJean; Lorentzen, Deana

This study evaluated currently marketed sports bras on subjective measures of comfort and support both within an entire group of women and within cup sizes, correlated the subjective measures of comfort and support with previously reported biomechanical findings of support on the same bras, and further developed empirically based guidelines for…

Data Interpretation: Using Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drummond, Gordon B.; Vowler, Sarah L.

2011-01-01

Experimental data are analysed statistically to allow researchers to draw conclusions from a limited set of measurements. The hard fact is that researchers can never be certain that measurements from a sample will exactly reflect the properties of the entire group of possible candidates available to be studied (although using a sample is often the…

Segmental Mirroring: Does It Eliminate the Need for Intraoperative Readjustment of the Virtually Pre-Bent Reconstruction Plates and Is It Economically Valuable?

PubMed

Khalifa, Ghada Amin; Abd El Moniem, Nahed Adly; Elsayed, Shadia Abd-ElHameed; Qadry, Yara

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to compare segmental mirroring with mirroring of the entire unaffected side to determine which method obviates intraoperative readjustment of virtually planned pre-bent plates and to evaluate the effect on costs. Patients eligible for inclusion in this prospective study had unilateral mandibular discontinuity defects. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. In group I, models were constructed by mirroring the entire unaffected side of the mandible at the midsagittal plane. In group II, only the resected segments were cut and replaced by the corresponding mirrored healthy segments. The lesions were resected, and their sites were reconstructed using pre-bent reconstruction plates. The need for intraoperative plate readjustment, plate placement time, operation time, and operation costs were reviewed. Fifty patients were enrolled in this study. All but 5 plates in group I required readjustment. In group II, plates were placed without intraoperative handling. Average operating times were 4.20 ± 0.56 hours in group I and 3.186 ± 0.28 hours in group II (P = .00002). Mean times for plate placement were 33.36 ± 8.20 and 21.88 ± 5.73 minutes in groups I and II, respectively. The difference resulted in an average time gain of 11.48 minutes. Average personal costs per minute were US$740.77 for group I and US$560.87 for group II. The difference resulted in an average saving of approximately US$179.90. Segmental mirroring is superior in reflecting the bone anatomy in 3-dimensional models, thus eliminating intraoperative plate readjustment and providing better plate adaptation with better contour. It decreases operating time and costs and thus can be recommended for lesions that do not cross the midline. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Passive solar energy information user study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belew, W.W.; Wood, B.L.; Marle, T.L.

1980-11-01

The results of a series of telephone interviews with groups of users of information on passive solar heating and cooling are described. These results, part of a larger study on many different solar technologies, identify types of information each group needed and the best ways to get information to each group. The overall study provides baseline data about information needs in the solar community. An earlier study identified the information user groups in the solar community and the priority (to accelerate solar energy commercialization) of getting information to each group. In the current study only high-priority groups were examined. Resultsmore » from seven passive groups respondents are analyzed in this report: Federally Funded Researchers, Manufacturer Representatives, Architects, Builders, Educators, Cooperative Extension Service County Agents, and Homeowners. The data will be used as input to the determination of information products and services the Solar Energy Research Institute, the Solar Energy Information Data Bank Network, and the entire information outreach community should be preparing and disseminating.« less

Beneficial Effect of Educational and Nutritional Intervention on the Nutritional Status and Compliance of Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Trial.

PubMed

Xie, Feng-Lan; Wang, Yong-Qian; Peng, Li-Fen; Lin, Fang-Yu; He, Yu-Long; Jiang, Zhuo-Qin

2017-07-01

Surgery combined with chemotherapy is the standard treatment for gastric cancer (GC); however, chemotherapy-relative adverse effects are common and result in malnutrition and a poor prognosis. In addition, compliance to postoperative chemotherapy remains a problem. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the effect of educational and nutritional interventions on the nutritional status and compliance of GC patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy. A total of 144 GC patients were randomized into an intervention group that received intensive individualized nutritional and educational interventions during the entire course of chemotherapy and control group that received basic nutrition care and health education during hospitalization. The nutritional status and compliance between the two groups were compared. The interventions significantly improved calorie and iron intake within 24 h after the first chemotherapy session, and improved patients' weight, hemoglobin, total serum protein, and albumin levels during the entire course of chemotherapy. The compliance rate with chemotherapy was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (73.61% vs. 55.56%, P = 0.024). A combination of nutritional and educational interventions provided beneficial effect on the nutrition status and compliance of gastric patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy, which is worthy of clinical application.

Design Core Commonalities: A Study of the College of Design at Iowa State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venes, Jane

2015-01-01

This comprehensive study asks what a group of rather diverse disciplines have in common. It involves a cross-disciplinary examination of an entire college, the College of Design at Iowa State University. This research was intended to provide a sense of direction in developing and assessing possible core content. The reasoning was that material…

The Role of Vision for Online Control of Manual Aiming Movements in Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazebrook, Cheryl M.; Gonzalez, David; Hansen, Steve; Elliott, Digby

2009-01-01

Recent studies suggest motor skills are not entirely spared in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous reports demonstrated that young adults with ASD were able to land accurately on a target despite increased temporal and spatial variability during their movement. This study explored how a group of adolescents and young…

System Biology Approach: Gene Network Analysis for Muscular Dystrophy.

PubMed

Censi, Federica; Calcagnini, Giovanni; Mattei, Eugenio; Giuliani, Alessandro

2018-01-01

Phenotypic changes at different organization levels from cell to entire organism are associated to changes in the pattern of gene expression. These changes involve the entire genome expression pattern and heavily rely upon correlation patterns among genes. The classical approach used to analyze gene expression data builds upon the application of supervised statistical techniques to detect genes differentially expressed among two or more phenotypes (e.g., normal vs. disease). The use of an a posteriori, unsupervised approach based on principal component analysis (PCA) and the subsequent construction of gene correlation networks can shed a light on unexpected behaviour of gene regulation system while maintaining a more naturalistic view on the studied system.In this chapter we applied an unsupervised method to discriminate DMD patient and controls. The genes having the highest absolute scores in the discrimination between the groups were then analyzed in terms of gene expression networks, on the basis of their mutual correlation in the two groups. The correlation network structures suggest two different modes of gene regulation in the two groups, reminiscent of important aspects of DMD pathogenesis.

A pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive aripiprazole for chronic PTSD in US military Veterans resistant to antidepressant treatment.

PubMed

Naylor, Jennifer C; Kilts, Jason D; Bradford, Daniel W; Strauss, Jennifer L; Capehart, Bruce P; Szabo, Steven T; Smith, Karen D; Dunn, Charlotte E; Conner, Kathryn M; Davidson, Jonathan R T; Wagner, Henry Ryan; Hamer, Robert M; Marx, Christine E

2015-05-01

Many individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience persistent symptoms despite pharmacological treatment with antidepressants. Several open-label monotherapy and adjunctive studies have suggested that aripiprazole (a second-generation antipsychotic) may have clinical utility in PTSD. However, there have been no randomized placebo-controlled trials of aripiprazole use for PTSD. We thus conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial of adjunctive aripiprazole versus placebo among Veterans with chronic PTSD serving in the US military since 11 September 2001 to assess the feasibility, safety, tolerability, and therapeutic potential of aripiprazole. Sixteen Veterans were randomized, and 14 completed at least 4 weeks of the study; 12 completed the entire 8-week trial. Outcome measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores. Aripiprazole was well-tolerated in this cohort, and improvements in CAPS, PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores were as hypothesized. Although CAPS change scores did not reach statistical significance, aripiprazole outperformed placebo by 9 points on the CAPS in the last observation carried forward analysis compared with the placebo group (n = 7 per group), and by 20 points in the group randomized to aripiprazole that completed the entire study (n = 5) compared with the placebo group (n = 7). Results suggest promise for aripiprazole as an adjunctive strategy for the treatment of PTSD.

Alkali metal intercalates of molybdenum disulfide.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somoano, R. B.; Hadek, V.; Rembaum, A.

1973-01-01

Study of some of the physicochemical properties of compounds obtained by subjecting natural molybdenite and single crystals of molybdenum disulfide grown by chemical vapor transport to intercalation with the alkali group of metals (Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) by means of the liquid ammonia technique. Reported data and results include: (1) the intercalation of the entire alkali metal group, (2) stoichiometries and X-ray data on all of the compounds, and (3) superconductivity data for all the intercalation compounds.

German Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS): psychometric properties from a representative population survey.

PubMed

Kliem, Sören; Lohmann, Anna; Mößle, Thomas; Brähler, Elmar

2017-12-04

Suicidal ideation has been identified as one of the major predictors of attempted or actual suicide. Routinely screening individuals for endorsing suicidal thoughts could save lives and protect many from severe psychological consequences following the suicide of loved ones. The aim of this study was to validate the German version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) in a sample representative for the Federal Republic of Germany. All 2450 participants completed the first part of the Scale, the BSS-Screen. A risk group of n = 112 individuals (4.6%) with active or passive suicidal ideation was identified and subsequently completed the entire BSS. Satisfactory internal reliability (α = .97 for the BSS-Screen; α = .94 for the entire BSS) and excellent model fit indices for the one-dimensional factorial structure of the BSS-Screen (CFI = .998; TLI = .995; RMSEA = .045 [95%-CI: .030-.061]) were confirmed. Measurement invariance analyses supported strict invariance across gender, age, and depression status. We found correlations with related self-report measures in expected directions comparable to previous studies, indicating satisfactory construct validity. Our study involved cross sectional data, hence neither predictive validity nor retest-reliability were examined. As only the risk group of n = 112 individuals completed the entire measure, confirmatory factor analyses could not be conducted for the full BSS. The German translation of the BSS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing suicidal ideation in the general population. Using it as a screening device in general and specialized medical care could substantially advance suicide prevention.

Power Analysis for Models of Change in Cluster Randomized Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Wei; Konstantopoulos, Spyros

2017-01-01

Field experiments in education frequently assign entire groups such as schools to treatment or control conditions. These experiments incorporate sometimes a longitudinal component where for example students are followed over time to assess differences in the average rate of linear change, or rate of acceleration. In this study, we provide methods…

Accelerated Desensitization with Adaptive Attitudes and Test Gains with 5th Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Melanie; Morton, Jerome; Driscoll, Richard; Davis, Kai A.

2006-01-01

The study evaluates an easily-administered test-anxiety reduction program. An entire fifth grade was screened, and 36 students identified as test-anxious were randomly assigned to an Intervention or a non-participant Control group. The intervention was an accelerated desensitization and adaptive attitudes (ADAA) treatment which involved…

A More Powerful Test in Three-Level Cluster Randomized Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konstantopoulos, Spyros

2011-01-01

Field experiments that involve nested structures frequently assign treatment conditions to entire groups (such as schools). A key aspect of the design of such experiments includes knowledge of the clustering effects that are often expressed via intraclass correlation. This study provides methods for constructing a more powerful test for the…

Test Review: Beal, A. L. (2011). "Insight Test of Cognitive Abilities." Markham, Ontario, Canadian Test Centre

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colp, S. Mitchell; Nordstokke, David W.

2014-01-01

Published by the Canadian Test Centre (CTC), "Insight" represents a group-administered test of cognitive functioning that has been built entirely upon the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theoretical framework. "Insight" is intended to be administered by educators and screen entire classrooms for students who present learning…

Competitive Memory Training (COMET) for OCD: a self-treatment approach to obsessions.

PubMed

Schneider, Brooke C; Wittekind, Charlotte E; Talhof, Alina; Korrelboom, Kees; Moritz, Steffen

2015-01-01

Competitive Memory Training (COMET) is a cognitive intervention that aims to change the maladaptive cognitive-emotional networks underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). COMET has not been previously tried as a self-help intervention. The present study tested the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of COMET for OCD implemented as a self-help intervention. Sixty-five participants with OCD recruited through online OCD self-help fora completed an online baseline assessment including measures of OCD symptoms, self-esteem, and depression. Participants were randomly assigned to either COMET or a wait-list control group. All participants were approached 4 weeks later to complete an online post-assessment. There was no evidence for a greater decline of OCD symptoms or depression under COMET. When analyses were limited to only those participants who reported reading the entire manual at least once, self-esteem was higher at post-assessment in the COMET group. Although 78.1% of patients in the COMET group rated it as appropriate for self-administration, only 56.5% performed COMET exercises regularly and 26.4% read the entire manual at least once. The feasibility and effectiveness of COMET as a self-help internet intervention for OCD was not supported in this study. Further work is needed to better understand if modifications to our implementation of COMET may yield improved outcomes.

A Comparative Study of a Team Vs. a Non-Team Teaching Approach in High School Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monaco, William J.; Szabo, Michael

The purpose of this study was to obtain empirical data for the evaluation of a team approach for teaching biology. A sample of 147 sophomore students was divided into six sections; each section was randomly assigned as control or treatment. The team consisted of three instructors. Each member taught a control group for an entire year. After an…

20 CFR 404.1206 - Retirement system coverage groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Section 404.1206 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND... of any one of the following groupings of employees as a separate retirement system: (1) The entire... coverage group is a grouping of employees in positions under a retirement system. Employees in positions...

Happiest People Revisited.

PubMed

Diener, Ed; Seligman, Martin E P; Choi, Hyewon; Oishi, Shigehiro

2018-03-01

In a past Psychological Science article, Diener and Seligman (2002) explored the characteristics of extremely happy individuals and found that strong social relationships characterized the entire group. The study was popular, perhaps because the authors focused on the very happiest people, not merely on correlations across the entire spectrum of subjective well-being. In the current study, we replicated and extended the earlier paper here by examining, in a world sample, the differences between the happiest individuals and unhappy and averagely happy people. We largely replicated earlier findings; basic need fulfillment and social resources were two ingredients for high subjective well-being. Replicating and extending the earlier findings, we found that, compared with the averagely happy people, the happiest people were more likely to come from societies high in subjective well-being and social capital. To achieve very high happiness, it is helpful not only to have desirable personal circumstances, but also to live in a prosperous happy society with strong social support. As in the original study, although a few characteristics seemed virtually necessary for subjective well-being (SWB), no characteristic guaranteed it. We also uncovered variables separating the groups that might be outcomes of SWB, for example, helping others, exercising, and not smoking.

The effectiveness of simethicone in improving visibility during colonoscopy when given with a sodium phosphate solution: a double-bind randomized study.

PubMed

Sudduth, R H; DeAngelis, S; Sherman, K E; McNally, P R

1995-11-01

Oral sodium phosphate solution is better tolerated than polyethylene glycol when used for colonoscopy preparation, but visibility of the lumen can be impaired because of the presence of bubbles. We studied 86 patients receiving either simethicone (n = 42) or placebo (n = 44) in addition to oral sodium phosphate to determine if simethicone improved visibility during colonoscopy. Colonoscopy was performed by a single blinded investigator. Five areas of the colon (rectosigmoid, descending, transverse, ascending, and cecum) were assessed for the presence of bubbles on withdrawal of the endoscope. Bubbles were scored as follows: 0, minimal or none; 1, covering half the lumen; 2, covering the entire circumference; 3 filling the entire lumen. Thirteen patients in the placebo group and only one in the simethicone had significant bubbles ( > or = 1). Additionally, the mean bubble scores were greater in the placebo group in each region of the colon (p < or = 0.05 in rectosigmoid and ascending colon). This study indicates that taking simethicone with an oral sodium phosphate preparation can improve colonic visibility by diminishing the presence of bubbles. Better visualization could improve detection of mucosal pathologic lesions.

General anaesthesia for deep brain stimulator electrode insertion in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Sutcliffe, A J; Mitchell, R D; Gan, Y C; Mocroft, A P; Nightingale, P

2011-03-01

This paper compares the use of general and local anaesthetic in patients having deep brain stimulator (DBS) surgery. It is a retrospective case note study of 46 patients treated consecutively with subthalamic nucleus stimulation for Parkinson's disease as practise changed in a Neurosurgical unit. The first 20 patients (LA group) had permanent electrodes placed under local anaesthesia. The remaining 26 patients (GA group) had the entire procedure under general anaesthesia. The groups were similar for age, sex, duration of Parkinson's disease and preoperative levodopa requirement. The clinical results were similar in that within each group, the reduction in levodopa was not only clinically but also statistically significant (p < 0.001 for both, paired t test): for the LA group, the 6-month requirement was 39.4% (29.5-52.6%) of the preoperative requirement and for the GA group, the 6-month requirement was 32.3% (25.2-41.5%) of the preoperative requirement. The reduction in levodopa was maintained at 1 year. Of note, duration of surgery and length of stay were reduced. The mean duration of surgery was 8.2 h (7.8-8.6) for the LA group and 7.5 h (7.2-7.8) for the GA group (p = 0.003). The geometric mean of length of hospital stay was 5.4 days(4.6-6.3) for the LA group and 3.8 days (3.4-4.4) for the GA group (p = 0.001) There was no difference in electrophysiological recording. This study describes benefits in the GA group for the entire procedure of STN DBS. In these samples, there was no difference in the adverse effects seen in patients undergoing deep brain stimulator insertion with general anaesthetic compared with local anaesthetic. The use of general anaesthetic did not detract from the known benefits of surgery.

Solar thermal electric power information user study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belew, W.W.; Wood, B.L.; Marle, T.L.

1981-02-01

The results of a series of telephone interviews with groups of users of information on solar thermal electric power are described. These results, part of a larger study on many different solar technologies, identify types of information each group needed and the best ways to get information to each group. The report is 1 of 10 discussing study results. The overall study provides baseline data about information needs in the solar community. An earlier study identified the information user groups in the solar community and the priority (to accelerate solar energy commercialization) of getting information to each group. In themore » current study only high-priority groups were examined. Results from five solar thermal electric power groups of respondents are analyzed: DOE-Funded Researchers, Non-DOE-Funded Researchers, Representatives of Utilities, Electric Power Engineers, and Educators. The data will be used as input to the determination of information products and services the Solar Energy Research Institute, the Solar Energy Information Data Bank Network, and the entire information outreach community should be preparing and disseminating.« less

Genetic diversity and structure of core collection of winter mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) developed by genomic SSR markers.

PubMed

Liu, Xiao Bin; Li, Jing; Yang, Zhu L

2018-01-01

A core collection is a subset of an entire collection that represents as much of the genetic diversity of the entire collection as possible. The establishment of a core collection for crops is practical for efficient management and use of germplasm. However, the establishment of a core collection of mushrooms is still in its infancy, and no established core collection of the economically important species Flammulina velutipes has been reported. We established the first core collection of F. velutipes , containing 32 strains based on 81 genetically different F. veltuipes strains. The allele retention proportion of the core collection for the entire collection was 100%. Moreover, the genetic diversity parameters (the effective number of alleles, Nei's expected heterozygosity, the number of observed heterozygosity, and Shannon's information index) of the core collection showed no significant differences from the entire collection ( p  > 0.01). Thus, the core collection is representative of the genetic diversity of the entire collection. Genetic structure analyses of the core collection revealed that the 32 strains could be clustered into 6 groups, among which groups 1 to 3 were cultivars and groups 4 to 6 were wild strains. The wild strains from different locations harbor their own specific alleles, and were clustered stringently in accordance with their geographic origins. Genetic diversity analyses of the core collection revealed that the wild strains possessed greater genetic diversity than the cultivars. We established the first core collection of F. velutipes in China, which is an important platform for efficient breeding of this mushroom in the future. In addition, the wild strains in the core collection possess favorable agronomic characters and produce unique bioactive compounds, adding value to the platform. More attention should be paid to wild strains in further strain breeding.

Interdependent Group Contingency Management for Cocaine-Dependent Methadone Maintenance Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Kimberly C.; Kerwin, MaryLouise E.; Carpenedo, Carolyn M.; Rosenwasser, Beth J.; Gardner, Robert S.

2008-01-01

Contingency management (CM) for drug abstinence has been applied to individuals independently even when delivered in groups. We developed a group CM intervention in which the behavior of a single, randomly selected, anonymous individual determined reinforcement delivery for the entire group. We also compared contingencies placed only on cocaine…

Renormalization-group study of superfluidity and phase separation of helium mixtures immersed in a nonrandom aerogel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopatnikova, Anna; Nihat Berker, A.

1997-02-01

Superfluidity and phase separation in 3-4He mixtures immersed in a jungle-gym (nonrandom) aerogel are studied by renormalization-group theory. Phase diagrams are calculated for a variety of aerogel concentrations. Superfluidity at very low 4He concentrations and a depressed tricritical temperature are found at the onset of superfluidity. A superfluid-superfluid phase separation, terminating at an isolated critical point, is found entirely within the superfluid phase. These phenomena and trends with respect to aerogel concentration are explained by the connectivity and tenuousness of a jungle-gym aerogel.

The Psychology of Groups: Why Quality and Impartial Leadership Is Critical to a Group's Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Richard

Many decisions made by outdoor leaders are critical to the well-being of an entire group. Understanding the psychology of groups is important to successful leadership. This paper presents ways that individuals are motivated in groups, how groups respond, some symptoms of problems, and strategies to divert problems that can overwhelm a group.…

Reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract with a bovine jugular vein graft fixed with a naturally occurring crosslinking agent (genipin) in a canine model.

PubMed

Chang, Y; Tsai, C C; Liang, H C; Sung, H W

2001-12-01

This study was designed to evaluate a newly developed biologic valved conduit fixed with genipin used to reconstruct the right ventricular outflow tract in a canine model. Fresh bovine jugular veins with a retained native valve procured from a slaughterhouse were used as raw materials to fabricate the valved conduits. A naturally occurring crosslinking agent, genipin, was used to fix the procured jugular veins. The glutaraldehyde-fixed counterpart was used as a control. A canine model was used in the study. Echocardiography revealed that the motion of the valvular leaflets in both the glutaraldehyde- and genipin-fixed conduits was satisfactory. The transvalvular pressure gradients of both studied groups were minimal. No endothelium-like cells were observed on the luminal surface of the conduit and the valvular leaflet for the glutaraldehyde-fixed group throughout the entire course of the study. In contrast, endothelium-like cells were observed on the entire surface of the genipin-fixed valved conduit retrieved at 6 months postoperatively in all the cases studied. There was no evidence of luminal fibrous peel in any the valved conduits studied. Degradation of valvular leaflet in one of the glutaraldehyde-fixed conduits was observed. In this particular case, thrombus formation was also observed on the surface of the valvular leaflet. On the other hand, no apparent degradation or thrombus formation was observed on the surfaces of the genipin-fixed valvular leaflet and conduit. A significantly more severe inflammatory reaction was observed for the glutaraldehyde-fixed conduit than for its genipin-fixed counterpart throughout the entire course of the study. The calcium contents of the samples before implantation and those retrieved at distinct implantation duration were minimal for both the glutaraldehyde- and genipin-fixed tissues. Although further studies are necessary, the genipin-fixed valved conduit appears to have great potential in helping mitigate the complications observed in the commercially available conduits.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt as preventative education: a developmental analysis of the Quilt.

PubMed

Knaus, C S; Austin, E W

1999-12-01

This study consisted of a survey given to college students (N = 560) at a rural university in the Pacific Northwest. The sample was randomly assigned into four groups, following the Solomon four-group study design. The two levels of treatment included interventions consisting of a visit to the AIDS Memorial Quilt for the experimental groups and attendance at an unrelated event for the control groups. Pretests were completed 4 weeks prior to interventions; posttests were completed by the entire sample 4 weeks after the interventions. Results confirmed expected differences among the four groups in terms of social distance, perceptions of people with AIDS, self-efficacy, and discussion of risky behavior. The results suggest that the AIDS Memorial Quilt addresses issues centrally related to behavior change and indicates support for the message interpretation process and stages of change models.

The Children of Kabul: Discussions with Afghan Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Berry, Jo; Fazili, Anahita; Farhad, Said; Nasiry, Fariba; Hashemi, Sami; Hakimi, Mariam

Noting that helping war-affected children cope with the impact of conflict is a vital part of the post-war recovery of an entire society, this report details a qualitative study that used a series of focus group discussions with 7- to 18-year-olds and their families and participatory activities with children in Kabul, Afghanistan to gather…

Repeated, Intermittent Social Defeat across the Entire Juvenile Period Resulted in Behavioral, Physiological, Hormonal, Immunological, and Neurochemical Alterations in Young Adult Male Golden Hamsters

PubMed Central

Yu, Wei-Chun; Liu, Ching-Yi; Lai, Wen-Sung

2016-01-01

The developing brain is vulnerable to social defeat during the juvenile period. As complements of human studies, animal models of social defeat provide a straightforward approach to investigating the functional and neurobiological consequences of social defeats. Taking advantage of agonist behavior and social defeat in male golden hamster, a set of 6 experiments was conducted to investigate the consequences at multiple levels in young adulthood resulting from repeated, intermittent social defeats or “social threats” across the entire juvenile period. Male hamsters at postnatal day 28 (P28) were randomly assigned to either the social defeat, “social threat”, or arena control group, and they correspondingly received a series of nine social interaction trials (i.e., either social defeat, “social threat”, or arena control conditions) from P33 to P66. At the behavioral level (Experiment 1), we found that repeated social defeats (but not “social threats”) significantly impacted locomotor activity in the familiar context and social interaction in the familiar/unfamiliar social contexts. At the physiological and hormonal levels (Experiments 2 and 3), repeated social defeat significantly enhanced the cortisol and norepinephrine concentrations in blood. Enlargement of the spleen was also found in the social defeat and “social threat” groups. At the immunological level (Experiment 4), the social defeat group showed lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamus and hippocampus but higher concentration of IL-6 in the striatum compared to the other two groups. At the neurochemical level (Experiment 5), the socially defeated hamsters mainly displayed reductions of dopamine, dopamine metabolites, and 5-HT levels in the striatum and decreased level of 5-HT in the hippocampus. In Experiment 6, an increase in the spine density of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was specifically observed in the “social threat” group. Collectively, our findings indicate that repeated, intermittent social defeats throughout entire adolescence in hamsters impact their adult responses at multiple levels. Our results also suggest that the “social threat” group may serve as an appropriate control. This study further suggest that the alterations of behavioral responses and neurobiological functions in the body and brain might provide potential markers to measure the negative consequences of chronic social defeats. PMID:27375450

Effects of increasing lysine on further processed product characteristics from immunologically castrated male pigs.

PubMed

Boler, D D; Clark, D L; Baer, A A; Meeuwse, D M; King, V L; McKeith, F K; Killefer, J

2011-07-01

The objective of this experiment was to determine if increasing lysine in the diets of immunologically castrated (IC) male pigs would affect further processed product characteristics when compared with physical castrates or entire males. Raw materials for this experiment were derived from a previous experiment evaluating carcass characteristics. Physical castrates, IC males, and entire males were assigned to 1 of 4 diet programs with increasing lysine in a step-down lysine inclusion program that culminated with the following concentrations in the late finishing diet: physical castrate with low lysine (0.7%), IC with low lysine (0.7%), IC with low/medium lysine (0.8%), IC with medium/high lysine (0.9%), IC with high lysine (1.0%), and entire with high lysine (1.0%). Bellies were injected with a cure solution to a target of 110% of original green weight, and weighed again to determine brine uptake. Hams were injected with same cure solution to a target of 130% of green weight. Cure solution was formulated for a finished product inclusion of 1.5% salt, 0.34% phosphate, 0.05% sodium erythorbate, 0.11% sugar, and 0.014% sodium nitrate. Physical castrates had thicker (3.77 cm) bellies (P<0.05) than all treatment groups, except IC males fed low/medium lysine (3.73 cm). Entire males (2.85 cm) had the thinnest (P<0.05) bellies of all treatment groups. There were no differences (P>0.05) in percentage brine uptake for cured bellies among IC males regardless of dietary lysine (range 9.93 to 10.67%). Cooked yield of cured bellies was not different (P>0.05) among physical castrates or IC males regardless of lysine inclusion. Cooked yield of cured bellies from entire males (95.12%) was less (P<0.05) than cooked yield for any other treatment group. Pumped weight differences of cured hams among treatment groups were similar to green weight differences, and there were no differences (P>0.05) among any treatment groups for pump uptake percentage. There were also no differences in cook loss percentages among any treatment group. Therefore, differences in cooked yield are a reflection of initial green weight. There were no differences (P>0.05) for protein fat-free values among any treatment groups. Therefore, it can be concluded, in this population of pigs, there were no differences in further processed product characteristics among physical castrates and IC males. © 2011 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.

Aripiprazole and Risperidone for Treatment of Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis in Chinese Patients.

PubMed

Wang, Gang; Zhang, Yao; Zhang, Sheng; Chen, Huijing; Xu, Zaifeng; Schottenfeld, Richard S; Hao, Wei; Chawarski, Marek Cezary

2016-03-01

We evaluated tolerability and efficacy of aripiprazole and risperidone for treatment of methamphetamine (METH) associated psychotic symptoms in China. Patients with acute METH-associated psychotic symptoms (N=42) and with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score between 60 and 120 were randomized to aripiprazole (initial dose 5-10mg per day followed by flexible doses 5-15 mg per day) or risperidone (initial dose 2-4 mg per day followed by flexible doses 4-6 mg per day) from day 3 to 25 of inpatient hospital stay. Outcome measures included PANSS and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale (CGI-S), METH craving Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Simpson Angus Scale (SAS), Barnes Assessments Akathasia Rating Scale (BARS), and self-reported adverse effects evaluated during treatment. Retention was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the MIXED models procedure was used to compare the groups on measures of psychotic and extra-pyramidal symptoms. Patients in both aripiprazole and risperidone groups showed statistically significant reductions in psychotic symptomatology from baseline during treatment (p<0.001) with no statistically significant differences between the treatment groups (p=0.73 and p=0.15, respectively). Risperidone-treated patients reported significantly greater METH craving reductions (p<0.001). Overall, 71% of patients completed the entire study, but the aripiprazole group had a significantly lower retention than the risperidone group (p=0.007), primarily due to medication related adverse effects. Aripiprazole-treated patients also had significantly more akathisia (p=0.03) and agitation (p=0.02) than risperidone-treated patients. Patients in both groups who tolerated their medications and completed the entire study achieved comparable reductions of psychotic symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

At Odds: Reconciling Experimental and Theoretical Results in High School Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gates, Joshua

2009-01-01

For this experiment, students are divided into 2 groups and presented with a static equilibrium force-balance problem to solve. One group works entirely experimentally and the other group theoretically, using Newton's laws. The groups present their seemingly dissimilar results and must reconcile them through discussion. (Contains 3 figures.)

Student Talk and Opportunities for Mathematical Learning in Small Group Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Marcy B.; Kalinec, Crystal A.

2012-01-01

Small group interactions are an important tool for mathematical learning and yet researchers have neither examined small group talk across entire lessons nor have they focused on moments of mathematical learning in small groups. We examined such talk and identified kinds of interactions and connections between interactions and mathematical…

User Working Group Members

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-04-29

... the entire group may be directed to:  larc-asdc-uwg@lists.nasa.gov   Member Status Affiliation E-mail ... NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC) takmeng.wong@nasa.gov Amy Braverman Member Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ...

Oral health status of women with high-risk pregnancies.

PubMed

Merglova, Vlasta; Hecova, Hana; Stehlikova, Jaroslava; Chaloupka, Pavel

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status of women with high-risk pregnancies. A case-control study of 142 pregnant women was conducted. The case group included 81 pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies, while 61 women with normal pregnancies served as controls. The following variables were recorded for each woman: age, general health status, DMF, CPITN, and PBI index, amounts of Streptococcus mutans in the saliva and dental treatment needs. The Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, t-test and chi-squared test were used for statistical analyses. Statistically significant differences were detected between the PBI indices and dental treatment needs of the two groups. Out of the entire study cohort, 77% of the women in the case group and 52% of the women in the control group required dental treatment. In this study, women with complications during pregnancy had severe gingivitis and needed more frequent dental treatment than those in the control group.

Results of the Annual DOD/FAI Acquisition Research Symposium (9th)

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

study is directed toward the four major DSARC and (S)SARC decision milestones and the use of the Decision Coordination Paper (DCP) and Mission...the techniques of systems engineering. The emphasis of this study is directed toward the four major-decision milestones (0, I, II, and III), the...grade level. Two years later the pilot study group presented an entirely different picture: 60 percent were reading at or above the 9th grade level

Geologic mapping of the Bauru Group in Sao Paulo state by LANDSAT images. [Brazil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parada, N. D. J. (Principal Investigator); Godoy, A. M.

1983-01-01

The occurrence of the Bauru Group in Sao Paulo State was studied, with emphasis on the western plateau. Regional geological mapping was carried out on a 1:250.000 scale with the help of MSS/LANDSAT images. The visual interpretation of images consisted basically of identifying different spectral characteristics of the geological units using channels 5 and 7. Complementary studies were made for treatment of data with an Interative Image (I-100) analyser in order to facilitate the extraction of information, particularly for areas where visual interpretation proved to be difficult. Regional characteristics provided by MSS/LANDSAT images, coupled with lithostratigraphic studies carried out in the areas of occurrence of Bauru Group sediments, enabled the homogenization of criteria for the subdivision of this group. A spatial distribution of the mapped units was obtained for the entire State of Sao Paulo and results were correlated with proposed stratigraphic divisions.

Comparison of Electric Toothbrush, Persica and Chlorhexidine Mouthwashes on Reduction of Gingival Enlargement in Orthodontic Patients: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Farhadian, Nasrin; Bidgoli, Mohsen; Jafari, Farhad; Mahmoudzadeh, Majid; Yaghobi, Mahdi; Miresmaeili, Amirfarhang

2015-01-01

To compare the efficacy of chlorhexidine, Persica mouthwash and electric toothbrushes in improving gingival enlargement in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. Seventy-two orthodontic patients with at least two sites of gingival enlargement were randomly allocated into four equal groups: 1) manual toothbrush; 2) electric toothbrush; 3) manual toothbrush+Persica mouthwash; 4) manual toothbrush+chlorhexidine mouthwash. All participants were instructed to brush their teeth at least twice a day. The subjects in groups 3 and 4 were instructed to use Persica or chlorhexidine according to the respective manufacturer's instructions. Bleeding on probing (BOP) index, gingival index (GI), O'Leary's plaque index (PI) and constructed hyperplastic index (HI) of all the subjects were measured in a blind manner at the start of the study and 2 weeks later. Changes of indices in the entire oral cavity and individual affected teeth were analysed with SPSS 16 using chi-square, ANOVA, ANCOVA, LSD and the paired t-test. In the entire oral cavity, there was a statistically significant improvement in indices in all the groups except for HI, which significantly improved only in group 4 (p=0.001). Data of individual teeth with hyperplastic gingiva showed significant reduction of all the variables except for HI in group 1 (p=0.08). No significant differences were found between groups 1 and 2 or between groups 3 and 4. The efficacy of Persica was similar to that of chlorhexidine in improving gingival conditions. None of the treatment modalities could reduce gingival enlargement to the clinically acceptable level of health.

Pseudosymmetric features of non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gazhulina, A.P., E-mail: asyagazhulina@yandex.ru; Marychev, M.O.

2016-07-15

This work is supplement to our previous investigation (Gazhulina and Marychev, 2015) [1]. We have considered pseudosymmetric features with respect to the operation of inversion (pseudoinversion) for 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals. Analysis of the features of particular structure types allowed us to determine the positions of pseudoinversion centers, subdivide them into separate types, and classify the entire set of crystals studied with respect to the types of pseudoinversion centers and peculiarities of the behavior of the degree of pseudoinversion depending on the ratio of atomic numbers of A and B components. For each group of crystals, average values andmore » lower boundaries of the maximum pseudoinversion are determined and distribution with respect to the degree of pseudoinversion is constructed. - Graphical abstract: A group of 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals have been considered for their pseudosymmetry features with respect to the operation of inversion. Positions of pseudoinversion centers, subdivision of them into separate types, classification of the entire set of crystals studied with respect to the types of pseudoinversion centers and peculiarities of the behavior of the degree of pseudoinversion are established and discussed. Display Omitted - Highlights: • We consider pseudoinversion of 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals. • AB type crystals are divided into three groups with respect to pseudoinversion. • Positions and types of pseudoinversion centers are determined. • Lower boundaries of the maximum pseudoinversion are determined.« less

The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis XVII. Phosphorus Compounds as Intermediates in Photosynthesis

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Buchanan, J. G.; Bassham, J. A.; Benson, A. A.; Bradley, D. F.; Calvin, M.; Daus, L. L.; Goodman, M.; Hayes, P. M.; Lynch, V. H.; Norris, L. T.; Wilson, A. T.

1952-07-08

Studies of carbon dioxide fixation in green plants using the C{sup 14} isotope have shown that in very short times phosphoglyceric acid contains most of the radioactivity. The tracer is present almost entirely in the carboxyl group. The importance of organic phosphates in the subsequent metabolism of phosphoglyceric acid can be seen from the accompanying photographs.

Bullying and Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder in 10-Year-Olds in a Swedish Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmberg, Kirsten; Hjern, Anders

2008-01-01

The association of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with bullying in the peer group in school was studied in an entire population of 577 fourth graders (10-year-olds) in one municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. The schoolchildren were screened for ADHD in a two-step procedure that included Conners' ratings of behavioural problems:…

Cognitive Ability Is Associated with Different Outcome Trajectories in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Itzchak, Esther; Watson, Linda R.; Zachor, Ditza A.

2014-01-01

Variability in clinical expression and in intervention outcome has been described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study examined progress after 1 and 2 years of intervention and compared the impact of baseline cognitive ability on outcome trajectories in 46 children (m = 25.5 months) with ASD. The entire group showed a gradual decrease in…

Changes in Attitudes, Knowledge and Behavior Associated with Implementing a Comprehensive School Health Program in a Province of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldinger, Carmen; Zhang, Xin-Wei; Liu, Li-Qun; Pan, Xue-Dong; Yu, Sen-Hai; Jones, Jack; Kass, Jared

2008-01-01

After successful pilot projects, Zhejiang Province, China, decided to systematically scale-up health promoting schools (HPS) over the entire province of 47 million. This study describes the interventions and self-reported changes in attitudes, knowledge and behavior during the first phase of scaling-up. Group interviews were conducted with a…

Predicting Educational Success and Attrition in Problem-Based Learning: Do First Impressions Count?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wijnia, Lisette; Loyens, Sofie M. M.; Derous, Eva; Koendjie, Nitaasha S.; Schmidt, Henk G.

2014-01-01

This study examines whether tutors (N?=?15) in a problem-based learning curriculum were able to predict students' success in their first year and their entire bachelor programme. Tutors were asked to rate each student in their tutorial group in terms of the chance that this student would successfully finish their first year and the entire…

Purgative bowel cleansing combined with simethicone improves capsule endoscopy imaging.

PubMed

Wei, Wei; Ge, Zhi-Zheng; Lu, Hong; Gao, Yun-Jie; Hu, Yun-Biao; Xiao, Shu-Dong

2008-01-01

To evaluate the effects of the various methods of small bowel preparation on the quality of visualization of the small bowel and the gastrointestinal transit time of capsule endoscopy (CE). Ninety patients referred for CE were prospectively randomized to three equal groups according to the preparation used: (a) a control group, in which patients were requested to drink 1 L of clear liquids only, 12 h before the examination; (b) a purgative group, in which patients were requested to ingest 1 L of a polyethylene glycol (PEG)/electrolyte solution only, 12 h before the examination; or (c) a purgative combined with simethicone group (P-S group), in which patients were requested to ingest 1 L of PEG, 12 h before the examination, and 300 mg of simethicone, 20 min before the examination. Effects of the different bowel preparations on the gastric transit time (GTT), small bowel transit time (SBTT), examination completion rate, quality of images of the entire small intestine, and cleansing of the proximal small bowel and distal ileum were evaluated. The number of patients with "adequate" cleansing of the entire small intestine was 17 in the P-S group, 12 in the purgative group, and seven in the control group (P= 0.002). The P-S group had significantly better image quality than the control group (P= 0.001). The P-S group had significantly better image quality for the proximal small bowel (segment A [Seg A]) than the control group (P= 0.0001). Both the P-S group (P= 0.0001) and the purgative group (P= 0.0002) had significantly better image quality for the distal ileum (segment B [Seg B]) than the control group; the P-S group had significantly better image quality than the purgative group as well (P= 0.0121). Gastrointestinal transit time was not different among the three groups, nor was the examination completion rate. Purgative bowel cleansing combined with simethicone before CE improved the quality of imaging of the entire small bowel as well as the visualization of the mucosa in the proximal and distal small intestine.

Common heritable effects underpin concerns over norm maintenance and in-group favoritism: evidence from genetic analyses of right-wing authoritarianism and traditionalism.

PubMed

Lewis, Gary J; Bates, Timothy C

2014-08-01

Research has shown that in-group favoritism is associated with concerns over the maintenance of social norms. Here we present two studies examining whether genetic factors underpin this association. A classical twin design was used to decompose phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental components in two studies. Study 1 used 812 pairs of adult U.S. twins from the nationally representative MIDUS II sample. Study 2 used 707 pairs of middle-age twins from the Minnesota Twin Registry. In-group favoritism was measured with scales tapping preferences for in-group (vs. out-group) individuals; norm concerns were measured with the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-Traditionalism (Study 1) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA; Study 2) scales. In Study 1, heritable effects underlying traditionalism were moderately (c. 35%) overlapping with the genetic variance underpinning in-group favoritism. In Study 2, heritable influences on RWA were entirely shared with the heritable effects on in-group favoritism. Moreover, we observed that Big Five Openness shared common genetic links to both RWA and in-group favoritism. These results suggest that, at the genetic level, in-group favoritism is linked with a system related to concern over normative social practices, which is, in turn, partially associated with trait Openness. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sudden gains in group cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder.

PubMed

Clerkin, Elise M; Teachman, Bethany A; Smith-Janik, Shannan B

2008-11-01

The current study investigates sudden gains (rapid symptom reduction) in group cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder. Sudden gains occurring after session 2 of treatment predicted overall symptom reduction at treatment termination and some changes in cognitive biases. Meanwhile, sudden gains occurring immediately following session 1 were not associated with symptom reduction or cognitive change. Together, this research points to the importance of examining sudden gains across the entire span of treatment, as well as the potential role of sudden gains in recovery from panic disorder.

Sudden Gains in Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder

PubMed Central

Clerkin, Elise M.; Teachman, Bethany A.; Smith-Janik, Shannan B.

2008-01-01

The current study investigates sudden gains (rapid symptom reduction) in group cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder. Sudden gains occurring after session 2 of treatment predicted overall symptom reduction at treatment termination and some changes in cognitive biases. Meanwhile, sudden gains occurring immediately following session 1 were not associated with symptom reduction or cognitive change. Together, this research points to the importance of examining sudden gains across the entire span of treatment, as well as the potential role of sudden gains in recovery from panic disorder. PMID:18804199

Part Two: Infantile Spasms--The New Consensus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellock, John M.; O'Hara, Kathryn

2011-01-01

This article presents the conclusion made by the consensus group regarding infantile spasms. The consensus group concluded that "infantile spasms are a major form of severe epileptic encephalopathy of early childhood that results in neurodevelopmental regression and imposes a significant health burden." The entire group agrees that the best…

26 CFR 601.201 - Rulings and determinations letters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... entire group. See, for example, Rev. Proc. 78-15, 1978-2 C.B. 488, and Rev. Proc. 78-16, 1978-2 C.B. 489... rulings to business, trade, or industrial associations or to other similar groups relating to the application of the tax laws to members of the group. However, rulings may be issued to such groups or...

26 CFR 601.201 - Rulings and determinations letters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... entire group. See, for example, Rev. Proc. 78-15, 1978-2 C.B. 488, and Rev. Proc. 78-16, 1978-2 C.B. 489... rulings to business, trade, or industrial associations or to other similar groups relating to the application of the tax laws to members of the group. However, rulings may be issued to such groups or...

26 CFR 601.201 - Rulings and determinations letters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... entire group. See, for example, Rev. Proc. 78-15, 1978-2 C.B. 488, and Rev. Proc. 78-16, 1978-2 C.B. 489... rulings to business, trade, or industrial associations or to other similar groups relating to the application of the tax laws to members of the group. However, rulings may be issued to such groups or...

26 CFR 601.201 - Rulings and determinations letters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... entire group. See, for example, Rev. Proc. 78-15, 1978-2 C.B. 488, and Rev. Proc. 78-16, 1978-2 C.B. 489... rulings to business, trade, or industrial associations or to other similar groups relating to the application of the tax laws to members of the group. However, rulings may be issued to such groups or...

26 CFR 601.201 - Rulings and determinations letters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... entire group. See, for example, Rev. Proc. 78-15, 1978-2 C.B. 488, and Rev. Proc. 78-16, 1978-2 C.B. 489... rulings to business, trade, or industrial associations or to other similar groups relating to the application of the tax laws to members of the group. However, rulings may be issued to such groups or...

Renormalization-Group Theory Study of Superfluidity and Phase Separation of Helium Mixtures Immersed in Jungle-Gym Aerogel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopatnikova, Anna; Berker, A. Nihat

1997-03-01

Superfluidity and phase separation in ^3He-^4He mixtures immersed in jungle-gym (non-random) aerogel are studied by renormalization-group theory.(Phys. Rev. B, in press (1996)) Phase diagrams are calculated for a variety of aerogel concentrations. Superfluidity at very low ^4He concentrations and a depressed tricritical temperature are found at the onset of superfluidity. A superfluid-superfluid phase separation, terminating at an isolated critical point, is found entirely within the superfluid phase. These phenomena, and trends with respect to aerogel concentration, are explained by the connectivity and tenuousness of jungle-gym aerogel.

Renormalization-group study of superfluidity and phase separation of helium mixtures immersed in a nonrandom aerogel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopatnikova, A.; Berker, A.N.

1997-02-01

Superfluidity and phase separation in {sup 3}He-{sup 4}He mixtures immersed in a jungle-gym (nonrandom) aerogel are studied by renormalization-group theory. Phase diagrams are calculated for a variety of aerogel concentrations. Superfluidity at very low {sup 4}He concentrations and a depressed tricritical temperature are found at the onset of superfluidity. A superfluid-superfluid phase separation, terminating at an isolated critical point, is found entirely within the superfluid phase. These phenomena and trends with respect to aerogel concentration are explained by the connectivity and tenuousness of a jungle-gym aerogel. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

PIXE analysis of cystic fibrosis sweat samples with an external proton beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommer, F.; Massonnet, B.

1987-03-01

PIXE analysis with an external proton beam is used to study, in four control and five cystic fibrosis children, the elemental composition of sweat samples collected from different parts of the body during entire body hyperthermia. We observe no significant difference of sweat rates and of temperature variations between the two groups during sweat test. The statistical study of results obtained by PIXE analysis allows us to pick out amongst 8 elements studied, 6 elements (Na, Cl, Ca, Mn, Cu, Br) significatively different between the two groups of subjects. Using regression analysis, Na, Cl and Br concentrations could be used in a predictive equation of the state of health.

Factors Affecting Optimal Aortic Remodeling After Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair of Type B (IIIb) Aortic Dissection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, I-Ming; Chen, Po-Lin; Huang, Chun-Yang

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with entire aortic remodeling after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with type B dissection.Materials and MethodsThe patients with type B (IIIb) dissections who underwent TEVAR from 2006 to 2013 with minimum of 2 years of follow-up computed tomography data were retrospectively reviewed. Based on the status of false lumen remodeling of entire aorta, patients were divided into three groups: complete regression, total thrombosis, and inadequate regression with patent abdominal false lumen.ResultsA total of 90 patients (72 males, 18 females; mean age 56.6 ± 16.4 years) were included and divided into the completemore » regression (n = 22), total thrombosis (n = 18), and inadequate regression (n = 50) groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that dissection extension to iliac arteries, increased preoperative number of dissection tear over abdominal aorta, and decreased preoperative abdominal aorta bifurcation true lumen ratio, as compared between the inadequate and complete regression groups, were associated with a persistent false lumen (odds ratio = 33.33, 2.304, and 0.021; all, p ≤ 0.012). Comparison of 6, 12, and 24 months postoperative data revealed no significant differences at any level, suggesting that the true lumen area ratio might not change after 6 months postoperatively.ConclusionsIncreased preoperative numbers of dissection tear around the abdominal visceral branches, dissection extension to the iliac arteries, and decreased preoperative true lumen area ratio of abdominal aorta are predictive of entire aortic remodeling after TEVAR in patients with type B dissection.Level of EvidenceIII.« less

The effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of plantar fasciitis in regard to middle-aged patients' activity level and pain localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanada, M.; Takahashi, M.; Matsuyama, Y.

2017-12-01

In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for plantar fasciitis in patients with different activity levels and different pain locations. In total, 92 patients (99 feet) who were over 40 years old with chronic plantar fasciitis were treated with ESWT after being categorized as participating in recreational sports(group R) or only activities of daily living (group D). On the other hand, patients were categorized as having pain in the plantar fascia enthesis (group E) or the entire plantar fascia (group W). Pain during activity and general tenderness were evaluated by using the visual analog scale (VAS) before and after ESWT. Although the VAS for pain score during activity significantly improved in both groups R and D after ESWT (P<0.001 in both groups), the degree of improvement in the VAS for pain score in group R was not significantly different from that in group D (P=0.061 ). The VAS for tenderness score also significantly improved in both groups R and D (P<0.001 in both groups), but there was also no significant difference between the degree of improvement in the VAS for tenderness in group R and that in group D (P=0.41 ). However, the degree of improvement in the VAS for pain and VAS for tenderness scores was significantly greater in group E than that in group W (P<0.001, =0.042 , respectively). We concluded that ESWT was effective for treating plantar fasciitis in middle-aged patients and ESWT was effective in patients not only playing recreational sports but also having activities of daily living. ESWT was more effective in patients with pain in the plantar fascia enthesis than in patients with pain in the entire plantar fascia.

Classification: A Comparison of Middle and Old Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denney, Nancy Wadsworth; Lennon, Madonna L.

1972-01-01

Whereas middle-aged individuals tended to group the entire stimulus array into piles of similar items, the elderly individuals grouped very much as young children do--arranging only a portion of the stimulus array into elaborate designs. (Authors)

Comparative analysis of the effect of prostatic invasion patterns on cancer-specific mortality after radical cystectomy in pT4a urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

PubMed

Vallo, Stefan; Gilfrich, Christian; Burger, Maximilian; Volkmer, Björn; Boehm, Katharina; Rink, Michael; Chun, Felix K; Roghmann, Florian; Novotny, Vladimir; Mani, Jens; Brisuda, Antonin; Mayr, Roman; Stredele, Regina; Noldus, Joachim; Schnabel, Marco; May, Matthias; Fritsche, Hans-Martin; Pycha, Armin; Martini, Thomas; Wirth, Manfred; Roigas, Jan; Bastian, Patrick J; Nuhn, Philipp; Dahlem, Roland; Haferkamp, Axel; Fisch, Margit; Aziz, Atiqullah

2016-10-01

To evaluate the prognostic relevance of different prostatic invasion patterns in pT4a urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) after radical cystectomy. Our study comprised a total of 358 men with pT4a UCB. Patients were divided in 2 groups-group A with stromal infiltration of the prostate via the prostatic urethra with additional muscle-invasive UCB (n = 121, 33.8%) and group B with continuous infiltration of the prostate through the entire bladder wall (n = 237, 66.2%). The effect of age, tumor grade, carcinoma in situ, lymphovascular invasion, soft tissue surgical margin, lymph node metastases, administration of adjuvant chemotherapy, and prostatic invasion patterns on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) was evaluated using competing-risk regression analysis. Decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the net benefit of including the variable invasion pattern within our model. The estimated 5-year CSM-rates for group A and B were 50.1% and 66.0%, respectively. In multivariable competing-risk analysis, lymph node metastases (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.73, P<0.001), lymphovascular invasion (HR = 1.62, P = 0.0023), soft tissue surgical margin (HR = 1.49, P = 0.026), absence of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 2.11, P<0.001), and tumor infiltration of the prostate by continuous infiltration of the entire bladder wall (HR = 1.37, P = 0.044) were significantly associated with a higher risk for CSM. Decision curve analysis showed a net benefit of our model including the variable invasion pattern. Continuous infiltration of the prostate through the entire bladder wall showed an adverse effect on CSM. Besides including these patients into clinical trials for an adjuvant therapy, we recommend including prostatic invasion patterns in predictive models in pT4a UCB in men. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prophylactic use of intravascular balloon catheters in women with placenta accreta, increta and percreta.

PubMed

Cali, Giuseppe; Forlani, Francesco; Giambanco, Laura; Amico, Maria Luisa; Vallone, Mario; Puccio, Giuseppe; Alio, Luigi

2014-08-01

To evaluate outcomes of women undergoing cesarean hysterectomy for abnormal invasive placenta (AIP) with and without preoperative balloon catheter placement in internal iliac arteries. A prospective observational study of women with ultrasound diagnosis of AIP and a planned delivery at our institution. From January 2004 to June 2009, all AIP cases were treated with planned multidisciplinary cesarean hysterectomy alone (CHa group). From July 2009 to September 2013 a pre-operative balloon catheter protocol was introduced (BC group). Statistical analysis considered the entire sample (placenta accreta/increta and percreta) and the individual subgroups (accreta/increta vs percreta). Twenty-three cases of AIP (10 accreta/increta and 13 percreta) were treated with cesarean hysterectomy alone, and 30 cases of AIP (12 accreta/increta and 18 percreta) were treated with cesarean hysterectomy and pre-operative balloon catheters. For the entire sample, a significant difference in estimated blood loss and transfused blood products units was observed between CHa group and BC group. When women with placenta accreta/increta and women with placenta percreta were analysed separately, no difference in estimated blood loss and transfused blood products units was found between the BC and the CHa groups in women with placenta accreta/increta. However, in women with placenta percreta, mean estimated blood loss and transfused blood products units were higher in the CHa group compared with BC group (1507ml vs 933.33ml; 3.31 units vs 0.67 units). Postoperative recovery differed between the two groups, but no differences were observed in any other outcomes. Pre-operative placement of intravascular balloon catheters is a feasible treatment for AIP, and is particularly useful in cases of placenta percreta. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collective Movement in the Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana): Early Joiners Write the Rule of the Game.

PubMed

Wang, Xi; Sun, Lixing; Li, Jinhua; Xia, Dongpo; Sun, Binghua; Zhang, Dao

2015-01-01

Collective behavior has recently attracted a great deal of interest in both natural and social sciences. While the role of leadership has been closely scrutinized, the rules used by joiners in collective decision making have received far less attention. Two main hypotheses have been proposed concerning these rules: mimetism and quorum. Mimetism predicts that individuals are increasingly likely to join collective behavior as the number of participants increases. It can be further divided into selective mimetism, where relationships among the participants affect the process, and anonymous mimetism, where no such effect exists. Quorum predicts that a collective behavior occurs when the number of participants reaches a threshold. To probe into which rule is used in collective decision making, we conducted a study on the joining process in a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in Huangshan, China using a combination of all-occurrence and focal animal sampling methods. Our results show that the earlier individuals joined movements, the more central a role they occupied among the joining network. We also found that when less than three adults participated in the first five minutes of the joining process, no entire group movement occurred subsequently. When the number of these early joiners ranged from three to six, selective mimetism was used. This means higher rank or closer social affiliation of early joiners could be among the factors of deciding whether to participate in movements by group members. When the number of early joiners reached or exceeded seven, which was the simple majority of the group studied, entire group movement always occurred, meaning that the quorum rule was used. Putting together, Macaca thibetana used a combination of selective mimetism and quorum, and early joiners played a key role in deciding which rule should be used.

CAD/CAM milled removable complete dentures: an in vitro evaluation of trueness.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Murali; Cantin, Yoann; Mehl, Albert; Gjengedal, Harald; Müller, Frauke; Schimmel, Martin

2017-07-01

This study aimed to compare the trueness of one type of CAD/CAM milled complete removable dental prostheses (CRDPs) with injection-molding and conventionally manufactured CRDPs. Thirty-three CRDPs were fabricated by three different manufacturing techniques (group CAD/CAM (AvaDent™): n = 11; group injection molding (Ivocap™): n = 11; group flask-pack-press: n = 11) using a single master reference model and incubated in artificial saliva for 21 days. The trueness of the entire intaglio surface along with five specific regions of interest (vestibular-flange, palate, tuberosities, alveolar crest, and post-dam areas) was compared. Non-parametric tests were used with a level of significance set at p < 0.05. At baseline, there was no difference in the trueness of the total intaglio surfaces between the groups. After incubation, only the conventional CRDPs showed a significant improvement in trueness of the entire intaglio surface (p = 0.0044), but improved trueness was confirmed for all three techniques in most individual regions of interest. The 80-20 % /2 median quantile of the CAD/CAM group demonstrated the highest variability of individual readings, probably due to the size of the milling instrument. However, for all three techniques, 80 % of all deviations of the complete intaglio surface after incubation in saliva were below 0.1 mm. In this in vitro study, the trueness of the intaglio surface of all three investigated techniques seems to remain within a clinically acceptable range. Additional research is warranted on material-related aspects, cost-effectiveness, clinical performance, patient-centered outcomes, as well as other CAD/CAM techniques for CRDP fabrication. The intaglio surface trueness is an essential aspect in the clinical performance of CRDPs.

Association of breakfast consumption with body mass index and prevalence of overweight/obesity in a nationally-representative survey of Canadian adults.

PubMed

Barr, Susan I; DiFrancesco, Loretta; Fulgoni, Victor L

2016-03-31

This study examined the association of breakfast consumption, and the type of breakfast consumed, with body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and prevalence rates and odds ratios (OR) of overweight/obesity among Canadian adults. These associations were examined by age group and sex. We used data from non-pregnant, non-lactating participants aged ≥ 18 years (n = 12,377) in the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 2.2, a population-based, nationally-representative, cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated. Breakfast consumption was self-reported during a standardized 24-h recall; individuals were classified as breakfast non-consumers, consumers of breakfasts that included ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) or as other breakfast consumers. Mean BMI and prevalence and OR of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25) were compared among breakfast groups, with adjustment for sociodemographic variables (including age, sex, race, marital status, food security, language spoken at home, physical activity category, smoking, education level and supplement use). For the entire sample, mean BMI was significantly lower among RTEC-breakfast consumers than other breakfast consumers (mean ± SE 26.5 ± 0.2 vs. 27.1 ± 0.1 kg/m(2)), but neither group differed significantly from breakfast non-consumers (27.1 ± 0.3 kg/m(2)). Similar results were seen in women only, but BMI of men did not differ by breakfast category. Overweight/obesity prevalence and OR did not differ among breakfast groups for the entire sample or for all men and women separately. When examined by sex and age group, differences were inconsistent, but tended to be more apparent in women than men. Among Canadian adults, breakfast consumption was not consistently associated with differences in BMI or overweight/obesity prevalence.

Follicular fluid total antioxidant capacity levels in PCOS.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Nafiye; Inal, Hasan Ali; Gorkem, Umit; Sargin Oruc, Ayla; Yilmaz, Saynur; Turkkani, Ayten

2016-07-01

In this study, our aim was to assess total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels in follicular fluid (FF) and their relationship to clinical pregnancy rates in PCOS patients undergoing assisted reproduction (ART). Twenty-two women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (Group 1) and 41 women without PCOS (Group 2) were included in this study. Clinical and laboratory parameters and FF TAC levels were investigated. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups with regard to age and baseline parameters. Although we could not demonstrate a significant difference in FF TAC levels between the two groups (p=0.469), there was a significant positive correlation between FF TAC and clinical pregnancy rates, BMI, and the duration of infertility for the entire group (r=0.254, p=0.048; r=0.312, p=0.013; r=0.259, p=0.040; respectively). Owing to the correlation between FF TAC and the clinical pregnancy rates, further studies evaluating the impact of FF TAC levels on ART outcomes in patients with PCOS and other etiologies of infertility are needed.

NMR binding and crystal structure reveal that intrinsically-unstructured regulatory domain auto-inhibits PAK4 by a mechanism different from that of PAK1.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Lim, Liangzhong; Baskaran, Yohendran; Manser, Ed; Song, Jianxing

2013-08-16

Six human PAK members are classified into groups I (PAKs 1-3) and II (PAK4-6). Previously, only group I PAKs were thought to be auto-inhibited but very recently PAK4, the prototype of group II PAKs, has also been shown to be auto-inhibited by its N-terminal regulatory domain. However, the complete auto-inhibitory domain (AID) sequence remains undefined and the mechanism underlying its auto-inhibition is largely elusive. Here, the N-terminal regulatory domain of PAK4 sufficient for auto-inhibiting and binding Cdc42/Rac was characterized to be intrinsically unstructured, but nevertheless we identified the entire AID sequence by NMR. Strikingly, an AID peptide was derived by deleting the binding-unnecessary residues, which has a Kd of 320 nM to the PAK4 catalytic domain. Consequently, the PAK4 crystal structure complexed with the entire AID has been determined, which reveals that the complete kinase cleft is occupied by 20 AID residuescomposed of an N-terminal α-helix and a previously-identified pseudosubstrate motif, thus achieving auto-inhibition. Our study reveals that PAK4 is auto-inhibited by a novel mechanism which is completely different from that for PAK1, thus bearing critical implications for design of inhibitors specific for group II PAKs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are sex differences in fundamental motor skills uniform throughout the entire preschool period?

PubMed

Kokštejn, Jakub; Musálek, Martin; Tufano, James J

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess differences in fundamental motor skills (FMS) proficiency between boys and girls of each age group, independently, across the entire preschool period. Using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-second edition, FMS proficiency was tested in 325 preschoolers (4.9 ± 1.1 y, range 3-6) using a cross-sectional design. Compared to boys of the same age, 3- and 4-year-old girls had greater total (p < .01), fine motor skill (p < .01), and balance scores (p < .05). There were no sex differences for total test or balance scores in 5- and 6-year-olds, but 6-year-old boys outperformed girls in aiming and catching (p < .001). These data not only agree with previous research in that sex differences in FMS proficiency exist in preschool children, but the data also show that differences may not be uniform throughout the whole preschool period when analyzing by age. To avoid under- or overestimating FMS proficiency and subsequently prescribing inaccurate motor intervention programs, FMS proficiency normative values should be age- and sex-specific throughout the entire preschool period.

Summary of small group discussions: Detection of forest degradation drivers

Treesearch

Patricia Manley

2013-01-01

Workshop participants were asked to address sets of questions in small group discussions, which were subsequently brought to the entire group for discussion. The first set of questions was directed at identifying a set of degradation activities that could be a primary focus for developing or refining methods and techniques for monitoring:

Supporting Alternative Strategies for Learning Chemical Applications of Group Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southam, Daniel C.; Lewis, Jennifer E.

2013-01-01

A group theory course for chemists was taught entirely with process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) to facilitate alternative strategies for learning. Students completed a test of one aspect of visuospatial aptitude to determine their individual approaches to solving spatial tasks, and were sorted into groups for analysis on the basis of…

Summary of small group discussions: Monitoring objectives and thresholds

Treesearch

Patricia Manley

2013-01-01

Workshop participants were asked to address sets of questions in small group discussions, which were subsequently brought to the entire group for discussion. The second set of questions was directed at identifying a set of degradation activities that could be a primary focus for developing or refining methods and techniques for monitoring:

The Classroom as Living Room: Using Group Support Systems to Promote Student Retention and Cognitive Growth in Adult Developmental Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Ruth E.

A project is described that was undertaken by the Developmental Studies Department at Wayne Community College (Michigan), an urban multi-campus institution of 25,000 students serving an entire county involving research in the psychology of the new adult learner. The approach used was to systematically build a classroom environment that responded…

Socialization and the "Middle" Child: A Twentieth Century Model of a Seventeenth Century Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leet, Pauline M.

The institution called the "junior high" was established in response to an accumulation of dissatisfaction with the education and with the socialization of the age group termed the "middle child", children in the 11th or 12th year through the 14th year. However, serious rethinking of the entire 7-12 sequence now needs to be undertaken. Studies are…

A collaborative design method to support integrated care. An ICT development method containing continuous user validation improves the entire care process and the individual work situation

PubMed Central

Scandurra, Isabella; Hägglund, Maria

2009-01-01

Introduction Integrated care involves different professionals, belonging to different care provider organizations and requires immediate and ubiquitous access to patient-oriented information, supporting an integrated view on the care process [1]. Purpose To present a method for development of usable and work process-oriented information and communication technology (ICT) systems for integrated care. Theory and method Based on Human-computer Interaction Science and in particular Participatory Design [2], we present a new collaborative design method in the context of health information systems (HIS) development [3]. This method implies a thorough analysis of the entire interdisciplinary cooperative work and a transformation of the results into technical specifications, via user validated scenarios, prototypes and use cases, ultimately leading to the development of appropriate ICT for the variety of occurring work situations for different user groups, or professions, in integrated care. Results and conclusions Application of the method in homecare of the elderly resulted in an HIS that was well adapted to the intended user groups. Conducted in multi-disciplinary seminars, the method captured and validated user needs and system requirements for different professionals, work situations, and environments not only for current work; it also aimed to improve collaboration in future (ICT supported) work processes. A holistic view of the entire care process was obtained and supported through different views of the HIS for different user groups, resulting in improved work in the entire care process as well as for each collaborating profession [4].

Reliability and construct validity of the Participation in Life Activities Scale for children and adolescents with asthma: an instrument evaluation study.

PubMed

Kintner, Eileen K; Sikorskii, Alla

2008-06-04

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the Participation in Life Activities Scale, an instrument designed to measure older school-age child and early adolescent level of involvement in chosen pursuits. A cross-sectional design was used. The convenience sample consisted of 313 school-age children and early adolescents with asthma, ages 9-15 years. The self-report summative scale of interest is a 3-indicator survey. Higher scores are reflective of higher levels of participation. Internal consistency reliability and construct validity for the entire sample and sub groups of the sample were evaluated. The instrument was deemed sound for the entire sample as well as sub groups based on sex, race, age, socioeconomic status, and severity of illness. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency reliability for the entire sample was .74. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a single component solution (loadings .79-.85) accounting for 66% of the explained variance. Construct validity was established by testing the posed relationship between participation in life activities scores and severity of illness. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit between the data and specified model, chi2(10, n = 302) = 8.074, p = .62. This instrument could be used (a) in clinical settings to diagnose restricted participation in desired activities, guide decision-making about treatment plans to increase participation, and motivate behavioral change in the management of asthma; and (b) in research settings to explore factors influencing and consequences of restricted and unrestricted participation, and as an outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of programs designed to foster child and early adolescent management of asthma.

Endovascular aortic sealing with Nellix reduces intraoperative radiation dose when compared to endovascular aortic repair.

PubMed

Ockert, Stefan; Heinrich, Mirjam; Kaufmann, Thomas; Syburra, Thomas; Lopez, Ruben; Seelos, Robert

2018-04-01

To analyze radiation exposure during endovascular aortic sealing (EVAS) in comparison with standard endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in clinical practice. From December 2013 to October 2016 (35 months), 60 patients were analyzed for intraoperative radiation exposure during EVAR: 30 consecutive patients (mean age, 73.10 years; 28 male) received EVAS (Nellix Endologix); within the same time frame, 30 patients were treated with standard EVAR (mean age, 71.87 years; 30 male). An indirect dose analysis was performed for both groups of patients, including effective dose and cumulative air kerma. Furthermore, fluoroscopy time (FT), dose area product, and time of procedure were included in the study. The effective dose was significantly reduced in the EVAS group (3.72 mSv) compared with the group treated with standard EVAR (6.8 mSv; P ≤ .001). The cumulative air kerma was also lowered in EVAS (67.65 mGy vs 139 mGy in EVAR; P ≤ .001). FT for the entire group was 13 minutes and was shorter (P < .001) for EVAS (9 minutes) in comparison with EVAR (19 minutes). The dose area product for the entire cohort was 16.95 Gy.cm 2 and was lower during EVAS (12.4 Gy.cm 2 ) than during EVAR (22.6 Gy.cm 2 ; P < .001). The median operating time for the entire group was 123.5 minutes and was significantly shorter (P < .01) for EVAS (119 minutes vs EVAR at 132 minutes). The FT shows a significant correlation with the patient's weight (P = .022), body mass index (P = .004), and time of procedure (P = .005). EVAS is associated with a relevant decrease in indirect measured radiation dose and time of procedure compared with standard EVAR. A relevant reduction in dose during EVAS is highly likely to result in lower exposure to radiation for physicians and staff. Such a result would be highly advantageous and calls for further analysis. Copyright © 2017 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

One-leg hop kinematics 20 years following anterior cruciate ligament rupture: Data revisited using functional data analysis.

PubMed

Hébert-Losier, Kim; Pini, Alessia; Vantini, Simone; Strandberg, Johan; Abramowicz, Konrad; Schelin, Lina; Häger, Charlotte K

2015-12-01

Despite interventions, anterior cruciate ligament ruptures can cause long-term deficits. To assist in identifying and treating deficiencies, 3D-motion analysis is used for objectivizing data. Conventional statistics are commonly employed to analyze kinematics, reducing continuous data series to discrete variables. Conversely, functional data analysis considers the entire data series. Here, we employ functional data analysis to examine and compare the entire time-domain of knee-kinematic curves from one-leg hops between and within three groups. All subjects (n=95) were part of a long-term follow-up study involving anterior cruciate ligament ruptures treated ~20 years ago conservatively with physiotherapy only or with reconstructive surgery and physiotherapy, and matched knee-healthy controls. Between-group differences (injured leg, treated groups; non-dominant leg, controls) were identified during the take-off and landing phases, and in the sagittal (flexion/extension) rather than coronal (abduction/adduction) and transverse (internal/external) planes. Overall, surgical and control groups demonstrated comparable knee-kinematic curves. However, compared to controls, the physiotherapy-only group exhibited less flexion during the take-off (0-55% of the normalized phase) and landing (44-73%) phase. Between-leg differences were absent in controls and the surgically treated group, but observed during the flight (4-22%, injured leg>flexion) and the landing (57-85%, injured leg

Normal and leukaemic human haemopoietic cells in diffusion chamber. A morphological and functional CFU-C study.

PubMed

Laurent, M; Clémancey-Marcille, G; Hollard, D

1980-03-01

Leukaemic human bone marrow and peripheral blood cells were cultured for 25 d in diffusion chambers implanted into cyclophosphamide treated mice. Normal bone marrow cells were cultured simultaneously. These cells were studied both morphologically and functionally (CFU-C). The leukaemic cells behaved heterogeneously, 2 groups being distinguishable in accordance with their initial in vitro growth pattern (1: no growth or microcluster growth. 2: macrocluster growth). Group I showed progressive cellular death with a diminution of granulocytic progenitors and the appearance of a predominantly macrophagic population. This behaviour resembled that of the control group. The initial microcluster growth pattern remained identical throughout the entire culture period. Group 2, after considerable cellular death up to d 5, showed an explosive proliferation of the granulocytic progenitors and incomplete differentiation (up to myelocyte). The initial macrocluster growth pattern remained identical.

Main predictors of periphyton species richness depend on adherence strategy and cell size

PubMed Central

Siqueira, Tadeu; Landeiro, Victor Lemes; Rodrigues, Liliana; Bonecker, Claudia Costa; Rodrigues, Luzia Cleide; Santana, Natália Fernanda; Thomaz, Sidinei Magela; Bini, Luis Mauricio

2017-01-01

Periphytic algae are important components of aquatic ecosystems. However, the factors driving periphyton species richness variation remain largely unexplored. Here, we used data from a subtropical floodplain (Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil) to quantify the influence of environmental variables (total suspended matter, temperature, conductivity, nutrient concentrations, hydrology, phytoplankton biomass, phytoplankton species richness, aquatic macrophyte species richness and zooplankton density) on overall periphytic algal species richness and on the richness of different algal groups defined by morphological traits (cell size and adherence strategy). We expected that the coefficients of determination of the models estimated for different trait-based groups would be higher than the model coefficient of determination of the entire algal community. We also expected that the relative importance of explanatory variables in predicting species richness would differ among algal groups. The coefficient of determination for the model used to predict overall periphytic algal species richness was higher than the ones obtained for models used to predict the species richness of the different groups. Thus, our first prediction was not supported. Species richness of aquatic macrophytes was the main predictor of periphyton species richness of the entire community and a significant predictor of the species richness of small mobile, large mobile and small-loosely attached algae. Abiotic variables, phytoplankton species richness, chlorophyll-a concentration, and hydrology were also significant predictors, depending on the group. These results suggest that habitat heterogeneity (as proxied by aquatic macrophytes richness) is important for maintaining periphyton species richness in floodplain environments. However, other factors played a role, suggesting that the analysis of species richness of different trait-based groups unveils relationships that were not detectable when the entire community was analysed together. PMID:28742122

Sixteen-Year Experience of David and Bentall Procedures in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

PubMed

Yang, Bo; Patel, Himanshu J; Sorek, Claire; Hornsby, Whitney E; Wu, Xiaoting; Ward, Sarah; Thomas, Marc; Driscoll, Anisa; Waidley, Victoria A; Norton, Elizabeth L; Likosky, Donald S; Deeb, G Michael

2018-03-01

To examine short-term and midterm outcomes after the David and Bentall procedures in patients with an acute type A aortic dissection. Between 2001 and 2017, patients (n = 135) with acute type A aortic dissection underwent an aortic root replacement with either the David (n = 40) or Bentall (n = 95) procedure. Perioperative outcome, reoperation rate, aortic valve function, and long-term survival were evaluated. The median age of the entire cohort was 56 years. Rates of malperfusion (21%), shock (16%), history of renal failure (4%), and extent of surgery were similar between David and Bentall groups. However, the David group was significantly younger (45 versus 61 years) with less hypertension (45% versus 66%), coronary artery disease (0% versus 17%), valvulopathy (5% versus 19%), and prior cardiac surgery (5% versus 21%). Overall operative mortality was 9.6% (David 3% and Bentall 13%). Composite outcome comprising myocardial infarction, stroke, new-onset renal failure, and operative mortality was 18% in the entire cohort (David 5% and Bentall 23%). In the David group, the freedom of moderate aortic insufficiency was 95% at 10 years. The rate of reoperation for pathology of the proximal aorta or aortic valve was 0% and 2% for the David and Bentall groups, respectively. Ten-year Kaplan-Meier survival was 66% (95% confidence interval: 51% to 77%) for the entire cohort, with 98% (95% confidence interval: 84% to 99%) survival in the David group and 57% (95% confidence interval: 42% to 70%) survival in the Bentall group. Both the David and Bentall procedures are appropriate surgical approaches for aortic root replacement in select patients with an acute type A aortic dissection. Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Growth, structural, spectral, optical, and thermal studies on amino acid based new NLO single crystal: L-phenylalanine-4-nitrophenol.

PubMed

Prakash, M; Lydia Caroline, M; Geetha, D

2013-05-01

A new organic nonlinear optical single crystal, L-phenylalanine-4-nitrophenol (LPAPN) belonging to the amino acid group has been successfully grown by slow evaporation technique. The lattice parameters of the grown crystal have been determined by X-ray diffraction studies. FT-IR spectrum was recorded to identify the presence of functional group and molecular structure was confirmed by NMR spectrum. Thermal strength of the grown crystal has been studied using TG-DTA analyses. The grown crystals were found to be transparent in the entire visible region. The existence of second harmonic generation signals was observed using Nd:YAG laser with fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Turkish Contribution to Journal of Neurosurgery and Acta Neurochirurgica.

PubMed

Altinors, Nur; Comert, Serhat; Sonmez, Erkin; Altinel, Faruk

2017-01-01

To evaluate the contribution of Turkish scientists to four journals published by Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS) Publishing Group and to Acta Neurochirurgica (AN) and to its Supplement (ANS). We reviewed every issue of those journals to December 2015 for the total number of articles, articles produced from studies performed entirely in Turkey, and for publications overseas co-authored by the Turkish scientists using the websites of these journals. Citations were searched using "Web of Science" and "Google Scholar" databases. The total number of articles published was 19822 for JNS, 3227 for JNS Spine, 2526 for JNS Pediatrics and 2997 for Neurosurgical Focus. Turkish contribution was 556 articles. 337 (60.61%) articles were the products of studies performed entirely in Turkey, while 219 (39.38%) articles came from overseas, co-authored by Turkish scientists. Overall contribution was 1.94%. A total of 6469 articles were published in AN. 340 papers were the products of studies performed entirely in Turkey. Turkish scientists working overseas co-authored 37 articles. Total contribution was 377 articles (5.82%). 4134 papers had been published in ANS. Contribution was 69 articles (1.66%). Turkish contribution to these journals has started late. The gap has been compensated with publications in the last two decades. Manuscripts of higher scientific level with greater number of citations are needed to increase Turkish contribution to such journals.

Efficacy and safety of flavocoxid compared with naproxen in subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee- a subset analysis.

PubMed

Levy, Robert; Khokhlov, Alexander; Kopenkin, Sergey; Bart, Boris; Ermolova, Tatiana; Kantemirova, Raiasa; Mazurov, Vadim; Bell, Marjorie; Caldron, Paul; Pillai, Lakshmi; Burnett, Bruce

2010-12-01

twice-daily flavocoxid, a cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor with potent antioxidant activity of botanical origin, was evaluated for 12 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, active-comparator study against naproxen in 220 subjects with moderate-severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. As previously reported, both groups noted a significant reduction in the signs and symptoms of OA with no detectable differences in efficacy between the groups when the entire intent-to-treat population was considered. This post-hoc analysis compares the efficacy of flavocoxid to naproxen in different subsets of patients, specifically those related to age, gender, and disease severity as reported at baseline for individual response parameters. in the original randomized, double-blind study, 220 subjects were assigned to receive either flavocoxid (500 mg twice daily) or naproxen (500 mg twice daily) for 12 weeks. In this subgroup analysis, primary outcome measures including the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA index and subscales, timed walk, and secondary efficacy variables, including investigator global assessment for disease and global response to treatment, subject visual analog scale for discomfort, overall disease activity, global response to treatment, index joint tenderness and mobility, were evaluated for differing trends between the study groups. subset analyses revealed some statistically significant differences and some notable trends in favor of the flavocoxid group. These trends became stronger the longer the subjects continued on therapy. These observations were specifically noted in older subjects (>60 years), males and in subjects with milder disease, particularly those with lower subject global assessment of disease activity and investigator global assessment for disease and faster walking times at baseline. initial analysis of the entire intent-to-treat population revealed that flavocoxid was as effective as naproxen in managing the signs and symptoms of OA of the knee. Detailed analyses of subject subsets demonstrated distinct trends in favor of flavocoxid for specific groups of subjects.

QSPR models for half-wave reduction potential of steroids: a comparative study between feature selection and feature extraction from subsets of or entire set of descriptors.

PubMed

Hemmateenejad, Bahram; Yazdani, Mahdieh

2009-02-16

Steroids are widely distributed in nature and are found in plants, animals, and fungi in abundance. A data set consists of a diverse set of steroids have been used to develop quantitative structure-electrochemistry relationship (QSER) models for their half-wave reduction potential. Modeling was established by means of multiple linear regression (MLR) and principle component regression (PCR) analyses. In MLR analysis, the QSPR models were constructed by first grouping descriptors and then stepwise selection of variables from each group (MLR1) and stepwise selection of predictor variables from the pool of all calculated descriptors (MLR2). Similar procedure was used in PCR analysis so that the principal components (or features) were extracted from different group of descriptors (PCR1) and from entire set of descriptors (PCR2). The resulted models were evaluated using cross-validation, chance correlation, application to prediction reduction potential of some test samples and accessing applicability domain. Both MLR approaches represented accurate results however the QSPR model found by MLR1 was statistically more significant. PCR1 approach produced a model as accurate as MLR approaches whereas less accurate results were obtained by PCR2 approach. In overall, the correlation coefficients of cross-validation and prediction of the QSPR models resulted from MLR1, MLR2 and PCR1 approaches were higher than 90%, which show the high ability of the models to predict reduction potential of the studied steroids.

Selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in surficial materials of the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shacklette, Hansford T.; Boerngen, Josephine G.; Keith, John R.

1974-01-01

Concentrations of selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in 912, 911, and 910 samples, respectively, of soils and other regoliths from sites approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart throughout the United States are represented on maps by symbols showing five ranges of values. Histograms of the concentrations of these elements are also given. The geometric-mean concentrations (ppm) in the samples, grouped by area, are as follows: Selenium-- Entire United States, 0.31; Western United States, 0.25; and Eastern United States, 0.39. Fluorine-- Entire United States, 180; Western United States, 250; and Eastern United States, 115. Arsenic-- Entire United States, 5.8; Western United States, 6.1; and Eastern United States, 5.4.

Claims about the Reliability of Student Evaluations of Instruction: The Ecological Fallacy Rides Again

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morley, Donald D.

2012-01-01

The vast majority of the research on student evaluation of instruction has assessed the reliability of groups of courses and yielded either a single reliability coefficient for the entire group, or grouped reliability coefficients for each student evaluation of teaching (SET) item. This manuscript argues that these practices constitute a form of…

A Resource Guide for the Maryland Plan's Group Project and Line Production.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Gerald F.

This guide was developed for teachers who are using the Maryland Plan's group processes--the group project and line production methods. The guide is divided into four sections. The first section is an overview of the entire Maryland Plan. It describes the program which provides high school industrial arts students, from seventh grade through ninth…

The Technician's Peer Groups: A Review of Some Research on High School Students. Engineering Technology Education Study Report No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defore, Jesse J.

This paper describes briefly the secondary education milieu from which has come students in engineering technology education programs. The paper is based entirely on the published reports of other writers and is intended only to provide an overview of the research which has been done on the American high school, on American high school students,…

Self-Esteem of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Regular and Special Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesar, Irena; Smrtnik Vitulic, Helena

2014-01-01

The study focuses on the self-esteem of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students from Slovenia. A total of 80 D/HH students from regular and special primary schools (grades 6-9) and from regular and special secondary schools (grades 1-4) completed the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (Lamovec 1994). For the entire group of D/HH students, the results of…

The gender gap reloaded: are school characteristics linked to labor market performance?

PubMed

Konstantopoulos, Spyros; Constant, Amelie

2008-06-01

This study examines the wage gender gap of young adults in the 1970s, 1980s, and 2000 in the US. Using quantile regression we estimate the gender gap across the entire wage distribution. We also study the importance of high school characteristics in predicting future labor market performance. We conduct analyses for three major racial/ethnic groups in the US: Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, employing data from two rich longitudinal studies: NLS and NELS. Our results indicate that while some school characteristics are positive and significant predictors of future wages for Whites, they are less so for the two minority groups. We find significant wage gender disparities favoring men across all three surveys in the 1970s, 1980s, and 2000. The wage gender gap is more pronounced in higher paid jobs (90th quantile) for all groups, indicating the presence of a persistent and alarming "glass ceiling."

Chronic effect of static stretching on strength performance and basal serum IGF-1 levels.

PubMed

Borges Bastos, Carmen L; Miranda, Humberto; Vale, Rodrigo Gomes de Souza; Portal, Maria de Nazaré; Gomes, M Thiago; Novaes, Jefferson da Silva; Winchester, Jason B

2013-09-01

Improving the process of how physical performance is enhanced is one of the main topics evaluated by physiologists. This process often involves athletes and nonathletic populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the chronic response to 10 weeks of static stretching exercises carried out before and during a strength training program for 8 exercises on an 8 repetition maximum (8RM) test performance, and basal serum insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) levels. Thirty recreationally trained volunteers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 training groups: (a) SBST (performed a warm-up with a static stretching protocol before each strength training session); (b) SDST (before each training set, a static stretching exercise was performed); and (c) OST (entire session was performed without any type of stretching exercise). Strength and IGF-1 levels were collected at the beginning (pretest) and end (posttest) of the entire experimental procedure. All the exercises showed a significant increase in muscle strength for the OST group. However, the results revealed a significant increase in the muscle strength for only a few exercises in the SBST (LP, LE) and SDST (LP) experimental conditions. Significant statistical differences were found between SBST and SDST for all the exercises in the OST experimental condition. Furthermore, the IGF-1 expression showed no significant differences in the intragroup analysis. However, the OST group showed higher values (p < 0.05) in the posttest when compared with those of the other groups (increased significantly only in the OST experimental condition). It has been concluded that, although all the groups showed an increase in muscular strength, the strength training performed without any type of stretching exercise, regardless of whether the stretching is performed before or during the lifting session, can more effectively increase muscle strength and basal serum IGF-1 levels. It was concluded that strength training, with or without the use of stretching exercises, increased muscular strength in the studied groups, and can induce an increase in IGF-1 levels.

Spectrum of Spinal Cord, Spinal Root, and Brain MRI Abnormalities in Congenital Zika Syndrome with and without Arthrogryposis.

PubMed

Aragao, M F V V; Brainer-Lima, A M; Holanda, A C; van der Linden, V; Vasco Aragão, L; Silva Júnior, M L M; Sarteschi, C; Petribu, N C L; Valença, M M

2017-05-01

Arthrogryposis is among the malformations of congenital Zika syndrome. Similar to the brain, there might exist a spectrum of spinal cord abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe in detail the MR imaging features found in the spinal cords, nerve roots, and brains of children with congenital Zika syndrome with and without arthrogryposis. Twelve infants with congenital Zika syndrome (4 with arthrogryposis and 8 without) who had undergone brain and spinal cord MR imaging were retrospectively selected. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed and compared between groups. At visual inspection, both groups showed reduced thoracic spinal cord thickness: 75% (6/8) of the group without arthrogryposis and 100% (4/4) of the arthrogryposis group. However, the latter had the entire spinal cord reduced and more severely reduced conus medullaris anterior roots (respectively, P = .002 and .007). Quantitative differences were found for conus medullaris base and cervical and lumbar intumescences diameters (respectively, P = .008, .048, .008), with more prominent reduction in arthrogryposis. Periventricular calcifications were more frequent in infants with arthrogryposis ( P = .018). Most infants had some degree of spinal cord thickness reduction, predominant in the thoracic segment (without arthrogryposis) or in the entire spinal cord (with arthrogryposis). The conus medullaris anterior roots were reduced in both groups (thinner in arthrogryposis). A prominent anterior median fissure of the spinal cord was absent in infants without arthrogryposis. Brain stem hypoplasia was present in all infants with arthrogryposis, periventricular calcifications, in the majority, and polymicrogyria was absent. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

A Pilot Trial of Mindfulness Meditation Training for ADHD in Adulthood: Impact on Core Symptoms, Executive Functioning, and Emotion Dysregulation.

PubMed

Mitchell, John T; McIntyre, Elizabeth M; English, Joseph S; Dennis, Michelle F; Beckham, Jean C; Kollins, Scott H

2017-11-01

Mindfulness meditation training is garnering increasing empirical interest as an intervention for ADHD in adulthood, although no studies of mindfulness as a standalone treatment have included a sample composed entirely of adults with ADHD or a comparison group. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of mindfulness meditation for ADHD, executive functioning (EF), and emotion dysregulation symptoms in an adult ADHD sample. Adults with ADHD were stratified by ADHD medication status and otherwise randomized into an 8-week group-based mindfulness treatment ( n = 11) or waitlist group ( n = 9). Treatment feasibility and acceptability were positive. In addition, self-reported ADHD and EF symptoms (assessed in the laboratory and ecological momentary assessment), clinician ratings of ADHD and EF symptoms, and self-reported emotion dysregulation improved for the treatment group relative to the waitlist group over time with large effect sizes. Improvement was not observed for EF tasks. Findings support preliminary treatment efficacy, though require larger trials.

Alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer use in military settings: a prospective cohort study of Army basic trainees.

PubMed

Mott, Peter J; Sisk, Brian W; Arbogast, James W; Ferrazzano-Yaussy, Cristina; Bondi, Cara A M; Sheehan, James J

2007-11-01

We investigated the impact of a customized alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer hand-hygiene regimen in an Army basic training setting. The entire population at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, participated in the 13-week prospective cohort study between January 18, 2005 and April 18, 2005. Two training battalions were randomly assigned to the control group, one to the primary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen, education, reinforcement) and one to the secondary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen). When compared to the control group, intervention groups experienced 40% less respiratory illness (p < 0.001), 48% less gastrointestinal illness (p < 0.02), 44% less lost training time (p < 0.001), and 31% fewer health care encounters (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that this intervention is capable of significantly reducing illness in this setting and has the potential to help reduce absenteeism in the military workforce as a whole.

Dose-response effects of a Web-based physical activity program on body composition and metabolic health in inactive older adults: additional analyses of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Vroege, David P; Wijsman, Carolien A; Broekhuizen, Karen; de Craen, Anton J M; van Heemst, Diana; van der Ouderaa, Frans J G; van Mechelen, Willem; Slagboom, P Eline; Catt, Michael; Westendorp, Rudi G J; Verhagen, Evert A L M; Mooijaart, Simon P

2014-12-04

Low physical activity is a major risk factor for several age-related diseases. Recently, we showed in a randomized controlled trial that a 12-week Web-based intervention (Philips DirectLife) to increase physical activity was effective in increasing physical activity levels and metabolic health in an inactive population aged 60-70 years. The goal of this paper was to assess how many participants successfully reached the physical activity level as targeted by the intervention and what the effects of the intervention on body composition and metabolic health in these successful individuals were to provide insight in the maximum attainable effect of the intervention. Among the 235 participants in a randomized controlled trial of the Actief en Gezond Oud (AGO) study, we assessed the effects of the intervention on metabolic parameters in those who had successfully reached their personalized physical activity target compared with the entire intervention group. Furthermore, we studied the dose-response effect of increase in physical activity on metabolic outcome within the intervention group. Of the intervention group, 50 of 119 (42.0%) participants successfully reached the physical activity target (corresponding to a 10% increased daily physical activity on average). This group showed markedly higher effects of the intervention compared to the entire intervention group, with greater decreases in body weight (2.74 vs 1.49 kg), waist circumference (3.74 vs 2.33 cm), insulin resistance (HOMA index: 0.23 vs 0.20), and in cholesterol/HDL ratio (0.39 vs 0.20) and Framingham risk score (0.90% vs 0.54%). We found that men compared to women were more likely to be successful. The dose-response analysis showed that there was a significant association between increase in minutes spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity and body weight loss, BMI reduction, waist circumference reduction, HDL cholesterol increasing, and cholesterol/HDL ratio lowering. Of the intervention group, 42.0% (50/119) reached their daily physical activity end goal, which was associated with a markedly better effect on body composition and metabolic health compared to the effect in the entire intervention group. In this population, men are more likely to be successful in increasing physical activity. Findings demonstrate that improving the effect of such physical activity interventions requires finding new ways to increase the proportion of the population reaching the targeted goal. Dutch Trial Registry: NTR 3045; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=3045 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6KPw52dCc).

Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases in the Semipalatinsk Historical Cohort, 1960–1999, and its Relationship to Radiation Exposure

PubMed Central

Grosche, Bernd; Lackland, Daniel T.; Land, Charles E.; Simon, Steven L.; Apsalikov, Kazbek N.; Pivina, Ludmilla M.; Bauere, Susanne; Gusev, Boris I.

2013-01-01

The data on risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease due to radiation exposure at low or medium doses are inconsistent. This paper reports an analysis of the Semipalatinsk historical cohort exposed to radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan. The cohort study, which includes 19,545 persons of exposed and comparison villages in the Semipalatinsk region, had been set up in the 1960s and comprises 582,656 person-years of follow-up between 1960 and 1999. A dosimetric approach developed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been used. Radiation dose estimates in this cohort range from 0 to 630 mGy (wholebody external). Overall, the exposed population showed a high mortality from cardiovascular disease. Rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease in the exposed group substantially exceeded those of the comparison group. Dose–response analyses were conducted for both the entire cohort and the exposed group only. A dose–response relationship that was found when analyzing the entire cohort could be explained completely by differences between the baseline rates in exposed and unexposed groups. When taking this difference into account, no statistically significant dose–response relationship for all cardiovascular disease, for heart disease, or for stroke was found. Our results suggest that within this population and at the level of doses estimated, there is no detectable risk of radiation related mortality from cardiovascular disease. PMID:21787182

Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the Semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960-1999, and its relationship to radiation exposure.

PubMed

Grosche, Bernd; Lackland, Daniel T; Land, Charles E; Simon, Steven L; Apsalikov, Kazbek N; Pivina, Ludmilla M; Bauer, Susanne; Gusev, Boris I

2011-11-01

The data on risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease due to radiation exposure at low or medium doses are inconsistent. This paper reports an analysis of the Semipalatinsk historical cohort exposed to radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan. The cohort study, which includes 19,545 persons of exposed and comparison villages in the Semipalatinsk region, had been set up in the 1960s and comprises 582,656 person-years of follow-up between 1960 and 1999. A dosimetric approach developed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been used. Radiation dose estimates in this cohort range from 0 to 630 mGy (whole-body external). Overall, the exposed population showed a high mortality from cardiovascular disease. Rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease in the exposed group substantially exceeded those of the comparison group. Dose-response analyses were conducted for both the entire cohort and the exposed group only. A dose-response relationship that was found when analyzing the entire cohort could be explained completely by differences between the baseline rates in exposed and unexposed groups. When taking this difference into account, no statistically significant dose-response relationship for all cardiovascular disease, for heart disease, or for stroke was found. Our results suggest that within this population and at the level of doses estimated, there is no detectable risk of radiation-related mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Impact of Methamphetamine on Regional Metabolism and Cerebral Blood Flow after Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

O'Phelan, Kristine; Ernst, Thomas; Park, Dalnam; Stenger, Andrew; Denny, Katherine; Green, Deborah; Chang, Cherylee; Chang, Linda

2014-01-01

Substance abuse is a frequent comorbid condition among patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), but little is known about its potential additive or interactive effects on tissue injury or recovery from TBI. This study aims to evaluate changes in regional metabolism and cerebral perfusion in subjects who used methamphetamine(METH) prior to sustaining a TBI. We hypothesized that METH use would decrease pericontusional cerebral perfusion and markers of neuronal metabolism, in TBI patients compared to those without METH use. Methods This is a single center prospective observational study. Adults with moderate and severe TBI were included. MRI scanning was performed on a 3 Tesla scanner. MP-RAGE and FLAIR sequences as well as Metabolite spectra of NAA and lactate in pericontusional and contralateral voxels identified on the MP-RAGE scans. A spiral-based FAIR sequence was used for the acquisition of cerebral blood flow (CBF) maps. Regional CBF images were analyzed using Image J open source software. Pericontusional and contralateral CBF, NAA and lactate were assessed in the entire cohort and in the METH and non-METH groups. Results 17 subjects completed the MR studies. Analysis of entire cohort: Pericontusional NAA concentrations (5.81 ± 2.0 mM/kg) were 12% lower compared to the contralateral NAA (6.98 ± 1.2 mM/kg; p=0.03). Lactate concentrations and CBF were not significantly different between the two regions, however, regional cerebral blood flow was equally reduced in the two regions. Subgroup analysis: 41% of subjects tested positive for METH. The mean age, Glasgow Coma Scale and time to scan did not differ between groups. The two subject groups also had similar regional NAA and lactate. Pericontusional CBF was 60% lower in the METH users than the non-users, p=0.04; contralateral CBF did not differ between the groups. Conclusion This small study demonstrates that tissue metabolism is regionally heterogeneous after TBI and pericontusional perfusion was significantly reduced in the METH subgroup. PMID:23836426

Effect of rater training on reliability and accuracy of mini-CEX scores: a randomized, controlled trial.

PubMed

Cook, David A; Dupras, Denise M; Beckman, Thomas J; Thomas, Kris G; Pankratz, V Shane

2009-01-01

Mini-CEX scores assess resident competence. Rater training might improve mini-CEX score interrater reliability, but evidence is lacking. Evaluate a rater training workshop using interrater reliability and accuracy. Randomized trial (immediate versus delayed workshop) and single-group pre/post study (randomized groups combined). Academic medical center. Fifty-two internal medicine clinic preceptors (31 randomized and 21 additional workshop attendees). The workshop included rater error training, performance dimension training, behavioral observation training, and frame of reference training using lecture, video, and facilitated discussion. Delayed group received no intervention until after posttest. Mini-CEX ratings at baseline (just before workshop for workshop group), and four weeks later using videotaped resident-patient encounters; mini-CEX ratings of live resident-patient encounters one year preceding and one year following the workshop; rater confidence using mini-CEX. Among 31 randomized participants, interrater reliabilities in the delayed group (baseline intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.43, follow-up 0.53) and workshop group (baseline 0.40, follow-up 0.43) were not significantly different (p = 0.19). Mean ratings were similar at baseline (delayed 4.9 [95% confidence interval 4.6-5.2], workshop 4.8 [4.5-5.1]) and follow-up (delayed 5.4 [5.0-5.7], workshop 5.3 [5.0-5.6]; p = 0.88 for interaction). For the entire cohort, rater confidence (1 = not confident, 6 = very confident) improved from mean (SD) 3.8 (1.4) to 4.4 (1.0), p = 0.018. Interrater reliability for ratings of live encounters (entire cohort) was higher after the workshop (ICC 0.34) than before (ICC 0.18) but the standard error of measurement was similar for both periods. Rater training did not improve interrater reliability or accuracy of mini-CEX scores. clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00667940

Sample size for post-marketing safety studies based on historical controls.

PubMed

Wu, Yu-te; Makuch, Robert W

2010-08-01

As part of a drug's entire life cycle, post-marketing studies are an important part in the identification of rare, serious adverse events. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to implement new post-marketing safety mandates as a consequence of increased emphasis on safety. The purpose of this research is to provide exact sample size formula for the proposed hybrid design, based on a two-group cohort study with incorporation of historical external data. Exact sample size formula based on the Poisson distribution is developed, because the detection of rare events is our outcome of interest. Performance of exact method is compared to its approximate large-sample theory counterpart. The proposed hybrid design requires a smaller sample size compared to the standard, two-group prospective study design. In addition, the exact method reduces the number of subjects required in the treatment group by up to 30% compared to the approximate method for the study scenarios examined. The proposed hybrid design satisfies the advantages and rationale of the two-group design with smaller sample sizes generally required. 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ambient belonging: how stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science.

PubMed

Cheryan, Sapna; Plaut, Victoria C; Davies, Paul G; Steele, Claude M

2009-12-01

People can make decisions to join a group based solely on exposure to that group's physical environment. Four studies demonstrate that the gender difference in interest in computer science is influenced by exposure to environments associated with computer scientists. In Study 1, simply changing the objects in a computer science classroom from those considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., Star Trek poster, video games) to objects not considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., nature poster, phone books) was sufficient to boost female undergraduates' interest in computer science to the level of their male peers. Further investigation revealed that the stereotypical broadcast a masculine stereotype that discouraged women's sense of ambient belonging and subsequent interest in the environment (Studies 2, 3, and 4) but had no similar effect on men (Studies 3, 4). This masculine stereotype prevented women's interest from developing even in environments entirely populated by other women (Study 2). Objects can thus come to broadcast stereotypes of a group, which in turn can deter people who do not identify with these stereotypes from joining that group.

The impacts of racial group membership on people's distributive justice: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Tang, Yi-Yuan; Deng, Yuqin

2014-04-16

How individuals and societies distribute benefits has long been studied by psychologists and sociologists. Previous work has highlighted the importance of social identity on people's justice concerns. However, it is not entirely clear how racial in-group/out-group relationship affects the brain activity in distributive justice. In this study, event-related potentials were recorded while participants made their decisions about donation allocation. Behavioral results showed that racial in-group factor affected participants' decisions on justice consideration. Participants were more likely to make relatively equity decisions when racial in-group factor was congruent with equity compared with the corresponding incongruent condition. Moreover, this incongruent condition took longer response times than congruent condition. Meanwhile, less equity decisions were made when efficiency was larger in the opposite side to equity than it was equal between the two options. Scalp event-related potential analyses revealed that greater P300 and late positive potential amplitudes were elicited by the incongruent condition compared with the congruent condition. These findings suggest that the decision-making of distributive justice could be modulated by racial group membership, and greater attentional resources or cognitive efforts are required when racial in-group factor and equity conflict with each other.

PubMed Central

Wahlbuhl-Becker, Mandy; Faschingbauer, Florian; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Schneider, Holm

2017-01-01

Background X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), the most common form of ectodermal dysplasia, is caused by mutations in the gene EDA. While only affected men develop the full-blown clinical picture, females who are heterozygous for an EDA mutation often also show symptoms such as hypodontia, hypotrichosis and hypohidrosis. These women may also suffer from malformations of the mammary gland which represent not just a cosmetic problem but can limit their breastfeeding capability. This paper summarizes the findings of the first systematic study on the impact of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia on breastfeeding. Patients Thirty-eight adult female members of the German-Swiss-Austrian ectodermal dysplasia patient support group participated in a structured interview; most of them also agreed to a photodocumentation of their mammary region. Thirty-one women carried mutations in EDA (Group A) and seven were affected by other forms of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (Group B). Results 39 % of the women of Group A reported that their breasts were of different size or entirely absent on one side. In Group B, 86 % of the women reported differently sized or even absent breasts; two of these women lacked both breasts entirely. Most women described their nipples as exceptionally flat. 10 % of the women of Group A had more than two nipples. The high percentage of deviations from the norm was confirmed in the photodocumentation. Both groups had few or no sebaceous glands of Montgomery in the areolar region. Around 80 % of interviewed women had children and had attempted to breastfeed their first child. 67 % of the mothers in Group A had had difficulty in breastfeeding their infants and generally attributed this difficulty to their flat nipples. All of the mothers in Group B reported difficulties in breastfeeding; 60 % had not been able to breastfeed their first child. Conclusion Mothers with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia very often have difficulty in breastfeeding because of their impaired breast development. This causal relationship needs to be taken into account in lactation counseling. PMID:28553001

Identifying Immune Drivers of Gulf War Illness Using a Novel Daily Sampling Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

fibromyalgia would be exciting because it would mean advances and treatments in one group could be generalized to the other. There are several advances...non-veteran men with fibromyalgia (FM). These simple analyses were run on the entire group. We hypothesized that the GWI group would demonstrate...coefficient of variation) of Eotaxin-1 and IL-1beta than did the healthy group. Interestingly, the fibromyalgia group ALSO showed elevated variability in

The Building Blocks of Preschool Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beauchat, Katherine A.; Blamey, Katrin L.; Walpole, Sharon

2010-01-01

Written expressly for preschool teachers, this engaging book explains the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of implementing best practices for instruction in the preschool classroom. The authors show how to target key areas of language and literacy development across the entire school day, including whole-group and small-group activities, center…

Ozone personal exposures and health effects for selected groups residing in the Fraser Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brauer, Michael; Brook, Jeffrey R.

Due to concern regarding poor ambient air quality in the Fraser Valley, a series of exposure and health effects assessments were performed to evaluate the impact of summer photochemical air pollution. In 1992 and 1993, three groups of individuals were selected for personal monitoring of ozone exposure, based on prior expectations of their activity patterns. The first group spent a majority of the work day indoors or commuting, the second group spent more time outdoors and the third group spent the entire personal monitoring period outdoors. Time-activity data were collected for the first two groups and differences in personal ozone exposures were found to be associated with the fraction of time a person spent outdoors. Similarly, differences among groups in the mean ozone exposure were associated with time spent outdoors. These results and other exposure information were used to design a study of the health impacts of summer ambient air pollution that was conducted during the time period of the Pacific'93 field campaign. Aerosol acidity levels in the Fraser Valley were observed to be very low in 1992 so the health study focused on the effects of ozone exposure. The subjects were adult farm workers (26 male, 32 female; mean age 44.4, range 10-69) who spent the entire working day outdoors (a subset of group 3 above). Lung function measurements were made twice daily on each subject, once before and once after their work shift, from 23 June-26 August 1993. Ambient O 3 concentrations were measured continuously at several nearby locations. In a regression model including individual lung function level, date, temperature and daily maximum O 3, a statistically significant ( p < 0.001) negative association was observed between ozone and lung function. This association between ozone and reduced lung function was still apparent the following day, suggesting a persistent ozone effect. These results indicate that exposure to ambient O 3 concentrations below either the U.S. NAAQS (120 ppb) or the Canadian Air Quality Objective (82 ppb) may have an adverse effect on the lung function of people engaged in outdoor work for several hours a day.

[Three Years Follow-up Study after Refractive Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) Using 500 kHz Femtosecond Laser in "Fast Mode"].

PubMed

Messerschmidt-Roth, A; Sekundo, W; Lazaridis, A; Schulze, S

2017-01-01

Background   The aim of this clinical trial was to check the results of laser built-in settings 3 years after ReLEx SMILE for moderate and high myopia in unselected "real life" patients. Patients and Methods   50 myopic eyes of 27 patients were called in for examination after 3 years. 25 of these eyes with a preoperative myopia under - 6D comprised the "moderate myopia subgroup". All surgeries were performed with the 500 kHz VisuMax® femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena) in the "fast mode" setting. Results   The spherical equivalent (SE) of the entire group changed from - 6.18 D (± 1.91) prior to surgery to - 0.18 D (± 0.39) 3 years later. The preoperative SE in the moderate myopia subgroup changed from - 4.71 D (± 0.94) to - 0.04 D (± 0.23). 14 % of 50 eyes gained one line and 22 % lost one line of CDVA. The regression between month 3 and 36 was 0.07D for the entire group and 0.06 D for the moderate myopia subgroup. There were no late side effects. Primary undercorrection was predominantly seen in eyes over - 6 D. Conclusion   ReLEx SMILE shows remarkable stability over the entire range of myopias after 3 years, however primary undercorrection occurs predominantly in eyes of - 6.0 D, which necessitates nomogram adjustment. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Adjunctive yoga v. health education for persistent major depression: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Uebelacker, L A; Tremont, G; Gillette, L T; Epstein-Lubow, G; Strong, D R; Abrantes, A M; Tyrka, A R; Tran, T; Gaudiano, B A; Miller, I W

2017-09-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether hatha yoga is an efficacious adjunctive intervention for individuals with continued depressive symptoms despite antidepressant treatment. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of weekly yoga classes (n = 63) v. health education classes (Healthy Living Workshop; HLW; n = 59) in individuals with elevated depression symptoms and antidepressant medication use. HLW served as an attention-control group. The intervention period was 10 weeks, with follow-up assessments 3 and 6 months afterwards. The primary outcome was depression symptom severity assessed by blind rater at 10 weeks. Secondary outcomes included depression symptoms over the entire intervention and follow-up periods, social and role functioning, general health perceptions, pain, and physical functioning. At 10 weeks, we did not find a statistically significant difference between groups in depression symptoms (b = -0.82, s.e. = 0.88, p = 0.36). However, over the entire intervention and follow-up period, when controlling for baseline, yoga participants showed lower levels of depression than HLW participants (b = -1.38, s.e. = 0.57, p = 0.02). At 6-month follow-up, 51% of yoga participants demonstrated a response (⩾50% reduction in depression symptoms) compared with 31% of HLW participants (odds ratio = 2.31; p = 0.04). Yoga participants showed significantly better social and role functioning and general health perceptions over time. Although we did not see a difference in depression symptoms at the end of the intervention period, yoga participants showed fewer depression symptoms over the entire follow-up period. Benefits of yoga may accumulate over time.

Spinal cord blood flow and ischemic injury after experimental sacrifice of thoracic and abdominal segmental arteries.

PubMed

Etz, Christian D; Homann, Tobias M; Luehr, Maximilian; Kari, Fabian A; Weisz, Donald J; Kleinman, George; Plestis, Konstadinos A; Griepp, Randall B

2008-06-01

Spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) after sacrifice of thoracoabdominal aortic segmental arteries (TAASA) during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair remains poorly understood. This study explored SCBF for 72 h after sacrifice of all TAASA. Fourteen juvenile Yorkshire pigs underwent complete serial TAASA sacrifice (T4-L5). Six control pigs underwent anesthesia and cooling to 32 degrees C with no TAASA sacrifice. In the experimental animals, spinal cord function was continuously monitored using motor evoked potentials (MEPs) until 1h after clamping the last TAASA. Fluorescent microspheres enabled segmental measurement of SCBF along the entire spinal cord before, and 5 min, 1 h, 5 h, 24 h and 72 h after complete TAASA sacrifice. A modified Tarlov score was obtained for 3 days after surgery. All the pigs with complete TAASA sacrifice retained normal cord function (MEP) until 1h after TAASA ligation. Seven pigs (50%) with complete TAASA sacrifice recovered after 72 h; seven pigs suffered paraparesis or paraplegia. Intraoperatively, and until 1h postoperatively, SCBF was similar among the three groups along the entire cord. Postoperatively, SCBF did not decrease in any group, but significant hyperemia occurred at 5h in controls and recovery animals, but did not occur in pigs that developed paraparesis or paraplegia in the T8-L2 segments (p=0.0002) and L3-S segments (p=0.0007). At 24h, SCBF remained marginally lower from T8 caudally; at 72h, SCBF was similar among all groups along the entire cord. SCBF in the segments T8-L2 at 5h predicted functional recovery (p=0.003). This study suggests that critical spinal cord ischemia after complete TAASA sacrifice does not occur immediately (intraoperatively), but is delayed 1-5h or longer after clamping, and represents failure to mount a hyperemic response to rewarming and awakening. The short duration of low SCBF associated with spinal cord injury suggests that hemodynamic and metabolic manipulation lasting only 24-72 h may allow routine preservation of normal cord function despite sacrifice of all TAASA secondary to surgical or endovascular repair of large TAAA.

Are sex differences in fundamental motor skills uniform throughout the entire preschool period?

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess differences in fundamental motor skills (FMS) proficiency between boys and girls of each age group, independently, across the entire preschool period. Using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–second edition, FMS proficiency was tested in 325 preschoolers (4.9 ± 1.1 y, range 3–6) using a cross-sectional design. Compared to boys of the same age, 3- and 4-year-old girls had greater total (p < .01), fine motor skill (p < .01), and balance scores (p < .05). There were no sex differences for total test or balance scores in 5- and 6-year-olds, but 6-year-old boys outperformed girls in aiming and catching (p < .001). These data not only agree with previous research in that sex differences in FMS proficiency exist in preschool children, but the data also show that differences may not be uniform throughout the whole preschool period when analyzing by age. To avoid under- or overestimating FMS proficiency and subsequently prescribing inaccurate motor intervention programs, FMS proficiency normative values should be age- and sex-specific throughout the entire preschool period. PMID:28448557

Latin America Report No. 2672.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-28

Studied by Venezuela (CANA, 10 Apr 83) 57 - b - Timber Sale Contract Signed With PRC (CANA, 10 Apr 83) 58 Briefs New French Envoy 59...distinguish two epochs here. In this entire stage of growth of Peronist activity—which was massive in some cases like the Cordobazo where there were...Answer] These were side groups which—as in the case of Tacuara and the Na- tionalist Restoration Guard—were generally tied to the intelligence services

Preventing Childhood Malaria in Africa by Protecting Adults from Mosquitoes with Insecticide-Treated Nets

PubMed Central

Killeen, Gerry F; Smith, Tom A; Ferguson, Heather M; Mshinda, Hassan; Abdulla, Salim; Lengeler, Christian; Kachur, Steven P

2007-01-01

Background Malaria prevention in Africa merits particular attention as the world strives toward a better life for the poorest. Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) represent a practical means to prevent malaria in Africa, so scaling up coverage to at least 80% of young children and pregnant women by 2010 is integral to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Targeting individual protection to vulnerable groups is an accepted priority, but community-level impacts of broader population coverage are largely ignored even though they may be just as important. We therefore estimated coverage thresholds for entire populations at which individual- and community-level protection are equivalent, representing rational targets for ITN coverage beyond vulnerable groups. Methods and Findings Using field-parameterized malaria transmission models, we show that high (80% use) but exclusively targeted coverage of young children and pregnant women (representing <20% of the population) will deliver limited protection and equity for these vulnerable groups. In contrast, relatively modest coverage (35%–65% use, with this threshold depending on ecological scenario and net quality) of all adults and children, rather than just vulnerable groups, can achieve equitable community-wide benefits equivalent to or greater than personal protection. Conclusions Coverage of entire populations will be required to accomplish large reductions of the malaria burden in Africa. While coverage of vulnerable groups should still be prioritized, the equitable and communal benefits of wide-scale ITN use by older children and adults should be explicitly promoted and evaluated by national malaria control programmes. ITN use by the majority of entire populations could protect all children in such communities, even those not actually covered by achieving existing personal protection targets of the MDG, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, or the US President's Malaria Initiative. PMID:17608562

Uneven Meibomian Gland Dropout Over the Tarsal Plate and its Correlation With Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

PubMed

Yin, Yue; Gong, Lan

2015-10-01

To evaluate the distribution of meibomian gland dropout and analyze the correlation between dropout and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). A total of 161 eyes of 85 patients with MGD were recruited as the MGD group; 88 eyes of 46 health volunteers were enrolled as the control group (2:1 matched for age and sex). Examinations included the Schirmer I test, breakup time, symptom questionnaire, corneal fluorescein staining, meibum quality, meibomian gland expressibility, and meibomian gland dropout. (1) The incidences of chalazion and eyelid surgery were significantly higher in patients with MGD. (2) All clinical indexes were better in healthy volunteers (all P < 0.05). (3) The dropout in the upper eyelid was statistically lower (P < 0.01) in both groups. The nasal and/or temporal part had higher dropout than did the middle part, except in the lower eyelid of the control group. (4) The entire or partial dropout was positively related to MGD occurrence. Both additive dropout of the entire 2 eyelids and that of the 2 nasal parts had the strongest correlation (r = 0.792, P < 0.01). (5) In the MGD group, breakup time was most negatively related to upper nasal dropout (r = -0.229, P < 0.05). The corneal staining score was positively related only to the dropout of additive (r = 0.185, P < 0.05) and lower (r = 0.258, P < 0.05) middle parts. (1) Uneven dropouts exist in different or single eyelids. (2) Dropout evaluation is better when covering the entire area of both upper and lower meibomians. (3) Nasal part dropout plays a more essential role than the other dropouts in MGD occurrence.

Report of the Plasma Physics and Environmental Perturbation Laboratory (PPEPL) working groups. Volume 1: Plasma probes, wakes, and sheaths working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

It is shown in this report that comprehensive in-situ study of all aspects of the entire zone disturbance caused by a body in a flowing plasma resulted in a large number if requirements on the shuttle-PPEPL facility. A large amount of necessary in-situ observation can be obtained by adopting appropriate modes of performing the experiments. Requirements are indicated for worthwhile studies, of some aspects of the problems, which can be carried out effectively while imposing relatively few constraints on the early missions. Considerations for the desired growth and improvement of the PPEPL to facilitate more complete studies in later missions are also discussed. For Vol. 2, see N74-28170; for Vol# 3, see N74-28171.

Installation Restoration Program (IRP). Phase 2. Confirmation/Quantification. Stage 1. McEntire Air National Guard Base, Eastover, South Carolina.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-10

Environmental Research Group (ERG) Laboratories of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a duplicate set sent to OEHL’s laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. The remainder of...sites and well clusters , and the overall sparsity of data points at the base, a water table aquifer potentiometric surface map for the entire base could...L _ MW2-34 The predominant solid wastes disposed at this site were paper and domestic refuse, old wood from demolished structures, general

Analysis of Iran’s Political Leadership,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

interest groups . As a group lay politicans are even less cohesive than are their clerical counter- parts. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify at least... group . While Ayatollah Sayyid RUhOllah al-lusavi Khomeini is the supreme political leader among the clergy, he is not condidered to be infallible and in...major source of controversey within the Sh’i clergy, dividing the entire religious establisiment into at least two distinct groups . Essentially, Khomeini

Collaborative Research in Childhood Cancer Survivorship: The Current Landscape

PubMed Central

Bhatia, Smita; Armenian, Saro H.; Armstrong, Gregory T.; van Dulmen-den Broeder, Eline; Hawkins, Michael M.; Kremer, Leontien C.M.; Kuehni, Claudia E.; Olsen, Jørgen H.; Robison, Leslie L.; Hudson, Melissa M.

2015-01-01

Survivors of childhood cancer carry a substantial burden of morbidity and are at increased risk for premature death. Furthermore, clear associations exist between specific therapeutic exposures and the risk for a variety of long-term complications. The entire landscape of health issues encountered for decades after successful completion of treatment is currently being explored in various collaborative research settings. These settings include large population-based or multi-institutional cohorts and single-institution studies. The ascertainment of outcomes has depended on self-reporting, linkage to registries, or clinical assessments. Survivorship research in the cooperative group setting, such as the Children's Oncology Group, has leveraged the clinical trials infrastructure to explore the molecular underpinnings of treatment-related adverse events, and to understand specific complications in the setting of randomized risk-reduction strategies. This review highlights the salient findings from these large collaborative initiatives, emphasizing the need for life-long follow-up of survivors of childhood cancer, and describing the development of several guidelines and efforts toward harmonization. Finally, the review reinforces the need to identify populations at highest risk, facilitating the development of risk prediction models that would allow for targeted interventions across the entire trajectory of survivorship. PMID:26304891

Femoral Reconstruction Using External Fixation

PubMed Central

Palatnik, Yevgeniy; Rozbruch, S. Robert

2011-01-01

Background. The use of an external fixator for the purpose of distraction osteogenesis has been applied to a wide range of orthopedic problems caused by such diverse etiologies as congenital disease, metabolic conditions, infections, traumatic injuries, and congenital short stature. The purpose of this study was to analyze our experience of utilizing this method in patients undergoing a variety of orthopedic procedures of the femur. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed our experience of using external fixation for femoral reconstruction. Three subgroups were defined based on the primary reconstruction goal lengthening, deformity correction, and repair of nonunion/bone defect. Factors such as leg length discrepancy (LLD), limb alignment, and external fixation time and complications were evaluated for the entire group and the 3 subgroups. Results. There was substantial improvement in the overall LLD, femoral length discrepancy, and limb alignment as measured by mechanical axis deviation (MAD) and lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA) for the entire group as well as the subgroups. Conclusions. The Ilizarov external fixator allows for decreased surgical exposure and preservation of blood supply to bone, avoidance of bone grafting and internal fixation, and simultaneous lengthening and deformity correction, making it a very useful technique for femoral reconstruction. PMID:21991425

Evaluation of exhaled breath temperature (EBT) as a marker and predictor of asthma exacerbation in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Wojsyk-Banaszak, Irena; Mikoś, Marcin; Szczepankiewicz, Aleksandra; Wielebska, Alicja; Sobkowiak, Paulina; Kamińska, Aleksandra; Bręborowicz, Anna

2017-09-01

Noninvasive and easy-to-use tools to monitor airway inflammation in asthma are needed to maintain disease control, particularly in pediatric population. The aim of the study was to evaluate exhaled breath temperature (EBT) in pediatric respiratory clinic setting. We evaluated 37 children and adolescents with asthma (5-17 years; median: 11 years). The patients were followed up in stable condition and during exacerbations (paired observations in n = 19 subjects). We evaluated medication use, EBT, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), spirometry and atopic status of patients. EBT was significantly higher in children with asthma exacerbation {entire group: median [interquartile range (IQR)]: 32.3 [1.1]°C vs. 33.8 [1.7]°C; p < 0.001 and mean ± SD: 33.1 ± 1.0°C vs. 33.6 ± 1.1°C; p = 0.038 for paired observations}. Significant correlation was observed between EBT and FeNO in the entire group (r = 0.22; p = 0.03). No difference was observed in EBT median values in atopic and non-atopic subjects in the entire group (median [IQR]: 32.6 [1.6] vs. 32.7 [2.0]; p = 0.88) and in subgroups. There was no difference in EBT values in patients receiving systemic or inhaled glucocorticosteroids (p = 0.45 and 0.83). There was no significant correlation between EBT and body or room temperature. The only significant predictor of exacerbation in logistic regression model was EBT {aOR = 2.4; 95% [confidence interval (CI)]: 1.4-4.1}. ROC analysis demonstrated applicability of EBT as a marker of asthma exacerbation in children (AUC = 0.748; p < 0.001; cut-off = 33.3°C; sensitivity: 64.3%; specificity: 82.1%). We suggest that EBT may serve as marker and predictor of asthma exacerbation in children. EBT follow-up may be useful in asthma monitoring in children and adolescents.

Changes in emotional state of bed partners of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea patients following radiofrequency tissue ablation: a pilot study.

PubMed

Uloza, Virgilijus; Balsevicius, Tomas; Sakalauskas, Raimundas; Miliauskas, Skaidrius; Zemaitiene, Nida

2010-06-01

To test the hypothesis that obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and snoring affect not only the patients but also their bed partners, resulting in increased severity of symptoms of depression and sleepiness that may improve after the patients receive radiofrequency tissue ablation (RFTA) treatment. Thirty-six snoring and/or OSAHS patients from 24 to 63 years of age (mean age 41.67 +/- 9.86 years) underwent full-night polysomnography (PSG) and two sessions of RFTA at palatal or palatal and tongue base levels. Follow-up PSG was carried out within the period of 2-3 months after the second RFTA session. The baseline and posttreatment clinical tests battery consisting of Spielberg's Trait-State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were applied to assess the changes in emotional state of study group patient's bed partners. Mean apnea/hypopnea index decreased from 13.16 +/- 10.76 preoperatively to 10.69 +/- 8.28 postoperatively (p = 0.043) for the entire group of the patients. A statistically significant decrease of the mean BDI-II scores (12.69 +/- 7.66 preoperatively to 9.17 +/- 6.88 postoperatively, p < 0.005) for the entire group of the patients' bed partners was observed. There was no statistically significant difference between pre- and posttreatment mean daytime sleepiness scores in both OSAHS and in simple snoring patients' bed partners when measured with ESS. Based on present study results, we conclude that RFTA therapy results in improved depression scores for the bed partners of snoring and OSAHS patients during a short follow-up period, as measured with BDI-II.

50 CFR 679.30 - General CDQ regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... visual representation of the qualified applicant's entire organizational structure, including all... narrative description of how the CDQ group intends to harvest and process its CDQ allocations, including a...

External torsion in a proximal tibia and internal torsion in a distal tibia occur independently in varus osteoarthritic knees compared to healthy knees.

PubMed

Mochizuki, Tomoharu; Tanifuji, Osamu; Koga, Yoshio; Hata, Ryosuke; Mori, Takahiro; Nishino, Katsutoshi; Sato, Takashi; Kobayashi, Koichi; Omori, Go; Sakamoto, Makoto; Tanabe, Yuji; Endo, Naoto

2017-05-01

The relative torsional angle of the distal tibia is dependent on a deformity of the proximal tibia, and it is a commonly used torsional parameter to describe deformities of the tibia; however, this parameter cannot show the location and direction of the torsional deformity in the entire tibia. This study aimed to identify the detailed deformity in the entire tibia via a coordinate system based on the diaphysis of the tibia by comparing varus osteoarthritic knees to healthy knees. In total, 61 limbs in 58 healthy subjects (age: 54 ± 18 years) and 55 limbs in 50 varus osteoarthritis (OA) subjects (age: 72 ± 7 years) were evaluated. The original coordinate system based on anatomic points only from the tibial diaphysis was established. The evaluation parameters were 1) the relative torsion in the distal tibia to the proximal tibia, 2) the proximal tibial torsion relative to the tibial diaphysis, and 3) the distal tibial torsion relative to the tibial diaphysis. The relative torsion in the distal tibia to the proximal tibia showed external torsion in both groups, while the external torsion was lower in the OA group than in the healthy group (p < 0.0001). The proximal tibial torsion relative to the tibial diaphysis had a higher external torsion in the OA group (p = 0.012), and the distal tibial torsion relative to the tibial diaphysis had a higher internal torsion in the OA group (p = 0.004) in comparison to the healthy group. The reverse torsional deformity, showing a higher external torsion in the proximal tibia and a higher internal torsion in the distal tibia, occurred independently in the OA group in comparison to the healthy group. Clinically, this finding may prove to be a pathogenic factor in varus osteoarthritic knees. Level Ⅲ. Copyright © 2017 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor, L.) as a possible alternative to soybean meal in broiler diets.

PubMed

Bovera, F; Piccolo, G; Gasco, L; Marono, S; Loponte, R; Vassalotti, G; Mastellone, V; Lombardi, P; Attia, Y A; Nizza, A

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with Tenebrio molitor larvae (TML) meal in broiler diets. A total of 80 30-d-old male Shaver brown broilers were divided into two groups fed on two isoproteic and isoenergetic diets differing for protein source (SBM vs. TML). Up to 62 d of age, body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly and body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and European efficiency factor (EEF) were calculated. At 62 d, blood samples were collected from 16 birds/group for evaluation of blood profiles. Feed intake was not different between groups considering the entire period of the trial. The FCR was more favourable in the TML than SBM group from 46 d of age and in the entire period of the trial (4.13 vs. 3.62). The PER was higher in the SBM than in the TML group (1.92 vs. 1.37) while the EEF was higher in broilers fed on the TML diet (132.6 vs. 156.2). Albumin-to-globulin ratio was higher in broilers fed on SBM than in the other group (0.44 vs. 0.30). aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were higher in TML than SBM (195.1 vs. 178.6 U/l and 82.07 vs. 46.71 U/l, respectively). Uric acid was higher in broilers fed on SBM than TML (5.40 vs. 4.16 mg/dl). TML did not affect feed intake and growth rate of broilers from 30 to 62 d of age when compared to an isoproteic and isoenergetic SBM diet, but FCR of the TML group was more favourable than that of the SBM group. The lowest albumin-to-globulin ratio in broilers fed on TML suggests a higher immune response, probably due to the prebiotic effects of chitin.

Long-term analysis of health status and preventive behavior in music students across an entire university program.

PubMed

Spahn, Claudia; Nusseck, Manfred; Zander, Mark

2014-03-01

The aim of this investigation was to analyze longitudinal data concerning physical and psychological health, playing-related problems, and preventive behavior among music students across their complete 4- to 5-year study period. In a longitudinal, observational study, we followed students during their university training and measured their psychological and physical health status and preventive behavior using standardized questionnaires at four different times. The data were in accordance with previous findings. They demonstrated three groups of health characteristics observed in beginners of music study: healthy students (cluster 1), students with preclinical symptoms (cluster 2), and students who are clinically symptomatic (cluster 3). In total, 64% of all students remained in the same cluster group during their whole university training. About 10% of the students showed considerable health problems and belonged to the third cluster group. The three clusters of health characteristics found in this longitudinal study with music students necessitate that prevention programs for musicians must be adapted to the target audience.

Dietary Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) supplementation to growing rabbits: effects on raw and cooked meat quality, nutrient true retention and oxidative stability.

PubMed

Dalle Zotte, Antonella; Cullere, Marco; Sartori, Alberto; Szendrő, Zsolt; Kovàcs, Melinda; Giaccone, Valerio; Dal Bosco, Alessandro

2014-10-01

The study evaluated the effect of Spirulina and Thyme dietary supplementation on rabbit meat quality, nutrient true retention and protection against oxidative stress. Rabbits in the control group (C-C) received a non-supplemented pellet throughout the experiment (5-11weeks of age). In the other groups, the pellet contained 5% Spirulina (S), 3% Thyme (T), or both (ST) for either the entire (groups S-S, T-T, ST-ST) or only the final part of the growing period (8-11weeks: groups C-S, C-T, C-ST). Spirulina supplementation increased the γ-linolenic acid content of rabbit meat, whereas Thyme improved the oxidative stability of raw and freeze-dried meat. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Spatial-Dependent Utility on Social Group Domination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Nathaniel; Meyertholen, Andrew

2012-02-01

The mathematical modeling of social group competition has garnered much attention. We consider a model originated by Abrams and Strogatz [Nature 424, 900 (2003)] that predicts the extinction of one of two social groups. This model assigns a utility to each social group, which is constant over the entire society. We find by allowing this utility to vary over a society, through the introduction of a network or spatial dependence, this model may result in the coexistence of the two social groups.

"If I had to pick any subject, it wouldn't be maths": foundations for engagement with mathematics during the middle years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attard, Catherine

2013-12-01

This article is a report on a longitudinal case study that investigated the problem of lowered engagement with mathematics and students' perspectives of the factors that influenced their engagement during the middle years of schooling. The article provides a synthesis of the entire study and a summary of its findings. In order to address the research question a group of 20 students from within the same school cohort participated in the study spanning three school years from their final year of primary school, to their second year of secondary school. Data was collected through interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations. A major finding of this study was that positive pedagogical relationships between teachers and their students must be developed as a foundation for sustained engagement.

[Gestational disorders].

PubMed

Ortigosa Corona, E; Carrasco Resendiz, I; González Flores, A; Dámaso Ortiz, M

1993-09-01

We present the results of an interview of 375 pregnant women which explores their gestational risk diagnoses, the types and frequencies of complaints. Five groups of 75 patients each were formed from this random sample corresponding to 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 weeks of pregnancy respectively. We too analyze the patients' opinions about their own morbidity, the repercussion on activities of daily life and self-medication. The interview included the actions taken on their own account to deal with complaints during pregnancy, as well as to establish the relationships between these actions and medical attention they received. A total of 1534 complaints were recorded from the entire group, the mean per patient were four with a range from one to six. The reported from the entire group, the mean per patient were four with a range from one to six. The reported complaints did not caused medical consultation and were totally different with the respective risk diagnoses. Our results show that patients almost always accept their symptoms as a normal part of pregnancy, even when arise from pathology. Almost 70% of the patients view their symptoms as normal despite the fact that they produce difficulties of daily life in 41%, and that they temporarily block these activities in 19%. Around 10% of the patients admit self-medication. Over 50 types of actions were self-initiated, 1371 for the entire group as a whole. Around 95% of the complaints considered abnormal received no medical attention. We presented a series of thoughts on the effectiveness of popular practices and the possibility of integrating some of them into medical practice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Changes in Chinese hair growth along a full year.

PubMed

Liu, C; Yang, J; Qu, L; Gu, M; Liu, Y; Gao, J; Collaudin, C; Loussouarn, G

2014-12-01

To confirm the existence of seasonal hair growth cycle among Chinese subjects and objectivize the seasonal effect of hair loss; the hair growth parameters of Chinese volunteers were followed monthly for an entire year on the same area of vertex. The hair growth parameters of 41 Chinese volunteers (women and men), free from alopecia, were recorded monthly along an entire year using the phototrichogram technique. Results show an increased rate of telogen hairs (growing arrest) around August-September in the study group, as previously reported in European subjects albeit of a lower extent and remaining within the normal range of healthy head hair parameters. The possible effects of latitude and daylight duration are discussed. Data confirm that Chinese hairs present characteristics of the most developed and fast growing terminal fibres, as compared to other non-Asian ethnics. © 2014 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

The Use of Graphing Technology to Promote Transfer of Learning: the Interpretation of Graphs in Physics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, Jeri Ann

This study examined the relationship between mathematics background and performance on graph-related problems in physics before and after instruction on the graphical analysis of motion and several microcomputer-based laboratory experiences. Students identified as either having or not having a graphing technology enhanced precalculus mathematics background were further categorized into one of four groups according to mathematics placement at the university. The performances of these groups were compared to identity differences. Pre- and Post-test data were collected from 589 students and 312 students during Autumn Quarter 1990 and Winter Quarter 1991 respectively. Background information was collected from each student. Significant differences were found between students with the technology enhanced mathematics background and those without when considering the entire populations both quarters. The students with the technology background were favored Autumn quarter and students without the technology background were favored Winter quarter. However, the entire population included an underrepresentation of students at the highest and lowest placements; hence, these were eliminated from the analyses. No significant differences were found between the technology/no technology groups after the elimination of the underrepresented groups. All categories of students increased their mean scores from pretest to post-test; the average increase was 8.23 points Autumn Quarter and 11.41 points Winter Quarter. Males consistently outperformed females on both the pretest and the post-test Autumn 1990. All students found questions involving the concept of acceleration more difficult than questions involving velocity or distance. Questions requiring students to create graphs were more difficult than questions requiring students to interpret graphs. Further research involving a qualitative component is recommended to identify the specific skills students use when solving graph-related physics problems. In addition, it is recommended that a similar study be conducted to include a control group not participating in the microcomputer -based laboratory experiments.

Collective Movement in the Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana): Early Joiners Write the Rule of the Game

PubMed Central

Li, Jinhua; Xia, Dongpo; Sun, Binghua; Zhang, Dao

2015-01-01

Collective behavior has recently attracted a great deal of interest in both natural and social sciences. While the role of leadership has been closely scrutinized, the rules used by joiners in collective decision making have received far less attention. Two main hypotheses have been proposed concerning these rules: mimetism and quorum. Mimetism predicts that individuals are increasingly likely to join collective behavior as the number of participants increases. It can be further divided into selective mimetism, where relationships among the participants affect the process, and anonymous mimetism, where no such effect exists. Quorum predicts that a collective behavior occurs when the number of participants reaches a threshold. To probe into which rule is used in collective decision making, we conducted a study on the joining process in a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in Huangshan, China using a combination of all-occurrence and focal animal sampling methods. Our results show that the earlier individuals joined movements, the more central a role they occupied among the joining network. We also found that when less than three adults participated in the first five minutes of the joining process, no entire group movement occurred subsequently. When the number of these early joiners ranged from three to six, selective mimetism was used. This means higher rank or closer social affiliation of early joiners could be among the factors of deciding whether to participate in movements by group members. When the number of early joiners reached or exceeded seven, which was the simple majority of the group studied, entire group movement always occurred, meaning that the quorum rule was used. Putting together, Macaca thibetana used a combination of selective mimetism and quorum, and early joiners played a key role in deciding which rule should be used. PMID:25992882

A Comprehensive Support Program: Effect on Depression in Spouse-Caregivers of AD Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mittelman, Mary S.; And Others

1995-01-01

Describes a psychosocial intervention program that treats the primary caregiver and family members of the Alzheimer's patient over the entire course of the disease. In the first year after intake, the control group became increasingly more depressed, whereas the treatment group remained stable. By the eighth month, treated caregivers were…

Exploring the efficacy of electronic response devices in ninth-grade science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, John A., Jr.

Student use of electronic response technology has been prevalent in postsecondary institutions and is beginning to penetrate K--12 classroom settings. Despite these trends, research exploring the impact of this technology in these settings has been limited. The extant research has relied heavily on survey methodologies and largely has focused on student/teacher perception or implementation practices while remaining silent on learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to broaden the scope of research models used to explore electronic response technology and its impact on student learning. The study took place in a ninth-grade science classroom at a large high school with a comprehensive curriculum. Study participants were first-year high school students enrolled in one of two sections of the freshman science sequence focusing on Physical Science content. One section, serving as the Treatment group, used electronic response devices on a daily basis to respond to preplanned teacher questions. The other section, serving as the Comparison group, relied on traditional methods of interaction such as raising hands to respond to questions. They responded to the same set of preplanned questions and differed only in the manner of response, with the teacher asking the class and then calling on one of the students to answer. The study focused on academic achievement, as measured by student performance on a pre- and posttest, as well as student engagement, measured by momentary time sample data taken throughout the entire class with focused attention on periods of teacher questioning. The analysis of academic achievement employed an ANOVA, and no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Engagement data were analyzed using an independent samples t test, and statistically significant differences were found between the two groups. Findings from this study indicated that, when using electronic response technology in their science classes, students demonstrated significantly higher levels of engagement across an entire class period as well as during teacher questioning. Implications of the study have been framed around the promise of electronic response technology for engaging and motivating students.

Graphic/symbol segmentation for Group 4 facsimile systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deutermann, A. R.

1982-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine possible techniques for and symbol areas, and assemble a code that represents the entire document. Parameters to be considered include compression, commonality with facsimile and TELETEX* transmissions, and complexity of implementation. Six segmentation technique were selected for analysis. The techniques were designed to differ from each other as much as possible, so as to display a wide variety of characteristics. For each technique, many minor modifications would be possible, but it is not expected that these modifications would alter the conclusions drawn from the study.

Assessing social engagement in heterogeneous groups of zebrafish: a new paradigm for autism-like behavioral responses.

PubMed

Maaswinkel, Hans; Zhu, Liqun; Weng, Wei

2013-01-01

Because of its highly developed social character, zebrafish is a promising model system for the study of the genetic and neurochemical basis of altered social engagement such as is common in autism and schizophrenia. The traditional shoaling paradigm investigates social cohesion in homogeneous groups of zebrafish. However, the social dynamics of mixed groups is gaining interest from a therapeutic point of view and thus warrants animal modeling. Furthermore, mutant zebrafish are not always available in large numbers. Therefore, we developed a new paradigm that allows exploring shoaling in heterogeneous groups. The effects of MK-801, a non-competitive antagonist of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, on social cohesion were studied to evaluate the paradigm. The drug has previously been shown to mimic aspects of autism and schizophrenia. Our results show that a single MK-801-treated zebrafish reduced social cohesion of the entire shoal drastically. Preliminary observations suggest that the social dynamics of the shoal as a whole was altered.

Assessing Social Engagement in Heterogeneous Groups of Zebrafish: A New Paradigm for Autism-Like Behavioral Responses

PubMed Central

Maaswinkel, Hans; Zhu, Liqun; Weng, Wei

2013-01-01

Because of its highly developed social character, zebrafish is a promising model system for the study of the genetic and neurochemical basis of altered social engagement such as is common in autism and schizophrenia. The traditional shoaling paradigm investigates social cohesion in homogeneous groups of zebrafish. However, the social dynamics of mixed groups is gaining interest from a therapeutic point of view and thus warrants animal modeling. Furthermore, mutant zebrafish are not always available in large numbers. Therefore, we developed a new paradigm that allows exploring shoaling in heterogeneous groups. The effects of MK-801, a non-competitive antagonist of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, on social cohesion were studied to evaluate the paradigm. The drug has previously been shown to mimic aspects of autism and schizophrenia. Our results show that a single MK-801-treated zebrafish reduced social cohesion of the entire shoal drastically. Preliminary observations suggest that the social dynamics of the shoal as a whole was altered. PMID:24116082

The Australian Defence Force Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study: design and methods.

PubMed

Hooff, Miranda Van; McFarlane, Alexander C; Davies, Christopher E; Searle, Amelia K; Fairweather-Schmidt, A Kate; Verhagen, Alan; Benassi, Helen; Hodson, Stephanie E

2014-01-01

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study (MHPWS) is the first study of mental disorder prevalence in an entire military population. The MHPWS aims to establish mental disorder prevalence, refine current ADF mental health screening methods, and identify specific occupational factors that influence mental health. This paper describes the design, sampling strategies, and methodology used in this study. At Phase 1, approximately half of all regular Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel (n=24,481) completed self-report questionnaires. At Phase 2, a stratified sub-sample (n=1,798) completed a structured diagnostic interview to detect mental disorder. Based on data from non-responders, data were weighted to represent the entire ADF population (n=50,049). One in five ADF members met criteria for a 12-month mental disorder (22%). The most common disorder category was anxiety disorders (14.8%), followed by affective (9.5%) and alcohol disorders (5.2%). At risk ADF sub-groups were Army personnel, and those in the lower ranks. Deployment status did not have an impact on mental disorder rates. This study has important implications for mental health service delivery for Australian and international military personnel as well as contemporary veterans.

[Acetabular anteversion angle of the hip in the Mexican adult population measured with computed tomography].

PubMed

Rubalcava, J; Gómez-García, F; Ríos-Reina, J L

2012-01-01

Knowledge of the radiogrametric characteristics of a specific skeletal segment in a healthy population is of the utmost clinical importance. The main justification for this study is that there is no published description of the radiogrametric parameter of acetabular anteversion in a healthy Mexican adult population. A prospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted. Individuals of both genders older than 18 years and orthopedically healthy were included. They underwent a two-dimensional axial tomographic study of both hips to measure the acetabular anteversion angles. The statistical analysis consisted of obtaining central trend and scatter measurements. A multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and statistical significance were performed. 118 individuals were studied, 60 males and 58 females, with a mean age of 47.7 +/- 16.7, and a range of 18-85 years. The anteversion of the entire group was 18.6 degrees + 4.1 degrees. Anteversion in males was 17.3 degrees +/- 3.5 degrees (10 degrees - 25 degrees) and in females 19.8 degrees +/- 4.7 degrees (10 degrees - 31 degrees). There were no statistically significant differences (p < or = 0.05) in right and left anteversion in the entire group. However, there were statistically significant differences (p > or = 0.005) both in the right and left sides when males and females were compared. Our study showed that there are great variations in the anteversion ranges of a healthy population. When our results are compared with those published by other authors the mean of most measurements exceeds 15 degrees. This should be useful to make therapeutic decisions that involve acetabular anteversion.

Further stabilization and even decrease in the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in German children and adolescents from 2005 to 2015: a cross-sectional and trend analysis.

PubMed

Keß, Annette; Spielau, Ulrike; Beger, Christoph; Gausche, Ruth; Vogel, Mandy; Lipek, Tobias; Körner, Antje; Pfäffle, Roland; Kiess, Wieland

2017-12-01

Recently several industrialized countries reported a stabilization or even a decrease in childhood overweight and obesity prevalence rates. In Germany, this trend started in 2004. The present study therefore aimed to evaluate whether this trend has continued or even leads in a clear direction. Design/Setting/Subjects BMI (>90th percentile (overweight), >97th percentile (obesity)) from the CrescNet database was analysed in 326 834 children and adolescents according to three age groups (4-7·99, 8-11·99 and 12-16 years), gender and between time points (2005-2015). Trend analysis from 2005 to 2010 demonstrated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased significantly in boys and girls in the entire group (4-16 years) and in 4-7·99-year-olds. From 2010 to 2015 there was a significant decrease in boys for overweight and obesity in the entire group and for overweight among 8-11·99-year-olds. Within the cross-sectional analysis, prevalence rates for overweight decreased significantly for both genders in the age groups of 4-7·99 and 8-11·99 years (2005 v. 2015). For obesity, prevalence rates showed a significant decrease for boys (2005 v. 2015) and girls (2005 v. 2010) in 4-7·99-year-olds. We observed a further stabilization of overweight and obesity prevalence rates for all age groups and even a decrease in the rates for the younger ages (4-7·99 years, 8-11·99 years). As other industrialized countries have also reported similar trends, it seems that the epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity is reaching a turning point in the industrial part of the world.

First Novels: Fall Firsts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witherell, Mary

2010-01-01

This article presents a list of new novels. The entire compilation is grouped into pop fiction, literary, thrillers, Christian fiction, mystery, romance, historical fiction, street lit, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and graphic novels.

West Europe Report Tables of Contents JPRS-WER-86-064, 2 July 1986 JPRS-WER-86-124, 31 Dec 1986.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-30

Exercise (Lars Porne ; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 13 May 86) 59 Defense Research Institute To Study Officer Drain Causes (Richard Aschberg; SVENSKA DAGBLADET...DAGENS NYHETER, 8 Jun 86) 67 Entire Harsfjarden To Be Blocked With Nets To Halt Subs (Lars Porne ; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 30 May 86) 72 Private Group...Fundamentalists Abroad Disagree on Ideology (HURRIYET, 20 Aug 86) 49 Fundamentalist Propaganda in Greeting Cards, Videos (HURRIYET, 16 Aug 86

Physical activity level in Achilles tendinosis is associated with blood levels of pain-related factors: a pilot study.

PubMed

Bagge, J; Gaida, J E; Danielson, P; Alfredson, H; Forsgren, S

2011-12-01

Physical activity affects the pain symptoms for Achilles tendinosis patients. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and their receptors have been detected in human Achilles tendon. This pilot study aimed to compare serum BDNF and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNFRI) levels in Achilles tendinosis patients and healthy controls and to examine the influence of physical activity, and BMI and gender, on these levels. Physical activity was measured with a validated questionnaire, total physical activity being the parameter analyzed. Physical activity was strongly correlated with BDNF among tendinosis women [Spearman's rho (ρ)=0.90, P<0.01] but not among control women (ρ=-0.08, P=0.83), or among tendinosis and control men. Physical activity was significantly correlated with sTNFRI in the entire tendinosis group and among tendinosis men (ρ=0.65, P=0.01), but not in the entire control group or among control men (ρ=0.04, P=0.91). Thus, the physical activity pattern is related to the TNF and BDNF systems for tendinosis patients but not controls, the relationship being gender dependent. This is new information concerning the relationship between physical activity and Achilles tendinosis, which may be related to pain for the patients. This aspect should be further evaluated using larger patient materials. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Middle school science grades: Can they be used to forecast performance on standardized tests?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Gary L.

2007-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if classroom science grades could be used to forecast standardized testing readiness for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Participants for this study consisted of 647 eighth grade students assigned to a public middle school in Florida. Using annual classroom science grades and the corresponding year's FCAT Science scale scores for each student, scatter plot graphs and Pearson product-moment correlations were used to determine their relationships. Correlation strengths were determined for several segmented student populations. First, the grade and FCAT score relationship for the entire middle school population was calculated and, then, the relationship between grades and FCAT scores for students grouped by their individual assigned science teacher was determined. Next, a second look at students grouped as above was conducted, this time focusing only on students with unacceptable FCAT scores (levels 1 and 2). The correlation between grades and FCAT scores for the entire middle school was moderate and ranged from high to weak for students assigned to individual science teachers. The relationship of grades and FCAT scores for middle school students that scored at levels 1 and 2 was weakly correlated and ranged from moderate to weak for students as they were assigned to their science teachers. Generally, classroom grades were found to be inefficient predictors for standardized testing readiness for students assigned to this middle school.

The origins of modern biodiversity on land

PubMed Central

Benton, Michael J.

2010-01-01

Comparative studies of large phylogenies of living and extinct groups have shown that most biodiversity arises from a small number of highly species-rich clades. To understand biodiversity, it is important to examine the history of these clades on geological time scales. This is part of a distinct ‘phylogenetic expansion’ view of macroevolution, and contrasts with the alternative, non-phylogenetic ‘equilibrium’ approach to the history of biodiversity. The latter viewpoint focuses on density-dependent models in which all life is described by a single global-scale model, and a case is made here that this approach may be less successful at representing the shape of the evolution of life than the phylogenetic expansion approach. The terrestrial fossil record is patchy, but is adequate for coarse-scale studies of groups such as vertebrates that possess fossilizable hard parts. New methods in phylogenetic analysis, morphometrics and the study of exceptional biotas allow new approaches. Models for diversity regulation through time range from the entirely biotic to the entirely physical, with many intermediates. Tetrapod diversity has risen as a result of the expansion of ecospace, rather than niche subdivision or regional-scale endemicity resulting from continental break-up. Tetrapod communities on land have been remarkably stable and have changed only when there was a revolution in floras (such as the demise of the Carboniferous coal forests, or the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms) or following particularly severe mass extinction events, such as that at the end of the Permian. PMID:20980315

Australian tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) and mexican coral snake (Micruris species) antivenoms prevent death from United States coral snake (Micrurus fulvius fulvius) venom in a mouse model.

PubMed

Wisniewski, Michael S; Hill, Robert E; Havey, Joshua M; Bogdan, Gregory M; Dart, Richard C

2003-01-01

Wyeth-Ayerst has discontinued production of Antivenin (Micrurus fulvius). Currently, there is no other approved coral snake antivenom available in the United States. This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled and blinded determination of the ability of a Mexican Micrurus (coral snake) antivenom and an Australian Notechis (tiger snake) antivenom to prevent lethality from a United States Micrurus fulvius fulvius venom in a mouse model. Venom dosing was based on an LD50 determined for this experiment. Our comparison groups included: (1) M. f. fulvius venom + Micrurus antivenom, (2) M. f. fulvius venom + Notechis antivenom, (3) M. f. fulvius venom + protein control, (4) 0.9% normal saline + protein control, (5) saline + Notechis antivenom, (6) saline + Micrurus antivenom. Venom dose was 5 times the determined LD50. The antivenom amounts were capable of neutralizing 10 times the venom injected (50 times the LD50). The LD50 of M. f. fulvius venom was determined to be 0.85 mg/kg. All mice in both antivenom test groups were protected from lethality for the entire 24-hour observation period. Six of the 7 mice in the venom test group died, with a survival time of 349 +/- 382 minutes (mean +/- s.d.) after the venom injection. All three groups of control mice survived the entire 24-hour observation period. Mexican Micrurus antivenom and Australian Notechis antivenom provide protection from lethality in mice envenomated with a United States M. f. filvius venom.

Handbook for Testing in Navy Schools

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

an entire test or for groups of related objectives within a test. Remediation in this situation is only given to students who do not achieve the test...is specified in the objective(s). -5- In summary, for all training tasks and related knowledge information, tests should require achievement of the...associated with each .... STEP 2b: CATEGORIES. Categories refer to groups of similar objects, events, or ideas. They are similar, or are grouped

Exploring asynchronous brainstorming in large groups: a field comparison of serial and parallel subgroups.

PubMed

de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Briggs, Robert O; Reiter-Palmon, Roni

2010-04-01

The aim of this study was to compare the results of two different modes of using multiple groups (instead of one large group) to identify problems and develop solutions. Many of the complex problems facing organizations today require the use of very large groups or collaborations of groups from multiple organizations. There are many logistical problems associated with the use of such large groups, including the ability to bring everyone together at the same time and location. A field study involved two different organizations and compared productivity and satisfaction of group. The approaches included (a) multiple small groups, each completing the entire process from start to end and combining the results at the end (parallel mode); and (b) multiple subgroups, each building on the work provided by previous subgroups (serial mode). Groups using the serial mode produced more elaborations compared with parallel groups, whereas parallel groups produced more unique ideas compared with serial groups. No significant differences were found related to satisfaction with process and outcomes between the two modes. Preferred mode depends on the type of task facing the group. Parallel groups are more suited for tasks for which a variety of new ideas are needed, whereas serial groups are best suited when elaboration and in-depth thinking on the solution are required. Results of this research can guide the development of facilitated sessions of large groups or "teams of teams."

Effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment on length of stay in a population of preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in preterm infants has been documented and results from previous studies suggest the association between OMT and length of stay (LOS) reduction, as well as significant improvements in several clinical outcomes. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of OMT on LOS in premature infants. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted on preterm newborns admitted to a single NICU between 2008-2009. N=110 subjects free of medical complications and with gestational age >28 and < 38 weeks were enrolled and randomized in two groups: study group (N=55) and control group (N=55). All subjects received routine pediatric care and OMT was performed to the study group for the entire period of hospitalization. Endpoints of the study included differences in LOS and daily weight gain. Results Results showed a significant association between OMT and LOS reduction (mean difference between treated and control group: -5.906; 95% C.I. -7.944, -3.869; p<0.001). OMT was not associated to any change in daily weight gain. Conclusions The present study suggests that OMT may have an important role in the management of preterm infants hospitalization. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01544257. PMID:23622070

Evaluation of contaminated drinking water and preterm birth, small for gestational age, and birth weight at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Ruckart, Perri Zeitz; Bove, Frank J; Maslia, Morris

2014-11-20

Births during 1968-1985 at Camp Lejeune were exposed to drinking water contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and benzene. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate associations between residential prenatal exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune during 1968-1985 and preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), term low birth weight (TLBW), and mean birth weight (MBW) deficit. Birth certificates identified mothers residing at Camp Lejeune at delivery. We analyzed exposure data for the entire pregnancy and individual trimesters. For each period examined, births were categorized as unexposed if mothers did not reside at Camp Lejeune or if their residence on base received uncontaminated drinking water. Ground water contaminant fate/transport and distribution system models provided monthly estimated contaminant levels at residences. For PCE and TCE, the exposed group was divided into four levels: < median value, ≥ median value, ≥75th percentile, and ≥90th percentile. For benzene, the exposed group was categorized as <1 part per billion (ppb) versus ≥1 ppb because of sparse data. Magnitude of effect estimates and exposure response relationships were used to assess associations. Confidence intervals (CIs) indicated precision of estimates. For the highest TCE exposure category during the entire pregnancy, odds ratios (ORs) were 1.5 (95% CI: 1.2, 1.9) and 1.3 (95% CI: 0.8, 2.2) for SGA and TLBW, respectively, and reduced MBW β = -78.3 g (95% CI: -115.0, -41.7). The OR =1.3 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.6) for preterm birth and the highest PCE exposure category during the entire pregnancy. Monotonic exposure-response relationships were observed for benzene exposure during the entire pregnancy and TLBW (highest category OR =1.5, 85% CI: 0.9, 2.3). Although a monotonic association between benzene and adjusted MBW difference was also observed (highest category β = -36.2 g, 95% CI: -72.3, -0.1), the association disappeared when TCE was also added to the model. We found no evidence suggesting any other associations between outcomes and exposures. Findings suggested associations between in utero exposures to TCE and SGA, TLBW and reduced MBW; benzene and TLBW; and PCE and preterm birth.

The effects of brief swaying on postural control.

PubMed

Pagé, Sara; Maheu, Maxime; Landry, Simon P; Champoux, François

2017-12-06

Postural control can be improved with balance training. However, the nature and duration of the training required to enhance posture remains unclear. We studied the effects of 5 min of a self-initiated balance exercise along a single axis on postural control in healthy individuals. Postural control was measured before and after a 5-min period where members of the experimental group were asked to lean their entire body forward and backward and members of the control group were asked to remain seated. A significant improvement for sway velocity, a postural control variable significantly associated with an increased risk of falls, was found in the experimental group following the body sway exercise. These data suggest that a basic exercise can rapidly improve postural control and reduce the risk of falls.

Equity in health care finance in Palestine: the triple effects revealed.

PubMed

Abu-Zaineh, Mohammad; Mataria, Awad; Luchini, Stéphane; Moatti, Jean-Paul

2009-12-01

This paper presents an application of the Urban and Lambert "upgraded-AJL Decomposition" approach that was designed to deal with the problem of close-income equals in equity analysis, and as applied to the area of health care finance. Contrary to most previous studies, vertical and horizontal inequities and the triple effects of inter-groups, intra-group and entire-group reranking of various financing schemes are estimated, with statistical significance calculated using the bootstrap method. Application is made on the three financing schemes present in the case of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Results demonstrate the relative importance of the three forms of reranking in determining overall inequality. The paper offers policy recommendations to limit the existing inequalities in the system and to enhance the capacity of the governmental insurance scheme.

The impact of global warming on the range distribution of different climatic groups of Aspidoscelis costata costata.

PubMed

Güizado-Rodríguez, Martha Anahí; Ballesteros-Barrera, Claudia; Casas-Andreu, Gustavo; Barradas-Miranda, Victor Luis; Téllez-Valdés, Oswaldo; Salgado-Ugarte, Isaías Hazarmabeth

2012-12-01

The ectothermic nature of reptiles makes them especially sensitive to global warming. Although climate change and its implications are a frequent topic of detailed studies, most of these studies are carried out without making a distinction between populations. Here we present the first study of an Aspidoscelis species that evaluates the effects of global warming on its distribution using ecological niche modeling. The aims of our study were (1) to understand whether predicted warmer climatic conditions affect the geographic potential distribution of different climatic groups of Aspidoscelis costata costata and (2) to identify potential altitudinal changes of these groups under global warming. We used the maximum entropy species distribution model (MaxEnt) to project the potential distributions expected for the years 2020, 2050, and 2080 under a single simulated climatic scenario. Our analysis suggests that some climatic groups of Aspidoscelis costata costata will exhibit reductions and in others expansions in their distribution, with potential upward shifts toward higher elevation in response to climate warming. Different climatic groups were revealed in our analysis that subsequently showed heterogeneous responses to climatic change illustrating the complex nature of species geographic responses to environmental change and the importance of modeling climatic or geographic groups and/or populations instead of the entire species' range treated as a homogeneous entity.

Cyclic and Coherent States in Flocks with Topological Distance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacherjee, Biplab; Bhattacharya, Kunal; Manna, Subhrangshu

2014-01-01

A simple model of the two dimensional collective motion of a group of mobile agents have been studied. Like birds, these agents travel in open free space where each of them interacts with the first n neighbors determined by the topological distance with a free boundary condition. Using the same prescription for interactions used in the Vicsek model with scalar noise it has been observed that the flock, in absence of the noise, arrives at a number of interesting stationary states. One of the two most prominent states is the `single sink state' where the entire flock travels along the same direction maintaining perfect cohesion and coherence. The other state is the `cyclic state' where every individual agent executes a uniform circular motion, and the correlation among the agents guarantees that the entire flock executes a pulsating dynamics i.e., expands and contracts periodically between a minimum and a maximum size of the flock. We have studied another limiting situation when refreshing rate of the interaction zone is the fastest. In this case the entire flock gets fragmented into smaller clusters of different sizes. On introduction of scalar noise a crossover is observed when the agents cross over from a ballistic motion to a diffusive motion. Expectedly the crossover time is dependent on the strength of the noise η and diverges as η → 0. An even more simpler version of this model has been studied by suppressing the translational degrees of freedom of the agents but retaining their angular motion. Here agents are the spins, placed at the sites of a square lattice with periodic boundary condition. Every spin interacts with its n = 2, 3 or 4 nearest neighbors. In the stationary state the entire spin pattern moves as a whole when interactions are anisotropic with n = 2 and 3; but it is completely frozen when the interaction is isotropic with n=4$. These spin configu

Effects of Music Listening on Cortisol Levels and Propofol Consumption during Spinal Anesthesia

PubMed Central

Koelsch, Stefan; Fuermetz, Julian; Sack, Ulrich; Bauer, Katrin; Hohenadel, Maximilian; Wiegel, Martin; Kaisers, Udo X.; Heinke, Wolfgang

2011-01-01

Background: This study explores effects of instrumental music on the hormonal system (as indicated by serum cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone), the immune system (as indicated by immunoglobulin A) and sedative drug requirements during surgery (elective total hip joint replacement under spinal anesthesia with light sedation). This is the first study investigating this issue with a double-blind design using instrumental music. Methodology/Principal Findings: Patients (n = 40) were randomly assigned either to a music group (listening to instrumental music), or to a control group (listening to a non-musical placebo stimulus). Both groups listened to the auditory stimulus about 2 h before, and during the entire intra-operative period (during the intra-operative light sedation, subjects were able to respond lethargically to verbal commands). Results indicate that, during surgery, patients of the music group had a lower propofol consumption, and lower cortisol levels, compared to the control group. Conclusion/Significance: Our data show that listening to music during surgery under regional anesthesia has effects on cortisol levels (reflecting stress-reducing effects) and reduces sedative requirements to reach light sedation. PMID:21716581

Assessing production characteristics, influential factors and administrative policies in a multicenter dental organization.

PubMed

Patterson, Charles W

2012-06-01

In multicenter service organizations, managers often make centralized decisions without considering the effects of differing production characteristics and influential factors on each center. In this study, the author examines differences in production characteristics and factors that influence production, as well as their likely effect on policy formulation, in a large, six-center dental group in the Chicago area. The results of the study show that the six centers (in two groups) exhibited two distinct production patterns, with three having logarithmic distributions and three having normal distributions. Production differences between the groups likely resulted from differences in managed care, staffing and dental procedures performed. Instead of being monolithic, the organization exhibited two types of centers, each with its own production characteristics and factors that influenced production. The study results suggest that large service corporations and }partnerships would benefit from conducting analyses of production characteristics and factors that influence production before making policy decisions that affect the entire organization.

Assessment of lipid peroxidation and p53 as a biomarker of carcinogenesis among workers exposed to formaldehyde in the cosmetic industry.

PubMed

Attia, Dalia; Mansour, Neveen; Taha, Fatma; Seif El Dein, Aisha

2016-06-01

Despite the wide use of cosmetic products, they exert a number of health effects on tissues ranging from irritation to cancer. Our study aimed at assessing the effect of formaldehyde on lipid peroxidation and verifying the susceptibility to carcinogenesis using p53 as a biomarker among workers exposed to formaldehyde in cosmetic industry. Our entire exposed group (n = 40) and the controls (n = 20) were subjected to estimation of formate in urine, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), and p53. Also, complete blood picture, liver, and kidney function tests were carried out. The study revealed significant increase in the levels of formate, MDA, and p53 in the exposed group compared with their control group. Our results showed that workers in cosmetic industry had significant exposure to formaldehyde. Furthermore, the study pointed to the negative impact of formaldehyde as a cause of oxidative stress and suspicious carcinogen. © The Author(s) 2014.

Computing Power of Tests of the Variance of Treatment Effects in Designs with Two Levels of Nesting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konstantopoulos, Spyros

2008-01-01

Experiments that involve nested structures may assign treatment conditions either to entire groups (such as classrooms or schools) or individuals within groups (such as students). Although typically the interest in field experiments is in determining the significance of the overall treatment effect, it is equally important to examine the…

Under Construction: An Experiential Exercise Illustrating Elements of Work Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Kimberly M.; Fluegge-Woolf, Erin R.

2015-01-01

The Under Construction Exercise was developed by the authors to highlight key factors of work design that when implemented among the work group or entire organization can lead to an environment conducive to fostering satisfaction and motivation. In the exercise, groups are assigned to one of four different conditions that are designed to emulate…

Treatment of acute cerebral infarction with a choline precursor in a multicenter double-blind placebo-controlled study.

PubMed

Tazaki, Y; Sakai, F; Otomo, E; Kutsuzawa, T; Kameyama, M; Omae, T; Fujishima, M; Sakuma, A

1988-02-01

A multicenter double-blind placebo-controlled study of cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline) was conducted to evaluate possible clinical benefits of the drug in patients with acute, moderate to severe cerebral infarction. The patients included also suffered from moderate to mild disturbances of consciousness, and all were admitted within 14 days of the ictus. Patients were allocated randomly to treatment with either CDP-choline (1,000 mg/day i.v. once daily for 14 days) or with placebo (physiological saline). One hundred thirty-three patients received CDP-choline treatment, and 139 received placebo. The group treated with CDP-choline showed significant improvements in level of consciousness compared with the placebo-treated group, and CDP-choline was an entirely safe treatment.

The effects of gender composition on women's experience in math work groups.

PubMed

Grover, Sarah S; Ito, Tiffany A; Park, Bernadette

2017-06-01

The present studies tested a model outlining the effects of group gender composition on self- and others' perceptions of women's math ability in a truly interactive setting with groups composed entirely of naïve participants (N = 158 4-person groups across 3 studies). One woman in each group was designated to be the "expert" by having her complete a tutorial that gave her task-relevant knowledge for a subsequent group task. Group gender composition was hypothesized to influence perceptions of women's math ability through intrapersonal processes (stereotype threat effects on performance) and interpersonal processes (social cohesion between the expert and other group members). Group composition affected the experts' performance in the group math task, but importantly, it also affected their social cohesion with group members. Moreover, both of these effects-lowered performance and poorer social cohesion in male-dominated groups-made independent contributions in accounting for group gender composition effects on perceptions of women's math ability (Studies 1 and 2). Boundary conditions were examined in a 3rd study. Women who had a history of excelling in math and had chosen a math-intensive STEM major were selected to be the designated experts. We predicted and found this would be sufficient to eliminate the effect of group gender composition on interpersonal processes, and correspondingly the effect on women's perceived math ability. Interestingly (and consistent with past work on stereotype threat effects among highly domain-identified individuals), there were continued performance differences indicative of effects on intrapersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

THE ROLE OF VISUALS IN VERBAL LEARNING--STUDIES IN TELEVISED INSTRUCTION, REPORT 3, SUMMARY REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GROPPER, GEORGE L.

THE INTEGRATION OF WORDS AND PICTURES IN THE TWO STUDIES REPORTED IN THIS VOLUME WAS ACCOMPLISHED UNCONVENTIONALLY. IN ONE STUDY, AN ENTIRE TOPIC, ARCHIMEDES' LAW, WAS COVERED IN A SELF-CONTAINED, ENTIRELY PICTORIAL LESSON AND ALSO IN A SELF-CONTAINED, ENTIRELY VERBAL LESSON. STUDENTS ACQUIRED ALL THE CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES MAKING UP ARCHIMEDES'…

Laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy in morbidly obese patients is not associated with worse short-term outcomes.

PubMed

Pędziwiatr, Michał; Major, Piotr; Pisarska, Magdalena; Natkaniec, Michał; Godlewska, Magdalena; Przęczek, Krzysztof; Dworak, Jadwiga; Dembiński, Marcin; Zub-Pokrowiecka, Anna; Budzyński, Andrzej

2017-01-01

To evaluate the impact of obesity and morbid obesity on short-term outcomes after laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The study included 520 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy for adrenal tumor. The entire study group was divided depending on the body mass index: group 1 (normal weight), <25 kg/m 2 ; group 2 (overweight), 25-30 kg/m 2 ; and group 3 (obese) 30-40 kg/m 2 . Additionally, group 4 (morbidly obese) was distinguished. Study end-points were: operative time, intraoperative blood loss, total length of hospital stay, morbidity rate and 30-day readmission rate. The mean operative times were 88.8, 94.7, 93.5, and 99.9 min in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively (P = 0.1444). Complications were comparable between groups (12.8% vs 8.8% vs 8.2% vs 11.5%, P = 0.5295). The mean intraoperative blood loss was 66.8 versus 78.3 versus 60.7 versus 92.4, P = 0.1399. There were no differences in conversion rate between groups. Obesity has no influence on short-term outcomes of laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy. This procedure is feasible regardless of the body mass index. Therefore, it can be offered to all patient groups including those morbidly obese individuals in whose case preoperative weight loss seems unnecessary. © 2016 The Japanese Urological Association.

Serum bicarbonate and mortality in adults in NHANES III.

PubMed

Raphael, Kalani L; Zhang, Yingying; Wei, Guo; Greene, Tom; Cheung, Alfred K; Beddhu, Srinivasan

2013-05-01

Low serum bicarbonate concentration is a risk factor for death in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether low serum bicarbonate is a mortality risk factor for people without CKD is unknown. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) adult participants were categorized into one of four serum bicarbonate categories: <22, 22-25, 26-30 and ≥ 31 mM. Cox models were used to determine the hazards of death in each serum bicarbonate category, using 26-30 mM as the reference group, in the (i) entire population, (ii) non-CKD subgroup and (iii) CKD subgroup. After adjusting for age, gender, race, estimated glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria, diuretic use, smoking, C-reactive protein, cardiovascular disease, protein intake, diabetes, hypertension, body mass index, lung disease and serum albumin, the hazards of death in the <22 mM serum bicarbonate category were 1.75 (95% CI: 1.12-2.74), 1.56 (95% CI: 0.78-3.09) and 2.56 (95% CI: 1.49-4.38) in the entire population, non-CKD subgroup and CKD subgroup, respectively, compared with the reference group. Hazard ratios in the other serum bicarbonate categories in the entire population and non-CKD and CKD subgroups did not differ from the reference group. Among the NHANES III participants, low serum bicarbonate was not observed to be a strong predictor of mortality in people without CKD. However, low serum bicarbonate was associated with a 2.6-fold increased hazard of death in people with CKD.

Effects of chronic lead exposure on pregnant sheep and their progeny

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharma, R.M.; Buck, W.B.

1976-01-01

Twelve sheep were exposed to sublethal doses of powdered metallic lead in their feed during the entire period of gestation and nine were treated as unexposed controls. The rate of lambing was 18% and 100% in the exposed and unexposed sheep, respectively. Abortions occurred at a rate of 27% in the exposed group but did not occur in the control group. Levels of lead in blood and urine of exposed sheep were related to the amount of lead in the feed. On the basis of this study it may be concluded that chronic lead poisoning in sheep causes abortion, miscarriages,more » and transitory sterility. 23 references, 3 figures, 3 tables.« less

Assistive Walking Device Use and Knee Osteoarthritis: the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (Health ABC Study)

PubMed Central

Carbone, Laura D.; Satterfield, Suzanne; Liu, Caiqin; Kwoh, Kent C.; Neogi, Tuhina; Tolley, Elizabeth; Nevitt, Michael

2012-01-01

Objectives To identify factors that predicted incident use of assistive walking devices (AWDs) and to explore whether AWD use was associated with changes in osteoarthritis of the knee. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting 2,639 elderly men and women in the Health ABC (Health, Aging and Body Composition). Study followed for incident use of AWDs, including a subset of 874 with prevalent knee pain. Participants NA Interventions NA Main Outcome Measures Incident use of AWDs, mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain scores and frequency of joint space narrowing on knee radiographs over a three year time period. Results AWD use was initiated by 9% of the entire Health ABC cohort and 12% of the knee pain subset. Factors that predicted use in both groups were age ≥73 [entire cohort: OR 2.07 (95% CI 1.43, 3.01); knee pain subset: OR 1.87 (95% CI 1.16, 3.03)], black race [entire cohort: OR 2.95 (95% CI 2.09, 4.16); knee pain subset: OR 3.21 (95% CI 2.01, 5.11)] and lower balance ratios [entire cohort: OR 3.18 (95% CI 2.21, 4.59); knee pain subset: OR 3.77 (95% CI 2.34, 6.07)]. Mean WOMAC pain scores decreased slightly over time in both AWD and non-AWD users. 20% of non-AWD users and 28% of AWD users had radiographic progression in joint space narrowing of the tibiofemoral joint in at least one knee. 14% of non-AWD users and 12% of AWD users had radiographic progression in joint space narrowing in the patellofemoral joint in at least one knee. Conclusions Assistive walking devices are frequently used by elderly men and women. Knee pain and balance problems are significant reasons why elderly individuals initiate use of an assistive walking device. In an exploratory analysis, there was no consistent relationship between use or nonuse of an AWD and WOMAC pain scores or knee joint space narrowing progression. Further studies of the relationship of use of AWDs to changes in knee osteoarthritis are needed. PMID:23041146

Surface electromyography and plantar pressure during walking in young adults with chronic ankle instability.

PubMed

Koldenhoven, Rachel M; Feger, Mark A; Fraser, John J; Saliba, Susan; Hertel, Jay

2016-04-01

Lateral ankle sprains are common and can manifest into chronic ankle instability (CAI) resulting in altered gait mechanics that may lead to subsequent ankle sprains. Our purpose was to simultaneously analyse muscle activation patterns and plantar pressure distribution during walking in young adults with and without CAI. Seventeen CAI and 17 healthy subjects walked on a treadmill at 4.8 km/h. Plantar pressure measures (pressure-time integral, peak pressure, time to peak pressure, contact area, contact time) of the entire foot and nine specific foot regions and medial-lateral location of centre of pressure (COP) were measured. Surface electromyography (EMG) root mean square (RMS) amplitudes throughout the entire stride cycle and area under RMS curve for 100 ms pre-initial contact (IC) and 200 ms post-IC for anterior tibialis, peroneus longus, medial gastrocnemius, and gluteus medius were collected. The CAI group demonstrated a more lateral COP throughout the stance phase (P < 0.001 and Cohen's d > 0.9 for all 10 comparisons) and significantly increased peak pressure (P = 0.025) and pressure-time integral (P = 0.049) under the lateral forefoot. The CAI group had lower anterior tibialis RMS areas (P < 0.001) and significantly higher peroneus longus, medial gastrocnemius, and gluteus medius RMS areas during 100 ms pre-IC (P < 0.003). The CAI group had higher gluteus medius sEMG amplitudes during the final 50 % of stance and first 25% of swing (P < 0.05). The CAI group had large lateral deviations of their COP location throughout the entire stance phase and increased gluteus medius muscle activation amplitude during late stance through early swing phase. III.

Deradicalization or Disengagement : A Framework for Encouraging Jihad Abandonment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-10

resulted in entire group disengagement, while the German HAYAT Program and Saudi Counseling Program seek individual de-radicalization/disengagement... Counseling Y Optional N/A Y Y Family Counseling N Y N Y Y Practical Support Measures Y Y Y Y Y Disengage Guarantee – Type Y - Family N Y – Group N...disengagement. The U.S. could easily support religious counseling in de-radicalization programs in partner nations overseas. Group or Individual Programs

Taking Trust to the Field: Pilot Study on Trust and Communication in Teams

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-02-23

assault group the entirely wrong direction. Person 4 from other AG: Smith…you’re right the fuck out of it…on your nav… Smith: Point that way…until the...monitoring (McAllister, 1995). Other than to address the trust violation that just occurred, there appears little reason for this information to be...of trust-relevant communications. In starting this work, we were concerned that coders should have to use as little extrapolation or inference as

Analysis of Urban Terrain Data for Use in the Development of an Urban Camouflage Pattern

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

the entire lightness gamut , but concentrated in the red, orange, yellow and neutral regions of color space. 20. DISTRIBUTION I AVAILABILITY OF...le·nents grouped by color. ) Summary of Scenes Filmed for Urban Camouflage Study. 01Jtirnum Number of Do·nains Separated by Type; Sele:::ted CIELAB ...Values for All Urban Scenes. Selected CIELAB Values for Type I Urban Scenes. Selected CIELAB Values for Type II Urban Scenes. v Page 3 6 7 8 9

The Effect of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor on Periodontal Furcation Defects

PubMed Central

Jimbo, Ryo; Tovar, Nick; Janal, Malvin N.; Mousa, Ramy; Marin, Charles; Yoo, Daniel; Teixeira, Hellen S.; Anchieta, Rodolfo B.; Bonfante, Estevam A.; Konishi, Akihiro; Takeda, Katsuhiro; Kurihara, Hidemi; Coelho, Paulo G.

2014-01-01

This study aimed to observe the regenerative effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in a non-human primate furcation defect model. Class II furcation defects were created in the first and second molars of 8 non-human primates to simulate a clinical situation. The defect was filled with either, Group A: BDNF (500 µg/ml) in high-molecular weight-hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA), Group B: BDNF (50 µg/ml) in HMW-HA, Group C: HMW-HA acid only, Group D: empty defect, or Group E: BDNF (500 µg/ml) in saline. The healing status for all groups was observed at different time-points with micro computed tomography. The animals were euthanized after 11 weeks, and the tooth-bone specimens were subjected to histologic processing. The results showed that all groups seemed to successfully regenerate the alveolar buccal bone, however, only Group A regenerated the entire periodontal tissue, i.e., alveolar bone, cementum and periodontal ligament. It is suggested that the use of BDNF in combination with a scaffold such as the hyaluronic acid in periodontal furcation defects may be an effective treatment option. PMID:24454754

Measuring Medical Student Preference: A Comparison of Classroom Versus Online Instruction for Teaching Pubmed*EC

PubMed Central

Schimming, Laura M.

2008-01-01

Objective: The research analyzed evaluation data to assess medical student satisfaction with the learning experience when required PubMed training is offered entirely online. Methods: A retrospective study analyzed skills assessment scores and student feedback forms from 455 first-year medical students who completed PubMed training either through classroom sessions or an online tutorial. The class of 2006 (n = 99) attended traditional librarian-led sessions in a computer classroom. The classes of 2007 (n = 120), 2008 (n = 121), and 2009 (n = 115) completed the training entirely online through a self-paced tutorial. PubMed skills assessment scores and student feedback about the training were compared for all groups. Results: As evidenced by open-ended comments about the training, students who took the online tutorial were equally or more satisfied with the learning experience than students who attended classroom sessions, with the classes of 2008 and 2009 reporting greater satisfaction (P<0.001) than the other 2 groups. The mean score on the PubMed skills assessment (91%) was the same for all groups of students. Conclusions: Student satisfaction improved and PubMed assessment scores did not change when instruction was offered online to first-year medical students. Comments from the students who received online training suggest that the increased control and individual engagement with the web-based content led to their satisfaction with the online tutorial. PMID:18654658

Effect of maternal alcohol and nicotine intake, individually and in combination, on fetal growth in the rat

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leichter, J.

1991-03-15

The effect of maternal ethanol and nicotine administration, separately and in combination, on fetal growth of rats was studied. Nicotine was administered by gavage for the entire gestational period. Alcohol was given in drinking water for 4 weeks prior to mating and 30% throughout gestation. Appropriate pair-fed and ad libitum control animals were included to separate the effect of ethanol and nicotine on the outcome of pregnancy from those produced by the confounding variables of malnutrition. Body weights of fetuses exposed to alcohol alone or in combination with nicotine were significantly lower than those of the pair-fed and ad libitummore » controls. However, the difference in fetal body weight between the alcohol plus nicotine and the alcohol alone group was not significant. Similarly, in the rats administered nicotine only, fetal weight was not significantly different compared to control animals. The results of this study indicate that maternal alcohol intake impairs fetal growth and nicotine does not, regardless whether it is administered separately or in combination with alcohol for the entire gestational period.« less

Modified visual field trend analysis.

PubMed

De Moraes, Carlos Gustavo V; Ritch, Robert; Tello, Celso; Liebmann, Jeffrey M

2011-01-01

Visual field trend analysis can be influenced by outlying values that may disproportionately affect estimation of the rate of change. We tested a modified approach to visual field trend analysis to minimize this problem. Automated pointwise linear regression (PLR) was used in glaucoma patients with ≥13 SITA-Standard 24-2 VF tests in either eye. In the control group (Group A), conventional PLR using the entire set of VF tests was carried out. In the other 3 groups (study groups), a truncated analysis was done using only the first and last 3 (Group B), first and last 4 (Group C), or first and last 5 (Group D) VF tests. We compared the global slopes (dB/y), number of eyes experiencing significant progression, and significant improvement between groups. Ninety eyes of 90 patients were evaluated. The mean number±SD of VF tests was 15.7±2.6, spanning 7.8±1.7 years. The study groups showed similar global rates of VF change as the control group (Group A=-0.48±0.5, Group B=-0.48±0.6, Group C=-0.48±0.6, Group D=-0.48±0.5 dB/y, P>0.05), and a similar number of eyes reaching a progression endpoint (Group A=53, Group B=52, Group C=49, Group D=53, P>0.05). However, Group B showed fewer eyes presenting VF improvement (false-positives). The modified VF trend-analysis showed greater specificity than conventional PLR in a population with glaucoma.

Epitalon and colon carcinogenesis in rats: proliferative activity and apoptosis in colon tumors and mucosa.

PubMed

Kossoy, George; Zandbank, Judit; Tendler, Eugenie; Anisimov, Vladimir; Khavinson, Vladimir; Popovich, Irina; Zabezhinski, Mark; Zusman, Itshak; Ben-Hur, Herzl

2003-10-01

The effect of the synthetic pineal peptide Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) on proliferative activity in colon tumors, and in mucosal epithelial cells adjacent to and located far from tumors was studied in rats. To evaluate the effect of Epitalon on different stages of carcinogenesis, different treatment regimens were used: during the tumor initiation stage, during the tumor-promotion stage, or during the entire process of tumor development. Eighty 2-month-old male LIO rats were exposed weekly to five subcutaneous injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) at a single dose of 21 mg/kg body weight. Rats were divided into four groups. Control rats (group 1) received saline at a dose of 0.1 ml during the entire experiment. Rats in group 2 were treated with Epitalon at a dose of 1 micro g, five times a week, for 6 months, from the first injection of DMH till the end of the experiment. Rats in group 3 were treated with Epitalon after termination of the carcinogen injections. Rats in group 4 were treated with Epitalon only during the period of DMH exposure (for the first 5 weeks of the experiment). DMH induced proliferation of the secretory epithelium, and this phenomenon was accompanied by a decrease in the size of the stromal area and the area of lymph infiltration in colon tumors and in the colon mucosa adjacent to the tumors (group 1). Epitalon attenuated this effect, especially when the treatment was continued throughout the experiment (group 2). It increased the stromal areas, as well as that of lymphoid infiltration in the colon mucosa adjacent to the tumors. The intensity of lymphoid infiltration was activated in both the colon mucosa adjacent to a tumor and in the tumor. Mitotic activity of tumor cells was significantly inhibited by Epitalon when the treatment was given throughout the experiment (group 2). In parallel, a high level of apoptosis was seen in the same group. Thus, the strongest inhibitory effect of Epitalon on carcinogenesis in the colon mucosa was manifested when the treatment was continued throughout the experiment.

Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia: Breastfeeding Complications Due to Impaired Breast Development.

PubMed

Wahlbuhl-Becker, Mandy; Faschingbauer, Florian; Beckmann, Matthias W; Schneider, Holm

2017-04-01

Background X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), the most common form of ectodermal dysplasia, is caused by mutations in the gene EDA. While only affected men develop the full-blown clinical picture, females who are heterozygous for an EDA mutation often also show symptoms such as hypodontia, hypotrichosis and hypohidrosis. These women may also suffer from malformations of the mammary gland which represent not just a cosmetic problem but can limit their breastfeeding capability. This paper summarizes the findings of the first systematic study on the impact of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia on breastfeeding. Patients Thirty-eight adult female members of the German-Swiss-Austrian ectodermal dysplasia patient support group participated in a structured interview; most of them also agreed to a photodocumentation of their mammary region. Thirty-one women carried mutations in EDA (Group A) and seven were affected by other forms of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (Group B). Results 39 % of the women of Group A reported that their breasts were of different size or entirely absent on one side. In Group B, 86 % of the women reported differently sized or even absent breasts; two of these women lacked both breasts entirely. Most women described their nipples as exceptionally flat. 10 % of the women of Group A had more than two nipples. The high percentage of deviations from the norm was confirmed in the photodocumentation. Both groups had few or no sebaceous glands of Montgomery in the areolar region. Around 80 % of interviewed women had children and had attempted to breastfeed their first child. 67 % of the mothers in Group A had had difficulty in breastfeeding their infants and generally attributed this difficulty to their flat nipples. All of the mothers in Group B reported difficulties in breastfeeding; 60 % had not been able to breastfeed their first child. Conclusion Mothers with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia very often have difficulty in breastfeeding because of their impaired breast development. This causal relationship needs to be taken into account in lactation counseling.

Clawing through Evolution: Toxin Diversification and Convergence in the Ancient Lineage Chilopoda (Centipedes)

PubMed Central

Undheim, Eivind A.B.; Jones, Alun; Clauser, Karl R.; Holland, John W.; Pineda, Sandy S.; King, Glenn F.; Fry, Bryan G.

2014-01-01

Despite the staggering diversity of venomous animals, there seems to be remarkable convergence in regard to the types of proteins used as toxin scaffolds. However, our understanding of this fascinating area of evolution has been hampered by the narrow taxonomical range studied, with entire groups of venomous animals remaining almost completely unstudied. One such group is centipedes, class Chilopoda, which emerged about 440 Ma and may represent the oldest terrestrial venomous lineage next to scorpions. Here, we provide the first comprehensive insight into the chilopod “venome” and its evolution, which has revealed novel and convergent toxin recruitments as well as entirely new toxin families among both high- and low molecular weight venom components. The ancient evolutionary history of centipedes is also apparent from the differences between the Scolopendromorpha and Scutigeromorpha venoms, which diverged over 430 Ma, and appear to employ substantially different venom strategies. The presence of a wide range of novel proteins and peptides in centipede venoms highlights these animals as a rich source of novel bioactive molecules. Understanding the evolutionary processes behind these ancient venom systems will not only broaden our understanding of which traits make proteins and peptides amenable to neofunctionalization but it may also aid in directing bioprospecting efforts. PMID:24847043

The Danish test battery for auditory processing disorder evaluated with patient and control data.

PubMed

Raben Pedersen, Ellen

2018-06-10

This study evaluates the Danish test battery for auditory processing disorder (APD). The battery consists of four behavioural tests, two speech and two non-speech stimuli tests. The evaluation includes determination of: (1) new cut-off values (pass-fail criteria), (2) the sensitivity and the specificity of the entire test battery and (3) the failure rate of different test combinations. For each test in the battery, cut-off values were determined using the weighted Youden index. Applying the newly derived cut-off values, the distribution of failing specific test combinations was determined. A group of 112 children diagnosed with APD (57 boys, 55 girls, aged 6-16 years) and a control group containing 158 children without auditory problems (75 boys, 83 girls, aged 6-16 years). Cut-off values for different weights of the sensitivity and the specificity have been determined. Using the criterion that at least two tests have to be failed for APD to be suspected, the sensitivity and the specificity of the entire test battery were 95.3% and 91.6%, respectively. Some test combinations were found to have higher failure rates than others. Due to the high sensitivity and specificity the test battery has good predictive value in APD assessment.

Sociology: Shaping US climate opinion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brechin, Steven R.

2012-04-01

Exposure to scientific information cannot explain entirely the levels of public concern about global warming in the United States. Now research shows that US views on climate change are largely affected by the actions of political groups.

Investigating the cognitive structure of stereotypes: Generic beliefs about groups predict social judgments better than statistical beliefs.

PubMed

Hammond, Matthew D; Cimpian, Andrei

2017-05-01

Stereotypes are typically defined as beliefs about groups, but this definition is underspecified. Beliefs about groups can be generic or statistical. Generic beliefs attribute features to entire groups (e.g., men are strong), whereas statistical beliefs encode the perceived prevalence of features (e.g., how common it is for men to be strong). In the present research, we sought to determine which beliefs-generic or statistical-are more central to the cognitive structure of stereotypes. Specifically, we tested whether generic or statistical beliefs are more influential in people's social judgments, on the assumption that greater functional importance indicates greater centrality in stereotype structure. Relative to statistical beliefs, generic beliefs about social groups were significantly stronger predictors of expectations (Studies 1-3) and explanations (Study 4) for unfamiliar individuals' traits. In addition, consistent with prior evidence that generic beliefs are cognitively simpler than statistical beliefs, generic beliefs were particularly predictive of social judgments for participants with more intuitive (vs. analytic) cognitive styles and for participants higher (vs. lower) in authoritarianism, who tend to view outgroups in simplistic, all-or-none terms. The present studies suggest that generic beliefs about groups are more central than statistical beliefs to the cognitive structure of stereotypes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Contribution to More Patient-Friendly ART Treatment: Efficacy of Continuous Low-Dose GnRH Agonist as the Only Luteal Support—Results of a Prospective, Randomized, Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Pirard, Céline; Loumaye, Ernest; Wyns, Christine

2015-01-01

Background. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate intranasal buserelin for luteal phase support and compare its efficacy with standard vaginal progesterone in IVF/ICSI antagonist cycles. Methods. This is a prospective, randomized, open, parallel group study. Forty patients underwent ovarian hyperstimulation with human menopausal gonadotropin under pituitary inhibition with gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist, while ovulation trigger and luteal support were achieved using intranasal GnRH agonist (group A). Twenty patients had their cycle downregulated with buserelin and stimulated with hMG, while ovulation trigger was achieved using 10,000 IU human chorionic gonadotropin with luteal support by intravaginal progesterone (group B). Results. No difference was observed in estradiol levels. Progesterone levels on day 5 were significantly lower in group A. However, significantly higher levels of luteinizing hormone were observed in group A during the entire luteal phase. Pregnancy rates (31.4% versus 22.2%), implantation rates (22% versus 15.4%), and clinical pregnancy rates (25.7% versus 16.7%) were not statistically different between groups, although a trend towards higher rates was observed in group A. No luteal phase lasting less than 10 days was recorded in either group. Conclusion. Intranasal administration of buserelin is effective for providing luteal phase support in IVF/ICSI antagonist protocols. PMID:25945092

What to Do when Data Are Missing in Group Randomized Controlled Trials. NCEE 2009-0049

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puma, Michael J.; Olsen, Robert B.; Bell, Stephen H.; Price, Cristofer

2009-01-01

This NCEE Technical Methods report examines how to address the problem of missing data in the analysis of data in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of educational interventions, with a particular focus on the common educational situation in which groups of students such as entire classrooms or schools are randomized. Missing outcome data are a…

Immediate vs. Delayed Feedback in a Computer-Managed Test: Effects on Long-Term Retention. Technical Report, March 1976-August 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturges, Persis T.

This experiment was designed to test the effect of immediate and delayed feedback on retention of learning in an educational situation. Four groups of college undergraduates took a multiple-choice computer-managed test. Three of these groups received informative feedback (the entire item with the correct answer identified) either: (1) immediately…

REACTOR CONTROL DEVICE

DOEpatents

Kaufman, H.B.; Weiss, A.A.

1959-08-18

A shadow control device for controlling a nuclear reactor is described. The device comprises a series of hollow neutron-absorbing elements arranged in groups, each element having a cavity for substantially housing an adjoining element and a longitudinal member for commonly supporting the groups of elements. Longitudinal actuation of the longitudinal member distributes the elements along its entire length in which position maximum worth is achieved.

Risk stratification using stress echocardiography: incremental prognostic value over historic, clinical, and stress electrocardiographic variables across a wide spectrum of bayesian pretest probabilities for coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Bangalore, Sripal; Gopinath, Devi; Yao, Siu-Sun; Chaudhry, Farooq A

2007-03-01

We sought to evaluate the risk stratification ability and incremental prognostic value of stress echocardiography over historic, clinical, and stress electrocardiographic (ECG) variables, over a wide spectrum of bayesian pretest probabilities of coronary artery disease (CAD). Stress echocardiography is an established technique for the diagnosis of CAD. However, data on incremental prognostic value of stress echocardiography over historic, clinical, and stress ECG variables in patients with known or suggested CAD is limited. We evaluated 3259 patients (60 +/- 13 years, 48% men) undergoing stress echocardiography. Patients were grouped into low (<15%), intermediate (15-85%), and high (>85%) pretest CAD likelihood subgroups using standard software. The historical, clinical, stress ECG, and stress echocardiographic variables were recorded for the entire cohort. Follow-up (2.7 +/- 1.1 years) for confirmed myocardial infarction (n = 66) and cardiac death (n = 105) was obtained. For the entire cohort, an ischemic stress echocardiography study confers a 5.0 times higher cardiac event rate than the normal stress echocardiography group (4.0% vs 0.8%/y, P < .0001). Furthermore, Cox proportional hazard regression model showed incremental prognostic value of stress echocardiography variables over historic, clinical, and stress ECG variables across all pretest probability subgroups (global chi2 increased from 5.1 to 8.5 to 20.1 in the low pretest group, P = .44 and P = .01; from 20.9 to 28.2 to 116 in the intermediate pretest group, P = .47 and P < .0001; and from 17.5 to 36.6 to 61.4 in the high pretest group, P < .0001 for both groups). A normal stress echocardiography portends a benign prognosis (<1% event rate/y) in all pretest probability subgroups and even in patients with high pretest probability and yields incremental prognostic value over historic, clinical, and stress ECG variables across all pretest probability subgroups. The best incremental value is, however, in the intermediate pretest probability subgroup.

The anatomy of a cluster IDP. Part 1: Carbon abundance, bulk chemistry, and mineralogy of fragments from L2008#5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, K. L.; Keller, L. P.; Klock, W.; Warren, J.; Blanford, G. E.; Mckay, David S.

1994-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether or not cluster particles are sufficiently homogeneous to enable observations from one fragment of the cluster to be extrapolated to the entire cluster. We report on the results of a consortium study of the fragments of a large cluster particle. Multiple fragments from one large cluster were distributed to several research groups and were subjected to a variety of mineralogical and chemical analyses including: SEM, TEM, ion probe, SXRF, noble gas measurements, and microprobe laser mass spectrometry of individual fragments.

Experimental ablation of the pancreas with high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in a porcine model.

PubMed

Xie, Biao; Li, Yu-Yuan; Jia, Lin; Nie, Yu-Qiang; Du, Hong; Jiang, Shu-Man

2010-12-17

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and safety of high intensity focused ultrasound's (HIFU) in pancreatic diseases. Twelve pigs were divided into three groups. The pancreases of pigs in Group A were ablated directly with HIFU, but those in Group B and C ablated by extracorporeal HIFU. The pigs in Group C were sacrificed at day 7 after HIFU. Serological parameters were determined pre-operation and post-operation. The entire pancreas was removed for histological examination. Each animal tolerate the HIFU ablation well. The complete necrosis was observed in targeted regions. The margins of the necrotic regions were clearly delineated from the surrounding normal tissues. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and phorocytosis on the boundary were found in group C. Blood and urine amylase levels were relatively steady after HIFU. No acute pancreatitis or severe complications occurred. In conclusion, HIFU ablation on the pancreas was safe and effective in experimental pigs.

Experimental ablation of the pancreas with high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in a porcine model

PubMed Central

Xie, Biao; Li, Yu-Yuan; Jia, Lin; Nie, Yu-Qiang; Du, Hong; Jiang, Shu-Man

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and safety of high intensity focused ultrasound's (HIFU) in pancreatic diseases. Twelve pigs were divided into three groups. The pancreases of pigs in Group A were ablated directly with HIFU, but those in Group B and C ablated by extracorporeal HIFU. The pigs in Group C were sacrificed at day 7 after HIFU. Serological parameters were determined pre-operation and post-operation. The entire pancreas was removed for histological examination. Each animal tolerate the HIFU ablation well. The complete necrosis was observed in targeted regions. The margins of the necrotic regions were clearly delineated from the surrounding normal tissues. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and phorocytosis on the boundary were found in group C. Blood and urine amylase levels were relatively steady after HIFU. No acute pancreatitis or severe complications occurred. In conclusion, HIFU ablation on the pancreas was safe and effective in experimental pigs. PMID:21197259

Theory of mind in Williams syndrome assessed using a nonverbal task.

PubMed

Porter, Melanie A; Coltheart, Max; Langdon, Robyn

2008-05-01

This study examined Theory of Mind in Williams syndrome (WS) and in normal chronological age-matched and mental age-matched control groups, using a picture sequencing task. This task assesses understanding of pretence, intention and false belief, while controlling for social-script knowledge and physical cause-and-effect reasoning. The task was selected because it is entirely non-verbal, so that the WS individuals could not rely on their good verbal skills when performing the task. Results indicated a specific deficit in understanding of false belief within the WS group. There was also evidence of heterogeneity in the WS group, with the false belief impairment restricted to only a particular subgroup of WS individuals identified originally by Porter, M., & Coltheart, M. (2005). Cognitive heterogeneity in Williams syndrome. Developmental Neuropsychology, 27(2), 275-306.

Adolescent Abstention From Delinquency: Examining the Mediating Role of Time Spent With (Delinquent) Peers.

PubMed

Mercer, Natalie; Keijsers, Loes; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Branje, Susan; Meeus, Wim

2016-12-01

Research consistently identifies a group of adolescents who refrain from minor delinquency entirely. Known as abstainers, studying these adolescents is an underexplored approach to understanding adolescent minor delinquency. In this paper, we tested hypotheses regarding adolescent delinquency abstention derived from the developmental taxonomy model and social control theory in 497 adolescents (283 boys) aged 13-18 comparing three groups of adolescents: abstainers, experimenters, and a delinquent group. We found that the relation between adolescent abstention and personal characteristics (i.e., conscientiousness and anxiety) was (partially) mediated by the amount of time spent with peers. Furthermore, the level of best friend delinquency moderated the relation between time spent with peers and delinquency abstention. Results support aspects of both theoretical frameworks. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2016 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Lying to patients with dementia: Attitudes versus behaviours in nurses.

PubMed

Cantone, Daniela; Attena, Francesco; Cerrone, Sabrina; Fabozzi, Antonio; Rossiello, Riccardo; Spagnoli, Laura; Pelullo, Concetta Paola

2017-01-01

Using lies, in dementia care, reveals a common practice far beyond the diagnosis and prognosis, extending to the entire care process. In this article, we report results about the attitude and the behaviour of nurses towards the use of lies to patients with dementia. An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2016 and February 2017 in 12 elderly residential facilities and in the geriatric, psychiatric and neurological wards of six specialised hospitals of Italy's Campania Region. In all, 106 nurses compiled an attitude questionnaire (A) where the main question was 'Do you think it is ethically acceptable to use lies to patients with dementia?', instead 106 nurses compiled a behaviour questionnaire (B), where the main question was 'Have you ever used lies to patients with dementia?' Ethical considerations: Using lies in dementia care, although topic ethically still controversial, reveals a common practice far beyond the diagnosis and prognosis, extending to the entire care process. Only a small percentage of the interviewed nurses stated that they never used lies/that it is never acceptable to use lies (behaviour 10.4% and attitude 12.3%; p = 0.66). The situation in which nurses were more oriented to use lies was 'to prevent or reduce aggressive behaviors'. Indeed, only the 6.7% in the attitude group and 3.8% in the behaviour group were against using lies. On the contrary, the case in which the nurses were less oriented to use lies was 'to avoid wasting time giving explanations', in this situation were against using lies the 51.0% of the behaviour group and the 44.6% of the attitude group. Our results, according to other studies, support the hypothesis of a low propensity of nurses to ethical reflection about use of lies. In our country, the implementation of guidelines about a correct use of lie in the relationship between health operators and patients would be desirable.

Fault tolerance in a supercomputer through dynamic repartitioning

DOEpatents

Chen, Dong; Coteus, Paul W.; Gara, Alan G.; Takken, Todd E.

2007-02-27

A multiprocessor, parallel computer is made tolerant to hardware failures by providing extra groups of redundant standby processors and by designing the system so that these extra groups of processors can be swapped with any group which experiences a hardware failure. This swapping can be under software control, thereby permitting the entire computer to sustain a hardware failure but, after swapping in the standby processors, to still appear to software as a pristine, fully functioning system.

A prospective, randomised trial of prophylactic antibiotics versus bag extraction in the prophylaxis of wound infection in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PubMed

Harling, R; Moorjani, N; Perry, C; MacGowan, A P; Thompson, M H

2000-11-01

Septic complications are rare following laparoscopic cholecystectomy if prophylactic antibiotics are given, as demonstrated in previous studies. Antibiotic treatment may be unnecessary and, therefore, undesirable, so we compared two forms of prophylaxis: a cephalosporin antibiotic and bag extraction of the dissected gallbladder. A total of 76 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomised to either receive an antibiotic or to have their gallbladder removed from the abdomen in a plastic bag. Complicated cases were excluded. There was a total of 6 wound infections (7.9%), 3 in each of the study groups. All these were associated with skin commensals. There were no other septic complications. Bacteriological studies grouped the organisms isolated from the bile and the wound as potential pathogens and likely commensals. A total of 10 potential pathogens were isolated, 9 of which were found in the group receiving antibiotics. We conclude that septic sequelae of uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy are uncommon, but clearly not entirely prevented by antibiotic or mechanical prophylaxis. Prophylactic antibiotics may not be required in uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Further study is warranted.

Outcome study of brief relational-cultural therapy in a women's mental health center.

PubMed

Oakley, M Anne; Addison, Shirley C; Piran, Niva; Johnston, Gary J; Damianakis, Mary; Curry, Joyce; Dunbar, Christine; Weigeldt, Almuth

2013-01-01

The current study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief relational-cultural model of therapy in a community-based mental health center for women. The study was distinctive in its use of a hybrid model that employed elements of randomized control and naturalistic design. Results showed that the entire treatment group of 91 women improved significantly on all eight outcome measures. Therapeutic gains were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The results lend support to the importance of including relational-cultural factors in the treatment of women. An adherence scale/manual was developed and implemented and will allow for replication.

The effects of police contact on trajectories of violence: a group-based, propensity score matching analysis.

PubMed

Ward, Jeffrey T; Krohn, Marvin D; Gibson, Chris L

2014-02-01

This study uses a life course framework to investigate how police contacts may serve as a potential turning point in a violent crime trajectory. Drawing on the central ideas from deterrence and labeling theories, we determine whether individuals on different violent offending trajectories increase or decrease their offending following a police contact. Analyzing nine waves of data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, an integrated propensity score matching and latent class growth model was used. First, three violent trajectory groups emerged including high offenders, non-offenders, and low offenders. Second, after accounting for selection bias using propensity score matching procedures, experiencing a police contact increased the likelihood of future violent offending for the entire sample and for those who were on a low violent-offending trajectory specifically. These findings are interpreted as partial support for labeling theory. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Synthesis, crystal structure, NLO and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1,2,3-triazolyl chalcone single crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shruthi, C.; Ravindrachary, V.; Guruswamy, B.; Lokanath, N. K.; Kumara, Karthik; Goveas, Janet

2018-05-01

Needle shaped brown coloured single crystal of the title compound was grown by slow evaporation technique using methanol as solvent. The grown crystal was characterized using FT-IR, Single crystal XRD, UV-visible and NLO studies. Crystal structure was confirmed by FT-IR study and the functional groups were identified. XRD study reveals that the crystal belongs to orthorhombic crystal system with pnaa space group and the corresponding cell parameters were calculated. UV-visible spectrum shows that the crystal is transparent in the entire visible region and absorption takes place in the UV-range. NLO efficiency of the crystal obtained 0.66 times that of urea was determined by SHG test. The intermolecular interaction and percentage contribution of each individual atom in the crystal lattice was quantized using Hirshfeld surface and 2D finger print analysis.

Cobalamin-fluorophores' photochemistry and biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, Zachary Lewis

As science focuses on the finer details of complex processes occurring in biology, the need for tools responsive to researcher control have become critical to communicate with cellular functions in both a spatial and temporal manner. To this end, light responsive "caging groups" have been used to generate molecular constructs with which researchers can activate using directed irradiation to elicit biological responses where and when they want. This advancement in molecular control has greatly improved our ability to study biological systems in their dynamically intricate form. Most of these photoresponsive moieties perform well within a petri dish, but their application is limited in vivo. Current photochemical tools require high energy light for their activation. Dermal tissue contains bio chromophores that absorb this light and prevents its penetration to less than a few millimeters making photoactivation impossible. However, tissue has an "optical window" in the red and near infrared (600 -- 1000 nm) where light penetrates efficiently to clinically relevant depths. Therefore, researchers have sought long wavelength responsive caging groups but have had little success to date. Herein, I report the development of an entire class of red and near infrared responsive (600 -- 800 nm) caging groups based on Vitamin B12 or cobalamin. Upon modification with a fluorophore antenna, these metal complexes can capture long wavelength light to perform photochemical work in the form of bond scission reactions. The effect is compatible with a range of fluorophores covering the entire near infrared spectrum, and bond scission proceeds rapidly with extremely high efficiencies. In this work, the initial development and characterization of these molecules as photoactivateable groups will be discussed. Furthermore, I will demonstrate how these molecules can be applied for clinical applications, such as drug delivery and tissue scaffold formation, to provide safer and less invasive treatments.

WISE Spies the Tarantula Nebula

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-06

Sending chills down the spine of all arachnophobes is the Tarantula nebula, seen in this image from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; the nebula is the largest star-forming region known in our entire Local Group of galaxies.

PRN 88-2: Clustering of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Notice announces that EPA has clustered the Quaternary Ammonium Compounds into four groups for the purpose of testing chemicals to build a database that will support continued registration of the entire family of quaternary ammonium compounds

Increases in heart rate and serum cortisol concentrations in healthy dogs are positively correlated with an indoor waiting-room environment.

PubMed

Perego, Roberta; Proverbio, Daniela; Spada, Eva

2014-03-01

Few studies have investigated the effect of veterinary clinical procedures on the welfare of dogs, with specific emphasis on the veterinary practice environment. Clinicopathologic variables have also not been assessed in these potentially stressful situations. Similar to human clinical studies, the veterinary clinical waiting room could present a significant stress factor for dogs. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of waiting-room environment on serum cortisol and glucose alterations as well as heart rate in privately owned healthy dogs. The clinical trial included 24 healthy dogs that were divided into 2 groups: the clinical waiting-room group (A) and the control group (B) that waited outside in a garden. During the entire experiment, 18 dogs (9 dogs per group) were monitored with a human heart rate monitor fastened around the chest. After 20 minutes of waiting, blood samples were collected from all of the dogs (24 dogs) to determine serum cortisol concentration. Serum cortisol concentration and mean, maximum, and minimum heart rate were significantly higher in group A compared with group B, but there was no statistical difference in serum glucose concentrations between the 2 study groups. Results of this study suggest that the waiting room is a potentially stressful situation for dogs in clinical veterinary practice, when compared with a garden, based on the assessment of adrenal cortex function and heart rate evaluation. © 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

The Australian Defence Force Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study: design and methods

PubMed Central

Hooff, Miranda Van; McFarlane, Alexander C.; Davies, Christopher E.; Searle, Amelia K.; Fairweather-Schmidt, A. Kate; Verhagen, Alan; Benassi, Helen; Hodson, Stephanie E.

2014-01-01

Background The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study (MHPWS) is the first study of mental disorder prevalence in an entire military population. Objective The MHPWS aims to establish mental disorder prevalence, refine current ADF mental health screening methods, and identify specific occupational factors that influence mental health. This paper describes the design, sampling strategies, and methodology used in this study. Method At Phase 1, approximately half of all regular Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel (n=24,481) completed self-report questionnaires. At Phase 2, a stratified sub-sample (n=1,798) completed a structured diagnostic interview to detect mental disorder. Based on data from non-responders, data were weighted to represent the entire ADF population (n=50,049). Results One in five ADF members met criteria for a 12-month mental disorder (22%). The most common disorder category was anxiety disorders (14.8%), followed by affective (9.5%) and alcohol disorders (5.2%). At risk ADF sub-groups were Army personnel, and those in the lower ranks. Deployment status did not have an impact on mental disorder rates. Conclusion This study has important implications for mental health service delivery for Australian and international military personnel as well as contemporary veterans. PMID:25206944

[Role of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test in the screening for pulmonary tuberculosis at the General Referral Provincial Hospital of Bukavu, in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: balance after 10 months of use].

PubMed

Lupande, David; Kaishusha, David; Mihigo, Carine; Itongwa, Moise; Yenga, Gustave; Katchunga, Philippe

2017-01-01

In sub-Saharan Africa, diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are inadequate and are essentially based on microscopy. They constitute a real obstacle to the control of tuberculosis. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test compared to classical Ziehl-Neelsen staining at the the general referral provincial hospital of Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 10 months of use. The results of Ziehl-Neelsen staining and GeneXpert MTB/RIF molecular biology test performed in 452 patients with suspected tuberculosis were collected. This study compares the validity of these different diagnostic tests in the detection of tuberculosis. In the entire group, the frequency of the pulmonary tuberculosis was 16.3%. The positivity rate was significantly higher in GeneXpert MTB/RIF test than in Ziehl-Neelsen staining in the entire group (15.9% vs 9.3%, p = 0.03) and in HIV seropositive patients (52.0% vs 24.0%; p = 0.007). However, the sensitivity of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test compared to that in Ziehl-Neelsen staining wasn't maximum (95.2%). Finally, GeneXpert MTB/RIF test detected rifampicin resistance in 20.8%. This study confirms the superiority of GeneXpert MTB/RIF test compared to Ziehl-Neelsen staining in the detection of tuberculosis and in the prediction of multi-resistance. Its systematic use coupled with Ziehl-Neelsen staining would better control tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Age-related reduction of the confidence-accuracy relationship in episodic memory: effects of recollection quality and retrieval monitoring.

PubMed

Wong, Jessica T; Cramer, Stefanie J; Gallo, David A

2012-12-01

We investigated age-related reductions in episodic metamemory accuracy. Participants studied pictures and words in different colors and then took forced-choice recollection tests. These tests required recollection of the earlier presentation color, holding familiarity of the response options constant. Metamemory accuracy was assessed for each participant by comparing recollection test accuracy with corresponding confidence judgments. We found that recollection test accuracy was greater in younger than older adults and also for pictures than font color. Metamemory accuracy tracked each of these recollection differences, as well as individual differences in recollection test accuracy within each age group, suggesting that recollection ability affects metamemory accuracy. Critically, the age-related impairment in metamemory accuracy persisted even when the groups were matched on recollection test accuracy, suggesting that metamemory declines were not entirely due to differences in recollection frequency or quantity, but that differences in recollection quality and/or monitoring also played a role. We also found that age-related impairments in recollection and metamemory accuracy were equivalent for pictures and font colors. This result contrasted with previous false recognition findings, which predicted that older adults would be differentially impaired when monitoring memory for less distinctive memories. These and other results suggest that age-related reductions in metamemory accuracy are not entirely attributable to false recognition effects, but also depend heavily on deficient recollection and/or monitoring of specific details associated with studied stimuli. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

The effects of protein dietary supplementation on fecal egg counts and hematological parameters in goat kids with subclinical nematodosis.

PubMed

Konwar, Priyanka; Tiwari, S P; Gohain, M; Kumari, Kiran

2015-11-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with different levels of protein on fecal egg counts and hematological parameters in goat kids with subclinical nematodosis under semi-intensive condition. 20 goat kids (3-5 months old with an average body weight of 8.90 kg) were randomly allocated to four groups: T1, served as a negative control, without receiving concentrate feed, and T2, T3, and T4 that received concentrate feed containing 16, 20, and 24% digestible crude protein, respectively. The experiment was carried out for 60 days. In this study, protein supplementation had a significant (p<0.05) effect on fecal egg counts even after 15 days; hemoglobin (Hb) (g/dl) after 45 days; total leukocyte count (10(3)/mm(3)) and total erythrocyte count (10(6)/mm(3)) after 30 days; packed cell volume (%), lymphocyte (%), and eosinophil (%) after 15 days of supplementation, whereas monocyte (%) and neutrophil (%) values were not significantly influenced by protein supplementation effect during the entire experiment. The values of mean corpuscular volume (fl) were affected significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01) due to protein supplementation after 30 days, mean corpuscular Hb (MCH) (pg) after 45 days, but MCH concentration (g/dl) was not significantly different among the experimental groups during the entire experiment. The dietary supplementation with different levels of protein significantly improved the hematological profiles and inhibited the nematodosis infection in the experimental goat kids.

Entirely S-protected chitosan: A promising mucoadhesive excipient for metronidazole vaginal tablets.

PubMed

Lupo, Noemi; Fodor, Benjamin; Muhammad, Ijaz; Yaqoob, Muhammad; Matuszczak, Barbara; Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas

2017-12-01

Synthesis and evaluation of an entirely S-protected chitosan as mucoadhesive excipient for vaginal drug delivery. N-acetyl-cysteine was linked to 6-mercaptonicotinamide via disulphide exchange reaction. The obtained ligand, NAC-6-MNA, was subsequently attached to chitosan by carbodiimide mediated amide bond formation in two concentrations. The synthesized S-protected chitosan was chemically characterized and mucoadhesive properties and stability against oxidation were investigated. Moreover, metronidazole tablets comprising the S-protected chitosan were evaluated regarding water uptake capacity, disintegration behaviour, residence time on vaginal mucosa, release of the encapsulated drug and antimicrobial activity. S-protected chitosan displayed 160±19 (CS-MNA-160) and 320±38 (CS-MNA-320)µmol of ligand per gram of polymer. At pH 4.2, CS-MNA-160 and CS-MNA-320 showed 5.2-fold and 6.2-fold increase in mucus viscosity in comparison to unmodified chitosan (One-way ANOVA, p<.001), whereas, 9.9-fold (CS-MNA-160) and 15.6-fold (CS-MNA-320) (One-way ANOVA, p<.001) increase in viscosity was measured at pH 6. The S-protected chitosan remained stable against oxidation in presence of 0.5%v/v hydrogen peroxide. Metronidazole tablets consisting in S-protected chitosan showed prolonged residence time on vaginal mucosa and improved water uptake capacity and disintegration time in comparison to tablets consisting of unmodified chitosan. Moreover, CS-MNA-320 metronidazole tablets displayed prolonged drug release and antimicrobial activity. On the basis of the achieved results, entirely S-protected chitosan represents a promising excipient for the development of metronidazole vaginal tablets. S-protected thiomers are polymers modified with thiol groups protected by aromatic ligands and characterized by strong mucoadhesive properties and high stability against oxidation. Up to date, the entirely S-protection of thiol groups was achieved via the synthesis of the ligand 2-((2-amino-2-carboxyethyl)disulfanyl)nicotinic acid) which can be directly bound to the backbone of polymers bearing carboxylic moieties as pectin. However, this ligand is not suitable for positively charged polymers due to the negative charge. In this paper, the synthesis of a suitable ligand for the entirely S-protection of positively charged polymers is presented. The first entirely S-protected chitosan was synthesized, characterized and its mucoadhesive properties were assessed. Moreover, metronidazole tablets comprising the entirely S-protected chitosan were developed and evaluated as vaginal drug delivery system. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apical Extrusion of Irrigants in Immature Permanent Teeth by Using EndoVac and Needle Irrigation: An In Vitro Study

PubMed Central

Velmurugan, N; Sooriaprakas, C; Jain, Preetham

2014-01-01

Objective: Immature teeth have a large apical opening and thin divergent or parallel dentinal walls; hence, with conventional needle irrigation there is a very high possibility of extrusion. This study was done to compare the apical extrusion of NaOCl in an immature root delivered using EndoVac and needle irrigation. Materials and Methods: Eighty freshly extracted maxillary central incisors were decoronated followed by access cavity preparation. Modified organotypic protocol was performed to create an open apex; then, the samples were divided into four groups (n=20): EndoVac Microcannula (group I), EndoVac Macrocannula (group II), NaviTip irrigation needle (group III) and Max-i-Probe Irrigating needle (group IV); 9.0 ml of 3% sodium hypochlorite was delivered slowly over a period of 60 seconds. Extruded irrigants were collected in a vial and analysed statistically. Results: Group I, group III and group IV showed 100% extrusion (20/20) but group II showed only 40% extrusion (8/20). The difference in this respect between group II and other groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). With regards to the volume of extrusion, group II had only 0.23 ml of extruded irrigant. Group I extruded 7.53ml of the irrigant. Group III and group IV extruded the entire volume of irrigant delivered. Conclusion: EndoVac Macrocannula resulted in the least extrusion of irrigant in immature teeth when compared to EndoVac Microcannula and conventional needle irrigation. PMID:25584055

Race, region and risk: An examination of minority proximity to noxious facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nieves, A.L.; Nieves, L.A.

1996-04-01

The past decade has given rise to terms like environmental racism, eco-racism, and environmental inequities to characterize a disproportional distribution of environmental disamenities among minority communities. Much of the literature supports the contention that racial and ethnic minorities and low-income groups bear a disproportionate burden of risk from hazardous activities and substances in the environment. This study expands the scope of prior studies by employing county-level data for the entire nation and including a broad range of facility types associated with environmental disamenities. In addition, it addresses the issue of the distribution of noxious facilities among white and non-white populationsmore » in an attempt to determine the relative exposure to risk among different racial and ethnic groups. In addition, the authors also explore the relative importance of nonurban versus urban residence.« less

Sustained Increased Entry of Medical Students into Surgical Careers: A Student-Led Approach.

PubMed

Salna, Michael; Sia, Tiffany; Curtis, Griffith; Leddy, Doris; Widmann, Warren D

2016-01-01

To determine whether a surgical interest group run entirely by preclinical students can influence medical students to enter general surgery residency programs. Matriculation rates into general surgery and affiliated subspecialties from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons residency match lists were compared to National Residency Match Program data for all U.S. senior students from 2006 to 2014. The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After establishing the interest group, entrance rates into general surgery programs tripled from the early 2000s to more than 12% of 2006 Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons graduates. After 8 years, our data illustrate sustained results, with more than 8% of students entering surgical residencies, significantly higher than the National Residency Match Program's average (p < 0.025). Surgical interest groups spark early and lasting interest in surgery that may influence residency decisions. Moreover, these programs can be successfully run entirely by preclinical students and implemented in other institutions. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sliding states of a soft-colloid cluster crystal: Cluster versus single-particle hopping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossini, Mirko; Consonni, Lorenzo; Stenco, Andrea; Reatto, Luciano; Manini, Nicola

2018-05-01

We study a two-dimensional model for interacting colloidal particles which displays spontaneous clustering. Within this model we investigate the competition between the pinning to a periodic corrugation potential and a sideways constant pulling force which would promote a sliding state. For a few sample particle densities and amplitudes of the periodic corrugation potential we investigate the depinning from the statically pinned to the dynamically sliding regime. This sliding state exhibits the competition between a dynamics where entire clusters are pulled from a minimum to the next and a dynamics where single colloids or smaller groups leave a cluster and move across the corrugation energy barrier to join the next cluster downstream in the force direction. Both kinds of sliding states can occur either coherently across the entire sample or asynchronously: the two regimes result in different average mobilities. Finite temperature tends to destroy separate sliding regimes, generating a smoother dependence of the mobility on the driving force.

Preparation and chromatographic evaluation of zwitterionic stationary phases with controllable ratio of positively and negatively charged groups.

PubMed

Cheng, Xiao-Dong; Hao, Yan-Hong; Peng, Xi-Tian; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Shi, Zhi-Guo; Feng, Yu-Qi

2015-08-15

The present study described the preparation and application of zwitterionic stationary phases (ACS) with controllable ratio of positively charged tertiary amine groups and negatively charged carboxyl groups. Various parameters, including water content, pH values and ionic strength of the mobile phase, were investigated to study the chromatographic characteristics of ACS columns. The prepared ACS columns demonstrated a mix-mode retention mechanism composed of surface adsorption, partitioning and electrostatic interactions. The elemental analysis of different batches of the ACS phases demonstrated good reproducibility of the preparation strategy. Additionally, various categories of compounds, including nucleosides, water-soluble vitamins, benzoic acid derivatives and basic compounds were successively employed to evaluate the separation selectivity of the prepared ACS stationary phases. These ACS phases exhibited entirely different selectivity and retention behavior from each other for various polar analytes, demonstrating the excellent application potential in the analysis of polar compounds in HILIC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping young stellar populations towards Orion with Gaia DR1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zari, Eleonora; Brown, Anthony G. A.

2018-04-01

OB associations are prime sites for the study of star formation processes and of the interaction between young massive stars with the interstellar medium. Furthermore, the kinematics and structure of the nearest OB associations provide detailed insight into the properties and origin of the Gould Belt. In this context, the Orion complex has been extensively studied. However, the spatial distribution of the stellar population is still uncertain: in particular, the distances and ages of the various sub-groups composing the Orion OB association, and their connection to the surrounding interstellar medium, are not well determined. We used the first Gaia data release to characterize the stellar population in Orion, with the goal to obtain new distance and age estimates of the numerous stellar groups composing the Orion OB association. We found evidence of the existence of a young and rich population spread over the entire region, loosely clustered around some known groups. This newly discovered population of young stars provides a fresh view of the star formation history of the Orion region.

Acute effects of static stretching on peak and end-range hamstring-to-quadriceps functional ratios.

PubMed

Sekir, Ufuk; Arabaci, Ramiz; Akova, Bedrettin

2015-10-18

To evaluate if static stretching influences peak and end-range functional hamstring-to-quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios in elite women athletes. Eleven healthy female athletes in an elite competitive level participated to the study. All the participants fulfilled the static stretching or non-stretching (control) intervention protocol in a randomized design on different days. Two static unassisted stretching exercises, one in standing and one in sitting position, were used to stretch both the hamstring and quadriceps muscles during these protocols. The total time for the static stretching was 6 ± 1 min. The isokinetic peak torque measurements for the hamstring and quadriceps muscles in eccentric and concentric modes and the calculations for the functional H/Q strength ratios at angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s were made before (pre) and after (post) the control or stretching intervention. The strength measurements and functional strength ratio calculations were based during the entire- and end-range of knee extension. The pre-test scores for quadriceps and hamstring peak torque and end range values were not significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05). Subsequently, although the control group did not exhibit significant changes in quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength (P > 0.05), static stretching decreased eccentric and concentric quadriceps muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P < 0.01). Similarly, static stretching also decreased eccentric and concentric hamstring muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P < 0.01). On the other hand, when the functional H/Q strength ratios were taken into consideration, the pre-intervention values were not significant different between the groups both during the entire and end range of knee extension (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the functional H/Q strength ratios exhibited no significant alterations during the entire and end ranges of knee extension both in the static stretching or the control intervention (P > 0.05). According to our results, static stretching routine does not influence functional H/Q ratio. Athletes can confidently perform static stretching during their warm-up routines.

Acute effects of static stretching on peak and end-range hamstring-to-quadriceps functional ratios

PubMed Central

Sekir, Ufuk; Arabaci, Ramiz; Akova, Bedrettin

2015-01-01

AIM: To evaluate if static stretching influences peak and end-range functional hamstring-to-quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios in elite women athletes. METHODS: Eleven healthy female athletes in an elite competitive level participated to the study. All the participants fulfilled the static stretching or non-stretching (control) intervention protocol in a randomized design on different days. Two static unassisted stretching exercises, one in standing and one in sitting position, were used to stretch both the hamstring and quadriceps muscles during these protocols. The total time for the static stretching was 6 ± 1 min. The isokinetic peak torque measurements for the hamstring and quadriceps muscles in eccentric and concentric modes and the calculations for the functional H/Q strength ratios at angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s were made before (pre) and after (post) the control or stretching intervention. The strength measurements and functional strength ratio calculations were based during the entire- and end-range of knee extension. RESULTS: The pre-test scores for quadriceps and hamstring peak torque and end range values were not significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05). Subsequently, although the control group did not exhibit significant changes in quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength (P > 0.05), static stretching decreased eccentric and concentric quadriceps muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P < 0.01). Similarly, static stretching also decreased eccentric and concentric hamstring muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P < 0.01). On the other hand, when the functional H/Q strength ratios were taken into consideration, the pre-intervention values were not significant different between the groups both during the entire and end range of knee extension (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the functional H/Q strength ratios exhibited no significant alterations during the entire and end ranges of knee extension both in the static stretching or the control intervention (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to our results, static stretching routine does not influence functional H/Q ratio. Athletes can confidently perform static stretching during their warm-up routines. PMID:26495249

Effect of guava and vitamin C supplementation on experimental gingivitis A randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Amaliya, Amaliya; Risdiana, Ajeng S; der Velden, Ubele Van

2018-05-14

To study the effect of guava and synthetic vitamin C on the development of gingival inflammation during experimental gingivitis. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups supplemented daily with either 200g guava, 200mg synthetic vitamin C or water. The study included a 14 days pre-experimental period with oral hygiene instructions, scaling, prophylaxis and supplementation. Thereafter, experiment gingivitis was initiated, while continuing supplementation. At baseline, day 7 and day 14 of experimental gingivitis, Plaque Index (PlI) and Gingival Index (GI) were assessed. During the entire study, dietary fruit/vegetables intake was minimal. PlI increased in guava-, vitamin C- and control group (ΔPlI: 1.30, 1.61 and 1.79 respectively). However, the guava group developed significantly less plaque compared to the control group. The GI increase of both guava- and vitamin C group was significantly less than the increase of the control group (ΔGI: 0.10, 0.24 and 0.87 respectively). in a population of young non-smoking adults, consumption of either 200g guava/day or 200mg synthetic vitamin C/day, prior to and during the oral hygiene abstention period, has a preventive effect on the development of experimental gingivitis as compared to the control group that developed the usual amount of experimental gingivitis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of air purifier on health outcomes and indoor particles in homes of children with allergic diseases in Fresno, California: A pilot study.

PubMed

Park, Hye-Kyung; Cheng, Kai-Chung; Tetteh, Afua O; Hildemann, Lynn M; Nadeau, Kari C

2017-05-01

Epidemiologic studies indicate that indoor air pollution is correlated with morbidity caused by allergic diseases. We evaluated the effectiveness of reducing the levels of indoor fine particulate matter <2.5 micrometer diameter (PM 2.5 ) in Fresno, California using air purifiers on health outcomes in children with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. The active group (with air purifiers) and the control group consisted of eight houses each. Air purifiers were installed in the living rooms and bedrooms of the subjects in the active group during the entire 12-week study duration. Childhood asthma control test, peak flow rate monitoring, and nasal symptom scores were evaluated at weeks 0, 6, and 12. At 12 weeks, the active group showed a trend toward an improvement of childhood asthma control test scores and mean evening peak flow rates, whereas the control group showed deterioration in the same measures. Total and daytime nasal symptoms scores significantly reduced in the active group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). The average indoor PM 2.5 concentrations reduced by 43% (7.42 to 4.28 μg/m 3 ) in the active group (p = 0.001). Intervention with air purifiers reduces indoor PM 2.5 levels with significant improvements in nasal symptoms in children with allergic rhinitis in Fresno.

Serum bicarbonate and mortality in adults in NHANES III

PubMed Central

Raphael, Kalani L.; Zhang, Yingying; Wei, Guo; Greene, Tom; Cheung, Alfred K.; Beddhu, Srinivasan

2013-01-01

Background Low serum bicarbonate concentration is a risk factor for death in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether low serum bicarbonate is a mortality risk factor for people without CKD is unknown. Methods National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) adult participants were categorized into one of four serum bicarbonate categories: <22, 22–25, 26–30 and ≥31 mM. Cox models were used to determine the hazards of death in each serum bicarbonate category, using 26–30 mM as the reference group, in the (i) entire population, (ii) non-CKD subgroup and (iii) CKD subgroup. Results After adjusting for age, gender, race, estimated glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria, diuretic use, smoking, C-reactive protein, cardiovascular disease, protein intake, diabetes, hypertension, body mass index, lung disease and serum albumin, the hazards of death in the <22 mM serum bicarbonate category were 1.75 (95% CI: 1.12–2.74), 1.56 (95% CI: 0.78–3.09) and 2.56 (95% CI: 1.49–4.38) in the entire population, non-CKD subgroup and CKD subgroup, respectively, compared with the reference group. Hazard ratios in the other serum bicarbonate categories in the entire population and non-CKD and CKD subgroups did not differ from the reference group. Conclusions Among the NHANES III participants, low serum bicarbonate was not observed to be a strong predictor of mortality in people without CKD. However, low serum bicarbonate was associated with a 2.6-fold increased hazard of death in people with CKD. PMID:23348878

Childrens Hospital Integrated Patient Electronic Record System Continuation (CHIPERS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

of our interactive BPAs and order set technology. The Cumberland Group has been the primary consulting group assisting the entire inpatient and...to allow for continued BPA development and iteration during the upgrade period, while also effecting a seamless transition of BPA and order set...clinical decision support system. Our BPA logic includes: Severe Sepsis Alert Logic Summary: Age + Temperature + White Blood Cell and (lethargy or

Photochemical stability of UV-screening transparent acrylic copolymers of 2-(2-hydroxy-5-vinylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, A.; Scott, G. W.; Kliger, D.; Vogl, O.

1983-01-01

The mechanism of photodegradation of certain hydroxyphenyl benzotriazole based ultraviolet absorbers has been investigated and a new polymerizable ultraviolet absorber in this group has been synthesized. The photoreactivity is entirely confined at the surface of polymethylmethacrylate films containing the ultraviolet absorbers as pendant groups. A mechanism involving sensitized photooxidation has been proposed to interpret the data.

Hypnotherapy and Test Anxiety: Two Cognitive-Behavioral Constructs. The Effects of Hypnosis in Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Academic Achievement in College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapp, Marty

A two-group randomized multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to investigate the effects of cognitive-behavioral hypnosis in reducing test anxiety and improving academic performance in comparison to a Hawthorne control group. Subjects were enrolled in a rigorous introductory psychology course which covered an entire text in one…

How Does the Choice of A-level Subjects Vary with Students' Socio-Economic Status in English State Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dilnot, Catherine

2016-01-01

The reasons why students from lower socio-economic groups are under-represented at high status universities are not yet entirely understood, but evidence suggests that part of the gap may be a consequence of differential choice of A-levels by social background. The Russell Group of universities has since 2011 published guidance on A-level subject…

Bioavailability of a heme-iron concentrate product added to chocolate biscuit filling in adolescent girls living in a rural area of Mexico.

PubMed

González-Rosendo, Guillermina; Polo, Javier; Rodríguez-Jerez, José Juan; Puga-Díaz, Rubén; Reyes-Navarrete, Eduardo G; Quintero-Gutiérrez, Adrián G

2010-04-01

A heme-iron concentrate product derived from swine hemoglobin was used to enrich the chocolate-flavored filling of biscuits and the bioavailability of this source of heme-iron was assessed in adolescent girls. The placebo control (PC) group consisted of 35 teenagers with the highest baseline hemoglobin concentrations. The supplemented groups were randomized to receive biscuits fortified with iron sulfate (IS, n = 37) or heme-iron concentrate (HIC, n = 40). Both groups were supplemented with 10.3 mg Fe/d for 7 wk. Blood chemistry and hematology analyses were performed at baseline and at the end of the study. The baseline prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dl) in the entire group was 3.9% and by the end of the study it had fallen to 2.3%. The hemoglobin levels in both supplemented groups increased (P < 0.05) during the study period from 13.6 and 13.5 g/dl for HIC and IS, respectively, at baseline to 14 g/dl at the end of the study. Serum ferritin concentrations decreased by the end of the study in both the PC and IS groups (P < 0.05), but not in the heme group. In conclusion, iron bioavailability from HIC-fortified biscuits was calculated to be 23.7% higher than that observed for IS, as shown by the differences observed in serum ferritin levels during the study. The iron contained in the heme-iron concentrate was well absorbed and tolerated by the adolescents included in the study.

Implicit bias in astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knezek, Patricia

2017-06-01

We all harbour subconscious expectations about people based on their apparent membership of groups, such as gender, ethnicity or age. Research shows that these expectations can lead us to undervalue some people's contributions, inhibiting their success and thus negatively impacting our entire field.

Microbial oceanography: Killers of the winners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirchman, David L.

2013-02-01

Viruses that infect the SAR11 group of oceanic bacteria have finally been found and sequenced. Because SAR11 is ubiquitous, these viruses may be the most abundant in the oceans -- and perhaps in the entire biosphere. See Letter p.357

Impacts of rising health care costs on families with employment-based private insurance: a national analysis with state fixed effects.

PubMed

Yu, Hao; Dick, Andrew W

2012-10-01

Given the rapid growth of health care costs, some experts were concerned with erosion of employment-based private insurance (EBPI). This empirical analysis aims to quantify the concern. Using the National Health Account, we generated a cost index to represent state-level annual cost growth. We merged it with the 1996-2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The unit of analysis is the family. We conducted both bivariate and multivariate logistic analyses. The bivariate analysis found a significant inverse association between the cost index and the proportion of families receiving an offer of EBPI. The multivariate analysis showed that the cost index was significantly negatively associated with the likelihood of receiving an EBPI offer for the entire sample and for families in the first, second, and third quartiles of income distribution. The cost index was also significantly negatively associated with the proportion of families with EBPI for the entire year for each family member (EBPI-EYEM). The multivariate analysis confirmed significance of the relationship for the entire sample, and for families in the second and third quartiles of income distribution. Among the families with EBPI-EYEM, there was a positive relationship between the cost index and this group's likelihood of having out-of-pocket expenditures exceeding 10 percent of family income. The multivariate analysis confirmed significance of the relationship for the entire group and for families in the second and third quartiles of income distribution. Rising health costs reduce EBPI availability and enrollment, and the financial protection provided by it, especially for middle-class families. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Impacts of Rising Health Care Costs on Families with Employment-Based Private Insurance: A National Analysis with State Fixed Effects

PubMed Central

Yu, Hao; Dick, Andrew W

2012-01-01

Background Given the rapid growth of health care costs, some experts were concerned with erosion of employment-based private insurance (EBPI). This empirical analysis aims to quantify the concern. Methods Using the National Health Account, we generated a cost index to represent state-level annual cost growth. We merged it with the 1996–2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The unit of analysis is the family. We conducted both bivariate and multivariate logistic analyses. Results The bivariate analysis found a significant inverse association between the cost index and the proportion of families receiving an offer of EBPI. The multivariate analysis showed that the cost index was significantly negatively associated with the likelihood of receiving an EBPI offer for the entire sample and for families in the first, second, and third quartiles of income distribution. The cost index was also significantly negatively associated with the proportion of families with EBPI for the entire year for each family member (EBPI-EYEM). The multivariate analysis confirmed significance of the relationship for the entire sample, and for families in the second and third quartiles of income distribution. Among the families with EBPI-EYEM, there was a positive relationship between the cost index and this group's likelihood of having out-of-pocket expenditures exceeding 10 percent of family income. The multivariate analysis confirmed significance of the relationship for the entire group and for families in the second and third quartiles of income distribution. Conclusions Rising health costs reduce EBPI availability and enrollment, and the financial protection provided by it, especially for middle-class families. PMID:22417314

Prisoners' attitudes towards cigarette smoking and smoking cessation: a questionnaire study in Poland.

PubMed

Sieminska, Alicja; Jassem, Ewa; Konopa, Krzysztof

2006-07-07

In the last decade Poland has successfully carried out effective anti-tobacco campaigns and introduced tobacco control legislation. This comprehensive strategy has focused on the general population and has led to a considerable decrease in tobacco consumption. Prisoners constitute a relatively small part of the entire Polish population and smoking habits in this group have been given little attention. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking in Polish male prisoners, factors determining smoking in this group, prisoners' attitudes towards smoking cessation, and to evaluate prisoners' perception of different anti-tobacco measures. An anonymous questionnaire including personal, demographic and smoking data was distributed among 944 male inmates. Of these, 907 men aged between 17 and 62 years (mean 32.3 years) met the inclusion criteria of the study. For the comparison of proportions, a chi-square test was used with continuity correction whenever appropriate. In the entire group, 81% of the subjects were smokers, 12% - ex-smokers, and 7% - never smokers. Current smokers had significantly lower education level than non-smokers (p < 0.0001) and ever-smokers more frequently abused other psychoactive substances than never smokers (p < 0.0001). Stress was reported as an important factor in prompting smoking (77%). Forty-nine percent of daily smokers were aware of the adverse health consequences of smoking. The majority of smokers (75%) had attempted to quit smoking in the past. Forty percent of smoking prisoners considered an award for abstaining from cigarettes as the best means to limit the prevalence of smoking in prisons. The prevalence of cigarette smoking among Polish prisoners is high. However, a majority of smokers attempt to quit, and they should be encouraged and supported. Efforts to reduce cigarette smoking in prisons need to take into consideration the specific factors influencing smoking habits in prisons.

Flap preconditioning by pressure-controlled cupping in a rat model.

PubMed

Koh, Kyung S; Park, Sung Woo; Oh, Tae Suk; Choi, Jong Woo

2016-08-01

Flap survival is essential for the success of soft-tissue reconstruction. Accordingly, various surgical and medical methods aim to increase flap survival. Because flap survival is affected by the innate vascular supply, traditional preconditioning methods mainly target vasodilatation or vascular reorientation to increase blood flow to the tissue. External stress on the skin, such as an external volume expander or cupping, induces vascular remodeling, and these approaches have been used in the fat grafting field and in traditional Asian medicine. In the present study, we used a rat random-pattern dorsal flap model to study the effectiveness of preconditioning with an externally applied device (cupping) at the flap site that directly applied negative pressure to the skin. The device, the pressure-controlled cupping, is connected to negative pressure vacuum device providing accurate pressure control from 0 mm Hg to -200 mm Hg. Flap surgery was performed after preconditioning under -25 mm Hg suction pressure for 30 min a day for 5 d, followed by 9 d of postoperative observation. Flap survival was assessed as the area of viable tissue and was compared between the preconditioned group and a control group. The preconditioned group showed absolute percentage increase of flap viability relative to the entire flap by 19.0± 7.6% (average 70.1% versus 51.0%). Tissue perfusion of entire flap, evaluated by laser Doppler imaging system, was improved with absolute percentage increase by 24.2± 10.4% (average 77.4% versus 53.1%). Histologic analysis of hematoxylin and eosin, CD31, and Masson-trichrome staining showed increased vascular density in the subdermal plexus and more organized collagen production with hypertrophy of the attached muscle. Our study suggests that flap preconditioning caused by controlled noninvasive suction induces vascular remodeling that increases tissue perfusion and improves flap survival in a rat model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive interdisciplinary care: making a difference in pregnancy outcomes for Hispanic women.

PubMed

Pearce, C W; Hawkins, J W; Carver-Chase, D; Ebacher, R; Matta, S; Sullivan, A; Vawter, V J; Vincent, C; Windle, K A

1996-12-01

Hispanic women constitute one of the fastest growing and most diverse groups in the United States, representing many countries of origin and cultural practices. The purpose of this evaluation study, using an ex post facto design, was to examine well-being during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes for a cohort of 113 Hispanic women receiving perinatal care at the clinic of a community hospital in an old industrial city in the Northeast. The received adequacy of prenatal care for the study sample women was very high. The low-birthweight rate was lower than for the study hospital, the study city, the state, and the entire United States. The results of this study demonstrate the favorable effects of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and culturally sensitive model of prenatal care on these women's well-being and birth outcomes. Findings also support the need for an outreach program targeted at hard-to-reach women in the inadequate, received-care group and women with later initiation of care.

Research should not ignore the power of elite groups.

PubMed

Gregory, Robert J

2002-02-01

For a long time, public health research has focused on many and diverse types of vulnerable groups in society. Whether drug abusers, prison inmates, smokers, poverty-stricken, mentally ill, HIV positive, or any number of other ailments, the public health system and, in particular, researchers have addressed and reported on people and populations with so-called deficits. Research on these vulnerable groups has been designed, conducted, reported, discussed and analysed, but vulnerable groups continue and, in fact, appear to be increasing in number, size, and range. An alternative approach that begins with entirely different questions is possible and advisable. Public health research could, and in the author's point of view, should, examine the lifestyles and, specifically, decision-making by members of elite groups. Studying up the economic and political ladder calls for examination of how a few reap enormous benefits for themselves, leaving the rest of us to our misfortune. Such decisions as the elite groups make affects resource allocation, use of information, and results in the public health and other social, economic, military, and political sectors in society.

The causal nature of the association between neighborhood deprivation and drug abuse: a prospective national Swedish co-relative control study

PubMed Central

Kendler, K. S.; Ohlsson, H.; Sundquist, K.; Sundquist, J.

2014-01-01

Background Risk for drug abuse (DA) is strongly associated with neighborhood social deprivation (SD). However, the causal nature of this relationship is unclear. Method Three Swedish population-based cohorts were followed up over 5 years for incident registration of DA in medical, legal or pharmacy records. In each cohort, we examined the SD–DA association, controlling carefully for individual socio-economic status (SES) with multiple measures, in the entire sample and among pairs of first cousins, paternal and maternal half-siblings, full siblings and monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant for SD exposure. The number of informative relative pairs ranged from 6366 to 166208. Results In all cohorts, SD was prospectively related to risk for incident DA. In relative pairs discordant for SD exposure, the SD–DA association was similar to that seen in the entire population in cousins, half-siblings, full siblings and MZ twins. Eliminating subjects who were residentially unstable or had DA in the first two follow-up years did not alter this pattern. When divided by age, in the youngest groups, the SD–DA association was weaker in siblings than in the entire population. Conclusions Across three cohorts, controlling for individual SES and confounding familial factors, SD prospectively predicted risk for incident DA registration. These results support the hypothesis that the SD–DA association is in part causal and unlikely to result entirely from personal attributes, which both increase risk for DA and cause selection into high SD environments. At least part of the SD–DA association arises because exposure to SD causes an increased risk of DA. PMID:25055172

Prognostic molecular markers with no impact on decision-making: the paradox of gliomas based on a prospective study.

PubMed

Wager, M; Menei, P; Guilhot, J; Levillain, P; Michalak, S; Bataille, B; Blanc, J-L; Lapierre, F; Rigoard, P; Milin, S; Duthe, F; Bonneau, D; Larsen, C-J; Karayan-Tapon, L

2008-06-03

This study assessed the prognostic value of several markers involved in gliomagenesis, and compared it with that of other clinical and imaging markers already used. Four-hundred and sixteen adult patients with newly diagnosed glioma were included over a 3-year period and tumour suppressor genes, oncogenes, MGMT and hTERT expressions, losses of heterozygosity, as well as relevant clinical and imaging information were recorded. This prospective study was based on all adult gliomas. Analyses were performed on patient groups selected according to World Health Organization histoprognostic criteria and on the entire cohort. The endpoint was overall survival, estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was followed by multivariate analysis according to a Cox model. p14(ARF), p16(INK4A) and PTEN expressions, and 10p 10q23, 10q26 and 13q LOH for the entire cohort, hTERT expression for high-grade tumours, EGFR for glioblastomas, 10q26 LOH for grade III tumours and anaplastic oligodendrogliomas were found to be correlated with overall survival on univariate analysis and age and grade on multivariate analysis only. This study confirms the prognostic value of several markers. However, the scattering of the values explained by tumour heterogeneity prevents their use in individual decision-making.

Improving the Cooperation Rate of Older Adults and Their Caregivers in Research Surveys.

PubMed

Green, Ohad; Ayalon, Liat

2015-01-01

Recruiting older adults, their family members and their home care workers as participants in research studies is particularly complicated. This might be due to medical or cognitive problems of the older adult as well as the high workload and shortage of time experienced by caregivers. The present study compared the contribution of two different versions of an advanced letter followed by two different versions of a recruitment phone call to the cooperation rate of older adults, family caregivers and home care workers in a face-to-face survey. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the contribution of the different types of appeal. A total of 2,014 caregiving units (composed of an older adult, a family member and a home care worker) were randomly sampled from a list of Israeli long-term care insurance beneficiaries. 74.32% of the sampled caregiving units were eligible to participate in the study. The first group of participants received formal and succinctly phrased written and oral appeals - an advanced letter followed by a recruitment phone call. The second group of participants received the original formal and succinctly phrased advanced letter, but a revised recruitment phone call that included a more personal approach, the provision of broader information about the study and the avoidance of words with a possible negative connotation. The third group of participants received both a revised advanced letter and a revised recruitment phone call. Using the succinctly phrased written and oral appeals, we had a cooperation rate of about 50% for the entire caregiving unit. Using a revised advanced letter and a revised recruitment phone call yielded an increase of 20-25% in the cooperation rate for the entire caregiving unit. Using the revised recruitment phone call and the original advanced letter yielded an increase in the cooperation rate only among migrant home care workers. This study showed that by changing the format of appeal we can increase the cooperation rate of older adults and their caregivers in a research survey. This study also pointed out the importance of the advanced letter. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Effect of enrofloxacin and chlorpyrifos on the levels of vitamins A and E in Wistar rats.

PubMed

Spodniewska, Anna; Barski, Dariusz; Giżejewska, Aleksandra

2015-09-01

This study investigates the effects of enrofloxacin and chlorpyrifos, and their combination on vitamin A and E concentrations in the liver of rats. Results of this study indicated a reduction in the contents of vitamins A and E in the liver, which persisted for the entire period of the experiment. Vitamins A and E concentrations were slightly decreased (2-7%) in enrofloxacin-treated rats. In the group of rats intoxicated with chlorpyrifos, a significant decrease in the level of vitamin A was observed up to the 24th hour, and for vitamin E up to the 3rd day from the discontinuation of intoxication with the compounds under study. In the enrofloxacin-chlorpyrifos co-exposure group reduced vitamins A and E level was also noted. The greatest fall in vitamin A level was observed after 3h, while the contents of vitamin E decreased progressively up to the 3rd day. Changes in this group were less pronounced in comparison to the animals intoxicated with chlorpyrifos only. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of physical, technical, and tactical factors on final ladder position in semiprofessional rugby league.

PubMed

Gabbett, Tim J

2014-07-01

A limitation of most rugby league time-motion studies is that researchers have examined the demands of single teams, with no investigations of all teams in an entire competition. This study investigated the activity profiles and technical and tactical performances of successful and less-successful teams throughout an entire rugby league competition. In total, 185 rugby league players representing 11 teams from a semiprofessional competition participated in this study. Global positioning system analysis was completed across the entire season. Video footage from individual matches was also coded via notational analysis for technical and tactical performance of teams. Trivial to small differences were found among Top 4, Middle 4, and Bottom 4 teams for absolute and relative total distances covered and distances covered at low speeds. Small, nonsignificant differences (P = .054, ES = 0.31) were found between groups for the distance covered sprinting, with Top 4 teams covering greater sprinting distances than Bottom 4 teams. Top 4 teams made more meters in attack and conceded fewer meters in defense than Bottom 4 teams. Bottom 4 teams had a greater percentage of slow play-the-balls in defense than Top 4 teams (74.8% ± 7.3% vs 67.2% ± 8.3%). Middle 4 teams showed the greatest reduction in high-speed running from the first to the second half (-20.4%), while Bottom 4 teams completed 14.3% more high-speed running in the second half than in the first half. These findings demonstrate that a combination of activity profiles and technical and tactical performance are associated with playing success in semiprofessional rugby league players.

Differences in the spectra of cosmic ray nuclear species below approximately 5 GeV/nuc

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webber, W. R.; Lezniak, J. A.; Kish, J.

1974-01-01

Extension of previous measurements made at high energies, which show clear evidence for energy-dependent changes in cosmic ray composition, to lower energies. The new data point to the fact that these spectral differences extend over the entire energy band from a few hundred MeV/nucleon to several tens of GeV/nucleon. The details of these composition variations are examined by studying in a systematic way the variations of the ratios of secondary to primary and different groups of primary cosmic ray nuclei.

Tertiary Structural studies of Myotoxin a from Crotalus viridis viridis Venom by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

in real time. RMSDs were calculated only to a single structure on which the others were then superimposed. To get a pairwise listing of RMSDs, a group...to fix the chirality, minimize and anneal in 4-D (if necessary) an increasing number of residues until the entire structure is treated as one get /sym...nstr "Number of structures to create: get /sym refseq "Sequence to use: . get /sym refbmx "Bounds matrix to use: get /sym fname "Filename for written

Renal cell carcinoma: incidental detection and pathological staging.

PubMed

Siow, W Y; Yip, S K; Ng, L G; Tan, P H; Cheng, W S; Foo, K T

2000-10-01

In developed countries, there has been increased incidental detection of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The incidence, pathological stage and survival of incidentally detected carcinoma in a developing country in Asia where, from 1990 to 1998, 165 renal cell carcinomas were identified. The clinical presentation, diagnostic-imaging modality employed, pathological staging and patient survival was reviewed. Incidental renal cancers included those that were diagnosed through health screening or detected incidentally through imaging studies for other conditions. The survival between these incidentally detected lesions and their symptomatic counterparts (suspected group) was compared. Sixty-four patients (39%) had their tumours detected incidentally, including 39 who were entirely asymptomatic and 25 who presented with non-specific symptoms, not initially suggestive of RCC. For the entire group, computed tomography provided the definitive diagnosis in 81% of cases. The incidental detection group had significantly smaller size of tumour (5.9 cm c.f. 7.6 cm), lower stage and lower histological grading. In particular, 78% of patients with incidental RCC had stage I or II diseases (TNM stage classification), compared with 57% of patients with suspected tumour (p < 0.05; Chi-square test). The disease free survival was significantly better for those with incidental detection (86% c.f. 66% at last follow up; p < 0.05; log-rank test) over a mean follow up period of 33 months (range 1-91). Regression analysis showed that stage of disease was the only independent variable predictive of clinical outcome. In conclusion, that significant numbers of RCC were detected incidentally. These tumours were of a lower clinical pathological stage and had a better prognosis.

Towards Measuring Brain Function on Groups of People in the Real World

PubMed Central

Gevins, Alan; Chan, Cynthia S.; Sam-Vargas, Lita

2012-01-01

In three studies, EEGs from three groups of participants were recorded during progressively more real world situations after drinking alcoholic beverages that brought breath alcohol contents near the limit for driving in California 30 minutes after drinking. A simple equation that measured neurophysiological effects of alcohol in the first group of 15 participants performing repetitive cognitive tasks was applied to a second group of 15 operating an automobile driving simulator, and to a third group of 10 ambulatory people recorded simultaneously during a cocktail party. The equation derived from the first group quantified alcohol’s effect by combining measures of higher frequency (beta) and lower frequency (theta) power into a single score. It produced an Area Under the Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve of .73 (p<.05; 67% sensitivity in recognizing alcohol and 87% specificity in recognizing placebo). Applying the same equation to the second group operating the driving simulator, AUC was .95, (p<.0001; 93% sensitivity and 73% specificity), while for the cocktail party group AUC was .87 (p<.01; 80% sensitivity and 80% specificity). EEG scores were significantly related to breath alcohol content in all studies. Some individuals differed markedly from the overall response evident in their respective groups. The feasibility of measuring the neurophysiological effect of a psychoactive substance from an entire group of ambulatory people at a cocktail party suggests that future studies may be able to fruitfully apply brain function measures derived under rigorously controlled laboratory conditions to assess drug effects on groups of people interacting in real world situations. PMID:22957099

The role of retiree health insurance in the early retirement of public sector employees.

PubMed

Shoven, John B; Slavov, Sita Nataraj

2014-12-01

Most government employees have access to retiree health coverage, which provides them with group health coverage even if they retire before Medicare eligibility. We study the impact of retiree health coverage on the labor supply of public sector workers between the ages of 55 and 64. We find that retiree health coverage raises the probability of stopping full time work by 4.3 percentage points (around 38 percent) over two years among public sector workers aged 55-59, and by 6.7 percentage points (around 26 percent) over two years among public sector workers aged 60-64. In the younger age group, retiree health insurance mostly seems to facilitate transitions to part-time work rather than full retirement. However, in the older age group, it increases the probability of stopping work entirely by 4.3 percentage points (around 22 percent). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Repair of large full-thickness articular cartilage defects in the rabbit: the effects of joint distraction and autologous bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal cell transplantation.

PubMed

Yanai, T; Ishii, T; Chang, F; Ochiai, N

2005-05-01

We produced large full-thickness articular cartilage defects in 33 rabbits in order to evaluate the effect of joint distraction and autologous culture-expanded bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal cell transplantation (ACBMT) at 12 weeks. After fixing the knee on a hinged external fixator, we resected the entire surface of the tibial plateau. We studied three groups: 1) with and without joint distraction; 2) with joint distraction and collagen gel, and 3) with joint distraction and ACBMT and collagen gel. The histological scores were significantly higher in the groups with ACBMT collagen gel (p < 0.05). The area of regenerated soft tissue was smaller in the group allowed to bear weight (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the repair of large defects of cartilage can be enhanced by joint distraction, collagen gel and ACBMT.

Organizational Conflict: Causes and Manifestations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Eugene

1979-01-01

No group (within an organization) can be entirely harmonious, but conflict is not an altogether disruptive factor. A delicate balance is required to obtain the advantages and restrict the disadvantages of organizational conflict. The causes and forms of organizational conflict are examined. (JMD)

Does daily vitamin D 800 IU and calcium 1000 mg supplementation decrease the risk of falling in ambulatory women aged 65-71 years? A 3-year randomized population-based trial (OSTPRE-FPS).

PubMed

Kärkkäinen, Matti K; Tuppurainen, Marjo; Salovaara, Kari; Sandini, Lorenzo; Rikkonen, Toni; Sirola, Joonas; Honkanen, Risto; Arokoski, Jari; Alhava, Esko; Kröger, Heikki

2010-04-01

The hypothesis was that the calcium and vitamin D supplementation prevents falls at the population level. The OSTPRE-FPS was a randomized population-based open-trial with 3-year follow-up. The supplementation group (n=1566) received daily cholecalciferol 800IU+calcium carbonate 1000mg, while the control group (n=1573) received no supplementation or placebo. A randomly selected subsample of 593 subjects underwent a detailed measurement program including serum 25(OH)D measurements. The occurrence of falls was the primary outcome of the study. The participants in the subsample were telephoned at 4 months intervals and the rest of the trial population was interviewed by phone once a year. In the entire trial population (ETP), there were 812 women with 1832 falls in the intervention group and 833 women with 1944 falls in the control group (risk ratio was 0.98, 95% CI 0.92-1.05, P=0.160). The supplementation was not associated with single or multiple falls in the ETP. However, in the subsample, multiple fall incidence decreased by 30% (odds ratio (OR) 0.70, 95% CI 0.50-0.97, P=0.034) in the supplementation group. Further, the supplementation decreased the incidence of multiple falls requiring medical attention (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97, P=0.031) in the ETP. The mean compliance in the entire trial population was 78% and in the subsample 79%. Overall, the primary analysis showed no association between calcium and vitamin D supplementation and risk of falls. However, the results of a post hoc analysis suggested that there was a decreased risk of multiple falls requiring medical attention: this finding requires confirmation. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The clinical anticalculus efficacy of a tartar control whitening dentifrice for the prevention of supragingival calculus in a three-month study.

PubMed

Sowinski, J; Petrone, D M; Battista, G; Petrone, M E; Crawford, R; Patel, S; DeVizio, W; Chaknis, P; Volpe, A R; Proskin, H M

1999-01-01

The objective of this double-blind clinical study was to compare the effect of a new dentifrice (Colgate Tartar Control Plus Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste) for the prevention of supragingival calculus, with that of a commercially available calculus-inhibiting dentifrice (Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste). The study involved adult male and female subjects who had pre-qualified for participation by developing sufficient supragingival calculus (greater than 7.0 on the Volpe-Manhold Calculus Index) during an eight-week screening period. Subjects received a full oral prophylaxis, and were stratified into two treatment groups balanced for age, sex and qualifying calculus score. Subjects were instructed to brush their teeth twice daily (morning and evening) for one minute with their assigned dentifrice using a soft-bristled toothbrush. Examinations for dental calculus were performed after twelve weeks' use of the study dentifrices, using the Volpe-Manhold Calculus Index, Fifty-eight (58) subjects complied with the protocol and completed the entire study. The Colgate Tartar Control Plus Whitening group exhibited a statistically significant (p < 0.001) 34.6% reduction in mean calculus score compared to the Crest Tartar Control group.

Growth and spectroscopic, thermodynamic and nonlinear optical studies of L-threonine phthalate crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theras, J. Elberin Mary; Kalaivani, D.; Jayaraman, D.; Joseph, V.

2015-10-01

L-threonine phthalate (LTP) single crystal has been grown using a solution growth technique at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that LTP crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system with space group C2/c. The optical absorption studies show that the crystal is transparent in the entire visible region with a cut-off wavelength 309 nm. The optical band gap is found to be 4.05 eV. The functional groups of the synthesized compound have been identified by FTIR spectral analysis. The functional groups present in the material were also confirmed by FT-RAMAN spectroscopy. Surface morphology and the presence of various elements were studied by SEM-EDAX analysis. The thermal stability of LTP single crystal has been analyzed by TGA/DTA studies. The thermodynamic parameters such as activation energy, entropy, enthalpy and Gibbs free energy were determined for the grown material using TG data and Coats-Redfern relation. Since the grown crystal is centrosymmetric, Z-Scan studies were carried out for analyzing the third order nonlinear optical property. The nonlinear absorption coefficient, nonlinear refractive index and susceptibility have been measured using Z-Scan technique.

Attention-spreading based on hierarchical spatial representations for connected objects.

PubMed

Kasai, Tetsuko

2010-01-01

Attention selects objects or groups as the most fundamental unit, and this may be achieved through a process in which attention automatically spreads throughout their entire region. Previously, we found that a lateralized potential relative to an attended hemifield at occipito-temporal electrode sites reflects attention-spreading in response to connected bilateral stimuli [Kasai, T., & Kondo, M. Electrophysiological correlates of attention-spreading in visual grouping. NeuroReport, 18, 93-98, 2007]. The present study examined the nature of object representations by manipulating the extent of grouping through connectedness, while controlling the symmetrical structure of bilateral stimuli. The electrophysiological results of two experiments consistently indicated that attention was guided twice in association with perceptual grouping in the early phase (N1, 150-200 msec poststimulus) and with the unity of an object in the later phase (N2pc, 310/330-390 msec). This suggests that there are two processes in object-based spatial selection, and these are discussed with regard to their cognitive mechanisms and object representations.

Anticipatory cortisol, testosterone and psychological responses to judo competition in young men.

PubMed

Salvador, A; Suay, F; González-Bono, E; Serrano, M A

2003-04-01

This study compares the anticipatory hormonal and psychological responses of 17 male judo players to an official competition with the data obtained during eight resting sessions carried out at the same time of day, throughout an entire sports season. Testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels were determined 1 h and 30 min before competition, and mood, anxiety and expectancies were also evaluated. C levels and anxiety scores were concurrently higher before the contest than in resting conditions; however, non-significant correlations between them were found. The anticipatory T response was not significant for the whole group. However, one group of subjects did display T increases, higher C levels, and higher motivation to win scores than the other group. Furthermore, this group also obtained a better outcome. Thus, this hormonal pattern and its relationships with psychological variables suggest an adaptive psychobiological response to a competition. Results are discussed in the context that neuroendocrine response to competition is associated with cognitive appraisal.

Differences in private health insurance coverage for working male Hispanics.

PubMed

Fronstin, P; Goldberg, L G; Robins, P K

1997-01-01

In 1993, 33.8% of all nonelderly adult Hispanics living in the United States lacked health insurance coverage (either private or public), compared to 8.1% of the entire nonelderly population. Because Hispanics are more likely to be uninsured than any other ethnic group and because they are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, the increase in the Hispanic population is likely to increase the proportion of the population without health insurance. Particularly striking are differences in private health insurance coverage among the three major Hispanic groups--Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Puerto Ricans. In this paper, regression-based decomposition analysis is used to explain the sources of differences in private health insurance coverage among working males in these three group. The results indicate that among the study population, Cuban-Americans have higher rates of private health insurance coverage than Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans, and that wage rates, levels of education, age, occupation, and marital status explain most of the difference.

A Quasi Experiment to Determine the Effectiveness of a "Partially Flipped" versus "Fully Flipped" Undergraduate Class in Genetics and Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Alison E. M.; Garcia, Jocelyn; Traustadóttir, Tinna

2016-01-01

Two sections of Genetics and Evolution were taught by one instructor. One group (the fully flipped section) had the entire class period devoted to active learning (with background material that had to be watched before class), and the other group (the partially flipped section) had just a portion of class time spent on active learning (with the…

Emergent Social Software Platforms for the Sharing of and Collaboration on Criminal Information and Intelligence

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

7 Mark E. Nissen, Harnessing Knowledge Dynamics: Principled Organizational Knowing & Learning ( Hershey PA: IRM Press, 2006), 23. 4...Management ( Hershey , PA: Idea Group Pub., an imprint of Idea Group, 2004), 22. 9 the entire department; staff must first approve it. These restrictions...33, no. 3 ( 1996 ), 333–359.; Alavi and Leidner, Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research

Cesarean Section Rate Analysis in University Hospital Tuzla - According to Robson's Classification.

PubMed

Fatusic, Jasenko; Hudic, Igor; Fatusic, Zlatan; Zildzic-Moralic, Aida; Zivkovic, Milorad

2016-06-01

For last decades, there has public concern about increasing Cesarean Section (CS) rates, and it is an issue of international public health concern. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no justification to have more than 10-15% CS births. WHO proposes the Robson ten-group classification, as a global standard for assessing, monitoring and comparing cesarean section rates. The aim of this study was to investigate Cesarean section rate at University Hospital Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cross sectional study was conducted for one-year period, 2015. Statistical analysis and graph-table presentation was performed using Excel 2010 and Microsoft Office programs. Out of 3,672 births, a total of 936 births were performed by CS. Percentage of the total number of CS to the total birth number was 25,47%. According to Robson classification, the largest was group 5 with relative contribution of 29,80%. On second and third place were group 1 and 2 with relative contribution of 26,06% and 15,78% respectively. Groups 1, 2, 5 made account of realtive contribution of 71,65%. All other groups had entirely relative contribution of 28,35%. Robson 10-group classification provides easy way in collecting information about CS rate. It is important that efforts to reduce the overall CS rate should focus on reducing the primary CS. Data from our study confirm this attitude.

MNOS BORAM Manufacturing Methods and Technology Project.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

1OO0psec erase. 200psec write 4-11,4 13 complement checkerboard p~attern hegrir at address 63 arid count down group erase-write entire chit ) re’ad entire...letft side of thie unit. I w 0 channels are provided to communicate with devices Linder test. Inl ficlure 4-15, the i\\% ko cahles at thle iiht of’ the...FMS PAS PASS F-H 40 PAS-- 00r4I u sr: PASS FH. Fs FPS ’S . pH’- ( Ko 00 .-3 04 PASL rH .-. FPFA r A L C:" :’ -F P’ . l FM , P -- IF - H-" Fv

Combined Supplementation of Choline and Docosahexaenoic Acid during Pregnancy Enhances Neurodevelopment of Fetal Hippocampus.

PubMed

Thomas Rajarethnem, Huban; Megur Ramakrishna Bhat, Kumar; Jc, Malsawmzuali; Kumar Gopalkrishnan, Siva; Mugundhu Gopalram, Ramesh Babu; Rai, Kiranmai Sesappa

2017-01-01

Choline is an essential nutrient for humans which plays an important role in structural integrity and signaling functions. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, highly enriched in cell membranes of the brain. Dietary intake of choline or DHA alone by pregnant mothers directly affects fetal brain development and function. But no studies show the efficacy of combined supplementation of choline and DHA on fetal neurodevelopment. The aim of the present study was to analyze fetal neurodevelopment on combined supplementation of pregnant dams with choline and DHA. Pregnant dams were divided into five groups: normal control [NC], saline control [SC], choline [C], DHA, and C + DHA. Saline, choline, and DHA were given as supplements to appropriate groups of dams. NC dams were undisturbed during entire gestation. On postnatal day (PND) 40, brains were processed for Cresyl staining. Pups from choline or DHA supplemented group showed significant ( p < 0.05) increase in number of neurons in hippocampus when compared to the same in NC and SC groups. Moreover, pups from C + DHA supplemented group showed significantly higher number of neurons ( p < 0.001) in hippocampus when compared to the same in NC and SC groups. Thus combined supplementation of choline and DHA during normal pregnancy enhances fetal hippocampal neurodevelopment better than supplementation of choline or DHA alone.

A novel model approach for esophageal burns in rats: A comparison of three methods.

PubMed

Kalkan, Yildiray; Tumkaya, Levent; Akdogan, Remzi Adnan; Yucel, Ahmet Fikret; Tomak, Yakup; Sehitoglu, İbrahim; Pergel, Ahmet; Kurt, Aysel

2015-07-01

Corrosive esophageal injury causes serious clinical problems. We aimed to create a new experimental esophageal burn model using a single catheter without a surgical procedure. We conducted the study with two groups of 12 male rats that fasted for 12 h before application. A modified Foley balloon catheter was inserted into the esophageal lumen. The control group was given 0.9% sodium chloride, while the experimental group was given 37.5% sodium hydroxide with the other part of the catheter. After 60s, esophagus was washed with distilled water. The killed rats were examined using histopathological methods after 28 days. In comparison with the histopathological changes experienced by the study groups, the control groups were observed to have no pathological changes. Basal cell degeneration, dermal edema, and a slight increase in the keratin layer and collagen density of submucosa due to stenosis were all observed in the group subjected to esophageal corrosion. A new burn model can thus, we believe, be created without the involvement of invasive laparoscopic surgery and general anesthesia. The burn in our experiment was formed in both the distal and proximal esophagus, as in other models; it can also be formed optionally in the entire esophagus. © The Author(s) 2013.

Compendium of NASA Langley reports on hypersonic aerodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabo, Frances E.; Cary, Aubrey M.; Lawson, Shirley W.

1987-01-01

Reference is made to papers published by the Langley Research Center in various areas of hypersonic aerodynamics for the period 1950 to 1986. The research work was performed either in-house by the Center staff or by other personnel supported entirely or in part by grants or contracts. Abstracts have been included with the references when available. The references are listed chronologically and are grouped under the following general headings: (1) Aerodynamic Measurements - Single Shapes; (2) Aerodynamic Measurements - Configurations; (3) Aero-Heating; (4) Configuration Studies; (5) Propulsion Integration Experiment; (6) Propulsion Integration - Study; (7) Analysis Methods; (8) Test Techniques; and (9) Airframe Active Cooling Systems.

Diabetic ketoacidosis: clinical characteristics, precipitating factors and outcomes of care.

PubMed

Barski, Leonid; Nevzorov, Roman; Rabaev, Elena; Jotkowitz, Alan; Harman-Boehm, Ilana; Zektser, Miri; Zeller, Lior; Shleyfer, Elena; Almog, Yaniv

2012-05-01

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a common and serious complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). To evaluate the clinical characteristics, hospital management and outcomes of patients with DKA. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with DKA during the period 1 January 2003 to 1 January 2010. Three groups were compared: patients with mild DKA, with moderate DKA, and with severe DKA. The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were 30 days all-cause mortality, length of hospital stay, and complication rate. The study population comprised 220 patients with DKA. In the mild (78 patients) and moderate (116 patients) groups there was a higher proportion of patients with type 1 DM (75.6%, 79.3%) compared with 57.7% in the severe group (26 patients, P = 0.08). HbA1c levels prior to admission were high in all three groups, without significant difference (10.9 +/- 2.2, 10.7 +/- 1.9, and 10.6 +/- 2.4 respectively, P = 0.9). In all groups the most frequent precipitating factors were related to insulin therapy and infections. The patients with severe DKA had more electrolyte abnormalities (hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia) compared with the mild and moderate forms of the disease. While 72.7% of the entire cohort was hospitalized in the general medical ward, 80.8% of those with severe DKA were admitted to the intensive care unit. The in-hospital mortality rate for the entire cohort was 4.1%, comparable with previous data from experienced centers. Advanced age, mechanical ventilation and bedridden state were independent predictors associated with 30 day mortality: hazard ratio (HR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.11; HR 6.8, 95% CI 2.03-23.1; and HR 3.8, 95% CI 1.13-12.7, respectively. Patients with DKA in our study were generally poorly controlled prior to their admission, as reflected by high HbA1c levels. Type 2 DM is frequently associated with DKA including the severe form of the disease. The most common precipitating factors for the development of DKA were related to insulin therapy and infections. Advanced age, mechanical ventilation and bedridden state wer independent predictors of 30 day mortality.

Remineralization efficiency of bioactive glass on artificially induced carious lesion an in-vitro study.

PubMed

Narayana, Sai Sathya; Deepa, Vinoth Kumar; Ahamed, Shafie; Sathish, Emmanuel Solomon; Meyappan, R; Satheesh Kumar, K S

2014-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of bioactive glass containing product on remineralization of artificial induced carious enamel lesion and to compare its efficiency with other remineralization products using an in-vitro pH cycling method. The null hypothesis tested was bioactive glass has no effect on enamel remineralization. A total of 20 enamel samples of human molar teeth were subjected to artificial caries lesion formation using pH cycling method and was verified using high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM). Each demineralized sample was then divided into five test groups each containing twenty. Group A - Bioactive glass (SHY-NM), Group B - Fluoride tooth paste (Amflor), Group C - CPP-ACP (Tooth mousse), Group D - CPP-ACPF (Tooth mousse plus), Group E - control. All the test groups were exposed to the pH cycling regime, the remineralizing agents were applied for 10 min except control. After 10 days period, the entire test groups were evaluated with HRSEM and quantitative assessment by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The obtained data was analyzed statistically using one-way ANOVA, Student's t-test and Tukey's multiple comparison tests. P ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant. Rejection of the null hypothesis and highlights the concept of biomimetic bioactive glass as an effective remineralizing agent. To focus on the importance of minimal invasive treatment on incipient carious lesion by remineralization.

Interactive E-learning module in pharmacology: a pilot project at a rural medical college in India.

PubMed

Gaikwad, Nitin; Tankhiwale, Suresh

2014-01-01

Many medical educators are experimenting with innovative ways of E-learning. E-learning provides opportunities to students for self-directed learning in addition to other advantages. In this study, we designed and evaluated an interactive E-learning module in pharmacology for effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility, with the aim of promoting active learning in this fact-filled subject. A quasi-experimental single-group pre-test/post-test study was conducted with fourth-semester students of the second professionals course (II MBBS), selected using non-probability convenience sampling method. An E-learning module in endocrine pharmacology was designed to comprise three units of interactive PowerPoint presentations. The pre-validated presentations were uploaded on the website according to a predefined schedule and the 42 registered students were encouraged to self-learning using these interactive presentations. Cognitive gain was assessed using an online pre- and post-test for each unit. Students' perceptions were recorded using an online feedback questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Finally, focused group discussion was conducted to further explore students' views on E-learning activity. Significant attrition was observed during the E-learning activity. Of the 42 registered students, only 16 students completed the entire E-learning module. The summed average score of all three units (entire module) was increased significantly from 38.42 % (summed average pre-test score: 11.56/30 ± 2.90) to 66.46 % (summed average post-test score: 19.94/30 ± 6.13). The class-average normalized gain for the entire module was 0.4542 (45.42). The students accepted this E-learning activity well as they perceived it to be innovative, convenient, flexible and useful. The average rating was between 4 (agree) and 5 (strongly agree). The interactive E-learning module in pharmacology was moderately effective and well perceived by the students. The simple, cost-effective and readily available Microsoft PowerPoint tool appealed to medical educators to use this kind of simple E-learning technology blended with traditional teaching to encourage active learning among students especially in a rural setup is attractive.

Sociocultural Appearance Standards and Risk Factors for Eating Disorders in Adolescents and Women of Various Ages

PubMed Central

Izydorczyk, Bernadetta; Sitnik-Warchulska, Katarzyna

2018-01-01

The main aim of the present study was to verify the level of impact of sociocultural appearance standards (passive awareness and active internalization) have on body dissatisfaction, the desire to engage in a relentless pursuit of thinness, the adoption of a perfectionistic attitude toward the body, and the development of a tendency to engage in bulimic eating behavior, which can develop in adolescent girls and women of varying ages. The study group comprised 234 individuals: 95 secondary school girls, 33 high school girls, 56 female students, and 50 employed women, all of whom were living in southern Poland. Participants were not diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders (including eating disorders). The variables were measured using the Polish version of Garner’s Eating Disorder Inventory and the Polish Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Physical Appearance and Body Image Inventory [based on the SATAQ-3 (Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire Scale-3)]. The findings revealed that the youngest Polish girls (aged 12–15) reported the highest level of risk factors for eating disorders. Among the entire study group, the internalization of appearance standards and the pressure associated with various media messages were determined to be predictors of the pursuit of thinness, regardless of age and body mass index values. The second most significant variable explained by the internalization of sociocultural standards was body dissatisfaction. The internalization of sociocultural norms provided a significant explanation of bulimic tendencies only in the youngest girls. Perfectionism proved not to be affected by the sociocultural impact of mass media. The adult women had the lowest average scores over the entire study population regarding exposure frequency to body images in mass media and regarding the experience of pressure exerted by sociocultural norms. The high level of internalization of sociocultural appearance standards seems to be significantly linked to body satisfaction in women aged 30 and older. Young adolescent girls constitute a high-risk group for a specific psychological proneness to developing eating disorders as a result of the sociocultural influence exerted by mass media. The obtained study results can prove helpful in creating education programs in preventive healthcare aimed particularly at the youngest adolescents. PMID:29651268

A Guide to Field Notes for Qualitative Research: Context and Conversation.

PubMed

Phillippi, Julia; Lauderdale, Jana

2018-02-01

Field notes are widely recommended in qualitative research as a means of documenting needed contextual information. With growing use of data sharing, secondary analysis, and metasynthesis, field notes ensure rich context persists beyond the original research team. However, while widely regarded as essential, there is not a guide to field note collection within the literature to guide researchers. Using the qualitative literature and previous research experience, we provide a concise guide to collection, incorporation, and dissemination of field notes. We provide a description of field note content for contextualization of an entire study as well as individual interviews and focus groups. In addition, we provide two "sketch note" guides, one for study context and one for individual interviews or focus groups for use in the field. Our guides are congruent with many qualitative and mixed methodologies and ensure contextual information is collected, stored, and disseminated as an essential component of ethical, rigorous qualitative research.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sen, Ramazan Sonat; Hummel, Andrew John; Hiruta, Hikaru

The deterministic full core simulators require homogenized group constants covering the operating and transient conditions over the entire lifetime. Traditionally, the homogenized group constants are generated using lattice physics code over an assembly or block in the case of prismatic high temperature reactors (HTR). For the case of strong absorbers that causes strong local depressions on the flux profile require special techniques during homogenization over a large volume. Fuel blocks with burnable poisons or control rod blocks are example of such cases. Over past several decades, there have been a tremendous number of studies performed for improving the accuracy ofmore » full-core calculations through the homogenization procedure. However, those studies were mostly performed for light water reactor (LWR) analyses, thus, may not be directly applicable to advanced thermal reactors such as HTRs. This report presents the application of SuPer-Homogenization correction method to a hypothetical HTR core.« less

String Theory: exact solutions, marginal deformations and hyperbolic spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlando, Domenico

2006-10-01

This thesis is almost entirely devoted to studying string theory backgrounds characterized by simple geometrical and integrability properties. The archetype of this type of system is given by Wess-Zumino-Witten models, describing string propagation in a group manifold or, equivalently, a class of conformal field theories with current algebras. We study the moduli space of such models by using truly marginal deformations. Particular emphasis is placed on asymmetric deformations that, together with the CFT description, enjoy a very nice spacetime interpretation in terms of the underlying Lie algebra. Then we take a slight detour so to deal with off-shell systems. Using a renormalization-group approach we describe the relaxation towards the symmetrical equilibrium situation. In he final chapter we consider backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond field and in particular we analyze direct products of constant-curvature spaces and find solutions with hyperbolic spaces.

Carbon dioxide laser effects on caries-like lesions of dental enamel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Featherstone, John D. B.; Zhang, S. H.; Shariati, M.; McCormack, Sandra M.

1991-05-01

Previous studies by the authors have shown that carbon dioxide (CO2) laser light has marked effects on dental hard tissues and that these effects are wavelength-dependent. The aim of the present study was to determine whether treatment by CO2 laser of caries-like lesions in human enamel would inhibit subsequent lesion progression. Nine groups of 10 teeth each with preformed caries-like lesions were treated with/without CO2 laser (9.32 micrometers , 15 mJ or 25 mJ per pulse) by a pulsed laser (100-200 nsec) for either 200 or 400 pulses. Preformed lesions were then treated with acidulated phosphate fluoride for 5 minutes with control groups with no fluoride treatment. Teeth were subjected to a subsequent pH cycling challenge to determine the protection against lesion progression. Low energy laser treatment coupled with fluoride treatment entirely inhibited subsequent lesion progression in this model system.

Neural correlates of nondual awareness in meditation.

PubMed

Josipovic, Zoran

2014-01-01

Dualities such as self versus other, good versus bad, and in-group versus out-group are pervasive features of human experience, structuring the majority of cognitive and affective processes. Yet, an entirely different way of experiencing, one in which such dualities are relaxed rather than fortified, is also available. It depends on recognizing, within the stream of our consciousness, the nondual awareness (NDA)--a background awareness that precedes conceptualization and intention and that can contextualize various perceptual, affective, or cognitive contents without fragmenting the field of experience into habitual dualities. This paper introduces NDA as experienced in Tibetan Buddhist meditation and reviews the results of our study on the influence of NDA on anticorrelated intrinsic and extrinsic networks in the brain. Also discussed are preliminary data from a current study of NDA with minimized phenomenal content that points to involvement of a precuneus network in NDA. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Air Pollution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, K.; And Others

Pollution of the general environment, which exposes an entire population group for an indeterminate period of time, certainly constitutes a problem in public health. Serious aid pollution episodes have resulted in increased mortality and a possible relationship between chronic exposure to a polluted atmosphere and certain diseases has been…

Education for Democracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodder, Janyne M.

1996-01-01

Discusses the problems related to decreased spending for education. Argues in favor of greater accountability for two reasons: policy must be shaped through something other than monetary importance of a given lobby group; and the education debate should be public and democratic, engaging the entire citizenry. (JOW)

[Oral health status of women with normal and high-risk pregnancies].

PubMed

Chaloupka, P; Korečko, V; Turek, J; Merglová, V

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status of women with normal pregnancies and those with high-risk pregnancies. A total of 142 women in the third trimester of pregnancy were randomly selected for this study. The pregnant women were divided into two groups: a normal pregnancy group (group F, n = 61) and a high-risk pregnancy group (group R, n = 81). The following variables were recorded for each woman: age, general health status, DMF index, CPITN index, PBI index, amounts of Streptococcus mutans in the saliva and dental treatment needs. The data obtained were analysed statistically. The Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test and chi square test were used, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The two-sided t-test was used to compare the two cohorts. Women with high-risk pregnancies showed increased values in all measured indices and tests, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the DMF index, CPITN index and amounts of Streptococcus mutans present in the saliva. Statistically significant differences were detected between the two groups for the PBI index and dental treatment needs. In group F, the maximum PBI index value was 2.9 in group F and 3.8 in group R. Significant differences were found also in mean PBI values. Out of the entire study cohort, 94 women (66.2%) required dental treatment, including 52% (n = 32) of the women with normal pregnancies and 77% (n = 62) of the women with high-risk pregnancies. This study found that women with complications during pregnancy had severe gingivitis and needed more frequent dental treatment than women with normal pregnancies.

Vitamin A, folate, and choline as a possible preventive intervention to fetal alcohol syndrome.

PubMed

Ballard, Mark S; Sun, Muxin; Ko, Jenny

2012-04-01

It is recognized that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Alcohol can trigger a pattern of neurodegeneration in rat brains similar to other known gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) specific agonists. However this does not seem to explain FAS entirely, as impoverished care-giving environments have been shown to increase the risk of FAS. Individuals living under the poverty level are at risk for micronutrient deficiencies due to insufficient intake. In particular, three nutrients commonly found to be deficient are folate, choline and vitamin A. There is evidence to suggest that ethanol alone may not explain the entire spectrum of anomalies seen in individuals with FAS. It is hypothesized that FAS may be caused more by the nutritional deficiencies that are exacerbated by alcohol than by direct alcoholic neurotoxicity. It is known that ethanol inhibits folate, choline, and vitamin A/retinoic acid metabolism at multiple steps. Additionally, mice exposed to ethanol demonstrated epigenetic changes, or variations in the methylation of DNA to control gene expression. Folate is important in the production of methyl groups, which are subsequently used to create and methylate DNA. Choline (which is metabolized to acetylcholine) is important in neurotransmission and neurodevelopment. It is also involved in an alternative pathway in the production of methyl groups. In fact a study by Thomas et al. in 2009 found that nutritional supplementation with choline in rats exposed to ethanol in utero almost completely mitigated the degenerative effects of ethanol on development and behaviour. Lastly, vitamin A and retinoic acid metabolism is associated with the regulation of one sixth of the entire proteome. Thus supplementation of folate, choline and vitamin A to mothers may mitigate the effects of the alcohol and reduce the severity or prevalence of FAS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Group Therapeutic Songwriting Intervention for Family Caregivers of People Living With Dementia: A Feasibility Study With Thematic Analysis.

PubMed

Baker, Felicity A; Stretton-Smith, Phoebe; Clark, Imogen N; Tamplin, Jeanette; Lee, Young-Eun C

2018-01-01

This study aimed to test the feasibility of implementing a group songwriting program with family caregivers (FCGs) of people living with dementia. Fourteen FCGs consented to participate in either the songwriting group ( n = 8) or control condition ( n = 6). Participants completed baseline and 7-week measures of depression (PHQ-9), perceptions of their caregiving experience (PACQ), and perceptions of their relationship with the care recipient (QCPR). A six-session group songwriting program was implemented across two sites, focusing on participants co-creating a song about their caregiving experiences. Participation and retention rates were high suggesting the intervention was acceptable. An observed pre-post effect size for the PHQ-9 in the experimental group ( d = 0.64) and control group ( d = -0.33) suggests the measure is sensitive to change over a short period of time in this population and has the potential to detect significant change in a larger controlled trial. Qualitative analysis of focus group interviews suggested the songwriting process allowed participants to share their entire caregiver journey with others, differentiating the intervention from standard carer support groups. Participants described group songwriting as enabling them to find connections with other caregivers, create a group identity, and gain insight into their carer journey, subsequently leading to the development of inner strength and personal growth. Qualitative findings suggest coping may be a more relevant construct to measure than caregiver-patient relationship quality or caregivers' perception of caregiving.

Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin level in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Lu, Ting; Sheng, Hongguang; Wu, Johnna; Cheng, Yuan; Zhu, Jianming; Chen, Yan

2012-06-01

For thousands of years, cinnamon has been used as a traditional treatment in China. However, there are no studies to date that investigate whether cinnamon supplements are able to aid in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Chinese subjects. We hypothesized cinnamon should be effective in improving blood glucose control in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. To address this hypothesis, we performed a randomized, double-blinded clinical study to analyze the effect of cinnamon extract on glycosylated hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting blood glucose levels in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 66 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited and randomly divided into 3 groups: placebo and low-dose and high-dose supplementation with cinnamon extract at 120 and 360 mg/d, respectively. Patients in all 3 groups took gliclazide during the entire 3 months of the study. Both hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting blood glucose levels were significantly reduced in patients in the low- and high-dose groups, whereas they were not changed in the placebo group. The blood triglyceride levels were also significantly reduced in the low-dose group. The blood levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and liver transaminase remained unchanged in the 3 groups. In conclusion, our study indicates that cinnamon supplementation is able to significantly improve blood glucose control in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Entire radial solutions of elliptic systems and inequalities of the mean curvature type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippucci, Roberta

2007-10-01

In this paper we study first nonexistence of radial entire solutions of elliptic systems of the mean curvature type with a singular or degenerate diffusion depending on the solution u. In particular we extend a previous result given in [R. Filippucci, Nonexistence of radial entire solutions of elliptic systems, J. Differential Equations 188 (2003) 353-389]. Moreover, in the scalar case we obtain nonexistence of all entire solutions, radial or not, of differential inequalities involving again operators of the mean curvature type and a diffusion term. We prove that in the scalar case, nonexistence of entire solutions is due to the explosion of the derivative of every nonglobal radial solution in the right extremum of the maximal interval of existence, while in that point the solution is bounded. This behavior is qualitatively different with respect to what happens for the m-Laplacian operator, studied in [R. Filippucci, Nonexistence of radial entire solutions of elliptic systems, J. Differential Equations 188 (2003) 353-389], where nonexistence of entire solutions is due, even in the vectorial case, to the explosion in norm of the solution at a finite point. Our nonexistence theorems for inequalities extend previous results given by Naito and Usami in [YE Naito, H. Usami, Entire solutions of the inequality div(A(=u)=u)[greater-or-equal, slanted]f(u), Math. Z. 225 (1997) 167-175] and Ghergu and Radulescu in [M. Ghergu, V. Radulescu, Existence and nonexistence of entire solutions to the logistic differential equation, Abstr. Appl. Anal. 17 (2003) 995-1003].

Comparative study of smile analysis by subjective and computerized methods.

PubMed

Basting, Roberta Tarkany; da Trindade, Rita de Cássia Silva; Flório, Flávia Martão

2006-01-01

This study compared: 1) the subjective analyses of a smile done by specialists with advanced training and by general dentists; 2) the subjective analysis of a smile, or that associated with the face, by specialists with advanced training and general dentists; 3) subjective analysis using a computerized analysis of the smile by specialists with advanced training, verifying the midline, labial line, smile line, the line between commissures and the golden proportion. The sample consisted of 100 adults with natural dentition; 200 photographs were taken (100 of the smile and 100 of the entire face). Computerized analysis using AutoCAD software was performed, together with the subjective analyses of 2 groups of professionals (3 general dentists and 3 specialists with advanced training), using the following assessment factors: the midline, labial line, smile line, line between the commissures and the golden proportion. The smile itself and the smile associated with the entire face were recorded as being agreeable or not agreeable by the professionals. The McNemar test showed a highly significant difference (p=0.0000) among the subjective analyses performed by specialists compared to general dentists. Between the 2 groups of dental professionals, there were highly significant differences (p=0.0000) found between the subjective analyses of the smile and that of the face. The McNemar test showed statistical differences in all factors assessed, with the exception of the midline (p=0.1951), when the computerized analysis and subjective analysis of the specialists were compared. In order to establish harmony of the smile, it was not possible to establish a greater or lesser relevance among the factors analyzed.

Hemocytes of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae): Characterization, Population Abundance, and Ultrastructural Changes Following Challenge with Leishmania infantum.

PubMed

Feitosa, A P S; Alves, L C; Chaves, M M; Veras, D L; Silva, E M; Aliança, A S S; França, I R S; Gonçalves, G G A; Lima-Filho, J L; Brayner, F A

2015-11-01

Few studies have examined the cellular immune response of ticks, and further research on the characterization of the hemocytes of ticks is required, particularly on those of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) because of the medical and veterinary importance of this tick. The aims of this study were to characterize the morphology and the ultrastructure of the different types of hemocytes of adult R. sanguineus and to determine the population abundance and the ultrastructural changes in the hemocytes of ticks infected with Leishmania infantum. The hemocytes were characterized through light and transmission electron microscopy. Within the variability of circulating cells in the hemolymph of adult R. sanguineus, five cell types were identified, which were the prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, granulocytes, spherulocytes, and adipohemocytes. The prohemocytes were the smallest cells found in the hemolymph. The plasmatocytes had polymorphic morphology with vesicles and cytoplasmic projections. The granulocytes had an elliptical shape with the cytoplasm filled with granules of different sizes and electrodensities. The spherulocytes were characterized by several spherules of uniform shapes and sizes that filled the entire cytoplasm, whereas the adipohemocytes had an irregular shape with multiple lipid inclusions that occupied almost the entire cytoplasmic space. The total counts of the hemocyte population increased in the group that was infected with L. infantum. Among the different cell types, the numbers increased and the ultrastructural changes occurred in the granulocytes and the plasmatocytes in the infected group of ticks. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Heart rate variability and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Penčić-Popović, Biljana; Ćelić, Vera; Ćosić, Zoran; Pavlović-Kleut, Milena; Čaparević, Zorica; Kostić, Nada; Milovanović, Branislav; Šljivić, Aleksandra; Stojčevski, Biljana

2014-12-01

To our knowledge there are no data about the relationship between elevated risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and altered cardiac autonomic function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between heart rate variability (HRV) and slightly increased risk for DM2. We evaluated 69 subjects (50.0 ± 14.4 years; 30 male) without DM2, coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC): group I (n = 39) included subjects with 12 > FINDRISC ≥ 7; group II (n = 30) subjects with FINDRISC < 7. HRV was derived from 24-h electrocardiogram. We used time domain variables and frequency domain analysis performed over the entire 24-h period, during the day (06-22 h) and overnight (22-06 h). Standard deviation of the average normal RR intervals was significantly lower in the group with increased risk for DM2 compared to the group II (127.1 ± 26.6 ms vs 149.6 ± 57.6 ms; p = 0.035). Other time domain measures were similar in both groups. The group I demonstrated significantly reduced frequency domain measures, total power--TP (7.2 ± 0.3 ln/ms2 vs 7.3 ± 0.3 ln/ms2; p = 0.029), and low frequency--LF (5.9 ± 0.4 ln/ms2 vs 6.3 ± 0.6 In/ms2; p = 0.006), over entire 24 h, as well as TP (7.1 ± 0.3 In/ms2 vs 7.3 ± 0.3 In/ms2; p = 0.004), very low frequency (6.2 ± 0.2 In/ms2 vs 6.3 ± 0.2 In/ms2; p = 0.030), LF (5.9 ± 0.4 In/ms2 vs 6.2 ± 0.3 In/ms2; p = 0.000) and high frequency (5.7 ± 0.4 In/ms2 vs 5.9 ± 0.4 In/ms2; p = 0.011) during the daytime compared to the group II. Nocturnal frequency domain analysis was similar between the groups. The low diurnal frequency was independently related to elevated risk for diabetes mellitus (beta = -0,331; p = 0.006). The obtained results suggest that even slightly elevated risk for developing diabetes mellitus may be related to impaired HRV.

Nutrient export from watersheds on Mt. Desert Island, maine, as a function of land use and fire history

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielsen, M.G.; Kahl, J.S.

2007-01-01

A study of 13 small (less than 7.5 km2) watersheds on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, was conducted from January 1999 to September 2000 to determine nutrient export delivery to coastal waters around the island, and to determine whether a series of wildfires in 1947 have affected nutrient export in burned watersheds. Nutrient export (nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus) was determined for each watershed during the study period, and was normalized by watershed area. The yield of nitrate-nitrogen (N) ranged from 10 to 140 kg/km2/year. Total N yield ranged from 42 to 250 kg/ km2/year. Total phosphorus (P) yield ranged from 1.4 to 7.9 kg/km2/year. Watersheds entirely within Acadia National Park (lacking human land-based nutrient sources) exported significantly less total N and total P than watersheds that were partly or entirely outside the park boundary. Nitrate-N export was not significantly different in these two groups of watersheds, perhaps because atmospheric deposition is a dominant source of nitrate in the study area. No relation was observed between burn history and nutrient export. Any effect of burn history may be masked by other landscape-level factors related to nutrient export. ?? Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2007.

Multivariate normative comparisons using an aggregated database

PubMed Central

Murre, Jaap M. J.; Huizenga, Hilde M.

2017-01-01

In multivariate normative comparisons, a patient’s profile of test scores is compared to those in a normative sample. Recently, it has been shown that these multivariate normative comparisons enhance the sensitivity of neuropsychological assessment. However, multivariate normative comparisons require multivariate normative data, which are often unavailable. In this paper, we show how a multivariate normative database can be constructed by combining healthy control group data from published neuropsychological studies. We show that three issues should be addressed to construct a multivariate normative database. First, the database may have a multilevel structure, with participants nested within studies. Second, not all tests are administered in every study, so many data may be missing. Third, a patient should be compared to controls of similar age, gender and educational background rather than to the entire normative sample. To address these issues, we propose a multilevel approach for multivariate normative comparisons that accounts for missing data and includes covariates for age, gender and educational background. Simulations show that this approach controls the number of false positives and has high sensitivity to detect genuine deviations from the norm. An empirical example is provided. Implications for other domains than neuropsychology are also discussed. To facilitate broader adoption of these methods, we provide code implementing the entire analysis in the open source software package R. PMID:28267796

Investigation of head group behaviour of lamellar liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delikatny, E. J.; Burnell, E. E.

A mean field equilibrium statistical mechanical model, based on the Samulski inertial frame model, was developed to simulate experimental dipolar and quadrupolar nmr couplings of isotopically substituted potassium palmitates. An isolated four spin system was synthesized (2,2,3,3,-H4-palmitic acid-d27) and in conjunction with data presented in a previous paper on perdeuterated and carbon 13 labelled soaps, the head group behaviour of the molecule was investigated. Two interactions were considered in the modelling procedure: a mean field steric interaction characterized by a constraining cylinder, and a head group interaction characterized by a mass on the end of a rod of variable length. The rod lies along the first C-C bond direction and accounts for the interaction between polar head group and water via its effect on the moment of inertia of the molecule. In potassium palmitate mean field steric repulsive forces remain constant over the entire temperature range studied. In contrast, electrostatic interactions between polar head group and water, approximately constant at higher temperatures, increase dramatically as the phase transition is approached. This evidence supports a previously proposed model of lipidwater interaction.

Benefits of using a hybrid problem-based learning curriculum to improve long-term learning acquisition in undergraduate biology education.

PubMed

Carrió, Mar; Agell, Laia; Baños, Josep Eladi; Moyano, Elisabeth; Larramona, Pilar; Pérez, Jorge

2016-08-01

Although problem-based learning (PBL) has been used for over 40 years, with many studies comparing the benefits of PBL versus other educational approaches, little attention has been paid to the effectiveness of hybrid PBL (H-PBL) curricula. Here we aimed to compare the learning outcomes of two groups of undergraduate biology students working towards a bachelor's degree: one group used an H-PBL approach, while the second used a lecture-based learning (LBL) approach. Specifically, the H-PBL group used a PBL module with interdisciplinary problems, which represented 20% of the entire curriculum. The main outcomes of evaluation were the long-term acquisition of factual knowledge and the problem-solving skills at the end of the bachelor's degree. The sample included 85 students, 39 in the H-PBL group and 46 in the LBL group. We found that an H-PBL curriculum can improve the students' learning outcomes such as long-term knowledge acquisition, problem solving skills and generic competences. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The significance of clinical experience on learning outcome from resuscitation training-a randomised controlled study.

PubMed

Jensen, Morten Lind; Lippert, Freddy; Hesselfeldt, Rasmus; Rasmussen, Maria Birkvad; Mogensen, Simon Skibsted; Jensen, Michael Kammer; Frost, Torben; Ringsted, Charlotte

2009-02-01

The impact of clinical experience on learning outcome from a resuscitation course has not been systematically investigated. To determine whether half a year of clinical experience before participation in an Advanced Life Support (ALS) course increases the immediate learning outcome and retention of learning. This was a prospective single blinded randomised controlled study of the learning outcome from a standard ALS course on a volunteer sample of the entire cohort of newly graduated doctors from Copenhagen University. The outcome measurement was ALS-competence assessed using a validated composite test including assessment of skills and knowledge. The intervention was half a year of clinical work before an ALS course. The intervention group received the course after a half-year of clinical experience. The control group participated in an ALS course immediately following graduation. Invitation to participate was accepted by 154/240 (64%) graduates and 117/154 (76%) completed the study. There was no difference between the intervention and control groups with regard to the immediate learning outcome. The intervention group had significantly higher retention of learning compared to the control group, intervention group mean 82% (CI 80-83), control group mean 78% (CI 76-80), P=0.002. The magnitude of this difference was medium (effect size=0.57). Half a year of clinical experience, before participation in an ALS course had a small but statistically significant impact on the retention of learning, but not on the immediate learning outcome.

Setting the Record Straight: Interest Group Influence on Climate Policy at the Environmental Protection Agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Jeffrey J.

It is clear that interest groups are involved in the rulemaking process at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but it has been difficult to determine whether certain groups are more influential on outcomes. This debate persists because the literature illustrates that groups can be influential at discrete stages in the process, but the field rarely analyzes the entire rulemaking process. This uncertainty has spurred controversy regarding the EPA's recent climate change regulations. Therefore, this dissertation conducted three case studies of recent climate change regulations and addresses three questions. First, what, if any, strategies did interest groups use to influence the content of these climate change rules? Second, did these strategies translate into influence? Third, what can these climate change case studies tell us about the role of interest groups in other controversial rules at the EPA, and across the bureaucracy more broadly? Ultimately, I argue that interest group influence was generally balanced across each of the three case studies. These findings then serve as the basis to develop my Regulatory Spheres of Influence Framework. The framework illustrates that given the nature of EPA rulemakings, it is very difficult for one side either business or environmental to dominate the process in highly controversial rules. It is possible that these conclusions track to other controversial rules across the bureaucracy and I note that my framework could be applied in other contexts to test this assertion.

[The effect of curiozin gel and adhesive plaster application on the healing and blood flow dynamics in skin autografts from various areas of body in rats].

PubMed

Zadorozhnyĭ, A A; Shtrygol', S Iu; Kataev, S I

2004-01-01

The stimulating effect of curiozin gel and plaster application on the engraftment of skin autografts from various areas of body was studied in rats. Curiozin gel in a single dose of 75 mg was used for the daily treatment of autografts over the entire postoperation period of time. The adhesive plaster was applied onto skin autografts for 5 days after skin transplantation. The skin autografts in the test group exhibited normalized volume blood flow dynamics, reduced duration of the inflammatory reaction, and improved the quality of engraftment as compared to the untreated control group. The best healing and blood-flow-normalizing effect was achieved by combined application of curiozin gel and adhesive plaster.

A method for phenomenological analysis of ecological data.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, H.-W.; Morowitz, H. J.

1972-01-01

The experimental meaning of the phenomenological differential equations for a competing population is reviewed. It is concluded that it is virtually impossible to construct the differential equations precise enough for studying stability. We consider instead a method of phenomenological analysis which can be applied to a set of population curves. We suggest an ecological index calculated from the population curves, which indicates a group property of the entire system. As a function of time, the index is presumably insensitive to Volterra type fluctuations. A marked increase of the index's value however indicates a marked change of the environmental conditions. It is not easy to deduce the group property from the population curves alone, because a change in population is in general due to the superposition of external disturbances and Volterra fluctuations.

Symmetry Analysis of Gauge-Invariant Field Equations via a Generalized Harrison-Estabrook Formalism.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papachristou, Costas J.

The Harrison-Estabrook formalism for the study of invariance groups of partial differential equations is generalized and extended to equations that define, through their solutions, sections on vector bundles of various kinds. Applications include the Dirac, Yang-Mills, and self-dual Yang-Mills (SDYM) equations. The latter case exhibits interesting connections between the internal symmetries of SDYM and the existence of integrability characteristics such as a linear ("inverse scattering") system and Backlund transformations (BT's). By "verticalizing" the generators of coordinate point transformations of SDYM, nine nonlocal, generalized (as opposed to local, point) symmetries are constructed. The observation is made that the prolongations of these symmetries are parametric BT's for SDYM. It is thus concluded that the entire point group of SDYM contributes, upon verticalization, BT's to the system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brozek, Eric M. ..; Washton, Nancy M.; Mueller, Karl T.

A series of silsesquioxane nanoparticles containing reactive internal organic functionalities throughout the entire particle body have been synthesized using a surfactant-free method with organosilanes as the sole precursors and a base catalyst. The organic functional groups incorporated are vinyl, allyl, mercapto, cyanoethyl, and cyanopropyl groups. The sizes and morphologies of the particles were characterized using SEM and nitrogen adsorption, while the compositions were confirmed using TGA, FT-IR, solid state NMR, and elemental analysis. The accessibility and reactivity of the functional groups inside the particles were demonstrated by performing bromination and reduction reactions in the interior of the particles.

Nicotine Gum and Self-Help Behavioral Treatment for Smoking Relapse Prevention: Results from a Trial Using Population-Based Recruitment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortmann, Stephen P.; Killen, Joel D.

1995-01-01

Smokers were randomized using a factorial design to compare nicotine gum use to no gum use, and self-help materials to no materials. Compared with the no-gum group, relapse occurred at a significantly lower rate in the gum group for the entire 12 months of follow-up. There was no significant main effect for the self-help materials and no…

Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, George T.; Carey, Robin J.; Kapushion, Blanche M.

2016-01-01

"Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book" includes activities and strategies to support the development of autonomous learners. More than 40 activities are included, all geared to the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development of students. Teachers may use these activities and strategies with the entire class, small groups, or…

Mountain pine beetle

Treesearch

Ken Gibson; Sandy Kegley; Barbara Bentz

2009-01-01

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is a member of a group of insects known as bark beetles. Its entire life cycle is spent beneath the bark of host trees, except when adults emerge from brood trees and fly in search of new host trees.

Proximal bile duct tumors: surgical management with silastic transhepatic biliary stents.

PubMed Central

Cameron, J L; Broe, P; Zuidema, G D

1982-01-01

Over a nine-year period, 27 patients with proximal biliary tumors were operated upon. In ten of the 27 patients (37%) tumor resection including the hepatic bifurcation was possible, and bilateral hepaticojejunostomies were performed using silastic transhepatic biliary stents. In the remaining 17 patients the tumor was partially resected, dilated, or bypassed, and reconstruction to a Roux-en-Y-jejunal loop was carried out using silastic transhepatic biliary stents. Hospital mortality for those patients undergoing resection was zero, and for the entire group 4% (1/27). The mean bilirubin on admission was 13.2 mg/dl and after discharge fell to a mean of 1.5 mg/dl. Mean survival for the entire group is 18 months with 11 patients still alive. Mean survival for the first nine patients undergoing resection is 21 months with seven patients still alive (one for over 5 years). The 15 patients dying following discharge survived for a mean of 14 months. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. PMID:7125728

The Evolution and Structure of Extreme Optical Lightning Flashes.

PubMed

Peterson, Michael; Rudlosky, Scott; Deierling, Wiebke

2017-12-27

This study documents the composition, morphology, and motion of extreme optical lightning flashes observed by the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). The furthest separation of LIS events (groups) in any flash is 135 km (89 km), the flash with the largest footprint had an illuminated area of 10,604 km 2 , and the most dendritic flash has 234 visible branches. The longest-duration convective LIS flash lasted 28 s and is overgrouped and not physical. The longest-duration convective-to-stratiform propagating flash lasted 7.4 s, while the longest-duration entirely stratiform flash lasted 4.3 s. The longest series of nearly consecutive groups in time lasted 242 ms. The most radiant recorded LIS group (i.e., "superbolt") is 735 times more radiant than the average group. Factors that impact these optical measures of flash morphology and evolution are discussed. While it is apparent that LIS can record the horizontal development of the lightning channel in some cases, radiative transfer within the cloud limits the flash extent and level of detail measured from orbit. These analyses nonetheless suggest that lightning imagers such as LIS and Geostationary Lightning Mapper can complement ground-based lightning locating systems for studying physical lightning phenomena across large geospatial domains.

Student victimization by school staff in the context of an Israeli national school safety campaign.

PubMed

Khoury-Kassabri, Mona; Astor, Ron Avi; Benbenishty, Rami

2008-01-01

In this study, we examined and compared findings from four nationally representative studies of victimization of students by school staff in Israel. We explored whether levels of student victimization by school staff (teachers, principals, secretaries, janitors, etc.) have changed between 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2005, and whether patterns of group differences (gender, age, and cultural groups) were replicated across those four points in time. We employed representative samples stratified by ethnic affiliation and school levels. In 1998, there were 15,916 4th-11th grade students from 232 schools; in 1999, 16,414 4th-11th grade students from 239 schools; in 2002, 21,577 4th-11th grade students from 410 schools and in 2005, 27,316 4th-11th grade students from 526 schools across Israel. Overall, the results reveal that for the entire student population in Israel reports of victimization are quite similar across the four waves of data collection. Levels of physical victimization were consistently higher among boys and Arab students, but other group differences were less consistent, especially with regard to differences between age groups. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Evaluation of effect of addition of 2% chlorhexidine on the sealing ability of Biodentine: An in vitro study

PubMed Central

Suri, Navleen Kaur; Nikhil, Vineeta; Jha, Padmanabh; Jaiswal, Shikha

2015-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the effect of the addition of 2% chlorhexidine on the sealing ability of Biodentine. Materials and Methods: Forty-six extracted human premolar teeth with single canal and apical foramen were selected, cleaned, and decoronated to standardize the length of 17 mm. Canals were prepared using ProTaper rotary files till size F4. The samples were divided into 2 experimental groups of 20 samples each on the basis of absence/presence of 2% chlorhexidine in liquid: Group BM = Biodentine mixed with the provided liquid, Group BC = Biodentine mixed with 2% chlorhexidine in provided liquid. Three samples, each were assigned to control groups: Group BP (positive control) = No root end filling was placed, Group BN (negative control) = Root ends were filled as in Group BM, and entire external surface was coated with sticky wax. The samples were then evaluated for the apical sealing using fluid filtration method. Results: Results were analyzed using Student's t-test (P ≤ 0.05). Group BC showed the better sealing ability (3.06) as compared to Group BM (3.85). However, the difference was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Addition of 2% chlorhexidine to the liquid enhanced the sealing ability of Biodentine. PMID:26752844

Aspects of Methamphetamine Abuse in Adolescents and Young Adults in a Thuringian County.

PubMed

Dhein, Stefan; Schmelmer, Katrin; Guenther, Julika; Salameh, Aida

2018-06-14

Drug abuse is an increasing problem among young adults in European countries. We wanted to assess the prevalence of methamphetamine and cannabis use in young people and to ask for their socioeconomic, parental and emotional background. All pupils (n = 1,087) in the final class of 3 school types (-general school [in Germany: Hauptschule/Regelschule mit Hauptschulabschluss] class 9, regular school [in Germany: Regelschule] class 10, high school [in Germany: Gymnasium] class 10) and the first 2 classes of the vocational school (in Germany: Berufsschule) in the entire rural district of Altenburger Land, a Thuringian county in Germany with a total of 92,344 inhabitants were asked to fill out a 2-page questionnaire. In all, 920 questionnaires could be finally evaluated (mean age: 16.6 ± 0.07 years; mode value: 16; maximum range: 13-29). In the entire group, 5.81% (33 females, 20 males) reported the use of methamphetamine, while 42.8% stated that they have used it only once, the remaining 57.2% specified that they have used it on a more regular basis, mostly once a month, but 14.2% had used it almost daily. With regard to the socioeconomic background, 55% of the parents of the methamphetamine users were employees and 10% of the parents were in a leading position. This was not different from the non-user group (p = 0.193). Unemployment of the parents was found in 6.5% of the methamphetamine users and in 4.7% of the non-users. Overall, 67.92% had a basic knowledge of the side effects of this drug. In 55.32% of the methamphetamine users, the parents lived alone, were divorced or widowed, while this was only 33.1% in the non-user group. Of all the methamphetamine users, 69% had friends who also consumed the drug, which may give a hint on the impact of a peer group. In the entire group, 29.84% were smokers (female group: 28.47%; male group 31.25%) and 25.5% consumed cannabis. Ecstasy was used by a total of 4.05% and cocaine by 1.53%. No participant mentioned that they have used opiates. Among pupils aged about 16 years nearly 6% reported to have consumed methamphetamine. This group has a middle socioeconomic background. Two factors were strongly associated with methamphetamine usage: a family with only a single parent and friends who were used to taking methamphetamine. The self-perception of users was generally considered to be a disadvantage as compared to the other factors. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Factors affecting the musculoskeletal disorders of workers in the frozen food manufacturing factories in Thailand.

PubMed

Thetkathuek, Anamai; Meepradit, Parvena; Jaidee, Wanlop

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research was to study factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders. The sample population of the study was 528 factory workers from the frozen food industry, as well as a controlled group of 255 office workers. The samples were collected during interviews using the Nordic questionnaire to assess musculoskeletal disorders, and to assess the risk by the rapid upper limb assessment and rapid entire body assessment techniques. The findings of the study were that most symptoms were found in the dissecting department, higher than in the controlled group. The details of the symptoms were, accordingly: elbow pain (adjusted odds ratio, 35.1; 95% CI [17.4, 70.9]). Regarding the risk of alcohol drinking, workers were exposed to more risks when alcohol was consumed. It is suggested that workers' health should be monitored regularly. People who work in a cold environment should be encouraged to wear body protection and to avoid drinking.

Longitudinal Relation Between General Well-Being and Self-Esteem.

PubMed

Barendregt, Charlotte S; van der Laan, André M; Bongers, Ilja L; van Nieuwenhuizen, Chijs

2016-12-01

This study investigated the longitudinal relation between general well-being and self-esteem of male adolescents with severe psychiatric disorders. Moreover, the transition out of secure residential care was studied. Adolescents ( N = 172) were assessed three times with 6 months between each assessment. The sample comprised adolescents who were admitted throughout the entire study ( n = 116) and who had been discharged at 6/12 months follow-up ( n = 56). General well-being and self-esteem were stable concepts over time. The relation between general well-being and self-esteem differed for both groups. Among the admitted group general well-being positively predicted self-esteem and self-esteem negatively predicted general well-being from Time 2 to Time 3. Among the discharged adolescents, self-esteem at Time 1 positively predicted general well-being at Time 2 and general well-being at Time 2 positively predicted self-esteem at Time 3. Changing social contexts, as well as problems experienced during the transition out of secure care, might affect this relationship.

Comparison of short- to medium-term results of Coonrad-Morrey elbow replacement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis versus patients after elbow injuries

PubMed Central

Szyluk, Karol; Widuchowski, Wojciech; Jasiński, Andrzej; Koczy, Bogdan; Widuchowski, Jerzy

2013-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the Coonrad-Morrey elbow prosthesis in patients with severe elbow dysfunction secondary to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or post-traumatic elbow dysfunction. Material/Methods The study involved 35 patients followed up for a mean of 36 months. The patients were divided into those with RA (Group I) and those with post-traumatic elbow dysfunction (Group II). Treatment outcomes were evaluated according to the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score (Quick DASH). Results According to the MEPS, there were 20 (57.15%) excellent, 12 (34.3%) good, 1 (2.85%) fair, and 2 (5.7%) poor outcomes. The mean post-operative Quick-DASH score for the entire study group was 37.73 points. In subgroup analysis, the MEPS-based evaluation revealed: 14 (70%) excellent, 5 (25%) good, and 1 (5%) satisfactory outcome in Group I, versus 6 (40%) excellent, 7 (46.7%) good, and 2 (13.3%) poor outcomes in Group II. The mean Quick Dash scores were 78.64 points in Group I and 76.36 points in Group II. The final MEPS scores in Group I (p=0.000018) and Group II (p=0.00065) were most markedly influenced by reduction in elbow pain and improvement in the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL): p=0.000018 in Group I and p=0.000713 in Group II. Conclusions The treatment outcomes confirm the utility of arthroplasty for severe elbow dysfunctions; they were most strongly influenced by pain reduction and improved ability to perform activities of daily living. PMID:23291737

Effect of DHA supplementation in a very low-calorie ketogenic diet in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

de Luis, Daniel; Domingo, Joan Carles; Izaola, Olatz; Casanueva, Felipe F; Bellido, Diego; Sajoux, Ignacio

2016-10-01

A VLCK diet supplemented with DHA, commercially available, was tested against an isocaloric VLCK diet without DHA. The main purpose of this study was to compare the effect of DHA supplementation in classic cardiovascular risk factors, adipokine levels, and inflammation-resolving eicosanoids. A total of obese patients were randomized into two groups: a group supplemented with DHA (n = 14) (PnK-DHA group) versus a group with an isocaloric diet free of supplementation (n = 15) (control group). The follow-up period was 6 months. The average weight loss after 6 months of treatment was 20.36 ± 5.02 kg in control group and 19.74 ± 5.10 kg in PnK-DHA group, without statistical differences between both groups. The VLCK diets induced a significant change in some of the biological parameters, such as insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, C-reactive protein, resistin, TNF alpha, and leptin. Following DHA supplementation, the DHA-derived oxylipins were significantly increased in the intervention group. The ratio of proresolution/proinflammatory lipid markers was increased in plasma of the intervention group over the entire study. Similarly, the mean ratios of AA/EPA and AA/DHA in erythrocyte membranes were dramatically reduced in the PnK-DHA group and the anti-inflammatory fatty acid index (AIFAI) was consistently increased after the DHA treatment (p < 0.05). The present study demonstrated that a very low-calorie ketogenic diet supplemented with DHA was significantly superior in the anti-inflammatory effect, without statistical differences in weight loss and metabolic improvement.

Protective effects of fermented honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) extract (HU-018) against skin aging: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

PubMed

Choi, Sun Young; Hong, Ji Yeon; Ko, Eun Jung; Kim, Beom Joon; Hong, Sung-Woon; Lim, Mi Hyoung; Yeon, Sung Hum; Son, Rak Ho

2018-02-01

Oxidative stress and photodamage resulting from ultraviolet radiation exposure play key roles in skin aging. Fermented Cyclopia intermedia, which is used to brew honeybush tea, exerts antioxidant and anti-wrinkle effects by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production and downregulating matrix metalloproteinase activity. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fermented honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) extract (HU-018) for skin rejuvenation. 120 Korean subjects with crow's feet wrinkles were randomized to receive either low-dose extract (400 mg/day), high-dose extract (800 mg/day), or placebo (negative control, only dextran) for 12 weeks. Wrinkles were evaluated using JANUS ® and PRIMO pico ® . Skin elasticity, hydration and transepidermal water loss were measured. Global skin wrinkle grade was significantly improved in both low-dose and high-dose groups compared to placebo group, as well as for skin hydration and elasticity. Both the low- and high-dose groups showed significantly decreased TEWL compared to the placebo group. There were no adverse effects during the entire study period. Our data indicate that HU-018 is effective for improving skin wrinkles, elasticity, and hydration. Therefore, daily supplementation with fermented honeybush could be helpful for protecting against skin aging.

Cardiorespiratory endurance in relation to body mass in Polish rural children: Preliminary report.

PubMed

Gajewska, E; Kalińska, K; Bogdański, P; Sobieska, M

2015-06-01

Physical fitness is generally viewed as having morphological, muscular, motor, cardiovascular and metabolic components. Cardiorespiratory fitness describes the capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to carry out prolonged strenuous exercise. It is often considered as the most important indicator of health status. The place of residence is seen as a factor that may influence the feasibility of physically active lifestyles, and thus shaping cardiorespiratory fitness. The study group consisted of 121 children aged 10-16 years, including 60 girls and 61 boys. All of the children lived in rural areas. The investigated group was divided according to age and sex; body height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated. All children performed the Cooper's run test and the Ruffier's test. The analysis of BMI for the nutritional status of children in relation to the entire study group demonstrated that 81 children had normal weight, 20 children were overweight and 11 were obese, while 9 children were underweight. The studied group of children showed on average very good and good performance in the Cooper's test, regardless of body weight, whereas the results of the Ruffier's test showed merely weak or medium cardiorespiratory endurance, which was even worse in overweight or obese children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Use of Intercessory Prayer to Reduce Disruptive Behaviors of Patients With Dementia: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Struve, Ann Riesselman; Lu, Der-Fa; Hart, Laura K; Keller, Theresa

2016-06-01

A prospective longitudinal design was used to identify the feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of 12 weeks of intercessory prayer to reduce the disruptive behaviors of six late-stage dementia patients. One group of Catholic nuns offered the Lord's Prayer for assigned patients twice a day. Intercessory prayer for the entire subject group was also offered, by a second group of nuns, via a Latria (modality) called "Perpetual Adoration." Disruptions were documented from 3 weeks preintervention to 3 weeks postintervention. Consents were received for two thirds of invited patients. Retention was reduced by the death of two patients. Fidelity, assessed by retrospective report, was maintained throughout the study. Use of off-label antipsychotic medications was reduced or discontinued in four patients during the trial. The repeated measures analysis of variance, while indicative of a trend, did not reach a level of significance, likely due to small sample size. However, the average effect on behavior resulted in a reduction of disruptive incidents, for the group, in approximately 27 behavior categories/week. This study suggests that it is feasible to improve the life quality of patients in the terminal phase of their illness through prayer reducing their need to respond to life in a disturbed manner. © The Author(s) 2015.

Dentin hypersensitivity clinical study comparing LILT and LEDT keeping the same irradiation parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lizarelli, R. F. Z.; Miguel, F. A. C.; Freitas-Pontes, K. M.; Villa, G. E. P.; Nunez, S. C.; Bagnato, V. S.

2010-11-01

Dentin hypersensitivity is a common condition associated with high dental pain. A new LED-based (light emitting diode) light source has been used as an experimental tool in some studies. Purpose: The main objective was to compare these two light sources emitting in the same spectral band (red - from 625 to 660 nm) to promote pain relief. Material and methods: A total of 6 sessions were accomplished, being three irradiation sessions and three follow-up sessions. This single-blind study compared a control group (Placebo) and two other groups with different equipments: low laser intensity treatment (LILT) and a light emitting diode system treatment (LEDT). Results: The results showed that there is no statistical difference between LILT and LEDT groups, however, both were better than control group (p <= 0.01) in terms of treatment efficiency; there is no difference between the second and the third sessions for both treatment, it means that the third session was not necessary; finally, the improvement at the end of the entire research (follow up care of 30 days) was very expressive in comparison to pre-treatment situation for all teeth (p <= 0.01). Conclusion: LILT and LEDT were equally effective to treat dentine hypersensitivity, a 3rd treatment session was not necessary/two sessions are enough.

Intervention on early-onset conduct problems as indicated prevention for substance use: A seven-year follow up.

PubMed

Romero, Estrella; Rodríguez, Concepción; Villar, Paula; Gómez-Fraguela, X Antón

2017-06-28

The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term effects of a manualised program which intervenes on children with early-onset conduct problems, their families and teachers. The program evaluation involved 14 primary schools which were randomly assigned to the intervention (45 participating families) and control (30 families) conditions during 2007-2008. After a screening process which identified children with significant conduct problems both at home with their family and at school, the program was implemented in eight schools. Seven years later, 58 families (37 from the intervention group and 21 from the control group), with characteristics equivalent to those of the study's entire initial group, were contacted again. With measures administered to the children and their parents, comparisons through multivariate analyses of variance between intervention and control groups supported the program's efficacy in reducing both conduct problems and relations with antisocial peers. Furthermore, the program fostered social and communication skills. As regards drug use, the intervention group showed less favourable attitudes towards drugs, lower intention of drug use, lower frequency of tobacco use and lower intensity of alcohol use. These results support the usefulness of multicomponent programs for conduct problems as a way to prevent, in the long term, unfavourable developmental trajectories, where drug use is a key element.

Predictors of metabolic control at one year in a population of pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Alemzadeh, Ramin; Ellis, James; Calhoun, Mariaelena; Kichler, Jessica

2006-09-01

The rising prevalence of pediatric type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and non-adherence to diabetes regimens pose challenges to obtaining optimal control. This study evaluated factors that may impact glycemic control (HbA1c): age, Tanner stage, body mass index (BMI), total daily insulin (TDD), metformin dose (MET), activity level, frequency of clinic visits and adherence. One-year data from 72 patients (ages 8.6-17.8 years) were collected retrospectively. From that sample, 57 patients who continued to attend clinic for the entire year were assessed and divided into optimal and suboptimal HbA1c control groups. All factors measured were similar in the two groups, except for lower initial and 1.0-year HbA1c, TDD, and rates of missing MET and insulin in the optimal HbA1c control group. Initial glycemic status and adherence rate predicted metabolic control at one year. Early identification of DM2 may improve metabolic outcome, which may improve medical regimen adherence.

Single-scale renormalisation group improvement of multi-scale effective potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chataignier, Leonardo; Prokopec, Tomislav; Schmidt, Michael G.; Świeżewska, Bogumiła

2018-03-01

We present a new method for renormalisation group improvement of the effective potential of a quantum field theory with an arbitrary number of scalar fields. The method amounts to solving the renormalisation group equation for the effective potential with the boundary conditions chosen on the hypersurface where quantum corrections vanish. This hypersurface is defined through a suitable choice of a field-dependent value for the renormalisation scale. The method can be applied to any order in perturbation theory and it is a generalisation of the standard procedure valid for the one-field case. In our method, however, the choice of the renormalisation scale does not eliminate individual logarithmic terms but rather the entire loop corrections to the effective potential. It allows us to evaluate the improved effective potential for arbitrary values of the scalar fields using the tree-level potential with running coupling constants as long as they remain perturbative. This opens the possibility of studying various applications which require an analysis of multi-field effective potentials across different energy scales. In particular, the issue of stability of the scalar potential can be easily studied beyond tree level.

77 FR 71794 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-04

... in that community. Formative research is research that occurs before a program is designed and... entirely behavioral but most often they are cycles of interviews and focus groups designed to inform the... specific data collection instruments, (3) methodological research (4) usability testing of technology-based...

75 FR 16157 - Pharmaceutical Supply Chain; Public Workshop

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... supply of high quality, safe, and effective drug products and drug ingredients depends upon a series of... patients. Through a series of plenary sessions and working group breakout sessions, the workshop will... environment. Share improvements in programs and technology. Identify any barriers to securing the entire...

Investigating yellow dung fly body size evolution in the field: Response to climate change?

PubMed

Blanckenhorn, Wolf U

2015-08-01

Uncovering genetic responses to selection in wild populations typically requires tracking individuals over generations and use of animal models. Our group monitored the body size of one Swiss Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria; Diptera: Scathophagidae) field population over 15 years, including intermittent common-garden rearing in the laboratory to assess body size with minimized environmental and maximized genetic variation. Contrary to expectations based on repeated heritability and phenotypic selection assessments over the years (reported elsewhere), field body sizes declined by >10% and common-garden laboratory sizes by >5% from 1993 to 2009. Our results confirm the temperature-size rule (smaller when warmer) and, albeit entirely correlational, could be mediated by climate change, as over this period mean temperature at the site increased by 0.5°C, although alternative systematic environmental changes cannot be entirely excluded. Monitoring genetic responses to selection in wild invertebrate populations is thus possible, though indirect, and wild populations may evolve in directions not consistent with strongly positive directional selection favoring large body size. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Malignant Lymphatic and Hematopoietic Neoplasms Mortality in Serbia, 1991–2010: A Joinpoint Regression Analysis

PubMed Central

Ilic, Milena; Ilic, Irena

2014-01-01

Background Limited data on mortality from malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms have been published for Serbia. Methods The study covered population of Serbia during the 1991–2010 period. Mortality trends were assessed using the joinpoint regression analysis. Results Trend for overall death rates from malignant lymphoid and haematopoietic neoplasms significantly decreased: by −2.16% per year from 1991 through 1998, and then significantly increased by +2.20% per year for the 1998–2010 period. The growth during the entire period was on average +0.8% per year (95% CI 0.3 to 1.3). Mortality was higher among males than among females in all age groups. According to the comparability test, mortality trends from malignant lymphoid and haematopoietic neoplasms in men and women were parallel (final selected model failed to reject parallelism, P = 0.232). Among younger Serbian population (0–44 years old) in both sexes: trends significantly declined in males for the entire period, while in females 15–44 years of age mortality rates significantly declined only from 2003 onwards. Mortality trend significantly increased in elderly in both genders (by +1.7% in males and +1.5% in females in the 60–69 age group, and +3.8% in males and +3.6% in females in the 70+ age group). According to the comparability test, mortality trend for Hodgkin's lymphoma differed significantly from mortality trends for all other types of malignant lymphoid and haematopoietic neoplasms (P<0.05). Conclusion Unfavourable mortality trend in Serbia requires targeted intervention for risk factors control, early diagnosis and modern therapy. PMID:25333862

Effect of breast-feeding on the development of atopic dermatitis during the first 3 years of life--results from the GINI-birth cohort study.

PubMed

Laubereau, Birgit; Brockow, Inken; Zirngibl, Angelika; Koletzko, Sibylle; Gruebl, Armin; von Berg, Andrea; Filipiak-Pittroff, Birgit; Berdel, Dietrich; Bauer, Carl Peter; Reinhardt, Dietrich; Heinrich, Joachim; Wichmann, H-Erich

2004-05-01

To investigate if exclusive breast-feeding for 4 months is associated with atopic dermatitis during the first 3 years of life. Data on 3903 children were taken from yearly parental-administered questionnaires from a birth cohort study in Germany (recruited 1995-1998) comprised of a noninterventional (NI) and an interventional (I) subgroup. Outcomes were physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD) and itchy rash. Multiple logistic regression was performed for the entire cohort and stratified by family history of allergy and by study group adjusting for a fixed set of risk factors for allergies. Exclusive breast-feeding (52 % of children) was not associated with higher risk for AD either in the entire cohort (OR(adj,) 0.95; 95% CI, 0.79-1.14) or if stratified by family history of AD. In the I subgroup, but not in the NI subgroup, exclusive breast-feeding showed a significant protective effect on AD if compared with conventional cow's milk formula (OR(adj), 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45-0.90). These findings do not support the hypothesis that exclusive breast-feeding is a risk factor for development of atopic dermatitis but is protective if compared with conventional cow's milk. Observational studies might not be able to effectively control for selection bias and reverse causation.

The chilling effect: how do researchers react to controversy?

PubMed

Kempner, Joanna

2008-11-18

Can political controversy have a "chilling effect" on the production of new science? This is a timely concern, given how often American politicians are accused of undermining science for political purposes. Yet little is known about how scientists react to these kinds of controversies. Drawing on interview (n = 30) and survey data (n = 82), this study examines the reactions of scientists whose National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded grants were implicated in a highly publicized political controversy. Critics charged that these grants were "a waste of taxpayer money." The NIH defended each grant and no funding was rescinded. Nevertheless, this study finds that many of the scientists whose grants were criticized now engage in self-censorship. About half of the sample said that they now remove potentially controversial words from their grant and a quarter reported eliminating entire topics from their research agendas. Four researchers reportedly chose to move into more secure positions entirely, either outside academia or in jobs that guaranteed salaries. About 10% of the group reported that this controversy strengthened their commitment to complete their research and disseminate it widely. These findings provide evidence that political controversies can shape what scientists choose to study. Debates about the politics of science usually focus on the direct suppression, distortion, and manipulation of scientific results. This study suggests that scholars must also examine how scientists may self-censor in response to political events.

Equalizer tap length requirement for mode group delay-compensated fiber link with weakly random mode coupling.

PubMed

Bai, Neng; Li, Guifang

2014-02-24

The equalizer tap length requirement is investigated analytically and numerically for differential modal group delay (DMGD) compensated fiber link with weakly random mode coupling. Each span of the DMGD compensated link comprises multiple pairs of fibers which have opposite signs of DMGD. The result reveals that under weak random mode coupling, the required tap length of the equalizer is proportional to modal group delay of a single DMGD compensated pair, instead of the total modal group delay (MGD) of the entire link. By using small DMGD compensation step sizes, the required tap length (RTL) can be potentially reduced by 2 orders of magnitude.

Carbon Nanoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McEuen, Paul

2001-05-01

Recently, there has been tremendous interest in nanostructures built entirely out of carbon. The most famous are the soccer-ball shaped C60 molecule and single-walled nanotubes. The latter are nanometer-diameter cylinders made from rolled up single graphene sheets. These carbon nanostructures are proving to be wonderful systems for the study of the physics of electrons in reduced dimensions. They also have a variety of technological applications (both demonstrated and potential), in areas ranging from materials to electronics to biotechnology. In this talk, I will discuss our group's recent efforts to probe the electrical and electromechanical, and thermal properties of these fascinating systems. note

Water Energy Simulation Toolset

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nguyen, Thuy; Jeffers, Robert

The Water-Energy Simulation Toolset (WEST) is an interactive simulation model that helps visualize impacts of different stakeholders on water quantity and quality of a watershed. The case study is applied for the Snake River Basin with the fictional name Cutthroat River Basin. There are four groups of stakeholders of interest: hydropower, agriculture, flood control, and environmental protection. Currently, the quality component depicts nitrogen-nitrate contaminant. Users can easily interact with the model by changing certain inputs (climate change, fertilizer inputs, etc.) to observe the change over the entire system. Users can also change certain parameters to test their management policy.

No evidence of age-related increases in unconscious plagiarism during free recall.

PubMed

Perfect, Timothy John; Defeldre, Anne-Catherine; Elliman, Rachel; Dehon, Hedwige

2011-07-01

In three experiments younger and older participants took part in a group generation task prior to a delayed recall task. In each, participants were required to recall the items that they had generated, avoiding plagiarism errors. All studies showed the same pattern: older adults did not plagiarise their partners any more than younger adults did. However, older adults were more likely than younger adults to intrude with entirely novel items not previously generated by anyone. These findings stand in opposition to the single previous demonstration of age-related increases in plagiarism during recall.

Tabanids as vectors of disease agents.

PubMed

Foil, L D

1989-03-01

The Tabanidae are considered to be among the major Dipteran pests of man and animals worldwide, but this group is undoubtedly the least studied. There have been at least 137 genera and 4154 species of tabanids described to date. Yet, existing, active research programmes number, at most, 50 in systematics and distribution, 15 in economic entomology, and five in disease transmission. To redress the balance, Lane Foil discusses the entire spectrum of research on the transmission of infections by tabanids, both from the point of view of general factors affecting transmission dynamics, as well as the specific examination of candidate agents, from viruses to filaria.

Radiotherapy in the management of locally advanced breast cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaharia, M.; Caceres, E.; Valdivia, S.

A retrospective study of 484 patients with locally advanced cancer of the breast treated with irradiation alone revealed a partial or complete response in 64% of the patients, with a mean duration of 13 months. The 5-year survival was 21.9% for the entire group of patients; 32% for patients responding, and 5% for non-responding patients. The data suggests that the size of the tumor and the age of the patients influence the quality of response. The results indicate that radiotherapy adequately controls local disease in a significant number of patients but systemic treatment is needed for better disease control.

STUDIES OF SERUM PROTEIN IN SYPHILIS. III. EFFECT OF X-RAY IRRADIATION IN SYPHILIS OF EXPERIMENTAL RABBITS ON SERUM PROTEIN FRACTIONS AND WASSERMANN ANTIBODY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abe, S.

1960-01-01

X rays in a dosage of 400, 800 and 800 plus 600 r respectively were applied to the entire body and immediately thereafter inoculation with syphilis was done. A decrease in leukocytes parallel to the amount of irradiation was seen in all but the group given 400 r. The appearance of symptoms was somewhat late in the group given 800 r, but no difference was observed in the others. Wassermann antibody titer was somewhat decreased in the group given 800 r, but no difference was observed in the others. Total amount of serum protein was slightly increased in the groupmore » given 400 and 800 r, but a decrease was recognized in the group given 800 plus 600 r. Serum protein fractions revealed a decrease in albumin and alpha -globulin and an increase in lobulin. These changes were great in those who received a large amount of irradiation. gamma - Globulin increased slightly in the 400 r group, but a decrease was observed in the group given 800 plus 600 r. (Abstr. Japan Med., 1: No. 13, 1961)« less

Basic steps in establishing effective small group teaching sessions in medical schools.

PubMed

Meo, Sultan Ayoub

2013-07-01

Small-group teaching and learning has achieved an admirable position in medical education and has become more popular as a means of encouraging the students in their studies and enhance the process of deep learning. The main characteristics of small group teaching are active involvement of the learners in entire learning cycle and well defined task orientation with achievable specific aims and objectives in a given time period. The essential components in the development of an ideal small group teaching and learning sessions are preliminary considerations at departmental and institutional level including educational strategies, group composition, physical environment, existing resources, diagnosis of the needs, formulation of the objectives and suitable teaching outline. Small group teaching increases the student interest, teamwork ability, retention of knowledge and skills, enhance transfer of concepts to innovative issues, and improve the self-directed learning. It develops self-motivation, investigating the issues, allows the student to test their thinking and higher-order activities. It also facilitates an adult style of learning, acceptance of personal responsibility for own progress. Moreover, it enhances student-faculty and peer-peer interaction, improves communication skills and provides opportunity to share the responsibility and clarify the points of bafflement.

The bigger, the better? Volume measurements of parasites and hosts: Parasitic barnacles (Cirripedia, Rhizocephala) and their decapod hosts

PubMed Central

Hörnig, Marie K.; Haug, Joachim T.; Noever, Christoph; Høeg, Jens T.; Glenner, Henrik

2017-01-01

Rhizocephala, a group of parasitic castrators of other crustaceans, shows remarkable morphological adaptations to their lifestyle. The adult female parasite consists of a body that can be differentiated into two distinct regions: a sac-like structure containing the reproductive organs (the externa), and a trophic, root like system situated inside the hosts body (the interna). Parasitism results in the castration of their hosts, achieved by absorbing the entire reproductive energy of the host. Thus, the ratio of the host and parasite sizes is crucial for the understanding of the parasite’s energetic cost. Using advanced imaging methods (micro-CT in conjunction with 3D modeling), we measured the volume of parasitic structures (externa, interna, egg mass, egg number, visceral mass) and the volume of the entire host. Our results show positive correlations between the volume of (1) entire rhizocephalan (externa + interna) and host body, (2) rhizocephalan externa and host body, (3) rhizocephalan visceral mass and rhizocephalan body, (4) egg mass and rhizocephalan externa, (5) rhizocephalan egg mass and their egg number. Comparing the rhizocephalan Sylon hippolytes, a parasite of caridean shrimps, and representatives of Peltogaster, parasites of hermit crabs, we could match their different traits on a reconstructed relationship. With this study we add new and significant information to our global understanding of the evolution of parasitic castrators, of interactions between a parasitic castrator and its host and of different parasitic strategies within parasitic castrators exemplified by rhizocephalans. PMID:28678878

Downlink Probability Density Functions for EOS-McMurdo Sound

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christopher, P.; Jackson, A. H.

1996-01-01

The visibility times and communication link dynamics for the Earth Observations Satellite (EOS)-McMurdo Sound direct downlinks have been studied. The 16 day EOS periodicity may be shown with the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) and the entire 16 day period should be simulated for representative link statistics. We desire many attributes of the downlink, however, and a faster orbital determination method is desirable. We use the method of osculating elements for speed and accuracy in simulating the EOS orbit. The accuracy of the method of osculating elements is demonstrated by closely reproducing the observed 16 day Landsat periodicity. An autocorrelation function method is used to show the correlation spike at 16 days. The entire 16 day record of passes over McMurdo Sound is then used to generate statistics for innage time, outage time, elevation angle, antenna angle rates, and propagation loss. The levation angle probability density function is compared with 1967 analytic approximation which has been used for medium to high altitude satellites. One practical result of this comparison is seen to be the rare occurrence of zenith passes. The new result is functionally different than the earlier result, with a heavy emphasis on low elevation angles. EOS is one of a large class of sun synchronous satellites which may be downlinked to McMurdo Sound. We examine delay statistics for an entire group of sun synchronous satellites ranging from 400 km to 1000 km altitude. Outage probability density function results are presented three dimensionally.

Generalist genes and learning disabilities: a multivariate genetic analysis of low performance in reading, mathematics, language and general cognitive ability in a sample of 8000 12-year-old twins.

PubMed

Haworth, Claire M A; Kovas, Yulia; Harlaar, Nicole; Hayiou-Thomas, Marianna E; Petrill, Stephen A; Dale, Philip S; Plomin, Robert

2009-10-01

Our previous investigation found that the same genes influence poor reading and mathematics performance in 10-year-olds. Here we assess whether this finding extends to language and general cognitive disabilities, as well as replicating the earlier finding for reading and mathematics in an older and larger sample. Using a representative sample of 4000 pairs of 12-year-old twins from the UK Twins Early Development Study, we investigated the genetic and environmental overlap between internet-based batteries of language and general cognitive ability tests in addition to tests of reading and mathematics for the bottom 15% of the distribution using DeFries-Fulker extremes analysis. We compared these results to those for the entire distribution. All four traits were highly correlated at the low extreme (average group phenotypic correlation = .58). and in the entire distribution (average phenotypic correlation = .59). Genetic correlations for the low extreme were consistently high (average = .67), and non-shared environmental correlations were modest (average = .23). These results are similar to those seen across the entire distribution (.68 and .23, respectively). The 'Generalist Genes Hypothesis' holds for language and general cognitive disabilities, as well as reading and mathematics disabilities. Genetic correlations were high, indicating a strong degree of overlap in genetic influences on these diverse traits. In contrast, non-shared environmental influences were largely specific to each trait, causing phenotypic differentiation of traits.

Pilot selection and training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helmreich, Robert L.

1982-01-01

Personality and situational factors relevant to individual and group performance in highly demanding environments, such as those faced by astronauts or by jet transport crew, are discussed. It is emphasized that although technical competence and proficiency in pilot selection are prerequisites for safety, operating a modern jet transport is a group endeavor that requires the effective coordination of the entire crew. A self-report test battery for measuring positive and negative personality traits of pilot candidates, termed the Personal Characteristics Inventory, is described.

Exploration of Relationship Between Stress and Spirituality Characteristics of Male and Female Engineering Students: A Comprehensive Study.

PubMed

Yadav, Radha; Khanna, Ashu; Singh, Dharmendra

2017-04-01

This observational paper endeavours to recognize the connection between spirituality and stress. Four types of indicators are utilized for the estimation of anxiety, vis-à-vis, behavioural indicators, emotional indicators, sleep indicators and personal habits. As per pre-documented theory, if spirituality is high within an individual, then his/her stress will be low and vice versa. In college, the stress of education and scoring grades influences the understudy. Information is gathered through a survey in the light of spirituality index and stress index. Findings prove that the indicators of the stress are more visible in female students. Apart from this, there has been not much substantial study in the area of stress and spirituality among college students. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to discuss the various types of stress and effects of spirituality on the engineering students belonging to the age group of 21-26 years, prioritizing the indicators of stress as per the gender of students. The entire study constituted of a sample group of 200 participants, and for the entire process, correlation analysis was used to find the relative relation between spirituality and stress among girls and boys. T test is used for rejection of the null hypothesis. The article focuses on the current issues that students have been facing in the twenty-first century. Result of the study showed that there is a negative relationship between the spirituality and stress of male and female students. Moreover, the article provides unique contribution to the literature and also offers suggestions for generating new research ideas that can be used to ameliorate the problems that plague individuals and organizations in today's world. This is the first article which covers the spirituality and stress of the engineering student and discusses the impact on young adults, as well as highlighting certain ways to overcome stress and enhance spirituality.

Spherical aberrations of human astigmatic corneas.

PubMed

Zhao, Huawei; Dai, Guang-Ming; Chen, Li; Weeber, Henk A; Piers, Patricia A

2011-11-01

To evaluate whether the average spherical aberration of human astigmatic corneas is statistically equivalent to human nonastigmatic corneas. Spherical aberrations of 445 astigmatic corneas prior to laser vision correction were retrospectively investigated to determine Zernike coefficients for central corneal areas 6 mm in diameter using CTView (Sarver and Associates). Data were divided into groups according to cylinder power (0.01 to 0.25 diopters [D], 0.26 to 0.75 D, 0.76 to 1.06 D, 1.07 to 1.53 D, 1.54 to 2.00 D, and >2.00 D) and according to age by decade. Spherical aberrations were correlated with age and astigmatic power among groups and the entire population. Statistical analyses were conducted, and P<.05 was considered statistically significant. Mean patient age was 42.6±11 years. Astigmatic corneas had an average astigmatic power of 0.78±0.58 D and mean spherical aberration was 0.25±0.13 μm for the entire population and approximately the same (0.27 μm) for individual groups, ranging from 0.23 to 0.29 μm (P>.05 for all tested groups). Mean spherical aberration of astigmatic corneas was not correlated significantly with cylinder power or age (P>.05). Spherical aberrations are similar to those of nonastigmatic corneas, permitting the use of these additional data in the design of aspheric toric intra-ocular lenses. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Effectiveness of a reusable low-cost balloon trocar dissection device in the creation of preperitoneal space during endoscopic surgery. An experimental study in swine.

PubMed

Nácul, Miguel Prestes; Cavazzola, Leandro Totti; Loureiro, Marcelo de Paula; Bonin, Eduardo Aimoré; Ferreira, Paulo Roberto Walter

2015-09-01

To evaluate a new, low-cost, reusable balloon trocar device for dissection of the preperitoneal space during endoscopic surgery. Twenty swine (weight: 15-37 kg) were randomized to two groups, according to whether the preperitoneal space was created with a new balloon device manufactured by Bhio-Supply (group B) or with the commercially available OMSPDB 1000® balloon device manufactured by Covidien (group C). Quality and size of the created preperitoneal space, identification of anatomic structures, balloon dissection time, total procedure time, balloon resistance and internal pressure after insufflation with 300 mL of ambient air, balloon-related complications, and procedure cost were assessed. No significant differences in dissection time, total procedure time, or size of the created preperitoneal space were found between the groups. Balloons in group B had a significantly higher internal pressure compared to balloons in group C. None of the balloons ruptured during the experiment. Three animals in group C had balloon-related peritoneal lacerations. Despite a higher individual device cost, group B had a lower procedure cost over the entire experiment. The new balloon device is not inferior to the commercially available device in terms of the safety and effectiveness for creating a preperitoneal space in swine.

A long-term outcome study of selective mutism in childhood.

PubMed

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Wachter, Miriam; Laimböck, Karin; Metzke, Christa Winkler

2006-07-01

Controlled study of the long-term outcome of selective mutism (SM) in childhood. A sample of 33 young adults with SM in childhood and two age- and gender-matched comparison groups were studied. The latter comprised 26 young adults with anxiety disorders in childhood (ANX) and 30 young adults with no psychiatric disorders during childhood. The three groups were compared with regard to psychiatric disorder in young adulthood by use of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). In addition, the effect of various predictors on outcome of SM was studied. The symptoms of SM improved considerably in the entire SM sample. However, both SM and ANX had significantly higher rates for phobic disorder and any psychiatric disorder than controls at outcome. Taciturnity in the family and, by trend, immigrant status and a severity indicator of SM had an impact on psychopathology and symptomatic outcome in young adulthood. This first controlled long-term outcome study of SM provides evidence of symptomatic improvement of SM in young adulthood. However, a high rate of phobic disorder at outcome points to the fact that SM may be regarded as an anxiety disorder variant.

Autogenous Partial Bone Chip Grafting on the Exposed Inferior Alveolar Nerve After Cystic Enucleation.

PubMed

Seo, Mi Hyun; Eo, Mi Young; Cho, Yun Ju; Kim, Soung Min; Lee, Suk Keun

2018-03-01

This prospective study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of the new approach of partial autogenous bone chip grafts for the treatment of mandibular cystic lesions related to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). A total of 38 patients treated for mandibular cysts or benign tumors were included in this prospective study and subsequently divided into 3 groups depending on the bone grafting method used: cystic enucleation without a bone graft (group 1), partial bone chip graft covering the exposed IAN (group 2), and autogenous bone graft covering the entire defect (group 3). We evaluated the symptoms, clinical signs, and radiographic changes using dental panorama preoperatively, immediate postoperatively, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Radiographic densities were compared using Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used for statistical evaluation with SPSS 22.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL), and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Radiopacities were the most increased at 1 year postoperative in group 3; groups 2 and 3 did not show statistically significant differences, whereas groups 1 and 3 were statistically significant. In terms of radiographic bone healing with clinical regeneration of the exposed IAN, healing occurred in all patients, although the best healing was achieved in group 2.This autogenous partial bone chip grafting procedure to cover the exposed IAN is suggested as a new surgical protocol for the treatment of cystic lesions associated with the IAN.

Continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring (CIONM) of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is sufficient as the only neuromonitoring technique in thyroidectomy performed because of benign goitre.

PubMed

Adamczewski, Zbigniew; Chwałkiewicz, Michał; Lewiński, Andrzej; Brzeziński, Jan; Dedecjus, Marek

2015-01-01

Recently, intraoperative neurophysiological neuromonitoring (IONM) of recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN) has been evolving quickly. This evolution touched many aspects of the technique, leading to continuous stimulation of the RLN with real time analysis of the electrical signal. The aim of the study was to estimate the value of continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring (CIONM) as the only technique for intraoperative neuromonitoring in thyroidectomy performed because of benign goitre. The study comprised 80 women qualified for thyroidectomy due to nodular goitre. The patients were divided into 4 groups depending on the technique used for RLN integrity verification: group 1 - thyroidectomy with CIONM; group 2 - thyroidectomy with direct, intermittent stimulation of RLN and vagus nerve (NX); group 3 - both CIONM and intermittent stimulation of RLN and NX; group 4 - thyroidectomy without any IONM. Mean operation time did not differ significantly among the groups with IONM, but was significantly longer in comparison to group 4, as well as the operation's cost. In the analysed groups there was no significant difference in complication ratio. CIONM with RLN visualization in thyroidectomy performed because of benign goitre is as safe as other methods of IONM and gives a continuous confirmation of the electrical integrity of the loop NX-RLN-vocal folds during almost the entire procedure. There is a clinical need for the development of external stimulation of NX (transdermal or trancranial), particularly for minimally invasive techniques in which access to NX is limited (i.e. transoral thyroidectomy).

Stimulant abuser groups to engage in 12-step: a multisite trial in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network.

PubMed

Donovan, Dennis M; Daley, Dennis C; Brigham, Gregory S; Hodgkins, Candace C; Perl, Harold I; Garrett, Sharon B; Doyle, Suzanne R; Floyd, Anthony S; Knox, Patricia C; Botero, Christopher; Kelly, Thomas M; Killeen, Therese K; Hayes, Carole; Kau'i Baumhofer, Nicole; Kau'ibaumhofer, Nicole; Seamans, Cindy; Zammarelli, Lucy

2013-01-01

The study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week combined group plus individual 12-step facilitative intervention on stimulant drug use and 12-step meeting attendance and service. Multisite randomized controlled trial, with assessments at baseline, mid-treatment, end of treatment, and 3- and 6-month post-randomization follow-ups (FUs). Intensive outpatient substance treatment programs. Individuals with stimulant use disorders (n = 471) randomly assigned to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU into which the Stimulant Abuser Groups to Engage in 12-Step (STAGE-12) intervention was integrated. Urinalysis and self-reports of substance use and 12-step attendance and activities. Group sessions focused on increasing acceptance of 12-step principles; individual sessions incorporated an intensive referral procedure connecting participants to 12-step volunteers. Compared with TAU, STAGE-12 participants had significantly greater odds of self-reported stimulant abstinence during the active 8-week treatment phase; however, among those who had not achieved abstinence during this period, STAGE-12 participants had more days of use. STAGE-12 participants had lower Addiction Severity Index Drug Composite scores at and a significant reduction from baseline to the 3-month FU, attended 12-step meetings on a greater number of days during the early phase of active treatment, engaged in more other types of 12-step activities throughout the active treatment phase and the entire FU period, and had more days of self-reported service at meetings from mid-treatment through the 6-month FU. The present findings are mixed with respect to the impact of integrating the STAGE-12 intervention into intensive outpatient drug treatment compared with TAU on stimulant drug use. However, the results more clearly indicate that individuals in STAGE-12 had higher rates of 12-step meeting attendance and were engaged in more related activities throughout both the active treatment phase and the entire 6-month FU period than did those in TAU. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Business Models for Training and Performance Improvement Departments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carliner, Saul

2004-01-01

Although typically applied to entire enterprises, the concept of business models applies to training and performance improvement groups. Business models are "the method by which firm[s] build and use [their] resources to offer.. value." Business models affect the types of projects, services offered, skills required, business processes, and type of…

Synopses for Modern Secondary School Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Directorate for Scientific Affairs.

The 1959 Royaumont seminar "New Thinking in School Mathematics," having agreed on the need for modernization, recommended that a second group of experts work out detailed synopses of the entire subject matter of secondary school mathematics. This book is the report of the second seminar and contains the Dubrovnik Program which stimulated…

Effect of gradual weight-bearing on regenerated articular cartilage after joint distraction and motion in a rabbit model.

PubMed

Nishino, Tomofumi; Ishii, Tomoo; Chang, Fei; Yanai, Takaji; Watanabe, Arata; Ogawa, Takeshi; Mishima, Hajime; Nakai, Kenjiro; Ochiai, Naoyuki

2010-05-01

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of gradual weight bearing (GWB) on regenerating cartilage. We developed a novel external fixation device (EFD) with a controllable weight-bearing system and continuous passive motion (CPM). A full-thickness defect was created by resection of the entire articular surface of the tibial plateau after the EFD was fixed in the rabbit's left knee. In the GWB group (n=6), GWB was started 6 weeks after surgery. In the CPM group (n=6), CPM with EFD was applied in the same manner without GWB. The control group (n=5) received only joint distraction. All rabbits were sacrificed 9 weeks after surgery. The central one-third of the regenerated tissue was assessed and scored blindly using a grading scale modified from the International Cartilage Repair Society visual histological assessment scale. The areas stained by Safranin-O and type II collagen antibody were measured, and the percentage of each area was calculated. There was no significant difference in the histological assessment scale among the groups. The percentage of the type II collagen-positive area was significantly larger in the GWB group than in the CPM group. The present study suggests that optimal mechanical stress, such as GWB, may affect regeneration of cartilage, in vivo. Copyright (c) 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society.

The use of autologous platelet gel (APG) for high-risk patients in cardiac surgery -- is it beneficial?

PubMed

Litmathe, Jens; Philipp, Christian; Kurt, Muhammed; Boeken, Udo; Gams, Emmeran; Feindt, Peter

2009-11-01

Wound healing in cardiac surgery has become a major problem due to the impaired risk profile of many patients. The aim of this study was to prove the influence of autologous platelet gel (APG) on wound healing in a special group of high-risk patients undergoing coronary surgery. We performed a prospective, double-blind study in 44 patients with a special risk constellation relating to wound complications (obesity, diabetes, smoker, New York Heart Association (NYHA) III-IV and peripheral vascular disease). The study group was treated with APG, prepared using the Magellan platelet separator, the control group underwent conventional wound treatment. The incidence of major and minor wound complications at the thoracotomy, as well as in the area of saphenous vein harvesting, was not pronounced in either of the groups. Blood loss and pain sensations did not differ significantly either. Stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the in-hospital mortality were also comparable. The duration of the entire operation and the time until removing the chest-tubes were prolonged in the study group. Despite promising results in other fields of surgery, APG shows no beneficial effect in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Probably, it depends on different types of microcirculation in atherosclerotic patients, which are quite different from those of other surgical areas. This factor may offset the existing beneficial platelet effects which could be observed, for example, in maxillo-facial surgery.

Metabolic Brain Network Analysis of Hypothyroidism Symptom Based on [18F]FDG-PET of Rats.

PubMed

Wan, Hongkai; Tan, Ziyu; Zheng, Qiang; Yu, Jing

2018-03-12

Recent researches have demonstrated the value of using 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose ([ 18 F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to reveal the hypothyroidism-related damages in local brain regions. However, the influence of hypothyroidism on the entire brain network is barely studied. This study focuses on the application of graph theory on analyzing functional brain networks of the hypothyroidism symptom. For both the hypothyroidism and the control groups of Wistar rats, the functional brain networks were constructed by thresholding the glucose metabolism correlation matrices of 58 brain regions. The network topological properties (including the small-world properties and the nodal centralities) were calculated and compared between the two groups. We found that the rat brains, like human brains, have typical properties of the small-world network in both the hypothyroidism and the control groups. However, the hypothyroidism group demonstrated lower global efficiency and decreased local cliquishness of the brain network, indicating hypothyroidism-related impairment to the brain network. The hypothyroidism group also has decreased nodal centrality in the left posterior hippocampus, the right hypothalamus, pituitary, pons, and medulla. This observation accorded with the hypothyroidism-related functional disorder of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) feedback regulation mechanism. Our research quantitatively confirms that hypothyroidism hampers brain cognitive function by causing impairment to the brain network of glucose metabolism. This study reveals the feasibility and validity of applying graph theory method to preclinical [ 18 F]FDG-PET images and facilitates future study on human subjects.

Genetic structure in four West African population groups

PubMed Central

Adeyemo, Adebowale A; Chen, Guanjie; Chen, Yuanxiu; Rotimi, Charles

2005-01-01

Background Africa contains the most genetically divergent group of continental populations and several studies have reported that African populations show a high degree of population stratification. In this regard, it is important to investigate the potential for population genetic structure or stratification in genetic epidemiology studies involving multiple African populations. The presences of genetic sub-structure, if not properly accounted for, have been reported to lead to spurious association between a putative risk allele and a disease. Within the context of the Africa America Diabetes Mellitus (AADM) Study (a genetic epidemiologic study of type 2 diabetes mellitus in West Africa), we have investigated population structure or stratification in four ethnic groups in two countries (Akan and Gaa-Adangbe from Ghana, Yoruba and Igbo from Nigeria) using data from 372 autosomal microsatellite loci typed in 493 unrelated persons (986 chromosomes). Results There was no significant population genetic structure in the overall sample. The smallest probability is associated with an inferred cluster of 1 and little of the posterior probability is associated with a higher number of inferred clusters. The distribution of members of the sample to inferred clusters is consistent with this finding; roughly the same proportion of individuals from each group is assigned to each cluster with little variation between the ethnic groups. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the between-population component of genetic variance is less than 0.1% in contrast to 99.91% for the within population component. Pair-wise genetic distances between the four ethnic groups were also very similar. Nonetheless, the small between-population genetic variance was sufficient to distinguish the two Ghanaian groups from the two Nigerian groups. Conclusion There was little evidence for significant population substructure in the four major West African ethnic groups represented in the AADM study sample. Ethnicity apparently did not introduce differential allele frequencies that may affect analysis and interpretation of linkage and association studies. These findings, although not entirely surprising given the geographical proximity of these groups, provide important insights into the genetic relationships between the ethnic groups studied and confirm previous results that showed close genetic relationship between most studied West African groups. PMID:15978124

Relating Lateralization of Eye Use to Body Motion in the Avoidance Behavior of the Chameleon (Chamaeleo chameleon)

PubMed Central

Lustig, Avichai; Ketter-Katz, Hadas; Katzir, Gadi

2013-01-01

Lateralization is mostly analyzed for single traits, but seldom for two or more traits while performing a given task (e.g. object manipulation). We examined lateralization in eye use and in body motion that co-occur during avoidance behaviour of the common chameleon, Chamaeleo chameleon. A chameleon facing a moving threat smoothly repositions its body on the side of its perch distal to the threat, to minimize its visual exposure. We previously demonstrated that during the response (i) eye use and body motion were, each, lateralized at the tested group level (N = 26), (ii) in body motion, we observed two similar-sized sub-groups, one exhibiting a greater reduction in body exposure to threat approaching from the left and one – to threat approaching from the right (left- and right-biased subgroups), (iii) the left-biased sub-group exhibited weak lateralization of body exposure under binocular threat viewing and none under monocular viewing while the right-biased sub-group exhibited strong lateralization under both monocular and binocular threat viewing. In avoidance, how is eye use related to body motion at the entire group and at the sub-group levels? We demonstrate that (i) in the left-biased sub-group, eye use is not lateralized, (ii) in the right-biased sub-group, eye use is lateralized under binocular, but not monocular viewing of the threat, (iii) the dominance of the right-biased sub-group determines the lateralization of the entire group tested. We conclude that in chameleons, patterns of lateralization of visual function and body motion are inter-related at a subtle level. Presently, the patterns cannot be compared with humans' or related to the unique visual system of chameleons, with highly independent eye movements, complete optic nerve decussation and relatively few inter-hemispheric commissures. We present a model to explain the possible inter-hemispheric differences in dominance in chameleons' visual control of body motion during avoidance. PMID:23967099

Relating lateralization of eye use to body motion in the avoidance behavior of the chameleon (Chamaeleo chameleon).

PubMed

Lustig, Avichai; Ketter-Katz, Hadas; Katzir, Gadi

2013-01-01

Lateralization is mostly analyzed for single traits, but seldom for two or more traits while performing a given task (e.g. object manipulation). We examined lateralization in eye use and in body motion that co-occur during avoidance behaviour of the common chameleon, Chamaeleo chameleon. A chameleon facing a moving threat smoothly repositions its body on the side of its perch distal to the threat, to minimize its visual exposure. We previously demonstrated that during the response (i) eye use and body motion were, each, lateralized at the tested group level (N = 26), (ii) in body motion, we observed two similar-sized sub-groups, one exhibiting a greater reduction in body exposure to threat approaching from the left and one--to threat approaching from the right (left- and right-biased subgroups), (iii) the left-biased sub-group exhibited weak lateralization of body exposure under binocular threat viewing and none under monocular viewing while the right-biased sub-group exhibited strong lateralization under both monocular and binocular threat viewing. In avoidance, how is eye use related to body motion at the entire group and at the sub-group levels? We demonstrate that (i) in the left-biased sub-group, eye use is not lateralized, (ii) in the right-biased sub-group, eye use is lateralized under binocular, but not monocular viewing of the threat, (iii) the dominance of the right-biased sub-group determines the lateralization of the entire group tested. We conclude that in chameleons, patterns of lateralization of visual function and body motion are inter-related at a subtle level. Presently, the patterns cannot be compared with humans' or related to the unique visual system of chameleons, with highly independent eye movements, complete optic nerve decussation and relatively few inter-hemispheric commissures. We present a model to explain the possible inter-hemispheric differences in dominance in chameleons' visual control of body motion during avoidance.

The effect of incentive spirometry on chest expansion and breathing work in patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases: comparison of two methods.

PubMed

Ho, S C; Chiang, L L; Cheng, H F; Lin, H C; Sheng, D F; Kuo, H P; Lin, H C

2000-02-01

Chronic obstructive airway diseases (COAD), characterized by mucus hypersecretion, lead to exercise intolerance. Incentive spirometry has been used to prevent postoperative pulmonary atelectasis. To compare the efficacy of two incentive spirometers, Coach (volume-oriented) and Triflo (flow-oriented), in the work of breathing in COAD patients, 22 patients were randomized in this study: 12 patients (Triflo-II group) initially used Triflo-II for 10 minutes and then Coach for the same period. In contrast, the Coach group, including 10 patients, started with Coach followed by Triflo-II. After receiving incentive spirometry, lung expansion and work of breathing were assessed. Patients in the Coach group significantly increased chest wall expansion (p = 0.041), as compared with patients using Triflo-II. Similarly, there was also a significantly increased abdominal wall expansion in the Coach group (p = 0.0056), compared with that in the Triflo-II group. The need of accessory muscle assistance for breathing in the Coach group was significantly less than in the Triflo-II group (p = 0.047). It was easier for patients in the Coach group to start a breath (p = 0.0058) than for those in the Triflo-II group. For the entire group, 17 patients (77.3%) preferred Coach to assist their breathing, and only 4 patients (18.2%) favored Triflo-II. COAD patients achieved a larger expansion of the chest and abdomen with a Coach device. Our data provide a good rationale for an outcome study on the use of incentive spirometer in COAD patients.

Parkinson disease and musculoskeletal pain: an 8-year population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Lien, Wei-Hung; Lien, Wei-Chih; Kuan, Ta-Shen; Wu, Shang-Te; Chen, Yi-Ting; Chiu, Ching-Ju

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and clinical features of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) compared with a control group without the disease. The retrospective cohort study used a subset of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) comprising information on 1 million beneficiaries randomly sampled from the entire population of Taiwan. A total of 490 patients aged 50 and above with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease were identified during a period from 2000 to 2005. Among them, 199 developed MSP after PD. The control group consisted of 1960 participants without PD over the study period randomly selected by matching PD cases according to the date of PD incidence, age, and sex. The study groups were then followed to the end of 2007. Musculoskeletal pain was the end point. The incidence rate ratios of MSP were higher in the PD group than in the control group, representing an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.31 (95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.58). PD was associated with a significantly elevated risk of MSP in all sex and age stratifications, with the highest hazard ratio noted for middle-aged male patients with PD, followed by older male patients with PD. This study showed that the PD may significantly increase the risk of developing MSP. The risk of developing MSP seems to be greatest for middle-aged male patients with PD. Clinicians should be more alert for MSP in patients with PD, and early intervention should be considered.

Impact of Male Infanticide on the Social Structure of Mountain Gorillas

PubMed Central

Robbins, Andrew M.; Gray, Maryke; Basabose, Augustin; Uwingeli, Prosper; Mburanumwe, Innocent; Kagoda, Edwin; Robbins, Martha M.

2013-01-01

Infanticide can be a major influence upon the social structure of species in which females maintain long-term associations with males. Previous studies have suggested that female mountain gorillas benefit from residing in multimale groups because infanticide occurs when one-male groups disintegrate after the dominant male dies. Here we measure the impact of infanticide on the reproductive success of female mountain gorillas, and we examine whether their dispersal patterns reflect a strategy to avoid infanticide. Using more than 40 years of data from up to 70% of the entire population, we found that only 1.7% of the infants that were born in the study had died from infanticide during group disintegrations. The rarity of such infanticide mainly reflects a low mortality rate of dominant males in one-male groups, and it does not dispel previous observations that infanticide occurs during group disintegrations. After including infanticide from causes other than group disintegrations, infanticide victims represented up to 5.5% of the offspring born during the study, and they accounted for up to 21% of infant mortality. The overall rates of infanticide were 2–3 times higher in one-male groups than multimale groups, but those differences were not statistically significant. Infant mortality, the length of interbirth intervals, and the age of first reproduction were not significantly different between one-male versus multimale groups, so we found no significant fitness benefits for females to prefer multimale groups. In addition, we found limited evidence that female dispersal patterns reflect a preference for multimale groups. If the strength of selection is modest for females to avoid group disintegrations, than any preference for multimale groups may be slow to evolve. Alternatively, variability in male strength might give some one-male groups a lower infanticide risk than some multimale groups, which could explain why both types of groups remain common. PMID:24223143

SEEDS Moving Group Status Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McElwain, Michael

2011-01-01

I will summarize the current status of the SEEDS Moving Group category and describe the importance of this sub-sample for the entire SEEDS survey. This presentation will include analysis of the sensitivity for the Moving Groups with general a comparison to other the other sub-categories. I will discuss the future impact of the Subaru SCExAO system for these targets and the advantage of using a specialized integral field spectrograph. Finally, I will present the impact of a pupil grid mask in order to produce fiducial spots in the focal plane that can be used for both photometry and astrometry.

Biotin-streptavidin-induced aggregation of gold nanorods: tuning rod-rod orientation.

PubMed

Gole, Anand; Murphy, Catherine J

2005-11-08

We report herein biotin-streptavidin-mediated aggregation studies of long gold nanorods. We have previously demonstrated end-to-end linkages of gold nanorods driven by the biotin-streptavidin interaction (Caswell et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 13914). In that report, the specific binding of biotin disulfide to the gold nanorod edges was achieved due to the preferred binding of thiol molecules to the Au[111] surface (gold nanorod ends) as opposed to the gold nanorod side faces. This led to the end-end linkage of gold nanorods upon subsequent addition of streptavidin. In this report we demonstrate a simple procedure to biotinylate the entire gold nanorod surface and subsequently form a 3-D assembly by addition of streptavidin. Gold nanorods were synthesized by the three-step seeding protocol documented in our previous articles. The surface of gold nanorods was further modified by a layer of a weak polyelectrolyte, poly(acrylic acid), PAA. A biotin molecule which has an amine group at one end (biotin-PEO-amine) was anchored to the carboxylic acid group of the polyelectrolyte using the well-known carbodiimide chemistry. This process biotinylates the entire gold nanorod surface. Addition of streptavidin further leads to aggregation of gold nanorods. A closer look at the aggregates reveals a preferential side-to-side assembly of gold nanorods. The gold nanorods were characterized at each stage by UV-vis spectroscopy, light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements.

The effects of sterilisation: a comparison of sterilised women with the wives of vasectomised men.

PubMed

Alder, E; Cook, A; Gray, J; Tyrer, G; Warner, P; Bancroft, J; Loudon, N B; Loudon, J

1981-01-01

In a follow-up study, women sterilised by tubal diathermy were compared with a matched group of wives of vasectomised men. Semi-structured interviews were given to a random sample drawn from a representative population. The couples were young with small families and did not have a high proportion of unplanned pregnancies or terminations. They had previously used contraception, mainly the pill or sheath. Most couples were entirely satisfied with the operation. Both groups showed an increase in pre-menstrual symptoms but there was only slight evidence that menstrual loss was affected by female sterilisation. The vasectomy couples had a higher frequency of sexual intercourse, few sexual problems and tended to have more satisfactory marriages. They had had more discussion of their decision to have the operation and the implications of counselling are considered.

Attitudes of mothers toward sex education.

PubMed Central

Block, D

1979-01-01

Data are presented on the attitudes of mothers from the entire social class spectrum toward content and timing of sex education for children (CT-Attitudes), and also toward sex education in school (S-Attitudes) in two California communities in 1969. Findings underscore the necessity to consider these two attitudinal variables separately. As a result of their separation for study purposes, it was possible to arrive at a four-fold typology or grouping of mothers: 1) CT liberals in favor, and 2) CT liberals opposed to sex education in schools, 3) CT conservatives in favor, and 4) CT conservatives opposed to school programs of sex education. It is inferred that educational planners need to pay due regard to the sentiments of all four maternal groups and all social classes in developing sex education programs for families and for school children. PMID:474847

Attitudes of mothers toward sex education.

PubMed

Block, D

1979-09-01

Data are presented on the attitudes of mothers from the entire social class spectrum toward content and timing of sex education for children (CT-Attitudes), and also toward sex education in school (S-Attitudes) in two California communities in 1969. Findings underscore the necessity to consider these two attitudinal variables separately. As a result of their separation for study purposes, it was possible to arrive at a four-fold typology or grouping of mothers: 1) CT liberals in favor, and 2) CT liberals opposed to sex education in schools, 3) CT conservatives in favor, and 4) CT conservatives opposed to school programs of sex education. It is inferred that educational planners need to pay due regard to the sentiments of all four maternal groups and all social classes in developing sex education programs for families and for school children.

Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: a pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants.

PubMed

2018-03-19

Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hypertensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20-29 years to 70-79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where relevant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probit-transformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. In 2005-16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the high-income Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups.

The effect of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on selected parameters of humoral immunity in calves.

PubMed

Wójcik, R; Małaczewska, J; Siwicki, A K; Miciński, J; Zwierzchowski, G

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of HMB on selected parameters of the humoral immunity in calves. The experiment was performed on 14 calves aged 30 +/- 2 days, divided into two equal groups of control (group K) and experimental (group H) animals. The feed administered to the experimental calves was supplemented with HMB at 40 mg/kg BW, whereas the control calves were administered standard farm-made feed without supplementation. Blood was sampled from the jugular vein immediately before the experiment (day 0) and on experimental days 15, 30 and 60 to determine the following immunological parameters: total protein levels, gammaglobulin levels, lysozyme activity and ceruloplasmin activity. An analysis of the results obtained revealed a significant increase (p < 0.05; p < 0.01; p < 0.001 respectively) in gammaglobulin levels and lysozyme activity throughout the entire experimental period, an increase (p < 0.05; p < 0.01 respectively) in ceruloplasmin activity on experimental days 15 and 30, but no changes in serum total protein levels of calves administered HMB as compared to those found in the control group.

To compare the effect of dextromethorphan, promethazine and placebo on nocturnal cough in children aged 1-12 y with upper respiratory infections: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Malobika; Joshi, Neha; Yadav, Sangita

2013-11-01

To evaluate whether promethazine and dextromethorphan reduce nocturnal cough and improve sleep quality in children aged 1-12 y with upper respiratory tract infection (URI). This randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Pediatric outpatient department of Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi. After randomization into promethazine, dextromethorphan and placebo groups, parental assessment of 120 children with URI for nocturnal cough severity (child), post-tussive vomiting (child) and sleep quality (child and parent) on the night before enrolment and after 3 d of assigned medication was measured using an internally validated indigenously prepared ordinal scale. Entire cohort improved in all the study parameters after 3 d. However, no superior benefit was noted when individual parameters were compared in the promethazine and dextromethorphan groups with the placebo group. Adverse effects were more frequent in the dextromethorphan and promethazine groups although the difference was not statistically significant. Nocturnal cough in URI is self-resolving and dextromethorphan and promethazine prescribed for the same are not superior to placebo.

Respiratory and systemic infections in children with severe aplastic anemia on immunosuppressive therapy.

PubMed

Pawelec, Katarzyna; Salamonowicz, Malgorzata; Panasiuk, Anna; Matysiak, Michal; Demkow, Urszula

2013-01-01

In the present study we investigated the occurrence of systemic and respiratory infections in a cohort of 123 children with severe acquired aplastic anemia (SAA) on immunosuppressive therapy (IST). We recorded 101 episodes of infection in 77 patients (62.6 %). Pneumonia was among the most frequently observed clinical forms of infection (17 cases - 16.8 %). In the entire group, 23 children died, mostly in the course of fatal sepsis (15/23) and in 3 cases because of pneumonia complications. All patients were treated with horse (h-ATG) or rabbit antithymocyte globulin (r-ATG) supplemented with cyclosporine and corticosteroids. The crude incidence rate for serious infections in h-ATG group and r-ATG group was comparable. The relative risk of infectious complications was lower in patients treated with granulocyte colony stimulating factors (G-CSF) by 36 % (RR 0.64; p < 0.0001). The analysis confirmed that respiratory tract and disseminated infections comprise a very serious clinical problem and are the leading cause of death of SAA children. Active surveillance and the analysis of associated risk factors are required to detect opportunistic infections in this group of patients.

Online discussion: Enhancing students' critical thinking skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathakrishnan, Mohan; Ahmad, Rahayu; Suan, Choo Ling

2017-10-01

Online discussion has become one of the important strategies for the teacher to teach the students to think critically when conveying their ideas and become more proactive and creative. In this paper, padlet online discussion communication was conducted to examine its effectiveness in enhancing critical thinking. In this study, there are two types of critical thinking: macro and micro critical thinking. A total of 70 Universiti Utara Malaysia Management Foundation Programme students involved in this experimental research design. The students in treatment class are divided to few groups. Every group uses padlet online discussion to discuss the topic given. All the group members discuss and write their ideas in padlet. Ideas that are posted in padlet will be displayed in front of the class so that the entire group in the treatment class could see the given ideas. Paul's (1993) model was used to analyze student's macro and micro critical thinking in padlet online discussion and communication. The finding shows that students who used padlet online discussion backchannel communication have greater macro and micro critical thinking level than students who do not use online discussion.

Collected Software Engineering Papers, Volume 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This document is a collection of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) from Oct. 1991 - Nov. 1992. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. Although these papers cover several topics related to software engineering, they do not encompass the entire scope of SEL activities and interests. Additional information about the SEL and its research efforts may be obtained from the sources listed in the bibliography at the end of this document. For the convenience of this presentation, the 11 papers contained here are grouped into 5 major sections: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) software tools studies; (3) software models studies; (4) software measurement studies; and (5) Ada technology studies.

Topical 5% potassium permanganate solution accelerates the healing process in chronic diabetic foot ulcers.

PubMed

Delgado-Enciso, Iván; Madrigal-Perez, Violeta M; Lara-Esqueda, Agustin; Diaz-Sanchez, Martha G; Guzman-Esquivel, Jose; Rosas-Vizcaino, Luis E; Virgen-Jimenez, Oscar O; Kleiman-Trujillo, Juleny; Lagarda-Canales, Maria R; Ceja-Espiritu, Gabriel; Rangel-Salgado, Viridiana; Lopez-Lemus, Uriel A; Delgado-Enciso, Josuel; Lara-Basulto, Agustin D; Soriano Hernández, Alejandro D

2018-02-01

Potassium permanganate has been reported to be an effective treatment for certain types of wounds. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of potassium permanganate in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. A single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus that presented with a foot ulcer persisting for >3 months. The control group (n=10) was treated with the current standard treatment, which comprises of measures for reducing pressure in the ulcerated area, daily cleansing of the ulcer with potable water and antiseptic wash solution, and the application of a disinfectant solution on the entire surface area of the ulcer; while the intervention group (n=15) received the standard treatment plus 5% topical potassium permanganate solution applied once a day for 21 days. In the intervention group, 1 patient did not tolerate the treatment and was eliminated from the study on the first day. The remaining patients tolerated the interventions well. At the end of the treatment period, ulcers in the control group had decreased by 38% whereas those in the intervention group decreased by 73% (P<0.009). The degree of decrease was also investigated; the ulcer size was ≥50% decreased in 40% of patients in the control group and in 86% of patients in the intervention group (P=0.02). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that topical potassium permanganate is well tolerated and significantly accelerates the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers.

Topical 5% potassium permanganate solution accelerates the healing process in chronic diabetic foot ulcers

PubMed Central

Delgado-Enciso, Iván; Madrigal-Perez, Violeta M.; Lara-Esqueda, Agustin; Diaz-Sanchez, Martha G.; Guzman-Esquivel, Jose; Rosas-Vizcaino, Luis E.; Virgen-Jimenez, Oscar O.; Kleiman-Trujillo, Juleny; Lagarda-Canales, Maria R.; Ceja-Espiritu, Gabriel; Rangel-Salgado, Viridiana; Lopez-Lemus, Uriel A.; Delgado-Enciso, Josuel; Lara-Basulto, Agustin D.; Soriano Hernández, Alejandro D.

2018-01-01

Potassium permanganate has been reported to be an effective treatment for certain types of wounds. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of potassium permanganate in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. A single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus that presented with a foot ulcer persisting for >3 months. The control group (n=10) was treated with the current standard treatment, which comprises of measures for reducing pressure in the ulcerated area, daily cleansing of the ulcer with potable water and antiseptic wash solution, and the application of a disinfectant solution on the entire surface area of the ulcer; while the intervention group (n=15) received the standard treatment plus 5% topical potassium permanganate solution applied once a day for 21 days. In the intervention group, 1 patient did not tolerate the treatment and was eliminated from the study on the first day. The remaining patients tolerated the interventions well. At the end of the treatment period, ulcers in the control group had decreased by 38% whereas those in the intervention group decreased by 73% (P<0.009). The degree of decrease was also investigated; the ulcer size was ≥50% decreased in 40% of patients in the control group and in 86% of patients in the intervention group (P=0.02). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that topical potassium permanganate is well tolerated and significantly accelerates the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers. PMID:29435274

What Drives the Association between Weight Conscious Peer Groups and Disordered Eating? Disentangling Genetic and Environmental Selection from Pure Socialization Effects

PubMed Central

O’Connor, Shannon M.; Burt, S. Alexandra; VanHuysse, Jessica L.; Klump, Kelly L.

2015-01-01

Previous studies suggest strong associations between exposure to weight conscious peer groups and increased levels of disordered eating. This association has been attributed to socialization effects (i.e., membership leads to disordered eating); however, selection effects (i.e., selecting into peer groups based on genetic and/or environmental predispositions toward disordered eating) could contribute to or even account for these associations. The current study was the first to use a co-twin control design to disentangle these types of selection factors from socialization effects. Participants included 610 female twins (ages 8–14) drawn from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. To comprehensively examine a range of eating pathology, several disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (e.g., body dissatisfaction, binge eating) were examined via self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires also were used to assess peer group emphasis on body weight and shape. Replicating previous results, significant individual-level associations were found between membership in weight conscious peer groups and disordered eating. However, co-twin control analyses indicated that these associations were largely due to genetic and/or shared environmental selection factors rather than pure socialization effects. Importantly, results remained unchanged when controlling for pubertal status, suggesting that effects do not vary across developmental stage. Overall, these findings question whether associations between weight conscious peer groups and disordered eating are due entirely to socialization processes. Future studies are needed to identify the specific genetic and/or shared environmental factors that may drive selection into weight conscious peer groups. PMID:27043917

Suppression of tumor cell invasiveness by hydrolyzable tannins (plant polyphenols) via the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 activity.

PubMed

Tanimura, Susumu; Kadomoto, Ryoji; Tanaka, Takashi; Zhang, Ying-Jun; Kouno, Isao; Kohno, Michiaki

2005-05-20

Elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially that of MMP-2 and MMP-9, is associated with increased metastatic potential in many tumor cells. Recently, green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) has been shown to inhibit the MMP-2/-9 activity as well as the invasiveness of tumor cells. In this study, we have examined the inhibitory effect of hydrolyzable tannins (plant polyphenols) on the tumor cell invasion. Our results demonstrate that beta-d-glucose whose hydroxy groups are substituted entirely with galloyl group and further some of them are cross-linked to form hexahydroxydiphenoyl group, for example, suppresses the invasiveness of tumor cells much more potently than EGCG via direct inhibition of the MMP-2/-9 activity. Among those examined, 1,2,4-tri-O-galloyl-3,6-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-beta-d-glucose (punicafolin) inhibits the invasion of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells most potently. These hydrolyzable tannins would provide new leads for the development of potent inhibitors against tumor metastasis.

High tidal volume ventilation in infant mice.

PubMed

Cannizzaro, Vincenzo; Zosky, Graeme R; Hantos, Zoltán; Turner, Debra J; Sly, Peter D

2008-06-30

Infant mice were ventilated with either high tidal volume (V(T)) with zero end-expiratory pressure (HVZ), high V(T) with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (HVP), or low V(T) with PEEP. Thoracic gas volume (TGV) was determined plethysmographically and low-frequency forced oscillations were used to measure the input impedance of the respiratory system. Inflammatory cells, total protein, and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum were measured as markers of pulmonary and systemic inflammatory response, respectively. Coefficients of tissue damping and tissue elastance increased in all ventilated mice, with the largest rise seen in the HVZ group where TGV rapidly decreased. BALF protein levels increased in the HVP group, whereas serum IL-6 rose in the HVZ group. PEEP keeps the lungs open, but provides high volumes to the entire lungs and induces lung injury. Compared to studies in adult and non-neonatal rodents, infant mice demonstrate a different response to similar ventilation strategies underscoring the need for age-specific animal models.

Interaction of a Model Peptide with a Water--Bilayer System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pohorille, A.; Wilson, M. A.

1994-01-01

We discuss a molecular dynamics study of the alanine dipeptide at the interface between water and a glycerol-1-monooleate (GMO) bilayer. The dipeptide is interfacially active and incorporates into the bilayer without disrupting its structure. The interfacial region that is readily penetrated by the dipeptide spans the entire head group portion of the bilayer. The polar groups of the alanine dipeptide mostly remain well solvated by water and the oxygen atoms of GMO, and conformations of the dipeptide are characterized by (phi, psi) angles typical of alpha-helix and beta-sheet structures. When the molecule is deeper in the bilayer, the C(sub 7eq) state also becomes stable. The barrier to the isomerization reaction at the interface is lower than in bulk phases. After 7 ns of trajectories, the system is not fully equilibrated, due to slow collective motions involving GMO head groups. These result in decreased mobility and lower rates of isomerization of the dipeptide at the interface.

Second-generation sequencing of entire mitochondrial coding-regions (∼15.4 kb) holds promise for study of the phylogeny and taxonomy of human body lice and head lice.

PubMed

Xiong, H; Campelo, D; Pollack, R J; Raoult, D; Shao, R; Alem, M; Ali, J; Bilcha, K; Barker, S C

2014-08-01

The Illumina Hiseq platform was used to sequence the entire mitochondrial coding-regions of 20 body lice, Pediculus humanus Linnaeus, and head lice, P. capitis De Geer (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae), from eight towns and cities in five countries: Ethiopia, France, China, Australia and the U.S.A. These data (∼310 kb) were used to see how much more informative entire mitochondrial coding-region sequences were than partial mitochondrial coding-region sequences, and thus to guide the design of future studies of the phylogeny, origin, evolution and taxonomy of body lice and head lice. Phylogenies were compared from entire coding-region sequences (∼15.4 kb), entire cox1 (∼1.5 kb), partial cox1 (∼700 bp) and partial cytb (∼600 bp) sequences. On the one hand, phylogenies from entire mitochondrial coding-region sequences (∼15.4 kb) were much more informative than phylogenies from entire cox1 sequences (∼1.5 kb) and partial gene sequences (∼600 to ∼700 bp). For example, 19 branches had > 95% bootstrap support in our maximum likelihood tree from the entire mitochondrial coding-regions (∼15.4 kb) whereas the tree from 700 bp cox1 had only two branches with bootstrap support > 95%. Yet, by contrast, partial cytb (∼600 bp) and partial cox1 (∼486 bp) sequences were sufficient to genotype lice to Clade A, B or C. The sequences of the mitochondrial genomes of the P. humanus, P. capitis and P. schaeffi Fahrenholz studied are in NCBI GenBank under the accession numbers KC660761-800, KC685631-6330, KC241882-97, EU219988-95, HM241895-8 and JX080388-407. © 2014 The Royal Entomological Society.

Analytical specificity and sensitivity of a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for identification of bovine mastitis pathogens.

PubMed

Koskinen, M T; Holopainen, J; Pyörälä, S; Bredbacka, P; Pitkälä, A; Barkema, H W; Bexiga, R; Roberson, J; Sølverød, L; Piccinini, R; Kelton, D; Lehmusto, H; Niskala, S; Salmikivi, L

2009-03-01

Intramammary infection (IMI), also known as mastitis, is the most frequently occurring and economically the most important infectious disease in dairy cattle. This study provides a validation of the analytical specificity and sensitivity of a real-time PCR-based assay that identifies 11 major pathogen species or species groups responsible for IMI, and a gene coding for staphylococcal beta-lactamase production (penicillin resistance). Altogether, 643 culture isolates originating from clinical bovine mastitis, human, and companion animal samples were analyzed using the assay. The isolates represented 83 different species, groups, or families, and originated from 6 countries in Europe and North America. The analytical specificity and sensitivity of the assay was 100% in bacterial and beta-lactamase identification across all isolates originating from bovine mastitis (n = 454). When considering the entire culture collection (including also the isolates originating from human and companion animal samples), 4 Streptococcus pyogenes, 1 Streptococcus salivarius, and 1 Streptococcus sanguis strain of human origin were identified as Streptococcus uberis, and 3 Shigella spp. strains were identified as Escherichia coli, decreasing specificity to 99% in Strep. uberis and to 99.5% in E. coli. These false-positive results were confirmed by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Specificity and sensitivity remained at 100% for all other bacterial targets across the entire culture collection. In conclusion, the real-time PCR assay shows excellent analytical accuracy and holds much promise for use in routine bovine IMI testing programs. This study provides the basis for evaluating the assay's diagnostic performance against the conventional bacterial culture method in clinical field trials using mastitis milk samples.

Correlation of body mass index Z-scores with glucose and lipid profiles among overweight and obese children and adolescents.

PubMed

Nogueira-de-Almeida, Carlos Alberto; Mello, Elza Daniel de

To evaluate the prevalence of abnormalities in plasma lipid and glucose profiles among overweight and obese children and adolescents, and to assess the presence of a correlation between body mass index Z-scores and indicators of comorbidities related to both profiles. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted at two outpatient clinics. The study included all 417 comers for the first visit from 2008 to 2012, aged between 7 and 18 years, with BMI above the Z-score +1. Anthropometry and blood sampling were obtained. The prevalence of dyslipidemias, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance were evaluated, together with the correlations of these variables with the increase of Z-BMI. Dyslipidemia was observed in 43.4% of the boys and 66.1% of the girls, with no difference between genders. High glucose levels were detected in 6.2% of the individuals. Insulin resistance was present in 32.3% and 41.7% of the cases, with no statistical significance between boys and girls. Correlations between the Z-BMI were noted for triglycerides in the entire group and among girls; for HDL-c, only among girls; for glucose, a correlation was observed for the entire group, but not when stratified by gender. The indicators of insulin resistance were all correlated with Z-BMI, even when corrected for age. Overweight and obesity give origin to a high prevalence of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. BMI Z-scores showed a weak positive correlation with glucose and triglyceride, and negative with HDL-c. In turn, the strongest positive correlation was found with insulin resistance indicators. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Lack of pathogenic mutations in SOS1 gene in phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth patients.

PubMed

Margiotti, Katia; Pascolini, Giulia; Consoli, Federica; Guida, Valentina; Di Bonaventura, Carlo; Giallonardo, Anna Teresa; Pizzuti, Antonio; De Luca, Alessandro

2017-08-01

Gingival overgrowth is a side effect associated with some distinct classes of drugs, such as anticonvulsants, immunosuppressants, and calcium channel blockers. One of the main drugs associated with gingival overgrowth is the antiepileptic phenytoin, which affects gingival tissues by altering extracellular matrix metabolism. It has been shown that mutation of human SOS1 gene is responsible for a rare hereditary gingival fibromatosis type 1, a benign gingival overgrowth. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the possible contribution of SOS1 mutation to gingival overgrowth-related phenotype. We selected and screened for mutations a group of 24 epileptic patients who experienced significant gingival overgrowth following phenytoin therapy. Mutation scanning was carried out by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the entire coding region of the SOS1 gene. Novel identified variants were analyzed in-silico by using Alamut Visual mutation interpretation software, and comparison with normal control group was done. Mutation scanning of the entire coding sequence of SOS1 gene identified seven intronic variants and one new exonic substitution (c.138G>A). The seven common intronic variants were not considered to be of pathogenic importance. The exonic substitution c.138G>A was found to be absent in 100 ethnically matched normal control chromosomes, but was not expected to have functional significance based on prediction bioinformatics tools. This study represents the first mutation analysis of the SOS1 gene in phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth epileptic patients. Present results suggest that obvious pathogenic mutations in the SOS1 gene do not represent a common mechanism underlying phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth in epileptic patients; other mechanisms are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of this drug-induced phenotype. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Small intestinal function and dietary status in dermatitis herpetiformis.

PubMed Central

Gawkrodger, D J; McDonald, C; O'Mahony, S; Ferguson, A

1991-01-01

Small intestinal morphology and function were assessed in 82 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, 51 of whom were taking a normal diet and 31 a gluten free diet. Methods used were histopathological evaluation of jejunal mucosal biopsy specimens, quantitation of intraepithelial lymphocytes, cellobiose/mannitol permeability test, tissue disaccharidase values, serum antigliadin antibodies, and formal assessment of dietary gluten content by a dietician. There was no correlation between dietary gluten intake and the degree of enteropathy in the 51 patients taking a normal diet, whereas biopsy specimens were normal in 24 of the 31 patients on a gluten free diet, all previously having been abnormal. Eighteen patients on gluten containing diets had normal jejunal histology and in seven of these all tests of small intestinal morphology and function were entirely normal. Intestinal permeability was abnormal and serum antigliadin antibodies were present in most patients with enteropathy. Studies of acid secretion in seven patients showed that hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria did not lead to abnormal permeability in the absence of enteropathy. This study shows that a combination of objective tests of small intestinal architecture and function will detect abnormalities in most dermatitis herpetiformis patients, including some with histologically normal jejunal biopsy specimens. Nevertheless there is a small group in whom all conventional intestinal investigations are entirely normal. PMID:2026337

Red cell antigen prevalence predicted by molecular testing in ethnic groups of South Texas blood donors.

PubMed

Aranda, Lorena I; Smith, Linda A; Jones, Scott; Beddard, Rachel

2015-01-01

Alloimmunization to red blood cell antigens is seen in patients receiving chronic blood transfusion. Knowing the prevalence of blood group antigens of the different ethnicities of South Texas donors can provide better management of rare blood inventory for patients in this geographical area. A total of 4369 blood donors were tested and analyzed for various antigens in the following blood group systems: ABO, Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, MNS, Lutheran, Dombrock, Landsteiner-Wiener, Diego, Colton, and Scianna. Donors tested to be group 0 or A were serologically tested for the Rh (C, E, c, e) antigens. Those that tested as presumably R1R1, R2R2, or Ror were then genotyped. Donors constituted three major ethnicities: black (18.3%), Hispanic (36.3%), and Caucasian (41.1%); ethnicities comprised of Asian, American Indian, multiracial, and other accounted for the remaining donors (4.3%). The most likely common Rh phenotype for each ethnicity is as follows: black -Ror (44.4%), Hispanic -R1R1 (59.0%), and Caucasian -R1R1 (38.9%). The prevalence of Kell, Duffy, and Kidd blood group system antigens in black and Caucasian donors is comparable with published reports for the entire U.S. The black South Texas donor population had an 8.8 percent increase in prevalence of the Fy(a+b-) phenotype as compared with these published reports; the Hispanic South Texas donor population had a prevalence of 36.1 percent of the Fy(a+b-) phenotype. Regarding the Diego blood group system, the Hispanic donor population in South Texas had a prevalence of 93.5 percent for the Di(a-b+) phenotype as compared with published reports for the entire U.S. (>99.9%). The Hispanic population had a prevalence of 7.9 percent of donors testing as M-N+S-s+ as compared with 20.2 percent and 15.6 percent for black and Caucasian donors, respectively. This study helped us determine the prevalence of each of the blood group antigens in the South Texas donor population to establish and maintain adequate rare inventory of each. Molecular red blood cell genotyping allows transfusion services to increase their availability of rare phenotypes for chronically transfused patients.

Ostertagia ostertagi in calves: growth, nitrogen balance and digestibility studies conducted during winter feeding following different fenbendazole therapy programmes.

PubMed

Parkins, J J; Bairden, K; Armour, J

1982-01-01

Observations of growth, nitrogen (N) balance and digestibility were made during the first winter housing period upon three groups of calves which had previously been naturally infected with Ostertagia ostertagi and which were left either untreated (A) or treated with fenbendazole on three occasions (B) or every two weeks during the entire grazing season (C). The diet given contained sufficient metabolisable energy but only about 60 per cent of the recommended crude protein to sustain a daily growth rate of 0.5 kg. Growth rates were only 50 per cent of that expected on a basis of metabolisable energy input with untreated calves A being poorest. Water intake and output was greatest in group A. There were no significant differences in digestibility between groups although group A had the lowest apparent crude protein digestibility. N balance was always lowest in group A and highest in group C but group B demonstrated a marked increase in N retention with time after housing. Differences in N retention were mainly accounted for by increased urinary N excretion. It is concluded that, under conditions of suboptimal protein intake, nematode infection in the growing calf can markedly affect production even after efficient anthelmintic treatment.

Yoga May Mitigate Decreases in High School Grades

PubMed Central

Butzer, Bethany; van Over, Max; Noggle Taylor, Jessica J.; Khalsa, Sat Bir S.

2015-01-01

This study involves an exploratory examination of the effects of a 12-week school-based yoga intervention on changes in grade point average (GPA) in 9th and 10th grade students. Participants included 95 high school students who had registered for physical education (PE) in spring 2010. PE class sections were group randomized to receive either a yoga intervention or a PE-as-usual control condition. The yoga intervention took place during the entire third quarter and half of the fourth quarter of the school year, and quarterly GPA was collected via school records at the end of the school year. Results revealed a significant interaction between group and quarter suggesting that GPA differed between the yoga and control groups over time. Post hoc tests revealed that while both groups exhibited a general decline in GPA over the school year, the control group exhibited a significantly greater decline in GPA from quarter 1 to quarter 3 than the yoga group. Both groups showed equivalent declines in GPA in quarter 4 after the yoga intervention had ended. The results suggest that yoga may have a protective effect on academic performance by preventing declines in GPA; however these preventive effects may not persist once yoga practice is discontinued. PMID:26347787

Conducting a children's divorce group: one approach.

PubMed

Rich, Beverly Waldman; Molloy, Pat; Hart, Bernadette; Ginsberg, Susan; Mulvey, Trudy

2007-08-01

The disruptive period around the time of the divorce can shatter a child's entire living milieu. An 8-week experiential children's group incorporating art and creative activities as well as a concurrent parent group is described. The aim of treatment was to bolster children's abilities to communicate with parents and other caretakers. Overall, participants were observed to effectively release painful affect, communicate more openly, and identify strengths in their family systems. Yalom's therapeutic group factors were incorporated into the treatment model. The research of Davies and Cummings related to children in the context of family therapy was also considered. Group leaders included advance practice registered nurses. Follow-up objective data collected from participants might provide further information about the efficacy of the interventions.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: Colposcopy Quality Improvement Recommendations for the United States.

PubMed

Mayeaux, Edward J; Novetsky, Akiva P; Chelmow, David; Garcia, Francisco; Choma, Kim; Liu, Angela H; Papasozomenos, Theognosia; Einstein, Mark H; Massad, L Stewart; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Waxman, Alan G; Conageski, Christine; Khan, Michelle J; Huh, Warner K

2017-10-01

The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. The ASCCP Quality Improvement Working Group developed evidence-based guidelines to promote best practices and reduce errors in colposcopy and recommended indicators to measure colposcopy quality. The working group performed a systematic review of existing major society and national guidelines and quality indicators. An initial list of potential quality indicators was developed and refined through successive iterative discussions, and draft quality indicators were proposed. The draft recommendations were then reviewed and commented on by the entire Colposcopy Standards Committee, posted online for public comment, and presented at the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered, additional adjustments made, and the final recommendations approved by the entire Task Force. Eleven quality indicators were selected spanning documentation, biopsy protocols, and time intervals between index screening tests and completion of diagnostic evaluation. The proposed quality indicators are intended to serve as a starting point for quality improvement in colposcopy at a time when colposcopy volume is decreasing and individual procedures are becoming technically more difficult to perform.

Respiratory Mechanics and Plasma Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Interleukin 6 Are Affected by Gas Humidification during Mechanical Ventilation in Dogs

PubMed Central

Hernández-Jiménez, Claudia; García-Torrentera, Rogelio; Olmos-Zúñiga, J. Raúl; Jasso-Victoria, Rogelio; Gaxiola-Gaxiola, Miguel O.; Baltazares-Lipp, Matilde; Gutiérrez-González, Luis H.

2014-01-01

The use of dry gases during mechanical ventilation has been associated with the risk of serious airway complications. The goal of the present study was to quantify the plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 and to determine the radiological, hemodynamic, gasometric, and microscopic changes in lung mechanics in dogs subjected to short-term mechanical ventilation with and without humidification of the inhaled gas. The experiment was conducted for 24 hours in 10 dogs divided into two groups: Group I (n = 5), mechanical ventilation with dry oxygen dispensation, and Group II (n = 5), mechanical ventilation with oxygen dispensation using a moisture chamber. Variance analysis was used. No changes in physiological, hemodynamic, or gasometric, and radiographic constants were observed. Plasma TNF-alpha levels increased in group I, reaching a maximum 24 hours after mechanical ventilation was initiated (ANOVA p = 0.77). This increase was correlated to changes in mechanical ventilation. Plasma IL-6 levels decreased at 12 hours and increased again towards the end of the study (ANOVA p>0.05). Both groups exhibited a decrease in lung compliance and functional residual capacity values, but this was more pronounced in group I. Pplat increased in group I (ANOVA p = 0.02). Inhalation of dry gas caused histological lesions in the entire respiratory tract, including pulmonary parenchyma, to a greater extent than humidified gas. Humidification of inspired gases can attenuate damage associated with mechanical ventilation. PMID:25036811

Respiratory mechanics and plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6 are affected by gas humidification during mechanical ventilation in dogs.

PubMed

Hernández-Jiménez, Claudia; García-Torrentera, Rogelio; Olmos-Zúñiga, J Raúl; Jasso-Victoria, Rogelio; Gaxiola-Gaxiola, Miguel O; Baltazares-Lipp, Matilde; Gutiérrez-González, Luis H

2014-01-01

The use of dry gases during mechanical ventilation has been associated with the risk of serious airway complications. The goal of the present study was to quantify the plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 and to determine the radiological, hemodynamic, gasometric, and microscopic changes in lung mechanics in dogs subjected to short-term mechanical ventilation with and without humidification of the inhaled gas. The experiment was conducted for 24 hours in 10 dogs divided into two groups: Group I (n = 5), mechanical ventilation with dry oxygen dispensation, and Group II (n = 5), mechanical ventilation with oxygen dispensation using a moisture chamber. Variance analysis was used. No changes in physiological, hemodynamic, or gasometric, and radiographic constants were observed. Plasma TNF-alpha levels increased in group I, reaching a maximum 24 hours after mechanical ventilation was initiated (ANOVA p = 0.77). This increase was correlated to changes in mechanical ventilation. Plasma IL-6 levels decreased at 12 hours and increased again towards the end of the study (ANOVA p>0.05). Both groups exhibited a decrease in lung compliance and functional residual capacity values, but this was more pronounced in group I. Pplat increased in group I (ANOVA p = 0.02). Inhalation of dry gas caused histological lesions in the entire respiratory tract, including pulmonary parenchyma, to a greater extent than humidified gas. Humidification of inspired gases can attenuate damage associated with mechanical ventilation.

The effects of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing.

PubMed

Register, D

2001-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of music sessions using a curriculum designed to enhance the prereading and writing skills of 25 children aged 4 to 5 years who were enrolled in Early Intervention and Exceptional Student Education programs. This study was a replication of the work of Standley and Hughes (1997) and utilized a larger sample size (n = 50) in order to evaluate the efficacy of a music curriculum designed specifically to teach prereading and writing skills versus one that focuses on all developmental areas. Both the experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups received two 30-minute sessions each week for an entire school year for a minimum of 60 sessions per group. The differentiating factors between the two groups were the structure and components of the musical activities. The fall sessions for the experimental group were focused primarily on writing skills while the spring sessions taught reading/book concepts. Music sessions for the control group were based purely on the thematic material, as determined by the classroom teacher with purposeful exclusion of all preliteracy concepts. All participants were pretested at the beginning of the school year and posttested before the school year ended. Overall, results demonstrated that music sessions significantly enhanced both groups' abilities to learn prewriting and print concepts. However, the experimental group showed significantly higher results on the logo identification posttest and the word recognition test. Implications for curriculum design and academic and social applications of music in Early Intervention programs are discussed.

Topical valproic acid increases the hair count in male patients with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, comparative, clinical feasibility study using phototrichogram analysis.

PubMed

Jo, Seong Jin; Shin, Hyoseung; Park, Young Woon; Paik, Seung Hwan; Park, Won Seok; Jeong, Yeon Su; Shin, Hong Ju; Kwon, Ohsang

2014-04-01

Valproic acid (VPA), a widely used anticonvulsant, inhibits glycogen synthase kinase 3β and activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is associated with hair growth cycle and anagen induction. To assess the efficacy of topical VPA for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA), we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Male patients with moderate AGA underwent treatment with either VPA (sodium valproate, 8.3%) or placebo spray for 24 weeks. The primary end-point for efficacy was the change in hair count during treatment, which was assessed by phototrichogram analysis. Of the 40 patients enrolled in the study, 27 (n = 15, VPA group; n = 12, placebo group) completed the entire protocol with good compliance. No statistical differences in age, hair loss duration and total hair count at baseline were found between the groups. The mean change in total hair count was significantly higher in the VPA group than in the placebo group (P = 0.047). Both groups experienced mostly mild and self-limited adverse events, but their differences in prevalence rates were similar between the two groups (P = 0.72). A subject treated with topical VPA developed ventricular tachycardia, but it did not seem to be related to the VPA spray. Topical VPA increased the total hair counts of our patients; therefore, it is a potential treatment option for AGA. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.

[Architecture and design of mental health institutions].

PubMed

Richter, Dirk; Hoffmann, Holger

2014-04-01

The physical environment of mental health institutions is regarded as a therapeutic agent within the treatment. There is only little scientific evidence on the consequences of architecture and design on psychiatric patients available. A systematic review was conducted on studies from adult mental health institutions. 25 studies were included into the review. Pre-post-studies and control group conditions were predominant study designs. Randomized controlled trials were not available. Interventions reached from art installations up to entire ward renovations. Outcome indicators were rather heterogeneous, including psychopathology, behavioural observations and aggression incidents. Overwhelmingly, the studies revealed positive results of interventions into the physical environment. We found positive outcomes independent from the intervention in detail. This result should be interpreted in the light of the generally low study quality and further methodological problems. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Use of concept mapping as a facilitative tool to promote learning in pharmacology.

PubMed

Qadir, Farida; Zehra, Tabassum; Khan, Imrana

2011-08-01

To assess whether students find concept mapping a useful learning methodology to conceptualize and organize topics studied in CNS module of Pharmacology; and to evaluate whether addition of concept mapping assignment could help to improve examination scores. An analytical study. College of Dentistry, Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan, from March to May 2009. A class of 50 BDS students was recruited for the study. Two randomly selected groups of 12 students each, prepared concept maps in topics from CNS pharmacology which were displayed and discussed during tutorial sessions. The other two groups (n = 25) following the traditional teaching methodology, served as controls. Scores from best choice questions and short essay questions were compared between the investigational and control groups using the student's t-test with significance at p < 0.05. Feedback obtained after completion of the study was evaluated as percent response. One-best-choice test of the control group showed a mean grade of 57.1 ± 16.7 vs. test group mean of 58.8 ± 13. For the short essay questions, control group obtained a mean of 52.3 ± 18.8 vs. test group mean grade of 53.8 ± 22.5. Both results were not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, feedback about concept mapping showed that the technique helped the students to conceptualize difficult topics in CNS pharmacology (86.36%). Concept mapping was particularly beneficial in preparing for exams as it provided a quick overview of the entire subject (68.68%). Students found concept mapping as a useful pedagogical tool which could potentially be used to acquire meaningful learning in Pharmacology as a supplement to traditional teaching techniques. It was not found beneficial in improving examination grades probably because standard examinations and concept mapping measure different cognitive domains.

Sustained release of bactericidal concentrations of penicillin in the pleural space via an antibiotic-eluting pigtail catheter coated with electrospun nanofibers: results from in vivo and in vitro studies.

PubMed

Chao, Yin-Kai; Lee, Cheng-Hung; Liu, Kuo-Sheng; Wang, Yi-Chuan; Wang, Chih-Wei; Liu, Shih-Jung

2015-01-01

Inadequate intrapleural drug concentrations caused by poor penetration of systemic antibiotics into the pleural cavity is a major cause of treatment failure in empyema. Herein, we describe a novel antibiotic-eluting pigtail catheter coated with electrospun nanofibers used for the sustained release of bactericidal concentrations of penicillin in the pleural space. Electrospun nanofibers prepared using polylactide-polyglycolide copolymer and penicillin G sodium dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol were used to coat the surface of an Fr6 pigtail catheter. The in vitro patterns of drug release were tested by placing the catheter in phosphate-buffered saline. In vivo studies were performed using rabbits treated with penicillin either intrapleurally (Group 1, 20 mg delivered through the catheter) or systemically (Group 2, intramuscular injection, 10 mg/kg). Penicillin concentrations in the serum and pleural fluid were then measured and compared. In vitro studies revealed a burst release of penicillin (10% of the total dose) occurring in the first 24 hours, followed by a sustained release in the subsequent 30 days. Intrapleural drug levels were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P<0.001). In the former, penicillin concentrations remained above the minimum inhibitory concentration breakpoint throughout the entire study period. In contrast, serum penicillin levels were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P<0.001). Notably, all Group 2 rabbits showed signs of systemic toxicity (paralytic ileus and weight loss). We conclude that our antibiotic-eluting catheter may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat empyema.

The intricate mechanisms of neurodegeneration in prion diseases

PubMed Central

Soto, Claudio; Satani, Nikunj

2010-01-01

Prion diseases are a group of infectious neurodegenerative diseases with an entirely novel mechanism of transmission, involving a protein-only infectious agent that propagates the disease by transmitting protein conformational changes. The disease results from extensive and progressive brain degeneration. The molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration are not entirely known but involve multiple processes operating simultaneously and synergistically in the brain, including spongiform degeneration, synaptic alterations, brain inflammation, neuronal death and the accumulation of protein aggregates. Here, we review the pathways implicated in prion-induced brain damage and put the pieces together into a possible model of neurodegeneration in prion disorders. A more comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of brain degeneration is essential to develop a much needed therapy for these devastating diseases. PMID:20889378

Simeprevir with pegylated interferon alfa 2a or 2b plus ribavirin in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection (QUEST-2): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

PubMed

Manns, Michael; Marcellin, Patrick; Poordad, Fred; de Araujo, Evaldo Stanislau Affonso; Buti, Maria; Horsmans, Yves; Janczewska, Ewa; Villamil, Federico; Scott, Jane; Peeters, Monika; Lenz, Oliver; Ouwerkerk-Mahadevan, Sivi; De La Rosa, Guy; Kalmeijer, Ronald; Sinha, Rekha; Beumont-Mauviel, Maria

2014-08-02

Pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa 2a or 2b plus ribavirin regimens were the standard of care in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but the sustained virological response can be suboptimum in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the combination of simeprevir, a one-pill, once-daily, oral HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor versus placebo, plus peginterferon alfa 2a or 2b plus ribavirin was assessed in treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. In the QUEST-2, phase 3 study, done at 76 sites in 14 countries (Europe, and North and South Americas), patients with confirmed chronic HCV genotype 1 infection and no history of HCV treatment were randomly assigned with a computer-generated allocation sequence in a ratio of 2:1 and stratified by HCV genotype 1 subtype and host IL28B genotype to receive simeprevir (150 mg once daily, orally), peginterferon alfa 2a (180 μg once weekly, subcutaneous injection) or 2b (according to bodyweight; 50 μg, 80 μg, 100 μg, 120 μg, or 150 μg once weekly, subcutaneous injection), plus ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day or 800-1400 mg/day, orally; simeprevir group) or placebo (once daily, orally), peginterferon alfa 2a or 2b, plus ribavirin (placebo group) for 12 weeks, followed by just peginterferon alfa 2a or 2b plus ribavirin. Total treatment duration was 24 weeks or 48 weeks (simeprevir group) based on criteria for response-guided therapy (ie, HCV RNA <25 IU/mL undetectable or detectable at week 4 and undetectable week 12) or 48 weeks (placebo). Patients, study personnel, and the sponsor were masked to treatment assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response at 12 weeks after the planned end of treatment (SVR12). Analyses were by intention to treat. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01290679. Results from the primary (SVR12, week 60) analysis are presented. 209 (81%) of 257 patients in the simeprevir group and 67 (50%) of 134 in the placebo group had SVR12 (adjusted difference 32·2%, 95% CI 23·3-41·2; p<0·0001). The incidences of adverse events were similar in the simeprevir and placebo groups at 12 weeks (246 [96%] vs 130 [97%]) and for the entire treatment (249 [97%] vs 132 [99%]), irrespective of the peginterferon alfa used. The most common adverse events were headache, fatigue, pyrexia, and influenza-like illness at 12 weeks (95 [37%) vs 45 [34%], 89 [35%] vs 52 [39%], 78 [30%] vs 48 [36%], and 66 [26%] vs 34 [25%], respectively) and for the entire treatment (100 [39%] vs 49 [37%], 94 [37%] vs 56 [42%], 79 [31%] vs 53 [40%], and 66 [26%] vs 35 [26%], respectively). Rash and photosensitivity frequencies were higher in the simeprevir group than in the placebo group (61 [24%] vs 15 [11%] and ten [4%] vs one [<1%], respectively). There was no difference in the prevalence of anaemia between the simeprevir and placebo groups (35 [14%] vs 21 [16%], respectively, at 12 weeks, and 53 [21%] vs 37 [28%], respectively, during the entire treatment). Addition of simeprevir to either peginterferon alfa 2a or peginterferon alfa 2b plus ribavirin improved SVR in treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 infection, without worsening the known adverse events associated with peginterferon alfa plus ribavirin. Janssen Infectious Diseases-Diagnostics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

More heads choose better than one: Group decision making can eliminate probability matching.

PubMed

Schulze, Christin; Newell, Ben R

2016-06-01

Probability matching is a robust and common failure to adhere to normative predictions in sequential decision making. We show that this choice anomaly is nearly eradicated by gathering individual decision makers into small groups and asking the groups to decide. The group choice advantage emerged both when participants generated responses for an entire sequence of choices without outcome feedback (Exp. 1a) and when participants made trial-by-trial predictions with outcome feedback after each decision (Exp. 1b). We show that the dramatic improvement observed in group settings stands in stark contrast to a complete lack of effective solitary deliberation. These findings suggest a crucial role of group discussion in alleviating the impact of hasty intuitive responses in tasks better suited to careful deliberation.

Linagliptin prevents atrial electrical and structural remodeling in a canine model of atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Igarashi, Tazuru; Niwano, Shinichi; Niwano, Hiroe; Yoshizawa, Tomoharu; Nakamura, Hironori; Fukaya, Hidehira; Fujiishi, Tamami; Ishizue, Naruya; Satoh, Akira; Kishihara, Jun; Murakami, Masami; Ako, Junya

2018-05-02

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have recently been reported to exhibit additional cardioprotective effects; however, their effect in atrial remodeling, such as in atrial fibrillation (AF), remains unclear. In this study, the effect of linagliptin on atrial electrical and structural remodeling was evaluated in a canine AF model. Sixteen beagle dogs with 3-week atrial rapid stimulation were divided into the linagliptin group (9 mg/kg/day, n = 8) and pacing control group (n = 8). Three additional dogs without rapid pacing were assigned into non-pacing group, which was used as sham in this study. In the dogs with rapid pacing, the atrial effective refractory period (AERP), conduction velocity (CV), and AF inducibility were evaluated and blood was sampled every week. After the entire protocol, atrial tissue was sampled for histological examinations using HE, Azan, and dihydroethidium (DHE) staining to evaluate any tissue damage or oxidative stress. The pacing control group exhibited a gradual AERP shortening and CV decrease along the time course as previously reported. In the linagliptin group, the AERP shortening was not affected, but the CV decrease was suppressed in comparison to the control group (p < 0.05). The AF inducibility was increased in the control group and suppressed in the linagliptin group (p < 0.05). The control group exhibited tissue fibrosis, the degree of which was suppressed in the linagliptin group. DHE staining exhibited suppression of the reactive oxygen species expression in the linagliptin group in comparison to the pacing control group. Linagliptin, a DPP-4-inhibitor, suppressed the AF inducibility, CV decrease, and overexpression of oxidative stress in the canine AF model. Such suppressive effects of linagliptin on AF in the canine model may possibly be related to the anti-oxidative effect.

Evolution of radiographic damage in ankylosing spondylitis: a 12 year prospective follow-up of the OASIS study.

PubMed

Ramiro, Sofia; Stolwijk, Carmen; van Tubergen, Astrid; van der Heijde, Désirée; Dougados, Maxime; van den Bosch, Filip; Landewé, Robert

2015-01-01

To describe the evolution of radiographic abnormalities of the spine in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Patients with AS were followed prospectively with 2 yearly radiographs for 12 years. The modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS) was scored by two readers (R1 and R2). New syndesmophytes at uninvolved vertebral corners were computed. Radiographic progression was investigated using generalised estimating equations. 809 radiographs (presenting 520 at 2 yearly intervals) from 186 patients (70% men, mean age 43 (SD 12) years, mean 20 (SD 12) years since symptom onset and 83% HLA-B27 positive) were included. Mean mSASSS at baseline was 11.6 (16.2). While the course of progression in individual patients was highly variable, and still occurred in patients with decades of symptom duration, mean 2 year progression was 2.0 (3.5) mSASSS units. Over the entire follow-up, at least one new syndesmophyte was found in 55% (R1) and 63% (R2) of patients (38% (R1) and 39% (R2) of all intervals). In 24% of patients (39% of intervals), there was no progression. A progression ≥5 mSASSS units occurred in 22% of patients (or in 12% of intervals). At the group level, a linear time course model fitted the data best, with a constant rate over the entire 12 year interval of 0.98 mSASSS units/year. Radiographic progression occurred significantly faster in men, in HLA-B27 positive patients and in patients with a baseline mSASSS≥10. Long term radiographic progression in AS is highly variable in the individual patient, more severe in HLA-B27 positive men and still occurs after decades of disease. At the group level, however, progression in AS follows an approximately linear course. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

PubMed Central

Deng, Z. D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.; Harnish, R. A.; Woodley, C. M.; Hughes, J. A.; Li, X.; Fu, T.; Lu, J.; McMichael, G. A.; Weiland, M. A.; Eppard, M. B.; Skalski, J. R.; Townsend, R. L.

2017-01-01

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes. PMID:28220850

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters.

PubMed

Deng, Z D; Martinez, J J; Li, H; Harnish, R A; Woodley, C M; Hughes, J A; Li, X; Fu, T; Lu, J; McMichael, G A; Weiland, M A; Eppard, M B; Skalski, J R; Townsend, R L

2017-02-21

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes.

Effects of test method and participant musical training on preference ratings of stimuli with different reverberation times.

PubMed

Lawless, Martin S; Vigeant, Michelle C

2017-10-01

Selecting an appropriate listening test design for concert hall research depends on several factors, including listening test method and participant critical-listening experience. Although expert listeners afford more reliable data, their perceptions may not be broadly representative. The present paper contains two studies that examined the validity and reliability of the data obtained from two listening test methods, a successive and a comparative method, and two types of participants, musicians and non-musicians. Participants rated their overall preference of auralizations generated from eight concert hall conditions with a range of reverberation times (0.0-7.2 s). Study 1, with 34 participants, assessed the two methods. The comparative method yielded similar results and reliability as the successive method. Additionally, the comparative method was rated as less difficult and more preferable. For study 2, an additional 37 participants rated the stimuli using the comparative method only. An analysis of variance of the responses from both studies revealed that musicians are better than non-musicians at discerning their preferences across stimuli. This result was confirmed with a k-means clustering analysis on the entire dataset that revealed five preference groups. Four groups exhibited clear preferences to the stimuli, while the fifth group, predominantly comprising non-musicians, demonstrated no clear preference.

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Z. D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.; Harnish, R. A.; Woodley, C. M.; Hughes, J. A.; Li, X.; Fu, T.; Lu, J.; McMichael, G. A.; Weiland, M. A.; Eppard, M. B.; Skalski, J. R.; Townsend, R. L.

2017-02-01

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes.

Insulin-sensitive obese children display a favorable metabolic profile.

PubMed

Vukovic, Rade; Mitrovic, Katarina; Milenkovic, Tatjana; Todorovic, Sladjana; Soldatovic, Ivan; Sipetic-Grujicic, Sandra; Zdravkovic, Dragan

2013-02-01

Most of what is known about the metabolically healthy obese phenomenon is derived from studies in the adult population and no standardized criteria to identify these individuals exist to date. The aim of this study was to determine if the preserved insulin sensitivity evaluated by homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index is associated with favorable metabolic profile in the obese children. We studied a group of 248 children and adolescents (150 female, 98 male), aged 5.9-18.9 years with diet-induced obesity (BMI >95th percentile). The entire cohort was divided into quartiles based on levels of insulin resistance determined by HOMA-IR index. Subjects in the lower quartile of HOMA-IR were classified as insulin-sensitive group (ISG), whereas children in the upper quartile were categorized as insulin-resistant group (IRG). The ISG subjects had values of HOMA-IR ≤2.75 while the children from the IRG group had HOMA-IR ≥6.16. Subjects from ISG group had lower basal β-cell activity and were less likely to have impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Concentrations of LDL and total cholesterol, triglycerides, and transaminases were lower and HDL cholesterol levels were higher in ISG subjects. Findings obtained by the use of Matsuda index correlated well with the findings obtained by the use of HOMA-IR. Lower HOMA-IR values were significantly associated with favorable metabolic profile in studied children, which correlates with findings in the adult population and emphasizes the need for further, longitudinal studies of insulin resistance development in childhood obesity.

Aircraft Noise Prediction Program theoretical manual: Propeller aerodynamics and noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zorumski, W. E. (Editor); Weir, D. S. (Editor)

1986-01-01

The prediction sequence used in the aircraft noise prediction program (ANOPP) is described. The elements of the sequence are called program modules. The first group of modules analyzes the propeller geometry, the aerodynamics, including both potential and boundary-layer flow, the propeller performance, and the surface loading distribution. This group of modules is based entirely on aerodynamic strip theory. The next group of modules deals with the first group. Predictions of periodic thickness and loading noise are determined with time-domain methods. Broadband noise is predicted by a semiempirical method. Near-field predictions of fuselage surface pressrues include the effects of boundary layer refraction and scattering. Far-field predictions include atmospheric and ground effects.

Receptor for advanced glycation end products involved in lung ischemia reperfusion injury in cardiopulmonary bypass attenuated by controlled oxygen reperfusion in a canine model.

PubMed

Rong, Jian; Ye, Sheng; Liang, Meng-ya; Chen, Guang-xian; Liu, Hai; Zhang, Jin-Xin; Wu, Zhong-kai

2013-01-01

Controlled oxygen reperfusion could protect the lung against ischemia-reperfusion injury in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) by downregulating high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a high affinity receptor of HMGB1. This study investigated the effect of controlled oxygen reperfusion on receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) expression and its downstream effects on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury. Fourteen canines received CPB with 60 minutes of aortic clamping and cardioplegic arrest followed by 90 minutes of reperfusion. Animals were randomized to receive 80% FiO2 during the entire procedure (control group) or to a test group receiving a controlled oxygen reperfusion protocol. Pathologic changes in lung tissues, RAGE expression, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were evaluated. The lung pathologic scores after 25 and 90 minutes of reperfusion were significantly lower in the test group compared with the control group (p < 0.001). RAGE expression, TNF-α, and IL-6 were downregulated by controlled oxygen treatment (p < 0.001). RAGE might be involved in the lung ischemia-reperfusion injury in canine model of CPB, which was downregulated by controlled oxygen reperfusion.

The experience of family carers attending a joint reminiscence group with people with dementia: A thematic analysis.

PubMed

Melunsky, Nina; Crellin, Nadia; Dudzinski, Emma; Orrell, Martin; Wenborn, Jennifer; Poland, Fiona; Woods, Bob; Charlesworth, Georgina

2015-11-01

Reminiscence therapy has the potential to improve quality of life for people with dementia. In recent years reminiscence groups have extended to include family members, but carers' experience of attending joint sessions is undocumented. This qualitative study explored the experience of 18 family carers attending 'Remembering Yesterday Caring Today' groups. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: experiencing carer support; shared experience; expectations (met and unmet), carer perspectives of the person with dementia's experience; and learning and comparing. Family carers' experiences varied, with some experiencing the intervention as entirely positive whereas others had more mixed feelings. Negative aspects included the lack of respite from their relative, the lack of emphasis on their own needs, and experiencing additional stress and guilt through not being able to implement newly acquired skills. These findings may explain the failure of a recent trial of joint reminiscence groups to replicate previous findings of positive benefit. More targeted research within subgroups of carers is required to justify the continued use of joint reminiscence groups in dementia care. © The Author(s) 2013.

Observational properties of compact groups of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickson, Paul

1990-01-01

Compact groups are small, relatively isolated, systems of galaxies with projected separations comparable to the diameters of the galaxies themselves. Two well-known examples are Stephan's Quintet (Stephan, 1877) and Seyfert's Sextet (Seyfert 1948a,b). In groups such as these, the apparent space density of galaxies approaches 10(exp 6) Mpc(sub -3), denser even than the cores of rich clusters. The apparent unlikeliness of the chance occurrence of such tight groupings lead Ambartsumyan (1958, 1975) to conclude that compact groups must be physically dense systems. This view is supported by clear signs of galaxy interactions that are seen in many groups. Spectroscopic observations reveal that typical relative velocities of galaxies in the groups are comparable to their internal stellar velocities. This should be conducive to strong gravitational interactions - more so than in rich clusters, where galaxy velocities are typically much higher. This suggests that compact groups could be excellent laboratories in which to study galaxy interactions and their effects. Compact groups often contain one or more galaxies whose redshift differs greatly from those of the other group members. If these galaxies are at the same distance as the other members, either entire galaxies are being ejected at high velocities from these groups, or some new physical phenomena must be occurring. If their redshifts are cosmological, we must explain why so many discordant galaxies are found in compact groups. In recent years much progress has been made in addressing these questions. Here, the author discusses the current observational data on compact groups and their implications.

Abiotic and biotic controls of cryptobenthic fish assemblages across a Caribbean seascape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harborne, A.R.; Jelks, H.L.; Smith-Vaniz, W.F.; Rocha, L.A.

2012-01-01

The majority of fish studies on coral reefs consider only non-cryptic species and, despite their functional importance, data on cryptic species are scarce. This study investigates inter-habitat variation in Caribbean cryptobenthic fishes by re-analysing a comprehensive data set from 58 rotenone stations around Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boosted regression trees were used to associate the density and diversity of non-piscivorous cryptobenthic fishes, both in the entire data set and on reef habitats alone, with 14 abiotic and biotic variables. The study also models the habitat requirements of the three commonest species. Dead coral cover was the first or second most important variable in six of the eight models constructed. For example, within the entire data set, the number of species and total fish density increased approximately linearly with increasing dead coral cover. Dead coral was also important in multivariate analyses that discriminated 10 assemblages within the entire data set. On reef habitats, the number of species and total fish density increased dramatically when dead coral exceeded ~55 %. Live coral cover was typically less important for explaining variance in fish assemblages than dead coral, but live corals were important for maintaining high fish diversity. Coral species favoured by cryptobenthic species may be particularly susceptible to mortality, but dead coral may also provide abundant food and shelter for many fishes. Piscivore density was a key variable in the final models, but typically increased with increasing cryptobenthic fish diversity and abundance, suggesting both groups of fishes are responding to the same habitat variables. The density of territorial damselfishes reduced the number of cryptobenthic fish species on reef habitats. Finally, habitats delineated by standard remote sensing techniques supported distinct cryptobenthic fish assemblages, suggesting that such maps can be used as surrogates of general patterns of cryptic fish biodiversity in conservation planning.

Plasma klotho levels decrease in both anorexia nervosa and obesity.

PubMed

Amitani, Marie; Asakawa, Akihiro; Amitani, Haruka; Kaimoto, Kaori; Sameshima, Nanami; Koyama, Ken Ichiro; Haruta, Izumi; Tsai, Minglun; Nakahara, Toshihiro; Ushikai, Miharu; Cheng, Kai-Chun; Hamada, Satoshi; Inui, Akio

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of klotho with body mass index (BMI) in patients with restricting-type anorexia nervosa (r-AN) and obesity. We examined plasma klotho as well as adiponectin and its isoform levels in comparison in 11 obese patients, 12 r-AN patients, and 11 control participants. Plasma klotho levels were markedly lower in the obesity and r-AN groups than in the control group. Moreover, plasma klotho levels increased significantly after the recovery of BMI in r-AN patients. Total and high-molecular-weight adiponectin levels were significantly decreased only in obesity. There was no relationship between klotho and total adiponectin levels or klotho and respective adiponectin isoform levels in the entire study population. These results suggest that klotho may reflect normal nutritional state, and that the decrease of klotho in r-AN and obesity may underlie the deteriorating processes of these disorders. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic inequality in excessive body weight in Indonesia.

PubMed

Aizawa, Toshiaki; Helble, Matthias

2017-11-01

Exploiting the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), this paper studies the transition of socioeconomic-related excess weight disparity, including overweight and obesity, from 1993 to 2014. First, we show that the proportions of overweight and obese people in Indonesia increased rapidly during the time period covered and that poorer groups exhibited a larger annual excess weight growth rate than richer groups (7.49 percent vs. 3.01 percent). Second, by calculating the concentration index, we confirm that the prevalence of obesity affected increasingly poorer segments of Indonesian society. Consequently, the concentration index decreased during the study period, from 0.287 to 0.093. Finally, decomposing the change in the concentration index of excess weight from 2000 to 2014, we show that a large part of the change can be explained by a decrease in the elasticity of wealth and improved sanitary conditions in poorer households. Overall, obesity in Indonesia no longer affects purely the wealthier segments of the population but the entire socioeconomic spectrum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Educational interventions targeted at minors in situations of grave social vulnerability and their families

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de La Caba Collado, Mariangeles; Bartau Rojas, Isabel

2010-10-01

The aim of this article is to outline and assess an educational intervention programme targeted at improving the skills of families and the personal and social development of children living in situations of grave social vulnerability. The sample comprised 10 families during the first phase of the intervention and six during the second. The design, intervention and assessment process of this study was carried out in two phases over a period of a year and a half. For both phases, three different groups—of men/fathers, women/mothers and children—were established. Study variables (parenting skills and children's personal and social development) were evaluated before and after the intervention in every group, as well as during the entire process. The results, taking into account the improvements reported by all the participants (social workers, group monitors, fathers, mothers, children) show that inter-professional involvement and coordination at all phases of the intervention is vital in order to achieve small but significant improvements.

Temporal Stability of GPS Transmitter Group Delay Variations.

PubMed

Beer, Susanne; Wanninger, Lambert

2018-05-29

The code observable of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) is influenced by group delay variations (GDV) of transmitter and receiver antennas. For the Global Positioning System (GPS), the variations can sum up to 1 m in the ionosphere-free linear combination and thus can significantly affect precise code applications. The contribution of the GPS transmitters can amount to 0.8 m peak-to-peak over the entire nadir angle range. To verify the assumption of their time-invariance, we determined daily individual satellite GDV for GPS transmitter antennas over a period of more than two years. Dual-frequency observations of globally distributed reference stations and their multipath combination form the basis for our analysis. The resulting GPS GDV are stable on the level of a few centimeters for C1, P2, and for the ionosphere-free linear combination. Our study reveals that the inconsistencies of the GDV of space vehicle number (SVN) 55 with respect to earlier studies are not caused by temporal instabilities, but are rather related to receiver properties.

Historical and contemporary factors generate unique butterfly communities on islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vodă, Raluca; Dapporto, Leonardo; Dincă, Vlad; Shreeve, Tim G.; Khaldi, Mourad; Barech, Ghania; Rebbas, Khellaf; Sammut, Paul; Scalercio, Stefano; Hebert, Paul D. N.; Vila, Roger

2016-06-01

The mechanisms shaping island biotas are not yet well understood mostly because of a lack of studies comparing eco-evolutionary fingerprints over entire taxonomic groups. Here, we linked community structure (richness, frequency and nestedness) and genetic differentiation (based on mitochondrial DNA) in order to compare insular butterfly communities occurring over a key intercontinental area in the Mediterranean (Italy-Sicily-Maghreb). We found that community characteristics and genetic structure were influenced by a combination of contemporary and historical factors, and among the latter, connection during the Pleistocene had an important impact. We showed that species can be divided into two groups with radically different properties: widespread taxa had high dispersal capacity, a nested pattern of occurrence, and displayed little genetic structure, while rare species were mainly characterized by low dispersal, high turnover and genetically differentiated populations. These results offer an unprecedented view of the distinctive butterfly communities and of the main processes determining them on each studied island and highlight the importance of assessing the phylogeographic value of populations for conservation.

Spatio-temporal organization during group formation in rats.

PubMed

Weiss, Omri; Levi, Anat; Segev, Elad; Simbirsky, Margarita; Eilam, David

2018-05-02

In the present study, the dynamic process of group formation in eight unfamiliar rats was followed in order to reveal how the group becomes oriented together in time and space, in light of the complexity that accompanies grouping. The focus was on who, where, and when joined together. We found that rats preferred to be in companionship over remaining alone, with all the rats gradually shifting to share the same location as a resting place. Group formation can be viewed as a tri-phasic process, with some rats gradually becoming more social than others, and thus playing a key role in group formation. Starting with seemingly independent traveling, the rats gradually converged to share the same location as a terminal (home base) for roundtrips in the arena. Because such a terminal is considered as the organizer of an individual's spatial behavior, the shared home-base location may be viewed as the organizer of spatial behavior of the entire group. Despite huddling together, the rats continued to travel alone or in duos throughout the 3 h of testing. We suggest that resting together and traveling alone or in duos enabled the maintenance of communal relationship while reducing the complexity involved in traveling in relatively large groups. Taken together, the present results demonstrate the dynamic process during which unfamiliar rats shift from independent to group spatial behavior.

Comparison of air displacement plethysmography to hydrostatic weighing for estimating total body density in children.

PubMed

Claros, Geo; Hull, Holly R; Fields, David A

2005-09-09

The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of total body density and percent body fat (% fat) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and hydrostatic weighing (HW) in children. Sixty-six male and female subjects (40 males: 12.4 +/- 1.3 yrs, 47.4 +/- 14.8 kg, 155.4 +/- 11.9 cm, 19.3 +/- 4.1 kg/m2; 26 females: 12.0 +/- 1.9 yrs, 41.4 +/- 7.7 kg, 152.1 +/- 8.9 cm, 17.7 +/- 1.7 kg/m2) were tested using ADP and HW with ADP always preceding HW. Accuracy, precision, and bias were examined in ADP with HW serving as the criterion method. Lohman's equations that are child specific for age and gender were used to convert body density to % fat. Regression analysis determined the accuracy of ADP and potential bias between ADP and HW using Bland-Altman analysis. For the entire group (Y = 0.835x + 0.171, R2 = 0.84, SEE = 0.007 g/cm3) and for the males (Y = 0.837x + 0.174, R2 = 0.90, SEE = 0.006 g/cm3) the regression between total body density by HW and by ADP significantly deviated from the line of identity. However in females, the regression between total body density by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.750x + 0.258, R2 = 0.55, SEE = 0.008 g/cm3). The regression between % fat by HW and ADP for the group (Y = 0.84x + 3.81, R2 = 0.83, SEE = 3.35 % fat) and for the males (Y = 0.84x + 3.25, R2 = 0.90, SEE = 3.00 % fat) significantly deviated from the line of identity. However, in females the regression between % fat by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.81x + 5.17, R2 = 0.56, SEE = 3.80 % fat). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW total body density and ADP total body density for the entire group (R = 0.-22; P = 0.08) or for females (R = 0.02; P = 0.92), however bias existed in males (R = -0.37; P < or = 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW and ADP % fat for the entire group (R = 0.21; P = 0.10) or in females (R = 0.10; P = 0.57), however bias was indicated for males by a significant correlation (R = 0.36; P < or = 0.05), with ADP underestimating % fat at lower fat values and overestimating at the higher % fat values. A significant difference in total body density and % fat was observed between ADP and HW in children 10-15 years old with a potential gender difference being detected. Upon further investigation it was revealed that the study was inadequately powered, thus we recommend that larger studies that are appropriately powered be conducted to better understand this potential gender difference.

Comparison of air displacement plethysmography to hydrostatic weighing for estimating total body density in children

PubMed Central

Claros, Geo; Hull, Holly R; Fields, David A

2005-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of total body density and percent body fat (% fat) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and hydrostatic weighing (HW) in children. Methods Sixty-six male and female subjects (40 males: 12.4 ± 1.3 yrs, 47.4 ± 14.8 kg, 155.4 ± 11.9 cm, 19.3 ± 4.1 kg/m2; 26 females: 12.0 ± 1.9 yrs, 41.4 ± 7.7 kg, 152.1 ± 8.9 cm, 17.7 ± 1.7 kg/m2) were tested using ADP and HW with ADP always preceding HW. Accuracy, precision, and bias were examined in ADP with HW serving as the criterion method. Lohman's equations that are child specific for age and gender were used to convert body density to % fat. Regression analysis determined the accuracy of ADP and potential bias between ADP and HW using Bland-Altman analysis. Results For the entire group (Y = 0.835x + 0.171, R2 = 0.84, SEE = 0.007 g/cm3) and for the males (Y = 0.837x + 0.174, R2 = 0.90, SEE = 0.006 g/cm3) the regression between total body density by HW and by ADP significantly deviated from the line of identity. However in females, the regression between total body density by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.750x + 0.258, R2 = 0.55, SEE = 0.008 g/cm3). The regression between % fat by HW and ADP for the group (Y = 0.84x + 3.81, R2 = 0.83, SEE = 3.35 % fat) and for the males (Y = 0.84x + 3.25, R2 = 0.90, SEE = 3.00 % fat) significantly deviated from the line of identity. However, in females the regression between % fat by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.81x + 5.17, R2 = 0.56, SEE = 3.80 % fat). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW total body density and ADP total body density for the entire group (R = 0.-22; P = 0.08) or for females (R = 0.02; P = 0.92), however bias existed in males (R = -0.37; P ≤ 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW and ADP % fat for the entire group (R = 0.21; P = 0.10) or in females (R = 0.10; P = 0.57), however bias was indicated for males by a significant correlation (R = 0.36; P ≤ 0.05), with ADP underestimating % fat at lower fat values and overestimating at the higher % fat values. Conclusion A significant difference in total body density and % fat was observed between ADP and HW in children 10–15 years old with a potential gender difference being detected. Upon further investigation it was revealed that the study was inadequately powered, thus we recommend that larger studies that are appropriately powered be conducted to better understand this potential gender difference. PMID:16153297

Effectiveness of a Class-Wide Peer-Mediated Elementary Math Differentiation Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Jason D.

2017-01-01

Approximately 60% of classroom students have insufficient math skills. Within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, teachers can implement core differentiation strategies targeted at improving math skills of an entire class of students. Differentiation programs are developed in order to target academic skills of groups of students…

Share Your Voice: Online Community Building during Reaffirmation of Accreditation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruse, Brenda; Bonura, Kimberlee Bethany; James, Suzanne G.; Potler, Shelley

2013-01-01

Walden University recently underwent a successful reaffirmation of accreditation process with The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. As part of the 3-year process, a committee, named the Education and Communication working group, was formed to inform and engage with the entire Walden community. The…

Why Not Charter School Boards?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlechty, Phillip C.; Cole, Robert W.

1993-01-01

Claiming that individual school board members act in selfish ways, proposes electing entire school board as a slate. Board would collectively be held responsible for performance of the school system and all of its employees. State legislation would be required to specify how interested groups would select a slate and create a charter, which is the…

Who Benefits From Your AGU Donation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Claire

2014-09-01

When you give to AGU, you are giving to programs and initiatives that affect you, your fellow scientists, and the entire world. From section and focus group newsletters to student scholarships to struggling communities, there is an opportunity for you to engage and make a difference. Visit http://giving.agu.org to make your impact.

Duplicated genes evolve independently in allopolyploid cotton.

Treesearch

Richard C. Cronn; Randall L. Small; Jonathan F. Wendel

1999-01-01

Of the many processes that generate gene duplications, polyploidy is unique in that entire genomes are duplicated. This process has been important in the evolution of many eukaryotic groups, and it occurs with high frequency in plants. Recent evidence suggests that polyploidization may be accompanied by rapid genomic changes, but the evolutionary fate of discrete loci...

Young People's Aggressive Behavior in the Context of the Social Situation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drozdov, A. Iu.

2005-01-01

Aggressive behavior by young people is one of the most urgent social problems. Rising violent crime among adolescents is being observed over the entire post-Soviet space. Scientists have singled out a number of groups of factors causing an individual to engage in aggressive behavior--biological, genetic, and individual psychological…

Work at the Uddevalla Volvo Plant from the Perspective of the Demand-Control Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lottridge, Danielle

2004-01-01

The Uddevalla Volvo plant represents a different paradigm for automotive assembly. In parallel-flow work, self-managed work groups assemble entire automobiles with comparable productivity as conventional series-flow assembly lines. From the perspective of the demand-control model, operators at the Uddevalla plant have low physical and timing…

P300 Event-Related Potentials in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papagiannopoulou, Eleni A.; Lagopoulos, Jim

2017-01-01

To elucidate the timing and the nature of neural disturbances in dyslexia and to further understand the topographical distribution of these, we examined entire brain regions employing the non-invasive auditory oddball P300 paradigm in children with dyslexia and neurotypical controls. Our findings revealed abnormalities for the dyslexia group in…

40 CFR 63.7882 - What site remediation sources at my facility does this subpart affect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... source is the entire group of process vents associated with the in-situ and ex-situ remediation processes used at your site to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, or immobilize hazardous substances in the remediation material subject to remediation. Examples of such in-situ remediation processes include, but are...

40 CFR 63.7882 - What site remediation sources at my facility does this subpart affect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... source is the entire group of process vents associated with the in-situ and ex-situ remediation processes used at your site to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, or immobilize hazardous substances in the remediation material subject to remediation. Examples of such in-situ remediation processes include, but are...

40 CFR 63.7882 - What site remediation sources at my facility does this subpart affect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... source is the entire group of process vents associated with the in-situ and ex-situ remediation processes used at your site to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, or immobilize hazardous substances in the remediation material subject to remediation. Examples of such in-situ remediation processes include, but are...

40 CFR 63.7882 - What site remediation sources at my facility does this subpart affect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... source is the entire group of process vents associated with the in-situ and ex-situ remediation processes used at your site to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, or immobilize hazardous substances in the remediation material subject to remediation. Examples of such in-situ remediation processes include, but are...

Distributed Group Design Process: Lessons Learned.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eseryel, Deniz; Ganesan, Radha

A typical Web-based training development team consists of a project manager, an instructional designer, a subject-matter expert, a graphic artist, and a Web programmer. The typical scenario involves team members working together in the same setting during the entire design and development process. What happens when the team is distributed, that is…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McDermott, Jason

This piece was requested from the editor of Science Careers after a press release from our communications group on a poster I recently presented that is entirely in comic form. The piece covers why I draw scientific comics and how I see it fitting in with my science career. I worked closely with Tom Rickey and Corydon Ireland on this piece

Trying To Build a Team? Get Them Involved!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roda, Julie; And Others

This paper summarizes knowledge about team building acquired from participation in a Michigan Adult Education Practitioners Inquiry Project. The first step in team building is to understand the dynamics of the entire group and to identify the unique traits of each member. The paper describes techniques and activities for enhancing communication,…

Whole-Body Single-Cell Sequencing Reveals Transcriptional Domains in the Annelid Larval Body

PubMed Central

Achim, Kaia; Eling, Nils; Vergara, Hernando Martinez; Bertucci, Paola Yanina; Musser, Jacob; Vopalensky, Pavel; Brunet, Thibaut; Collier, Paul; Benes, Vladimir; Marioni, John C; Arendt, Detlev

2018-01-01

Abstract Animal bodies comprise diverse arrays of cells. To characterize cellular identities across an entire body, we have compared the transcriptomes of single cells randomly picked from dissociated whole larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. We identify five transcriptionally distinct groups of differentiated cells, each expressing a unique set of transcription factors and effector genes that implement cellular phenotypes. Spatial mapping of cells into a cellular expression atlas, and wholemount in situ hybridization of group-specific genes reveals spatially coherent transcriptional domains in the larval body, comprising, for example, apical sensory-neurosecretory cells versus neural/epidermal surface cells. These domains represent new, basic subdivisions of the annelid body based entirely on differential gene expression, and are composed of multiple, transcriptionally similar cell types. They do not represent clonal domains, as revealed by developmental lineage analysis. We propose that the transcriptional domains that subdivide the annelid larval body represent families of related cell types that have arisen by evolutionary diversification. Their possible evolutionary conservation makes them a promising tool for evo–devo research. PMID:29373712

The Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Austrians Disease Management Program in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Riedl, Regina; Robausch, Martin; Berghold, Andrea

2016-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Austrian Disease Management Program (DMP) 'Therapie aktiv-Diabetes im Griff' for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus concerning patient-relevant outcomes (mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke) and costs. Based on routine health insurance data, we conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using a propensity score (PS) matched control group design. The DMP-group consists of participants enrolled in the program during 2008 and 2009 (n = 7181). Out of 208.532 patients with no participation in the DMP up to 2013, PS-matched controls were selected with a matching ratio 1:3. In the PS-model, patient's characteristics, form of antidiabetic drug therapy, several prescriptions, the number of hospital admissions and days, main discharge diagnoses and costs at baseline were included. Over a follow-up period of four years, we observed a significantly lower mortality rate in the DMP-group (9.4%) in comparison with the control group (15.9%, p<0.001). The cumulative number of hospital days and mean annual hospital costs were lower for DMP-participants resulting in significantly lower mean annual total costs, amounting to € 8226.80 per patient in the DMP-group and € 9231.10 in the control group respectively (p<0.001). The evaluation shows a survival benefit and an average reduction of costs for participants in the DMP compared with the control-group. Despite we took great effort to ensure comparable groups, we cannot entirely rule out an influence by residual and unmeasured confounding due to the observational study design and the use of routine data. However, the results indicate that the disease management program implemented in Austria improves quality of care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Continuous glucose monitors: use of waveform versus glycemic values in the improvements of glucose control, quality of life, and fear of hypoglycemia.

PubMed

Walker, Tomas C; Yucha, Carolyn B

2014-05-01

How patients are benefitting from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) remains poorly understood. The focus on numerical glucose values persists, even though access to the glucose waveform and rate of change may contribute more to improved control. This pilot study compared outcomes of patients using CGMs with or without access to the numerical values on their CGM. Ten persons with type 1 diabetes, naïve to CGM use, enrolled in a 12-week study. Subjects were randomly assigned to either unmodified CGM receivers, or to CGM receivers that had their numerical values obscured but otherwise functioned normally. HbA1c, quality of life (QLI-D), and fear of hypoglycemia (HFS) were assessed, at baseline and at week 12. Baseline HbA1c for the entire group was 7.46 ± 1.27%. At week 12 the experimental group HbA1c reduction was 1.5 ± 0.9% (p < .05), the control group's reduction was 0.06 ± 0.61% (p > .05). Repeated measures testing revealed no significant difference in HbA1c reduction between groups. Both groups had reductions in HFS; these reductions were statistically significant within groups (p < .05), but not between groups. QLI-D indices demonstrated improvements (p < .05) in QLI-D total and the health and family subscales, but not between groups. The results of this pilot study suggest that benefits of CGM extend beyond reductions in HbA1c to reductions in fear of hypoglycemia and improvements in quality of life. The display of a numerical glucose value did not improve control when compared to numerically blinded units. © 2014 Diabetes Technology Society.

Femoral head retroposition as a potential compensatory mechanism in patients with a severe mismatch between pelvic incidence and lumbar lordosis.

PubMed

Cheng, Xiaofei; Zhang, Kai; Sun, Xiaojiang; Zhao, Changqing; Li, Hua; Zhao, Jie

2017-12-01

Severe mismatch between pelvic incidence (PI) and lumbar lordosis (LL) leads to extra anterior displacement of the gravity line. The objective of this study is to investigate whether femoral head retroposition is a separate compensatory mechanism responsible for the extra anterior displacement. Based on the values of PI and LL, 94 patients were divided into the PI-LL match group (PI-LL ≤ 0°), the mild PI-LL mismatch group (20°> PI-LL >0°), and the severe PI-LL mismatch group (PI-LL ≥ 20°). A series of parameters including PI, LL, PI-LL, thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), knee flexion angle (KFA), tibial obliquity angle (TOA), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), S1 overhang, femoral head shift (FHS), and pelvic shift (PS) were measured and compared among the three groups. The severe PI-LL mismatch group exhibited significantly greater PI, PI-LL, PT, KFA, SVA, PS, and FHS, and less LL and TK, compared with the control and mild PI-LL mismatch group. The mild PI-LL mismatch group had significantly greater PI-LL, PT, KFA, TOA, and S1 overhang, and less LL and SS than the control group. SS, TOA, and S1 overhang in the severe PI-LL mismatch group differed significantly from that in the control group, but did not differ significantly from that in the mild PI-LL mismatch group. Femoral head retroposition is an entirely separate compensatory mechanism and, in this study, participated in the compensation for the anterior displacement of the gravity line induced by extra-sagittal spinal malalignment in patients with severe PI-LL mismatch.

Aphasia and text writing.

PubMed

Behrns, Ingrid; Ahlsén, Elisabeth; Wengelin, Asa

2010-01-01

Good writing skills are needed in almost every aspect of life today, and there is a growing interest in research into acquired writing difficulties. Most of the findings reported so far, however, are based on words produced in isolation. The present study deals with the production of entire texts. The aim was to characterize written narratives produced by a group of participants with aphasia. Eight persons aged 28-63 years with aphasia took part in the study. They were compared with a reference group consisting of ten participants aged 21-30 years. All participants were asked to write a personal narrative titled 'I have never been so afraid' and to perform a picture-based story-generation task called the 'Frog Story'. The texts were written on a computer. The group could be divided into participants with low, moderate, and high general performance, respectively. The texts written by the participants in the group with moderate and high writing performance had comparatively good narrative structure despite indications of difficulties on other linguistic levels. Aphasia appeared to influence text writing on different linguistic levels. The impact on overall structure and coherence was in line with earlier findings from the analysis of spoken and written discourse and the implication of this is that the written modality should also be included in language rehabilitation. 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Effects of Word Frequency and Transitional Probability on Word Reading Durations of Younger and Older Speakers.

PubMed

Moers, Cornelia; Meyer, Antje; Janse, Esther

2017-06-01

High-frequency units are usually processed faster than low-frequency units in language comprehension and language production. Frequency effects have been shown for words as well as word combinations. Word co-occurrence effects can be operationalized in terms of transitional probability (TP). TPs reflect how probable a word is, conditioned by its right or left neighbouring word. This corpus study investigates whether three different age groups-younger children (8-12 years), adolescents (12-18 years) and older (62-95 years) Dutch speakers-show frequency and TP context effects on spoken word durations in reading aloud, and whether age groups differ in the size of these effects. Results show consistent effects of TP on word durations for all age groups. Thus, TP seems to influence the processing of words in context, beyond the well-established effect of word frequency, across the entire age range. However, the study also indicates that age groups differ in the size of TP effects, with older adults having smaller TP effects than adolescent readers. Our results show that probabilistic reduction effects in reading aloud may at least partly stem from contextual facilitation that leads to faster reading times in skilled readers, as well as in young language learners.

[Population dynamics and armed violence in Colombia, 1985-2010].

PubMed

Salaya, Hernán Eduardo; Rodríguez, Jesús

2014-09-01

Describe changes in the population structure of Colombia's municipalities in relation to internal displacement in response to armed violence. A descriptive ecological study was carried out. Secondary sources were consulted, taken from the Consolidated Registry of Displaced Population and from the National Administrative Department of Statistics, to calculate expulsion and reception rates for population displaced by violence from 2002 to 2010. Based on these rates, four groups were created of municipalities in the extreme quartile for each rate during the entire period, which were classified as high expulsion, low expulsion, high reception, and low reception. Subsequently, population pyramids and structure indicators were constructed for each group of municipalities for two comparative reference years (1985 and 2010). Municipalities with high expulsion or reception rates experienced a slower epidemiological transition, with lower mean ages and aging indices. The high expulsion group had the least regression, based on the Sundbärg index. In the high reception group, the masculinity ratio decreased the most, especially among the economically active population, and it had the highest population growth. Population dynamics in Colombia have been affected by armed violence and changes in these dynamics are not uniform across the country, leading to important social, economic, and cultural consequences. This study is useful for decision-making and public policy making.

Improving medical student performance in smoking health promotion: effect of a vertically integrated curriculum.

PubMed

Sawyer, S M; Cooke, R; Conn, J; Marks, M K; Roseby, R; Cerritelli, B

2006-08-01

The majority of medical schools have curricula that address the health effects of smoking. However, there are many gaps in smoking education, especially in relationship to vertical integration. The authors aimed to determine whether medical students would better address adolescent smoking within a vertically integrated curriculum in comparison with the previous traditional curriculum. They studied two groups of fifth-year students; one group received a specific smoking intervention. Each group consisted of the entire cohort of students within the Child and Adolescent Health rotation of a newly designed medical curriculum. Two groups of students from the previous traditional undergraduate curriculum were available for direct comparison, one of which had received the same teaching on adolescent smoking. An objective structured clinical examination station was used to measure adolescent smoking enquiry. Intervention students in the new curriculum were more likely to enquire about smoking in the objective structured clinical examination than students who did not receive the intervention (p < 0.005). New curriculum students performed better than students from the previous curriculum, whether or not they had received the smoking intervention (p < 0.001). This study suggests that integrated undergraduate teaching can improve student clinical behaviours with regard to opportunistic smoking enquiry in adolescents.

The Evolution and Structure of Extreme Optical Lightning Flashes

PubMed Central

Peterson, Michael; Rudlosky, Scott; Deierling, Wiebke

2018-01-01

This study documents the composition, morphology, and motion of extreme optical lightning flashes observed by the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). The furthest separation of LIS events (groups) in any flash is 135 km (89 km), the flash with the largest footprint had an illuminated area of 10,604 km2, and the most dendritic flash has 234 visible branches. The longest-duration convective LIS flash lasted 28 s and is overgrouped and not physical. The longest-duration convective-to-stratiform propagating flash lasted 7.4 s, while the longest-duration entirely stratiform flash lasted 4.3 s. The longest series of nearly consecutive groups in time lasted 242 ms. The most radiant recorded LIS group (i.e., “superbolt”) is 735 times more radiant than the average group. Factors that impact these optical measures of flash morphology and evolution are discussed. While it is apparent that LIS can record the horizontal development of the lightning channel in some cases, radiative transfer within the cloud limits the flash extent and level of detail measured from orbit. These analyses nonetheless suggest that lightning imagers such as LIS and Geostationary Lightning Mapper can complement ground-based lightning locating systems for studying physical lightning phenomena across large geospatial domains. PMID:29527425

Is endotracheal intubation a non-beneficial treatment in patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning?

PubMed Central

Wu, Meng-Ruey; Hsiao, Chia-Ying; Cheng, Chun-Han; Liao, Feng-Ching; Chao, Chuan-Lei; Chen, Chun-Yen; Yeh, Hung-I

2018-01-01

Introduction Paraquat poisoning can result in dysfunction of multiple organs, and pulmonary fibrosis with respiratory failure is the major cause of mortality. For terminally ill patients, some life-prolonging treatments can be non-beneficial treatments (NBT). The objective of this study was to determine if intubation is a NBT for patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning. Methods The study included 68 patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning. Patients were hospitalized at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taitung Branch, Taiwan, between 2005 to April 2016. Composite outcomes of intra-hospital mortality, the rate of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, prescribed medications, length of stay, and medical costs were recorded and compared between the do-not-intubate (DNI) group and endotracheal intubation (EI) group. Results Intra-hospital mortality rate for the entire population was 100%. There were significantly more patients with DNR orders in the DNI group (P = 0.007). There were no differences in the length of hospital stay. However, patients in DNI group had significantly less vasopressor use and more morphine use, shorter time in the intensive care unit, and fewer medical costs. Conclusion The procedure of intubation in patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning can be considered inappropriate life-prolonging treatment. PMID:29590187

Inferior Vena Cava Oxygen Saturation during the First Three Postnatal Days in Preterm Newborns with and without Patent Ductus Arteriosus

PubMed Central

Yapakçı, Ece; Ecevit, Ayşe; İnce, Deniz Anuk; Gökdemir, Mahmut; Tekindal, M. Agah; Gülcan, Hande; Tarcan, Aylin

2014-01-01

Background: Inferior vena cava (IVC) oxygen saturation as an indicator of mixed venous oxygenation may be valuable for understanding postnatal adaptations in newborn infants. It is unknown how this parameter progresses in critically ill premature infants. Aims: To investigate IVC oxygen saturation during the first three days of life in preterm infants with and without patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: Twenty-seven preterm infants were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care. Preterm infants with umbilical venous catheterization were included in the study. Six umbilical venous blood gas values were obtained from each infant during the first 72 hours of life. Preterm infants in the study were divided into two groups. Haemodynamically significant PDA was diagnosed by echocardiography in 11 (41%) infants before the 72nd hour of life in the study group and ibuprofen treatment was started, whereas 16 (59%) infants who didn’t have haemodynamically significant PDA were included in the control group. Results: In the entire group, the highest value of mean IVC oxygen saturation was 79.9% at the first measurement and the lowest was 64.8% at the 72nd hour. Inferior vena cava oxygen saturations were significantly different between the study and control groups. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the first and 36th hour measurements made the difference (p=0.01). Conclusion: Inferior vena cava oxygen saturation was found to be significantly different between preterm infants with and without PDA. Further studies are needed to understand the effect of foetal shunts on venous oxygenation during postnatal adaptation in newborn infants. PMID:25337418

Factors associated with attrition from a randomized controlled trial of meaning-centered group psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer

PubMed Central

Applebaum, Allison J.; Lichtenthal, Wendy G.; Pessin, Hayley A.; Radomski, Julia N.; Gökbayrak, N. Simay; Katz, Aviva M.; Rosenfeld, Barry; Breitbart, William

2013-01-01

Objective The generalizability of palliative care intervention research is often limited by high rates of study attrition. This study examined factors associated with attrition from a randomized controlled trial comparing meaning-centered group psychotherapy (MCGP), an intervention designed to help advanced cancer patients sustain or enhance their sense of meaning to the supportive group psychotherapy (SGP), a standardized support group. Methods Patients with advanced solid tumor cancers (n = 153) were randomized to eight sessions of either the MCGP or SGP. They completed assessments of psychosocial, spiritual, and physical well-being pretreatment, midtreatment, and 2 months post-treatment. Attrition was assessed in terms of the percent of participants who failed to complete these assessments, and demographic, psychiatric, medical, and study-related correlates of attrition were examined for the participants in each of these categories. Results The rates of attrition at these time points were 28.1%, 17.7%, and 11.1%, respectively; 43.1% of the participants (66 of 153) completed the entire study. The most common reason for dropout was patients feeling too ill. Attrition rates did not vary significantly between study arms. The participants who dropped out pretreatment reported less financial concerns than post-treatment dropouts, and the participants who dropped out of the study midtreatment had poorer physical health than treatment completers. There were no other significant associations between attrition and any demographic, medical, psychiatric, or study-related variables. Conclusions These findings highlight the challenge of maintaining advanced cancer patients in longitudinal research and suggest the need to consider alternative approaches (e.g., telemedicine) for patients who might benefit from group interventions but are too ill to travel. PMID:21751295

Increased risk of pernicious anemia following scabies: a nationwide population-based matched-cohort study.

PubMed

Liu, Jui-Ming; Hsu, Ren-Jun; Chang, Fung-Wei; Chiu, Feng-Hsiang; Yeh, Chia-Lun; Huang, Chun-Fa; Chang, Shu-Ting; Lee, Hung-Chang; Chi, Hsin; Lin, Chien-Yu

2017-01-01

Scabies is a common and annoying disorder. Pernicious anemia (PA) is a serious disease which, when untreated, leads to death. Mounting evidence suggests that immune-mediated inflammatory processes play a role in the pathophysiology of both diseases. The relationship between these two diseases has not been investigated. We conducted this study to explore the potential relationship between scabies and PA. This nationwide, population-based study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. In total, 5,407 patients with scabies were identified as a study group and 20,089 matched patients were randomly selected as a control group. We tracked patients in both groups for a 7-year period to identify the incidence of PA. The demographic characteristics and comorbidities of the patients were analyzed, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the hazard ratios for PA. Of the 25,496 patients in this study, 183 (0.7%) patients with newly diagnosed PA were identified during the 7-year follow-up period; 71 of 5,407 (1.3%) from the scabies group and 112 of 20,089 (0.6%) from the control group. Patients with scabies had a higher risk of subsequent PA, with a crude hazard ratio of 2.368. After adjusting for covariates, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.51 (95% confidence interval: 1.09-2.08). This study demonstrated an increased risk of PA (adjusted hazard ratio 1.51) among patients with scabies. Immune-mediated inflammatory processes may contribute to this association. Further studies are warranted to investigate the entire pathological mechanisms between these two diseases. Physicians should pay attention to patients with history of scabies presented with anemia. Further confirmative tests of PA may contribute to correct diagnosis and initiation of vitamin B12 supplement.

Lifetime exposure to low doses of lead in rats: effect on selected parameters of carbohydrate metabolism.

PubMed

Nováková, Jaroslava; Lukačínová, Agnesa; Lovásová, Eva; Cimboláková, Iveta; Rácz, Oliver; Ništiar, František

2015-05-01

The aim of the study was to assess the effects of exposure to low doses of lead dissolved in drinking water (average daily dose of 2.2 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) on selected carbohydrate metabolism parameters in 20 wistar rats. Animals were divided into two groups - control (C) (group drinking clear water) and experimental group (Pb; group exposed to low doses of lead acetate in a concentration of 100 μmol l(-1) of drinking water). In this study, we studied the biochemical parameters (glucose, haemoglobin (Hb), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and amylase (AMS)) in rat blood. Glucose and Hb concentration and AMS activity decreased, LDH activity increased but HbA1c concentration levels did not change in rats exposed to lead. Our results well documented that lifetime exposure to lead affected carbohydrate metabolism of rats. Some parameters like concentration of Hb as well as activities of AMS and LDH are useful markers of intoxication of rats with lead. For the evaluation of results (e.g. AMS), not only the data at the end of the experiment should be taken into account but also the entire duration of trials (i.e. more time steps) that makes results more objective should be considered. © The Author(s) 2013.

Effect of tributyltin on the development of ovary in female cuvier (Sebastiscus marmoratus).

PubMed

Zhang, Jiliang; Zuo, Zhenghong; Chen, Yixin; Zhao, Yang; Hu, Shuai; Wang, Chonggang

2007-07-20

Organotin compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT) used as an antifouling biocide, can induce masculinization in female mollusks. However, few studies addressing the effect of TBT in fish have been reported. This study was conducted to investigate effects of TBT at environmental levels (1, 10, 100ng/L) on the development of ovary in female cuvier. TBT exposure elevated testosterone levels, increased the ratio of testosterone to 17beta-estradiol and decreased 17beta-estradiol levels in ovaries after 50 days compared to the control. Three stages of follicles (primary growth stage, yolk vesicle stage, vitellogenic stage) were observed in the ovaries of cuvier at the control and 1ng/L TBT group. The ovaries at the 10ng/L TBT group were characterized by the lack of vitellogenic stage follicles and instead had higher proportions of primary growth stage follicles. 100ng/L TBT resulted in follicles that were entirely at the earliest (primary growth stage) stages of development. There was a significant increase in apoptotic ovarian follicular cells judged by TUNEL-positive cell at the 10ng/L TBT group. The TUNEL-positive follicles were observed at the 100ng/L TBT group. The result in the present study showed that TBT at environmentally realistic concentrations can inhibit the ovarian development in fish. Besides the changes of sex hormone induced by TBT, apoptosis appears to be one mechanism affecting ovarian development.

[Bribes in health care and the patients' opinions].

PubMed

Masopust, V

1989-07-01

In May 1988 in the North Bohemian region an anonymous enquiry was made in which 3,767 respondents participated. The enquiry was focused among others on the problem of bribes in the health services. In the paper the author analyzes views of respondents why they give "small gifts" to health workers and why they assume that the patients get better treatment when they bribe. The reason for making "small gifts" or bribes is in 31.3% to manifest appreciation of treatment, in 27.7% an attempt to obtain better treatment and in 7.1% fear of receiving no treatment. People above 45 years, pensioners, employees of the services and chronic patients are more convinced of the positive motive of making "small gifts". Almost 10% of the entire group are convinced of the effect of bribes as a stimulant for provision of better care, 49% deny it and the remainder do not know. The most critically minded patient groups are those working in industry and respondents under 30 years. From the entire group 1.57% admitted making "small gifts", i.e. 59 of 3,767 respondents, the motive of almost half of them (42.3%) was appreciation of the care provided by the attending staff. An unequivocal bribe to obtain better care or fear that care will be refused was involved in 45.8% of the "bribing group". The views of patients who admitted "small gifts" as regards the health services are worse than the views of all respondents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical Outcomes among Diagnostic Subgroups of Infants with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia through 2 Years of Age.

PubMed

Akangire, Gangaram; Manimtim, Winston; Nyp, Michael F; Noel-MacDonnell, Janelle; Kays, Allyssa N; Truog, William E; Taylor, Jane B

2018-05-31

 This article aimed to identify readmission risk factors through 2 years of life for infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who do not require tracheostomy and ventilatory support after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. It also aimed to identify if clinical differences exist between the subcategories of severe BPD.  A retrospective chart review was performed on 182 infants with severe BPD born between 2010 and 2015. A total of 130 infants met the inclusion criteria and were stratified into three groups based on their respiratory status at 36 weeks of gestational age: group A-oxygen (O 2 ), group B-assisted ventilation (AV), group C-both O 2 and AV. NICU clinical risk factors for readmission were assessed at set time points (6/12/18/24 months). Reasons for readmission were assessed for the entire cohort and severe BPD subgroups.  An NICU diagnosis of neurologic abnormality, necrotizing enterocolitis, invasive NICU infection, dysphagia, and O 2 at NICU discharge differed between the three subgroups of severe BPD. The most common cause of readmission was viral respiratory tract infection. Inhaled steroid use remained stable over time, while oxygen use and diuretic use declined over time. Risk factors for readmission in the entire cohort included g-tube, O 2 use, and diuretic use at 12 months. There was no significant difference in readmission rates between the three BPD subgroups. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Synthesis, growth, structural, spectroscopic and optical studies of a new semiorganic nonlinear optical crystal: L-valine hydrochloride.

PubMed

Kirubavathi, K; Selvaraju, K; Valluvan, R; Vijayan, N; Kumararaman, S

2008-04-01

Single crystals of a new semiorganic nonlinear optical (NLO) material, L-valine hydrochloride (LVHCl), having dimensions up to 20 mm x 6 mm x 4 mm have been grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies confirm that the grown crystal belongs to the monoclinic system. The functional groups presented in the crystal were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. Optical transmission spectrum shows very low absorption in the entire visible region. Differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses confirmed that the crystal is stable up to 211 degrees C. The powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of LVHCl is 1.7 times efficient as potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP).

Unsupervised Outlier Profile Analysis

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Debashis; Li, Song

2014-01-01

In much of the analysis of high-throughput genomic data, “interesting” genes have been selected based on assessment of differential expression between two groups or generalizations thereof. Most of the literature focuses on changes in mean expression or the entire distribution. In this article, we explore the use of C(α) tests, which have been applied in other genomic data settings. Their use for the outlier expression problem, in particular with continuous data, is problematic but nevertheless motivates new statistics that give an unsupervised analog to previously developed outlier profile analysis approaches. Some simulation studies are used to evaluate the proposal. A bivariate extension is described that can accommodate data from two platforms on matched samples. The proposed methods are applied to data from a prostate cancer study. PMID:25452686

Circumferential Esophageal Replacement by a Tissue-engineered Substitute Using Mesenchymal Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Catry, Jonathan; Luong-Nguyen, Minh; Arakelian, Lousineh; Poghosyan, Tigran; Bruneval, Patrick; Domet, Thomas; Michaud, Laurent; Sfeir, Rony; Gottrand, Frederic; Larghero, Jerome; Vanneaux, Valerie

2018-01-01

Tissue engineering appears promising as an alternative technique for esophageal replacement. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be of interest for esophageal regeneration. Evaluation of the ability of an acellular matrix seeded with autologous MSCs to promote tissue remodeling toward an esophageal phenotype after circumferential replacement of the esophagus in a mini pig model. A 3 cm long circumferential replacement of the abdominal esophagus was performed with an MSC-seeded matrix (MSC group, n = 10) versus a matrix alone (control group, n = 10), which has previously been matured into the great omentum. The graft area was covered with an esophageal removable stent. A comparative histological analysis of the graft area after animals were euthanized sequentially is the primary outcome of the study. Histological findings after maturation, overall animal survival, and postoperative morbidity were also compared between groups. At postoperative day 45 (POD 45), a mature squamous epithelium covering the entire surface of the graft area was observed in all the MSC group specimens but in none of the control group before POD 95. Starting at POD 45, desmin positive cells were seen in the graft area in the MSC group but never in the control group. There were no differences between groups in the incidence of surgical complications and postoperative death. In this model, MSCs accelerate the mature re-epitheliazation and early initiation of muscle cell colonization. Further studies will focus on the use of cell tracking tools in order to analyze the becoming of these cells and the mechanisms involved in this tissue regeneration. PMID:29390879

Influence of a highly purified senna extract on colonic epithelium.

PubMed

van Gorkom, B A; Karrenbeld, A; van Der Sluis, T; Koudstaal, J; de Vries, E G; Kleibeuker, J H

2000-01-01

Chronic use of sennoside laxatives often causes pseudomelanosis coli. A recent study suggested that pseudomelanosis coli is associated with an increased colorectal cancer risk. A single high dose of highly purified senna extract increased proliferation rate and reduced crypt length in the sigmoid colon compared to historical controls. To evaluate in a controlled study the effects of highly purified senna extract on cell proliferation and crypt length in the entire colon and on p53 and bcl-2 expression. Addition of a senna extract to colonic lavage was studied in 184 consecutive outpatients. From 32 randomised patients, 15 with sennosides (Sen), 17 without (NSen), biopsies were taken. Proliferative activity was studied in 4 areas of the colon, using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labelling and immunohistochemistry (labelling index, LI). Expression of p53 and bcl-2 in the sigmoid colon was determined immunohistochemically. Crypts were shorter in Sen than in NSen in the transverse and sigmoid colon. LI was higher in Sen than in NSen in the entire colon. No difference in p53 expression was seen. Bcl-2 expression was higher in both groups when crypts were shorter and/or proliferation was increased. Sennosides induce acute massive cell loss probably by apoptosis, causing shorter crypts, and increased cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis to restore cellularity. These effects may reflect the mechanism for the suggested cancer-promoting effect of chronic sennoside use. Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel

The Chilling Effect: How Do Researchers React to Controversy?

PubMed Central

Kempner, Joanna

2008-01-01

Background Can political controversy have a “chilling effect” on the production of new science? This is a timely concern, given how often American politicians are accused of undermining science for political purposes. Yet little is known about how scientists react to these kinds of controversies. Methods and Findings Drawing on interview (n = 30) and survey data (n = 82), this study examines the reactions of scientists whose National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded grants were implicated in a highly publicized political controversy. Critics charged that these grants were “a waste of taxpayer money.” The NIH defended each grant and no funding was rescinded. Nevertheless, this study finds that many of the scientists whose grants were criticized now engage in self-censorship. About half of the sample said that they now remove potentially controversial words from their grant and a quarter reported eliminating entire topics from their research agendas. Four researchers reportedly chose to move into more secure positions entirely, either outside academia or in jobs that guaranteed salaries. About 10% of the group reported that this controversy strengthened their commitment to complete their research and disseminate it widely. Conclusions These findings provide evidence that political controversies can shape what scientists choose to study. Debates about the politics of science usually focus on the direct suppression, distortion, and manipulation of scientific results. This study suggests that scholars must also examine how scientists may self-censor in response to political events. PMID:19018657

Perceived social stress and symptom severity among help-seeking adolescents with versus without clinical high-risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Millman, Zachary B; Pitts, Steven C; Thompson, Elizabeth; Kline, Emily R; Demro, Caroline; Weintraub, Marc J; DeVylder, Jordan E; Mittal, Vijay A; Reeves, Gloria M; Schiffman, Jason

2018-02-01

Research suggests that social stress exposure influences illness presentation and course among youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, though less is known about the extent to which self-reported perceptions of social stress relate to the severity of positive symptoms. Importantly, despite the notion that youth at CHR are especially susceptible to elevations in positive symptoms under conditions of stress, no study has examined this presumption relative to other psychiatric groups. Extending previous work demonstrating that perceived social stress was higher in a CHR group than in a clinical group of non-CHR, help-seeking controls, the current study aimed to: (1) examine whether perceived social stress is related to the severity of attenuated positive symptoms in the full sample (N=110); and (2) determine whether CHR status moderates the stress-symptom relation. Exploratory analyses examined relations of perceived social stress to negative, disorganized, and general symptoms. Greater perceptions of social stress were associated with more severe positive symptoms in the entire sample; however, although positive symptoms and perceived social stress were higher in the CHR group, the strength of this relation was statistically indistinguishable across groups. No differential effect of perceived social stress was observed for any symptom domain. Results provide some support for the diathesis-stress model of psychosis, while also suggesting that social stress and symptomatology are related independent of clinical vulnerability to psychosis. Future research would benefit from longitudinal studies of stress-symptom relations across CHR and help-seeking control groups. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hemorheological changes and characteristic parameters derived from whole blood viscometry in chronic heroin addicts.

PubMed

Antonova, N; Zvetkova, E; Ivanov, I; Savov, Y

2008-01-01

A group of 15 chronic opioid addicts (DA) with mean age 26.5+/-7.3 years was studied by means of a rotational Contraves Low Shear 30 viscometer and the results have been compared with a control group of 19 healthy subjects. It was found that the mean whole blood viscosity values of the investigated group of heroin abusers (n=15) were elevated compared to that of healthy persons (n=19) over the whole shear rate range and fell by more than ten orders of magnitude (Savov et al., 2006). The present investigation uses the coefficients of the models of Ostwald-de-Walle (power law) and Herschel-Bulkley law, which describe whole blood flow curves (tau-gamma) within the shear rates range from 10(-2) to 10(2) s(-1) and itself incorporate whole blood viscosity data in the entire shear rate range. A significant difference in the mean yield shear stress tau(0) values of the drug abusers' group compared to the controls was found. A strong positive linear correlation was determined between the parameters of RBC aggregation in the group of heroin addicts confirming our previous results (Ivanov and Antonova, 2005; Savov, Zvetkova et al., 2007; Savov, Antonova et al., 2007) for intensive RBC and platelet aggregation and morphological changes in DA group.

The effects of group health education on childbearing knowledge, attitude, and behaviour among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Hsiu-Hung; Lin, Miao-Ling; Yang, Yung-Mei; Tsai, Hsiu-Min; Huang, Joh-Jong

2012-12-01

to explore the effects of a group health education programme on the childbearing knowledge, attitude, and behaviours among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan. a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling was used. participants living in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, were randomly divided by districts into either the experimental group or the control group. one hundred Southeast Asian immigrant women were recruited as research participants. Among the 100 participants, 50 were in the experimental group and 50 were in the control group. A total of 99 participants completed the entire research procedure. a structured interview was used to evaluate the effects of a group health education programme. the interview consisted of four measurements: the Demographic Inventory Scale, the Childbearing Knowledge Scale, the Childbearing Attitude Scale, and the Childbearing Planning Scale. after employing the group health education intervention, statistically significant changes from the pre-test to the post-test were found in the experimental group's scores for the Childbearing Knowledge Scale (P<0.0001), the Childbearing Attitude Scale (P<0.01), and the Childbearing Planning Scale (P<0.0001). The study's results indicated that providing education through group learning with guidance and support in childbearing health significantly improved Southeast Asian immigrant women's childbearing health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. an appropriate, community-based group health education programme can create awareness for childbearing health among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan and improve their childbearing attitudes and behaviours. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TRANSFORMATION FACTORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND ACTION IN IIDA CITY RESIDENTS - ATTEITION TO ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Nobuo; Higuchi, Kazukiyo; Tokai, Akihiro

Iida City in Nagano Prefecture is a town with an advanced environmental strategy including citizenry participation in the town's environment plan, a network of EMS (Environmental Management system) businesses, and a citizens' solar power system. In this study, a questionnaire of Iida residents was carried out to determine their environmental consciousness, and the effect on their actions. It also examined the influence of current environmental measures on the residents, and the relation between the level of social capital and residents' environmental considerations. The results indicate that the environmental consideration level of the senior citizen group is higher than that of the entire Japan in Iida City, and environmental measures has improved the residents' environmental consciousness. And it is thought the environmental consideration level of the senior citizen group is related to the level of social capital.

Improving a workstation in an existing cab by means of a participatory approach: the case of subway operators' workstations.

PubMed

Bellemare, Marie; Beaugrand, Sylvie; Larue, Christian; Champoux, Danièle

2009-01-01

A study was conducted to identify possible solutions for redesigning a subway cab in order to improve the posture of drivers working in a restricted space. The approach used included the participation of a working group comprised of operations, maintenance, and engineering managers as well as several drivers. After 6 meetings in which different simulation techniques were used, the working group proposed changes for increasing the available space inside the cab and three seat designs. The involvement of the actors from the three departments affected by the changes, as well as the operators, throughout the process, was a determining factor in the advancement and acceptance of the projects. The fact that 400 cars are currently in service and must be modified means that it will take several years to implement the modifications in the entire fleet.

Using the Circumplex Model of Affect to Study Valence and Arousal Ratings of Emotional Faces by Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Bansal, Ravi; Liu, Jun; Gerber, Andrew J.; Goh, Suzanne; Posner, Jonathan; Colibazzi, Tiziano; Algermissen, Molly; Chiang, I-Chin; Russell, James A.; Peterson, Bradley S.

2015-01-01

The Affective Circumplex Model holds that emotions can be described as linear combinations of two underlying, independent neurophysiological systems (arousal, valence). Given research suggesting individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulty processing emotions, we used the circumplex model to compare how individuals with ASD and typically-developing (TD) individuals respond to facial emotions. Participants (51 ASD, 80 TD) rated facial expressions along arousal and valence dimensions; we fitted closed, smooth, 2-dimensional curves to their ratings to examine overall circumplex contours. We modeled individual and group influences on parameters describing curve contours to identify differences in dimensional effects across groups. Significant main effects of diagnosis indicated the ASD-group’ s ratings were constricted for the entire circumplex, suggesting range constriction across all emotions. Findings did not change when covarying for overall intelligence. PMID:24234677

Substrate Effects for Atomic Chain Electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamada, Toshishige; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

A substrate for future atomic chain electronics, where adatoms are placed at designated positions and form atomically precise device components, is studied theoretically. The substrate has to serve as a two-dimensional template for adatom mounting with a reasonable confinement barrier and also provide electronic isolation, preventing unwanted coupling between independent adatom structures. For excellent structural stability, we demand chemical bonding between the adatoms and substrate atoms, but then good electronic isolation may not be guaranteed. Conditions are clarified for good isolation. Because of the chemical bonding, fundamental adatom properties are strongly influenced: a chain with group IV adatoms having two chemical bonds, or a chain with group III adatoms having one chemical bond is semiconducting. Charge transfer from or to the substrate atoms brings about unintentional doping, and the electronic properties have to be considered for the entire combination of the adatom and substrate systems even if the adatom modes are well localized at the surface.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Care Utilization among U.S. College Students: Applying the Institution of Medicine Definition of Health Care Disparities.

PubMed

Hunt, Justin B; Eisenberg, Daniel; Lu, Liya; Gathright, Molly

2015-10-01

The authors apply the Institute of Medicine's definition of health care disparities to college students. The analysis pools data from the first two waves of the Healthy Minds Study, a multicampus survey of students' mental health (N = 13,028). A probit model was used for any past-year service utilization, and group differences in health status were adjusted by transforming the entire distribution for each minority population to approximate the white distribution. Disparities existed between whites and all minority groups. Compared to other approaches, the predicted service disparities were greater because this method included the effects of mediating SES variables. Health care disparities persist in the college setting despite improved access and nearly universal insurance coverage. Our findings emphasize the importance of investigating potential sources of disparities beyond geography and coverage.

Reagan: Maintain Antarctic program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, Barbara T.

President Ronald Reagan has decided that the United States should maintain an ‘active and influential presence’ in Antarctica to support the nation's interests. Following a review of a study by the Antarctica Policy Group, Reagan issued a memorandum, dated February 5, to the heads of 14 government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Office of Management and Budget.The U.S. presence in Antarctica ‘shall include the conduct of scientific activities in major disciplines; year-round occupation of the South Pole and two coastal stations; and availability of related necessary logistics support,’ wrote the President. In addition, NSF should continue to budget for the entire U.S. program in Antarctica. Short-term programs by other agencies require the recommendation of the Antarctica Policy Group and should be coordinated within the framework of NSF logistics support.

First complete chromosomal organization of a protozoan plant parasite (Phytomonas spp.).

PubMed

Marín, Clotilde; Alberge, Blandine; Dollet, Michel; Pagès, Michel; Bastien, Patrick

2008-01-01

Phytomonas spp. are members of the family Trypanosomatidae that parasitize plants and may cause lethal diseases in crops such as Coffee Phloem necrosis, Hartrot in coconut, and Marchitez sorpresiva in oil palm. In this study, the molecular karyotype of 6 isolates from latex plants has been entirely elucidated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and DNA hybridization. Twenty-one chromosomal linkage groups constituting heterologous chromosomes and sizing between 0.3 and 3 Mb could be physically defined by the use of 75 DNA markers (sequence-tagged sites and genes). From these data, the genome size can be estimated at 25.5 (+/-2) Mb. The physical linkage groups were consistently conserved in all strains examined. Moreover, the finding of several pairs of different-sized homologous chromosomes strongly suggest diploidy for this organism. The definition of the complete molecular karyotype of Phytomonas represents an essential primary step toward sequencing the genome of this parasite of economical importance.

Charge reversal at a planar boundary between two dielectrics.

PubMed

Wang, Zhi-Yong

2016-01-01

Despite the ubiquitous character and relevance of the electric double layer in the entire realm of interface and colloid science, very little is known of the effect that surface heterogeneity exerts on the underlying mechanisms of ion adsorption. Herein, computer simulations offer a perspective that, in sharp contrast to the homogeneously charged surface, discrete groups promote multivalent counterion binding, leading to charge reversal but possibly having not a sign change of the electrophoretic mobility. Counterintuitively, the introduction of dielectric images yields a significantly greater accumulation of counterions, which further facilitates the magnitude of charge reversal. The reported results are very sensitive to both the degree of ion hydration and the representation of surface charges. Our findings shed light on the mechanism for charge reversal over a broad range of coupling regimes operating the adsorption of counterions through surface group bridging attraction with their own images and provide opportunities for experimental studies and theoretical development.

Charge reversal at a planar boundary between two dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhi-Yong

2016-01-01

Despite the ubiquitous character and relevance of the electric double layer in the entire realm of interface and colloid science, very little is known of the effect that surface heterogeneity exerts on the underlying mechanisms of ion adsorption. Herein, computer simulations offer a perspective that, in sharp contrast to the homogeneously charged surface, discrete groups promote multivalent counterion binding, leading to charge reversal but possibly having not a sign change of the electrophoretic mobility. Counterintuitively, the introduction of dielectric images yields a significantly greater accumulation of counterions, which further facilitates the magnitude of charge reversal. The reported results are very sensitive to both the degree of ion hydration and the representation of surface charges. Our findings shed light on the mechanism for charge reversal over a broad range of coupling regimes operating the adsorption of counterions through surface group bridging attraction with their own images and provide opportunities for experimental studies and theoretical development.

Creatine phosphokinase levels in children with severe developmental disturbances.

PubMed

Cohen, D J; Johnson, W; Caparulo, B K; Young, J G

1976-06-01

Serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were studied in individuals: 40 psychotic children suffering from childhood autism, atypical personality development, and childhood schizophrenia; five children with childhood aphasia; 22 children with severe personality disorders; 29 normal children and normal siblings of psychotic children; and 14 normal parents of psychotic children. Creatine phosphokinase levels from the entire population of adults and children were normally disturbed, and the mean CPK levels for the eight diagnostic groups were within normal limits. Those 22 children with personality disorders had significantly higher CPK levels than the other diagnostic groups. This relatively higher level of CPK may be related to vulnerability to later development of schizophrenic spectrum disorders. There was no apparent relationship between CPK levels and motor activity, nor was there any change in the level of CPK during a trial of psychoactive medication. Creatine phosphokinase levels remained relatively stable on test-retest determination.

Do placebo effects associated with sham osteopathic procedure occur in newborns? Results of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Martelli, Marta; Cardinali, Lucia; Barlafante, Gina; Pizzolorusso, Gianfranco; Renzetti, Cinzia; Cerritelli, Francesco

2014-04-01

Placebo effect has been largely studied and debated in medicine. Research focused mainly on children and adults but not on newborns. In osteopathy, few studies documented this effect and no research has been conducted in newborns. To assess the presence of placebo effect in newborns using sham osteopathic manipulative treatment. Randomized control trial. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Italy. Two groups (103 patients each) of preterm infants aged 29-36 weeks without medical complications received routine pediatric care and osteopathic sham therapy was administrated to the study group only for the entire period of hospitalization. Primary end point was the mean reduction of length of stay at discharge. Secondary objective was the change in daily weight gain. 206 newborns entered the study. No difference between sham and control group was found for the primary outcome length of stay (30.0±20.3; 28.8±18.9; p=0.70). Multivariate analysis showed no difference between study and control group on length of stay. A negative association was found for gestational age (-2.33; 95% CI -3.81 to -0.85; p=0.002), birth weight (-0.01; 95% CI -0.02 to -0.01; p<0.001) and milk volume at study enrollment (-0.02; 95% CI -0.05 to -0.01; p=0.01). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in the field showing no placebo effect on newborns. Further discussions are opened concerning the age when placebo effect starts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and NLO studies of novel (2E)-1-(2-bromo-4,5-dimethoxyphenyL)-3-(3-Bromo-4-Fluorophenyl)Prop-2-en-1-one single crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shruthi, C.; Ravindrachary, V.; Prasad, D. Jagadeesh; Guruswamy, B.; Hegde, Shreedatta

2017-05-01

A novel organic nonlinear optical (NLO) material (2E)-1-(2-Bromo-4,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(3-Bromo-4-Fluorophenyl)Prop-2-en-1-one has been synthesized using Claisen-Schmidth condensation method. The chemical structure of the compound was confirmed by recording its FT-IR spectrum and the functional groups were identified. Single crystals were grown by slow evaporation method and the single crystal XRD study reveals that the compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with a space group -P 2yn. The observed cell parameters are a = 9.346(5) A°, b = 12.953(7) A°, c = 14.355(8) A°, α = 90°, β = 108.379°(9), γ = 90°. UV-Visible study shows that the compound is transparent in the entire visible region and the absorption takes place in the UV range. The Non linear optical efficiency of the crystal was estimated and it is found to be 0.5 times that of standard KDP crystal.