Association Between Childhood to Adolescent Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptom Trajectories and Late Adolescent Disordered Eating.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Zeynep; Javaras, Kristin N; Baker, Jessica H; Thornton, Laura M; Lichtenstein, Paul; Bulik, Cynthia M; Larsson, Henrik

2017-08-01

Disordered eating is more prevalent among adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms show strong associations with disordered eating, but few investigations of these associations have been longitudinal. Thus, we examined the effect of childhood to adolescent inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom trajectories on late adolescent disordered eating. We used growth mixture modeling to identify distinct inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom trajectories (called "classes") across three time points (ages 8-9, 13-14, and 16-17 years) in the Swedish Twin study of CHild and Adolescent Development. The resulting classes were used to predict Eating Disorder Inventory-2 Bulimia, Drive for Thinness, and Body Dissatisfaction subscales at age 16-17 years, with adjustment for sex and body mass index at age 16-17 years. The combined inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom trajectory classes included: a "low symptom" class characterized by low inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity throughout childhood/adolescence; a "predominantly inattention" class characterized by elevated inattention, but not hyperactivity/impulsivity, throughout childhood/adolescence; a "predominantly hyp/imp" class characterized by elevated hyperactivity/impulsivity, but not inattention, throughout childhood/adolescence; and a "both inattention and hyp/imp" class characterized by elevated inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity throughout childhood/adolescence. After adjusting for sex and body mass index or sex and anxiety/depression symptoms, the "both inattention and hyp/imp" (vs. "low symptom") class predicted significantly higher Eating Disorder Inventory-2 subscale scores during late adolescence. Increased vigilance for disordered eating among children who have both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms throughout childhood and adolescence could aid in early identification of eating disorders. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New Challenges Facing Small Undergraduate Departments And The Role Of Faculty And Administrators.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Shazly, A. K.

2003-12-01

Small geoscience departments with 5 faculty members or less in undergraduate institutions are facing serious challenges that will have a profound impact on their future, as well as the future of geoscience education. In addition to past and future budget cuts that affect all departments, small departments are more vulnerable to such problems as (i) decreased enrollments in introductory level classes, (ii) small number of geology majors, (iii) small number of graduates per year (iv) lack or paucity of equipment necessary for faculty and student research, (v) limited opportunities for external funding, (vi) need to offer upper division classes on an alternate year basis, (vii) difficulty in recruiting and retaining students, (viii) high teaching loads for faculty, and (ix) designing rigorous curricula based on 120 credit hours with a significant component of liberal art classes. These problems pose new challenges for faculty, department chairs and administrators. Faculty need to design curricula tailored to the need of the job market, without compromising rigor or the quality of the program. New classes/ concentrations in environmental science, hydrogeology and geographical information systems should be offered, and traditional classes in petrology, geophysics and tectonics should be maintained. Classes in Physics, Chemistry and Math should be core requirements. Student involvement in research should be encouraged at an early stage (sophomore/ junior levels). Department chairs need to assign duties in their department carefully to capitalize on the strengths of their faculty: faculty with strong research backgrounds should be helped in their efforts to pursue external funding opportunities, whereas those with strong teaching abilities should be evaluated primarily on their performance in the classroom. Student credit hour production should not be used as a criterion for evaluating faculty. Administrators should evaluate programs and departments based on the success of their graduates in the workplace/ graduate school, not their numbers, and the quality of faculty research and its impact on attracting new majors and acquisition of funds.

Spawning Cisco investigations in Canada waters of Lake Superior during 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yule, Daniel L.; Evrard, Lori M.; Cholwek, Gary A.; Addison, Peter A.; Cullis, Ken I.

2008-01-01

Cisco Coregonus artedi form pre-spawning aggregations in Lake Superior during November with the bulk of spawning occurring during late November through early December (Dryer and Beil 1964). Eggs are broadcast into open water (Smith 1956) with fertilized eggs settling to the lakebed (Dryer and Beil 1964). Peak hatching occurs the following May (United States Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center, GLSC, unpublished data). Interannual variability in year class strength is high, but tends to be synchronous across different regions of Lake Superior (Bronte et al. 2003). November 2005 sampling of Thunder Bay showed 14 year-classes were present with the oldest fish being from the 1984 year-class (Yule et al. 2008). The ciscoes sampled were predominantly from five year classes that hatched during 1988, 1989, 1990, 1998, and 2003. These same strong year-classes were found in the western arm of Lake Superior during November 2006 (GLSC, unpublished data). Growth is rapid in the first few years of life with minimal growth after age-8 (Yule et al. 2008). Ciscoes exceeding 250 mm total length (TL) are typically sexually mature (Yule et al. 2006b, 2008). Thunder Bay ciscoes have high annual survival with rates for females and males averaging 0.80 and 0.75, respectively; females have higher rates of fishing-induced mortality compared to males but lower rates of natural mortality (Yule et al. 2008). Some Lake Superior stocks are currently commercially fished with the bulk of harvest occurring during November when fishers target females for their roe. The bulk of fish are harvested from Thunder Bay using suspended gillnets with mesh sizes ranging from 79-89 mm stretch measure. Ciscoes younger then age-5 make up a very small proportion (<0.1%) of the harvest (Yule, et al. 2008).

Lifetime socioeconomic position and mortality: prospective observational study.

PubMed Central

Smith, G. D.; Hart, C.; Blane, D.; Gillis, C.; Hawthorne, V.

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of socioeconomic position over a lifetime on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, on morbidity, and on mortality from various causes. DESIGN: Prospective observational study with 21 years of follow up. Social class was determined as manual or non-manual at three stages of participants' lives: from the social class of their father's job, the social class of their first job, and the social class of their job at the time of screening. A cumulative social class indicator was constructed, ranging from non-manual social class at all three stages of life to manual social class at all three stages. SETTING: 27 workplaces in the west of Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 5766 men aged 35-64 at the time of examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and level of risk factors for cardiovascular disease; morbidity; and mortality from broad causes of death. RESULTS: From non-manual social class locations at all three life stages to manual at all stages there were strong positive trends for blood pressure, body mass index, current cigarette smoking, angina, and bronchitis. Inverse trends were seen for height, cholesterol concentration, lung function, and being an ex-smoker. 1580 men died during follow up. Age adjusted relative death rates in comparison with the men of non-manual social class locations at all three stages of life were 1.29 (95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.56) in men of two non-manual and one manual social class; 1.45 (1.21 to 1.73) in men of two manual and one non-manual social class; and 1.71 (1.46 to 2.01) in men of manual social class at all three stages. Mortality from cardiovascular disease showed a similar graded association with cumulative social class. Mortality from cancer was mainly raised among men of manual social class at all three stages. Adjustment for a wide range of risk factors caused little attenuation in the association of cumulative social class with mortality from all causes and from cardiovascular disease; greater attenuation was seen in the association with mortality from non-cardiovascular, non-cancer disease. Fathers having a manual [corrected] occupation was strongly associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease: relative rate 1.41 (1.15 to 1.72). Participants' social class at the time of screening was more strongly associated than the other social class indicators with mortality from cancer and from non-cardiovascular, non-cancer causes. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic factors acting over the lifetime affect health and risk of premature death. The relative importance of influences at different stages varies for the cause of death. Studies with data on socioeconomic circumstances at only one stage of life are inadequate for fully elucidating the contribution of socioeconomic factors to health and mortality risk. PMID:9055712

"Why Fly That Way?" Linking Community and Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greely, Kathy

This book tells the story of a year in one middle school teacher's class full of lively young adolescents, highlighting exemplary ways of learning and types of schooling. This alternative model of education shows how a strong, supportive community is essential in helping students reach their highest potential. The book includes: specific projects…

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... undertake successfully the study of medicine. (1) Academic requirements. Recognizing that Service medicine... gaining admission to the School, but a strong foundation in the sciences basic to the study of medicine is...

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... undertake successfully the study of medicine. (1) Academic requirements. Recognizing that Service medicine... gaining admission to the School, but a strong foundation in the sciences basic to the study of medicine is...

Cutting Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schechtman, Helaine

2011-01-01

During her thirty-five years of teaching, the author has found that starting an introductory course with lessons that almost always guarantee success creates a strong foundation on which the course can be structured. It builds confidence and repairs the damage that may have been done to students who are timid or afraid of failing in their creative…

Is All-State Guitar in Your State's Future?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Glen

2013-01-01

The growth of guitar education in schools has been dramatic. From regional, specialized, and isolated programs just a few years ago to a broad-based movement with strong support from administrators, parents, and students, guitar classes are taught today all over North America. Colleges now offer guitar education. A dramatic indicator of guitar's…

Taiwan's Responses to Globalisation: Internationalisation and Questing for World Class Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Mei-Mei; Tai, Hsiou-Hsia

2007-01-01

In recent years, Taiwan has demonstrated strong policy change to counteract the potential threats brought upon by globalisation such as the opening of the higher education market to a foreign trade partner and increasing competition from neighbouring countries. In light of these challenges, the Taiwanese government launched a series of…

A Review of Balloon Concepts for Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, R. D.

Concepts for lighter-than-air exploration of Titan are reviewed. Logical vehicle designs with existing power sources (primary batteries, or 100 We-class radioisotope power supplies) are strongly bifurcated into small (few kg) vehicles with lifetimes of only a few hours/days, or larger (100 kg+) vehicles with lifetime of months to years. A wide range of the latter class of vehicle exists, including buoyant-gas and hot-air (Montgolfière) concepts, with and without altitude control or propulsion. An attractive intermediate (10s of kg, but long-lived) class of buoyant gas balloon would be enabled by small (0.5-10 We) radioisotope power supplies, not presently available in the USA. The marginal feasibility of high altitude solar-powered balloons is discussed.

Nutritional ecology of wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in a peat swamp habitat: Effects of age, sex, and season.

PubMed

Vogel, Erin R; Alavi, Shauhin E; Utami-Atmoko, Sri Suci; van Noordwijk, Maria A; Bransford, Timothy D; Erb, Wendy M; Zulfa, Astri; Sulistyo, Fransiska; Farida, Wartika Rosa; Rothman, Jessica M

2017-04-01

The spatial and temporal variation in food abundance has strong effects on wildlife feeding and nutrition. This variation is exemplified by the peatland forests of Central Kalimantan, which are characterized by unpredictable fruiting fluctuations, relatively low levels of fruit availability, and low fruit periods (<3% of trees fruiting) that can last nearly a year. Challenged by these environments, large, arboreal frugivores like orangutans must periodically rely on non-preferred, lower-quality foods to meet their nutritional needs. We examined variation in nutrient intake among age-sex classes and seasons over a 7-year period at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Central Kalimantan. We conducted 2,316 full-day focal follows on 62 habituated orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii). We found differences in total energy and macronutrient intake across age-sex classes, controlling for metabolic body mass. Intake of both total energy and macronutrients varied with fruit availability, and preference of dietary items increased with their nutritional quality. Foraging-related variables, such as day journey length, travel time, and feeding time, also varied among age-sex classes and with fruit availability. Our results add to the growing body of literature suggesting that great variation in foraging strategies exists among species, populations, and age-sex classes and in response to periods of resource scarcity. The spatial and temporal variation in food abundance has strong effects on wildlife feeding and nutrition. Here we present the first long term study of the effects of variation in fruit availability and age/sex class on nutritional ecology of wild Bornean orangutans. We examined variation in nutrient intake of wild orangutans in living in a peat swamp habitat over a 7-year period at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Central Kalimantan. We conducted 2,316 full-day focal follows on 62 habituated orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii). We found differences in total energy and macronutrient intake across age-sex classes, controlling for metabolic body mass. Intake of both total energy and macronutrients varied with fruit availability, and preference of dietary items increased with their nutritional quality. Foraging-related variables, such as day journey length, travel time, and feeding time, also varied among age-sex classes and with fruit availability. Our results add to the growing body of literature suggesting that great variation in foraging strategies exists among species, populations, and age-sex classes and in response to periods of resource scarcity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Year-class formation of upper St. Lawrence River northern pike

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, B.M.; Farrell, J.M.; Underwood, H.B.; Smith, S.J.

2007-01-01

Variables associated with year-class formation in upper St. Lawrence River northern pike Esox lucius were examined to explore population trends. A partial least-squares (PLS) regression model (PLS 1) was used to relate a year-class strength index (YCSI; 1974-1997) to explanatory variables associated with spawning and nursery areas (seasonal water level and temperature and their variability, number of ice days, and last day of ice presence). A second model (PLS 2) incorporated four additional ecological variables: potential predators (abundance of double-crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus and yellow perch Perca flavescens), female northern pike biomass (as a measure of stock-recruitment effects), and total phosphorus (productivity). Trends in adult northern pike catch revealed a decline (1981-2005), and year-class strength was positively related to catch per unit effort (CPUE; R2 = 0.58). The YCSI exceeded the 23-year mean in only 2 of the last 10 years. Cyclic patterns in the YCSI time series (along with strong year-classes every 4-6 years) were apparent, as was a dampening effect of amplitude beginning around 1990. The PLS 1 model explained over 50% of variation in both explanatory variables and the dependent variable, YCSI first-order moving-average residuals. Variables retained (N = 10; Wold's statistic ??? 0.8) included negative YCSI associations with high summer water levels, high variability in spring and fall water levels, and variability in fall water temperature. The YCSI exhibited positive associations with high spring, summer, and fall water temperature, variability in spring temperature, and high winter and spring water level. The PLS 2 model led to positive YCSI associations with phosphorus and yellow perch CPUE and a negative correlation with double-crested cormorant abundance. Environmental variables (water level and temperature) are hypothesized to regulate northern pike YCSI cycles, and dampening in YCSI magnitude may be related to a combination of factors, including wetland habitat changes, reduced nutrient loading, and increased predation by double-crested cormorants. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

First Magnetic Field Detection on a Class I Protostar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; Greene, Thomas P.; Doppmann, Greg W.; Covey, Kevin R.

2009-08-01

Strong stellar magnetic fields are believed to truncate the inner accretion disks around young stars, redirecting the accreting material to the high latitude regions of the stellar surface. In the past few years, observations of strong stellar fields on T Tauri stars with field strengths in general agreement with the predictions of magnetospheric accretion theory have bolstered this picture. Currently, nothing is known about the magnetic field properties of younger, more embedded Class I young stellar objects. It is believed that protostars accrete much of their final mass during the Class I phase, but the physics governing this process remains poorly understood. Here, we use high-resolution near-infrared spectra obtained with NIRSPEC on Keck and with Phoenix on Gemini South to measure the magnetic field properties of the Class I protostar WL 17. We find clear signatures of a strong stellar magnetic field. Analysis of this data suggests a surface average field strength of 2.9 ± 0.43 kG on WL 17. We present our field measurements and discuss how they fit with the general model of magnetospheric accretion in young stars. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (Brazil), and SECYT (Argentina). The Phoenix data were obtained under the program: GS-2006A-C-12.

New Assessment Process in an Introductory Undergraduate Physics Laboratory: An Exploration on Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Anthony C. K.; Hashemi Pour, Banafsheh; Reynolds, Dan; Jerzak, Stanislaw

2017-01-01

A new team learning assessment process was designed and tested in a first-year university physics laboratory class. The assessment process was designed to provide a strong incentive for students to cooperate and feel responsible for each other's learning and fostering a sense of collaboration rather than competition. Specifically, the new…

3 CFR 9061 - Proclamation 9061 of November 22, 2013. National Family Week, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Proclamation Whether united by blood or bonds of kinship—whether led by a mother and father, same-sex couple... together, and to instill in their children the character that keeps our Nation strong. As we honor America... a world-class education for every child. Earlier this year, I signed the American Taxpayer Relief...

Redo surgery risk in patients with cardiac prosthetic valve dysfunction

PubMed Central

Maciejewski, Marek; Piestrzeniewicz, Katarzyna; Bielecka-Dąbrowa, Agata; Piechowiak, Monika; Jaszewski, Ryszard

2011-01-01

Introduction The aim of the study was to analyse the risk factors of early and late mortality in patients undergoing the first reoperation for prosthetic valve dysfunction. Material and methods A retrospective observational study was performed in 194 consecutive patients (M = 75, F = 119; mean age 53.2 ±11 years) with a mechanical prosthetic valve (n = 103 cases; 53%) or bioprosthesis (91; 47%). Univariate and multivariate Cox statistical analysis was performed to determine risk factors of early and late mortality. Results The overall early mortality was 18.6%: 31.4% in patients with symptoms of NYHA functional class III-IV and 3.4% in pts in NYHA class I-II. Multivariate analysis identified symptoms of NYHA class III-IV and endocarditis as independent predictors of early mortality. The overall late mortality (> 30 days) was 8.2% (0.62% year/patient). Multivariate analysis identified age at the time of reoperation as a strong independent predictor of late mortality. Conclusions Reoperation in patients with prosthetic valves, performed urgently, especially in patients with symptoms of NYHA class III-IV or in the case of endocarditis, bears a high mortality rate. Risk of planned reoperation, mostly in patients with symptoms of NYHA class I-II, does not differ from the risk of the first operation. PMID:22291767

Probability Assessment of Mega-thrust Earthquakes in Global Subduction Zones　-from the View of Slip Deficit-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikuta, R.; Mitsui, Y.; Ando, M.

2014-12-01

We studied inter-plate slip history for about 100 years using earthquake catalogs. On assumption that each earthquake has stick-slip patch centered in its centroid, we regard cumulative seismic slips around the centroid as representing the inter-plate dislocation. We evaluated the slips on the stick-slip patches of over-M5-class earthquakes prior to three recent mega-thrust earthquakes, the 2004 Sumatra (Mw9.2), the 2010 Chile (Mw8.8), and the 2011 Tohoku (Mw9.0) around them. Comparing the cumulative seismic slips with the plate convergence, the slips before the mega-thrust events are significantly short in large area corresponding to the size of the mega-thrust events. We also researched cumulative seismic slips after other three mega-thrust earthquakes occurred in this 100 years, the 1952 Kamchatka (Mw9.0), the 1960 Chile (Mw9.5), the 1964 Alaska (Mw9.2). The cumulative slips have been significantly short in and around the focal area after their occurrence. The result should reflect persistency of the strong or/and large inter-plate coupled area capable of mega-thrust earthquakes. We applied the same procedure to global subduction zones to find that 21 regions including the focal area of above mega-thrust earthquakes show slip deficit over large area corresponding to the size of M9-class earthquakes. Considering that at least six M9-class earthquakes occurred in this 100 years and each recurrence interval should be 500-1000 years, it would not be surprised that from five to ten times of the already known regions (30 to 60 regions) are capable of M9 class earthquakes. The 21 regions as expected M9 class focal areas in our study is less than 5 to 10 times of the known 6, some of these regions may be divided into a few M9 class focal area because they extend to much larger area than typical M9 class focal area.

Gradient structure and transport coefficients for strong particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabrielli, Davide; Krapivsky, P. L.

2018-04-01

We introduce and study a simple and natural class of solvable stochastic lattice gases. This is the class of strong particles. The name is due to the fact that when they try to jump to an occupied site they succeed in pushing away a pile of particles. For this class of models we explicitly compute the transport coefficients. We also discuss some generalizations and the relations with other classes of solvable models.

An Evaluation of Mandibular Dental and Basal Arch Dimensions in Class I and Class II Division 1 Adult Syrian Patients using Cone-beam Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Al-Hilal, Layal H; Sultan, Kinda; Hajeer, Mohammad Y; Mahmoud, Ghiath; Wanli, Abdulrahman A

2018-04-01

Aim: The aim of this study is (1) to inspect any difference in mandibular arch widths between males and females in class I and class II division 1 (class malocclusions using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), (2) to compare the mandibular dental and basal widths between the two groups, and (3) to investigate any possible correlation between dental and basal arch widths in both groups. Materials and methods: The CBCT images of 68 patients aged between 18 and 25 years consisted of 34 class I (17 males and 17 females) and 34 class (17 males and 17 females) who were recruited at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Damascus Dental School (Syria). Using on-demand three-dimensional (3D) on axial views, facial axis points for dental measurements and basal bone center (BBC) points for basal measurements were identified on lower canines and first molars. Dental and basal intercanine width (ICW) and intermolar width (IMW) were measured. Results: Independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference between males and females in several variables in both groups and a statistically significant difference between class I and class groups in the basal ICW for both genders and in the dental ICW for females only (p < 0.05). In class I group, Pearson's correlation coefficients between dental and basal measurements showed a strong correlation in the IMW for both genders (r > 0.73; p < 0.01) and a moderate correlation in females' ICW (r = 0.67; p < 0.01). In the class group, a moderate correlation in females' IMW (r = 0.67; p < 0.01) was found. Conclusion: Females compared with males had narrower dimensions. Class I patients had larger ICW than class II-1 patients in all measurements and had narrower IMW than class in most measurements for both genders. There were moderate-to-strong correlations between dental and basal dimensions. BBC points might be landmarks that accurately represent the basal bone arch. Clinical significance: CBCT-based assessments of dental and basal arch dimensions provide a great opportunity to accurately evaluate these aspects, to enhance clinicians' decisions regarding proper tooth movements, and to achieve good dentoalveolar intra-arch harmony. Keywords: Basal arch, Class I, Class Cone-beam computed tomography, Dental arch, Intercanine width, Intermolar width.

Sickness absence as a predictor of disability retirement in different occupational classes: a register-based study of a working-age cohort in Finland in 2007-2014.

PubMed

Salonen, Laura; Blomgren, Jenni; Laaksonen, Mikko; Niemelä, Mikko

2018-05-09

The objective of the study was to examine diagnosis-specific sickness absences of different lengths as predictors of disability retirement in different occupational classes. Register-based prospective cohort study up to 8 years of follow-up. A 70% random sample of the non-retired Finnish population aged 25-62 at the end of 2006 was included (n=1 727 644) and linked to data on sickness absences in 2005 and data on disability retirement in 2007-2014. Cox proportional hazards regression was utilised to analyse the association of sickness absence with the risk of all-cause disability retirement during an 8-year follow-up. The risk of disability retirement increased with increasing lengths of sickness absence in all occupational classes. A long sickness absence was a particularly strong predictor of disability retirement in upper non-manual employees as among those with over 180 sickness absence days the HR was 9.19 (95% CI 7.40 to 11.40), but in manual employees the HR was 3.51 (95% CI 3.23 to 3.81) in men. Among women, the corresponding HRs were 7.26 (95% CI 6.16 to 8.57) and 3.94 (95% CI 3.60 to 4.30), respectively. Adjusting for the diagnosis of sickness absence partly attenuated the association between the length of sickness absence and the risk of disability retirement in all employed groups. A long sickness absence is a strong predictor of disability retirement in all occupational classes. Preventing the accumulation of sickness absence days and designing more efficient policies for different occupational classes may be crucial to reduce the number of transitions to early retirement due to disability. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Design and Analysis of Salmonid Tagging Studies in the Columbia Basin : Volume XVII : Effects of Ocean Covariates and Release Timing on First Ocean-Year Survival of Fall Chinook Salmon from Oregon and Washington Coastal Hatcheries.

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

Burgess, Caitlin; Skalski, John R.

2001-05-01

Effects of oceanographic conditions, as well as effects of release-timing and release-size, on first ocean-year survival of subyearling fall chinook salmon were investigated by analyzing CWT release and recovery data from Oregon and Washington coastal hatcheries. Age-class strength was estimated using a multinomial probability likelihood which estimated first-year survival as a proportional hazards regression against ocean and release covariates. Weight-at-release and release-month were found to significantly effect first year survival (p < 0.05) and ocean effects were therefore estimated after adjusting for weight-at-release. Negative survival trend was modeled for sea surface temperature (SST) during 11 months of the year overmore » the study period (1970-1992). Statistically significant negative survival trends (p < 0.05) were found for SST during April, June, November and December. Strong pairwise correlations (r > 0.6) between SST in April/June, April/November and April/December suggest the significant relationships were due to one underlying process. At higher latitudes (45{sup o} and 48{sup o}N), summer upwelling (June-August) showed positive survival trend with survival and fall (September-November) downwelling showed positive trend with survival, indicating early fall transition improved survival. At 45{sup o} and 48{sup o}, during spring, alternating survival trends with upwelling were observed between March and May, with negative trend occurring in March and May, and positive trend with survival occurring in April. In January, two distinct scenarios of improved survival were linked to upwelling conditions, indicated by (1) a significant linear model effect (p < 0.05) showing improved survival with increasing upwelling, and (2) significant bowl-shaped curvature (p < 0.05) of survival with upwelling. The interpretation of the effects is that there was (1) significantly improved survival when downwelling conditions shifted to upwelling conditions in January (i.e., early spring transition occurred, p < 0.05), (2) improved survival during strong downwelling conditions (Bakun units < -250). Survival decreased during weak downwelling conditions (Bakun units between -180 and -100). Strong to moderately strong correlations between January upwelling and April SST (r = 0.5), June SST (r = 0.6), and the North Pacific Index (NPI) of Aleutian Low strength (r > 0.7) suggest January is a period when important effects originate and play out over ensuing months. Significant inverse trend with survival (p < 0.05) was found for Bakun indices in December, indicating strong downwelling improved survival. Higher-than-average adult return rates were observed for cohorts from brood-years 1982-1983, strong El Nino years. Individual hatcheries were found to have unique age-class strength and age-at-return characteristics.« less

Birth weight, childhood socioeconomic environment, and cognitive development in the 1958 British birth cohort study.

PubMed

Jefferis, Barbara J M H; Power, Chris; Hertzman, Clyde

2002-08-10

To examine the combined effect of social class and weight at birth on cognitive trajectories during school age and the associations between birth weight and educational outcomes through to 33 years. Longitudinal, population based, birth cohort study. 10 845 males and females born during 3-9 March 1958 with information on birth weight, social class, and cognitive tests. Reading, maths, draw a man, copying designs, verbal and non-verbal ability tests at ages 7, 11, and 16, highest qualifications achieved by 33, and trajectories of maths standardised scores at 7-16 years. The outcome of all childhood cognitive tests and educational achievements improved significantly with increasing birth weight. Analysis of maths scores at 7 and of highest qualifications achieved by 33 showed that the relations were robust to adjustment for potential confounding factors. For each kilogram increase in birth weight, maths z score increased by 0.17 (adjusted estimate 0.15, 95% confidence interval 0.10 to 0.21) for males and 0.21 (0.20, 0.14 to 0.25) for females. Trajectories of maths z scores between 7 and 16 years diverged for different social class groups: participants from classes I and II increased their relative position on the score with increasing age, whereas classes IV and V showed a relative decline with increasing age. Birth weight explained much less of the variation in cognition than did social class (range 0.5-1.5% v 2.9-12.5%). The postnatal environment has an overwhelming influence on cognitive function through to early adulthood, but these strong effects do not explain the weaker but independent association with birth weight.

A mechanistic assessment of seasonal microhabitat selection by drift-feeding rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in a southwestern headwater stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalb, Bradley W.; Huntsman, Brock M.; Caldwell, Colleen A.; Bozek, Michael A.

2018-01-01

The positioning of fishes within a riverscape is dependent on the proximity of complementary habitats. In this study, foraging and non-foraging habitat were quantified monthly over an entire year for a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in an isolated, headwater stream in southcentral New Mexico. The stream follows a seasonal thermal and hydrologic pattern typical for a Southwestern stream and was deemed suitable for re-introduction of the native and close relative, Rio Grande cutthroat trout (O. clarkii virginalis). However, uncertainty associated with limited habitat needed to be resolved if repatriation of the native fish was to be successful. Habitat was evaluated using resource selection functions with a mechanistic drift-foraging model to explain trout distributions. Macroinvertebrate drift was strongly season- and temperature-dependent (lower in winter and spring, higher in summer and fall). Models identified stream depth as the most limiting factor for habitat selection across seasons and size-classes. Additionally, positions closer to cover were selected during the winter by smaller size-classes (0, 1, 2), while net energy intake was important during the spring for most size-classes (0, 1, 2, 3). Drift-foraging models identified that 81% of observed trout selected positions that could meet maintenance levels throughout the year. Moreover, 40% of selected habitats could sustain maximum growth. Stream positions occupied by rainbow trout were more energetically profitable than random sites regardless of season or size-class. Larger size-classes (3, 4+) were energetically more limited throughout the year than were smaller size-classes. This research suggests that habitat in the form of deep pools is of paramount importance for rainbow trout or native cutthroat trout.

The sources of political orientations in post-industrial society: social class and education revisited.

PubMed

Van de Werfhorst, Herman G; de Graaf, Nan Dirk

2004-06-01

This paper studies the impact of social class and education on political orientation. We distinguish the 'old' middle class from a new class of social/cultural specialists. However, the difference in their political orientation may especially be related to the level and field of education; the new middle class is more highly educated and often in fields of study that extensively address social competencies, characteristics independently affecting political outcomes. Analyses on Dutch data showed that education is more important in the prediction of 'cultural' liberal issues than social class. Economically-oriented issues are more strongly affected by social class. This means that interests of the new middle class are served by liberal standpoints relating to a strong government and income redistribution policies, but not relating to cultural issues.

A two-year perspective: who may ease the burden of girls’ loneliness in school?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Loneliness is negatively related to good health and wellbeing, especially among girls. There is little research, however, on factors that may ease the burdens of loneliness in the school setting. Thus, we explored the relationship between girls’ loneliness and later school wellbeing adjusted for other adversities. Furthermore, we assessed the significance of having someone whom the girl trusted by investigating possible modifying influences on the addressed association. Methods Altogether, 119 girls in grades 1–8 provided baseline data and answered the same set of questions two years later. Logistic regression models including perceived academic problems, victimisation by bullying, loneliness and trusted others were tested with bad versus good school wellbeing two years later as outcome using SPSS. Results In the multivariable analysis of loneliness, academic problems, and victimisation, loneliness was the only variable showing a strong and negative contribution to later school wellbeing. Next, demonstrated in separate models; the inclusion of having a trusted class advisor fully attenuated the association of loneliness with later school wellbeing. In contrast, other trusted teachers, trusted parents, or trusted students did not affect the association. Conclusions Loneliness in girls strongly predicted school wellbeing two years later. However, having a class advisor whom the girl trusted to contact in hurtful situations clearly reduced the burden of loneliness. This finding highlights the clinical importance of stability, long-lasting relations, and trust that main teachers may represent for lonely girls. PMID:24712912

Adjusting for case mix and social class in examining variation in home visits between practices.

PubMed

Sullivan, Caoimhe O; Omar, Rumana Z; Forrest, Christopher B; Majeed, Azeem

2004-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether adjusting for clinical case mix and social class explains more of the variation in home visits between general practices than adjusting for age and sex alone. The setting was 60 general practices in England and Wales taking part in the 1 year Fourth National Morbidity Survey. The participants comprised 349 505 patients who were registered with one of the participating general practices for at least 180 days, and who had at least one consultation during the period. The outcome measure is whether or not a patient received a home visit in that year. A clinical case mix category (morbidity class) based on 1 year's diagnostic information was assigned to each patient using the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG) Case Mix System. The social class measure was derived from occupation and employment status and is similar to that of the 1991 UK census. Variations in home visits between practices were examined using multilevel logistic regression models. The variability between practices before and after adjusting for clinical case mix and social class was estimated using the intracluster correlation coefficient (ICC). The overall percentage of patients receiving a home visit over the 1 year study period was 17%, and this varied from 7 to 31% across the 60 practices. The percentage of the total variation in home visits attributable to differences between practices was 2.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-3.2%] after adjusting for age and sex. This reduced to 1.6% (95% CI 1.1-2.4%) after taking into account morbidity class. The results were similar when social class was included instead of morbidity class. Morbidity and social class together reduced variation in home visits between practices to 1.5% (95% CI 1.1-2.2%). Age, sex, social class and clinical case mix are strong determinants of home visits in the UK. Adjusting for morbidity and social class results in a small improvement in explaining the variability in home visits between practices compared with adjusting for age and sex alone. There is far more variation between patients within practices; however, it is not straightforward to examine the factors influencing this variation. In addition to morbidity and social class, there could also be other unmeasured factors such as varying patient demand for home visits, disability or differences in GP home visiting practice style that could influence the large within-practice variability observed in this study.

Latent Cognitive Phenotypes in De Novo Parkinson's Disease: A Person-Centered Approach.

PubMed

LaBelle, Denise R; Walsh, Ryan R; Banks, Sarah J

2017-08-01

Cognitive impairment is an important aspect of Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is considerable heterogeneity in its presentation. This investigation aims to identify and characterize latent cognitive phenotypes in early PD. Latent class analysis, a data-driven, person-centered, cluster analysis was performed on cognitive data from the Parkinson's Progressive Markers Initiative baseline visit. This analytic method facilitates identification of naturally occurring endophenotypes. Resulting classes were compared across biomarker, symptom, and demographic data. Six cognitive phenotypes were identified. Three demonstrated consistent performance across indicators, representing poor ("Weak-Overall"), average ("Typical-Overall"), and strong ("Strong-Overall") cognition. The remaining classes demonstrated unique patterns of cognition, characterized by "Strong-Memory," "Weak-Visuospatial," and "Amnestic" profiles. The Amnestic class evidenced greater tremor severity and anosmia, but was unassociated with biomarkers linked with Alzheimer's disease. The Weak-Overall class was older and reported more non-motor features associated with cognitive decline, including anxiety, depression, autonomic dysfunction, anosmia, and REM sleep behaviors. The Strong-Overall class was younger, more female, and reported less dysautonomia and anosmia. Classes were unrelated to disease duration, functional independence, or available biomarkers. Latent cognitive phenotypes with focal patterns of impairment were observed in recently diagnosed individuals with PD. Cognitive profiles were found to be independent of traditional biomarkers and motoric indices of disease progression. Only globally impaired class was associated with previously reported indicators of cognitive decline, suggesting this group may drive the effects reported in studies using variable-based analysis. Longitudinal and neuroanatomical characterization of classes will yield further insight into the evolution of cognitive change in the disease. (JINS, 2017, 23, 551-563).

ENSO events in the northern Gulf of Alaska, and effects on selected marine fisheries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bailey, K.M.; Macklin, S.A.; Reed, R.K.; Brodeur, R.D.; Ingraham, W.J.; Piatt, John F.; Shima, M.; Francis, R.C.; Anderson, P.J.; Royer, T.C.; Hollowed, A.; Somerton, D.A.; Wooster, W.S.

1995-01-01

The 1991-93 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event first appeared in the northern Gulf of Alaska in autumn 1991 with warm sea-surface temperatures. In winter 1992, there were pulses of increased sea level and anomalous circulation. El Nino conditions persisted at least through summer 1993. The effects of this ENSO event on major groundfish species and Pacific herring in the northern Gulf of Alaska were examined and compared with the effects of previous ENSO events. There is little evidence that the 1991-93 or 1982-83 ENSO events affected landings of walleye pollock, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, or arrowtooth flounder. Some changes in distribution of groundfish species were observed in 1993, but the effect was similar to changes observed in non-ENSO warm years. In general, warm ocean conditions have a positive effect on recruitment of northern stocks, but ENSO events appear to have an inconsistent effect on year-class strength within species and among different species. For example, strong year classes of halibut and arrowtooth flounder sometimes, but not always, coincide with ENSO events; ENSO events are associated with moderate to weak year classes of cod and pollock. However, post-ENSO warm years often are associated with strong recruitment of many groundfish species. Major changes have occurred in the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem since 1977. The influence of the 1976 ENSO event in precipitating these changes and the role of the frequency or strength of subsequent El Nino events is presently unknown. Herring and other stocks of small pelagic fishes may be more affected by ENSO events. In particular, decreased catches, recruitment, and weight-at-age of herring are sometimes associated with ENSO events. Furthermore, a variety of seabirds which feed mostly on pelagic forage fishes or the pelagic juvenile stages of groundfish suffered widespread mortalities and breeding failures in the Gulf of Alaska during the ENSO years of 1983 and 1993. These effects on seabirds were also observed over a wider geographic range, from California to the western Bering Sea.

Emerging Signs of Strong Reciprocity in Human Ontogeny

PubMed Central

Robbins, Erin; Rochat, Philippe

2011-01-01

Strong reciprocity is considered here as the propensity to sacrifice resources to be kind or to punish in response to prior acts, a behavior not simply reducible to self-interest and a likely force behind human cooperation and sociality. The aim was to capture emerging signs of strong reciprocity in human ontogeny and across highly contrasted cultures. Three- and 5-year-old middle class American children (N = 162) were tested in a simple, multiple round, three-way sharing game involving the child, a generous puppet, and a stingy puppet. At the end of the game, the child was offered an opportunity to sacrifice some of her personal gains to punish one of the puppets. By 3 years, American children demonstrate a willingness to engage in costly punishment. However, only 5-year-olds show some evidence of strong reciprocity by orienting their punishment systematically toward the stingy puppet. Further analyses and three additional control conditions demonstrate that such propensity is not simply reducible to (a) straight imitation, or (b) inequity aversion. To assess the relative universality of such development, a group of 5- to 6-year-old children from rural Samoa (N = 14) were tested and compared to age and gender-matched American children. Samoan children did not manifest the same propensity toward strong reciprocity. The results are interpreted as pointing to (1) the developmental emergence of an ethical stance between 3 and 5 years of age, and (2) that the expression of such stance by young children could depend on culture. PMID:22194730

Re-Envisioning the Introductory Physics Sequence at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Scott J.; Sales, Kenneth B.

2013-03-01

GGC is a new, 4-year, open-access institution located in the northeast of Atlanta. As an open access college, many of the students who take the introductory physics sequence do not have a strong mathematical background. A large percentage of the students have significant work or family obligations in addition to being full-time students. To better serve these students, the first semester of the trig-based introductory physics sequence was modified in a manner that focuses and structures the material to be completed by the students both outside and inside of class such that the time spent outside of class can be reduced. Specifically, focused notes were provided to the students with an online assignment prior to class in place of reading from a textbook. Class time was then focused on a deeper understanding of the concepts to be covered instead of an initial (or secondary) introduction to the material. Data was collected for specific exam questions and compared with the results from previous classes taught by the same instructors. An overview of the results and observations of the instructors using this method will be discussed.

Relationship Among Dental Students' Class Lecture Attendance, Use of Online Resources, and Performance.

PubMed

Azab, Ehab; Saksena, Yun; Alghanem, Tofool; Midle, Jennifer Bassett; Molgaard, Kathleen; Albright, Susan; Karimbux, Nadeem

2016-04-01

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship among dental students' attendance at class lectures, use of online lecture materials, and performance in didactic courses. The study was conducted with second-year predoctoral students at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine during the fall semester of 2014. Three basic science and three preclinical dental courses were selected for evaluation. Online usage for each participant was collected, and a survey with questions about attendance and online behavior was conducted. The final grade for each participant in each selected course was obtained and matched with his or her online usage and attendance. Out of a total 190 students, 146 (77%) participated. The results showed no significant relationship between students' grades and their class attendance or online usage except for a weak negative relationship between class attendance and online usage for the Epidemiology course (p<0.001) and the overall preclinical dental courses (p=0.03). Although the results did not show strong relationships among class attendance, online usage, and course grades, most of the students reported that having the online resources in addition to the lectures was helpful.

School Class Size: Research and Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glass, Gene V.; And Others

This book synthesizes research evidence to demonstrate that 1) class size is strongly related to pupil achievement; 2) smaller classes are more conducive to improved pupil performance than larger classes; 3) smaller classes provide more opportunities to adapt learning programs to individual needs; 4) pupils in smaller classes have more interest in…

Month-wise variation and prediction of bulk tank somatic cell count in Brazilian dairy herds and its impact on payment based on milk quality.

PubMed

Busanello, Marcos; de Freitas, Larissa Nazareth; Winckler, João Pedro Pereira; Farias, Hiron Pereira; Dos Santos Dias, Carlos Tadeu; Cassoli, Laerte Dagher; Machado, Paulo Fernando

2017-01-01

Payment programs based on milk quality (PPBMQ) are used in several countries around the world as an incentive to improve milk quality. One of the principal milk parameters used in such programs is the bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC). In this study, using data from an average of 37,000 farms per month in Brazil where milk was analyzed, BTSCC data were divided into different payment classes based on milk quality. Then, descriptive and graphical analyses were performed. The probability of a change to a worse payment class was calculated, future BTSCC values were predicted using time series models, and financial losses due to the failure to reach the maximum bonus for the payment based on milk quality were simulated. In Brazil, the mean BTSCC has remained high in recent years, without a tendency to improve. The probability of changing to a worse payment class was strongly affected by both the BTSCC average and BTSCC standard deviation for classes 1 and 2 (1000-200,000 and 201,000-400,000 cells/mL, respectively) and only by the BTSCC average for classes 3 and 4 (401,000-500,000 and 501,000-800,000 cells/mL, respectively). The time series models indicated that at some point in the year, farms would not remain in their current class and would accrue financial losses due to payments based on milk quality. The BTSCC for Brazilian dairy farms has not recently improved. The probability of a class change to a worse class is a metric that can aid in decision-making and stimulate farmers to improve milk quality. A time series model can be used to predict the future value of the BTSCC, making it possible to estimate financial losses and to show, moreover, that financial losses occur in all classes of the PPBMQ because the farmers do not remain in the best payment class in all months.

Patterns of cannabis use during adolescence and their association with harmful substance use behaviour: findings from a UK birth cohort

PubMed Central

Collin, Simon M; Munafò, Marcus R; MacLeod, John; Hickman, Matthew; Heron, Jon

2017-01-01

Background Evidence on the role of cannabis as a gateway drug is inconsistent. We characterise patterns of cannabis use among UK teenagers aged 13–18 years, and assess their influence on problematic substance use at age 21 years. Methods We used longitudinal latent class analysis to derive trajectories of cannabis use from self-report measures in a UK birth cohort. We investigated (1) factors associated with latent class membership and (2) whether latent class membership predicted subsequent nicotine dependence, harmful alcohol use and recent use of other illicit drugs at age 21 years. Results 5315 adolescents had three or more measures of cannabis use from age 13 to 18 years. Cannabis use patterns were captured as four latent classes corresponding to ‘non-users’ (80.1%), ‘late-onset occasional’ (14.2%), ‘early-onset occasional’ (2.3%) and ‘regular’ users (3.4%). Sex, mother's substance use, and child's tobacco use, alcohol consumption and conduct problems were strongly associated with cannabis use. At age 21 years, compared with the non-user class, late-onset occasional, early-onset occasional and regular cannabis user classes had higher odds of nicotine dependence (OR=3.5, 95% CI 0.7 to 17.9; OR=12.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 150.3; and OR=37.2, 95% CI 9.5 to 144.8, respectively); harmful alcohol consumption (OR=2.6, 95% CI 1.5 to 4.3; OR=5.0, 95% CI 2.1 to 12.1; and OR=2.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.1, respectively); and other illicit drug use (OR=22.7, 95% CI 11.3 to 45.7; OR=15.9, 95% CI 3.9 to 64.4; and OR=47.9, 95% CI 47.9 to 337.0, respectively). Conclusions One-fifth of the adolescents in our sample followed a pattern of occasional or regular cannabis use, and these young people were more likely to progress to harmful substance use behaviours in early adulthood. PMID:28592420

Negativity and strong monogamy of multiparty quantum entanglement beyond qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jin Hyuk; Kim, Jeong San

2015-10-01

We propose the square of convex-roof extended negativity (SCREN) as a powerful candidate to characterize strong monogamy of multiparty quantum entanglement. We first provide a strong monogamy inequality of multiparty entanglement using SCREN and show that the tangle-based multiqubit strong-monogamy inequality can be rephrased by SCREN. We further show that the SCREN strong-monogamy inequality is still true for the counterexamples that violate tangle-based the strong-monogamy inequality in higher-dimensional quantum systems other than qubits. We also analytically show that SCREN strong-monogamy inequality is true for a large class of multiqudit states, a superposition of multiqudit generalized W -class states and vacuums. Thus SCREN is a good alternative to characterize the strong monogamy of entanglement even in multiqudit systems.

A Study of the Interrelationship between the Behaviour and Social Status of a Class of Year 2 Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slade, Melanie

2008-01-01

The influence of social status on child development has been the subject of research for several decades, with children who are not accepted by their peers being shown to be at risk of a range of difficulties both at the time and in later life. Strong links have also been established between behaviour and social status. A small-scale action…

Predicting the Unpredictable: 75 Years of Experimental Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radin, Dean I.

2011-11-01

From time immemorial, people have reported foreknowledge of future events. To determine whether such experiences are best understood via conventional explanations, or whether a retrocausal phenomenon might be involved in some instances, researchers have conducted hundreds of controlled laboratory experiments over the past 75 years. These studies fall into four general classes, and each class has generated repeatable evidence consistent with retrocausation. The statistical results for a class of forced-choice studies is associated with odds against chance of about 1024; for a class of free-response studies, odds about 1020; for psychophysiological-based studies, odds about 1017; and for implicit decision studies, odds about 1010. Effect sizes observed in the latter three classes are nearly identical, indicating replication of similar underlying effects. These effects are also in close agreement with the average effect size across 25,000 conventional social psychology experiments conducted over the last century, suggesting that retrocausal phenomena may not be especially unique, at least not in terms of the magnitude of effect. Bayesian analyses of the most recent classes of experiments confirm that the evidence is strongly in favor of a genuine effect, with Bayes Factors ranging from 13,669 to 1 for implicit decision experiments, to 2.9×1013 to 1 for psychophysiological designs. For the two most recent classes of studies examining retrocausal effects via unconscious physiological or behavioral measures, 85 of 101 studies (84%) reported by 25 different laboratories from the United States, Italy, Spain, Holland, Austria, Sweden, England, Scotland, Iran, Japan, and Australia, have produced results in the direction predicted by a retrocausal effect (odds against chance = 1.3×1012, via a sign test). Assessment of the methodologies used in these studies has not identified plausible conventional alternatives for the observed outcomes, suggesting the existence of a genuine retrocausal phenomenon.

Spontaneous Scalarization: Dead or Alive?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berti, Emanuele; Crispino, Luis; Gerosa, Davide; Gualtieri, Leonardo; Horbatsch, Michael; Macedo, Caio; Okada da Silva, Hector; Pani, Paolo; Sotani, Hajime; Sperhake, Ulrich

2015-04-01

In 1993, Damour and Esposito-Farese showed that a wide class of scalar-tensor theories can pass weak-field gravitational tests and exhibit nonperturbative strong-field deviations away from General Relativity in systems involving neutron stars. These deviations are possible in the presence of ``spontaneous scalarization,'' a phase transition similar in nature to spontaneous magnetization in ferromagnets. More than twenty years after the original proposal, binary pulsar experiments have severely constrained the possibility of spontaneous scalarization occurring in nature. I will show that these experimental constraints have important implications for the torsional oscillation frequencies of neutron stars and for the so-called ``I-Love-Q'' relations in scalar-tensor theories. I will also argue that there is still hope to observe strong scalarization effects, despite the strong experimental bounds on the original mechanism. In particular, I will discuss two mechanisms that could produce strong scalarization in neutron stars: anisotropy and multiscalarization. This work was supported by NSF CAREER Award PHY-1055103.

Learning classification with auxiliary probabilistic information

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Quang; Valizadegan, Hamed; Hauskrecht, Milos

2012-01-01

Finding ways of incorporating auxiliary information or auxiliary data into the learning process has been the topic of active data mining and machine learning research in recent years. In this work we study and develop a new framework for classification learning problem in which, in addition to class labels, the learner is provided with an auxiliary (probabilistic) information that reflects how strong the expert feels about the class label. This approach can be extremely useful for many practical classification tasks that rely on subjective label assessment and where the cost of acquiring additional auxiliary information is negligible when compared to the cost of the example analysis and labelling. We develop classification algorithms capable of using the auxiliary information to make the learning process more efficient in terms of the sample complexity. We demonstrate the benefit of the approach on a number of synthetic and real world data sets by comparing it to the learning with class labels only. PMID:25309141

Progression of Carotid Arterial Stiffness With Treatment of Hypertension Over 10 Years: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Gepner, Adam D; Tedla, Yacob; Colangelo, Laura A; Tattersall, Matthew C; Korcarz, Claudia E; Kaufman, Joel D; Liu, Kiang; Burke, Gregory L; Shea, Steven; Greenland, Philip; Stein, James H

2017-01-01

Associations with antihypertensive medication classes and progression of arterial stiffness have not been studied in a prospective multiethnic cohort. All participants had hypertension at baseline, defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or use of antihypertensive medications. Medication use and blood pressure were assessed at 5 time points. Young's elastic modulus and distensibility coefficient of the right common carotid artery were obtained by ultrasound at baseline and after a mean (SD) follow-up period of 9.4 (0.5) years. Associations with changes in Young's elastic modulus and distensibility coefficient, baseline antihypertensive medication use, number of visits each medication class was reported, and blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg) were assessed using multiple linear regression models. At baseline, mean age of participants (n=1206) was 63.2 (9.0) years (55% female; 35% African American, 19% Hispanic, 12% Chinese). Mean systolic blood pressure was 136.5 (20.6) mm Hg. Greater progression of arterial stiffness was associated with older age, African American ethnicity, and baseline calcium channel blocker use. There were no other associations between changes in Young's elastic modulus or distensibility coefficient and use of other medication classes (all P>0.4). Achieving blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg) at all visits was associated with slower progression of arterial stiffness (Young's elastic modulus: β=-790.1 mm Hg, P=0.01; distensibility coefficient: β=7.34×10 - 4 mm Hg - 1 , P=0.001). Blood pressure control, rather than use of any particular antihypertensive medication class, was associated most strongly with slowing arterial stiffness progression. Over nearly a decade of follow-up, no consistent associations between any specific antihypertensive medication class and progressive carotid arterial stiffening were identified. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Time course of neck-shoulder pain among workers: A longitudinal latent class growth analysis.

PubMed

Hallman, David M; Rasmussen, Charlotte D Nørregaard; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Holtermann, Andreas

2018-01-01

Objectives The aims of this study were to (i) identify trajectories of neck-shoulder pain (NSP) over one year in an occupational population and (ii) determine whether these trajectories are predicted by NSP characteristics as well as personal and occupational factors at baseline. Methods This longitudinal study was conducted among Danish workers (N=748) from 2012-2014. Text messages were used to collect frequent data on NSP over one year (14 waves in total). Peak NSP intensity in the past month was rated on a 0-10 numeric scale. A baseline questionnaire covered NSP characteristics (pain intensity, duration, comorbidity, pain medication, and pain interference) as well as personal (age, gender, body mass index) and occupational (seniority, work type, physical strain at work) factors. Latent class growth analysis was used to distinguish trajectories of NSP. Multivariate regression models with odds ratios (OR) were constructed to predict trajectories of NSP. Results Six distinct trajectories of NSP were identified (asymptomatic 11%, very low NSP 10%, low recovering NSP 18%, moderate recovering NSP 28%, strong fluctuating NSP 24% and severe persistent NSP 9% of the workers). Female gender, age, physical strain at work, NSP intensity and duration, pain medication, and pain interference in daily work at baseline were positively associated with severe persistent NSP and strong fluctuating NSP (all P<0.05). Altogether, personal and occupational factors accounted for 14% of the variance, while NSP characteristics accounted for 54%. Conclusions In an occupational sample, six distinct trajectories of NSP were identified. Physical strain at work appears to be a pertinent occupational factor predicting strong fluctuating and severe persistent NSP.

The alcohol policy environment, enforcement and consumption in the United States.

PubMed

Erickson, Darin J; Lenk, Kathleen M; Toomey, Traci L; Nelson, Toben F; Jones-Webb, Rhonda

2016-01-01

Many studies of alcohol policies examine the presence or absence of a single policy without considering policy strength or enforcement. We developed measures for the strength of 18 policies (from Alcohol Policy Information System) and levels of enforcement of those policies for the 50 US states, and examined their associations with alcohol consumption. We grouped policies into four domains (underage alcohol use, provision of alcohol to underage, alcohol serving, general availability) and used latent class analysis to assign states to one of four classes based on the configuration of policies-weak except serving policies (6 states), average (29 states), strong for underage use (11 states) and strong policies overall (4 states). We surveyed 1082 local enforcement agencies regarding alcohol enforcement across five domains. We used multilevel latent class analysis to assign states to classes in each domain and assigned each state to an overall low (15 states), moderate (19 states) or high (16 states) enforcement group. Consumption outcomes (past month, binge and heavy) came from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Regression models show inverse associations between alcohol consumption and policy class, with past month alcohol consumption at 54% in the weakest policy class and 34% in the strongest. In adjusted models, the strong underage use policy class was consistently associated with lower consumption. Enforcement group did not affect the policy class and consumption associations. Results suggest strong alcohol policies, particularly underage use policies, may help to reduce alcohol consumption and related consequences. [Erickson DJ, Lenk KM, Toomey TL, Nelson TF, Jones-Webb R. The alcohol policy environment, enforcement, and consumption in the United States. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;●●:●●-●●]. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Recent changes in burbot growth in Lake Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stapanian, M.A.; Edwards, W.H.; Witzel, L.D.

2011-01-01

Recruitment of burbot Lota lota in eastern Lake Erie, estimated by catches of age-4 burbot, was high during 1997–2001 and then abruptly declined to low levels during 2002–2007. The invasive round goby Neogobius melanostomus, a benthic species, was first collected in trawl assessments in eastern Lake Erie in 1999, and was first found in stomachs of burbot in 2001. By 2003, round goby became an important prey in the diet of burbot. We hypothesized that the combined effects of low recruitment and consumption of round goby would result in increased size-at-age in burbot. We reasoned that: (i) decreased competition for resources among juveniles should result in larger adults, and (ii) consumption of a benthic prey by a bottom-dwelling predator such as burbot should require less foraging in the water column, and thus less energetic expenditure. We divided our data into two temporal periods: one in which burbot belonged to strong year classes and ate few, if any round goby (i.e., year classes 1989–1997 collected during 1997–2001) and one in which burbot belonged to weak year classes and probably ate round gobies by age 4 (year classes 1998–2003 collected during 2002–2007). Mass and total lengths at ages 4–7 were generally higher during the second period. However, the rates of growth between ages 4 and 7 were not different for the two periods. The results indicate that greater growth at ages 0–4 resulted in larger size at ages 4–7 in the latter period. More information on juvenile diet and growth in burbot is needed for effective conservation of burbot stocks.

Smoking in Scottish youths: personal income, parental social class and the cost of smoking

PubMed Central

West, Patrick; Sweeting, Helen; Young, Robert

2007-01-01

Objective To examine the relation of young people's personal income and parental social class with smoking from early to mid adolescence. Design Longitudinal, school based, study of a cohort of 2586 eleven year‐olds followed up at ages 13 and 15. Setting West of Scotland. Participants 93% baseline participation, reducing to 79% at age 15. Main outcome measures Ever smoked (age 11), current and daily smoking (ages 13 and 15) and the proportion of income spent on tobacco (13 and 15) based on recommended retail prices of usual brands. Results Strong independent effects of parental social class and personal income were found at 11 years, both reducing with age. The higher incomes of lower class participants attenuated the social class effect on smoking at ages 11 and 13, but not at 15. Analysis within class groups showed variation in the effect of income on smoking, being strongest among higher class youths and weak or non‐existent among lower class youths. This was despite the fact that the proportion of weekly income apparently spent on tobacco was greater among lower class youths. Conclusions The results confirm the importance of personal income and parental social class for youth smoking, but they also show that personal income matters more for those from higher class backgrounds. This suggests both that lower class youths have greater access to tobacco from family and friends and to cheaper sources of cigarettes from illegal sources. This complicates the relation between fiscal policies and smoking and might have the unintended consequence of increasing class differentials in youth smoking rather than the reverse. PMID:17897992

Working patterns and vitamin D status in mid-life: a cross-sectional study of the 1958 British birth cohort.

PubMed

Ward, Maria; Berry, Diane J; Power, Chris; Hyppönen, Elina

2011-12-01

To assess the association between working patterns and vitamin D status in men and women and to determine the potential influence of related lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. The authors used data from the 1958 British birth cohort (aged 45 years) and 6154 participants, who were in full-time work, were included in current analyses. Vitamin D status was measured by circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Information on working patterns and lifestyle factors was obtained using a structured questionnaire administered at 45 years. Manual social class was strongly associated with vitamin D-related lifestyle factors, with those in manual classes not only spending more time outdoors, but also spending more time watching TV/using PC, consuming less supplements and oily fish. Associations between working patterns and vitamin D-related lifestyles were less clear: night work was not strongly associated with lifestyles in either gender, while working hours were associated with time spent outside, PC/TV leisure time and use of supplements in men but not in women. In men, working patterns were not associated with lower 25(OH)D concentrations. In women, 25(OH)D concentrations were 8% lower (95% CI 15% to 2%) in night workers compared with others, while women working less than 35 h/week had 5% higher concentrations of 25(OH)D (95% CI 1% to 8%) compared with those working 35-40 h/week after adjustment for season, social class and body mass index (BMI). Women working nights and longer hours may be vulnerable to deficits in vitamin D status and associated health hazards.

Class, gender and culture in the experience of menopause. A comparative survey in Tunisia and France.

PubMed

Delanoë, Daniel; Hajri, Selma; Bachelot, Annie; Mahfoudh Draoui, Dorra; Hassoun, Danielle; Marsicano, Elise; Ringa, Virginie

2012-07-01

The experience of menopause can vary strongly from one society to another: frequency of hot flushes, other somatic and psychological symptoms, and changes in family and social relations. Several studies have shown that country of residence, country of birth, ethnicity, and social class all play roles in these variations. But few comparative anthropological studies have analysed the social processes that construct the experience of menopause or considered menopausal women's social and financial autonomy. To study the impact of the social status accorded to menopausal women and their social resources, during 2007 and 2008 we conducted a series of 75 in-depth interviews with women in different sociocultural settings: Tunisian women in Tunisia, Tunisian women in France, and French women in France, all aged from 45 to 70 years. Our methodological approach to the data included content analysis, typology development and socio-demographic analysis. Quite substantial differences appeared, as a function of social class and cultural environment. We identified three principal experiences of menopause. Tunisian working class women, in Tunisia and France, experience menopause with intense symptoms and strong feelings of social degradation. Among Tunisian middle-class women in both countries, menopause was most often accompanied by a severe decline in aesthetic and social value but few symptoms. For most of the French women, menopause involved few symptoms and little change in their social value. The distribution of types of experiences according to social but not geographic or national factors indicates that, in the populations studied here, the differences in symptoms are not biologically determined. Different experiences of menopause are linked to social class and to the degree of male domination. A given level of independence and emancipation allows women an identity beyond their reproductive function and a status unimpaired by menopause. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Schrödinger Approach to Mean Field Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swiecicki, Igor; Gobron, Thierry; Ullmo, Denis

2016-03-01

Mean field games (MFG) provide a theoretical frame to model socioeconomic systems. In this Letter, we study a particular class of MFG that shows strong analogies with the nonlinear Schrödinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations introduced in physics to describe a variety of physical phenomena. Using this bridge, many results and techniques developed along the years in the latter context can be transferred to the former, which provides both a new domain of application for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and a new and fruitful approach in the study of mean field games. Utilizing this approach, we analyze in detail a population dynamics model in which the "players" are under a strong incentive to coordinate themselves.

What mediates the inverse association between education and occupational disability from back pain?--A prospective cohort study from the Nord-Trøndelag health study in Norway.

PubMed

Hagen, Kåre Birger; Tambs, Kristian; Bjerkedal, Tor

2006-09-01

Low education is consistently associated with an increased risk of back pain disability, but the underlying mechanisms for this relationship are poorly understood. In a seven-year prospective observational study of 38,426 employed men and women between 25 and 59 years in Norway, we investigated to what extent occupational class, working conditions and individual lifestyle mediated the effect of formal education on disability pensioning from back pain. Each additional year of formal education was associated with decreased risk for disability pensioning from back pain for both men [age adjusted Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.77; (95% Confidence Interval, 0.72-0.82)] and women [HR 0.76(0.71-0.82)]. Adjustment for occupational class and factors related to working conditions (authority to plan own work, physically demanding work, concentration and attention and job satisfaction) and individual lifestyle (smoking, body mass index, physical exercise and alcohol consumption) reduced the effect of education by 39% [HR 0.86(0.79-0.93)] for men and by 21% [HR 0.81(0.73-0.89)] for women. Working conditions contributed most to the explanation for men, while occupational class, working conditions and life style factors contributed equally for women. Subgroup analyses indicate small differences between full-time and part-time employees, while some differences were found between subcategories of back diseases. The study indicates that there is a strong and unexplained effect of education on back pain disability pensioning, which is not mediated by occupational class, working conditions or individual lifestyle.

Strong gravitational lensing of gravitational waves from double compact binaries—perspectives for the Einstein Telescope

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

Biesiada, Marek; Ding, Xuheng; Zhu, Zong-Hong

Gravitational wave (GW) experiments are entering their advanced stage which should soon open a new observational window on the Universe. Looking into this future, the Einstein Telescope (ET) was designed to have a fantastic sensitivity improving significantly over the advanced GW detectors. One of the most important astrophysical GW sources supposed to be detected by the ET in large numbers are double compact objects (DCO) and some of such events should be gravitationally lensed by intervening galaxies. We explore the prospects of observing gravitationally lensed inspiral DCO events in the ET. This analysis is a significant extension of our previousmore » paper [1]. We are using the intrinsic merger rates of the whole class of DCO (NS-NS,BH-NS,BH-BH) located at different redshifts as calculated by [2] by using StarTrack population synthesis evolutionary code. We discuss in details predictions from each evolutionary scenario. Our general conclusion is that ET would register about 50–100 strongly lensed inspiral events per year. Only the scenario in which nascent BHs receive strong kick gives the predictions of a few events per year. Such lensed events would be dominated by the BH-BH merging binary systems. Our results suggest that during a few years of successful operation ET will provide a considerable catalog of strongly lensed events.« less

Comparison of Two Sources of Clinical Audit Data to Assess the Delivery of Diabetes Care in Aboriginal Communities.

PubMed

Regan, Timothy; Paul, Christine; Ishiguchi, Paul; D'Este, Catherine; Koller, Claudia; Forshaw, Kristy; Noble, Natasha; Oldmeadow, Christopher; Bisquera, Alessandra; Eades, Sandra

2017-10-17

The objective of this study was to determine the concordance between data extracted from two Clinical Decision Support Systems regarding diabetes testing and monitoring at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Australia. De-identified PenCAT and Communicare Systems data were extracted from the services allocated to the intervention arm of a diabetes care trial, and intra-class correlations for each extracted item were derived at a service level. Strong to very strong correlations between the two data sources were found regarding the total number of patients with diabetes per service (Intra-class correlation [ICC] = 0.99), as well as the number (ICC = 0.98-0.99) and proportion (ICC = 0.96) of patients with diabetes by gender. The correlation was moderate for the number and proportion of Type 2 diabetes patients per service in the group aged 18-34 years (ICC = 0.65 and 0.8-0.82 respectively). Strong to very strong correlations were found for numbers and proportions of patients being tested for diabetes, and for appropriate monitoring of patients known to have diabetes (ICC = 0.998-1.00). This indicated a generally high degree of concordance between whole-service data extracted by the two Clinical Decision Support Systems. Therefore, the less expensive or less complex option (depending on the individual circumstances of the service) may be appropriate for monitoring diabetes testing and care. However, the extraction of data about subgroups of patients may not be interchangeable.

Using a natural abilities battery for academic and career guidance: a ten-year study.

PubMed

Brown, Corrie C; Harvey, Stephen B; Stiles, Dori

2011-01-01

Over a period of 10 years, first-year students from 11 consecutive veterinary classes conducted a self-assessment using a natural abilities survey. The present study analyzes the data compiled from students' self-assessment results. As a group, veterinary students are exceptional problem solvers, either through inductive or deductive reasoning, and have strong spatial relations capacities. Veterinary students have a range of learning styles with design memory being the primary vehicle for information delivery and tonal memory being the least frequently used style overall. Information gained on each student's natural abilities can be used to guide effective career decision making and enhance prospects for long-term career satisfaction.

Effects of Lower Third Molar Angulation and Position on Lower Arch Crowding.

PubMed

Selmani, Mimoza E; Gjorgova, Julijana; Selmani, Manushaqe E; Shkreta, Mirsad; Duci, Shkelzen B

2016-01-01

The role of the third molars in lower arch crowding has been debated for more than a century. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between lower arch crowding and the presence of angulation and position of lower third molar. The measurements of the dental arch were made in 120 subjects aged 16 to 21 years, with average age to 18 years. The subjects were divided into two groups: Class I normal occlusion comprised 35 male and 25 female with mean age 18.87years, whereas Class I crowding comprised 27 males and 33 females with mean age 18.5 years. The dental pantomogram (DPT) were used to calculate the ratio of retromolar space (Ganss ratio), angulation of third molar to second molar and third molar to the base of the mandible. The results showed that measurements of Ganss ratio, third molar angulation to the base of the mandible, and third molar to second molar inclination, was statistically significant between crowded and normal groups. It can be concluded that there was a strong relationship between angulation and position of third molars and lower arch crowding. Key words: Third molars, angulation, lower arch, crowding

Media experiences and associations with mental health among the bereaved of the MH17-disaster: A latent profile analysis.

PubMed

van der Velden, Peter G; van der Meulen, Erik; Lenferink, Lonneke I M; Yzermans, Joris C

2018-06-01

Research has shown that the amount of media exposure is associated with post-event mental health problems. Whether bereaved individuals have negative experiences with media reports and whether they are associated with post-event mental health is unclear. This study evaluated these experiences and associations following the MH17-disaster. How media reports were experienced (nine topics, modified MAS), depression symptoms (QIDS-SR), functional problems (WSAS) and event-related coping-self-efficacy (CSE) were assessed about one year post-disaster (May-August 2015) among Dutch bereaved (N = 152). A substantial minority reported negative experiences such as reports made me angry (30%) and made me sad (48%). Latent profile analysis with symptoms, problems and coping self-efficacy as indicators, identified four classes of post-disaster mental health: a Well-functioning (class 1) , 35.1%; a Mild-problems (class 2) , 30.4%; a Sub-clinical (class 3) , 27.0%; and a Clinical (class 4) , 7.4%. Differences in symptoms, problems and coping self-efficacy levels between classes were large according to Cohen's ds. Multivariate logistic regression (MLR) showed that the Clinical (class 4) compared to the Well-functioning (class 1) , more often that felt that reports strongly "embarrassed me," "made me feel sad," "filled me with fear" and "served as a magnifying glass." Future research should assess opportunities and effects of limiting media consumption. © 2018 Tilburg University. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of doctors’ performance as facilitators in basic medical science lecture classes in a new Malaysian medical school

PubMed Central

Ismail, Salwani; Salam, Abdus; Alattraqchi, Ahmed G; Annamalai, Lakshmi; Chockalingam, Annamalai; Elena, Wan Putri; Rahman, Nor Iza A; Abubakar, Abdullahi Rabiu; Haque, Mainul

2015-01-01

Background Didactic lecture is the oldest and most commonly used method of teaching. In addition, it is considered one of the most efficient ways to disseminate theories, ideas, and facts. Many critics feel that lectures are an obsolete method to use when students need to perform hands-on activities, which is an everyday need in the study of medicine. This study evaluates students’ perceptions regarding lecture quality in a new medical school. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted of the medical students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. The study population was 468 preclinical medical students from years 1 and 2 of academic year 2012–2013. Data were collected using a validated instrument. There were six different sections of questions using a 5-point Likert scale. The data were then compiled and analyzed, using SPSS version 20. Results The response rate was 73%. Among 341 respondents, 30% were male and 70% were female. Eighty-five percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that the lectures had met the criteria with regard to organization of lecture materials. Similarly, 97% of students agree or strongly agree that lecturers maintained adequate voices and gestures. Conclusion Medical students are quite satisfied with the lecture classes and the lectures. However, further research is required to identify student-centered teaching and learning methods to promote active learning. PMID:25878516

Evaluation of doctors' performance as facilitators in basic medical science lecture classes in a new Malaysian medical school.

PubMed

Ismail, Salwani; Salam, Abdus; Alattraqchi, Ahmed G; Annamalai, Lakshmi; Chockalingam, Annamalai; Elena, Wan Putri; Rahman, Nor Iza A; Abubakar, Abdullahi Rabiu; Haque, Mainul

2015-01-01

Didactic lecture is the oldest and most commonly used method of teaching. In addition, it is considered one of the most efficient ways to disseminate theories, ideas, and facts. Many critics feel that lectures are an obsolete method to use when students need to perform hands-on activities, which is an everyday need in the study of medicine. This study evaluates students' perceptions regarding lecture quality in a new medical school. This was a cross-sectional study conducted of the medical students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. The study population was 468 preclinical medical students from years 1 and 2 of academic year 2012-2013. Data were collected using a validated instrument. There were six different sections of questions using a 5-point Likert scale. The data were then compiled and analyzed, using SPSS version 20. The response rate was 73%. Among 341 respondents, 30% were male and 70% were female. Eighty-five percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that the lectures had met the criteria with regard to organization of lecture materials. Similarly, 97% of students agree or strongly agree that lecturers maintained adequate voices and gestures. Medical students are quite satisfied with the lecture classes and the lectures. However, further research is required to identify student-centered teaching and learning methods to promote active learning.

Does consideration of either psychological or material disadvantage improve coronary risk prediction? Prospective observational study of Scottish men.

PubMed

Macleod, John; Metcalfe, Chris; Smith, George Davey; Hart, Carole

2007-09-01

To assess the value of psychosocial risk factors in discriminating between individuals at higher and lower risk of coronary heart disease, using risk prediction equations. Prospective observational study. Scotland. 5191 employed men aged 35 to 64 years and free of coronary heart disease at study enrollment Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for risk prediction equations including different risk factors for coronary heart disease. During the first 10 years of follow up, 203 men died of coronary heart disease and a further 200 were admitted to hospital with this diagnosis. Area under the ROC curve for the standard Framingham coronary risk factors was 74.5%. Addition of "vital exhaustion" and psychological stress led to areas under the ROC curve of 74.5% and 74.6%, respectively. Addition of current social class and lifetime social class to the standard Framingham equation gave areas under the ROC curve of 74.6% and 74.9%, respectively. In no case was there strong evidence for improved discrimination of the model containing the novel risk factor over the standard model. Consideration of psychosocial risk factors, including those that are strong independent predictors of heart disease, does not substantially influence the ability of risk prediction tools to discriminate between individuals at higher and lower risk of coronary heart disease.

Patterns of cannabis use during adolescence and their association with harmful substance use behaviour: findings from a UK birth cohort.

PubMed

Taylor, Michelle; Collin, Simon M; Munafò, Marcus R; MacLeod, John; Hickman, Matthew; Heron, Jon

2017-08-01

Evidence on the role of cannabis as a gateway drug is inconsistent. We characterise patterns of cannabis use among UK teenagers aged 13-18 years, and assess their influence on problematic substance use at age 21 years. We used longitudinal latent class analysis to derive trajectories of cannabis use from self-report measures in a UK birth cohort. We investigated (1) factors associated with latent class membership and (2) whether latent class membership predicted subsequent nicotine dependence, harmful alcohol use and recent use of other illicit drugs at age 21 years. 5315 adolescents had three or more measures of cannabis use from age 13 to 18 years. Cannabis use patterns were captured as four latent classes corresponding to 'non-users' (80.1%), 'late-onset occasional' (14.2%), 'early-onset occasional' (2.3%) and 'regular' users (3.4%). Sex, mother's substance use, and child's tobacco use, alcohol consumption and conduct problems were strongly associated with cannabis use. At age 21 years, compared with the non-user class, late-onset occasional, early-onset occasional and regular cannabis user classes had higher odds of nicotine dependence (OR=3.5, 95% CI 0.7 to 17.9; OR=12.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 150.3; and OR=37.2, 95% CI 9.5 to 144.8, respectively); harmful alcohol consumption (OR=2.6, 95% CI 1.5 to 4.3; OR=5.0, 95% CI 2.1 to 12.1; and OR=2.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.1, respectively); and other illicit drug use (OR=22.7, 95% CI 11.3 to 45.7; OR=15.9, 95% CI 3.9 to 64.4; and OR=47.9, 95% CI 47.9 to 337.0, respectively). One-fifth of the adolescents in our sample followed a pattern of occasional or regular cannabis use, and these young people were more likely to progress to harmful substance use behaviours in early adulthood. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Solving search problems by strongly simulating quantum circuits

PubMed Central

Johnson, T. H.; Biamonte, J. D.; Clark, S. R.; Jaksch, D.

2013-01-01

Simulating quantum circuits using classical computers lets us analyse the inner workings of quantum algorithms. The most complete type of simulation, strong simulation, is believed to be generally inefficient. Nevertheless, several efficient strong simulation techniques are known for restricted families of quantum circuits and we develop an additional technique in this article. Further, we show that strong simulation algorithms perform another fundamental task: solving search problems. Efficient strong simulation techniques allow solutions to a class of search problems to be counted and found efficiently. This enhances the utility of strong simulation methods, known or yet to be discovered, and extends the class of search problems known to be efficiently simulable. Relating strong simulation to search problems also bounds the computational power of efficiently strongly simulable circuits; if they could solve all problems in P this would imply that all problems in NP and #P could be solved in polynomial time. PMID:23390585

Identifying achievement goals and their relationship to academic achievement in undergraduate pharmacy students.

PubMed

Alrakaf, Saleh; Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2014-09-15

To compare the achievement goal orientations of first-year with those of third-year undergraduate Australian pharmacy students and to examine the relationship of goal orientations to academic achievement. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to first-year and third-year students during class time. Students' grades were obtained from course coordinators. More first-year students adopted performance-approach and mastery-approach goals than did third-year students. Performance-approach goals were positively correlated with academic achievement in the first year. Chinese Australian students scored the highest in adopting performance-approach goals. Vietnamese Australian students adopted mastery-avoidance goals more than other ethnicities. First-year students were more strongly performance approach goal-oriented than third-year students. Adopting performance-approach goals was positively correlated with academic achievement, while adopting avoidance goals was not. Ethnicity has an effect on the adoption of achievement goals and academic achievement.

Sex-specific predictive power of 6-minute walk test in chronic heart failure is not enhanced using percent achieved of published reference equations.

PubMed

Frankenstein, Lutz; Zugck, Christian; Nelles, Manfred; Schellberg, Dieter; Katus, Hugo; Remppis, Andrew

2008-04-01

The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is an established prognostic tool in chronic heart failure. The strong influence of height, weight, age, and sex on 6MWT distance may be accounted for by using percentage achieved of predicted value rather than uncorrected 6MWT values. The study included 1069 patients (862 men) with a mean age 55.2 +/- 11.7 years and mean left ventricular ejection fraction of 29% +/- 10%, attending the heart failure clinic of the University of Heidelberg between 1995 and 2005. The predictive power and accuracy of 6MWT and achieved percentage values according to all available published equations for mortality and mortality or transplant combined were tested separately for each sex. The percentage values varied largely between equations. For all equations, women in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I had higher values than men. Although the 6MWT significantly discriminated all NYHA classes for both sexes, only 1 equation discriminated all NYHA classes. No significant differences in the area under the receiver operating-characteristic curve were noted between achieved percentage values and 6MWT. Despite strong univariate significance, achieved percentage values did not retain multivariate significance. The 6MWT was independent from N-terminal brain natriuretic propeptide, NYHA, left ventricular ejection fraction, and peak oxygen uptake. We confirmed 6MWT to be a strong and independent risk predictor for both sexes. Because the prognostic power of 6MWT is not enhanced using percentage achieved of published reference equations, we suggest recalibration of these reference values rather than discarding this approach.

Equivalence classes of Fibonacci lattices and their similarity properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo Gullo, N.; Vittadello, L.; Bazzan, M.; Dell'Anna, L.

2016-08-01

We investigate, theoretically and experimentally, the properties of Fibonacci lattices with arbitrary spacings. Different from periodic structures, the reciprocal lattice and the dynamical properties of Fibonacci lattices depend strongly on the lengths of their lattice parameters, even if the sequence of long and short segment, the Fibonacci string, is the same. In this work we show that by exploiting a self-similarity property of Fibonacci strings under a suitable composition rule, it is possible to define equivalence classes of Fibonacci lattices. We show that the diffraction patterns generated by Fibonacci lattices belonging to the same equivalence class can be rescaled to a common pattern of strong diffraction peaks thus giving to this classification a precise meaning. Furthermore we show that, through the gap labeling theorem, gaps in the energy spectra of Fibonacci crystals belonging to the same class can be labeled by the same momenta (up to a proper rescaling) and that the larger gaps correspond to the strong peaks of the diffraction spectra. This observation makes the definition of equivalence classes meaningful also for the spectral and therefore dynamical and thermodynamical properties of quasicrystals. Our results apply to the more general class of quasiperiodic lattices for which similarity under a suitable deflation rule is in order.

Asynchrony in the inter-annual recruitment of lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis in the Great Lakes region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zischke, Mitchell T.; Bunnell, David B.; Troy, Cary D.; Berglund, Eric K.; Caroffino, David C.; Ebener, Mark P.; He, Ji X.; Sitar, Shawn P.; Hook, Tomas O.

2017-01-01

Spatially separated fish populations may display synchrony in annual recruitment if the factors that drive recruitment success, particularly abiotic factors such as temperature, are synchronised across broad spatial scales. We examined inter-annual variation in recruitment among lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) populations in lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior using fishery-dependent and -independent data from 1971 to 2014. Relative year-class strength (RYCS) was calculated from catch-curve residuals for each year class across multiple sampling years. Pairwise comparison of RYCS among datasets revealed no significant associations either within or between lakes, suggesting that recruitment of lake whitefish is spatially asynchronous. There was no consistent correlation between pairwise agreement and the distance between datasets, and models to estimate the spatial scale of recruitment synchrony did not fit well to these data. This suggests that inter-annual recruitment variation of lake whitefish is asynchronous across broad spatial scales in the Great Lakes. While our method primarily evaluated year-to-year recruitment variation, it is plausible that recruitment of lake whitefish varies at coarser temporal scales (e.g. decadal). Nonetheless, our findings differ from research on some other Coregonus species and suggest that local biotic or density-dependent factors may contribute strongly to lake whitefish recruitment rather than inter-annual variability in broad-scale abiotic factors.

The year-class phenomenon and the storage effect in marine fishes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Secor, David H.

2007-02-01

Factors contributing to population growth through strong year-class formation have driven a century of directed research in fisheries science. A central discovery of Hjort's paradigm was that multiple generations overlap and longevity is matched with frequency of strong recruitments. Here, I elaborate on this tenet by examining how intra-population modalities in spawning and early habitat use favour population resiliency. A modern theory that has application is the storage effect [Warner, R.R., Chesson, P.L., 1985. Coexistence mediated by recruitment fluctuations - a field guide to the storage effect. Am. Nat. 125, 769-787], whereby spawning stock biomass accumulates each year so that when early survival conditions are favourable, stored egg production can result in explosive population growth. I review two early life history behaviours that contribute to the storage effect: split cohorts (i.e., seasonal pulses of eggs and larvae) and contingent behaviour (i.e., dispersive and retentive patterns in early dispersal). Episodic and pulsed production of larvae is a common feature for marine fishes, well documented through otolith microstructure and hatch-date analyses. In temperate and boreal fishes, early and late spawned cohorts of larvae and juveniles may have differing fates dependent upon seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in weather and climate. Often, a coastal fish may spawn for a protracted period, yet only a few days' egg production will result in successful recruitment. In these and other instances, it is clear that diversity in spawning behaviour can confer resilience against temporal variations in early survival conditions. Although many factors contribute to intra-population spawning modalities, size and age structure of adults play an important role. Contingent structure, an idea dating to Hjort (herring contingents) and Gilbert (salmon contingents), has been resurrected to describe the diversity of intra-population modalities observed through otolith microchemical and electronic tagging approaches. Retentive and dispersive behaviours confer resiliency against early survival conditions that vary spatially. Examples of contingent structure are increasingly numerous for diadromous fishes. Here, a nursery habitat associated with a contingent behaviour may make a small contribution in a given year, but over a decade contribute significantly to spawning stock biomass. For flatfish and other marine fishes, contingent structure is probable but not well documented. Proximate factors leading to contingent structure are poorly known, but for diadromous fishes, time of spawning and early life history energetic thresholds is hypothesized to lead to alternative life cycles. Here again time of spawning may lead to the storage effect by hedging against spatial variance in early vital rates. Managing for the storage effect will be promoted by conservation of adult age structure and early habitats upon which both strong and weak year-classes rely.

Homogeneous Combinations of ASD-ADHD Traits and Their Cognitive and Behavioral Correlates in a Population-Based Sample.

PubMed

van der Meer, Jolanda M J; Lappenschaar, Martijn G A; Hartman, Catharina A; Greven, Corina U; Buitelaar, Jan K; Rommelse, Nanda N J

2017-07-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and ADHD are assumed to be the extreme manifestations of continuous heterogeneous traits that frequently co-occur. This study aims to identify subgroups of children with distinct ASD-ADHD trait profiles in the general population, using measures sensitive across both trait continua, and show how these subgroups differ in cognitive functioning. We examined 378 children (6-13 years) from a population-based sample. Latent class analyses (LCA) detected three concordant classes with low (10.1%), medium (54.2%), or high (13.2%) scores on both traits, and two discordant classes with more ADHD than ASD characteristics (ADHD > ASD, 18.3%) and vice versa (ASD > ADHD, 4.2%). Findings suggest that ASD and ADHD traits usually are strongly related in the unaffected population, and that a minority of children displays atypical discordant trait profiles characterized by differential visual-spatial functioning. This dissociation suggests that heterogeneity in ASD and ADHD is rooted in heterogeneity in the lower unaffected end of the distribution.

Birth weight, childhood socioeconomic environment, and cognitive development in the 1958 British birth cohort study

PubMed Central

Jefferis, Barbara J M H; Power, Chris; Hertzman, Clyde

2002-01-01

Objectives To examine the combined effect of social class and weight at birth on cognitive trajectories during school age and the associations between birth weight and educational outcomes through to 33 years. Design Longitudinal, population based, birth cohort study. Participants 10 845 males and females born during 3-9 March 1958 with information on birth weight, social class, and cognitive tests. Main outcome measures Reading, maths, draw a man, copying designs, verbal and non-verbal ability tests at ages 7, 11, and 16, highest qualifications achieved by 33, and trajectories of maths standardised scores at 7-16 years. Results The outcome of all childhood cognitive tests and educational achievements improved significantly with increasing birth weight. Analysis of maths scores at 7 and of highest qualifications achieved by 33 showed that the relations were robust to adjustment for potential confounding factors. For each kilogram increase in birth weight, maths z score increased by 0.17 (adjusted estimate 0.15, 95% confidence interval 0.10 to 0.21) for males and 0.21 (0.20, 0.14 to 0.25) for females. Trajectories of maths z scores between 7 and 16 years diverged for different social class groups: participants from classes I and II increased their relative position on the score with increasing age, whereas classes IV and V showed a relative decline with increasing age. Birth weight explained much less of the variation in cognition than did social class (range 0.5-1.5% v 2.9-12.5%). Conclusions The postnatal environment has an overwhelming influence on cognitive function through to early adulthood, but these strong effects do not explain the weaker but independent association with birth weight. What is already known on this topicWeight at birth is associated with later cognitive developmentThis is maintained across the range of normal birth weightsWhat this study addsSocial class at birth and birth weight have independent effects on maths scores in childhood, but social class at birth explains more of the variation in the scoresThe relation between maths scores and birth weight persists across birth weights after adjustment for gestational age, parental education, and other potential confounding factorsTrajectories of maths attainment diverge, with more affluent social groups increasing their relative advantage whereas the effect of birth weight remains constant over time PMID:12169505

Unique versus cumulative effects of physical and sexual assault on patterns of adolescent substance use.

PubMed

Charak, Ruby; Koot, Hans M; Dvorak, Robert D; Elklit, Ask; Elhai, Jon D

2015-12-30

The present study assessed the unique versus cumulative effects of physical and sexual assault, on patterns of substance-use in adolescents. It was hypothesized that experiencing a single assault (physical or sexual) when compared with exposure to both physical and sexual assault would be more strongly related to membership of polysubstance use classes. From the National Survey of Adolescents-1995 (N= 4023) 918 adolescents (age range=12-17 years, M=14.92, 49.6% female) with reports of physical assault and/or sexual assault were selected. Using information on alcohol-use, cigarette-smoking, chewing tobacco, non-prescribed use of medicines, and drug-use, latent class analysis indicated a three class solution for substance-use, namely, Experimental use, Light polysubstance-use, and Polysubstance-use. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that as compared to adolescents exposed to a single type of assault those exposed to both physical and sexual assault were two-to-three times more likely to be in the heavier polysubstance-use class. Females were more likely to be members of the polysubstance-use class than of the experimental use class. Gender did not emerge as a significant moderator. It was concluded that assessing for single type or co-occurring assault can facilitate identification of adolescents at elevated risk for polysubstance-use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Updated Guidelines for ANSS Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, J. R.; Hutt, C. R.; Gee, L. S.

2014-12-01

In 2008 the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and cooperating universities and institutions issued USGS Open-File Report 2008-1262 (OFR) containing detailed guidelines for the performance of instrumentation to be used by the ANSS. Here we report an update underway to these guidelines to take account of lessons learned, changing technology, and expanding user desires; in a few instances, performance matters that are very hard to test in practice are either modified or removed. Instrument classes are defined in the OFR in terms of amplitude resolution and cost; because relevant technologies have advanced substantially in these six years and a number of groups have begun to explore the use of relatively inexpensive, entirely host installed and operated Class C systems, the guidelines for strong-motion sensors are being expanded to include detailed guidelines for them rather than just anticipating them. As always, Class A systems will form the state-of-the-art backbone of any network, with Class B filling in spatially and in areas otherwise not covered well. Class C systems would be an additional step in making networks denser by providing very inexpensive hardware, installation, and maintenance to fill in additionally between Class A and B sites, for example in a high-seismicity urban area, with Class A sites every 4-6 km, Class B every 2-3 km, and Class C at <1 km spacing. Class C devices would be both installed and maintained by hosts, not institutions, and therefore also would be economical for extending coverage in regions with widely spaced or rare large seismicity, such as the central and eastern U.S.

High-Density SNP Screening of the Major Histocompatibility Complex in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Demonstrates Strong Evidence for Independent Susceptibility Regions

PubMed Central

Barcellos, Lisa F.; May, Suzanne L.; Ramsay, Patricia P.; Quach, Hong L.; Lane, Julie A.; Nititham, Joanne; Noble, Janelle A.; Taylor, Kimberly E.; Quach, Diana L.; Chung, Sharon A.; Kelly, Jennifer A.; Moser, Kathy L.; Behrens, Timothy W.; Seldin, Michael F.; Thomson, Glenys; Harley, John B.; Gaffney, Patrick M.; Criswell, Lindsey A.

2009-01-01

A substantial genetic contribution to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk is conferred by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene(s) on chromosome 6p21. Previous studies in SLE have lacked statistical power and genetic resolution to fully define MHC influences. We characterized 1,610 Caucasian SLE cases and 1,470 parents for 1,974 MHC SNPs, the highly polymorphic HLA-DRB1 locus, and a panel of ancestry informative markers. Single-marker analyses revealed strong signals for SNPs within several MHC regions, as well as with HLA-DRB1 (global p = 9.99×10−16). The most strongly associated DRB1 alleles were: *0301 (odds ratio, OR = 2.21, p = 2.53×10−12), *1401 (OR = 0.50, p = 0.0002), and *1501 (OR = 1.39, p = 0.0032). The MHC region SNP demonstrating the strongest evidence of association with SLE was rs3117103, with OR = 2.44 and p = 2.80×10−13. Conditional haplotype and stepwise logistic regression analyses identified strong evidence for association between SLE and the extended class I, class I, class III, class II, and the extended class II MHC regions. Sequential removal of SLE–associated DRB1 haplotypes revealed independent effects due to variation within OR2H2 (extended class I, rs362521, p = 0.006), CREBL1 (class III, rs8283, p = 0.01), and DQB2 (class II, rs7769979, p = 0.003, and rs10947345, p = 0.0004). Further, conditional haplotype analyses demonstrated that variation within MICB (class I, rs3828903, p = 0.006) also contributes to SLE risk independent of HLA-DRB1*0301. Our results for the first time delineate with high resolution several MHC regions with independent contributions to SLE risk. We provide a list of candidate variants based on biologic and functional considerations that may be causally related to SLE risk and warrant further investigation. PMID:19851445

Class Attendance in College: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relationship of Class Attendance with Grades and Student Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crede, Marcus; Roch, Sylvia G.; Kieszczynka, Urszula M.

2010-01-01

A meta-analysis of the relationship between class attendance in college and college grades reveals that attendance has strong relationships with both class grades (k = 69, N = 21,195, p = 0.44) and GPA (k = 33, N = 9,243, p = 0.41). These relationships make class attendance a better predictor of college grades than any other known predictor of…

Professional assessment of facial profile attractiveness.

PubMed

Soh, Jen; Chew, Ming Tak; Wong, Hwee Bee

2005-08-01

The aim of this study was to compare the assessments of Chinese facial profile attractiveness by orthodontists and oral surgeons. The sample comprised 31 dental professionals (20 orthodontists, 11 oral surgeons) in an Asian community. Facial profile photographs and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 2 Chinese adults (1 man, 1 woman) with normal profiles, Class I incisor relationships, and Class I skeletal patterns were digitized. The digital images were modified by altering cephalometric skeletal and dental hard tissue Chinese normative values in increments of 2 standard deviations in the anteroposterior plane to obtain 7 facial profiles for each sex. The images were bimaxillary protrusion, protrusive mandible, retrusive mandible, normal profile (Class I incisor with Class I skeletal pattern), retrusive maxilla, protrusive maxilla, and bimaxillary retrusion. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine professional differences in assessment. Multiple regression analysis was performed with age, professional status, sex, and number of years in practice as independent variables. A strong correlation was found in the profile assessment between orthodontists and oral surgeons. Normal and bimaxillary retrusive Chinese male and female profiles were judged to be highly attractive by orthodontists and oral surgeons. Chinese male and female profiles with protrusive mandibles were judged the least attractive. There was a difference in professional opinion about the most attractive male profile (P < .05), with orthodontists preferring a flatter profile and oral surgeons preferring a fuller normal Chinese profile. Sex of dental professionals and number of years in clinical practice were found to affect profile rankings.

Molecular-level evidence provided by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry for oil-derived doc in groundwater at Bemidji, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Islam, Ananna; Ahmed, Arif; Hur, Manhoi; Thorn, Kevin A.; Kim, Sunghwan

2016-01-01

Dissolved organic matter samples extracted from ground water at the USGS Bemidji oil spill site in Minnesota were investigated by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Principle component analysis (PCA) of the elemental composition assignments of the samples showed that the score plots for the contaminated sites were well separated from those for the uncontaminated sites. Additionally, spectra obtained from the same sampling site 7 and 19 years after the spill were grouped together in the score plot, strongly suggesting a steady state of contamination within the 12 year interval. The double bond equivalence (DBE) of Ox class compounds was broader for the samples from the contaminated sites, because of the complex nature of oil and the consequent formation of compounds with saturated and/or aromatic structures from the oxygenated products of oil. In addition, Ox class compounds with a relatively smaller number of x (x < 8; x = number of oxygen) and OxS1 class compounds were more abundant in the samples from the contaminated sites, because of the lower oxygen and higher sulfur contents of the oil compared to humic substances. The molecular-level signatures presented here can be a fundamental basis for in-depth analysis of oil contamination.

Interaction of Mycobacterium avium-containing phagosomes with the antigen presentation pathway.

PubMed

Ullrich, H J; Beatty, W L; Russell, D G

2000-12-01

Pathogenic mycobacteria infect macrophages where they replicate in phagosomes that minimize contact with late endosomal/lysosomal compartments. Loading of Ags to MHC class II molecules occurs in specialized compartments with late endosomal characteristics. This points to a sequestration of mycobacteria-containing phagosomes from the sites where Ags meet MHC class II molecules. Indeed, in resting macrophages MHC class II levels decreased strongly in phagosomes containing M. avium during a 4-day infection. Phagosomal MHC class II of early (4 h) infections was partly surface-derived and associated with peptide. Activation of host macrophages led to the appearance of H2-M, a chaperon of Ag loading, and to a strong increase in MHC class II molecules in phagosomes of acute (1 day) infections. Comparison with the kinetics of MHC class II acquisition by IgG-coated bead-containing phagosomes suggests that the arrest in phagosome maturation by mycobacteria limits the intersection of mycobacteria-containing phagosomes with the intracellular trafficking pathways of Ag-presenting molecules.

Family-based association study of HLA class II with type 1 diabetes in Moroccans.

PubMed

Drissi Bourhanbour, A; Benseffaj, N; Ouadghiri, S; Razine, R; Touzani, A; Belafraj, A; Essakalli, M

2015-04-01

The T1D is a multifactorial disease; with a strong genetic control. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system plays a crucial role in the autoimmune process leading to childhood diabetes. About 440,000 of the childhood population of the world (1.8 billion children under 14 years of age), have type 1 diabetes, and each year an additional 70,000 develop this disorder. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of HLA class II in Moroccan families of diabetic children to identify susceptibility alleles of the Moroccan population. We included in this study, Moroccan families who have at least one child with T1D. The age of onset of diabetes was less than 15 years. HLA class II (DRB1* and DQB1*) was carried out by molecular biology techniques (PCR-SSP and PCR-SSO). The FBAT test (family-based association test) was used to highlight the association between T1D and the HLA-DRB1* and -DQB1* polymorphism. The association of HLA class II (DRB1*, DQB1*) in type 1 diabetes was analyzed in fifty-one Moroccan families, including 90 diabetics. The results revealed that the most susceptible haplotypes are the DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01, DRB1*04:05-DQB1*03:02 (Z=3.674, P=0.000239; Z=2.828, P=0.004678, respectively). And the most protective haplotype is the DRB1*15-DQB1*06. This is the first family-based association study searching for an association between HLA class II and T1D in a Moroccan population. Despite the different ethnic groups forming Morocco, Moroccan diabetics share the most susceptible and protective HLA haplotypes with other Caucasians populations, specifically the European and Mediterranean populations. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Social class differences in self, attribution, and attention: socially expansive individualism of middle-class Americans.

PubMed

Bowman, Nicholas A; Kitayama, Shinobu; Nisbett, Richard E

2009-07-01

Although U.S. culture strongly sanctions the ideal of independence, the specific ways in which independence is realized may be variable depending, among other factors, on social class. Characterized by relative scarcity of social and material resources, working-class (WC) Americans were expected to strongly value self-reliance. In contrast, with choices among abundant resources, middle-class (MC) Americans were expected to value personal control and social expansiveness. In support of this analysis, relative to their WC counterparts, MC Americans reported more support from friends and greater likelihood of giving and receiving advice but less self-reliance (Study 1). Furthermore, we found evidence that this social difference has cognitive consequences: College students with MC backgrounds were more likely than their WC counterparts were to endorse situational attributions for others' behavior (Studies 2a and 2b) as well as to show holistic visual attention (Study 3).

Offshore Habitat Preference of Overwintering Juvenile and Adult Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata, and the Relationship to Year-Class Success

PubMed Central

Miller, Alicia S.; Shepherd, Gary R.; Fratantoni, Paula S.

2016-01-01

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) migrations are believed to play a role in overwinter survival and connectivity between juvenile and adult populations. This study investigated oceanographic drivers of winter habitat choice and regional differences between populations of juvenile and adult black sea bass. Trends in cohort strength, as a result of juvenile survival, were also identified. Oceanographic and fisheries survey data were analyzed using generalized additive models. Among the oceanographic variables investigated, salinity was the main driver in habitat selection with an optimal range of 33–35 practical salinity units (PSU) for both juveniles and adults. Preferred temperature ranges varied between juveniles and adults, but held a similar minimum preference of >8°C. Salinity and temperature ranges also differed by regions north and south of Hudson Canyon. Shelf water volume had less of an effect than temperature or salinity, but showed an overall negative relationship with survey catch. The effect of winter conditions on juvenile abundance was also observed across state and federal survey index trends. A lack of correlation observed among surveys in the fall paired with a strong correlation in the spring identifies the winter period as a factor determining year-class strength of new recruits to the population. A rank order analysis of spring indices identified three of the largest year classes occurring during years with reduced shelf water volumes, warmer winter shelf waters, and a 34 PSU isohaline aligned farther inshore. While greater catches of black sea bass in the northwest Atlantic Ocean remain south of Hudson Canyon, the species’ range has expanded north in recent years. PMID:26824350

Variations of somatotype in elderly Sardinians.

PubMed

Buffa, R; Succa, V; Garau, D; Marini, E; Floris, G

2005-01-01

Somatotyping is an effective technique for the study of anthropometric variations and body composition in elderly subjects, even though it has not often been used in this field. The present study was conducted on a sample of 280 healthy Sardinians (134 men and 146 women) of age 60-89 years, subdivided into three age classes (60-69 years; 70-79 years; and 80-89 years). Somatotypes were computed according to Carter and Heath (Somatotyping-Development and Applications. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press; 1990). The results show a dominance of the endo- and mesomorphic components in the elderly subjects, with less development of ectomorphy than in younger individuals. In a comparison with other populations, our sample shows strong development of endomorphy and especially of mesomorphy, while ectomorphy values are generally low. Age-related variations are significant in both sexes and consist in a progressive reduction of the endomorphic component, particularly in the 80-89-year class (endomorphy in the three age classes: 6.4, 6.1, and 5.3 in men; 8.1, 7.8, and 6.8 in women). The mesomorphic component is characterized by stability (age variations: 6.4, 6.4, and 5.9 in men; 6.3, 6.4, and 6.3 in women) and the ectomorphic component by a slight increase (age variations: 0.5, 0.6, and 0.8 in men; 0.4, 0.3, and 0.5 in women). Sex differences are significant and especially large for the endomorphic component, with generally higher values in women. The sexual dimorphism tends to decrease with age. The results are discussed with regard to the biology of aging, with emphasis on the potential application of somatotype to studies of the elderly population. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc

The association between characteristics of fathering in infancy and depressive symptoms in adolescence: A UK birth cohort study.

PubMed

Scourfield, Jonathan; Culpin, Iryna; Gunnell, David; Dale, Caroline; Joinson, Carol; Heron, Jon; Collin, Simon M

2016-08-01

Evidence suggests that the quality of fathers' parenting has an impact on psychological outcomes during adolescence, but less is known about which aspects of fathering have the strongest effects. This study, using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), considers which paternal attitudes towards and experiences of child care in infancy are most strongly associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence, and whether father effects are independent of maternal influence and other risk factors. Primary exposures were fathers' attitudes to and experiences of child care at 8 weeks, 8 months and 21 months coded as continuous scores; the primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms at 16 years (Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire score ≥11). Multivariable logistic regression models showed reasonably strong evidence that parental reports indicating potential paternal abuse when children were toddlers were associated with a 22% increased odds of depressive symptoms at age 16 (odds ratio [OR] 1.22 [95% CI 1.11, 1.34] per SD). There was some evidence for an interaction with social class (p=0.04): for children living in higher social class households (professional, managerial and technical classes), an increase in the potential abuse scale increased the odds of depressive symptoms by 31% (OR 1.31 [1.13, 1.53] per SD), whereas there was no effect in the lower social class categories. The potential paternal abuse measure needs to be validated and research is needed on what circumstances predict anger and frustration with child care. Effective interventions are needed to help fathers cope better with parenting stress. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Matter of Classes: Stratifying Health Care Populations to Produce Better Estimates of Inpatient Costs

PubMed Central

Rein, David B

2005-01-01

Objective To stratify traditional risk-adjustment models by health severity classes in a way that is empirically based, is accessible to policy makers, and improves predictions of inpatient costs. Data Sources Secondary data created from the administrative claims from all 829,356 children aged 21 years and under enrolled in Georgia Medicaid in 1999. Study Design A finite mixture model was used to assign child Medicaid patients to health severity classes. These class assignments were then used to stratify both portions of a traditional two-part risk-adjustment model predicting inpatient Medicaid expenditures. Traditional model results were compared with the stratified model using actuarial statistics. Principal Findings The finite mixture model identified four classes of children: a majority healthy class and three illness classes with increasing levels of severity. Stratifying the traditional two-part risk-adjustment model by health severity classes improved its R2 from 0.17 to 0.25. The majority of additional predictive power resulted from stratifying the second part of the two-part model. Further, the preference for the stratified model was unaffected by months of patient enrollment time. Conclusions Stratifying health care populations based on measures of health severity is a powerful method to achieve more accurate cost predictions. Insurers who ignore the predictive advances of sample stratification in setting risk-adjusted premiums may create strong financial incentives for adverse selection. Finite mixture models provide an empirically based, replicable methodology for stratification that should be accessible to most health care financial managers. PMID:16033501

Allochronic speciation, secondary contact, and reproductive character displacement in periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada spp.): genetic, morphological, and behavioural evidence.

PubMed

Cooley, J R; Simon, C; Marshall, D C; Slon, K; Ehrhardt, C

2001-03-01

Periodical cicadas have proven useful in testing a variety of ecological and evolutionary hypotheses because of their unusual life history, extraordinary abundance, and wide geographical range. Periodical cicadas provide the best examples of synchronous periodicity and predator satiation in the animal kingdom, and are excellent illustrations of habitat partitioning (by the three morphologically distinct species groups), incipient species (the year classes or broods), and cryptic species (a newly discovered 13-year species, Magicicada neotredecim). They are particularly useful for exploring questions regarding speciation via temporal isolation, or allochronic speciation. Recently, data were presented that provided strong support for an instance of allochronic speciation by life-cycle switching. This speciation event resulted in the formation of a new 13-year species from a 17-year species and led to secondary contact between two formerly separated lineages, one represented by the new 13-year cicadas (and their 17-year ancestors), and the other represented by the pre-existing 13-year cicadas. Allozyme frequency data, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and abdominal colour were shown to be correlated genetic markers supporting the life-cycle switching/allochronic speciation hypothesis. In addition, a striking pattern of reproductive character displacement in male call pitch and female pitch preference between the two 13-year species was discovered. In this paper we report a strong association between calling song pitch and mtDNA haplotype for 101 individuals from a single locality within the M. tredecim/M. neotredecim contact zone and a strong association between abdomen colour and mtDNA haplotype. We conclude by reviewing proposed mechanisms for allochronic speciation and reproductive character displacement.

Therapy preferences of patients with lung and colon cancer: a discrete choice experiment.

PubMed

Schmidt, Katharina; Damm, Kathrin; Vogel, Arndt; Golpon, Heiko; Manns, Michael P; Welte, Tobias; Graf von der Schulenburg, J-Matthias

2017-01-01

There is increasing interest in studies that examine patient preferences to measure health-related outcomes. Understanding patients' preferences can improve the treatment process and is particularly relevant for oncology. In this study, we aimed to identify the subgroup-specific treatment preferences of German patients with lung cancer (LC) or colorectal cancer (CRC). Six discrete choice experiment (DCE) attributes were established on the basis of a systematic literature review and qualitative interviews. The DCE analyses comprised generalized linear mixed-effects model and latent class mixed logit model. The study cohort comprised 310 patients (194 with LC, 108 with CRC, 8 with both types of cancer) with a median age of 63 (SD =10.66) years. The generalized linear mixed-effects model showed a significant ( P <0.05) degree of association for all of the tested attributes. "Strongly increased life expectancy" was the attribute given the greatest weight by all patient groups. Using latent class mixed logit model analysis, we identified three classes of patients. Patients who were better informed tended to prefer a more balanced relationship between length and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than those who were less informed. Class 2 (LC patients with low HRQoL who had undergone surgery) gave a very strong weighting to increased length of life. We deduced from Class 3 patients that those with a relatively good life expectancy (CRC compared with LC) gave a greater weight to moderate effects on HRQoL than to a longer life. Overall survival was the most important attribute of therapy for patients with LC or CRC. Differences in treatment preferences between subgroups should be considered in regard to treatment and development of guidelines. Patients' preferences were not affected by sex or age, but were affected by the cancer type, HRQoL, surgery status, and the main source of information on the disease.

Assessing the longitudinal stability of latent classes of substance use among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

PubMed

Card, Kiffer G; Armstrong, Heather L; Carter, Allison; Cui, Zishan; Wang, Lu; Zhu, Julia; Lachowsky, Nathan J; Moore, David M; Hogg, Robert S; Roth, Eric A

2018-05-22

Association between substance use and HIV-risk among gay and bisexual men (GBM) is well documented. However, their substance use patterns are diverse, and it is unknown whether self-reported use patterns are stable over time. Sexually-active GBM, aged >16 years, were recruited in Metro Vancouver using respondent-driven sampling and followed across 5 study visits at six-month intervals (n = 449). To identify distinct patterns of substance use and their longitudinal stability, Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) was conducted for drugs reported by at least 30 participants. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) quantified the stability of class assignments. Six classes characterizing 'limited drug use' (i.e., low use of all drugs, except alcohol), 'conventional drug use' (i.e., use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco), 'club drug use' (i.e., use of alcohol, cocaine, and psychedelics), 'sex drug use' (i.e., use of alcohol, crystal meth, GHB, poppers, and erectile dysfunction drugs), 'street drug use' (i.e., use of alcohol and street opioids) and 'assorted drug use' (i.e., use of most drugs) were identified. Across five visits (2.5 years), 26.3% (n = 118/449) of GBM transitioned between classes. The prevalence of limited use trended upwards (Baseline:24.5%, Visit 5:28.3%, p < 0.0001) and assorted use trended downwards (13.4%-9.6%, p = 0.001). All classes had strong longitudinal stability (ICC > 0.97). The stability of latent substance use patterns highlight the utility of these measures in identifying patterns of substance use among people who use drugs - potentially allowing for better assessment of these groups and interventions related to their health. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation of Beta Angle with Antero-Posterior Dysplasia Indicators and FMA: An Institution Based Cephalometric Study.

PubMed

Singh, Gurinder; Verma, Sanjeev; Singh, Devinder Preet; Yadav, Sumit Kumar; Yadav, Achla Bharti

2016-11-01

Beta angle utilizes three skeletal landmarks - point A, point B, and point C (the apparent axis of the condyle). It is formed between A-B line and point A perpendicular to C-B line. Further this angle indicates the severity and the type of skeletal dysplasia in the sagittal dimension and it changes with the growth pattern of the patient. Hence, it is important to study the dependence of beta angle on the growth pattern. The present study was designed to evaluate the correlation of Beta angle with point A-Nasion-point B (ANB) angle, points A and B to palatal plane (App-Bpp), Wit's appraisal and Maxillary-Mandibular plane angle Bisector (MMB) and Frankfort-Mandibular plane Angle (FMA) in Skeletal Class I, Class II and Class III malocclusion groups. Pre-treatment lateral head cephalo-grams of 120 subjects in age group of 15-25 years were obtained. Three skeletal Class I, Class II and Class III malocclusion groups (40 each) were assorted on the basis of ANB, MMB, App-Bpp, Wit's appraisal and FMA. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mean differences were calculated to compare the study groups. Bivariate correlations among different parameters of these groups were obtained. Normal values of beta angle in skeletal Class I group, skeletal Class II group and skeletal Class III group was 31.33±3.25, 25.28±4.28 and 40.93±4.55 respectively. Overall beta angle showed a strong correlation with all parameters of anterio-posterior dysplasia indicators except FMA. Beta angle shows weak correlation with FMA and is not affected by growth pattern/jaw rotation. The normal values are in same range irrespective of the differences in craniofacial morphology.

Correlation of Beta Angle with Antero-Posterior Dysplasia Indicators and FMA: An Institution Based Cephalometric Study

PubMed Central

Singh, Gurinder; Verma, Sanjeev; Singh, Devinder Preet; Yadav, Achla Bharti

2016-01-01

Introduction Beta angle utilizes three skeletal landmarks – point A, point B, and point C (the apparent axis of the condyle). It is formed between A-B line and point A perpendicular to C-B line. Further this angle indicates the severity and the type of skeletal dysplasia in the sagittal dimension and it changes with the growth pattern of the patient. Hence, it is important to study the dependence of beta angle on the growth pattern. Aim The present study was designed to evaluate the correlation of Beta angle with point A–Nasion–point B (ANB) angle, points A and B to palatal plane (App-Bpp), Wit’s appraisal and Maxillary-Mandibular plane angle Bisector (MMB) and Frankfort-Mandibular plane Angle (FMA) in Skeletal Class I, Class II and Class III malocclusion groups. Materials and Methods Pre-treatment lateral head cephalo-grams of 120 subjects in age group of 15-25 years were obtained. Three skeletal Class I, Class II and Class III malocclusion groups (40 each) were assorted on the basis of ANB, MMB, App-Bpp, Wit’s appraisal and FMA. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mean differences were calculated to compare the study groups. Bivariate correlations among different parameters of these groups were obtained. Results Normal values of beta angle in skeletal Class I group, skeletal Class II group and skeletal Class III group was 31.33±3.25, 25.28±4.28 and 40.93±4.55 respectively. Overall beta angle showed a strong correlation with all parameters of anterio-posterior dysplasia indicators except FMA. Conclusion Beta angle shows weak correlation with FMA and is not affected by growth pattern/jaw rotation. The normal values are in same range irrespective of the differences in craniofacial morphology. PMID:28050509

Intelligence: new findings and theoretical developments.

PubMed

Nisbett, Richard E; Aronson, Joshua; Blair, Clancy; Dickens, William; Flynn, James; Halpern, Diane F; Turkheimer, Eric

2012-01-01

We review new findings and new theoretical developments in the field of intelligence. New findings include the following: (a) Heritability of IQ varies significantly by social class. (b) Almost no genetic polymorphisms have been discovered that are consistently associated with variation in IQ in the normal range. (c) Much has been learned about the biological underpinnings of intelligence. (d) "Crystallized" and "fluid" IQ are quite different aspects of intelligence at both the behavioral and biological levels. (e) The importance of the environment for IQ is established by the 12-point to 18-point increase in IQ when children are adopted from working-class to middle-class homes. (f) Even when improvements in IQ produced by the most effective early childhood interventions fail to persist, there can be very marked effects on academic achievement and life outcomes. (g) In most developed countries studied, gains on IQ tests have continued, and they are beginning in the developing world. (h) Sex differences in aspects of intelligence are due partly to identifiable biological factors and partly to socialization factors. (i) The IQ gap between Blacks and Whites has been reduced by 0.33 SD in recent years. We report theorizing concerning (a) the relationship between working memory and intelligence, (b) the apparent contradiction between strong heritability effects on IQ and strong secular effects on IQ, (c) whether a general intelligence factor could arise from initially largely independent cognitive skills, (d) the relation between self-regulation and cognitive skills, and (e) the effects of stress on intelligence.

The influence of parental education on child mental health in Spain.

PubMed

Sonego, Michela; Llácer, Alicia; Galán, Iñaki; Simón, Fernando

2013-02-01

To analyze the association between parental education and offspring's mental health in a nationally representative Spanish sample, and assess the contribution of other socioeconomic factors to the association. We conducted a secondary analysis of data on 4- to 15-year-olds participating in the 2006 Spanish National Health Survey. Mental health was assessed using the parent-reported Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire. Parents' respective educational levels were summarized in a single variable. Univariate and multivariate analyses, controlling for family-, child- and parent-related characteristics, were used to study the association. The final sample comprised 5,635 children. A strong association between parental education and parent-reported child mental health was observed among 4- to 11-year-olds, with odds ratios (ORs) increasing as parental educational level decreased. Where both parents had a sub-university level, maternal education showed a stronger association than did paternal education. Following adjustment for covariates, parental education continued to be the strongest risk factor for parent-reported child mental health problems, OR = 3.7 (95% CI 2.4-5.8) for the lowest educational level, but no association was found among 12- to 15-year-olds. Male sex, immigrant status, activity limitation, parent's poor mental health, low social support, poor family function, single-parent families, low family income and social class were associated with parent-reported child mental health problems in both age groups. Our results show that there is a strong association between parental education and parent-reported child mental health, and that this is indeed stronger than that for income and social class. Among adolescents, however, the effect of parental education would appear to be outweighed by other factors.

Association of Combined Patterns of Tobacco and Cannabis Use in Adolescence With Psychotic Experiences

PubMed Central

Gage, Suzanne H.; Heron, Jon; Hickman, Matthew; Lewis, Glyn; Munafò, Marcus R.; Zammit, Stanley

2018-01-01

Importance There is concern about potentially causal effects of tobacco use on psychosis, but epidemiological studies have been less robust in attempts to minimize effects of confounding than studies of cannabis use have been. Objectives To examine the association of patterns of cigarette and cannabis use with preceding and subsequent psychotic experiences, and to compare effects of confounding across these patterns. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, which initially consisted of 14 062 children. Data were collected periodically from September 6, 1990, with collection ongoing, and analyzed from August 8, 2016, through June 14, 2017. Cigarette and cannabis use data were summarized using longitudinal latent class analysis to identify longitudinal classes of substance use. Associations between classes and psychotic experiences at age 18 years were assessed. Exposures Depending on the analysis model, exposures were longitudinal classes of substance use or psychotic experiences at age 12 years. Main Outcomes and Measures Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between substance use longitudinal classes and subsequent onset of psychotic experiences. Results Longitudinal classes were derived using 5300 participants (56.1% female) who had at least 3 measures of cigarette and cannabis use from ages 14 to 19 years. Prior to adjusting for a range of potential confounders, there was strong evdience that early-onset cigarette-only use (4.3%), early-onset cannabis use (3.2%), and late-onset cannabis use (11.9%) (but not later-onset cigarette-only use [14.8%]) latent classes were associated with increased psychotic experiences compared with nonusers (65.9%) (omnibus P < .001). After adjusting for confounders, the association for early-onset cigarette-only use attenuated substantially (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.03; 95% CI, 1.13-8.14; adjusted OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 0.54-5.88), whereas those for early-onset cannabis use (adjusted OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.66-8.25) and late-onset cannabis use (adjusted OR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.63-5.40) remained consistent. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, our findings indicate that while individuals who use cannabis or cigarettes during adolescence have an increased risk of subsequent psychotic experiences, epidemiological evidence is substantively more robust for cannabis use than it is for tobacco use. PMID:29344610

[Elderly people, precariousness, social handicap and length of stay: pilot study at the Lariboisière-Fernand Widal Hospital Group in Paris].

PubMed

Bréchat, Nathalie; Besnier, Magali; Vogel, Thomas; Berthel, Marc; Castiel, Didier; Labalette, Céline; Lonsdorfer, Jean; Mathieu-Grenouilleau, Marie-Christine; Rymer, Roland; Bréchat, Pierre-Henri

2010-04-01

To administer a social handicap questionnaire associated with French DRGs (PMSI) to determine the social handicaps of a population hospitalized in a public health establishment and to measure the cost implications for the establishment due to increased length of stay (DMS). A prospective pilot study has been carried out in the Lariboisière-Fernand Widal Hospital Group in Paris targeting users 50 or more years old hospitalized for short stays in medicine, surgery and obstetrics. Data of the PMSI and answers to the questionnaire for hospitalisations longer than 24 hours have been exploited. Two hundred twenty-two stays from 8 to 23 November 2005 have been analyzed: 140 pertained to patients aged 50-69 years (27.8%) and 82 to patients aged 70 or more years (16.3%). Three-fourths of the persons aged 50-69 and 70 or over presented a social handicap: 45% showed a strong handicap and a third an average handicap. The three indicators "renter/owner", "interior comfort" and "family relations" were the major determinants of social handicap for those aged 70 or more, 50-69 and 50 or more years. For the patients 70 years and over and those 50-69 years, with an average handicap, the indicator was "income" with the domain "patrimony." For strong handicaps, it was the indicator "scolarisation" for the 70 or more years and the indicator "income" for the 50-69 years old. When all classes and populations were pooled, the DMS was significantly lower than that of the ENC (p<0.001 for the 70 years and over; p<0.05 for the 50-69 years). With again all classes and populations pooled, patients 70 and over stayed in hospital 6.50 days less on average compared to data published by the ENC; those 50-69 years stayed 3.57 days less. Persons aged 50 and over with a social handicap remained hospitalized on average more than 2.5 days: 2.2 days for the 70 and over and 3.1 days for the 50-69 years group. In terms of hospital days that produces an increase of 18%, corresponding to a supplementary expenditure attributable to social handicap of approximately 5.9 million euros. This pilot study with a questionnaire disability social PMSI proposing specific aid, but also reducing the DMS, provides several promising information but also indicates the limits of our approach. Among these, we note in particular: (a) its regular feasibility requires constant supervision, wider and well-trained, (b) that the measurement of our tool can only be affirmed after its use in many patients, and (c) the classification of disability in social class could even be discussed again. We still wanted to explore whether through this initiative without much logistical, markers of interest had emerged, which seems to be the case. (c) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Purification of antilisterial bacteriocins.

PubMed

Berjeaud, Jean-Marc; Cenatiempo, Yves

2004-01-01

In recent years, numerous contamination outbreaks, involving various pathogens (i.e., Listeria and Salmonella), have increased concern over food preservation. Research efforts have focused on the discovery of new molecules targeting such foodborne pathogens and therefore able to inhibit and or kill them. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) extensively used in fermented foods for thousands of years not only improve their flavor and texture but also inhibit pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. LAB inhibitory activity is primarily owing to pH decrease and competition for substrates. Antagonistic activity of LAB also depends on secreted antimicrobial compounds with a poor selectivity, such as metabolic compounds (i.e., hydrogen peroxide, acetoin, and others) or more specific ones like bacteriocins. The latter are proteinaceous compounds, ribosomally synthesized and subsequently secreted by Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria. Their antimicrobial activity is generally restricted to strains phylogenetically related to the producers.A classification of bacteriocins produced by LAB was first proposed by Klaenhammer in 1993 and was modified by Nes et al. in 1996; class I and class II bacteriocins are the most abundant and thoroughly studied. Bacteriocins from both classes exhibit antilisterial activity. Class I bacteriocins, namely, lantibiotics, have been widely studied, and among them, nisin is used in many countries as a preservative in food products. These bacteriocins are characterized by the presence, in their primary structure, of post-translationally modified amino acid residues (i.e., lanthionine and methylanthionine) that are formed. Class II bacteriocins, containing three subclasses, consist of small peptides that do not bear any modified amino acid residue. The most studied subclass corresponds to class IIa, also termed anti-Listeria bacteriocins. These peptides share strong structural homologies in their N-terminal domain, with the presence of one disulfide bond and a net positive charge. Their C-terminal domain is more variable but appears quite hydrophobic. Moreover, some of these bacteriocins, namely, sakacin G, pediocin PA-1, enterocin A, coagulin, and divercin V41, are characterized by the presence of a second disulfide bond in the C-terminal region.

Two Classes and One Vision? Managers' and Workers' Attitudes toward Workplace Democracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collom, Ed

2003-01-01

Analyses of national survey data on workplace democracy found both managers and workers support worker participation in manager selection and worker control of production processes. Experience of class-related practices strongly predicts attitudes; location in the class hierarchy does not. Once workers gain some control, they seek to broaden it to…

Class Size Revisited: Glass and Smith in Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Fritz

Gene V. Glass and Mary Lee Smith claim in their report, "Meta-Analysis of Research on the Relationship of Class-Size and Achievement" (ED 168 129), that their integration of data from 80 previous studies through complex regression analysis techniques revealed a "clear and strong relationship" between decreases in class size and increases in…

Children as Agents in Socializing Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devor, Geraldine M.

1970-01-01

Data analysis showed that the majority of mothers were conscious of their children's influence, and that there were no significant differences by race or social class but a strong tendency toward social class differences. (Author)

Assessing agricultural drought in summer over Oklahoma Mesonet sites using the water-related vegetation index from MODIS.

PubMed

Bajgain, Rajen; Xiao, Xiangming; Basara, Jeffrey; Wagle, Pradeep; Zhou, Yuting; Zhang, Yao; Mahan, Hayden

2017-02-01

Agricultural drought, a common phenomenon in most parts of the world, is one of the most challenging natural hazards to monitor effectively. Land surface water index (LSWI), calculated as a normalized ratio between near infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR), is sensitive to vegetation and soil water content. This study examined the potential of a LSWI-based, drought-monitoring algorithm to assess summer drought over 113 Oklahoma Mesonet stations comprising various land cover and soil types in Oklahoma. Drought duration in a year was determined by the number of days with LSWI <0 (DNLSWI) during summer months (June-August). Summer rainfall anomalies and LSWI anomalies followed a similar seasonal dynamics and showed strong correlations (r 2  = 0.62-0.73) during drought years (2001, 2006, 2011, and 2012). The DNLSWI tracked the east-west gradient of summer rainfall in Oklahoma. Drought intensity increased with increasing duration of DNLSWI, and the intensity increased rapidly when DNLSWI was more than 48 days. The comparison between LSWI and the US Drought Monitor (USDM) showed a strong linear negative relationship; i.e., higher drought intensity tends to have lower LSWI values and vice versa. However, the agreement between LSWI-based algorithm and USDM indicators varied substantially from 32 % (D 2 class, moderate drought) to 77 % (0 and D 0 class, no drought) for different drought intensity classes and varied from ∼30 % (western Oklahoma) to >80 % (eastern Oklahoma) across regions. Our results illustrated that drought intensity thresholds can be established by counting DNLSWI (in days) and used as a simple complementary tool in several drought applications for semi-arid and semi-humid regions of Oklahoma. However, larger discrepancies between USDM and the LSWI-based algorithm in arid regions of western Oklahoma suggest the requirement of further adjustment in the algorithm for its application in arid regions.

Alien life: how would we know?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boden, Margaret A.

2003-04-01

To recognize alien life, we would have to be clear about the defining criteria of "life". Metabolism - in other words, biochemical fine-tuning - is one of these criteria. Three senses of metabolism are distinguished. The weakest allows strong artificial life (A-life): virtual creatures having physical existence in computer electronics, but not bodies, are classed as "alive". The second excludes strong A-life but allows that some non-biochemical A-life robots could be classed as alive. The third, which stresses the body's self-production by energy budgeting and self-equilibrating energy exchanges of some (necessary) complexity, excludes both strong A-life and living non-biochemical robots.

Restructuring the CS 1 classroom: Examining the effect of open laboratory-based classes vs. closed laboratory-based classes on Computer Science 1 students' achievement and attitudes toward computers and computer courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, Jean Foster

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of classroom restructuring involving computer laboratories on student achievement and student attitudes toward computers and computer courses. The effects of the targeted student attributes of gender, previous programming experience, math background, and learning style were also examined. The open lab-based class structure consisted of a traditional lecture class with a separate, unscheduled lab component in which lab assignments were completed outside of class; the closed lab-based class structure integrated a lab component within the lecture class so that half the class was reserved for lecture and half the class was reserved for students to complete lab assignments by working cooperatively with each other and under the supervision and guidance of the instructor. The sample consisted of 71 students enrolled in four intact classes of Computer Science I during the fall and spring semesters of the 2006--2007 school year at two southern universities: two classes were held in the fall (one at each university) and two classes were held in the spring (one at each university). A counterbalanced repeated measures design was used in which all students experienced both class structures for half of each semester. The order of control and treatment was rotated among the four classes. All students received the same amount of class and instructor time. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) via a multiple regression strategy was used to test the study's hypotheses. Although the overall MANOVA model was statistically significant, independent follow-up univariate analyses relative to each dependent measure found that the only significant research factor was math background: Students whose mathematics background was at the level of Calculus I or higher had significantly higher student achievement than students whose mathematics background was less than Calculus I. The results suggest that classroom structures that incorporate an open laboratory setting are just as effective on student achievement and attitudes as classroom structures that incorporate a closed laboratory setting. The results also suggest that math background is a strong predictor of student achievement in CS 1.

Selection and Trans-Species Polymorphism of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Genes in the Order Crocodylia

PubMed Central

Jaratlerdsiri, Weerachai; Isberg, Sally R.; Higgins, Damien P.; Miles, Lee G.; Gongora, Jaime

2014-01-01

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II genes encode for molecules that aid in the presentation of antigens to helper T cells. MHC characterisation within and between major vertebrate taxa has shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms shaping the diversity within this genomic region, though little characterisation has been performed within the Order Crocodylia. Here we investigate the extent and effect of selective pressures and trans-species polymorphism on MHC class II α and β evolution among 20 extant species of Crocodylia. Selection detection analyses showed that diversifying selection influenced MHC class II β diversity, whilst diversity within MHC class II α is the result of strong purifying selection. Comparison of translated sequences between species revealed the presence of twelve trans-species polymorphisms, some of which appear to be specific to the genera Crocodylus and Caiman. Phylogenetic reconstruction clustered MHC class II α sequences into two major clades representing the families Crocodilidae and Alligatoridae. However, no further subdivision within these clades was evident and, based on the observation that most MHC class II α sequences shared the same trans-species polymorphisms, it is possible that they correspond to the same gene lineage across species. In contrast, phylogenetic analyses of MHC class II β sequences showed a mixture of subclades containing sequences from Crocodilidae and/or Alligatoridae, illustrating orthologous relationships among those genes. Interestingly, two of the subclades containing sequences from both Crocodilidae and Alligatoridae shared specific trans-species polymorphisms, suggesting that they may belong to ancient lineages pre-dating the divergence of these two families from the common ancestor 85–90 million years ago. The results presented herein provide an immunogenetic resource that may be used to further assess MHC diversity and functionality in Crocodylia. PMID:24503938

Observations of vertical winds and the origin of thermospheric gravity waves launched by auroral substorms and westward travelling surges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rees, D.

1986-01-01

Several sequences of observations of strong vertical winds in the upper thermosphere are discussed, in conjunction with models of the generation of such winds. In the auroral oval, the strongest upward winds are observed in or close to regions of intense auroral precipitation and strong ionospheric currents. The strongest winds, of the order of 100 to 200 m/sec are usually upward, and are both localized and of relatively short duration (10 to 20 min). In regions adjacent to those displaying strong upward winds, and following periods of upward winds, downward winds of rather lower magnitude (40 to about 80 m/sec) may be observed. Strong and rapid changes of horizontal winds are correlated with these rapid vertical wind variations. Considered from a large scale viewpoint, this class of strongly time dependent winds propagate globally, and may be considered to be gravity waves launched from an auroral source. During periods of very disturbed geomagnetic activity, there may be regions within and close to the auroral oval where systematic vertical winds of the order of 50 m/sec will occur for periods of several hours. Such persistent winds are part of a very strong large scale horizontal wind circulation set up in the polar regions during a major geomagnetic disturbance. This second class of strong horizontal and vertical winds corresponds more to a standing wave than to a gravity wave, and it is not as effective as the first class in generating large scale propagating gravity waves and correlated horizontal and vertical oscillations. A third class of significant (10 to 30 m/sec) vertical winds can be associated with systematic features of the average geomagnetic energy and momentum input to the polar thermosphere, and appear in statistical studies of the average vertical wind as a function of Universal Time at a given location.

Dynamics of the recovery of the western Lake Erie walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) stock

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hatch, Richard W.; Nepszy, Stephen J.; Muth, Kenneth M.; Baker, Carl T.

1987-01-01

After its 1957 collapse under intensive fishing and environmental stresses, the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) stock of western Lake Erie remained low throughout the 1960s. A moratorium on both sport and commercial fishing, resulting from the 1970 discovery of mercury concentrations in walleye flesh, provided an opportunity for the development of an international interagency management plan. The quota management plan developed depended on sequential projection of the fishable stock on the basis of estimated annual recruitment and reports of total withdrawals from the stock. The fishery reopened gradually and quota management (including allocation among jurisdictions) was implemented in 1976. The stock, which had been gradually increasing as a result of relatively strong year-classes produced in 1970, 1972, and 1974, responded well to limited exploitation and produced a record year-class in 1977. Quotas were exceeded in 1978-80, but the stock continued to improve to the extent that the recommended rate of exploitation was increased in 1980 and again in 1981. As the population expanded, growth began to decline; the decline became apparent in young-of-the-year in the early 1970s and in older walleyes in the late 1970s. This trend toward progressively slower growth, which continued in the 1977 and subsequent year-classes, was accompanied by an increase in length at sexual maturity and a decrease in the percentage of female walleyes reaching sexual maturity at age III. As a net result of these changes, the proportion of mature females in the stock (an index of stock fecundity) decreased slightly during the interval 1975-84, while the estimated biomass of the standing stock rose from 9 000 to nearly 26 000 t. Both sport and commercial catches increased markedly after 1980 in Lake Erie's central basin.

Class II malocclusion with complex problems treated with a novel combination of lingual orthodontic appliances and lingual arches.

PubMed

Yanagita, Takeshi; Nakamura, Masahiro; Kawanabe, Noriaki; Yamashiro, Takashi

2014-07-01

This case report describes a novel method of combining lingual appliances and lingual arches to control horizontal problems. The patient, who was 25 years of age at her first visit to our hospital with a chief complaint of crooked anterior teeth, was diagnosed with skeletal Class II and Angle Class II malocclusion with anterior deep bite, lateral open bite, premolar crossbite, and severe crowding in both arches. She was treated with premolar extractions and temporary anchorage devices. Conventionally, it is ideal to use labial brackets simultaneously with appliances, such as a lingual arch, a quad-helix, or a rapid expansion appliance, in patients with complex problems requiring horizontal, anteroposterior, and vertical control; however, this patient strongly requested orthodontic treatment with lingual appliances. A limitation of lingual appliances is that they cannot be used with other conventional appliances. In this report, we present the successful orthodontic treatment of a complex problem using modified lingual appliances that enabled combined use of a conventional lingual arch. Copyright © 2014 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Trends along the debt-income axis: implications for medical students' selections of family practice careers.

PubMed

Rosenthal, M P; Marquette, P A; Diamond, J J

1996-06-01

To examine whether medical students' levels of debt have an influence on selection of family practice careers, independent of other factors. Data from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study were analyzed for 1,350 graduates from the classes of 1987-1993 at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University; a focused analysis for 326 graduates from the classes of 1992 and 1993 was specifically performed to identify recent trends. A binary logistic regression equation was used to predict the probability of a graduate's entrance into a family practice residency based on first-year preference for family practice, income expectation, debt level, age, and gender. A high level of indebtedness (at least $75,000) was a significant independent predictor of specialty choice (away from family practice); first-year preference for family practice and income expectation were also significant independent predictors. Combining these three factors (debt, specialty preference, and income expectation) led to a greater than 12-fold difference in specialty selection of family practice. Notably, 36% of the students graduating in 1992-1993 had debts of at least $75,000, more than three times the percentage in the classes graduating in 1987-1989. High levels of debt had a significant negative effect on family practice specialty, choice among recent Jefferson graduates. An increase in the number of students with such debt carries strong implications for the selection of careers in family practice.

Lake sturgeon population attributes and reproductive structure in the Namakan Reservoir, Minnesota and Ontario

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shaw, S. L.; Chipps, Steven R.; Windels, Steve K.; Webb, M.A.H.; McLeod, D. T.; Willis, D.W.

2012-01-01

Quantified were the age, growth, mortality and reproductive structure of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) collected in the US and Canadian waters of the Namakan Reservoir. The hypotheses were tested that (i) age and growth of lake sturgeon in the Namakan Reservoir would differ by sex and reproductive stage of maturity, and (ii) that the relative strength of year-classes of lake sturgeon in the reservoir would be affected by environmental variables. To quantify age, growth and mortality of the population, existing data was used from a multi-agency database containing information on all lake sturgeon sampled in the reservoir from 2004 to 2009. Lake sturgeon were sampled in the Minnesota and Ontario waters of the Namakan Reservoir using multi-filament gillnets 1.8 m high and 30–100 m long and varying in mesh size from 178 to 356 mm stretch. Reproductive structure of the lake sturgeon was assessed only during spring 2008 and 2009 using plasma testosterone and estradiol-17β concentrations. Ages of lake sturgeon >75 cm ranged from 9 to 86 years (n = 533, mean = 36 years). A catch-curve analysis using the 1981–1953 year classes estimated total annual mortality of adults to be 4.8% and annual survival as 95.2%. Using logistic regression analysis, it was found that total annual precipitation was positively associated with lake sturgeon year-class strength in the Namakan Reservoir. A 10 cm increase in total annual precipitation was associated with at least a 39% increase in the odds of occurrence of a strong year class of lake sturgeon in the reservoir. Plasma steroid analysis revealed a sex ratio of 2.4 females: 1 male and, on average, 10% of female and 30% of male lake sturgeon were reproductively mature each year (i.e. potential spawners). Moreover, there was evidence based on re-captured male fish of both periodic and annual spawning, as well as the ability of males to rapidly undergo gonadal maturation prior to spawning. Knowledge of lake sturgeon reproductive structure and factors influencing recruitment success contribute to the widespread conservation efforts for this threatened species.

Disability pension by occupational class - the impact of work-related factors: The Hordaland Health Study Cohort

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The social gradient in disability pension is well recognized, however mechanisms accounting for the gradient are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between occupational class and subsequent disability pension among middle-aged men and women, and to what extent work-related factors accounted for the association. Methods A subsample (N = 7031) of the population-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK) conducted in 1997-99, provided self-reported information on health and work-related factors, and were grouped in four strata by Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocareros occupational class scheme. The authors obtained follow-up data on disability pension by linking the health survey to national registries of benefit (FD-trygd). They employed Cox regression analysis and adjusted for gender, health (medical conditions, mental health, self-perceived health, somatic symptoms) and work-related factors (working hours, years in current occupation, physical demands, job demands, job control). Results A strong gradient in disability pension by occupational class was found. In the fully adjusted model the risk (hazard ratio) ranged from 1.41 (95% CI 0.84 to 2.33) in the routine non-manual class, 1.87 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.27) in the skilled manual class and 2.12 (95% CI 1.14 to 3.95) in the unskilled manual class, employing the administrator and professional class as reference. In the gender and health-adjusted model work-related factors mediated the impact of occupational class on subsequent disability pension with 5% in the routine non-manual class, 26% in the skilled manual class and 24% in the unskilled manual class. The impact of job control and physical demands was modest, and mainly seen among skilled and unskilled manual workers. Conclusions Workers in the skilled and unskilled manual classes had a substantial unexplained risk of disability pension. Work-related factors only had a moderate impact on the disability risk. Literature indicates an accumulation of hazards in the manual classes. This should be taken into account when interpreting the gradient in disability pension. PMID:21619716

Disability pension by occupational class--the impact of work-related factors: the Hordaland Health Study Cohort.

PubMed

Haukenes, Inger; Mykletun, Arnstein; Knudsen, Ann Kristin; Hansen, Hans-Tore; Mæland, John Gunnar

2011-05-30

The social gradient in disability pension is well recognized, however mechanisms accounting for the gradient are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between occupational class and subsequent disability pension among middle-aged men and women, and to what extent work-related factors accounted for the association. A subsample (N = 7031) of the population-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK) conducted in 1997-99, provided self-reported information on health and work-related factors, and were grouped in four strata by Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocareros occupational class scheme. The authors obtained follow-up data on disability pension by linking the health survey to national registries of benefit (FD-trygd). They employed Cox regression analysis and adjusted for gender, health (medical conditions, mental health, self-perceived health, somatic symptoms) and work-related factors (working hours, years in current occupation, physical demands, job demands, job control). A strong gradient in disability pension by occupational class was found. In the fully adjusted model the risk (hazard ratio) ranged from 1.41 (95% CI 0.84 to 2.33) in the routine non-manual class, 1.87 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.27) in the skilled manual class and 2.12 (95% CI 1.14 to 3.95) in the unskilled manual class, employing the administrator and professional class as reference. In the gender and health-adjusted model work-related factors mediated the impact of occupational class on subsequent disability pension with 5% in the routine non-manual class, 26% in the skilled manual class and 24% in the unskilled manual class. The impact of job control and physical demands was modest, and mainly seen among skilled and unskilled manual workers. Workers in the skilled and unskilled manual classes had a substantial unexplained risk of disability pension. Work-related factors only had a moderate impact on the disability risk. Literature indicates an accumulation of hazards in the manual classes. This should be taken into account when interpreting the gradient in disability pension.

UV, optical and infrared properties of star forming galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huchra, John P.

1987-01-01

The UVOIR properties of galaxies with extreme star formation rates are examined. These objects seem to fall into three distinct classes which can be called (1) extragalactic H II regions, (2) clumpy irregulars, and (3) starburst galaxies. Extragalactic H II regions are dominated by recently formed stars and may be considered 'young' galaxies if the definition of young is having the majority of total integrated star formation occurring in the last billion years. Clumpy irregulars are bursts of star formation superposed on an old population and are probably good examples of stochastic star formation. It is possible that star formation in these galaxies is triggered by the infall of gas clouds or dwarf companions. Starburst galaxies are much more luminous, dustier and more metal rich than the other classes. These objects show evidence for shock induced star formation where shocks may be caused by interaction with massive companions or are the result of an extremely strong density wave.

Survival of the Strongest: Strong Verbs in the History of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branchaw, Sherrylyn Elizabeth

2010-01-01

The English strong verbs, throughout their history, have shown a tendency to be attracted into the large class of regular verbs. The retention of strong inflection for some verbs is a phenomenon that many scholars have sought to explain. The dissertation presents hypotheses that strong preterites have historically correlated with long vowels, and…

Beyond Astro 101: A First Report on Applying Interactive Education Techniques to an Astronphysics Class for Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrin, Marshall D.; Ghez, A. M.

2009-05-01

Learner-centered interactive instruction methods now have a proven track record in improving learning in "Astro 101" courses for non-majors, but have rarely been applied to higher-level astronomy courses. Can we hope for similar gains in classes aimed at astrophysics majors, or is the subject matter too fundamentally different for those techniques to apply? We present here an initial report on an updated calculus-based Introduction to Astrophysics class at UCLA that suggests such techniques can indeed result in increased learning for major students. We augmented the traditional blackboard-derivation lectures and challenging weekly problem sets by adding online questions on pre-reading assignments (''just-in-time teaching'') and frequent multiple-choice questions in class ("Think-Pair-Share''). We describe our approach, and present examples of the new Think-Pair-Share questions developed for this more sophisticated material. Our informal observations after one term are that with this approach, students are more engaged and alert, and score higher on exams than typical in previous years. This is anecdotal evidence, not hard data yet, and there is clearly a vast amount of work to be done in this area. But our first impressions strongly encourage us that interactive methods should be able improve the astrophysics major just as they have improved Astro 101.

On function classes related pertaining to strong approximation of double Fourier series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baituyakova, Zhuldyz

2015-09-01

The investigation of embedding of function classes began a long time ago. After Alexits [1], Leindler [2], and Gogoladze[3] investigated estimates of strong approximation by Fourier series in 1965, G. Freud[4] raised the corresponding saturation problem in 1969. The list of the authors dealing with embedding problems partly is also very long. It suffices to mention some names: V. G. Krotov, W. Lenski, S. M. Mazhar, J. Nemeth, E. M. Nikisin, K. I. Oskolkov, G. Sunouchi, J. Szabados, R. Taberski and V. Totik. Study on this topic has since been carried on over a decade, but it seems that most of the results obtained are limited to the case of one dimension. In this paper, embedding results are considered which arise in the strong approximation by double Fourier series. We prove theorem on the interrelation between the classes Wr1,r2HS,M ω and H(λ, p, r1, r2, ω(δ1, δ2)), in the one-dimensional case proved by L. Leindler.

Satellite microwave observations of a storm complex: A comparative analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, D. W.

1985-01-01

The hypothesis that cold events correspond to a particular stage in a class of thunderstorms was tested. That class is a storms class which updrafts are: (1) strong, broad and moist, and (2) extend well above the freezing level. Condition (1) implies strong mesoscale forcing. Condition (2) implies a tall updraft or a relatively low freezing level. Such storms should have big, intense radar echoes and cold, fast-growing anvils. The thunderstorm events were analyzed by radar, rain gauge and GOES infrared observations. Radar was the starting point for detection and definition of the hypothesized thunderstorms. The radar signature is compared to the signature of the storm in rain gauge observations, satellite infrared images and satellite microwave images.

"I'm Glad I Was Designed": Un/Doing Gender and Class in Susan Price's "Odin Trilogy"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehtonen, Sanna

2012-01-01

Susan Price's "Odin Trilogy" (2005-2008) is a juvenile science fiction series that depicts a future where class relations have become polarised due to late capitalist and technological developments and where ways of doing gender continue to be strongly connected with class. The society in the novels is based on slavery: people are either…

Metal Phosphides and Phosphates-based Electrodes for Electrochemical Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Elshahawy, Abdelnaby M; Guan, Cao; Wang, John

2017-10-01

Phosphorus compounds, such as metal phosphides and phosphates have shown excellent performances and great potential in electrochemical energy storage, which are demonstrated by research works published in recent years. Some of these metal phosphides and phosphates and their hybrids compare favorably with transition metal oxides/hydroxides, which have been studied extensively as a class of electrode materials for supercapacitor applications, where they have limitations in terms of electrical and ion conductivity and device stability. To be specific, metal phosphides have both metalloid characteristics and good electric conductivity. For metal phosphates, the open-framework structures with large channels and cavities endow them with good ion conductivity and charge storage capacity. In this review, we present the recent progress on metal phosphides and phosphates, by focusing on their advantages/disadvantages and potential applications as a new class of electrode materials in supercapacitors. The synthesis methods to prepare these metal phosphides/phosphates are looked into, together with the scientific insights involved, as they strongly affect the electrochemical energy storage performance. Particular attentions are paid to those hybrid-type materials, where strong synergistic effects exist. In the summary, the future perspectives and challenges for the metal phosphides, phosphates and hybrid-types are proposed and discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Efficacy of Topical Agents for Symptomatic Treatment of Rotigotine Patch-Induced Skin Disorders].

PubMed

Yasutaka, Yuki; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Shibaguchi, Hirotomo; Kiyomi, Fumiaki; Hara, Koyomi; Ogata, Kentaro; Tsuboi, Yoshio; Kamimura, Hidetoshi

2017-09-01

Since the effect of a percutaneous absorption-type dopamine agonist (DA) preparation, rotigotine patch, stably persists by once-a-day application, this dosage form is appropriate for Parkinson's disease patients showing levodopa induced wearing off phenomenon. On the other hand, skin disorders, mainly application site reaction, are characteristic problems associated with use of the patch. In this study, to clarify the influence of a topical agent used to prevent or treat rotigotine patch-induced skin disorder on continuation of the patch application, patients who started rotigotine patch application at our hospital were retrospectively surveyed. The one-year continuation rate of rotigotine patch application was 37.3% (53 of 142 cases). It was insufficient to prevent skin disorders, only by the pre-treatment of a moisturizing agent alone. Regarding the effective rate of topical agents used to treat skin disorders, that of very strong-class steroids was 89.5%, being significantly higher than those of weak steroids, moisturizing agents, and antihistamines. It was suggested that for countermeasures against rotigotine patch-induced skin disorders, treatment with very strong-class steroids for external use early after development of skin disorders is more effective than preventive treatment with topical agents regardless of the type. (Received March 30, 2017; Accepted May 16, 2017; Published September 1, 2017).

Animal responses to herbage allowance: Forage intake and body weight gain of sheep grazing the Inner Mongolian steppe - Results of a six-year study.

PubMed

Dickhoefer, U; Bösing, B M; Hasler, M; Hao, J; Lin, L; Müller, K; Wang, C; Glindemann, T; Tas, B; Gierus, M; Taube, F; Susenbeth, A

2016-05-01

An increasing human population and the growing demand for food of animal origin are leading to an intensification of sheep production and widespread overgrazing of the grassland steppe in Inner Mongolia. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of herbage allowance (HA) on OM intake (OMI) and BW gain (BWG) of grazing sheep. In July to September 2005 to 2010, a grazing experiment was conducted in the Xilin River Basin using 15-mo-old female Mongolian fat-tailed sheep (31.5 kg BW [SE 0.2]). Six HA classes were tested on 4 experimental plots per HA class that were alternately used for grazing and haymaking each year (i.e., = 2 grazed plots per HA class and year). Mean HA ranged from 15.4 (SD 4.0) to 1.5 kg (SD 0.8) herbage DM/kg BW in HA class 1 to 6, respectively. In 6 sheep per plot (4 sheep in 2009 and 2010), OMI and BWG were determined. Titanium dioxide was used to determine fecal excretion, and digestibility of ingested OM was estimated from CP concentration in feces. Fecal grab samples were collected during 5 d each in July, August, and September. The animals were weighed monthly. Daily OMI of sheep ranged between 68 and 89 g/kg BW and was not affected by HA class ( = 0.373), so that total OMI per hectare was exponentially decreased with increasing HA (root mean square error [RMSE] ≤ 0.31 g/d; ≤ 0.003 for the slope estimates). The BWG of individual sheep increased with increasing HA in 2 of the 6 yr (RMSE 18.4 g/d; ≤ 0.175 for the positive slope estimates). Nevertheless, BWG per hectare strongly decreased with increasing HA (RMSE 0.25 g/d; ≤ 0.006 for the slope estimates). These data support the common practice of farmers to manage the grassland at low HA to allow for greater animal performance per unit of land area.

Development of population structure and spatial distribution patterns of a restored forest during 17-year succession (1993-2010) in Pingshuo opencast mine spoil, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhongqiu; Wang, Lianhua; Bai, Zhongke; Pan, Ziguan; Wang, Yun

2015-07-01

Afforestation of native tree species is often recommended for ecological restoration in mining areas, but the understanding of the ecological processes of restored vegetation is quite limited. In order to provide insight of the ecological processes of restored vegetation, in this study, we investigate the development of the population structure and spatial distribution patterns of restored Robinia pseudoacacia (ROPS) and Pinus tabuliformis (PITA) mixed forests during the 17 years of the mine spoil period of the Pingshuo opencast mine, Shanxi Province, China. After a 17-year succession, apart from the two planted species, Ulmus pumila (ULPU), as an invasive species, settled in the plot along with a large number of small diameter at breast height (DBH) size. In total, there are 10,062 living individual plants, much more than that at the plantation (5105), and ROPS had become the dominant species with a section area with a breast height of 9.40 m(2) hm(-2) and a mean DBH of 6.72 cm, much higher than both PITA and ULPU. The DBH size classes of all the total species showed inverted J-shaped distributions, which may have been a result of the large number of small regenerated ULPU trees. The DBH size classes of both ROPS and PITA showed peak-type structures with individuals mainly gathering in the moderate DBH size class, indicating a relatively healthy DBH size class structure. Meanwhile, invasive ULPU were distributed in a clear L shape, concentrating on the small DBH size class, indicating a relatively low survival rate for adult trees. Both ROPS and PITA species survival in the plantation showed uniform and aggregated distribution at small scales and random with scales increasing. ULPU showed a strong aggregation at small scales as well as random with scales increasing. Both the population structure and spatial distribution indicated that ROPS dominates and will continue to dominate the community in the future succession, which should be continuously monitored.

Pattern of disabilities in a residential school for the handicapped in Ilorin, Nigeria.

PubMed

Ologe, F E; Akande, T M

2003-12-01

As part of a wider study aimed at establishing baseline information (for planning purposes), the pattern of disabilities in a Residential School for the handicap was determined. Information on demographic data, nature of handicap, age of enrollment, present class and length of stay in the school were obtained. The study involved 82 pupils (28 females) aged 5-30 years (mean 16.9 + 5.08 years). Seventy nine percent (65) were deaf, 13.6%(11) blind and 6.2% (5) had mental retardation. The mean age of enrollment was 10.6 + 4.12 years. Only two (2.5%) of the pupils/students stayed in the school beyond the regulation time. These findings show that deafness was the commonest disability and strongly suggest that none of the disabilities observed had major impact on learning ability in this school system.

Evaluation of effectiveness of class-based nutrition intervention on changes in soft drink and milk consumption among young adults.

PubMed

Ha, Eun-Jeong; Caine-Bish, Natalie; Holloman, Christopher; Lowry-Gordon, Karen

2009-10-26

During last few decades, soft drink consumption has steadily increased while milk intake has decreased. Excess consumption of soft drinks and low milk intake may pose risks of several diseases such as dental caries, obesity, and osteoporosis. Although beverage consumption habits form during young adulthood, which has a strong impact on beverage choices in later life, nutrition education programs on beverages are scarce in this population. The purpose of this investigation was 1) to assess soft drink and milk consumption and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of 15-week class-based nutrition intervention in changing beverage choices among college students. A total of 80 college students aged 18 to 24 years who were enrolled in basic nutrition class participated in the study. Three-day dietary records were collected, verified, and analyzed before and after the intervention. Class lectures focused on healthful dietary choices related to prevention of chronic diseases and were combined with interactive hands on activities and dietary feedback. Class-based nutrition intervention combining traditional lecture and interactive activities was successful in decreasing soft drink consumption. Total milk consumption, specifically fat free milk, increased in females and male students changed milk choice favoring skim milk over low fat milk. (1% and 2%). Class-based nutrition education focusing on prevention of chronic diseases can be an effective strategy in improving both male and female college students' beverage choices. Using this type of intervention in a general nutrition course may be an effective approach to motivate changes in eating behaviors in a college setting.

Wealth and mortality at older ages: a prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Demakakos, Panayotes; Biddulph, Jane P; Bobak, Martin; Marmot, Michael G

2016-01-01

Background Despite the importance of socioeconomic position for survival, total wealth, which is a measure of accumulation of assets over the life course, has been underinvestigated as a predictor of mortality. We investigated the association between total wealth and mortality at older ages. Methods We estimated Cox proportional hazards models using a sample of 10 305 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥50 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Results 2401 deaths were observed over a mean follow-up of 9.4 years. Among participants aged 50–64 years, the fully adjusted HRs for mortality were 1.21 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.59) and 1.77 (1.35 to 2.33) for those in the intermediate and lowest wealth tertiles, respectively, compared with those in the highest wealth tertile. The respective HRs were 2.54 (1.27 to 5.09) and 3.73 (1.86 to 7.45) for cardiovascular mortality and 1.36 (0.76 to 2.42) and 2.53 (1.45 to 4.41) for other non-cancer mortality. Wealth was not associated with cancer mortality in the fully adjusted model. Similar but less strong associations were observed among participants aged ≥65 years. The use of repeated measurements of wealth and covariates brought about only minor changes, except for the association between wealth and cardiovascular mortality, which became less strong in the younger participants. Wealth explained the associations between paternal occupation at age 14 years, education, occupational class, and income and mortality. Conclusions There are persisting wealth inequalities in mortality at older ages, which only partially are explained by established risk factors. Wealth appears to be more strongly associated with mortality than other socioeconomic position measures. PMID:26511887

Separate class true discovery rate degree of association sets for biomarker identification.

PubMed

Crager, Michael R; Ahmed, Murat

2014-01-01

In 2008, Efron showed that biological features in a high-dimensional study can be divided into classes and a separate false discovery rate (FDR) analysis can be conducted in each class using information from the entire set of features to assess the FDR within each class. We apply this separate class approach to true discovery rate degree of association (TDRDA) set analysis, which is used in clinical-genomic studies to identify sets of biomarkers having strong association with clinical outcome or state while controlling the FDR. Careful choice of classes based on prior information can increase the identification power of the separate class analysis relative to the overall analysis.

Violence against Congolese refugee women in Rwanda and mental health: a cross-sectional study using latent class analysis

PubMed Central

Sipsma, Heather L; Falb, Kathryn L; Willie, Tiara; Bradley, Elizabeth H; Bienkowski, Lauren; Meerdink, Ned; Gupta, Jhumka

2015-01-01

Objective To examine patterns of conflict-related violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) and their associations with emotional distress among Congolese refugee women living in Rwanda. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Two Congolese refugee camps in Rwanda. Participants 548 ever-married Congolese refugee women of reproductive age (15–49 years) residing in Rwanda. Primary outcome measure Our primary outcome was emotional distress as measured using the Self-Report Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20). For analysis, we considered participants with scores greater than 10 to be experiencing emotional distress and participants with scores of 10 or less not to be experiencing emotional distress. Results Almost half of women (49%) reported experiencing physical, emotional or sexual violence during the conflict, and less than 10% of women reported experiencing of any type of violence after fleeing the conflict. Lifetime IPV was reported by approximately 22% of women. Latent class analysis derived four distinct classes of violence experiences, including the Low All Violence class, the High Violence During Conflict class, the High IPV class and the High Violence During and After Conflict class. In multivariate regression models, latent class was strongly associated with emotional distress. Compared with women in the Low All Violence class, women in the High Violence During and After Conflict class and women in the High Violence During Conflict had 2.7 times (95% CI 1.11 to 6.74) and 2.3 times (95% CI 1.30 to 4.07) the odds of experiencing emotional distress in the past 4 weeks, respectively. Furthermore, women in the High IPV class had a 4.7 times (95% CI 2.53 to 8.59) greater odds of experiencing emotional distress compared with women in the Low All Violence class. Conclusions Experiences of IPV do not consistently correlate with experiences of conflict-related violence, and women who experience high levels of IPV may have the greatest likelihood for poor mental health in conflict-affected settings. PMID:25908672

Occupational class differences in later life hospital use by women who survived to age 80: the Renfrew and Paisley prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Hart, Carole L; McCartney, Gerry; Watt, Graham C M

2015-05-01

population ageing challenges the sustainability of healthcare provision. to investigate occupational class differences in hospital use in women aged 80+ years. a total of 8,353 female residents, aged 45-64, took part in the Renfrew and Paisley prospective cohort study in 1972-76. Information on general and mental health hospital discharges was provided from computerised linkage with the Scottish Morbidity Records data to 31 December 2012. Numbers of admissions and bed-days after the 80th birthday were calculated for all and specific causes. Rate ratios by occupational class were calculated using negative binomial regression analysis, adjusting for age and a range of risk factors. four thousand and four hundred and seven (56%) women survived to age 80 and had 17,563 general admissions thereafter, with a mean stay of 19.4 days. There were no apparent relationships with occupational class for all general admissions, but lower occupational class was associated with higher rate ratios for coronary heart disease and stroke and lower rate ratios for cancer. Adjustment for risk factors could not fully explain the raised rate ratios. Bed-day use was higher in lower occupational classes, especially for stroke. There were strong associations with mental health admissions, especially dementia. Compared with the highest occupational class, admission rate ratios for dementia were higher for the lowest occupational class (adjusted rate ratio = 2.60, 95% confidence interval 1.79-3.77). in this population, there were no socio-economic gradients seen in hospital utilisation for general admissions in old age. However, occupational class was associated with mental health admissions, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Compositional studies of primitive asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vilas, Faith

1991-01-01

Primitive asteroids in the solar system (C, P, D class and associated subclasses) are believed to have undergone less thermal processing compared with the differential (S class) asteroids. Telescopic spectra of C class asteroids show effects of aqueous alteration products produced when heating of the asteroids was sufficient to melt surface water, but not strong enough to produce differentiation. Spectrum analysis of P and D class asteroids suggests that aqueous alteration terminated in the outer belt and did not operate at the distance of Jupiter's orbit.

Signature Patterns of MHC Diversity in Three Gombe Communities of Wild Chimpanzees Reflect Fitness in Reproduction and Immune Defense against SIVcpz.

PubMed

Wroblewski, Emily E; Norman, Paul J; Guethlein, Lisbeth A; Rudicell, Rebecca S; Ramirez, Miguel A; Li, Yingying; Hahn, Beatrice H; Pusey, Anne E; Parham, Peter

2015-05-01

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules determine immune responses to viral infections. These polymorphic cell-surface glycoproteins bind peptide antigens, forming ligands for cytotoxic T and natural killer cell receptors. Under pressure from rapidly evolving viruses, hominoid MHC class I molecules also evolve rapidly, becoming diverse and species-specific. Little is known of the impact of infectious disease epidemics on MHC class I variant distributions in human populations, a context in which the chimpanzee is the superior animal model. Population dynamics of the chimpanzees inhabiting Gombe National Park, Tanzania have been studied for over 50 years. This population is infected with SIVcpz, the precursor of human HIV-1. Because HLA-B is the most polymorphic human MHC class I molecule and correlates strongly with HIV-1 progression, we determined sequences for its ortholog, Patr-B, in 125 Gombe chimpanzees. Eleven Patr-B variants were defined, as were their frequencies in Gombe's three communities, changes in frequency with time, and effect of SIVcpz infection. The growing populations of the northern and central communities, where SIVcpz is less prevalent, have stable distributions comprising a majority of low-frequency Patr-B variants and a few high-frequency variants. Driving the latter to high frequency has been the fecundity of immigrants to the northern community, whereas in the central community, it has been the fecundity of socially dominant individuals. In the declining population of the southern community, where greater SIVcpz prevalence is associated with mortality and emigration, Patr-B variant distributions have been changing. Enriched in this community are Patr-B variants that engage with natural killer cell receptors. Elevated among SIVcpz-infected chimpanzees, the Patr-B*06:03 variant has striking structural and functional similarities to HLA-B*57, the human allotype most strongly associated with delayed HIV-1 progression. Like HLA-B*57, Patr-B*06:03 correlates with reduced viral load, as assessed by detection of SIVcpz RNA in feces.

Longitudinal patterns of gambling activities and associated risk factors in college students

PubMed Central

Goudriaan, Anna E.; Slutske, Wendy S.; Krull, Jennifer L.; Sher, Kenneth J.

2009-01-01

Aims To investigate which clusters of gambling activities exist within a longitudinal study of college health, how membership in gambling clusters change over time and whether particular clusters of gambling are associated with unhealthy risk behaviour. Design Four-year longitudinal study (2002–2006). Setting Large, public university. Participants Undergraduate college students. Measurements Ten common gambling activities were measured during 4 consecutive college years (years 1–4). Clusters of gambling activities were examined using latent class analyses. Relations between gambling clusters and gender, Greek membership, alcohol use, drug use, personality indicators of behavioural undercontrol and psychological distress were examined. Findings Four latent gambling classes were identified: (1) a low-gambling class, (2) a card gambling class, (3) a casino/slots gambling class and (4) an extensive gambling class. Over the first college years a high probability of transitioning from the low-gambling class and the card gambling class into the casino/slots gambling class was present. Membership in the card, casino/slots and extensive gambling classes were associated with higher scores on alcohol/drug use, novelty seeking and self-identified gambling problems compared to the low-gambling class. The extensive gambling class scored higher than the other gambling classes on risk factors. Conclusions Extensive gamblers and card gamblers are at higher risk for problem gambling and other risky health behaviours. Prospective examinations of class membership suggested that being in the extensive and the low gambling classes was highly stable across the 4 years of college. PMID:19438422

The predictive validity of the BioMedical Admissions Test for pre-clinical examination performance.

PubMed

Emery, Joanne L; Bell, John F

2009-06-01

Some medical courses in the UK have many more applicants than places and almost all applicants have the highest possible previous and predicted examination grades. The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was designed to assist in the student selection process specifically for a number of 'traditional' medical courses with clear pre-clinical and clinical phases and a strong focus on science teaching in the early years. It is intended to supplement the information provided by examination results, interviews and personal statements. This paper reports on the predictive validity of the BMAT and its predecessor, the Medical and Veterinary Admissions Test. Results from the earliest 4 years of the test (2000-2003) were matched to the pre-clinical examination results of those accepted onto the medical course at the University of Cambridge. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were performed for each cohort. Section 2 of the test ('Scientific Knowledge') correlated more strongly with examination marks than did Section 1 ('Aptitude and Skills'). It also had a stronger relationship with the probability of achieving the highest examination class. The BMAT and its predecessor demonstrate predictive validity for the pre-clinical years of the medical course at the University of Cambridge. The test identifies important differences in skills and knowledge between candidates, not shown by their previous attainment, which predict their examination performance. It is thus a valid source of additional admissions information for medical courses with a strong scientific emphasis when previous attainment is very high.

The Retention of Geologic Misconceptions: Alternative Ideas That Persist After Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandersee, J. H.; Clary, R. M.; Anderson, S. W.; Libarkin, J.

2003-12-01

We used a 30 item multiple-choice instrument called the geoscience concept test (GCT) to study learning in introductory college-level science courses. The GCT uses common misconceptions as wrong answers, and allows us to pre- and post-test individual courses to gauge the effectiveness of instruction. The GCT was given at the beginning of the semester to 2215 college students in 42 classes at 32 different institutions in 19 different states (21 public and 6 private four-year institutions, 4 community colleges, and one tribal college). The pilot was also given to 1907 students as a semester-end post-test in 30 different classes. We were able to match pre- and post-test results for 967 students through an analysis of volunteered personal and demographic data. Although statistical analysis shows that learning occurred in all classes, closer inspection of the data show that the student population retained a number of misconceptions. Students retained several incorrect ideas relating to geologic time despite instruction. For example, 71% of post-tested students believe that the study of fossils, rock layers, or carbon is the most accurate means for calculating the age of the Earth. Nearly 25% of students believed that dinosaurs only existed on Earth for 500,000 years, and 40% believe dinosaurs came into existence about halfway through the geologic time scale. Many alternative ideas about plate tectonics and the formation of rocks also existed after instruction. Nearly half of the post-tested students (47%) believed that tectonic plates do not extend all way to the surface of the Earth, and 65% did not believe that animals could form oceanic rocks. Identification of strongly held misconceptions in a post-tested student population provides instructors with information that could impact the way they present material to their introductory classes.

Mapping of a disease susceptibility locus in chromosome 6p in Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis.

PubMed

Nomura, E; Kinouchi, Y; Negoro, K; Kojima, Y; Oomori, S; Sugimura, M; Hiroki, M; Takagi, S; Aihara, H; Takahashi, S; Hiwatashi, N; Shimosegawa, T

2004-09-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a multifactorial disorder with both genetic and environmental factors. HLA-B*52 and DRB1*1502 are reported to be strongly associated with UC in Japan. However, the actual susceptible gene has not been identified yet. In this study, to map precisely the susceptible locus for UC, we performed association mapping in the chromosome 6p using 24 microsatellite markers distributed over 16 Mb. A total of 183 patients with UC and 186 healthy controls (HC) were included in this study. In all, 15 markers around the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region showed statistical significance in the genotypic differentiation test concerned with the allelic distribution between the UC and HC. Especially, the markers between the centromeric region of HLA class I and the telomeric region of class III showed remarkably low P-values and the allele239 of C2-4-4 in class I marker showed the strongest association (Pc=2.9 x 10(-9): OR=3.74, 95% CI=2.50-5.60). Furthermore, we found strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the allele239 of C2-4-4 and HLA-B*52 in haplotype analysis. These results provide evidence that, in Japanese, important determinants of disease susceptibility to UC may exist in HLA, especially between the centromeric region of class I and the telomeric region of class III, under the strong LD with HLA-B*52.

A Latent Class Analysis of Weight-Related Health Behaviors among 2- and 4-year College Students, and Associated Risk of Obesity

PubMed Central

Mathur, C; Stigler, M; Lust, K; Laska, M

2016-01-01

Little is known about the complex patterning of weight-related health behaviors in 2- and 4-year college students. The objective of this study was to identify and describe unique classes of weight-related health behaviors among college youth. Latent class analysis was used to identify homogenous, mutually exclusive classes of nine health behaviors which represent multiple theoretically/clinically relevant dimensions of obesity risk among 2- versus 4-year college students using cross-sectional statewide surveillance data (n= 17,584). Additionally, differences in class membership on selected sociodemographic characteristics were examined using a model-based approach. Analysis was conducted separately for both college groups, and 5 and 4 classes were identified for 2-and 4-year college students, respectively. Four classes were similar across 2-and 4-year college groups and were characterized as “mostly healthy dietary habits, active”, “moderately high screen time, active”, “moderately healthy dietary habits, inactive”, and “moderately high screen time, inactive”. “Moderately healthy dietary habits, high screen time” was the additional class unique to 2-year college students. These classes differed on a number of sociodemographic characteristics, including the proportion in each class who were classified as obese. Implications for prevention scientists and future intervention programs are considered. PMID:24990599

A latent class analysis of weight-related health behaviors among 2- and 4-year college students and associated risk of obesity.

PubMed

Mathur, Charu; Stigler, Melissa; Lust, Katherine; Laska, Melissa

2014-12-01

Little is known about the complex patterning of weight-related health behaviors in 2- and 4-year college students. The objective of this study was to identify and describe unique classes of weight-related health behaviors among college students. Latent class analysis was used to identify homogenous, mutually exclusive classes of nine health behaviors that represent multiple theoretically/clinically relevant dimensions of obesity risk among 2- versus 4-year college students using cross-sectional statewide surveillance data (N = 17,584). Additionally, differences in class membership on selected sociodemographic characteristics were examined using a model-based approach. Analysis was conducted separately for both college groups, and five and four classes were identified for 2- and 4-year college students, respectively. Four classes were similar across 2- and 4-year college groups and were characterized as "mostly healthy dietary habits, active"; "moderately high screen time, active"; "moderately healthy dietary habits, inactive"; and "moderately high screen time, inactive." "Moderately healthy dietary habits, high screen time" was the additional class unique to 2-year college students. These classes differed on a number of sociodemographic characteristics, including the proportion in each class who were classified as obese. Implications for prevention scientists and future intervention programs are considered. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Village Creek: An Architectural and Historical Resources Survey of the Village Creek Project Neighborhoods, City of Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

constructed in the 1960s in a community with a strong tradition of working class home owners and remarkable con- tinuity in residency patterns. " -4- V...neighborhoods of Ensley that were included in the survey. This traditional house form was still being constructed in the 1960s in a community with a...strong tradition of working class home owners and remarkable continuity in residency patterns. ’ %A’ ’ Accession For PTIS ~ % IU tl,,nr o in ed j P-. Ii i

Skin Color, Life Changes, and Anti-White Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ransford, H. Edward

1970-01-01

Concludes that the skin color of Negroes is only a strong predictor of anti-white system" feelings among working-class and lower-class persons, those with no social contacts with whites, and those who feel powerless to exert control through institutional channels. (DM)

The Lederman Science Center: Past, Present, Future

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

Bardeen, Marjorie G.; /Fermilab

2011-11-01

For 30 years, Fermilab has offered K-12 education programs, building bridges between the Lab and the community. The Lederman Science Center is our home. We host field trips and tours, visit schools, offer classes and professional development workshops, host special events, support internships and have a strong web presence. We develop programs based on identified needs, offer programs with peer-leaders and improve programs from participant feedback. For some we create interest; for others we build understanding and develop relationships, engaging participants in scientific exploration. We explain how we created the Center, its programs, and what the future holds.

The Lederman Science Center:. Past, Present, Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardeen, Marjorie G.

2012-08-01

For 30 years, Fermilab has offered K-12 education programs, building bridges between the Lab and the community. The Lederman Science Center is our home. We host field trips and tours, visit schools, offer classes and professional development workshops, host special events, support internships and have a strong web presence. We develop programs based on identified needs, offer programs with peer-leaders and improve programs from participant feedback. For some we create interest; for others we build understanding and develop relationships, engaging participants in scientific exploration. We explain how we created the Center, its programs, and what the future holds.

Recruitment of shrimp ( Pandalus borealis) in the Barents Sea related to spawning stock and environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschan, Michaela; Ingvaldsen, Randi

2009-10-01

The shrimp spawn in autumn, and the females carry their eggs as out roe until spring when the larvae hatch. Within a period of 2 months the shrimp larvae settle to the bottom. It has been claimed that the year-class strength probably is determined during the larval phase. Today's assessment and forecast of the shrimp stock productivity and potential fishing yields are weak. This is partly due to poor knowledge on population dynamics from hatching until the shrimp are caught in the fishery at the age of 3 or 4 years. We, therefore, here identify the most important abiotic and biotic factors that affect recruitment in addition to spawning stock biomass. Since 1995, a net attached to the underbelly of the survey trawl used at the annual cruise in the Barents Sea has caught juvenile shrimp. The abundance of settled shrimp larvae varies in time and space. The recruitment to the fishery has been quite stable with the exception of the 1996 year-class, which was observed as 1-year-olds but has not been registered since. The temporal pattern of the three youngest year-classes is studied in relation to abiotic factors such as sea temperature, ice index and North Atlantic Oscillation, as well as biotic factors such as spawning stock biomass and presence of copepods, euphausiids and predating cod. Recruitment indices and factors identified by the Spearmann correlation to be significantly correlated with recruitment were used as input in a principal component analysis (PCA) and a generalized additive model (GAM) was applied. Abundance of 1-year-old shrimp is positively correlated to spawning stock biomass the previous year and to temperature of the previous winter, and negatively correlated with the number of 1-year-old cod. Two-year-old shrimp show significant correlation with temperature, whereas there is a strong negative correlation with euphausiids. Three-year-old shrimp are significantly correlated with the number of 2-year-old shrimp the previous year but negatively correlated to temperature at sampling time. This is probably due to less overlap with the main predator cod when cold. Ricker functions indicate an increased density-dependent mortality with age. When predicting the recruitment of shrimp to the fishery, the spawning stock biomass, the abundance of cod and euphausiids, as well as the temperature should be included.

Estimation of a Trophic State Index for selected inland lakes in Michigan, 1999–2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fuller, Lori M.; Jodoin, Richard S.

2016-03-11

A 15-year estimated Trophic State Index (eTSI) for Michigan inland lakes is available, and it spans seven datasets, each representing 1 to 3 years of data from 1999 to 2013. On average, 3,000 inland lake eTSI values are represented in each of the datasets by a process that relates field-measured Secchi-disk transparency (SDT) to Landsat satellite imagery to provide eTSI values for unsampled inland lakes. The correlation between eTSI values and field-measured Trophic State Index (TSI) values from SDT was strong as shown by R2 values from 0.71 to 0.83. Mean eTSI values ranged from 42.7 to 46.8 units, which when converted to estimated SDT (eSDT) ranged from 8.9 to 12.5 feet for the datasets. Most eTSI values for Michigan inland lakes are in the mesotrophic TSI class. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III Ecoregions were used to illustrate and compare the spatial distribution of eTSI classes for Michigan inland lakes. Lakes in the Northern Lakes and Forests, North Central Hardwood Forests, and Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains ecoregions are predominantly in the mesotrophic TSI class. The Huron/Erie Lake Plains and Eastern Corn Belt Plains ecoregions, had predominantly eutrophic class lakes and also the highest percent of hypereutrophic lakes than other ecoregions in the State. Data from multiple sampling programs—including data collected by volunteers with the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the 2007 National Lakes Assessment (NLA)—were compiled to compare the distribution of lake TSI classes between each program. The seven eTSI datasets are available for viewing and download with eSDT from the Michigan Lake Water Clarity Interactive Map Viewer at http://mi.water.usgs.gov/projects/RemoteSensing/index.html.

Statistical aspects of the 1980 solar flares. 2: Solar cycle activity relationships and additional remarks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. M.

1982-01-01

Based on 1349 hydrogen alpha flares with X-ray counterparts, an investigation into the relationship between the rise time, decay time, duration, latitude, hydrogen alpha importance, and X-ray class with 2800 MHz radio emission (F2800) was accomplished. An important finding is that during 1980 both the number of hydrogen alpha importance class 1 and number of X-ray class M (and M+X) flares appeared to be rather strongly related to F2800, in a positive sense; i.e., number of class 1 and class M events increased as F2800 increased.

Teaching the basics of electricity using a flexible piezoelectric generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seveno, R.; Dufay, T.; El Gibari, M.; Guiffard, B.; Li, H. W.; Morsli, S.; Pichon, A.; Tanguy, E.

2018-07-01

Lecturer-researchers, because of the duality of their profession, can introduce students directly to their research. Stimulating student interest through practical research topics enables students to see the relevance of the teaching/learning process and thereby enhance their motivation. As a major societal issue, research on renewable energies is held in great esteem, particularly among young students with a strong interest in environmental issues. The work presented here relates to the realization of a practical class on the testing of a flexible piezoelectric generator studied as part of the ‘N-air-J’ regional research project. The particular characteristic of piezoelectric materials is that they produce electricity when compressed, which means that they can be used in energy recovery devices. The electrical model associated with this type of generator, consisting of an ideal current source in parallel with a linear capacitor and a load resistor, is sufficiently simple to understand following a course on electricity for first-year university students. High school students in their first year of a science and laboratory technology baccalaureate in France have already taken this practical class as part of a dissemination campaign on scientific culture.

Comparison of the Northeast Arctic cod year class strength (at the age of 3+) with the SST anomalies in main spawning ground (the Norwegian Shelf Waters) by results of analysis satellite monitoring data during last years.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanyushin, George

2015-04-01

Continuous long-term database (1998-2014) on the sea surface temperature (SST) comprising results of regional satellite monitoring (the Norwegian and the Barents seas) is used to resolve several applied problems. Authors have analyzed indirect influence the SST (the NOAA satellite data) on modern cod total stock biomass (abundance of the Northeast Arctic cod at age 3+). In this study, we went on the consideration of the relationship between the SST anomalies for March-April in the main spawning ground of the cod off the Lofoten islands in the Norwegian Shelf Waters and forecasting assessment of future cod generation success and its future abundance of 3 year old. Mean monthly SST and SST anomalies are computed for the selected area on the basis of the weekly SST maps which made by using the NOAA satellites data for the period 1998-2014. Comparison of the SST anomalies in the main spawning ground with abundance of the cod year class at age 3+ shows that survival of the cod generations was inhibited on the whole as negative (below -0,1C) well as positive SST anomalies (above +1,3C) during March and April. Finally, the results indicate that poor and low middle generations of cod at age 3+ (2002, 2004, 2010) occurred in years with negative or extremely high positive the SST anomalies in the spawning area. The SST anomalies in years which were close to normal significances provide conditions for appearance middle or strong generations of cod (2001-2003, 2005-2009, 2011-2013). So, the SST and SST anomalies (by the NOAA satellite data) characterize of increase in input of warm Atlantic waters which form numerous eddies along the main stream thus creating favorable conditions for spawning and development of the cod larvae and fry and provide them with food stock, finally direct influence on forming total stock biomass of cod and helping its population forecast. Key words: satellite monitoring of SST, the Northeast Arctic cod, spawning ground, forecast of the cod year class strength at age 3+.

Soil Science as a Field Discipline - Experiences in Iowa, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burras, C. Lee

2015-04-01

Effective field understanding of soils is crucial. This is true everywhere but especially so in Iowa, a 15 million hectare state in the central USA's "corn belt." Iowa is intensely farmed and almost exclusively privately owned. Many regions of Iowa have had over 90% of their land area in row crops for the past 60 years. In these regions two very common land management strategies are tile drainage (1.5 million km total) and high rates of fertilization (e.g., 200 kg N/ha-yr for cropland) Iowa also has problematic environmental issues including high rates of erosion, excessive sediment and nutrient pollution in water bodies and episodic catastrophic floods. Given the preceding the Agronomy, Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture programs at Iowa State University (ISU) offer a strong suite of soil science classes - undergraduate through graduate. The objective of this presentation is to review selected field based soil science courses offered by those programs. This review includes contrasting and comparing campus-based and immersion classes. Immersion classes include ones offered at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, as "soil judging" and internationally. Findings over the past 20 years are consistent. Students at all levels gain soil science knowledge, competency and confidence proportional to the amount of time spent in field activities. Furthermore their professional skepticism is sharpened. They are also preferentially hired even in career postings that do not require fieldwork. In other words, field learning results in better soil science professionals who have highly functional and sought after knowledge.

Evolutionary Diversifaction of Aminopeptidase N in Lepidoptera by Conserved Clade-specific Amino Acid Residues

PubMed Central

Hughes, Austin L.

2015-01-01

Members of the aminopepidase N (APN) gene family of the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) bind the naturally insecticidal Cry toxins produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences of seven lepidopteran APN classes provided strong support for the hypothesis that lepidopteran APN2 class arose by gene duplication prior to the most recent common ancestor of Lepidoptera and Diptera. The Cry toxin-binding region (BR) of lepidopteran and dipteran APNs was subject to stronger purifying selection within APN classes than was the remainder of the molecule, reflecting conservation of catalytic site and adjoining residues within the BR. Of lepidopteran APN classes, APN2, APN6, and APN8 showed the strongest evidence of functional specialization, both in expression patterns and in the occurrence of conserved derived amino acid residues. The latter three APN classes also shared a convergently evolved conserved residue close to the catalytic site. APN8 showed a particularly strong tendency towards class-specific conserved residues, including one of the catalytic site residues in the BR and ten others in close vicinity to the catalytic site residues. The occurrence of class-specific sequences along with the conservation of enzymatic function is consistent with the hypothesis that the presence of Cry toxins in the environment has been a factor shaping the evolution of this multi-gene family. PMID:24675701

An Analysis of the Perceptions and Resources of Large University Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cash, Ceilidh Barlow; Letargo, Jessa; Graether, Steffen P.; Jacobs, Shoshanah R.

2017-01-01

Large class learning is a reality that is not exclusive to the first-year experience at midsized, comprehensive universities; upper-year courses have similarly high enrollment, with many class sizes greater than 200 students. Research into the efficacy and deficiencies of large undergraduate classes has been ongoing for more than 100 years, with…

Teach up for Excellence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Carol Ann; Javius, Edwin Lou

2012-01-01

Sorting students into different tracks within a school correlates strongly with student race and economic status and predicts and contributes to student outcomes. Students in higher-level classes typically experience better teachers, curriculum, and achievement levels than peers in lower-level classes. Creating classrooms that support equity of…

Resource-Based Learning and Class Organisation for Adult EFL Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gewirtz, Agatha

1979-01-01

A list is presented of special factors pertaining to English as a foreign language class in England that provide strong arguments for organizing them along resource-based learning situations. Students can be in control of their studies, engaging in independent, individual work. (SW)

KIR3DL2 binds to HLA-B27 dimers and free heavy chains more strongly than other HLA class I and promotes the expansion of T cells in ankylosing spondylitis

PubMed Central

Wong-Baeza, Isabel; Ridley, Anna; Shaw, Jackie; Hatano, Hiroko; Rysnik, Oliwia; McHugh, Kirsty; Piper, Christopher; Brackenbridge, Simon; Fernandes, Ricardo; Chan, Anthoni; Bowness, Paul; Kollnberger, Simon

2013-01-01

1Abstract The Human Leukocyte Antigen HLA-B27(B27) is strongly associated with the spondyloarthritides. B27 can be expressed at the cell surface of antigen presenting cells (APC) as both classical β2m-associated B27 and as B27 free heavy chain forms (FHC) including disulphide-bonded heavy chain homodimers (termed B272). B27 FHC forms but not classical B27 bind to KIR3DL2. HLA-A3 which is not associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA) is also a ligand for KIR3DL2. Here we show that B272 and B27 FHC bind more strongly to KIR3DL2 than other HLA-class I, including HLA-A3. B272 tetramers bound KIR3DL2 transfected cells more strongly than HLA-A3. KIR3DL2Fc bound to HLA-B27-transfected cells more strongly than to cells transfected with other HLA-class I. KIR3DL2Fc pulled down multimeric, dimeric and monomeric free heavy chains from HLA-B27 expressing cell lines. Binding to B272 and B27 FHC stimulated greater KIR3DL2 phosphorylation than HLA-A3. B272 and B27 FHC stimulated KIR3DL2CD3ε–transduced T cell IL-2 production to a greater extent than control HLA-class I. KIR3DL2 binding to B27 inhibited NK IFNγ secretion and promoted greater survival of KIR3DL2+CD4 T and NK cells than binding to other HLA-class I. KIR3DL2+ T cells from B27+SpA patients proliferated more in response to antigen presented by syngeneic APC than the same T cell subset from healthy and disease controls. Our results suggest that expansion of KIR3DL2-expressing leukocytes observed in B27+ SpA may be explained by the stronger interaction of KIR3DL2 with B27 FHC. PMID:23440420

KIR3DL2 binds to HLA-B27 dimers and free H chains more strongly than other HLA class I and promotes the expansion of T cells in ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Wong-Baeza, Isabel; Ridley, Anna; Shaw, Jackie; Hatano, Hiroko; Rysnik, Oliwia; McHugh, Kirsty; Piper, Christopher; Brackenbridge, Simon; Fernandes, Ricardo; Chan, Anthoni; Bowness, Paul; Kollnberger, Simon

2013-04-01

The human leukocyte Ag HLA-B27 (B27) is strongly associated with the spondyloarthritides. B27 can be expressed at the cell surface of APC as both classical β2-microglobulin-associated B27 and B27 free H chain forms (FHC), including disulfide-bonded H chain homodimers (termed B27(2)). B27 FHC forms, but not classical B27, bind to KIR3DL2. HLA-A3, which is not associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA), is also a ligand for KIR3DL2. In this study, we show that B27(2) and B27 FHC bind more strongly to KIR3DL2 than other HLA-class I, including HLA-A3. B27(2) tetramers bound KIR3DL2-transfected cells more strongly than HLA-A3. KIR3DL2Fc bound to HLA-B27-transfected cells more strongly than to cells transfected with other HLA-class I. KIR3DL2Fc pulled down multimeric, dimeric, and monomeric FHC from HLA-B27-expressing cell lines. Binding to B27(2) and B27 FHC stimulated greater KIR3DL2 phosphorylation than HLA-A3. B27(2) and B27 FHC stimulated KIR3DL2CD3ε-transduced T cell IL-2 production to a greater extent than control HLA-class I. KIR3DL2 binding to B27 inhibited NK IFN-γ secretion and promoted greater survival of KIR3DL2(+) CD4 T and NK cells than binding to other HLA-class I. KIR3DL2(+) T cells from B27(+) SpA patients proliferated more in response to Ag presented by syngeneic APC than the same T cell subset from healthy and disease controls. Our results suggest that expansion of KIR3DL2-expressing leukocytes observed in B27(+) SpA may be explained by the stronger interaction of KIR3DL2 with B27 FHC.

Crystal structure of the YDR533c S. cerevisiae protein, a class II member of the Hsp31 family.

PubMed

Graille, Marc; Quevillon-Cheruel, Sophie; Leulliot, Nicolas; Zhou, Cong-Zhao; Li de la Sierra Gallay, Ines; Jacquamet, Lilian; Ferrer, Jean-Luc; Liger, Dominique; Poupon, Anne; Janin, Joel; van Tilbeurgh, Herman

2004-05-01

The ORF YDR533c from Saccharomyces cerevisiae codes for a 25.5 kDa protein of unknown biochemical function. Transcriptome analysis of yeast has shown that this gene is activated in response to various stress conditions together with proteins belonging to the heat shock family. In order to clarify its biochemical function, we determined the crystal structure of YDR533c to 1.85 A resolution by the single anomalous diffraction method. The protein possesses an alpha/beta hydrolase fold and a putative Cys-His-Glu catalytic triad common to a large enzyme family containing proteases, amidotransferases, lipases, and esterases. The protein has strong structural resemblance with the E. coli Hsp31 protein and the intracellular protease I from Pyrococcus horikoshii, which are considered class I and class III members of the Hsp31 family, respectively. Detailed structural analysis strongly suggests that the YDR533c protein crystal structure is the first one of a class II member of the Hsp31 family.

How the modified method of orbit quality assessment works for Oort spike comets?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Królikowska, Małgorzata; Dybczyński, Piotr A.

2018-06-01

We present a brief overview of the effectiveness of the modified method of a quality of orbit estimation proposed by us a few years ago. Having now a complete sample of 100 Oort spike comets with large perihelion distances, we show that it was justified to introduce more restricted conditions separating the individual quality classes as well as introducing a new quality class containing orbits of the excellent quality, marked by us as 1a+. To enrich the perception, we provided a complete collection of visual time distributions of positional data sets used by us for an orbit determination (see the Appendix). We show that modern positional measurements of large-perihelion Oort spike comets should be carried out for at least 3 yr around perihelion (three-four oppositions) to be almost certain that the derived orbit will be of the highest quality (1a+ class). Our results strongly support an expectation that in near future it will be possible to study the shape of 1/aori-distribution of the Oort spike comets in great detail basing only on the highest quality orbits, having 1/aori-uncertainties well below 5 × 10-6 au-1.

Value Preferences are More Strongly Associated With Social Class Than With Sex or Race. Illinois Studies of the Economically Disadvantaged, Technical Report Number 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malpass, Roy S.; Symonds, John D.

Preferences for 92 values, obtained from a survey of cross-cultural studies of values, were obtained from two separate and geographically distant sets of groups consisting of black and white males and females of lower- and middle-Class status. The middle-class black population was of insufficient size to include, however. Value preferences were…

Centennial Class Survey. Sophomore Year Re-Test. Part One - Current Issues Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aberman, Hugh M.

The Centennial Class Survey determines the effects of four years of college experience upon Shippensburg State College's centennial year freshman class of 1970-71. The overall testing program scheduled a sophomore and senior year retest after the freshman year data were collected. Statistics were gathered in the areas of: sex distribution; major;…

Stability of ARDS subphenotypes over time in two randomised controlled trials.

PubMed

Delucchi, Kevin; Famous, Katie R; Ware, Lorraine B; Parsons, Polly E; Thompson, B Taylor; Calfee, Carolyn S

2018-05-01

Two distinct acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) subphenotypes have been identified using data obtained at time of enrolment in clinical trials; it remains unknown if these subphenotypes are durable over time. To determine the stability of ARDS subphenotypes over time. Secondary analysis of data from two randomised controlled trials in ARDS, the ARMA trial of lung protective ventilation (n=473; patients randomised to low tidal volumes only) and the ALVEOLI trial of low versus high positive end-expiratory pressure (n=549). Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were applied to data from day 0 and day 3, independent of clinical outcomes. In ALVEOLI, LCA indicated strong evidence of two ARDS latent classes at days 0 and 3; in ARMA, evidence of two classes was stronger at day 0 than at day 3. The clinical and biological features of these two classes were similar to those in our prior work and were largely stable over time, though class 2 demonstrated evidence of progressive organ failures by day 3, compared with class 1. In both LCA and LTA models, the majority of patients (>94%) stayed in the same class from day 0 to day 3. Clinical outcomes were statistically significantly worse in class 2 than class 1 and were more strongly associated with day 3 class assignment. ARDS subphenotypes are largely stable over the first 3 days of enrolment in two ARDS Network trials, suggesting that subphenotype identification may be feasible in the context of clinical trials. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Relationship of fatigue and exercise capacity with emotional and physical state in patients with coronary artery disease admitted for rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Bunevicius, Adomas; Stankus, Albinas; Brozaitiene, Julija; Girdler, Susan S; Bunevicius, Robertas

2011-08-01

The relationship between subjective fatigue, exercise capacity, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) needs to be specified. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1,470 (64% men; mean age 57 ± 11 years) consecutive CAD patients admitted for cardiac rehabilitation after treatment of acute cardiac events were evaluated for demographic characteristics, for past and current diagnosis and treatment, for New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, for symptoms of depression and for symptoms of anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and for subjective fatigue using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. On the next day, all patients underwent exercise capacity evaluation using a standard bicycle ergometer testing procedure. In univariate regression analyses, there was the strongest positive association between scores on all Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory subscales and scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression and anxiety subscales and between exercise capacity and NYHA class. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that symptoms of depression were the strongest positive determinants of all dimensions of subjective fatigue and, together with other significant variables, accounted for 17% to 29% of the variance. However, neither depressive nor anxious symptoms were significant determinants of exercise capacity. The association between subjective fatigue and exercise capacity and vice versa was minimal. Subjective fatigue in CAD patients is strongly related to symptoms of depression and symptoms of anxiety. In contrast, exercise capacity in CAD patients is strongly related to NYHA functional class, with no relationship to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Salivary Biomarkers, Oral Inflammation, and Functional Status in Patients With Heart Failure.

PubMed

Dekker, Rebecca L; Lennie, Terry A; Moser, Debra K; Miller, Craig S; Ebersole, Jeffrey L; Chung, Misook L; Campbell, Charles L; Bailey, Alison; Tovar, Elizabeth G

2017-03-01

To describe correlations and agreement between salivary and serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 and determine which biomarkers predict worse functional class in patients with heart failure (HF). Serum and saliva were collected from 75 hospitalized patients with HF (57 ± 12 years, 43% female, New York Heart Association [NYHA] Classes I [4%], II [43%], and III [53%]). Oral inflammation was rated as good, fair, or poor. Spearman's ρ and Bland-Altman were used to determine correlations and agreement of the salivary and serum forms of each biomarker. Logistic regressions were used to determine which biomarkers predicted worse NYHA functional class, controlling for depression, body mass index, smoking, and oral inflammation. Median biomarker concentrations were as follows: BNP (serum 361 pg/ml, saliva 9 pg/ml), CRP (serum 13 ng/ml, saliva 25.6 ng/ml), IL-6 (serum 19.3 pg/ml, saliva 10.5 pg/ml), and IL-10 (serum 64.1 pg/ml, saliva 4.7 pg/ml). There was a moderate-to-strong correlation for serum-salivary CRP, weak correlation for serum-salivary IL-6, and no correlations for serum-salivary BNP and IL-10. The Bland-Altman test showed good salivary-serum agreement for all biomarkers, but as serum concentrations rose, salivary measures underestimated serum levels. Visible oral inflammation was the only predictor of worse NYHA class.

Beyond the boundaries of the classroom: teaching about gender and sexuality at a drag show.

PubMed

Schacht, Steven P

2004-01-01

Like much of the general public, the vast majority of my students strongly hold dichotomous, essentialist outlooks about what the categories female and male/gay and straight are supposed to represent and be. One way that I have found to challenge these oppressive worldviews, and also to queer my classes in the process, is to take my course participants to drag shows and/or to use videotapes of drag queens and drag kings in my classes. As part of an ongoing ethnography of drag performers I am undertaking, I have taken over 300 students to drag shows over the past eight years. Female students have often found attending a drag show to be a fun experience free of the sexual harassment found in most bars, while male students often contextually experience being a social minority for the first time in their life. From both attending drag shows and/or watching recordings of them I show in class, students have reported gaining an experiential appreciation of the performed basis of gender, sexuality, and inequality. Or, stated slightly differently, students begin to understand how the stratification system metaphorically makes drag queens of us all. This, in turn, provides the basis of the foremost argument I make in all my classes: equality will not be realized until nondichotomous, truly new ways of relating to others are envisioned and acted upon.

Developing a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran.

PubMed

Halimi, Mansour; Farajzadeh, Manuchehr; Delavari, Mahdi; Arbabi, Mohsen

2015-01-01

The strong relationship between climate and fascioliasis outbreaks enables the development of climate-based models to estimate the potential risk of fascioliasis outbreaks. This work aims to develop a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran using Ollerenshaw's fascioliasis risk index incorporating geographical information system (GIS). Using this index, a risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks for the entire country was developed. We determined that the country can be divided into 4 fascioliasis outbreak risk categories. Class 1, in which the Mt value is less than 100, includes more than 0.91 of the country's area. The climate in this class is not conducive to fascioliasis outbreaks in any month. Dryness and low temperature in the wet season (December to April) are the key barriers against fascioliasis outbreaks in this class. The risk map developed based on climatic factors indicated that only 0.03 of the country's area, including Gilan province in the northern region of Iran, is highly suitable to fascioliasis outbreaks during September to January. The Mt value is greater than 500 in this class. Heavy rainfall in the summer and fall, especially in Rasht, Astara and Bandar Anzaly (≥ 1000 mm/year), creates more suitable breeding places for snail intermediate hosts. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Right Heart End-Systolic Remodeling Index Strongly Predicts Outcomes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Comparison With Validated Models.

PubMed

Amsallem, Myriam; Sweatt, Andrew J; Aymami, Marie C; Kuznetsova, Tatiana; Selej, Mona; Lu, HongQuan; Mercier, Olaf; Fadel, Elie; Schnittger, Ingela; McConnell, Michael V; Rabinovitch, Marlene; Zamanian, Roham T; Haddad, Francois

2017-06-01

Right ventricular (RV) end-systolic dimensions provide information on both size and function. We investigated whether an internally scaled index of end-systolic dimension is incremental to well-validated prognostic scores in pulmonary arterial hypertension. From 2005 to 2014, 228 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension were prospectively enrolled. RV end-systolic remodeling index (RVESRI) was defined by lateral length divided by septal height. The incremental values of RV free wall longitudinal strain and RVESRI to risk scores were determined. Mean age was 49±14 years, 78% were female, 33% had connective tissue disease, 52% were in New York Heart Association class ≥III, and mean pulmonary vascular resistance was 11.2±6.4 WU. RVESRI and right atrial area were strongly connected to the other right heart metrics. Three zones of adaptation (adapted, maladapted, and severely maladapted) were identified based on the RVESRI to RV systolic pressure relationship. During a mean follow-up of 3.9±2.4 years, the primary end point of death, transplant, or admission for heart failure was reached in 88 patients. RVESRI was incremental to risk prediction scores in pulmonary arterial hypertension, including the Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-Term PAH Disease Management score, the Pulmonary Hypertension Connection equation, and the Mayo Clinic model. Using multivariable analysis, New York Heart Association class III/IV, RVESRI, and log NT-proBNP (N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide) were retained (χ 2 , 62.2; P <0.0001). Changes in RVESRI at 1 year (n=203) were predictive of outcome; patients initiated on prostanoid therapy showed the greatest improvement in RVESRI. Among right heart metrics, RVESRI demonstrated the best test-retest characteristics. RVESRI is a simple reproducible prognostic marker in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

The impact of a living learning community on first-year engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flynn, Margaret A.; Everett, Jess W.; Whittinghill, Dex

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an engineering living and learning community (ELC) on first-year engineering students. A control group of non-ELC students was used to compare the experiences of the ELC participants. Analysis of survey data showed that there was significant differences between the ELC students and the non-ELC students in how they responded to questions regarding social support, academic support, connectedness to campus, and satisfaction with the College of Engineering and the institution as a whole. Particularly, there were significant differences between ELC and non-ELC students for questions related to feeling like part of an engineering community, having strong relationships with peers, belonging to a supportive peer network, studying with engineering peers, and spending time with classmates outside of class.

26 CFR 1.167(a)-12 - Depreciation based on class lives for property first placed in service before January 1, 1971.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 1967. Corporation X had not used the class life of 10 years for a period at least equal to one-half of... of 12 years since it had not used the 10-year class life for a period at least equal to one-half of... Y had used a class life of 16 years for asset guideline 13.3. At the end of 1969 corporation Y's...

Developmental instability in Rhus copallinum L.: multiple stressors, years, and responses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Freeman, D. Carl; Brown, Michelle L.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Graham, John H.; Emlen, John M.; Krzysik, Anthony J.; Balbach, Harold E.; Kovacic, Dave A.; Zak, John C.

2004-01-01

Developmental instability, as assessed by leaf fluctuating asymmetry and stem internode allometry, was examined at nine sites, representing three levels of disturbance, over multiple years. Site selection was based on land‐use disturbance classes related to training of mechanized infantry and other land management activities at Fort Benning, Georgia. Developmental instability varied among sites and years, and there was a strong site‐by‐year interaction for many traits. Indeed, depending on the year, the same site could be ranked as having the greatest and least amount of leaf fluctuating asymmetry. Burning a site the year prior to collecting the leaves profoundly influenced measures of leaf fluctuating asymmetry. In the absence of recent burning, leaf fluctuating asymmetry declined with increasing disturbance, but burning the year prior to collecting the leaves reversed this trend. Total plant cover, proportion of bare ground, and amount of plant litter influenced the amount of leaf asymmetry in a site‐dependent manner. Overall, burning influenced the levels of developmental instability more than either disturbance or microhabitat variables such as total plant cover, which should reflect competition in a plant’s immediate neighborhood.

Hydrology controls recruitment of two invasive cyprinids: bigheaded carp reproduction in a navigable large river

PubMed Central

Solomon, Levi E.; Pendleton, Richard M.; Chick, John H.; Casper, Andrew F.

2017-01-01

In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and bighead carp H. nobilis, also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest. We analyzed weekly catch records from 15 years of a standardized monitoring program to document the emergence of age-0 bigheaded carp in relation to environmental conditions. The appearance of age-0 fish was generally linked to hydrographic attributes, which probably serve as a cue for spawning. However, we found profound differences in the number of age-0 fish among years, which varied by as much as five orders of magnitude in successive years. The strong link between summer flooding and age-0 fish production we observed emphasizes the importance of understanding the hydrologic context in which sustained invasions occur. Despite evidence of sporadic recruitment, bigheaded carp populations in the Illinois River appear to be consistent or increasing because of particularly strong, episodic year classes. PMID:28929010

Relationship of academic success of medical students with motivation and pre-admission grades.

PubMed

Luqman, Muhammad

2013-01-01

To determine predictive validity of pre-admission scores of medical students, evaluate correlation between level of motivation and later on academic success in a medical college. Analytical study. Foundation University Medical College, Islamabad, from June to August 2011. A non-probability convenience sampling of students of 1st to final year MBBS classes was done after obtaining informed consent. These students filled out 'Strength of Motivation for Medical School' (SMMS) questionnaire. The data of pre-admission grades of these students along with academic success in college according to examination results in different years were collected. The correlation between the pre-admission grades and score of SMMS questionnaire with their academic success in medical college was found by applying Pearson co-efficient of correlation in order to determine the predictive validity. Only 46% students revealed strong motivation. A significant, moderate correlation was found between preadmission scores and academic success in 1st year modular examination (0.52) which became weaker in various professional examinations in higher classes. However, no significant correlation was observed between motivation and academic success of medical students in college. Selecting medical students by pre-admission scores or motivation level alone may not be desirable. A combination of measures of cognitive ability criteria (FSc/pre-admission test scores) and non-cognitive skills (personality traits) is recommended to be employed with the use of right tools for selection of students in medical schools.

Factors Affecting Educational Innovation with in Class Electronic Response Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Mark; Bell, Amani; Comerton-Forde, Carole; Pickering, Joanne; Blayney, Paul

2007-01-01

This paper reports the use of Rogers' diffusion of innovation perspective to understand the factors affecting educational innovation decisions, specifically in regard to in class electronic response systems. Despite decreasing costs and four decades of research showing strong student support, academic adoption is limited. Using data collected from…

"I'm Strong within Myself": Gender, Class and Emotional Capital in Childcare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrew, Yarrow

2015-01-01

Emotions have received increasing attention in educational circles in the last decade. Drawing on Bourdieu, feminist scholars use emotional capital to illustrate the ways gendered inequalities can compound the disadvantages of social class. This paper examines relationships within childcare services in Australia, showing how emotional capital…

Advances in medical education and practice: student perceptions of the flipped classroom

PubMed Central

Ramnanan, Christopher J; Pound, Lynley D

2017-01-01

The flipped classroom (FC) approach to teaching has been increasingly employed in undergraduate medical education in recent years. In FC applications, students are first exposed to content via online resources. Subsequent face-to-face class time can then be devoted to student-centered activities that promote active learning. Although the FC has been well received by students in other contexts, the perceptions of medical students regarding this innovation are unclear. This review serves as an early exploration into medical student perceptions of benefits and limitations of the FC. Medical students have generally expressed strong appreciation for the pre-class preparation activities (especially when facilitated by concise, readily accessed online tools) as well as for interactive, engaging small group classroom activities. Some students have expressed concerns with the FC and noted that suboptimal student preparation and insufficient direction and structure during active learning sessions may limit the student-centered benefits. Although students generally perceive that FC approaches can improve their learning and knowledge, this has not been conclusively shown via performances on assessment tools, which may be related to caveats with the assessment tools used. In any case, lifelong self-directed learning skills are perceived by medical students to be enhanced by the FC. In conclusion, medical students have generally expressed strong satisfaction with early applications of the FC to undergraduate medical education, and generally prefer this method to lecture-based instruction. PMID:28144171

Advances in medical education and practice: student perceptions of the flipped classroom.

PubMed

Ramnanan, Christopher J; Pound, Lynley D

2017-01-01

The flipped classroom (FC) approach to teaching has been increasingly employed in undergraduate medical education in recent years. In FC applications, students are first exposed to content via online resources. Subsequent face-to-face class time can then be devoted to student-centered activities that promote active learning. Although the FC has been well received by students in other contexts, the perceptions of medical students regarding this innovation are unclear. This review serves as an early exploration into medical student perceptions of benefits and limitations of the FC. Medical students have generally expressed strong appreciation for the pre-class preparation activities (especially when facilitated by concise, readily accessed online tools) as well as for interactive, engaging small group classroom activities. Some students have expressed concerns with the FC and noted that suboptimal student preparation and insufficient direction and structure during active learning sessions may limit the student-centered benefits. Although students generally perceive that FC approaches can improve their learning and knowledge, this has not been conclusively shown via performances on assessment tools, which may be related to caveats with the assessment tools used. In any case, lifelong self-directed learning skills are perceived by medical students to be enhanced by the FC. In conclusion, medical students have generally expressed strong satisfaction with early applications of the FC to undergraduate medical education, and generally prefer this method to lecture-based instruction.

Signal detection evidence for limited capacity in visual search

PubMed Central

Fencsik, David E.; Flusberg, Stephen J.; Horowitz, Todd S.; Wolfe, Jeremy M.

2014-01-01

The nature of capacity limits (if any) in visual search has been a topic of controversy for decades. In 30 years of work, researchers have attempted to distinguish between two broad classes of visual search models. Attention-limited models have proposed two stages of perceptual processing: an unlimited-capacity preattentive stage, and a limited-capacity selective attention stage. Conversely, noise-limited models have proposed a single, unlimited-capacity perceptual processing stage, with decision processes influenced only by stochastic noise. Here, we use signal detection methods to test a strong prediction of attention-limited models. In standard attention-limited models, performance of some searches (feature searches) should only be limited by a preattentive stage. Other search tasks (e.g., spatial configuration search for a “2” among “5”s) should be additionally limited by an attentional bottleneck. We equated average accuracies for a feature and a spatial configuration search over set sizes of 1–8 for briefly presented stimuli. The strong prediction of attention-limited models is that, given overall equivalence in performance, accuracy should be better on the spatial configuration search than on the feature search for set size 1, and worse for set size 8. We confirm this crossover interaction and show that it is problematic for at least one class of one-stage decision models. PMID:21901574

Obesity Cardiometabolic Comorbidity Prevalence in Children in a Rural Weight-Management Program.

PubMed

O'Hara, Valerie; Browne, Nancy; Fathima, Samreen; Sorondo, Barbara; Bayleran, Janet; Johnston, Starr; Hastey, Kathrin

2017-01-01

This descriptive study examines the prevalence of obesity-related cardiometabolic (CM) risk factors using CM laboratory metrics, in 3 to 19 year olds presenting to a rural American Academy of Pediatrics stage 3 multidisciplinary weight management clinic based on gender, age ranges, and obesity classes. From 2009 to 2016, 382 children (body mass index ≥85th percentile) enrolled. Multiple logistic regression determined the effects of age, gender, or obesity class on CM risk factors. Odds of elevated insulin were more significant in 15 to 19 year olds than in 3 to 5 year olds, or in 6 to 11 year olds. Obesity class III had higher odds than class II, class I, and overweight in having elevated insulin; twice likely than class II for having low high-density lipoprotein; and twice as likely than class I for high triglycerides. Adolescents and obesity class III categories have significant CM risk but the burden in younger and less severe obesity cohorts cannot be underestimated.

40 CFR 86.410-2006 - Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles. (a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class...-1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards Model year Emission standards(g/km) HC CO 2006 and... the following table: Table E2006-2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards Tier Model year Emission...

40 CFR 86.410-2006 - Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles. (a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class...-1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards Model year Emission standards(g/km) HC CO 2006 and... the following table: Table E2006-2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards Tier Model year Emission...

40 CFR 86.410-2006 - Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles. (a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class...-1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards Model year Emission standards(g/km) HC CO 2006 and... the following table: Table E2006-2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards Tier Model year Emission...

40 CFR 86.410-2006 - Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles. (a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class...-1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards Model year Emission standards(g/km) HC CO 2006 and... the following table: Table E2006-2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards Tier Model year Emission...

40 CFR 86.410-2006 - Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles. (a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class...-1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards Model year Emission standards(g/km) HC CO 2006 and... the following table: Table E2006-2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards Tier Model year Emission...

[The epidemiological situation of scorpion stings in the Beni Mellal province].

PubMed

Charrab, Nezha; Soulaymani, Rachida; Mokhtari, Abdelrhani; Semlali, Ilham; El Oufir, Rhizlane; Soulaymani, Abdelmajid

2009-01-01

The objective of this work is to analyse and interpret data from patients bitten by scorpions in a province of Morocco in order to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by scorpion venom. A study was conducted of 901 cases of poisoning among 6959 cases of scorpion stings recorded between January 2002 and December 2006 from bites recorded in Beni Mellal. The results show that poisoning strongly coincides with the summer period, especially in July and August. All age groups are affected by this disease with an average age of 17.28 +/- 17.91 years. For the time post injection, 35.2% were able to check in under an hour. On the other hand, 70.9% reach a health facility with symptoms (class II) and 29.1% with signs of distress (Class III). Finally, the evolution of patients is mostly positive in 94.7% of cases, and the case fatality rate from scorpion sting poisoning is 3.88%.

Meeting the Challenge to Balloon Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, W. Vernon

The promise of superpressure ballooning is helping the balloon program evolve toward a cost-effective means for frequent access to near-space. Superpressure balloons fabricated from strong, light-weight composite materials have the potential for increasing flight times of ton-class payloads to 100 days or more at altitudes above 5 mbars at essentially any geographic latitude. Although this new capability is still in an embryonic stage, its potential has already had an impact. Specifically, a new NASA Office of Space Science policy for University-class Explorer missions allows balloon investigations to compete on an equal basis with other low-cost missions requiring expendable launch vehicles. The new challenge for the science community is to design winning payloads that can be built within the cost cap of $13 M, including launch costs, and be developed within two to three years from selection to launch. Defining the international trajectories and getting the overflight agreements for balloon flights that make several circumnavigations of Earth will also be a challenge

The regulation of coralline algal physiology, an in situ study of Corallina officinalis (Corallinales, Rhodophyta)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, Christopher James; Perkins, Rupert; Voller, Matthew; Yallop, Marian Louise; Brodie, Juliet

2017-10-01

Calcified macroalgae are critical components of marine ecosystems worldwide, but face considerable threat both from climate change (increasing water temperatures) and ocean acidification (decreasing ocean pH and carbonate saturation). It is thus fundamental to constrain the relationships between key abiotic stressors and the physiological processes that govern coralline algal growth and survival. Here we characterize the complex relationships between the abiotic environment of rock pool habitats and the physiology of the geniculate red coralline alga, Corallina officinalis (Corallinales, Rhodophyta). Paired assessment of irradiance, water temperature and carbonate chemistry, with C. officinalis net production (NP), respiration (R) and net calcification (NG) was performed in a south-western UK field site, at multiple temporal scales (seasonal, diurnal and tidal). Strong seasonality was observed in NP and night-time R, with a Pmax of 22.35 µmol DIC (g DW)-1 h-1, Ek of 300 µmol photons m-2 s-1 and R of 3.29 µmol DIC (g DW)-1 h-1 determined across the complete annual cycle. NP showed a significant exponential relationship with irradiance (R2 = 0.67), although was temperature dependent given ambient irradiance > Ek for the majority of the annual cycle. Over tidal emersion periods, dynamics in NP highlighted the ability of C. officinalis to acquire inorganic carbon despite significant fluctuations in carbonate chemistry. Across all data, NG was highly predictable (R2 = 0.80) by irradiance, water temperature and carbonate chemistry, providing a NGmax of 3.94 µmol CaCO3 (g DW)-1 h-1 and Ek of 113 µmol photons m-2 s-1. Light NG showed strong seasonality and significant coupling to NP (R2 = 0.65) as opposed to rock pool water carbonate saturation. In contrast, the direction of dark NG (dissolution vs. precipitation) was strongly related to carbonate saturation, mimicking abiotic precipitation dynamics. Data demonstrated that C. officinalis is adapted to both long-term (seasonal) and short-term (tidal) variability in environmental stressors, although the balance between metabolic processes and the external environment may be significantly impacted by future climate change.

Using a hybrid subtyping model to capture patterns and dimensionality of depressive and anxiety symptomatology in the general population.

PubMed

Wardenaar, Klaas J; Wanders, Rob B K; Ten Have, Margreet; de Graaf, Ron; de Jonge, Peter

2017-06-01

Researchers have tried to identify more homogeneous subtypes of major depressive disorder (MDD) with latent class analyses (LCA). However, this approach does no justice to the dimensional nature of psychopathology. In addition, anxiety and functioning-levels have seldom been integrated in subtyping efforts. Therefore, this study used a hybrid discrete-dimensional approach to identify subgroups with shared patterns of depressive and anxiety symptomatology, while accounting for functioning-levels. The Comprehensive International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) 1.1 was used to assess previous-year depressive and anxiety symptoms in the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-1 (NEMESIS-1; n=5583). The data were analyzed with factor analyses, LCA and hybrid mixed-measurement item response theory (MM-IRT) with and without functioning covariates. Finally, the classes' predictors (measured one year earlier) and outcomes (measured two years later) were investigated. A 3-class MM-IRT model with functioning covariates best described the data and consisted of a 'healthy class' (74.2%) and two symptomatic classes ('sleep/energy' [13.4%]; 'mood/anhedonia' [12.4%]). Factors including older age, urbanicity, higher severity and presence of 1-year MDD predicted membership of either symptomatic class vs. the healthy class. Both symptomatic classes showed poorer 2-year outcomes (i.e. disorders, poor functioning) than the healthy class. The odds of MDD after two years were especially increased in the mood/anhedonia class. Symptoms were assessed for the past year whereas current functioning was assessed. Heterogeneity of depression and anxiety symptomatology are optimally captured by a hybrid discrete-dimensional subtyping model. Importantly, accounting for functioning-levels helps to capture clinically relevant interpersonal differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spiderman and science: How students' perceptions of scientists are shaped by popular media.

PubMed

Tan, Aik-Ling; Jocz, Jennifer Ann; Zhai, Junqing

2017-07-01

This study addresses the influence of popular media on how young children perceive science and the work of scientists. Using an adapted version of the Draw-A-Scientist Test, 15 classes of fourth graders (9-10 years old) at three different schools in Singapore were sampled ( n =  266). The students' drawings as well as their identification of three sources from which they obtained inspiration for their drawings were analyzed. Our results showed a strong relationship between students' drawings of scientists and their reported sources of inspiration. The results suggest that popular media play a large role in shaping how young children view scientists.

Critical Pedagogy in Undergraduate English Writing Classes in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chi, Gen-Hua

2011-01-01

This one-year study explores the possibility of integrating critical pedagogy into undergraduate English writing classes in Taiwan. The participants were the students in 2 first-year writing classes taught by the researcher. For these classes, I reinvented Freire's (2000) pedagogy of the oppressed, which emphasizes problem-posing, dialogue, and…

Likelihood analysis of spatial capture-recapture models for stratified or class structured populations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Royle, J. Andrew; Sutherland, Christopher S.; Fuller, Angela K.; Sun, Catherine C.

2015-01-01

We develop a likelihood analysis framework for fitting spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models to data collected on class structured or stratified populations. Our interest is motivated by the necessity of accommodating the problem of missing observations of individual class membership. This is particularly problematic in SCR data arising from DNA analysis of scat, hair or other material, which frequently yields individual identity but fails to identify the sex. Moreover, this can represent a large fraction of the data and, given the typically small sample sizes of many capture-recapture studies based on DNA information, utilization of the data with missing sex information is necessary. We develop the class structured likelihood for the case of missing covariate values, and then we address the scaling of the likelihood so that models with and without class structured parameters can be formally compared regardless of missing values. We apply our class structured model to black bear data collected in New York in which sex could be determined for only 62 of 169 uniquely identified individuals. The models containing sex-specificity of both the intercept of the SCR encounter probability model and the distance coefficient, and including a behavioral response are strongly favored by log-likelihood. Estimated population sex ratio is strongly influenced by sex structure in model parameters illustrating the importance of rigorous modeling of sex differences in capture-recapture models.

40 CFR 1054.740 - What special provisions apply for generating and using emission credits?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 2013 model years. You may not use these transitional credits for Class I engines. (2) Enduring credits... in the 2012 and 2013 model years for Class I engines and only in the 2011 through 2013 model years... credits you may use under this paragraph (c) for each engine class. (4) For 2013 and earlier model years...

On strong homogeneity of a class of global optimization algorithms working with infinite and infinitesimal scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergeyev, Yaroslav D.; Kvasov, Dmitri E.; Mukhametzhanov, Marat S.

2018-06-01

The necessity to find the global optimum of multiextremal functions arises in many applied problems where finding local solutions is insufficient. One of the desirable properties of global optimization methods is strong homogeneity meaning that a method produces the same sequences of points where the objective function is evaluated independently both of multiplication of the function by a scaling constant and of adding a shifting constant. In this paper, several aspects of global optimization using strongly homogeneous methods are considered. First, it is shown that even if a method possesses this property theoretically, numerically very small and large scaling constants can lead to ill-conditioning of the scaled problem. Second, a new class of global optimization problems where the objective function can have not only finite but also infinite or infinitesimal Lipschitz constants is introduced. Third, the strong homogeneity of several Lipschitz global optimization algorithms is studied in the framework of the Infinity Computing paradigm allowing one to work numerically with a variety of infinities and infinitesimals. Fourth, it is proved that a class of efficient univariate methods enjoys this property for finite, infinite and infinitesimal scaling and shifting constants. Finally, it is shown that in certain cases the usage of numerical infinities and infinitesimals can avoid ill-conditioning produced by scaling. Numerical experiments illustrating theoretical results are described.

Language as Social Fabric: Ties That Bind and Separate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Keith; And Others

1991-01-01

Asserts that speakers of Black English and their behavior evoke strong responses outside and inside their communities. Asserts that members of the black communities are rarely permitted to describe or defend their language or ways of using it. Offers the essays, comments, and class interactions of an African-American/Linguistics class on language…

A Discourse Analysis of the Online Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Offenholley, Kathleen H.

2012-01-01

Thirteen online mathematics classes were analyzed using a discourse coding system created by Bellack et al. (1966). Findings suggest that the ratio of teacher-to-student discourse is far lower in online than in face-to-face classes and varies widely from instructor to instructor. A strong positive correlation was shown between instructor posts and…

Behavior of class-level landscape metrics across gradients of class aggregation and area

Treesearch

Maile C. Neel; Kevin McGarigal; Samuel A. Cushman

2004-01-01

Habitat loss and fragmentation processes strongly affect biodiversity conservation in landscapes undergoing anthropogenic land use changes. Many attempts have been made to use landscape structure metrics to quantify the independent and joint effects of these processes. Unfortunately, ecological interpretation of those metrics has been plagued by lack of thorough...

The Roots of Cultural Diversity Among American Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamphere, Louise

As we reach the mid-point of the 1970's, we find women in many different positions: working and non-working, middle-class and working class, urban and rural, black and white. There are women with strong ethnic ties or religious orientations, first generation city dwellers and suburbanites. Three factors -- increased female labor force…

Instructor Training and Instructional Design in Online Courses Using Group Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Patricia K.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory multi-case study was to examine the role of instructional design and instructor training on student learning outcomes and student satisfaction within the online class using group work, a form of collaborative learning. Group work has been strongly recommended for online classes. Data allowing insight into…

Effects of Teaching Strategies on Student Motivation to Learn in High School Mathematics Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toles, Ann

2010-01-01

To succeed in an increasing technological and global society, students need to develop strong mathematical and problem-solving skills. This qualitative grounded theory study examined student perceptions of the ways in which teaching strategies in high school mathematics classes affect student motivation to learn the subject. Study participants…

Caring for Our Students in Courses with Potentially Threatening Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, M. Rose; Becker-Blease, Kathryn

2012-01-01

The authors enjoy the challenge of teaching classes on gender and violence, including violence against women, psychology of trauma, and psychology of gender. Although various sources provide suggestions for teaching classes that provoke strong reactions in students, they have found that one size does not fit all. Rather, they must first identify…

Mask Making: Incorporating Service Learning into Criminology and Deviance Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nurse, Anne M.; Krain, Matthew

2006-01-01

Criminology and Deviance Classes are often among the most popular in the sociology undergraduate curriculum. These courses provide a unique opportunity for teachers since many students come to class with an intense interest in the subject matter combined with strong opinions about crime, criminals, and deviants. Because these opinions are often…

Innovations in Teaching Race and Class Inequality: "Bittersweet Candy" and "The Vanishing Dollar"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Roxanna

2009-01-01

Instructors teaching students about social inequality, especially sexism and racism, often face some degree of student resistance. Opposition is particularly strong when students are from a white, middle to upper class background. As Haddad and Lieberman (2002) remark, "Students from privileged backgrounds lack personal experience with structures…

Two Universality Classes for the Many-Body Localization Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khemani, Vedika; Sheng, D. N.; Huse, David A.

2017-08-01

We provide a systematic comparison of the many-body localization (MBL) transition in spin chains with nonrandom quasiperiodic versus random fields. We find evidence suggesting that these belong to two separate universality classes: the first dominated by "intrinsic" intrasample randomness, and the second dominated by external intersample quenched randomness. We show that the effects of intersample quenched randomness are strongly growing, but not yet dominant, at the system sizes probed by exact-diagonalization studies on random models. Thus, the observed finite-size critical scaling collapses in such studies appear to be in a preasymptotic regime near the nonrandom universality class, but showing signs of the initial crossover towards the external-randomness-dominated universality class. Our results provide an explanation for why exact-diagonalization studies on random models see an apparent scaling near the transition while also obtaining finite-size scaling exponents that strongly violate Harris-Chayes bounds that apply to disorder-driven transitions. We also show that the MBL phase is more stable for the quasiperiodic model as compared to the random one, and the transition in the quasiperiodic model suffers less from certain finite-size effects.

Factors driving spatial and temporal variation in production and production/biomass ratio of stream-resident brown trout (Salmo trutta) in Cantabrian streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lobon-Cervia, J.; Gonzalez, G.; Budy, P.

2011-01-01

1.The objective was to identify the factors driving spatial and temporal variation in annual production (PA) and turnover (production/biomass) ratio (P/BA) of resident brown trout Salmo trutta in tributaries of the Rio Esva (Cantabrian Mountains, Asturias, north-western Spain). We examined annual production (total production of all age-classes over a year) (PA) and turnover (P/BA) ratios, in relation to year-class production (production over the entire life time of a year-class) (PT) and turnover (P/BT) ratio, over 14years at a total of 12 sites along the length of four contrasting tributaries. In addition, we explored whether the importance of recruitment and site depth for spatial and temporal variations in year-class production (PT), elucidated in previous studies, extends to annual production. 2.Large spatial (among sites) and temporal (among years) variation in annual production (range 1.9-40.3gm-2 per year) and P/BA ratio (range 0.76-2.4per year) typified these populations, values reported here including all the variation reported globally for salmonids streams inhabited by one or several species. 3.Despite substantial differences among streams and sites in all production attributes, when all data were pooled, annual (PA) and year-class production (PT) and annual (P/BA) and year-class P/BT ratios were tightly linked. Annual (PA) and year-class production (PT) were similar but not identical, i.e. PT=0.94 PA, whereas the P/BT ratios were 4+P/BA ratios. 4.Recruitment (Rc) and mean annual density (NA) were major density-dependent drivers of production and their relationships were described by simple mathematical models. While year-class production (PT) was determined (R2=70.1%) by recruitment (Rc), annual production (PA) was determined (R2=60.3%) by mean annual density (NA). In turn, variation in recruitment explained R2=55.2% of variation in year-class P/BT ratios, the latter attaining an asymptote at P/BT=6 at progressively higher levels of recruitment. Similarly, variations in mean annual density (NA) explained R2=52.1% of variation in annual P/BA, the latter reaching an asymptote at P/BA=2.1. This explained why P/BT is equal to P/BA plus the number of year-classes at high but not at low densities. 5.Site depth was a major determinant of spatial (among sites) variation in production attributes. All these attributes described two-phase trajectories with site depth, reaching a maximum at sites of intermediate depth and declining at shallower and deeper sites. As a consequence, at sites where recruitment and mean annual density reached minimum or maximum values, annual (PA) and year-class production (PT) and annual (P/BA) and year-class P/BT ratios also reached minimum and maximum values. ?? 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Social class and policy preferences: implications for economic inequality and interclass relations.

PubMed

Bullock, Heather E

2017-12-01

Record-setting levels of income and wealth inequality are deepening social class divisions. The adoption of strong progressive redistributive policies is crucial to reducing class inequities, yet many barriers to doing so exist. This review examines class-based policy preferences, focusing on the effects of economic self-interest, system justification, and classist, racist, and sexist stereotypes on policy support. The impact of broader economic conditions is also considered. Collectively, this body of research makes clear that building stronger cross-class support for redistributive policies and programs will prove difficult without addressing both class-based power differences and beliefs that justify inequality. Reducing stereotypes and developing a shared sense of societal responsibility that cuts across class lines can help advance these goals. Social psychological research is vital to informing these efforts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived sexism as a health determinant in Spain.

PubMed

Borrell, Carme; Artazcoz, Lucia; Gil-González, Diana; Pérez, Glòria; Rohlfs, Izabella; Pérez, Katherine

2010-04-01

The goals of the present study are to explore the association between perceived sexism and self-perceived health, health-related behaviors, and unmet medical care needs among women in Spain; to analyze whether higher levels of discrimination are associated with higher prevalence of poor health indicators and to examine whether these relationships are modified by country of origin and social class. The study is based on a cross-sectional design using data from the 2006 Spanish Health Interview Survey. We included women aged 20-64 years (n = 10,927). Six dependent variables were examined: four of health (self-perceived health, mental health, hypertension, and having had an injury during the previous year), one health behavior (smoking), and another related to the use of the health services (unmet need for medical care). Perceived sexism was the main independent variable. Social class and country of origin were considered as effect modifiers. We obtained the prevalence of perceived sexism. Logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, were fitted to study the association between sexism and poor health outcomes. The prevalence of perceived sexism was 3.4%. Perceived sexism showed positive and consistent associations with four poor health outcomes (poor self-perceived health, poor mental health, injuries in the last 12 months, and smoking). The strength of these associations increased with increased scores for perceived sexism, and the patterns were found to be modified by country of origin and social class. This study shows a consistent association between perceived sexism and poor health outcomes in a country of southern Europe with a strong patriarchal tradition.

Population dynamics of the Cui-ui of Pyramid Lake, Nevada: a Potamodromous catostomid subject to failed reproduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scoppettone, Gayton G.; Rissler, Peter H.; Fabes, Mark C.; Shea, Sean P.

2015-01-01

Fishes of the Truckee River basin (California and Nevada) evolved in an aquatic system that has been episodically diminished by extended drought. For potamodromous species, such as the endangered Cui-ui endemic to Pyramid Lake, Nevada, prehistoric episodic severe drought presumably led to periods of failed reproduction due to restricted access to spawning habitat. The response of the Cui-ui population to more recent failed reproduction caused by anthropogenic activity was studied to learn how to manage this species through periods of spawning disruption. Adult Cui-ui survival averaged 91% and 89% for females and males, respectively, in drought years when spawning migrations were either precluded or few fish migrated because of no or low stream flow. In each of 2 years when stream access was precluded, the adult survival was nearly 100% suggesting that Cui-ui survival is extended in the absence of a spawning migration. Survival averaged 62% and 60% for females and males, respectively, in years of spawning migrations. Strong predominant year-classes developed in the year immediately following a period of failed reproduction, indicating the species’ capacity for population rebound. Year-class predominance persisted for 6–10 years and through years of low survival associated with migration years, and this predominance is probably due, in part, to a diverse age at maturity. Contemporary water diversions from the Truckee River provided the opportunity to study the response of the Cui-ui population to years of failed reproduction. A projected drier Truckee River basin associated with global climate change will test the Cui-ui’s adaptive capacity to endure periods of reproductive failure. This study is aimed at assisting Cui-ui managers in conserving the species in this highly regulated and changing system. The study also adds insight into the prehistoric population dynamics of a potamodromous species in the arid western United States subject to wide fluctuations in annual precipitation and water availability

The Quality and Effectiveness of Confirmation Classes in Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemela, Kati

2006-01-01

Every year some 90% of 15-year-olds in Finland attend confirmation classes in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which is greater than the percentage of that age group belonging to the Church. What is behind the popularity of Finnish confirmation classes? This article scrutinizes the quality and effectiveness of confirmation classes.…

Carbon Allocation into Different Fine-Root Classes of Young Abies alba Trees Is Affected More by Phenology than by Simulated Browsing

PubMed Central

Endrulat, Tina; Buchmann, Nina; Brunner, Ivano

2016-01-01

Abies alba (European silver fir) was used to investigate possible effects of simulated browsing on C allocation belowground by 13CO2 pulse-labelling at spring, summer or autumn, and by harvesting the trees at the same time point of the labelling or at a later season for biomass and for 13C-allocation into the fine-root system. Before budburst in spring, the leader shoots and 50% of all lateral shoots of half of the investigated 5-year old Abies alba saplings were clipped to simulate browsing. At harvest, different fine-root classes were separated, and starch as an important storage compartment was analysed for concentrations. The phenology had a strong effect on the allocation of the 13C-label from shoots to roots. In spring, shoots did not supply the fine-roots with high amounts of the 13C-label, because the fine-roots contained less than 1% of the applied 13C. In summer and autumn, however, shoots allocated relatively high amounts of the 13C-label to the fine roots. The incorporation of the 13C-label as structural C or as starch into the roots is strongly dependent on the root type and the root diameter. In newly formed fine roots, 3–5% of the applied 13C was incorporated, whereas 1–3% in the ≤0.5 mm root class and 1–1.5% in the >0.5–1.0 mm root class were recorded. Highest 13C-enrichment in the starch was recorded in the newly formed fine roots in autumn. The clipping treatment had a significant positive effect on the amount of allocated 13C-label to the fine roots after the spring labelling, with high relative 13C-contents observed in the ≤0.5 mm and the >0.5–1.0 mm fine-root classes of clipped trees. No effects of the clipping were observed after summer and autumn labelling in the 13C-allocation patterns. Overall, our data imply that the season of C assimilation and, thus, the phenology of trees is the main determinant of the C allocation from shoots to roots and is clearly more important than browsing. PMID:27123860

Carbon Allocation into Different Fine-Root Classes of Young Abies alba Trees Is Affected More by Phenology than by Simulated Browsing.

PubMed

Endrulat, Tina; Buchmann, Nina; Brunner, Ivano

2016-01-01

Abies alba (European silver fir) was used to investigate possible effects of simulated browsing on C allocation belowground by 13CO2 pulse-labelling at spring, summer or autumn, and by harvesting the trees at the same time point of the labelling or at a later season for biomass and for 13C-allocation into the fine-root system. Before budburst in spring, the leader shoots and 50% of all lateral shoots of half of the investigated 5-year old Abies alba saplings were clipped to simulate browsing. At harvest, different fine-root classes were separated, and starch as an important storage compartment was analysed for concentrations. The phenology had a strong effect on the allocation of the 13C-label from shoots to roots. In spring, shoots did not supply the fine-roots with high amounts of the 13C-label, because the fine-roots contained less than 1% of the applied 13C. In summer and autumn, however, shoots allocated relatively high amounts of the 13C-label to the fine roots. The incorporation of the 13C-label as structural C or as starch into the roots is strongly dependent on the root type and the root diameter. In newly formed fine roots, 3-5% of the applied 13C was incorporated, whereas 1-3% in the ≤0.5 mm root class and 1-1.5% in the >0.5-1.0 mm root class were recorded. Highest 13C-enrichment in the starch was recorded in the newly formed fine roots in autumn. The clipping treatment had a significant positive effect on the amount of allocated 13C-label to the fine roots after the spring labelling, with high relative 13C-contents observed in the ≤0.5 mm and the >0.5-1.0 mm fine-root classes of clipped trees. No effects of the clipping were observed after summer and autumn labelling in the 13C-allocation patterns. Overall, our data imply that the season of C assimilation and, thus, the phenology of trees is the main determinant of the C allocation from shoots to roots and is clearly more important than browsing.

Projects Using a Computer Algebra System in First-Year Undergraduate Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenzweig, Martin

2007-01-01

This paper illustrates the use of computer-based projects in two one-semester first-year undergraduate mathematics classes. Developed over a period of years, the approach is one in which the classes are organised into work-groups, with computer-based projects being undertaken periodically to illustrate the class material. These projects are…

Do 12-step meeting attendance trajectories over 9 years predict abstinence?

PubMed Central

Witbrodt, Jane; Mertens, Jennifer; Kaskutas, Lee Ann; Bond, Jason; Chi, Felicia; Weisner, Constance

2011-01-01

This study grouped treatment-seeking individuals (n=1825) by common patterns of 12-step attendance using 5 waves of data (75% interviewed year-9) to isolate unique characteristics and use-related outcomes distinguishing each class profile. The high class reported the highest attendance and abstention. The descending class reported high baseline alcohol severity, long treatment episodes, and high initial attendance and abstinence; but by year-5 their attendance and abstinence dropped. The early-drop class, which started with high attendance and abstinence but with low problem severity, reported no attendance after year 1. The rising class, with fairly high alcohol and psychiatric severity throughout, reported initially low attendance, followed by increasing attendance paralleling their abstention. Last, the low and no classes, which reported low problem-severity and very low/no attendance, had the lowest abstention. Female gender and high alcohol severity predicted attendance all years. Consistent with a sustained benefit for 12-step exposure, abstinence patterns aligned much like attendance profiles. PMID:22206631

Predictors of continued playing or singing--from childhood and adolescence to adult years.

PubMed

Theorell, T; Lennartsson, A-K; Madison, G; Mosing, M A; Ullén, F

2015-03-01

Many individuals play an instrument or sing during childhood, but they often stop later in life. This study surveyed adults representative of the Swedish population about musical activities during childhood. We asked 3820 adults (65% women) aged from 27 to 54 from the Swedish Twin Registry, who took extra music lessons to those provided at school, to fill in a web-based questionnaire. Factors analysed were the age they started studying music, the instrument they played, kind of teaching, institution and educational content, number of lessons and perceived characteristics of the lessons, the music environment during their childhood years and their preferred music genre. All variables were dichotomised. Factors strongly associated with continued playing or singing were male sex, young starting age, cultural family background, self-selected instrument, attending music classes and more than once a week, church-related or private education, pop, rock or classical music, playing by ear and improvisation. Several significant predictors determined whether a child continued to sing or play an instrument as an adult and many could be externally influenced, such as starting at a young age, taking music classes more than once a week, improvisation and the type of music they played. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Air cargo market outlook and impact via the NASA CLASS project. [Cargo/Logistics Airlift Systems Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winston, M. M.; Conner, D. W.

1980-01-01

An overview is given of the Cargo/Logistics Airlift Systems Study (CLASS) project which was a 10 man-year effort carried out by two contractor teams, aimed at defining factors impacting future system growth and obtaining market requirements and design guidelines for future air freighters. Growth projection was estimated by two approaches: one, an optimal systems approach with a more efficient and cost effective system considered as being available in 1990; and the other, an evolutionary approach with an econometric behavior model used to predict long term evolution from the present system. Both approaches predict significant growth in demand for international air freighter services and less growth for U.S. domestic services. Economic analysis of air freighter fleet options indicate very strong market appeal of derivative widebody transports in 1990 with little incentive to develop all new dedicated air freighters utilizing the 1990's technology until sometime beyond the year 2000. Advanced air freighters would be economically attractive for a wide range of payload sizes (to 500 metric tons), however, if a government would share in the RD and T costs by virtue of its needs for a slightly modified version of a civil air freighter design (a.g. military airlifter).

Cr-pyrope garnets in the lithospheric mantle 2. Compositional populations and their distribution in time and space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, W. L.; Fisher, N. I.; Friedman, J. H.; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.; Ryan, C. G.

2002-12-01

Three novel statistical approaches (Cluster Analysis by Regressive Partitioning [CARP], Patient Rule Induction Method [PRIM], and ModeMap) have been used to define compositional populations within a large database (n > 13,000) of Cr-pyrope garnets from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The variables used are the major oxides and proton-microprobe data for Zn, Ga, Sr, Y, and Zr. Because the rules defining these populations (classes) are expressed in simple compositional variables, they are easily applied to new samples and other databases. The classes defined by the three methods show strong similarities and correlations, suggesting that they are statistically meaningful. The geological significance of the classes has been tested by classifying garnets from 184 mantle-derived peridotite xenoliths and from a smaller database (n > 5400) of garnets analyzed for >20 trace elements by laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LAM-ICPMS). The relative abundances of these classes in the lithospheric mantle vary widely across different tectonic settings, and some classes are absent or very rare in either Archean or Phanerozoic SCLM. Their distribution with depth also varies widely within individual lithospheric sections and between different sections of similar tectonothermal age. These garnet classes therefore are a useful tool for mapping the geology of the SCLM. Archean SCLM sections show high degrees of depletion and varying degrees of metasomatism, and they are commonly strongly layered. Several Proterozoic SCLM sections show a concentration of more depleted material near their base, grading upward into more fertile lherzolites. The distribution of garnet classes reflecting low-T phlogopite-related metasomatism and high-T melt-related metasomatism suggests that many of these Proterozoic SCLM sections consist of strongly metasomatized Archean SCLM. The garnet-facies SCLM beneath Phanerozoic terrains is only mildly depleted relative to Primitive Upper Mantle (PUM) compositions. These data emphasize the secular evolution of SCLM composition defined earlier [Griffin et al., 1998, 1999a] and suggest that at least part of this evolutionary trend reflects reworking and refertilization of SCLM formed in the Archean time.

Association of West Nile virus illness and urban landscapes in Chicago and Detroit.

PubMed

Ruiz, Marilyn O; Walker, Edward D; Foster, Erik S; Haramis, Linn D; Kitron, Uriel D

2007-03-12

West Nile virus infection in humans in urban areas of the Midwestern United States has exhibited strong spatial clustering during epidemic years. We derived urban landscape classes from the physical and socio-economic factors hypothesized to be associated with West Nile Virus (WNV) transmission and compared those to human cases of illness in 2002 in Chicago and Detroit. The objectives were to improve understanding of human exposure to virus-infected mosquitoes in the urban context, and to assess the degree to which environmental factors found to be important in Chicago were also found in Detroit. Five urban classes that partitioned the urban space were developed for each city region. The classes had many similarities in the two settings. In both regions, the WNV case rate was considerably higher in the urban class associated with the Inner Suburbs, where 1940-1960 era housing dominates, vegetation cover is moderate, and population density is moderate. The land cover mapping approach played an important role in the successful and consistent classification of the urban areas. The analysis demonstrates how urban form and past land use decisions can influence transmission of a vector-borne virus. In addition, the results are helpful to develop hypotheses regarding urban landscape features and WNV transmission, they provide a structured method to stratify the urban areas to locate representative field study sites specifically for WNV, and this analysis contributes to the question of how the urban environment affects human health.

Salivary Biomarkers, Oral Inflammation, and Functional Status in Patients With Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Dekker, Rebecca L.; Lennie, Terry A.; Moser, Debra K.; Miller, Craig S.; Ebersole, Jeffrey L.; Chung, Misook L.; Campbell, Charles L.; Bailey, Alison; Tovar, Elizabeth G.

2016-01-01

Aims: To describe correlations and agreement between salivary and serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 and determine which biomarkers predict worse functional class in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: Serum and saliva were collected from 75 hospitalized patients with HF (57 ± 12 years, 43% female, New York Heart Association [NYHA] Classes I [4%], II [43%], and III [53%]). Oral inflammation was rated as good, fair, or poor. Spearman’s ρ and Bland–Altman were used to determine correlations and agreement of the salivary and serum forms of each biomarker. Logistic regressions were used to determine which biomarkers predicted worse NYHA functional class, controlling for depression, body mass index, smoking, and oral inflammation. Results: Median biomarker concentrations were as follows: BNP (serum 361 pg/ml, saliva 9 pg/ml), CRP (serum 13 ng/ml, saliva 25.6 ng/ml), IL-6 (serum 19.3 pg/ml, saliva 10.5 pg/ml), and IL-10 (serum 64.1 pg/ml, saliva 4.7 pg/ml). There was a moderate-to-strong correlation for serum–salivary CRP, weak correlation for serum–salivary IL-6, and no correlations for serum–salivary BNP and IL-10. The Bland–Altman test showed good salivary–serum agreement for all biomarkers, but as serum concentrations rose, salivary measures underestimated serum levels. Visible oral inflammation was the only predictor of worse NYHA class. PMID:27605566

Ethnic identity, racial discrimination and attenuated psychotic symptoms in an urban population of emerging adults.

PubMed

Anglin, Deidre M; Lui, Florence; Espinosa, Adriana; Tikhonov, Aleksandr; Ellman, Lauren

2018-06-01

Studies suggest strong ethnic identity generally protects against negative mental health outcomes associated with racial discrimination. In light of evidence suggesting racial discrimination may enhance psychosis risk in racial and ethnic minority (REM) populations, the present study explored the relationship between ethnic identity and attenuated positive psychotic symptoms (APPS) and whether ethnic identity moderates the association between racial discrimination and these symptoms. A sample of 644 non-help-seeking REM emerging adults was administered self-report inventories for psychosis risk, experiences of discrimination and ethnic identity. Latent class analysis was applied to determine the nature and number of ethnic identity types in this population. The direct association between ethnic identity and APPS and the interaction between ethnic identity and racial discrimination on APPS were determined in linear regression analyses. Results indicated three ethnic identity classes (very low, moderate to high and very high). Ethnic identity was not directly related to APPS; however, it was related to APPS under racially discriminating conditions. Specifically, participants who experienced discrimination in the moderate to high or very high ethnic identity classes reported fewer symptoms than participants who experienced discrimination in the very low ethnic identity class. Strong ethnic group affiliation and connection may serve a protective function for psychosis risk in racially discriminating environments and contexts among REM young adults. The possible social benefits of strong ethnic identification among REM youth who face racial discrimination should be explored further in clinical high-risk studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Wealth and mortality at older ages: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Demakakos, Panayotes; Biddulph, Jane P; Bobak, Martin; Marmot, Michael G

2016-04-01

Despite the importance of socioeconomic position for survival, total wealth, which is a measure of accumulation of assets over the life course, has been underinvestigated as a predictor of mortality. We investigated the association between total wealth and mortality at older ages. We estimated Cox proportional hazards models using a sample of 10,305 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 50 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. 2401 deaths were observed over a mean follow-up of 9.4 years. Among participants aged 50-64 years, the fully adjusted HRs for mortality were 1.21 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.59) and 1.77 (1.35 to 2.33) for those in the intermediate and lowest wealth tertiles, respectively, compared with those in the highest wealth tertile. The respective HRs were 2.54 (1.27 to 5.09) and 3.73 (1.86 to 7.45) for cardiovascular mortality and 1.36 (0.76 to 2.42) and 2.53 (1.45 to 4.41) for other non-cancer mortality. Wealth was not associated with cancer mortality in the fully adjusted model. Similar but less strong associations were observed among participants aged ≥ 65 years. The use of repeated measurements of wealth and covariates brought about only minor changes, except for the association between wealth and cardiovascular mortality, which became less strong in the younger participants. Wealth explained the associations between paternal occupation at age 14 years, education, occupational class, and income and mortality. There are persisting wealth inequalities in mortality at older ages, which only partially are explained by established risk factors. Wealth appears to be more strongly associated with mortality than other socioeconomic position measures. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

First-Year and Non-First-Year Student Expectations Regarding In-Class and Out-of-Class Learning Activities in Introductory Biology †

PubMed Central

Brown, Tanya L.; Brazeal, Kathleen R.; Couch, Brian A.

2017-01-01

National calls for teaching transformation build on a constructivist learning theory and propose that students learn by actively engaging in course activities and interacting with other students. While interactive pedagogies can improve learning, they also have the potential to challenge traditional norms regarding class participation and learning strategies. To better understand the potential openness of students to interactive teaching practices, we administered a survey during the first week of two sections of an introductory biology course to characterize how students envisioned spending time during class as well as what activities they expected to complete outside of class during non-exam weeks and in preparation for exams. Additionally, we sought to test the hypothesis that the expectations of first-year students differed from those of non-first-year students. Analyses of closed-ended and open-ended questions revealed that students held a wide range of expectations and that most students expressed expectations consistent with some degree of transformed teaching. Furthermore, first-year students expected more active learning in class, more out-of-class coursework during non-exam weeks, and more social learning strategies than non-first-year students. We discuss how instructor awareness of incoming student expectations might be used to promote success in introductory science courses. PMID:28512514

Preventing vaccinia virus class-I epitopes presentation by HSV-ICP47 enhances the immunogenicity of a TAP-independent cancer vaccine epitope.

PubMed

Raafat, Nermin; Sadowski-Cron, Charlotte; Mengus, Chantal; Heberer, Michael; Spagnoli, Giulio C; Zajac, Paul

2012-09-01

Herpes simplex virus protein ICP47, encoded by US12 gene, strongly downregulates major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I antigen restricted presentation by blocking transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) protein. To decrease viral vector antigenic immunodominance and MHC class-I driven clearance, we engineered recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVV) expressing ICP47 alone (rVV-US12) or together with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeted Melan-A/MART-1(27-35) model tumor epitope (rVV-MUS12). In this study, we show that antigen presenting cells (APC), infected with rVV-US12, display a decreased ability to present TAP dependent MHC class-I restricted viral antigens to CD8+ T-cells. While HLA class-I cell surface expression is strongly downregulated, other important immune related molecules such as CD80, CD44 and, most importantly, MHC class-II are unaffected. Characterization of rVV-MUS12 infected cells demonstrates that over-expression of a TAP-independent peptide, partially compensates for ICP47 induced surface MHC class-I downregulation (30% vs. 70% respectively). Most importantly, in conditions where clearance of infected APC by virus-specific CTL represents a limiting factor, a significant enhancement of CTL responses to the tumor epitope can be detected in cultures stimulated with rVV-MUS12, as compared to those stimulated by rVV-MART alone. Such reagents could become of high relevance in multiple boost protocols required for cancer immunotherapy, to limit vector-specific responsiveness. Copyright © 2011 UICC.

49 CFR 173.154 - Exceptions for Class 8 (corrosive materials).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... solids, packed in a strong outer packaging. (2) For corrosive materials in Packing Group III, inner... capacity each for solids, packed in a strong outer packaging. (c) Consumer commodities. Until December 31... other requirements of this subchapter when transported by motor vehicle or rail car in a packaging...

Lifestyles & Values of College Students: Classes of 1980 through 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blai, Boris, Jr.

The values and desired lifestyles of college freshmen from the classes of 1980 through 1985 are examined, based on University of Michigan survey results. The following goals were rated by the freshmen: a good marriage and family life, strong friendships, finding purpose and meaning in life, finding steady work, achieving work success, making a…

"Psych-Out": Using a Team-Based Game to Teach Diagnosis and Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Quinn M.; Townsend, Karen M.

2012-01-01

"Psych-Out" is a team-based game designed to motivate graduate counseling students to study diagnostic symptoms and related interventions associated with reading assignments. At least 83% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the game contributed to their enjoyment of the class, increased their motivation to study for class, and contributed…

Preparing for Power in Elite Boarding Schools and in Working-Class Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Patrick J.

2012-01-01

Elite boarding schools endeavor to instill in their students elite-class solidarity, strong beliefs in both meritocracy and the essential rightness of the status quo, and practical political know-how. Each of these objectives is wholly compatible with the self-interest of their students and their families. In the vast majority of working-class…

Birth of an Abstraction: A Dynamical Systems Account of the Discovery of an Elsewhere Principle in a Category Learning Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabor, Whitney; Cho, Pyeong W.; Dankowicz, Harry

2013-01-01

Human participants and recurrent ("connectionist") neural networks were both trained on a categorization system abstractly similar to natural language systems involving irregular ("strong") classes and a default class. Both the humans and the networks exhibited staged learning and a generalization pattern reminiscent of the…

[Study on the difference of corresponding age at cervical vertebral maturation stages among different skeletal malocclusions].

PubMed

Zuo, Changyan; Cong, Chao; Wang, Shihui; Gu, Yan

2015-10-01

To compare the difference of corresponding age at cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages among different skeletal malocclusions and provide clinic guideline on optimal treatment timing for skeletal malocclusion. Based on ANB angle, 2 575 cephalograms collected from Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from May, 2006 to November, 2014 were classified into skeletal Class I (ANB 0°~5°, 1 317 subjects), Class II (ANB > 5°, 685 subjects) and Class III (ANB < 0°, 573 subjects) groups. CVM stages were evaluated with the modified version of CVM method. Independent sample t test was performed to analyze the difference of age at different CVM stages among various skeletal groups. Significant gender difference of age was found at CS3 to CS6 for skeletal Class I group (P < 0.05), at CS5 and CS6 for skeletal Class II group (P < 0.05), and at CS3 and CS5 for skeletal Class III group (P < 0.05). At CS3 stage, the average age of male in skeletal Class II and skeletal Class III groups was (11.6 ± 1.5) years old and (10.3 ± 1.9) years old, respectively; the average age of females in those two groups was (11.7 ± 1.3) years old and (9.3 ± 1.5) years old, respectively, and significant difference was found in both comparisons (P < 0.05). Compared average age at CS5 and CS6 between skeletal Class II and skeletal Class III groups [the ages of male was (15.1 ± 1.7) and (16.8 ± 1.6) years old, the ages of male was (14.6 ± 1.2) and (15.7 ± 2.5) years old], significant difference was also found (P < 0.05). Significant gender differences were found when evaluated CVM stage and age in skeletal Class I, II and III groups. Significant differences of age at different CVM stage was noted when skeletal Class II was compared with skeletal Class III groups.

Changes in very fine root respiration and morphology with time since last fire in a boreal forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makita, Naoki; Pumpanen, Jukka; Köster, Kajar; Berninger, Frank

2016-04-01

We examined the physiological and morphological responses of individual fine root segments in boreal forests stands with different age since the last fire to determine changes in specific fine root respiration and morphological traits during forest succession. We investigated the respiration of fine roots divided into three diameter classes (<0.5, 0.5-1.0, and 1.0-2.0 mm) in a Finnish boreal Pinus sylvestris L. in forest stands with 5, 45, 63, and 155 years since the last fire. Specific respiration rates of <0.5 mm roots in 155-year-old stands were 74%, 38%, and 31% higher than in 5-, 45-, and 63-year-old stands, respectively. However, the respiration rates of thicker diameter roots did not significantly change among stands with respect to time after fire. Similarly, fire disturbance had a strong impact on morphological traits of <0.5 mm roots, but not on thicker roots. Root respiration rates correlated positively with specific root length (length per unit mass) and negatively with root tissue density (mass per unit volume) in all stand ages. The linear regression lines fitted to the relationships between root respiration and specific root length or root tissue density showed significantly higher intercepts in 63- and 155-year-old than in 5-year-old stands. Significant shifts in the intercept of the common slope of respiration vs. morphology indicate the different magnitude of the changes in physiological performance among the fire age class. Despite a specific small geographic area, we suggest that the recovery of boreal forests following wildfire induces a strategy that favors carbon investment in nutrient and water exploitation efficiency with consequences for higher respiration, length, and lower tissue density of very fine roots.

An in vitro study on the maturation of conventional glass ionomer cements and their interface to dentin.

PubMed

Zoergiebel, Julius; Ilie, Nicoleta

2013-12-01

The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of long-term storage (up to 1 year) and coating on the variation of micro-mechanical properties of four conventional restorative glass ionomer cements (GICs) within 3.5 mm deep class I cavities. Four commercially available GICs (Riva Self Cure (SDI), ChemFil Rock (Dentsply), Fuji IX Fast and Fuji IX GP Extra/Equia (GC)) were applied to 100 teeth. In each tooth, two similar 3.5 mm deep class I cavities were prepared and filled with the GICs, with and without resin coating. The samples were stored in artificial saliva at 37 °C for 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. The variation in mechanical properties (indentation modulus (E) and Vickers hardness (HV)) were determined in 100 μm steps starting from the filling surface, through the intermediate layer in between dentine and GIC, and ending 100 μm in dentin. HV and E were strongly influenced by the material (P<0.05, partial eta-squared ηP(2) = 0.31 and 0.23) but less by aging duration (P<0.05, ηP(2) = 0.02 and 0.12) and resin coating (P<0.05, ηP(2) = 0.02 and 0.03). The depth of measurement (0-2 mm) has no influence on HV (P = 0.789). HV shows a gentle increase over the 1 year storage period (P = 0.002). A ∼300 μm GIC zone at the areas close to dentin with weaker properties as those measured in dentin or GIC was identified in all fillings, irrespective of the presence of coating, and at all storage periods. The thickness of this zone is more strongly influenced by storage (P<0.05, ηP(2) = 0.081) than by material type (P<0.05, ηP(2) = 0.056), while coating showed no influence (P = 0.869). Filler morphology and dimension were similar to upper parts of the GIC filling; however, the amount of low cations was higher. We concluded that the development of an intermediate layer in between dentine and GIC with lower mechanical properties might be responsible for the bond quality of GIC to dentine. Moreover, class I GIC restorations are unlikely to feature constant mechanical properties throughout the cavity, regardless of conditions such as aging and coating. Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How can the University of Hawai'i meet needs for public health education? Results of a students' needs assessment.

PubMed

Lindsey, Jana; Braun, Kathryn L; Aung, Nandar; Campos, Jaime A; Choy, Lehua; Chung, Jane; Dellinger, Sharon F; Gentry, Lauren; Li, Jinlan; Mayet, Sara; Mitchell-Box, Kristen; Pan, Joan

2007-03-01

A strong public health workforce is necessary to maintain the health and well-being of any community. Currently, the ability of the public health workforce to meet demand is being challenged in Hawai'i and the Pacific. This is due, in part, to the downsizing of the public health program at the University of Hawai'i (UH) in the year 2000. Knowing the current perceptions of the community in regards to public health and identifying ways to attract more students to public health are essential in reversing this trend. Students from a class on needs assessment and program planning at the UH Department of Public Health Sciences assessed public health education needs. The class first conducted a literature review, focus groups, and interviews to inform the development of an on-line survey. The survey was sent to 200 individuals, including current public health students, faculty, workers, employers, and alumni. Of the 200 individuals invited to participate in the on-line survey, 128 (64%) responded. Almost half of the respondents were >50 years of age, and another 19% were between ages 41 and 50. Of the 118 who responded to this question, 85 had degrees in public health (80%from UH), and 62% had worked in public health for at least 10 years. However, only 50% of the total respondents knew that UH Masters of Public Health (MPH) and the Masters of Science (MS) programs were accredited. Forty percent or more of public health workers noted continuing education needs in 1) policy development and program planning skills, 2) analytical skills, 3) leadership and systems thinking skills, and 4) financial planning and management skills. Fully 43 of the respondents would consider applying to a DrPH program at UH, and 27 public health workers without an MPH would consider pursuing one. However potential students noted lack of time and timing of classes as barriers to attending school. Specific ideas for attracting students to public health were provided. Respondents also called for a greater commitment to public health from top leadership at UH and in Hawai'i. Findings confirm a need for a strong public health education program in Hawai'i and a lack of awareness about the MPH and MS programs at UH. Expanding options and opportunities for public health education will require better marketing and a cohesive commitment to public health education at UH.

Periodic GMP Matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichinger, Benjamin

2016-07-01

We recall criteria on the spectrum of Jacobi matrices such that the corresponding isospectral torus consists of periodic operators. Motivated by those known results for Jacobi matrices, we define a new class of operators called GMP matrices. They form a certain Generalization of matrices related to the strong Moment Problem. This class allows us to give a parametrization of almost periodic finite gap Jacobi matrices by periodic GMP matrices. Moreover, due to their structural similarity we can carry over numerous results from the direct and inverse spectral theory of periodic Jacobi matrices to the class of periodic GMP matrices. In particular, we prove an analogue of the remarkable ''magic formula'' for this new class.

Iowa Statewide Follow-Up Study. Changes in the Adult Adjustment of Graduates with Mental Disabilities, One vs. Three Years Out of School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sitlington, Patricia L.; And Others

This study investigated the adult adjustment of students with mental disabilities in high-school graduating classes of 1984 and 1985, 1 and 3 years after they exited high school. Two hundred sixty students from the class of 1984 were interviewed 1 year out of high school; 166 from this same class were interviewed 3 years out of school. Three…

Year to year change in FEV1 in patients with cystic fibrosis and different mutation classes.

PubMed

De Boeck, K; Zolin, A

2017-03-01

In patients with cystic fibrosis, most treatments addressing the underlying basic defect are mutation or mutation class specific. These treatments are disease modifying if they lower the year to year change in lung function. We therefore calculated the current loss of lung function, measured by year to year change in forced expired volume in 1s in 11,417 patients included in the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry. Whereas patients with at least one mutation of class IV or V have on average a lower year to year change, we did not find a difference between patients with a stop codon mutation, homozygous for F508del or at least one class III mutation. These data are useful background information to discuss the impact of different disease modifying treatments. Copyright © 2016 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Research Interests of First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students.

PubMed

Carter, John; McClellan, Nicholas; McFaul, Derek; Massey, Blaine; Guenther, Elisabeth; Kisby, Glen

2016-07-01

According to a 2014 survey, 59% of students entering allopathic medical school reported previous research experience. However, limited data exist on the amount of research experience that students have before entering osteopathic medical school. A strong understanding of the research skills and level of interest of first-year osteopathic medical students is essential for developing research programs at osteopathic medical schools. Limited data exist on the amount of research experience that students have before starting osteopathic medical school. A strong understanding of the research skills and level of interest of first-year medical students is essential for developing research programs at osteopathic medical schools. To determine the amount of previous research experience of first-year osteopathic medical students, their level of interest in participating in research during medical school, the factors influencing their interest in research, and their research fields of interest. First-year osteopathic medical students (class of 2019) at the Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, California (WesternU/COMP), and Pacific-Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon (WesternU/COMP-Northwest), campuses were surveyed about their previous research experiences and whether they were interested in participating in research during medical school. Surveys were administered through an anonymous online portal. Responses were evaluated for evidence of interest in conducting research. Of the 346 osteopathic medical students invited to participate in the study, the response rate was 77% (N=266). A total of 167 from WesternU/COMP and 99 from the WesternU/COMP-Northwest responded. More than 215 students (81%) reported they had participated in research before entering medical school. In addition, 200 students (75%) either expressed a strong interest in participating in research during medical school or were currently conducting research. Among research areas, clinical research was the overwhelming favorite, with 218 students (82%) expressing interest. First-year osteopathic students may have comparable amounts of research experience as allopathic medical students. Although these findings are limited to 2 campuses of 1 osteopathic medical school, they suggest that first-year osteopathic medical students are highly motivated to participate in research while in medical school.

Mineralogy: a modern approach to teaching a traditional discipline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, G. W.

2011-12-01

Mineralogy has traditionally been a primary component in undergraduate geoscience curriculum. In recent years, there has been a trend in which mineralogy and petrology have been combined into Earth Materials courses. This is unfortunate as these disciplines each have much to offer students, and content once considered essential is eliminated out of necessity. Mineralogy is still fundamental to students' understanding of the Earth and Earth processes. Using a modern approach to time-honored concepts, I teach a quarter-long Introductory Mineralogy class offered through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Student evaluations of this course unequivocally indicate a high degree of learning and interest in the material, confirming that mineralogy continues to be a valuable class into the 21st century. While much of the content remains similar to what has been taught over the last century, my strategy involves a well-balanced approach to old and new. The first third of the course is background including the relevance of mineralogy, crystal chemistry, and crystallography; the second third of the course is systematic mineralogy using the Dana system; the last third of the course is devoted to understanding optical mineralogy, using modern analytical equipment such as XRD and SEM, and learning to use the petrographic microscope. Throughout the quarter, a strong emphasis is placed on the importance of hand-sample identification. Field work, traditionally not emphasized in mineralogy courses, has been re-introduced to the curriculum. I use modern technology to facilitate and support student learning. A lecture-based approach is employed with carefully crafted and organized PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint lectures can be effective and highly engaging. The key is to ensure that the lectures are not overly reliant on text, instead relying on diagrams, charts, photos, and embedded media such as 3-D animations (ex. to teach crystallography) in order to keep students actively involved. Open dialogue throughout the lecture between instructor and student stimulates questions and conversation regarding the material and encourages participation. Students also learn to operate the Rigaku XRD instrument, are introduced to the SEM, and use a variety of computer programs in assignments and projects. Throughout the class, I use scaffolding to emphasize and re-emphasize key concepts while maintaining a solid level of challenge and rigor as we progress through the topics. Student learning and comprehension has been maximized using a dynamic approach to teaching Mineralogy that combines old and new. In a recent Mineralogy class at UCSD that used the aforementioned techniques, students reported a high degree of satisfaction and learning: 100% strongly agreed (the highest rating) that lectures held their attention, that the course material was explained well, and recommended the course to others. 92% of students strongly agreed and 8% agreed that they learned a great deal from the course, and 85% of the students strongly agreed and 15% agreed that the course material was intellectually stimulating.

Socioeconomic status and smoking among thai adults: results of the National Thai Food Consumption Survey.

PubMed

Jitnarin, Nattinee; Kosulwat, Vongsvat; Rojroongwasinkul, Nipa; Boonpraderm, Atitada; Haddock, Christopher K; Poston, Walker S C

2011-09-01

The authors examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking in Thai adults. A nationally representative sample of 7858 Thais adults (18 years and older) was surveyed during 2004 to 2005. Four demographic/socioeconomic indicators were examined in logistic models: gender, education, occupational status, and annual household income. Overall, 22.2% of the participants were smokers. Men were more likely to be smokers across all age groups and regions. Compared with nonsmokers, current smokers were less educated, more likely to be employed, but had lower household income. When stratified by gender, education and job levels were strongly associated with smoking prevalence among males. A significant relationship was found between annual household income and smoking. Those who lived under the poverty line were more likely to smoke than persons who lived above the poverty line in both genders. The present study demonstrated that socioeconomic factors, especially education level and occupational class, have a strong influence on smoking behavior in Thai adults.

Socioeconomic Status and Smoking Among Thai Adults: Results of the National Thai Food Consumption Survey

PubMed Central

Jitnarin, Nattinee; Kosulwat, Vongsvat; Rojroongwasinkul, Nipa; Boonpraderm, Atitada; Haddock, Christopher K.; Poston, Walker S. C.

2018-01-01

The authors examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking in Thai adults. A nationally representative sample of 7858 Thais adults (18 years and older) was surveyed during 2004 to 2005. Four demographic/socioeconomic indicators were examined in logistic models: gender, education, occupational status, and annual household income. Overall, 22.2% of the participants were smokers. Men were more likely to be smokers across all age groups and regions. Compared with nonsmokers, current smokers were less educated, more likely to be employed, but had lower household income. When stratified by gender, education and job levels were strongly associated with smoking prevalence among males. A significant relationship was found between annual household income and smoking. Those who lived under the poverty line were more likely to smoke than persons who lived above the poverty line in both genders. The present study demonstrated that socioeconomic factors, especially education level and occupational class, have a strong influence on smoking behavior in Thai adults. PMID:20460275

With Great Measurements Come Great Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Carl

Measurements are the foundation for science and modern life. Technologies we take for granted every day depend on them-cell phones, CAT scans, pharmaceuticals, even sports equipment. Metrology, or measurement science, determines what industry can make reliably and what they cannot. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) we specialize in making world class measurements that an incredibly wide range of industries use to continually improve their products - computer chips with nanoscale components, atomic clocks that you can hold in your hand, lasers for both super-strong welds and delicate eye surgeries. Think of all the key technologies developed over the last 100 years and better measurements, standards, or analysis techniques played a role in making them possible. NIST works collaboratively with industry researchers on the advanced metrology for tomorrow's technologies. A new kilogram based on electromagnetic force, cars that weigh half as much but are just as strong, quantum computers, personalized medicine, single atom devices - it's all happening in our labs now. This talk will focus on how metrology creates the future.

MHC class II expression in lung cancer.

PubMed

He, Yayi; Rozeboom, Leslie; Rivard, Christopher J; Ellison, Kim; Dziadziuszko, Rafal; Yu, Hui; Zhou, Caicun; Hirsch, Fred R

2017-10-01

Immunotherapy is an exciting development in lung cancer research. In this study we described major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II protein expression in lung cancer cell lines and patient tissues. We studied MHC Class II (DP, DQ, DR) (CR3/43, Abcam) protein expression in 55 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, 42 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines and 278 lung cancer patient tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Seven (12.7%) NSCLC cell lines were positive for MHC Class II. No SCLC cell lines were found to be MHC Class II positive. We assessed 139 lung cancer samples available in the Hirsch Lab for MHC Class II. There was no positive MHC Class II staining on SCLC tumor cells. MHC Class II expression on TILs in SCLC was significantly lower than that on TILs in NSCLC (P＜0.001). MHC Class II was also assessed in an additional 139 NSCLC tumor tissues from Medical University of Gdansk, Poland. Patients with positive staining of MHC Class II on TILs had longer regression-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than those whose TILs were MHC Class II negative (2.980 years, 95% CI 1.628-4.332 vs. 1.050 years, 95% CI 0.556-1.554, P=0.028) (3.230 years, 95% CI 2.617-3.843 vs. 1.390 years, 95% CI 0.629-2.151, P=0.014). MHC Class II was expressed both in NSCLC cell lines and tissues. However, MHC Class II was not detected in SCLC cell lines or tissue tumor cells. MHC Class II expression was lower on SCLC TILs than on NSCLC TILs. Loss of expression of MHC Class II on SCLC tumor cells and reduced expression on SCLC TILs may be a means of escaping anti-cancer immunity. Higher MHC Class II expression on TILs was correlated with better prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Occupational class differences in diagnostic-specific sickness absence: a register-based study in the Finnish population, 2005-2014.

PubMed

Pekkala, Johanna; Blomgren, Jenni; Pietiläinen, Olli; Lahelma, Eero; Rahkonen, Ossi

2017-08-22

Musculoskeletal diseases and mental disorders are major causes of long-term sickness absence in Western countries. Although sickness absence is generally more common in lower occupational classes, little is known about class differences in diagnostic-specific absence over time. Focusing on Finland during 2005-2014, we therefore set out to examine the magnitude of and changes in absolute and relative occupational class differences in long-term sickness absence due to major diagnostic causes. A 70-per-cent random sample of Finns aged 25-64 linked to register data on medically certified sickness absence (of over 10 working days) in 2005-2014 was retrieved from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Information on occupational class was obtained from Statistics Finland and linked to the data. The study focused on female (n = 658,148-694,142) and male (n = 604,715-642,922) upper and lower non-manual employees and manual workers. The age-standardised prevalence, the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were calculated for each study year to facilitate examination of the class differences. The prevalence of each diagnostic cause of sickness absence declined during the study period, the most common causes being musculoskeletal diseases, mental disorders and injuries. The prevalence of other causes under scrutiny was less than 1 % annually. By far the largest absolute and relative differences were in musculoskeletal diseases among both women and men. Moreover, the absolute differences in both genders (p < 0.0001) and the relative differences in men (p < 0.0001) narrowed over time as the prevalence declined most among manual workers. Both genders showed modest and stable occupational class differences in mental disorders. In the case of injuries, no major changes occurred in absolute differences but relative differences narrowed over time in men (p < 0.0001) due to a strong decline in prevalence among manual workers. Class differences in the other studied diagnostic causes under scrutiny appeared negligible. By far the largest occupational class differences in long-term sickness absence concerned musculoskeletal diseases, followed by injuries. The results highlight potential targets for preventive measures aimed at reducing sickness absence and narrowing class differences in the future.

Criticality in Neuronal Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, Nir; Ito, Shinya; Brinkman, Braden A. W.; Shimono, Masanori; Deville, R. E. Lee; Beggs, John M.; Dahmen, Karin A.; Butler, Tom C.

2012-02-01

In recent years, experiments detecting the electrical firing patterns in slices of in vitro brain tissue have been analyzed to suggest the presence of scale invariance and possibly criticality in the brain. Much of the work done however has been limited in two ways: 1) the data collected is from local field potentials that do not represent the firing of individual neurons; 2) the analysis has been primarily limited to histograms. In our work we examine data based on the firing of individual neurons (spike data), and greatly extend the analysis by considering shape collapse and exponents. Our results strongly suggest that the brain operates near a tuned critical point of a highly distinctive universality class.

"Like the Fish Not in Water": How Language and Race Mediate the Social and Economic Inclusion of Women Migrants to Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butorac, Donna

2014-01-01

Learning English is an important aspect of post-migration settlement in Australia, and new migrants with beginner to intermediate proficiency are strongly encouraged to attend government-subsidised English language classes. Underpinning the framing and delivery of these classes is a commitment to the discursive construction of Australia as an…

World Class: The Massachusetts Agenda to Meet the International Challenge for Math- and Science-Educated Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortmann, Thomas

2005-01-01

This report draws on the findings of nearly four dozen others: national and international studies that speak with a strong, collective voice about what it takes to improve math and science education. But the authors' intent with "World Class" is not simply to synthesize those reports. It is to establish a statewide, working agenda for…

Do Caste and Class Define Inequality? Revisiting Education in a Kerala Village

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scaria, Suma

2014-01-01

Is there a strong correlation between caste and class in access to education, especially higher education? This is the broader question addressed by the study in the context of Kerala, the southernmost state in India, with impressive conventional indicators in education. Micro-level insights based on the study of a village in Kerala show that old…

Middle-Class Societies Invest More in Public Education: A Stronger Middle Class Is Associated with Higher Levels of Spending on Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madland, David; Bunker, Nick

2011-01-01

America's economic future depends in large part on the quality of the nation's public education. Education increases productivity, sparks innovation, and boosts the economic competitiveness. Not surprisingly, the American public thinks that there should be greater investments in education, with polls showing strong and growing support for…

49 CFR 173.154 - Exceptions for Class 8 (corrosive materials).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... solids, packed in a strong outer packaging. (2) For corrosive materials in Packing Group III, inner... capacity each for solids, packed in a strong outer packaging. (c) Consumer commodities. Until December 31... subject to any other requirements of this subchapter when transported by motor vehicle or rail car in a...

A Latent Class Analysis of Weight-Related Health Behaviors among 2-and 4-Year College Students and Associated Risk of Obesity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathur, Charu; Stigler, Melissa; Lust, Katherine; Laska, Melissa

2014-01-01

Little is known about the complex patterning of weight-related health behaviors in 2-and 4-year college students. The objective of this study was to identify and describe unique classes of weight-related health behaviors among college students. Latent class analysis was used to identify homogenous, mutually exclusive classes of nine health…

Five-class height-weight model for systematization of seventeen-year-old recruits' anthropometric data.

PubMed

Lintsi, Mart; Kaarma, Helje

2003-12-01

An anthropometric study of 552 Tartu city and Tartu county recruits aged 17 years was carried out. Height and weight, 33 anthropometric measurements and 12 skinfolds were measured. Body fat percentage was assessed by Omron BF 300 hand-held segmental body fat analyzer. From anthropometric measurements bone mass was derived by the Drink-water et al. (1986) equation, and total skeletal muscle mass by the Lee et al. (2000) equation. The data were systematized into five height-weight SD-classes. There were 3 classes with harmony between height and weight class: 1--small (small height and small weight), 2--medium (medium height and medium weight), 3--large (large height and large weight), 4--weight class dominating (pyknomorphic) and 5--height class dominating (leptomorphic). It was revealed that in classes 1, 2 and 3 the height and weight increase corresponded to the increase in all heights, breadths and depths, circumferences, skinfolds, body fat, muscle and bone mass. In class 4 circumferences, skinfolds, body fat and muscle mass were bigger. In class 5 all heights and the relative bone mass were bigger. The present investigation confirms the hypothesis that the five height-weight class system is applicable to seventeen-year-old recruits.

The Impact of Adding Online Homework Assignments to an Introduction to Physical Geology Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.

2017-04-01

As instructors we are constantly looking for ways to improve student performance in the classroom. In an attempt to improve student performance in my GEOL 105 - Introduction to Physical Geology class, I added online homework assignments from the Pearson Mastering Geology program beginning in the Fall semester of 2014. There were several anticipated advantages to the online homework approach. If a student is struggling with a question they can get hints that don't tell them the answer, but are designed to stimulate their thinking and lead them towards the correct answer. The students also know immediately after submitting their answers which questions they got right and which were wrong, and they can go back to the wrong answers and try to determine the correct answer so they know what it is. This gives them much more rapid feedback than traditional paper homework, all of which makes this a more student-centered approach to learning. It is also my hope that the students find the online homework more interesting and interactive than paper-based homework, which I hope in turn will stimulate the students to be more likely to do the homework and take it seriously while also having some fun while doing it. As of the end of Fall semester 2016, I had been using the online homework assignments in my classes for three years. Therefore, I analyzed student performance in the three years prior to adopting the online homework and compared it to performance over the three years since adopting online homework. In the three years prior to adopting the online homework, the average grade in my classes was 73.8%; afterwards the average grade was 81.3%, for an improvement of 7.5% on average. Most of that improvement was in average test scores, which increased by 6.3% (67.4% prior to 73.6% after). The online homework did not improve the performance of the top students, but it did improve the performance of the other students. Prior to adopting the online homework, grade distribution in the class was 15% A (90-100% scores), 32% B (80-90%), 19% C (70-80%), 19% D (60-79%), and 15% F (<60%). After adopting the online homework, the grade distribution was 13% A, 48% B, 24% C, 13% D, and 2% F. Therefore, students who either passed the class but didn't excel or who struggled with the class prior to online homework adoption saw improvements in their performance, while students who showed truly outstanding performance remained constant. Test grades showed a similar trend. The average test scores for those who received an A in the class were 88.0% prior to and 88.6% after adopting the online homework, while test averages for students who received less than an A were 63.9% prior to and 71.4% (7.5% improvement) after adopting the online homework. I am always making small changes to my classes in an effort to improve them, but the only major change made to the class over the time period covered in this study was replacing paper homework assignments (which were not graded) with the online homework assignments. In addition, there was no statistical difference in scores in the Introduction to Physical Geology Laboratory over the same period (87.8% average before adoption, 85.7% after adoption). Students are required to take the lecture and laboratory at the same time, so the student populations were identical. The online homework applied to the lecture, where grades improved, but not to the laboratory, where grades remained consistent. Therefore, it was concluded that the addition of online homework to the Introduction to Physical Geology class had a strong positive effect on student scores. While students who would excel regardless of the format (those who received A grades) showed the same performance under both class formats, those who fell farther down the grade scale showed significant improvement with the use of the online homework assignments. Acknowledgement The integration of online homework assignments into the Introduction to Physical Geology class was funded by a Summer Faculty Fellowship from the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium.

Analyzing the Intersections of Race and Class: An Essay Review of Nicola Rollock, David Gillborn, Carol Vincent, and Stephen J. Ball's "The Colour of Class: The Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Class" (New York, NY: Routledge, 2015, pp. 201. ISBN: 978-0-415-80982-5)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apple, Michael W.

2017-01-01

In England, we might say that "the Empire has come home." This means that while racism and the processes of racialization are indeed extraordinarily powerful, there will not only be strong similarities between say the United States and England but also significant differences in how these things play out both now and in the past. This is…

Body build classes as a method for systematization of age-related anthropometric changes in girls aged 7-8 and 17-18 years.

PubMed

Kasmel, Jaan; Kaarma, Helje; Koskel, Säde; Tiit, Ene-Margit

2004-03-01

A total of 462 schoolgirls aged 7-8 and 17-18 years were examined anthropometrically (45 body measurements and 10 skinfolds) in a cross-sectional study. The data were processed in two age groups: 7-8-year-olds (n = 205) and 17-18-year-olds (n = 257). Relying on average height and weight in the groups, both groups were divided into five body build classes: small, medium, large, pyknomorphous and leptomorphous. In these classes, the differences in all other body measurements were compared, and in both age groups, analogous systematic differences were found in length, width and depth measurements and circumferences. This enabled us to compare proportional changes in body measurements during ten years, using for this ratios of averages of basic measurements and measurement groups in the same body build classes. Statistical analysis by the sign test revealed statistically significant differences between various body build classes in the growth of averages. Girls belonging to the small class differed from the girls of the large class by an essentially greater increase in their measurements. Our results suggest that the growth rate of body measurements of girls with different body build can be studied by the help of body build classification.

Cosmic Censorship for Gowdy Spacetimes.

PubMed

Ringström, Hans

2010-01-01

Due to the complexity of Einstein's equations, it is often natural to study a question of interest in the framework of a restricted class of solutions. One way to impose a restriction is to consider solutions satisfying a given symmetry condition. There are many possible choices, but the present article is concerned with one particular choice, which we shall refer to as Gowdy symmetry. We begin by explaining the origin and meaning of this symmetry type, which has been used as a simplifying assumption in various contexts, some of which we shall mention. Nevertheless, the subject of interest here is strong cosmic censorship. Consequently, after having described what the Gowdy class of spacetimes is, we describe, as seen from the perspective of a mathematician, what is meant by strong cosmic censorship. The existing results on cosmic censorship are based on a detailed analysis of the asymptotic behavior of solutions. This analysis is in part motivated by conjectures, such as the BKL conjecture, which we shall therefore briefly describe. However, the emphasis of the article is on the mathematical analysis of the asymptotics, due to its central importance in the proof and in the hope that it might be of relevance more generally. The article ends with a description of the results that have been obtained concerning strong cosmic censorship in the class of Gowdy spacetimes.

Recruitment variation of crappies in response to hydrology of Tennessee reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sammons, S.M.; Bettoli, P.W.; Isermann, D.A.; Churchill, T.N.

2002-01-01

Black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus and white crappies P. annularis were sampled to index recruitment in seven Tennessee reservoirs (four main-stem and three tributary storage impoundments). Crappie recruitment in tributary storage impoundments appeared to be consistently higher in years of high discharge during the prespawn period (1 January-31 March). A similar relation was found in one main-stem impoundment; however, crappie recruitment in two main-stem impoundments was inversely related to discharge during the spawning period (1 April-30 May), and little recruitment variation was found in the fourth main-stem impoundment. In general, reservoir hydrology appeared to have a stronger effect on crappie recruitment in tributary storage impoundments than in main-stem impoundments, possibly because recruitment was more variable in tributary systems. Thus, it is likely that crappie populations will rarely have strong year-classes simultaneously over a wide geographic area or even within a single watershed.

Student experience of a scenario-centred curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Sarah; Galilea, Patricia; Tolouei, Reza

2010-06-01

In 2006 UCL implemented new scenario-centred degree programmes in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The new curriculum can be characterised as a hybrid of problem-based, project-based and traditional approaches to learning. Four times a year students work in teams for one week on a scenario which aims to integrate learning from lecture and laboratory classes and to develop generic skills including team working and communication. Student experience of the first two years the old and new curricula were evaluated using a modified Course Experience Questionnaire. The results showed that students on the new programme were motivated by the scenarios and perceived better generic skills development, but had a lower perception of teaching quality and the development of design skills. The results of the survey support the implementation new curriculum but highlight the importance of strong integration between conventional teaching and scenarios, and the challenges of adapting teaching styles to suit.

The Physics Entrepreneurship Program - 11 Years of Teaching and Practicing Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Graduate Students and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caner, Edward

2012-02-01

The Physics Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) at Case Western Reserve University is a MS in Physics, Entrepreneurship Track that teaches physics, business, and innovation. PEP admitted its first class in 2000 with the original goal of empowering physicists to be successful entrepreneurs. Since Y2K, much has happened in the world's economies and markets, and we have shifted our goals to include a strong innovation component. For instance, our metrics have changed from ``companies created'' to ``capital raised by our students'' (i.e., grants and investment in innovation), which allows our students to participate in an apprentice-type relationship with a more experienced entrepreneur before venturing out on their own (which could take many years before they are ready). We will describe the program, how we teach innovation, student and alumni activities and how difficult it is to operate a sustainable graduate program in this arena.

Associations Among Mothers' Depression, Emotional and Learning-Material Support to Their Child, and Children's Cognitive Functioning: A 16-Year Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Wu, Victoria; East, Patricia; Delker, Erin; Blanco, Estela; Caballero, Gabriela; Delva, Jorge; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila

2018-04-17

This study examined the associations among maternal depression, mothers' emotional and material investment in their child, and children's cognitive functioning. Middle-class Chilean mothers and children (N = 875; 52% males) were studied when children were 1, 5, 10, and 16 years (1991-2007). Results indicated that highly depressed mothers provided less emotional and material support to their child across all ages, which related to children's lower IQ. Children with lower mental abilities at age 1 received less learning-material support at age 5, which led to mothers' higher depression at child age 10. Mothers' low support was more strongly linked to maternal depression as children got older. Findings elucidate the dynamic and enduring effects of depression on mothers' parenting and children's development. © 2018 Society for Research in Child Development.

Control of Flagellar Gene Regulation in Legionella pneumophila and Its Relation to Growth Phase▿ †

PubMed Central

Albert-Weissenberger, Christiane; Sahr, Tobias; Sismeiro, Odile; Hacker, Jörg; Heuner, Klaus; Buchrieser, Carmen

2010-01-01

The bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila responds to environmental changes by differentiation. At least two forms are well described: replicative bacteria are avirulent; in contrast, transmissive bacteria express virulence traits and flagella. Phenotypic analysis, Western blotting, and electron microscopy of mutants of the regulatory genes encoding RpoN, FleQ, FleR, and FliA demonstrated that flagellin expression is strongly repressed and that the mutants are nonflagellated in the transmissive phase. Transcriptome analyses elucidated that RpoN, together with FleQ, enhances transcription of 14 out of 31 flagellar class II genes, which code for the basal body, hook, and regulatory proteins. Unexpectedly, FleQ independent of RpoN enhances the transcription of fliA encoding sigma 28. Expression analysis of a fliA mutant showed that FliA activates three out of the five remaining flagellar class III genes and the flagellar class IV genes. Surprisingly, FleR does not induce but inhibits expression of at least 14 flagellar class III genes on the transcriptional level. Thus, we propose that flagellar class II genes are controlled by FleQ and RpoN, whereas the transcription of the class III gene fliA is controlled in a FleQ-dependent but RpoN-independent manner. However, RpoN and FleR might influence flagellin synthesis on a posttranscriptional level. In contrast to the commonly accepted view that enhancer-binding proteins such as FleQ always interact with RpoN to fullfill their regulatory functions, our results strongly indicate that FleQ regulates gene expression that is RpoN dependent and RpoN independent. Finally, FliA induces expression of flagellar class III and IV genes leading to the complete synthesis of the flagellum. PMID:19915024

Structure-activity relationships of an antimicrobial peptide plantaricin s from two-peptide class IIb bacteriocins.

PubMed

Soliman, Wael; Wang, Liru; Bhattacharjee, Subir; Kaur, Kamaljit

2011-04-14

Class IIb bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides comprising two different peptides synergistically acting in equal amounts for optimal potency. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time potent (nanomolar) antimicrobial activity of a representative class IIb bacteriocin, plantaricin S (Pls), against four pathogenic gram-positive bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes. The structure-activity relationships for Pls were studied using activity assays, circular dichroism (CD), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The two Pls peptides and five Pls derived fragments were synthesized. The CD spectra of the Pls and selected fragments revealed helical conformations in aqueous 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol. The MD simulations showed that when the two Pls peptides are in antiparallel orientation, the helical regions interact and align, mediated by strong attraction between conserved GxxxG/AxxxA motifs. The results strongly correlate with the antimicrobial activity suggesting that helix-helix alignment of the two Pls peptides and interaction between the conserved motifs are crucial for interaction with the target cell membrane.

Mapping a Difference: The Power of Geospatial Visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolvoord, B.

2015-12-01

Geospatial Technologies (GST), such as GIS, GPS and remote sensing, offer students and teachers the opportunity to study the "why" of where. By making maps and collecting location-based data, students can pursue authentic problems using sophisticated tools. The proliferation of web- and cloud-based tools has made these technologies broadly accessible to schools. In addition, strong spatial thinking skills have been shown to be a key factor in supporting students that want to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines (Wai, Lubinski and Benbow) and pursue STEM careers. Geospatial technologies strongly scaffold the development of these spatial thinking skills. For the last ten years, the Geospatial Semester, a unique dual-enrollment partnership between James Madison University and Virginia high schools, has provided students with the opportunity to use GST's to hone their spatial thinking skills and to do extended projects of local interest, including environmental, geological and ecological studies. Along with strong spatial thinking skills, these students have also shown strong problem solving skills, often beyond those of fellow students in AP classes. Programs like the Geospatial Semester are scalable and within the reach of many college and university departments, allowing strong engagement with K-12 schools. In this presentation, we'll share details of the Geospatial Semester and research results on the impact of the use of these technologies on students' spatial thinking skills, and discuss the success and challenges of developing K-12 partnerships centered on geospatial visualization.

What Works for Me

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plachta, Susan M.; Morris, Kevin

2009-01-01

In this article, the authors discuss what works for them in their first-year composition classes. In order to promote critical thinking and goal setting within her developmental writing and first-year composition classes, Susan Plachta begins their first class session by completing the standard introductions and syllabus discussions and finishes…

The Principal Genetic Determinants for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in China Involve the HLA Class I Antigen Recognition Groove

PubMed Central

Tang, Minzhong; Lautenberger, James A.; Gao, Xiaojiang; Sezgin, Efe; Hendrickson, Sher L.; Troyer, Jennifer L.; David, Victor A.; Guan, Li; Mcintosh, Carl E.; Guo, Xiuchan; Zheng, Yuming; Liao, Jian; Deng, Hong; Malasky, Michael; Kessing, Bailey; Winkler, Cheryl A.; Carrington, Mary; dé The, Guy; Zeng, Yi; O'Brien, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy facilitated by Epstein-Barr Virus infection. Here we resolve the major genetic influences for NPC incidence using a genome-wide association study (GWAS), independent cohort replication, and high-resolution molecular HLA class I gene typing including 4,055 study participants from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong province of southern China. We detect and replicate strong association signals involving SNPs, HLA alleles, and amino acid (aa) variants across the major histocompatibility complex-HLA-A, HLA –B, and HLA -C class I genes (PHLA-A-aa-site-62 = 7.4×10−29; P HLA-B-aa-site-116 = 6.5×10−19; P HLA-C-aa-site-156 = 6.8×10−8 respectively). Over 250 NPC-HLA associated variants within HLA were analyzed in concert to resolve separate and largely independent HLA-A, -B, and -C gene influences. Multivariate logistical regression analysis collapsed significant associations in adjacent genes spanning 500 kb (OR2H1, GABBR1, HLA-F, and HCG9) as proxies for peptide binding motifs carried by HLA- A*11:01. A similar analysis resolved an independent association signal driven by HLA-B*13:01, B*38:02, and B*55:02 alleles together. NPC resistance alleles carrying the strongly associated amino acid variants implicate specific class I peptide recognition motifs in HLA-A and -B peptide binding groove as conferring strong genetic influence on the development of NPC in China. PMID:23209447

Roster of Physics Departments with Enrollment and Degree Data, 2010: Results from the 2010 Survey of Enrollments and Degrees. Focus On

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Starr; Mulvey, Patrick J.

2011-01-01

Academic year 2009-10 produced more physics bachelor's and more physics PhDs than in any other year in US history. The 6,017 physics bachelor's degrees earned in the class of 2010 represent a 65% increase from the class of 1999 eleven years earlier. The 1,558 PhDs in the class of 2010 is up 43% from a recent low 6 years earlier. Non-US citizens…

Trends in medicines procurement by the Brazilian federal government from 2006 to 2013

PubMed Central

Chama Borges Luz, Tatiana; Garcia Serpa Osorio-de-Castro, Claudia; Magarinos-Torres, Rachel; Wettermark, Bjorn

2017-01-01

The costs of medicines pose a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. A comprehensive understanding of current procurement processes provides strong support for the development of effective policies. This study examined Brazilian Federal Government pharmaceutical procurement data provided by the Integrated System for the Administration of General Services (SIASG) database, from 2006 to 2013. Medicine purchases were aggregated by volume and expenditure for each year. Data on expenditure were adjusted for inflation using the Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) for December 31, 2013. Lorenz distribution curves were used to study the cumulative proportion of purchased therapeutic classes. Expenditure variance analysis was performed to determine the impact of each factor, price and/or volume, on total expenditure variation. Annual expenditure on medicines increased 2.72 times, while the purchased volume of drugs increased 1.99 times. A limited number of therapeutic classes dominated expenditure each year. Drugs for infectious diseases drove the increase in expenditures from 2006 to 2009 but were replaced by antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents beginning in 2010. Immunosuppressants (L04), accounted for one third of purchases since 2010, showing the most substantial growth in expenditures during the period (250-fold increase). The overwhelming price-related increase in expenditures caused by these medicines is bound to have a relevant impact on the sustainability of the pharmaceutical supply system. We observed increasing trends in expenditures, especially in specific therapeutic classes. We propose the development and implementation of better medicine procurement systems, and strategies to allow for monitoring of product price, effectiveness, and safety. This must be done with ongoing assessment of pharmaceutical innovations, therapeutic value and budget impact. PMID:28388648

Trends in medicines procurement by the Brazilian federal government from 2006 to 2013.

PubMed

Chama Borges Luz, Tatiana; Garcia Serpa Osorio-de-Castro, Claudia; Magarinos-Torres, Rachel; Wettermark, Bjorn

2017-01-01

The costs of medicines pose a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. A comprehensive understanding of current procurement processes provides strong support for the development of effective policies. This study examined Brazilian Federal Government pharmaceutical procurement data provided by the Integrated System for the Administration of General Services (SIASG) database, from 2006 to 2013. Medicine purchases were aggregated by volume and expenditure for each year. Data on expenditure were adjusted for inflation using the Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) for December 31, 2013. Lorenz distribution curves were used to study the cumulative proportion of purchased therapeutic classes. Expenditure variance analysis was performed to determine the impact of each factor, price and/or volume, on total expenditure variation. Annual expenditure on medicines increased 2.72 times, while the purchased volume of drugs increased 1.99 times. A limited number of therapeutic classes dominated expenditure each year. Drugs for infectious diseases drove the increase in expenditures from 2006 to 2009 but were replaced by antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents beginning in 2010. Immunosuppressants (L04), accounted for one third of purchases since 2010, showing the most substantial growth in expenditures during the period (250-fold increase). The overwhelming price-related increase in expenditures caused by these medicines is bound to have a relevant impact on the sustainability of the pharmaceutical supply system. We observed increasing trends in expenditures, especially in specific therapeutic classes. We propose the development and implementation of better medicine procurement systems, and strategies to allow for monitoring of product price, effectiveness, and safety. This must be done with ongoing assessment of pharmaceutical innovations, therapeutic value and budget impact.

[Gender identity in adolescents of the lower classes].

PubMed

De Alonso, A R

1993-12-01

This reflection on gender identity among lower class adolescent females begins with a discussion of concepts. The specific sociocultural context strongly influences gender identity, which depends largely on social definitions of the female or male. Adolescence is the phase of life from around ten to 18 years during which the individual assumes an adult personality and life plans. The lower class or marginal sector, by whatever term it is called, denotes the group forming the base of the socioeconomic structure. This profoundly heterogeneous group experiences restricted conditions of material and spiritual survival. High proportions are in-migrants from rural areas with little education who earn meager livelihoods in the informal sector. The symbolic configuration of their communities of origin entails a view of submission, dependence, and sacrifice as the dominant characteristics of the female role. Urban residence exposes the population to messages on the value of education, consumption, the modern woman, and family planning, values contradicting traditional female role expectations. Families are large and live in poor and crowded housing with few services. The sexual division of labor places heavy burdens on girls from an early age. Alcoholism, domestic violence, or drug addiction may affect psychoaffective development. The quality of education available to these population sectors is very low. School abandonment is common. Most who continue their studies will be frustrated by a lack of available employment. The less educated will be concentrated in poorly paid jobs in the domestic and personal services, without social security and subject to abuse and exploitation by the employer. Some 50% of the women are in union by age 18. Unmarried motherhood and frequent changes of sexual partners are common. Legal mechanisms to protect the rights of mothers and those of their children are almost completely lacking. Most of the problems suffered by this group result from poverty in the context of crowding and unsatisfied material and spiritual needs. In such a context, the consolidation of a strong self-esteem cannot be expected.

Global Diversity of Ascidiacea

PubMed Central

Shenkar, Noa; Swalla, Billie J.

2011-01-01

The class Ascidiacea presents fundamental opportunities for research in the fields of development, evolution, ecology, natural products and more. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the global biodiversity of the class Ascidiacea, focusing in their taxonomy, main regions of biodiversity, and distribution patterns. Based on analysis of the literature and the species registered in the online World Register of Marine Species, we assembled a list of 2815 described species. The highest number of species and families is found in the order Aplousobranchia. Didemnidae and Styelidae families have the highest number of species with more than 500 within each group. Sixty percent of described species are colonial. Species richness is highest in tropical regions, where colonial species predominate. In higher latitudes solitary species gradually contribute more to the total species richness. We emphasize the strong association between species richness and sampling efforts, and discuss the risks of invasive species. Our inventory is certainly incomplete as the ascidian fauna in many areas around the world is relatively poorly known, and many new species continue to be discovered and described each year. PMID:21701684

Grass competition suppresses savanna tree growth across multiple demographic stages.

PubMed

Riginos, Corinna

2009-02-01

Savanna ecosystems, defined by the codominance of trees and grasses, cover one-fifth of the world's land surface and are of great socioeconomic and biological importance. Yet, the fundamental question of how trees and grasses coexist to maintain the savanna state remains poorly understood. Many models have been put forward to explain tree-grass coexistence, but nearly all have assumed that grasses do not limit tree growth and demography beyond the sapling stage. This assumption, however, has rarely been tested. Here I show that grass can strongly suppress the growth of trees. I removed grass around trees of three size classes in an Acacia drepanolobium savanna in Laikipia, Kenya. For even the largest trees, grass removal led to a doubling in growth and a doubling in the probability of transitioning to the next size class over two years. These results suggest that grass competition in productive (nutrient-rich) savannas may limit tree growth as much as herbivory and fire (the main factors thought to determine tree demography within a rainfall region) and should be incorporated into savanna models if tree-grass coexistence and savanna dynamics are to be understood.

3D facial expression recognition using maximum relevance minimum redundancy geometrical features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabiu, Habibu; Saripan, M. Iqbal; Mashohor, Syamsiah; Marhaban, Mohd Hamiruce

2012-12-01

In recent years, facial expression recognition (FER) has become an attractive research area, which besides the fundamental challenges, it poses, finds application in areas, such as human-computer interaction, clinical psychology, lie detection, pain assessment, and neurology. Generally the approaches to FER consist of three main steps: face detection, feature extraction and expression recognition. The recognition accuracy of FER hinges immensely on the relevance of the selected features in representing the target expressions. In this article, we present a person and gender independent 3D facial expression recognition method, using maximum relevance minimum redundancy geometrical features. The aim is to detect a compact set of features that sufficiently represents the most discriminative features between the target classes. Multi-class one-against-one SVM classifier was employed to recognize the seven facial expressions; neutral, happy, sad, angry, fear, disgust, and surprise. The average recognition accuracy of 92.2% was recorded. Furthermore, inter database homogeneity was investigated between two independent databases the BU-3DFE and UPM-3DFE the results showed a strong homogeneity between the two databases.

Social class shapes the form and function of relationships and selves.

PubMed

Carey, Rebecca M; Markus, Hazel Rose

2017-12-01

Social class shapes relational realities, which in turn situate and structure different selves and their associated psychological tendencies. We first briefly review how higher class contexts tend to foster independent models of self and lower class contexts tend to foster interdependent models of self. We then consider how these independent and interdependent models of self are situated in and adapted to different social class-driven relational realities. We review research demonstrating that in lower social class contexts, social networks tend to be small, dense, homogenous and strongly connected. Ties in these networks provide the bonding capital that is key for survival and that promotes the interdependence between self and other(s). In higher social class contexts, social networks tend to be large, far-reaching, diverse and loosely connected. Ties in these networks provide the bridging capital that is key for achieving personal goals and that promotes an independence of self from other. We conclude that understanding and addressing issues tied to social class and inequality requires understanding the form and function of relationships across class contexts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching Citizenship in Science Classes at the University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. M.; Mangin, K.

2008-12-01

Science classes for non-science majors present unique opportunities to create lifelong science aficionados and teach citizenship skills. Because no specific content is needed for future courses, subject matter can be selected to maximize interest and assignments can be focused on life skills such as science literacy instead of discipline-specific content mastery. Dinosaurs! is a very successful non-major science class with a minimum enrollment of 150 that is intended for sophomores. One of the goals of this class is to increase students' awareness of social issues, the political process, and opportunities for keeping up with science later in life. The main theme of this class is evolution. The bird-dinosaur link is the perfect vehicle for illustrating the process of science because the lines of evidence are many, convincing, and based on discoveries made throughout the last half-century and continuing to the present day. The course is also about evolution the social issue. The second writing assignment is an in-class affective writing based on a newspaper article about the Dover, PA court case. The primary purpose of this assignment is to create a comfort zone for those students with strong ideological biases against evolution by allowing them to express their views without being judged, and to instill tolerance and understanding in students at the other end of the spectrum. Another homework uses thomas.loc.gov, the government's public website providing information about all legislation introduced since the 93rd Congress and much more. The assignment highlights the difficulty of passing legislation and the factors that contribute to a given bill's legislative success or failure using the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, S320. Details of these assignments and others designed to achieve the goals stated above will be presented. A very different undergraduate program, Marine Discovery, offers science majors the opportunity to earn upper division science credits while teaching young people about marine science and conservation. Classes of elementary and middle school students attend a class field trip to a UA teaching laboratory where they explore a variety of hands-on marine biology centers. Undergraduates facilitate the learning centers and develop new centers for future years of the program. In addition, undergraduates in Marine Discovery do a marine ecology field project during a field trip to the Gulf of California, and present their results as a research poster to their peers. The course is entirely project- based, and helps students to develop informal as well as formal science communication skills. Many outreach programs suffer from loss of funding and lack of sustainability. Marine Discovery's popularity with both UA undergraduates and K-12 teachers has helped sustain it into its sixteenth year.

In-Class Use of Laptop Computers to Enhance Engagement within an Undergraduate Biology Curriculum: Findings and Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poling, Kirsten; Smit, Julie; Higgs, Dennis

2013-01-01

Laptop computers were provided for use in three biology classes with differing formats (a second year lecture course of 100 students, a third/fourth year lecture course of 50 students, and a second year course with greater than 250 students, in groups of 25 during the laboratory portion of the class) to assess their impact on student learning and…

Distribution of taxonomic classes and the compositional structure of the asteroid belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gradie, Jonathan C.; Chapman, Clark R.; Tedesco, Edward F.

1989-01-01

This paper reviews previous studies on the distribution of the asteroid taxonomic classes and analyzes the techniques, results, and interpretations of these studies, with special attention given to the strong and weak points of these studies and the important caveat for their interpretation. It is concluded that, in spite of the differences in class definition, the rather ordered heliocentric distribution of the composition is real and must be due to either primordial, evolutionary, or dynamical processes, or to a combination of all three. In general, the distribution of asteroid taxonomic classes is characterized by moderate-albedo asteroids dominant in the inner asteroid belt, and low-albedo asteroids prevalent in the outer belt and beyond.

An abstract class loader for the SSP and its implementation in TL.

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

Wickstrom, Gregory Lloyd; Winter, Victor Lono; Fraij, Fares

2004-08-01

The SSP is a hardware implementation of a subset of the JVM for use in high consequence embedded applications. In this context, a majority of the activities belonging to class loading, as it is defined in the specification of the JVM, can be performed statically. Static class loading has the net result of dramatically simplifying the design of the SSP as well as increasing its performance. Due to the high consequence nature of its applications, strong evidence must be provided that all aspects of the SSP have been implemented correctly. This includes the class loader. This article explores the possibilitymore » of formally verifying a class loader for the SSP implemented in the strategic programming language TL. Specifically, an implementation of the core activities of an abstract class loader is presented and its verification in ACL2 is considered.« less

The Effect of Stereotype Threat on Undergraduates in AN Introductory Astronomy Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufnagel, Beth; Deming, Grace L.; Landato, Janet M.; Hodari, Apriel K.

This quantitative study tests the hypothesis that undergraduates taking an introductory astronomy class for nonscience majors are susceptible to stereotype threat (ST). The Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT), a conceptual survey designed for introductory astronomy classes, was administered pre- and postcourse to two pairs (control and threatened) of the same class taught by the same professors, one pair at a public, suburban community college and the other pair at a large, state research university. One class of each pair was threatened postcourse by telling the students that their gender mattered on the ADT. The results showed no ST effect on the women in the university class. The college women underperformed and the men overperformed at a low statistical significance. The authors infer that Steele's requirement for domain identification as a condition is also required to strongly invoke ST for this sample of nonscience students.

Recent changes in the walleye fishery of northern Green Bay and history of the 1943 year class

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pycha, Richard L.

1961-01-01

Production, fishing intensity, and availability of walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) fluctuated widely in the commercial fishery of northern Green Bay in 1929-57. The catch ranged from 16,000 pounds (8 percent of average for the 1929-53 base period) in 1942 to 1,294,000 pounds (633 percent) in 1950. The index of fishing intensity ranged from 17 (1941) to 400 (1950) and that of abundance from 47 (1929) to 222 (1955). Production and fishing intensity were consistently above average in 1947-57; abundance exceeded the average in 8 of these years. The fishery statistics and records of age and size composition of commercial landings of walleyes in the spring and fall fishing seasons of 1949-58 (scale samples were taken from a total of 1,631 fish) were the basis for a study of recent changes in the walleye fishery with particular reference to the effects of fluctuations in the strength of year classes. The 1943 year class, by a wide margin, exceeded all others in the estimated total number (1,173,000 fish) and weight (3,355,000 pounds) contributed to commercial landings. This year class was a major factor in the sharp rise in production and abundance after 1945 and the all-time record catch of 1950. In contrast, certain other year classes (1945, 1946, 1948) have contributed totals as small as 16,000 to 52,000 pounds. The abundance of the 1950, 1951, and 1952 year classes approached or exceeded that of the 1943 year class at the lesser ages (through the IV group), but these more recent classes disappeared from the fishery so rapidly that their total contributions were relatively low. The indicated increase of mortality in the middle 1950's cannot be attributed to increase in the rate of commercial exploitation. Evidence is offered that the heightened mortality rate resulted from expansion of the sport fishery.

A three-dimensional soft tissue analysis of Class III malocclusion: a case-controlled cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Johal, Ama; Chaggar, Amrit; Zou, Li Fong

2018-03-01

The present study used the optical surface laser scanning technique to compare the facial features of patients aged 8-18 years presenting with Class I and Class III incisor relationship in a case-control design. Subjects with a Class III incisor relationship, aged 8-18 years, were age and gender matched with Class I control and underwent a 3-dimensional (3-D) optical surface scan of the facial soft tissues. Landmark analysis revealed Class III subjects displayed greater mean dimensions compared to the control group most notably between the ages of 8-10 and 17-18 years in both males and females, in respect of antero-posterior (P = 0.01) and vertical (P = 0.006) facial dimensions. Surface-based analysis, revealed the greatest difference in the lower facial region, followed by the mid-face, whilst the upper face remained fairly consistent. Significant detectable differences were found in the surface facial features of developing Class III subjects.

Equivalent Stimuli Are More Strongly Related after Training with Delayed Matching than after Simultaneous Matching: A Study Using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bortoloti, Renato; de Rose, Julio C.

2012-01-01

Bortoloti and de Rose (2009) found evidence that the level of functional transfer is higher in equivalence classes generated by delayed matching to sample (DMTS) than in classes generated by simultaneous matching (SMTS). We attempted to replicate these findings with the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). Two experimental groups…

Dog leukocyte antigen class II-associated genetic risk testing for immune disorders of dogs: simplified approaches using Pug dog necrotizing meningoencephalitis as a model.

PubMed

Pedersen, Niels; Liu, Hongwei; Millon, Lee; Greer, Kimberly

2011-01-01

A significantly increased risk for a number of autoimmune and infectious diseases in purebred and mixed-breed dogs has been associated with certain alleles or allele combinations of the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II complex containing the DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 genes. The exact level of risk depends on the specific disease, the alleles in question, and whether alleles exist in a homozygous or heterozygous state. The gold standard for identifying high-risk alleles and their zygosity has involved direct sequencing of the exon 2 regions of each of the 3 genes. However, sequencing and identification of specific alleles at each of the 3 loci are relatively expensive and sequencing techniques are not ideal for additional parentage or identity determination. However, it is often possible to get the same information from sequencing only 1 gene given the small number of possible alleles at each locus in purebred dogs, extensive homozygosity, and tendency for disease-causing alleles at each of the 3 loci to be strongly linked to each other into haplotypes. Therefore, genetic testing in purebred dogs with immune diseases can be often simplified by sequencing alleles at 1 rather than 3 loci. Further simplification of genetic tests for canine immune diseases can be achieved by the use of alternative genetic markers in the DLA class II region that are also strongly linked with the disease genotype. These markers consist of either simple tandem repeats or single nucleotide polymorphisms that are also in strong linkage with specific DLA class II genotypes and/or haplotypes. The current study uses necrotizing meningoencephalitis of Pug dogs as a paradigm to assess simple alternative genetic tests for disease risk. It was possible to attain identical necrotizing meningoencephalitis risk assessments to 3-locus DLA class II sequencing by sequencing only the DQB1 gene, using 3 DLA class II-linked simple tandem repeat markers, or with a small single nucleotide polymorphism array designed to identify breed-specific DQB1 alleles.

Subjective Wellbeing, Objective Wellbeing and Inequality in Australia

PubMed Central

Western, Mark

2016-01-01

In recent years policy makers and social scientists have devoted considerable attention to wellbeing, a concept that refers to people’s capacity to live healthy, creative and fulfilling lives. Two conceptual approaches dominate wellbeing research. The objective approach examines the objective components of a good life. The subjective approach examines people’s subjective evaluations of their lives. In the objective approach how subjective wellbeing relates to objective wellbeing is not a relevant research question. The subjective approach does investigate how objective wellbeing relates to subjective wellbeing, but has focused primarily on one objective wellbeing indicator, income, rather than the comprehensive indicator set implied by the objective approach. This paper attempts to contribute by examining relationships between a comprehensive set of objective wellbeing measures and subjective wellbeing, and by linking wellbeing research to inequality research by also investigating how subjective and objective wellbeing relate to class, gender, age and ethnicity. We use three waves of a representative state-level household panel study from Queensland, Australia, undertaken from 2008 to 2010, to investigate how objective measures of wellbeing are socially distributed by gender, class, age, and ethnicity. We also examine relationships between objective wellbeing and overall life satisfaction, providing one of the first longitudinal analyses linking objective wellbeing with subjective evaluations. Objective aspects of wellbeing are unequally distributed by gender, age, class and ethnicity and are strongly associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, associations between gender, ethnicity, class and life satisfaction persist after controlling for objective wellbeing, suggesting that mechanisms in addition to objective wellbeing link structural dimensions of inequality to life satisfaction. PMID:27695042

Subjective Wellbeing, Objective Wellbeing and Inequality in Australia.

PubMed

Western, Mark; Tomaszewski, Wojtek

2016-01-01

In recent years policy makers and social scientists have devoted considerable attention to wellbeing, a concept that refers to people's capacity to live healthy, creative and fulfilling lives. Two conceptual approaches dominate wellbeing research. The objective approach examines the objective components of a good life. The subjective approach examines people's subjective evaluations of their lives. In the objective approach how subjective wellbeing relates to objective wellbeing is not a relevant research question. The subjective approach does investigate how objective wellbeing relates to subjective wellbeing, but has focused primarily on one objective wellbeing indicator, income, rather than the comprehensive indicator set implied by the objective approach. This paper attempts to contribute by examining relationships between a comprehensive set of objective wellbeing measures and subjective wellbeing, and by linking wellbeing research to inequality research by also investigating how subjective and objective wellbeing relate to class, gender, age and ethnicity. We use three waves of a representative state-level household panel study from Queensland, Australia, undertaken from 2008 to 2010, to investigate how objective measures of wellbeing are socially distributed by gender, class, age, and ethnicity. We also examine relationships between objective wellbeing and overall life satisfaction, providing one of the first longitudinal analyses linking objective wellbeing with subjective evaluations. Objective aspects of wellbeing are unequally distributed by gender, age, class and ethnicity and are strongly associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, associations between gender, ethnicity, class and life satisfaction persist after controlling for objective wellbeing, suggesting that mechanisms in addition to objective wellbeing link structural dimensions of inequality to life satisfaction.

ON THE STRONG EXTREMUM PRINCIPLE FOR A \\mathrm{D}-(\\Pi, \\Omega)-ELLIPTICALLY CONNECTED OPERATOR OF SECOND ORDER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamynin, L. I.; Himčenko, B. N.

1981-02-01

In this paper the strong extremum principle is proved for a certain new class of second order operators with nonnegative characteristic form, without requiring the smoothness of their coefficients, which is essential in the converse of Raševskiĭ's theorem on completely nonholonomic systems. Bibliography: 19 titles.

Does Lexical Stress Influence 17-Month-Olds' Mapping of Verbs and Nouns?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Jennifer; Mihalicz, Patrick; Thiessen, Erik; Curtin, Suzanne

2018-01-01

English-learning infants attend to lexical stress when learning new words. Attention to lexical stress might be beneficial for word learning by providing an indication of the grammatical class of that word. English disyllabic nouns commonly have trochaic (strong-weak) stress, whereas English disyllabic verbs commonly have iambic (weak-strong)…

Acoustic assessment of pelagic lanktivores, 2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holden, Jeremy P.; Connerton, Michael J.; Weidel, Brian C.

2017-01-01

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) are the most abundant pelagic planktivores in Lake Ontario (Weidel et al 2017), and the most important prey for salmon and trout, making up greater than 90% of the diet of the top predator, Chinook salmon (Lantry 2001, Brandt 1986), and supporting a multimillion dollar sportfishery. Alewife are also important prey for warm water predators, notably Walleye (Sander vitreus). Abundance of Alewife and smelt has declined since the 1980s, likely due to reduced nutrient loading, proliferation of invasive dreissenid mussels, and predation by stocked salmon and trout. Cisco (Coregonus artedi), a native planktivore, historically dominated the offshore pelagic prey fish of Lake Ontario, but their populations were severely reduced in the mid-20th century due to overfishing and competition with Alewife and smelt. Remnant populations of Cisco still exist, mostly in the eastern basin, and Cisco produce periodic strong year classes once or twice per decade (Owens et al 2003, most recently in 2012 and 2014 (OMNRF, 2017).Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) are the most abundant pelagic planktivores in Lake Ontario (Weidel et al 2017), and the most important prey for salmon and trout, making up greater than 90% of the diet of the top predator, Chinook salmon (Lantry 2001, Brandt 1986), and supporting a multimillion dollar sportfishery. Alewife are also important prey for warm water predators, notably Walleye (Sander vitreus). Abundance of Alewife and smelt has declined since the 1980s, likely due to reduced nutrient loading, proliferation of invasive dreissenid mussels, and predation by stocked salmon and trout. Cisco (Coregonus artedi), a native planktivore, historically dominated the offshore pelagic prey fish of Lake Ontario, but their populations were severely reduced in the mid-20th century due to overfishing and competition with Alewife and smelt. Remnant populations of Cisco still exist, mostly in the eastern basin, and Cisco produce periodic strong year classes once or twice per decade (Owens et al 2003, most recently in 2012 and 2014 (OMNRF, 2017).

Resolvent-Techniques for Multiple Exercise Problems

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

Christensen, Sören, E-mail: christensen@math.uni-kiel.de; Lempa, Jukka, E-mail: jukka.lempa@hioa.no

2015-02-15

We study optimal multiple stopping of strong Markov processes with random refraction periods. The refraction periods are assumed to be exponentially distributed with a common rate and independent of the underlying dynamics. Our main tool is using the resolvent operator. In the first part, we reduce infinite stopping problems to ordinary ones in a general strong Markov setting. This leads to explicit solutions for wide classes of such problems. Starting from this result, we analyze problems with finitely many exercise rights and explain solution methods for some classes of problems with underlying Lévy and diffusion processes, where the optimal characteristicsmore » of the problems can be identified more explicitly. We illustrate the main results with explicit examples.« less

Changes in agricultural cropland areas between a water-surplus year and a water-deficit year impacting food security, determined using MODIS 250 m time-series data and spectral matching techniques, in the Krishna river basin (India)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gumma, Murali Krishna; Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Muralikrishna, I.V.; Velpuri, Naga Manohar; Gangadhararao, P.T.; Dheeravath, V.; Biradar, C.M.; Nalan, S.A.; Gaur, A.

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in cropland areas as a result of water availability using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250 m time-series data and spectral matching techniques (SMTs). The study was conducted in the Krishna River basin in India, a very large river basin with an area of 265 752 km2 (26 575 200 ha), comparing a water-surplus year (2000–2001) and a water-deficit year (2002–2003). The MODIS 250 m time-series data and SMTs were found ideal for agricultural cropland change detection over large areas and provided fuzzy classification accuracies of 61–100% for various land‐use classes and 61–81% for the rain-fed and irrigated classes. The most mixing change occurred between rain-fed cropland areas and informally irrigated (e.g. groundwater and small reservoir) areas. Hence separation of these two classes was the most difficult. The MODIS 250 m-derived irrigated cropland areas for the districts were highly correlated with the Indian Bureau of Statistics data, with R 2-values between 0.82 and 0.86.The change in the net area irrigated was modest, with an irrigated area of 8 669 881 ha during the water-surplus year, as compared with 7 718 900 ha during the water-deficit year. However, this is quite misleading as most of the major changes occurred in cropping intensity, such as changing from higher intensity to lower intensity (e.g. from double crop to single crop). The changes in cropping intensity of the agricultural cropland areas that took place in the water-deficit year (2002–2003) when compared with the water-surplus year (2000–2001) in the Krishna basin were: (a) 1 078 564 ha changed from double crop to single crop, (b) 1 461 177 ha changed from continuous crop to single crop, (c) 704 172 ha changed from irrigated single crop to fallow and (d) 1 314 522 ha changed from minor irrigation (e.g. tanks, small reservoirs) to rain-fed. These are highly significant changes that will have strong impact on food security. Such changes may be expected all over the world in a changing climate.

Higher stability in forest-atmosphere exchange observed in a structurally diverse forest.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamrakar, R.; Rayment, M.; Moyano, F.; Herbst, M.; Mund, M.; Knohl, A.

2016-12-01

We tested the hypothesis that structurally diverse forests have greater stability on exchange processes with the atmosphere compared to forests with less diverse structure. In a case study, we assessed how net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and normalized maximum assimilation (Amax) varied over time in two forests in Germany based on 11 years of continuous eddy flux measurements. The two sites differ in structure as well as in species composition: one (Hainich) is an unmanaged, uneven-aged and heterogeneous mixed beech forest (65% beech), the other (Leinefelde) is a managed, even-aged and homogeneous pure beech stand. The two selected forests are of similar mean ages (about 130 years old) and exposed to similar air temperatures and vapour pressure deficits. Even though Hainich (the unmanaged forest) received higher rainfall (720 ± 134 mm vs 599±166 mm), the soil water availability showed no significant difference between both sites. Based on detailed biomass inventory, trees in Hainich are well distributed in all diameter at breast height (dbh) classes (10 to 90cm dbh) whereas in Leinefelde (the managed forest) trees are mostly confined to dbh classes of 40 to 55 cm. Our results showed a strong difference in inter-annual variability of NEE, which was lower in the unmanaged than in the managed site (coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.13 and 0.27, respectively). The lowest NEE was observed in both sites in 2004, a mast year and a year after the strong summer drought of 2003. The variation in the inter-annual normalized maximum assimilation (Amax) was lower in Hainich (standard deviation of 2.5 compared to 3.9 µmol m-2 s-1). Also, the seasonal course of Amax differed between the two forests which could explain why the mixed forest was more affected by the late summer drought of 2003, despite showing a more conservative carbon budget than the pure stand in the long term. The interannual anomaly in Amax was correlated with fruit production, the latter being larger in Leinefelde (CV of 1.37 vs. 1.18). Our data provide evidence from a case study that exchange processes with the atmosphere are more stable in structurally diverse forests, yet a confirmation covering multiple sites is still pending.

Status of alewife and rainbow smelt in U.S. waters of Lake Ontario, 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Maureen; Weidel, Brian C.; Connerton, Michael J.; Holden, Jeremy P.

2016-01-01

In 2015 the joint USGS and NYSDEC surveys for Alewife and Rainbow Smelt were combined for the first time into a comprehensive spring pelagic prey fish survey. The adult Alewife abundance and weight indices in 2015 increased slightly from 2014 levels, and adult Alewife abundance has remained relatively stable for the past five years. Adult Alewife condition in both spring and fall increased from 2014 values and was above long-term means. Yearling Alewife abundance was the lowest observed in the 38-year time series. Alewife year class strength at age 1 is related to the number of spawning adults and summer temperatures and winter duration in the first year after hatching. Moderate year classes were produced during 2009-2011, and 2012 was the largest year class in the time series. However, severe winters in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 contributed to two successive very small year classes for the first time in the time series. We expect adult Alewife abundance and biomass to decline in 2016 as older and larger fish decline in the population. The number of spawning adults increased in 2015, summer temperatures were slightly below average, and the anticipated winter duration is below average (i.e., milder winter) for 2015-2016, so these conditions will likely produce a low to moderate year class. A third successive weak year class could be problematic for the Lake Ontario Alewife population and may be of concern to binational lake managers. Rainbow Smelt were also assessed and the population continues to persist at a low and stable level.

Relations between habitat variability and population dynamics of bass in the Huron River, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bovee, Ken D.; Newcomb, Tammy J.; Coon, Thomas G.

1994-01-01

One of the assumption of the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) is that the dynamics of fish populations are directly or indirectly related to habitat availability. Because this assumption has not been successfully tested in coolwater streams, questions arise regarding the validity of the methodology in such streams. The purpose of our study was to determine whether relations existed between habitat availability and population dynamics of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) in a 16-km reach of the Huron River in southeastern Michigan. Both species exhibited strong to moderate carryover of year classes from age 0 through age 2, indicating that adult populations were related to factors affecting recruitment. Year-class strength and subsequent numbers of yearling bass were related to the availability of young-of-year habitat during the first growing season for a cohort. Number of age-0, age-1, and adult smallmouth bass were related to the average length at age 0 for the cohort. Length at age 0 was associated with young-of-year habitat and thermal regime during the first growing season. Rock bass populations exhibited similar associations among age classes and habitat variables. Compared to smallmouth bass, the number of age-2 rock bass was associated more closely with their length at age 0 than with year-class strength. Length at age 0 and year-class strength of rock bass were associated with the same habitat variables as those related to age-0 smallmouth bass. We hypothesize that an energetic mechanism linked thermal regime to length at age 0 and that increased growth resulted in higher survival rates from age 0 to age 1. We also postulate that young-of-year habitat provided protection from predators, higher production of food resources, and increased foraging efficiency. We conclude that the IFIM is a valid methodology for instream flow investigations of coolwater streams. The results for our study support the contention that the dynamics of bass populations are directly or indirectly related to habitat availability in coolwater streams. Our study also revealed several implications related to the operational application of the IFIM in coolwater streams: 1. Greater emphasis should be placed on the alleviation of habitat impacts to early life history phases of bass. 2. Effects of the thermal regime are important in some coolwater streams even if temperatures remain within nonlethal limits. Degree-day analyses should be routinely included in study plans for applications of the IFIM in coolwater streams. 3. The smallest amount of habitat occurring within or across years is not necessarily the most significant event affecting population dynamics. The timing of extreme events can be as important as their magnitude. 4. Population-related habitat limitations were associated with high flows more often than with low flows (although both occurred). Negotiations that focus only on minimum flows may preclude viable water management options and ignore significant biological events. This finding is particularly relevant to negotiations involving hydrospeaking operations. 5. IFIM users are advised to consider the use of binary criteria in place of conventional suitability index curves in microhabitat simulations. Criteria defining the optimal ranges of variables are preferable to broader rangers, and criteria that simply define suitable conditions should be avoided entirely.

Strong monogamy conjecture in a four-qubit system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, Sumana; Sen, Ajoy; Bhar, Amit; Sarkar, Debasis

2016-01-01

Monogamy is a defining feature of entanglement, having far-reaching applications. Recently, Regula et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 110501 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.110501] proposed a stronger version of monogamy relation for concurrence. We have extended the strong monogamy inequality for another entanglement measure, viz., negativity. In particular, we have concentrated on the four-qubit system and provided a detailed study on the status of strong monogamy on pure states. Further, we have analytically provided some classes of states for which negativity and squared negativity satisfy strong monogamy. Numerical evidences have also been shown in proper places. Our analysis also provides cases where strong monogamy is violated.

Detrimental Effects of Higher Body Mass Index and Smoking Habits on Menstrual Cycles in Korean Women.

PubMed

Jung, An Na; Park, Ju Hwan; Kim, Jihyun; Kim, Seok Hyun; Jee, Byung Chul; Cha, Byung Heun; Sull, Jae Woong; Jun, Jin Hyun

2017-01-01

Alteration of menstrual cycle by individual lifestyles and unfavorable habits may cause menstrual irregularity. We aimed to investigate the relationship between lifestyle factors and menstrual irregularity in Korean women using data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010-2012. This cross-sectional study included 3779 nondiabetic Korean women aged 19-49 years who did not take any oral contraceptives or sex hormonal compounds. We examined the association of menstrual irregularity with age, body mass index (BMI), drinking experience, and smoking habits. Age, Asian BMI, marriage status, age at menarche, and smoking habits were significantly associated with menstrual cycle irregularity (p < 0.01). The prevalence of menstrual irregularity was significantly increased at younger ages: 18.4%, 10.3%, and 10.5% at 19-29, 30-39, and 40-49 years, respectively. Moreover, obesity groups, defined as per Asian BMI using modified WHO criteria, were strongly associated with menstrual irregularity. BMI 25.0-29.9 [obesity class I] (adjusted odds ratios [OR], 1.94; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.37-2.74) and ≥30.0 [obesity class II] (adjusted OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.22-3.91) presented significantly higher risk of menstrual irregularity compared with BMI 18.5-22.9 [normal weight]. Multivariable analysis revealed that high BMI in younger women aged 19-29 years (p < 0.001) and smoking habits in middle-aged women aged 30-39 years (p < 0.005) significantly predicted menstrual irregularity. This study substantiated that menstrual irregularity was closely associated with higher BMI and smoking habits in nondiabetic Korean women. Weight loss and smoking cessation should be recommended to promote women's reproductive health.

Are there critical periods for brain growth in children born preterm?

PubMed

Cooke, R W I

2006-01-01

Children born very preterm who attend mainstream schools have a high prevalence of minor motor, behavioural, and learning disorders. These appear to be associated with reduced postnatal growth, particularly of the head. It is unclear when this poor growth occurs and whether growth restriction during different periods has different effects on later function. To identify periods during early development, in children born preterm, when impaired head growth may influence minor motor and cognitive function. A geographically defined cohort of 194 infants born in Merseyside during 1980-81 and weighing less than 1500 g. Measurements of head circumference (occipitofrontal circumference (OFC)) were available at birth, hospital discharge, 4 years, and 15 years of age. Assessments of intelligence (intelligence quotient (IQ)) and minor motor impairment (test of motor impairment (TOMI)) were made at 8 years of age. Clinical, social, and demographic variables were obtained from the clinical record and maternal interviews. IQ correlated significantly with OFC at 4 and 15 years of age after correction for growth restriction at birth (intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)) and social class. TOMI scores correlated significantly with OFC at all four times, but especially with OFC at discharge and with change in OFC between birth and discharge. They were not affected by correction for social class or IUGR. Although both IQ and minor motor impairments correlate strongly with each other at school age in very low birthweight children, the factors determining them and their timing of operation are different. Interventions designed to improve IQ in this population would need to reduce IUGR and improve later childhood growth. Those aimed to improve motor ability need to be targeted more at brain protection during the neonatal period.

Perceptions of Israeli student nurses regarding clinical specialties and factors that influence these perceptions.

PubMed

DeKeyser Ganz, Freda; Kahana, Shulamit

2006-10-01

This paper reports a study to determine the perceptions of baccalaureate nursing students towards clinical specialties and what factors influenced these perceptions. Previous studies have shown that nursing students enter their professional education with preconceived perceptions about the different clinical specialties in nursing. Some investigators have found that factors such as clinical experience influence these perceptions, but others have not. Cultural and social influences, especially among non-western cultures, have rarely been investigated. Israeli baccalaureate nursing students were surveyed in their first, third and fourth years of study during the years 1998-2004. They were asked to rank their preferences for clinical areas related to social need, social prestige, level of interest in the clinical area, job choice and what factors influenced their decisions related to job choice. Mean ranks and associations between class and calendar year cohorts were calculated. Critical care was consistently ranked as the highest preference in all perception checklists, followed by emergency, maternity and paediatric nursing. Psychiatric, community and gerontological nursing were consistently found at the bottom of the list. High levels of association were found among students from different class cohorts and calendar years. Life experiences were ranked as the factor that most influenced career choice. Nursing students in Israel tend to perceive clinical areas in ways similar to other students around the world. These perceptions are strongly influenced by personal experiences and other personal contacts, most often not nursing instructors. Major changes in the local society seem for the most part to have little impact on these perceptions. Therefore there is a need for international nurse educators and recruiters to develop new, creative strategies to encourage nursing students to pursue careers in areas presently considered less popular.

Forty Years with Emerging Viruses.

PubMed

Peters, C J

2014-11-01

I was raised in a middle-class family in West Texas and was lucky in my preparation through high school faculty, short government programs arising from the politics of Sputnik, inspiring high school mentors, and university training at a first-rate institution. My educational background led me to apply to medical school. With some financial aid, I managed to graduate and then obtain a first-class internal medicine residency at Parkland Hospital, where I acquired skills in discerning evaluation and treatment of patients with complicated diseases. In spite of a liking for and ability in clinical medicine, I entered the Public Health Service and worked for 5 years at the National Institutes of Health laboratory in Panama; there, I began to see the fascination of ecological impacts on virus transmission in nature and its spillover into human populations. I shifted my interests to these themes and their interaction with viral pathogenesis. At each stage of my career, I picked an institution to work where there were strong leaders and other inspiring scientists. I think the young scientist should choose the best available institution and one that offers a career direction that leads to a life where he or she awakens and cannot wait to arrive at his or her job-regardless of the details of each choice, the outcome will be a satisfied person who will contribute greatly to his or her chosen field.

Re-Vitalizing the First Year Class through Student Engagement and Discovery Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steuter, Erin; Doyle, Judith

2010-01-01

The first year course in Sociology at Mount Allison University introduced students to social issues via dynamic class interactions and assignments that are designed to build conceptual and applied skills. Developments to the course organization have maximized the opportunities for discovery learning and have made the class an enjoyable teaching…

Using Assessments of Dental Students' Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy to Aid Practice Management Education.

PubMed

Mollica, Anthony G; Cain, Kevin; Callan, Richard S

2017-06-01

In the past, the typical practice management curriculum in U.S. dental schools was found to place a heavy emphasis on customer service, whereas areas typically stressed in business entrepreneurship and management courses (e.g., long-range planning, competing strategies, and supplier relationship) received less attention. However, future dentists will likely have many points in their careers at which they must decide whether to begin a new business or to associate with a practice, and entrepreneurial and management training can help them make and implement those decisions. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the impact of one dental school's practice management education on students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), a construct examined for the first time in dental education. ESE is an individual's belief that he or she is personally capable of planning for, operating, and managing a successful business. In December 2014, all students in all four classes were asked to complete a survey measuring their ESE. The response rates for each class were D1 94%, D2 91%, D3 87%, and D4 79%. The results showed that the mean scores of the fourth-year class were higher on all five examined dimensions than those of the other three classes. The same was true for the mean for each class with the exception of the competency regarding an individual's perception of his or her abilities to deploy and manage human resources, in which the first-year class had a higher score than the fourth-year class (149.07>146.06). The fourth-year class had statistically significant higher scores than the third-year class, consistent with the implementation of practice management courses in the curriculum.

The genealogy of sequences containing multiple sites subject to strong selection in a subdivided population.

PubMed Central

Nordborg, Magnus; Innan, Hideki

2003-01-01

A stochastic model for the genealogy of a sample of recombining sequences containing one or more sites subject to selection in a subdivided population is described. Selection is incorporated by dividing the population into allelic classes and then conditioning on the past sizes of these classes. The past allele frequencies at the selected sites are thus treated as parameters rather than as random variables. The purpose of the model is not to investigate the dynamics of selection, but to investigate effects of linkage to the selected sites on the genealogy of the surrounding chromosomal region. This approach is useful for modeling strong selection, when it is natural to parameterize the past allele frequencies at the selected sites. Several models of strong balancing selection are used as examples, and the effects on the pattern of neutral polymorphism in the chromosomal region are discussed. We focus in particular on the statistical power to detect balancing selection when it is present. PMID:12663556

The genealogy of sequences containing multiple sites subject to strong selection in a subdivided population.

PubMed

Nordborg, Magnus; Innan, Hideki

2003-03-01

A stochastic model for the genealogy of a sample of recombining sequences containing one or more sites subject to selection in a subdivided population is described. Selection is incorporated by dividing the population into allelic classes and then conditioning on the past sizes of these classes. The past allele frequencies at the selected sites are thus treated as parameters rather than as random variables. The purpose of the model is not to investigate the dynamics of selection, but to investigate effects of linkage to the selected sites on the genealogy of the surrounding chromosomal region. This approach is useful for modeling strong selection, when it is natural to parameterize the past allele frequencies at the selected sites. Several models of strong balancing selection are used as examples, and the effects on the pattern of neutral polymorphism in the chromosomal region are discussed. We focus in particular on the statistical power to detect balancing selection when it is present.

WHO Class of Obesity Influences Functional Recovery Post-TKA.

PubMed

Maniar, Rajesh N; Maniar, Parul R; Singhi, Tushar; Gangaraju, Bharat Kumar

2018-03-01

No study in the literature has compared early functional recovery following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the obese with the nonobese using World Health Organization (WHO) classes of obesity. Our aim was to compare functional scores and flexion post-TKA in each class of obesity as per WHO classification against a matched control group of nonobese patients. Records of 885 consecutive primary TKA patients (919 knees) operated by a single surgeon were reviewed. The first 35 knees in each class I, class II and class III obesity group during the study period were then matched with a similar number of knees in nonobese TKA patients during the same period. Functional scores recorded pre- and postoperatively at 3 months and 1 year were Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) score, and Knee Society Score (KSS). There was no difference in any parameter between the class I obese and matched nonobese at any assessment point. In the class II obese, as compared to the nonobese, there was no difference in any parameter preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. However, 1 year postoperatively, the SF-12 physical subscore was lower in the class II obese than the nonobese (44.7 vs. 48.6, p = 0.047) and the WOMAC score was significantly higher (15.8 vs. 9.7, p = 0.04). In the class III obese, the WOMAC score was significantly higher than the nonobese (58.1 vs. 44.3, p < 0.001 preoperatively; 15.7 vs. 8.1, p = 0.005 at 1 year) and KSS was significantly lower (83.5 vs. 96.5, p = 0.049 preoperatively; 172 vs. 185; p = 0.003 at 1 year). Knee flexion was significantly lower in the class III obese than the nonobese (95 vs. 113; p < 0.001 preoperatively; 120 vs. 127; p = 0.002 at 1 year). The class I obese can expect good early and late functional recovery as the nonobese. The class II obese can expect comparable early functional recovery as the nonobese but their late function may be lesser. The class III obese would have poorer functional scores and lesser knee flexion postoperatively compared to the nonobese. However, compared to their own preoperative status, there is definite improvement in function and knee flexion.

Innovation network

PubMed Central

Acemoglu, Daron; Akcigit, Ufuk; Kerr, William R.

2016-01-01

Technological progress builds upon itself, with the expansion of invention in one domain propelling future work in linked fields. Our analysis uses 1.8 million US patents and their citation properties to map the innovation network and its strength. Past innovation network structures are calculated using citation patterns across technology classes during 1975–1994. The interaction of this preexisting network structure with patent growth in upstream technology fields has strong predictive power on future innovation after 1995. This pattern is consistent with the idea that when there is more past upstream innovation for a particular technology class to build on, then that technology class innovates more. PMID:27681628

Emerging trends in Chinese healthcare: the impact of a rising middle class.

PubMed

Chang, Joyce; Wood, David; Xiaofeng, Jia; Gifford, Blair

2008-01-01

In this report, the authors examine a major phenomenon in the Chinese healthcare marketplace: the explosion of a vigorous and demanding middle class and its impact on the future directions the industry should pursue. Little is known about the expectations of the middle class regarding their healthcare needs other than through anecdotal or informal sources. The views of the middle class are shaped by a variety of influences which include exposure through direct personal contact with international healthcare facilities when traveling abroad or indirectly through increased exposure to the entertainment industry with its abundance of hospital and medical dramas. In addition to a general increased international awareness arising from more advanced education, the perspective of the middle class consumer is also shaped by the reality of what is currently available in China and what is realistic to expect. This report addresses this lack of factual data through an extensive survey of middle class consumers in three major cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. The survey took a practical and pragmatic approach to exploring this issue. No attempt was made in this study to explain why the consumer feels the way they do about their healthcare expectations. The purpose was simply to outline what expectations the middle class have for the healthcare marketplace in China. In some respects the results are not surprising. They are the expectations that people have in any country, any where. They expect greater privacy and dignity in the care-giving process. They want to be more involved in the decisions that are made regarding their care. They would prefer a personal, private physician as opposed to a revolving door of faces they will never see a second time. They rely strongly on family and friends to advise them on their choice of provider. They expect clean, well-maintained facilities, efficient systems and courteous personnel. In other respects, the conclusions are not necessarily expected. They feel strongly that their hospital or provider of care should be located in a residential area. They are willing in some circumstances to pay more for their care in order to meet their expectations but not significantly more. Despite acknowledging that many of the facets of care they seek such as greater respect for privacy and a generally perceived more positive attitude in the care-giving process are found in foreign physicians, middle class consumers do not express a strong preference for foreign physicians but opt instead for Chinese physicians. In conclusion, the results provide an insight into the expectations held by middle class Chinese of their healthcare providers and outlines a direction for future healthcare development.

Surface Observation Climatic Summaries for Fort Devens Ain, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

AVAILABLE. GIVEN: THE GREATEST MONTHLY VALUE FOR ALL YEARS COMBINED, TOE GREATEST YEARLY VALUE FOR ALL YEARS COMINED, AND TIE DATE OF THE ABSOLUTE ...SUMMARY IS A BIVARIATE DISTRIBUTION OF PERCENTAGE FREQUENCY BY CLASSES OF CEILING (FROM ZERO FEET TO 20,000 FEET-- *NO CEILING* IS A SEPARATE CLASS) VERSUS...VISIBILITY CLASSES (FRO4 ZERO MILES (METERS) TO GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 7 STATUTE MILES (11,200 METERS)). THE TABLES SUMMARIZE THE DATA AS FOLLOWS

The Conflict Aftermath - A Chance for Democracy: Norm Diffusion in Post-Conflict Peace Building

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

considerable number of monarchists, especially among the middle class ( bourgeoisie ), that is, representatives of the estates and class that had long tried to...and civil service, in the lobbies of the agrarians, the bourgeoisie and industry. Their strong anti-republicanism led them to see themselves as...the new 178 The bourgeoisie especially supported the NSDAP. The previous elections of 1928 and 1929

Efficiency of autonomous soft nanomachines at maximum power.

PubMed

Seifert, Udo

2011-01-14

We consider nanosized artificial or biological machines working in steady state enforced by imposing nonequilibrium concentrations of solutes or by applying external forces, torques, or electric fields. For unicyclic and strongly coupled multicyclic machines, efficiency at maximum power is not bounded by the linear response value 1/2. For strong driving, it can even approach the thermodynamic limit 1. Quite generally, such machines fall into three different classes characterized, respectively, as "strong and efficient," "strong and inefficient," and "balanced." For weakly coupled multicyclic machines, efficiency at maximum power has lost any universality even in the linear response regime.

A pilot study of comprehensive ultrasound education at the Wayne State University School of Medicine: a pioneer year review.

PubMed

Rao, Sishir; van Holsbeeck, Lodewijk; Musial, Joseph L; Parker, Alton; Bouffard, J Antonio; Bridge, Patrick; Jackson, Matt; Dulchavsky, Scott A

2008-05-01

Ultrasound is a versatile diagnostic modality used in a variety of medical fields. Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) is one of the first medical schools in the United States to integrate an ultrasound curriculum through both basic science courses and clinical clerkships. In 2006, 25 portable ultrasound units were donated to WSUSOM. First-year medical students were provided an ultrasound curriculum consisting of 6 organ-system sessions that addressed the basics of ultrasound techniques, anatomy, and procedural skills. After the last session, students were administered 2 anonymous and voluntary evaluations. The first assessed their overall experience with the ultrasound curriculum, and the second assessed their technical skills in applying ultrasound techniques. Eighty-three percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that their experience with ultrasound education was positive. On the summative evaluation, nearly 91% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they would benefit from continued ultrasound education throughout their 4 years of medical school. Student performance on the technical assessment was also very positive, with mean class performance of 87%. As residency programs adopt ultrasound training, medical school faculty should consider incorporating ultrasound education into their curriculum. Portable ultrasound has the potential to be used in many different settings, including rural practice sites and sporting events. The WSUSOM committee's pilot ultrasound curriculum will continue to use student feedback to enhance the ultrasound experience, helping students prepare for challenges that they will face in the future.

Energy expenditure estimates during school physical education: Potential vs. reality?

PubMed

Kahan, David; McKenzie, Thomas L

2017-02-01

Schools are salient locations for addressing the high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Most US states require some physical education (PE) and the energy expended during PE has potential to positively affect energy balance. We previously used 2012 data to examine state policies for PE to calculate estimated student energy expenditure (EEE) under potential (i.e., recommendations followed) and existing conditions. Since then, data have been updated on both state policies and the conduct of PE. Based on updated data, we used PE frequency, duration, and intensity, student mass, and class size to calculate EEE for the delivery of PE under (a) national professional recommendations, (b) 2016 state policies, and (c) school-reported conditions. Although increased from four years ago, only 22 states currently have policies mandating specific PE minutes. EEE over 10years shows the enormous impact PE could have on energy balance. For the average recommended-size PE class, resultant annual EEE based on professional recommendations for min/week far exceeded those based on average state (n=22) policy for min/week by 44.5% for elementary, 62.7% for middle, and 59.5% for high schools. Since 2012 more states adopted policies for PE minutes than dropped them, however, EEE over 10years showed a net loss of 1200kcal/student. With no overall recent improvements in state PE policy and professional recommendations currently not being met, PE remains an underutilized public health resource for EEE. Strong policies, coupled with enhanced accountability of PE teachers and administrators, are needed to ensure PE exists in schools. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Growth, Persistence, and Desistance of Alcohol Use for At-Risk Men in Their 30s

PubMed Central

Capaldi, Deborah M.; Tiberio, Stacey S.; Washburn, Isaac J.; Yoerger, Karen; Feingold, Alan

2015-01-01

Background Little is known about heterogeneity in men's drinking behaviors and their related consequences across midadulthood, and moreover, whether individual or social factors may predict such differences. The present study examined 3 indicators of alcohol use; namely, alcohol volume, heavy episodic drinking (HED), and drinking-related problems for men in their 30s. Methods Participants were 197 at-risk men from the Oregon Youth Study assessed 5 times across ages 29–38 years. Growth mixture modeling with count outcomes was used to examine unobserved heterogeneity in alcohol trajectories. Associations of latent classes of alcohol users with (i) classes for the other alcohol indicators, (ii) alcohol use by peers and romantic partners, (iii) alcohol classes previously extracted from ages 18–29 years, and (iv) past year alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnostic status at ages 35–36 years was examined. Results A 3-class solution afforded the best fit for each alcohol indicator. Alcohol problems were relatively established in the 30s, with an ascending use class found only for volume. Although relatively few men were in higher classes for all 3 indicators, 45% of the sample was in the highest class on at least 2 indicators of use. Peer drunkenness was a robust predictor of the alcohol classes. Concordance among classes of alcohol users was seen from the 20s to the 30s, with prior desistance likely to be maintained for alcohol volume and HED. AUD diagnoses at ages 35–36 years were more common in the higher classes obtained for alcohol volume and alcohol problems. Conclusions Many men in their 30s engaged in high volume of alcohol without frequent engagement in HED, likely relating to continuing alcohol problems. The convergence of men's alcohol use with that of their peers found at younger ages was maintained into early midadulthood. PMID:26010338

Group Work and Whole-Class Teaching with 11- to 14-Year-Olds Compared

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galton, Maurice; Hargreaves, Linda; Pell, Tony

2009-01-01

This article compares the academic performance and classroom behaviour of pupils when taught new concepts or engaged in problem solving in sessions organised either as cooperative group work or whole class, teacher directed instruction. Comparisons of attainment were made in classes of pupils aged 11 to 14 years (Key Stage 3) in English,…

An Evaluation of Depressed Mood in Two Classes of Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Ruth E.; Litwins, Stephanie D.; Frye, Ann W.

2006-01-01

Objective: To assess depression rates in contemporary medical students. Method: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered anonymously to two medical school classes at matriculation, the end of first year, and the end of second year. Results: Median scores for both classes were low at all points. The proportion of students scoring in the…

Distance Education in the U.S.: A Paradox

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forte, Glenn J.; Schwandt, David R.; Swayze, Susan; Butler, Joan; Ashcraft, Merrill

2016-01-01

Over the last several years distance education (DE) class offerings at U.S. universities and colleges have been increasing at a rate of approximately 10% or more per year (Allen & Seaman, 2014). While the effectiveness of DE classes vis-à-vis that of face-to-face (F2F) classes has been sufficiently documented, there are few studies that…

A Five-Year Review of Student Class Evaluations at Salt Lake Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooney, Frank

This report reviews the past five years of student class evaluations at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). Included in the review are the Instructional Assessment System (IAS) student class evaluations, the results from the new, non-returning and graduating student surveys, and observations on the student comments in those surveys. The average…

Actualizing the Environment: A Study of First-Year Composition Student MOO Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Joel A.

This paper describes the use of technology in a first year college writing class. The class utilizes a multi-user object-oriented domain (MOO) which allows participants to talk, perform actions, thoughts, and emotions, manipulate objects and furniture, and altogether control the online environment. The class holds discussions on the computer in…

Intrinsic classes in the Union of European Football Associations soccer team ranking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ausloos, Marcel

2014-11-01

A strong structural regularity of classes is found in soccer teams ranked by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the time interval 2009-2014. It concerns 424 to 453 teams according to the 5 competition seasons. The analysis is based on the rank-size theory considerations, the size being the UEFA coefficient at the end of a season. Three classes emerge: (i) the few "top" teams, (ii) 300 teams, (iii) the rest of the involved teams (about 150) in the tail of the distribution. There are marked empirical laws describing each class. A 3-parameter Lavalette function is used to describe the concave curving as the rank increases, and to distinguish the the tail from the central behavior.

Advance release of data for the 1980 Statistical Year Book of the electric utility industry. [Monograph; data tables

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

Not Available

1981-01-01

This monograph consists of 25 data tables that will be included in the subject year book, revealing such information as: total US installed generating capacity; installed capacity by states; installed capacity by ownership and type of prime mover; capability - peak load - kWh requirements; generation by states; generation by fuel; sales by years and classes of service; ultimate customers - by years and classes of service; revenues - by years and classes of service; average use and revenue per customer; average revenues per kWh sold; consumption of fossil fuels for electric generation; construction expenditures; and public-utility long-term financing.

CD4+ T cell epitopes of FliC conserved between strains of Burkholderia: implications for vaccines against melioidosis and cepacia complex in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Musson, Julie A; Reynolds, Catherine J; Rinchai, Darawan; Nithichanon, Arnone; Khaenam, Prasong; Favry, Emmanuel; Spink, Natasha; Chu, Karen K Y; De Soyza, Anthony; Bancroft, Gregory J; Lertmemongkolchai, Ganjana; Maillere, Bernard; Boyton, Rosemary J; Altmann, Daniel M; Robinson, John H

2014-12-15

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis characterized by pneumonia and fatal septicemia and prevalent in Southeast Asia. Related Burkholderia species are strong risk factors of mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). The B. pseudomallei flagellar protein FliC is strongly seroreactive and vaccination protects challenged mice. We assessed B. pseudomallei FliC peptide binding affinity to multiple HLA class II alleles and then assessed CD4 T cell immunity in HLA class II transgenic mice and in seropositive individuals in Thailand. T cell hybridomas were generated to investigate cross-reactivity between B. pseudomallei and the related Burkholderia species associated with Cepacia Complex CF. B. pseudomallei FliC contained several peptide sequences with ability to bind multiple HLA class II alleles. Several peptides were shown to encompass strong CD4 T cell epitopes in B. pseudomallei-exposed individuals and in HLA transgenic mice. In particular, the p38 epitope is robustly recognized by CD4 T cells of seropositive donors across diverse HLA haplotypes. T cell hybridomas against an immunogenic B. pseudomallei FliC epitope also cross-reacted with orthologous FliC sequences from Burkholderia multivorans and Burkholderia cenocepacia, important pathogens in CF. Epitopes within FliC were accessible for processing and presentation from live or heat-killed bacteria, demonstrating that flagellin enters the HLA class II Ag presentation pathway during infection of macrophages with B. cenocepacia. Collectively, the data support the possibility of incorporating FliC T cell epitopes into vaccination programs targeting both at-risk individuals in B. pseudomallei endemic regions as well as CF patients. Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Understanding Culture and Influencing Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

difference to significantly change the society from a collectivist to individualist culture .42 Pakistan scores fourteen which indicates a strongly...score lower than fifty indicating a more collectivist society. This helps the strategic leader to appreciate the importance class and culture play on...Pakistan which possess strong uncertainty avoidance scores (70) and low individualistic scores (14) - and are collectivists - rules and laws are

Generalized IRT Models for Extreme Response Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Kuan-Yu; Wang, Wen-Chung

2014-01-01

Extreme response style (ERS) is a systematic tendency for a person to endorse extreme options (e.g., strongly disagree, strongly agree) on Likert-type or rating-scale items. In this study, we develop a new class of item response theory (IRT) models to account for ERS so that the target latent trait is free from the response style and the tendency…

Ideology and Personality: Aspects of Identity Formation in Adolescents with Strong Attitudes Toward Sex-Role Equalitarianism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirsch, Patricia Ann; And Others

1976-01-01

Adolescents with strong attitudes for and against the sex role ideology of the Women's Movement were administered a Q-sort to study flexibility-rigidity and independence-dependence. The results showed that beliefs in equalitarian sex role behaviors are significantly related to aspects of identity formation in white middle class adolescent boys and…

Strong monogamy conjecture for multiqubit entanglement: the four-qubit case.

PubMed

Regula, Bartosz; Di Martino, Sara; Lee, Soojoon; Adesso, Gerardo

2014-09-12

We investigate the distribution of bipartite and multipartite entanglement in multiqubit states. In particular, we define a set of monogamy inequalities sharpening the conventional Coffman-Kundu-Wootters constraints, and we provide analytical proofs of their validity for relevant classes of states. We present extensive numerical evidence validating the conjectured strong monogamy inequalities for arbitrary pure states of four qubits.

Clustering of trauma and associations with single and co-occurring depression and panic attack over twenty years.

PubMed

McCutcheon, Vivia V; Heath, Andrew C; Nelson, Elliot C; Bucholz, Kathleen K; Madden, Pamela A F; Martin, Nicholas G

2010-02-01

Individuals who experience one type of trauma often experience other types, yet few studies have examined the clustering of trauma. This study examines the clustering of traumatic events and associations of trauma with risk for single and co-occurring major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic attack for 20 years after first trauma. Lifetime histories of MDD, panic attack, and traumatic events were obtained from participants in an Australian twin sample. Latent class analysis was used to derive trauma classes based on each respondent's trauma history. Associations of the resulting classes and of parental alcohol problems and familial effects with risk for a first onset of single and co-occurring MDD and panic attack were examined from the year of first trauma to 20 years later. Traumatic events clustered into three distinct classes characterized by endorsement of little or no trauma, primarily nonassaultive, and primarily assaultive events. Individuals in the assaultive class were characterized by a younger age at first trauma, a greater number of traumatic events, and high rates of parental alcohol problems. Members of the assaultive trauma class had the strongest and most enduring risk for single and co-occurring lifetime MDD and panic attack. Assaultive trauma outweighed associations of familial effects and nonassaultive trauma with risk for 10 years following first trauma.

Sleep in university students across years of university education and gender influences.

PubMed

Manzar, Md Dilshad; Zannat, Wassilatul; Kaur, Manpreet; Hussain, M Ejaz

2015-08-01

Assessment of the influence of gender and increasing years at university on sleep health of students. Four hundred and eighteen students from different streams across years of undergraduate to postgraduate courses participated. Descriptive statistics, test of differences, and correlation were used. The sleep health data comprised of subjective evaluation using a questionnaire and personal interviews. Overall, 43.1% had sleep problems, females were more affected (51.67% vs. 48.33% in males) but were early bed goers. The prevalence of circadian rhythm sleep disorder (11.6% vs. 9.5%) and delayed sleep phase syndrome (4.5% vs. 2.7%) was slightly higher in males. The daytime dysfunction and hypnotic use significantly differed in students of the same class among gender. Bedtime got significantly delayed along years [H(2)=29.769, p<0.001], and hypnotic use [H(2)=8.807, p=0.012] differed significantly among them. The moderate-very strong correlational statistics among sleep health elements was very similar across gender and years of university education. However, more pronounced influence of years of university education than gender was seen in the significant differences for correlated correlation among sleep health parameters. Gender and years of university education influence sleep among university students both separately and concomitantly.

Enrollment trends in American soil science classes: 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Vaughan, Karen L.; Parikh, Sanjai J.; Dolliver, Holly; Lindbo, David; Steffan, Joshua J.; Weindorf, David; McDaniel, Paul; Mbila, Monday; Edinger-Marshall, Susan

2017-04-01

Studies indicate that soil science enrollment in the USA was on the decline in the 1990s and into the early 2000s (Baveye et al., 2006; Collins, 2008). However, a recent study indicated that in the seven years from 2007 through 2014 the number of soil science academic majors, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, was on the increase (Brevik et al., 2014). However, the Brevik et al. (2014) study only looked at the number of soil science majors, it did not look at other important trends in soil science enrollment. Therefore, this study was developed to investigate enrollment numbers in individual soil science classes. To investigate this, we collected data from ten different American universities on the enrollment trends for seven different classes taught at the undergraduate level, introduction to soil science, soil fertility, soil management, pedology, soil biology/microbiology, soil chemistry, and soil physics, over a 10 year time period (2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years). Enrollment in each individual class was investigated over five (2009-2010 to 2013-2014) and 10 (2004-2005 to 2013-2014) year trends. All classes showed increasing enrollment over the five year study period except for soil physics, which experienced a modest decline in enrollment (-4.1% per year). The soil chemistry (23.2% per year) and soil management (10.1% per year) classes had the largest percentage gain in enrollment over the five year time period. All classes investigated experienced increased enrollment over the 10 year study period except soil biology/microbiology, which had an essentially stable enrollment (0.8% enrollment gain per year). Soil physics (28.9% per year) and soil chemistry (14.7% per year) had the largest percentage gain in enrollment over the 10 year time period. It is worth noting that soil physics enrollments had a large increase from 2004-2005 through 2009-2010, then dropped to and stabilized at a level that was lower than the 2009-2010 high but much higher than enrollment levels through the first three years of the study. This explains soil physics being the only class to show an enrollment decline over the five year trend while showing the greatest percentage gain over the 10 year trend. Overall, the individual classes showed 12 examples of increasing enrollment, one example of stable enrollment, and one example of declining enrollment. These results were interpreted as indicating that enrollment in soil science classes at American universities was on the rise over the time period of the study. References Baveye, P., Jacobson, A.R., Allaire, S.E., Tandarich, J.P. and Bryant, R.B., 2006. Whither goes soil science in the United States and Canada? Soil Science 171, 501-518. Brevik, E.C., Abit, S., Brown, D., Dolliver, H., Hopkins, D., Lindbo, D., Manu, A., Mbila, M., Parikh, S.J., Schulze, D., Shaw, J., Weil, R., Weindorf, D., 2014. Soil science education in the United States: history and current enrollment trends. Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science 62(4), 299-306. Collins, M.E., 2008. Where have all the soils students gone? Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 37, 117-124.

Testing mate choice and overdominance at MH in natural families of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar.

PubMed

Tentelier, C; Barroso-Gomila, O; Lepais, O; Manicki, A; Romero-Garmendia, I; Jugo, B M

2017-04-01

This study aimed to test mate choice and selection during early life stages on major histocompatibility (MH) genotype in natural families of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar spawners and juveniles, using nine microsatellites to reconstruct families, one microsatellite linked to an MH class I gene and one minisatellite linked to an MH class II gene. MH-based mate choice was only detected for the class I locus on the first year, with lower expected heterozygosity in the offspring of actually mated pairs than predicted under random mating. The genotype frequencies of MH-linked loci observed in the juveniles were compared with frequencies expected from Mendelian inheritance of parental alleles to detect selection during early life stages. No selection was detected on the locus linked to class I gene. For the locus linked to class II gene, observed heterozygosity was higher than expected in the first year and lower in the second year, suggesting overdominance and underdominance, respectively. Within family, juveniles' body size was linked to heterozygosity at the same locus, with longer heterozygotes in the first year and longer homozygotes in the second year. Selection therefore seems to differ from one locus to the other and from year to year. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Contrasting evolutionary histories of MHC class I and class II loci in grouse—Effects of selection and gene conversion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minias, Piotr; Bateson, Zachary W.; Whittingham, Linda A.; Johnson, Jeff A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Dunn, Peter O.

2016-01-01

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encode receptor molecules that are responsible for recognition of intracellular and extracellular pathogens (class I and class II genes, respectively) in vertebrates. Given the different roles of class I and II MHC genes, one might expect the strength of selection to differ between these two classes. Different selective pressures may also promote different rates of gene conversion at each class. Despite these predictions, surprisingly few studies have looked at differences between class I and II genes in terms of both selection and gene conversion. Here, we investigated the molecular evolution of MHC class I and II genes in five closely related species of prairie grouse (Centrocercus and Tympanuchus) that possess one class I and two class II loci. We found striking differences in the strength of balancing selection acting on MHC class I versus class II genes. More than half of the putative antigen-binding sites (ABS) of class II were under positive or episodic diversifying selection, compared with only 10% at class I. We also found that gene conversion had a stronger role in shaping the evolution of MHC class II than class I. Overall, the combination of strong positive (balancing) selection and frequent gene conversion has maintained higher diversity of MHC class II than class I in prairie grouse. This is one of the first studies clearly demonstrating that macroevolutionary mechanisms can act differently on genes involved in the immune response against intracellular and extracellular pathogens.

Contrasting evolutionary histories of MHC class I and class II loci in grouse—effects of selection and gene conversion

PubMed Central

Minias, P; Bateson, Z W; Whittingham, L A; Johnson, J A; Oyler-McCance, S; Dunn, P O

2016-01-01

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encode receptor molecules that are responsible for recognition of intracellular and extracellular pathogens (class I and class II genes, respectively) in vertebrates. Given the different roles of class I and II MHC genes, one might expect the strength of selection to differ between these two classes. Different selective pressures may also promote different rates of gene conversion at each class. Despite these predictions, surprisingly few studies have looked at differences between class I and II genes in terms of both selection and gene conversion. Here, we investigated the molecular evolution of MHC class I and II genes in five closely related species of prairie grouse (Centrocercus and Tympanuchus) that possess one class I and two class II loci. We found striking differences in the strength of balancing selection acting on MHC class I versus class II genes. More than half of the putative antigen-binding sites (ABS) of class II were under positive or episodic diversifying selection, compared with only 10% at class I. We also found that gene conversion had a stronger role in shaping the evolution of MHC class II than class I. Overall, the combination of strong positive (balancing) selection and frequent gene conversion has maintained higher diversity of MHC class II than class I in prairie grouse. This is one of the first studies clearly demonstrating that macroevolutionary mechanisms can act differently on genes involved in the immune response against intracellular and extracellular pathogens. PMID:26860199

Molindone

MedlinePlus

... disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions). Molindone is in a class of medications called conventional (typical) antipsychotics. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.

Using Time-on-Task Measurements to Understand Student Performance in a Physics Class: A Ten-Year Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, John

2015-04-01

The amount of time spent on out-of-class activities such as working homework, reading, and studying for examinations is presented for 10 years of an introductory, calculus-based physics class at a large public university. While the class underwent significant change in the 10 years studied, the amount of time invested by students in weeks not containing an in-semester examination was constant and did not vary with the length of the reading or homework assignments. The amount of time spent preparing for examinations did change as the course was modified. The time spent on class assignments, both reading and homework, did not scale linearly with the length of the assignment. The time invested in both reading and homework per length of the assignment decreased as the assignments became longer. The class average time invested in examination preparation did change with the average performance on previous examinations in the same class, with more time spent in preparation for lower previous examination scores (R2 = 0 . 70).

Parental concerns, socioeconomic status, and the risk of autism spectrum conditions in a population-based study.

PubMed

Sun, Xiang; Allison, Carrie; Auyeung, Bonnie; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Brayne, Carol

2014-12-01

A total number of 11,635 screening packs were distributed to 5-10 year-old children in 136 schools in Cambridgeshire to investigate the associations between levels of parental concern (none/minor/strong), socioeconomic status and the risk of having Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). The variables for investigating associations and possible confounders were extracted for analysis, including parental concern question score, SES, age of the child, sex, maternal age at birth, paternal age at birth, mother's age of leaving education, father's age of leaving education, birth order and the number of children in the family. The SES, age of the child, sex and mother's age at leaving education were associated with parental concern. Parents with higher SES reported higher levels of concern (Chi-square = 11.8; p = 0.02). However, a higher SES was not associated with the risk of having ASC (p = 0.50). After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds of children meeting ASC criteria whose parents had reported strong parental concern were 8.5 times (odds ratio: 8.5; 95%CI: 4.5, 16.2; p < 0.001) the odds of children having ASC whose parents reported minor concern. No child met ASC criteria where parents expressed no concerns. Parents with higher social class express more concerns than those from lower social classes. However, the concerns reported by parents in higher SES did not appear to be specific for ASC as there was no relationship between ASC and SES. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliability of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS).

PubMed

Mailend, Marja-Liisa; Plante, Elena; Anderson, Michele A; Applegate, E Brooks; Nelson, Nickola W

2016-07-01

As new standardized tests become commercially available, it is critical that clinicians have access to the information about a test's psychometric properties, including aspects of reliability. The purpose of the three studies reported in this article was to investigate the reliability of a new test, the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS), with consideration of both internal and external sources of measurement error. The TILLS was administered to children aged 6;0-18;11 years. The participants varied in terms of their language and literacy skills and included children with typical language development as well as those diagnosed with language or learning disability. The sample of children also varied in terms of their racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Study 1 (N = 1056) assessed the internal consistency of TILLS calculating the coefficient omega for each subtest. Study 2 (N = 103) and Study 3 (N = 39) used the intra-class correlation coefficients to report on test-retest and inter-rater reliability respectively. The results indicate strong internal consistency and inter-rater reliability for all subtests of TILLS. The test-retest reliability was strong for all but one subtest, for which the intra-class correlation coefficient was in the acceptable range. This article provides clinicians with essential scientific information that supports the internal and external reliability of a new test of oral and written language skills, the TILLS. Information about reliability is critical for guiding the selection of an appropriate diagnostic tool amongst a number of options. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

WHY IS A FLARE-RICH ACTIVE REGION CME-POOR?

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

Liu, Lijuan; Wang, Yuming; Shen, Chenglong

Solar active regions (ARs) are the major sources of two of the most violent solar eruptions, namely flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The largest AR in the past 24 years, NOAA AR 12192, which crossed the visible disk from 2014 October 17 to 30, unusually produced more than one hundred flares, including 32 M-class and 6 X-class ones, but only one small CME. Flares and CMEs are believed to be two phenomena in the same eruptive process. Why is such a flare-rich AR so CME-poor? We compared this AR with other four ARs; two were productive in both andmore » two were inert. The investigation of the photospheric parameters based on the SDO /HMI vector magnetogram reveals that the flare-rich AR 12192, as with the other two productive ARs, has larger magnetic flux, current, and free magnetic energy than the two inert ARs but, in contrast to the two productive ARs, it has no strong, concentrated current helicity along both sides of the flaring neutral line, indicating the absence of a mature magnetic structure consisting of highly sheared or twisted field lines. Furthermore, the decay index above the AR 12192 is relatively low, showing strong constraint. These results suggest that productive ARs are always large and have enough current and free energy to power flares, but whether or not a flare is accompanied by a CME is seemingly related to (1) the presence of a mature sheared or twisted core field serving as the seed of the CME, or (2) a weak enough constraint of the overlying arcades.« less

Environmental Effects on Mesozooplankton Size Structure and Export Flux at Station ALOHA, North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, Bellineth; Décima, Moira; Landry, Michael R.

2018-02-01

Using size-fractionated mesozooplankton biomass data collected over 23 years (1994-2016) of increasing primary production (PP) at station ALOHA (A Long-Term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment), we evaluate how changing environmental conditions affect mesozooplankton size structure, trophic cycling, and export fluxes in the subtropical North Pacific. From generalized additive model analysis, size structure is significantly influenced by a nonlinear relationship with sea surface temperature that is mainly driven by the strong 1997-1998 El Niño and a positive and linear relationship with PP. Increasing PP has more strongly enhanced the biomass of smaller (0.2-0.5 mm) and larger (>5 mm) mesozooplankton, increasing evenness of the biomass spectra, while animals of 2-5 mm, the major size class for vertically migrating mesozooplankton, show no long-term trend. Measured PP is sufficient to meet feeding requirements that satisfy mesozooplankton respiration and growth rates, as determined by commonly used empirical relationships based on animal size and temperature, consistent with a tightly coupled food web with one intermediate level for protistan consumers. Estimated fecal pellet production suggests an enhanced contribution of mesozooplankton to passive particle export relative to the material collected in 150 m sediment traps. In contrast, the biomass of vertically migrants does not vary systematically with PP due to the varying responses of the different size classes. These results illustrate some complexities in understanding how varying environmental conditions can affect carbon cycling and export processes at the community level in open-ocean oligotrophic systems, which need to be confirmed and better understood by process-oriented mechanistic study.

Antenatal psychosocial risk factors associated with adverse postpartum family outcomes.

PubMed Central

Wilson, L M; Reid, A J; Midmer, D K; Biringer, A; Carroll, J C; Stewart, D E

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the strength of the association between antenatal psychosocial risk factors and adverse postpartum outcomes in the family, such as assault of women by their partner, child abuse, postpartum depression, marital dysfunction and physical illness. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Cinahl, Famli, Psych Abstracts and the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials were searched from relevant articles published from Jan. 1, 1980, to Dec. 31, 1993, with the use of MeSH terms "depression, involutional," "child abuse," "child neglect," "domestic violence," "family," "marital adjustment," "family health," "newborn health," "child health," "physical illness," "social support," "psychosocial risk," "prediction," "risk factors," "obstetrics" and "prenatal care." Further articles were identified from bibliographies. STUDY SELECTION: Of the 370 articles identified through the search, 118 were included for review. Studies were included if they examined the association between psychosocial risk factors and the outcomes of interest. Articles were excluded if they were reviews of poor quality or they had one or more of the following features: insufficient description of the sample, a high attrition rate, a lack of standardized outcome measures, outcomes other than the ones of interest or results that had already been reported in a previous study. DATA EXTRACTION: The strength of evidence of each study was evaluated. On the basis of the evidence, each risk factor was assigned a rating of the strength of its association with each of the postpartum outcomes. The ratings were class A (good evidence of association), class B (fair evidence) and class C (no clear evidence). Of the 129 antenatal psychosocial risk factors studied, 15 were found to have a class A association with at least one of the postpartum outcomes. DATA SYNTHESIS: Child abuse and abuse of the mother by her partner were most strongly correlated (class A evidence) with a history of lack of social support, recent life stressors, psychiatric disturbance in the mother and an unwanted pregnancy. Child abuse was also strongly associated with a history of childhood violence in the mother or her partner, previous child abuse by the mother's partner, a poor relationship between the mother and her parents, low self-esteem in the mother and lack of attendance at prenatal classes. Postpartum abuse of the mother was also associated with a history of abuse of the mother, prenatal care not started until the third trimester and alcohol or drug abuse by the mother or her partner (class A evidence). Child abuse had a fair (class B) association with poor marital adjustment or satisfaction, current or past abuse of the mother and alcohol or drug abuse by the mother or her partner. There was class B evidence supporting an association between abuse of the mother and poor marital adjustment, traditional sex-role expectations, a history of childhood violence in the mother or her partner and low self-esteem in the mother. Postpartum depression was most strongly associated with poor marital adjustment, recent life stressors, antepartum depression (class A evidence), but was also associated with lack of social support, abuse of the mother and a history of psychiatric disorder in the mother (class B evidence). Marital dysfunction was associated with poor marital adjustment before the birth and traditional sex-role expectations (class A evidence), and physical illness was correlated with recent life stressors (class B evidence). CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial risk factors during the antenatal period may herald postpartum morbidity. Research is required to determine whether detection of these risk factors may lead to interventions that improve postpartum family outcomes. PMID:8634957

Relationship of serum uric acid and Killip class on mortality after acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

PubMed

Liu, Cheng-Wei; Liao, Pen-Chih; Chen, Kuo-Chin; Chiu, Yu-Wei; Liu, Yuan-Hung; Ke, Shin-Rong; Wu, Yen-Wen

2017-01-01

There is conflicting information regarding the association between hyperuricemia and survival in STEMI patients. Our study examined the interaction between hyperuricemia and Killip class on mortality of STEMI patients. We analyzed 951 consecutive STEMI patients between February 2006 and September 2012. Hyperuricemia was defined as SUA of at least 7mg/dL in males and 6mg/dL in females. Killip class I patients were divided into hyperuricemia and normouricemia groups. The Killip class I hyperuricemia and normouricemia groups had similar baseline and procedural characteristics, but the hyperuricemia group had significantly greater BMI, serum creatinine, and SUA, and a lower TIMI risk score (2, IQR: 1-4 vs. 3, IQR: 2-4, p=0.019). The hyperuricemia group also had greater 30-day and 1-year mortality rates (2.9% vs. 0.3%, p=0.022; 6.5% vs. 1.1%, p=0.002, respectively). However, hyperuricemia was not associated with mortality of patients in Killip classes II-IV or in the overall study population. Hyperuricemia was associated with increased mortality in subgroups of patients who were at least 65years-old, male, had BMI of 25kg/m 2 or less, were in Killip class I, without diabetes, and who did not receive intra-aortic balloon pump support. Hyperuricemia interacted with Killip class I in increasing the risk for 1-year mortality (p for interaction=0.038). Hyperuricemia increased the 1-year mortality of STEMI patients in Killip class I, but not of patients in Killip classes II-IV. An interaction of hyperuricemia and Killip class significantly affects the mortality of STEMI patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum chaos for nonstandard symmetry classes in the Feingold-Peres model of coupled tops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Yiyun; Gnutzmann, Sven; Liang, Yuqi

2017-12-01

We consider two coupled quantum tops with angular momentum vectors L and M . The coupling Hamiltonian defines the Feingold-Peres model, which is a known paradigm of quantum chaos. We show that this model has a nonstandard symmetry with respect to the Altland-Zirnbauer tenfold symmetry classification of quantum systems, which extends the well-known threefold way of Wigner and Dyson (referred to as "standard" symmetry classes here). We identify the nonstandard symmetry classes BD I0 (chiral orthogonal class with no zero modes), BD I1 (chiral orthogonal class with one zero mode), and C I (antichiral orthogonal class) as well as the standard symmetry class A I (orthogonal class). We numerically analyze the specific spectral quantum signatures of chaos related to the nonstandard symmetries. In the microscopic density of states and in the distribution of the lowest positive energy eigenvalue, we show that the Feingold-Peres model follows the predictions of the Gaussian ensembles of random-matrix theory in the appropriate symmetry class if the corresponding classical dynamics is chaotic. In a crossover to mixed and near-integrable classical dynamics, we show that these signatures disappear or strongly change.

Quantum chaos for nonstandard symmetry classes in the Feingold-Peres model of coupled tops.

PubMed

Fan, Yiyun; Gnutzmann, Sven; Liang, Yuqi

2017-12-01

We consider two coupled quantum tops with angular momentum vectors L and M. The coupling Hamiltonian defines the Feingold-Peres model, which is a known paradigm of quantum chaos. We show that this model has a nonstandard symmetry with respect to the Altland-Zirnbauer tenfold symmetry classification of quantum systems, which extends the well-known threefold way of Wigner and Dyson (referred to as "standard" symmetry classes here). We identify the nonstandard symmetry classes BDI_{0} (chiral orthogonal class with no zero modes), BDI_{1} (chiral orthogonal class with one zero mode), and CI (antichiral orthogonal class) as well as the standard symmetry class AI (orthogonal class). We numerically analyze the specific spectral quantum signatures of chaos related to the nonstandard symmetries. In the microscopic density of states and in the distribution of the lowest positive energy eigenvalue, we show that the Feingold-Peres model follows the predictions of the Gaussian ensembles of random-matrix theory in the appropriate symmetry class if the corresponding classical dynamics is chaotic. In a crossover to mixed and near-integrable classical dynamics, we show that these signatures disappear or strongly change.

The Magnitude of Occupational Class Differences in Sickness Absence: 15-Year Trends among Young and Middle-Aged Municipal Employees.

PubMed

Sumanen, Hilla; Lahelma, Eero; Pietiläinen, Olli; Rahkonen, Ossi

2017-06-09

Background : Our aim was to examine the magnitude of relative occupational class differences in sickness absence (SA) days over a 15-year period among female and male municipal employees in two age-groups. Methods : 18-34 and 35-59-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki from 2002 to 2016 were included in our data ( n = ~37,500 per year). Occupational class was classified into four groups. The magnitude of relative occupational class differences in SA was studied using the relative index of inequality (RII). Results : The relative occupational class differences were larger among older than younger employees; the largest differences were among 35-59-year-old men. Among women in both age-groups the relative class differences remained stable during 2002-2016. Among younger and older men, the differences were larger during the beginning of study period than in the end. Among women in both age-groups the RII values were between 2.19 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.98, 2.42) and 3.60 (95% CI 3.28, 3.95). The corresponding differences varied from 3.74 (95% CI 3.13, 4.48) to 1.68 (95% CI 1.44, 1.97) among younger and from 6.43 (95% CI 5.85, 7.06) to 3.31 (95% CI 2.98, 3.68) among older men. Relative occupational class differences were persistent among employees irrespective of age group and gender. Preventive measures should be started at young age.

Five-class height-weight mean and SD system applying Estonian reference values of height-weight mean and SD for systematization of seventeen-year-old conscripts' anthropometric data.

PubMed

Lintsi, Mart; Kaarma, Helje; Aunapuu, Marina; Arend, Andres

2007-03-01

A study of 739 conscripts aged 17 years from the town of Tartu and from the Tartu county was performed. Height, weight, 33 anthropometric measurements and 12 skinfolds were measured. The data were classified into five height-weight mean and SD-classes applying the Estonian reference values for this age and sex (Grünberg et al. 1998). There were 3 classes with conformity between height and weight class: 1--small (small height and small weight), 2--medium (medium height and medium weight), 3--large (large height and large weight), 4--weight class dominating (pyknomorphic) and 5--height class dominating (leptomorphic). It was found, that in classes 1, 2 and 3 the height and weight increase was in accordance with the increase in all heights, breadths and depths, circumferences, skinfolds, body fat, muscle and bone mass. In class 4 circumferences, skinfolds, body fat and muscle mass were bigger. In class 5 all heights and the relative bone mass were bigger. The present investigation confirms the assumption that the five height-weight mean and SD five-class system applying the Estonian reference values for classifying the anthropometric variables is suitable for seventeen-year-old conscripts. As well the border values of 5%, 50% and 95% for every anthropometrical variable in the five-classes were calculated, which may be helpful for practical classifying.

An Analysis of the Perceptions and Resources of Large University Classes

PubMed Central

Cash, Ceilidh Barlow; Letargo, Jessa; Graether, Steffen P.; Jacobs, Shoshanah R.

2017-01-01

Large class learning is a reality that is not exclusive to the first-year experience at midsized, comprehensive universities; upper-year courses have similarly high enrollment, with many class sizes greater than 200 students. Research into the efficacy and deficiencies of large undergraduate classes has been ongoing for more than 100 years, with most research associating large classes with weak student engagement, decreased depth of learning, and ineffective interactions. This study used a multidimensional research approach to survey student and instructor perceptions of large biology classes and to characterize the courses offered by a department according to resources and course structure using a categorical principal components analysis. Both student and instructor survey results indicated that a large class begins around 240 students. Large classes were identified as impersonal and classified using extrinsic qualifiers; however, students did identify techniques that made the classes feel smaller. In addition to the qualitative survey, we also attempted to quantify courses by collecting data from course outlines and analyzed the data using categorical principal component analysis. The analysis maps institutional change in resource allocation and teaching structure from 2010 through 2014 and validates the use of categorical principal components analysis in educational research. We examine what perceptions and factors are involved in a large class that is perceived to feel small. Our analysis suggests that it is not the addition of resources or difference in the lecturing method, but it is the instructor that determines whether a large class can feel small. PMID:28495937

A survey of valleys and basins of the western United States for the capacity to produce winter ozone.

PubMed

Mansfield, Marc L; Hall, Courtney F

2018-04-18

High winter ozone in the Uintah Basin, Utah, and the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming, occurs because of the confluence of three separate factors: (1) extensive oil or natural gas production, (2) topography conducive to strong multiple-day thermal inversions, and (3) snow cover. We surveyed 13 basins and valleys in the western United States for the existence and magnitude of these factors. Seven of the basins, because winter ozone measurements were available, were assigned to four different behavioral classes. Based on similarities among the basins, the remaining six were also given a tentative assignment. Two classes (1 and 2) correspond to basins with high ozone because all three factors just listed are present at sufficient magnitude. Class 3 corresponds to rural basins with ozone at background levels, and occurs because at least one of the three factors is weak or absent. Class 4 corresponds to ozone below background levels, and occurs, for example, in urban basins where emissions scavenge ozone. All three factors are present in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming, but compared to the Uintah or the Upper Green Basins, it has only moderate oil and gas production and is assigned to class 3. We predict that the Wind River Basin, as well as other class 3 basins that have inversions and snow cover, would transition from background (class 3) to high ozone behavior (class 1 or 2) if oil or gas production were to intensify, or to class 4 (low winter ozone) if they were to become urban. High ozone concentrations in winter only occur in basins or valleys that have an active oil and natural gas production industry, multiple-day thermal inversions, and snow cover, and have only been documented in two basins worldwide. We have examined a number of other candidate basins in the western United States and conclude that these factors are either absent or too weak to produce high winter ozone. This study illustrates how strong each factor needs to be before winter ozone can be expected, and can be used by planners and regulators to foresee the development of winter ozone problems.

ARRA-funded VS30 measurements using multi-technique approach at strong-motion stations in California and central-eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yong, Alan; Martin, Antony; Stokoe, Kenneth; Diehl, John

2013-01-01

Funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), we conducted geophysical site characterizations at 191 strong-motion stations: 187 in California and 4 in the Central-Eastern United States (CEUS). The geophysical methods used at each site included passive and active surface-wave and body-wave techniques. Multiple techniques were used at most sites, with the goal of robustly determining VS (shear-wave velocity) profiles and VS30 (the time-averaged shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 meters depth). These techniques included: horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR), two-dimensional (2-D) array microtremor (AM), refraction microtremor (ReMi™), spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW), multi-channel analysis of surface waves (Rayleigh wave: MASRW; and Love wave: MASLW), and compressional- and shear-wave refraction. Of the selected sites, 47 percent have crystalline, volcanic, or sedimentary rock at the surface or at relatively shallow depth, and 53 percent are of Quaternary sediments located in either rural or urban environments. Calculated values of VS30 span almost the full range of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Site Classes, from D (stiff soils) to B (rock). The NEHRP Site Classes based on VS30 range from being consistent with the Class expected from analysis of surficial geology, to being one or two Site Classes below expected. In a few cases where differences between the observed and expected Site Class occurred, it was the consequence of inaccurate or coarse geologic mapping, as well as considerable degradation of the near-surface rock. Additionally, several sites mapped as rock have Site Class D (stiff soil) velocities, which is due to the extensive weathering of the surficial rock.

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

Rivkin, Andrew S.; Thomas, Cristina A.; Howell, Ellen S.

Asteroids belonging to the Ch spectral taxonomic class are defined by the presence of an absorption near 0.7 μm, which is interpreted as due to Fe-bearing phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates also cause strong absorptions in the 3 μm region, as do other hydrated and hydroxylated minerals and H{sub 2}O ice. Over the past decade, spectral observations have revealed different 3 μm band shapes in the asteroid population. Although a formal taxonomy is yet to be fully established, the “Pallas-type” spectral group is most consistent with the presence of phyllosilicates. If Ch class and Pallas type are both indicative of phyllosilicates, then allmore » Ch-class asteroids should also be Pallas-type. In order to test this hypothesis, we obtained 42 observations of 36 Ch-class asteroids in the 2 to 4 μm spectral region. We found that 88% of the spectra have 3 μm band shapes most consistent with the Pallas-type group. This is the first asteroid class for which such a strong correlation has been found. Because the Ch class is defined by the presence of an absorption near 0.7 μm, this demonstrates that the 0.7 μm band serves not only as a proxy for the presence of a band in the 3 μm region, but specifically for the presence of Pallas-type bands. There is some evidence for a correlation between band depth at 2.95 μm and absolute magnitude and/or albedo. However, we find only weak correlations between 2.95 μm band depth and semimajor axis. The connection between band depths in the 0.7 and 3 μm regions is complex and in need of further investigation.« less

The flipped classroom stimulates greater learning and is a modern 21st century approach to teaching today's undergraduates.

PubMed

Mortensen, C J; Nicholson, A M

2015-07-01

Many classrooms in higher education still rely on a transformative approach to teaching where students attend lectures and earn course grades through examination. In the modern age, traditional lectures are argued by some as obsolete and do not address the learning needs of today’s students. An emerging pedagogical approach is the concept of the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom can simply be described as students viewing asynchronous video lectures on their own and then engaging in active learning during scheduled class times. In this study, we examined the flipped classroom teaching environment on student learning gains in an Introduction to Equine Science course. Students (n = 130) were asked to view 7.5 h of recorded lectures divided into 8 learning modules, take online quizzes to enforce lecture viewing, take 3 in-class exams, and prepare to participate in active learning during scheduled class times. Active learning approaches included individual activities, paired activities, informal small groups, and large group activities. When compared to students in the traditional lecture format in earlier years, students in the flipped format scored higher on all 3 exams (P < 0.05), with both formats taught by the same instructor. Analysis of ACT scores demonstrated no intellectual capacity differences between the student populations. To evaluate any gains in critical thinking, flipped format students were asked to take the Cornell Critical Thinking Exam (version X). Scores improved from the pretest (50.8 ± 0.57) to the posttest (54.4 ± 0.58; P < 0.01). In the flipped course, no correlations were found with student performance and interactions with online content. Students were asked in class to evaluate their experiences based on a 5-point Likert scale: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The flipped classroom was ranked as an enjoyable learning experience with a mean of 4.4 ± 0.10, while students responded positively to other pointed questions. In formal course evaluations, flipped format students ranked the following higher (P < 0.05): instructor availability to assist students; encouragement of independent, creative, and critical thinking; and amount learned. Overall, the flipped classroom proved to be a positive learning experience for students. As the classroom continues to modernize, pedagogical approaches such as the flipped classroom should be considered for many lecture-style courses taught in the animal sciences.

Occupational class differences in suicide: evidence of changes over time and during the global financial crisis in Australia.

PubMed

Milner, Alison J; Niven, Heather; LaMontagne, Anthony D

2015-09-21

Previous research showed an increase in Australian suicide rates during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). There has been no research investigating whether suicide rates by occupational class changed during the GFC. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the GFC-associated increase in suicide rates in employed Australians may have masked changes by occupational class. Negative binomial regression models were used to investigate Rate Ratios (RRs) in suicide by occupational class. Years of the GFC (2007, 2008, 2009) were compared to the baseline years 2001-2006. There were widening disparities between a number of the lower class occupations and the highest class occupations during the years 2007, 2008, and 2009 for males, but less evidence of differences for females. Occupational disparities in suicide rates widened over the GFC period. There is a need for programs to be responsive to economic downturns, and to prioritise the occupational groups most affected.

Immediate effects of form-class constraints on spoken word recognition

PubMed Central

Magnuson, James S.; Tanenhaus, Michael K.; Aslin, Richard N.

2008-01-01

In many domains of cognitive processing there is strong support for bottom-up priority and delayed top-down (contextual) integration. We ask whether this applies to supra-lexical context that could potentially constrain lexical access. Previous findings of early context integration in word recognition have typically used constraints that can be linked to pair-wise conceptual relations between words. Using an artificial lexicon, we found immediate integration of syntactic expectations based on pragmatic constraints linked to syntactic categories rather than words: phonologically similar “nouns” and “adjectives” did not compete when a combination of syntactic and visual information strongly predicted form class. These results suggest that predictive context is integrated continuously, and that previous findings supporting delayed context integration stem from weak contexts rather than delayed integration. PMID:18675408

An Analysis of a First-Year Class on the Self-Efficacy of University Students in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Kimie; Nakagami, Masafumi

2015-01-01

This study aimed to examine the effect of the first-year class in Japanese universities on developing students' self-efficacy. An analysis of the class design based on the theory of self-efficacy implies that such courses are primarily intended to develop students' self-efficacy by putting them through enactive mastery experiences. In addition,…

How Tweens View Single-Sex Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spielhagen, Frances R.

2006-01-01

Spielhagen reports on her interviews with students in Hudson Valley Middle School, a middle school in a rural district in upstate New York that has offered voluntary single-sex classes for three years. The 24 6th, 7th, and 8th graders whom she interviewed had chosen to take all-boy or all-girl academic classes for at least one year. All Hudson…

The hierarchy of stability and predictability in orthognathic surgery with rigid fixation: an update and extension.

PubMed

Proffit, William R; Turvey, Timothy A; Phillips, Ceib

2007-04-30

A hierarchy of stability exists among the types of surgical movements that are possible with orthognathic surgery. This report updates the hierarchy, focusing on comparison of the stability of procedures when rigid fixation is used. Two procedures not previously placed in the hierarchy now are included: correction of asymmetry is stable with rigid fixation and repositioning of the chin also is very stable. During the first post-surgical year, surgical movements in patients treated for Class II/long face problems tend to be more stable than those treated for Class III problems. Clinically relevant changes (more than 2 mm) occur in a surprisingly large percentage of orthognathic surgery patients from one to five years post-treatment, after surgical healing is complete. During the first post-surgical year, patients treated for Class II/long face problems are more stable than those treated for Class III problems; from one to five years post-treatment, some patients in both groups experience skeletal change, but the Class III patients then are more stable than the Class II/long face patients. Fewer patients exhibit long-term changes in the dental occlusion than skeletal changes, because the dentition usually adapts to the skeletal change.

Flexible Organisation of Educational Work in Kindergarten.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plestenjak, Majda

This study examined the attitudes of 140 children ages 2 through 7 toward mixed-age grouping in a Slovenian kindergarten (preschool) setting. On four consecutive Friday mornings the children, normally grouped in classes aged 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years, and 5-7 years, were given the opportunity to switch classes and play among children of…

How good strong union men line it out: explorations of the structure and dynamics of coal-miners' class consciousness

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

Yarrow, M.N.

1982-01-01

This study explores how working-class people apprehend and analyze the class dynamics of their social world. As an exploratory empirical study of the structure and dynamics of working-class consciousness, it seeks to develop the theory of actual class consciousness by bringing previous theories into dialogue with the articulated analyses of coal miners in central Appalachia. Although changing conditions are shown to have a powerful effect on class consciousness, the respondents were found to respond differently to the changing context and to remain loyal to important elements of their earlier perspectives. Suggestions are made for how the theory could be developedmore » further. The data for the study are flexibly structured interviews which were conducted with active, retired, and disabled miners in southern West Virginia and western Virginia. A dozen miners were interviewed during the 1978 strike and again the following summer; during the summer of 1978, nineteen additional miners were interviewed.« less

Analytical approximate solutions for a general class of nonlinear delay differential equations.

PubMed

Căruntu, Bogdan; Bota, Constantin

2014-01-01

We use the polynomial least squares method (PLSM), which allows us to compute analytical approximate polynomial solutions for a very general class of strongly nonlinear delay differential equations. The method is tested by computing approximate solutions for several applications including the pantograph equations and a nonlinear time-delay model from biology. The accuracy of the method is illustrated by a comparison with approximate solutions previously computed using other methods.

Body mass trajectories, diabetes mellitus, and mortality in a large cohort of Austrian adults.

PubMed

Peter, Raphael Simon; Keller, Ferdinand; Klenk, Jochen; Concin, Hans; Nagel, Gabriele

2016-12-01

There are only few studies on latent trajectories of body mass index (BMI) and their association with diabetes incidence and mortality in adults.We used data of the Vorarlberg Health Monitoring & Prevention Program and included individuals (N=24,875) with BMI measurements over a 12-year period. Trajectory classes were identified using growth mixture modeling for predefined age groups (<50, 50-65, >65 years of age) and men, women separately. Poisson models were applied to estimate incidence and prevalence of diabetes for each trajectory class. Relative all-cause mortality and diabetes-related mortality was estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression.We identified 4 trajectory classes for the age groups <50 years and 50 to 65 years, and 3 for age groups >65 years. For all age groups, a stable BMI trajectory class was the largest, with about 90% of men and 70% to 80% of women. For the low stable BMI classes, the corresponding fasting glucose levels were the lowest. The highest diabetes prevalences were observed for decreasing trajectories. During subsequent follow-up of mean 8.1 (SD 2.0) years, 2741 individuals died. For men <50 years, highest mortality was observed for steady weight gainers. For all other age-sex groups, mortality was the highest for decreasing trajectories.We found considerably heterogeneity in BMI trajectories by sex and age. Stable weight, however, was the largest class over all age and sex groups, and was associated with the lowest diabetes incidence and mortality suggesting that maintaining weight at a moderate level is an important public health goal.

Age Differences Explain Social Class Differences in Students' Friendship at University: Implications for Transition and Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Mark; Wright, Chrysalis L.

2015-01-01

The present research tested the hypotheses that (a) working-class students have fewer friends at university than middle-class students and (b) this social class difference occurs because working-class students tend to be older than middle-class students. A sample of 376 first-year undergraduate students from an Australian university completed an…

HLA antibodies and soluble CD30 are associated with poor renal graft outcome: updated results of a single-center cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Langan, Leanne L; D'Orsogna, Lloyd; Park, Lawrence P; Hughes, Tiffany L; Irish, Ashley; Luxton, Grant; Witt, Campbell S; Christiansen, Frank T

2006-01-01

In a previous study, we have shown that HLA class II antibodies and a high soluble CD30 (sCD30) measured at least 1 year post-transplant predict subsequent graft failure. We have now updated the results of this same cohort of 208 patients 15 months later. HLA-specific antibodies (class I and class II) were detected by ELISA LAT-M and Luminex LabScreen assays. Data on graft outcome was collected with a median follow-up of 4.7 years. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, class II antibody was again associated with a poorer outcome, with an estimated 6-year graft survival of 67% and 71% when detected by ELISA and Luminex, respectively, compared with 92% for those without class II antibody (p < or = 0.0001). A soluble CD30 level of > or = 100 U/ml was also associated with a poorer estimated 6-year graft survival (p = 0.02). HLA antibodies and high sCD30 (> or = 100 U/ml) had an additive effect such that those with both high sCD30 and class II antibodies had a hazard ratio for subsequent graft failure of 18.1 (p = 0.0008) and 8.6 (p = 0.007) when detected by ELISA and Luminex, respectively. These data show that detection of HLA class II antibodies and serum sCD30 measured at least 1 year post-transplant continues to predict a subsequent outcome up to 6 years after the initial measurement; they also show that such measures provide important information that may allow for modification of ongoing therapy.

Stability of interceptive/corrective orthodontic treatment for tooth ankylosis and Class II mandibular deficiency: A case report with 10 years follow-up.

PubMed

Guimarães, Carlos Henrique; Henriques, José Fernando Castanha; Janson, Guilherme; Moura, Wilana S

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to present the treatment of a 8-year-old boy with tooth ankylosis in teeth 85 and Class II division 1 malocclusion and to report a 10-year follow-up result. The patient was initially treated with a sagittal removable appliance, followed by an eruption guidance appliance and braces. The interceptive orthodontic treatment performed to recover the space lost by ankylosis of a deciduous tooth allowed a spontaneous eruption and prevented progression of the problem. The use of an eruption-guidance appliance corrected the dentoskeletal Class II, thus improving the patient's appearance. Besides the treatment producing a good occlusal relationship with the Class I molar, the correction of the overjet and overbite was stable over a ten-year period.

Childhood lupus nephritis: 12 years of experience from a developing country's perspective.

PubMed

Samanta, Moumita; Nandi, Madhumita; Mondal, Rakesh; Hazra, Avijit; Sarkar, Sumatra; Sabui, Tapas; Kundu, Chanchal Kumar; Biswas, Arnab

2017-09-01

To assess the long-term outcome of lupus nephritis in children with systemic lupus erythematosus followed up over 12 years at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India. This is a retrospective observational study of the clinicopathological presentation, management, and outcome in 46 children with lupus nephritis over a period of 12 years at a tertiary teaching hospital in Eastern India. Mortality was compared between different lupus classes and therapy groups with Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test. The incidence of lupus nephritis was 58.97% [95% confidence interval (CI) 48.06%-59.89%] with the mean age at presentation being 10.2±2.43 years (range 5.5-14.5) years. Majority belonged to class IV (30.43%), followed by class II (26.91%), class III (23.91), and class V (8.70%). Outcome analysis of children with lupus nephritis over 12 years revealed that 24 (52.17%) achieved complete remission of disease activity, 5 attained partial remission, 4 continued to have active disease, 5 developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and 8 died. Overall mortality thus observed was 17.39% with septicemia in the background of ESRD being the commonest cause. No significant difference in mortality was observed between different lupus nephritis classes or therapy arm groups. The study throws light on various aspects of lupus nephritis and their long-term outcome patterns in children from developing countries such as India.

Shear-wave velocity characterization of the USGS Hawaiian strong-motion network on the Island of Hawaii and development of an NEHRP site-class map

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wong, Ivan G.; Stokoe, Kenneth; Cox, Brady R.; Yuan, Jiabei; Knudsen, Keith L.; Terra, Fabia; Okubo, Paul G.; Lin, Yin-Cheng

2011-01-01

To assess the level and nature of ground shaking in Hawaii for the purposes of earthquake hazard mitigation and seismic design, empirical ground-motion prediction models are desired. To develop such empirical relationships, knowledge of the subsurface site conditions beneath strong-motion stations is critical. Thus, as a first step to develop ground-motion prediction models for Hawaii, spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves (SASW) profiling was performed at the 22 free-field U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) strong-motion sites on the Big Island to obtain shear-wave velocity (VS) data. Nineteen of these stations recorded the 2006 Kiholo Bay moment magnitude (M) 6.7 earthquake, and 17 stations recorded the triggered M 6.0 Mahukona earthquake. VS profiling was performed to reach depths of more than 100 ft. Most of the USGS stations are situated on sites underlain by basalt, based on surficial geologic maps. However, the sites have varying degrees of weathering and soil development. The remaining strong-motion stations are located on alluvium or volcanic ash. VS30 (average VS in the top 30 m) values for the stations on basalt ranged from 906 to 1908 ft/s [National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) site classes C and D], because most sites were covered with soil of variable thickness. Based on these data, an NEHRP site-class map was developed for the Big Island. These new VS data will be a significant input into an update of the USGS statewide hazard maps and to the operation of ShakeMap on the island of Hawaii.

Long-term treatment effects of the FR-2 appliance: a prospective evalution 7 years post-treatment

PubMed Central

Franchi, Lorenzo; Cevidanes, Lucia H. S.; Scanavini, Marco A.; McNamara, James A.

2014-01-01

AIM To examine the long-term effects induced by treatment with the function regulator (FR-2) appliance 7 years post-treatment compared with untreated class II subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The FR-2 sample was collected prospectively and comprised 17 subjects (10 boys and 7 girls, mean age 10.8 years) who were treated with the FR-2 appliance for 1.7 years and re-evaluated 7.1 years after treatment. The step-by-step mandibular advancement was performed gradually (increments up to 3–4 mm), until a ‘super class I’ molar relationship was obtained. The control group consisted of 17 class II subjects (9 boys and 8 girls, mean age 11.3 years) with class II malocclusion, excessive overjet, and class II molar relationship, matched to the treated group as to ages at all times, gender distribution, and stages of skeletal maturity (evaluated by the cervical vertebral maturation method). The lateral cephalograms were analysed at T1 (initial), T2 (final), and T3 (7.1 years post-treatment). The compatibility between the groups and the comparisons of their changes at T1–T2, T2–T3, and T1–T3 intervals were examined by independent sample t-tests (P < 0.05). RESULTS FR-2 treatment provided a significant improvement in the maxillomandibular relationship due to an increase in mandibular length compared with controls, which remained stable over time. Also overjet, overbite, and molar relationship corrections demonstrated stability. Among dentoalveolar changes, only the increased mesial movement of the mandibular molars in the FR-2 group demonstrated stability. CONCLUSIONS Correction of class II malocclusion remained stable 7 years after FR-2 treatment mainly due to the stability of the skeletal changes. PMID:23736378

Changes in body size, shape and nutritional status of middle-class Bengali boys of Kolkata, India, 1982--2002.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Parasmani; Saha, Rana; Nubé, Maarten

2008-03-01

Growth changes over time among school-aged boys in Kolkata, India, have been investigated using two surveys: 1982--1983 (n=816) and 1999--2002 (n=1187). The two surveys were implemented according to highly similar protocols which strongly adds to the reliability and accuracy of the results of the study. Age-specific average height, weight and BMI all increased during these two decades (by respectively, 3.2cm, 6.1kg and 2.1kg/m2), while relative sitting height and sitting height-subischial leg length ratio decreased for almost all ages between 7.0 and 16.0 years. Moreover, the prevalence of stunting and thinness declined (stunting from 11.2% to 4.9%, p<0.01, thinness from 50.5% to 22%, p<0.01), while the prevalence of overweight increased (from 4.7% to 17.2%, p<0.01). Through analysis of variance, the relationships between various socio-economic factors and anthropometric traits are analyzed. Factors strongly related with positive changes in anthropometric traits are maternal education and family expenditure.

Trajectories of depression in adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes: results from the German Multicenter Diabetes Cohort Study.

PubMed

Kampling, Hanna; Petrak, Frank; Farin, Erik; Kulzer, Bernd; Herpertz, Stephan; Mittag, Oskar

2017-01-01

There is a paucity of longitudinal data on type 1 diabetes and depression, especially in adults. The present study prospectively analysed trajectories of depressive symptoms in adults during the first 5 years of living with type 1 diabetes. We aimed to identify distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms and to examine how they affect diabetes outcome. We reanalysed data from a prospective multicentre observational cohort study including 313 adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. At baseline and in annual postal surveys over 5 consecutive years, we gathered patient characteristics and behavioural and psychosocial data (e.g. Symptom Checklist-90-R [SCL-90-R]). Medical data (e.g. HbA 1c levels) was obtained from the treating physicians. We applied growth mixture modelling (GMM) to identify distinct trajectories of depression over time. Five years after diagnosis, 7.8% (n = 20) of patients were moderately depressed and 10.2% (n = 26) were severely depressed. GMM statistics identified three possible models of trajectories (class 1, 'no depressive symptoms'; class 2, 'worsening depressive symptoms that improve after 2 years'; class 3, 'worsening depressive symptoms'). Severity of depression symptoms at baseline (subscale of the SCL-90-R questionnaire) significantly predicted membership of classes 2 and 3 vs class 1. After 5 years, higher HbA 1c values were detected in class 3 patients (mean = 8.2%, 66 mmol/mol) compared with class 1 and class 2 (both: mean = 7.2%, 55 mmol/mol). We identified distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms that are also relevant for diabetes outcome. Patients with worsening depressive symptoms over time exhibited poor glycaemic control after the first 5 years of living with diabetes. They also exhibited a reduced quality of life and increased diabetes-related distress.

Determinants of Patient Satisfaction Two Year after Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Latent Class Analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Jingyan; Lafage, Virginie; Lafage, Renaud; Smith, Justin; Klineberg, Eric O; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Mundis, Gregory; Hostin, Richard; Burton, Douglas; Ames, Christopher P; Bess, Shay; Kim, Han Jo; Schwab, Frank

2018-06-21

Retrospective review of prospective multicenter database. To investigate the determinants of patient satisfaction with respect to changes in functional limitations two-year after spinal deformity surgery. For operatively treated adult spine deformity (ASD), patient satisfaction has become an important component of evaluating quality of care. 430 operative ASD patients with two-year follow-up were analyzed. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Scoliosis Research Society 22-item (SRS-22r). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to assign individuals to classes based on the changes in pre- and 2-year post-operative functions, assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). An ordered logistic regression was conducted to assess the association of class membership and satisfaction. LCA identified 4 classes. The worsened-condition class (WC: 1.4%) consisted of patients who were likely to experience worsened function, particularly in lifting and pain intensity. The remained-same class (RS: 13.0%) included patients who remained the same, as the majority reported approximately no change in walking, standing and sitting. The mild-improved class (Mild-I: 40.2%) included patients with mildly enhanced conditions, specifically, in standing, social life and employment. The most-improved class (Most-I: 45.3%) included patients with great improvement after surgery mainly in standing, followed by social life and employment. The odds of being satisfied were significantly increased by 3.91-(p < 0.001) and 16.99-fold (p < 0.001), comparing patients in Mild-I and Most-I to the RS/WC class, respectively, after controlling for confounders. Improvement in standing, social life and employment are the most important determinants of patient satisfaction post-surgery. Reduced pain intensity and enhanced walking ability also help to elevate patient satisfaction. However, lifting, personal care, sitting, sleeping and travelling may be of less importance. Examining the heterogeneity of patient-reported outcome in ASD patients allows the identification of classes with different patient characteristics and satisfaction, and thus, help to guide tailored provision of care. 4.

Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART): a three-year clinical study in Malawi--comparison of conventional amalgam and ART restorations.

PubMed

Kalf-Scholte, Sonja M; van Amerongen, Willem E; Smith, Albert J E; van Haastrecht, Harry J A

2003-01-01

This study compares the quality of class I restorations made with the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) technique and conventional class I amalgam restorations. The study was carried out among secondary school students in Mzuzu, Malawi. First-year students in 1987 who needed at least two class I restorations were selected. Based on a split-mouth design, each participant received both ART and conventional restorations. The 89 pairs of class I cavities were divided randomly into two groups, since two different cermet ionomer cement (CIC) filling materials were used. Impressions of the restorations and subsequent models were made shortly after restoration, after six months, one year, two years, and three years. The quality of the restorations was determined on the models following the US Public Health Service criteria. Bulk fracture, contour, marginal integrity, and surface texture of the restorations were recorded and evaluated separately. Survival rates were determined by the resultant score of all criteria. Though conventional amalgam restorations performed better on all criteria, this difference was significant only for the contour criterion. The survival rates of ART restorations after three years (81.0%) were lower than those of amalgam restorations (90.4%) (P=.067). The quality of ART class I restorations is competitive with that of conventional amalgam restorations.

Recruitment synchrony of yellow perch (Perca flavescens, Percidae) in the Great Lakes region, 1966–2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Honsey, Andrew E.; Bunnell, David B.; Troy, Cary D.; Fielder, David G.; Thomas, Michael V.; Knight, Carey T.; Chong, Stephen; Hook, Tomas O.

2016-01-01

Population-level reproductive success (recruitment) of many fish populations is characterized by high inter-annual variation and related to annual variation in key environmental factors (e.g., climate). When such environmental factors are annually correlated across broad spatial scales, spatially separated populations may display recruitment synchrony (i.e., the Moran effect). We investigated inter-annual (1966–2008) variation in yellow perch (Perca flavescens, Percidae) recruitment using 16 datasets describing populations located in four of the five Laurentian Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario) and Lake St. Clair. We indexed relative year class strength using catch-curve residuals for each year-class across 2–4 years and compared relative year-class strength among sampling locations. Results indicate that perch recruitment is positively synchronized across the region. In addition, the spatial scale of this synchrony appears to be broader than previous estimates for both yellow perch and freshwater fish in general. To investigate potential factors influencing relative year-class strength, we related year-class strength to regional indices of annual climatic conditions (spring-summer air temperature, winter air temperature, and spring precipitation) using data from 14 weather stations across the Great Lakes region. We found that mean spring-summer temperature is significantly positively related to recruitment success among Great Lakes yellow perch populations.

Review: correlations between oxygen affinity and sequence classifications of plant hemoglobins.

PubMed

Smagghe, Benoit J; Hoy, Julie A; Percifield, Ryan; Kundu, Suman; Hargrove, Mark S; Sarath, Gautam; Hilbert, Jean-Louis; Watts, Richard A; Dennis, Elizabeth S; Peacock, W James; Dewilde, Sylvia; Moens, Luc; Blouin, George C; Olson, John S; Appleby, Cyril A

2009-12-01

Plants express three phylogenetic classes of hemoglobins (Hb) based on sequence analyses. Class 1 and 2 Hbs are full-length globins with the classical eight helix Mb-like fold, whereas Class 3 plant Hbs resemble the truncated globins found in bacteria. With the exception of the specialized leghemoglobins, the physiological functions of these plant hemoglobins remain unknown. We have reviewed and, in some cases, measured new oxygen binding properties of a large number of Class 1 and 2 plant nonsymbiotic Hbs and leghemoglobins. We found that sequence classification correlates with distinct extents of hexacoordination with the distal histidine and markedly different overall oxygen affinities and association and dissociation rate constants. These results suggest strong selective pressure for the evolution of distinct physiological functions. The leghemoglobins evolved from the Class 2 globins and show no hexacoordination, very high rates of O(2) binding ( approximately 250 muM(-1) s(-1)), moderately high rates of O(2) dissociation ( approximately 5-15 s(-1)), and high oxygen affinity (K(d) or P(50) approximately 50 nM). These properties both facilitate O(2) diffusion to respiring N(2) fixing bacteria and reduce O(2) tension in the root nodules of legumes. The Class 1 plant Hbs show weak hexacoordination (K(HisE7) approximately 2), moderate rates of O(2) binding ( approximately 25 muM(-1) s(-1)), very small rates of O(2) dissociation ( approximately 0.16 s(-1)), and remarkably high O(2) affinities (P(50) approximately 2 nM), suggesting a function involving O(2) and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging. The Class 2 Hbs exhibit strong hexacoordination (K(HisE7) approximately 100), low rates of O(2) binding ( approximately 1 muM(-1) s(-1)), moderately low O(2) dissociation rate constants ( approximately 1 s(-1)), and moderate, Mb-like O(2) affinities (P(50) approximately 340 nM), perhaps suggesting a sensing role for sustained low, micromolar levels of oxygen.

Comparative study on growth performance of two shade trees in tea agroforestry system.

PubMed

Kalita, Rinku Moni; Das, Ashesh Kumar; Nath, Arun Jyoti

2014-07-01

An attempt was made to study the stem growth of two native dominant shade tree species in terms of annual girth increment in three dominant girth size categories for two years in tea agroforestry system of Barak Valley, Assam. Fifty two sampling plots of 0.1 ha size were established and all trees exceeding 10 cm girth over bark at breast height (1.37 m) were uniquely identified, tagged, and annually measured for girth increment, using metal tape during December 2010-12. Albizia lebbeck and A. odoratissima were dominant shade tree species registering 82% of appearance of the individuals studied. The girth class was categorized into six different categories where 30-50 cm, 50-70 cm and 70-90 cm were dominating girth classes and selected for increment study. Mean annual girth increment ranged from 1.41 cm in Albizia odoratissima (50-70 cm girth class) to 2.97 cm in Albizia lebbeck (70-90 cm girth class) for the first year and 1.70 cm in Albizia odoratissima (50-70 cm girth class) to 3.09 cm in Albizia lebbeck (70-90 cm girth class) for the second year. Albizia lebbeck exhibited better growth in all prominent girth classes as compared to Albizia odoratissima during the observation period. The two shade tree species showed similar trend of growth in both the years of observation and significant difference in girth increment.

Quality of Life in Patients After Maxillectomy and Placement of Prosthetic Obturator.

PubMed

Chen, Cheng; Ren, Wen-Hao; Huang, Rui-Zhe; Gao, Ling; Hu, Zhi-Ping; Zhang, Lin-Mei; Li, Shao-Ming; Dong, Kai; Qi, Hong; Zhi, Ke-Qian

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess quality of life (QoL) and obturator functioning in patients having undergone a maxillectomy as a tumor ablative resection and rehabilitation with a prosthetic obturator. The University of Washington Quality of Life scale version 4 (UW-QoLv4) and the Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS) were used to evaluate the self-reported QoL and obturator functioning. The effects of demographic and treatment variables on QoL were assessed using age, defect size, postoperative radiotherapy (RT), neck dissection, and dentition. The study included 16 men and 13 women with a mean age of 48.8 years. Of the 29 patients, 16 had a Brown Class 2a or smaller defect and 13 had a Brown Class 2b or larger defect. The mean OFS score (P = .004) and the physical (P = .001) and social-emotional function scores (P = .001) of the patients who received postoperative RT were significantly lower than those who did not receive postoperative RT. The subscales for swallowing (P = .008), saliva (P = .001), pain (P = .001), and shoulder function (P = .002) correlated strongly with postoperative RT on the UW-QoL. The subscales for pronunciation (P = .007) and saliva (P = .002) correlated significantly with RT on the OFS. The mean OFS scores were significantly lower for the patients with a Brown Class 2a or smaller defect than for Brown Class 2b or larger (P = .005). Postoperative RT was the strongest variable affecting QoL in patients with maxillectomy and prosthetic obturator reconstruction. The size of the defect slightly influenced the obturator function; however, it did not influence the overall QoL.

Students' perception of the learning environment in a distributed medical programme.

PubMed

Veerapen, Kiran; McAleer, Sean

2010-09-24

The learning environment of a medical school has a significant impact on students' achievements and learning outcomes. The importance of equitable learning environments across programme sites is implicit in distributed undergraduate medical programmes being developed and implemented. To study the learning environment and its equity across two classes and three geographically separate sites of a distributed medical programme at the University of British Columbia Medical School that commenced in 2004. The validated Dundee Ready Educational Environment Survey was sent to all students in their 2nd and 3rd year (classes graduating in 2009 and 2008) of the programme. The domains of the learning environment surveyed were: students' perceptions of learning, students' perceptions of teachers, students' academic self-perceptions, students' perceptions of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perceptions. Mean scores, frequency distribution of responses, and inter- and intrasite differences were calculated. The perception of the global learning environment at all sites was more positive than negative. It was characterised by a strongly positive perception of teachers. The work load and emphasis on factual learning were perceived negatively. Intersite differences within domains of the learning environment were more evident in the pioneer class (2008) of the programme. Intersite differences consistent across classes were largely related to on-site support for students. Shared strengths and weaknesses in the learning environment at UBC sites were evident in areas that were managed by the parent institution, such as the attributes of shared faculty and curriculum. A greater divergence in the perception of the learning environment was found in domains dependent on local arrangements and social factors that are less amenable to central regulation. This study underlines the need for ongoing comparative evaluation of the learning environment at the distributed sites and interaction between leaders of these sites.

School feeding program has resulted in improved dietary diversity, nutritional status and class attendance of school children.

PubMed

Zenebe, Mastewal; Gebremedhin, Samson; Henry, Carol J; Regassa, Nigatu

2018-01-23

School Feeding Program (SFP) is a targeted safety net program designed to provide educational and health benefits to vulnerable children. However, limited evidence exists regarding the effect of the intervention on the nutritional status and school attendance of children. The study is aimed at examining the effects of SFP on dietary diversity, nutritional status and class attendance of school children in Boricha district, Southern Ethiopia. The study was conducted based on a representative data collected from 290 students drawn from the district. A school-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on school children aged 10-14 years. Data were collected using structured pretested questionnaire. The effects of SFP on dietary diversity score (DDS), class attendance rate, body-mass-index for age (BAZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores were assessed using multivariable linear regression model. The finding showed significantly higher mean (±SD) of DDS in SFP beneficiaries (5.8 ± 1.1) than the non-beneficiaries (3.5 ± 0.7) (P < 0.001). BAZ and HAZ of the beneficiaries were also higher than their counterparts, which were (0.07 ± 0.93), (- 0.50 ± 0.86) and (- 1.45 ± 1.38), (- 2.17 ± 1.15) respectively (P < 0.001). The mean (±SD) days of absence from school for non-beneficiaries (2.6 ± 1.6) was significantly higher than that of the beneficiaries (1.3 ± 1.7) (P < 0.05). Given the positive effects of the program in improving the DDS, nutritional status, and class attendance of school children, we strongly recommend scaling up the program to other food insecure areas.

How do older adult drivers self-regulate? Characteristics of self-regulation classes defined by latent class analysis.

PubMed

Bergen, Gwen; West, Bethany A; Luo, Feijun; Bird, Donna C; Freund, Katherine; Fortinsky, Richard H; Staplin, Loren

2017-06-01

Motor-vehicle crashes were the second leading cause of injury death for adults aged 65-84years in 2014. Some older drivers choose to self-regulate their driving to maintain mobility while reducing driving risk, yet the process remains poorly understood. Data from 729 older adults (aged ≥60years) who joined an older adult ride service program between April 1, 2010 and November 8, 2013 were analyzed to define and describe classes of driving self-regulation. Latent class analysis was employed to characterize older adult driving self-regulation classes using driving frequency and avoidance of seven driving situations. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between characteristics affecting mobility and self-regulation class. Three classes were identified (low, medium, and high self-regulation). High self-regulating participants reported the highest proportion of always avoiding seven risky driving situations and the lowest driving frequency followed by medium and low self-regulators. Those who were female, aged 80years or older, visually impaired, assistive device users, and those with special health needs were more likely to be high self-regulating compared with low self-regulating. Avoidance of certain driving situations and weekly driving frequency are valid indicators for describing driving self-regulation classes in older adults. Understanding the unique characteristics and mobility limitations of each class can guide optimal transportation strategies for older adults. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Applications of Functional Amyloids from Fungi: Surface Modification by Class I Hydrophobins.

PubMed

Piscitelli, Alessandra; Cicatiello, Paola; Gravagnuolo, Alfredo Maria; Sorrentino, Ilaria; Pezzella, Cinzia; Giardina, Paola

2017-06-26

Class I hydrophobins produced from fungi are amongst the first proteins recognized as functional amyloids. They are amphiphilic proteins involved in the formation of aerial structures such as spores or fruiting bodies. They form chemically robust layers which can only be dissolved in strong acids. These layers adhere to different surfaces, changing their wettability, and allow the binding of other proteins. Herein, the modification of diverse types of surfaces with Class I hydrophobins is reported, highlighting the applications of the coated surfaces. Indeed, these coatings can be exploited in several fields, spanning from biomedical to industrial applications, which include biosensing and textile manufacturing.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors with a primary amide zinc binding group display antitumor activity in xenograft model.

PubMed

Attenni, Barbara; Ontoria, Jesus M; Cruz, Jonathan C; Rowley, Michael; Schultz-Fademrecht, Carsten; Steinkühler, Christian; Jones, Philip

2009-06-01

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition causes hyperacetylation of histones leading to differentiation, growth arrest and apoptosis of malignant cells, representing a new strategy in cancer therapy. Many of the known HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) that are in clinical trials possess a hydroxamic acid, that is a strong Zn(2+) binding group, thereby inhibiting some of the class I and class II isoforms. Herein we describe the identification of a selective class I HDAC inhibitor bearing a primary carboxamide moiety as zinc binding group. This HDACi displays good antiproliferative activity against multiple cancer cell lines, and demonstrates efficacy in a xenograft model comparable to vorinostat.

Peers and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study on Selection and Socialization Effects of In-Class Friends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortuin, Janna; van Geel, Mitch; Vedder, Paul

2016-01-01

The present study was conducted to analyze whether in-class friends influence each other's grades, and whether adolescents tend to select friends that are similar to them in terms of academic achievement. During 1 academic year, 542 eighth-grade students (M age = 13.3 years) reported on 3 different occasions on their in-class friendship networks.…

Characterizing Health Disparities in the Age of Autism Diagnosis in a Study of 8-Year-Old Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parikh, Chandni; Kurzius-Spencer, Margaret; Mastergeorge, Ann M.; Pettygrove, Sydney

2018-01-01

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often delayed from the time of noted concerns to the actual diagnosis. The current study used child- and family-level factors to identify homogeneous classes in a surveillance-based sample (n = 2303) of 8-year-old children with ASD. Using latent class analysis, a 5-class model emerged and the…

The importance of teacher interpersonal behaviour for student attitudes in Brunei primary science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

den Brok, Perry; Fisher, Darrell; Scott, Rowena

2005-07-01

This study investigated relationships between students' perceptions of their teachers' interpersonal behaviour and their subject-related attitude in primary science classes in Brunei. Teacher student interpersonal behaviour was mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and reported in terms of two independent dimensions called Influence (teacher dominance vs submission) and Proximity (teacher cooperation vs opposition). While prior research using the QTI mainly focused on secondary education, the present study was one of the first in Brunei and in primary education and one of few studies to use multilevel analysis. Data from 1305 students from 64 classes were used in this study. Results indicated strong and positive effects of Influence and Proximity on students' enjoyment of their science class and supported findings of earlier work with the QTI.

The Effect of Teaching Model ‘Learning Cycles 5E’ toward Students’ Achievement in Learning Mathematic at X Years Class SMA Negeri 1 Banuhampu 2013/2014 Academic Year

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeni, N.; Suryabayu, E. P.; Handayani, T.

2017-02-01

Based on the survey showed that mathematics teacher still dominated in teaching and learning process. The process of learning is centered on the teacher while the students only work based on instructions provided by the teacher without any creativity and activities that stimulate students to explore their potential. Realized the problem above the writer interested in finding the solution by applying teaching model ‘Learning Cycles 5E’. The purpose of his research is to know whether teaching model ‘Learning Cycles 5E’ is better than conventional teaching in teaching mathematic. The type of the research is quasi experiment by Randomized Control test Group Only Design. The population in this research were all X years class students. The sample is chosen randomly after doing normality, homogeneity test and average level of students’ achievement. As the sample of this research was X.7’s class as experiment class used teaching model learning cycles 5E and X.8’s class as control class used conventional teaching. The result showed us that the students achievement in the class that used teaching model ‘Learning Cycles 5E’ is better than the class which did not use the model.

[Two-and-a-half year follow-up study of strategy factors in successful learning to predict academic achievements in medical education].

PubMed

Lee, Soon Ok; Lee, Sang Yeoup; Baek, Sunyong; Woo, Jae Seok; Im, Sun Ju; Yune, So Jung; Lee, Sun Hee; Kam, Beesung

2015-06-01

We performed a two-and-a-half year follow-up study of strategy factors in successful learning to predict academic achievements in medical education. Strategy factors in successful learning were identified using a content analysis of open-ended responses from 30 medical students who were ranked in the top 10 of their class. Core words were selected among their responses in each category and the frequency of the words were counted. Then, a factors survey was conducted among year 2 students, before the second semester. Finally, we performed an analysis to assess the association between the factors score and academic achievement for the same students 2.5 years later. The core words were "planning and execution," "daily reviews" in the study schedule category; "focusing in class" and "taking notes" among class-related category; and "lecture notes," "previous exams or papers," and "textbooks" in the primary self-learning resources category. There were associations between the factors scores for study planning and execution, focusing in class, and taking notes and academic achievement, representing the second year second semester credit score, third year written exam scores and fourth year written and skill exam scores. Study planning was only one independent variable to predict fourth year summative written exam scores. In a two-and-a-half year follow-up study, associations were founded between academic achievement and the factors scores for study planning and execution, focusing in class, and taking notes. Study planning as only one independent variable is useful for predicting fourth year summative written exam score.

Nanostructure studies of strongly correlated materials.

PubMed

Wei, Jiang; Natelson, Douglas

2011-09-01

Strongly correlated materials exhibit an amazing variety of phenomena, including metal-insulator transitions, colossal magnetoresistance, and high temperature superconductivity, as strong electron-electron and electron-phonon couplings lead to competing correlated ground states. Recently, researchers have begun to apply nanostructure-based techniques to this class of materials, examining electronic transport properties on previously inaccessible length scales, and applying perturbations to drive systems out of equilibrium. We review progress in this area, particularly emphasizing work in transition metal oxides (Fe(3)O(4), VO(2)), manganites, and high temperature cuprate superconductors. We conclude that such nanostructure-based studies have strong potential to reveal new information about the rich physics at work in these materials.

CSEP-Japan: The Japanese node of the collaboratory for the study of earthquake predictability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoi, S.; Tsuruoka, H.; Nanjo, K.; Hirata, N.

2011-12-01

Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP) is a global project of earthquake predictability research. The final goal of this project is to have a look for the intrinsic predictability of the earthquake rupture process through forecast testing experiments. The Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo joined the CSEP and started the Japanese testing center called as CSEP-Japan. This testing center constitutes an open access to researchers contributing earthquake forecast models for applied to Japan. A total of 91 earthquake forecast models were submitted on the prospective experiment starting from 1 November 2009. The models are separated into 4 testing classes (1 day, 3 months, 1 year and 3 years) and 3 testing regions covering an area of Japan including sea area, Japanese mainland and Kanto district. We evaluate the performance of the models in the official suite of tests defined by the CSEP. The experiments of 1-day, 3-month, 1-year and 3-year forecasting classes were implemented for 92 rounds, 4 rounds, 1round and 0 round (now in progress), respectively. The results of the 3-month class gave us new knowledge concerning statistical forecasting models. All models showed a good performance for magnitude forecasting. On the other hand, observation is hardly consistent in space-distribution with most models in some cases where many earthquakes occurred at the same spot. Throughout the experiment, it has been clarified that some properties of the CSEP's evaluation tests such as the L-test show strong correlation with the N-test. We are now processing to own (cyber-) infrastructure to support the forecast experiment as follows. (1) Japanese seismicity has changed since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The 3rd call for forecasting models was announced in order to promote model improvement for forecasting earthquakes after this earthquake. So, we provide Japanese seismicity catalog maintained by JMA for modelers to study how seismicity changes in Japan. (2) Now we prepare the 3-D forecasting experiment with a depth range of 0 to 100 km in Kanto region. (3) The testing center improved an evaluation system for 1-day class experiment because this testing class required fast calculation ability to finish forecasting and testing results within one day. This development will make a real-time forecasting system come true. (4) The special issue of 1st part titled Earthquake Forecast Testing Experiment in Japan was published on the Earth, Planets and Space Vol. 63, No.3, 2011 on March, 2011. This issue includes papers of algorithm of statistical models participating our experiment and outline of the experiment in Japan. The 2nd part of this issue, which is now on line, will be published soon. In this presentation, we will overview CSEP-Japan and results of the experiments, and discuss direction of our activity. An outline of the experiment and activities of the Japanese Testing Center are published on our WEB site;

Atmospheric turbulence above coastal waters: Determination of stability classes and a simple model for offshore flow including advection and dissipation

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

Erbrink, H.J.; Scholten, D.A.

1995-10-01

Atmospheric turbulence intensities and timescales have been measured for one year and modeled in a shoreline environment. Measurements were carried out at two sites, on both sides of the shoreline, about 10 km from the beach. The frequency distribution of Pasquill stability classes [determined using the COPS (calculation of Pasquill stability) method by analyzing wind fluctuations] was compared with similar observations at the land site. A shift to the more stable classes is observed. Moreover, a large shift to the stable classes was shown at the overwater site for the COPS method in comparison to the Hanna et al. andmore » Hsu method, which is based upon z/L values, originating from sea-air temperature differences. The observed values of the lateral wind fluctuations {sigma}{sub {nu}} and stability classes for the dataset could not be adequately described in terms of local parameters such as Obukhov length L and friction velocity u. Therefore, a simple model, which explicitly considered advection and dissipation in the turbulent kinetic energy equation, was formulated for the calculation of turbulence intensity at sea for offshore wind flows; dissipation is assumed to scale well with {sigma}{sub {nu}}{sup 3}/uT{sub {ell}}. Using this model, observed {sigma}{sub {nu}} values were explained remarkably well. It is concluded that atmospheric turbulence intensity above sea in the vicinity of the shoreline is strongly influenced by horizontal gradients and cannot be described successfully only in terms of local parameterization. The calculated values of the Eulerian timescale correlate quite well with measured values of {sigma}{sub {nu}}/u at both sites. However, values of the timescale at sea were larger; this may be caused by differences in roughness lengths between land and sea. 43 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Incorporating Problem-Based Learning Into A Petrology Course Through A Research Project In The Local Northern Sierra Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aird, H. M.

2016-12-01

A research project into the local petrology was integrated into the Spring 2016 Petrology and Optical Mineralogy course at California State University, Chico. This is a required majors course, typically taken during spring of the junior year, with an enrollment of 10-20 students. Since the labs for this course have a strong focus on petrography, a research project was introduced to give students experience in using a multi-faceted approach to investigate a problem. In many cases, this is their first taste of research. During the first week of the Spring 2016 class, students were introduced to the research question: In the broader context of Californian tectonic history, are the Bucks Lake and Grizzly plutons of the northern Sierra Nevada petrogenetically related? With faculty guidance over the course of the semester, students carried out fieldwork and sampling, lithologic description, selection of the best samples for further analysis, thin section production, petrographic description, and analysis and interpretation of published geochemical data. Research activities were strategically scheduled within the course framework such that students were academically prepared to carry out each task. Each student was responsible for generating all the data for one sample, and data were then collated as a class, so students wrote their individual final reports using all the data collected by the class. Careful scaffolding of writing assignments throughout the semester guided students through the preparation of an academic-style scientific report, while allowing for repeated feedback on their writing style and content. In mid-May, the class presented a group poster at the College of Natural Sciences annual poster symposium, and were awarded `Best Student Class Project' by the judges. Anecdotal student feedback indicated they highly valued the research experience and some were inspired to pursue individual undergraduate research projects under faculty supervision.

Eight-Year Latent Class Trajectories of Academic and Social Functioning in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

DuPaul, George J; Morgan, Paul L; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M; Maczuga, Steve

2017-09-15

We examined trajectories of academic and social functioning in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to identify those who might be at risk for especially severe levels of academic and social impairment over time. We estimated a series of growth mixture models using data from two subsamples of children participating in the NIMH Collaborative Multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) including those with at least baseline and 96-month data for reading and mathematics achievement (n = 392; 77.3% male; M age = 7.7; SD = 0.8) or social skills ratings from teachers (n = 259; 74.9% male; M age = 7.6; SD = 0.8). We compared latent trajectories for children with ADHD to mean observed trajectories obtained from a local normative (i.e., non-ADHD) comparison group (n = 289; 80.6% male; M age = 9.9; SD = 1.1). Results indicated six latent trajectory classes for reading and mathematics and four classes for teacher social skills ratings. There was not only a relationship between trajectories of inattention symptoms and academic impairment, but also a similarly strong association between trajectory classes of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and achievement. Trajectory class membership correlated with socio-demographic and diagnostic characteristics, inattention and hyperactive-impulsive symptom trajectories, externalizing behavior in school, and treatment receipt and dosage. Although children with ADHD display substantial heterogeneity in their reading, math, and social skills growth trajectories, those with behavioral and socio-demographic disadvantages are especially likely to display severe levels of academic and social impairment over time. Evidence-based early screening and intervention that directly address academic and social impairments in elementary school-aged children with ADHD are warranted. The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT00000388.

Spatially: resolved heterogeneous dynamics in a strong colloidal gel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzzaccaro, Stefano; Alaimo, Matteo David; Secchi, Eleonora; Piazza, Roberto

2015-05-01

We re-examine the classical problem of irreversible colloid aggregation, showing that the application of Digital Fourier Imaging (DFI), a class of optical correlation methods that combine the power of light scattering and imaging, allows one to pick out novel useful evidence concerning the restructuring processes taking place in a strong colloidal gel. In particular, the spatially-resolved displacement fields provided by DFI strongly suggest that the temporally-intermittent local rearrangements taking place in the course of gel ageing are characterized by very long-ranged spatial correlations.

Teaching Children with down Syndrome in the Early Years of School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFadden, Amanda; Tangen, Donna; Spooner-Lane, Rebecca; Mergler, Amanda

2017-01-01

We explored 3 general classroom teachers' experiences of including a child with Down syndrome in their early years classrooms. Located at 3 different Australian school settings, 1 teacher was the head of a Preparatory class, 1 was a Year 3 teacher, and the third was a teacher of a split Preparatory/Year 1 class. Interview data were drawn from a…

Latent Classes of Adolescent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Predict Functioning and Disorder after 1 Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayer, Lynsay; Danielson, Carla Kmett; Amstadter, Ananda B.; Ruggiero, Ken; Saunders, Ben; Kilpatrick, Dean

2011-01-01

Objective: To identify latent classes of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a national sample of adolescents, and to test their associations with PTSD and functional impairment 1 year later. Method: A total of 1,119 trauma-exposed youth aged 12 through 17 years (mean = 14.99 years, 51% female and 49% male) participating in the…

Personality, Conventional Christian Belief and Unconventional Paranormal Belief: A Study among Teenagers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Leslie J.; Williams, Emyr; Robbins, Mandy

2010-01-01

A sample of 10,851 pupils (5493 males and 5358 females) attending Year 9 classes (13- to 14-year-olds) and a sample of 9494 pupils (4787 males and 4707 females) attending Year 10 classes (14- to 15-year-olds) in non-denominational state-maintained secondary schools in England and Wales completed questions concerned with conventional Christian…

Apparent inferiority of first-time breeders in the kittiwake: The role of heterogeneity among age classes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cam, E.; Monnat, J.-Y.

2000-01-01

1. Many studies have provided evidence that first-time breeders have a lower survival, a lower probability of success, or of breeding, in the following year. Hypotheses based on reproductive costs have often been proposed to explain this. However, because of the intrinsic relationship between age and experience, the apparent inferiority of first-time breeders at the population level may result from selection, and experience may not influence performance within each individual. In this paper we address the question of phenotypic correlations between fitness components. This addresses differences in individual quality, a prerequisite for a selection process to occur. We also test the hypothesis of an influence of experience on these components while taking age and reproductive success into account: two factors likely to play a key role in a selection process. 2. Using data from a long-term study on the kittiwake, we found that first-time breeders have a lower probability of success, a lower survival and a lower probability of breeding in the next year than experienced breeders. However, neither experienced nor inexperienced breeders have a lower survival or a lower probability of breeding in the following year than birds that skipped a breeding opportunity. This suggests heterogeneity in quality among individuals. 3. Failed birds have a lower survival and a lower probability of breeding in the following year regardless of experience. This can be interpreted in the light of the selection hypothesis. The inferiority of inexperienced breeders may be linked to a higher proportion of lower-quality individuals in younger age classes. When age and breeding success are controlled for, there is no evidence of an influence of experience on survival or future breeding probability. 4. Using data from individuals whose reproductive life lasted the same number of years, we investigated the influence of experience on reproductive performance within individuals. There is no strong evidence that a process operating within individuals explains the improvement in performance observed at the population level.

Amyloid Precursor-like Protein 2 Association with HLA Class I Molecules

PubMed Central

Tuli, Amit; Sharma, Mahak; Wang, Xiaojian; Simone, Laura C.; Capek, Haley L.; Cate, Steven; Hildebrand, William H.; Naslavsky, Naava; Caplan, Steve; Solheim, Joyce C.

2009-01-01

Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) is a ubiquitously expressed protein. The previously demonstrated functions for APLP2 include binding to the mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule H-2Kd and down regulating its cell surface expression. In this study, we have investigated the interaction of APLP2 with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule in human tumor cell lines. APLP2 was readily detected in pancreatic, breast, and prostate tumor lines, although it was found only in very low amounts in lymphoma cell lines. In a pancreatic tumor cell line, HLA class I was extensively co-localized with APLP2 in vesicular compartments following endocytosis of HLA class I molecules. In pancreatic, breast, and prostate tumor lines, APLP2 was bound to the HLA class I molecule. APLP2 was found to bind to HLA-A24, and more strongly to HLA-A2. Increased expression of APLP2 resulted in reduced surface expression of HLA-A2 and HLA-A24. Overall, these studies demonstrate that APLP2 binds to the HLA class I molecule, co-localizes with it in intracellular vesicles, and reduces the level of HLA class I molecule cell surface expression. PMID:19184004

A discrepancy in objective and subjective measures of knowledge: do some medical students with learning problems delude themselves?

PubMed

Anthoney, T R

1986-01-01

In general, the rankings of first-year medical students on a written test of long-term neuroscience retention (RET) correlated strongly with how many of three neuroscience research presentations given within the following 2 days the students reported understanding. The lowest-ranking sixth of the class on RET, however, reported understanding almost every lecture, even more than the highest-ranking RET students did. Some of these low-ranking students were aware that they had areas of weakness, but simply tolerated more of them without reporting overall lack of understanding. Other low-ranking students, however, seemed genuinely unaware that they had any areas of weakness. This interpretation was further supported by data on small-group problem-solving performance during the first-year neuroscience course, on use of human resources during the final first-year neuroscience take-home examination, and on performance during the third-year clinical clerkships. Persistence of the problem, even after 5 months of instruction specifically designed to improve such information-processing skills, suggests that correction may be difficult to achieve. The need for specific valid evaluative instruments and effective correctional techniques is noted.

Site classification for National Strong Motion Observation Network System (NSMONS) stations in China using an empirical H/V spectral ratio method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Kun; Ren, Yefei; Wen, Ruizhi

2017-10-01

Reliable site classification of the stations of the China National Strong Motion Observation Network System (NSMONS) has not yet been assigned because of lacking borehole data. This study used an empirical horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio (hereafter, HVSR) site classification method to overcome this problem. First, according to their borehole data, stations selected from KiK-net in Japan were individually assigned a site class (CL-I, CL-II, or CL-III), which is defined in the Chinese seismic code. Then, the mean HVSR curve for each site class was computed using strong motion recordings captured during the period 1996-2012. These curves were compared with those proposed by Zhao et al. (2006a) for four types of site classes (SC-I, SC-II, SC-III, and SC-IV) defined in the Japanese seismic code (JRA, 1980). It was found that an approximate range of the predominant period Tg could be identified by the predominant peak of the HVSR curve for the CL-I and SC-I sites, CL-II and SC-II sites, and CL-III and SC-III + SC-IV sites. Second, an empirical site classification method was proposed based on comprehensive consideration of peak period, amplitude, and shape of the HVSR curve. The selected stations from KiK-net were classified using the proposed method. The results showed that the success rates of the proposed method in identifying CL-I, CL-II, and CL-III sites were 63%, 64%, and 58% respectively. Finally, the HVSRs of 178 NSMONS stations were computed based on recordings from 2007 to 2015 and the sites classified using the proposed method. The mean HVSR curves were re-calculated for three site classes and compared with those from KiK-net data. It was found that both the peak period and the amplitude were similar for the mean HVSR curves derived from NSMONS classification results and KiK-net borehole data, implying the effectiveness of the proposed method in identifying different site classes. The classification results have good agreement with site classes based on borehole data of 81 stations in China, which indicates that our site classification results are acceptable and that the proposed method is practicable.

Perceived psychological pressure at work, social class, and risk of stroke: a 30-year follow-up in Copenhagen male study.

PubMed

Suadicani, Poul; Andersen, Lars L; Holtermann, Andreas; Mortensen, Ole S; Gyntelberg, Finn

2011-12-01

Investigate if the association between perceived psychological work pressure and risk of stroke is modified by socioeconomic status. Thirty-year follow-up of 4943 middle-aged men without cardiovascular disease. In the higher social classes (I, II, and III), perceived regular exposure to psychological work pressure was common and a significant predictor of stroke; almost 10% of the stroke events could be attributed to this exposure in the higher social classes; among lower social classes (IV and V), perceived psychological pressure was no predictor at all. Regular psychological work pressure is a highly prevalent and independent risk factor for stroke among men in higher social classes. In contrast, no association to stroke risk was found among low social class men.

Analysis of strategies for teaching and learning of concepts related to Astronomy in the Elementary School II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moraes E Poffo, Roberta Izabella

2011-12-01

The curricular proposed of the State of Sao Paulo, in the discipline of physical and biological sciences, has a content related to Earth and Universe, that are approached by Astronomy, in Elementary Education I, II and high school. Despite the importance of Astronomy and the public acceptance, it is notable that they have difficulties in this discipline. During the school year 2010 in a public school in Santo Andre, Sao Paulo, 89 students of three different classes in a sixth year of an elementary school II, responded to a questionnaire prepared and applied by the teacher based on the required contents of the curricular proposed by the State of Sao Paulo with ten essay questions related to Astronomy, with the propose to examine the previous knowledge. Only 19% of students hit 50% or more of the issues, the required content considered as the last satisfactory note. During the same year it was presented, but in each class a different strategy as applied. In the first class, an expositive class with audiovisual aids atrategy was used, in the second class an expositive class dialoged strategy and in the third class a textbook research. It was observed that after applying the same questionnaire, there was an improvement on the questions hit. The class where the expositive class dialoged strategy was used improved from 3% to 63% of hits, the class with audiovisual aids improved from 23% to 80% of hits and the class that used research on textbooks strategy improved from 31% to 76%. Thus, it was considered that after the application of the strategies there was a significant improvement in the student performance comparing to the required content. The expositive class dialoged strategy was considered as the most effective.

Experience of Teaching a Class with a Film: Cognitive Changes with Regard to HIV.

PubMed

Park, Wan Beom; Jang, Eun Young; Seo, Mi Sung; Phyo, Sae Ra; Kang, Seok Hoon; Myung, Sun Jung; Kim, Nam Joong; Oh, Myoung Don; Shin, Hee Young; Shin, Jwa Seop

2011-03-01

The aim of this study was to describe our experience of a class, using a film that deals with the social issues of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the results of surveys before and after the class. One hundred fifty-six second-year medical students were surveyed with self-questionnaires (9-point Likert scale) before, immediately after, and 2 years after a class that viewed a film ('Philadelphia', 1993). The same survey, comprising 4 items, was administered to 81 non-medical students in the same university. In 156 medical students, 153 (98%) answered the questionnaires. Before the class, there was no significant difference between medical and non-medical students with regard to the cognition of social isolation of HIV-infected persons (4.13 vs. 4.43, p=0.307). immediately after the class, medical student' cognition changed significantly in the positive direction on all items, irrespective of age, sex, and course grade. Two years after the class, this positive effect remained significant on 2 items: 'social isolation of HIV-infected persons' and 'casual contact with an HIV-infected person.' A film can be used to reinforce medical education in the affective domain.

High-Ability Grouping: Benefits for Gifted Students' Achievement Development Without Costs in Academic Self-Concept.

PubMed

Preckel, Franzis; Schmidt, Isabelle; Stumpf, Eva; Motschenbacher, Monika; Vogl, Katharina; Scherrer, Vsevolod; Schneider, Wolfgang

2017-11-23

Effects of full-time ability grouping on students' academic self-concept (ASC) and mathematics achievement were investigated in the first 3 years of secondary school (four waves of measurement; students' average age at first wave: 10.5 years). Students were primarily from middle and upper class families living in southern Germany. The study sample comprised 148 (60% male) students from 14 gifted classes and 148 (57% male) students from 25 regular classes (matched by propensity score matching). Data analyses involved multilevel and latent growth curve analyses. Findings revealed no evidence for contrast effects of class-average achievement or assimilation effects of class type on students' ASC. ASC remained stable over time. Students in gifted classes showed higher achievement gains than students in regular classes. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Evaluating a grading change at UCSD school of medicine: pass/fail grading is associated with decreased performance on preclinical exams but unchanged performance on USMLE step 1 scores.

PubMed

McDuff, Susan G R; McDuff, DeForest; Farace, Jennifer A; Kelly, Carolyn J; Savoia, Maria C; Mandel, Jess

2014-06-30

To assess the impact of a change in preclerkship grading system from Honors/Pass/Fail (H/P/F) to Pass/Fail (P/F) on University of California, San Diego (UCSD) medical students' academic performance. Academic performance of students in the classes of 2011 and 2012 (constant-grading classes) were collected and compared with performance of students in the class of 2013 (grading-change class) because the grading policy at UCSD SOM was changed for the class of 2013, from H/P/F during the first year (MS1) to P/F during the second year (MS2). For all students, data consisted of test scores from required preclinical courses from MS1 and MS2 years, and USMLE Step 1 scores. Linear regression analysis controlled for other factors that could be predictive of student performance (i.e., MCAT scores, undergraduate GPA, age, gender, etc.) in order to isolate the effect of the changed grading policy on academic performance. The change in grading policy in the MS2 year only, without any corresponding changes to the medical curriculum, presents a unique natural experiment with which to cleanly evaluate the effect of P/F grading on performance outcomes. After controlling for other factors, the grading policy change to P/F grading in the MS2 year had a negative impact on second-year grades relative to first-year grades (the constant-grading classes performed 1.65% points lower during their MS2 year compared to the MS1 year versus 3.25% points lower for the grading-change class, p < 0.0001), but had no observable impact on USMLE Step 1 scores. A change in grading from H/P/F grading to P/F grading was associated with decreased performance on preclinical examinations but no decrease in performance on the USMLE Step 1 examination. These results are discussed in the broader context of the multitude of factors that should be considered in assessing the merits of various grading systems, and ultimately the authors recommend the continuation of pass-fail grading at UCSD School of Medicine.

Lake trout status in the main basin of Lake Huron, 1973-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

He, Ji X.; Ebener, Mark P.; Riley, Stephen C.; Cottrill, Adam; Kowalski, Adam; Koproski, Scott; Mohr, Lloyd; Johnson, James E.

2012-01-01

We developed indices of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush status in the main basin of Lake Huron (1973-2010) to understand increases in the relative abundance of wild year-classes during 1995-2010. Sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus wounds per 100 lake trout declined from 23.63 in 2000 to 5.86-10.64 in 2002-2010. The average age-7 lake trout catch per effort per recruitment (CPE/R; fish•305mof gill net-1•million stocked yearlings-1) increased from 0.56 for the 1973-1990 year-classes to 0.92 for the 1991-2001 year-classes. Total CPE (fish/305 m of gill net) declined from 16.4 fish in 1996 to 4.1 fish in 2010, but the percentage of age-5 and younger lake trout steadily decreased from more than 70% before 1996 to less than 10% by 2009. The modal age in gill-net catches increased from age 5 before 1996 to age 7 by 2005. The average adult CPE increased from 2.8 fish/305 m of gill net during 1978-1995 to 5.34 fish/305 m of gill net during 1996-2010. The 1995-2010 year-classes of wild fish weremore abundant than previous year-classes and were associated with the relatively high adult abundance during 1996-2010. Until the 2002 year-class, there was no decline in age-7 CPE/R; until 2008, there was no decline in adult CPE. Low survival of the 2002 and 2003 year-classes of stocked fish was related to the event of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus population collapse in 2003-2004. Lake trout in the main basin of Lake Huron are undergoing a transition from a hatchery stock to a wild stock, accompanied by an increased uncertainty in delayed recruitment. Future management should pay more attention to the protection of wild recruitment and the abundance of the spawning stock.

Both qualitative and quantitative genetic variation of MHC class II molecules may influence susceptibility to autoimmune diseases: the case of endemic pemphigus foliaceus.

PubMed

Piovezan, Bruno Zagonel; Petzl-Erler, Maria Luiza

2013-09-01

The MHC class II transactivator (CIITA) is a key regulator in expression of the HLA class II genes. It is well known that HLA-DRB1 genotypes have a strong influence on the risk of multifactorial autoimmune diseases, but the effect of CIITA genotypes remains controversial. We tested in a case-control study whether CIITA polymorphisms influence the risk of developing endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF) and whether CIITA and HLA-DRB1 interact as regards susceptibility to the disease. The rs4774 SNP is not associated to EPF, while rs3087456 in the CIITA gene promoter is associated with susceptibility [odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, p < 0.001 and OR = 2.0 p = 0.003 for genotypes G/G and G/A, respectively]. We suggest that the associations result from the effect of genetically controlled levels of CIITA on expression of the susceptible and protective HLA class II molecules. Remarkably, the interaction between CIITA and HLA-DRB1 genotypes is strong and additive. The OR for individuals having two susceptible HLA-DRB1 alleles is 14.1 in presence of the susceptible CIITA G/G or G/A genotypes and much lower (2.2) in presence of the protective CIITA A/A genotype. We conclude that quantitative as well as qualitative variation of HLA class II molecules have an effect on the risk of an individual developing EPF. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 binds to major histocompatibility complex class II molecules.

PubMed Central

Scholl, P; Diez, A; Mourad, W; Parsonnet, J; Geha, R S; Chatila, T

1989-01-01

Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) is a 22-kDa exotoxin produced by strains of Staphylococcus aureus and implicated in the pathogenesis of toxic shock syndrome. In common with other staphylococcal exotoxins, TSST-1 has diverse immunological effects. These include the induction of interleukin 2 receptor expression, interleukin 2 synthesis, proliferation of human T lymphocytes, and stimulation of interleukin 1 synthesis by human monocytes. In the present study, we demonstrate that TSST-1 binds with saturation kinetics and with a dissociation constant of 17-43 nM to a single class of binding sites on human mononuclear cells. There was a strong correlation between the number of TSST-1 binding sites and the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules, and interferon-gamma induced the expression of class II molecules as well as TSST-1 binding sites on human skin-derived fibroblasts. Monoclonal antibodies to HLA-DR, but not to HLA-DP or HLA-DQ, strongly inhibited TSST-1 binding. Affinity chromatography of 125I-labeled cell membranes over TSST-1-agarose resulted in the recovery of two bands of 35 kDa and 31 kDa that comigrated, respectively, with the alpha and beta chains of HLA-DR and that could be immunoprecipitated with anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies. Binding of TSST-1 was demonstrated to HLA-DR and HLA-DQ L-cell transfectants. These results indicate that major histocompatibility complex class II molecules represent the major binding site for TSST-1 on human cells. Images PMID:2542966

The academic majors of students taking American soil science classes: 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Vaughan, Karen L.; Parikh, Sanjai J.; Dolliver, Holly; Lindbo, David; Steffan, Joshua J.; Weindorf, David; McDaniel, Paul; Mbila, Monday; Edinger-Marshall, Susan

2017-04-01

Many papers have been written in recent years discussing the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary aspects of soil science. Therefore, it would make sense that soil science courses would be taken by students in a wide array of academic majors. To investigate this, we collected data from eight different American universities on the declared academic majors of students enrolled in soil science courses over a 10 year time period (2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years). Data was collected for seven different classes taught at the undergraduate level: introduction to soil science, soil fertility, soil management, pedology, soil biology/microbiology, soil chemistry, and soil physics. Overall trends and trends for each class were evaluated. Generally, environmental science and crop science/horticulture/agronomy students were enrolled in soil science courses in the greatest numbers. Environmental science and engineering students showed rapid increases in enrollment over the 10 years of the study, while the number of crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students declined. In the introduction to soil science classes, environmental science and crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students were enrolled in the greatest numbers, while declared soil science majors only made up 6.6% of the average enrollment. The highest enrollments in soil fertility were crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students and other agricultural students (all agricultural majors except crop science, horticulture, agronomy, or soil science). In both the soil management and pedology classes, environmental science and other agricultural students were the largest groups enrolled. Other agricultural students and students from other majors (all majors not otherwise expressly investigated) were the largest enrolled groups in soil biology/microbiology courses, and environmental science and soil science students were the largest enrolled groups in soil chemistry classes. Soil physics was the only class investigated where declared soil science students made up the largest single group of students, with other agricultural students being the second largest group. Results of the study showed that students from many different academic majors take soil science classes at American universities, and the most common majors in these classes depended on the class and the material it addressed.

Early Talk About the Past Revisited: Affect in Working-Class and Middle-Class Children's Co-Narrations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burger, Lisa K.; Miller, Peggy J.

1999-01-01

Investigated personal storytelling among young working-class and middle-class children, observing them at home at age 2; age 6 and 3; and under-one year. Analysis of generic properties, narrative content, and emotion talk revealed a complex configuration of similarities and differences. Differentiation between working-class and middle-class…

Burnout in medical students: examining the prevalence and associated factors.

PubMed

Santen, Sally A; Holt, Danielle B; Kemp, Jean D; Hemphill, Robin R

2010-08-01

Burnout has been described as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment, and may originate during medical school. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of burnout and contributing factors in medical students. A survey was administered to 249 medical students using a modified Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and scales of stressors, assessment of workload, relaxation, control, accomplishment, support systems, and demographics. Moderate or high degree of burnout was seen in 21% of the first year class, 41% of the second year class, 43% of the third year class, and 31% of the fourth year class (P < 0.05). Lower support, higher stress, and lack of control over one's life were significantly related to burnout using multivariate analysis. Burnout progressively develops over the course of medical education, while a high level of support and low stress decreased burnout.

Spirituality and mental health: a very preliminary overview.

PubMed

Gilbert, Peter Duncan

2007-11-01

Demand for the spiritual dimension to be taken account of in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with mental ill-health has come strongly from users, carers and professionals. Research in the US over the past 10 years has shown a clear correlation between affiliation to a religious group and better outcomes in terms of mental and physical health, and even longevity. In the UK, however, the evidence from research is much less clear, and needs a more focused approach to really elucidate what helps people stay mentally healthy and recover from mental ill-health. Spirituality is now a key issue as individuals, communities and mental health services struggle to combine technical efficacy and business efficiency, but remain human, so as to nurture service users, carers and staff. This is set in a postmodern world, scarred by the trauma of 9/11 and its aftermaths, and in the context of a global consumerism, which has resulted in individuals being increasingly atomized and isolated. A consumerist society means that those classed as 'deficient consumers', especially those whose ill-health and/or poverty excludes them from the marketplace, are seen as outsiders and a dangerous class.

Revitalizing the Physics Department: The Use of Interactive Technologies to Improve Student Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheldon, Peter; Groover, Holly

2002-04-01

The Physics Department at Randolph-Macon Woman's College, a liberal arts women's college of 720, has traditionally turned out approximately 0.6 majors/year. We have invigorated the program by adding community (e.g. SPS, physical space, organized activities), adding a significant technical component (e.g. web-assisted and computerized labs and more technology in the classes [1]), and incorporating new learning techniques (JITT, Physlets, Peer Instruction and Cooperative Learning [2]). Students have responded well as evidenced by significant increases in enrollments as well as strong scores on the FCI. We have seen mixed results in the lab, but increased performance in the class, which is attributed to the interactive learning techniques that are being implemented through new technologies. In this presentation, we will discuss the implementation of the new curricular developments and the specific changes we have seen in student learning. [1] This work is supported in part by the NSF CCLI Program under grant DUE-9980890. Additional support has been from the Virginia Foundation of Private Colleges and AT&T. [2] See, for example, the project Galileo website http://galileo.harvard.edu for a description of all of these techniques.

Thin-plate spline graphical analysis of the mandible in mandibular prognathism.

PubMed

Chang, Hsin-Fu; Chang, Hong-Po; Liu, Pao-Hsin; Chang, Chih-Han

2002-11-01

The chin cup has been used to treat skeletal mandibular prognathism in growing patients for 200 years. The pull on the orthopedic-force chin cup is oriented along a line from the mandibular symphysis to the mandibular condyle. Various levels of success have been reported with this restraining device. The vertical chin cup produces strong vertical compression stress on the maxillary molar regions when the direction of traction is 20 degrees more vertical than the chin-condyle line. This treatment strategy may prevent relapse due to counter-clockwise rotation of the mandible. In this report, we describe a new strategy for using chin-cup therapy involving thin-plate spline (TPS) analysis of lateral cephalometric roentgenograms to visualize transformation of the mandible. The actual sites of mandibular skeletal change are not detectable with conventional cephalometric analysis. A case of mandibular prognathism treated with a chin cup and a case of dental Class III malocclusion without orthodontic treatment are described. The case analysis illustrates that specific patterns of mandibular transformation are associated with Class III malocclusion with or without orthopedic therapy, and that visualization of these deformations is feasible using TPS graphical analysis.

Oxyhalides: A new class of high-TC multiferroic materials

PubMed Central

Zhao, Li; Fernández-Díaz, Maria Teresa; Tjeng, Liu Hao; Komarek, Alexander C.

2016-01-01

Magnetoelectric multiferroics have attracted enormous attention in the past years because of their high potential for applications in electronic devices, which arises from the intrinsic coupling between magnetic and ferroelectric ordering parameters. The initial finding in TbMnO3 has triggered the search for other multiferroics with higher ordering temperatures and strong magnetoelectric coupling for applications. To date, spin-driven multiferroicity is found mainly in oxides, as well as in a few halogenides. We report multiferroic properties for synthetic melanothallite Cu2OCl2, which is the first discovery of multiferroicity in a transition metal oxyhalide. Measurements of pyrocurrent and the dielectric constant in Cu2OCl2 reveal ferroelectricity below the Néel temperature of ~70 K. Thus, melanothallite belongs to a new class of multiferroic materials with an exceptionally high critical temperature. Powder neutron diffraction measurements reveal an incommensurate magnetic structure below TN, and all magnetic reflections can be indexed with a propagation vector [0.827(7), 0, 0], thus discarding the claimed pyrochlore-like “all-in–all-out” spin structure for Cu2OCl2, and indicating that this transition metal oxyhalide is, indeed, a spin-induced multiferroic material. PMID:27386552

On modelling the relationship between vegetation greenness and water balance and land use change.

PubMed

Berry, Sandra L; Mackey, Brendan

2018-06-13

Here we sought a biologically meaningful, climate variable that captures water-energy availability and is suitable for high resolution (250 m × 250 m) modelling of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by the sunlit canopy (F V ) derived from a 10-year (July 2000 - June 2010) time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite imagery for Australia. The long-term mean annual evaporation deficit, and mean annual water availability indices all yielded strong linear relationships with mean F V ([Formula: see text], %). We hypothesised whether some of the scatter about the relationships was related to land-use changes that have disrupted the vegetation-climate-soil equilibrium. Using continental-scale spatial data layers of protected area status and vegetation condition classes we repeated our analyses with restricted datasets. [Formula: see text] of intact native vegetation within protected areas was greater than all modified vegetation classes. There was a consistent decline in the slopes of the regression relationships with increasing intensity of woody vegetation clearing and livestock grazing. Where native vegetation has been transformed by land use there was a 25% reduction in predicted [Formula: see text].

Reasons for Marijuana Use Among Young Adults and Long-Term Associations With Marijuana Use and Problems

PubMed Central

Patrick, Megan E.; Bray, Bethany C.; Berglund, Patricia A.

2016-01-01

Objective: This study examines reasons for marijuana use among young adults age 19/20 in the United States and the extent to which patterns of reasons are associated with marijuana use and problems 15 years later. Method: The national Monitoring the Future study provided data on marijuana users at age 19/20 who were also surveyed at age 35 (n = 2,288; 50% women; 83% White). Latent class analysis was used to identify distinct patterns of reasons for marijuana use, which were then used as predictors of later marijuana use and problems. Results: Five latent classes described the following patterns of reasons for marijuana use at age 19/20: Experimental, Get High + Relax, Typical, Typical + Escape, and Coping + Drug Use. Highest risk for later marijuana use and problems was found for people with Coping + Drug Use and Get High + Relax reasons in young adulthood; those with Experimental reasons were at lowest risk for later use or problems. Conclusions: Coping and getting high emerged as strong predictors of later marijuana use and problems. Results support the predictive value of self-reported reasons for using marijuana among young adults. PMID:27797689

Test anxiety in medical school is unrelated to academic performance but correlates with an effort/reward imbalance.

PubMed

Hahn, Henry; Kropp, Peter; Kirschstein, Timo; Rücker, Gernot; Müller-Hilke, Brigitte

2017-01-01

During their early years at medical school, students repeatedly criticize their workload, time constraints and test associated stress. At the same time, depressiveness and anxiety among first and second year medical students are on the rise. We therefore hypothesized that test anxiety may be related to depressiveness and considered cognitive and academic performances as confounders for the former and psychosocial distress for the latter. A whole class of 200 second year students was invited to participate in the study. Anxiety as a trait, depressiveness, crystallized intelligence, verbal fluency and psychosocial distress were assessed using validated tests and questionnaires. Acute state anxiety and sympathetic stress parameters were measured in real life situations immediately before an oral and a written exam and paired tests were used to compare the individual anxieties at the various time points. Previous academic performances were self-reported, the results of the impending exams were monitored. Finally, correlations were performed to test for interrelatedness between academic performances and the various personal, cognitive and psychosocial factors. Acute test anxiety did not correlate with depressiveness nor did it correlate with previous nor impending academic performances nor any of the expected confounders on academic performance. However both, depressiveness and test anxiety strongly correlated with the perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received. Moreover, anxiety as a trait not only correlated with acute state anxiety before an exam but was also significantly correlated to the feeling of over-commitment. Depressiveness during the early years of medical school seems unrelated to test anxiety and academic performance. Instead, it strongly correlated with the psychosocial distress emanating from attending medical school and points at a perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received.

Test anxiety in medical school is unrelated to academic performance but correlates with an effort/reward imbalance

PubMed Central

Hahn, Henry; Kropp, Peter; Kirschstein, Timo; Rücker, Gernot; Müller-Hilke, Brigitte

2017-01-01

Purpose During their early years at medical school, students repeatedly criticize their workload, time constraints and test associated stress. At the same time, depressiveness and anxiety among first and second year medical students are on the rise. We therefore hypothesized that test anxiety may be related to depressiveness and considered cognitive and academic performances as confounders for the former and psychosocial distress for the latter. Methods A whole class of 200 second year students was invited to participate in the study. Anxiety as a trait, depressiveness, crystallized intelligence, verbal fluency and psychosocial distress were assessed using validated tests and questionnaires. Acute state anxiety and sympathetic stress parameters were measured in real life situations immediately before an oral and a written exam and paired tests were used to compare the individual anxieties at the various time points. Previous academic performances were self-reported, the results of the impending exams were monitored. Finally, correlations were performed to test for interrelatedness between academic performances and the various personal, cognitive and psychosocial factors. Results Acute test anxiety did not correlate with depressiveness nor did it correlate with previous nor impending academic performances nor any of the expected confounders on academic performance. However both, depressiveness and test anxiety strongly correlated with the perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received. Moreover, anxiety as a trait not only correlated with acute state anxiety before an exam but was also significantly correlated to the feeling of over-commitment. Conclusion Depressiveness during the early years of medical school seems unrelated to test anxiety and academic performance. Instead, it strongly correlated with the psychosocial distress emanating from attending medical school and points at a perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received. PMID:28182781

Eddy-driven sediment transport in the Argentine Basin: Is the height of the Zapiola Rise hydrodynamically controlled?

DOE PAGES

Weijer, Wilbert; Maltrud, Mathew E.; Homoky, William B.; ...

2015-03-27

In this study, we address the question whether eddy-driven transports in the Argentine Basin can be held responsible for enhanced sediment accumulation over the Zapiola Rise, hence accounting for the existence and growth of this sediment drift. To address this question, we perform a 6 year simulation with a strongly eddying ocean model. We release two passive tracers, with settling velocities that are consistent with silt and clay size particles. Our experiments show contrasting behavior between the silt fraction and the lighter clay. Due to its larger settling velocity, the silt fraction reaches a quasisteady state within a few years,more » with abyssal sedimentation rates that match net input. In contrast, clay settles only slowly, and its distribution is heavily stratified, being transported mainly along isopycnals. Yet, both size classes display a significant and persistent concentration minimum over the Zapiola Rise. We show that the Zapiola Anticyclone, a strong eddy-driven vortex that circulates around the Zapiola Rise, is a barrier to sediment transport, and hence prevents significant accumulation of sediments on the Rise. We conclude that sediment transport by the turbulent circulation in the Argentine Basin alone cannot account for the preferred sediment accumulation over the Rise. We speculate that resuspension is a critical process in the formation and maintenance of the Zapiola Rise.« less

Prognostic factors affecting survival after whole brain radiotherapy in patients with brain metastasized lung cancer.

PubMed

Tsakonas, Georgios; Hellman, Fatou; Gubanski, Michael; Friesland, Signe; Tendler, Salomon; Lewensohn, Rolf; Ekman, Simon; de Petris, Luigi

2018-02-01

Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) has been the standard of care for multiple NSCLC brain metastases but due to its toxicity and lack of survival benefit, its use in the palliative setting is being questioned. This was a single institution cohort study including brain metastasized lung cancer patients who received WBRT at Karolinska University Hospital. Information about Recursive Partitioning Analysis (RPA) and Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) scores, demographics, histopathological results and received oncological therapy were collected. Predictors of overall survival (OS) from the time of received WBRT were identified by Cox regression analyses. OS between GPA and RPA classes were compared by pairwise log rank test. A subgroup OS analysis was performed stratified by RPA class. The cohort consisted of 280 patients. RPA 1 and 2 classes had better OS compared to class 3, patients with GPA <1.5 points had better OS compared to GPA≥ 1.5 points and age >70 years was associated with worse OS (p< .0001 for all comparisons). In RPA class 2 subgroup analysis GPA ≥1.5 points, age ≤70 years and CNS surgery before salvage WBRT were independent positive prognostic factors. RPA class 3 patients should not receive WBRT, whereas RPA class 1 patients should receive WBRT if clinically indicated. RPA class 2 patients with age ≤70 years and GPA ≥1.5 points should be treated as RPA 1. WBRT should be omitted in RPA 2 patients with age >70. In RPA 2 patients with age ≤70 years and GPA <1.5 points WBRT could be a reasonable option.

Association of maternal anti-HLA class II antibodies with protection from allergy in offspring.

PubMed

Jones, M; Jeal, H; Harris, J M; Smith, J D; Rose, M L; Taylor, A N; Cullinan, P

2013-09-01

Recent studies have suggested that the birth order effect in allergy may be established during the prenatal period and that the protective effect may originate in the mother. HLA class II disparity between mother and foetus has been associated with significantly increased Th1 production. In this study, we investigated whether production of HLA antibodies 4 years after pregnancy with index child is associated with allergic outcomes in offspring at 8 years. Anti-HLA class I and II antibodies were measured in maternal serum (n = 284) and levels correlated to numbers of pregnancies and birth order, and allergic outcomes in offspring at 8 years of age. Maternal anti-HLA class I and II antibodies were significantly higher when birth order, and the number of pregnancies were larger. Anti-HLA class II, but not class I antibodies were associated with significantly less atopy and seasonal rhinitis in the offspring at age 8 years. Mothers with nonatopic (but not atopic) offspring had a significant increase in anti-HLA class I and II antibodies with birth order. This study suggests that the 'birth order' effect in children may be due to parity-related changes in the maternal immune response to foetal antigens. We have observed for the first time an association between maternal anti-HLA class II antibodies and protection from allergy in the offspring. Further work is required to determine immunologically how HLA disparity between mother and father can protect against allergy. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of student knowledge of the weak and strong nuclear forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakya, Pramila

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of active-learning activities to teach weak force and strong force to students enrolled in various courses at The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg campus and Gulf Park campus at different class times would increase their knowledge. There were eighty-six students that took part in this study. The study was conducted in the lab classes of an introductory astronomy survey course (AST 111), an introductory algebra-based physics course (PHY 112), and an introductory calculus-based physics course (PHY 202) during fall semester, 2014. Each class was randomly assigned as active-learning or direct instruction. A pretest followed by lecture was administered to all groups. The active-learning group performed four activities whereas the direct group watched a video irrelevant to the lesson. At the end of the lesson, the same post-test was given to all groups. Various statistical methods were used to analyze the differences in mean pretest and posttest scores. Overall, results show that the mean posttest scores were higher than the mean pretest scores. Findings support the use of active-learning activities work to the small number of students or the equal number of students in a group. The mean posttest scores of the direct instruction classes were higher than those of the active-learning groups.

First-year engineering students' views of the nature of engineering: implications for engineering programmes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karataş, F. Ö.; Bodner, G. M.; Unal, Suat

2016-01-01

A study was conducted on the views of the nature of engineering held by 114 first-year engineering majors; the study built on prior work on views of the nature of science held by students, their instructors, and the general public. Open-coding analysis of responses to a 12-item questionnaire suggested that the participants held tacit beliefs that engineering (1) involves problem solving; (2) is a form of applied science; (3) involves the design of artefacts or systems; (4) is subject to various constraints; and (5) requires teamwork. These beliefs, however, were often unsophisticated, and significant aspects of the field of engineering as described in the literature on engineering practices were missing from the student responses. The results of this study are important because students' beliefs have a strong influence on what they value in a classroom situation, what they attend to in class, and how they choose to study for a course.

A Unified Approach to the Thermodynamics and Quantum Scaling Functions of One-Dimensional Strongly Attractive SU(w) Fermi Gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yi-Cong; Guan, Xi-Wen

2017-06-01

We present a unified derivation of the pressure equation of states, thermodynamics and scaling functions for the one-dimensional (1D) strongly attractive Fermi gases with SU(w) symmetry. These physical quantities provide a rigorous understanding on a universality class of quantum criticality characterized by the critical exponents z = 2 and correlation length exponent ν = 1/2. Such a universality class of quantum criticality can occur when the Fermi sea of one branch of charge bound states starts to fill or becomes gapped at zero temperature. The quantum critical cone can be determined by the double peaks in specific heat, which serve to mark two crossover temperatures fanning out from the critical point. Our method opens to further study on quantum phases and phase transitions in strongly interacting fermions with large SU(w) and non-SU(w) symmetries in one dimension. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11374331 and the key NSFC under Grant No 11534014. XWG has been partially supported by the Australian Research Council.

Investigation of Academic Success, Self-Esteem and Academic Self-Concept in 4th Class Primary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çetinkaya, Seher

2017-01-01

In Turkey due to changes in the age starting school implemented during the 2012-2013 academic year, children ages from 60 months to 84 months were subject to the same educational program in the same class. By the 2015-2016 academic year these children were at the end of 4th class. This research aimed to investigate the Turkish and mathematic…

Biotic and abiotic factors regulating forest floor CO2 flux across a range of forest age classes in the southern Appalachians

Treesearch

James M. Vose; Paul V. Bolstad

2007-01-01

We measured forest floor CO2 flux in three age classes of forest in the southern Appalachians: 20-year-old, 85-year-old, and old-growth. Our objectives were to quantify differences in forest floor CO2 flux among age classes, and determine the relative importance of abiotic and biotic driving variables. Forest floor CO

Using Time-on-Task Measurements to Understand Student Performance in a Physics Class: A Four-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, John; Stewart, Gay; Taylor, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Student use of out-of-class time was measured for four years in the introductory second-semester calculus-based physics course at the University of Arkansas. Two versions of the course were presented during the time of the measurement. In both versions, the total out-of-class time a student invested in the course explained less than 1% of the…

The hierarchy of stability and predictability in orthognathic surgery with rigid fixation: an update and extension

PubMed Central

Proffit, William R; Turvey, Timothy A; Phillips, Ceib

2007-01-01

A hierarchy of stability exists among the types of surgical movements that are possible with orthognathic surgery. This report updates the hierarchy, focusing on comparison of the stability of procedures when rigid fixation is used. Two procedures not previously placed in the hierarchy now are included: correction of asymmetry is stable with rigid fixation and repositioning of the chin also is very stable. During the first post-surgical year, surgical movements in patients treated for Class II/long face problems tend to be more stable than those treated for Class III problems. Clinically relevant changes (more than 2 mm) occur in a surprisingly large percentage of orthognathic surgery patients from one to five years post-treatment, after surgical healing is complete. During the first post-surgical year, patients treated for Class II/long face problems are more stable than those treated for Class III problems; from one to five years post-treatment, some patients in both groups experience skeletal change, but the Class III patients then are more stable than the Class II/long face patients. Fewer patients exhibit long-term changes in the dental occlusion than skeletal changes, because the dentition usually adapts to the skeletal change. PMID:17470277

Effect of adolescent substance use and antisocial behavior on the development of early adulthood depression.

PubMed

Choi, Tai Kiu; Worley, Matthew J; Trim, Ryan S; Howard, David; Brown, Sandra A; Hopfer, Christian J; Hewitt, John K; Wall, Tamara L

2016-04-30

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and frequently comorbid psychiatric disorder. This study evaluates the development of depressive symptoms, MDD diagnosis, and suicidal ideation in a high-risk sample (N=524) diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) and substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms as youth and re-assessed approximately 6.5 years later. Dual trajectory classes of both alcohol and other drug use (AOD) and antisocial behavior (ASB), previously identified using latent class growth analyses (LCGA), were used to predict depression outcomes. The Dual Chronic, Increasing AOD/Persistent ASB, and Decreasing Drugs/Persistent ASB classes had higher past-week depression scores, more past-year MDD symptoms, and were more likely to have past-year MDD than the Resolved class. The Dual Chronic and Decreasing Drugs/Persistent ASB classes also had more past-year MDD symptoms than the Persistent AOD/Adolescent ASB class. Youth at highest risk for developing or maintaining depression in adulthood had the common characteristic of persistent antisocial behavior. This suggests young adulthood depression is associated more with persistent antisocial behavior than with persistent substance use in comorbid youth. As such, interventions targeting high-risk youth, particularly those with persistent antisocial behavior, are needed to help reduce the risk of severe psychosocial consequences (including risk for suicide) in adulthood. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

The association of soda sales tax and school nutrition laws: a concordance of policies.

PubMed

Greathouse, K Leigh; Chriqui, Jamie; Moser, Richard P; Agurs-Collins, Tanya; Perna, Frank M

2014-10-01

The current research examined the association between state disfavoured tax on soda (i.e. the difference between soda sales tax and the tax on food products generally) and a summary score representing the strength of state laws governing competitive beverages (beverages that compete with the beverages in the federally funded school lunch programme) in US schools. The Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (CLASS) summary score reflected the strength of a state's laws restricting competitive beverages sold in school stores, vending machines, school fundraisers and à la carte cafeteria items. Bridging the Gap (BTG) is a nationally recognized research initiative that provided state-level soda tax data. The main study outcome was the states' competitive beverage summary scores for elementary, middle and high school grade levels, as predicted by the states' disfavoured soda tax. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, adjusting for year and state. Data from BTG and CLASS were used. BTG and CLASS data from all fifty states and the District of Columbia from 2003 to 2010 were used. A higher disfavoured soda sales tax was generally associated with an increased likelihood of having strong school beverage laws across grade levels, and especially when disfavoured soda sales tax was >5 %. These data suggest a concordance between states' soda taxes and laws governing beverages sold in schools. States with high disfavoured sales tax on soda had stronger competitive beverage laws, indicating that the state sales tax environment may be associated with laws governing beverage policy in schools.

Giant Rapid X-ray Flares in Extragalactic Globular Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irwin, Jimmy

2018-01-01

There is only one known class of non-destructive, highly energetic astrophysical object in the Universe whose energy emission varies by more than a factor of 100 on time scales of less than a minute -- soft gamma repeaters/anomalous X-ray pulsars, whose flares are believed to be caused by the energy release from the cracking of a neutron star's surface by very strong magnetic fields. All other known violent, rapid explosions, including gamma-ray bursts and supernovae, are believed to destroy the object in the process. Here, we report the discovery of a second class of non-destructive, highly energetic rapidly flaring X-ray object located within two nearby galaxies with fundamentally different properties than soft gamma repeaters/anomalous X-ray pulsars. One source is located within a suspected globular cluster of the host galaxy and flared one time, while the other source is located in either a globular cluster of the host galaxy or the core of a stripped dwarf companion galaxy that flared on six occasions over a seven year time span. When not flaring, the sources appear as normal accreting neutron star or black hole X-ray binaries, indicating that the flare event does not significantly disrupt the host system. While the nature of these sources is still unclear, the discovery of these sources in decade-old archival Chandra X-ray Observatory data illustrates the under-utilization of X-ray timing as a means to discover new classes of explosive events in the Universe.

Rehabilitation of an Elite Olympic Class Sailor With MCL Injury

PubMed Central

Herrera, Chris; Cicerale, Stephanie; Moses, Kevin; Smiley, Philip

2009-01-01

Background A paucity of literature exists related to the care of sailing athletes with knee injuries. Hiking has been examined to describe its demands, but comprehensive sources for rehabilitation recommendations based upon evidence are non-existent. Guidance and understanding of human motion are key to success in the face of limited evidence. Objectives Impairments and functional restrictions were identified in a Finn Sailor with MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury. A regimen of strengthening, conditioning, and functional benchmarks was devised to progress a sailing athlete from non-functional to sailing specific training and the athlete's competitive goal. Coordination with a strength/conditioning professional was key to maintaining the athlete's competitive level. Case description The patient is a 21 year old Finn class sailor with an acute MCL knee injury eight weeks prior to a world class and national ranking event. Following evaluation, treatment with sailing-specific functional testing coincided with training/conditioning. Common-sense functional tasks were used to replicate demands of hiking and balancing to evaluate readiness for sailing/training. Outcomes Return to sailing with protection occurred in 12 days, unrestricted training and competition were achieved prior to the ranking event at 8 weeks. Discussion Mobility, stability, control, strength, and endurance are not only crucial to performance in the boat, but sailors need to avoid pitfalls in the boatyard while safely transitioning from land to water. Competitive calendars may not allow for textbook protocol, therefore, all goals should be strongly correlated with functional ability, athlete confidence, and performance needs. PMID:21509107

Molecular characterization of Shigella spp. from patients in Gabon 2011-2013.

PubMed

Schaumburg, Frieder; Alabi, Abraham S; Kaba, Harry; Lell, Bertrand; Becker, Karsten; Grobusch, Martin P; Kremsner, Peter G; Mellmann, Alexander

2015-04-01

Shigella spp. dysentery is widespread in developing countries; the incidence is particularly high in children between 1-2 years of age. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a paucity of epidemiological data on Shigella spp., with possible negative consequences for recognition and correct treatment choice for this life-threatening bacterial infection. We therefore characterized Shigella spp. isolates from Gabon. The antimicrobial resistance, virulence factors, genotypes and mobile genetic elements of Shigella isolates (29 S. flexneri; 5 S. boydii; 3 S. sonnei) from a retrospective strain collection were analyzed. High resistance rates were found for gentamicin and tetracycline (100%, 37/37), cotrimoxazole (92%, 34/37) and ampicillin (84%, 31/37). All isolate harbored ial and ipaH; no isolate produced Shiga toxins (stx1/2); enterotoxins (set1A/B) were only found in S. flexneri (n=19). Multilocus sequence types (MLST) clustered with global clones. A high prevalence of atypical class 1 integrons harboring blaOXA30 and aadA1 were detected in S. flexneri, while all S. sonnei carried class 2 integrons. There is a strong link of Gabonese Shigella spp. isolates with pandemic lineages as they cluster with major global clones and frequently carry atypical class 1 integrons which are frequently reported in Shigella spp. from Asia. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Connectivity in an agricultural landscape as reflected by interpond movements of a freshwater turtle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowne, D.R.; Bowers, M.A.; Hines, J.E.

2006-01-01

Connectivity is a measure of how landscape features facilitate movement and thus is an important factor in species persistence in a fragmented landscape. The scarcity of empirical studies that directly quantify species movement and determine subsequent effects on population density have, however, limited the utility of connectivity measures in conservation planning. We undertook a 4-year study to calculate connectivity based on observed movement rates and movement probabilities for five age-sex classes of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) inhabiting a pond complex in an agricultural landscape in northern Virginia (U.S.A.). We determined which variables influenced connectivity and the relationship between connectivity and subpopulation density. Interpatch distance and quality of habitat patches influenced connectivity but characteristics of the intervening matrix did not. Adult female turtles were more influenced by the habitat quality of recipient ponds than other age-sex classes. The importance of connectivity on spatial population dynamics was most apparent during a drought. Population density and connectivity were low for one pond in a wet year but dramatically increased as other ponds dried. Connectivity is an important component of species persistence in a heterogeneous landscape and is strongly dependent on the movement behavior of the species. Connectivity may reflect active selection or avoidance of particular habitat patches. The influence of habitat quality on connectivity has often been ignored, but our findings highlight its importance. Conservation planners seeking to incorporate connectivity measures into reserve design should not ignore behavior in favor of purely structural estimates of connectivity.

Ascidian and amphioxus Adh genes correlate functional and molecular features of the ADH family expansion during vertebrate evolution.

PubMed

Cañestro, Cristian; Albalat, Ricard; Hjelmqvist, Lars; Godoy, Laura; Jörnvall, Hans; Gonzàlez-Duarte, Roser

2002-01-01

The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family has evolved into at least eight ADH classes during vertebrate evolution. We have characterized three prevertebrate forms of the parent enzyme of this family, including one from an urochordate (Ciona intestinalis) and two from cephalochordates (Branchiostoma floridae and Branchiostoma lanceolatum). An evolutionary analysis of the family was performed gathering data from protein and gene structures, exon-intron distribution, and functional features through chordate lines. Our data strongly support that the ADH family expansion occurred 500 million years ago, after the cephalochordate/vertebrate split, probably in the gnathostome subphylum line of the vertebrates. Evolutionary rates differ between the ancestral, ADH3 (glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase), and the emerging forms, including the classical alcohol dehydrogenase, ADH1, which has an evolutionary rate 3.6-fold that of the ADH3 form. Phylogenetic analysis and chromosomal mapping of the vertebrate Adh gene cluster suggest that family expansion took place by tandem duplications, probably concurrent with the extensive isoform burst observed before the fish/tetrapode split, rather than through the large-scale genome duplications also postulated in early vertebrate evolution. The absence of multifunctionality in lower chordate ADHs and the structures compared argue in favor of the acquisition of new functions in vertebrate ADH classes. Finally, comparison between B. floridae and B. lanceolatum Adhs provides the first estimate for a cephalochordate speciation, 190 million years ago, probably concomitant with the beginning of the drifting of major land masses from the Pangea.

Vitality and Interest-Enjoyment as a Function of Class-to-Class Variation in Need-Supportive Teaching and Pupils' Autonomous Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mouratidis, Athanasios A.; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Sideridis, Georgios; Lens, Willy

2011-01-01

In 2 quasi-experimental field studies in a real-life physical education (PE) setting, the authors investigated whether the interest-enjoyment and vitality of Greek pupils (age range, 10-12 years) varied from class to class as a function of the class-to-class variation in the manipulated motivational environment (Studies 1 and 2) and pupils'…

Evolution of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II genes in the brown bear

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins constitute an essential component of the vertebrate immune response, and are coded by the most polymorphic of the vertebrate genes. Here, we investigated sequence variation and evolution of MHC class I and class II DRB, DQA and DQB genes in the brown bear Ursus arctos to characterise the level of polymorphism, estimate the strength of positive selection acting on them, and assess the extent of gene orthology and trans-species polymorphism in Ursidae. Results We found 37 MHC class I, 16 MHC class II DRB, four DQB and two DQA alleles. We confirmed the expression of several loci: three MHC class I, two DRB, two DQB and one DQA. MHC class I also contained two clusters of non-expressed sequences. MHC class I and DRB allele frequencies differed between northern and southern populations of the Scandinavian brown bear. The rate of nonsynonymous substitutions (dN) exceeded the rate of synonymous substitutions (dS) at putative antigen binding sites of DRB and DQB loci and, marginally significantly, at MHC class I loci. Models of codon evolution supported positive selection at DRB and MHC class I loci. Both MHC class I and MHC class II sequences showed orthology to gene clusters found in the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca. Conclusions Historical positive selection has acted on MHC class I, class II DRB and DQB, but not on the DQA locus. The signal of historical positive selection on the DRB locus was particularly strong, which may be a general feature of caniforms. The presence of MHC class I pseudogenes may indicate faster gene turnover in this class through the birth-and-death process. South–north population structure at MHC loci probably reflects origin of the populations from separate glacial refugia. PMID:23031405

Evolution of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II genes in the brown bear.

PubMed

Kuduk, Katarzyna; Babik, Wiesław; Bojarska, Katarzyna; Sliwińska, Ewa B; Kindberg, Jonas; Taberlet, Pierre; Swenson, Jon E; Radwan, Jacek

2012-10-02

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins constitute an essential component of the vertebrate immune response, and are coded by the most polymorphic of the vertebrate genes. Here, we investigated sequence variation and evolution of MHC class I and class II DRB, DQA and DQB genes in the brown bear Ursus arctos to characterise the level of polymorphism, estimate the strength of positive selection acting on them, and assess the extent of gene orthology and trans-species polymorphism in Ursidae. We found 37 MHC class I, 16 MHC class II DRB, four DQB and two DQA alleles. We confirmed the expression of several loci: three MHC class I, two DRB, two DQB and one DQA. MHC class I also contained two clusters of non-expressed sequences. MHC class I and DRB allele frequencies differed between northern and southern populations of the Scandinavian brown bear. The rate of nonsynonymous substitutions (dN) exceeded the rate of synonymous substitutions (dS) at putative antigen binding sites of DRB and DQB loci and, marginally significantly, at MHC class I loci. Models of codon evolution supported positive selection at DRB and MHC class I loci. Both MHC class I and MHC class II sequences showed orthology to gene clusters found in the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca. Historical positive selection has acted on MHC class I, class II DRB and DQB, but not on the DQA locus. The signal of historical positive selection on the DRB locus was particularly strong, which may be a general feature of caniforms. The presence of MHC class I pseudogenes may indicate faster gene turnover in this class through the birth-and-death process. South-north population structure at MHC loci probably reflects origin of the populations from separate glacial refugia.

A model of Fe speciation and biogeochemistry at the Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time-Series Observatory site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Y.; Völker, C.; Wolf-Gladrow, D. A.

2009-10-01

A one-dimensional model of Fe speciation and biogeochemistry, coupled with the General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM) and a NPZD-type ecosystem model, is applied for the Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time-Series Observatory (TENATSO) site. Among diverse processes affecting Fe speciation, this study is focusing on investigating the role of dust particles in removing dissolved iron (DFe) by a more complex description of particle aggregation and sinking, and explaining the abundance of organic Fe-binding ligands by modelling their origin and fate. The vertical distribution of different particle classes in the model shows high sensitivity to changing aggregation rates. Using the aggregation rates from the sensitivity study in this work, modelled particle fluxes are close to observations, with dust particles dominating near the surface and aggregates deeper in the water column. POC export at 1000 m is a little higher than regional sediment trap measurements, suggesting further improvement of modelling particle aggregation, sinking or remineralisation. Modelled strong ligands have a high abundance near the surface and decline rapidly below the deep chlorophyll maximum, showing qualitative similarity to observations. Without production of strong ligands, phytoplankton concentration falls to 0 within the first 2 years in the model integration, caused by strong Fe-limitation. A nudging of total weak ligands towards a constant value is required for reproducing the observed nutrient-like profiles, assuming a decay time of 7 years for weak ligands. This indicates that weak ligands have a longer decay time and therefore cannot be modelled adequately in a one-dimensional model. The modelled DFe profile is strongly influenced by particle concentration and vertical distribution, because the most important removal of DFe in deeper waters is colloid formation and aggregation. Redissolution of particulate iron is required to reproduce an observed DFe profile at TENATSO site. Assuming colloidal iron is mainly composed of inorganic colloids, the modelled colloidal to soluble iron ratio is lower that observations, indicating the importance of organic colloids.

Comparison of second molar eruption patterns in patients with skeletal Class II and skeletal Class I malocclusions.

PubMed

Brin, Ilana; Camasuvi, Semin; Dali, Nasser; Aizenbud, Dror

2006-12-01

The eruptive positions of the second molars in Class I and Class II malocclusions were studied. Pretreatment records of 221 patients with a mean age of 11.3 years were evaluated. About 19% of them had skeletal Class I, 31% had skeletal maxillary Class II, and 50% had skeletal mandibular Class II malocclusions. The mean values of the dental and chronologic ages of the subjects were similar. The eruptive positions in relation to a reference line, the developmental stages of the patients' second molars and dental ages were recorded from the panoramic roentgenograms. The distribution of the various developmental stages in each malocclusion group was similar, and no association between skeletal malocclusion and dental developmental stage of the second molars was encountered. The eruptive position of the maxillary second molars was more occlusal only in the oldest maxillary Class II group, above 12 years of age (P = .02). These results support, in part, previous reports suggesting that the maxillary second molars may erupt earlier in patients with skeletal maxillary Class II malocclusions.

Automatic classification of reforested Pinus SPP and Eucalyptus SPP in Mogi-Guacu, SP, Brazil, using LANDSAT data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejesusparada, N. (Principal Investigator); Shimabukuro, Y. E.; Hernandez, P. E.; Koffler, N. F.; Chen, S. C.

1978-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Single date LANDSAT CCTs were processed, by Image-100 to classify Pinus and Eucalyptus species and their age groups. The study area Mogi-Guagu was located in the humid subtropical climate zone of Sao Paulo. The study was divided into ten preliminary classes and featured selection algorithms were used to calculate Bhattacharyya distance between all possible pairs of these classes in the four available channels. Classes having B-distance values less than 1.30 were grouped in four classes: (1) class PE - P. elliottii, (2) class P0 - Pinus species other than P. elliotii, (3) class EY - Eucalyptus spp. under two years, and (4) class E0 - Eucalyptus spp. more than two years old. The percentages of correct classification ranged from 70.9% to 94.12%. Comparisons of acreage estimated from the Image-100 with ground truth data showed agreement. The Image-100 percent recognition values for the above four classes were 91.62%, 87.80%, 89.89%, and 103.30%, respectively.

Mixing Strong and Weak Targets Provides No Evidence against the Unequal-Variance Explanation of zRoc Slope: A Comment on Koen and Yonelinas (2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starns, Jeffrey J.; Rotello, Caren M.; Ratcliff, Roger

2012-01-01

Koen and Yonelinas (2010; K&Y) reported that mixing classes of targets that had short (weak) or long (strong) study times had no impact on zROC slope, contradicting the predictions of the encoding variability hypothesis. We show that they actually derived their predictions from a mixture unequal-variance signal detection (UVSD) model, which…

Comorbidity and socio-demographic factors associated with renal lithiasis in persons aged 40 to 65: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Arias Vega, Raquel; Pérula de Torres, Luis Angel; Jiménez García, Celia; Carrasco Valiente, Julia; Requena Tapia, Maria José; Cano Castiñeira, Roque; Silva Ayçaguer, Luis Carlos

2017-11-09

Renal lithiasis is one of the most important urological diseases. It seems to be related to different socio-demographic and climatic factors, lifestyle and pre-existing comorbidity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between socio-demographic variables, certain risk factors and chronic diseases and the renal lithiasis. A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out, selecting the Spanish population aged from 40 to 65 years, combining 2 random samples (PreLiRenA and PreLiRenE studies). Data were collected by personal telephone surveys, gathering information on socio-demographic variables and perceived morbidity. Data on annual average temperatures in each Spanish region were also collected. A bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed. A total of 4,894 subjects were surveyed; 51.3% were women; 25% were aged 40-45 years, 36% had primary school education and 31.4% were of low social class. The overall prevalence of renal lithiasis was 15.0% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 14.5-15.5). By means of multivariate analysis, the variables that showed a strong statistical relationship with the presence of renal lithiasis were: older age (61-65 years; OR=1.39; 95% CI 1.06-1.80), high social class (OR=1.98; 95% CI 1.29-2.62), family history of renal lithiasis (OR=2.22; 95% CI 1.88-2.65), high blood pressure (OR=1.68; 95% CI 1.39-2.02) and overweight/obesity (OR=1.31; 95% CI 1.12-1.54). A correlation was observed between renal lithiasis and average annual temperatures in the Spanish regions (r=0.59; P=.013). A relationship was observed between renal lithiasis and older age, belonging to higher social classes, the existence of a family history of urolithiasis, and hypertension and overweight or obesity. The prevalence of renal lithiasis is greater in warmer climate zones. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Cost-effective age structure and geographical distribution of boreal forest reserves.

PubMed

Lundström, Johanna; Ohman, Karin; Perhans, Karin; Rönnqvist, Mikael; Gustafsson, Lena; Bugman, Harald

2011-02-01

1. Forest reserves are established to preserve biodiversity, and to maintain natural functions and processes. Today there is heightened focus on old-growth stages, with less attention given to early successional stages. The biodiversity potential of younger forests has been overlooked, and the cost-effectiveness of incorporating different age classes in reserve networks has not yet been studied.2. We performed a reserve selection analysis in boreal Sweden using the Swedish National Forest Inventory plots. Seventeen structural variables were used as biodiversity indicators, and the cost of protecting each plot as a reserve was assessed using the Heureka system. A goal programming approach was applied, which allowed inclusion of several objectives and avoided a situation in which common indicators affected the result more than rare ones. The model was limited either by budget or area.3. All biodiversity indicators were found in all age classes, with more than half having the highest values in ages ≥ 100 years. Several large-tree indicators and all deadwood indicators had higher values in forests 0-14 years than in forests 15-69 years.4. It was most cost-effective to protect a large proportion of young forests since they generally have a lower net present value compared to older forests, but still contain structures of importance for biodiversity. However, it was more area-effective to protect a large proportion of old forests since they have a higher biodiversity potential per area.5. The geographical distribution of reserves selected with the budget-constrained model was strongly biassed towards the north-western section of boreal Sweden, with a large proportion of young forest, whereas the area-constrained model focussed on the south-eastern section, with dominance by the oldest age class.6.Synthesis and applications. We show that young forests with large amounts of structures important to biodiversity such as dead wood and remnant trees are cheap and cost-efficient to protect. This suggests that reserve networks should incorporate sites with high habitat quality of different forest ages. Since young forests are generally neglected in conservation, our approach is of interest also to other forest biomes where biodiversity is adapted to disturbance regimes resulting in open, early successional stages.

Reading Recovery Program Implementation Year Six, School Year 1995-96. Report of Results and Effectiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schotanus, Helen; And Others

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the sixth year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 95 Reading Recovery teachers from previous classes, 38 teachers in the new class, and 4 teacher leaders, a total of 137 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1995-96 school year. A total of 693 first-grade children…

Reading Recovery Program Implementation Year Five, School Year 1994-95. Report of Results and Effectiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schotanus, Helen; And Others

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the fifth year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 78 Reading Recovery teachers from previous classes, 23 teachers in the new class, and 3 teacher leaders, a total of 104 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1994-95 school year. A total of 530 first-grade children…

Differences in survival and growth in hatchery and stream environments, and in maturation of residuls in a stream, between progeny of hatchery and wild steelhead (Study sites: Brushy Fork Creek and Dworshak Hatchery; Stocks:Dworshak hatchery and Fish Creek wild; Year classes: 1992 and 1993): Chapter 1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rubin, Stephen P.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Wetzel, Lisa A.; Hensleigh, Jay E.; Leonetti,; Rubin, Stephen P.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Wetzel, Lisa A.; Hayes, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Freshwater survival in hatchery and natural rearing environments was compared between progeny of hatchery (H) and wild (W) steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from the Clearwater River drainage in Idaho. Adults from Dworshak National Fish Hatchery and wild adults from Fish Creek fish were artificially spawned, and their progeny were genetically marked at the PEPA allozyme locus and released together as unfed fry in production facilities at the hatchery and in Brushy Fork Creek, also in the Clearwater River drainage, in a common garden design. Survival was higher for H than for W progeny at the hatchery but lower for H than for W progeny in Brushy Fork, indicating reduced fitness of the hatchery population for natural rearing and suggesting domestication as the cause. Survival at the hatchery was lower than is typical due to disease outbreaks. Survival of the first year-class of experimental fish to smolt release was only 18%. Survival of H fish was 3.8 times that of W fish under these poor survival conditions. All fish from the second year-class died halfway through the scheduled 10 month rearing period. Survival of H fish was 5.2 times that of W fish to when 1% of the initial fry were still alive indicating that W fish succumbed to the epizootic sooner than did H fish. Emigrants from the Brushy Fork study reach were sampled for three years and fish residing in the study reach were sampled for six years following fry release. Most emigrants were one or two years old and too small to be smolts (mean fork length at age-2 = 93 mm). Survival in Brushy Fork was lower for H than for W fish of the first year-class. Survival of the second year-class was higher for H than for W fish during the first two months in the stream but was lower for H than for W fish thereafter, and net survival from release to ages 3 and older was also lower for H than for W fish if our emigrant samples were representative (periods of inoperative emigrant traps prevented certainty about this). Differences between progeny groups were also found for growth (H>W) and condition (H>W) in the hatchery and downstream migration success of hatchery-reared fish after release (H>W), and for growth (HW for the other), condition (H>W), downstream dispersal (H>W for one year-class; H=W for the other), and maturation of residuals (ovaries weight was greater for H than for W females at ages 4 and 5; testes weight was less for H than for W age-3 males of one year-class) in Brushy Fork. A thunderstorm-induced power outage interrupted flow to the incubation trays at the hatchery and compromised a major tenet of the common garden design for the second year-class, possibly contributing to the inconsistency in relative survivals in Brushy Fork between year-classes. The storm caused the incubation environment to differ between the stocks as a result of reduced oxygen levels and substantially higher densities for H alevins. This difference was illustrated by a 55% loss for H fish during the event, about twice that for W fish.

Trajectory classes of cannabis use and heavy drinking among rural African American adolescents: multi-level predictors of class membership.

PubMed

Barton, Allen W; Brody, Gene H; Zapolski, Tamika C B; Goings, Trenette C; Kogan, Steven M; Windle, Michael; Yu, Tianyi

2018-02-17

To inform research on the etiology and prevention of substance use among rural African American youth by (a) identifying developmental trajectory classes of cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood and (b) examining associations between trajectory class membership and multi-level assessments of risk factors. A prospective study spanning 9 years with assessments of cannabis use and heavy drinking, the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, perceived stress and psychosocial risk factors. Rural communities in the southeastern United States. African American youth (n = 518). Participants were assessed for cannabis use and heavy drinking at seven assessments beginning at 16 years of age and continuing to 25 years of age. At age 19, participants provided overnight urine voids that were assayed for catecholamines, a biological marker of life stress resulting from sympathetic nervous system activation. At ages 16 and 19, participants provided information on malleable psychosocial risk factors. Latent class growth models revealed three distinct trajectory classes for cannabis use and for heavy drinking. Higher levels of circulating stress hormones and perceived stress were associated with classes reporting greater substance use over time (all Ps < 0.05). A composite of selected risk factors discriminated class membership (all Ps < 0.05). Trajectory classes characterized by rapid usage increases in early adulthood exhibited the greatest increase in deviant peer affiliations between ages 16 and 19 years. Rural African American youth's cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood demonstrate distinct developmental courses; a small number of risk factors and measures of biological and perceived stress differentiate class membership prognostically. Variability over time in these measures, specifically an increase in deviant peer affiliation, may help to account for steep increases in young adulthood. © 2018 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Do Plants Contain G Protein-Coupled Receptors?1[C][W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Taddese, Bruck; Upton, Graham J.G.; Bailey, Gregory R.; Jordan, Siân R.D.; Abdulla, Nuradin Y.; Reeves, Philip J.; Reynolds, Christopher A.

2014-01-01

Whether G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) exist in plants is a fundamental biological question. Interest in deorphanizing new GPCRs arises because of their importance in signaling. Within plants, this is controversial, as genome analysis has identified 56 putative GPCRs, including G protein-coupled receptor1 (GCR1), which is reportedly a remote homolog to class A, B, and E GPCRs. Of these, GCR2 is not a GPCR; more recently, it has been proposed that none are, not even GCR1. We have addressed this disparity between genome analysis and biological evidence through a structural bioinformatics study, involving fold recognition methods, from which only GCR1 emerges as a strong candidate. To further probe GCR1, we have developed a novel helix-alignment method, which has been benchmarked against the class A-class B-class F GPCR alignments. In addition, we have presented a mutually consistent set of alignments of GCR1 homologs to class A, class B, and class F GPCRs and shown that GCR1 is closer to class A and/or class B GPCRs than class A, class B, or class F GPCRs are to each other. To further probe GCR1, we have aligned transmembrane helix 3 of GCR1 to each of the six GPCR classes. Variability comparisons provide additional evidence that GCR1 homologs have the GPCR fold. From the alignments and a GCR1 comparative model, we have identified motifs that are common to GCR1, class A, B, and E GPCRs. We discuss the possibilities that emerge from this controversial evidence that GCR1 has a GPCR fold. PMID:24246381

A Week Is a Long Time in Politics: The Health Implications of Jeremy Corbyn's UK Labour Party Leadership Victory.

PubMed

Scott-Samuel, Alex; Bambra, Clare

2016-01-01

For more than 30 years, socialism within the UK Labour Party - which was in government from 1997 to 2010 and is currently the main UK parliamentary opposition - has been in decline. Despite its origins as a party of and for the working class, Labour has become at best a social democratic party with strong neoliberal leanings. However, in the recent leadership election that followed Labour's general election defeat in May 2015, the socialist Jeremy Corbyn confounded all expectations by winning Labour's leadership with a substantial majority. We describe the political context of Corbyn's controversial victory and discuss its potential short- and medium-term impact on England's troubled National Health Service and on the public health. © The Author(s) 2015.

Contamination of soils and groundwater with new organic micropollutants: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vodyanitskii, Yu. N.; Yakovlev, A. S.

2016-05-01

The input of organic micro- and nanopollutants to the environment has grown in recent years. This vast class of substances is referred to as emerging micropollutants, and includes organic chemicals of industrial, agricultural, and municipal provenance. There are three main sources of emerging pollutants coming to the environment, i.e., (1) upon soil fertilization with sewage and sewage sludge; (2) soil irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and (3) due to filtration from municipal landfills of solid wastes. These pollutants contaminate soil, affect its inhabitants; they are also consumed by plants and penetrate to the groundwater. The pharmaceuticals most strongly affect the biota (microorganisms, earthworms, etc.). The response of microorganisms in the contaminated soil is controlled not only by the composition and the number of emerging pollutants but also by the geochemical environment.

Comparison of Student Performance in Video Game Format vs. Traditional Approach in Introductory Astronomy Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barringer, Daniel; Kregenow, Julia M.; Palma, Christopher; Plummer, Julia

2015-01-01

In Spring of 2014, Penn State debuted an online Introductory Astronomy (AST 001) section that was designed as a video game. Previous studies have shown that well-designed games help learners to build accurate understanding of embedded concepts and processes and aid learner motivation, which strongly contributes to a student's willingness to learn. We start by presenting the learning gains as measured with the Test of Astronomy Standards (TOAST) from this new course design. We further compare the learning gains from the video game section with learning gains measured from more traditional online formats and in-person lecture sections of AST 001 taught at Penn State over the last five years to evaluate the extent to which this new medium for online Astronomy education supports student learning.

Prevention of fall-related injuries in 7-year-old to 12-year-old children: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Nauta, Joske; Knol, Dirk L; Adriaensens, Lize; Klein Wolt, Karin; van Mechelen, Willem; Verhagen, Evert A L M

2013-09-01

To counteract the recently observed increase in forearm fractures in children worldwide, an educational programme to improve fall skills was developed. In this 8-week programme children learned basic martial arts falling techniques in their physical education classes. In this study, the effectiveness of this educational programme to improve fall skills was evaluated. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 33 primary schools. The intervention group received the educational programme to improve falling skills during their physical education (PE) classes whereas the control group received their regular PE curriculum. At baseline (October 2009) and follow-up (May 2010), a questionnaire was completed by the children about their physical activity behaviours. Furthermore, fall-related injuries were registered continuously during an entire school-year. A total of 36 incident injuries was reported in the intervention group, equalling an injury incidence density (IID) of 0.14 fall-related injuries per 1000 h of physical activity (95% CI 0.09 to 0.18). In contrast, 96 injuries were reported by the control group corresponding to an IID of 0.26 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.32). However, because intracluster correlation was high (ICC=0.46), differences in injury incidence were not statistically significant. When activity level was taken into account, a trend was shown suggesting that the 'falling is a sport' programme was effective in decreasing falling-related injury risk, but only in the least active children. Although results did not reach significance because of strong clustering effects, a trend was found suggesting that a school-based educational programme to improve falling skills may be more beneficial for the prevention of falling-related injuries in children with low levels of habitual physical activity.

Predicting the decomposition of Scots pine, Norway spruce, and birch stems in Finland.

PubMed

Mäkinen, Harri; Hynynen, Jari; Siitonen, Juha; Sievänen, Risto

2006-10-01

Models were developed for predicting the decomposition of dead wood for the main tree species in Finland, based on data collected from long-term thinning experiments in southern and central Finland. The decomposition rates were strongly related to the number of years after tree death. In contrast to previous studies, which have used the first-order exponential model, we found that the decomposition rate was not constant. Therefore, the Gompertz and Chapman-Richard's functions were fitted to the data. The slow initial decomposition period was mainly due to the fact that most dead trees remained standing as snags after their death. The initial period was followed by a period of rapid decomposition and, finally, by a period of moderately slow decomposition. Birch stems decomposed more rapidly than Scots pine and Norway spruce stems. Decomposition rates of Norway spruce stems were somewhat lower than those of Scots pine. Because the carbon concentration of decaying boles was relatively stable (about 50%) the rate of carbon loss follows that of mass loss. Models were also developed for the probability that a dead tree remains standing as a snag. During the first years after death, the probability was high. Thereafter, it decreased rapidly, the decrease being faster for birch stems than for Scots pine and Norway spruce stems. Almost all stems had fallen down within 40 years after their death. In Scots pine and Norway spruce, most snags remained hard and belonged to decay class 1. In birch, a higher proportion of snags belonged to the more advanced decay classes. The models provide a framework for predicting dead wood dynamics in managed as well as dense unthinned stands. The models can be incorporated into forest management planning systems, thereby facilitating estimates of carbon dynamics.

Moderation of a parent-based intervention on transitions in drinking: Examining the role of normative perceptions and attitudes among high- and low-risk first-year college students

PubMed Central

Cleveland, Michael J.; Hultgren, Brittney; Varvil-Weld, Lindsey; Mallett, Kimberly A.; Turrisi, Rob; Abar, Caitlin C.

2013-01-01

Background Parent-based interventions (PBIs) are an effective strategy to reduce problematic drinking among first-year college students. The current study examined the extent to which student-based characteristics, derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior, moderated three PBI conditions: (1) prior to college matriculation; (2) prior to college matriculation with a booster during the fall semester; and (3) after college matriculation. The moderator variables included injunctive and descriptive peer norms about alcohol use, and attitudes toward alcohol use. Methods Using data from a randomized control trial (RCT) delivered to 1900 incoming college students, we examined differential treatment effects within four types of baseline student drinkers: (1) non-drinkers; (2) weekend light drinkers; (3) weekend heavy episodic drinkers; and (4) heavy drinkers. The outcome variable was based on transitions in drinking that occurred between the summer prior to college enrollment and the end of the first fall semester and distinguished between students who transitioned to one of the two risky drinking classes. Results The results indicated that injunctive norms (but not descriptive norms or attitudes) moderated the differential effects of the PBI with strongest effects for students whose parents received the booster. Differential effects also depended on baseline drinking class and were most pronounced among weekend light drinkers who were deemed “high-risk” in terms of injunctive peer norms. Conclusions Parental influence can remain strong for young adults who are transitioning to college environments, even among students with relatively high peer influence to drink alcohol. Thus, the PBI represents an effective tool to prevent escalation of alcohol use during the first year of college, when risk is highest and patterns of alcohol use are established. PMID:23551037

Changes in a population of exotic rainbow smelt in Lake Superior: Boom to bust, 1974-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gorman, O.T.

2007-01-01

Changes in a population of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) in the Apostle Islands region of Lake Superior were chronicled over a 32-yr time series, 1974–2005. At the beginning of the time series, rainbow smelt was the predominant prey species, abundance of lake herring (Coregonis artedi) was very low, and the dominant predator was stocked lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Following a period of successful lake trout stocking in the 1970s, the rainbow smelt population declined sharply in 1980, largely through mortality of adult fish and subsequent poor recruitment. In the succeeding 4 years, rainbow smelt populations reached historic low levels, resulting in reduced food resources for both wild and stocked lake trout. During 1985–1990 lake herring stocks began a spectacular recovery following the appearance of a very strong 1984 year class and subsequent 1988, 1989, and 1990 year classes. Rainbow smelt benefited from the high abundance of young lake herring as an alternate prey source for lake trout and showed a partial recovery in the late 1980s. However, a growing lake trout population coupled with an 8-yr period of low herring reproduction after 1990 resulted in a diminished rainbow smelt population dominated by age-1 and 2 fish and showing a pattern of alternating recruitment attributed to cannibalism. Low productivity of rainbow smelt and intermittent production of herring over the past decade has left lake trout populations with a diminished prey base. Although lake trout recovery benefited from the presence of rainbow smelt as a prey resource, the Lake Superior fish community was fundamentally altered by the introduction of rainbow smelt.

Effects of Reinforcement Method of Dissection Physiology Education on the Achievement in Pharmacology.

PubMed

Kitayama, Tomoya; Kagota, Satomi; Yoshikawa, Noriko; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Nishimura, Kanae; Miura, Takeshi; Yasui, Naomi; Shinozuka, Kazumasa; Nakabayashi, Toshikatsu

2016-01-01

The Pharmaceutical Education Support Center was established in the Department of Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science of Mukogawa Women's University in 2014. We started teaching first and second years students according to proficiency from the 2014 academic year. Students were divided into two classes: the regular class (high proficiency class) and the basic class (low proficiency class), based on achievement in several basic subjects related to the study of pharmacy. The staffs in the Pharmaceutical Education Support Center reinforce what is taught to students in the basic class. In this reinforcement method of education, the class size is small, consisting of about 15 students, a quiz to review the previous lesson is given at the beginning of each lecture, and an additional five lectures are conducted, compared to the high proficiency class, which receives 15 lectures. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the reinforcement method of physiology education on achievement in pharmacology that was not conducted in the proficiency-dependent teaching method. The students in the basic class in physiology education were chosen based on achievement levels in anatomy. Achievement levels of pharmacology students in the basic class of physiology improved compared with those of students who had the same achievement levels in physiology but were not taught according to proficiency-dependent teaching in the 2013 academic year. These results suggest that the reinforcement method for education in basic subjects in pharmacy, such as physiology, can improve achievement in more advanced subjects, such as pharmacology.

Differential effects of donor-specific HLA antibodies in living versus deceased donor transplant.

PubMed

Kamburova, E G; Wisse, B W; Joosten, I; Allebes, W A; van der Meer, A; Hilbrands, L B; Baas, M C; Spierings, E; Hack, C E; van Reekum, F E; van Zuilen, A D; Verhaar, M C; Bots, M L; Drop, A C A D; Plaisier, L; Seelen, M A J; Sanders, J S F; Hepkema, B G; Lambeck, A J A; Bungener, L B; Roozendaal, C; Tilanus, M G J; Voorter, C E; Wieten, L; van Duijnhoven, E M; Gelens, M; Christiaans, M H L; van Ittersum, F J; Nurmohamed, S A; Lardy, N M; Swelsen, W; van der Pant, K A; van der Weerd, N C; Ten Berge, I J M; Bemelman, F J; Hoitsma, A; van der Boog, P J M; de Fijter, J W; Betjes, M G H; Heidt, S; Roelen, D L; Claas, F H; Otten, H G

2018-02-21

The presence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSAs) is associated with increased risk of graft failure after kidney transplant. We hypothesized that DSAs against HLA class I, class II, or both classes indicate a different risk for graft loss between deceased and living donor transplant. In this study, we investigated the impact of pretransplant DSAs, by using single antigen bead assays, on long-term graft survival in 3237 deceased and 1487 living donor kidney transplants with a negative complement-dependent crossmatch. In living donor transplants, we found a limited effect on graft survival of DSAs against class I or II antigens after transplant. Class I and II DSAs combined resulted in decreased 10-year graft survival (84% to 75%). In contrast, after deceased donor transplant, patients with class I or class II DSAs had a 10-year graft survival of 59% and 60%, respectively, both significantly lower than the survival for patients without DSAs (76%). The combination of class I and II DSAs resulted in a 10-year survival of 54% in deceased donor transplants. In conclusion, class I and II DSAs are a clear risk factor for graft loss in deceased donor transplants, while in living donor transplants, class I and II DSAs seem to be associated with an increased risk for graft failure, but this could not be assessed due to their low prevalence. © 2018 The Authors. American Journal of Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Multilevel latent class casemix modelling: a novel approach to accommodate patient casemix.

PubMed

Gilthorpe, Mark S; Harrison, Wendy J; Downing, Amy; Forman, David; West, Robert M

2011-03-01

Using routinely collected patient data we explore the utility of multilevel latent class (MLLC) models to adjust for patient casemix and rank Trust performance. We contrast this with ranks derived from Trust standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). Patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1998 and 2004 and resident in Northern and Yorkshire regions were identified from the cancer registry database (n = 24,640). Patient age, sex, stage-at-diagnosis (Dukes), and Trust of diagnosis/treatment were extracted. Socioeconomic background was derived using the Townsend Index. Outcome was survival at 3 years after diagnosis. MLLC-modelled and SMR-generated Trust ranks were compared. Patients were assigned to two classes of similar size: one with reasonable prognosis (63.0% died within 3 years), and one with better prognosis (39.3% died within 3 years). In patient class one, all patients diagnosed at stage B or C died within 3 years; in patient class two, all patients diagnosed at stage A, B or C survived. Trusts were assigned two classes with 51.3% and 53.2% of patients respectively dying within 3 years. Differences in the ranked Trust performance between the MLLC model and SMRs were all within estimated 95% CIs. A novel approach to casemix adjustment is illustrated, ranking Trust performance whilst facilitating the evaluation of factors associated with the patient journey (e.g. treatments) and factors associated with the processes of healthcare delivery (e.g. delays). Further research can demonstrate the value of modelling patient pathways and evaluating healthcare processes across provider institutions.

Chemoembolization With Doxorubicin-Eluting Beads for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Five-Year Survival Analysis

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

Malagari, Katerina, E-mail: kmalag@otonet.gr; Pomoni, Mary; Moschouris, Hippocrates, E-mail: hipmosch@gmail.com

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report on the 5-year survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with DC Bead loaded with doxorubicin (DEB-DOX) in a scheduled scheme in up to three treatments and thereafter on demand. Materials and Methods: 173 HCC patients not suitable for curable treatments were prospectively enrolled (mean age 70.4 {+-} 7.4 years). Child-Pugh (Child) class was A/B (102/71 [59/41 %]), Okuda stage was 0/1/2 (91/61/19 [53.2/35.7/11.1 %]), and mean lesion diameter was 7.6 {+-} 2.1 cm. Lesion morphology was one dominant {<=}5 cm (22 %), one dominant >5 cm (41.6 %), multifocal {<=}5more » (26 %), and multifocal >5 (10.4 %). Results: Overall survival at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years was 93.6, 83.8, 62, 41.04, and 22.5 %, with higher rates achieved in Child class A compared with Child class B patients (95, 88.2, 61.7, 45, and 29.4 % vs. 91.5, 75, 50.7, 35.2, and 12.8 %). Mean overall survival was 43.8 months (range 1.2-64.8). Cumulative survival was better for Child class A compared with Child class B patients (p = 0.029). For patients with dominant lesions {<=}5 cm 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates were 100, 95.2, 71.4, 66.6, and 47.6 % for Child class A and 94.1, 88.2, 58.8, 41.2, 29.4, and 23.5 % for Child class B patients. Regarding DEB-DOX treatment, multivariate analysis identified number of lesions (p = 0.033), lesion vascularity (p < 0.0001), initially achieved complete response (p < 0.0001), and objective response (p = 0.046) as significant and independent determinants of 5-year survival. Conclusion: DEB-DOX results, with high rates of 5-year survival for patients, not amenable to curative treatments. Number of lesions, lesion vascularity, and local response were significant independent determinants of 5-year survival.« less

Piecewise Disassembly of a Large-Herbivore Community across a Rainfall Gradient: The UHURU Experiment

PubMed Central

Palmer, Todd M.; Charles, Grace K.; Helgen, Kristofer M.; Kinyua, Stephen N.; Maclean, Janet E.; Turner, Benjamin L.; Young, Hillary S.

2013-01-01

Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) strongly influence plant communities, and these effects can propagate indirectly throughout food webs. Most existing large-scale manipulations of LMH presence/absence consist of a single exclusion treatment, and few are replicated across environmental gradients. Thus, important questions remain about the functional roles of different LMH, and how these roles depend on abiotic context. In September 2008, we constructed a series of 1-ha herbivore-exclusion plots across a 20-km rainfall gradient in central Kenya. Dubbed "UHURU" (Ungulate Herbivory Under Rainfall Uncertainty), this experiment aims to illuminate the ecological effects of three size classes of LMH, and how rainfall regimes shape the direction and magnitude of these effects. UHURU consists of four treatments: total-exclusion (all ungulate herbivores), mesoherbivore-exclusion (LMH >120-cm tall), megaherbivore-exclusion (elephants and giraffes), and unfenced open plots. Each treatment is replicated three times at three locations (“sites”) along the rainfall gradient: low (440 mm/year), intermediate (580 mm/year), and high (640 mm/year). There was limited variation across sites in soil attributes and LMH activity levels. Understory-plant cover was greater in plots without mesoherbivores, but did not respond strongly to the exclusion of megaherbivores, or to the additional exclusion of dik-dik and warthog. Eleven of the thirteen understory plant species that responded significantly to exclusion treatment were more common in exclusion plots than open ones. Significant interactions between site and treatment on plant communities, although uncommon, suggested that differences between treatments may be greater at sites with lower rainfall. Browsers reduced densities of several common overstory species, along with growth rates of the three dominant Acacia species. Small-mammal densities were 2–3 times greater in total-exclusion than in open plots at all sites. Although we expect patterns to become clearer with time, results from 2008–2012 show that the effects of excluding successively smaller-bodied subsets of the LMH community are generally non-additive for a given response variable, and inconsistent across response variables, indicating that the different LMH size classes are not functionally redundant. Several response variables showed significant treatment-by-site interactions, suggesting that the nature of plant-herbivore interactions can vary across restricted spatial scales. PMID:23405122

Piecewise disassembly of a large-herbivore community across a rainfall gradient: the UHURU experiment.

PubMed

Goheen, Jacob R; Palmer, Todd M; Charles, Grace K; Helgen, Kristofer M; Kinyua, Stephen N; Maclean, Janet E; Turner, Benjamin L; Young, Hillary S; Pringle, Robert M

2013-01-01

Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) strongly influence plant communities, and these effects can propagate indirectly throughout food webs. Most existing large-scale manipulations of LMH presence/absence consist of a single exclusion treatment, and few are replicated across environmental gradients. Thus, important questions remain about the functional roles of different LMH, and how these roles depend on abiotic context. In September 2008, we constructed a series of 1-ha herbivore-exclusion plots across a 20-km rainfall gradient in central Kenya. Dubbed "UHURU" (Ungulate Herbivory Under Rainfall Uncertainty), this experiment aims to illuminate the ecological effects of three size classes of LMH, and how rainfall regimes shape the direction and magnitude of these effects. UHURU consists of four treatments: total-exclusion (all ungulate herbivores), mesoherbivore-exclusion (LMH >120-cm tall), megaherbivore-exclusion (elephants and giraffes), and unfenced open plots. Each treatment is replicated three times at three locations ("sites") along the rainfall gradient: low (440 mm/year), intermediate (580 mm/year), and high (640 mm/year). There was limited variation across sites in soil attributes and LMH activity levels. Understory-plant cover was greater in plots without mesoherbivores, but did not respond strongly to the exclusion of megaherbivores, or to the additional exclusion of dik-dik and warthog. Eleven of the thirteen understory plant species that responded significantly to exclusion treatment were more common in exclusion plots than open ones. Significant interactions between site and treatment on plant communities, although uncommon, suggested that differences between treatments may be greater at sites with lower rainfall. Browsers reduced densities of several common overstory species, along with growth rates of the three dominant Acacia species. Small-mammal densities were 2-3 times greater in total-exclusion than in open plots at all sites. Although we expect patterns to become clearer with time, results from 2008-2012 show that the effects of excluding successively smaller-bodied subsets of the LMH community are generally non-additive for a given response variable, and inconsistent across response variables, indicating that the different LMH size classes are not functionally redundant. Several response variables showed significant treatment-by-site interactions, suggesting that the nature of plant-herbivore interactions can vary across restricted spatial scales.

Laser Atherectomy for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis.

PubMed

Armstrong, Ehrin J; Thiruvoipati, Thejasvi; Tanganyika, Kundai; Singh, Gagan D; Laird, John R

2015-08-01

To investigate if laser atherectomy with adjunctive balloon angioplasty can improve endovascular treatment outcomes for femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis (ISR). A dual center study included 135 symptomatic patients (mean age 71 years; 76 men) who underwent endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal ISR between 2006 and 2013. Of these, 54 (40%) were treated with laser atherectomy and the remaining 81 patients with balloon angioplasty alone. Angiographic images were reviewed for lesion morphology and characteristics, TransAtlantic InterSociety Consensus (TASC) II classification, and distal runoff. Class I ISR was defined as focal lesions ≤50 mm, class II ISR as lesions >50 mm, and class III ISR as stent total occlusion. Recurrent ISR was determined by a peak systolic velocity ratio >2.4 by duplex ultrasound. Patients treated with laser atherectomy had longer mean ISR lesion length (222 vs 114 mm, p<0.001) and more class III ISR (69% vs 20%, p=0.001). There was no association between laser atherectomy and rates of recurrent restenosis or occlusion for patients with class I/II ISR, but there was a significantly lower rate of target lesion revascularization at 2 years among patients treated with laser atherectomy (14% vs 44%, p=0.05). In comparison, patients with class III ISR treated with laser atherectomy had lower rates of recurrent restenosis at 1 year (54% vs 91%, p=0.05) and 2 years (69% vs 100%, p=0.05). Patients with class III ISR treated with laser atherectomy also had lower rates of recurrent in-stent occlusion at 2-year follow-up (33% vs 71%, p=0.04). When used to treat complex ISR, including in-stent occlusions, laser atherectomy with adjunctive balloon angioplasty may be associated with improved patency. © The Author(s) 2015.

Long-Term Electroclinical and Employment Follow up in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery. A Cuban Comprehensive Epilepsy Surgery Program

PubMed Central

Garcia Maeso, Ivan; Baez Martin, Margarita M.; Bender del Busto, Juan E.; García Navarro, María Eugenia; Quintanal Cordero, Nelson; Estupiñan Díaz, Bárbara; Lorigados Pedre, Lourdes; Valdés Yerena, Ricardo; Gonzalez, Judith; Garbey Fernandez, Randy; Sánchez Coroneux, Abel

2018-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a long- term electroclinical and employment follow up in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients in a comprehensive epilepsy surgery program. Forty adult patients with pharmacoresistant TLE underwent detailed presurgical evaluation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and clinical follow up assessment for each patient were carried out. The occurrence of interictal epileptiform activity (IEA) and absolute spike frequency (ASF) were tabulated before and after 1, 6, 12, 24 and 72 months surgical treatment. Employment status pre- to post-surgery at the last evaluated period was also examined. Engel scores follow-up was described as follows: at 12 months 70% (28) class I, 10% (4) class II and 19% (8) class III-IV; at 24 months after surgery 55.2% (21) of the patients were class I, 28.9% (11) class II and 15.1% (6) class III-IV. After one- year follow up 23 (57.7%) patients were seizure and aura-free (Engel class IA). These figures changed to 47.3%, and 48.6% respectively two and five years following surgery whereas 50% maintained this condition in the last follow up period. A decline in the ASF was observed from the first year until the sixth year after surgery in relation to the preoperative EEG. The ASF one year after surgery allowed to distinguish “satisfactory” from “unsatisfactory” seizure relief outcome at the last follow up. An adequate social functioning in terms of education and employment in more than 50% of the patients was also found. Results revealed the feasibility of conducting a successful epilepsy surgery program with favorable long term electroclinical and psychosocial functioning outcomes in a developing country as well. PMID:29389846

Self-Certified Sickness Absence among Young Municipal Employees-Changes from 2002 to 2016 and Occupational Class Differences.

PubMed

Sumanen, Hilla; Pietiläinen, Olli; Mänty, Minna

2017-09-26

We examined changes in self-certified, one-to-three day sickness absence (SA) among young employees from 2002 to 2016 and the magnitude of occupational class differences during that period. All 18-34-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland were included (2002-2016, n = ~11,725 per year). Employer's personnel and SA registers were used. Occupational class was categorized to four groups. Changes in self-certified SA from 2002 to 2016 were analyzed with Joinpoint regression and the magnitudes of occupational class differences were estimated with the relative index of inequality (RII). Most of the trends first increased and turned to decrease in 2007/2010. Managers and professionals had the least amount of SA, but steadily increasing trends were observed among men. Self-certified SA followed only partially the typical socioeconomic gradient, as routine non-manuals had the highest levels of SA. The magnitude of occupational class differences in self-certified SA was stable during the study period only among women. Self-certified SA and occupational class differences have increased in recent years among men in the lower occupational classes. Socioeconomic differences exist in self-certified SA among young employees, but gradient is only partial. Overall, high amounts of self-certified SA especially in the lower occupational classes require further studies and preventive measures.

BC University Outcomes for Direct Entry and Transfer Students: Comparison of the Class of 2000 and Class of 1996 Five Years after Graduation. Research Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karlinski, Jean

2007-01-01

The University of British Columbia's Planning and Institutional Research office prepared a research report for the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) on the BC university graduating class of 1996 five years later. The report compared the outcomes for those students who were admitted to SFU, UBC, UNBC, and UVic as BC direct entry with…

Longitudinal Effects of Class Size Reductions on Attainment: Results from Hong Kong Primary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galton, Maurice; Pell, Tony

2012-01-01

In a four-year study of the effect of class size on pupil outcomes in a sample of 36 primary schools in Hong Kong, it has been found that there are few positive differences in attainment between classes set at less than 25 pupils and those of normal size averaging 38. Three cohorts of pupils were studied. In Cohort 1 pupils spent 3 years in small…

Giving More Realistic Definitions of Trigonometric Ratios II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhattacharjee, Pramode Ranjan

2014-01-01

This paper being an extension of Bhattacharjee (2012) is very much relevant to Year 9 to Year 10A in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics". It also falls within the purview of class IX to class XII curriculum of Mathematics in India (Revised NCERT curriculum) for students aged 14-17 years. In Bhattacharjee (2012), the discovery of…

Understanding Factors That Influence Academic Performance in Tenth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Denise

2011-01-01

This study examines factors contributing to the poor academic performance of tenth grade high school students. Throughout my eight years teaching experience at this grade-level, the one constant from class to class and year-to year is the academic decline. This decline typically starts at the end of ninth grade, becomes obvious and serious in…

49 CFR 176.800 - General stowage requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... protection extending to the sides of the carboy box. This protective construction must be strong enough to permit stacking one on top of the other. (d) A Class 8 (corrosive material) material may not be stowed...

Reliable estimation of antimicrobial use and its evolution between 2010 and 2013 in French swine farms.

PubMed

Hémonic, Anne; Chauvin, Claire; Delzescaux, Didier; Verliat, Fabien; Corrégé, Isabelle

2018-01-01

There has been a strong implication of both the French swine industry and the national authorities on reducing the use of antimicrobials in swine production since 2010. The annual monitoring of antimicrobial sales by the French Veterinary Medicines Agency (Anses-ANMV) provides estimates but not detailed figures on actual on-farm usage of antimicrobials in swine production. In order to provide detailed information on the 2010 and 2013 antimicrobial use in the French swine industry, the methodology of cross-sectional retrospective study on a representative sample of at least 150 farms has been elected. The analysis of the collected data shows a strong and significant decrease in antimicrobial exposure of pigs between 2010 and 2013. Over three years, the average number of days of treatment significantly decreased by 29% in suckling piglets and by 19% in weaned piglets. In fattening pigs, the drop (- 29%) was not statistically significant. Only usage in sows did increase over that period (+ 17%, non-significant), which might be associated with the transition to group-housing of pregnant sows that took place at the time. Also, over that period, the use of third- and fourth generation cephalosporins in suckling piglets decreased by 89%, and by 82% in sows, which confirms that the voluntary moratorium on these classes of antimicrobials decided at the end of 2010 has been effectively implemented. The methodology of random sampling of farms appears as a precise and robust tool to monitor antimicrobial use within a production animal species, able to fulfil industry and national authorities' objectives and requirements to assess the outcome of concerted efforts on antimicrobial use reduction. It demonstrates that the use of antimicrobials decreased in the French swine industry between 2010 and 2013, including the classes considered as critical for human medicine.

Higher climate warming sensitivity of Siberian larch in small than large forest islands in the fragmented Mongolian forest steppe.

PubMed

Khansaritoreh, Elmira; Dulamsuren, Choimaa; Klinge, Michael; Ariunbaatar, Tumurbaatar; Bat-Enerel, Banzragch; Batsaikhan, Ganbaatar; Ganbaatar, Kherlenchimeg; Saindovdon, Davaadorj; Yeruult, Yolk; Tsogtbaatar, Jamsran; Tuya, Daramragchaa; Leuschner, Christoph; Hauck, Markus

2017-09-01

Forest fragmentation has been found to affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in multiple ways. We asked whether forest size and isolation in fragmented woodlands influences the climate warming sensitivity of tree growth in the southern boreal forest of the Mongolian Larix sibirica forest steppe, a naturally fragmented woodland embedded in grassland, which is highly affected by warming, drought, and increasing anthropogenic forest destruction in recent time. We examined the influence of stand size and stand isolation on the growth performance of larch in forests of four different size classes located in a woodland-dominated forest-steppe area and small forest patches in a grassland-dominated area. We found increasing climate sensitivity and decreasing first-order autocorrelation of annual stemwood increment with decreasing stand size. Stemwood increment increased with previous year's June and August precipitation in the three smallest forest size classes, but not in the largest forests. In the grassland-dominated area, the tree growth dependence on summer rainfall was highest. Missing ring frequency has strongly increased since the 1970s in small, but not in large forests. In the grassland-dominated area, the increase was much greater than in the forest-dominated landscape. Forest regeneration decreased with decreasing stand size and was scarce or absent in the smallest forests. Our results suggest that the larch trees in small and isolated forest patches are far more susceptible to climate warming than in large continuous forests pointing to a grim future for the forests in this strongly warming region of the boreal forest that is also under high land use pressure. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Time since death and decay rate constants of Norway spruce and European larch deadwood in subalpine forests determined using dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrillo, M.; Cherubini, P.; Fravolini, G.; Ascher, J.; Schärer, M.; Synal, H.-A.; Bertoldi, D.; Camin, F.; Larcher, R.; Egli, M.

2015-09-01

Due to the large size and highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of deadwood, the time scales involved in the coarse woody debris (CWD) decay of Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Larix decidua Mill. in Alpine forests have been poorly investigated and are largely unknown. We investigated the CWD decay dynamics in an Alpine valley in Italy using the five-decay class system commonly employed for forest surveys, based on a macromorphological and visual assessment. For the decay classes 1 to 3, most of the dendrochronological samples were cross-dated to assess the time that had elapsed since tree death, but for decay classes 4 and 5 (poorly preserved tree rings) and some others not having enough tree rings, radiocarbon dating was used. In addition, density, cellulose and lignin data were measured for the dated CWD. The decay rate constants for spruce and larch were estimated on the basis of the density loss using a single negative exponential model. In the decay classes 1 to 3, the ages of the CWD were similar varying between 1 and 54 years for spruce and 3 and 40 years for larch with no significant differences between the classes; classes 1-3 are therefore not indicative for deadwood age. We found, however, distinct tree species-specific differences in decay classes 4 and 5, with larch CWD reaching an average age of 210 years in class 5 and spruce only 77 years. The mean CWD rate constants were 0.012 to 0.018 yr-1 for spruce and 0.005 to 0.012 yr-1 for larch. Cellulose and lignin time trends half-lives (using a multiple-exponential model) could be derived on the basis of the ages of the CWD. The half-lives for cellulose were 21 yr for spruce and 50 yr for larch. The half-life of lignin is considerably higher and may be more than 100 years in larch CWD.

An Appropriate Curriculum for 4-5-Year-Old Children in Northern Ireland: Comparing Play-Based and Formal Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Glenda; Sproule, Liz; McGuinness, Carol; Trew, Karen; Rafferty, Harry; Sheehy, Noel

2006-01-01

This paper reports on an investigation into the quality of the learning experiences for 4-5-year-old children in Northern Ireland schools in the context of the debate about play-based and formal approaches to learning and teaching. Detailed observations were carried out in 70 Year 1 classes: 38 in traditional Year 1 classes where the Northern…

Delivering phonological and phonics training within whole-class teaching.

PubMed

Shapiro, Laura R; Solity, Jonathan

2008-12-01

Early, intensive phonological awareness and phonics training is widely held to be beneficial for children with poor phonological awareness. However, most studies have delivered this training separately from children's normal whole-class reading lessons. We examined whether integrating this training into whole class, mixed-ability reading lessons could impact on children with poor phonological awareness, whilst also benefiting normally developing readers. Teachers delivered the training within a broad reading programme to whole classes of children from Reception to the end of Year 1 (N=251). A comparison group of children received standard teaching methods (N=213). Children's literacy was assessed at the beginning of Reception, and then at the end of each year until 1 year post-intervention. The strategy significantly impacted on reading performance for normally developing readers and those with poor phonological awareness, vastly reducing the incidence of reading difficulties from 20% in comparison schools to 5% in intervention schools. Phonological and phonics training is highly effective for children with poor phonological awareness, even when incorporated into whole-class teaching.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cryptosporidium Species/Genotypes and Relationships with Other Zoonotic Pathogens in Surface Water from Mixed-Use Watersheds

PubMed Central

Wilkes, Graham; Ruecker, Norma J.; Neumann, Norman F.; Gannon, Victor P. J.; Jokinen, Cassandra; Sunohara, Mark; Topp, Edward; Pintar, Katarina D. M.; Edge, Thomas A.

2013-01-01

Nearly 690 raw surface water samples were collected during a 6-year period from multiple watersheds in the South Nation River basin, Ontario, Canada. Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples were enumerated, sequenced, and genotyped by detailed phylogenetic analysis. The resulting species and genotypes were assigned to broad, known host and human infection risk classes. Wildlife/unknown, livestock, avian, and human host classes occurred in 21, 13, 3, and <1% of sampled surface waters, respectively. Cryptosporidium andersoni was the most commonly detected livestock species, while muskrat I and II genotypes were the most dominant wildlife genotypes. The presence of Giardia spp., Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7 was evaluated in all water samples. The greatest significant odds ratios (odds of pathogen presence when host class is present/odds of pathogen presence when host class is absent) for Giardia spp., Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. in water were associated, respectively, with livestock (odds ratio of 3.1), avian (4.3), and livestock (9.3) host classes. Classification and regression tree analyses (CART) were used to group generalized host and human infection risk classes on the basis of a broad range of environmental and land use variables while tracking cooccurrence of zoonotic pathogens in these groupings. The occurrence of livestock-associated Cryptosporidium was most strongly related to agricultural water pollution in the fall (conditions also associated with elevated odds ratios of other zoonotic pathogens occurring in water in relation to all sampling conditions), whereas wildlife/unknown sources of Cryptosporidium were geospatially associated with smaller watercourses where urban/rural development was relatively lower. Conditions that support wildlife may not necessarily increase overall human infection risks associated with Cryptosporidium since most Cryptosporidium genotypes classed as wildlife in this study (e.g., muskrat I and II genotype) do not pose significant infection risks to humans. Consequently, from a human health perspective, land use practices in agricultural watersheds that create opportunities for wildlife to flourish should not be rejected solely on the basis of their potential to increase relative proportions of wildlife fecal contamination in surface water. The present study suggests that mitigating livestock fecal pollution in surface water in this region would likely reduce human infection risks associated with Cryptosporidium and other zoonotic pathogens. PMID:23124241

Microaggressions, Discrimination, and Phenotype among African Americans: A Latent Class Analysis of the Impact of Skin Tone and BMI.

PubMed

Keith, Verna M; Nguyen, Ann W; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Mouzon, Dawne M; Chatters, Linda M

2017-05-01

Data from the 2001-2003National Survey of American Life are used to investigate the effects of phenotype on everyday experiences with discrimination among African Americans (N=3343). Latent class analysis is used to identify four classes of discriminatory treatment: 1) low levels of discrimination, 2) disrespect and condescension, 3) character-based discrimination, and 4) high levels of discrimination. We then employ latent class multinomial logistic regression to evaluate the association between skin tone and body weight and these four classes of discrimination. Designating the low level discrimination class as the reference group, findings revealed that respondents with darker skin were more likely to be classified into the disrespect/condescension and the high level microaggression types. BMI was unrelated to the discrimination type, although there was a significant interaction effect between gender and BMI. BMI was strongly and positively associated with membership in the disrespect and condescension type among men but not among women. These findings indicate that skin tone and body weight are two phenotypic characteristics that influence the type and frequency of discrimination experienced by African Americans.

Seafloor habitat mapping of the New York Bight incorporating sidescan sonar data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lathrop, R.G.; Cole, M.; Senyk, N.; Butman, B.

2006-01-01

The efficacy of using sidescan sonar imagery, image classification algorithms and geographic information system (GIS) techniques to characterize the seafloor bottom of the New York Bight were assessed. The resulting seafloor bottom type map was compared with fish trawl survey data to determine whether there were any discernable habitat associations. An unsupervised classification with 20 spectral classes was produced using the sidescan sonar imagery, bathymetry and secondarily derived spatial heterogeneity to characterize homogenous regions within the study area. The spectral classes, geologic interpretations of the study region, bathymetry and a bottom landform index were used to produce a seafloor bottom type map of 9 different bottom types. Examination of sediment sample data by bottom type indicated that each bottom type class had a distinct composition of sediments. Analysis of adult summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, and adult silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis, presence/absence data from trawl surveys did not show evidence of strong associations between the species distributions and seafloor bottom type. However, the absence of strong habitat associations may be more attributable to the coarse scale and geographic uncertainty of the trawl sampling data than conclusive evidence that no habitat associations exist for these two species. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social class variation, the effect of the economic recession and childhood obesity at 3 years of age in Ireland.

PubMed

Jabakhanji, Samira Barbara; Pavlova, Milena; Groot, Wim; Boland, Fiona; Biesma, Regien

2017-04-01

Many studies have reported a social class gradient within overweight prevalence ( 1-4 ). Additionally, cross-country comparisons report high overweight trends and a change in food consumption patterns in countries affected by an economic crisis ( 5-11 ). The aim of this study was to assess the association between social class and recession on obesity levels in 3-year-old Irish children. The population-based infant cohort of the national Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study was used. Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were calculated and logistic regression models, adjusting for confounders, were used to examine the relationship between social class, effects of the recession and childhood obesity. In 2008, 19.5% of 9-month-olds were obese and 19.4% overweight increasing to 22.7% and 20.4%, respectively by 2011 when the infants were 3 years old (World Health Organization (WHO) criteria). The prevalence of obesity increased by 2.3% to 10.1% for various social classes (unadjusted). However, adjusting for confounders, there was no evidence of a difference in obesity of 3-year-old children across social classes. There was evidence that obesity was 22-27% higher for families who perceived a very significant crisis effect on their family, compared with those significantly affected. Increases in obesity were found to be significantly associated with perceived recession effects on the family, but not with social class. Policy makers should be aware that in times of economic downturn, public health efforts to promote healthy weight are needed at a population level rather than for specific social classes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

HLA-G and MHC Class II Protein Expression in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

PubMed

Jesionek-Kupnicka, Dorota; Bojo, Marcin; Prochorec-Sobieszek, Monika; Szumera-Ciećkiewicz, Anna; Jabłońska, Joanna; Kalinka-Warzocha, Ewa; Kordek, Radzisław; Młynarski, Wojciech; Robak, Tadeusz; Warzocha, Krzysztof; Lech-Maranda, Ewa

2016-06-01

The expression of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) and HLA class II protein was studied by immunohistochemical staining of lymph nodes from 148 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and related to the clinical course of the disease. Negative HLA-G expression was associated with a lower probability of achieving a complete remission (p = 0.04). Patients with negative HLA-G expression tended towards a lower 3-year overall survival (OS) rate compared to those with positive expression of HLA-G (p = 0.08). When restricting the analysis to patients receiving chemotherapy with rituximab, the estimated 3-year OS rate of patients with positive HLA-G expression was 73.3 % compared with 47.5 % (p = 0.03) in those with negative expression. Patients with negative HLA class II expression presented a lower 3-year OS rate compared to subjects with positive expression (p = 0.04). The loss of HLA class II expression (p = 0.05) and belonging to the intermediate high/high IPI risk group (p = 0.001) independently increased the risk of death. HLA class II expression also retained its prognostic value in patients receiving rituximab; the 3-year OS rate was 65.3 % in patients with positive HLA class II expression versus 29.6 % (p = 0.04) in subjects that had loss of HLA class II expression. To our knowledge, for the first time, the expression of HLA-G protein in DLBCL and its association with the clinical course of the disease was demonstrated. Moreover, the link between losing HLA class II protein expression and poor survival of patients treated with immunochemotherapy was confirmed.

Growth differentiation factor-15 predicts mortality and morbidity after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

PubMed

Foley, Paul W X; Stegemann, Berthold; Ng, Kelvin; Ramachandran, Sud; Proudler, Anthony; Frenneaux, Michael P; Ng, Leong L; Leyva, Francisco

2009-11-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) predicts mortality and morbidity after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Growth differentiation factor-15, a transforming growth factor-beta-related cytokine which is up-regulated in cardiomyocytes via multiple stress pathways, predicts mortality in patients with heart failure treated pharmacologically. Growth differentiation factor-15 was measured before and 360 days (median) after implantation in 158 patients with heart failure [age 68 +/- 11 years (mean +/- SD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 23.1 +/- 9.8%, New York Class Association (NYHA) class III (n = 117) or IV (n = 41), and QRS 153.9 +/- 28.2 ms] undergoing CRT and followed up for a maximum of 5.4 years for events. In a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model with bootstrapping, adopting log GDF-15, log NT pro-BNP, LVEF, and NYHA class as independent variables, only log GDF-15 [hazard ratio (HR), 3.76; P = 0.0049] and log NT pro-BNP (HR, 2.12; P = 0.0171) remained in the final model. In the latter, the bias-corrected slope was 0.85, the optimism (O) was -0.06, and the c-statistic was 0.74, indicating excellent internal validity. In univariate analyses, log GDF-15 [HR, 5.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.31-11.9; likelihood ratio (LR) chi(2) = 14.6; P < 0.0001], NT pro-BNP (HR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.55-5.26; LR chi(2) = 10.4; P = 0.0004), and the combination of both biomarkers (HR, 7.03; 95% CI, 2.91-17.5; LR chi(2) = 19.1; P < 0.0001) emerged as significant predictors. The biomarker combination was associated with the highest LR chi(2) for all endpoints. Pre-implant GDF-15 is a strong predictor of mortality and morbidity after CRT, independent of NT pro-BNP. The predictive value of these analytes is enhanced by combined measurement.

Association between socioeconomic status, sex, and age at death from cystic fibrosis in England and Wales (1959 to 2008): cross sectional study.

PubMed

Barr, Helen L; Britton, John; Smyth, Alan R; Fogarty, Andrew W

2011-08-23

To determine the trend in the association between socioeconomic status and sex and median age at death from cystic fibrosis in England and Wales, over the past 50 years. Series of annual cross sectional studies of all registered deaths with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in England and Wales, from 1959 to 2008. We obtained national mortality data for cystic fibrosis from the Office for National Statistics. From 1959 to 2000, the Registrar General's Social Class coded socioeconomic status as manual or non-manual. From 2001 onwards, the National Statistics Socioeconomic Classification was implemented and socioeconomic status was split into three groups: professional and managerial, intermediate, and routine and manual. We calculated median age at death for every study year. We calculated the effects of sex and socioeconomic status on the odds of death above the median age at death for every study decade using logistic regression. From 1959 to 2008, 6750 deaths were attributed to cystic fibrosis in England and Wales. Males were more likely to die above the annual median age at death than females (from 1959 to 1999, adjusted odds ratio for socioeconomic status 1.28, 95% confidence intervals 1.13 to 1.45; from 2000 to 2008, 1.57, 1.18 to 2.08). Individuals in the highest socioeconomic class were also more likely to die above the median age of death than those in the lowest socioeconomic class (from 1959 to 2000, adjusted odds ratio for sex 2.50, 2.16 to 2.90; from 2001 to 2008, 1.89, 1.20 to 2.97). Socioeconomic status and sex remain strong determinants of survival from cystic fibrosis in England and Wales, and the magnitude of these effects does not appear to have substantially reduced over time.

Design principles for elementary gene circuits: Elements, methods, and examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savageau, Michael A.

2001-03-01

The control of gene expression involves complex circuits that exhibit enormous variation in design. For years the most convenient explanation for these variations was historical accident. According to this view, evolution is a haphazard process in which many different designs are generated by chance; there are many ways to accomplish the same thing, and so no further meaning can be attached to such different but equivalent designs. In recent years a more satisfying explanation based on design principles has been found for at least certain aspects of gene circuitry. By design principle we mean a rule that characterizes some biological feature exhibited by a class of systems such that discovery of the rule allows one not only to understand known instances but also to predict new instances within the class. The central importance of gene regulation in modern molecular biology provides strong motivation to search for more of these underlying design principles. The search is in its infancy and there are undoubtedly many design principles that remain to be discovered. The focus of this three-part review will be the class of elementary gene circuits in bacteria. The first part reviews several elements of design that enter into the characterization of elementary gene circuits in prokaryotic organisms. Each of these elements exhibits a variety of realizations whose meaning is generally unclear. The second part reviews mathematical methods used to represent, analyze, and compare alternative designs. Emphasis is placed on particular methods that have been used successfully to identify design principles for elementary gene circuits. The third part reviews four design principles that make specific predictions regarding (1) two alternative modes of gene control, (2) three patterns of coupling gene expression in elementary circuits, (3) two types of switches in inducible gene circuits, and (4) the realizability of alternative gene circuits and their response to phased environmental cues. In each case, the predictions are supported by experimental evidence. These results are important for understanding the function, design, and evolution of elementary gene circuits.

Occupational class differences in long sickness absence: a register-based study of 2.1 million Finnish women and men in 1996–2013

PubMed Central

Blomgren, Jenni; Pietiläinen, Olli; Lahelma, Eero; Rahkonen, Ossi

2017-01-01

Objectives Sickness absence is consistently higher in lower occupational classes, but attempts to analyse changes over time in socioeconomic differences are scarce. We examined trends in medically certified sickness absence by occupational class in Finland from 1996 to 2013 and assessed the magnitude and changes in absolute and relative occupational class differences. Design Population-based, repeated cross-sectional study. Setting A 70% random sample of Finns aged between 25 and 63 years in the years 1996–2013. Participants The study focused on 25- to 63 year-old female (n between 572 246 and 690 925) and male (n between 525 698 and 644 425) upper and lower non-manual and manual workers. Disability and old age pensioners, students, the unemployed, entrepreneurs and farmers were excluded. The analyses covered 2 160 084 persons, that is, 77% of the random sample. For primary and secondary outcome measures, we examined yearly prevalence of over 10 working days long sickness absence by occupational class. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were used to assess the magnitude and changes in occupational class differences. Results Compared with mid-1990s, sickness absence prevalence was slightly lower in 2013 in all occupational classes except for female lower non-manual workers. Hierarchical occupational class differences in sickness absence were found. Absolute differences (SII) peaked in 2005 in both women (0.12, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.13) and men (0.15, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.15) but reached the previous level in women by 2009 and decreased modestly in men until 2013. Relative differences narrowed over time (p<0.001) but levelled off by 2013. Conclusions Sickness absence prevalence is currently slightly lower in almost all occupational classes than in the mid-1990s, but occupational class differences have remained large. Ill health and poor working conditions especially in the lower occupational classes should be targeted in order to reduce sickness absence and to achieve longer working lives. PMID:28729307

Long-term effects of Class II orthodontic treatment on oral health.

PubMed

Bock, N C; Saffar, M; Hudel, H; Evälahti, M; Heikinheimo, K; Rice, D P C; Ruf, S

2018-03-01

To investigate the long-term (≥15 years) benefit of orthodontic Class II treatment (Tx) on oral health (OH). All patients (Department of Orthodontics, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany) who underwent Class II correction (Herbst-multibracket Tx, end of active Tx ≥ 15 years ago) and agreed to participate in a recall (clinical examination, interview, impressions, and photographs) were included. Records after active Tx were used to assess the long-term OH effects. Data were compared to corresponding population-representative age-cohorts as well as to untreated Class I controls without orthodontic Tx need during adolescence. Of 152 treated Class II patients, 75 could be located and agreed to participate at 33.7 ± 3.0 years of age (pre-Tx age: 14.0 ± 2.7 years). The majority (70.8%) were fully satisfied with their teeth and with their masticatory system. The Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth Index (DMFT) was 7.1 ± 4.8 and, thus, almost identical to that of the untreated Class I controls (7.9 ± 3.6). In contrast, the DMFT in the population-representative age-cohort was 56% higher. The determined mean Community Periodontal Index (CPI) maximum score (1.6 ± 0.6) was also comparable to the untreated Class I controls (1.7 ± 0.9) but in the corresponding population-representative age-cohort it was 19-44% higher. The extent of lower incisor gingival recessions did not differ significantly between the treated Class II participants and the untreated Class I controls (0.1 ± 0.2 vs. 0.0 ± 0.1 mm). Patients with orthodontically treated severe Class II malocclusions had a lower risk for oral health impairment than the general population. The risk corresponded to that of untreated Class I controls (without orthodontic Tx need during adolescence).

CLASS: The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Essinger-Hileman, Thomas; Ali, Aamir; Amiri, Mandana; Appel, John W.; Araujo, Derek; Bennett, Charles L.; Boone, Fletcher; Chan, Manwei; Cho, Hsiao-Mei; Chuss, David T.;

Classes of conduct disorder symptoms and their life course correlates in a US national sample.

PubMed

Breslau, J; Saito, N; Tancredi, D J; Nock, M; Gilman, S E

2012-05-01

Population data on conduct disorder (CD) symptoms can help determine whether hypothesized subtypes of CD are sufficiently disparate in their familial, psychiatric and life course correlates to distinguish separate diagnostic entities. Latent class analysis (LCA) of CD symptoms occurring before age 15 was conducted in a national sample of adults aged 18-44 years from the National Epidemiological Study of Alcohol and Related Conditions. Associations of latent class membership with parental behavior problems, onset of psychiatric disorders and anti-social behaviors after age 15, adolescent life events (e.g. high school drop-out), and past-year life events (e.g. divorce/separation, bankruptcy) were estimated. LCA identified a no-CD class with low prevalence of all symptoms, three intermediate classes - deceit/theft, rule violations, aggression - and a severe class. The prevalence of CD, according to DSM-IV criteria, was 0% in the no-CD class, between 13.33% and 33.69% in the intermediate classes and 62.20% in the severe class. Latent class membership is associated with all the familial, psychiatric and life course outcomes examined. Among the intermediate classes, risk for subsequent mood/anxiety disorders and anti-social behavior was higher in the deceit/theft and aggressive classes than in the rule violations class. However, risk for adolescent life events is highest in the rule violations class. CD symptoms tend to occur in a partially ordered set of classes in the general population. Prognostically meaningful distinctions can be drawn between classes, but only at low levels of symptoms.

Blended versus Face-to-Face: Evidence from a Graduate Corporate Finance Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harjoto, Maretno Agus

2017-01-01

The author compared students' perceptions of prelecture videos replacing face-to-face (F2F) classes in blended and F2F graduate corporate finance classes. Using 176 anonymous survey responses from eight F2F and two blended classes during the 2014-2016 year, the author found that students in the blended classes had a greater belief that prelecture…

Is There a Student "Disconnect?" First-Year Hybrid Class Teachers' Observations and Recommendations for Improving Student Engagement in Information Systems Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parris, Joan B.; Beaver, Jana P.; Nickels, David W.; Crabtree, John D.

2011-01-01

Research shows that during times of economic downturn in the United States, education funding suffers. One method that higher education administrators are choosing to ease the economic crunch is to offer hybrid classes that blend one regular face-to-face class meeting with online and outside class components. The challenge of managing large…

The Impact of Social Class and Social Cognitive Domain on Northeastern Brazilian Mothers' and Daughters' Conceptions of Parental Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lins-Dyer, Maria Tereza; Nucci, Larry

2007-01-01

The impact of social class was explored on Brazilian mothers' and daughters' conceptions of who should, and who actually would control decisions regarding the daughters' actions. Participants were 126 middle class and 126 lower class girls aged 11-16 years, and their mothers. No social class differences were found in daughters' judgments about who…

The relationship between Class I and Class II methanol masers at high angular resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, T. P.; Ellingsen, S. P.; Voronkov, M. A.; Cimò, G.

2018-06-01

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to make the first high-resolution observations of a large sample of class I methanol masers in the 95-GHz (80-71A+) transition. The target sources consist of a statistically complete sample of 6.7-GHz class II methanol masers with an associated 95-GHz class I methanol maser, enabling a detailed study of the relationship between the two methanol maser classes at arcsecond angular resolution. These sources have been previously observed at high resolution in the 36- and 44-GHz transitions, allowing comparison between all three class I maser transitions. In total, 172 95-GHz maser components were detected across the 32 target sources. We find that at high resolution, when considering matched maser components, a 3:1 flux density ratio is observed between the 95- and 44-GHz components, consistent with a number of previous lower angular resolution studies. The 95-GHz maser components appear to be preferentially located closer to the driving sources and this may indicate that this transition is more strongly inverted nearby to background continuum sources. We do not observe an elevated association rate between 95-GHz maser emission and more evolved sources, as indicated by the presence of 12.2-GHz class II masers. We find that in the majority of cases where both class I and class II methanol emission is observed, some component of the class I emission is associated with a likely outflow candidate.

The relation between bullying and subclinical psychotic experiences and the influence of the bully climate of school classes.

PubMed

Horrevorts, Esther M B; Monshouwer, Karin; Wigman, Johanna T W; Vollebergh, Wilma A M

2014-09-01

This study aims to examine the association between the bully climate of school classes and the prevalence of subclinical psychotic experiences among students who are involved in bullying (either as bully or as victim). Data were derived from the Dutch health behavior in school-aged children survey of 2005, a nationally representative cross-sectional study with a total of 5,509 adolescents between the age of 12 and 16. The data were analyzed using a multilevel regression analysis. The study revealed that both bullying and being bullied in school classes was associated with an increased level of subclinical psychotic experiences. The bully climate of a school class moderates this effect, i.e., the higher risk for bully-victims on subclinical psychotic experiences was less strong in classes with a higher percentage of classmates involved in bullying. Thus, bully climate has to be taken into account when studying the psychological experiences associated with being bullied.

Analytic, High-beta Solutions of the Helical Grad-Shafranov Equation

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

D.R. Smith; A.H. Reiman

We present analytic, high-beta ({beta} {approx} O(1)), helical equilibrium solutions for a class of helical axis configurations having large helical aspect ratio, with the helix assumed to be tightly wound. The solutions develop a narrow boundary layer of strongly compressed flux, similar to that previously found in high beta tokamak equilibrium solutions. The boundary layer is associated with a strong localized current which prevents the equilibrium from having zero net current.

The Four U's: Latent Classes of Hookup Motivations Among College Students.

PubMed

Uecker, Jeremy E; Pearce, Lisa D; Andercheck, Brita

2015-06-01

College students' "hookups" have been the subject of a great deal of research in recent years. Motivations for hooking up have been linked to differences in well-being after the hookup, but studies detailing college students' motivations for engaging in hookups focus on single motivations. Using data from the 2010 Duke Hookup Survey, we consider how motivations for hooking up cluster to produce different classes, or profiles, of students who hook up, and how these classes are related to hookup regret. Four distinct classes of motivations emerged from our latent class analysis: Utilitarians (50%), Uninhibiteds (27%), Uninspireds (19%), and Unreflectives (4%). We find a number of differences in hookup motivation classes across social characteristics, including gender, year in school, race-ethnicity, self-esteem, and attitudes about sexual behavior outside committed relationships. Additionally, Uninspireds regret hookups more frequently than members of the other classes, and Uninhibiteds report regret less frequently than Utilitarians and Uninspireds. These findings reveal the complexity of motivations for hooking up and the link between motivations and regret.

Age, occupational class and sickness absence during pregnancy: a retrospective analysis study of the Norwegian population registry

PubMed Central

Ariansen, Anja M S

2014-01-01

Objective Western women increasingly delay having children to advance their career, and pregnancy is considered to be riskier among older women. In Norway, this development surprisingly coincides with increased sickness absence among young pregnant women, rather than their older counterparts. This paper tests the hypothesis that young pregnant women have a higher number of sick days because this age group includes a higher proportion of working class women, who are more prone to sickness absence. Design A zero-inflated Poisson regression was conducted on the Norwegian population registry. Participants All pregnant employees giving birth in 2004–2008 were included in the study. A total number of 216 541 pregnancies were observed among 180 483 women. Outcome measure Number of sick days. Results Although the association between age and number of sick days was U-shaped, pregnant women in their early 20s had a higher number of sick days than those in their mid-40s. This was particularly the case for pregnant women with previous births. In this group, 20-year-olds had 12.6 more sick days than 45-year-olds; this age difference was reduced to 6.3 after control for class. Among women undergoing their first pregnancy, 20-year-olds initially had 1.2 more sick days than 45-year-olds, but control for class altered this age difference. After control for class, 45-year-old first-time pregnant women had 2.9 more sick days than 20-year-olds with corresponding characteristics. Conclusions The negative association between age and sickness absence was partly due to younger age groups including more working class women, who were more prone to sickness absence. Young pregnant women's needs for job adjustments should not be underestimated. PMID:24793246

Flow and diffusion of high-stakes test scores.

PubMed

Marder, M; Bansal, D

2009-10-13

We apply visualization and modeling methods for convective and diffusive flows to public school mathematics test scores from Texas. We obtain plots that show the most likely future and past scores of students, the effects of random processes such as guessing, and the rate at which students appear in and disappear from schools. We show that student outcomes depend strongly upon economic class, and identify the grade levels where flows of different groups diverge most strongly. Changing the effectiveness of instruction in one grade naturally leads to strongly nonlinear effects on student outcomes in subsequent grades.

Strong subadditivity for log-determinant of covariance matrices and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adesso, Gerardo; Simon, R.

2016-08-01

We prove that the log-determinant of the covariance matrix obeys the strong subadditivity inequality for arbitrary tripartite states of multimode continuous variable quantum systems. This establishes general limitations on the distribution of information encoded in the second moments of canonically conjugate operators. The inequality is shown to be stronger than the conventional strong subadditivity inequality for von Neumann entropy in a class of pure tripartite Gaussian states. We finally show that such an inequality implies a strict monogamy-type constraint for joint Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steerability of single modes by Gaussian measurements performed on multiple groups of modes.

A Model for Teaching Large Classes: Facilitating a "Small Class Feel"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Rosealie P.; Pappas, Eric

2017-01-01

This paper presents a model for teaching large classes that facilitates a "small class feel" to counteract the distance, anonymity, and formality that often characterize large lecture-style courses in higher education. One author (E. P.) has been teaching a 300-student general education critical thinking course for ten years, and the…

Second Class Resolver: a retrospective analysis.

PubMed

D'Attilio, M; Rodolfino, D; Filippakos, A; Saccucci, M; Festa, F; Tripodi, D

2014-03-01

To evaluate the use of Second Class Resolver (SCR), a new fixed orthopaedic appliance, for the treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion in growing subjects. Design Retrospective analysis. Forty subjects were treated with Second Class Resolver (SCR). The mean age was 8 years at the beginning of treatment and 10 years at the end of treatment. Digital cephalometric superimpositions on lateral radiographs taken at start and end of treatment were assessed. The cephalometric values were statistically analysed. Cephalometric analysis of changes during treatment shows reduction of ANB angle (mean 2°); reduction of Witts Index (mean 3 mm); reduction of Maxillo-Mandibular angle (MM) (mean 1°); reduction of SNA (angle mean 3°); reduction of gonial angle (mean 1.8°); increase of the mandibular branch length (mean 5 mm); increase of mandibular body (mean 2.9°). The Second Class Resolver can be beneficially used for the treatment of Class II malocclusion.

Academic and Social Functioning Associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Latent Class Analyses of Trajectories from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade.

PubMed

DuPaul, George J; Morgan, Paul L; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M; Maczuga, Steve

2016-10-01

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are known to exhibit significantly lower academic and social functioning than other children. Yet the field currently lacks knowledge about specific impairment trajectories experienced by children with ADHD, which may constrain early screening and intervention effectiveness. Data were analyzed from a nationally representative U.S. cohort in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) for 590 children (72.7 % male) whose parents reported a formal diagnosis of ADHD. Children's math, reading, and interpersonal skills were assessed at 5 time points between kindergarten and fifth grade. Growth mixture model analyses indicated 4 latent trajectory classes for reading, 8 classes for math, and 4 classes for interpersonal skills. Membership in reading and math trajectory classes was strongly related; overlaps with interpersonal skills classes were weaker. Trajectory class membership was correlated with demographic characteristics and behavioral functioning. Children with ADHD display substantial heterogeneity in their reading, math, and interpersonal growth trajectories, with some groups of children especially likely to display relatively severe levels of academic and social impairment over time. Early screening and intervention to address impairment, particularly reading difficulties, among kindergarten students with ADHD is warranted.

Time since death and decay rate constants of Norway spruce and European larch deadwood in subalpine forests determined using dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrillo, Marta; Cherubini, Paolo; Fravolini, Giulia; Marchetti, Marco; Ascher-Jenull, Judith; Schärer, Michael; Synal, Hans-Arno; Bertoldi, Daniela; Camin, Federica; Larcher, Roberto; Egli, Markus

2016-03-01

Due to the large size (e.g. sections of tree trunks) and highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of deadwood, the timescales involved in the coarse woody debris (CWD) decay of Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Larix decidua Mill. in Alpine forests are largely unknown. We investigated the CWD decay dynamics in an Alpine valley in Italy using the chronosequence approach and the five-decay class system that is based on a macromorphological assessment. For the decay classes 1-3, most of the dendrochronological samples were cross-dated to assess the time that had elapsed since tree death, but for decay classes 4 and 5 (poorly preserved tree rings) radiocarbon dating was used. In addition, density, cellulose, and lignin data were measured for the dated CWD. The decay rate constants for spruce and larch were estimated on the basis of the density loss using a single negative exponential model, a regression approach, and the stage-based matrix model. In the decay classes 1-3, the ages of the CWD were similar and varied between 1 and 54 years for spruce and 3 and 40 years for larch, with no significant differences between the classes; classes 1-3 are therefore not indicative of deadwood age. This seems to be due to a time lag between the death of a standing tree and its contact with the soil. We found distinct tree-species-specific differences in decay classes 4 and 5, with larch CWD reaching an average age of 210 years in class 5 and spruce only 77 years. The mean CWD rate constants were estimated to be in the range 0.018 to 0.022 y-1 for spruce and to about 0.012 y-1 for larch. Snapshot sampling (chronosequences) may overestimate the age and mean residence time of CWD. No sampling bias was, however, detectable using the stage-based matrix model. Cellulose and lignin time trends could be derived on the basis of the ages of the CWD. The half-lives for cellulose were 21 years for spruce and 50 years for larch. The half-life of lignin is considerably higher and may be more than 100 years in larch CWD. Consequently, the decay of Picea abies and Larix decidua is very low. Several uncertainties, however, remain: 14C dating of CWD from decay classes 4 and 5 and having a pre-bomb age is often difficult (large age range due to methodological constraints) and fall rates of both European larch and Norway spruce are missing.

Relationship of admissions variables and college of osteopathic medicine variables to performance on COMLEX-USA level 3.

PubMed

Baker, Helen H; Shuman, Victoria L; Ridpath, Lance C; Pence, Lorenzo L; Fisk, Robert M; Boisvert, Craig S

2015-02-01

New accreditation standards require that all US colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) publically report the first-time pass rates of graduates on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) Level 3. Little is known about the extent to which admissions variables or COM performance measures relate to Level 3 performance. To examine the relationship of admissions variables and COM performance to scores on Level 3 and to assess whether a relationship existed between Level 3 scores and sex, curriculum track, year of graduation, and residency specialty in the first postgraduate year. Data were analyzed from 4 graduating classes (2008-2011) of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg. Relationships were examined between first-attempt scores on COMLEX-USA Level 3 and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores; undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs); GPAs in COM year 1, year 2, and clinical rotation years (years 3 and 4); and first-attempt scores on COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation, and Level 2-Performance Evaluation. Of the 556 graduates during this 4-year period, COMLEX-USA Level 3 scores were available for 552 graduates (99.3%). No statistically significant differences were found in Level 3 scores based on sex, curriculum track, graduating class, or residency specialty. The strongest relationship between Level 3 scores and any admissions variable was with total MCAT score, which accounted for 4.2% of the variation in Level 3 scores. The strongest relationship between Level 3 scores and COM year performance measures was with year 2 GPA, which accounted for 35.4% of the variation in Level 3 scores. Level 1 scores accounted for 38.5% of the variation in Level 3 scores, and Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation scores accounted for the greatest percentage of variation (45.7%). The correlation of Level 3 scores with passing the Level 2-Performance Evaluation on the first attempt was not statistically significant. A weak relationship was found between admissions variables and performance on COMLEX-USA Level 3, suggesting that graduates with lower MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs may have overcome their early disadvantage. Strong relationships were found between Level 3 scores and year 2 GPAs, as well as scores on COMLEX-USA Level 1 and Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation. © 2015 The American Osteopathic Association.

Evaluating a grading change at UCSD school of medicine: pass/fail grading is associated with decreased performance on preclinical exams but unchanged performance on USMLE step 1 scores

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background To assess the impact of a change in preclerkship grading system from Honors/Pass/Fail (H/P/F) to Pass/Fail (P/F) on University of California, San Diego (UCSD) medical students’ academic performance. Methods Academic performance of students in the classes of 2011 and 2012 (constant-grading classes) were collected and compared with performance of students in the class of 2013 (grading-change class) because the grading policy at UCSD SOM was changed for the class of 2013, from H/P/F during the first year (MS1) to P/F during the second year (MS2). For all students, data consisted of test scores from required preclinical courses from MS1 and MS2 years, and USMLE Step 1 scores. Linear regression analysis controlled for other factors that could be predictive of student performance (i.e., MCAT scores, undergraduate GPA, age, gender, etc.) in order to isolate the effect of the changed grading policy on academic performance. The change in grading policy in the MS2 year only, without any corresponding changes to the medical curriculum, presents a unique natural experiment with which to cleanly evaluate the effect of P/F grading on performance outcomes. Results After controlling for other factors, the grading policy change to P/F grading in the MS2 year had a negative impact on second-year grades relative to first-year grades (the constant-grading classes performed 1.65% points lower during their MS2 year compared to the MS1 year versus 3.25% points lower for the grading-change class, p < 0.0001), but had no observable impact on USMLE Step 1 scores. Conclusions A change in grading from H/P/F grading to P/F grading was associated with decreased performance on preclinical examinations but no decrease in performance on the USMLE Step 1 examination. These results are discussed in the broader context of the multitude of factors that should be considered in assessing the merits of various grading systems, and ultimately the authors recommend the continuation of pass-fail grading at UCSD School of Medicine. PMID:24980918

Developmental Typologies of Identity Formation and Adjustment in Female Emerging Adults: A Latent Class Growth Analysis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luyckx, Koen; Schwartz, Seth J.; Goossens, Luc; Soenens, Bart; Beyers, Wim

2008-01-01

The developmental interplay between identity and adjustment was examined in a seven-wave longitudinal study of 428 European female college students (M[subscript age] = 18.8 years) over a period of 3 years, with semi-annual measurement waves each year. Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) was used to identify developmental typologies of both…

Effects of a Regular Motor Activity on Somatic and Fitness Variables in Boys Aged 17-18 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piotrowska, Joanna

2011-01-01

Study aim: To assess the somatic and fitness changes in semisedentary boys persuaded to undertake Nordic Walking activities throughout a school year. Material and methods: Two groups of schoolboys aged 17-18 years were studied: regularly attending physical education (PE) classes (Group A; n = 46) and those who avoided PE classes by submitting sick…

The Accelerated Medical Program and the Liberal Arts at Boston University.

PubMed

Blaustein, E H; Kayne, H L

1976-06-14

Since September 1961, fifteen classes have matriculated in Boston University's Six- Year College of Liberal Arts--Medical Education Combined Degree Program. The applicant pool is approximately three to four times larger now than in the earlier years, with classes averaging 50 students. Academic qualifications (high-school class rank and Scholastic Aptitude Test and College Board Achievement Test results) of the entering classes have been at a consistently high level. Fifty percent or more of the graduates receive the BA degree with honors; 10% or more receive the MD degree with honors. The degree of flexibility in the liberal arts component of the program has increased and currently exceeds that of the traditional four-year premedical curriculum. These data, together with additional information concerning postgraduate professional activities, indicate that the combined accelerated program has been successful.

The Effects of Cumulative Victimization on Mental Health Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adolescents and Young Adults.

PubMed

Mustanski, Brian; Andrews, Rebecca; Puckett, Jae A

2016-03-01

To examine the effects of the cumulative victimization experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths on mental disorders. We recruited 248 participants from the Chicago, Illinois, area in 7 waves of data collected over 4 years, beginning in 2007 (83.1% retention rate). Mean age at enrollment was 18.7 years, and 54.7% were Black. We measured depression and posttraumatic stress disorder using structured psychiatric interviews. Latent class analyses of victimization over time identified a 4-class solution. Class 1 (65.4%) had low, decreasing victimization. Class 2 (10.3%) had moderate, increasing victimization. Class 3 (5.1%) had high, steady victimization. Class 4 (19.2%) had high, decreasing victimization. Controlling for baseline diagnoses and birth sex, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths in classes 2 and 3 were at higher risk for depression than were those in class 1; youths in classes 2, 3, and 4 were at elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths with steadily high or increasing levels of victimization from adolescence to early adulthood are at higher risk for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.