Extracellular Hsp72 concentration relates to a minimum endogenous criteria during acute exercise-heat exposure

Extracellular heat-shock protein 72 (eHsp72) concentration increases during exercise-heat stress when conditions elicit physiological strain. Differences in severity of environmental and exercise stimuli have elicited varied response to stress. The present study aimed to quantify the extent of increased eHsp72 with increased exogenous heat stress, and determine related endogenous markers of strain in an exercise-heat model. Ten males cycled for 90 min at 50% O2peak in three conditions (TEMP, 20°C/63% RH; HOT, 30.2°C/51%RH; VHOT, 40.0°C/37%RH). Plasma was analysed for eHsp72 pre, immediately post and 24-h post each trial utilising a commercially available ELISA. Increased eHsp72 concentration was observed post VHOT trial (+172.4%) (P<0.05), but not TEMP (-1.9%) or HOT (+25.7%) conditions. eHsp72 returned to baseline values within 24hrs in all conditions. Changes were observed in rectal temperature (Trec), rate of Trec increase, area under the curve for Trec of 38.5°C and 39.0°C, duration Trec ≥ 38.5°C and ≥ 39.0°C, and change in muscle temperature, between VHOT, and TEMP and HOT, but not between TEMP and HOT. Each condition also elicited significantly increasing physiological strain, described by sweat rate, heart rate, physiological strain index, rating of perceived exertion and thermal sensation. Stepwise multiple regression reported rate of Trec increase and change in Trec to be predictors of increased eHsp72 concentration. Data suggests eHsp72 concentration increases once systemic temperature and sympathetic activity exceeds a minimum endogenous criteria elicited during VHOT conditions and is likely to be modulated by large, rapid changes in core temperature

Assessment of the quality of existing patient educational tools focused on sudden cardiac arrest: a systematic evaluation by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Thought Leadership Alliance

Background Conveying contemporary treatment options for those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is challenging. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the quality and usability of available patient educational tools relevant to SCA and its treatment options, such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). We hypothesized that this review would identify gaps in areas of information for the enhancement of patient education and decision-making materials. Methods We used a formal instrument to assess specific domains of content, development, and effectiveness of 18 available SCA and ICD educational tools. The multidisciplinary review panel included two electrophysiologists, two general cardiologists, a cardiac psychologist, a health services researcher, and a patient advocate. Results Of the 18 education tools, four were rated as “good, may need revisions, but sufficient for use�, 12 were rated as “marginal, needs revision prior to use�, and two were rated as “poor, inadequate for use�. None of the tools were rated as being of “very good� or “excellent� quality. Conclusion There appear to be opportunities to improve the quality and completeness of existing educational tools for patients with SCA and ICD. While many tools have been developed, they fall below current standards for supporting informed medical decision-making

Correlation of pretreatment drug induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells with patient survival and clinical response

Background This study was performed to determine if a chemotherapy-induced apoptosis assay (MiCK) could predict the best therapy for patients with ovarian cancer. Methods A prospective, multi-institutional and blinded trial of the assay was conducted in 104 evaluable ovarian cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. The MiCK assay was performed prior to therapy, but treating physicians were not told of the results and selected treatment only on clinical criteria. Outcomes (response, time to relapse, and survival) were compared to the drug-induced apoptosis observed in the assay. Results Overall survival in primary therapy, chemotherapy naïve patients with Stage III or IV disease was longer if patients received a chemotherapy which was best in the MiCK assay, compared to shorter survival in patients who received a chemotherapy that was not the best. (p < 0.01, hazard ratio HR 0.23). Multivariate model risk ratio showed use of the best chemotherapy in the MiCK assay was the strongest predictor of overall survival (p < 0.01) in stage III or IV patients. Standard therapy with carboplatin plus paclitaxel (C + P) was not the best chemotherapy in the MiCK assay in 44% of patients. If patients received C + P and it was the best chemotherapy in the MiCK assay, they had longer survival than those patients receiving C + P when it was not the best chemotherapy in the assay (p = 0.03). Relapse-free interval in primary therapy patients was longer if patients received the best chemotherapy from the MiCK assay (p = 0.03, HR 0.52). Response rates (CR + PR) were higher if physicians used an active chemotherapy based on the MiCK assay (p = 0.03). Conclusion The MiCK assay can predict the chemotherapy associated with better outcomes in ovarian cancer patients. This study quantifies outcome benefits on which a prospective randomized trial can be developed

The elements of neoclassical style in the women's choir compositions of Irving Fine

The composer Irving Fine died in 1962 at the age of forty-seven cutting short the life of an important figure in twentieth-century American music. Since Fine's life was relatively short, his musical output is proportionally small and often goes unstudied. Fine's contribution to the choral genre is particularly small but offers a unique perspective of composing for choir. Fine's complete oeuvre includes music in many genres that can stylistically be divided into two categories; tonal-neoclassical and atonal-neoclassical. Fine's early instrumental compositions are decidedly tonal-neoclassical and ultimately become serially based, a style that characterizes most of his later works. While Fine's instrumental music developed towards atonality, his works for women's choir did not. The choral music for women's choir remained rooted in the tonal-neoclassical style of his early period. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Irving Fine composed choral music for women's choir in an operative and nuanced style of choral writing that remained effectively tonally based and in the neoclassical style as understood and applied by Fine and his colleagues. This document places the selected choral works in context through a brief biography and discussion of neoclassicism as the term was understood during Fine's compositional period. The biography "Irving Fine: A Composer in His Time" by Phillip Ramey and information from the Irving Fine Collection at the Library of Congress are the primary sources of biographical information. The remainder of this paper is a detailed examination of Fine's treatment of musical form, harmony and character in his compositions for women's choir. Through this examination, Fine's music will be shown to function within criteria of tonal-neoclassicism as understood and practiced by Fine and his colleagues

Editorial: Heat acclimation for special populations

Editorial on the Research Topic: Heat Acclimation for Special Populations: This heat acclimation for special population's Research Topic questions the "one size fits all" approach for heat adaptation and that it may not be appropriate for all populations. Therefore, to highlight these differences we endeavored to collect a set of studies on how heat acclimation may benefit a wide range of special populations who have specific needs. We have published 12 articles in this Research Topic and defined four main areas of research. (a) an epidemiological approach and the aging process; (b) understanding physiological mechanisms and a novel heat acclimation method; (c) adaptation to the heat for special populations including males, females, military personnel and Paralympic athletes; and (d) the use of heat therapy for special populations. We have summarized the most noteworthy evidence of each study in these research areas

Middle school science teachers' conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge

The purpose of this interpretive inquiry study was to ascertain the conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge of middle school science teachers. Initially, a model of the nature of scientific knowledge was developed from the literature. Scientific knowledge is characterized as humanistic, social, historical, based on specific beliefs, observation based, a result of inquiry, composed of knowledge structures, and unique. The model served as a comprehensive framework against which to compare teachers' conceptions of the nature of scientific knowledge. The study involved six successful middle school science teachers from urban and suburban/rural school districts. Each subject participated in two unstructured interviews with the researcher. Results indicate that the teachers possessed a somewhat idealistic view of scientists, a limited conception of the role of scientific communities in the production of knowledge, a confusion of science and technology, a conception of a standardized methodology in science, a positivist perspective of knowledge, and a realist/pluralistic realist view of knowledge. In addition, subjects confused the functions of laws and theories, possessed a popular conception of scientific facts, viewed historical knowledge as cumulative, and had difficulty relating the basic assumptions of science as well as other ways of knowing. Therefore, the study found that the subjects possessed a less than adequate view of the nature of scientific knowledge

On the Quadratic Sieve

Factoring large integers has long been a subject that has interested mathematicians. And although this interest has been recently increased because of the large usage of cryptography, the thought of factoring integers that are hundreds of digits in length has always been appealing. However it was not until the 1980's that this even seemed fathomable; in fact in 1970 it was extremely difficult to factor a 20-digit number. Then in 1990 the Quadratic Sieve factored a record 116-digit number. While the Quadratic Sieve is not the most recent development in factoring, it is more efficient for factoring numbers below 100-digits than the Number Field Sieve. This paper will discuss the methodology behind the Quadratic Sieve, beginning in its roots in Fermat and Kraitchik's factoring methods. Furthermore our objective is to fully describe the Quadratic Sieve with the goal that the reader could implement a reproduction of the sieve for small numbers

Cultural values and wellness of Native American high school students

Research has suggested that cultural conflicts and the process of acculturation contribute to feelings of boredom, anxiety, depression, isolation, stress, self-doubt, alienation, and rejection in Native American students. These factors also have a negative impact on identity development and wellness of these students. The problem addressed in this study was the relationship between cultural value orientation, level of acculturation, and wellness among Native American high school students. To fully explore this relationship, some comparison to non-Native American high school students was necessary. Exploration of the three variables of cultural value orientation, level of acculturation, and wellness was to include both a between-group value comparison of Native American and non-Native American students and a within-group comparison of Native American students on the three variables

Assertive discipline : portrait of an effective elementary school discipline program

The purpose of this study is to expose administrators and teachers to a competency-based systematic approach to discipline. The program, known as Lee Canter's Approach to Assertive Discipline, is presently used at North Canton Elementary School in Canton, North Carolina. It is grounded in the commitment to a positive educational environment for both teachers and students. Through the use of portraiture, a qualitative research methodology, the researcher will present a detailed description of the program. Included are guidelines for developing and implementing the program in public schools. This study will demonstrate how educators can effectively deal with student behavior problems in a confident, take-charge manner. Administrators and teachers will be interested in the findings of this study because student behavior issues surface daily. Also, educators can establish firm, consistent limits for all students and a positive educational environment for both teachers and students

Effect Of The Catch Position On Power Characteristics In Snatch Derivatives

This study investigates precipitation delivery using the first detailed radar measurements of the vertical structure of precipitation obtained in the tropical Andes of southern Peru and Bolivia. A vertically pointing 24.1 GHz Micro Rain Radar in Cusco, Peru (3,350 m asl, August 2014-February 2015) and La Paz, Bolivia (3,440 m asl, October 2015-February 2017) provided continuous 1-min profiles of reflectivity and Doppler velocity during the respective time periods. Additional datasets collected include thermodynamic profiles from rawinsonde releases, hourly observations of various meteorological variables, and backward air trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model. The vertically-pointing radar time-height data reveal a bimodal diurnal cycle in precipitation with cellular convection predominant in the afternoon and stratiform precipitation predominant overnight. Backward air trajectories for two stratiform case studies indicate that low-level flow originated in the Amazon basin three days prior to the events. Median melting layer heights were above the altitude of nearby glacier termini (~5,000 m) approximately 17% of the time in Cusco and 30% of the time in La Paz, indicating that some precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow on nearby glacier surfaces. Melting layer heights were highest in La Paz during the 2015-16 El Niño (47% above 5,000 m)