The establishment of dominance hierarchies over concentrated food sources among Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus).

Among chipmunks, competition over concentrated food sources has often been observed. Aggressive behavior is commonly displayed within an individual's territory between and within species. However, though sex, size, age, and individual variation are speculated to be factors in establishing dominance over a concentrated food source, the bases for the establishment of dominance over concentrated food sources in Tamias striatus remains questionable. This study tested the hypothesis that: When a concentrated food source is placed equidistant from two or more chipmunk burrows, dominace over the food source will be established based on one or more of the following: first individual to encounter the food source, sex, and/or size (weight). After testing 6 sets of interactions with 6 chipmunks each, it was found that although aggression varied significantly with weight difference between winner and loser (p<.05), a linear relationship did not exist. As interactors got closer in weight, intensity of aggression did not increase. Because only one chipmunk of the 6 was male, any correlation between sex and dominance could not be examined. In addition, because the sample size was so limited, any correlation between first individual to encounter the food source could not be examined. Overall, much aggressive behavior might be attributable to individual variation. Future studies might increase sample size and would further contribute to our knowledge of the bases for dominance in chipmunks.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/54567/1/3006.pd

Good Girls Don’t Go Online: Unpacking the Quotidian Playful Resilience Influencing Girls’ Social and Digital Engagements

In this study, we examine the ways in which young girls from low-income communities exercise their autonomy and agency in their engagement with digital technologies and, at times, show compliance with social norms when online. Based on our findings from our ethnographic fieldwork, we argue that young girls’ engagement with digital technologies reflects both submission to the dominant gender, class realities, and a sustained desire to create a fraying around the edges of systems for gendered surveillance-discipline. We develop the concept of “quotidian playful resilience” (QPR) to unpack the influence of gender norms and class-based experiences on young girls’ everyday digital practices. We define QPR as a meta practice that informs how girls access, use, and navigate digital technologies—including the infrastructural affordances and limitations and the realm of the digitalscape. The study explores the productive associations between gender, class, and technology in young girls’ digital encounters in India

An observational study on use of maternal risk factors, mean arterial pressure, mean uterine artery pulsatility index and serum placenta like growth factor for screening of preeclampsia in first trimester

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) affects 2-3% of all pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. In the last decade extensive research has been devoted to screening for PE with the aim of reducing the prevalence of the disease through pharmacological intervention in the high-risk group. In our study we used the combined screening method to evaluate the risk of developing preeclampsia in pregnant women. Our primary objective was to estimate the screen positivity rate for preeclampsia using the first trimester combined screening method (maternal risk factors and biophysical methods) in our population in a tertiary care hospital setting. Methods: Risk of preeclampsia was calculated using fetal medicine foundation algorithm accessed at https://fetalmedicine.org/research/assess/preeclampsia. Results: Using the combined screening method, 10 out of 75 women (13.33%) were found to be screen positive for risk of developing preterm preeclampsia (at &lt;37 weeks) with a risk cut off of 1:100. Using the maternal risk factors approach only (as per NICE guidelines) again 10 out of 75 women (13.3%) were found to be screen positive. However, the subset of women who were screen positive by each method were not the same. There were only 4 out of 10 women who were screen positive by both methods. The screen positivity rate for preterm preeclampsia (&lt;37 weeks) in our population using combined screening approach was 13%, which means aspirin would be advisable to 13/100 pregnant women to reduce the risk of preterm preeclampsia. Conclusions: Basis on our study we concluded that one cost effective method of screening could be, to offer aspirin to all women who are screen positive by the maternal risk factor approach (NICE guidelines approach). This approach does not require any extra blood test or skill to measure uterine artery pulsatility index

Comparative Assessment of Some Target Detection Algorithms for Hyperspectral Images

Target detection is of particular interest in hyperspectral image analysis as many unknown and subtle signals (spectral response) unresolved by multispectral sensors can be discovered in hyperspectral images. The detection of signals in the form of small objects and targets from hyperspectral sensors has a wide range of applications both civilian and military. It has been observed that a number of target detection algorithms are in vogue; each has its own advantages and disadvantages and assumptions. The selection of a particular algorithm may depend on the amount of information available as per the requirement of the algorithm, application area, the computational complexity etc. In the present study, three algorithms, namely, orthogonal subspace projection (OSP), constrained energy minimization (CEM) and a nonlinear version of OSP called kernel orthogonal subspace projection (KOSP), have been investigated for target detection from hyperspectral remote sensing data. The efficacy of algorithms has been examined over two different hyperspectral datasets which include a synthetic image and an AVIRIS image. The quality of target detection from these algorithms has been evaluated through visual interpretation as well as through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The performance of OSP algorithm has been found to be better than or comparable to CEM algorithm. However, KOSP out performs both the algorithms.Defence Science Journal, 2013, 63(1), pp.53-62, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.63.376

Impact of school policies on non-communicable disease risk factors - a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are identified as one of the leading causes of mortality. NCDs have several modifiable risk factors including unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and alcohol abuse. Schools provide ideal settings for health promotion, but the effectiveness of school policies in the reduction of risk factors for NCD is not clear. This study reviewed the literature on the impact of school policies on major NCD risk factors. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify, collate and synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of school policies on reduction of NCD risk factors. A search strategy was developed to identify the relevant studies on effectiveness of NCD policies in schools for children between the age of 6 to 18 years in Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Data extraction was conducted using pre-piloted forms. Studies included in the review were assessed for methodological quality using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool. A narrative synthesis according to the types of outcomes was conducted to present the evidence on the effectiveness of school policies. RESULTS: Overall, 27 out of 2633 identified studies were included in the review. School policies were comparatively more effective in reducing unhealthy diet, tobacco use, physical inactivity and inflammatory biomarkers as opposed to anthropometric measures, overweight/obesity, and alcohol use. In total, for 103 outcomes independently evaluated within these studies, 48 outcomes (46%) had significant desirable changes when exposed to the school policies. Based on the quality assessment, 18 studies were categorized as weak, six as moderate and three as having strong methodological quality. CONCLUSION: Mixed findings were observed concerning effectiveness of school policies in reducing NCD risk factors. The findings demonstrate that schools can be a good setting for initiating positive changes in reducing NCD risk factors, but more research is required with long-term follow up to study the sustainability of such changes

Trends in Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Life Support With and Without an Impella or Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump for Cardiogenic Shock

Background: Mechanical circulatory support devices, such as the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and Impella, are often used in patients on veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) with cardiogenic shock despite limited supporting clinical trial data. Methods and Results: Hospitalizations for cardiogenic shock from 2016 to 2018 were identified from the National Inpatient Sample. Trends in the use of VA-ECLS with and without an IABP or Impella were assessed semiannually. Multivariable logistic regression and general linear regression evaluated the association of Impella and IABP use with in-hospital outcomes. Overall, 12 035 hospitalizations with cardiogenic shock and VA-ECLS were identified, of which 3115 (26%) also received an IABP and 1880 (16%) an Impella. Use of an Impella with VA-ECLS substantially increased from 10% to 18% over this period (P\u3c0.001), whereas an IABP modestly increased from 25% to 26% (P\u3c0.001). In-hospital mortality decreased 54% to 48% for VA-ECLS only, 61% to 58% for VA-ECLS with an Impella, and 54% to 49% for VA-ECLS with an IABP (P\u3c0.001 each). Most (57%) IABPs or Impellas were placed on the same day as VA-ECLS. After adjustment, there were no differences in in-hospital mortality or length of stay with the addition of an IABP or Impella compared with VA-ECLS alone. Conclusions: From 2016 to 2018 in the United States, use of an Impella and IABP with VA-ECLS significantly increased. More than half of Impellas and IABPs were placed on the same day as VA-ECLS, and the use of a second mechanical circulatory support device did not impact in-hospital mortality. Further studies are needed to decipher the optimal timing and patient selection for this growing practice

Isolation and identification of carotenoid-producing yeast and evaluation of antimalarial activity of the extracted carotenoid(s) against P. falciparum

Plasmodial resistance to a variety of plant-based antimalarial drugs has led toward the discovery of more effective antimalarial compounds having chemical or biological origin. Since natural compounds are considered as safer drugs, in this study, yeast strains were identified and compared for the production of carotenoids that are well-known antioxidants and this metabolite was tested for its antiparasitic activity. Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain was selected as the target parasite for evaluation of antimalarial activity of yeast carotenoids using in vitro studies. Data were analyzed by FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorter) and counted via gold standard Giemsa-stained smears. The extracted yeast carotenoids showed a profound inhibitory effect at a concentration of 10–3 µg/µl and 10−4 µg/µl when compared to β- carotene as control. SYBR Green1 fluorescent dye was used to confirm the decrease in parasitaemia at given range of concentration. Egress assay results suggested that treated parasite remained stalled at schizont stage with constricted morphology and were darkly stained. Non-toxicity of carotenoids on erythrocytes and on human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2 cells) was shown at a given concentration. This report provides strong evidence for antimalarial effects of extracted yeast carotenoids, which can be produced via a sustainable and cost-effective strategy and may be scaled up for industrial application

Maternal body mass index and post-term birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Acknowledgements All authors contributed to the design of the research, acquisition of data and writing of the manuscript. NH and JR obtained funding. NH, RV and LH carried out the analysis. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Helen Simpson at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Helene Brandon at Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust for their contribution to the clinical relevance and interpretation of this study. Dr Simpson and Dr Brandon are consultant obstetricians with a special interest in maternal obesity and risk management. This research was part funded by a Medical Research Council and Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences Doctoral Training award for ES. The funders had no role in design and conduct of the study, collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data and preparation, review or approval of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD