On the modelling of biological effects on morphology in estuaries and seas

Morphological modelling aims to explain and predict the changes in rivers, seas and estuaries due to these interaction. In recent history, a lot of progress has been made, especially with stability analysis approaches. However, so far only the physical interactions have been taken into account. It is known however, that biological factors are important to the dynamics of the water systems. In this paper a first step is made in the inclusion of biology into the morphodynamic models. This inclusion is based on the effect that benthic organisms have on the erodibility of the bed. This can easily be included by a change of the critical bed shear stress. These changes in the critical bed shear stress then influence the morphology. This idea has been applied to two cases. The results of the first case indicate that this approach can reproduce the influence of benthic organisms on the mud content of the bed in estuaries. The second case shows that even low numbers of organisms can influence the characteristics of large bed forms

Ligand and membrane-binding behavior of the phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins PITPα and β

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are believed to be lipid transfer proteins due to their ability to transfer either PI or PC between membrane compartments in vitro. However, the detailed mechanism of this transfer process is not fully established. To further understand the transfer mechanism of PITPs we examined the interaction of PITPs with membranes using dual polarization interferometry (DPI) which measures protein binding affinity on a flat immobilized lipid surface. In addition, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based assay was also employed to monitor how quickly PITPs transfer their ligands to lipid vesicles. DPI analysis revealed that PITPβ had a higher affinity to membranes compared to PITPα. Furthermore, the FRET-based transfer assay revealed that PITPβ has a higher ligand transfer rate compared to PITPα. However, both PITPα and PITPβ demonstrated a preference for highly curved membrane surfaces during ligand transfer. In other words, ligand transfer rate was higher when the accepting vesicles were highly curved

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Self‐Regulation Intervention for Older Adults with Asthma

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98408/1/jgs12218.pd

Differences in symptom severity and quality of life among patients with cancer using conventional therapies with/without herbal medicines in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Patients with cancer experience numerous symptoms related to cancer and treatment side effects that reduce their quality of life (QOL). Although herbal medicine (HM) is used to manage such symptoms by patients in sub-Saharan Africa, data on patients perceived clinical outcomes are limited. We compared differences in QOL and symptom severity between patients with cancer using HM plus conventional therapies (i.e., chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, surgery) and those using conventional therapies alone. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients with cancer aged \u3e18 years who were consecutively sampled and completed a researcher-administered questionnaire between December 2022 and January 2023. Specifically, data was collected using The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MDASI-TCM). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square and logistic regression analyses. Results: Of 400 participants (67.5% female), 49% (n=195) used HM plus conventional therapies and 51% (n=205) used conventional therapies alone. Most participants were aged \u3e38 years (73.3%; median age 47 years). A univariate analysis showed the HM plus conventional therapies group had better mean scores for most QOL and symptom severity measures than the conventional therapies alone group. However, only role functioning significantly differed (p=0.046) in the bivariate analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups after confounder adjustment for all others measures of symptom severity and QOL. Conclusion: HM plus conventional therapies may offer minimal benefits or differences for clinical outcomes among patients with cancer. However, our findings have clinical, research, and public health implications for Uganda and other sub-Saharan African settings

A large-scale field experiment on salt marsh construction

Salt marshes provide important natural habitats, mitigate effects of subsidence and sea level rise and help in coastal defence. Commissioned by the municipality of Delfzijl, the EcoShape consortium obtained the opportunity to carry out a large-scale field experiment on salt marsh construction as part of their Living Lab for MUD

Language generation module for conversational systems

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-132).by Lauren M. Baptist.Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000

Factors associated with anaemia among pregnant women in Rwanda: an analysis of the Rwanda demographic and health survey of 2020

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is associated with several adverse outcomes for mothers and newborns, as well as their families. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of anaemia and the associated factors among pregnant women in Rwanda. Methods: Secondary data from the 2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) was used. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select 435 pregnant women included in the study. Anaemia among pregnant women was defined as a haemoglobin value/dL. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associated factors with anaemia in pregnancy, using SPSS (version 26). Results: Of the 435 pregnant women, 24.6% (95%CI: 21.1–29.3) were anaemic (1 in 4 pregnant women). Not working (AOR=2.45; 95%CI: 1.14–5.26), being unmarried (AOR=1.23; 95%CI: 1.24–3.57), low wealth index (AOR=9.19; 95%CI:1.64–51.56), having difficulty accessing a nearby health facility (AOR=5.40; 95%CI: 2.21–13.23), and normal body mass index (AOR=3.33; 95%CI: 1.46–7.59) were associated with higher odds of being anaemic. However, not taking iron supplements (AOR=0.16; 95% CI: 0.04–0.67), having no exposure to television (AOR=0.35; 95%CI: 0.14–0.91), being from the southern region (AOR=0.14; 95% CI: 0.03–0.66), and low husband/partner’s education (AOR=0.08; 95% CI:0.01–0.59) were associated with lower odds of being anaemic. Conclusions: The study findings indicate a high prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy, which was associated with several socio-demographics. There is a need for setting up mobile clinics and health facilities in hard-to-reach areas for easy accessibility to early anaemia screening services. Conducting mass screening for anaemia targeting pregnant women who are not working, the unmarried, and those with a low wealth index would also be beneficial. The intake of locally available iron-rich foods and/ or bio-fortified foods is also recommended. Keywords: Anaemia, Pregnancy, Women, Iron deficiency, Rwand

A comparison of the early motor repertoire of very preterm infants and term infants

OBJECTIVE: To obtain reference data on the early motor repertoire of very preterm infants compared with healthy term infants at three months' post-term age. STUDY DESIGN: In this observational study, using Prechtl's method on the assessment of the early motor repertoire, we compared the quality of fidgety movements and the concurrent motor optimality score - revised of infants with a gestational age <30 weeks and/or a birth weight <1000 g with healthy infants with a gestational age of 37-42 weeks. RESULTS: One hundred eighty very preterm and 180 healthy term infants participated. The median motor optimality scores - revised of very preterm infants were significantly lower in comparison to those of term infants, with scores of 24 (25th-75th percentiles: 23-26) and 26 (25th-75th percentiles: 26-28), respectively. Fidgety movements were aberrant (abnormal or absent) more often in very preterm infants than in term infants. The odds ratio was 4.59 (95% CI, 1.51-13.92). Compared with term infants, very preterm infants had poorer scores on the subscales age-adequate movement repertoire, observed postural patterns, and movement character with odds ratios ≥2.97. We found no differences regarding observed movement patterns. CONCLUSION: This study provides reference data on the early motor repertoire of very preterm and healthy term infants. It demonstrates that the early motor repertoire of very preterm infants is poorer than that of term infants, a finding consistent with existing knowledge that prematurity increases the risk of poor neurodevelopment