The Son of Suda On-Line

The Son of Suda On-Line (SoSOL) represents the first steps towards a collaborative, editorially-controlled, online editor for the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri (DDbDP). Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Integrating Digital Papyrology Phase 2 (IDP2), SoSOL provides a strongly version-controlled front-end for editing and reviewing papyrological texts marked up in EpiDoc XML

Managing Hypertension, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk via Short-Term Medical Trips: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study in Santo Domingo

Background: Short-term medical trips (STMTs) from high-resource countries frequently provide care in low and middle-income countries. Little existing literature objectively tracks the long-term outcomes of these interventions on the receiving populations over time to assess potential benefits and to ensure no harm is being done. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to objectively analyze the outcomes of a biannual STMT to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk over a five-year period (2015-2019). Methods: Data from 1655 patients was extracted from the electronic medical record. In patients who received treatment and had more than one visit, a linear mixed model was used to analyze effects on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) values over time. In patients with high CVD risk based on a non-laboratory-based assessment, provider compliance with prescribing an aspirin and statin was calculated and tracked over time. Results: In patients with HTN who received treatment, average SBP was 148.83 mmHg (SD = 23.96) at initial visit and demonstrated no change over time (Estimate: 0.68 mmHg/year increase, p = 0.46). HbA1C data was insufficient for analysis. Treatment for patients with high CVD risk with an aspirin and statin improved from 41.46% in 2015 to 70.51% in 2019. Conclusion: SBP in patients with HTN treated by this STMT demonstrated no significant change over time. Possible contributing factors included patient education, access and adherence to medications, and documentation of data. Provider compliance with appropriate prescribing was high for patients with HTN and DM2 and improved over time for patients with high CVD risk, serving as an indirect measure for potential long-term benefits on these populations. All STMTs should objectively track outcomes of their interventions to assess risks and benefits to the communities being served

Two distinct halo populations in the solar neighborhood. IV. Lithium abundances

We investigate if there is a difference in the lithium abundances of stars belonging to two halo populations of F and G main-sequence stars previously found to differ in [alpha/Fe] for the metallicity range -1.4 < [Fe/H] < -0.7. Li abundances are derived from the LiI 6707.8 A line measured in high-resolution spectra using MARCS model atmospheres. Furthermore, masses of the stars are determined from the logTeff - logg diagram by interpolating between Yonsei-Yale evolutionary tracks. There is no significant systematic difference in the lithium abundances of high- and low-alpha halo stars. For the large majority of stars with masses 0.7 < M/M_sun < 0.9 and heavy-element mass fractions 0.001 < Z < 0.006, the Li abundance is well fitted by a relation A(Li) = a0 + a1 M + a2 Z + a3 M Z, where a0, a1, a2, and a3 are constants. Extrapolating this relation to Z = 0 leads to a Li abundance close to the primordial value predicted from standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis calculations and the WMAP baryon density. The relation, however, does not apply to stars with [Fe/H] < -1.5. We suggest that metal-rich halo stars were formed with a Li abundance close to the primordial value, and that lithium in their atmospheres has been depleted in time with an approximately linear dependence on stellar mass and Z. The lack of a systematic difference in the Li abundances of high- and low-alpha stars indicates that an environmental effect is not important for the destruction of lithium.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Treatment patterns and overall survival outcomes among patients aged 80 yr or older with high-risk prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) present a therapeutic dilemma of balancing treatment of a potentially lethal malignancy with overtreatment of a cancer that may not threaten life expectancy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate treatment patterns and overall survival outcomes in this group of patients. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. We queried the National Cancer Database for high-risk PCa in patients aged 80 yr or older diagnosed during 2004-2016. INTERVENTION: Eligible patients underwent no treatment following biopsy (ie, observation), androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone, radiation therapy (RT) alone, RT + ADT, or surgery. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Kaplan-Meier, log rank, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to compare overall survival (OS). RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 19 920 men were eligible for analysis, and the most common treatment approach was RT + ADT (7401 patients; 37.2%). Observation and ADT alone declined over time (59.3% in 2004 vs 47.5% in 2016). There was no observed difference in OS between observation and ADT alone (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.09; CONCLUSIONS: This analysis demonstrates that the use of definitive local therapy, including surgery or RT ± ADT, is increasing and is associated with a 50% reduction in overall mortality compared with observation or ADT alone. While prospective validation is warranted, elderly men with high-risk disease eligible for definitive management should be counseled on the risks, including a possible compromise in OS, with deferring definitive management. PATIENT SUMMARY: Elderly men are more often diagnosed with higher-risk prostate cancer but are less likely to receive curative treatment options than younger men. Our analysis demonstrates that for men ≥80 yr of age with high-risk prostate cancer, definitive local therapy, including surgery or radiation therapy and/or androgen deprivation therapy, is associated with a 50% reduction in overall mortality compared with observation or androgen deprivation therapy alone. We therefore recommend that life expectancy (ie, physiologic age) be taken into account, over chronologic age, and that elderly men with good life expectancy (eg, \u3e5 yr; minimal comorbidity) should be offered definitive, life-prolonging therapy

The fracture toughness of small animal cortical bone measured using arc-shaped tension specimens: Effects of bisphosphonate and deproteinization treatments

Small animal models, and especially transgenic models, have become widespread in the study of bone mechanobiology and metabolic bone disease, but test methods for measuring fracture toughness on multiple replicates or at multiple locations within a single small animal bone are lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a method to measure cortical bone fracture toughness in multiple specimens and locations along the diaphysis of small animal bones. Arc-shaped tension specimens were prepared from the mid-diaphysis of rabbit ulnae and loaded to failure to measure the radial fracture toughness in multiple replicates per bone. The test specimen dimensions, crack length, and maximum load met requirements for measuring the plane strain fracture toughness. Experimental groups included a control group, bisphosphonate treatment group, and an ex vivo deproteinization treatment following bisphosphonate treatment (5 rabbits/group and 15 specimens/group). The fracture toughness of ulnar cortical bone from rabbits treated with zoledronic acid for six months exhibited no difference compared with the control group. Partially deproteinized specimens exhibited significantly lower fracture toughness compared with both the control and bisphosphonate treatment groups. The deproteinization treatment increased tissue mineral density (TMD) and resulted in a negative linear correlation between the measured fracture toughness and TMD. Fracture toughness measurements were repeatable with a coefficient of variation of 12–16% within experimental groups. Retrospective power analysis of the control and deproteinization treatment groups indicated a minimum detectable difference of 0.1 MPa·m1/2. Therefore, the overall results of this study suggest that arc-shaped tension specimens offer an advantageous new method for measuring the fracture toughness in small animal bones

Seal Bomb Noise as a Potential Threat to Monterey Bay Harbor Porpoise

Anthropogenic noise is a known threat to marine mammals. Decades of research have shown that harbor porpoises are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic noise, and geographic displacement is a common impact from noise exposure. Small, localized populations may be particularly vulnerable to impacts associated with displacement, as animals that are excluded from their primary habitat may have reduced foraging success and survival, or be exposed to increased threats of predation or bycatch. Seal bombs are underwater explosives used in purse seine fisheries to deter marine mammals during fishery operations. Pinnipeds are believed to be the primary target for seal bomb use, however there may be indirect impacts on harbor porpoises. Active purse seine fishing using seal bombs in the greater Monterey Bay area may, at times, span the entire range of the Monterey Bay harbor porpoise stock, which may lead to negative impacts for this population. In this contribution, we review anthropogenic noise as a threat to harbor porpoises, with a focus on the potential for impacts from seal bomb noise exposure in the Monterey Bay region

Providing the Context for Intentional Learning

This article is written in response to Sharon Derry's article “Remediating Academic Difficulties Through Strategy Training: The Acquisition of Useful Knowledge.” The features of effective strategy instruction, to which Derry refers, are illustrated by examining the nature of the decisions the teacher confronts; specifically, determining the purposes of instruction, the context in which instruction occurs, and the roles of the teacher and students in instruction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69150/2/10.1177_074193259001100608.pd

Lithium depletion in solar-like stars: no planet connection

We have determined precise stellar parameters and lithium abundances in a sample of 117 stars with basic properties very similar to the Sun. This sample selection reduces biasing effects and systematic errors in the analysis. We estimate the ages of our sample stars mainly from isochrone fitting but also from measurements of rotation period and X-ray luminosity and test the connection between lithium abundance, age, and stellar parameters. We find strong evidence for increasing lithium depletion with age. Our sample includes 14 stars that are known to host planets and it does not support recent claims that planet-host stars have experienced more lithium depletion than stars without planets. We find the solar lithium abundance normal for a star of its age, mass, and metallicity. Furthermore, we analyze published data for 82 stars that were reported to support an enhanced lithium depletion in planet hosts. We show that those stars in fact follow an age trend very similar to that found with our sample and that the presence of giant planets is not related to low lithium abundances. Finally, we discuss the systematic biases that led to the incorrect conclusion of an enhanced lithium depletion in planet-host stars.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Self-Reported Mental Health Problems Among Adults Born Preterm : A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT: Preterm birth increases the risk for mental disorders in adulthood, yet findings on abstract self-reported or subclinical mental health problems are mixed. OBJECTIVE: To study self-reported mental health problems among adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW; DATA SOURCES: Adults Born Preterm International Collaboration. STUDY SELECTION: Studies that compared self-reported mental health problems using the Achenbach Young Adult Self Report or Adult Self Report between adults born preterm at VLBW (n = 747) and at term (n = 1512). DATA EXTRACTION: We obtained individual participant data from 6 study cohorts and compared preterm and control groups by mixed random coefficient linear and Tobit regression. RESULTS: Adults born preterm reported more internalizing (pooled beta =.06; 95% confidence interval.01 to.11) and avoidant personality problems (.11;.05 to.17), and less externalizing (-.10;-. 15 to-. 06), rule breaking (-.10;-. 15 to-. 05), intrusive behavior (-.14;-. 19 to-.09), and antisocial personality problems (-.09;-. 14 to-.04) than controls. Group differences did not systematically vary by sex, intrauterine growth pattern, neurosensory impairments, or study cohort. LIMITATIONS: Exclusively self-reported data are not confirmed by alternative data sources. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reports of adults born preterm at VLBW reveal a heightened risk for internalizing problems and socially avoidant personality traits together with a lowered risk for externalizing problem types. Our findings support the view that preterm birth constitutes an early vulnerability factor with long-term consequences on the individual into adulthood.Peer reviewe

Do Demanding Conditions Help or Hurt Self-Regulation?

Although everyday life is often demanding, it remains unclear how demanding conditions impact self-regulation. Some theories suggest that demanding conditions impair self-regulation, by undermining autonomy, interfering with skilled performance and working memory, and depleting energy resources. Other theories, however, suggest that demanding conditions improve self-regulation by mobilizing super-ordinate control processes. The present article integrates both kinds of theories by proposing that the self-regulatory impact of demanding conditions depends on how people adapt to such conditions. When people are action-oriented, demanding conditions may lead to improved self-regulation. When people are state-oriented, demanding conditions may lead to impaired self-regulation. Consistent with this idea, action versus state orientation strongly moderates the influence of demands on self-regulatory performance. The impact of demanding conditions on self-regulation is thus not fixed, but modifiable by psychological processes. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd