Mapping loci influencing blood pressure in the Framingham pedigrees using model-free LOD score analysis of a quantitative trait

This paper presents a method of performing model-free LOD-score based linkage analysis on quantitative traits. It is implemented in the QMFLINK program. The method is used to perform a genome screen on the Framingham Heart Study data. A number of markers that show some support for linkage in our study coincide substantially with those implicated in other linkage studies of hypertension. Although the new method needs further testing on additional real and simulated data sets we can already say that it is straightforward to apply and may offer a useful complementary approach to previously available methods for the linkage analysis of quantitative traits

Iron speciation in coastal rainwater : oxidation kinetics and organic complexation

The redox kinetics and organic complexation of iron were investigated in rainwater collected from a coastal site in Wilmington, NC between September 2001 and September 2003. A series of authentic rain samples was irradiated with simulated sunlight to photoproduce Fe(II) and the kinetics of its reoxidation back to Fe(III) was monitored. The oxidation of Fe(II) by hydrogen peroxide during dark storage followed second order kinetics with an average rate constant of 0.024mM-1h-1. Using sequential regression analysis the rate loss could be predicted accurately by the following equation (given that H2O2 is in mM and Fe(II) is in nM units): rate loss = -16.6 + 1.1[H2O2] + .28[Fe(II)]. In addition to studying the redox kinetics of photoproduced Fe(II) in rainwater the importance of organic complexation on Fe speciation was also evaluated. After approximately 2 h the concentration of photochemically produced Fe(II) decreased until it reached levels at or near pre-irradiation values. A series of experiments demonstrated that the photochemically produced Fe(II) rapidly returned to initial concentrations, suggesting that essentially all the Fe(II) and most of the Fe(III) in rainwater in the absence of sunlight occurs organically complexed. When rainwater was UV oxidized the Fe(II) concentration declined to much lower concentrations than before irradiation, because the organic Fe(II) complex stabilizing Fe(II) in rainwater was destroyed. A second series of experiments demonstrated that Fe(II) present in authentic rainwater was stabilized for up to four hours once added to seawater. When the rain was UV oxidized prior to addition to seawater, the Fe(II) was oxidized almost immediately in the seawater again, suggesting essentially all the Fe(II) in rain is organically complexed. In summary, the results presented in this study suggests that during the daytime when sunlight is present there is a dynamic interconversion between inorganic Fe(II) and Fe(III) species. Once solar irradiation is removed, there is a organically complexed form of Fe(II) which is stabilized against oxidation. Therefore, the concentrations of Fe(II) and Fe(III) measured in rainwater at any given time depends on the photochemical history of the sample

The role of student development professionals in reducing the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses in accordance with Section 485(f) of Title IV Higher Education Reauthorization Amendments of 1992

In 1992 the federal government chose to become involved in the effort to eliminate or reduce the number of sexual assaults occurring on college and university campuses by the enactment of Section 485(f) of Title IV Higher Education Reauthorization Amendments of 1992. This is the first federal legislation that requires colleges and universities to develop a sexual assault policy for their campuses. Absent from the literature is research that examines the response of student development professionals to the Act. This study was designed to examine how student development professionals have responded to the Act in practice (i.e., compliance with the law) and to describe what they believe to be the mandates of the Act. The study examines what they do in practice and what they believe to be the mandates in terms of: (a) sexual assault policy, (b) direct response to sexual assault, and (c) educational programming for the prevention of sexual assaults and reporting of sexual assaults

Eleven landscape paintings

The thesis is an exhibit of eleven landscape paintings dealing with images of the movements and forces of earth's nature. Nature has a very definite relationship to my work, but I also include man and man-made objects. The result is landscape portraying figurative images. My work is done consciously and intentionally by the method which is expressed throughout the thesis. A catalogue of the eleven paintings is included

A historical account of the controversy over state support of church-related higher education in the fifty states

The historical account of a long-standing controversy between church and state has lately emerged in the constitutional question of state support of church-related higher education. A historical-legal study was made of the centuries- long, struggle between church and state. The American Constitution provided a solution through the First Amendment, which forbids both interference with and establishment of religion by government. American higher education began as private, church-related education, which accepted financial aid from any source. Public higher education grew slowly until the twentieth century provided the impetus for rapid growth. The phenomenon of federal and state aid was not permitted on a large scale until America found herself in a space race with Russia. Tables and other statistical evidence provide a picture of the growth and magnitude of state and federal aid

Informal dissemination scenarios and the effectiveness of evacuation warning dissemination of households - A simulation study

Timely warning of the public during large scale emergencies is essential to ensure safety and save lives. This ongoing study proposes an agent-based simulation model to simulate the warning message dissemination among the public considering both official channels and unofficial channels The proposed model was developed in NetLogo software for a hypothetical area, and requires input parameters such as effectiveness of each official source (%), estimated time to begin informing others, estimated time to inform others and estimated percentage of people (who do not relay the message). This paper demonstrates a means of factoring the behaviour of the public as informants into estimating the effectiveness of warning dissemination during large scale emergencies. The model provides a tool for the practitioner to test the potential impact of the informal channels on the overall warning time and sensitivity of the modelling parameters. The tool would help the practitioners to persuade evacuees to disseminate the warning message informing others similar to the ’Run to thy neighbour campaign conducted by the Red cross

Musicians’ perceptions and experiences of using simulation training to develop performance skills

Simulation has been applied as a tool for learning and training in sports, psychology and medicine for some time, but its current use and potential for training musicians is less well understood. The aim of this study was to explore musicians’ perceptions and experiences of using simulated performance environments. Nine conservatory students performed in two simulations, each with interactive virtual elements and vivid environmental cues: a recital with a virtual audience and an audition with virtual judges. Qualitative data were collected through a focus group interview and written reflective commentaries. Thematic analysis highlighted the musicians’ experiences in terms of (1) their anticipation of using the simulations, (2) the process of performing in the simulations, (3) the usefulness of simulation as a tool for developing performance skills and (4) ways of improving simulation training. The results show that while simulation was new to the musicians and individual levels of immersion differed, the musicians saw benefits in the approach for developing, experimenting with and enhancing their performance skills. Specifically, the musicians emphasised the importance of framing the simulation experience with plausible procedures leading to and following on from the performance, and they recognised the potential for combining simulation with complementary training techniques

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Disease Outcomes: Cross-Sectional, Populationbased Study of Adults in Rural Uganda

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) pose a major threat to public health in sub-Saharan African communities, where the burden of these classes of illnesses is expected to double by 2030. Growing research suggests that past developmental experiences and early life conditions may also elevate CVD risk throughout the life course. Greater childhood stress and adversity are consistently associated with a range of adult CVDs and associated risk factors, yet little research exists on the long-term effects of early life stress on adult physical health outcomes, especially CVD risk, in sub-Saharan African contexts. This study aims to evaluate the associations between adverse childhood experiences and adult cardiometabolic risk factors and health outcomes in a population-based study of adults living in Mbarara, a rural region of southwestern Uganda. Methods Data come from an ongoing, whole-population social network cohort study of adults living in the eight villages of Nyakabare Parish, Mbarara. A modified version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACEs) assessed past exposure to physical, emotional, and sexual adversity. Participants also took part in a health fair where medical histories on cardiometabolic risk factors and cardiovascular diseases were gathered. Multiple logistic regression models estimated the associations between ACEs and cardiometabolic risk factors and health outcomes. Results Data were available on 545 adults. The average number of ACEs was 4.9 out of a possible 16. The cumulative number of ACEs were associated with having a history of heart attack and/or heart failure (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.999-1.234, P = 0.051), but the estimated association was not statistically significant. ACEs did not have statistically significant associations with any others measures of adult cardiometabolic risk and CVD. Conclusions: Adverse childhood experiences are not associated with a range of adult cardiometabolic risk factors and health outcomes in this sample of rural Ugandan adults. Further research in this sample is necessary to identify the pathways that may motivate these null relationship and possibly protect against adverse cardiometabolic and cardiovascular health outcomes

Lung function and atherosclerosis: a cross-sectional study of multimorbidity in rural Uganda

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of global mortality. In high-income settings, the presence of cardiovascular disease among people with COPD increases mortality and complicates longitudinal disease management. An estimated 26 million people are living with COPD in sub-Saharan Africa, where risk factors for co-occurring pulmonary and cardiovascular disease may differ from high-income settings but remain uncharacterized. As non-communicable diseases have become the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, defining multimorbidity in this setting is critical to inform the required scale-up of existing healthcare infrastructure. Methods: We measured lung function and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) among participants in the UGANDAC Study. Study participants were over 40 years old and equally divided into people living with HIV (PLWH) and an age- and sex-similar, HIV-uninfected control population. We fit multivariable linear regression models to characterize the relationship between lung function (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1) and pre-clinical atherosclerosis (cIMT), and evaluated for effect modification by age, sex, smoking history, HIV, and socioeconomic status. Results: Of 265 participants, median age was 52 years, 125 (47%) were women, and 140 (53%) were PLWH. Most participants who met criteria for COPD were PLWH (13/17, 76%). Median cIMT was 0.67 mm (IQR: 0.60 to 0.74), which did not differ by HIV serostatus. In models adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, and HIV, lower FEV1 was associated with increased cIMT (β = 0.006 per 200 mL FEV1 decrease; 95% CI 0.002 to 0.011, p = 0.01). There was no evidence that age, sex, HIV serostatus, smoking, or socioeconomic status modified the relationship between FEV1 and cIMT. Conclusions: Impaired lung function was associated with increased cIMT, a measure of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, among adults with and without HIV in rural Uganda. Future work should explore how co-occurring lung and cardiovascular disease might share risk factors and contribute to health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa