Program Booklet

Created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the United States Civil War, this exhibit studies the political, military, and social aspects of the conflict. Exhibits cover such wide-ranging topics as women soldiers, children and the war, Civil War journalism, literature and nursing, Civil War music, African American soldiers and sailors, the Civil War diary of Lyman Chittenden, and Civil War technology. The Coles County and the Civil War exhibit covers Coles County soldiers, the Charleston Riot, and Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with Coles County. This exhibit has been created by the librarians and staff of Booth Library

Program Booklet

Created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the United States Civil War, this exhibit studies the political, military, and social aspects of the conflict. Exhibits cover such wide-ranging topics as women soldiers, children and the war, Civil War journalism, literature and nursing, Civil War music, African American soldiers and sailors, the Civil War diary of Lyman Chittenden, and Civil War technology. The Coles County and the Civil War exhibit covers Coles County soldiers, the Charleston Riot, and Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with Coles County. This exhibit has been created by the librarians and staff of Booth Library

Atypia of Undetermined Significance/Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance (AUS/FLUS): Interpretation and Algorithm for Follow-Up

The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology (TBSRTC) has proven to be an effective and robust thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) classification scheme to guide the clinical treatment of patients with thyroid nodules. However, a tendency of increasing diagnosis of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is observed. This is commensurate with the incorporation of new molecular tests for classifying indeterminate thyroid nodules. Moreover, a sizable portion of AUS/FLUS is correlated with follicular variant papillary carcinoma (FVPTC). A suggestion of reclassifying noninvasive FVPTC (NI-FVPTC) or noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) as a neoplasm rather than a carcinoma would significantly change the risk of malignancy in AUS/FLUS category. We review the diagnostic criterion and subclassifying suggestions of AUS/FLUS, features indicating follicular variant neoplasm in AUS/FLUS category, and commercially available molecular tests for AUS/FLUS subgrouping. We propose a multidisciplinary approach to AUS/FLUS follow-up

Regulation of Response Properties and Operating Range of the AFD Thermosensory Neurons by cGMP Signaling

SummaryBackgroundThe neuronal mechanisms that encode specific stimulus features in order to elicit defined behavioral responses are poorly understood. C. elegans forms a memory of its cultivation temperature (Tc) and exhibits distinct behaviors in different temperature ranges relative to Tc. In particular, C. elegans tracks isotherms only in a narrow temperature band near Tc. Tc memory is in part encoded by the threshold of responsiveness (T∗AFD) of the AFD thermosensory neuron pair to temperature stimuli. However, because AFD thermosensory responses appear to be similar at all examined temperatures above T∗AFD, the mechanisms that generate specific behaviors in defined temperature ranges remain to be determined.ResultsHere, we show that the AFD neurons respond to the sinusoidal variations in thermal stimuli followed by animals during isothermal tracking (IT) behavior only in a narrow temperature range near Tc. We find that mutations in the AFD-expressed gcy-8 receptor guanylyl cyclase (rGC) gene result in defects in the execution of IT behavior and are associated with defects in the responses of the AFD neurons to oscillating thermal stimuli. In contrast, mutations in the gcy-18 or gcy-23 rGCs alter the temperature range in which IT behavior is exhibited. Alteration of intracellular cGMP levels via rGC mutations or addition of cGMP analogs shift the lower and upper ranges of the temperature range of IT behavior in part via alteration in T∗AFD.ConclusionsOur observations provide insights into the mechanisms by which a single sensory neuron type encodes features of a given stimulus to generate different behaviors in defined zones

Txt msg n school literacy: Does texting and knowledge of text abbreviations adversely affect children‟s literacy attainment?

Abstract This paper reports on two studies which investigated the relationship between children's texting behaviour, their knowledge of text abbreviations and their school attainment in written language skills. In Study One, 11-12-year-old children provided information on their texting behaviour. They were also asked to translate a standard English sentence into a text message and vice versa. The children's standardised verbal and nonverbal reasoning scores were also obtained. Children who used their mobiles to send three or more text messages a day had significantly lower scores than children who sent none. However, the children who, when asked to write a text message, showed greater use of text abbreviations ('textisms') tended to have better performance on a measure of verbal reasoning ability, which is highly associated with Key Stage 2 (KS2) and 3 English scores. In Study Two, children's performance on writing measures was examined more specifically. Ten to eleven-year-old children were asked to complete another English to text message translation exercise. Spelling proficiency was also assessed, and KS2 Writing scores were obtained. Positive correlations between spelling ability and performance on the translation exercise were found, and group-based comparisons based on the children's writing scores also showed that good writing attainment was associated with greater use of textisms, although the direction of this association is nor clear. Overall, these findings suggest that children's knowledge of textisms is not associated with poor written language outcomes for children in this age range

The symmetries and scaling of tidal tails in galaxies

(Abriged) We present analytic models for the formation and evolution of tidal tails and related structures following impulsive disturbances in galaxy collisions. Since the epicyclic approximation is not valid for large radial excursions, we use orbital equations of the form we call p-ellipses. These have been shown to provide accurate representations of orbits in power-law halo potentials. In the case of a purely tidal disturbance the resulting tidal tails have simple structure. Scalings for their maximum lengths and other characteristics as functions of the tidal amplitude and the exponent of the power-law potentials are described. The analytic model shows that azimuthal caustics (orbit crossing zones) are produced generically in these tails at a fixed azimuth relative to the point of closest approach. Long tails, with high order caustics at their base are also produced at larger amplitudes. The analysis is extended to nonlinear disturbances and multiple encounters, which break the symmetries of tidal perturbations. As the strength of the nonlinear terms is varied the structure of the resulting forms varies from symmetric tails to one-armed plumes. Cases with two or more impulse disturbances are also considered as the simplest analytic models distinguishing between prograde and retrograde encounters. A specific mechanism for the formation of tidal dwarf galaxies at the end of tails is suggested as a consequence of resonance effects in prolonged encounters. Qualitative comparisons to Arp Atlas systems suggest that the limiting analytic cases are realized in real systems. We identify a few Arp systems which may have swallowtail caustics, where dissipative gas streams converge and trigger star formation. UV and optical images reveal luminous knots of young stars at these 'hinge clump' locations.Comment: MNRAS accepted, 24 pages, 21 figure

Phase I safety study of 0.5% PRO 2000 vaginal Gel among HIV un-infected women in Pune, India

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of twice daily, intra-vaginal use of 0.5% PRO 2000 Gel for fourteen days in HIV un-infected women at lower as well as higher risk for HIV acquisition, in Pune, India. METHODS: Forty-two eligible volunteers (30 low-risk and 12 high-risk) were given 0.5% PRO 2000 Gel for intra-vaginal application twice daily for 14 consecutive days. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants (57%, 95% CI 41%–72%) experienced at least one adverse event (AE) judged to be possibly related to the product use. There were 17 (40%, 95% CI 26%–57%) mild AEs and 7 (17%, 95% CI 7%–31%) moderate AEs. There were no serious adverse events and no AEs judged probably or definitely related to product use. Genitourinary discomfort was reported by 2/30 (6.67%) participants in the low-risk cohort as compared to 4/12 (33.3%) women in the high-risk cohort (p = 0.03). Intermenstrual bleeding was reported in 2/30 (6.7%, 95% CI 1.0–22.1) women from the low risk cohort and 3/12 (25%, 95% CI 5.5–57.2) women from the high-risk cohort. One participant showed mild elevation of blood gamma glutamyl transferase and two showed mild elevations in total bilirubin. None of the participants showed detectable PRO 2000 in their blood after 14 days of product use. CONCLUSION: 0.5% PRO 2000 Gel appeared to be safe when used twice-daily by sexually active HIV-uninfected women from Pune, India. Although genitourinary discomfort and metrorrhagia were more common in the high-risk cohort, ongoing Phase II/IIb trial would provide data for generalization of this finding

Short-Term Rationing of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy: Impact on Morbidity, Mortality, and Loss to Follow-Up in a Large HIV Treatment Program in Western Kenya

Background. There was a 6-month shortage of antiretrovirals (cART) in Kenya. Methods. We assessed morbidity, mortality, and loss to follow-up (LTFU) in this retrospective analysis of adults who were enrolled during the six-month period with restricted cART (cap) or the six months prior (pre-cap) and eligible for cART at enrollment by the pre-cap standard. Cox models were used to adjust for potential confounders. Results. 9009 adults were eligible for analysis: 4,714 pre-cap and 4,295 during the cap. Median number of days from enrollment to cART initiation was 42 pre-cap and 56 for the cap (P < 0.001). After adjustment, individuals in the cap were at higher risk of mortality (HR = 1.21; 95% CI : 1.06–1.39) and LTFU (HR = 1.12; 95% CI : 1.04–1.22). There was no difference between the groups in their risk of developing a new AIDS-defining illness (HR = 0.92 95% CI 0.82–1.03). Conclusions. Rationing of cART, even for a relatively short period of six months, led to clinically adverse outcomes

Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in a Multiethnic Population of Rural Older Adults With Diabetes

The purpose of the study was to describe self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) practices of 698 older adults with type 2 diabetes in the rural Southeast, to identify characteristics differentiating testers from nontesters, and to identify personal and support-related predictors of monitoring frequency