480 research outputs found
Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy on Glass-Forming Propylene Carbonate
Dielectric spectroscopy covering more than 18 decades of frequency has been
performed on propylene carbonate in its liquid and supercooled-liquid state.
Using quasi-optic submillimeter and far-infrared spectroscopy the dielectric
response was investigated up to frequencies well into the microscopic regime.
We discuss the alpha-process whose characteristic timescale is observed over 14
decades of frequency and the excess wing showing up at frequencies some three
decades above the peak frequency. Special attention is given to the
high-frequency response of the dielectric loss in the crossover regime between
alpha-peak and boson-peak. Similar to our previous results in other glass
forming materials we find evidence for additional processes in the crossover
regime. However, significant differences concerning the spectral form at high
frequencies are found. We compare our results to the susceptibilities obtained
from light scattering and to the predictions of various models of the glass
transition.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Why do women not use antenatal services in low and middle income countries? A metasynthesis of qualitative studies
Background:
Almost 50% of women in low & middle income countries (LMIC’s) don’t receive adequate antenatal care. Women’s views can offer important insights into this problem. Qualitative studies exploring inadequate use of antenatal services have been undertaken in a range of countries, but the findings are not easily transferable. We aimed to inform the development of future antenatal care programmes through a synthesis of findings in all relevant qualitative studies.
Methods and Findings:
Using a pre-determined search strategy, we identified robust qualitative studies reporting on the views and experiences of women in LMIC’s who received inadequate antenatal care. We used meta-ethnographic techniques to generate themes and a line of argument synthesis. We derived policy relevant hypotheses from the findings.
We included 21 papers representing the views of more than 1230 women from 15 countries. Three key themes were identified: ‘Pregnancy as socially risky and physiologically healthy’; ‘Resource use and survival in conditions of extreme poverty’and ‘Not getting it right first time’. The line of argument synthesis describes a dissonance between programme design and cultural contexts that may restrict access and discourage return visits. We hypothesize that centralized, risk-focused antenatal care programmes may be at odds with the resources, beliefs and experiences of pregnant women who underuse antenatal services.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that there may be a mis-alignment between current antenatal provision and the social and cultural context of some women in LMIC’s. Antenatal care provision that is theoretically and contextually at odds with local contextual beliefs and experiences are likely to be underused, especially when attendance generates increased personal risks of lost family resource or physical danger during travel; when the promised care is not delivered due to resource constraints; and when women experience covert or overt abuse in care settings
Associations between urbanisation and components of the health-risk transition in Thailand. A descriptive study of 87,000 Thai adults
Mu2e Technical Design Report
The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will search for charged lepton flavor
violation via the coherent conversion process mu- N --> e- N with a sensitivity
approximately four orders of magnitude better than the current world's best
limits for this process. The experiment's sensitivity offers discovery
potential over a wide array of new physics models and probes mass scales well
beyond the reach of the LHC. We describe herein the preliminary design of the
proposed Mu2e experiment. This document was created in partial fulfillment of
the requirements necessary to obtain DOE CD-2 approval.Comment: compressed file, 888 pages, 621 figures, 126 tables; full resolution
available at http://mu2e.fnal.gov; corrected typo in background summary,
Table 3.
Can medical therapy mimic the clinical efficacy or physiological effects of bariatric surgery?
The number of bariatric surgical procedures performed has increased dramatically. This review discusses the clinical and physiological changes, and in particular, the mechanisms behind weight loss and glycaemic improvements, observed following the gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding bariatric procedures. The review then examines how close we are to mimicking the clinical or physiological effects of surgery through less invasive and safer modern interventions that are currently available for clinical use. These include dietary interventions, orlistat, lorcaserin, phentermine/topiramate, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, pramlintide, dapagliflozin, the duodenal–jejunal bypass liner, gastric pacemakers and gastric balloons. We conclude that, based on the most recent trials, we cannot fully mimic the clinical or physiological effects of surgery; however, we are getting closer. A ‘medical bypass' may not be as far in the future as we previously thought, as the physician's armamentarium against obesity and type 2 diabetes has recently got stronger through the use of specific dietary modifications, novel medical devices and pharmacotherapy. Novel therapeutic targets include not only appetite but also taste/food preferences, energy expenditure, gut microbiota, bile acid signalling, inflammation, preservation of β-cell function and hepatic glucose output, among others. Although there are no magic bullets, an integrated multimodal approach may yield success. Non-surgical interventions that mimic the metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery, with a reduced morbidity and mortality burden, remain tenable alternatives for patients and health-care professionals
Interactive impact of ethnic distance and cultural familiarity on the perceived effects of free trade agreements
Past research on free trade agreements (FTAs) mostly uses an economic perspective to assess their impact on the level of trade and investments between nations. As a result, there is a distinct paucity of research on the perceptions of employees and managers in organizations affected by FTAs, towards the likely outcomes of those FTAs. We address this gap by using the context of recently signed China-Australia free trade agreement (ChAFTA) to develop a multidimensional scale for the perceived advantages and disadvantages of FTAs. Drawing on social identity theory and the similarly-attraction paradigm we also show direct and interactive effects of perceived ethnic distance (between home and partner country) and cultural familiarity (with the FTA partner country) on these perceived outcomes of FTAs. Our findings highlight the need to look beyond the economic perspective and consider a much broader range of perceived outcomes of FTAs
Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in the Multiethnic Singapore Population - A National Cohort Study
Background: HRQoL is an important outcome to guide and promote healthcare. Clinical and socioeconomic factors may influence HRQoL according to ethnicity.
Methodology: A multiethnic cross-sectional national cohort (N = 7198) of the Singapore general population consisting of Chinese (N = 4873), Malay (N = 1167) and Indian (N = 1158) adults were evaluated using measures of HRQoL (SF-36 version 2), family functioning, health behaviours and clinical/laboratory assessments. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify determinants of physical and mental HRQoL in the overall population and their potential differential effects by ethnicity. No a priori hypotheses were formulated so all interaction effects were explored.
Principal Findings: HRQoL levels differed between ethnic groups. Chinese respondents had higher physical HRQoL (PCS) than Indian and Malay participants (p<0.001) whereas mental HRQoL (MCS) was higher in Malay relative to Chinese participants (p<0.001). Regressions models explained 17.1% and 14.6% of variance in PCS and MCS respectively with comorbid burden, income and employment being associated with lower HRQoL. Age and family were associated only with MCS. The effects of gender, stroke and musculoskeletal conditions on PCS varied by ethnicity, suggesting non-uniform patterns of association for Chinese, Malay and Indian individuals.
Conclusions: Differences in HRQoL levels and determinants of HRQoL among ethnic groups underscore the need to better or differentially target population segments to promote well-being. More work is needed to explore HRQoL and wellness in relation to ethnicity
Post-transcriptional control during chronic inflammation and cancer: a focus on AU-rich elements
A considerable number of genes that code for AU-rich mRNAs including cytokines, growth factors, transcriptional factors, and certain receptors are involved in both chronic inflammation and cancer. Overexpression of these genes is affected by aberrations or by prolonged activation of several signaling pathways. AU-rich elements (ARE) are important cis-acting short sequences in the 3′UTR that mediate recognition of an array of RNA-binding proteins and affect mRNA stability and translation. This review addresses the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are common between inflammation and cancer and that also govern ARE-mediated post-transcriptional control. The first part examines the role of the ARE-genes in inflammation and cancer and sequence characteristics of AU-rich elements. The second part addresses the common signaling pathways in inflammation and cancer that regulate the ARE-mediated pathways and how their deregulations affect ARE-gene regulation and disease outcome
Genomics in neurodevelopmental disorders: an avenue to personalized medicine
Despite the remarkable number of scientific breakthroughs of the last 100 years, the treatment of neurodevelopmental
disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability) remains a great challenge. Recent advancements in
genomics, such as whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing, have enabled scientists to identify numerous
mutations underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. Given the few hundred risk genes that have been discovered,
the etiological variability and the heterogeneous clinical presentation, the need for genotype — along with phenotype-
based diagnosis of individual patients has become a requisite. In this review we look at recent advancements in
genomic analysis and their translation into clinical practice
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