Testing the nonlinearity of the BVIcJHKs period-luminosity relations for the Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids

A number of recent works have suggested that the period-luminosity (PL) relation for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids exhibits a controversial nonlinear feature with a break period at 10 days. Therefore, the aim of this Research Note is to test the linearity/nonlinearity of the PL relations for the LMC Cepheids in BVIcJHKs band, as well as in the Wesenheit functions. We show that simply comparing the long and short period slopes, together with their associate d standard deviations, leads to a strictly larger error rate than applying rigorous statistical tests such as the F-test. We applied various statistical tests to the current published LMC Cepheid data. These statistical tests include the F-test, the testimator test, and the Schwarz information criterion (SIC) method. The results from these statistical tests strongly suggest that the LMC PL relation is nonlinear in BVIcJH band but linear in the Ks band and in the Wesenheit functions. Using the properties of period-color relations at maximum light and multi-phase relations, we believe that the nonlinear PL relation is not caused by extinction errors.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures and 2 tables, A&A accepte

Adolescent endometriosis

Endometriosis is predominantly a disease of women of reproductive age group. Endometriosis is not uncommon in adolescents. Presentation tends to focus on pain, especially intractable dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain. In around 60% of patients with endometriosis symptoms start in adolscence. Pain unresponsive to treatment is the usual indication for a Laproscopy. The appearance of endometriotic lesions is different from that of adults. Medical and surgical options for treatment are available. Endometriosis may be progressive and adverse effects may go beyond pain and cause infertility

Investigations of the Non-Linear LMC Cepheid Period-Luminosity Relation with Testimator and Schwarz Information Criterion Methods

In this paper, we investigate the linearity versus non-linearity of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheid period-luminosity (P-L) relation using two statistical approaches not previously applied to this problem: the testimator method and the Schwarz Information Criterion (SIC). The testimator method is extended to multiple stages for the first time, shown to be unbiased and the variance of the estimated slope can be proved to be smaller than the standard slope estimated from linear regression theory. The Schwarz Information Criterion (also known as the Bayesian Information Criterion) is more conservative than the Akaike Information Criterion and tends to choose lower order models. By using simulated data sets, we verify that these statistical techniques can be used to detect intrinsically linear and/or non-linear P-L relations. These methods are then applied to independent LMC Cepheid data sets from the OGLE project and the MACHO project, respectively. Our results imply that there is a change of slope in longer period ranges for all of the data sets. This strongly supports previous results, obtained from independent statistical tests, that the observed LMC P-L relation is non-linear with a break period at/around 10 days.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures and 3 tables, PASP accepte

A stochastic model for sero conversion times of HIV transmission

This paper focuses on the study of a Stochastic Model for predicting the seroconversion time of HIV transmission. As the immune capacities of an individual vary and also have its own resistance, the antigenic diversity threshold is different for different person. We propose a stochastic model to study the damage process acting on the immune system that is non- linear. The mean of seroconversion time of HIV and its variance are derived. A numerical example is given to illustrate the seroconversion times of HIV transmission

Multiphysics Analysis of a Magnetorheological Damper

     A Magnetorheological damping has evolved as a potential tool in vibration control. The design of magnetorheological damping involves analysis of fluid flow principles and electromagnetic flux analysis. This research paper involves design and analysis of a magnetorheological damper employed for vibration control. The analysis is carried over by considering the domain as an axisymmetric model. The damping force of the damper depends upon the shear stress due to fluid viscosity and yield stress induced due to magnetic flux applied. The damping force generated by the damper is calculated

Perception of Community Pharmacist on self-medication in Erode, India

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of community pharmacists towards the concept of self-medication Erode, India. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Erode between august2010and December, 2010. A 20-item self-completion questionnaire was administered to randomly selected sample of 50 community pharmacists from Erode. Main outcome measures included understanding of self-medication, reasons for why patients practice self-medication, source for drug of choice, attitude towards Patient counseling, barriers to implementation of patient counseling. Data's were analyzed. Descriptive results were expressed as frequency and percentage. Most patients were seeking self medication for headache 14.72%, Fever 14.29%, urinary tract infections 10.13% etc. The drugs most commonly dispensed or purchased on a self medication basis were NSAIDS 33.7%. Pharmacists 56% and previous prescription 24% were the common sources from where patients get information about drug of choice. Simplicity of the disease 44% was the reason why patients prefer selfmedication. Lack of time 60% and lack of interest of the patients 36% were the reasons that pharmacists mentioned for not counselling the patients. Main reason for practicing self-medication irrational self-medication is due to their lack of knowledge about the complications that can occur by practicing self-medication without proper diagnosis. These barriers could be overcome through participation in effective continuing educational programs and creating awareness to the public about the complication of self-medication without proper diagnosis. Patient health awareness programs and pharmacist continuing education are necessary in Erode

The Mechanism of Excessive Intestinal Inflammation in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: An Immature Innate Immune Response

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating neonatal intestinal inflammatory disease, occurring primarily in premature infants, causing significant morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of NEC is associated with an excessive inflammatory IL-8 response. In this study, we hypothesized that this excessive inflammatory response is related to an immature expression of innate immune response genes. To address this hypothesis, intestinal RNA expression analysis of innate immune response genes was performed after laser capture microdissection of resected ileal epithelium from fetuses, NEC patients and children and confirmed in ex vivo human intestinal xenografts. Changes in mRNA levels of toll-like receptors (TLR)-2 and -4, their signaling molecules and transcription factors (MyD88, TRAF-6 and NFκB1) and negative regulators (SIGIRR, IRAK-M, A-20 and TOLLIP) and the effector IL-8 were characterized by qRT-PCR. The expression of TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, TRAF-6, NFκB1 and IL-8 mRNA was increased while SIGIRR, IRAK-M, A-20 and TOLLIP mRNA were decreased in fetal vs. mature human enterocytes and further altered in NEC enterocytes. Similar changes in mRNA expression were observed in immature, but not mature, human intestinal xenografts. Confirmation of gene expression was also validated with selective protein measurements and with suggested evidence that immature TRL4 enterocyte surface expression was internalized in mature enterocytes. Cortisone, an intestinal maturation factor, treatment corrected the mRNA differences only in the immature intestinal xenograft. Using specific siRNA to attenuate expression of primary fetal enterocyte cultures, both TOLLIP and A-20 were confirmed to be important when knocked down by exhibiting the same excessive inflammatory response seen in the NEC intestine. We conclude that the excessive inflammatory response of the immature intestine, a hallmark of NEC, is due to a developmental immaturity in innate immune response genes

Bipolar ablation for deep intra-myocardial circuits: human ex vivo development and in vivo experience.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageCurrent conventional ablation strategies for ventricular tachycardia (VT) aim to interrupt reentrant circuits by creating ablation lesions. However, the critical components of reentrant VT circuits may be located at deep intramural sites. We hypothesized that bipolar ablations would create deeper lesions than unipolar ablation in human hearts.Ablation was performed on nine explanted human hearts at the time of transplantation. Following explant, the hearts were perfused by using a Langendorff perfusion setup. For bipolar ablation, the endocardial catheter was connected to the generator as the active electrode and the epicardial catheter as the return electrode. Unipolar ablation was performed at 50 W with irrigation of 25 mL/min, with temperature limit of 50°C. Bipolar ablation was performed with the same settings. Subsequently, in a patient with an incessant septal VT, catheters were positioned on the septum from both the ventricles and radiofrequency was delivered with 40 W. In the explanted hearts, there were a total of nine unipolar ablations and four bipolar ablations. The lesion depth was greater with bipolar ablation, 14.8 vs. 6.1 mm (P < 0.01), but the width was not different (9.8 vs. 7.8 mm). All bipolar lesions achieved transmurality in contrast to the unipolar ablations. In the patient with a septal focus, bipolar ablation resulted in termination of VT with no inducible VTs.By using a bipolar ablation technique, we have demonstrated the creation of significantly deeper lesions without increasing the lesion width, compared with standard ablation. Further clinical trials are warranted to detail the risks of this technique

STEM/Non-STEM Divide Structures Undergraduate Beliefs About Gender and Talent in Academia

Research and popular debate on female underrepresentation in academia has focused on STEM fields. But recent work has offered a unifying explanation for gender representation across the STEM/non-STEM divide. This proposed explanation, called the field-specific ability beliefs (FAB) hypothesis, postulates that, in combination with pervasive stereotypes that link men but not women with intellectual talent, academics perpetuate female underrepresentation by transmitting to students in earlier stages of education their beliefs about how much intellectual talent is required for success in each academic field. This theory was supported by a nationwide survey of U.S. academics that showed both STEM and non-STEM fields with fewer women are also the fields that academics believe require more brilliance. We test this top-down schema with a nationwide survey of U.S. undergraduates, assessing the extent to which undergraduate beliefs about talent in academia mirror those of academics. We find no evidence that academics transmit their beliefs to undergraduates. We also use a second survey “identical to the first but with each field's gender ratio provided as added information” to explicitly test the relationship between undergraduate beliefs about gender and talent in academia. The results for this second survey suggest that the extent to which undergraduates rate brilliance as essential to success in an academic field is highly sensitive to this added information for non-STEM fields, but not STEM fields. Overall, our study offers evidence that, contrary to FAB hypothesis, the STEM/non-STEM divide principally shapes undergraduate beliefs about both gender and talent in academia

Biomarkers of collagen synthesis predict progression in the PROFILE idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cohort.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodelling. Measuring this activity provides an opportunity to develop tools capable of identifying individuals at-risk of progression. Longitudinal change in markers of ECM synthesis was assessed in 145 newly-diagnosed individuals with IPF. Serum levels of collagen synthesis neoepitopes, PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 (collagen type 3 and 6), were elevated in IPF compared with controls at baseline, and progressive disease versus stable disease during follow up, (PRO-C3 p  0 vs. LOW slope, slope < =0) demonstrated no relationship with mortality for these markers (PRO-C3 (HR 1.62, p = 0.080); PINP (HR 0.76, p = 0.309); PRO-C6 (HR 1.14, p = 0.628)). As previously reported, rising concentrations of collagen degradation markers C1M, C3M, C6M and CRPM were associated with an increased risk of overall mortality (HR = 1.84, CI 1.03–3.27, p = 0.038, HR = 2.44, CI 1.39–4.31, p = 0.002; HR = 2.19, CI 1.25–3.82, p = 0.006; HR = 2.13 CI 1.21–3.75, p = 0.009 respectively). Elevated levels of PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 associate with IPF disease progression. Collagen synthesis and degradation biomarkers have the potential to enhance clinical trials in IPF and may inform prognostic assessment and therapeutic decision making in the clinic