Moisture transport by Atlantic tropical cyclones onto the North American continent

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are an important source of freshwater for the North American continent. Many studies have tried to estimate this contribution by identifying TC-induced precipitation events, but few have explicitly diagnosed the moisture fluxes across continental boundaries. We design a set of attribution schemes to isolate the column-integrated moisture fluxes that are directly associated with TCs and to quantify the flux onto the North American Continent due to TCs. Averaged over the 2004–2012 hurricane seasons and integrated over the western, southern and eastern coasts of North America, the seven schemes attribute 7 to 18 % (mean 14 %) of total net onshore flux to Atlantic TCs. A reduced contribution of 10 % (range 9 to 11 %) was found for the 1980–2003 period, though only two schemes could be applied to this earlier period. Over the whole 1980–2012 period, a further 8 % (range 6 to 9 % from two schemes) was attributed to East Pacific TCs, resulting in a total TC contribution of 19 % (range 17 to 22 %) to the ocean-to-land moisture transport onto the North American continent between May and November. Analysis of the attribution uncertainties suggests that incorporating details of individual TC size and shape adds limited value to a fixed radius approach and TC positional errors in the ERA-Interim reanalysis do not affect the results significantly, but biases in peak wind speeds and TC sizes may lead to underestimates of moisture transport. The interannual variability does not appear to be strongly related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon

Estrogen receptor beta expression in prostate adenocarcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Estrogen induction of cell proliferation is a crucial step in carcinogenesis of gynecologic target tissues, and there are many studies recently done, showing that prostate cancer growth is also influenced by estrogen. The characterization of estrogen receptor beta (ER-b) brought new insight into the mechanisms underlying estrogen signalling. In the present study, we investigated the expression of estrogen receptor-b (ER-b) in human prostate cancer tissues.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We selected 52 paraffin-embedded blocks of prostate needle biopsies in a cross-sectional study to determine frequency and rate of ER-b expression in different grades of prostate adenocarcinoma according to Gleason grading system. Immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections by monoclonal anti ER-b antibody was performed using an Envision method visualising system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ER-b expression was seen in tumoral cells of prostatic carcinoma in all 29 cases with low and intermediate tumors (100%) and 19 of 23 cases with high grade tumor (83%). Mean rate of ER-b expression in low & intermediate grade cancers was 68.41% (SD = 25.63) whereas high grade cancers showed 49.48% rate of expression (SD = 28.79).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ER-b expression is reduced in high grade prostate cancers compared to low & intermediate grade ones (<it>P </it>value 0.027).</p

To respond or not to respond - a personal perspective of intestinal tolerance

For many years, the intestine was one of the poor relations of the immunology world, being a realm inhabited mostly by specialists and those interested in unusual phenomena. However, this has changed dramatically in recent years with the realization of how important the microbiota is in shaping immune function throughout the body, and almost every major immunology institution now includes the intestine as an area of interest. One of the most important aspects of the intestinal immune system is how it discriminates carefully between harmless and harmful antigens, in particular, its ability to generate active tolerance to materials such as commensal bacteria and food proteins. This phenomenon has been recognized for more than 100 years, and it is essential for preventing inflammatory disease in the intestine, but its basis remains enigmatic. Here, I discuss the progress that has been made in understanding oral tolerance during my 40 years in the field and highlight the topics that will be the focus of future research

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the sternum

We report a rare case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving the sternum. The patient was a 12-year-old girl presenting with anterior chest pain and swelling. Radiographs and computed tomography showed an osteolytic lesion in the sternum. Technetium bone scintigraphy revealed increased uptakes in the sternum, the greater trochanter of the right femur, and the right distal tibia. Incisional biopsy for the sternum lesion was performed, and the histopathologic diagnosis was Langerhans cell histiocytosis. She was treated with chemotherapy and the symptoms disappeared

Can Motivation Normalize Working Memory and Task Persistence in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? The Effects of Money and Computer-Gaming

Visual-spatial Working Memory (WM) is the most impaired executive function in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Some suggest that deficits in executive functioning are caused by motivational deficits. However, there are no studies that investigate the effects of motivation on the visual-spatial WM of children with- and without ADHD. Studies examining this in executive functions other than WM, show inconsistent results. These inconsistencies may be related to differences in the reinforcement used. The effects of different reinforcers on WM performance were investigated in 30 children with ADHD and 31 non-ADHD controls. A visual-spatial WM task was administered in four reinforcement conditions: Feedback-only, 1 euro, 10 euros, and a computer-game version of the task. In the Feedback-only condition, children with ADHD performed worse on the WM measure than controls. Although incentives significantly improved the WM performance of children with ADHD, even the strongest incentives (10 euros and Gaming) were unable to normalize their performance. Feedback-only provided sufficient reinforcement for controls to reach optimal performance, while children with ADHD required extra reinforcement. Only children with ADHD showed a decrease in performance over time. Importantly, the strongest incentives (10 euros and Gaming) normalized persistence of performance in these children, whereas 1 euro had no such effect. Both executive and motivational deficits give rise to visual-spatial WM deficits in ADHD. Problems with task-persistence in ADHD result from motivational deficits. In ADHD-reinforcement studies and clinical practice (e.g., assessment), reinforcement intensity can be a confounding factor and should be taken into account. Gaming can be a cost-effective way to maximize performance in ADHD

Fall Classification by Machine Learning Using Mobile Phones

Fall prevention is a critical component of health care; falls are a common source of injury in the elderly and are associated with significant levels of mortality and morbidity. Automatically detecting falls can allow rapid response to potential emergencies; in addition, knowing the cause or manner of a fall can be beneficial for prevention studies or a more tailored emergency response. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate techniques to not only reliably detect a fall but also to automatically classify the type. We asked 15 subjects to simulate four different types of falls–left and right lateral, forward trips, and backward slips–while wearing mobile phones and previously validated, dedicated accelerometers. Nine subjects also wore the devices for ten days, to provide data for comparison with the simulated falls. We applied five machine learning classifiers to a large time-series feature set to detect falls. Support vector machines and regularized logistic regression were able to identify a fall with 98% accuracy and classify the type of fall with 99% accuracy. This work demonstrates how current machine learning approaches can simplify data collection for prevention in fall-related research as well as improve rapid response to potential injuries due to falls

Informed decision making about predictive DNA tests: arguments for more public visibility of personal deliberations about the good life

Since its advent, predictive DNA testing has been perceived as a technology that may have considerable impact on the quality of people’s life. The decision whether or not to use this technology is up to the individual client. However, to enable well considered decision making both the negative as well as the positive freedom of the individual should be supported. In this paper, we argue that current professional and public discourse on predictive DNA-testing is lacking when it comes to supporting positive freedom, because it is usually framed in terms of risk and risk management. We show how this ‘risk discourse’ steers thinking on the good life in a particular way. We go on to argue that empirical research into the actual deliberation and decision making processes of individuals and families may be used to enrich the environment of personal deliberation in three ways: (1) it points at a richer set of values that deliberators can take into account, (2) it acknowledges the shared nature of genes, and (3) it shows how one might frame decisions in a non-binary way. We argue that the public sharing and discussing of stories about personal deliberations offers valuable input for others who face similar choices: it fosters their positive freedom to shape their view of the good life in relation to DNA-diagnostics. We conclude by offering some suggestions as to how to realize such public sharing of personal stories

Musical Ratios in Sounds from the Human Cochlea

The physiological roots of music perception are a matter of long-lasting debate. Recently light on this problem has been shed by the study of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), which are weak sounds generated by the inner ear following acoustic stimulation and, sometimes, even spontaneously. In the present study, a high-resolution time–frequency method called matching pursuit was applied to the OAEs recorded from the ears of 45 normal volunteers so that the component frequencies, amplitudes, latencies, and time-spans could be accurately determined. The method allowed us to find that, for each ear, the OAEs consisted of characteristic frequency patterns that we call resonant modes. Here we demonstrate that, on average, the frequency ratios of the resonant modes from all the cochleas studied possessed small integer ratios. The ratios are the same as those found by Pythagoras as being most musically pleasant and which form the basis of the Just tuning system. The statistical significance of the results was verified against a random distribution of ratios. As an explanatory model, there are attractive features in a recent theory that represents the cochlea as a surface acoustic wave resonator; in this situation the spacing between the rows of hearing receptors can create resonant cavities of defined lengths. By adjusting the geometry and the lengths of the resonant cavities, it is possible to generate the preferred frequency ratios we have found here. We conclude that musical perception might be related to specific geometrical and physiological properties of the cochlea

Attentional Performance in Children and Adolescents with Tic Disorder and Co-Occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: New Insights from a 2 × 2 Factorial Design Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of both tic disorder (TD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on attentional functions. N = 96 children and adolescents participated in the study, including n = 21 subjects with TD, n = 23 subjects with ADHD, n = 25 subjects with TD+ADHD, and n = 27 controls. Attentional performance was tested based on four computerized attention tasks (sustained attention, divided attention, go/nogo and set shifting). The effect of TD as well as ADHD on attentional performance was tested using a 2 × 2 factorial approach. A diagnosis of TD had no negative impact on attentional functions but was associated with improved performance in the set shifting task. By contrast, regardless of a diagnosis of TD, subjects with ADHD were found to perform worse in the sustained attention, divided attention and go/nogo task. No interaction effect between the factors TD and ADHD was revealed for any of the attention measures. Our results add to findings from other areas of research, showing that in subjects with TD and ADHD, ADHD psychopathology is often the main source of impairment, whereas a diagnosis of TD has little or no impact on neuropsychological performance in most cases and even seems to be associated with adaptive mechanisms