2,713 research outputs found
Is there a correlation between infection control performance and other hospital quality measures?
Quality measures are increasingly reported by hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), yet there may be tradeoffs in performance between infection control (IC) and other quality measures. Hospitals that performed best on IC measures did not perform well on most CMS nonâIC quality measures
Constraints on Near-Ridge Magmatism Using \u3csup\u3e40\u3c/sup\u3eAr/\u3csup\u3e39\u3c/sup\u3eAr Geochronology of Enriched MORB from the 8°20\u27 N Seamount Chain
Our understanding of the spatial-temporal-compositional relationships between off-axis magmatism and mid-ocean ridge spreading centers is limited. Determining the 40Ar/39Ar ages of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) lavas erupting near mid-ocean ridges (MOR) has been a challenge due to the characteristically low K2O contents in incompatible element-depleted normal MORB (NMORB). High-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology is used here to determine ages of young, basaltic lavas erupted along the 8°20\u27 N seamount chain west of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis that have a range of incompatible element enrichments (EMORB) suitable for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology (e.g., K2O contents \u3e 0.3 wt%). 40Ar/39Ar ages were determined in 29 well-characterized basalts sampled using HOV Alvin and dredging. Detailed geochronology and geochemical analyses provide important constraints on the timing, distribution, and origins of lavas that constructed this extensive volcanic lineament relative to magmatism beneath the adjacent EPR axis. Seamount eruption ages are up to âŒ1.6 Ma younger than the underlying lithosphere, supporting a model of prolonged off-axis magmatism for at least 2 Myrs at distances as great as âŒ90 km from the ridge axis. Increasing geochemical heterogeneity with eruption distance reflects the diminishing effect of sub-ridge melt focusing. The range of geochemically distinct lavas erupted at given distances from the ridge highlights the dynamic nature of the near-ridge magmatic environment over Myr timescales. Linear ridge-like (EPR-parallel) morphotectonic features erupt the youngest and most incompatible element-enriched lavas of the entire seamount chain, indicating there is a recent change in the influence of mantle heterogeneity and off-axis melt metasomatism on the near-ridge lithospheric mantle. Changes in seamount morphologies are attributed to counter-clockwise rotation and southward migration of the nearby Siqueiros transform over the last few million years
Switching from linear to macrocyclic gadoliniumâbased contrast agents halts the relative T 1 âWeighted signal increase in deep gray matter of children with brain tumors: A retrospective study
BackgroundStudies have shown signal intensity (SI) changes in the brains of children exposed to repeated doses of a gadoliniumâbased contrast agent (GBCA).HypothesisThe trajectory of changes in relative dentate nucleus (DN) and globus pallidus (GP) SI in children receiving multiple doses of GBCA will alter when switched from linear to macrocyclic agents.Study TypeRetrospective longitudinal.PopulationThirtyâfive children, age range 0.5â17.0 years, undergoing brain tumor followâup between 2006 and 2017.Field Strength/SequenceUnenhanced T1WI, serial scans at both 1.5T and 3T.AssessmentRegions of interest were drawn on DN, GP, and SIs normalized to middle cerebellar peduncle (DN/MCP) and cerebral white matter (GP/CWM), respectively. A change in SI ratios as a function of dose (slope gradient) calculated according to the type of contrast agent received: linear only, macrocyclic only, or switchover from linear to macrocyclic. For the latter, gradients were compared before and after switchover. The effect of anticancer treatment on slope gradient was tested.Statistical TestsOneâsample tâtest or MannâWhitney Uâtest for slope gradients differing from zero. Independent samples tâtests to compare slope gradient groups. Paired sample tâtests to compare slope gradients before and after switchover.ResultsA significant (P < 0.05) increase in SI ratio was observed following multiple doses of linear but not macrocyclic agents: mean percentage increase per dose in SI was 0.063% vs. â0.034% for DN/MCP, and 0.078% vs. 0.004% for GP/CWM ratios. A significant (P < 0.05) change of SI trajectory in the DN/MCP ratio was demonstrated when switching from a linear to macrocyclic agent. There was no difference in SI trajectory between patients who had anticancer therapies and those who did not, DN/MCP P = 0.740; GP/BWM P = 0.694.Data ConclusionSwitching from linear to macrocyclic gadoliniumâbased contrast agents seems to halt the relative T1 signal increase in deep gray matter in children. Anticancer treatments appeared to have no impact on the trajectory of T1 SI
Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 32
Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs
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Dissecting a complex chemical stress: chemogenomic profiling of plant hydrolysates.
The efficient production of biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks will require the efficient fermentation of the sugars in hydrolyzed plant material. Unfortunately, plant hydrolysates also contain many compounds that inhibit microbial growth and fermentation. We used DNA-barcoded mutant libraries to identify genes that are important for hydrolysate tolerance in both Zymomonas mobilis (44 genes) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (99 genes). Overexpression of a Z. mobilis tolerance gene of unknown function (ZMO1875) improved its specific ethanol productivity 2.4-fold in the presence of miscanthus hydrolysate. However, a mixture of 37 hydrolysate-derived inhibitors was not sufficient to explain the fitness profile of plant hydrolysate. To deconstruct the fitness profile of hydrolysate, we profiled the 37 inhibitors against a library of Z. mobilis mutants and we modeled fitness in hydrolysate as a mixture of fitness in its components. By examining outliers in this model, we identified methylglyoxal as a previously unknown component of hydrolysate. Our work provides a general strategy to dissect how microbes respond to a complex chemical stress and should enable further engineering of hydrolysate tolerance
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury XI: The Spatially-Resolved Recent Star Formation History of M31
We measure the recent star formation history (SFH) across M31 using optical
images taken with the \texit{Hubble Space Telescope} as part of the
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). We fit the color-magnitude
diagrams in ~9000 regions that are ~100 pc 100 pc in projected size,
covering a 0.5 square degree area (~380 kpc, deprojected) in the NE
quadrant of M31. We show that the SFHs vary significantly on these small
spatial scales but that there are also coherent galaxy-wide fluctuations in the
SFH back to ~500 Myr, most notably in M31's 10-kpc star-forming ring. We find
that the 10-kpc ring is at least 400 Myr old, showing ongoing star formation
over the past ~500 Myr. This indicates the presence of molecular gas in the
ring over at least 2 dynamical times at this radius. We also find that the
ring's position is constant throughout this time, and is stationary at the
level of 1 km/s, although there is evidence for broadening of the ring due to
diffusion of stars into the disk. Based on existing models of M31's ring
features, the lack of evolution in the ring's position makes a purely
collisional ring origin highly unlikely. We find that the global SFR has been
fairly constant over the last ~500 Myr, though it does show a small increase at
50 Myr that is 1.3 times the average SFR over the past 100 Myr. During the last
~500 Myr, ~60% of all SF occurs in the 10-kpc ring. Finally, we find that in
the past 100 Myr, the average SFR over the PHAT survey area is
M yr with an average deprojected intensity of M yr kpc, which yields a total SFR of ~0.7
M yr when extrapolated to the entire area of M31's disk. This
SFR is consistent with measurements from broadband estimates. [abridged]Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Development And Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Children\u27s Saving Inventory
This study reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of the Children\u27s Saving Inventory (CSI), a parent-rated measure designed to assess child hoarding behaviors. Subjects included 123 children and adolescents diagnosed with primary Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and their parents. Trained clinicians administered the Children\u27s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), items assessing Family Accommodation and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity index. Parents completed the CSI, Child Obsessive-Compulsive Impact Scale (COIS)-Parent Version and Child Behavior Checklist. Youth completed the COIS-Child Version, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Child Version (OCI-CV), Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and Children\u27s Depression Inventory-Short Form. A four factor solution was identified; factors were named Discarding, Clutter, Acquisition, and Distress/Impairment. Internal consistency for the CSI Total and factor scores were good. One-week test-retest reliability (n = 31) from a random subsample was excellent. Known groups validity was supported vis-Ă -vis higher CSI scores for those endorsing hoarding on the CY-BOCS Symptom Checklist. Convergent and discriminant validity was evidenced by weak relationships with OCI-CV Checking and Contamination factors but strong relationships with the OCI-CV Hoarding factor and with hoarding obsession/compulsions on the CY-BOCS. These findings provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the CSI for the assessment of hoarding behaviors among youth with OCD. Future studies are needed to extend these findings to non-OCD samples of youth
Electronic-Cigarette Vehicles and Flavoring Affect Lung Function and Immune Responses in a Murine Model
The use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as electronic-cigarettes (e-cigs), has raised serious public health concerns, especially in light of the 2019 outbreak of e-cig or vaping product use-associated acute lung injury (EVALI). While these cases have mostly been linked to ENDS that contain vitamin E acetate, there is limited research that has focused on the chronic pulmonary effects of the delivery vehicles (i.e., without nicotine and flavoring). Thus, we investigated lung function and immune responses in a mouse model following exposure to the nearly ubiquitous e-cig delivery vehicles, vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), used with a specific 70%/30% ratio, with or without vanilla flavoring. We hypothesized that mice exposed sub-acutely to these e-cig aerosols would exhibit lung inflammation and altered lung function. Adult female C57BL/6 mice (n= 11-12 per group) were exposed to filtered air, 70%/30% VG/PG, or 70%/30% VG/PG with a French vanilla flavoring for 2 h a day for 6 weeks. Prior to sacrifice, lung function was assessed. At sacrifice, broncho-alveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were collected for lipid mediator analysis, flow cytometry, histopathology, and gene expression analyses. Exposures to VG/PG + vanilla e-cig aerosol increased lung tidal and minute volumes and tissue damping. Immunophenotyping of lung immune cells revealed an increased number of dendritic cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD19+ B cells in the VG/PG-exposed group compared to air, irrespective of the presence of vanilla flavoring. Quantification of bioactive lung lipids demonstrated a \u3e3-fold increase of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), an anti-inflammatory mediator, and a 2-fold increase of 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), another inflammatory mediator, following VG/PG exposure, with or without vanilla flavoring. This suggests that e-cig aerosol vehicles may affect immunoregulatory molecules. We also found that the two e-cig aerosols dysregulated the expression of lung genes. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that the gene networks that are dysregulated by the VG/PG e-cig aerosol are associated with metabolism of cellular proteins and lipids. Overall, our findings demonstrate that VG and PG, the main constituents of e-liquid formulations, when aerosolized through an e-cig device, are not harmless to the lungs, since they disrupt immune homeostasis
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