Natural daylighting and energy conservation : innovative solutions for office buildings

Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Bibliography: p. 199-203.by James E. Rosen.M.Arch

Understanding Methods for Estimating HIV-Associated Maternal Mortality

The impact of HIV on maternal mortality and more broadly on the health of women, remains poorly documented and understood. Two recent reports attempt to address the conceptual and methodological challenges that arise in estimating HIV-related maternal mortality and trends. This paper presents and compares the methods and discusses how they affect estimates at global and regional levels. Country examples of likely patterns of mortality among women of reproductive age are provided to illustrate the critical interactions between HIV and complications of pregnancy in high-HIV-burden countries. The implications for collaboration between HIV and reproductive health programmes are discussed, in support of accelerated action to reach the Millennium Development Goals and improve the health of women

Searching for the MSW Enhancement

We point out that the length scale associated with the MSW effect is the radius of the Earth. Therefore to verify matter enhancement of neutrino oscillations, it will be necessary to study neutrinos passing through the Earth. For the parameters of MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem, the only detectable effects occur in a narrow band of energies from 5 to 10 MeV. We propose that serious consideration be given to mounting an experiment at a location within 9.5 degrees of the equator.Comment: 10 pages, RevTe

Variants Within Genes \u3ci\u3eEDIL3\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eADGRB3\u3c/i\u3e are Associated With Divergent Fecal Egg Counts in Katahdin Sheep at Weaning

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) pose a severe threat to sheep production worldwide. Anthelmintic drug resistance coupled with growing concern regarding potential environmental effects of drug use have demonstrated the necessity of implementing other methods of GIN control. The aim of this study was to test for genetic variants associated with resistance or susceptibility to GIN in Katahdin sheep to improve the current understanding of the genetic mechanisms responsible for host response to GIN. Linear regression and casecontrol genome-wide association studies were conducted with high-density genotype data and cube-root transformed weaning fecal egg counts (tFEC) of 583 Katahdin sheep. The casecontrol GWAS identified two significant SNPs (P-values 1.49e-08 to 1.01e-08) within introns of the gene adhesion G protein-coupled receptor B3 (ADGRB3) associated with lower fecal egg counts. With linear regression, four significant SNPs (P-values 7.82e-08 to 3.34e-08) were identified within the first intron of the gene EGF-like repeats and discoidin domains 3 (EDIL3). These identified SNPs were in very high linkage disequilibrium (r2 of 0.996–1), and animals with alternate homozygous genotypes had significantly higher median weaning tFEC phenotypes compared to all other genotypes. Significant SNPs were queried through public databases to identify putative transcription factor binding site (TFBS) and potential lncRNA differences between reference and alternate alleles. Changes in TFBS were predicted at two SNPs, and one significant SNPwas found to bewithin a predicted lncRNA sequencewith greater than 90% similarity to a known lncRNA in the bovine genome. The gene EDIL3 has been described in other species for its roles in the inhibition and resolution of inflammation. Potential changes of EDIL3 expression mediated through lncRNA expression and/or transcription factor binding may impact the overall immune response and reduce the ability of Katahdin sheep to control GIN infection. This study lays the foundation for further research of EDIL3 and ADGRB3 towards understanding genetic mechanisms of susceptibility to GIN, and suggests these SNPs may contribute to genetic strategies for improving parasite resistance traits in sheep

HIV and maternal mortality: turning the tide

The two top causes of death in women of reproductive age globally are HIV/AIDS and complications related to pregnancy and childbearing, which account for 19% and 15% of all deaths in women aged 15–44 years, respectively. The growing burden of HIV infection in young sexually active women and the maternal health problems that they face have been described as two intersecting epidemics. In settings with a high HIV burden and high maternal mortality ratios, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, many HIV-infected pregnant women are confronted not only with the risk of death associated with advancing HIV disease, but also with an increased risk of pregnancy-related death

Mixmaster Behavior in Inhomogeneous Cosmological Spacetimes

Numerical investigation of a class of inhomogeneous cosmological spacetimes shows evidence that at a generic point in space the evolution toward the initial singularity is asymptotically that of a spatially homogeneous spacetime with Mixmaster behavior. This supports a long-standing conjecture due to Belinskii et al. on the nature of the generic singularity in Einstein's equations.Comment: 4 pages plus 4 figures. A sentence has been deleted. Accepted for publication in PR

Association of Receiving Multiple, Concurrent Fracture-Associated Drugs With Hip Fracture Risk

Importance: Many prescription drugs increase fracture risk, which raises concern for patients receiving 2 or more such drugs concurrently. Logic suggests that risk will increase with each additional drug, but the risk of taking multiple fracture-associated drugs (FADs) is unknown. Objective: To estimate hip fracture risk associated with concurrent exposure to multiple FADs. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used a 20% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service administrative data for age-eligible Medicare beneficiaries from 2004 to 2014. Sex-stratified Cox regression models estimated hip fracture risk associated with current receipt of 1, 2, or 3 or more of 21 FADs and, separately, risk associated with each FAD and 2-way FAD combination vs no FADs. Models included sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, and use of non-FAD medications. Analyses began in November 2018 and were completed April 2019. Exposure: Receipt of prescription FADs. Main Outcomes and Measures: Hip fracture hospitalization. Results: A total of 11.3 million person-years were observed, reflecting 2,646,255 individuals (mean [SD] age, 77.2 [7.3] years, 1,615,613 [61.1%] women, 2,136,585 [80.7%] white, and 219 579 [8.3%] black). Overall, 2,827,284 person-years (25.1%) involved receipt of 1 FAD; 1,322,296 (11.7%), 2 FADs; and 954,506 (8.5%), 3 or more FADs. In fully adjusted, sex-stratified models, an increase in hip fracture risk among women was associated with the receipt of 1, 2, or 3 or more FADs (1 FAD: hazard ratio [HR], 2.04; 95% CI, 1.99-2.11; P\u3c.001; 2 FADs: HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.77-2.95; P\u3c.001; ≥3 FADs: HR, 4.50; 95% CI, 4.36-4.65; P\u3c.001). Relative risks for men were slightly higher (1 FAD: HR, 2.23; 95% CI, 2.11-2.36; P\u3c.001; 2 FADs: HR, 3.40; 95% CI, 3.20-3.61; P\u3c.001; ≥3 FADs: HR, 5.18; 95% CI, 4.87-5.52; P\u3c.001). Among women, 2 individual FADs were associated with HRs greater than 3.00; 80 pairs of FADs exceeded this threshold. Common, risky pairs among women included sedative hypnotics plus opioids (HR, 4.90; 95% CI, 3.98-6.02; P\u3c.001), serotonin reuptake inhibitors plus benzodiazepines (HR, 4.50; 95% CI, 3.76-5.38; P\u3c.001), and proton pump inhibitors plus opioids (HR, 4.00; 95% CI, 3.56-4.49; P\u3c.001). Receipt of 1, 2, or 3 or more non-FADs was associated with a small, significant reduction in fracture risk compared with receipt of no non-FADs among women (1 non-FAD: HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.96; P\u3c.001; 2 non-FADs: HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.81-0.87; P\u3c.001; ≥3 non-FADs: HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.72-0.77; P\u3c.001). Conclusions and Relevance: Among older adults, FADs are commonly used and commonly combined. In this cohort study, the addition of a second and third FAD was associated with a steep increase in fracture risk. Many risky pairs of FADs included potentially avoidable drugs (eg, sedatives and opioids). If confirmed, these findings suggest that fracture risk could be reduced through tighter adherence to long-established prescribing guidelines and recommendations

Implications of New Gallex Results for the MSW Solution of the Solar Neutrino Problem

We compare the implications for 7Be and pp neutrinos of the two MSW fits to the new GALLEX solar neutrino measurements . Small mixing angle solutions tend to suppress the former as electron-neutrinos, but not the latter, and large angle solutions tend to reduce both by about a factor of 2. The consequences for BOREXINO and similar solar neutrino--electron scattering experiments are discussed.Comment: 7 pages (plus 3 figures available upon request) UTAPHY-HEP-

Comprehensive Management of the Paranasal Sinuses in Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The endonasal route often provides the most direct and safe approach to skull base pathology. In this article we review the literature with regard to management of the paranasal sinuses in the setting of skull base surgery. METHODS: We describe our institutional experience and review the literature of concurrent management of the sinusitis in patients undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery. RESULTS: Patients should be optimized preoperatively to ensure the endonasal route is a safe corridor to enter the intracranial cavity. Often the paranasal sinuses can be surgically addressed at the same time as endoscopic skull base surgery. We describe the technical details of management of the paranasal sinuses when addressing skull base pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Careful management of the paranasal sinuses throughout the peri-operative course is paramount to optimizing sinonasal function and safety

Decreased antiviral immune response within the central nervous system of aged mice is associated with increased lethality of West Nile virus encephalitis

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen that causes disease syndromes ranging from a mild flu-like illness to encephalitis. While the incidence of WNV infection is fairly uniform across age groups, the risk of lethal encephalitis increases with advanced age. Prior studies have demonstrated age-related, functional immune deficits that limit systemic antiviral immunity and increase mortality; however, the effect of age on antiviral immune responses specifically within the central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here, we show that aged mice exhibit increased peripheral organ and CNS tissue viral burden, the latter of which is associated with alterations in activation of both myeloid and lymphoid cells compared with similarly infected younger animals. Aged mice exhibit lower MHCII expression by microglia, and higher levels of PD1 and lower levels of IFNγ expression by WNV-specific CD