152 research outputs found
Aerodynamic characteristics of low-aspect-ratio wings at high supersonic Mach numbers
This paper presents some recently obtained data on the aerodynamic characteristics of low-aspect-ratio wings at supersonic Mach numbers of 4.04 and 6.9 and discusses some new methods of predicting the lift and drag of such wings. Data on lifting wings in the Mach number range above 2.5 are not plentiful and most of the available data may be found in NACA RM L51D17, NACA RM L51D30, NACA RM L52D15a, NACA RM L52K19, NACA RM L53D03, and NACA RM L53D30
The Impact of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine on High-Grade Cervical Lesions in Urban and Rural Areas: An Age–Period–Cohort Analysis
Disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exist between urban (metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)) and rural (non-MSAs) regions. To address whether the HPV vaccine’s impact differs by urbanicity, we examined trends in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 or 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (collectively, CIN2+) incidence in MSAs and non-MSAs among Tennessee Medicaid (TennCare)-enrolled women aged 18–39 years and among the subset screened for cervical cancer in Tennessee, United States. Using TennCare claims data, we identified annual age-group-specific (18–20, 21–24, 25–29, 30–34, and 35–39 years) CIN2+ incidence (2008–2018). Joinpoint regression was used to identify trends over time. Age–period–cohort Poisson regression models were used to evaluate age, period, and cohort effects. All analyses were stratified by urbanicity (MSA versus non-MSA). From 2008–2018, 11,243 incident CIN2+ events (7956 in MSAs; 3287 in non-MSAs) were identified among TennCare-enrolled women aged 18–39 years. CIN2+ incident trends (2008–2018) were similar between women in MSAs and non-MSAs, with largest declines among ages 18–20 (MSA average annual percent change (AAPC): −30.4, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): −35.4, −25.0; non-MSA AAPC: −30.9, 95%CI: −36.8, −24.5) and 21–24 years (MSA AAPC: −14.8, 95%CI: −18.1, −11.3; non-MSA AAPC: −15.1, 95%CI: −17.9, −12.2). Significant declines for ages 18–20 years began in 2008 in MSAs compared to 2010 in non-MSAs. Trends were largely driven by age and cohort effects. These patterns were consistent among screened women. Despite evidence of HPV vaccine impact on reducing CIN2+ incidence regardless of urbanicity, significant declines in CIN2+ incidence were delayed in non-MSAs versus MSAs
Docosahexaenoic acid lowers cardiac mitochondrial enzyme activity by replacing linoleic acid in the phospholipidome
Cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chains regulate respiratory enzymatic activity. In several diseases, the rodent cardiac phospholipidome is extensively rearranged; however, whether specific acyl chains impair respiratory enzyme function is unknown. One unique remodeling event in the myocardium of obese and diabetic rodents is an increase in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels. Here, we first confirmed that cardiac DHA levels are elevated in diabetic humans relative to controls. We then used dietary supplementation of a Western diet with DHA as a tool to promote cardiac acyl chain remodeling and to study its influence on respiratory enzyme function. DHA extensively remodeled the acyl chains of cardiolipin (CL), mono-lyso CL, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Moreover, DHA lowered enzyme activities of respiratory complexes I, IV, V, and I+III. Mechanistically, the reduction in enzymatic activities were not driven by a dramatic reduction in the abundance of supercomplexes. Instead, replacement of tetralinoleoyl-CL with tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL in biomimetic membranes prevented formation of phospholipid domains that regulate enzyme activity. Tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL inhibited domain organization due to favorable Gibbs free energy of phospholipid mixing. Furthermore, in vitro substitution of tetralinoleoyl-CL with tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL blocked complex-IV binding. Finally, reintroduction of linoleic acid, via fusion of phospholipid vesicles to mitochondria isolated from DHA-fed mice, rescued the major losses in the mitochondrial phospholipidome and complexes I, IV, and V activities. Altogether, our results show that replacing linoleic acid with DHA lowers select cardiac enzyme activities by potentially targeting domain organization and phospholipid-protein binding, which has implications for the ongoing debate about polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiac health
Categorical speech representation in human superior temporal gyrus.
nature neurOSCIenCe advance online publication a r t I C l e S A fundamental property of speech perception is that listeners map continuously variable acoustic speech signals onto discrete phonetic sound categories A number of studies support the notion that the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) in Wernicke's area is important for higher order auditory processing of speech sounds To answer these questions, we recorded cortical local field poten tials from the pSTG in four human subjects undergoing awake crani otomy with speech mapping as part of their epilepsy 14 or brain tumor surgery RESULTS We employed a classic procedure first described in 1957 (ref. 6) to investigate the perceptual and neural organization of stop conso nant phonemes. Consonantvowel syllables were synthesized with 14 equal and parametric changes in the starting frequency of the F2 transition (second vocal tract resonance) that ranged perceptually across three initial consonants /ba/ to /da/ to /ga
'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America
Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism
The Population Impact of a Large School-Based Influenza Vaccination Campaign
The optimal vaccination strategy to mitigate the impact of influenza epidemics is unclear. In 2005, a countywide school-based influenza vaccination campaign was launched in Knox County, Tennessee (population 385,899). Approximately 41% and 48% of eligible county children aged 5-17 years were immunized with live attenuated influenza vaccine before the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 influenza seasons, respectively. We sought to determine the population impact of this campaign.Laboratory-confirmed influenza data defined influenza seasons. We calculated the incidence of medically attended acute respiratory illness attributable to influenza in Knox and Knox-surrounding counties (concurrent controls) during consecutive seasons (5 precampaign and 2 campaign seasons) using negative binomial regression and rate difference methods. Age-stratified analyses compared the incidence of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations attributable to influenza.During precampaign seasons, estimated ED visit rates attributable to influenza were 12.39 (95% CI: 10.34-14.44) per 1000 Knox children aged 5-17 years and similar in Knox-surrounding counties. During the campaign seasons, annual Knox influenza-associated ED visit rates declined relative to rates in Knox-surrounding counties: rate ratios 0.55 (95% CI: 0.27-0.83) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.56-0.84) for the first and second campaign seasons, respectively. Overall, there were about 35% or 4.86 per 1000 fewer influenza-associated ED visits among Knox County children aged 5-17 years attributable to the campaign. No significant declines in Knox compared to surrounding counties were detected for influenza associated ED visits in children aged <5 years, all adults combined or selected adult age subgroups, although power for these analyses was limited. Alternate rate-difference analyses yielded consistent results.Vaccination of approximately 45% of Knox school-aged children with influenza vaccine was associated with a 35% annual reduction (4.86 per 1000) in ED visit rates attributable to influenza. Higher vaccination coverage and/or larger studies would be needed to determine whether similar interventions have indirect benefits in other age groups
The effect of ω-fatty acids on mrna expression level of PPARγ in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma
Background: The antineoplastic role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) ligandshas previously been demonstrated in several gastric cancer cell lines. Activation of PPARγ by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) inhibits growth and proliferationof tumor cells. In this double-blind clinical study, we evaluate the effect of PUFAs on PPARγ mRNA expression in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods: A total of 34 chemotherapy-naive patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the present study. According to treatment strategies, all subjects were divided into two groups, the first group (17 individuals) received cisplatin without supplements and the second group (17 individuals) received cisplatin plus orally administered PUFAs supplements for 3 weeks. The gastric biopsy samples were obtained from all participants before and after treatment, and PPARγ mRNA expression levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction using validated reference genes. Results: Our findings revealed that PPARγ mRNA expression is significantly upregulated in group II afterreceiving cisplatin plus orally administered PUFAs supplements for three weeks (p < 0.0001), whereas PPARγ mRNA expression did not show significant alteration in group I after receiving cisplatin alone. Conclusion: The results of the study evidence that PPARγ may act as a potential target for the therapy of human gastric adenocarcinoma
Act now against new NHS competition regulations: an open letter to the BMA and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges calls on them to make a joint public statement of opposition to the amended section 75 regulations.
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NACA Research Memorandums
From Introduction: "This paper presents some recently obtained data on the aerodynamic characteristics of low-aspect-ratio wings at supersonic Mach numbers of 4.04 and 6.9 and discusses some new methods of predicting the lift and drag of such wings. Data on lifting wings in the Mach number range above 2.5 are not plentiful and most of the available data may be found in NACA RM L51D17, NACA RM L51D30, NACA RM L52D15a, NACA RM L52K19, NACA RM L53D03, and NACA RM L53D30a.
Recommended from our members
NACA Research Memorandums
Memorandum presenting some recently obtained data on the aerodynamic characteristics of low-aspect-ratio wings at supersonic Mach number of 4.04 and 6.9 and discusses some new methods of predicting the lift and drag of such wings. The plan forms, airfoil sections, and thickness ratios of the wings tested are provided
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