Veterinary practitioners’ selection of diagnostic tests for the primary evaluation of colic in the horse

The aim of this study was to survey veterinary practitioners’ selection of diagnostic tests for horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain. A questionnaire was distributed to veterinary surgeons involved in the primary evaluation of horses with abdominal pain, including the respondent's demographics, selection of diagnostic tests and factors affecting decision-making. Data analysis included descriptive analysis, categorisation of free text and simple univariable correlations to explore the relationships between independent variables and the relative self-estimated frequency that diagnostic tests were performed. A total of 228 responses were analysed. Participants worked in mixed practice (55.7 per cent), first opinion equine (22.8 per cent), first and second opinion equine (17.9 per cent) and referral practice (3.1 per cent). The majority (48.2 per cent, 105/218) were very confident managing a colic case (confidence level 4/5). The most frequently used diagnostic tests were ‘response to analgesia’ (87.2±24.0 per cent cases), rectal examination (75.9±21.2 per cent) and nasogastric intubation (43.8±27.6 per cent). Approach varied between practitioners, and for all diagnostic tests with frequency of use ranging from 0 to 100 per cent of cases. ‘Risk to personal safety’ was the most common reason for not using rectal examination. Practitioner's opinion of their confidence level in managing a colic case was associated with how frequently they used different diagnostic tests. There was marked variation in practitioners’ approaches, highlighting the need for further evidence to support decision-making

High-altitude gravity waves in the Martian thermosphere observed by MAVEN/NGIMS and modeled by a gravity wave scheme

First high-altitude observations of gravity wave (GW)-induced CO$_2$ density perturbations in the Martian thermosphere retrieved from NASA's NGIMS instrument on board the MAVEN satellite are presented and interpreted using the extended GW parameterization of Yi\u{g}it et al. [2008] and the Mars Climate Database as an input. Observed relative density perturbations between 180-220 km of 20-40 % demonstrate appreciable local time, latitude, and altitude variations. Modeling for the spatiotemporal conditions of the MAVEN observations suggests that GWs can directly propagate from the lower atmosphere to the thermosphere, produce appreciable dynamical effects, and likely contribute to the observed fluctuations. Modeled effects are somewhat smaller than the observed but their highly variable nature is in qualitative agreement with observations. Possible reasons for discrepancies between modeling and measurements are discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL). Special section: First Results from the MAVEN Mission to Mar

A novel method for comparing radiation dose and image quality, between and within different X-ray units in a series of hospitals

Objectives: To develop a novel method for comparing radiation dose and image quality (IQ) to evaluate adult chest X-ray (CXR) imaging among several hospitals. Methods: CDRAD 2.0 phantom was used to acquire images in eight hospitals (17 digital X-ray units) using local adult CXR protocols. IQ was represented by image quality figure inverse (IQFinv), measured using CDRAD analyser software. Signal to noise ratio (SNR), contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and conspicuity index (CI) were calculated as additional measures of IQ. Incident air kerma (IAK) was calculated using a solid-state dosimeter for each acquisition. Figure of merit (FOM) was calculated to provide a single estimation of IQ and radiation dose. Results: IQ, radiation dose and FOM varied considerably between hospitals and X-ray units. For IQFinv, the mean (range) between and within the hospitals were 1.42 (0.83-2.18) and 1.87 (1.52-2.18), respectively. For IAK, the mean (range) between and within the hospitals were 93.56 (17.26 to 239.15) µGy and 180.85 (122.58-239.15) µGy, respectively. For FOM, the mean (range) between and within hospitals were 0.05 (0.01 to 0.14) and 0.03 (0.02-0.05), respectively. Conclusions: The suggested method for comparing IQ and dose using FOM concept along with the new proposed FOM, is a valid, reliable and effective approach for monitoring and comparing IQ and dose between and within hospitals. It is also can be beneficial for the optimisation of X-ray units in clinical practice. Further optimisation for the hospitals /X-ray units with low FOM are required to minimise radiation dose without degrading IQ

Dynamics of gene expression and the regulatory inference problem

From the response to external stimuli to cell division and death, the dynamics of living cells is based on the expression of specific genes at specific times. The decision when to express a gene is implemented by the binding and unbinding of transcription factor molecules to regulatory DNA. Here, we construct stochastic models of gene expression dynamics and test them on experimental time-series data of messenger-RNA concentrations. The models are used to infer biophysical parameters of gene transcription, including the statistics of transcription factor-DNA binding and the target genes controlled by a given transcription factor.Comment: revised version to appear in Europhys. Lett., new titl

Reviewing research evidence and the case of participation in sport and physical recreation by black and minority ethnic communities

The paper addresses the implications of using the process of systematic review in the many areas of leisure where there is a dearth of material that would be admitted into conventional Cochrane Reviews. This raises important questions about what constitutes legitimate knowledge, questions that are of critical import not just to leisure scholars, but to the formulation of policy. The search for certainty in an area that lacks conceptual consensus results in an epistemological imperialism that takes a geocentric form. While clearly, there is a need for good research design whatever the style of research, we contend that the wholesale rejection of insightful research is profligate and foolhardy. A mechanism has to be found to capitalise on good quality research of whatever form. In that search, we draw upon our experience of conducting a review of the material available on participation in sport and physical recreation by people from Black and minority ethnic groups. The paper concludes with a proposal for a more productive review process that makes better use of the full panoply of good quality research available. © 2012 © 2012 Taylor & Francis

From Navas to Kaltoft: The European Court of Justice’s evolving definition of disability and the implications for HIV-positive individuals

This article will examine the definition of disability developed by the European Court of Justice for the purposes of the Employment Equality Directive and examine whether it is sufficient for the purpose of bringing People Living with HIV/AIDS within its scope. The article will argue that in order to adequately protect People Living with HIV/AIDS within the EU from discrimination, the European Court of Justice needs to ensure that a coherent EU wide definition of disability, based fully upon the social model of disability, is adopted. This is necessary in order to ensure adequate protection not only for People Living with HIV/AIDS but for all individuals with disabilities from discrimination throughout the EU. In addition to this central argument, this paper will argue that the lack of a coherent definition of disability grounded in the social model fragments protection for People Living with HIV/AIDS across the EU leading to a number of possible unintended consequences

Charge, hydrophobicity, and confined water: putting past simulations into a simple theoretical framework 1

Abstract: Water permeates all life, and mediates forces that are essential to the process of macromolecular self-assembly. Predicting these forces in a given biological context is challenging, since water organizes itself differently next to charged and hydrophobic surfaces, both of which are typically at play on the nanoscale in vivo. In this work, we present a simple statistical mechanical model for the forces water mediates between different confining surfaces, and demonstrate that the model qualitatively unifies a wide range of phenomena known in the simulation literature, including several cases of protein folding under confinement. Key words: confinement, protein folding, water, hydrophobic effect, Potts model. Résumé : L'eau baigne toute vie et sert d'intermédiaire aux forces essentielles au processus d'autoassemblage macromoléculaire. C'est un véritable défi que de prédire ces forces dans un contexte biologique donné car l'eau s'organise diffé-remment à proximité de surfaces chargées et hydrophobes, les deux étant typiquement sollicitées à l'échelle nanométrique in vivo. Dans ce travail, nous présentons un modèle statistique mécanique simple des forces réglées par l'intermédiaire de l'eau entre différentes surfaces de confinement, et nous démontrons que le modèle unifie quantitativement un vaste spectre de phénomènes connus dans la littérature sur la simulation, y compris plusieurs cas de repliement des protéines en condition de confinement

Activation of PKA via asymmetric allosteric coupling of structurally conserved cyclic nucleotide binding domains

Cyclic nucleotide-binding (CNB) domains allosterically regulate the activity of proteins with diverse functions, but the mechanisms that enable the cyclic nucleotide-binding signal to regulate distant domains are not well understood. Here we use optical tweezers and molecular dynamics to dissect changes in folding energy landscape associated with cAMP-binding signals transduced between the two CNB domains of protein kinase A (PKA). We find that the response of the energy landscape upon cAMP binding is domain specific, resulting in unique but mutually coordinated tasks: one CNB domain initiates cAMP binding and cooperativity, whereas the other triggers inter-domain interactions that promote the active conformation. Inter-domain interactions occur in a stepwise manner, beginning in intermediate-liganded states between apo and cAMP-bound domains. Moreover, we identify a cAMP-responsive switch, the N3A motif, whose conformation and stability depend on cAMP occupancy. This switch serves as a signaling hub, amplifying cAMP-binding signals during PKA activation