Alien Registration- Morris, Frank E. (Milo, Piscataquis County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/8458/thumbnail.jp

Toenail Selenium and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Men and Women

OBJECTIVE Compelling biological pathways suggest that selenium (Se) may lower onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but very few studies have evaluated this relationship, with mixed results. We examined the association between toenail Se and incidence of T2DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed prospective analyses in two separate U.S. cohorts, including 3,630 women and 3,535 men, who were free of prevalent T2DM and heart disease at baseline in 1982–1983 and 1986–1987, respectively. Toenail Se concentration was quantified using neutron activation analysis, and diabetes cases were identified by biennial questionnaires and confirmed by a detailed supplementary questionnaire. Hazard ratios of incident T2DM according to Se levels were calculated using Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS During 142,550 person-years of follow-up through 2008, 780 cases of incident T2DM occurred. After multivariable adjustment, the risk of T2DM was lower across increasing quintiles of Se, with pooled relative risks across the two cohorts of 1.0 (reference), 0.91 (95% CI 0.73–1.14), 0.78 (0.62–0.99), 0.72 (0.57–0.91), and 0.76 (0.60–0.97), respectively (P for trend = 0.01). Results were similar excluding the few individuals (4%) who used Se supplements. In semiparametric analyses, the inverse relationship between Se levels and T2DM risk appeared to be linear. CONCLUSIONS At dietary levels of intake, individuals with higher toenail Se levels are at lower risk for T2DM. Further research is required to determine whether varying results in this study versus prior trials relate to differences in dose, source, statistical power, residual confounding factors, or underlying population risk

The structure and function of complex networks

Inspired by empirical studies of networked systems such as the Internet, social networks, and biological networks, researchers have in recent years developed a variety of techniques and models to help us understand or predict the behavior of these systems. Here we review developments in this field, including such concepts as the small-world effect, degree distributions, clustering, network correlations, random graph models, models of network growth and preferential attachment, and dynamical processes taking place on networks.Comment: Review article, 58 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, 429 references, published in SIAM Review (2003

Exercise and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation for the Treatment of Hepatic Steatosis in Hyperphagic OLETF Rats

Background and Aims. This study examined if exercise and omega-3 fatty acid (n3PUFA) supplementation is an effective treatment for hepatic steatosis in obese, hyperphagic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Methods. Male OLETF rats were divided into 4 groups (n=8/group): (1) remained sedentary (SED), (2) access to running wheels; (EX) (3) a diet supplemented with 3% of energy from fish oil (n3PUFA-SED); and (4) n3PUFA supplementation plus EX (n3PUFA+EX). The 8 week treatments began at 13 weeks, when hepatic steatosis is present in OLETF-SED rats. Results. EX alone lowered hepatic triglyceride (TAG) while, in contrast, n3PUFAs failed to lower hepatic TAG and blunted the ability of EX to decrease hepatic TAG levels in n3PUFAs+EX. Insulin sensitivity was improved in EX animals, to a lesser extent in n3PUFA+EX rats, and did not differ between n3PUFA-SED and SED rats. Only the EX group displayed higher complete hepatic fatty acid oxidation (FAO) to CO2 and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 activity. EX also lowered hepatic fatty acid synthase protein while both EX and n3PUFA+EX decreased stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 protein. Conclusions. Exercise lowers hepatic steatosis through increased complete hepatic FAO, insulin sensitivity, and reduced expression of de novo fatty acid synthesis proteins while n3PUFAs had no effect

From Bipolar to Elliptical: Simulating the Morphological Evolution of Planetary Nebulae

The majority of Proto-planetary nebulae (PPN) are observed to have bipolar morphologies. The majority of mature PN are observed to have elliptical shapes. In this paper we address the evolution of PPN/PN morphologies attempting to understand if a transition from strongly bipolar to elliptical shape can be driven by changes in the parameters of the mass loss process. To this end we present 2.5D hydrodynamical simulations of mass loss at the end stages of stellar evolution for intermediate mass stars. We track changes in wind velocity, mass loss rate and mass loss geometry. In particular we focus on the transition from mass loss dominated by a short duration jet flow (driven during the PPN phase) to mass loss driven by a spherical fast wind (produced by the central star of the PN). We address how such changes in outflow characteristics can change the nebula from a bipolar to an elliptical morphology. Our results show that including a period of jet formation in the temporal sequence of PPN to PN produces realistic nebular synthetic emission geometries. More importantly such a sequence provides insight, in principle, into the apparent difference in morphology statistics characterizing PPN and PN systems. In particular we find that while jet driven PPN can be expected to be dominated by bipolar morphologies, systems that begin with a jet but are followed by a spherical fast wind will evolve into elliptical nebulae. Furthermore, we find that spherical nebulae are highly unlikely to ever derive from either bipolar PPN or elliptical PN.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRAS, 15 pages, 7 figure

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma renal injury grading scale: Implications of the 2018 revisions for injury reclassification and predicting bleeding interventions.

BackgroundIn 2018, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) published revisions to the renal injury grading system to reflect the increased reliance on computed tomography scans and non-operative management of high-grade renal trauma (HGRT). We aimed to evaluate how these revisions will change the grading of HGRT and if it outperforms the original 1989 grading in predicting bleeding control interventions.MethodsData on HGRT were collected from 14 Level-1 trauma centers from 2014 to 2017. Patients with initial computed tomography scans were included. Two radiologists reviewed the scans to regrade the injuries according to the 1989 and 2018 AAST grading systems. Descriptive statistics were used to assess grade reclassifications. Mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression was used to measure the predictive ability of each grading system. The areas under the curves were compared.ResultsOf the 322 injuries included, 27.0% were upgraded, 3.4% were downgraded, and 69.5% remained unchanged. Of the injuries graded as III or lower using the 1989 AAST, 33.5% were upgraded to grade IV using the 2018 AAST. Of the grade V injuries, 58.8% were downgraded using the 2018 AAST. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall areas under the curves between the 2018 and 1989 AAST grading system for predicting bleeding interventions (0.72 vs. 0.68, p = 0.34).ConclusionAbout one third of the injuries previously classified as grade III will be upgraded to grade IV using the 2018 AAST, which adds to the heterogeneity of grade IV injuries. Although the 2018 AAST grading provides more anatomic details on injury patterns and includes important radiologic findings, it did not outperform the 1989 AAST grading in predicting bleeding interventions.Level of evidencePrognostic and Epidemiological Study, level III