A Comparison of the Band and Orchestral Programs in the High Schools of Utah

In the schools of Utah, as elsewhere in the nation, a situation has arisen which is of vital importance to the continuance of orchestral music. We find, on the basis of casual observation, that the string instruments are not being taught on an equal basis with the band instruments. It is generally assumed that band and orchestra instruction are equally desirable in an instrumental program. Unfortunately, many school authorities are not aware of the necessity of such equal opportunities for school children and as a result we may find string music relegated to an insecure position in our educational system

Orientation to the sun by animals and its interaction with crypsis

1. Orientation with respect to the sun has been observed in a wide range of species and hasgenerally been interpreted in terms of thermoregulation and/or ultraviolet (UV) protection. For countershaded animals, orientation with respect to the sun may also result from the pres-sure to exploit the gradient of coloration optimally to enhance crypsis.2. Here, we use computational modelling to predict the optimal countershading pattern for anoriented body. We assess how camouflage performance declines as orientation varies using acomputational model that incorporates realistic lighting environments.3. Once an optimal countershading pattern for crypsis has been chosen, we determineseparately how UV protection/irradiation and solar thermal inflow fluctuate with orientation.4. We show that body orientations that could optimally use countershading to enhance crypsisare very similar to those that allow optimal solar heat inflow and UV protection.5. Our findings suggest that crypsis has been overlooked as a selective pressure on orientationand that new experiments should be designed to tease apart the respective roles of these different selective pressures. We propose potential experiments that could achieve this

Exercise stress testing in patients with type 2 diabetes: when are asymptomatic patients screened?

W światowym piśmiennictwie nie istnieją wytyczne oparte na dowodach naukowych, które sugerowałyby wykonywanie badań przesiewowych w kierunku choroby wieńcowej (CAD) u chorych na cukrzycę bez objawów choroby niedokrwiennej. Jedynym dobrze zbadanym „narzędziem”, które można użyć w ramach badań przesiewowych, jest próba wysiłkowa. U wielu chorych na cukrzycę, u których jeszcze nie wystąpiły objawy choroby wieńcowej, stwierdza się nieprawidłowy wynik próby wysiłkowej. W grupie chorych bez objawów identyfikacja sercowo- naczyniowych czynników ryzyka może pomóc lekarzom w uzasadnieniu wykonania próby wysiłkowej. Pacjentów rozważających podjęcie umiarkowanej lub większej aktywności fizycznej oraz chorych z grupy najwyższego ryzyka można poddać próbie wysiłkowej i, jeśli będzie to konieczne, skierować ich do dalszej diagnostyki. Dla pacjentów z obniżoną wydolnością fizyczną, u których niemożliwe jest osiągnięcie pożądanego limitu tętna lub w trakcie próby nie występuje ból dławicowy, lepszym rozwiązaniem niż wysiłkowe EKG będzie przeprowadzenie próby obciążeniowej z zastosowaniem technik obrazowania nuklearnego.There are no evidence-based guidelines for screening asymptomatic diabetic patients for coronary artery disease (CAD). One well-studied screening tool is exercise treadmill testing. Many diabetic patients with no symptoms of CAD have abnormal stress tests. For asymptomatic patients, identification of cardiovascular risk factors and risk stratification may help physicians justify the performance of treadmill evaluation. Patients considering moderate or vigorous exercise and those at highest risk can undergo exercise stress testing with referral for further evaluation as indicated. For patients with decreased exercise capacity, inability to reach target heart rates, or absence of chest pain during exercise, stress nuclear imaging may be more valuable than exercise electrocardiograph testing

A Study of RO5217790 (HPV Targeted Immunotherapy) in Patients With High Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Associated With High Risk HPV Infection

Comparative Medicine - OneHealth and Comparative Medicine Poster SessionThis is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group multicenter study in women with biopsy confirmed Grade 2 or Grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Two hundred patients will be enrolled and randomized in a 2: 1 ratio of RO5217790: placebo. They will be stratified on the basis of their HPV genotyping with stratum 1 consisting of those women with HPV 16 single infection and stratum 2 consisting of those with single or multiple infections with other high risk genotypes. Three injections of RO5217790 (5 x 107pfu) will be administered subcutaneously, each one week apart. Interim colposcopy, cytology and HPV assessments will be performed at Month 3. All patients will undergo conization at Month 6. The primary endpoint is histologic response at Month 6 in HPV 16 single infected patients, as assessed by central pathology review. The secondary endpoints include histologic response in all CIN2/3 patients enrolled regardless of genotype, viral clearance, safety, and immune response (cellular and humoral). After the Month 6 conization, the study will be unblinded and patients will undergo follow-up for an additional 2 years for efficacy and safety. This includes visits at Months 12, 18, 24 and 30 to assess histologic relapse/recurrence and viral re-infection as well as reporting of any serious adverse events. An interim analysis will be conducted when a minimum of 80 patients (at least 20 of whom have single infection with HPV 16 and 20 of whom have infection with HPV 16 plus HPV 16 related genotypes) have undergone conization. NCT0102234

DNA methylation-associated colonic mucosal immune and defense responses in treatment-naïve pediatric ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are emerging globally, indicating that environmental factors may be important in their pathogenesis. Colonic mucosal epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, can occur in response to the environment and have been implicated in IBD pathology. However, mucosal DNA methylation has not been examined in treatment-naïve patients. We studied DNA methylation in untreated, left sided colonic biopsy specimens using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. We analyzed 22 control (C) patients, 15 untreated Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and 9 untreated ulcerative colitis (UC) patients from two cohorts. Samples obtained at the time of clinical remission from two of the treatment-naïve UC patients were also included into the analysis. UC-specific gene expression was interrogated in a subset of adjacent samples (5 C and 5 UC) using the Affymetrix GeneChip PrimeView Human Gene Expression Arrays. Only treatment-naïve UC separated from control. One-hundred-and-twenty genes with significant expression change in UC (> 2-fold, P < 0.05) were associated with differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Epigenetically associated gene expression changes (including gene expression changes in the IFITM1, ITGB2, S100A9, SLPI, SAA1, and STAT3 genes) were linked to colonic mucosal immune and defense responses. These findings underscore the relationship between epigenetic changes and inflammation in pediatric treatment-naïve UC and may have potential etiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic relevance for IBD

Ultra-Slow Light and Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Effects in a Coherently Driven Hot Atomic Gas

We report the observation of small group velocities of order 90 meters per second, and large group delays of greater than 0.26 ms, in an optically dense hot rubidium gas (~360 K). Media of this kind yield strong nonlinear interactions between very weak optical fields, and very sharp spectral features. The result is in agreement with previous studies on nonlinear spectroscopy of dense coherent media

Three-dimensional camouflage:exploiting photons to conceal form

Many animals have a gradation of body color, termed “countershading,” where the areas that are typically exposed to more light are darker. One hypothesis is that this patterning enhances visual camouflage by making the retinal image of the animal match that of the background, a fundamentally two-dimensional theory. More controversially, countershading may also obliterate cues to three-dimensional (3D) shape delivered by shading. Despite relying on distinct cognitive mechanisms, these two potential functions hitherto have been amalgamated in the literature. It has previously not been possible to validate either hypothesis empirically, because there has been no general theory of optimal countershading that allows quantitative predictions to be made about the many environmental parameters involved. Here we unpack the logical distinction between using countershading for background matching and using it to obliterate 3D shape. We use computational modeling to determine the optimal coloration for the camouflage of 3D shape. Our model of 3D concealment is derived from the physics of light and informed by perceptual psychology: we simulate a 3D world that incorporates naturalistic lighting environments. The model allows us to predict countershading coloration for terrestrial environments, for any body shape and a wide range of ecologically relevant parameters. The approach can be generalized to any light distribution, including those underwater