Asymmetrically severe internal auditory canal hypoplasia: A case report.

We present a case of an otherwise healthy 20-month-old with congenital sensorineural hearing loss. CT and MR imaging demonstrated bilateral asymmetrically severe hypoplasia of the internal auditory canals and vestibulocochlear nerves. Additional developmental inner ear anomalies were present in this patient, including unilateral semicircular canal hypoplasia and suspected bilateral cochlear hypoplasia. The patient retained normal facial nerve function bilaterally. We highlight the current research and understanding of congenital IAC abnormalities

Serum glucose concentration and lipid profile in racing horses

The aim of the present work was to evaluate serum glucose concentration and lipid profile in racing horses in Iraq. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of 92 clinically healthy racing horses (males and females, Arabian and Cross bred), 2-8 years old at Equestrian Club, Baghdad. Investigations included serum measurements of glucose (sg) and lipid profile parameters; total cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) and the atherogenic ratio (LDL-C/HDL-C), in order to register the normal ranges and mean values of these measured parameters in Iraqi healthy racing horses. Results showed that the range and mean values ± standard error of sg were: 33.3 – 6.71 mmol/l and 5.17±0.07 mmol/l, respectively, whereas the TC was 2.07 – 4.22 mmol/l and 3.01±0.05 mmol/l, TG 0.6 – 1.47 mmol/l and 1.06±0.02 mmol/l, HDL-C 0.93 – 2.25 mmol/l and 1.50±0.03 mmol/l, LDL-C 0.10 – 2.12 mmol/l and 0.91±0.04 mmol/l, VLDL-C 0.31 -0.67 mmol/l and 0.55±0.02 mmol/l, respectively and the atherogenic ratio 0.66±0.03. The data present reference values and mean ± SE for sg and lipid profile parameters in healthy racing horses in Baghdad

A low-temperature origin for the planetesimals that formed Jupiter

The four giant planets in the Solar System have abundances of 'metals' (elements heavier than helium), relative to hydrogen, that are much higher than observed in the Sun. In order to explain this, all models for the formation of these planets rely on an influx of solid planetesimals(17). It is generally assumed that these planetesimals were similar, if not identical, to the comets from the Oort cloud that we see today. Comets that formed in the region of the giant planets should not have contained much neon, argon and nitrogen, because the temperatures were too high for these volatile gases to be trapped effectively in ice. This means that the abundances of those elements on the giant planets should be approximately solar. Here we show that argon, krypton and xenon in Jupiter's atmosphere are enriched to the same extent as the other heavy elements, which suggests that the planetesimals carrying these elements must have formed at temperatures lower than predicted by present models of giant-planet formation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62913/1/402269a0.pd

A randomized controlled trial of the effects of a prudent diet on cardiovascular risk factors, gene expression, and DNA methylation - the Diet and Genetic Intervention (DIGEST) Pilot study

Background Risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be increased by single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 9p21 region of the genome. However, observational studies have shown that the deleterious effect of 9p21 SNPs on CVD might be offset by consuming a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. This association may be driven by diet-influenced modifications in epigenetic and gene expression profiles. In this pilot study, we aimed to: i. test the feasibility of provision of a ‘Prudent’ and ‘Western’ diet outside of a specialized clinic, ii. assess the impact of each diet on cardiovascular risk factors. Methods A single centre, parallel two-arm, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with food provision was conducted in a university teaching hospital outpatient clinic (McMaster university, Hamilton, ON, Canada). The aim was to recruit 80 participants, which allowed for a 10 % dropout. The actual study consisted of 84 apparently healthy participants (69 % women, 18 to 77 years) at low cardiovascular risk. Participants were randomly assigned to follow one of two weight-maintaining diets: ‘Prudent’ or ‘Western’ for 2-weeks. The Prudent diet provided 92 % of provided food consumed). The Prudent diet was 48 % more palatable than the Western diet (P < 0.05). Participants receiving the Prudent diet showed a trend toward reduced systolic (-4 mmHg; P = 0.10) and diastolic (-3 mmHg; P = 0.07) blood pressure, and total cholesterol (-0.24 mmol/L; P = 0.08), compared to individuals receiving the Western diet. Data collection from all randomized participants was completed within 18 months. Conclusions Recruitment, and retention of apparently healthy, normotensive adults into a feeding study for a 2-week duration is feasible outside of specialized dietary clinic, and modest diet-related changes in biomarkers begin to appear after two weeks

Regulatory Developments in Structural Keel Design:A Revised ISO 12215-9

The design of yacht keel structures is governed by the ISO 12215-9:2012, which is concerned with the loads and scantlings of monohull sailing craft appendages up to 24 m hull length. However, the significant advances in sailing yacht performance, appendages design, materials and manufacturing of the past decade now warrant a revision of this crucial international standard. Consequently, this paper presents the technical background and impending developments in regulatory yacht keel structures. The proposed revisions include (i) a new load case for lateral impact; (ii) compulsory and more stringent fatigue assessment; (iii) enhanced structural arrangements for bolts and backing plates; and (iv) informative guidelines regarding keel installation procedures. This is the first public introduction of the current developments inherent to the forthcoming ISO 12215-9:2025, which aims to support the design and manufacturing of safe and reliable keel structures for sailing yachts. Furthermore, it is envisaged this work may contribute to the development of future guidelines and regulations for the structural design of hydrofoils and internal supporting structure

Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer experiment

The Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer (GPMS) is a Probe instrument designed to measure the chemical and isotopic composition including vertical variations of the constituents in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The measurement will be performed by in situ sampling of the ambient atmosphere in the pressure range from approximately 150 mbar to 20 bar. In addition batch sampling will be performed for noble gas composition measurement and isotopic ratio determination and for sensitivity enhancement of non-reactive trace gases.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43775/1/11214_2004_Article_BF00216852.pd

Meeting Report: WHO Workshop on modelling global mortality and aetiology estimates of enteric pathogens in children under five. Cape Town, 28-29th November 2018.

Investment in vaccine product development should be guided by up-to-date and transparent global burden of disease estimates, which are also fundamental to policy recommendation and vaccine introduction decisions. For low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), vaccine prioritization is primarily driven by the number of deaths caused by different pathogens. Enteric diseases are known to be a major cause of death in LMICs. The two main modelling groups providing mortality estimates for enteric diseases are the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Seattle and the Maternal Child Epidemiology Estimation (MCEE) group, led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Whilst previous global diarrhoea mortality estimates for under five-year-olds from these two groups were closely aligned, more recent estimates for 2016 have diverged, particularly with respect to numbers of deaths attributable to different enteric pathogens. This has impacted prioritization and investment decisions for vaccines in the development pipeline. The mission of the Product Development for Vaccines Advisory Committee (PDVAC) at the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to accelerate product development of vaccines and technologies that are urgently needed and ensure they are appropriately targeted for use in LMICs. At their 2018 meeting, PDVAC recommended the formation of an independent working group of subject matter experts to explore the reasons for the difference between the IHME and MCEE estimates, and to assess the respective strengths and limitations of the estimation approaches adopted, including a review of the data on which the estimates are based. Here, we report on the proceedings and recommendations from a consultation with the working group of experts, the IHME and MCEE modelling groups, and other key stakeholders. We briefly review the methodological approaches of both groups and provide a series of proposals for investigating the drivers for the differences in enteric disease burden estimates

Effect of heating rate on recrystallization of twin roll cast aluminum

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions a-Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science, 39A(1): pp. 165-170.The effect of heating rate on precipitation and recrystallization behavior in twin roll cast (TRC) AA3105 has been investigated by three different means: conventional air furnace, controlled infrared, and lead bath heating. Experimental results showed that as-recrystallized grain size decreased and became more equiaxed as the annealing heating rate increased. These results were explained via time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curves for both dispersoid precipitation and recrystallization. With the faster heating rate, recrystallization could occur before precipitation of Mn present in the unhomogenized TRC samples. At a heating rate of 50 degree C/s the material underwent grain growth after recrystallization at 500 degree C. No sign of grain growth was observed in materials annealed with lower heating rates, 3 degrees C/s, 0.5 degree C/s, and 0.01 degree C/s due to greater dispersoid precipitation

Healthcare systems data in the context of clinical trials - A comparison of cardiovascular data from a clinical trial dataset with routinely collected data

BACKGROUND: Routinely-collected healthcare systems data (HSD) are proposed to improve the efficiency of clinical trials. A comparison was undertaken between cardiovascular (CVS) data from a clinical trial database with two HSD resources. METHODS: Protocol-defined and clinically reviewed CVS events (heart failure (HF), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), thromboembolic stroke, venous and arterial thromboembolism) were identified within the trial data. Data (using pre-specified codes) was obtained from NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) HF and myocardial ischaemia audits for trial participants recruited in England between 2010 and 2018 who had provided consent. The primary comparison was trial data versus HES inpatient (APC) main diagnosis (Box-1). Correlations are presented with descriptive statistics and Venn diagrams. Reasons for non-correlation were explored. RESULTS: From 1200 eligible participants, 71 protocol-defined clinically reviewed CVS events were recorded in the trial database. 45 resulted in a hospital admission and therefore could have been recorded by either HES APC/ NICOR. Of these, 27/45 (60%) were recorded by HES inpatient (Box-1) with an additional 30 potential events also identified. HF and ACS were potentially recorded in all 3 datasets; trial data recorded 18, HES APC 29 and NICOR 24 events respectively. 12/18 (67%) of the HF/ACS events in the trial dataset were recorded by NICOR. CONCLUSION: Concordance between datasets was lower than anticipated and the HSD used could not straightforwardly replace current trial practices, nor directly identify protocol-defined CVS events. Further work is required to improve the quality of HSD and consider event definitions when designing clinical trials incorporating HSD

The abundances of constituents of Titan's atmosphere from the GCMS instrument on the Huygens probe

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, remains an enigma, explored only by remote sensing from Earth, and by the Voyager and Cassini spacecraft. The most puzzling aspects include the origin of the molecular nitrogen and methane in its atmosphere, and the mechanism(s) by which methane is maintained in the face of rapid destruction by photolysis. The Huygens probe, launched from the Cassini spacecraft, has made the first direct observations of the satellite's surface and lower atmosphere. Here we report direct atmospheric measurements from the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS), including altitude profiles of the constituents, isotopic ratios and trace species ( including organic compounds). The primary constituents were confirmed to be nitrogen and methane. Noble gases other than argon were not detected. The argon includes primordial Ar-36, and the radiogenic isotope Ar-40, providing an important constraint on the outgassing history of Titan. Trace organic species, including cyanogen and ethane, were found in surface measurements.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62703/1/nature04122.pd