The physical implications of an isothermal model for the hot intracluster medium

X-ray fluxes from HEAO-1 A2 and Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) observations of clusters of galaxies were used to constrain the parameter beta in the isothermal surface brightness profile. Beta is found primarily to have values between .50 and .75 for 15 clusters. Eight of these objects have values of beta previously measured using imaging observations. For these clusters good agreement is found with the values reported here implying that this profile is a good description of the surface brightness out to 8 to 10 core radii. The total gas mass and radial distribution (assuming spherical symmetry) within the cluster resulting from the isothermal model imply an extended halo of hot gas which has 30 to 60% of the virial mass for some clusters

Descartes, the Cogito, and the Mind-Body Problem in the Context of Modern Neuroscience

Thesis advisor: Marilee OgrenThe suggestion of a mind-brain duality that emerges out of Descartes’ cogito argument is assessed in the context of twenty-first century neuroscience. The Cartesian texts are explored in order to qualify the extent to which the cogito necessitates such dualism and the functions that Descartes attributes to a non-corporeal soul are precisely defined. The relationship between the mind and brain is explored in the context of a number neuroscientific phenomena, including sensory perception, blindsight, amusia, phantom limb syndrome, frontal lobe lesions, and the neurodevelopmental disorder Williams syndrome, with an attempt to illuminate the physiological basis for each. Juxtaposing the two perspectives, the author concludes that Descartes hypothesis of a disembodied soul is no longer necessary and that a purely physiological understanding of the human mind is now possible, and that there is an underlying affinity between this assertion and Descartes theory of mind.Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2009.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program.Discipline: Psychology

Workshop report: Workshop on psychiatric prescribing and psychology testing and intervention in children and adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

This workshop aimed at summarising knowledge and key issues in psychiatric prescribing and psychological testing in children and adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). It comprised clinicians and patient representatives from the UK and the Netherlands. The following topics were discussed: a model for capturing the range of non-motor problems in the domains of cognition, learning, emotion and behaviour; psychosocial screening tools for use with children and adults; assessing neurocognitive functioning in children and adults; parent and teacher perspectives on psychosocial needs; and psychopharmacological treatment for affective disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and insomnia. Some key considerations included: the need for tools used to assess behavioural and psychosocial functioning to consider motor aspects in DMD; to understand more about working memory performance; the need for early interventions for automatisation problems, which affect reading and arithmetic; appropriate selection of tests for neuropsychology assessments; in schools, acknowledging the range of psychosocial risks and gathering evidence of psychosocial needs; the suitability of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for mood and anxiety disorders; the use of stimulant medications for ADHD; melatonin use for insomnia; the cautious use of benzodiazepines; and the need for improving pathways for psychosocial care

Implementation conditions for diet and physical activity interventions and policies : an umbrella review

BACKGROUND: This umbrella review aimed at identifying evidence-based conditions important for successful implementation of interventions and policies promoting a healthy diet, physical activity (PA), and a reduction in sedentary behaviors (SB). In particular, we examined if the implementation conditions identified were intervention-specific or policy-specific. This study was undertaken as part of the DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub, a joint action as part of the European Joint Programming Initiative a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life. METHODS: A systematic review of reviews and stakeholder documents was conducted. Data from nine scientific literature databases were analyzed (95 documents met the inclusion criteria). Additionally, published documentation of eight major stakeholders (e.g., World Health Organization) were systematically searched (17 documents met the inclusion criteria). The RE-AIM framework was used to categorize elicited conditions. Across the implementation conditions 25 % were identified in at least four documents and were subsequently classified as having obtained sufficient support. RESULTS: We identified 312 potential conditions relevant for successful implementation; 83 of these received sufficient support. Using the RE-AIM framework eight implementation conditions that obtained support referred to the reach in the target population; five addressed efficacy of implementation processes; 24 concerned adoption by the target staff, setting, or institutions; 43 referred to consistency, costs, and adaptations made in the implementation process; three addressed maintenance of effects over time. The vast majority of implementation conditions (87.9 %; 73 of 83) were supported by documents referring to both interventions and policies. There were seven policy-specific implementation conditions, which focused on increasing complexities of coexisting policies/legal instruments and their consequences for implementation, as well as politicians' collaboration in implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the proposed list of 83 conditions for successful implementation may enhance the implementation of interventions and policies which pursue identification of the most successful actions aimed at improving diet, PA and reducing SB

Noise2Filter: fast, self-supervised learning and real-time reconstruction for 3D Computed Tomography

At X-ray beamlines of synchrotron light sources, the achievable time-resolution for 3D tomographic imaging of the interior of an object has been reduced to a fraction of a second, enabling rapidly changing structures to be examined. The associated data acquisition rates require sizable computational resources for reconstruction. Therefore, full 3D reconstruction of the object is usually performed after the scan has completed. Quasi-3D reconstruction -- where several interactive 2D slices are computed instead of a 3D volume -- has been shown to be significantly more efficient, and can enable the real-time reconstruction and visualization of the interior. However, quasi-3D reconstruction relies on filtered backprojection type algorithms, which are typically sensitive to measurement noise. To overcome this issue, we propose Noise2Filter, a learned filter method that can be trained using only the measured data, and does not require any additional training data. This method combines quasi-3D reconstruction, learned filters, and self-supervised learning to derive a tomographic reconstruction method that can be trained in under a minute and evaluated in real-time. We show limited loss of accuracy compared to training with additional training data, and improved accuracy compared to standard filter-based methods

Outcomes in elderly Danish citizens admitted with community-acquired pneumonia. Regional differencties, in a public healthcare system

SummaryObjectivesTo evaluate regional differences in and risk factors for admission, length of stay, mortality, and readmission for community-acquired pneumonia in elderly Danish patients.MethodsNational registry study on elderly Danish citizens with an acute admission in 2009 owing to community-acquired pneumonia. We studied differences among hospitals in length of stay, in-hospital mortality, mortality within 30 days of discharge, and readmission within 30 days after discharge using Cox regression models with adjustments for age, sex, ventilatory support, and co-morbidity by Charlson's index score.ResultsA total of 11,332 elderly citizens were admitted with community-acquired pneumonia. Mortality during admission and 30-days from discharge were 11.6% and 16.2%, respectively. Readmission rates within 30 days of discharge were 12.3%. There were significantly differences between hospitals in length of stay. A high Charlson index score and advanced age were significantly risk factors for death during admission and within 30 days of discharge. Male sex and high Charlson index score were significant risk factors for readmission. Admission to large bed capacity hospital was a significant risk factor for death and readmission within 30 days of discharge.ConclusionsLength of stay, rate of admission, mortality and readmission in elderly Danish patients with community-acquired pneumonia follows international findings. There are regional differences between hospitals. In depth investigation in regional differences could reveal potential feasible clinical interventions with an improvement of readmission-, mortality rates and cost

Point-of-care measurement of blood lactate in children admitted with febrile illness to an African District Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Lactic acidosis is a consistent predictor of mortality owing to severe infectious disease, but its detection in low-income settings is limited to the clinical sign of "deep breathing" because of the lack of accessible technology for its measurement. We evaluated the use of a point-of-care (POC) diagnostic device for blood lactate measurement to assess the severity of illness in children admitted to a district hospital in Tanzania. METHODS: Children between the ages of 2 months and 13 years with a history of fever were enrolled in the study during a period of 1 year. A full clinical history and examination were undertaken, and blood was collected for culture, microscopy, complete blood cell count, and POC measurement of blood lactate and glucose. RESULTS: The study included 3248 children, of whom 164 (5.0%) died; 45 (27.4%) of these had raised levels of blood lactate (>5 mmol/L) but no deep breathing. Compared with mortality in children with lactate levels of ≤ 3 mmol/L, the unadjusted odds of dying were 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI].8-3.0), 3.4 (95% CI, 1.5-7.5), and 8.9 (95% CI, 4.7-16.8) in children with blood lactate levels of 3.1-5.0, 5.1-8.0, or >8.0 mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of raised lactate levels (>5 mmol/L) was greater in children with malaria than in children with nonmalarial febrile illness (P < .001) although the associated mortality was greater in slide-negative children. CONCLUSIONS: POC lactate measurement can contribute to the assessment of children admitted to hospital with febrile illness and can also create an opportunity for more hospitals in resource-poor settings to participate in clinical trials of interventions to reduce mortality associated with hyperlactatemia