Time dependent ethnic convergence in colorectal cancer survival in hawaii

BACKGROUND: Although colorectal cancer death rates have been declining, this trend is not consistent across all ethnic groups. Biological, environmental, behavioral and socioeconomic explanations exist, but the reason for this discrepancy remains inconclusive. We examined the hypothesis that improved cancer screening across all ethnic groups will reduce ethnic differences in colorectal cancer survival. METHODS: Through the Hawaii Tumor Registry 16,424 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were identified during the years 1960–2000. Cox regression analyses were performed for each of three cohorts stratified by ethnicity (Caucasian, Japanese, Hawaiian, Filipino, and Chinese). The models included stage of diagnosis, year of diagnosis, age, and sex as predictors of survival. RESULTS: Mortality rates improved significantly for all ethnic groups. Moreover, with the exception of Hawaiians, rates for all ethnic groups converged over time. Persistently lower survival for Hawaiians appeared linked with more cancer treatment. CONCLUSION: Ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer mortality rates appear primarily the result of differential utilization of health care. If modern screening procedures can be provided equally to all ethnic groups, ethnic outcome differences can be virtually eliminated

The influence of P-glycoprotein expression and its inhibitors on the distribution of doxorubicin in breast tumors

Abstract Background Anti-cancer drugs access solid tumors via blood vessels, and must penetrate tumor tissue to reach all cancer cells. Previous studies have demonstrated steep gradients of decreasing doxorubicin fluorescence with increasing distance from blood vessels, such that many tumor cells are not exposed to drug. Studies using multilayered cell cultures show that increased P-glycoprotein (PgP) is associated with better penetration of doxorubicin, while PgP inhibitors decrease drug penetration in tumor tissue. Here we evaluate the effect of PgP expression on doxorubicin distribution in vivo. Methods Mice bearing tumor sublines with either high or low expression of PgP were treated with doxorubicin, with or without pre-treatment with the PgP inhibitors verapamil or PSC 833. The distribution of doxorubicin in relation to tumor blood vessels was quantified using immunofluorescence. Results Our results indicate greater uptake of doxorubicin by cells near blood vessels in wild type as compared to PgP-overexpressing tumors, and pre-treatment with verapamil or PSC 833 increased uptake in PgP-overexpressing tumors. However, there were steeper gradients of decreasing doxorubicin fluorescence in wild-type tumors compared to PgP overexpressing tumors, and treatment of PgP overexpressing tumors with PgP inhibitors led to steeper gradients and greater heterogeneity in the distribution of doxorubicin. Conclusion PgP inhibitors increase uptake of doxorubicin in cells close to blood vessels, have little effect on drug uptake into cells at intermediate distances, and might have a paradoxical effect to decrease doxorubicin uptake into distal cells. This effect probably contributes to the limited success of PgP inhibitors in clinical trials

A global phylogeny of butterflies reveals their evolutionary history, ancestral hosts and biogeographic origins

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have evolved with plants and dispersed throughout the world in response to key geological events. However, these hypotheses have not been extensively tested because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets for butterfly larval hosts and global distributions are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species, sampled from 90 countries and 28 specimen collections, to reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all genera. Our phylogeny has strong support for nearly all nodes and demonstrates that at least 36 butterfly tribes require reclassification. Divergence time analyses imply an origin similar to 100 million years ago for butterflies and indicate that all but one family were present before the K/Pg extinction event. We aggregated larval host datasets and global distribution records and found that butterflies are likely to have first fed on Fabaceae and originated in what is now the Americas. Soon after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, butterflies crossed Beringia and diversified in the Palaeotropics. Our results also reveal that most butterfly species are specialists that feed on only one larval host plant family. However, generalist butterflies that consume two or more plant families usually feed on closely related plants

Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Quantify the Relationship Between Changes in Land Cover And Surface Urban Heat Island

The World’s global urban population is expected to increase by an additional three (3) billion people by the year 2050. As urban areas expand to accommodate the growing demand for impervious infrastructure resulting land cover changes drive changes in ambient environmental conditions. This expansion in urban area creates an urban heat island effect (UHI), a general term used to describe the relative difference in surface temperatures between urban and non-urban areas. The purpose of this study was to quantify the relationship between changes in land cover and change in surface temperature. Information derived from this project is needed to inform land managers and policy makers of the impact of land cover change on local environmental conditions and, potentially, how these issues may be mitigated. We utilized a geographic information systems (GIS) based approach to assess and ultimately quantify the spatial relationship between MODIS derived surface heat data and National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) land classification data for central Kentucky. It is hypothesized that increases in total area of impervious developments per given unit of observation are correlated with increases in mean land surface temperatures. Preliminary results suggested that the mean land surface temperature of a given observation increased as the total portion of land cover impervious increased. Mean land surface temperatures were found to be positively and significantly correlated to increases in impervious land cover. It was concluded that increased impervious land cover was a dominant driver of increased surface temperatures in this study area

Soil Management and Microclimate Effects on Ecosystem Evapotranspiration of Winter Wheat–Soybean Cropping in Northern Alabama

Nearly all the current winter wheat–soybean cropping systems occurring in the southeastern United States (SE) region are rainfed, as such, precipitation (P) underpins energy partitioning. We investigated, using the eddy covariance technique, the seasonal and interannual variability and rate and trend of energy partitioning, i.e., sensible and evapotranspiration (ET), for rainfed soybean and winter wheat cover cropping at Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station (WTARS) in Hazel Green, Alabama. Yearlong cumulative ET of 493, 743, and 746 mm during 2007, 2008, and 2009 relative to cumulative precipitation of 567, 1280, and 1356 mm y−1 resulted in a higher mean ET/P ratio of 0.87, in 2007, medium 0.58 in 2008, and lowest 0.55 in 2009. Mean daily ET for the cover crop and soybean ranged between 1.70 and 2.44 mm d−1 and 1.82 to 2.83 mm d−1, respectively. Overall, our findings suggest total and seasonal precipitation distribution were major controlling factors in the partitioning of the energy and water budgets. This study provides evidence that changes in rainfall frequency and intensity in the SE will likely alter the regional croplands hydrology with implications on water resource management decisions in rainfed agriculture

Evaluation of the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance Model for Pastureland Evapotranspiration Mapping and Drought Monitoring in North Central Kentucky

The use of remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) for field applications in drought monitoring and assessment is gaining momentum, but meeting this need has been hampered by the absence of extensive ground-based measurement stations for ground validation across agricultural zones and natural landscapes. This is particularly crucial for regions more prone to recurring droughts with limited ground monitoring stations. A three-year (2016–2018) flux ET dataset from a pastureland in north central Kentucky was used to validate the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model at monthly and annual scales. Flux and SSEBop ET track each other in a consistent manner in response to seasonal changes. The mean bias error (MBE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and coefficient of determination (R2) were 5.47, 21.49 mm mon−1, 30.94%, and 0.87, respectively. The model consistently underestimated ET values during winter months and overestimated them during summer months. SSEBop’s monthly ET anomaly maps show spatial ET distribution and its accurate representation. This is particularly important in areas where detailed surface meteorological and hydrological data are limited. Overall, the model estimated monthly ET magnitude satisfactorily and captured it seasonally. The SSEBop’s functionality for remote ET estimation and anomaly detection, if properly coupled with ground measurements, can significantly enhance SSEBop’s ability to monitor drought occurrence and prevalence quickly and accurately

Morphology, phase behavior, and relaxation processes in a series of aromatic-aliphatic thermotropic polymer biomaterials

International audienceThis investigation describes the phase behavior, morphology, and molecular relaxation behaviors observed in a series of random aromatic-aliphatic thermotropic copolyesters derived from the synthesis of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), vanillic acid (VA), 4,4′-sulfonylbis(2-methylphenol) (dBPS), and adipic acid (AD). The polymers vary in the ratio of mesogenic to nonmesogenic units. Material thermal properties, including the glass-transition temperatures and liquid-crystalline stability, were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and hot-stage optical microscopy. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction intensity profiles highlight that the materials possess a nematic chain registry. Solid-state wide-line 1H NMR T1 and T 1ρ spin-lattice relaxation measurements have been used to evaluate both the homogeneity of the polymer morphologies and molecular motions. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrates that the polymers show three common relaxation processes in tan δ in the temperature range from -120 to 150 C. Four independent relaxations have been identified using the different techniques which have been attributed to molecular group motions associated with the individual moieties

BioMove - Improvement and Parameterization of a Hybrid Model fo the ASsessment of Climate Change impacts on the Vegetation of California

There is substantial evidence that climate change is affecting ecosystems worldwide.California is no exception. With insights from historic climate change and subsequentspecies’ responses, scientists are developing refined tools to evaluate how species changemay continue in the future and what impact this may have on biodiversity andconservation. Bioclimatic envelope modeling is one approach to modeling speciesdistribution. However, it has many shortcomings by neglecting to account forindividualistic species response or inter specific competition. Furthermore, bioclimaticenvelope models do not account for species dispersal constraints or those imposed bydisturbances such as land use change or fire. BioMove is a novel spatially explicit,dynamic species modeling approach developed to address these issues. It simulates atarget species in a dynamic landscape, competing with a target species in competitionwith one or many PFTs. It combines various sub-models to integrate competition,dispersal and disturbance. It has important application potential for threatened speciesassessment, management coordination and decision support, invasive species modelingand other advanced climate change research