180 research outputs found
Social networks and social support in weight loss
In the research on weight control, there is currently a move away from use of artificial support groups to use of more naturally occurring support systems such as families and friends. While clients who are attempting to control their weight are often encouraged to seek support from families, friends, and co-workers, there is little information available which describes what kinds of support have been found to be most helpful and who are the best providers of this support. The purpose of this pilot project was to examine and describe the influence of different types of support and sources of support on weight control using a social networks analysis approach. Results of this pilot study suggest that social support is important in weight control with appraisal support, both general and specific to weight control, being most strongly correlated with weight loss. The precise influence of spouses and families needs further clarification. Results of this pilot project showed that over 40% of the sample identified family members as both the most and least helpful in attempts to control weight.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28536/1/0000334.pd
Increasing Efforts to Reduce Cervical Cancer through State-Level Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning
Reducing cervical cancer disparities in the U.S. requires intentional focus on structural barriers such as systems and policy which impact access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, cervical cancer screening and treatment. Such changes are difficult and often politicized. State comprehensive cancer control (CCC) plans are vehicles that, if designed well, can help build collective focus on structural changes. Study objectives were to identify the prioritization of cervical cancer in state CCC plans, the conceptualization of HPV within these plans, and the focus of plans on structural changes to reduce cervical cancer disparities. Data were gathered by systematic content analysis of CCC plans from 50 states and the District of Columbia from February-June 2014 for evidence of cervical cancer prioritization, conceptualization of HPV, and focus on structural barriers to cervical cancer vaccination, screening or treatment. Findings indicate that prioritization of cervical cancer within state CCC plans may not be a strong indicator of state efforts to reduce screening and treatment disparities. While a majority of plans reflected scientific evidence that HPV causes cervical and other cancers, they did not focus on structural elements impacting access to evidence-based interventions. Opportunities exist to improve state CCC plans by increasing their focus on structural interventions that impact cervical cancer prevention, detection, and treatmentparticularly for the 41% of plans ending in 2015 and the 31% ending between 2016-2020. Future studies should focus on the use of policy tools in state CCC plans and their application to cervical cancer prevention and treatment
Tidal Signatures in the Faintest Milky Way Satellites: The Detailed Properties of Leo V, Pisces II and Canes Venatici II
We present deep wide-field photometry of three recently discovered faint
Milky Way satellites: Leo V, Pisces II, and Canes Venatici II. Our main goals
are to study the structure and star formation history of these dwarfs; we also
search for signs of tidal disturbance. The three satellites have similar
half-light radii ( pc) but a wide range of ellipticities. Both Leo
V and CVn II show hints of stream-like overdensities at large radii. An
analysis of the satellite color-magnitude diagrams shows that all three objects
are old ( 10 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] ), though neither the
models nor the data have sufficient precision to assess when the satellites
formed with respect to cosmic reionization. The lack of an observed younger
stellar population (\la 10 Gyr) possibly sets them apart from the other
satellites at Galactocentric distances \ga 150 kpc. We present a new
compilation of structural data for all Milky Way satellite galaxies and use it
to compare the properties of classical dwarfs to the ultra-faints. The
ellipticity distribution of the two groups is consistent at the
2- level. However, the faintest satellites tend to be more
aligned toward the Galactic center, and those satellites with the highest
ellipticity (\ga 0.4) have orientations () in the range
. This latter
observation is in rough agreement with predictions from simulations of dwarf
galaxies that have lost a significant fraction of their dark matter halos and
are being tidally stripped.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, ApJ accepted; version updated to match ApJ
accepte
Turning the Tides on the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies: Coma Berenices and Ursa Major II
We present deep CFHT/MegaCam photometry of the ultra-faint Milky Way
satellite galaxies Coma Berenices (ComBer) and Ursa Major II (UMa II). These
data extend to r~25, corresponding to three magnitudes below the main sequence
turn-offs in these galaxies. We robustly calculate a total luminosity of
M_V=-3.8 +/- 0.6 for ComBer and M_V=-3.9 +/- 0.5 for UMa II, in agreement with
previous results. ComBer shows a fairly regular morphology with no signs of
active tidal stripping down to a surface brightness limit of 32.4 magarcsec^-2.
Using a maximum likelihood analysis, we calculate the half-light radius of
ComBer to be r_half=74 +/- 4 pc (5.8 +/- 0.3 arcmin) and its ellipticity e=0.36
+/- 0.04. In contrast, UMa II shows signs of on-going disruption. We map its
morphology down to mu_V=32.6 mag arcsec^-2 and found that UMa II is larger than
previously determined, extending at least ~700 pc (1.2 deg on the sky) and it
is also quite elongated with an ellipticity of e=0.50 +/- 0.2. However, our
estimate for the half-light radius, 123 +/- 3 pc (14.1 +/- 0.3 arcmin) is
similar to previous results. We discuss the implications of these findings in
the context of potential indirect dark matter detections and galaxy formation.
We conclude that while ComBer appears to be a stable dwarf galaxy, UMa II shows
signs of on-going tidal interaction.Comment: Submitted to A
Evolution of the mammalian lysozyme gene family
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lysozyme <it>c </it>(chicken-type lysozyme) has an important role in host defense, and has been extensively studied as a model in molecular biology, enzymology, protein chemistry, and crystallography. Traditionally, lysozyme <it>c </it>has been considered to be part of a small family that includes genes for two other proteins, lactalbumin, which is found only in mammals, and calcium-binding lysozyme, which is found in only a few species of birds and mammals. More recently, additional testes-expressed members of this family have been identified in human and mouse, suggesting that the mammalian lysozyme gene family is larger than previously known.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we characterize the extent and diversity of the lysozyme gene family in the genomes of phylogenetically diverse mammals, and show that this family contains at least eight different genes that likely duplicated prior to the diversification of extant mammals. These duplicated genes have largely been maintained, both in intron-exon structure and in genomic context, throughout mammalian evolution.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The mammalian lysozyme gene family is much larger than previously appreciated and consists of at least eight distinct genes scattered around the genome. Since the lysozyme <it>c </it>and lactalbumin proteins have acquired very different functions during evolution, it is likely that many of the other members of the lysozyme-like family will also have diverse and unexpected biological properties.</p
Willman 1 - a probable dwarf galaxy with an irregular kinematic distribution
We investigate the kinematic properties and stellar population of the
Galactic satellite Willman 1 (Wil 1) by combining Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy with
KPNO mosaic camera imaging. Wil 1 is an ultra-low luminosity Milky Way
companion. This object lies in a region of size-luminosity space (M_V ~ -2 mag,
d ~ 38 kpc, r_half ~ 20 pc) also occupied by the Galactic satellites Bo\"otes
II and Segue 1 and 2, but no other known old stellar system. We use kinematic
and color-magnitude criteria to identify 45 stars as possible members of Wil 1.
With a systemic velocity of v_helio = -12.8 +/- 1.0 km/s, Wil 1 stars have
velocities similar to those of foreground Milky Way stars. Informed by
Monte-Carlo simulations, we identify 5 of the 45 candidate member stars as
likely foreground contaminants. We confirm a significant spread in the
abundances of the likely Wil 1 red giant branch members ([Fe/H] = -1.73 +/-
0.12 and -2.65 +/- 0.12, [Ca/Fe] = -0.4 +/- 0.18 and +0.13 +/- 0.28). This
spread supports the scenario that Wil 1 is an ultra-low luminosity dwarf galaxy
rather than a star cluster. Wil 1's innermost stars move with radial velocities
offset by 8 km/s from its outer stars and have a velocity dispersion consistent
with 0 km/s, suggesting that Wil 1 may not be in dynamical equilibrium. The
combination of the foreground contamination and unusual kinematic distribution
make it difficult to robustly determine the dark matter mass of Wil 1. As a
result, X-ray or gamma-ray observations of Wil 1 that attempt to constrain
models of particle dark matter using an equilibrium mass model are strongly
affected by the systematics in the observations presented here. We conclude
that, despite the unusual features in the Wil 1 kinematic distribution,
evidence indicates that this object is, or at least once was, a dwarf galaxy.Comment: AJ accepted version. The primary improvements are a detailed
investigation of the membership probability (Section 3.4 and new Figures 6, 7
and 8) and the revised spectroscopic [Fe/H] and [Ca/Fe] measurements of the
two brightest member stars. Conclusions are unchanged from the submitted
versio
The Least Luminous Galaxy: Spectroscopy of the Milky Way Satellite Segue 1
We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of Segue 1, an ultra-low luminosity (M_V
= -1.5) Milky Way satellite companion. While the combined size and luminosity
of Segue 1 are consistent with either a globular cluster or a dwarf galaxy, we
present spectroscopic evidence that this object is a dark matter-dominated
dwarf galaxy. We identify 24 stars as members of Segue 1 with a mean
heliocentric recession velocity of 206 +/- 1.3 kms. We measure an internal
velocity dispersion of 4.3+/-1.2 kms. Under the assumption that these stars are
in dynamical equilibrium, we infer a total mass of 4.5^{+4.7}_{-2.5} x 10^5
Msun in the case where mass-follow-light; using a two-component maximum
likelihood model, we determine a similar mass within the stellar radius of 50
pc. This implies a mass-to-light ratio of ln(M/L_V) = 7.2^{+1.1}_{-1.2} or
M/L_V = 1320^{+2680}_{-940}. The error distribution of the mass-to-light ratio
is nearly log-normal, thus Segue 1 is dark matter-dominated at a high
significance. Using spectral synthesis modeling, we derive a metallicity for
the single red giant branch star in our sample of [Fe/H]=-3.3 +/- 0.2 dex.
Finally, we discuss the prospects for detecting gamma-rays from annihilation of
dark matter particles and show that Segue 1 is the most promising satellite for
indirect dark matter detection. We conclude that Segue 1 is the least luminous
of the ultra-faint galaxies recently discovered around the Milky Way, and is
thus the least luminous known galaxy.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, ApJ accepte
Changing antiepilepsy drug-prescribing trends in women with epilepsy in the UK and Ireland and the impact on major congenital malformations
Objectives: After 20 years of data collection, pregnancy registers have informed prescribing practice. Various populations show trends for a reduction in valproate prescribing, which is associated with an increased risk of anatomical teratogenesis and neurodevelopmental effects in those exposed in utero. Our aim was to determine if any shifts in prescribing trends have occurred in the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register cohort and to assess if there had been any change in the overall major congenital malformation (MCM) rate over time. Methods: The UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, a prospective, observational, registration and follow-up study established in 1996, was used to determine the changes in antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) utilised during pregnancy and the MCM rate between 1996 and 2016. Linear regression analysis was used to assess changes in AED utilisation, and Poisson regression was used for the analysis of trends in the MCM rates. Results: Outcome data for 9247 pregnancies showed a stable percentage of monotherapy to polytherapy prescribing habits over time. After Bonferroni correction, statistically significant (p<0.003) changes were found in monotherapy prescribing with increases in lamotrigine and levetiracetam and decreases in valproate and carbamazepine use. Between 1996 and 2016, the total MCM rate showed a 2.1% reduction per year (incidence risk ratio 0.979 (95% CIs 0.956 to 1.002) but Poisson regression analysis showed that this was not statistically significant p=0.08). Conclusion: Significant changes are seen in the prescribing habits in this cohort over 20 years, but a statistically significant change in the MCM rate was not detected. This work should be replicated on a larger scale to determine if significant changes are occurring in the MCM rate, which would allow a robust economic estimate of the benefits of improvements in prescribing practice and the personal effect of such changes
Treatment Recommendations for Locally Advanced, Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: The Influence of Physician and Patient Factors
To determine the impact of patient age, comorbidity, and physician factors on treatment recommendations for locally-advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
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