1,001 research outputs found
Vol. 19, No. 4
Contents:
Bargaining Implications of the No Child Left Behind Act, by Michael A. Loizzi, Jr., Penny Upton and John L. Di John, Jr.
Recent Developments,
Further References, compiled by Margaret A. Chaplanhttps://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/iperr/1072/thumbnail.jp
Vol. 19, No. 4
Contents:
Bargaining Implications of the No Child Left Behind Act, by Michael A. Loizzi, Jr., Penny Upton and John L. Di John, Jr.
Recent Developments,
Further References, compiled by Margaret A. Chaplanhttps://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/iperr/1072/thumbnail.jp
Evidence-based commissioning in the English NHS : who uses which sources of evidence? A survey 2010/2011
Objectives:
To investigate types of evidence used by healthcare commissioners when making decisions and whether decisions were influenced by commissioners’ experience, personal characteristics or role at work. Design: Cross-sectional survey of 345 National Health Service (NHS) staff members.
Setting:
The study was conducted across 11 English Primary Care Trusts between 2010 and 2011.
Participants:
A total of 440 staff involved in commissioning decisions and employed at NHS band 7 or above were invited to participate in the study. Of those, 345 (78%) completed all or a part of the survey.
Main outcome measures:
Participants were asked to rate how important different sources of evidence (empirical or practical) were in a recent decision that had been made. Backwards stepwise logistic regression analyses were undertaken to assess the contributions of age, gender and professional background, as well as the years of experience in NHS commissioning, pay grade and work role.
Results:
The extent to which empirical evidence was used for commissioning decisions in the NHS varied according to the professional background. Only 50% of respondents stated that clinical guidelines and cost-effectiveness evidence were important for healthcare decisions. Respondents were more likely to report use of empirical evidence if they worked in Public Health in comparison to other departments (p<0.0005, commissioning and contracts OR 0.32, 95%CI 0.18 to 0.57, finance OR 0.19, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.78, other departments OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.17 to 0.71) or if they were female (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.01 to 3.1) rather than male. Respondents were more likely to report use of practical evidence if they were more senior within the organisation (pay grade 8b or higher OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.4 to 5.3, p=0.004 in comparison to lower pay grades).
Conclusions:
Those trained in Public Health appeared more likely to use external empirical evidence while those at higher pay scales were more likely to use practical evidence when making commissioning decisions. Clearly, National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and government publications (eg, National Service Frameworks) are important for decision-making, but practical sources of evidence such as local intelligence, benchmarking data and expert advice are also influential
Neural defects and cardiac arrhythmia in fish larvae following embryonic exposure to 2,2\u27,4,4\u27-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE 47)
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are added to plastics, polyurethane foam, and textiles as a flame retardant. While PBDEs play a key role in reducing loss of human life and property from fires, these flame retardants have become pervasive organic contaminants in the environment and in the tissues of fish, birds, marine mammals, and humans. Levels of PBDEs in wildlife and humans continue to rise, raising concerns about potential ecological and health risks associated with exposure to these chemicals. Nevertheless, there is little currently known about the toxicological effects of PBDE exposure. Here, we examined the developmental toxicity of the PBDE congener 2,2\u27,4,4\u27-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE 47) using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an ontogenetic model. Zebrafish embryos were exposed continuously to dissolved phase PBDE 47 (100–5000 μg/l) beginning 3–5 h post-fertilization (hpf). Fish treated with the highest concentrations of PBDE 47 delayed hatching, had reduced growth post-hatching, and displayed an abnormal dorsal curvature of the body with flexion at the hindbrain. By 96 h post-fertilization larvae exposed to PBDE 47 had significant tachycardia, which progressed into atrioventricular block arrhythmias. Microinjection of fluorescent dye into the hindbrain ventricle revealed that cerebrospinal fluid in the neural tube and brain ventricles flowed more slowly in fish larvae exposed to PBDE 47, a likely etiology for the dorsal curvature. Similar, though much less pronounced, developmental toxicity also occurred in larvae exposed to PBDE 47 only for a 20 h period during early embryogenesis (3–23 hpf), suggesting that PBDEs incorporated in lipid of the egg are bioavailable and cause toxicity later in life. Taken together, this work indicates that exposure to PBDE 47 can cause morphological abnormalities, impair cardiovascular function and cerebrospinal fluid flow, and provides a tractable starting point for using the zebrafish model to explore molecular mechanisms of PBDE toxicity
Geochemical Cycling in Aquifers Contributes to the Transport, Storage and Transfer of Anthropogenically-Derived Phosphorus to Surface Waters
Kassiopeia: A Modern, Extensible C++ Particle Tracking Package
The Kassiopeia particle tracking framework is an object-oriented software
package using modern C++ techniques, written originally to meet the needs of
the KATRIN collaboration. Kassiopeia features a new algorithmic paradigm for
particle tracking simulations which targets experiments containing complex
geometries and electromagnetic fields, with high priority put on calculation
efficiency, customizability, extensibility, and ease of use for novice
programmers. To solve Kassiopeia's target physics problem the software is
capable of simulating particle trajectories governed by arbitrarily complex
differential equations of motion, continuous physics processes that may in part
be modeled as terms perturbing that equation of motion, stochastic processes
that occur in flight such as bulk scattering and decay, and stochastic surface
processes occuring at interfaces, including transmission and reflection
effects. This entire set of computations takes place against the backdrop of a
rich geometry package which serves a variety of roles, including initialization
of electromagnetic field simulations and the support of state-dependent
algorithm-swapping and behavioral changes as a particle's state evolves. Thanks
to the very general approach taken by Kassiopeia it can be used by other
experiments facing similar challenges when calculating particle trajectories in
electromagnetic fields. It is publicly available at
https://github.com/KATRIN-Experiment/Kassiopei
KELT-6b: A P~7.9 d Hot Saturn Transiting a Metal-Poor Star with a Long-Period Companion
We report the discovery of KELT-6b, a mildly-inflated Saturn-mass planet
transiting a metal-poor host. The initial transit signal was identified in
KELT-North survey data, and the planetary nature of the occulter was
established using a combination of follow-up photometry, high-resolution
imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, and precise radial velocity
measurements. The fiducial model from a global analysis including constraints
from isochrones indicates that the V=10.38 host star (BD+31 2447) is a mildly
evolved, late-F star with T_eff=6102 \pm 43 K, log(g_*)=4.07_{-0.07}^{+0.04}
and [Fe/H]=-0.28 \pm 0.04, with an inferred mass M_*=1.09 \pm 0.04 M_sun and
radius R_star=1.58_{-0.09}^{+0.16} R_sun. The planetary companion has mass
M_P=0.43 \pm 0.05 M_J, radius R_P=1.19_{-0.08}^{+0.13} R_J, surface gravity
log(g_P)=2.86_{-0.08}^{+0.06}, and density rho_P=0.31_{-0.08}^{+0.07}
g~cm^{-3}. The planet is on an orbit with semimajor axis a=0.079 \pm 0.001 AU
and eccentricity e=0.22_{-0.10}^{+0.12}, which is roughly consistent with
circular, and has ephemeris of T_c(BJD_TDB)=2456347.79679 \pm 0.00036 and
P=7.845631 \pm 0.000046 d. Equally plausible fits that employ empirical
constraints on the host star parameters rather than isochrones yield a larger
planet mass and radius by ~4-7%. KELT-6b has surface gravity and incident flux
similar to HD209458b, but orbits a host that is more metal poor than HD209458
by ~0.3 dex. Thus, the KELT-6 system offers an opportunity to perform a
comparative measurement of two similar planets in similar environments around
stars of very different metallicities. The precise radial velocity data also
reveal an acceleration indicative of a longer-period third body in the system,
although the companion is not detected in Keck adaptive optics images.Comment: Published in AJ, 17 pages, 15 figures, 6 table
KELT-7b: A hot Jupiter transiting a bright V=8.54 rapidly rotating F-star
We report the discovery of KELT-7b, a transiting hot Jupiter with a mass of
MJ, radius of RJ, and an orbital
period of days. The bright host star (HD33643;
KELT-7) is an F-star with , Teff K, [Fe/H]
, and . It has a mass of
Msun, a radius of Rsun, and
is the fifth most massive, fifth hottest, and the ninth brightest star known to
host a transiting planet. It is also the brightest star around which KELT has
discovered a transiting planet. Thus, KELT-7b is an ideal target for detailed
characterization given its relatively low surface gravity, high equilibrium
temperature, and bright host star. The rapid rotation of the star (
km/s) results in a Rossiter-McLaughlin effect with an unusually large amplitude
of several hundred m/s. We find that the orbit normal of the planet is likely
to be well-aligned with the stellar spin axis, with a projected spin-orbit
alignment of degrees. This is currently the second most
rapidly rotating star to have a reflex signal (and thus mass determination) due
to a planetary companion measured.Comment: Accepted to The Astronomical Journa
Gender Differences in Demographic and Clinical Correlates among Veterans with Musculoskeletal Disorders
Background
Studies suggest that women may be at greater risk for developing chronic pain and pain-related disability.
Methods
Because musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most frequently endorsed painful conditions among veterans, we sought to characterize gender differences in sociodemographic and clinical correlates among veterans upon entry into Veterans Health Administration's Musculoskeletal Disorders Cohort (n = 4,128,008).
Results
Women were more likely to be younger, Black, unmarried, and veterans of recent conflicts. In analyses adjusted for gender differences in sociodemographics, women were more likely to have diagnoses of fibromyalgia, temporomandibular disorders, and neck pain. Almost one in five women (19.4%) had more than one MSD diagnosis, compared with 15.7% of men; this higher risk of MSD multimorbidity remained in adjusted analyses. Adjusting for sociodemographics, women with MSD were more likely to have migraine headache and depressive, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. Women had lower odds of cardiovascular diseases, substance use disorders, and several MSDs, including back pain conditions. Men were more likely to report “no pain” on the pain intensity Numeric Rating Scale, whereas more women (41%) than men (34%) reported moderate to severe pain (Numeric Rating Scale 4+).
Conclusions
Because women veterans are more likely to have conditions such as fibromyalgia and mental health conditions, along with greater pain intensity in the setting of MSD, women-specific pain services may be needed
- …