1,081 research outputs found
A Framework for XML-based Integration of Data, Visualization and Analysis in a Biomedical Domain
Biomedical data are becoming increasingly complex and heterogeneous in nature. The data are stored in distributed information systems, using a variety of data models, and are processed by increasingly more complex tools that analyze and visualize them. We present in this paper our framework for integrating biomedical research data and tools into a unique Web front end. Our framework is applied to the University of Washington’s Human Brain Project. Specifically, we present solutions to four integration tasks: definition of complex mappings from relational sources to XML, distributed XQuery processing, generation of heterogeneous output formats, and the integration of heterogeneous data visualization and analysis tools
UK stroke incidence, mortality and cardiovascular risk management 1999–2008: time-trend analysis from the General Practice Research Database
Objectives Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate secular trends in stroke across the UK. Design This study aimed to investigate recent trends in the epidemiology of stroke in the UK. The study was a time-trend analysis from 1999 to 2008 within the UK General Practice Research Database. Outcome measures were incidence and prevalence of stroke, stroke mortality, rate of secondary cardiovascular events, and prescribing of pharmacological therapy for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Results The study cohort included 32 151 patients with a first stroke. Stroke incidence fell by 30%, from 1.48/1000 person-years in 1999 to 1.04/1000 person-years in 2008 (p<0.001). Stroke prevalence increased by 12.5%, from 6.40/1000 in 1999 to 7.20/1000 in 2008 (p<0.001). 56-day mortality after first stroke reduced from 21% in 1999 to 12% in 2008 (p<0.0001). Prescribing of drugs to control cardiovascular risk factors increased consistently over the study period, particularly for lipid lowering agents and antihypertensive agents. In patients with atrial fibrillation, use of anticoagulants prior to first stroke did not increase with increasing stroke risk. Conclusion Stroke incidence in the UK has decreased and survival after stroke has improved in the past 10 years. Improved drug treatment in primary care is likely to be a major contributor to this, with better control of risk factors both before and after incident stroke. There is, however, scope for further improvement in risk factor reduction in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation
A longitudinal analysis of Australian women's fruit and vegetable consumption and depressive symptoms
As a Matter of Fact: The National Charter School Study III 2023
Now in its third version, this study evaluates the academic progress of students enrolled in charter schools in the United States. Using a common methodology across the three studies, results are translated into trends that support insights into the performance of charter school students over the past 15 years
The effects of climatic fluctuations and extreme events on running water ecosystems
Most research on the effects of environmental change in freshwaters has focused on incremental changes in average conditions, rather than fluctuations or extreme events such as heatwaves, cold snaps, droughts, floods or wildfires, which may have even more profound consequences. Such events are commonly predicted to increase in frequency, intensity and duration with global climate change, with many systems being exposed to conditions with no recent historical precedent. We propose a mechanistic framework for predicting potential impacts of environmental fluctuations on running water ecosystems by scaling up effects of fluctuations from individuals to entire ecosystems. This framework requires integration of four key components: effects of the environment on individual metabolism, metabolic and biomechanical constraints on fluctuating species interactions, assembly dynamics of local food webs and mapping the dynamics of the meta-community onto ecosystem function. We illustrate the framework by developing a mathematical model of environmental fluctuations on dynamically assembling food webs. We highlight (currently limited) empirical evidence for emerging insights and theoretical predictions. For example, widely supported predictions about the effects of environmental fluctuations are: high vulnerability of species with high per capita metabolic demands such as large-bodied ones at the top of food webs; simplification of food web network structure and impaired energetic transfer efficiency; reduced resilience and top-down relative to bottom-up regulation of food web and ecosystem processes. We conclude by identifying key questions and challenges that need to be addressed to develop more accurate and predictive bio-assessments of the effects of fluctuations, and implications of fluctuations for management practices in an increasingly uncertain world
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Secondary Natural Gas Recovery: Targeted Technology Applications for Infield Reserve Growth
Activities during the year comprised screening and selection of gas fields for detailed studies; integrated geological, petrophysical, geophysical, and engineering analyses of the fields selected; and data acquisition in cooperative wells. A comprehensive workplan was prepared, and a methodology for geological and engineering screening of sandstone reservoirs was developed and applied to leading candidate fields. Contacts made with field operators resulted in active participation of Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S., Inc., and Shell Western Exploration and Production Inc.
Lake Creek, Seeligson, McAllen Ranch, and Stratton-Agua Dulce fields were selected for study. These fields are representative of a spectrum of depositional systems and reservoir heterogeneities in highly productive gas reservoirs in the Texas coastal plain. Producing intervals are fluvial Frio reservoirs in Seeligson and Stratton-Agua Dulce fields, deltaic Vicksburg reservoirs in McAllen Ranch field, and deltaic Wilcox reservoirs in Lake Creek field.
New data, comprising cores, open- and cased-hole logs, vertical seismic profiles, and sequential formation-pressure tests, were acquired in two wells in Seeligson field and in one well in McAllen Ranch field. Results to date suggest that reservoir heterogeneity can be defined using integrated geologic, geophysical, and engineering data.Bureau of Economic Geolog
Identifying Old Tidal Dwarf Irregulars
We examine the observational consequences of the two possible origins for
irregular galaxies: formation from collapse of a primordial cloud of gas early
in the age of the Universe, and formation from tidal tails in an interaction
that could have occured any time in the history of the Universe. Because the
formation from tidal tails could have occurred a long time ago, proximity to
larger galaxies is not sufficient to distinguish tidal dwarfs from traditional
dwarfs. We consider the effects of little or no dark matter on rotation speeds
and the Tully-Fisher relationship, the metallicity-luminosity relationship,
structure, and stellar populations. From these selection criteria, we identify
a small list of dwarf irregular galaxies that are candidates for having formed
as tidal dwarfs.Comment: ApJ, to appear September 20, 200
Distributed XQuery-based integration and visualization of multimodality data: Application to brain mapping.
This paper addresses the need for relatively small groups of collaborating investigators to integrate distributed and heterogeneous data about the brain. Although various national efforts facilitate large-scale data sharing, these approaches are generally too “heavyweight” for individual or small groups of investigators, with the result that most data sharing among collaborators continues to be ad hoc. Our approach to this problem is to create a “lightweight” distributed query architecture, in which data sources are accessible via web services that accept arbitrary query languages but return XML results. A Distributed XQuery Processor (DXQP) accepts distributed XQueries in which subqueries are shipped to the remote data sources to be executed, with the resulting XML integrated by DXQP. A web-based application called DXBrain accesses DXQP, allowing a user to create, save and execute distributed XQueries, and to view the results in various formats including a 3-D brain visualization. Example results are presented using distributed brain mapping data sources obtained in studies of language organization in the brain, but any other XML source could be included. The advantage of this approach is that it is very easy to add and query a new source, the tradeoff being that the user needs to understand XQuery and the schemata of the underlying sources. For small numbers of known sources this burden is not onerous for a knowledgeable user, leading to the conclusion that the system helps to fill the gap between ad hoc local methods and large scale but complex national data sharing efforts
The effects of climatic fluctuations and extreme events on running water ecosystems
Most research on the effects of environmental change in freshwaters has focused on incremental changes in average conditions, rather than fluctuations or extreme events such as heatwaves, cold snaps, droughts, floods or wildfires, which may have even more profound consequences. Such events are commonly predicted to increase in frequency, intensity and duration with global climate change, with many systems being exposed to conditions with no recent historical precedent. We propose a mechanistic framework for predicting potential impacts of environmental fluctuations on running-water ecosystems by scaling up effects of fluctuations from individuals to entire ecosystems. This framework requires integration of four key components: effects of the environment on individual metabolism, metabolic and biomechanical constraints on fluctuating species interactions, assembly dynamics of local food webs, and mapping the dynamics of the meta-community onto ecosystem function. We illustrate the framework by developing a mathematical model of environmental fluctuations on dynamically assembling food webs. We highlight (currently limited) empirical evidence for emerging insights and theoretical predictions. For example, widely supported predictions about the effects of environmental fluctuations are: high vulnerability of species with high per capita metabolic demands such as large-bodied ones at the top of food webs; simplification of food web network structure and impaired energetic transfer efficiency; and reduced resilience and top-down relative to bottom-up regulation of food web and ecosystem processes. We conclude by identifying key questions and challenges that need to be addressed to develop more accurate and predictive bio-assessments of the effects of fluctuations, and implications of fluctuations for management practices in an increasingly uncertain world
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