Internal DLA in higher dimensions

Let A(t) denote the cluster produced by internal diffusion limited aggregation (internal DLA) with t particles in dimension d≥3. We show that A(t) is approximately spherical, up to an O(√logt) error.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant DMS-0645585

Socioeconomic, environmental, and geographic factors and US lung cancer mortality, 1999–2009

Background The American Cancer Society estimates that about 25% of all US cancer deaths will be due to lung cancer – more than from cancers of the colon, breast, and prostate combined. Methods We ascertained county-level age-adjusted and age-specific death rates and 95% confidence intervals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Compressed Mortality File. Multiple regression analyses were used to estimate the strength and direction of relationships between county poverty, smoking, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, and US Census divisions and race- and sex-specific lung cancer deaths. Results Poverty, smoking, and particulate matter air pollution were positively and significantly related to lung cancer deaths among white men, but of these, only poverty and smoking were significantly associated with lung cancer deaths among white women. Residence in the South Atlantic, East South Central, and West South Central US Census divisions at the time of death was significantly associated with lung cancer deaths for both white men and white women. As with white men, poverty and smoking were associated with lung cancer deaths among black men, but of these, only adult smoking had a statistically significant association among black women. Conclusions The results support the need for further research, particularly in high-risk areas, to better differentiate factors specific to race and sex and to understand the impact of local risk factors

The geometrical model of dendritic growth: The small velocity limit

We present a systematic analysis of the geometrical model of dendritic growth in the small velocity limit. Velocity selection is demonstrated analytically and the allowed velocities are explicitly calculated as a function of anisotropy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26062/1/0000136.pd

Handwriting speed in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: Are they really slower?

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Research in Developmental Disabilities. The published article is available at the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Handwriting difficulties are often included in descriptions of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). They are cited as the most common reason for referral to health professionals following parent and teacher concerns about slow and untidy writing. The aim of this study was to compare handwriting performance in English children with and without DCD across a range of writing tasks, to gain a better understanding of the nature of ‘slowness’ so commonly reported. Twenty-eight 8–14 year-old children with a diagnosis of DCD participated in the study, with 28 typically developing age and gender matched controls. Participants completed the four handwriting tasks from the Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) and wrote their own name; all on a digitising writing tablet. The number of words written, speed of pen movements and the time spent pausing during the tasks were calculated. The findings confirmed what many professionals report, that children with DCD produce less text than their peers. However, this was not due to slow movement execution, but rather a higher percentage of time spent pausing. Discussion centres on the understanding of the pausing phenomenon in children with DCD and areas for further research.Oxford Brookes Universit

Lack of validity of self-reported mammography data

This qualitative literature review aimed to describe the totality of peer-reviewed scientific evidence from 1990 to 2017 concerning validity of self-reported mammography. This review included articles about mammography containing the words accuracy, validity, specificity, sensitivity, reliability or reproducibility; titles containing self-report, recall or patient reports, and breast or ‘mammo’; and references of identified citations focusing on evaluation of 2-year self-reports. Of 45 publications meeting the eligibility criteria, 2 conducted in 1993 and 1995 at health maintenance organisations in Western USA which primarily served highly educated whites provided support for self-reports of mammography over 2 years. Methodological concerns about validity of self-reports included (1) telescoping, (2) biased overestimates particularly among black women, (3) failure to distinguish screening and diagnostic mammography, and (4) failure to address episodic versus consistent mammography use. The current totality of evidence supports the need for research to reconsider the validity of self-reported mammography data as well as the feasibility of alternative surveillance data sources to achieve the goals of the Healthy People Initiative

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 6, no. 4

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: Tributes to Andrew Walls and Benedict Ssettuuma (Uganda); Samuel T. O. Akande (Nigeria). This issue of the Journal of African Christian Biography honors the memory of "Prof." Andrew Finlay Walls and Fr. Benedict Ssettuuma, Jr. It also celebrates the contribution of Dr. Michael Adeleke Ogunewu to the work of the DACB both as an author and a mentor-teacher. One of his biographies, that of Samuel T. O. Akande, is included. The issue also includes a serialized chapter from African Christian Biography by Roger Levine and a new section, "Teaching with the DACB," featuring the reflections of a North American student on what the DACB has taught her

The role of the myosin ATPase activity in adaptive thermogenesis by skeletal muscle

Resting skeletal muscle is a major contributor to adaptive thermogenesis, i.e., the thermogenesis that changes in response to exposure to cold or to overfeeding. The identification of the “furnace” that is responsible for increased heat generation in resting muscle has been the subject of a number of investigations. A new state of myosin, the super relaxed state (SRX), with a very slow ATP turnover rate has recently been observed in skeletal muscle (Stewart et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:430–435, 2010). Inhibition of the myosin ATPase activity in the SRX was suggested to be caused by binding of the myosin head to the core of the thick filament in a structural motif identified earlier by electron microscopy. To be compatible with the basal metabolic rate observed in vivo for resting muscle, most myosin heads would have to be in the SRX. Modulation of the population of this state, relative to the normal relaxed state, was proposed to be a major contributor to adaptive thermogenesis in resting muscle. Transfer of only 20% of myosin heads from the SRX into the normal relaxed state would cause muscle thermogenesis to double. Phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain was shown to transfer myosin heads from the SRX into the relaxed state, which would increase thermogenesis. In particular, thermogenesis by myosin has been proposed to play a role in the dissipation of calories during overfeeding. Up-regulation of muscle thermogenesis by pharmaceuticals that target the SRX would provide new approaches to the treatment of obesity or high blood sugar levels

Human pre-valvular endocardial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells recapitulate cardiac pathophysiological valvulogenesis

Genetically modified mice have advanced our understanding of valve development and disease. Yet, human pathophysiological valvulogenesis remains poorly understood. Here we report that, by combining single cell sequencing and in vivo approaches, a population of human pre-valvular endocardial cells (HPVCs) can be derived from pluripotent stem cells. HPVCs express gene patterns conforming to the E9.0 mouse atrio-ventricular canal (AVC) endocardium signature. HPVCs treated with BMP2, cultured on mouse AVC cushions, or transplanted into the AVC of embryonic mouse hearts, undergo endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and express markers of valve interstitial cells of different valvular layers, demonstrating cell specificity. Extending this model to patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells recapitulates features of mitral valve prolapse and identified dysregulation of the SHH pathway. Concurrently increased ECM secretion can be rescued by SHH inhibition, thus providing a putative therapeutic target. In summary, we report a human cell model of valvulogenesis that faithfully recapitulates valve disease in a dish.We thank the Leducq Fondation for supporting Tui Neri, and funding this research under the framework of the MITRAL network and for generously awarding us for the equipment of our cell imaging facility in the frame of their program “Equipement de Recherche et Plateformes Technologiques” (ERPT to M.P.), the Genopole at Evry and the Fondation de la recherche Medicale (grant DEQ20100318280) for supporting the laboratory of Michel Puceat. Part of this work in South Carolina University was conducted in a facility constructed with support from the National Institutes of Health, Grant Number C06 RR018823 from the Extramural Research Facilities Program of the National Center for Research Resources. Other funding sources: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: RO1-HL33756 (R.R.M.), COBRE P20RR016434–07 (R.R.M., R.A. N.), P20RR016434–09S1 (R.R.M. and R.A.N.); American Heart Association: 11SDG5270006 (R.A.N.); National Science Foundation: EPS-0902795 (R.R.M. and R.A. N.); American Heart Association: 10SDG2630130 (A.C.Z.), NIH: P01HD032573 (A.C. Z.), NIH: U54 HL108460 (A.C.Z), NCATS: UL1TR000100 (A.C.Z.); EH was supported by a fellowship of the Ministere de la recherche et de l’éducation in France.TM-M was supported by a fellowship from the Fondation Foulon Delalande and the Leducq Foundation. P.v.V. was sponsored by a UC San Diego Cardiovascular Scholarship Award and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Training Program II. S.M.E. was funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL-117649). A.T. is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01-HL134664).S

Human Uterine Wall Tension Trajectories and the Onset of Parturition

Uterine wall tension is thought to be an important determinant of the onset of labor in pregnant women. We characterize human uterine wall tension using ultrasound from the second trimester of pregnancy until parturition and compare preterm, term and twin pregnancies. A total of 320 pregnant women were followed from first antenatal visit to delivery during the period 2000–2004 at the John Hunter Hospital, NSW, Australia. The uterine wall thickness, length, anterior-posterior diameter and transverse diameter were determined by serial ultrasounds. Subjects were divided into three groups: women with singleton pregnancies and spontaneous labor onset, either preterm or term and women with twin pregnancies. Intrauterine pressure results from the literature were combined with our data to form trajectories for uterine wall thickness, volume and tension for each woman using the prolate ellipsoid method and the groups were compared at 20, 25 and 30 weeks gestation. Uterine wall tension followed an exponential curve, with results increasing throughout pregnancy with the site of maximum tension on the anterior wall. For those delivering preterm, uterine wall thickness was increased compared with term. For twin pregnancies intrauterine volume was increased compared to singletons (), but wall thickness was not. There was no evidence for increased tension in those delivering preterm or those with twin gestations. These data are not consistent with a role for high uterine wall tension as a causal factor in preterm spontaneous labor in singleton or twin gestations. It seems likely that hormonal differences in multiple gestations are responsible for increased rates of preterm birth in this group rather than increased tension

Ethnocentrism in the Netherlands: A typological analysis

Contains fulltext : 3327.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)In research on unfavourable attitudes towards outgroups, the related favourable attitude towards the ingroup is generally ignored. Sumner (1906) called the presence of both related attitudes ethnocentrism. Since then only a small amount of empirical research has been dedicated to this theme. Based oh survey-data from a representative sample of Dutch citizens (N= 1,799) taken in 1985, this article concludes that ethnocentrism exists in The Netherlands. This contains unfavourable stereotypes about several outgroups as well as favourable stereotypes about the ingroup. The latter dimension also refers to nationalistic feelings. Both attitudes are highly related to each other. In this study the social and cultural pattern of ethnocentric people is shown to be of an authoritarian-conservative nature