Adequacy of Communicating Results From Screening Mammograms to African American and White Women

Objective. We examined whether African American women were as likely as White women to receive the results of a recent mammogram and to self-report results that matched the mammography radiology report (i.e., were adequately communicated). We also sought to determine whether the adequacy of communication was the same for normal and abnormal results. Methods. From a prospective cohort study of mammography screening, we compared self-reported mammogram results, which were collected by telephone interview, to results listed in the radiology record of 411 African American and 734 White women who underwent screening in 5 hospital-based facilities in Connecticut between October 1996 and January 1998. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified independent predictors of inadequate communication of mammography results. Results. It was significantly more common for African American women to experience inadequate communication of screening mammography results compared with White women, after adjustment for sociodemographic, access-to-care, biomedical, and psychosocial factors. Abnormal mammogram results resulted in inadequate communication for African American women but not White women (P\u3c.001). Conclusions. African American women may not be receiving the full benefit of screening mammograms because of inadequate communication of results, particularly when mammography results are abnormal

Dinosaur egg structure investigated by MRI

<p>In July 1993, the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow was offered a sandstone block with a clutch of intact dinosaur eggs, from Hunan Province, China. Later, a number of single eggs were also acquired.</p> <p>An inter-disciplinary project began to investigate the structure of these eggs. Investigations carried out included egg shell structure analysis, protein analysis, and a program of imaging including CT|, neutron radiography, and MRI.</p> In this poster, the results of imaging the eggs in two commercial high field MRI scanners based at Glasgow hospitals, are presented. The MR scanners are Seimens 1.0 T Impact and 1.5 T Magnetom

Safety and feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with sensorimotor retraining in chronic low back pain: a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

Introduction Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a common and costly health problem yet current treatments demonstrate at best, small effects. The concurrent application of treatments with synergistic clinical and mechanistic effects may improve outcomes in chronic LBP. This pilot trial aims to (1) determine the feasibility, safety and perceived patient response to a combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and sensorimotor retraining intervention in chronic LBP and (2) provide data to support a sample size calculation for a fully powered trial should trends of effectiveness be present. Methods and analysis A pilot randomised, assessor and participant-blind, sham-controlled trial will be conducted. Eighty participants with chronic LBP will be randomly allocated to receive either (1) active tDCS + sensorimotor retraining or (2) sham tDCS + sensorimotor retraining. tDCS (active or sham) will be applied to the primary motor cortex for 20 min immediately prior to 60 min of supervised sensorimotor retraining twice per week for 10 weeks. Participants in both groups will complete home exercises three times per week. Feasibility, safety, pain, disability and pain system function will be assessed immediately before and after the 10-week intervention. Analysis of feasibility and safety will be performed using descriptive statistics. Statistical analyses will be conducted based on intention-to-treat and per protocol and will be used to determine trends for effectiveness. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been gained from the institutional human research ethics committee (H10184). Written informed consent will be provided by all participants. Results from this pilot study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number ACTRN1261600062448

Effects of Spatio-Temporal Aliasing on Out-the-Window Visual Systems

Designers of out-the-window visual systems face a challenge when attempting to simulate the outside world as viewed from a cockpit. Many methodologies have been developed and adopted to aid in the depiction of particular scene features, or levels of static image detail. However, because aircraft move, it is necessary to also consider the quality of the motion in the simulated visual scene. When motion is introduced in the simulated visual scene, perceptual artifacts can become apparent. A particular artifact related to image motion, spatiotemporal aliasing, will be addressed. The causes of spatio-temporal aliasing will be discussed, and current knowledge regarding the impact of these artifacts on both motion perception and simulator task performance will be reviewed. Methods of reducing the impact of this artifact are also addresse

Freshwater flux to Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland

Terrestrial inputs of freshwater flux to Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland, were estimated, indicating ice discharge to be the dominant source of freshwater. A freshwater flux of 40.4 ± 4.9×10<sup>9</sup> m<sup>3</sup> y<sup>−1</sup> was found (1999–2008), with an 85% contribution originated from ice discharge (65% alone from Helheim Glacier), 11% from terrestrial surface runoff (from melt water and rain), 3% from precipitation at the fjord surface area, and 1% from subglacial geothermal and frictional melting due to basal ice motion. The results demonstrate the dominance of ice discharge as a primary mechanism for delivering freshwater to Sermilik Fjord. Time series of ice discharge for Helheim Glacier, Midgård Glacier, and Fenris Glacier were calculated from satellite-derived average surface velocity, glacier width, and estimated ice thickness, and fluctuations in terrestrial surface freshwater runoff were simulated based on observed meteorological data. These simulations were compared and bias corrected against independent glacier catchment runoff observations. Modeled runoff to Sermilik Fjord was variable, ranging from 2.9 ± 0.4×10<sup>9</sup> m<sup>3</sup> y<sup>−1</sup> in 1999 to 5.9 ± 0.9×10<sup>9</sup> m<sup>3</sup> y<sup>−1</sup> in 2005. The sub-catchment runoff of the Helheim Glacier region accounted for 25% of the total runoff to Sermilik Fjord. The runoff distribution from the different sub-catchments suggested a strong influence from the spatial variation in glacier coverage, indicating high runoff volumes, where glacier cover was present at low elevations

Is there a causal relationship between acute stage sensorimotor cortex activity and the development of chronic low back pain? : a protocol and statistical analysis plan

Introduction: Why some people develop chronic pain following an acute episode of low back pain is unknown. Recent cross-sectional studies have suggested a relationship between aberrant sensorimotor cortex activity and pain persistence. The UPWaRD (Understanding persistent Pain Where it ResiDes) cohort study is the first prospective, longitudinal investigation of sensorimotor cortex activity in low back pain. This paper describes the development of a causal model and statistical analysis plan for investigating the causal effect of sensorimotor cortex activity on the development of chronic low back pain. Methods and analysis: Sensorimotor cortex activity was assessed within 6 weeks of low back pain onset using somatosensory evoked potentials and transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping techniques. Chronic low back pain is defined as ongoing pain (Numerical Rating score ≥1) or disability (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire score ≥3) at 6 months follow-up. Variables that could confound the relationship between sensorimotor cortex activity and chronic low back pain were identified using a directed acyclic graph and content expertise was used to specify known causal paths. The statistical model was developed ‘a priori’ to control for confounding variables identified in the directed acyclic graph, allowing an unbiased estimate of the causal effect of sensorimotor activity in acute low back pain on the development of chronic pain. The statistical analysis plan was finalised prior to follow-up of all participants and initiation of analysis. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been obtained from Western Sydney University Human Research Ethics Committee (H10465) and from Neuroscience Research Australia (SSA: 16/002). Dissemination will occur through presentations at national and international conferences and publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number: ACTRN12619000002189 (retrospectively registered)

Effect of Body Mass Index on pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous women delivering singleton babies

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Deficiency of the miR-29a/b-1 cluster leads to ataxic features and cerebellar alterations in mice

miR-29 is expressed strongly in the brain and alterations in expression have been linked to several neurological disorders. To further explore the function of this miRNA in the brain, we generated miR-29a/b-1 knockout animals. Knockout mice develop a progressive disorder characterized by locomotor impairment and ataxia. The different members of the miR-29 family are strongly expressed in neurons of the olfactory bulb, the hippocampus and in the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Morphological analysis showed that Purkinje cells are smaller and display less dendritic arborisation compared to their wildtype littermates. In addition, a decreased number of parallel fibers form synapses on the Purkinje cells. We identified several mRNAs significantly up-regulated in the absence of the miR-29a/b-1 cluster. At the protein level, however, the voltage-gated potassium channel Kcnc3 (Kv3.3) was significantly up-regulated in the cerebella of the miR-29a/b knockout mice. Dysregulation of KCNC3 expression may contribute to the ataxic phenotype

How and When Socially Entrepreneurial Nonprofit Organizations Benefit From Adopting Social Alliance Management Routines to Manage Social Alliances?

Social alliance is defined as the collaboration between for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Building on the insights derived from the resource-based theory, we develop a conceptual framework to explain how socially entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations (SENPOs) can improve their social alliance performance by adopting strategic alliance management routines. We test our framework using the data collected from 203 UK-based SENPOs in the context of cause-related marketing campaign-derived social alliances. Our results confirm a positive relationship between social alliance management routines and social alliance performance. We also find that relational mechanisms, such as mutual trust, relational embeddedness, and relational commitment, mediate the relationship between social alliance management routines and social alliance performance. Moreover, our findings suggest that different types of social alliance motivation can influence the impact of social alliance management routines on different types of the relational mechanisms. In general, we demonstrate that SENPOs can benefit from adopting social alliance management routines and, in addition, highlight how and when the social alliance management routines–social alliance performance relationship might be shaped. Our study offers important academic and managerial implications, and points out future research directions

Do sensorimotor cortex activity, an individual's capacity for neuroplasticity, and psychological features during an episode of acute low back pain predict outcome at 6 months: a protocol for an Australian, multisite prospective, longitudinal cohort study

INTRODUCTION:Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with prevalence doubling in the past 14 years. To date, prognostic screening tools display poor discrimination and offer no net benefit of screening over and above a 'treat all' approach. Characteristics of the primary sensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices may predict the development of chronic LBP, yet the prognostic potential of these variables remains unknown. The Understanding persistent Pain Where it ResiDes (UPWaRD) study aims to determine whether sensorimotor cortex activity, an individual's capacity for plasticity and psychosocial factors in the acute stage of pain, predict LBP outcome at 6 months. This paper describes the methods and analysis plan for the development of the prediction model. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The study uses a multicentre prospective longitudinal cohort design with 6-month follow-up. 120 participants, aged 18 years or older, experiencing an acute episode of LBP (less than 6 weeks duration) will be included. Primary outcomes are pain and disability. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical approval has been obtained from Western Sydney University Human Research Ethics Committee (H10465) and from Neuroscience Research Australia (SSA: 16/002). Dissemination will occur through presentations at national and international conferences and publications in international peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:ACTRN12619000002189; Pre-results.Luke C Jenkins, Wei-Ju Chang, Valentina Buscemi, Matthew Liston, Barbara Toson, Michael Nicholas, Thomas Graven-Nielsen, Michael Ridding, Paul W Hodges, James H McAuley, Siobhan M Schabru