Fermi edge singularity in a non-equilibrium system

We report exact results for the Fermi Edge Singularity in the absorption spectrum of an out-of-equilibrium tunnel junction. We consider two metals with chemical potential difference V separated by a tunneling barrier containing a defect, which exists in one of two states. When it is in its excited state, tunneling through the otherwise impermeable barrier is possible. We find that the lineshape not only depends on the total scattering phase shift as in the equilibrium case but also on the difference in the phase of the reflection amplitudes on the two sides of the barrier. The out-of-equilibrium spectrum extends below the original threshold as energy can be provided by the power source driving current across the barrier. Our results have a surprisingly simple interpretation in terms of known results for the equilibrium case but with (in general complex-valued) combinations of elements of the scattering matrix replacing the equilibrium phase shifts.Comment: 4 page

Caffeine intake and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Japanese adults

Background: To investigate the association between caffeine intake and the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among Japanese older adults, a case–control study was conducted in central Japan. Methods: A total of 277 patients with COPD aged 50 to 75 years were referred by respiratory physicians, while 340 controls were recruited from the community. All participants had their disease status confirmed by spirometry. Information on habitual caffeine intake, demographic, and lifestyle characteristics was obtained by face-to-face interview using a validated questionnaire. Results: The COPD patients drank more coffee and had a higher mean caffeine intake (311.3, SD 176.2mg/day) than the control group (278.4, SD 188.1 mg/day), p = 0.03. Relative to nondrinkers, the risk of COPD apparently increased for those drinking at least two cups of coffee daily (adjusted odds ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93 to 2.71). Similarly, total caffeine intake was associated with the prevalence of COPD—the adjusted odds ratio being 1.30 (95% CI 1.09 to 2.12) for consuming over 312mg/day when compared to a low intake of less than 184mg/day. Conclusions: The epidemiological evidence suggested a positive association between caffeine intake and the development of COPD in Japanese adults. Further study of the effect of caffeine on lung function and the risk of COPD should be undertaken

A Room Full of Rocking Chairs: Urban Appalachian Student Experiences in Community College

Urban Appalachian college students (UACS) face cultural and institutional barriers that impact their ability to persist and complete college. Designed to explore UACS experiences at a large urban community college, this study provides insight into Appalachian culture and identity as they impact their success in higher education. UACSs are more likely to come from a low-income family, and be the first in their family to attend college. First-generation college students more often lack the social and cultural capital needed to successfully navigate college, further increasing the risk of failure (Bradbury, 2009). Colleges and universities must seek out ways to improve the campus environment to reflect the needs and values of the students they serve and develop support systems that nurture the development of cultural capital needed to be successful in college and beyond (Oldfield, 2007).https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1382/thumbnail.jp

A mouse embryonic stem cell model of Schwann cell differentiation for studies of the role of neurofibromatosis type 1 in Schwann cell development and tumor formation

The neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) gene functions as a tumor suppressor gene. One known function of neurofibromin, the NF1 protein product, is to accelerate the slow intrinsic GTPase activity of Ras to increase the production of inactive rasGDP, with wide-ranging effects on p21ras pathways. Loss of neurofibromin in the autosomal dominant disorder NF1 is associated with tumors of the peripheral nervous system, particularly neurofibromas, benign lesions in which the major affected cell type is the Schwann cell (SC). NF1 is the most common cancer predisposition syndrome affecting the nervous system. We have developed an in vitro system for differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) that are NF1 wild type (+/+), heterozygous (+/−), or null (−/−) into SC-like cells to study the role of NF1 in SC development and tumor formation. These mES-generated SC-like cells, regardless of their NF1 status, express SC markers correlated with their stage of maturation, including myelin proteins. They also support and preferentially direct neurite outgrowth from primary neurons. NF1 null and heterozygous SC-like cells proliferate at an accelerated rate compared to NF1 wild type; this growth advantage can be reverted to wild type levels using an inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase (Mek). The mESC of all NF1 types can also be differentiated into neuron-like cells. This novel model system provides an ideal paradigm for studies of the role of NF1 in cell growth and differentiation of the different cell types affected by NF1 in cells with differing levels of neurofibromin that are neither transformed nor malignant. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56140/1/20534_ftp.pd

Characterization and Improvement of the Image Quality of the Data Taken with the Infrared Camera (IRC) Mid-Infrared Channels onboard AKARI

Mid-infrared images frequently suffer artifacts and extended point spread functions (PSFs). We investigate the characteristics of the artifacts and the PSFs in images obtained with the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI at four mid-infrared bands of the S7 (7{\mu}m), S11 (11{\mu}m), L15 (15{\mu}m), and L24 (24 {\mu}m). Removal of the artifacts significantly improves the reliability of the ref- erence data for flat-fielding at the L15 and L24 bands. A set of models of the IRC PSFs is also constructed from on-orbit data. These PSFs have extended components that come from diffraction and scattering within the detector arrays. We estimate the aperture correction factors for point sources and the surface brightness correction factors for diffuse sources. We conclude that the surface brightness correction factors range from 0.95 to 0.8, taking account of the extended component of the PSFs. To correct for the extended PSF effects for the study of faint structures, we also develop an image reconstruction method, which consists of the deconvolution with the PSF and the convolution with an appropriate Gaussian. The appropriate removal of the artifacts, improved flat-fielding, and image reconstruction with the extended PSFs enable us to investigate de- tailed structures of extended sources in IRC mid-infrared images.Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Central concentration of warm and dense molecular gas in a strongly lensed submillimeter galaxy at z=6

We report the detection of the CO(12-11) line emission toward G09-83808 (or H-ATLAS J090045.4+004125), a strongly-lensed submillimeter galaxy at $z = 6.02$, with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations. Combining previously detected [O III]$\,88\:\mathrm{\mu m}$, [N II]$\,205\:\mathrm{\mu m}$, and dust continuum at 0.6$\:$mm and 1.5$\:$mm, we investigate the physical properties of the multi-phase interstellar medium in G09-83808. A source-plane reconstruction reveals that the region of the CO(12-11) emission is compact ($R_\mathrm{{e, CO}}=0.49^{+0.29}_{-0.19}\,\mathrm{kpc}$) and roughly coincides with that of the dust continuum. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer modeling of CO spectral-line energy distribution reveals that most of the CO(12-11) emission comes from a warm (kinetic temperature of $T_{\mathrm{kin}}=320\pm170\:$K) and dense ($\log(n_{\mathrm{H2}}/\mathrm{cm^{-3}})=5.4\pm0.6$) gas, indicating that the warm and dense molecular gas is concentrated in the central 0.5-kpc region. The luminosity ratio in G09-83808 is estimated to be $L_\mathrm{{CO(12-11)}} / L_\mathrm{{CO(6-5)}}=1.1\pm0.2$. The high ratio is consistent with those in local active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and $6<z<7$ quasars, the fact of which implies that G09-83808 would be a good target to explore dust-obscured AGNs in the epoch of reionization. In the reconstructed [O III]$\,88\:\mathrm{\mu m}$ and [N II]$\,205\:\mathrm{\mu m}$ cubes, we also find that a monotonic velocity gradient is extending over the central starburst region by a factor of two and that star-forming sub-components exist. High-resolution observations of bright [C II]$\,158\:\mathrm{\mu m}$ line emissions will enable us to characterize the kinematics of a possible rotating disk and the nature of the sub-components.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Structure-Function Mapping: Variability and Conviction in Tracing Retinal Nerve Fiber Bundles and Comparison to a Computational Model

PURPOSE. We evaluated variability and conviction in tracing paths of retinal nerve fiber bundles (RNFBs) in retinal images, and compared traced paths to a computational model that produces anatomically-customized structure-function maps. METHODS. Ten retinal images were overlaid with 24-2 visual field locations. Eight clinicians and 6 naïve observers traced RNFBs from each location to the optic nerve head (ONH), recording their best estimate and certain range of insertion. Three clinicians and 2 naïve observers traced RNFBs in 3 images, 3 times, 7 to 19 days apart. The model predicted 108 ONH sectors relating to each location. Variability and repeatability in best estimates, certain range width, and differences between best estimates and model-predictions were evaluated. RESULTS. Median between-observer variability in best estimates was 278 (interquartile range [IQR] 208-388) for clinicians and 338 (IQR 228-508) for naïve observers. Median certain range width was 308 (IQR 148-458) for clinicians and 758 (IQR 458-1808) for naïve observers. Median repeatability was 108 (IQR 58-208) for clinicians and 158 (IQR 108-298) for naïve observers. All measures were worse further from the ONH. Systematic differences between model predictions and best estimates were negligible; median absolute differences were 178 (IQR 98-308) for clinicians and 208 (IQR 108-368) for naïve observers. Larger departures from the model coincided with greater variability in tracing. CONCLUSIONS. Concordance between the model and RNFB tracing was good, and greatest where tracing variability was lowest. When RNFB tracing is used for structure-function mapping, variability should be considered

Web-Based Content on Diet and Nutrition Written in Japanese: Infodemiology Study Based on Google Trends and Google Search

The increased availability of content of uncertain integrity obtained through the internet is a major concern. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive scrutiny of the fitness-for-purpose of web-based content on diet and nutrition. This cross-sectional study aims to describe diet- and nutrition-related web-based content written in Japanese, identified via a systematic extraction strategy using Google Trends and Google Search. We first identified keywords relevant for extracting web-based content (eg, blogs) on diet and nutrition written in Japanese using Google Trends. This process included identification of 638 seed terms, identification of approximately 1500 pairs of related queries (top) and search terms, the top 10% of which were extracted to identify 160 relevant pairs of related queries (top) and search terms, and identification of 107 keywords for search. We then extracted relevant web-based content using Google Search. The content (N=1703) examined here was extracted following a search based on 107 keywords. The most common themes included food and beverages (390/1703, 22.9%), weight management (366/1703, 21.49%), health benefits (261/1703, 15.33%), and healthy eating (235/1703, 13.8%). The main disseminators were information technology companies and mass media (474/1703, 27.83%), food manufacturers (246/1703, 14.45%), other (236/1703, 13.86%), and medical institutions (214/1703, 12.57%). Less than half of the content (790/1703, 46.39%) clearly indicated the involvement of editors or writers. More than half of the content (983/1703, 57.72%) was accompanied by one or more types of advertisement. The proportion of content with any type of citation reference was 40.05% (682/1703). The themes and disseminators of content were significantly associated with the involvement of editors or writers, accompaniment with advertisement, and citation of reference. In particular, content focusing on weight management was more likely to clearly indicate the involvement of editors or writers (212/366, 57.9%) and to be accompanied by advertisement (273/366, 74.6%), but less likely to have references cited (128/366, 35%). Content from medical institutions was less likely to have citation references (62/214, 29%). This study highlights concerns regarding the authorship, conflicts of interest (advertising), and the scientific credibility of web-based diet- and nutrition-related information written in Japanese. Nutrition professionals and experts should take these findings seriously because exposure to nutritional information that lacks context or seems contradictory can lead to confusion and backlash among consumers. However, more research is needed to draw firm conclusions about the accuracy and quality of web-based diet- and nutrition-related content and whether similar results can be obtained in other major mass media or social media outlets and even other languages. [Abstract copyright: ©Kentaro Murakami, Nana Shinozaki, Nana Kimoto, Hiroko Onodera, Fumi Oono, Tracy A McCaffrey, M Barbara E Livingstone, Tsuyoshi Okuhara, Mai Matsumoto, Ryoko Katagiri, Erika Ota, Tsuyoshi Chiba, Yuki Nishida, Satoshi Sasaki. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 16.11.2023.

Frequency and outcomes of gastrostomy insertion in a longitudinal cohort study of atypical parkinsonism

\ua9 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.Background: Multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) show a high prevalence and rapid progression of dysphagia, which is associated with reduced survival. Despite this, the evidence base for gastrostomy is poor, and the optimal frequency and outcomes of this intervention are not known. We aimed to characterise the prevalence and outcomes of gastrostomy in patients with these three atypical parkinsonian disorders. Method: We analysed data from the natural history and longitudinal cohorts of the PROSPECT-M-UK study with up to 60 months of follow-up from baseline. Survival post-gastrostomy was analysed using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Results: In a total of 339 patients (mean age at symptom onset 63.3 years, mean symptom duration at baseline 4.6 years), dysphagia was present in &gt;50% across all disease groups at baseline and showed rapid progression during follow-up. Gastrostomy was recorded as recommended in 44 (13%) and performed in 21 (6.2%; MSA 7, PSP 11, CBS 3) of the total study population. Median survival post-gastrostomy was 24 months compared with 12 months where gastrostomy was recommended but not done (p = 0.008). However, this was not significant when correcting for age and duration of symptoms at the time of procedure or recommendation. Conclusions: Gastrostomy was performed relatively infrequently in this cohort despite the high prevalence of dysphagia. Survival post-gastrostomy was longer than previously reported, but further data on other outcomes and clinician and patient perspectives would help to guide use of this intervention in MSA, PSP and CBS

The communication of a secondary care diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis to primary care practitioners: a population-based study

Background Autoimmune Hepatitis is a chronic liver disease which affects young people and can result in liver failure leading to death or transplantation yet there is a lack of information on the incidence and prevalence of this disease and its natural history in the UK. A means of obtaining this information is via the use of clinical databases formed of electronic primary care records. How reliably the diagnosis is coded in such records is however unknown. The aim of this study therefore was to assess the proportion of consultant hepatologist diagnoses of Autoimmune Hepatitis which were accurately recorded in General Practice computerised records. Methods Our study population were patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis diagnosed by consultant hepatologists in the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals (UK) between 2004 and 2009. We wrote to the general practitioners of these patients to obtain the percentage of patients who had a valid READ code specific for Autoimmune Hepatitis. Results We examined the electronic records of 51 patients who had biopsy evidence and a possible diagnosis of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Forty two of these patients had a confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autoimmune Hepatitis by a consultant hepatologist: we contacted the General Practitioners of these patients obtaining a response rate of 90.5% (39/42 GPs). 37/39 of these GPs responded with coding information and 89% of these patients (33/37) used Read code J638.00 (Autoimmune Hepatitis) to record a diagnosis. Conclusions The diagnosis of Autoimmune Hepatitis made by a Consultant Hepatologist is accurately communicated to and electronically recorded by primary care in the UK. As a large proportion of cases of Autoimmune Hepatitis are recorded in primary care, this minimises the risk of introducing selection bias and therefore selecting cases using these data will be a valid method of conducting population based studies on Autoimmune Hepatitis