Standardized Bronchoscopy Testing for Immunocompromised Patients

Aims for Improvement Determine the consistency in which the order set was followed Determine the length of time from finding pulmonary infiltrate to consultation Determine the length of time from consultation to bronchoscopy Determine whether a follow up note was written by pulmonary Determine whether management is affected based on obtained result

Methods and tools supporting urban resilience planning: experiences from Cork, Ireland

To prevent flood disasters, policymakers call for resilient cities which are better able to cope with flood hazards. However, actual adoption of resilience measures in urban planning is still limited, partly because it is not sufficiently clear how and to what extent resilience should and can be enhanced. To develop resilience strategies, information on the current resilience and on the effects of measures should be available. Since cities are complex systems, an assessment of resilience requires the input of different actors. To obtain and combine this input, a comprehensive approach which brings together many actors is required. Furthermore, resilience must be integrated in planning frameworks in order to enhance adoption by city policy makers. Tools which support and structure the contribution of different disciplines and actors will help to obtain information on the current resilience and to develop a shared vision on measures to enhance urban resilience. We illustrate our view with an example on Cork, Ireland

Dietary moderately oxidized oil activates the Nrf2 signaling pathway in the liver of pigs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies have shown that administration of oxidized oils increases gene expression and activities of various enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and stress response in the liver of rats and guinea pigs. As these genes are controlled by nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2), we investigated the hypothesis that feeding of oxidized fats causes an activation of that transcription factor in the liver which in turn activates the expression of antioxidant, cytoprotective and detoxifying genes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty four crossbred pigs were allocated to two groups of 12 pigs each and fed nutritionally adequate diets with either fresh rapeseed oil (fresh fat group) or oxidized rapeseed oil prepared by heating at a temperature of 175°C for 72 h (oxidized fat group).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After 29 days of feeding, pigs of the oxidized fat group had a markedly increased nuclear concentration of the transcription factor Nrf2 and a higher activity of cellular superoxide dismutase and T4-UDP glucuronosyltransferase in liver than the fresh fat group (<it>P </it>< 0.05). In addition, transcript levels of antioxidant and phase II genes in liver, like superoxide dismutase 1, heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, thioredoxin reductase 1, microsomal glutathione-S-transferase 1, UDP glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 in the liver were higher in the oxidized fat group than in the fresh fat group (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Moreover, pigs of the oxidized fat group had an increased hepatic nuclear concentration of the transcription factor NF-κB which is also an important transcription factor mediating cellular stress response.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study shows for the first time that administration of an oxidized fat activates the Nrf2 in the liver of pigs which likely reflects an adaptive mechanism to prevent cellular oxidative damage. Activation of the NF-κB pathway might also contribute to this effect of oxidized fat.</p

Formation of Multipartite Entanglement Using Random Quantum Gates

The formation of multipartite quantum entanglement by repeated operation of one and two qubit gates is examined. The resulting entanglement is evaluated using two measures: the average bipartite entanglement and the Groverian measure. A comparison is made between two geometries of the quantum register: a one dimensional chain in which two-qubit gates apply only locally between nearest neighbors and a non-local geometry in which such gates may apply between any pair of qubits. More specifically, we use a combination of random single qubit rotations and a fixed two-qubit gate such as the controlled-phase gate. It is found that in the non-local geometry the entanglement is generated at a higher rate. In both geometries, the Groverian measure converges to its asymptotic value more slowly than the average bipartite entanglement. These results are expected to have implications on different proposed geometries of future quantum computers with local and non-local interactions between the qubits.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

How Do Axisymmetric Black Holes Grow Monopole and Dipole Hair?

We study the dynamical formation of scalar monopole and dipole hair in scalar Gauss-Bonnet theory and dynamical Chern-Simons theory. We prove that the spherically-symmetric mode of the dipole hair is completely determined by the product of the mass of the spacetime and the value of the monopole hair. We then show that the dynamics of the $\ell=1$ mode of the dipole hair is intimately tied to the appearance of the event horizon during axisymmetric collapse, which results in the radiation of certain modes that could have been divergent in the future of the collapse. We confirm these analytical predictions by simulating the gravitational collapse of a rapidly rotating neutron star in the decoupling limit, both in scalar Gauss-Bonnet and dynamical Chern-Simons theory. Our results, combined with those of Ref.~\cite{R:2022cwe}, provide a clear physical picture of the dynamics of scalar monopole and dipole radiation in axisymmetric and spherical gravitational collapse in these theories.Comment: v2-matches published version in PR

Methods and tools supporting urban resilience planning: experiences from Cork, Ireland

To prevent flood disasters, policymakers call for resilient cities which are better able to cope with flood hazards. However, actual adoption of resilience measures in urban planning is still limited, partly because it is not sufficiently clear how and to what extent resilience should and can be enhanced. To develop resilience strategies, information on the current resilience and on the effects of measures should be available. Since cities are complex systems, an assessment of resilience requires the input of different actors. To obtain and combine this input, a comprehensive approach which brings together many actors is required. Furthermore, resilience must be integrated in planning frameworks in order to enhance adoption by city policy makers. Tools which support and structure the contribution of different disciplines and actors will help to obtain information on the current resilience and to develop a shared vision on measures to enhance urban resilience. We illustrate our view with an example on Cork, Ireland

Treatment of lactating sows with clofibrate as a synthetic agonist of PPARalpha does not influence milk fat content and gains of litters

BACKGROUND: In rats, it has been observed that treatment with activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a (PPARalpha) disturbs metabolic adaptations during lactation, which in turn lead to a reduction of milk fat content and gains of litters during the suckling period. It has not yet been investigated whether agonists of PPARalpha are impairing milk production of lactating sows in a similar manner as in rats. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of treatment with clofibrate, a strong synthetic agonist of PPARalpha, on milk composition and litter gains in lactating sows. RESULTS: Twenty lactating sows received either a basal diet (control group) or the same diet with supplementation of 2 g of clofibrate per kg of diet (clofibrate group). In the clofibrate group, mRNA concentrations of various PPARalpha target genes involved in fatty acid utilization in liver and skeletal muscle were moderately up-regulated. Fat and energy content of the milk and gains of litters during the suckling period were not different between the control group and the clofibrate group. CONCLUSIONS: It is shown that treatment with clofibrate induces only a moderate up-regulation of PPARalpha target genes in liver and muscle of lactating sows and in turn might have limited effect on whole body fatty acid utilization. This may be the reason why clofibrate treatment did not influence milk fat content and gains of litters during the suckling period. Thus, the present study indicates that activation of PPARalpha induced either by native agonists such as dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids or a by negative energy balance might be largely uncritical in lactating sows with respect to milk production and litter gains in lactating sows

The ‘credibility paradox’ in China’s science communication: Views from scientific practitioners

In contrast to increasing debates on China’s rising status as a global scientific power, issues of China’s science communication remain under-explored. Based on 21 in-depth interviews in three cities, this article examines Chinese scientists’ accounts of the entangled web of influence which conditions the process of how scientific knowledge achieves (or fails to achieve) its civic authority. A main finding of this study is a ‘credibility paradox’ as a result of the over-politicisation of science and science communication in China. Respondents report that an absence of visible institutional endorsements renders them more public credibility and better communication outcomes. Thus, instead of exploiting formal channels of science communication, scientists interviewed were more keen to act as ‘informal risk communicators’ in grassroots and private events. Chinese scientists’ perspectives on how to earn public support of their research sheds light on the nature and impact of a ‘civic epistemology’ in an authoritarian state

The Interaction of Genetic Predisposition and Socioeconomic Position With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses From the Lifelines Cohort and Biobank Study

OBJECTIVE: A strong genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may aggravate the negative effects of low socioeconomic position (SEP) in the etiology of the disorder. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations and interactions of a genetic risk score (GRS) and SEP with T2DM, and to investigate whether clinical and behavioral risk factors can explain these associations and interactions. METHODS: We used data from 13,027 genotyped participants from the Lifelines study. The GRS was based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genome-wide associated with T2DM and was categorized into tertiles. SEP was measured as educational level. T2DM was based on biological markers, recorded medication use, and self-reports. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations, and interactions, between the GRS and SEP on T2DM were examined. RESULTS: The combination of a high GRS and low SEP had the strongest association with T2DM in cross-sectional (OR: 3.84; 95% CI: 2.28, 6.46) and longitudinal analyses (HR: 2.71; 1.39, 5.27), compared to a low GRS and high SEP. Interaction between a high GRS and a low SEP was observed in cross-sectional (relative excess risk due to interaction: 1.85; 0.65, 3.05) but not in longitudinal analyses. Clinical and behavioral risk factors mostly explained the observed associations and interactions. CONCLUSIONS: A high GRS combined with a low SEP provides the highest risk for T2DM. These factors also exacerbated each other's impact cross-sectionally but not longitudinally. Preventive measures should target individual and contextual factors of this high-risk group to reduce the risk of T2DM