Fate control and well-being in Chinese rural people living with HIV: Mediation effect of resilience

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Multi-disciplinary simulations of stores in weapon bays using scale adaptive simulation

This paper presents cavity flow calculations using the scale-adaptive simulation method involving door opening, store release and aeroelas- ticity. For established bay flows, the structural excitation showed a directional dependence, and the structures were responding to the flow frequency content. Maximum store deformations were of about 2% of the store diameter during store release. This is the first time where such effects are quantified for stores released from within bays. The store deformation, the role of the shear layer, and the store trajectory variability are also quantified

Terahertz plasmonics in ferroelectric-gated graphene

2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Analyzing Ideological Communities in Congressional Voting Networks

We here study the behavior of political party members aiming at identifying how ideological communities are created and evolve over time in diverse (fragmented and non-fragmented) party systems. Using public voting data of both Brazil and the US, we propose a methodology to identify and characterize ideological communities, their member polarization, and how such communities evolve over time, covering a 15-year period. Our results reveal very distinct patterns across the two case studies, in terms of both structural and dynamic properties

Coastal clustering of HEV; Cornwall, UK.

PublishedBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Autochthonous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a porcine zoonosis and increasingly recognized in developed countries. In most cases the route of infection is uncertain. A previous study showed that HEV was associated geographically with pig farms and coastal areas. AIM: The aim of the present research was to study the geographical, environmental and social factors in autochthonous HEV infection. METHODS: Cases of HEV genotype 3 infection and controls were identified from 2047 consecutive patients attending a rapid-access hepatology clinic. For each case/control the following were recorded: distance from home to nearest pig farm, distance from home to coast, rainfall levels during the 8 weeks before presentation, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: A total of 36 acute hepatitis E cases, 170 age/sex-matched controls and 53 hepatitis controls were identified. The geographical spread of hepatitis E cases was not even when compared with both control groups. Cases were more likely to live within 2000 m of the coast (odds ratio=2.32, 95% confidence interval=1.08-5.19, P=0.03). There was no regional difference in the incidence of cases and controls between west and central Cornwall. There was no difference between cases and controls in terms of distance from the nearest pig farm, socioeconomic status or rainfall during the 8 weeks before disease presentation. CONCLUSION: Cases of HEV infection in Cornwall are associated with coastal residence. The reason for this observation is uncertain, but might be related to recreational exposure to beach areas exposed to HEV-contaminated 'run-off' from pig farms. This hypothesis merits further study.The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry which is a joint entity of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West) is supported by investment from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Disposition of Federally Owned Surpluses

PDZ domains are scaffolding modules in protein-protein interactions that mediate numerous physiological functions by interacting canonically with the C-terminus or non-canonically with an internal motif of protein ligands. A conserved carboxylate-binding site in the PDZ domain facilitates binding via backbone hydrogen bonds; however, little is known about the role of these hydrogen bonds due to experimental challenges with backbone mutations. Here we address this interaction by generating semisynthetic PDZ domains containing backbone amide-to-ester mutations and evaluating the importance of individual hydrogen bonds for ligand binding. We observe substantial and differential effects upon amide-to-ester mutation in PDZ2 of postsynaptic density protein 95 and other PDZ domains, suggesting that hydrogen bonding at the carboxylate-binding site contributes to both affinity and selectivity. In particular, the hydrogen-bonding pattern is surprisingly different between the non-canonical and canonical interaction. Our data provide a detailed understanding of the role of hydrogen bonds in protein-protein interactions

Comparison of lansoprazole-based triple and dual therapy for treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related duodenal ulcer: An Asian multicentre double-blind randomized placebo controlled study

Background: In Asian countries with limited resources, clarithromycin-based triple therapy may not be readily available. There are also few direct comparisons of different regimens in Asia. Aim: To compare two lansoprazole-based non-clarithromycin triple therapies and one dual therapy in a prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of Helicobacter pylori eradication and duodenal ulcer healing. Methods: Fourteen centres in Asia participated in this study. Patients with acute duodenal ulcer who were H. pylori-positive were recruited. They were randomized to receive: (a) lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., amoxycillin 1 g b.d. and metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for 2 weeks (LAM-2 W), or (b) LAM for 1 week and placebo (LAM-1 W), or (c) lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., amoxycillin 1 g b.d. and placebo for 2 weeks (LA-2 W). Upper endoscopy was repeated at week 6 to check for duodenal ulcer healing. Symptoms and side-effects were recorded. Results: A total of 228 patients were recruited, and two patients took less than 50% of the drugs. H. pylori eradication rates (intention-to-treat) were 68 out of 82 (83%) with LAM-2 W, 55 out of 71 (78%) with LAM-1 W and 43 out of 75 (57%) with LA-2 W. There were significant differences (P = 0.001) in eradication rates when comparing either LAM-2 W or LAM-1 W with LA-2 W. The eradication rate in patients with metronidazole resistant H. pylori strains were significantly lower than those with metronidazole sensitive strains (P = 0.0001). The duodenal ulcer healing rates at week 6 were 85%, 85% and 72% in LAM-2 W, LAM-1 W and LA-2 W, respectively (P = 0.065). Side-effects occurred in 13%, 11% and 9% in LAM-2 W, LAM-1 W and LA-2 W, respectively. H. pylori eradication and initial ulcer size were factors affecting duodenal ulcer healing. Conclusions: This Asian multicentre study showed that 1-week lansoprazole-based triple therapy without clarithromycin has similar efficacy in H. pylori eradication and ulcer healing compared with a 2-week regimen. Both triple therapies were significantly better than dual therapy in H. pylori eradication. Therefore, 1-week lansoprazole-based triple therapy is as safe and effective as 2-week therapy in eradication of a pylori infection and healing of duodenal ulcer in these Asian centres.postprin

Using classification and regression tree modelling to investigate response shift patterns in dentine hypersensitivity

BACKGROUND: Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) affects people's quality of life (QoL). However changes in the internal meaning of QoL, known as Response shift (RS) may undermine longitudinal assessment of QoL. This study aimed to describe patterns of RS in people with DH using Classification and Regression Trees (CRT) and to explore the convergent validity of CRT with the then-test and ideals approaches. METHODS: Data from an 8-week clinical trial of mouthwashes for dentine hypersensitivity (n = 75) using the Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire (DHEQ) as the outcome measure, were analysed. CRT was used to examine 8-week changes in DHEQ total score as a dependent variable with clinical status for DH and each DHEQ subscale score (restrictions, coping, social, emotional and identity) as independent variables. Recalibration was inferred when the clinical change was not consistent with the DHEQ change score using a minimally important difference for DHEQ of 22 points. Reprioritization was inferred by changes in the relative importance of each subscale to the model over time. RESULTS: Overall, 50.7% of participants experienced a clinical improvement in their DH after treatment and 22.7% experienced an important improvement in their quality of life. Thirty-six per cent shifted their internal standards downward and 14.7% upwards, suggesting recalibration. Reprioritization occurred over time among the social and emotional impacts of DH. CONCLUSIONS: CRT was a useful method to reveal both, the types and nature of RS in people with a mild health condition and demonstrated convergent validity with design based approaches to detect RS