589 research outputs found
The impact of primary care access on autism spectrum disorder awareness in an underserved population
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening do not specifically address safety-net clinics, which provide multidisciplinary healthcare services to underserved patients. This project explored the potential for ASD screening in safety-net clinics by assessing parental perceived knowledge of ASD at JayDoc Free Clinic, a student-run safety-net clinic in Wyandotte County, Kansas. May through December 2022, patients who reported to be the parent of a minor received a demographic survey and a Likert-style questionnaire assessing perceived knowledge of ASD, including understanding the importance of ASD screening and ASD signs and symptoms. Responses were categorized into positive, negative, and unsure. Demographic variables included the minor’s primary care provider (PCP) status. Results were analyzed using bivariate analysis, with chi-square tests for significance (p-value ≤ 0.05). Of the 52 participants who completed at least one Likert response, 55.8% reported their child had a PCP. Responses were somewhat balanced with 44.2% positive for understanding the importance of ASD screening and 53.8% positive for understanding ASD signs and symptoms. For understanding the signs and symptoms of ASD, an unsure response (32.7% of responses) was statistically associated with a lack of PCP (p = 0.017). The balance of positive with negative and unsure responses could reflect lack of ASD knowledge and may relate to healthcare inaccessibility. This is consistent with the significant association between lack of PCP and unsure responses for understanding ASD signs and symptoms. ASD screening and education in safety-net clinics like JayDoc could be valuable, particularly for children without a PCP
Cosmological Expansion in the Randall-Sundrum Brane World Scenario
The cosmology of the Randall-Sundrum scenario for a positive tension brane in
a 5-D Universe with localized gravity has been studied previously. In the
radiation-dominated Universe, it was suggested that there are two solutions for
the cosmic scale factor a(t) : the standard solution , and a
solution , which is incompatible with standard big bang
nucleosynthesis. In this note, we reconsider expansion of the Universe in this
scenario. We derive and solve a first order, linear differential equation for
H^2, the square of the expansion rate of the Universe, as a function of a. The
differences between our equation for H^2 and the relationship found in standard
cosmology are (i) there is a term proportional to density squared (a fact
already known), which is small when the density is small compared to the brane
tension, and (ii) there is a contribution which acts like a relativistic fluid.
We show that this second contribution is due to gravitational degrees of
freedom in the bulk. Thus, we find that there need not be any conflict between
cosmology of the Randall-Sundrum scenario and the standard model of cosmology.
We discuss how reheating at the end of inflation leads to the correct
relationship between matter density and expansion rate, , and the conditions that must be met for the expansion rate of the
Universe to be close to its standard model value around the epoch of
cosmological nucleosynthesis.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. Error in interpretation corrected, references
adde
Cosmological Constant, Gauge Hierarchy and Warped Geometry
It is suggested that the mechanism responsible for the resolution of the
gauge hierarchy problem within the warped geometry framework can be generalized
to provide a new explanation of the extremely tiny vacuum energy density rho_V
suggested by recent observations. We illustrate the mechanism with some 5D
examples in which the true vacuum energy is assumed to vanish, and rho_V is
associated with a false vacuum energy such that rho_V^{1/4} ~ TeV^2/M_{Pl} ~
10^{-3} eV, where M_{Pl} denotes the reduced Planck mass. We also consider a
quintessence-like solution to the dark energy problem.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures, section on quantum corrections added,
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Association of the T allele of an intronic single nucleotide polymorphism in the colony stimulating factor 1 receptor with Crohn's disease: a case-control study
BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in several genes (NOD2, MDR1, SLC22A4) have been associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease. Identification of the remaining Crohn's susceptibility genes is essential for the development of disease-specific targets for immunotherapy. Using gene expression analysis, we identified a differentially expressed gene on 5q33, the colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) gene, and hypothesized that it is a Crohn's susceptibility gene. The CSF1R gene is involved in monocyte to macrophage differentiation and in innate immunity. METHODS: Patients provided informed consent prior to entry into the study as approved by the Institutional Review Board at LSU Health Sciences Center. We performed forward and reverse sequencing of genomic DNA from 111 unrelated patients with Crohn's disease and 108 controls. We also stained paraffin-embedded, ileal and colonic tissue sections from patients with Crohn's disease and controls with a polyclonal antibody raised against the human CSF1R protein. RESULTS: A single nucleotide polymorphism (A2033T) near a Runx1 binding site in the eleventh intron of the colony stimulating factor 1 receptor was identified. The T allele of this single nucleotide polymorphism occurred in 27% of patients with Crohn's disease but in only 13% of controls (X(2 )= 6.74, p < 0.01, odds ratio (O.R.) = 2.49, 1.23 < O.R. < 5.01). Using immunohistochemistry, positive staining with a polyclonal antibody to CSF1R was observed in the superficial epithelium of ileal and colonic tissue sections. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the colony stimulating factor receptor 1 gene may be a susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease
Hemorrhage rate after coblation tonsillectomy: a meta-analysis of published trials
After the surgical procedure of tonsillectomy, hemorrhage ranks among its serious postoperative complications. In this systematic review, we analyze hemorrhage following tonsillectomies performed using the coblation technique. 24 prospective, randomized, and controlled studies were included in the meta-analysis. Data of 796 patients who had undergone coblation tonsillectomy were analyzed. Hemorrhages occurred in 33 patients: 2 classified as primary and 26 as secondary hemorrhages. 5 could not be classified into either group. Overall, the total hemorrhage rate for the coblation procedure was 4.1% with a 95% confidence interval from 2.8 to 5.5%. The overall hemorrhage rate of 4.1% found in this meta-analysis shows that coblation is a safe and effective technique for tonsillectomies with a secondary bleeding rate similar to what is reported for comparable techniques such as bipolar diathermia
VAST: An ASKAP Survey for Variables and Slow Transients
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) will give us an
unprecedented opportunity to investigate the transient sky at radio
wavelengths. In this paper we present VAST, an ASKAP survey for Variables and
Slow Transients. VAST will exploit the wide-field survey capabilities of ASKAP
to enable the discovery and investigation of variable and transient phenomena
from the local to the cosmological, including flare stars, intermittent
pulsars, X-ray binaries, magnetars, extreme scattering events, interstellar
scintillation, radio supernovae and orphan afterglows of gamma ray bursts. In
addition, it will allow us to probe unexplored regions of parameter space where
new classes of transient sources may be detected. In this paper we review the
known radio transient and variable populations and the current results from
blind radio surveys. We outline a comprehensive program based on a multi-tiered
survey strategy to characterise the radio transient sky through detection and
monitoring of transient and variable sources on the ASKAP imaging timescales of
five seconds and greater. We also present an analysis of the expected source
populations that we will be able to detect with VAST.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures. Submitted for publication in Pub. Astron. Soc.
Australi
Quantum creation and inflationary universes: a critical appraisal
We contrast the possibility of inflation starting a) from the universe's
inception or b) from an earlier non-inflationary state. Neither case is ideal
since a) assumes quantum mechanical reasoning is straightforwardly applicable
to the early universe; while case b) requires that a singularity still be
present. Further, in agreement with Vachaspati and Trodden [1] case b) can only
solve the horizon problem if the non-inflationary phase has equation of state
.Comment: 21 pages Late
Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology with Gravitational Waves
Gravitational wave detectors are already operating at interesting sensitivity
levels, and they have an upgrade path that should result in secure detections
by 2014. We review the physics of gravitational waves, how they interact with
detectors (bars and interferometers), and how these detectors operate. We study
the most likely sources of gravitational waves and review the data analysis
methods that are used to extract their signals from detector noise. Then we
consider the consequences of gravitational wave detections and observations for
physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.Comment: 137 pages, 16 figures, Published version
<http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2009-2
- …