228 research outputs found
Decreased antiviral immune response within the central nervous system of aged mice is associated with increased lethality of West Nile virus encephalitis
West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen that causes disease syndromes ranging from a mild flu-like illness to encephalitis. While the incidence of WNV infection is fairly uniform across age groups, the risk of lethal encephalitis increases with advanced age. Prior studies have demonstrated age-related, functional immune deficits that limit systemic antiviral immunity and increase mortality; however, the effect of age on antiviral immune responses specifically within the central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here, we show that aged mice exhibit increased peripheral organ and CNS tissue viral burden, the latter of which is associated with alterations in activation of both myeloid and lymphoid cells compared with similarly infected younger animals. Aged mice exhibit lower MHCII expression by microglia, and higher levels of PD1 and lower levels of IFNÎł expression by WNV-specific CD
The anatomy of category-specific object naming in neurodegenerative diseases
Neuropsychological studies suggest that knowledge about
living and nonliving objects is processed in separate brain regions. However, lesion and functional neuroimaging studies
have implicated different areas. To address this issue, we used
voxel-based morphometry to correlate accuracy in naming line
drawings of living and nonliving objects with gray matter volumes in 152 patients with various neurodegenerative diseases.
The results showed a significant positive correlation between
gray matter volumes in bilateral temporal cortices and total
naming accuracy regardless of category. Naming scores for
living stimuli correlated with gray matter volume in the medial portion of the right anterior temporal pole, whereas naming accuracy for familiarity-matched nonliving items correlated
with the volume of the left posterior middle temporal gyrus. A
previous behavioral study showed that the living stimuli used
here also had in common the characteristic that they were
defined by shared sensory semantic features, whereas items
in the nonliving group were defined by their action-related
semantic features. We propose that the anatomical segregation
of living and nonliving categories is the result of their defining
semantic features and the distinct neural subsystems used to
process them
InternetâBased Pain SelfâManagement for Veterans: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Pain EASE Program
ObjectiveTo develop and test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a cognitive behavioral therapyâbased, internetâdelivered selfâmanagement program for chronic low back pain (cLBP) in veterans.MethodsPhase I included program development, involving expert panel and participant feedback. Phase II was a singleâarm feasibility and preliminary efficacy study of the Pain eâhealth for Activity, Skills, and Education (Pain EASE) program. Feasibility (ie, website use, treatment credibility, satisfaction) was measured using descriptive methods. Mixed models were used to assess mean withinâsubject changes from baseline to 10 weeks postâbaseline in pain interference (primary outcome, West HavenâYale Multidimensional Pain Inventory, scale of 0 to 6), pain intensity, mood, fatigue, sleep, and depression.ResultsPhase I participants (n = 15) suggested modifications including style changes, content reduction, additional âTest Your Knowledgeâ quizzes, and cognitive behavioral therapy skill practice monitoring form revisions for enhanced usability. In Phase II, participants (n = 58) were mostly male (93%) and White (60%), and had an average age of 55 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12) and moderate pain (mean score 5.9/10); 41 (71%) completed the postâbaseline assessment. Participants (N = 58) logged on 6.1 (SD = 8.6) times over 10 weeks, and 85% reported being very or moderately satisfied with Pain EASE. Pain interference improved from a mean of 3.8 at baseline to 3.3 at 10 weeks (difference 0.5 [95% confidence interval 0.1 to 0.9], P = 0.008). Withinâsubject improvement also occurred for some secondary outcomes, including mood and depression symptoms.DiscussionVeterans with cLBP may benefit from technologyâdelivered interventions, which may also reduce pain interference. Overall, veterans found that Pain EASE, an internetâbased selfâmanagement program, is feasible and satisfactory for cLBP.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154929/1/papr12861.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154929/2/papr12861_am.pd
New Limits on the Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrino Flux from the ANITA Experiment
We report initial results of the first flight of the Antarctic Impulsive
Transient Antenna (ANITA-1) 2006-2007 Long Duration Balloon flight, which
searched for evidence of a diffuse flux of cosmic neutrinos above energies of 3
EeV. ANITA-1 flew for 35 days looking for radio impulses due to the Askaryan
effect in neutrino-induced electromagnetic showers within the Antarctic ice
sheets. We report here on our initial analysis, which was performed as a blind
search of the data. No neutrino candidates are seen, with no detected physics
background. We set model-independent limits based on this result. Upper limits
derived from our analysis rule out the highest cosmogenic neutrino models. In a
background horizontal-polarization channel, we also detect six events
consistent with radio impulses from ultra-high energy extensive air showers.Comment: 4 pages, 2 table
Observation of Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays with the ANITA Balloon-borne Radio Interferometer
We report the observation of sixteen cosmic ray events of mean energy of 1.5
x 10^{19} eV, via radio pulses originating from the interaction of the cosmic
ray air shower with the Antarctic geomagnetic field, a process known as
geosynchrotron emission. We present the first ultra-wideband, far-field
measurements of the radio spectral density of geosynchrotron emission in the
range from 300-1000 MHz. The emission is 100% linearly polarized in the plane
perpendicular to the projected geomagnetic field. Fourteen of our observed
events are seen to have a phase-inversion due to reflection of the radio beam
off the ice surface, and two additional events are seen directly from above the
horizon.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, new figure adde
Changes of bone turnover markers and serum PTH after night or morning administration of zoledronic acid in breast cancer patients with bone metastases
Persistent circadian rhythm of bone turnover in bone metastatic breast cancer suggests greater skeletal retention of bisphosphonates if administered in the night. We assessed differential effects of night vs morning administration of zoledronic acid (ZA) on bone turnover. Forty-four breast cancer patients with bone metastases were randomised to receive intravenous ZA (4âmg) at 1100 or 2300 hours every 28 days for four times. Urinary concentration N-telopeptide of type-I collagen (NTX) and deoxypyridinolines, and serum C-telopeptide of type-I collagen (CTX), bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin and Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was measured in the morning at baseline and after 4, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 84 days. Urinary ZA concentration was also measured. Zoledronic acid caused significant decreases of NTX and CTX (P<0.001), without any difference in percent changes between night and morning arms. Bone ALP and osteocalcin were also significantly affected by ZA (P=0.001), without any difference between arms. Parathyroid hormone significantly increased in both the arms; PTH increase was lower in the night arm (P=0.001). From the second administration onwards, urinary ZA level was significantly higher in the night arm (P<0.01). Administration of ZA at two opposite phases of the circadian cycle causes similar changes of bone-turnover marker levels, but has differential effects on the level of serum PTH
Energy and Flux Measurements of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays Observed During the First ANITA Flight
The first flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)
experiment recorded 16 radio signals that were emitted by cosmic-ray induced
air showers. For 14 of these events, this radiation was reflected from the ice.
The dominant contribution to the radiation from the deflection of positrons and
electrons in the geomagnetic field, which is beamed in the direction of motion
of the air shower. This radiation is reflected from the ice and subsequently
detected by the ANITA experiment at a flight altitude of 36km. In this paper,
we estimate the energy of the 14 individual events and find that the mean
energy of the cosmic-ray sample is 2.9 EeV. By simulating the ANITA flight, we
calculate its exposure for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We estimate for the
first time the cosmic-ray flux derived only from radio observations. In
addition, we find that the Monte Carlo simulation of the ANITA data set is in
agreement with the total number of observed events and with the properties of
those events.Comment: Added more explanation of the experimental setup and textual
improvement
A Call to Action: Taking the Untenable out of Women Professorsâ Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Caregiving Demands
Despite becoming increasingly represented in academic departments, women scholars face a
critical lack of support as they navigate demands pertaining to pregnancy, motherhood, and child
caregiving. In addition, cultural norms surrounding how faculty and academic leaders discuss
and talk about tenure, promotion, and career success have created pressure for women who wish
to grow their family and care for their children, leading to questions about whether it is possible
for these women to have a family and an academic career. The current paper is a call to action
for academia to build structures that support women professors as they navigate the complexities
of pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the caregiving demands of their children. We
specifically call on those of us in I-O psychology, management, and related departments to lead
the way. In making this call, we first present the realistic, moral, and financial cases for why this
issue needs to be at the forefront of discussions surrounding success in the academy. We then
discuss how in the U.S. and elsewhere, an absence of policies supporting women places two
groups of academicsâdepartment heads (as the leaders of departments who have discretion
outside of formal policies to make work better for women) and other faculty members (as
potential allies both in the department and within our professional organizations)âin a critical
position to enact support and change. We conclude with our boldest callâto make a cultural
shift that shatters the assumption that having a family is not compatible with academic success.
Combined, we seek to launch a discussion that leads directly to necessary and overdue changes
in how women scholars are supported in academia
Just a guy in pajamas? Framing the blogs in mainstream US newspaper coverage (1999â2005)
When new technologies are introduced to the public, their widespread adoption is dependent, in part, on news coverage (Rogers, 1995).Yet, as weblogs began to play major role in the public spheres of politics and journalism, journalists faced a paradox: how to cover a social phenomenon that was too large to ignore and posed a significant threat to their profession. This article examines how blogs were framed by US newspapers as the public became more aware of the blogging world. A content analysis of blog-related stories in major US newspapers from 1999 to 2005 was conducted. Findings suggest that newspaper coverage framed blogs as more beneficial to individuals and small cohorts than to larger social entities such as politics, business and journalism. Moreover, only in the realm of journalism were blogs framed as more of a threat than a benefit, and rarely were blogs considered an actual form of journalism.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline
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