UBVRI Light Curves of 44 Type Ia Supernovae

We present UBVRI photometry of 44 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia) observed from 1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed and reduced sample of SN Ia to date, nearly doubling the number of well-observed, nearby SN Ia with published multicolor CCD light curves. The large sample of U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important connections to SN Ia observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN Ia U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as does the U-B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ~40% intrinsic scatter compared to B-band.Comment: 84 authors, 71 pages, 51 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Version with high-res figures and electronic data at http://astron.berkeley.edu/~saurabh/cfa2snIa

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Registration of ‘Byrd’ Wheat

’Byrd’ (Reg. No. CV-1073, PI 664257) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and released in August 2011 through a marketing agreement with the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. In addition to researchers at Colorado State University (CSU), USDA-ARS researchers at Manhattan, KS, St. Paul, MN and Pullman, WA participated in its development. Byrd was selected from the cross ‘TAM 112’/CO970547- 7 made in 2002 at Fort Collins, CO. TAM 112 (PI 643143) is a hard red winter wheat cultivar released by Texas A&M University in 2005. CO970547-7 is an experimental line from CSU with the pedigree ‘Ike’ (PI 574488)/‘Halt’ (PI 584505). Byrd was selected as an F3:4 line in July 2006 and assigned experimental line number CO06424. Byrd was released because of its superior grain yield under nonirrigated and irrigated production conditions in eastern Colorado, its resistance to stripe (caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks.) and stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis Pers.:Pers f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn.), and its superior milling and bread-baking quality attributes. The name Byrd was chosen in honor of former CSU wheat breeder and director of the CIMMYT Global Wheat Program, Dr. Byrd C. Curtis

Registration of ‘Denali’ Wheat

‘Denali’ (Reg. No. CV-1075, PI 664256) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and released cooperatively by Colorado State University (CSU) and Kansas State University (KSU) in August 2011 through a marketing agreement with the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. In addition to researchers at CSU and KSU, USDA-ARS researchers at Manhattan, KS, St. Paul, MN, and Pullman, WA participated in its development. Denali was selected from the cross CO980829/‘TAM 111’ made in 2001 at Fort Collins, CO. CO980829 is an experimental line from CSU with the pedigree ‘Yuma’ (PI 559720)/PI 372129//CO850034/3/4*Yuma/4/NEWS12. TAM 111 (PI 631352) is a hard red winter wheat cultivar released by Texas A&M University in 2002. Denali was selected as an F5:6 line in July 2007 and assigned experimental line number CO050303-2. Denali was released because of its superior grain yield under nonirrigated and irrigated production conditions in eastern Colorado, its grain volume weight, and its resistance to stripe rust (caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks.)

Trajectories of kidney function decline in the 2 years before initiation of long-term dialysis

BACKGROUND: Little is known about patterns of kidney function decline leading up to initiation of chronic dialysis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 5,606 VA patients who initiated chronic dialysis in 2001–2003. Predictor: Trajectory of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) during the two year period before dialysis initiation. OUTCOMES AND MEASUREMENTS: Patient characteristics and care practices before and at the time of dialysis initiation and survival after initiation. RESULTS: We identified four distinct trajectories of eGFR during the two year period before dialysis initiation: 62.8% of patients had persistently low levels of eGFR below 30 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (mean eGFR slope 7.7 ±4.7 (SD) ml/min/1.73 m(2) per year); 24.6% had progressive loss of eGFR from levels around 30–59 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (mean eGFR slope 16.3 ±7.6 ml/min/1.73 m(2) per year); 9.5% had accelerated loss of eGFR from levels above 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (mean eGFR slope 32.3 ±13.4 ml/min/1.73 m(2) per year); and 3.1% experienced catastrophic loss of eGFR within six months or less from levels above 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Patients with steeper eGFR trajectories were more likely to have been hospitalized and to have an inpatient diagnosis of acute kidney injury. They were less likely to have received recommended pre-dialysis care and had a higher risk of death in the first year after dialysis initiation. CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial heterogeneity in patterns of kidney function loss leading up to initiation of chronic dialysis, perhaps calling for a more flexible approach toward preparing for end-stage renal disease