Hallmarks of Furman\u27s 2011 retirees: Commitment, foresight and integrity

At the close of the 2010-11 academic year, Furman said farewell to five faculty members who worked at the university for a combined 173 years. As a tribute to the retirees, all of whom have been awarded emeritus status, Furman magazine asked departmental colleagues (and, in two cases, former students) to comment on their careers and contributions

Twine Game

Curatorial note from Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities: This group project asks students to create a choose-your-own-adventure game that engages “gender politics, identity, and narrative in the writing classroom” using Twine. Students propose an original game addressing a gender studies issue, perform research, then develop the game. The purpose of the assignment is to create a narrative that reveals the complex, potential dangers of gender-related issues in a navigable text where players can make choices and reach different outcomes. This assignment can also be adapted to a range of gender studies topics including trans narratives, which are exemplified in the work of Merritt Kopas, who curated such a selection in TransWomen and the New Hypertext, and genre narratives, as anna anthropy has demonstrated with her queer horror and science fiction twine games http://www.auntiepixelante.com/games/

Cost-Effectiveness of PET/CT Surveillance Schedules to Detect Distant Recurrence of Resected Stage III Melanoma

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of three surveillance imaging strategies using whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT) (PET/CT) in a follow-up program for adults with resected stage III melanoma. Methods: An analytic decision model was constructed to estimate the costs and benefits of PET/CT surveillance imaging performed 3-monthly, 6-monthly, or 12-monthly compared with no surveillance imaging. Results: At 5 years, 3-monthly PET/CT surveillance imaging incurred a total cost of AUD 88,387 per patient, versus AUD 77,998 for 6-monthly, AUD 52,560 for 12-monthly imaging, and AUD 51,149 for no surveillance imaging. When compared with no surveillance imaging, 12-monthly PET/CT imaging was associated with a 4% increase in correctly diagnosed and treated distant disease; a 0.5% increase with 6-monthly imaging and 1% increase with 3-monthly imaging. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 12-monthly PET/CT surveillance imaging was AUD 34,362 for each additional distant recurrence correctly diagnosed and treated, compared with no surveillance imaging. For the outcome of cost per diagnostic error avoided, the no surveillance imaging strategy was the least costly and most effective. Conclusion: With the ICER for this strategy less than AUD 50,000 per unit of health benefit, the 12-monthly surveillance imaging strategy is considered good value for money

The Impact of Surveillance Imaging Frequency on the Detection of Distant Disease for Patients with Resected Stage III Melanoma

Background It is not known whether there is a survival benefit associated with more frequent surveillance imaging in patients with resected American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III melanoma. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate distant disease-free survival (DDFS), melanoma-specific survival (MSS), post distant recurrence MSS (dMSS), and overall survival for patients with resected stage III melanoma undergoing regular computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET)/CT surveillance imaging at different intervals. Patients and Methods A closely followed longitudinal cohort of patients with resected stage IIIA–D disease treated at a tertiary referral center underwent 3- to 4-monthly, 6-monthly, or 12-monthly surveillance imaging between 2000 and 2017. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and log-rank tests assessed the significance of survival differences between imaging frequency groups. Results Of 473 patients (IIIA, 19%; IIIB, 31%; IIIC, 49%; IIID, 1%) 30% underwent 3- to 4-monthly imaging, 10% underwent 6-monthly imaging, and 60% underwent 12-monthly imaging. After a median follow-up of 6.2 years, distant recurrence was recorded in 252 patients (53%), with 40% detected by surveillance CT or PET/CT, 43% detected clinically, and 17% with another imaging modality. Median DDFS was 5.1 years (95% confidence interval 3.9–6.6). Among 139 IIIC patients who developed distant disease, the median dMSS was 4.4 months shorter in those who underwent 3- to 4-monthly imaging than those who underwent 12-monthly imaging. Conclusion Selecting patients at higher risk of distant recurrence for more frequent surveillance imaging yields a higher proportion of imaging-detected distant recurrences but is not associated with improved survival. A randomized comparison of low versus high frequency imaging is needed

Best step-up treatments for children with uncontrolled asthma: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of individual participant data.

IntroductionThere is uncertainty about the best treatment option for children/adolescents with uncontrolled asthma despite inhaled corticosteroids, and international guidelines make different recommendations.ObjectivesWe evaluated the pharmacological treatments to reduce asthma exacerbations and symptoms in uncontrolled patients MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, the Web of Science platform, NICE Technology Appraisals, the NIHR HTA series, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, conference abstracts and internal clinical trial registers (1 July 2014 to 5 May 2023) for randomised controlled trials of participants 2-agonists (LABAs) or combined with leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs); LTRAs alone; theophylline; placebo. Primary outcomes were exacerbation and asthma control. The interventions evaluated were ICS (Low/Medium/High dose); ICS+LABA; ICS+LTRA; LTRA alone; theophylline; placebo.ResultsOf the 4708 publications identified, 144 trials were eligible. Individual participant data were obtained from 29 trials, and aggregate data from 19 trials. Compared to ICS Low, ICS Medium+LABA was associated with the lowest odds of exacerbation (OR 0.44 [95% CrI 0.19-0.90]) and with an increased FEV1 (MD 0.71 [95% CrI 0.35-1.06]). Treatment with LTRA was the least preferred. No apparent differences were found for asthma control.ConclusionUncontrolled children/adolescents on low-dose ICS should be recommended a change to medium-dose ICS+LABA to reduce the risk for exacerbation and improve lung function.Using medium-dose inhaled corticosteroids with long-acting β2-agonists reduces the odds of exacerbation and increases FEV1 in patients 6 to 17 years whose asthma is uncontrolled on a low dose of inhaled corticosteroids alone

Gene Expression Signatures of Radiation Response Are Specific, Durable and Accurate in Mice and Humans

Background: Previous work has demonstrated the potential for peripheral blood (PB) gene expression profiling for the detection of disease or environmental exposures. Methods and Findings: We have sought to determine the impact of several variables on the PB gene expression profile of an environmental exposure, ionizing radiation, and to determine the specificity of the PB signature of radiation versus other genotoxic stresses. Neither genotype differences nor the time of PB sampling caused any lessening of the accuracy of PB signatures to predict radiation exposure, but sex difference did influence the accuracy of the prediction of radiation exposure at the lowest level (50 cGy). A PB signature of sepsis was also generated and both the PB signature of radiation and the PB signature of sepsis were found to be 100 % specific at distinguishing irradiated from septic animals. We also identified human PB signatures of radiation exposure and chemotherapy treatment which distinguished irradiated patients and chemotherapy-treated individuals within a heterogeneous population with accuracies of 90 % and 81%, respectively. Conclusions: We conclude that PB gene expression profiles can be identified in mice and humans that are accurate i

Homogenization via formal multiscale asymptotics and volume averaging: How do the two techniques compare?

A wide variety of techniques have been developed to homogenize transport equations in multiscale and multiphase systems. This has yielded a rich and diverse field, but has also resulted in the emergence of isolated scientific communities and disconnected bodies of literature. Here, our goal is to bridge the gap between formal multiscale asymptotics and the volume averaging theory. We illustrate the methodologies via a simple example application describing a parabolic transport problem and, in so doing, compare their respective advantages/disadvantages from a practical point of view. This paper is also intended as a pedagogical guide and may be viewed as a tutorial for graduate students as we provide historical context, detail subtle points with great care, and reference many fundamental works

Mot

A memoir exploring the themes of friendship, homelessness, marriage, and mental illness set in Morgantown, WV and parts of the American West

Helitron Gene Captures in Triticum aestivum

Helitrons are a type of class II transposable element found in virtually all eukaryotic genomes. These elements have the ability to capture genes during their transposition and relocate them on a different region of the genome through a rolling-circle mechanism, potentially having adverse effects upon the genome, including the creation of chimera or novel host genes, deactivation of coding sites, and the up/down regulation of gene products. Our goal was to investigate Triticum aestivum (a hexaploid organism that has undergone evolutionary hybridization) genomic sequences to determine the capture, or lack thereof, of predicted full or partial coding genes by comparing the Helitron sequences from the IGV viewer to predicted genes and the ortholog diploid ancestors of the AK58 plant genome: Triticum urartu, Ageilops speltoides, and Ageilops tauschii. Helitron motifs were used to identify sequences that were then run against the BLAST and Ensembl Triticum aestivum database, and the results were used to determine whether the Helitron had successfully captured any portion of a gene. With the sequences we analyzed, we found a mix of coding gene, non-coding gene, and pseudogenes. Our Helitron research in Triticum aestivum is a novel and can potentially opening doors for a deeper understanding on the role of transposable elements in wheat genome evolution