Classroom Ventilation: The Effectiveness of Preheating and Refresh Breaks: An analysis of 169 spaces at 43 schools across New Zealand

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of ventilation as a transmission mitigation strategy. However, there was a widely held concern that a drop in outdoor temperatures during winter may impact thermal comfort in the context of naturally ventilated classrooms. This concern has not been widely investigated by peer-reviewed empirical studies (Sutherland et al., 2022b). The aim of the Ministry’s ventilation monitoring initiative was to assess ventilation performance and thermal comfort by continuously measuring indoor CO2 levels, air temperature, and relative humidity in classrooms during winter, without obstructing teaching activities. A total of 43 schools, which represent a broad mix of property attributes and located across the 6 Climate Zones in New Zealand, were selected for the monitoring initiative. The CO2 monitors were deployed in about 4-6 pre-selected and representative spaces in each school. Data was retrieved from 213 spaces; of these, 44 spaces were excluded, because the initiative concentrated on teaching environments (classrooms) and those spaces were categorised as non-teaching environments (e.g., staff rooms, meeting rooms, etc.). From the 213 spaces, the data from 169 teaching spaces retrieved for the period 23 May to 26 August 2022 were analysed to ascertain the impacts of inferred human behaviours considered to be able to improve natural ventilation and detected from features of CO2 and temperature data. This analysis does not (and did not intend to) corroborate independent observation of behaviours

Association of BRAFV600E Mutation and MicroRNA Expression with Central Lymph Node Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Prospective Study from Four Endocrine Surgery Centers

Background: Studies have demonstrated an association of the BRAFV600E mutation and microRNA (miR) expression with aggressive clinicopathologic features in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Analysis of BRAFV600E mutations with miR expression data may improve perioperative decision making for patients with PTC, specifically in identifying patients harboring central lymph node metastases (CLNM). Methods: Between January 2012 and June 2013, 237 consecutive patients underwent total thyroidectomy and prophylactic central lymph node dissection (CLND) at four endocrine surgery centers. All tumors were tested for the presence of the BRAFV600E mutation and miR-21, miR-146b-3p, miR-146b-5p, miR-204, miR-221, miR-222, and miR-375 expression. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to examine associations between molecular markers and aggressive clinicopathologic features of PTC. Results: Multivariable logistic regression analysis of all clinicopathologic features found miR-146b-3p and miR-146b-5p to be independent predictors of CLNM, while the presence of BRAFV600E almost reached significance. Multivariable logistic regression analysis limited to only predictors available preoperatively (molecular markers, age, sex, and tumor size) found miR-146b-3p, miR-146b-5p, miR-222, and BRAFV600E mutation to predict CLNM independently. While BRAFV600E was found to be associated with CLNM (48% mutated in node-positive cases vs. 28% mutated in node-negative cases), its positive and negative predictive values (48% and 72%, respectively) limit its clinical utility as a stand-alone marker. In the subgroup analysis focusing on only classical variant of PTC cases (CVPTC), undergoing prophylactic lymph node dissection, multivariable logistic regression analysis found only miR-146b-5p and miR-222 to be independent predictors of CLNM, while BRAFV600E was not significantly associated with CLNM. Conclusion: In the patients undergoing prophylactic CLNDs, miR-146b-3p, miR-146b-5p, and miR-222 were found to be predictive of CLNM preoperatively. However, there was significant overlap in expression of these miRs in the two outcome groups. The BRAFV600E mutation, while being a marker of CLNM when considering only preoperative variables among all histological subtypes, is likely not a useful stand-alone marker clinically because the difference between node-positive and node-negative cases was small. Furthermore, it lost significance when examining only CVPTC. Overall, our results speak to the concept and interpretation of statistical significance versus actual applicability of molecular markers, raising questions about their clinical usefulness as individual prognostic markers.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140269/1/thy.2015.0378.pd

Schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms in families of two American Indian tribes

Abstract Background The risk of schizophrenia is thought to be higher in population isolates that have recently been exposed to major and accelerated cultural change, accompanied by ensuing socio-environmental stressors/triggers, than in dominant, mainstream societies. We investigated the prevalence and phenomenology of schizophrenia in 329 females and 253 males of a Southwestern American Indian tribe, and in 194 females and 137 males of a Plains American Indian tribe. These tribal groups were evaluated as part of a broader program of gene-environment investigations of alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders. Methods Semi-structured psychiatric interviews were conducted to allow diagnoses utilizing standardized psychiatric diagnostic criteria, and to limit cultural biases. Study participants were recruited from the community on the basis of membership in pedigrees, and not by convenience. After independent raters evaluated the interviews blindly, DSM-III-R diagnoses were assigned by a consensus of experts well-versed in the local cultures. Results Five of the 582 Southwestern American Indian respondents (prevalence = 8.6 per 1000), and one of the 331 interviewed Plains American Indians (prevalence = 3.02 per 1000) had a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia. The lifetime prevalence rates of schizophrenia within these two distinct American Indian tribal groups is consistent with lifetime expectancy rates reported for the general United States population and most isolate and homogeneous populations for which prevalence rates of schizophrenia are available. While we were unable to factor in the potential modifying effect that mortality rates of schizophrenia-suffering tribal members may have had on the overall tribal rates, the incidence of schizophrenia among the living was well within the normative range. Conclusion The occurrence of schizophrenia among members of these two tribal population groups is consistent with prevalence rates reported for population isolates and in the general population. Vulnerabilities to early onset alcohol and drug use disorders do not lend convincing support to a diathesis-stressor model with these stressors, commonly reported with these tribes. Nearly one-fifth of the respondents reported experiencing psychotic-like symptoms, reaffirming the need to examine sociocultural factors actively before making positive diagnoses of psychosis or schizophrenia.</p

Nasal air-conditioning during breathing therapy

It has been reported that continuous positive airway pressure therapy introduces negative nasal side-effects including sneezing, itching, nasal dryness, nasal congestion and/or a runny nose. As these symptoms are suggestive of nasal dysfunction, heated humidification is often used to fully saturate and heat the inhaled air to core body temperature. It is expected that this relieves the nasal mucosa from having to supply, or recover, heat and moisture from inspired and expired air. This review summarizes the current in vitro and in vivo knowledge relevant to nasal air-conditioning, and identifies further investigations necessary to improve our understanding the changes that occur during nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Investigations into nasal airway fluid transportation, airflow regulation and heat and fluid supply may lead to a therapy temperature/pressure/humidification algorithm that optimizes these parameters for a prescribed therapy pressure. Optimization could lead to a reduction in titration pressure and improved treatment compliance

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Rapid and selective deposition of patterned thin films on heterogeneous substrates via spin coating

The selective deposition of polymer thin films can be achieved via spin coating by manipulating interfacial interactions. While this "spin dewetting" approach sometimes generates spatial localization on topographic and chemical patterns, the connection between material selection, process parameters, and resulting film characteristics remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that accurate control over these parameters allows incomplete trichlorosilane self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to induce spin dewetting on both homogeneous (SiO) and heterogeneous (Cu/SiO or TiN/SiO) surfaces. Glassy polymers undergo a sharp transition from uniform wetting to complete dewetting depending on spin speed, solution concentration, polymer molecular weight, and SAM chemistry. Under optimal conditions, spin dewetting on line-space patterns results in the selective deposition of polymer over regions not functionalized with SAM. The insights described herein clarify the importance of different variables involved in spin dewetting and provide access to a versatile strategy for patterning polymeric thin films

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Depression Care in Community-Dwelling Elderly in the United States

Abstract available at publisher's website