4,253 research outputs found
The range of axial rotation of the glenohumeral joint.
Accepted versio
THEORY OF DEFECTS IN CONDUCTING POLYMERS .2. APPLICATION TO POLYACETYLENE
We exploit the approach of a previous paper, based on self-consistent quantum-chemical molecular dynamics, to investigate the energetics and dynamics of excitations in conducting polymers. The predictions include the formation energies of solitons and polarons, the phenomenon of doping by alkali atoms, luminescence quenching in cis-polyacetylene, the soliton mobility in trans-polyacetylene and the non-existence of breathers in cis-polyacetylene
Dynamic architectural interplay between leucocytes and mammary epithelial cells.
The adult mammary gland undergoes dynamic changes during puberty and the postnatal developmental cycle. The mammary epithelium is composed of a bilayer of outer basal, or myoepithelial, cells and inner luminal cells, the latter lineage giving rise to the milk-producing alveolar cells during pregnancy. These luminal alveolar cells undergo Stat3-mediated programmed cell death following the cessation of lactation. It is established that immune cells in the microenvironment of the gland have a role to play both in the ductal outgrowth during puberty and in the removal of dead cells and remodelling of the stroma during the process of postlactational regression. However, most studies have focussed on the role of the stromal immune cell compartment or have quantified immune cell populations in tissue extracts. Our recent development of protocols for deep imaging of the mammary gland in three dimensions (3D) has enabled the architectural relationship between immune cells and the epithelium to be examined in detail, and we have discovered a surprisingly dynamic relationship between the basal epithelium and leucocytes. Furthermore, we have observed morphological changes in the myoepithelial cells, as involution progresses, which were not revealed by previous work in 2D tissue sections and whole tissue. This dynamic architecture suggests a role for myoepithelial cells in the orderly progression of involution. We conclude that deep imaging of mammary gland and other tissues is essential for analysing complex interactions between cellular compartments
Scale without Conformal Invariance at Three Loops
We carry out a three-loop computation that establishes the existence of scale
without conformal invariance in dimensional regularization with the MS scheme
in d=4-epsilon spacetime dimensions. We also comment on the effects of scheme
changes in theories with many couplings, as well as in theories that live on
non-conformal scale-invariant renormalization group trajectories. Stability
properties of such trajectories are analyzed, revealing both attractive and
repulsive directions in a specific example. We explain how our results are in
accord with those of Jack & Osborn on a c-theorem in d=4 (and d=4-epsilon)
dimensions. Finally, we point out that limit cycles with turning points are
unlike limit cycles with continuous scale invariance.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Erratum adde
"...they should be offering it": a qualitative study to investigate young peoples' attitudes towards chlamydia screening in GP surgeries
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite the known health and healthcare costs of untreated chlamydia infection and the efforts of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) to control chlamydia through early detection and treatment of asymptomatic infection, the rates of screening are well below the 2010-2011 target rate of 35%. General Practitioner (GP) surgeries are a key venue within the NCSP however; previous studies indicate that GP surgery staff are concerned that they may offend their patients by offering a screen. This study aimed to identify the attitudes to, and preferences for, chlamydia screening in 15-24 year old men and women attending GP surgeries (the target group).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We undertook 36 interviews in six surgeries of differing screening rates. Our participants were 15-24 year olds attending a consultation with a staff member. Data were analysed thematically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>GP surgeries are acceptable to young people as a venue for opportunistic chlamydia screening and furthermore they think it is the duty of GP surgery staff to offer it. They felt strongly that it is important for surgery staff to have a non-judgemental attitude and they did not want to be singled out as 'needing' a chlamydia screen. Furthermore, our sample reported a strong preference for being offered a screen by staff and providing the sample immediately at the surgery rather than taking home a testing kit. The positive attitude and subjective norms demonstrated by interviewees suggest that young peoples' behaviour would be to accept a screen if it was offered to them.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Young people attending GP surgeries have a positive attitude towards chlamydia screening and given the right environment are likely to take up the offer in this setting. The right environment involves normalising screening by offering a chlamydia screen to all 15-24 year olds at every interaction with staff, offering screening with a non-judgemental attitude and minimising barriers to screening such as embarrassment. The GP surgery is the ideal place to screen young people for chlamydia as it is not a threatening place for them and our study has shown that they think it is the normal place to go to discuss health matters.</p
HIV prevalence and undiagnosed infection among a community sample of gay and bisexual men in Scotland, 2005-2011: implications for HIV testing policy and prevention
<b>Objective</b><p></p>
To examine HIV prevalence, HIV testing behaviour, undiagnosed infection and risk factors for HIV positivity among a community sample of gay men in Scotland.<p></p>
<b>Methods</b><p></p>
Cross-sectional survey of gay and bisexual men attending commercial gay venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland with voluntary anonymous HIV testing of oral fluid samples in 2011. A response rate of 65.2% was achieved (1515 participants).<p></p>
<b>Results</b><p></p>
HIV prevalence (4.8%, 95% confidence interval, CI 3.8% to 6.2%) remained stable compared to previous survey years (2005 and 2008) and the proportion of undiagnosed infection among HIV-positive men (25.4%) remained similar to that recorded in 2008. Half of the participants who provided an oral fluid sample stated that they had had an HIV test in the previous 12 months; this proportion is significantly higher when compared to previous study years (50.7% versus 33.8% in 2005, p<0.001). Older age (>25 years) was associated with HIV positivity (1.8% in those <25 versus 6.4% in older ages group) as was a sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis within the previous 12 months (adjusted odds ratio 2.13, 95% CI 1.09–4.14). There was no significant association between age and having an STI or age and any of the sexual behaviours recorded.<p></p>
<b>Conclusion</b><p></p>
HIV transmission continues to occur among gay and bisexual men in Scotland. Despite evidence of recent testing within the previous six months, suggesting a willingness to test, the current opt-out policy may have reached its limit with regards to maximising HIV test uptake. Novel strategies are required to improve regular testing opportunities and more frequent testing as there are implications for the use of other biomedical HIV interventions.<p></p>
Comparison of Post-injection Site Pain Between Technetium Sulfur Colloid and Technetium Tilmanocept in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
BACKGROUND: No prior studies have examined injection pain associated with Technetium-99m Tilmanocept (TcTM). METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blinded study comparing postinjection site pain between filtered Technetium Sulfur Colloid (fTcSC) and TcTM in breast cancer lymphoscintigraphy. Pain was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) (0–100 mm) and the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). The primary endpoint was mean difference in VAS scores at 1-min postinjection between fTcSC and TcTM. Secondary endpoints included a comparison of SF-MPQ scores between the groups at 5 min postinjection and construction of a linear mixed effects model to evaluate the changes in pain during the 5-min postinjection period. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients underwent injection (27-fTcSC, 25-TcTM). At 1-min postinjection, patients who received fTcSC experienced a mean change in pain of 16.8 mm (standard deviation (SD) 19.5) compared with 0.2 mm (SD 7.3) in TcTM (p = 0.0002). At 5 min postinjection, the mean total score on the SF-MPQ was 2.8 (SD 3.0) for fTcSC versus 2.1 (SD 2.5) for TcTM (p = 0.36). In the mixed effects model, injection agent (p < 0.001), time (p < 0.001) and their interaction (p < 0.001) were associated with change in pain during the 5-min postinjection period. The model found fTcSC resulted in significantly more pain of 15.2 mm (p < 0.001), 11.3 mm (p = 0.001), and 7.5 mm (p = 0.013) at 1, 2, and 3 min postinjection, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Injection with fTcSC causes significantly more pain during the first 3 min postinjection compared with TcTM in women undergoing lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer
Can we trust “Magnitude-based inference”?
Since the times and works of William Sealy Gosset (1876-1937) and Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890-1962), imperfections of conventional null-hypothesis significance testing and in particular, use of P-values to evaluate such testing (invariably referred to as inferential statistics), have been well recognised (Wilkinson, 1999; Wasserstein and Lazar, 2016).
Attempts have been made to identify alternatives. For example, Cohen's effect sizes (Cohen 1988) and region of practical equivalence procedure (ROPE) (Kruschke, 2014). A more recent alternative is magnitude-based inference (MBI) (Hopkins and Baterham, 2016) although unlike others, MBI has created considerable controversy when reporting the results of studies (almost exclusively used in the field of sport and exercise science). Instead of defining research effects as “significant” based on P-values (using traditional hypothesis testing), MBI uses terms such as “implementable” and “substantial” based on two constraints called the “risk of harm” and the “chance of benefit”. However, concerns have been raised about the MBI approach. Stanford statistician Kristin Sainani was so concerned about the consequences of using MBI that she wrote a formal analysis of the MBI method. Published in MSSE (Sainani, 2018) her paper showed that, depending on sample size and thresholds for harm/benefit, MBI produces false positive rates that can be two to six times greater than those using traditional hypothesis testing. A finding, she claims, that makes MBI less reliable.Published versio
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