5,785 research outputs found

    Case-control study of stroke and the quality of hypertension control in north west England

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    Objective: To examine the risk of stroke in relation to quality of hypertension control in routine general practice across an entire health district. Design: Population based matched case-control study. Setting: East Lancashire Health District with a participating population of 388,821 aged < or = 80. Subjects: Cases were patients under 80 with their first stroke identified from a population based stroke register between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 1995. For each case two controls matched with the case for age and sex were selected from the same practice register. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure > or = 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > or = 95 mm Hg, or both, on at least two occasions within any three month period or any history of treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of hypertension and quality of control of hypertension assessed by using the mean blood pressure recorded before stroke) and odds ratios of stroke (derived from conditional logistic regression). Results: Records of 267 cases and 534 controls were examined; 61% and 42% of these subjects respectively were hypertensive. Compared with non-hypertensive subjects hypertensive patients receiving treatment whose average pre-event systolic blood pressure was controlled to or = 160 mm Hg) or untreated had progressively raised odds ratios of 1.6, 2.2, 3.2, and 3.5 respectively. Results for diastolic pressure were similar; both were independent of initial pressures before treatment. Around 21% of strokes were thus attributable to inadequate control with treatment, or 46 first events yearly per 100,000 population aged 40-79. Conclusions: Risk of stroke was clearly related to quality of control of blood pressure with treatment. In routine practice consistent control of blood pressure to below 150/90 mm Hg seems to be required for optimal stroke prevention

    Optimizing vision and visuals: lectures on cameras, displays and perception

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    The evolution of the internet is underway, where immersive virtual 3D environments (commonly known as metaverse or telelife) will replace flat 2D interfaces. Crucial ingredients in this transformation are next-generation displays and cameras representing genuinely 3D visuals while meeting the human visual system's perceptual requirements. This course will provide a fast-paced introduction to optimization methods for next-generation interfaces geared towards immersive virtual 3D environments. Firstly, we will introduce lensless cameras for high dimensional compressive sensing (e.g., single exposure capture to a video or one-shot 3D). Our audience will learn to process images from a lensless camera at the end. Secondly, we introduce holographic displays as a potential candidate for next-generation displays. By the end of this course, you will learn to create your 3D images that can be viewed using a standard holographic display. Lastly, we will introduce perceptual guidance that could be an integral part of the optimization routines of displays and cameras. Our audience will gather experience in integrating perception to display and camera optimizations. This course targets a wide range of audiences, from domain experts to newcomers. To do so, examples from this course will be based on our in-house toolkit to be replicable for future use. The course material will provide example codes and a broad survey with crucial information on cameras, displays and perception

    Supernova search at intermediate z. I. Spectroscopic analysis

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    We study 8 supernovae discovered as part of the International Time Programme (ITP) project ``Omega and Lambda from Supernovae and the Physics of Supernova Explosions'' at the European Northern Observatory (ENO). The goal of the project is to increase the sample of intermediate redshift (0.1<z<0.4) SNe Ia for testing properties of SNe Ia along z and for enlarging the sample in the Hubble diagram up to large z.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, to appear in ``1604-2004: Supernovae as Cosmological Lighthouses'', (extended text upon request

    T cell-mediated oral tolerance is intact in germ-free mice

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    Commensal enteric bacteria stimulate innate immune cells and increase numbers of lamina propria and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) T and B lymphocytes. However, the influence of luminal bacteria on acquired immune function is not understood fully. We investigated the effects of intestinal bacterial colonization on T cell tolerogenic responses to oral antigen compared to systemic immunization. Lymphocytes specific for ovalbumin–T cell receptor (OVA–TCR Tg+) were transplanted into germ-free (GF) or specific pathogen-free (SPF) BALB/c mice. Recipient mice were fed OVA or immunized subcutaneously with OVA peptide (323–339) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Although the efficiency of transfer was less in GF recipients, similar proportions of cells from draining peripheral lymph node (LN) or MLN were proliferating 3–4 days later in vivo in GF and SPF mice. In separate experiments, mice were fed tolerogenic doses of OVA and then challenged with an immunogenic dose of OVA 4 days later. Ten days after immunization, lymphocytes were restimulated with OVA in vitro to assess antigen-specific proliferative responses. At both high and low doses of OVA, cells from both SPF and GF mice fed OVA prior to immunization had decreased proliferation compared to cells from control SPF or GF mice. In addition, secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-10 by OVA–TCR Tg+ lymphocytes was reduced in both SPF and GF mice fed OVA compared to control SPF or GF mice. Unlike previous reports indicating defective humoral responses to oral antigen in GF mice, our results indicate that commensal enteric bacteria do not enhance the induction of acquired, antigen-specific T cell tolerance to oral OVA

    Phenotypic and functional characterization of adult brain neuropoiesis

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    The modern concept of neurogenesis in the adult brain is predicated on the premise that multipotent glial cells give rise to new neurons throughout life. Although extensive evidence exists indicating that this is the case, the transition from glial to neuronal phenotype remains poorly understood. A unique monolayer cell-culture system was developed to induce, expose, and recapitulate the entire developmental series of events of subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenesis. We show here, using immunophentoypic, ultrastructural, electrophysiological, and time-lapse analyses, that SVZ-derived glial fibrillary acidic protein(low)/A2B5(+)/nestin(+) candidate founder cells undergo metamorphosis to eventually generate large numbers of fully differentiated interneuron phenotypes. A model of postnatal neurogenesis is considered in light of known embryonic events and reveals a limited developmental potential of SVZ stem/progenitor cells, whereby ancestral cells in both embryonic and postnatal/adult settings give rise to glia and GABAergic interneurons

    Marketing a tourism industry in late stage decline: The case of the Isle of Man

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    Qualitative interviews in the Isle of Man uncovered local perceptions of a tourism industry in late stage decline. Social impacts of decline are pronounced including facilities loss, cultural changes and a heightening of perceived peripherality: which taken together undermine local identity. Tourists are welcomed as they help to affirm the pride residents have in their island in creating a more active atmosphere, provide social interaction opportunities and to combat negative stereotyping. Thus findings emphasise the diverse, unique and persistent benefits of tourism in the Isle of Man, despite its decline. Destination marketing recommendations are therefore made to better address the experiences and desires of communities experiencing decline

    The ‘heritagisation’ of the British seaside resort: The rise of the ‘old penny’ arcade.

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    Amusement arcades have long been a key component of the British seaside resort. For almost a century, they enjoyed popularity and success and became established as a quintessential feature of the British seaside holiday. However, the advent of home-based video games along with recent gambling legislation has led to a decline of the seaside amusement arcade sector. Arcades gained a reputation as unsavoury places and their appearance and fortunes often mirrored those of the resorts in which they were located. However, over the past decade, a new variant of the seaside amusement arcade has appeared, featuring mechanical machines working on pre-decimal currency. Such ‘old penny arcades’ frequently describe themselves as museums or heritage centres and they offer an experience based on a nostalgic affection for the ‘traditional’ seaside holiday. They have appeared in the context of an increasing interest in the heritage of the British seaside resort and constitute one element of the ‘heritagisation’ of such resorts. This paper argues that such arcades can be important elements of strategies to reposition and rebrand resorts for the heritage tourism market
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