4,872 research outputs found
Social Network Ties and Inflammation in U.S. Adults with Cancer
The growing evidence linking social connectedness and chronic diseases such as cancer calls for a better understanding of the underlying biophysiological mechanisms. This study assessed the associations between social network ties and multiple measures of inflammation in a nationally representative sample of adults with a history of cancer (N = 1,075) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988–94). Individuals with lower social network index (SNI) scores showed significantly greater inflammation marked by C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, adjusting for age and sex. Compared to fully socially integrated individuals (SNI 4), those who were more socially isolated or had a SNI score of 3 or less exhibited = increasingly elevated inflammation burdens. Specifically, the age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios (95%CI) for SNIs of 3, 2, and 0–1 were 1.49 (1.08, 2.06), 1.69 (1.21, 2.36), and 2.35 (1.62, 3.40), respectively (p < .001). Adjusting for other covariates attenuated these associations. The SNI gradients in the risks of inflammation were particularly salient for the lower socioeconomic status groups and remained significant after adjusting for other social, health behavioral, and illness factors. This study provided initial insights into the immunological pathways by which social connections are related to morbidity and mortality outcomes of cancer in particular and aging-related diseases in general
The physiological impacts of wealth shocks in late life: Evidence from the Great Recession
Given documented links between individual socioeconomic status (SES) and health, it is likely that—in addition to its impacts on individuals’ wallets and bank accounts—the Great Recession also took a toll on individuals’ disease and mortality risk. Exploiting a quasi-natural experiment design, this study utilizes nationally representative, longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) (2005-2011) (N=930) and individual fixed effects models to examine how household-level wealth shocks experienced during the Great Recession relate to changes in biophysiological functioning in older adults. Results indicate that wealth shocks significantly predicted changes in physiological functioning, such that losses in net worth from the pre- to the post-Recession period were associated with increases in systolic blood pressure and C-reactive protein over the six year period. Further, while the association between wealth shocks and changes in blood pressure was unattenuated with the inclusion of other indicators of SES, psychosocial well-being, and health behaviors in analytic models, we document some evidence of mediation in the association between changes in wealth and changes in C-reactive protein, which suggests specificity in the social and biophysiological mechanisms relating wealth shocks and health at older ages. Linking macro-level conditions, meso-level household environments, and micro-level biological processes, this study provides new insights into the mechanisms through which economic inequality contributes to disease and mortality risk in late life
Joint Microseismic Event Detection and Location with a Detection Transformer
Microseismic event detection and location are two primary components in
microseismic monitoring, which offers us invaluable insights into the
subsurface during reservoir stimulation and evolution. Conventional approaches
for event detection and location often suffer from manual intervention and/or
heavy computation, while current machine learning-assisted approaches typically
address detection and location separately; such limitations hinder the
potential for real-time microseismic monitoring. We propose an approach to
unify event detection and source location into a single framework by adapting a
Convolutional Neural Network backbone and an encoder-decoder Transformer with a
set-based Hungarian loss, which is applied directly to recorded waveforms. The
proposed network is trained on synthetic data simulating multiple microseismic
events corresponding to random source locations in the area of suspected
microseismic activities. A synthetic test on a 2D profile of the SEAM Time
Lapse model illustrates the capability of the proposed method in detecting the
events properly and locating them in the subsurface accurately; while, a field
test using the Arkoma Basin data further proves its practicability, efficiency,
and its potential in paving the way for real-time monitoring of microseismic
events
Gr-1+CD11b+ Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells: Formidable Partners in Tumor Metastasis
The growth and metastasis of solid tumors not only depends on their ability to escape from immune surveillance but also hinges on their ability to invade the vasculature system as well as to induce the formation of new blood vessels. Gr-1+CD11b+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), overproduced in tumor-bearing hosts, contribute significantly to all these aspects. They also have a potential role in the osteolysis associated with bone metastases. They are formidable partners in tumor metastasis. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Controlled epitaxial graphene growth within amorphous carbon corrals
Structured growth of high quality graphene is necessary for technological
development of carbon based electronics. Specifically, control of the bunching
and placement of surface steps under epitaxial graphene on SiC is an important
consideration for graphene device production. We demonstrate lithographically
patterned evaporated amorphous carbon corrals as a method to pin SiC surface
steps. Evaporated amorphous carbon is an ideal step-flow barrier on SiC due to
its chemical compatibility with graphene growth and its structural stability at
high temperatures, as well as its patternability. The amorphous carbon is
deposited in vacuum on SiC prior to graphene growth. In the graphene furnace at
temperatures above 1200C, mobile SiC steps accumulate at these
amorphous carbon barriers, forming an aligned step free region for graphene
growth at temperatures above 1330C. AFM imaging and Raman spectroscopy
support the formation of quality step-free graphene sheets grown on SiC with
the step morphology aligned to the carbon grid
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