Does Maternal Methadone Dose Correlate with Severity of Intrauterine Growth Restriction in Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?

Introduction : Previous studies demonstrate a relationship between maternal opioid use during pregnancy and smaller head circumference of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The goal of this study is to correlate maternal methadone dose and severity of growth restriction in infants with NAS admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of infants (≥35 weeks gestation) exposed to in utero methadone, born between August 2006 and May 2018, and admitted to a Philadelphia NICU for medical therapy for NAS. Growth parameters (birth weight, birth length, and birth head circumference) were compared between infants exposed various doses of methadone. The groups were compared using ANOVA, Post-Hoc Tukey, Chi-square and extended Fisher exact tests. Results: A total of 686 infants met the study criteria; 109 in the High dose group, 359 in the Intermediate dose group, and 218 in the Low dose group. There was no significant difference in the use of other drugs or smoking during the pregnancy. Infants exposed to higher doses of methadone displayed significantly smaller head circumferences and lengths at birth. The mean birth weight was similar between the three groups. Discussion: There may be a danger in prescribing high doses of methadone to pregnant mothers, as they may hinder the growth of the infant. We need to conduct more studies investigating how low head circumference and length affect long term developmental outcomes. These findings may help guide physicians toward the optimum dose of methadone for mothers

Asymmetric synthesis of tri- and tetrasubstituted trifluoromethyl dihydropyranones from alpha-aroyloxyaldehydes via NHC redox catalysis

We thank the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (A.D.S.), and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) ERC Grant Agreement No. 279850 (A.T.D.).The asymmetric synthesis of tri- and tetrasubstituted trifluoromethyl dihydropyranones via an NHC-catalyzed redox process, introducing methyl, benzyl, and aryl substituents to the C(5) position, is presented. Their substrate-controlled derivatization into δ-lactones and cyclic hemiacetals containing stereogenic trifluoromethyl groups is also described.PostprintPeer reviewe

Far-infrared optical properties of the pyrochlore spin ice compound Dy2Ti2O4

Near normal incident far-infrared reflectivity spectra of [111] dysprosium titanate (Dy2Ti2O4) single crystal have been measured at different temperatures. Seven phonon modes (eight at low temperature) are identified at frequency below 1000 cm-1. Optical conductivity spectra are obtained by fitting all the reflectivity spectra with the factorized form of the dielectric function. Both the Born effective charges and the static optical primitivity are found to increase with decreasing temperature. Moreover, phonon linewidth narrowering and phonon modes shift with decreasing temperature are also observed, which may result from enhanced charge localization. The redshift of several low frequency modes is attributed to the spin-phonon coupling. All observed optical properties can be explained within the framework of nearest neighbor ferromagnetic(FM) spin ice model

Effects of Increasing Doses of Trenbolone Acetate and Estradiol on Sera Metabolites Following Implantation During the Finishing Phase in Beef Steers

Objective: To determine the effects of increasing doses of trenbolone acetate and estradiol on sera metabolite responses following implantation during the finishing phase in beef steers

On the nonlocal viscosity kernel of mixtures

In this report we investigate the multiscale hydrodynamical response of a liquid as a function of mixture composition. This is done via a series of molecular dynamics simulations where the wave vector dependent viscosity kernel is computed for three mixtures each with 7-15 different compositions. We observe that the nonlocal viscosity kernel is dependent on composition for simple atomic mixtures for all the wave vectors studied here, however, for a model polymer melt mixture the kernel is independent of composition for large wave vectors. The deviation from ideal mixing is also studied. Here it is shown that a Lennard-Jones mixture follows the ideal mixing rule surprisingly well for a large range of wave vectors, whereas for both the Kob-Andersen mixture and the polymer melt large deviations are found. Furthermore, for the polymer melt the deviation is wave vector dependent such that there exists a critical length scale at which the ideal mixing goes from under-estimating to over-estimating the viscosity

Students' mental prototypes for functions and graphs

This research study investigates the concept of function developed by students studying English A-level mathematics. It shows that, while students may be able to use functions in their practical mathematics, their grasp of the theoretical nature of the function concept may be tenuous and inconsistent. The hypothesis is that students develop prototypes for the function concept in much the same way as they develop prototypes for concepts in everyday life. The definition of the function concept, though given in the curriculum, is not stressed and proves to be inoperative, with their understanding of the concept reliant on properties of familiar prototype examples: those having regular shaped graphs, such as x2 or sin*, those often encountered (possibly erroneously), such as a circle, those in which y is defined as an explicit formula in x, and so on. Investigations reveal significant misconceptions. For example, threequarters of a sample of students starting a university mathematics course considered that a constant function was not a function in either its graphical or algebraic forms, and threequarters thought that a circle is a function. This reveals a wide gulf between the concepts as perceived to be taught and as actually learned by the students

Possibilities for pedagogy in Further Education: Harnessing the abundance of literacy

In this report, it is argued that the most salient factor in the contemporary communicative landscape is the sheer abundance and diversity of possibilities for literacy, and that the extent and nature of students' communicative resources is a central issue in education. The text outlines the conceptual underpinnings of the Literacies for Learning in Further Education project in a social view of literacy, and the associated research design, methodology and analytical framework. It elaborates on the notion of the abundance of literacies in students' everyday lives, and on the potential for harnessing these as resources for the enhancement of learning. It provides case studies of changes in practice that have been undertaken by further education staff in order to draw upon students' everyday literacy practices on Travel and Tourism and Multimedia courses. It ends with some of the broad implications for conceptualising learning that arise from researching through the lens of literacy practices

Effects of Wheat Straw Bedding Usage on Hide Tag Scores During Winter and Spring in Finishing Feedlot Cattle fed in Eastern South Dakota

Objective: Evaluate hide tag scores of finishing cattle subjected to differing levels of bedding application during the winter and spring months in eastern South Dakota

Feeling good about being hungry: food-related thoughts in eating disorder

Objectives: This study explores the relationships to food and hunger in women living with anorexic type eating difficulties and asks how imagery-based elaborations of food and eating thoughts are involved in their eating restraint, and recovery. Design: The qualitative idiographic approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used. Four in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with women self-selected as having experienced anorexia or anorexic like behaviour. Methods: The data was analysed using IPA and an audit of the analysis was conducted to ensure that the process followed had been systematic and rigorous and appropriately considered reflexivity. Results: Hunger was perceived positively by participants as confirmation that they were achieving their goal of losing weight, or avoiding weight gain. Hunger conferred a sense of being in control for the participants. Intrusive thoughts about food were reported as being quickly followed by elaborative mental imagery of the positive aspects of weight loss, and the negative consequences of eating. Imagery appeared to serve to maintain anorexic behaviours rather than to motivate food seeking. However, negative imagery of the consequences of anorexia were also described as supporting recovery. Conclusions: The finding that physiological sensations of hunger were experienced as positive confirmation of maintaining control has potentially important clinical and theoretical implications. It suggests further attention needs to be focused upon how changes in cognitive elaboration, involving mental imagery, are components of the psychological changes in the development of, maintenance of, and recovery from, anorexia