Personal construct similarity and friendship

Two sets of literature are reviewed: firstly, a detailed review isgiven of ideas and indices derived from Kelly's Personal Construct Theory and of their use in research on interpersonal relationships and secondly, a more selective review of the interpersonal attraction literature is presented. Duck's (1973;1977) filter model of friendship, which forms the focus of this research, is then discussed. Five studies are reported. All were concerned with the relationship between friendship and similarity of personal construct content. The positions, within the proposed filter sequence, of similarity of personal construct organisation and structure, were also of primary interest. Other concerns were to investigate the relative importance in friendship of construct similarity, attitude and value similarity, and the meaning-fulness of others' constructs; to compare superordinate and subordinate construct similarity; to assess the effects of using different measures of content similarity; and to investigate sex and age differences. Friends were generally found to he relatively similar in terms of construct content, organisation and structure hut their constructs were not more meaningful and nor was there any evidence of friends having similar attitudes or values. It is suggested, on the basis of the findings relating construct content similarity to friendship, that the strength and nature of this relationship depends on the nature of the group e.g. on its homogeneity and centrality in the lives of its members. Superordinate similarity was found to he more strongly associated with established friendship than subordinate similarity. Some sex differences were found e.g. in the type of content similarity associated with friendship. The last chapter discusses the problems of specifying the filter sequence, the filter model from a Kellian perspective, and the importance of the social context of relationships. Suggestions for future research are made which emphasise the need to tap people's constructs of relationships.<p

Gene Expression Profiling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cells Preceding a Clinical Diagnosis of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction.

BackgroundChronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD) is the main limitation to long-term survival after lung transplantation. Although CLAD is usually not responsive to treatment, earlier identification may improve treatment prospects.MethodsIn a nested case control study, 1-year post transplant surveillance bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples were obtained from incipient CLAD (n = 9) and CLAD free (n = 8) lung transplant recipients. Incipient CLAD cases were diagnosed with CLAD within 2 years, while controls were free from CLAD for at least 4 years following bronchoscopy. Transcription profiles in the BAL cell pellets were assayed with the HG-U133 Plus 2.0 microarray (Affymetrix). Differential gene expression analysis, based on an absolute fold change (incipient CLAD vs no CLAD) &gt;2.0 and an unadjusted p-value ≤0.05, generated a candidate list containing 55 differentially expressed probe sets (51 up-regulated, 4 down-regulated).ResultsThe cell pellets in incipient CLAD cases were skewed toward immune response pathways, dominated by genes related to recruitment, retention, activation and proliferation of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CD8+ T-cells and natural killer cells). Both hierarchical clustering and a supervised machine learning tool were able to correctly categorize most samples (82.3% and 94.1% respectively) into incipient CLAD and CLAD-free categories.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that a pathobiology, similar to AR, precedes a clinical diagnosis of CLAD. A larger prospective investigation of the BAL cell pellet transcriptome as a biomarker for CLAD risk stratification is warranted

Blood pressure reduction and anti-hypertensive treatment choice: A post-hoc analysis of the SPRINT trial.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. In SPRINT an intensive versus standard BP lowering strategy resulted in a lower rate of cardiovascular events and death. Whether BP reduction only or also the choice of anti-hypertensive drugs is associated with outcomes remains to be elucidated. AIMS: We aim to study the association of BP and different anti-hypertensive drugs with several cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: Time-updated Cox and mixed-effects models. The primary outcome was a composite of first myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, heart failure, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: A total of 9361 patients were included. The anti-hypertensive agents most frequently used were ACEi/ARBs, with an almost 20% higher prescription rate in the intensive arm (80% vs. 61%), followed by thiazide-type diuretics (65% vs. 42%), calcium-channel blockers (57% vs. 39%), and beta-blockers (52% vs. 26%). Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists were rarely used (≤7% of the observations). In multivariate analysis, the use of ACEi/ARBs, especially in combination with thiazides, were independently associated with a lower primary outcome event-rate (HR [95%CI] 0.75 [0.61-0.92], p = .006), whereas a DBP <60 mmHg was independently associated with a higher event-rate (HR [95%CI] 1.36 [1.07-1.71], p = .011). SBP <120 mmHg was associated with lower rate of cardiovascular and all-cause death on intensive treatment but not on the standard arm (interaction p < .05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: In SPRINT, an intensive therapy strategy achieving SBP <120 mmHg with a DBP ≥60 mmHg, and using ACEi/ARBs plus thiazides was associated with a lower event-rate

An Unorthodox Introduction to QCD

These are lecture notes presented at the 2017 CTEQ Summer School at the University of Pittsburgh and the 2018 CTEQ Summer School at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. The title is a reference to hep-th/0309149 and introduces perturbative QCD and its application to jet substructure from a bottom-up perspective based on the approximation of QCD as a weakly-coupled, conformal field theory. Using this approach, a simple derivation of the Sudakov form factor with soft gluon emission modeled as a Poisson process is presented. Topics of the identification and discrimination of quark- versus gluon-initiated jets and jet grooming are also discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures. Comments welcome!, v2: updated to include both lectures from the 2018 CTEQ schoo

Outcome in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Related to the Extent, Location, and Pattern of Late Gadolinium Enhancement.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the association between the extent, location, and pattern of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and outcome in a large dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) cohort. BACKGROUND: The relationship between LGE and prognosis in DCM is incompletely understood. METHODS: The authors examined the association between LGE and all-cause mortality and a sudden cardiac death (SCD) composite based on the extent, location, and pattern of LGE in DCM. RESULTS: Of 874 patients (588 men, median age 52 years) followed for a median of 4.9 years, 300 (34.3%) had nonischemic LGE. Estimated adjusted hazard ratios for patients with an LGE extent of 0 to 2.55%, 2.55% to 5.10%, and >5.10%, respectively, were 1.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99 to 2.55), 1.56 (95% CI: 0.96 to 2.54), and 2.31 (95% CI: 1.50 to 3.55) for all-cause mortality, and 2.79 (95% CI: 1.42 to 5.49), 3.86 (95% CI: 2.09 to 7.13), and 4.87 (95% CI: 2.78 to 8.53) for the SCD endpoint. There was a marked nonlinear relationship between LGE extent and outcome such that even small amounts of LGE predicted a substantial increase in risk. The presence of septal LGE was associated with increased mortality, but SCD was most associated with the combined presence of septal and free-wall LGE. Predictive models using LGE presence and location were superior to models based on LGE extent or pattern. CONCLUSIONS: In DCM, the presence of septal LGE is associated with a large increase in the risk of death and SCD events, even when the extent is small. SCD risk is greatest with concomitant septal and free-wall LGE. The incremental value of LGE extent beyond small amounts and LGE pattern is limited

Project-based, collaborative, algorithmic robotics for high school students: Programming self-driving race cars at MIT

We describe the pedagogy behind the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute Robotics Program, a new high-school STEM program in robotics. The program utilizes state-of-the-art sensors and embedded computers for mobile robotics. These components are carried on an exciting 1/10-scale race-car platform. The program has three salient, distinguishing features: (i) it focuses on robotics software systems: the students design and build robotics software towards real-world applications, without being distracted by hardware issues; (ii) it champions project-based learning: the students learn through weekly project assignments and a final course challenge; (iii) the learning is implemented in a collaborative fashion: the students learn the basics of collaboration and technical communication in lectures, and they work in teams to design and implement their software systems. The program was offered as a four-week residential program at MIT in the summer of 2016. In this paper, we provide the details of this new program, its teaching objectives, and its results. We also briefly discuss future directions and opportunities

Sex‐ and age‐based differences in the natural history and outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between sex, age and outcome in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods and results: We used proportional hazard modelling to examine the association between sex, age and all‐cause mortality in consecutive patients with DCM. Overall, 881 patients (290 women, median age 52 years) were followed for a median of 4.9 years. Women were more likely to present with heart failure (64.0% vs. 54.5%; P = 0.007) and had more severe symptoms (P 60 years of age was driven by non‐sudden death. Conclusion: Women with DCM have better survival compared to men, which may partly be due to less severe left ventricular dysfunction and a smaller scar burden. There is increased mortality driven by non‐sudden death in patients >60 years of age that is less marked in women. Outcomes with contemporary treatment were favourable, with a low incidence of sudden death

Cardiovascular Risk Factors Associated With Venous Thromboembolism

Importance It is uncertain to what extent established cardiovascular risk factors are associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Objective To estimate associations between major cardiovascular risk factors and VTE, i.e., deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Design Analysis of individual-participant data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (ERFC; 731,728 participants; 75 cohorts; latest date of follow-up 2015), and UK Biobank (UKBB; 421,537 participants; latest date of follow-up 2016). Setting Approximately population-based prospective cohort studies. Participants Individuals without cardiovascular disease at baseline. Exposures A panel of several established cardiovascular risk factors. Main Outcomes and Measures Hazard ratios (HRs) per 1-SD higher risk factor levels (or presence/absence). Incident fatal outcomes in ERFC (n=1041 VTE, n=25,131 CHD) and incident fatal/non-fatal outcomes in UKBB (n=2321 VTE, n=3385 CHD). HRs were adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, and body-mass index. Results Adjusted HRs for VTE were: 2.67 (2.45-2.91) in ERFC and 1.81 (1.71-1.92) in UKBB per decade older age; 1.38 (1.20-1.58) in ERFC and 1.23 (1.08-1.40) in UKBB with smoking; 1.43 (1.35-1.50) in ERFC and 1.37 (1.32-1.41) in UKBB per 1-SD higher body-mass index; and 0.75 (0.61-0.93) in ERFC and 0.82 (0.71-0.94) in UKBB with current alcohol consumption. For the preceding factors, there were similar HRs for pulmonary embolism versus deep vein thrombosis in UKBB (except adiposity was more strongly associated with PE; P<0.01), and similar HRs for unprovoked versus provoked VTE. Apart from adiposity, these risk factors were less strongly associated with VTE than coronary heart disease. We noted inconsistent associations with diabetes and blood pressure for VTEs across ERFC and UKBB, and had limited ability to study lipid and inflammation markers. Conclusions and Relevance Older age, smoking, adiposity, and lower alcohol consumption were consistently associated with higher VTE risk.A study website (http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/ceu/erfc/list-of-studies/) includes a list that investigators have provided of funding agencies that have supported individual cohorts in the ERFC contributing to the present consortium. This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank resource (application 26865)

Thrombolytic removal of intraventricular haemorrhage in treatment of severe stroke: results of the randomised, multicentre, multiregion, placebo-controlled CLEAR III trial

Background: Intraventricular haemorrhage is a subtype of intracerebral haemorrhage, with 50% mortality and serious disability for survivors. We aimed to test whether attempting to remove intraventricular haemorrhage with alteplase versus saline irrigation improved functional outcome. Methods: In this randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multiregional trial (CLEAR III), participants with a routinely placed extraventricular drain, in the intensive care unit with stable, non-traumatic intracerebral haemorrhage volume less than 30 mL, intraventricular haemorrhage obstructing the 3rd or 4th ventricles, and no underlying pathology were adaptively randomly assigned (1:1), via a web-based system to receive up to 12 doses, 8 h apart of 1 mg of alteplase or 0·9% saline via the extraventricular drain. The treating physician, clinical research staff, and participants were masked to treatment assignment. CT scans were obtained every 24 h throughout dosing. The primary efficacy outcome was good functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) of 3 or less at 180 days per central adjudication by blinded evaluators. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00784134. Findings: Between Sept 18, 2009, and Jan 13, 2015, 500 patients were randomised: 249 to the alteplase group and 251 to the saline group. 180-day follow-up data were available for analysis from 246 of 249 participants in the alteplase group and 245 of 251 participants in the placebo group. The primary efficacy outcome was similar in each group (good outcome in alteplase group 48% vs saline 45%; risk ratio [RR] 1·06 [95% CI 0·88–1·28; p=0·554]). A difference of 3·5% (RR 1·08 [95% CI 0·90–1·29], p=0·420) was found after adjustment for intraventricular haemorrhage size and thalamic intracerebral haemorrhage. At 180 days, the treatment group had lower case fatality (46 [18%] vs saline 73 [29%], hazard ratio 0·60 [95% CI 0·41–0·86], p=0·006), but a greater proportion with mRS 5 (42 [17%] vs 21 [9%]; RR 1·99 [95% CI 1·22–3·26], p=0·007). Ventriculitis (17 [7%] alteplase vs 31 [12%] saline; RR 0·55 [95% CI 0·31–0·97], p=0·048) and serious adverse events (114 [46%] alteplase vs 151 [60%] saline; RR 0·76 [95% CI 0·64–0·90], p=0·002) were less frequent with alteplase treatment. Symptomatic bleeding (six [2%] in the alteplase group vs five [2%] in the saline group; RR 1·21 [95% CI 0·37–3·91], p=0·771) was similar. Interpretation: In patients with intraventricular haemorrhage and a routine extraventricular drain, irrigation with alteplase did not substantially improve functional outcomes at the mRS 3 cutoff compared with irrigation with saline. Protocol-based use of alteplase with extraventricular drain seems safe. Future investigation is needed to determine whether a greater frequency of complete intraventricular haemorrhage removal via alteplase produces gains in functional status