147 research outputs found
Synthesis of Kentucky’s Traveler Information Systems
After the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a dedicated phone number for real-time travel information services, the abbreviated 511 dialing code was founded in July 2000. The FCC reasoned that 511 services could reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and the inefficient use of fossil fuels. 511 would, in turn, improve traveler safety. In 2010, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandated a set of requirements for systems that deliver real-time traffic information to the public. States DOTs were asked to comply with this mandate by November 2014. Many states, in addition to maintaining websites, also have dedicated mobile apps and a social media presence (e.g., one or multiple Twitter accounts) that communicate data on traffic and road conditions. Analysis of 511 usage data indicated that the number of phone calls received has dropped sharply since the mid-2000s. Conversely, the amount of traffic handled by KYTC’s websites and mobile apps has increased. Like the phone system, websites and mobile apps garner the most traffic during the winter months. Discussions with KYTC 511 stakeholders revealed that phone system will be less relevant — although necessary to maintain, particularly in rural areas. There was significant consensus among KYTC stakeholders about the strengths of the state’s current approach to delivering traffic information, and a number of improvements were put forward to enhance it in the future. A survey of Kentucky drivers revealed that a majority get their traffic information through digital content providers. Services such as Google and Waze are popular for retrieving maps and driving directions, while television and radio play an important role still, especially for the provision of information during hazardous weather. Government-provided services (i.e., 511, TRIMARC) are less popular among drivers, and only garner a fraction of the traffic of online services and traditional media. Discussions with other state DOTs revealed that many other states are currently in the process of rethinking their 511 and traveler information systems. Many plan to retool these over the next 2–3 years. While there was agreement among state DOTs that they will continue to provide authoritative traveler information, how they carry out this mandate is somewhat unclear
Genetic variants in the MRPS30 region and postmenopausal breast cancer risk
Abstract{no abstract
Single-scatter Monte Carlo compared to condensed history results for low energy electrons
A Monte Carlo code has been developed to simulate individual electron interactions. The code has been instrumental in determining the range of validity for the widely used condensed history method. This task was accomplished by isolating and testing the condensed history assumptions. The results show that the condensed history method fails for low energy electron transport due to inaccuracies in energy loss and spatial positioning.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29795/1/0000141.pd
[89Zr]Oxinate4 for long-term in vivo cell tracking by positron emission tomography
Purpose 111In (typically as [111In]oxinate3) is a gold standard
radiolabel for cell tracking in humans by scintigraphy. A long
half-life positron-emitting radiolabel to serve the same purpose
using positron emission tomography (PET) has long
been sought. We aimed to develop an 89Zr PET tracer for cell
labelling and compare it with [111In]oxinate3 single photon
emission computed tomography (SPECT).
Methods [89Zr]Oxinate4 was synthesised and its uptake and
efflux were measured in vitro in three cell lines and in human
leukocytes. The in vivo biodistribution of eGFP-5T33 murine
myeloma cells labelled using [89Zr]oxinate4 or [111In]oxinate3
was monitored for up to 14 days. 89Zr retention by living
radiolabelled eGFP-positive cells in vivo was monitored by
FACS sorting of liver, spleen and bone marrow cells followed
by gamma counting.
Results Zr labelling was effective in all cell types with yields
comparable with 111In labelling. Retention of 89Zr in cells
in vitro after 24 h was significantly better (range 71 to
>90 %) than 111In (43–52 %). eGFP-5T33 cells in vivo
showed the same early biodistribution whether labelled with
111In or 89Zr (initial pulmonary accumulation followed by
migration to liver, spleen and bone marrow), but later translocation
of radioactivity to kidneys was much greater for 111In.
In liver, spleen and bone marrow at least 92 % of 89Zr
remained associated with eGFP-positive cells after 7 days
in vivo.
Conclusion [89Zr]Oxinate4 offers a potential solution to the
emerging need for a long half-life PET tracer for cell tracking
in vivo and deserves further evaluation of its effects on survival
and behaviour of different cell types
Changes in and predictors of length of stay in hospital after surgery for breast cancer between 1997/98 and 2004/05 in two regions of England: a population-based
BACKGROUND
Decreases in length of stay (LOS) in hospital after breast cancer surgery can be partly attributed to the change to less radical surgery, but many other factors are operating at the patient, surgeon and hospital levels. This study aimed to describe the changes in and predictors of length of stay (LOS) in hospital after surgery for breast cancer between 1997/98 and 2004/05 in two regions of England.
METHODS
Cases of female invasive breast cancer diagnosed in two English cancer registry regions were linked to Hospital Episode Statistics data for the period 1st April 1997 to 31st March 2005. A subset of records where women underwent mastectomy or breast conserving surgery (BCS) was extracted (n = 44,877). Variations in LOS over the study period were investigated. A multilevel model with patients clustered within surgical teams and NHS Trusts was used to examine associations between LOS and a range of factors.
RESULTS
Over the study period the proportion of women having a mastectomy reduced from 58% to 52%. The proportion varied from 14% to 80% according to NHS Trust. LOS decreased by 21% from 1997/98 to 2004/05 (LOSratio = 0.79, 95%CI 0.77-0.80). BCS was associated with 33% shorter hospital stays compared to mastectomy (LOSratio = 0.67, 95%CI 0.66-0.68). Older age, advanced disease, presence of comorbidities, lymph node excision and reconstructive surgery were associated with increased LOS. Significant variation remained amongst Trusts and surgical teams.
CONCLUSION
The number of days spent in hospital after breast cancer surgery has continued to decline for several decades. The change from mastectomy to BCS accounts for only 9% of the overall decrease in LOS. Other explanations include the adoption of new techniques and practices, such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and early discharge. This study has identified wide variation in practice with substantial cost implications for the NHS. Further work is required to explain this variation
Arctic change and possible influence on mid-latitude climate and weather: a US CLIVAR White Paper
The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average since the mid 20th century,
a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification (AA). These profound changes to the Arctic system
have coincided with a period of ostensibly more frequent events of extreme weather across the
Northern Hemisphere (NH) mid-latitudes, including extreme heat and rainfall events and recent
severe winters. Though winter temperatures have generally warmed since 1960 over mid-to-high
latitudes, the acceleration in the rate of warming at high-latitudes, relative to the rest of the NH,
started approximately in 1990. Trends since 1990 show cooling over the NH continents, especially
in Northern Eurasia.
The possible link between Arctic change and mid-latitude climate and weather has spurred a rush
of new observational and modeling studies. A number of workshops held during 2013-2014 have
helped frame the problem and have called for continuing and enhancing efforts for improving
our understanding of Arctic-mid-latitude linkages and its attribution to the occurrence of extreme
climate and weather events. Although these workshops have outlined some of the major challenges
and provided broad recommendations, further efforts are needed to synthesize the diversified
research results to identify where community consensus and gaps exist.
Building upon findings and recommendations of the previous workshops, the US CLIVAR Working
Group on Arctic Change and Possible Influence on Mid-latitude Climate and Weather convened an
international workshop at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, on February 1-3, 2017. Experts
in the fields of atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere sciences assembled to assess the rapidly evolving
state of understanding, identify consensus on knowledge and gaps in research, and develop specific
actions to accelerate progress within the research community. With more than 100 participants,
the workshop was the largest and most comprehensive gathering of climate scientists to address
the topic to date. In this white paper, we synthesize and discuss outcomes from this workshop and
activities involving many of the working group members
The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: measurements of the growth of structure and expansion rate at z=0.57 from anisotropic clustering
We analyze the anisotropic clustering of massive galaxies from the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Data
Release 9 (DR9) sample, which consists of 264,283 galaxies in the redshift
range 0.43 < z < 0.7 spanning 3,275 square degrees. Both peculiar velocities
and errors in the assumed redshift-distance relation ("Alcock-Paczynski
effect") generate correlations between clustering amplitude and orientation
with respect to the line-of-sight. Together with the sharp baryon acoustic
oscillation (BAO) standard ruler, our measurements of the broadband shape of
the monopole and quadrupole correlation functions simultaneously constrain the
comoving angular diameter distance (2190 +/- 61 Mpc) to z=0.57, the Hubble
expansion rate at z=0.57 (92.4 +/- 4.5 km/s/Mpc), and the growth rate of
structure at that same redshift (d sigma8/d ln a = 0.43 +/- 0.069). Our
analysis provides the best current direct determination of both DA and H in
galaxy clustering data using this technique. If we further assume a LCDM
expansion history, our growth constraint tightens to d sigma8/d ln a = 0.415
+/- 0.034. In combination with the cosmic microwave background, our
measurements of DA, H, and growth all separately require dark energy at z >
0.57, and when combined imply \Omega_{\Lambda} = 0.74 +/- 0.016, independent of
the Universe's evolution at z<0.57. In our companion paper (Samushia et al.
prep), we explore further cosmological implications of these observations.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, submitted to MNRAS, comments welcom
Brief Report: Sensorimotor Gating in Idiopathic Autism and Autism Associated with Fragile X Syndrome
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) may useful for exploring the proposed shared neurobiology between idiopathic autism and autism caused by FXS. We compared PPI in four groups: typically developing controls (n = 18), FXS and autism (FXS+A; n = 15), FXS without autism spectrum disorder (FXS−A; n = 17), and idiopathic autism (IA; n = 15). Relative to controls, the FXS+A (p < 0.002) and FXS−A (p < 0.003) groups had impaired PPI. The FXS+A (p < 0.01) and FXS−A (p < 0.03) groups had lower PPI than the IA group. Prolonged startle latency was seen in the IA group. The differing PPI profiles seen in the FXS+A and IA indicates these groups may not share a common neurobiological abnormality of sensorimotor gating
High frequency of germline TP53 mutations in a prospective adult-onset sarcoma cohort
Sarcomas are a key feature of Li-Fraumeni and related syndromes (LFS/LFL), associated with germline TP53 mutations. Current penetrance estimates for TP53 mutations are subject to significant ascertainment bias. The International Sarcoma Kindred Study is a clinic-based, prospective cohort of adult-onset sarcoma cases, without regard to family history. The entire cohort was screened for mutations in TP53 using high-resolution melting analysis and Sanger sequencing, and multiplex-ligation-dependent probe amplification and targeted massively parallel sequencing for copy number changes. Pathogenic TP53 mutations were detected in blood DNA of 20/559 sarcoma probands (3.6%); 17 were germline and 3 appeared to be somatically acquired. Of the germline carriers, one appeared to be mosaic, detectable in the tumor and blood, but not epithelial tissues. Germline mutation carriers were more likely to have multiple cancers (47% vs 15% for non-carriers, P = 3.0×10(-3)), and earlier cancer onset (33 vs 48 years, P = 1.19×10(-3)). The median survival of mutation carriers following first cancer diagnosis was not significantly different from non-carriers. Only 10/17 (59%) pedigrees met classical or Chompret criteria for LFS. In summary, germline TP53 mutations are not rare in adult patients with sarcoma, with implications for screening, surveillance, treatment and genetic counselling of carriers and family members.Gillian Mitchell, Mandy L. Ballinger, Stephen Wong, Chelsee Hewitt, Paul James, Mary- Anne Young, Arcadi Cipponi, Tiffany Pang, David L. Goode, Alex Dobrovic, David M. Thomas, on behalf of the International Sarcoma Kindred Stud
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