The aim of this study was to evaluate sex-related differences in symptoms of sleep disorders, sleep-related impairment, psychiatric symptoms, traumatic brain injury, and polysomnographic variables in ...treatment-seeking military personnel diagnosed with insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or comorbid insomnia and OSA (COMISA).
Participants were 372 military personnel (46.2% women, 53.8% men) with an average age of 37.7 (standard deviation = 7.46) years and median body mass index of 28.4 (5.50) kg/m
. Based on clinical evaluation and video-polysomnography, participants were diagnosed with insomnia (n = 118), OSA (n = 118), or COMISA (n = 136). Insomnia severity, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, nightmare disorder, sleep impairment, fatigue, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression symptoms, and traumatic brain injury were evaluated with validated self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, parametric and nonparametric
-tests, and effect sizes were used to assess sex differences between men and women.
There were no significant differences between women and men with insomnia or OSA in sleep-related symptoms, impairment, or polysomnography-based apnea-hypopnea index. Military men with COMISA had a significantly greater apnea-hypopnea index as compared to military women with COMISA, but women had greater symptoms of nightmare disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety.
In contrast to civilian studies, minimal differences were observed in self-reported sleep symptoms, impairment, and polysomnography metrics between men and women diagnosed with the most frequent sleep disorders in military personnel (ie, insomnia, OSA, or COMISA) except in those with COMISA. Military service may result in distinct sleep disorder phenotypes that differ negligibly by sex.
Mysliwiec V, Pruiksma KE, Matsangas P, et al. Sex differences in US military personnel with insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, or comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.
. 2024;20(1):17-30.
While tobacco Quitlines are effective in the promotion of smoking cessation, the majority of callers who wish to quit still fail to do so. The aim of this study was to determine if 12-month tobacco ...Quitline smoking cessation rates could be improved with re-engagement of callers whose first Quitline treatment failed to establish abstinence.
In an adaptive trial, 614 adult smokers, who were active duty, retired, and family of military personnel with TRICARE insurance who called a tobacco Quitline, received a previously evaluated and efficacious four-session tobacco cessation intervention with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). At the scheduled follow-up at 3 months, callers who had not yet achieved abstinence were offered the opportunity to re-engage. This resulted in three caller groups: 1) those who were abstinent, 2) those who were still smoking but willing to re-engage with an additional Quitline treatment; and 3) individuals who were still smoking but declined re-engagement. A propensity score-adjusted logistic regression model was generated to compare past-7-day point prevalence abstinence at 12 months post Quitline consultation.
Using a propensity score adjusted logistic regression model, comparison of the three groups resulted in higher odds of past-7-day point prevalence abstinence at follow-up at 12 months for those who were abstinent at 3 months compared to those who re-engaged (OR=9.6; 95% CI: 5.2-17.8; Bonferroni adjusted p<0.0001), and relative to those who declined re-engagement (OR=13.4; 95% CI: 6.8-26.3; Bonferroni adjusted p<0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in smoking abstinence between smokers at 3 months who re-engaged and those who declined re-engagement (OR=1.39; 95% CI: 0.68-2.85).
Tobacco Quitlines seeking to select a single initiative by which to maximize abstinence at follow-up at 12 months may benefit from diverting additional resources from the re-engagement of callers whose initial quit attempt failed, toward changes which increase callers' probability of success within the first 3 months of treatment.
This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02201810).
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
► Die-pressing behavior of ITP CP-Ti and Ti-6Al-4V powders is studied. ► An empirical powder compaction model fits the density-pressure data very well. ► The Ti-64 powder exhibited much higher ...sinterability than the CP-Ti powder. ► The sinterability difference is attributed to the specific surface area and V diffusion.
This paper investigated the die-pressing and sintering behavior of ITP CP-Ti and Ti-6Al-4V powders produced by the Armstrong Process®. The ITP powders have an irregular coral like, dendritic morphology, with a dendrite size of approximately 2–5μm. As-received as well as milled powders were uniaxially pressed at designated pressures up to 690MPa to form disk samples with different aspect ratios. In the studied pressure range, an empirical powder compaction equation was applied to linearize the green density – pressure relationship, and powder compaction parameters were obtained. The ITP Ti-6Al-4V powder exhibited a significantly higher sinterability than the CP-Ti powder. This was explained to be due to the higher diffusivity of V in β-Ti at the sintering temperature. The Ti-6Al-4V samples with a green density of 71.0% increased to 99.6% after sintering at 1300°C for 1h. An ex-situ technique was used to track the powder morphology change before and after sintering.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Abstract
Modules for the ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) strip tracker include a DC-DC converter circuit glued directly to the silicon sensor which converts the 11 V supplied to the module to the 1.5 V ...required for the operation of the readout chips. The DC-DC converter unit, consisting of a copper solenoid and custom ASIC, is located directly above the silicon strip sensor and therefore needs to be shielded to protect the sensor from EMI noise created during the operation of the circuit. Despite dedicated shielding, consisting of an aluminium shield box with continuous solder seams encompassing the surface components and a copper layer in the PCB beneath it, module channels connected to sensor strips located beneath the converter circuit were found to show a noise increase. While the DC-DC converter unit causing the underlying EMI noise operates at a frequency of 2 MHz, module characterisation measurements for ITk strip tracker modules are typically performed asynchronously to the DC-DC switching and are therefore averaged over the full range of time bins with respect to the converter frequency. In order to investigate the time dependence of the noise injection relative to the DC-DC switching frequency, a dedicated setup to understand the time-resolved performance change in modules was developed. By using a magnetic field probe to measure the field leaking through the shield box and triggering on its rising edge, data taking could be synchronised with the DC-DC switching. This paper illustrates the concept and setup of such time-resolved performance measurements using magnetic triggering and presents results for the observed effects on signal and noise for ATLAS ITk strip modules from both laboratory and beam tests.
In August 2005, rising waters from Hurricane Katrina compromised several of New Orleans’ levees, causing extensive flooding that, in the face of government inaction, resulted in the deaths of 1,400 ...people and a large‐scale evacuation of the city. As long‐term residents of the city evacuated, New Orleans witnessed an influx of new Latino/a immigrants who arrived to demolish irreparable structures, clear toxic debris, and rebuild. Disaster recovery work draws on construction and low‐skilled service sectors, which are already niches for undocumented Latino/a labour in the USA. Migration to disaster recovery sites is a potentially lucrative strategy for undocumented migrants, who use their mobility to seek better employment. By highlighting differences in gendered labour experiences in a neoliberal disaster‐recovery context, this study illustrates how migrant‐labour niches and a lack of reproductive support systems constrain opportunities and shape migrants’ mobility strategies. Through a perspective of constrained agency, it considers how migrants’ experiences differ according to gender as they negotiate labour and care possibilities. The constraints on migrant aspirations are explored through interview and survey data collected from 256 Latino/a migrants to post‐Katrina New Orleans who were working between 2006 and 2008. The paper argues that while disaster recovery sites create opportunity for some of the most vulnerable workers, gendered immigrant employment niches and the absence of reproductive support constrain women’s success.
Using evidence from post‐Katrina New Orleans, this study reveals natural disaster recovery as a process that reproduces gender‐based hierarchies of opportunity through both the gendered division of labour and the lack of social reproductive support. Migrants’ decision to risk a mobility strategy is shaped and constrained by capital (labour market opportunities) and society (cultural demands and reproductive support). Embedding considerations of social reproduction into the analysis of immigrant workers’ constrained agency ultimately reveals its central role in mobility strategies.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FSPLJ, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Pragmatic trials testing the effectiveness of interventions under “real world” conditions help bridge the research-to-practice gap. Such trial designs are optimal for studying the impact of ...implementation efforts, such as the effectiveness of integrated behavioral health clinicians in primary care settings. Formal pragmatic trials conducted in integrated primary care settings are uncommon, making it difficult for researchers to anticipate the potential pitfalls associated with balancing scientific rigor with the demands of routine clinical practice. This paper is based on our experience conducting the first phase of a large, multisite, pragmatic clinical trial evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of behavioral health consultants treating patients with chronic pain using a manualized intervention, brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (BCBT-CP). The paper highlights key choice points using the PRagmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS-2) tool. We discuss the dilemmas of pragmatic research that we faced and offer recommendations for aspiring integrated primary care pragmatic trialists.
The Armstrong Process® developed by Cristal US, Inc./International Titanium Powder, is an innovative, low-cost technology for producing Ti and Ti alloy powders in a one-step, continuous process. In ...this work, Armstrong Ti–6Al–4V powders were characterized and the cold compaction behavior of the powders were investigated in detail. As-received as well as milled powders were uniaxially die-pressed at designated pressures up to 690
MPa to form disk samples with different aspect ratios. Samples with high aspect ratio exhibited non-uniform density along the pressing axis and the density distribution was consistent with the result predicted by finite element analysis. The model developed from the linear regression analysis on the experimental density data can be used to predict density of compacts with different aspect ratios. In the studied pressure range, an empirical powder compaction equation was applied to linearize the green density — pressure relationship. Cold compaction parameters were obtained for the as-received and milled Armstrong Ti–6Al–4V powders.
The die-pressing behavior of Ti-6Al-4V powders produced by the Armstrong Process® was studied in the case of disk shape compacts with 3 different aspect ratios. In the studied die-pressure range, an empirical powder compaction equation:
ln
1
/
(
1
−
D
)
=
A
P
+
B
9, represents the relationship between green density (
D) and die-pressure (
P) relationship very well for both the as-received and milled Armstrong Ti-64 powders.
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► Cold compaction behavior of Armstrong Ti–6Al–4V powders is studied. ► The green density variation in the powder compacts is evaluated. ► The green density of the powder compacts with different aspect ratios is predicted. ► An empirical powder compaction model fits the density–pressure data very well.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Previous studies have shown some tendency toward increased residential racial and ethnic integration, especially in large West Coast metropolitan areas. They have also shown in limited studies that ...integration, or at least declines in separation, occur with increases in socioeconomic status. The results of this study, using recently released 2000 census data for metropolitan areas with large numbers of foreign born, show that indeed separation does decline with increases in socio-economic status though it also varies by geography, education, and income and is significantly variable across different ethnic groups in the large immigrant cities. The research in this study also documents the continuing hierarchy of greater integration of Whites with Asians and Whites with Hispanics than with African Americans. It is clear that the changing patterns of separation have moved beyond Black-White contexts. Still, class clearly matters, as integration is greater at higher education levels, and suburban areas in general are more integrated than urban cores.
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Thrombospondin-1, an antiangiogenic matricellular protein, binds with high affinity to the angiogenic fibroblast growth factor-2, affecting its bioavailability and activity. The present work aimed at ...further locating the fibroblast growth factor-2 binding site of thrombospondin-1 and investigating its activity, using recombinant thrombospondin-1 proteins. Only recombinant constructs containing the thrombospondin-1 type III repeats bound fibroblast growth factor-2, whereas other domains, including the known anti-angiogenic type I repeats, were inactive. Binding was specific and inhibited by the anti thrombospondin-1 monoclonal antibody B5.2. Surface plasmon resonance analysis on BIAcore revealed a binding affinity (Kd) of 310nM for the type III repeats and 11nM for intact thrombospondin-1. Since the type III repeats bind calcium, the effect of calcium on thrombospondin-1 binding to fibroblast growth factor-2 was investigated. Binding was modulated by calcium, as thrombospondin-1 or the type III repeats bound to fibroblast growth factor-2 only in calcium concentrations <0.3mM. The type III repeats inhibited binding of fibroblast growth factor-2 to endothelial cells, fibroblast growth factor-2-induced endothelial cell proliferation in vitro and angiogenesis in the chorioallantoic membrane assay in vivo, thus indicating the antiangiogenic activity of the domain. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the fibroblast growth factor-2 binding site of thrombospondin-1 is located in the type III repeats. The finding that this domain is active in inhibiting angiogenesis indicates that the type III repeats represent a novel antiangiogenic domain of thrombospondin-1.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The rising number of unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) crossing the U.S.-Mexico border received intense media attention during 2014 and remains significant. Unaccompanied minors seeking relief ...through the immigration court system is at a record high. A crisis of legal representation and of disparity in granting asylum or other humanitarian relief across Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration courts and among individual judges creates an unequal geographical landscape of justice for young migrants/asylum-seekers. This study uses empirical data from over 232,000 UMC cases to analyse the effect that place of residence has on access to a fair court hearing. This research adds to previous studies by emphasising the importance of place for unaccompanied minors who have been released to sponsors across the United States. Given that court adjudications vary considerably from judge to judge and across courts; and that access to legal resources differs from city to city and across regions - where a UMC resides has a major impact on the likelihood of a fair hearing. This finding has major implications for understanding how locality impacts unaccompanied minor migrant youth precarity.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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