The temperature dependence of the crystallographic and thermoelastic properties of BaZrO
3
perovskite in the temperature range 4.2 K and 450 K has been investigated using high-resolution ...time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction and literature values of the isobaric heat capacity. At all measured temperatures, BaZrO
3
is cubic, space group
P
m
3
¯
m
, with no clear evidence for diffuse scattering at critical points of the primitive cubic Brillouin zone. Simultaneous fitting of the temperature dependences of the isochoric heat capacity and unit cell volume showed the thermophysical properties of BaZrO
3
were consistent with a two-term Debye model in which the cations and anions behave independently of one another with Debye temperatures of 220(2) K and 730(5) K, respectively. This model is further consistent with the temperature variations of the atomic displacement parameters fitted to a modified Debye model in which the vibrational Debye temperatures of the anion are significantly larger than those associated with the cations. The evolution of the crystallographic parameters of BaZrO
3
is compared to those of BaCeO
3
, for barium in the cavity site, and SrZrO
3
, for zirconium in the octahedral site.
When students answer an in-class conceptual question individually using clickers, discuss it with their neighbors, and then revote on the same question, the percentage of correct answers typically ...increases. This outcome could result from gains in understanding during discussion, or simply from peer influence of knowledgeable students on their neighbors. To distinguish between these alternatives in an undergraduate genetics course, we followed the above exercise with a second, similar (isomorphic) question on the same concept that students answered individually. Our results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.
Coincident auroral far-ultraviolet (FUV) and ground-based ionosonde observations are compared for the purpose of determining whether auroral FUV remote sensing algorithms that assume pure electron ...precipitation are biased in the presence of proton precipitation. Auroral particle transport and optical emission models, such as the Boltzmann 3-Constituent (B3C) model, predict that maximum E region electron density (NmE) values derived from auroral Lyman–Birge–Hopfield (LBH) emissions, assuming electron precipitation, will be biased by up to ∼20 % (high) for pure proton aurora, while comparisons between LBH radiances and radiances derived from in situ particle flux observations (i.e., Knight et al., 2008, 2012) indicate that the bias associated with proton aurora should be much larger. Surprisingly, in the comparisons with ionosonde observations described here, no bias associated with proton aurora is found in FUV-derived auroral NmE, which means that auroral FUV remote sensing methods for NmE are more accurate in the presence of proton precipitation than was suggested in the aforementioned earlier works. Possible explanations for the discrepancy with the earlier results are discussed.
Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation, change reliably with age across the lifespan, such that DNA methylation can be used as an "epigenetic clock". This epigenetic clock can be used to ...predict age and age acceleration, which occurs when methylation-based prediction of age exceeds chronological age and has been associated with increased mortality. In the current study we examined epigenetic age acceleration using saliva samples collected from children between ages 6-13 (N = 101). Children's exposure to neighborhood violence and heart rate during a stressful task were assessed. Age acceleration was associated with children's direct experience of violence (p = 0.004) and with decreased heart rate (p = 0.002). Children who were predicted to be older than their chronological age had twice as much violence exposure as other children and their heart rate was similar to that of adults. The results remained significant after controlling for demographic variables, such as sex, income and education. This is the first study to show the effects of direct violence exposure on epigenetic aging in children using salivary DNA. Although longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether accelerated epigenetic aging leads to adverse health outcomes later in life, these data point to DNA methylation during childhood as a putative biological mechanism.
The few electrons in valence states of a material participate in many of its physical properties, including both structural and transport properties. In the diffraction of X-rays, or neutrons, ...valence electrons can lead to weak Bragg reflections that are extremely sensitive signatures of their charge and magnetic degrees of freedom. In this regard, diffraction instruments supplied with X-rays from a synchrotron source are particularly useful because the brightness, tuneability and polarization of the X-rays are all helpful in making valuable observations. The data obtained from Bragg diffraction can be analyzed on the basis of an atomic model, which has the virtue that it can be used as a common platform for the analysis of X-ray and neutron diffraction and, in addition, the analysis of observations made with X-ray absorption, NMR, EPR, muon and Mössbauer spectroscopies. We present the salient features for the calculation of structure factors based on an atomic model and applied to the analysis of Bragg diffraction by non-magnetic and magnetic materials, with an emphasis on resonant X-ray Bragg diffraction. The presentation contains a new treatment of parity-odd events found in the mixed electric dipole–electric quadrupole channel of scattering. In addition we discuss the complementary observation of dichroic signals, including natural circular and magnetochiral dichroism.
The survey of available analytical tools is complemented by a series of worked examples demonstrating the application of the formalism to different materials with different crystal structures and resonant ions: dysprosium borocarbide (
DyB
2
C
2
), vanadium sesquioxide
(
V
2
O
3
)
, gadolinium tetraboride (
GdB
4
), chromium sesquioxide (
Cr
2
O
3
), haematite and perovskite-type manganites.
Ethnographers frequently allude to alcoholism and related harms in Indigenous hunter-gatherer communities, but very few studies have quantified patterns of alcohol consumption or its health and ...social impacts. We present a case study of the Mbendjele BaYaka, a Congolese population undergoing socioeconomic transition. 83 adults answered questions about their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, underwent biometric measurements and reported whether they were currently experiencing a cough or diarrhoea; 56 participated in structured interviews about their experiences with alcohol. Based on WHO standards, we found 44.3% of the full sample, and 51.5% of drinkers (excluding abstainers), had a hazardous volume of alcohol consumption; and 35.1% of the full sample, and 40.9% of drinkers, engaged in heavy episodic drinking; consumption habits varied with sex and age. Total weekly consumption was a positive predictor of blood pressure and the likelihood of experiencing diarrhoea; associations with other biometric variables were not statistically significant. Interview responses indicated numerous other economic, mental and physical health harms of alcohol use, the prevalence of which demonstrate some variability between forest camps and permanent village settlements. These include high rates of drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding (~40%); frequent alcohol-induced violence; and considerable exchange of foraged foods and engagement in exploitative labour activities to acquire alcohol or repay associated debts. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption among transitioning hunter-gatherers is higher than other segments of the Congolese population and indicate negative impacts on health and wellbeing, highlighting an urgent need for targeted public health interventions.
Goal-directed behavior benefits from self-regulation of cognitive and affective processes, such as emotional reactivity, memory retrieval, and prepotent motor response. Dysfunction in self-regulation ...is a common characteristic of many psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD and ADHD. This study sought to determine whether common intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs; e.g. default mode network) are involved in the regulation of emotion, motor, and memory processes, and if a data-driven approach using independent component analysis (ICA) would successfully identify such ICNs that contribute to inhibitory regulation.
Eighteen participants underwent neuroimaging while completing an emotion regulation (ER) task, a memory suppression (Think/No-Think; TNT) task, and a motor inhibition (Stop Signal; SS) task. ICA (CONN; MATLAB) was conducted on the neuroimaging data from each task and corresponding components were selected across tasks based on interrelated patterns of activation. Subsequently, ICNs were correlated with behavioral performance variables from each task.
ICA indicated a common medial prefrontal network, striatal network, and frontoparietal executive control network, as well as downregulation in task-specific ROIs.
These results illustrate that common ICNs were exhibited across three distinct inhibitory regulation tasks, as successfully identified through a data-driven approach (ICA).
Summary
This study uses NHS waiting times and osteoporosis medication community prescription datasets to assess the impact of COVID-19 on DXA waits and osteoporosis medication patterns in England. ...Results show significant increases in DXA waiting list times and variation in prescription rates. Investment is needed to improve waiting list times.
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on DXA scan waiting lists, service recovery and osteoporosis medication prescriptions in the NHS following the March 2020 national lockdowns and staff redeployment.
Methods
Data from March 2019 to June 2023, including NHS digital diagnostics waiting times (DM01) and osteoporosis medication prescriptions from the English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), were analysed. This encompassed total waiting list data across England’s seven regions and prescribing patterns for various osteoporosis medications. Analyses included total activity figures and regression analysis to estimate expected activity without COVID-19, using R for all data analysis.
Results
In England, DXA waiting lists have grown significantly, with the yearly mean waiting list length increasing from 31,851 in 2019 to 65,757 in 2023. The percentage of patients waiting over 6 weeks for DXA scans rose from 0.9% in 2019 to 40% in 2020, and those waiting over 13 weeks increased from 0.1% in 2019 to 16.7% in 2020. Prescription trends varied, with increases in denosumab, ibandronic acid and risedronate sodium and decreases in alendronic acid, raloxifene hydrochloride and teriparatide. A notable overall prescription decrease occurred in the second quarter of 2020.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has significantly increased DXA scan waiting lists with ongoing recovery challenges. There is a noticeable disparity in DXA service access across England. Osteoporosis care, indicated by medication prescriptions, also declined during the pandemic. Addressing these issues requires focused investment and effort to improve DXA scan waiting times and overall access to osteoporosis care in England.
The glucocorticoid receptor is a member of the nuclear receptor family that controls many distinct gene networks, governing various aspects of development, metabolism, inflammation, and the stress ...response, as well as other key biological processes in the cardiovascular system. Recently, research in both animal models and humans has begun to unravel the profound complexity of glucocorticoid signaling and convincingly demonstrates that the glucocorticoid receptor has direct effects on the heart and vessels in vivo and in vitro. This research has contributed directly to improving therapeutic strategies in human disease. The glucocorticoid receptor is activated either by the endogenous steroid hormone cortisol or by exogenous glucocorticoids and acts within the cardiovascular system via both genomic and non-genomic pathways. Polymorphisms of the glucocorticoid receptor are also reported to influence the progress and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. In this review, we provide an update on glucocorticoid signaling and highlight the critical role of this signaling in both physiological and pathological conditions of the cardiovascular system. With increasing in-depth understanding of glucocorticoid signaling, the future is promising for the development of targeted glucocorticoid treatments and improved clinical outcomes.
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