Atom-interferometry constraints on dark energy Hamilton, P.; Jaffe, M.; Haslinger, P. ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
08/2015, Letnik:
349, Številka:
6250
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
If dark energy, which drives the accelerated expansion of the universe, consists of a light scalar field, it might be detectable as a "fifth force" between normal-matter objects, in potential ...conflict with precision tests of gravity. Chameleon fields and other theories with screening mechanisms, however, can evade these tests by suppressing the forces in regions of high density, such as the laboratory. Using a cesium matter-wave interferometer near a spherical mass in an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber, we reduced the screening mechanism by probing the field with individual atoms rather than with bulk matter. We thereby constrained a wide class of dark energy theories, including a range of chameleon and other theories that reproduce the observed cosmic acceleration.
Overview of advances in sugar-based polymers Feng, Xianhong; East, Anthony J.; Hammond, W. B. ...
Polymers for advanced technologies,
January 2011, Letnik:
22, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Cervical spine injury patterns in children Leonard, Jeffrey R; Jaffe, David M; Kuppermann, Nathan ...
Pediatrics (Evanston),
05/2014, Letnik:
133, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Pediatric cervical spine injuries (CSIs) are rare and differ from adult CSIs. Our objective was to describe CSIs in a large, representative cohort of children.
We conducted a 5-year retrospective ...review of children <16 years old with CSIs at 17 Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network hospitals. Investigators reviewed imaging reports and consultations to assign CSI type. We described cohort characteristics using means and frequencies and used Fisher's exact test to compare differences between 3 age groups: <2 years, 2 to 7 years, and 8 to 15 years. We used logistic regression to explore the relationship between injury level and age and mechanism of injury and between neurologic outcome and cord involvement, injury level, age, and comorbid injuries.
A total of 540 children with CSIs were included in the study. CSI level was associated with both age and mechanism of injury. For children <2 and 2 to 7 years old, motor vehicle crash (MVC) was the most common injury mechanism (56%, 37%). Children in these age groups more commonly injured the axial (occiput-C2) region (74%, 78%). In children 8 to 15 years old, sports accounted for as many injuries as MVCs (23%, 23%), and 53% of injuries were subaxial (C3-7). CSIs often necessitated surgical intervention (axial, 39%; subaxial, 30%) and often resulted in neurologic deficits (21%) and death (7%). Neurologic outcome was associated with cord involvement, injury level, age, and comorbid injuries.
We demonstrated a high degree of variability of CSI patterns, treatments and outcomes in children. The rarity, variation, and morbidity of pediatric CSIs make prompt recognition and treatment critical.
Orthography as Social Action Jaffe, Alexandra; Androutsopoulos, Jannis; Johnson, Sally ...
2012, 2012-07-04, Letnik:
3
eBook
This edited volume brings together leading authors in the field of sociolinguistics who explore the sociolinguistic implications of spelling, punctuation and other graphic aspects of writing. Data is ...drawn from a wide range of languages and communicative contexts, ranging from schoolrooms to internet discussion boards. The focus is on the way that spelling as a practice and as a focus of ideological debate relates to social, political and cultural systems, both reflecting and sometimes creating identities as well as relationships of both equality and inequality. Alexandra Jaffe, California State University Long Beach, USA; Jannis Androutsopoulos, University of Hamburg, Germany; Mark Sebba, Lancaster University, UK; Sally Johnson, University of Leeds, UK.
Sleep apnoea is a common, yet underestimated, chronic disorder with a major impact on morbidity and mortality in the general population. It is quickly becoming recognized as an independent risk ...factor for cardiovascular impairment. Hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, cardiovascular rhythm and conduction abnormalities, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure have all been linked to this syndrome. This review will explore the critical connection between sleep apnoea and chronic cardiovascular diseases while highlighting established and emerging diagnostic and treatment strategies.
Background In the United States, both cannabis use disorder (CUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased in prevalence. The prevalence, demographics, and costs of CUD and OUD are not well known ...in heart failure (HF) admissions. This study aimed to use a national database to examine the prevalence, demographics, and costs associated with CUD and OUD in HF. Methods This study used the National Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2018 to identify all primary HF admissions with and without the co-diagnosis of OUD or CUD using International Classification for Diagnosis, diagnosis codes. Demographics, costs, and trends were examined. Results Between 2008 and 2018, we identified 11,692,995 admissions for HF of which 84,796 (0.8%) had a co-diagnosis of CUD only, and 67,137 (0.6%) had a co-diagnosis of OUD only. The proportion of HF admissions with CUD significantly increased from 0.3% in 2008 to 1.3% in 2018 (p<0.001). The proportion of HF admissions with OUD significantly increased from 0.2% in 2008 to 1.1% in 2018 (p<0.001). Patients admitted with HF and either CUD or OUD were younger, more likely to be Black, and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (p<0.001, all). HF admissions with OUD or CUD had higher median costs compared to HF admissions without associated substance abuse diagnoses ($8,611 vs. $8,337 for CUD HF and $10,019 vs. $8,337 for OUD HF, p<0.001 for both). Conclusions Among discharge records for HF, CUD and OUD are increasing in prevalence, significantly affect underserved populations and are associated with higher costs of stay. Future research is essential to better delineate the cause of these increased costs and create interventions, particularly in underserved populations.
Non-invasive gamete and embryo assessment is considered an important focus in assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Currently, the selection of embryos for transfer is based on morphological ...indices. Though successful, the field of ART would benefit from a non-invasive quantitative method of viability determination. Omics technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, have already begun providing evidence that viable gametes and embryos possess unique molecular profiles with potential biomarkers that can be utilized for developmental and/or viability selection. Unlike the human genome that is relatively fixed and steady throughout the human body, the human proteome, estimated at over a million proteins, is more complex, diverse and dynamic. It is the proteins themselves that contribute to the physiological homeostasis in any cell or tissue. Of particular interest in ART is the secretome, those proteins that are produced within the embryo and secreted into the surrounding environment. Defining the human embryonic secretome has the potential to expand our knowledge of embryonic cellular processes, including the complex dialogue between the developing embryo and its maternal environment, and may also assist in identifying those embryos with the highest implantation potential. Advances in proteomic technologies have allowed the non-invasive profiling of the human embryonic secretome with ongoing research focused on correlation with outcome. From a clinical perspective, embryo selection based on morphological assessment and non-invasive analysis of the human embryonic secretome may improve IVF success and lead to routine single embryo transfers.
Previous studies have shown that electrical charges influence cell behavior (e.g. enhancement of nerve regeneration, cell adhesion, cell morphology). Thus, piezoelectric scaffolds might be useful for ...various tissue engineering applications. Fibrous scaffolds were successfully fabricated from permanent piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) by the electrospinning technique. Scanning electron microscopy and capillary flow analyses verified that the fiber mats had an average fiber diameter of 970
±
480
nm and a mean pore diameter of 1.7
μm, respectively. Thermally stimulated depolarization current spectroscopy measurements confirmed the piezoelectric property of the PVDF-TrFE fibrous scaffolds by the generation of a spontaneous current with the increase in temperature in the absence of an electric field, which was not detected in the unprocessed PVDF-TrFE powder. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the electrospinning process increased the crystallinity and presence of the polar, beta-phase crystal compared with the unprocessed powder. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and a cell proliferation assay demonstrated spreading and increased cell numbers (human skin fibroblasts) over time on PVDF-TrFE scaffolds, which was comparable with tissue culture polystyrene. The relative quantity of gene expression for focal adhesion proteins (measured by real-time RT-PCR) increased in the following order: paxillin
<
vinculin
<
focal adhesion kinase
<
talin. However, no differences could be seen among the TCPS surface and the fibrous scaffolds. Future studies will focus on possible applications of these cytocompatible PVDF-TrFE scaffolds in the field of regenerative medicine.
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