102,200 research outputs found
The construction of the risk of falling among and by older people
No full textRisk is frequently invoked in contemporary accounts of ill health, but its construction is often constrained by a rationalist perspective that focuses on physical causes and functional outcomes, and that presents risk as external to the self and predictable. This paper describes an empirical study of the ways in which risk was realised and managed in a day hospital for older people. An ethnographic approach, with participant observation and semi-structured interviews, and discourse analysis were used to explore these issues with the staff and fifteen users. Whilst the service providers were orientated to the management of physical risk, as through the regimes for administering medication and their attention to risk reduction in the physical environment, the service users were more concerned with the risk to their personal and social identities, and they more frequently described its manifestations in inter-personal exchanges, sometimes as infantalisation and stereotyping. The paper develops this understanding of the potential for falls among older people to elucidate a broader interpretation of risk, and reveals that it is commonly constructed as a challenge to a person's self-image and identity. Such constructions help to explain older people's responses to complex health problems and to the services and treatments that attempt to solve them
A powerful veto for gravitational wave searches using data from Virgo's first scientific run
No full textThe use of vetoes generated from auxiliary channels suppresses most of the
high amplitude noise triggers that impair gravitational wave (GW) burst and
binary inspiral searches. DuringVirgo’s first scientific run (VSR1),many of the
remaining loud burst and inspiralVirgo triggerswere observedwith nearly equal
significance in both the in-phase (ACp) and quadrature (ACq) interferometer
output channels, while we expect the ACq channel to be insensitive to a GW
signal. We describe a veto based on the ratio of the amplitude of the ACp and
ACq signals. From studying hardware signal injections, we demonstrate that
the ratio of the amplitude of coincident ACp and ACq triggers can be safely
used to define a veto; we show its efficiency for the burst and binary inspiral
analyses of the VRS1 data
Modelling double strand break susceptibility to interrogate structural variation in cancer
No full textStructural variants (SVs) are known to play important roles in a variety of cancers, but their origins and functional consequences are still poorly understood. The nonrandom distributions of these variants across tumour genomes are often assumed to reflect selective processes, but, as with single nucleotide variants, SV mutation rates often reflect the underlying chromatin and other features at a locus. Inferring which SVs may be under selection in tumourigenesis therefore remains challenging, though identifying such variants may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Many SVs are thought to emerge via errors in the repair processes following DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and a variety of studies have experimentally measured DSB frequencies across the genome in cell lines. Using these data we derive the first quantitative genome-wide models of DSB susceptibility, based upon underlying chromatin and sequence features. These models provide high predictive accuracy and novel insights into the mutational mechanisms generating DSBs. Models trained in one cell type can be successfully applied to others, but a substantial proportion of DSBs appear to reflect cell type specific processes. We also show that regions harboring unusually high tumour SV breakpoint frequencies occur within well modeled regions of the genome but often display DSB frequencies inconsistent with DSB model predictions. Using model predictions as a proxy for susceptibility to DSBs in tumours, many SV hotspots appear to be poorly explained by selectively neutral mutational bias alone. A substantial number of hotspots show unexpectedly high SV breakpoint frequencies given their predicted susceptibility to mutation, and are therefore credible targets of positive selection in tumours. These putatively positively selected hotspots are enriched for genes previously shown to be oncogenic. In contrast, several hundred regions across the genome show unexpectedly low levels of SVs, given their relatively high susceptibility to mutation. These novel ‘coldspot’ regions appear to be subject to purifying selection in tumours and are enriched for active promoters and enhancers. We conclude that models of DSB susceptibility offer a rigorous approach to the inference of SVs putatively subject to selection in tumours
United States $20.00 (twenty dollars) national currency
No full textRecto (L) 'Hugh McCulloch'; Verso (C) Union and CivilizationThis $20.00 National Bank Note was issued in Ballinger in 1906 by the First National Bank of Ballinger. Bank serial number: 6345. Treasury serial number: Z462359A.W. T. Vernon Register of the Treasury.; Chas. H. Treat Treasurer of the United States.; R [illegible] Cashier.; [illegible] President
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Characteristics of outdoor falls among older people: A qualitative study
No full textBackground Falls are a major threat to older people’s health and wellbeing. Approximately half of falls occur in outdoor environments but little is known about the circumstances in which they occur. We conducted a qualitative study to explore older people’s experiences of outdoor falls to develop understanding of how they may be prevented. Methods We conducted nine focus groups across the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). Our sample was from urban and rural settings and different environmental landscapes. Participants were aged 65+ and had at least one outdoor fall in the past year. We analysed the data using framework and content analyses. Results Forty-four adults aged 65 – 92 took part and reported their experience of 88 outdoor falls. Outdoor falls occurred in a variety of contexts, though reports suggested the following scenarios may have been more frequent: when crossing a road, in a familiar area, when bystanders were around, and with an unreported or unknown attribution. Most frequently, falls resulted in either minor or moderate injury, feeling embarrassed at the time of the fall, and anxiety about falling again. Ten falls resulted in fracture, but no strong pattern emerged in regard to the contexts of these falls. Anxiety about falling again appeared more prevalent among those that fell in urban settings and who made more visits into their neighbourhood in a typical week. Conclusions This exploratory study has highlighted several aspects of the outdoor environment that may represent risk factors for outdoor falls and associated fear of falling. Health professionals are recommended to consider outdoor environments as well as the home setting when working to prevent falls and increase mobility among older people
Identification of Contamination in a Lake Sediment Core Using Hg and Pb Isotopic Compositions, Lake Ballinger, Washington, USA
No full textConcentrations and isotopic compositions of Hg and Pb were measured in a sediment core collected from Lake Ballinger, near Seattle, Washington, USA. Lake Ballinger has been affected by input of metal contaminants emitted from the Tacoma smelter, which operated from 1887 to 1986 and was located about 53 km south of the lake. Concentrations and loadings of Hg and Pb in Lake Ballinger increased by as much as three orders of magnitude during the period of smelting as compared to the pre-smelting period. Concentrations and loadings of Hg and Pb then decreased by about 55% and 75%, respectively, after smelting ended. Isotopic compositions of Hg changed considerably during the period of smelting (δ202Hg = -2.29‰ to -0.38‰, mean -1.23‰, n = 9) compared to the pre-smelting period (δ202Hg = -2.91‰ to -2.50‰, mean -2.75‰, n = 4). Variations were also observed in 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb isotopic compositions during these periods. Data for Δ199Hg and Δ201Hg indicate mass independent fractionation (MIF) of Hg isotopes in Lake Ballinger sediment during the smelting and post-smelting period and suggest MIF in the ore smelted, during the smelting process, or chemical modification at some point in the past. Negative values for Δ199Hg and Δ201Hg for the pre-smelting period are similar to those previously reported for soil, peat, and lichen, likely suggesting some component of atmospheric Hg. Variations in the concentrations and isotopic compositions of Hg and Pb were useful in tracing contaminant sources and the understanding of the depositional history of sedimentation in Lake Ballinger
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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