616 research outputs found
Third Revision of the Global Surface Seawater Dimethyl Sulfide Climatology (DMS-Rev3)
No full textThis dataset contains all the input data and the Matlab codes for the Third Revision of the Global Surface Seawater Dimethyl Sulphide Climatology (DMS-Rev3)
Shrivardhan Hulswar, Rafel Simo, Martí Galí, Thomas G. Bell, Arancha Lana, Swaleha Inamdar, Paul R. Halloran, George Manville and Anoop S. Mahajan
*corresponding author: Anoop Sharad Mahajan ([email protected])
Details to run the code can be found in the word file: Code details.doc
Third Revision of the Global Surface Seawater Dimethyl Sulfide Climatology (DMS-Rev3)
No full textThis dataset contains all the input data and the Matlab codes for the Third Revision of the Global Surface Seawater Dimethyl Sulphide Climatology (DMS-Rev3)Shrivardhan Hulswar, Rafel Simo, Martí Galí, Thomas G. Bell, Arancha Lana, Swaleha Inamdar, Paul R. Halloran, George Manville and Anoop S. Mahajan*corresponding author: Anoop Sharad Mahajan ([email protected])Details to run the code can be found in the word file: Code details.docxTHIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV
Cell counts in severe asthma: concordance of sputum and BAL in Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort
No full textBackground: Asthma is widely considered an eosinophilic disease however severe asthma is frequently non-eosinophilic. Treatment options can depend on airway cell counts but proximal and distal airways may not be concordant in terms of cell differential. The Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort (WSAC) recruited 342 participants with severe asthma for detailed phenotyping with some participants undergoing sputum induction and/or bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). We aimed to use data from the WSAC to assess the agreement between sputum and BAL cell differentials.Methods: WSAC participants with severe asthma were included if they underwent both BAL and successful sputum induction. Correlation coefficients and classification tables were used to calculate the agreement between the proximal (sputum) and distal (BAL) compartments.Results: 38 participants were included in the analysis. Correlation coefficients were 0.429 for neutrophil count (p=0.007) and 0.569 for eosinophil count (p<0.001). Sputum and BAL eosinophilia (3% and 1%) were concordant in 68% with Sputum eosinophilia alone in 21% and BAL alone in 11%. Neutrophilia (60% and 3%) were concordant in 45%, with sputum neutrophilia alone in 50% and BAL alone in 5%.Conclusions: Sputum and BAL cell counts showed moderate correlation, but significant classification discrepancies were found when using recognised thresholds. Sampling of multiple compartments may be required for optimal assessment of individuals with severe asthma
Tracing the building of Robert's connections in mathematical problem solving: a sixteen-year study
No full textThis research analyzes how external representations created by a student, Robert, helped him in building mathematical understanding over a sixteen-year period. Robert (also known as Bobby), was an original participant of the Rutgers longitudinal study where students were encouraged to work on problem-solving tasks with minimum intervention (Maher, 2005). The research demonstrates how Robert built robust counting techniques by tracing the evolvement of his problem-solving heuristics, strategies, justifications and external representations. The study also examines how Robert made connections to his earlier problem solving. In addition, the origins of Robert’s ideas related to Pascal’s Triangle and Pascal’s Pyramid are investigated. Fifteen sessions were selected between Robert’s fifth grade (February 26, 1993) and post-graduate interviews (March 27, 2009) yielding more than twenty hours of video data. Powell, Francisco, and Maher (2003) model was used for analysis where by each session was viewed, transcribed and coded for critical events to create a comprehensive narrative. The study reveals that mature combinatorial techniques were a part of Robert’s counting strategies as early as middle school. Robert used binary notation to count two-colored candle arrangements and later to count the number of ways a team could win a World Series; modified exponential formulae to account for combinations for a garage door opener, arrangements for n-colored candles and n-toppings pizzas; discovered the combinations formula, C(n, 2), in his eleventh grade; and connected these solutions to Pascal’s identities. In general, Robert looked for patterns in his solutions; generalized the findings; and identified structural similarities in tasks presented to him as he connected three-position garage door opener to three-colored candles arrangements, pizza with four toppings to towers four high, and directions on Pascal’s Triangle to routes for a taxi on a two-dimensional grid. External representations created by Robert served as communication tools for him and provided insight into his problem solving heuristics and mathematical understanding. The research contributes to the growing body of case studies from Rutgers longitudinal study providing evidence that building of early mathematical ideas is the foundation of more advanced learning (Davis & Maher, 1997).Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Anoop Ahluwali
Using the Inflammacheck Device to Measure the Level of Exhaled Breath Condensate Hydrogen Peroxide in Patients With Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (The EXHALE Pilot Study): Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Feasibility Study
No full textBackground - Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are common conditions that affect over 5 million people in the United Kingdom. These groups of patients suffer significantly from breathlessness and recurrent exacerbations that can be difficult to diagnose and go untreated. A common feature of COPD and asthma is airway inflammation that increases before and during exacerbations. Current methods of assessing airway inflammation can be invasive, difficult to perform, and are often inaccurate. In contrast, measurement of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is performed during normal tidal breathing and is known to reflect the level of global inflammation in the airways. There is a need for novel tools to diagnose asthma and COPD earlier and to detect increased airway inflammation that precedes an exacerbation.Objective - The aim of this study was to explore the use of a new handheld device (called Inflammacheck) in measuring H2O2 levels in EBC. We will study whether it can measure EBC H2O2 levels consistently and whether it can be used to differentiate asthma and COPD from healthy controls.Methods - We will perform a cross-sectional, feasibility, pilot study of EBC H2O2 levels, as measured by Inflammacheck, and other markers of disease severity and symptom control in patients with asthma and COPD and volunteers with no history of lung disease. Participants will be asked to provide an exhaled breath sample for measurement of their EBC H2O2 using Inflammacheck. The result will be correlated with disease stage, spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and symptom control scores.Results - This study's recruitment is ongoing; it is anticipated that the results will be available in 2018.Conclusions - The EXhaled Hydrogen peroxide As a marker of Lung diseasE (EXHALE) pilot study will provide an evaluation of a new method of measuring EBC H2O2. It will assess the device's consistency and ability to distinguish airway inflammation in asthma and COPD compared with healthy controls
The impact of obesity in patients with severe asthma in the Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort (WSAC)
No full textThe impact of maintenance oral corticosteroids (OCS) on disease burden and type-2 inflammatory signal in the Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort (WSAC)
No full textThe impact of depression in patients with severe asthma (SA) in the Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort (WSAC)
No full textCharacteristics of eosinophilic severe asthmatics in the Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort (WSAC)
No full textBackground: Severe asthma is a complex amalgam of phenotypes and comorbidities. Most novel therapies target type 2 disease so determining the optimal treatment for each patient will likely require detailed phenotyping. The WSAC study recruited 491 participants split between severe asthma (n=342), mild asthma (n=69) and healthy controls (n=80) for detailed phenotyping; inclusion criteria were asthma diagnosed as per guidelines and at least 1 exacerbation in 12 months. Smokers and those with comorbidity were included in order to reflect clinical practice. We aimed to assess the differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between participants with eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic severe asthma in the WSAC.Methods: WSAC participants with severe asthma (BTS Step 4-5) were included for analysis if they underwent successful sputum induction. Demographics, medication use, comorbidities, FEV1, FeNO, Asthma Control Questionnaire 6 (ACQ6) score and exacerbation frequency were compared between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups.Results: 210 participants provided sputum, of which 86 (41%) had sputum eosinophils over 3%. These participants were more likely to be male (52% vs 29%) and never smokers(59% vs 45%), had lower median FEV1(68% vs 77% predicted) and BMI(28.2 vs 31.8) but higher FeNO(32 vs 16ppb) and were less likely to use antidepressants(13% vs 27%) or reflux treatment(39% vs 55%) (all P<0.05). Annual exacerbation rate(3.2 vs 3.0), past Intensive Care Unit admission(18% vs 17%), ACQ6(2.7 vs 2.9) and ICS dose were not significantly different.Conclusion: Severe asthmatics with sputum eosinophilia despite high-dose ICS have poorer lung function but less obesity, depression and reflu
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