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Associations between human genetic variation and clinical phenotypes have become a foundation of biomedical research. Most repositories of these data seek to be disease-agnostic and therefore lack disease-focused views. The Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge Portal (T2DKP) is a public resource of genetic datasets and genomic annotations dedicated to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related traits. Here, we seek to make the T2DKP more accessible to prospective users and more useful to existing users. First, we evaluate the T2DKP's comprehensiveness by comparing its datasets with those of other repositories. Second, we describe how researchers unfamiliar with human genetic data can begin using and correctly interpreting them via the T2DKP. Third, we describe how existing users can extend their current workflows to use the full suite of tools offered by the T2DKP. We finally discuss the lessons offered by the T2DKP toward the goal of democratizing access to complex disease genetic results.

IntroductionPancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Screening for this disease has potential to improve survival. It is not feasible, with current screening modalities, to screen the asymptomatic adult population. However, screening of individuals in high-risk groups is recommended. Our study aims to provide resources and data that will inform strategies to screen individuals with new-onset diabetes (NOD) for pancreatic cancer.Methods and analysisThe United Kingdom Early Detection Initiative (UK-EDI) for pancreatic cancer is a national, prospective, observational cohort study that aims to recruit 2500 individuals with NOD (Ethics and disseminationThe UK-EDI study has been reviewed and approved by the London-West London and GTAC Research Ethics Committee (Ref 20/LO/0058). Study results will be disseminated through presentations at national and international symposia and publication in peer-reviewed, Open Access journals.

HypothesisThe prevalence of type 2 diabetes is higher in Latino populations compared with other major ancestry groups. Not only has the Latino population been systematically underrepresented in large-scale genetic analyses, but previous studies relied on the imputation of ungenotyped variants based on the 1000 Genomes (1000G) imputation reference panel, which results in suboptimal capture of low-frequency or Latino-enriched variants. The NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) reference panel represents a unique opportunity to analyze rare genetic variations in the Latino population.MethodsWe evaluate the TOPMed imputation performance using genotyping array and whole-exome sequence data in 6 Latino cohorts. To evaluate the ability of TOPMed imputation of increasing the identified loci, we performed a Latino type 2 diabetes GWAS meta-analysis in 8,150 type 2 diabetes cases and 10,735 controls and replicated the results in 6 additional cohorts including whole-genome sequence data from the All of Us cohort.ResultsWe show that, compared to imputation with 1000G, the TOPMed panel improves the identification of rare and low-frequency variants. We identified 26 distinct signals including a novel genome-wide significant variant (minor allele frequency 1.6%, OR=2.0, P=3.4×10−9) near ORC5. A Latino-tailored polygenic score constructed from our data and GWAS data from East Asian and European populations improves the prediction accuracy in a Latino target dataset, explaining up to 7.6% of the type 2 diabetes risk variance.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the utility of TOPMed imputation for identifying low-frequency variation in understudied populations, leading to the discovery of novel disease associations and the improvement of polygenic scores.

A set of guiding principles for the development of a standard for FAIR management of spectroscopic data are outlined and discussed. The principles form the basis for future recommendations of IUPAC Project 2019-031-1-024 specifying a detailed data model and metadata schema for describing the contents of an "IUPAC FAIRData Collection" and the organization of digital objects within that collection. Foremost among the recommendations will be a specification for an "IUPAC FAIRData Finding Aid" that describes the collection in such a way as to optimize the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of its contents. Results of an analysis of data provided by an American Chemical Society Publications pilot study are discussed in relation to potential workflows that might be used in implementing the "IUPAC FAIRSpec" standard based on these principles.

USDA, FSIS thermal processing guidelines (e.g. Appendix A for cooked beef, roast beef, and cooked corned beef, and Time-Temperature Tables for Cooking Ready-to-Eat Poultry Products) are widely used as validation support for cooking processes, but these procedures were developed and validated only for Salmonella in a limited number of products. To determine the extent to which Appendix A can safely be applied to other pathogens and products, a study was conducted to compare the thermal-death times of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in model products representing roast beef, turkey breast, and boneless ham. Raw batter for each of the 3 products was inoculated with 8 log CFU/g of a multi-strain mixture of L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, or STEC. One-gram portions of inoculated roast beef, turkey breast, or ham batter were flattened into a thin film in moisture-impermeable pouches, vacuum-packaged, and heated at 54.4, 60.0, 65.6, or 71.1°C in a water bath. Triplicate samples were removed at predetermined time points and enumerated for surviving pathogens. The time needed to yield a 6.5-log reduction of Salmonella and STEC at 60.0, 65.6, or 71.1°C for the three product types was comparable to the times prescribed by USDA, FSIS Appendix A for Salmonella inactivation; however, at 54.4°C similar inactivation levels were not observed. L. monocytogenes showed greater thermotolerance than Salmonella and STEC for all 3 product types. These data suggest that current USDA, FSIS thermal processing guidelines are acceptable tools for ensuring the safety of cooking processes at 60.0°C or higher to inactivate Salmonella and STEC in the product types, but longer dwell times may be necessary to yield comparable log reduction of L. monocytogenes.

Libby amphibole (LA) causes a unique progressive lamellar pleural fibrosis (LPF) that is associated with pulmonary function decline. Pleural fibrosis among the LA-exposed population of Libby, MT, has been associated with the production of anti-mesothelial cell autoantibodies (MCAA), which induce collagen production from cultured human mesothelial cells. We hypothesized that the progressive nature of LPF could be at least partially attributed to an autoimmune process and sought to demonstrate that LA-induced MCAA trigger collagen deposition in vivo. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to LA for 7 mo, and serum was tested for MCAA by cell-based ELISA on primary mouse mesothelial cells. When treated in vitro with serum from mice exposed to LA, mesothelial cells upregulated collagen matrix production. This effect was lost when the serum was cleared of IgG using protein G beads, implicating IgG autoantibodies. Using the peritoneal cavity as a surrogate for the pleural cavity, groups of naïve (non-asbestos-exposed) mice were injected intraperitoneally with 1) control serum, 2) one dose of serum from LA-exposed mice (LA serum), 3) two doses of LA serum, or 4) two doses of LA serum cleared of IgG. After 1 mo, analysis of collagen in peritoneal walls using two-photon confocal microscopy (SHG analysis) and a hydroxyproline assay demonstrated significant increases in collagen by LA serum but not control or cleared serum. These data support the hypothesis that MCAA in LA-exposed mice induce fibrotic responses in vivo, demonstrating that an autoimmune component may be contributing to the progressive pleural fibrosis seen in LA-exposed patients.

Objective US Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are at increased risk for obesity. Understanding the contribution of health behaviors to this relationship will enhance efforts to prevent and reduce obesity. Therefore, we examined the association of PTSD and depression symptoms with binge eating, a risk factor for obesity, among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans. Method Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans were assessed at intake to the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System-Seattle post-deployment clinic (May 2004–January 2007). The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to measure depression and binge eating symptoms, and the PTSD Checklist-Military Version assessed PTSD symptoms. Results The majority of the sample (N = 332) was male (91.5%) and Caucasian (72.6%), with an average age of 31.1 (SD = 8.5) years; 16.3% met depression screening criteria, 37.8% met PTSD screening criteria, and 8.4% met binge eating screening criteria. In adjusted models, those meeting depression (odds ratio (OR) = 7.53; 95% CI = 2.69, 21.04; p p = .01) screening criteria were more likely to meet binge eating screening criteria. Continuous measures of PTSD and depression symptom severity were also associated with meeting binge eating screening criteria ( p s Conclusion PTSD and depression are common conditions among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans. In the present study, PTSD and depression symptoms were associated with meeting binge eating screening criteria, identifying a possible pathway by which psychiatric conditions lead to disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in this Veteran cohort. Tailored dietary behavior interventions may be needed for Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans with co-morbid obesity and psychiatric conditions.

In a previous study by Grima et al. Sci. Justice 52 (1) (2012) 49, it was shown that background particles can aid in the exclusion of firework particles which are indistinguishable from GSR. Issues relating to the persistence of such particle populations were presented. The scope of this project was to examine persistence on the hands in the context of possible post-display scene contamination and how this can affect GSR evidence, especially in light of possible GSR/firework mixtures. Persistence was investigated by recovering firework residues eight hours post-display following contact of the hands with bedding. In addition, particle profiling was carried out using SEM-EDX. Firework particle populations exhibited strong persistence in all displays, with not less than 667 particles persisting in each scenario. This factor challenges GSR evidence, especially if personnel stationed at display sites enter scenes of crime or come into contact with suspects after a display. A survey of UK police force practices following firework displays showed that authorities are not aware of the impact particle transfer may have on GSR evidence. Recommendations for the implementation of basic hygiene practices for particle transfer control have also been made.

Lamellar pleural thickening (LPT) is a fibrotic disease induced by exposure to Libby amphibole (LA) asbestos that causes widespread scarring around the lung, resulting in deterioration of pulmonary function. Investigating the effects of autoantibodies to mesothelial cells (MCAA) present in the study populations has been a major part of the effort to understand the mechanism of pathogenesis. It has been shown in vitro that human mesothelial cells (Met5a) exposed to MCAA increase collagen deposition into the extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we sought to further elucidate how MCAA drive increased collagen deposition by identifying the protein targets bound by MCAA on the cellular surface using biotinylation to label and isolate surface proteins. Isolated surface protein fractions were identified as containing MCAA targets using ELISA. The fractions that demonstrated binding by MCAA were then analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and MASCOT analysis. The most promising result from the MASCOT analysis, plasminogen (PLG), was tested for MCAA binding using purified human PLG in an ELISA. We report that serum containing MCAA bound at an optical density (OD) 3 times greater than that of controls, and LA‐exposed subjects had a high frequency of positive tests for anti‐PLG autoantibodies. This work implicates the involvement of the plasminogen/plasmin system in the mechanism of excess collagen deposition in Met5a cells exposed to MCAA. Elucidating this mechanism could contribute to the understanding of LPT.

This pilot project is a province-wide and nationally=supported collaboration intended to add value to existing monitoring and surveillance exercises that currently exist and are being developed in Canada. The fundamental aim is to create a system that generates a timely flow of data on hazardous patterns of substance use and related harms so as to inform public debate, to support effective policy, and to facilitate policy-relevant epidemiological research. Pilot and feasibility exercises have been conducted in relation to developing consistent questions in surveys of general and special populations, treatment system data, data on the contents of drugs seized by police, interviews with police, rates of alcohol and other drug mortality and morbidity, alcohol sales data, and data from the emergency departments. Wherever possible, links with the equivalent national data collection processes have been established to create consistencies. This article provides a general overview of the BC pilot monitoring system and discusses some potential advantages of planning and designing a comprehensive system with built-in consistencies across data collection elements.

Building regulations in England have consistently failed to ensure that domestic dwellings are built to standards where occupants are satisfied with the level of sound insulation. Recent judgments have left owner/occupiers exposed to noise without a legal remedy. If occupants complain about noise they risk reducing the selling price of that dwelling. Dwellings are often marketed on visual aspects rather than performance, people ‘view’ property but they ‘test-drive’ cars. Lessons from the car industry suggest how a media focus on testing and comparing performance can help drive up standards of features that are not immediately visible such as safety and a reduction carbon dioxide emissions without detracting from other aspects of performance such as acceleration and maximum speed. This paper presents results from surveys of both builders and occupants to show their current attitudes towards sound insulation and regulation. Drawing upon empirical evidence from other industries this paper puts the case that effective rating systems improve performance of products for consumers more effectively than regulation. Looking at successful rating systems in other areas and current noise/acoustic comfort ratings, which have been in existence for over a decade, this paper asks the questions what makes a rating system successful? and what should a noise/acoustic comfort rating system look like today?

Of late, little attention has been paid by criminologists to the nature of crime and the criminal justice systems in the countries of Central America. Given its many natural attractions, favorable exchange rate, and proximity to the USA, the small Central American nation of Belize is striving to become a tourist destination. However, Belize is also beset with a very high crime rate—a function of a myriad of social, political, and economic problems and challenges. Yet, there are no studies of crime and criminal justice in this nation. This research makes a new contribution to the literature by reporting the results of an exploratory field research study on the state of crime and policing in the former British colony of Belize. The study has two major objectives. The first is to describe the structure, function, and state of the Belize National Police and the second is to identify the extent and causes of crime in Belize.

A rapid 5' nuclease fluorogenic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for identifying Campylobacter jejuni was applied to Campylobacter isolates from chicken cloacal and carcass swabs collected from three chicken farms and a slaughterhouse in Thailand. The primers and the probe were based on the sequence of the gyrA gene in C. jejuni. C. jejuni isolates were identified by fluorogenic PCR assay of bacterial cells directly from Campylobacter-selective agar medium. This assay allowed the identification of C. jejuni within 1 day after colonies appeared on selective media. The fluorogenic PCR assay yielded results comparable to those of the conventional test kit (kappa = 0.76) but required less time. When the two methods disagreed with regard to species identification, results were confirmed by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism of 23S rRNA genes. In these instances, the fluorogenic PCR assay correctly identified more isolates of C. jejuni than did the conventional test kit (six of seven isolates were unidentifiable by the conventional test kit). The fluorogenic PCR assay is a rapid and specific method that outperforms the conventional test kit in the identification of C. jejuni from environmental samples.

Laser beams directed into the sky from astronomical observatories to generate guide beacons for adaptive optics image-sharpening systems are a potential hazard to aircraft. Detection systems are needed to sense aircraft and interrupt the laser beam to prevent accidental illumination. We describe here a system designed for this task. A computer examines CCD images of the sky over a wide field of view and uses a motion detection algorithm to find tracks made by aircraft lights. The results of tests, conducted with simultaneous radar coverage from Tucson International Airport, are reported. A test with an actual laser beacon at the Multiple Mirror Telescope in which Mars was used as a simulated aircraft is also described.

A ninth-grade student was the featured speaker at a special mathematics colloquium at Towson State University's Mathematics Department and the Center for Mathematics and Science Education in May 1994. A colloquium in the mathematics department was nothing unusual, but the age of the speaker distinguished this one. In this article, we describe what made the colloquium so intriguing and the subsequent activities it generated.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is the principal source of funds for university-based research and scholarship in the social sciences and the humanities in Canada. Hence, its funding practices have a significant impact on what research is conducted and how that research is performed. At the same time, high levels of demand for research funding in the face of a limited budget accentuate the need to ensure the best use of funds available. Consequently, the SSHRC pursues a range of evaluation activities ranging from the peer-based adjudication of grant requests for operational purposes, to program evaluations for strategic purposes.

In light of past research being targeted to find specific particles which may be similar to gunshot residue (GSR), this project was formulated to detect any possible particulate by random particle fallout onto substrates at firework displays and to assess the impact this may have on GSR evidence. Firework residue was collected at a display site, from amongst spectators as well as from the author's hair 90min after the display. SEM-EDX analysis has detected such particulate in all three scenarios, with the firework particle population at large providing a solid ground for discrimination from GSR. Wind dispersal was found to decrease the particle population and subsequently, the latter's discriminatory power. Some particles, if treated individually were found to be indistinguishable from GSR. Findings also include residues which may mimic strontium based GSR as well as GSR which may be mixed with that from previous firings. The continuous changes made to primer and propellant compositions by manufacturers also call for greater consideration when classifying particles as originating from pyrotechnic devices. Furthermore, authorities such as police forces should be made more aware about the incidence of such particle transfer in firework related periods.

(1990). Minimum Dimension for a Square Matrix of Order n. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 28-34.

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter with antimicrobial resistance from chickens, pigs, dairy cows, healthy farm workers, and children hospitalized with diarrhea in northern Thailand. Resistance was highest in pig samples and lowest in healthy farm workers. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and tetracycline was high in all study populations. The increased prevalence of resistant isolates from meat samples collected at markets, compared to isolates collected from animals on the farm or the slaughterhouse, suggests that contamination after carcasses leave the slaughterhouse is an important factor in the spread of resistant bacteria into the human food chain.

A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in swine, broiler chickens and human workers from farms and abattoirs in northern Thailand, and compare their antimicrobial resistance profiles. Fecal samples and cloacal swabs were collected from 150 swine and 150 chickens at the farm. Fecal samples from swine, cloacal swabs from chickens, and carcass swabs from both animals were collected from 100 swine and 100 chickens at the abattoir. Stool samples were collected from 15 swine farm workers and seven chicken farm workers. Primary isolation and identification of Salmonella and E. coli were conducted using standard methods. In vitro susceptibility testing of Salmonella and E. coli was conducted using the broth microdilution method, based on the United States National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. The prevalence of Salmonella from swine and chicken samples ranged from 2% to 25%. The prevalence of E. coli in chickens and swine ranged from 36.8% to 47.6%. In humans, the prevalence of Salmonella was 15%, and the prevalence of E. coli ranged from 51% to 53%. Resistance in Salmonella was found for tetracycline (84.7%), nalidixic acid (27.1%), florfenicol (18.6%), ampicillin (13.6%), and ceftiofur (3.4%), and in E. coli for tetracycline (91.5%), nalidixic acid (67.4%), ampicillin (61.6%), florfenicol (51.8%), enrofloxacin (28.7%), ciprofloxacin (12.5%), ceftiofur (4.9%) and ceftriaxone (1.5%).

ok, here's what happened. Jove, back at the penthouse after 171 another romp with Europa, found the atmosphere at Parnassus a bit pent-up. Juno was exceedingly cool and at bedtime downright snarly around the edges. Suspicious that Diana might be the cause of his wife's icy demeanor, Jove sent Echo downtown to hang out at the goddess's west side studio. Echo confirmed everything. Thanks to Diana and her feminist buddies, word of Jove's totally bullish and unacceptable behavior had made the rounds. Peeved, Jove plotted payback. Everyone knew that?hunting aside?Diana and her circle had but two pleasures: putting down the guys and drawing. As Echo reiterated again and again: when these ladies talked they trashed, and when they drew they drew each other.

An 82-year-old woman who had immigrated to Canada 40 years previously, after escaping Nazi persecution in the Second World War and living in the Netherlands for 20 years, was admitted to our General Internal Medicine ward with aspiration pneumonitis. Her medical history was significant for

The effects of sanguineous and asanguineous cardioplegia on the generation of myocardial acid in the hypertrophied human heart during aortic clamping and reflow were elucidated by continuous intraoperative monitoring of myocardial pH in 42 patients undergoing valve replacement, with or without coronary bypass. The patients were divided into three groups: Group I (n = 14) received intermittent crystalloid cardioplegia; group II (n = 14) received intermittent blood cardioplegia; and group III (n = 14) received continuous blood cardioplegia. The groups were matched according to six previously elucidated determinants of myocardial acidosis. Measurements were made of myocardial pH, hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]), and the difference in pH units between myocardial pH and the pH of neutrality of water at the corresponding temperature (delta pHn). Throughout aortic clamping, myocardial pH in groups I and II fell significantly by 0.46 +/- 0.08 and 0.15 +/- 0.07 units, respectively (p less than 0.001) between the groups). In contrast, myocardial pH remained statistically unchanged throughout aortic clamping in group III (p less than 0.001 compared to groups I and II). Similar relationships were observed in [H+] and delta pHn during aortic clamping. During the early reflow, myocardial acidosis was observed in all three groups and delta pHn in group III increased from -0.26 +/- 0.10 at the end of aortic clamping to -0.57 +/- 0.07 during reperfusion (p less than 0.03). Patients in groups II and III required significantly less inotropic and mechanical cardiac support than patients in group I (p = 0.017). Hence, although continuous blood cardioplegia does not completely prevent acid accumulation during reflow, it provides better metabolic protection of the hypertrophied human heart than either intermittent crystalloid or intermittent blood cardioplegia.

(1984). Research on the roles of intuition and feeling. Roeper Review: Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 167-170.

“Sharing Teaching Ideas” offers practical tips on the teaching of topics related to the secondary school curriculum. We hope to include classroom-tested approaches that offer new slants on familiar subjects for the beginning and the experienced teacher. See the masthead page for details on submitting manuscripts for review.

This paper addresses the need to alter existing instructional reading paradigms by teaching to each of four basic learning styles. The argument proposes that by doing so each of the four modalities will be more frequently evoked. The argument proposes that there are discrete sets of reading activities that are specifically related to learning styles, and that a balanced program of reading needs to involve all students in reading activities in each of the styles. Such instruction validates the student's individual style, and challenges the student to greater reading achievement in the other styles. The argument suggests that since intuitive‐feelers tend to be the most creative, and tend to get the highest scores on measures of high‐level cognition (Piaget's formal operations) that those same achievement behaviors be evoked for more students by using each of the modalities and style presentation techniques in our instruction. Finally, I've argued that a new basic‐skills emphasis must include a concentrated ...

(1985). Self-Inverse Integer Matrices. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 190-198.

(1930). Arthroplasty of the Knee Joint: (Demonstration of Cases) Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica: Vol. 1, No. 1-4, pp. 271-274.