Star Formation in Galaxies Along the Hubble Sequence

Observations of star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies provide vital clues to the physical nature of the Hubble sequence, and are key probes of the evolutionary properties of galaxies. The focus of this review is on the broad patterns in the star formation properties of galaxies along the Hubble sequence, and their implications for understanding galaxy evolution and the physical processes that drive the evolution. Star formation in the disks and nuclear regions of galaxies are reviewed separately, then discussed within a common interpretive framework. The diagnostic methods used to measure SFRs are also reviewed, and a self-consistent set of SFR calibrations is presented as an aid to workers in the field.Comment: 41 pages, with 9 figures. To appear in Volume 36 of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysic

The utilisation of health research in policy-making: Concepts, examples and methods of assessment

The importance of health research utilisation in policy-making, and of understanding the mechanisms involved, is increasingly recognised. Recent reports calling for more resources to improve health in developing countries, and global pressures for accountability, draw greater attention to research-informed policy-making. Key utilisation issues have been described for at least twenty years, but the growing focus on health research systems creates additional dimensions. The utilisation of health research in policy-making should contribute to policies that may eventually lead to desired outcomes, including health gains. In this article, exploration of these issues is combined with a review of various forms of policy-making. When this is linked to analysis of different types of health research, it assists in building a comprehensive account of the diverse meanings of research utilisation. Previous studies report methods and conceptual frameworks that have been applied, if with varying degrees of success, to record utilisation in policy-making. These studies reveal various examples of research impact within a general picture of underutilisation. Factors potentially enhancing utilisation can be identified by exploration of: priority setting; activities of the health research system at the interface between research and policy-making; and the role of the recipients, or 'receptors', of health research. An interfaces and receptors model provides a framework for analysis. Recommendations about possible methods for assessing health research utilisation follow identification of the purposes of such assessments. Our conclusion is that research utilisation can be better understood, and enhanced, by developing assessment methods informed by conceptual analysis and review of previous studies

Gender differences in the associations between age trends of social media interaction and well-being among 10-15 year olds in the UK

Background Adolescents are among the highest consumers of social media while research has shown that their well-being decreases with age. The temporal relationship between social media interaction and well-being is not well established. The aim of this study was to examine whether the changes in social media interaction and two well-being measures are related across ages using parallel growth models. Methods Data come from five waves of the youth questionnaire, 10-15 years, of the Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (pooled n =9859). Social media interaction was assessed through daily frequency of chatting on social websites. Well-being was measured by happiness with six domains of life and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results Findings suggest gender differences in the relationship between interacting on social media and well-being. There were significant correlations between interacting on social media and well-being intercepts and between social media interaction and well-being slopes among females. Additionally higher social media interaction at age 10 was associated with declines in well-being thereafter for females, but not for males. Results were similar for both measures of well-being. Conclusions High levels of social media interaction in early adolescence have implications for well-being in later adolescence, particularly for females. The lack of an association among males suggests other factors might be associated with their reduction in well-being with age. These findings contribute to the debate on causality and may inform future policy and interventions

Reciprocity as a foundation of financial economics

This paper argues that the subsistence of the fundamental theorem of contemporary financial mathematics is the ethical concept ‘reciprocity’. The argument is based on identifying an equivalence between the contemporary, and ostensibly ‘value neutral’, Fundamental Theory of Asset Pricing with theories of mathematical probability that emerged in the seventeenth century in the context of the ethical assessment of commercial contracts in a framework of Aristotelian ethics. This observation, the main claim of the paper, is justified on the basis of results from the Ultimatum Game and is analysed within a framework of Pragmatic philosophy. The analysis leads to the explanatory hypothesis that markets are centres of communicative action with reciprocity as a rule of discourse. The purpose of the paper is to reorientate financial economics to emphasise the objectives of cooperation and social cohesion and to this end, we offer specific policy advice

Internet Gaming Disorder Behaviors in emergent adulthood: a pilot study examining the interplay between anxiety and family cohesion

Understanding risk and protective factors associated with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been highlighted as a research priority by the American Psychiatric Association, (2013). The present study focused on the potential IGD risk effect of anxiety and the buffering role of family cohesion on this association. A sample of emerging adults all of whom were massively multiplayer online (MMO) gamers (18–29 years) residing in Australia were assessed longitudinally (face-to-face: N = 61, Mage = 23.02 years, SD = 3.43) and cross-sectionally (online: N = 64, Mage = 23.34 years, SD = 3.39). IGD symptoms were assessed using the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9; Pontes & Griffiths Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.006, 2015). The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck and Steer, 1990) and the balanced family cohesion scale (BFC; Olson Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 3(1) 64–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00175.x, 2011) were applied to assess anxiety and BFC levels, respectively. Linear regressions and moderation analyses confirmed that anxiety increased IGD risk and that BFC weakened the anxiety-related IGD risk

New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Stroke Registry II. Vascular Lesions

Among 407 New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry (NEMC-PCR) patients, the extracranial (ECVA) and intracranial vertebral arteries (ICVA) were the commonest sites of severe occlusive disease followed by the basilar artery (BA). Severe occlusive lesions were found in >1 large artery in 148 patients; 134 had unilateral or bilateral severe disease at one arterial location. Single arterial site occlusive disease occurred most often in the ECVA (52 patients, 15 bilateral) followed by the ICVA (40 patients, 12 bilateral) and the BA (46 patients). Involvement of the ICVAs and the BA was very common and some patients also had ECVA lesions. Hypertension, smoking, and coronary and peripheral vascular disease were most prevalent in patients with extracranial disease while diabetes and hyperlipidemia were more common when occlusive lesions were only intracranial. Intra-arterial embolism was the most common mechanism of brain infarction in patients with ECVA and ICVA occlusive disease. ICVA occlusive lesions infrequently caused infarction limited to the proximal territory (medulla and posterior inferior cerebellum). BA lesions most often caused infarcts limited to the middle posterior circulation territory (pons and anterior inferior cerebellum). Posterior cerebral artery occlusive lesions were predominantly embolic. Penetrating artery disease caused mostly pontine and thalamic infarcts. Prognosis was poorest in patients with BA disease. The best prognosis surprisingly was in patients who had multiple arterial occlusive lesions; they often had position-sensitive transient ischemic attacks during months or years

New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Stroke Registry: I. Methods, Data Base, Distribution of Brain Lesions, Stroke Mechanisms, and Outcomes

Among 407 New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry (NEMC-PCR) patients, 59% had strokes without transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 24% had TIAs before strokes, and 16% had only posterior circulation TIAs. Embolism was the commonest stroke mechanism accounting for 40% of cases (24% cardiac origin, 14% arterial origin, 2% had potential cardiac and arterial sources). In 32%, large artery occlusive lesions caused hemodynamic brain infarction. Stroke mechanisms in the posterior and anterior circulation are very similar. Infarcts most often included the distal posterior circulation territory (rostral brainstem, superior cerebellum and occipital and temporal lobes), while the proximal (medulla and posterior inferior cerebellum) and middle (pons and anterior inferior cerebellum) territories were equally involved. Infarcts that included the distal territory were twice as common as those that included the proximal or middle territories. Most distal territory infarcts were attributable to embolism. Thirty day mortality was low (3.6%). Embolic stroke mechanism, distal territory location, and basilar artery occlusive disease conveyed the worst prognosis

Is tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance an appropriate measure for the identification of knees with patellar instability?

PURPOSE - Tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) has been regarded as a useful tool for establishing therapeutic choices for patellar instability. Recently, it has been shown that TT-TG negatively correlated with the quadriceps angle, suggesting that if used individually, neither provide a valid measure of instability. This study aimed to compare TT-TG distance between both knees in patients with unilateral instability to assess whether this measurement is a decisive element in the management decisions for patellar instability. METHODS - Sixty-two patients (18 male and 44 female), reporting to a specialist patella clinic for recurrent unilateral patellar instability, were included in the study. Patients underwent bilateral long leg computed tomography scan to determine TT-TG distance in both knees. Tibial TT-TG in symptomatic and asymptomatic knees in the same individual was compared statistically. RESULTS - Mean TT-TG distance in the symptomatic knee was 16.9 (±4.9) mm, compared to 15.6 (±5.6) mm in the asymptomatic knee. Tibial TT-TG was not significantly different between stable and unstable knees (n.s.). CONCLUSIONS - The lack of difference in TT-TG distance between stable and unstable knees suggests that TT-TG distance alone may not be a decisive element in establishing therapeutic choices for patellar instability. It should, therefore, be interpreted with caution during clinical evaluations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Is tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance an appropriate measure for the identification of knees with patellar instability?

PURPOSE - Tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) has been regarded as a useful tool for establishing therapeutic choices for patellar instability. Recently, it has been shown that TT-TG negatively correlated with the quadriceps angle, suggesting that if used individually, neither provide a valid measure of instability. This study aimed to compare TT-TG distance between both knees in patients with unilateral instability to assess whether this measurement is a decisive element in the management decisions for patellar instability. METHODS - Sixty-two patients (18 male and 44 female), reporting to a specialist patella clinic for recurrent unilateral patellar instability, were included in the study. Patients underwent bilateral long leg computed tomography scan to determine TT-TG distance in both knees. Tibial TT-TG in symptomatic and asymptomatic knees in the same individual was compared statistically. RESULTS - Mean TT-TG distance in the symptomatic knee was 16.9 (±4.9) mm, compared to 15.6 (±5.6) mm in the asymptomatic knee. Tibial TT-TG was not significantly different between stable and unstable knees (n.s.). CONCLUSIONS - The lack of difference in TT-TG distance between stable and unstable knees suggests that TT-TG distance alone may not be a decisive element in establishing therapeutic choices for patellar instability. It should, therefore, be interpreted with caution during clinical evaluations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Platelet-Activating Factor Induces TLR4 Expression in Intestinal Epithelial Cells: Implication for the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units, however its pathogenesis is not completely understood. We have previously shown that platelet activating factor (PAF), bacteria and TLR4 are all important factors in the development of NEC. Given that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are expressed at low levels in enterocytes of the mature gastrointestinal tract, but were shown to be aberrantly over-expressed in enterocytes in experimental NEC, we examined the regulation of TLR4 expression and signaling by PAF in intestinal epithelial cells using human and mouse in vitro cell lines, and the ex vivo rat intestinal loop model. In intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) lines, PAF stimulation yielded upregulation of both TLR4 mRNA and protein expression and led to increased IL-8 secretion following stimulation with LPS (in an otherwise LPS minimally responsive cell line). PAF stimulation resulted in increased human TLR4 promoter activation in a dose dependent manner. Western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis showed PAF induced STAT3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation in IEC, and PAF-induced TLR4 expression was inhibited by STAT3 and NFκB Inhibitors. Our findings provide evidence for a mechanism by which PAF augments inflammation in the intestinal epithelium through abnormal TLR4 upregulation, thereby contributing to the intestinal injury of NEC