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The economic loss caused by herbivore browsing in forest plantations is a concerning problem in many areas around the world. Information on the spatial distribution of browsing damage is important for forest owners when selecting locations for new plantations, because planting trees in areas of high browsing pressure increases economic losses. Although it is difficult to survey browsing damage across large areas, sporadic sampling data on browsing damage are often collected by foresters, governments, and researchers. Thus, in this study, we applied a generalized additive model (GAM) for analysis of sporadic data to reveal large-scale spatial variation in deer (Cervus nippon) browsing damage. A map of browsing pressure produced by a GAM that used years after planting (plantation age) and location as independent factors showed a few areas of high browsing pressure. In addition, browsing damage increased with increasing plantation age, and plantation stands aged 2+ years showed more browsing damage. Areas with high browsing damage estimated based on plantation stands aged 2+ years generally coincided with areas of high deer abundance, with some exceptions. Thus, this model reflects large-scale browsing damage relatively well and will help forest owners to avoid locating new plantations in areas of high browsing pressure.

The California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) is a statewide interagency collaboration with the goal of scaling up use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). CAPTAIN began as a clinical initiative then further developed under the influence of implementation science methodology. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment framework (EPIS) has impacted targeted strategy use for this statewide scale up of EBPs by informing the development of key partnerships, implementation goals, and collaborative processes within CAPTAIN. Currently, CAPTAIN has over 407 members representing 140 school and community agencies who provide training and coaching in EBP and meet regularly with regional teams. Outcome data indicate 51.9% of members provide training and coaching to more than three direct service providers/programs per year. Primary barriers to implementation of EBP were time for training (25.6%), lack of substitute teachers (16.5%), and staff lacking foundational skills (11.5%). Facilitators of implementation and sustainment of the CAPTAIN model include active participation in effective dissemination practices, creative funding and leveraging of local resources, development of the regional collaboratives with active membership, member commitment to EBP for ASD, and use of implementation science to identify and overcome barriers. The purpose of this paper is to highlight CAPTAIN as a model for statewide scale up of EBP in schools as well as other community agencies. Although these efforts have focused on EBP for ASD, the concepts, partnerships and procedures will likely be transferable to other focal issues and may be generalized across service sectors.

Nature 606(7915), 678 - 682 (2022). doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04827-6, Published by Nature Publ. Group, London [u.a.]

7 pags., 3 figs., 1 tab., States in the N = 35 and 37 isotopes 55,57Ca have been populated by direct proton-induced nucleon removal reactions from 56,58Sc and 56Ca beams at the RIBF. In addition, the (p, 2p) quasi-free single- proton removal reaction from 56Ca was studied. Excited states in 55K, 55Ca, and 57Ca were established for the first time via in-beam γ -ray spectroscopy. Results for the proton and neutron removal reactions from 56Ca to states in 55K and 55Ca for the level energies, excited state lifetimes, and exclusive cross sections agree well with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations using different approaches. The observation of a short-lived state in 57Ca suggests a transition in the calcium isotopic chain from single-particle dominated states at N = 35 to collective excitations at N = 37., We would like to thank the RIKEN accelerator and BigRIPS teams for providing the high intensity beams. T.K. acknowledges support by RIKEN Junior Research Associate Program. K.W. acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RYC-2017-22007. RIUMF receives funding via a contribution through the National Research Council of Canada. J.D.H is further supported by NSERC under grants SAPIN-2018-00027 and RGPAS-2018-522453. VS-IMSRG computations were performed with an allocation of computing resources on Cedar at WestGrid and Compute Canada, and on the Oak Cluster at TRIUMF managed by the University of British Columbia department of Advanced Research Computing (ARC). N.S. and Y.U. acknowledge valuable support by “Priority Issue on post-K computer” and KAKENHI grant 20K03981 and 17K05433. C.B. was supported by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) through grants No. ST/L005816/1 and No. ST/V001108/1. SCGF calculations were per- formed by using HPC resources from GENCI-TGCC, France (Contract No. A009057392) and at the DiRAC DiAL system at the University of Leicester, UK, (funded by the UK BEIS via STFC Capital Grants No. ST/K000373/1 and No. ST/R002363/1 and STFC DiRAC Operations Grant No. ST/R001014/1). I.M. was supported by the RIKEN IPA program, F.B. by the RIKEN Special Postdoctoral Researche Program. D.S. acknowledges support from the European Regional Development Fund contract No. GINOP-2.3.3-15-2016-00034 and the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary via Project No. K128947. K. I. H., D. K., and S. Y. P. acknowledge the support from the IBS grant funded by the Korea government (No. IBS-R031-D1). The work was further supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Nos. JP16H02179, JP18H05404, JP19H00679, and JP21H01114 and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under Grant No. BL 1513/1-1

International audience; This work describes a silicon tracker system developed for experiments with proton-rich radioactive ion beams at the SAMURAI superconducting spectrometer of RIBF at RIKEN. The system is designed for accurate angular reconstruction and atomic number identification of relativistic heavy ions and protons which are simultaneously produced in reactions motivated by studies of proton capture reactions of interest for nuclear astrophysics. The technical characteristics of the tracking array are described in detail as are its performance in two pilot experiments. The physics justification for such a system is also presented.

The use of azacitidine (AZA) has been known to lead to a high incidence of hematotoxic adverse events. The aims of this study were to identify the risk factors for thrombocytopenia after the administration of AZA and to analyze time to the initial platelet transfusion. Sixty-two patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), who were treated with AZA in Gifu Municipal Hospital between March 2012 and June 2020, were included in this study. The risk factors for thrombocytopenia were identified using univariate analysis of patient characteristics, disease type, and laboratory values immediately before the start of treatment. Variables with p0.2 identified in the univariate analysis were used as independent variables in the multivariate analysis. This analysis identified "creatinine clearance (CCr)60 mL/min" as a significant factor (odds ratio, 4.790; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.380-16.70; p=0.014). Subsequently, time in days to the initial platelet transfusion after the initial administration of AZA was analyzed using the log-rank test. The overall median time in days to platelet transfusion was 370 days. The log-rank test was used to determine the influence of patient characteristics, disease type, and laboratory values immediately before the start of treatment. The subsequent Cox proportional hazard regression analysis using variables with p0.2 as independent variables identified "hemoglobin (Hb)8.0 g/dL" as a significant factor (hazard ratio, 2.143; 95% CI, 1.001-4.573; p=0.048). The results of this study led to the following clinical implications: first, patients with CCr of60 mL/min at the start of treatment should be treated with caution due to the risk of thrombocytopenia. Second, patients with Hb of8.0 g/dL at the start of treatment may require platelet transfusion in the early stage of treatment.

Background: Adherence with treatment recommendations is challenging for many youths with type 2diabetes (T2D). Interventions to address their specific barriers are needed. Objective: CLUB (Control your diabetes by Learning life skills and Understanding your Barriers) is a group intervention that targets the unique psychosocial needs of youth with T2D. The objectives are to foster peer support, enhance diabetes-related skill acquisition, and facilitate emotional adjustment to T2D and its management. Methods: Youth with HbA1c > 8% are referred to CLUB. CLUB includes four sessions over a 6-monthperiod. Youth meet as a group and parents convene separately. A pediatric psychologist facilitates the youth group. A bilingual nurse practitioner facilitates parent groups in English and Spanish. CLUB participants were matched with controls by gender, age, and duration of diagnosis. Results: Of the 105 referred patients, 64 patients attended at least one session and 42 patients completed at least three sessions. Mean age of youth in the latter cohort was 15.3 years (SD 2.0yrs) and 70% were female. Ethnic background of the participants was predominantly Latinx. Median duration of diabetes diagnosis was 2.0 years (IQR 2.2 yrs). Mean HbA1cbaseline was 11.0%(SD 2.2%). Baseline HbA1c did not differ between cohorts. CLUB participation did not improveHbA1c (mean change in HbA1cControl =-0.14% and HbA1cCLUB=-0.32%, P=0.7283), but there was a positive correlation between HbA1c change (HbA1cfinal-HbA1cbaseline) and the time to completion of CLUB (P=0.0087). Conclusion: CLUB is an innovative program that targets psychosocial barriers for youth with T2D. Though participants’ HbA1c did not improve, youth and their parents reported enjoyment of their experience. Preliminary data suggests that consistent participation in CLUB yielded a greater reduction in HbA1c compared to program completion over longer periods of time. This model and its potential to improve T2D health behaviors for diverse youth will be further examined. Disclosure N. T. Chang: None. C. E. Muñoz: None. P. M. Yasuda: None. L. Chao: None.

BackgroundThe management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been transformed by the use of molecular targeted therapies. Early treatment and treat-to-target approach leads to good clinical response and remission (responders), but not in all patients.Environmental factors including diet contribute to the development, activity and severity of RA. Evidence from clinical trials suggested that dietary interventions, such as Mediterranean diet or supplementation with fish oil rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), have positive effects on RA. Japanese and Mediterranean diets are associated with longevity and characterized by high fish intake. Clinical studies have identified predictors of treatment response in individual RA patients, however, the influence of fish consumption on treatment response in RA patients treated with targeted therapies has not been elucidated.ObjectivesTo assess whether fish consumption is associated with a good response to targeted therapies in RA patients with Japanese and Mediterranean dietary patterns.MethodsThe study is a collaborative international cross-sectional retrospective study enrolling patients with RA on treatment with biologics or JAK inhibitors attending to Hokkaido University Hospital, Japan or Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Spain.Enrolled patients were asked to complete a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) and a detailed fish frequency questionnaire (DFFQ) referring to consumption frequency in the previous month. At study entry, alcohol consumption, tobacco habits, educational level and employment status were recorded and RA disease activity evaluated by qualified rheumatologists. Demographic, clinical/laboratory data were retrospectively extracted from the medical records.By December 2021, 279 patients (Japan 217, Spain 62) returned the questionnaires. A preliminary analysis was carried out with the first 58 Japanese patients in which all clinical and laboratory data could be collected. A descriptive analysis was performed and the relative risks approximated by odds ratios.ResultsFifty-eight Japanese RA patients, 45 females, median age at entry 66 yrs [IQR 54-73], median disease duration 11yrs [IQR 7-20] were included in this analysis. Fifty-three (93%) of patients were on biologic therapies and four (7%) on JAK inhibitors with a median treatment duration of 4.5 yrs [IQR 1-7]. Concomitant treatment with conventional DMARDS and glucocorticoids were reported in 69% and 48% of patients, respectively. Forty-two (72%) patients were responders to treatment defined as DASESR ≦3.2. Another systemic autoimmune disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia or gout history were present in 29%, 29%, 9%, 33% and 10% of patients, respectively.All patients had consumption of fish in the last month and an intake of n3-PUFA rich fish (fatty fish) was indicated by 82% (The patients’ fatty and non-fatty fish intake scores were calculated with a mathematical formula based on the intake of each of the fish included in the DFFQ and number of responses. In the group of high fatty fish score patients (≧ 1 time/week) 94% were responders to treatment vs. 6% non-responders, [OR 8.75, CI [1.0-73.54, p= 0.022] while only 63% of patients in the high non-fatty fish score group respond to the treatment.ConclusionFatty fish intake associated with a good response to treatment in patients receiving targeted therapies, suggesting that fish consumption may have some beneficial effects on RA treatment.ReferencesThere is no reference.AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements to Ms. Y. Ikea and S. Kumagai for their enriching support on the nutritional properties of fish. Supported by the Kakenhi C grant number 20K11597 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

Background On the basis of findings of observational studies and a meta-analysis, proteinuria reduction has been proposed as a surrogate outcome in IgA nephropathy. How long a reduction in proteinuria needs to be maintained to mitigate the long-term risk of disease progression is unknown. Methods In this retrospective multiethnic cohort of adult patients with IgA nephropathy, we defined proteinuria remission as a $25% reduction in proteinuria from the peak value after biopsy, and an absolute reduction in proteinuria to,1 g/d. The exposure of interest was the total duration of first remission, treated as a time-varying covariate using longitudinal proteinuria measurements. We used time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression models to quantify the association between the duration of remission and the primary outcome (ESKD or a 50% reduction in eGFR). Results During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, 274 of 1864 patients (14.7%) experienced the primary outcome. The relationship between duration of proteinuria remission and outcome was nonlinear. Each 3 months in sustained remission up to approximately 4 years was associated with an additional 9% reduction in the risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.89 to 0.93). Thereafter, each additional 3 months in remission was associated with a smaller, nonsignificant risk reduction (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.03). These findings were robust to multivariable adjustment and consistent across clinical and histologic subgroups. Conclusions Our findings support the use of proteinuria as a surrogate outcome in IgA nephropathy, but additionally demonstrate the value of quantifying the duration of proteinuria remission when estimating the risk of hard clinical endpoints. Copyright © 2021 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause lifelong medical and developmental conditions and management needs. There is limited information on the strengths and weaknesses of the systems of care for addressing ZIKV and other neurodevelopmental disabilities (NRD) in the United States (US) Affiliated Pacific Island Territories. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess the quality of the chronic illness systems of care for children with congenital ZIKV and other NRD in the US Pacific Island Territories. A cross-sectional study was conducted among health professionals from American Samoa, Guam, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Participants completed an adapted version of the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care 3.5 (ACIC), which is based on the Chronic Care Model. The median Total Program Score was calculated, which ranged from limited support (0–2), basic support (3–5), reasonably good support (6–8), to fully developed support for care (9–11). Among the 17 health professionals who completed the survey, 47% were Guamanian/Chamorro, 24% were Samoan, 12% were Filipino, and 6% were Other Pacific Islanders. The median (25th percentile, 75th percentile [interquartile range]) Total Program Score was 5 (3, 6 [3]), indicating basic support for ZIKV and other NRD care for children. As more is learned about the full spectrum of clinical findings related to ZIKV, it is critical to continue to build an interdisciplinary maternal and child health workforce with the capacity and preparation to adequately address the special needs of children with ZIKV and other NRD.

Objective To assess the association of proxies of behavioral adherence to the Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) lifestyle program with changes in glycemic control and obesity in a multi-ethnic sample of youth with type 2 diabetes. Methods The TODAY clinical trial included an intensive lifestyle intervention to promote weight reduction. Adherence was assessed with measures of attendance at intervention sessions and rates of self-monitoring of diet and physical activity by participants and their caregivers. The relation between participant characteristics and consistency of proxies of adherence were examined across 3 phases of intervention. Results A total of 234 TODAY youth were randomized to the lifestyle program. Overall rate of session attendance was approximately 60% of planned sessions. Participants with an adequate dose of session attendance (≥75% attended) did not differ from those who attended

Background Little is known about the feasibility and impact of lifestyle intervention, determined by change in diet and cardiovascular fitness (CRF), on glycemic control in youth who are overweight with type 2 diabetes. This was examined in the Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) clinical trial cohort from across 15 US centers. Subjects TODAY enrolled 699 youth aged 10 to 17 years with type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular surgery is a highly invasive intervention that is often performed in elderly patients at risks of complications because of malnutrition and reduced immunity. This study investigated nutritional factors that affected length of hospital stay in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Among 68 patients who underwent surgery at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Gifu Municipal Hospital between April 2013 and March 2015, 55 with complete data were included in the analysis. Data on serum albumin (ALB), transferrin (Tf), pre-albumin (PA) and retinol binding protein (RBP) levels were collected. The median length of hospital stay was 29 days (stays of ≥30 days were considered long-term hospitalization). Multivariate analysis (multiple logistic regression) included age (≥ 65 years), sex (female), and ALB (≤ 3.0 g/dL), Tf (≤ 150.0 mg/dL), PA (≤ 10.0 mg/dL) and RBP (≤ 1.5 mg/dL) levels. ALB [odds ratio (OR) 10.37, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.185-90.80

Chemotherapy for cancer is increasingly implemented in the outpatient setting. Pharmacists contribute to cancer treatment by conducting counseling during outpatient chemotherapy visits. They provide guidance on drug treatment, side effects, and side effect countermeasures on every visit. However, there have been few economic evaluations of pharmacist involvement in outpatient chemotherapy. Therefore, we performed a cost utility analysis. We assigned usual care (control) and pharmacist counseling to two groups of 19 patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy for breast cancer at Gifu Municipal hospital. Quality of life was measured at three timepoints before and during chemotherapy treatment using the EuroQol 5 dimension instrument (EQ-5D). EQ-5D values across the timepoints were 0.831, 0.757, and 0.791 for the control group, and 0.882, 0.883, and 0.921 for the pharmacist counseling group. The additional cost in the pharmacist counseling group was 2,227 yen per counseling session. The change in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was a maximum of -0.021±0.186 in the control group and 0.007±0.199 in the pharmacist counseling group. The maximum cost for one QALY was 1,360,558 yen (≈12,460 US dollars). Pharmacists' counseling in outpatient cancer chemotherapy for breast cancer patients had an acceptable incremental cost-effect ratio, contributing to improved patient quality of life without significant additional expenditure to healthcare.

We retrospectively investigated the renal function index of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to examine the influence of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on renal function between patients up to early nephropathy and after overt nephropathy. Patients with T2DM (18 years old) who had been prescribed hypoglycemic agents for ≥3 months at Gifu Municipal Hospital between March 2010 and April 2014 were included in the study. Renal function was evaluated as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline from baseline at 12 months. Patients in the DPP-4 inhibitor-treated and untreated groups with an eGFR ≥60 (358 [58.2 %] and 257 [41.8 %], respectively) and eGFR60 (115 [60.2 %] and 76 [39.8 %], respectively) were subjected to multiple logistic regression analysis. Among patients with an eGFR ≥60, no significant differences were observed in eGFR decline rates over time. However, among patients with an eGFR60, significant decreases were observed in eGFR decline rates10 % (6 months; odds ratio, 0.476

ImportanceAlthough IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerulonephritis in the world, there is no validated tool to predict disease progression. This limits patient-specific risk stratification and treatment decisions, clinical trial recruitment, and biomarker validation. ObjectiveTo derive and externally validate a prediction model for disease progression in IgAN that can be applied at the time of kidney biopsy in multiple ethnic groups worldwide. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsWe derived and externally validated a prediction model using clinical and histologic risk factors that are readily available in clinical practice. Large, multi-ethnic cohorts of adults with biopsy-proven IgAN were included from Europe, North America, China, and Japan. Main Outcomes and MeasuresCox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the risk of a 50% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or end-stage kidney disease, and were evaluated using the R-D(2) measure, Akaike information criterion (AIC), C statistic, continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI), integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and calibration plots. ResultsThe study included 3927 patients; mean age, 35.4 (interquartile range, 28.0-45.4) years; and 2173 (55.3%) were men. The following prediction models were created in a derivation cohort of 2781 patients: a clinical model that included eGFR, blood pressure, and proteinuria at biopsy; and 2 full models that also contained the MEST histologic score, age, medication use, and either racial/ethnic characteristics (white, Japanese, or Chinese) or no racial/ethnic characteristics, to allow application in other ethnic groups. Compared with the clinical model, the full models with and without race/ethnicity had better R-D(2) (26.3% and 25.3%, respectively, vs 20.3%) and AIC (6338 and 6379, respectively, vs 6485), significant increases in C statistic from 0.78 to 0.82 and 0.81, respectively (Delta C, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.03-0.04 and Delta C, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.03, respectively), and significant improvement in reclassification as assessed by the NRI (0.18; 95% CI, 0.07-0.29 and 0.51; 95% CI, 0.39-0.62, respectively) and IDI (0.07; 95% CI, 0.06-0.08 and 0.06; 95% CI, 0.05-0.06, respectively). External validation was performed in a cohort of 1146 patients. For both full models, the C statistics (0.82; 95% CI, 0.81-0.83 with race/ethnicity; 0.81; 95% CI, 0.80-0.82 without race/ethnicity) and R-D(2) (both 35.3%) were similar or better than in the validation cohort, with excellent calibration. Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, the 2 full prediction models were shown to be accurate and validated methods for predicting disease progression and patient risk stratification in IgAN in multi-ethnic cohorts, with additional applications to clinical trial design and biomarker research.

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and health foods/supplements are used as means of self-medication with the aim of preventing diseases and maintaining health. No reports have yet addressed the relationship between healthcare systems and self-medication. Here, we carried out a retrospective survey to identify healthcare system factors affecting OTC drug and health food/supplement usage. Patients hospitalized at Gifu Municipal Hospital between October 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015 were given a survey. The items surveyed were age, gender, disease, alcohol intake/smoking status, insurance classification, and medical pharmaceuticals, OTC drugs, and health foods/supplements used immediately before hospitalization. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis using OTC drugs and health foods/supplements as dependent variables with patient attributes, medical insurance, etc. as independent variables. A total of 5,965 patients were analyzed. OTC users comprised 2.6 % (156 people) of the total. The use of OTC drugs was significantly higher for females and alcohol consumers than in other categories. In contrast, the use of OTC drugs was significantly lower for participants in public expense/medical subsidy programs. Health foods/supplements were used by 4.0 % of all subjects (240 people); their use was significantly higher among females and users of medical pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, the use of health foods/supplements was significantly lower for smokers, users of the latter-stage elderly healthcare system, and users of public expense/medical subsidy programs.

International audience; Differential cross sections of p–6He elastic scattering were measured in inverse kinematics at an incident energy of 200 A MeV, covering the high momentum transfer region of 1.7–2.7 fm−1. The sensitivity of the elastic scattering at low and high momentum transfers to the density distribution was investigated quantitatively using relativistic impulse approximation calculations. In the high momentum transfer region, where the present data were taken, the differential cross section has an order of magnitude higher sensitivity to the inner part of the 6He density relative to the peripheral part (15:1). This feature makes the obtained data valuable for the deduction of the inner part of the 6He density. The data were compared to a set of calculations assuming different proton and neutron density profiles of 6He. The data are well reproduced by the calculation assuming almost the same profiles of proton and neutron densities around the center of 6He, and a proton profile reproducing the known point-proton radius of 1.94 fm. This finding is consistent with the assumption that the 6He nucleus consists of a rigid α-like core with a two-neutron halo.

The CDF and D0 experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron have measured the asymmetry between yields of forward- and backward-produced top and antitop quarks based on their rapidity difference and the asymmetry between their decay leptons. These measurements use the full data sets collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 1.96 TeV. We report the results of combinations of the inclusive asymmetries and their differential dependencies on relevant kinematic quantities. The combined inclusive asymmetry is A(FB)(t (t) over bar) = 0.128 +/- 0.025. The combined inclusive and differential asymmetries are consistent with recent standard model predictions.

The relationship between depressive symptoms and glycemic control in youth with type 2 diabetes was assessed at baseline (n = 682), 6, and/or 24 months (n = 576). Neither baseline nor persistence of depressive symptoms was significantly associated with maintenance of glycemic control. Nevertheless, depressive symptoms were common, suggesting the importance of repeated screening.

Aims Examine barriers for taking glucose-lowering oral medications, associated baseline characteristics, strategies used, and the adherence impact in the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study. Methods We studied youth prescribed oral diabetes medications over two years (N = 611, 583, and 525 at 6, 12, and 24 months). Clinicians documented barriers (e.g. forgetting, routines, other concerns) in the subsample that reported missed doses (N = 423 [69.2%], 422 [72.4%], and 414 [78.9%] at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively). Adherence strategies were also assessed (e.g. family, schedule, reminder device) using standard questions. Logistic regression was used to analyze associations with medication adherence. Results Those missing doses were not different from the total sample (61.5% female, 13.9 ± 2.0 years, >80% racial/ethnic minorities). No baseline demographic or clinical predictors of barriers to medication adherence were identified. Among those for whom barriers were assessed, “forgetting” with no reason named (39.3%) and disruptions to mealtime, sleep, and schedule (21.9%) accounted for the largest proportion of responses. Family support was the primary adherence strategy identified by most youth (≥50%), followed by pairing the medication regimen with daily routines (>40%); the latter strategy was associated with significantly higher adherence rates (p = 0.009). Conclusions Family supported medication adherence was common in this mid-adolescent cohort, but self-management strategies were also in evidence. Findings are similar to those reported among youth with other serious chronic diseases. Prospective studies of multi-component family support and self-management interventions for improving medication adherence are warranted. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00081328 .

A novel micro-feeder for fine particles using a vibration shear flow mechanism has been developed. The feeder consists of a cylindrical tube and a bottom, which are both vibrated. Particles in the tube are discharged through a narrow gap between the lower edge of the tube and the bottom surface. In this article, the features of vibration shear flow and the performance of micro-feeding are summarized based on our experimental results. In particular, it is shown that fine particles, including nanoparticles, can be quantitatively discharged as agglomerated particles and are effectively disintegrated owing to vibration shear flow.

The formation of high resistivity phases of nickel silicide in a small silicide area is a problem for the uniformity of the sheet resistance. It was found that implementing furnace annealing method, as the first annealing step, improves the nickel silicide sheet resistance uniformity at small areas. Low ramp rate and prolonged annealing duration by furnace anneal promote grain size growth of Ni 2 Si phase, which decreases the free energy change and suppresses the formation of high resistivity phases of nickel silicide. Increasing the first anneal temperature was also found to improve the sheet resistance uniformity of only p + active areas. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of Ni PVD stage or second anneal, promotes the formation of NiSi 2 phase.

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar manejos de cobertura e ventilação artificial sobre índices de conforto de frangos de corte. Aplicou-se, para avaliação dos índices térmicos, delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em parcela subdividida, com arranjo fatorial de tratamentos 2 x 2, sendo: dois manejos de cobertura (com e sem pintura reflexiva) e dois manejos internos (com e sem ventilação artificial) totalizando 4 tratamentos, avaliados durante 40 dias, tidos como repetição. Os estudos foram conduzidos no IFG - Campus Urutaí, de dezembro/2009 a janeiro/2010. Como variáveis ambientais foram coletadas as temperaturas de bulbo seco, bulbo úmido, globo negro, umidade relativa e velocidade do vento, sendo posteriormente calculados os índices térmicos: ITU, ITGU, ITE, TMR e CTR. Os dados foram analisados pelo programa computacional SISVAR por meio da análise de variância e teste de comparação de médias. Utilizou-se o Teste de Scott Knott considerando-se 5% de significância. A combinação de pintura branca na cobertura e ventilação artificial mostrou-se eficiente na melhoria do conforto térmico do ambiente estudado. A utilização de pintura ou ventilação artificial de forma isolada não foi eficiente.This study aimed to evaluate roof covering strategies and artificial ventilation on comfort indices of broilers. For the assessment of thermal indices, randomized design in split plots was used in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Two management treatments of roof covering (with and without reflective paint) and two internal management (with and without artificial ventilation), totalizing 4 treatments were evaluated for 40 days, taking the days as replications. The studies were conducted in IFG - Urutaí Campus from December/2009 to January/2010. As environmental variables the dry bulb temperature, wet bulb, black globe, relative humidity and wind speed were considered and then the thermal indices THI, BGHI, ETI, RMT and RTR were calculated. Data were analysed by the SISVAR program, through the variance analysis and means were compared by Scott Knott test at 0.05 probability. The combination of white paint covering and artificial ventilation proved to be effective in improving the studied environmental thermal comfort. The use of paint or artificial ventilation in an isolated way was not efficient.