University of Kansas

About: University of Kansas is a education organization based out in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 38183 authors who have published 81381 publications receiving 2986312 citations. The organization is also known as: KU & Univ of Kansas.

Optimism and Physical Health: A Meta-analytic Review

Abstract: Background Prior research links optimism to physical health, but the strength of the association has not been systematically evaluated.

Preimplantation embryo development in vitro: cooperative interactions among embryos and role of growth factors.

Abstract: We have established a model that shows cooperative interaction among preimplantation embryos and the role of growth factors on their development and growth. Two-cell mouse embryos cultured singly in 25-microliters microdrops had inferior development to blastocysts and lower cell numbers per blastocyst compared with those cultured in groups of 5 or 10. The inferior development of singly cultured embryos was markedly improved by addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor alpha or beta 1 (TGF-alpha or TGF-beta 1) to the culture medium. The stage of embryonic development, primarily affected by these treatments, was between eight-cell/morula and blastocyst. Furthermore, blastocysts developed from eight-cell embryos cultured in groups or singly in the presence of EGF showed a higher incidence of zona hatching compared with those cultured singly in the absence of EGF. Detection of EGF receptors on the embryonic cell surface at eight-cell/morula and blastocyst stages suggests beneficial effects of EGF or TGF-alpha on preimplantation embryo development and blastocyst functions. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) had no influence on embryo development. To further document the cooperative interactions among embryos, the volume of the culture medium was doubled to 50 microliters. This increase in culture volume was even more detrimental to the development of singly cultured embryos. However, this detrimental effect was significantly reversed by EGF and reversed even more markedly by a combination of EGF and TGF-beta 1 but not by TGF-beta 1 alone. Although TGF-beta 1 plus IGF-I caused a modest improvement of embryo development, the response was not as great as shown by EGF alone. Furthermore, IGF-I had no additive effect on EGF-induced embryonic development. The study presents clear evidence that specific growth factors of embryonic and/or reproductive tract origin participate in preimplantation embryo development and blastocyst functions in an autocrine/paracrine manner.

Precise determination of the mass of the Higgs boson and tests of compatibility of its couplings with the standard model predictions using proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV

Abstract: Properties of the Higgs boson with mass near 125 GeV are measured in proton-proton collisions with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Comprehensive sets of production and decay measurements are combined. The decay channels include gamma gamma, ZZ, WW, tau tau, bb, and mu mu pairs. The data samples were collected in 2011 and 2012 and correspond to integrated luminosities of up to 5.1 inverse femtobarns at 7 TeV and up to 19.7 inverse femtobarns at 8 TeV. From the high-resolution gamma gamma and ZZ channels, the mass of the Higgs boson is determined to be 125.02 +0.26 -0.27 (stat) +0.14 -0.15 (syst) GeV. For this mass value, the event yields obtained in the different analyses tagging specific decay channels and production mechanisms are consistent with those expected for the standard model Higgs boson. The combined best-fit signal relative to the standard model expectation is 1.00 +/- 0.09 (stat) +0.08 -0.07 (theo) +/- 0.07 (syst) at the measured mass. The couplings of the Higgs boson are probed for deviations in magnitude from the standard model predictions in multiple ways, including searches for invisible and undetected decays. No significant deviations are found.

Resources for physical activity participation: Does availability and accessibility differ by neighborhood socioeconomic status?

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the availability and accessibility of physical activity resources differed by neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) in a small U.S. city (population = 133,046). U.S. census tracts (N = 32) were used to represent neighborhoods and categorized into high, medium, or low SES on the basis of the percentage of unemployed individuals, per capita income, and percentage of the population below the poverty threshold. We developed a geographic information system to generate a comprehensive list of physical activity resources available within each census tract in the city. We identified 112 parks, 33 sport facilities, 15 fitness clubs, 11 community centers, and 5 walking/biking trails. The total number of physical activity resources varied by neighborhood SES (p > .05); low-SES (M = 4.5±2.3) and medium-SES (M = 4.9±2.6) neighborhoods had significantly fewer resources than high-SES (M = 8.4±3.5) neighborhoods. Low-, medium-, and high-SES neighborhoods did not differ on the number of pay-for-use facilities; however, low-SES (M = 3.1±1.5) and medium-SES (M = 3.8±1.6) neighborhoods had significantly fewer free-for-use resources than high- (M = 6.1±2.4) SES neighborhoods (p > .01). Data suggest that individuals from lower SES neighborhoods may have limited ability to control their physical activity in the face of inaccessible environments. Community research and promotion efforts should include assessment and targeting of available and accessible physical activity resources.