University of Utah

About: University of Utah is a education organization based out in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 52894 authors who have published 124076 publications receiving 5265834 citations. The organization is also known as: The U & The University of Utah.

First-trimester or second-trimester screening, or both, for down's syndrome

Abstract: background It is uncertain how best to screen pregnant women for the presence of fetal Down’s syndrome: to perform first-trimester screening, to perform second-trimester screening, or to use strategies incorporating measurements in both trimesters. methods Women with singleton pregnancies underwent first-trimester combined screening (measurement of nuchal translucency, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A [PAPP-A], and the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin at 10 weeks 3 days through 13 weeks 6 days of gestation) and second-trimester quadruple screening (measurement of alpha-fetoprotein, total human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol, and inhibin A at 15 through 18 weeks of gestation). We compared the results of stepwise sequential screening (risk results provided after each test), fully integrated screening (single risk result provided), and serum integrated screening (identical to fully integrated screening, but without nuchal translucency). results First-trimester screening was performed in 38,167 patients; 117 had a fetus with Down’s syndrome. At a 5 percent false positive rate, the rates of detection of Down’s syndrome were as follows: with first-trimester combined screening, 87 percent, 85 percent, and 82 percent for measurements performed at 11, 12, and 13 weeks, respectively; with second-trimester quadruple screening, 81 percent; with stepwise sequential screening, 95 percent; with serum integrated screening, 88 percent; and with fully integrated screening with first-trimester measurements performed at 11 weeks, 96 percent. Paired comparisons found significant differences between the tests, except for the comparison between serum integrated screening and combined screening. conclusions First-trimester combined screening at 11 weeks of gestation is better than secondtrimester quadruple screening but at 13 weeks has results similar to second-trimester quadruple screening. Both stepwise sequential screening and fully integrated screening have high rates of detection of Down’s syndrome, with low false positive rates.

Equation of state in ( 2+1 )-flavor QCD

Abstract: We present results for the equation of state in ($2+1$)-flavor QCD using the highly improved staggered quark action and lattices with temporal extent ${N}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}=6$, 8, 10, and 12. We show that these data can be reliably extrapolated to the continuum limit and obtain a number of thermodynamic quantities and the speed of sound in the temperature range 130--400 MeV. We compare our results with previous calculations and provide an analytic parameterization of the pressure, from which other thermodynamic quantities can be calculated, for use in phenomenology. We show that the energy density in the crossover region, $145\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}163\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$, defined by the chiral transition, is ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{c}=(0.18--0.5)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}/{\mathrm{fm}}^{3}$, i.e., $(1.2--3.1)\text{ }{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\text{nuclear}}$. At high temperatures, we compare our results with resummed and dimensionally reduced perturbation theory calculations. As a byproduct of our analyses, we obtain the values of the scale parameters ${r}_{0}$ from the static quark potential and ${w}_{0}$ from the gradient flow.

The impact of predation on life history evolution in trinidadian guppies (poecilia reticulata)

Abstract: Theoretical studies have demonstrated the potential importance of demographic selection in molding life history patterns. Some of the factors which have been examined include density-dependent versus density-independent mortality (MacArthur and Wilson, 1967), fluctuations in the survivorship of some or all age classes (Murphy, 1968; Schaffer, 1974; Hirshfield and Tinkle, 1975), and changes in the mean survivorship of specific age classes (Gadgil and Bossert, 1970; Law, 1979; Michod, 1979; reviewed by Stearns, 197 6a). Empirical studies have sought correlations between life histories and potential sources of demographic selection and, in some cases, have attempted to determine if the organisms have evolved as predicted by theory (reviewed by Stearns, 1977). These studies have found interand intraspecific life history variations that are often consistent with theory. However, in interpreting these variations as the product of evolution and relating them to theoretical predictions, one must both demonstrate that the observed differences have a genetic basis and characterize the type of natural selection. Few empirical studies have achieved either goal. Other criteria for adequately testing life history models are presented by Stearns (1977). Natural populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata Peters) provide an opportunity to resolve many of the difficulties in empirical life history studies. They are easy to breed and have a short generation

Mixin-based inheritance

Abstract: The diverse inheritance mechanisms provided by Smalltalk, Beta, and CLOS are interpreted as different uses of a single underlying construct. Smalltalk and Beta differ primarily in the direction of class hierarchy growth. These inheritance mechanisms are subsumed in a new inheritance model based on composition of mixins, or abstract subclasses. This form of inheritance can also encode a CLOS multiple-inheritance hierarchy, although changes to the encoded hierarchy that would violate encapsulation are difficult. Practical application of mixin-based inheritance is illustrated in a sketch of an extension to Modula-3.