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Sample records for advanced continuous mild

  1. Development of an advanced continuous mild gasification process for the production of coproducts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merriam, N.W.; Jha, M.C.

    1991-11-01

    This report is a final brief summary of development of a mild-gasification and char conversion process. Morgantown Energy Technology Center developed a concept called mild gasification. In this concept, devolatilization of coal under nonoxidizing and relatively mild temperature and pressure conditions can yield three marketable products: (1) a high-heating-value gas, (2) a high-aromatic coal liquid, and (3) a high-carbon char. The objective of this program is to develop an advanced, continuous, mild-gasification process to produce products that will make the concept economically and environmentally viable. (VC)

  2. Development of an advanced continuous mild gasification process for the production of coproducts. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merriam, N.W.; Jha, M.C.

    1991-11-01

    This report is a final brief summary of development of a mild-gasification and char conversion process. Morgantown Energy Technology Center developed a concept called mild gasification. In this concept, devolatilization of coal under nonoxidizing and relatively mild temperature and pressure conditions can yield three marketable products: (1) a high-heating-value gas, (2) a high-aromatic coal liquid, and (3) a high-carbon char. The objective of this program is to develop an advanced, continuous, mild-gasification process to produce products that will make the concept economically and environmentally viable. (VC)

  3. Development of an advanced, continuous mild gasification process for the production of co-products (Task 1), Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knight, R.A.; Gissy, J.L.; Onischak, M.; Babu, S.P.; Carty, R.H. (Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (United States)); Duthie, R.G. (Bechtel Group, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)); Wootten, J.M. (Peabody Holding Co., Inc., St. Louis, MO (United States))

    1991-09-01

    Under US DOE sponsorship, a project team consisting of the Institute of Gas Technology, Peabody Holding Company, and Bechtel Group, Inc. has been developing an advanced, mild gasification process to process all types of coal and to produce solid and condensable liquid co-products that can open new markets for coal. The three and a half year program (September 1987 to June 1991) consisted of investigations in four main areas. These areas are: (1) Literature Survey of Mild Gasification Processes, Co-Product Upgrading and Utilization, and Market Assessment; (2) Mild Gasification Technology Development: Process Research Unit Tests Using Slipstream Sampling; (3) Bench-Scale Char Upgrading Study; (4) Mild Gasification Technology Development: System Integration Studies. In this report, the literature and market assessment of mild gasification processes are discussed.

  4. Development of an advanced, continuous mild gasification process for the production of co-products (Task 1), Volume 1. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knight, R.A.; Gissy, J.L.; Onischak, M.; Babu, S.P.; Carty, R.H. [Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Duthie, R.G. [Bechtel Group, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States); Wootten, J.M. [Peabody Holding Co., Inc., St. Louis, MO (United States)

    1991-09-01

    Under US DOE sponsorship, a project team consisting of the Institute of Gas Technology, Peabody Holding Company, and Bechtel Group, Inc. has been developing an advanced, mild gasification process to process all types of coal and to produce solid and condensable liquid co-products that can open new markets for coal. The three and a half year program (September 1987 to June 1991) consisted of investigations in four main areas. These areas are: (1) Literature Survey of Mild Gasification Processes, Co-Product Upgrading and Utilization, and Market Assessment; (2) Mild Gasification Technology Development: Process Research Unit Tests Using Slipstream Sampling; (3) Bench-Scale Char Upgrading Study; (4) Mild Gasification Technology Development: System Integration Studies. In this report, the literature and market assessment of mild gasification processes are discussed.

  5. Advance Directives among Nursing Home Residents with Mild, Moderate, and Advanced Dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjia, Jennifer; Dharmawardene, Marisa; Givens, Jane L

    2018-01-01

    To describe prevalence and content of AD documentation among NH residents by dementia stage. The prevalence of advance directives (ADs) among nursing home (NH) residents with mild, moderate, and advanced dementia remains unclear. Population-based, cross-sectional study of all licensed NHs in five U.S. states. Subjects included all long-stay (>90 day) NH residents with dementia, aged ≥65 years, and a Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) score ≥1 from the 2007 to 2008 Minimum Data Set 2.0 (n = 180,621). Dementia severity was classified as follows: mild (CPS 1-2), moderate (CPS 3-4), and advanced (CPS 5-6). ADs were defined as the presence of a living will, do-not-resuscitate order, do-not-hospitalize order, medication restriction, or feeding restriction). Overall, 59% of residents had any AD and 17% had a living will. Prevalence of any AD increased by dementia severity: mild (51.2%), moderate (58.2%), and advanced (61.5%) (p will was associated with higher education (≥high school graduate vs. some high school or less) and being married. While dementia severity was associated with greater likelihood of having documented any AD, almost 4 in 10 residents with dementia lacked any AD. Effective outreach may focus efforts on subgroups with lower odds of any AD or living wills, including non-white, less educated, and unmarried NH residents. A greater understanding of how such factors impact care planning will help to address barriers to patient-centered care for this population.

  6. Development of an advanced, continuous mild gasification process for the production of co-products: Topical report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cha, C.Y.; Merriam, N.W.; Jha, M.C.; Breault, R.W.

    1988-06-01

    Research on mild gasification is discussed. The report is divided into three sections: literature survey of mild gasification processes; literature survey of char, condensibles, and gas upgrading and utilization methods; and industrial market assessment of products of mild gasification. Recommendations are included in each section. (CBS) 248 refs., 58 figs., 62 tabs.

  7. Development of an advanced, continuous mild-gasification process for the production of coproducts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merriam, N.W. (Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (United States)); Jha, Mahesh C. (AMAX Research and Development Center, Golden, CO (United States))

    1991-11-01

    This report contains descriptions of mild-gasification and char-to-carbon process research units (PRUS) used by WRI and AMAX R D Center to conduct tests under contract AC21-87MC24268. Descriptions of materials produced during those tests are also contained herein. Western Research Institute proposes to dispose of remaining fines and dried coal by combustion and remaining coal liquids by incineration during mid-1992. The mild-gasification PRU will be used for additional tests until 1993, at which time WRI proposes to decontaminate and disassemble the PRU. AMAX R D Center intends to return the spent char, any remaining feed char, and unusable product carbon to the Eagle Butte Mine near Gillette, Wyoming, from where the coal originally came. The solid products will be added to the mine's coal product stream. Coal liquids collected from condensers will be concentrated and sent to a local oil and solvent recycling company where the liquids will be burned as fuel. The char-to-carbon PRU will be operated periodically until 1993 when the plant will be decontaminated and disassembled.

  8. Continuous selections of set of mild solutions of evolution inclusions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annamalai Anguraj

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available We prove the existence of continuous selections of the set valued map $xio mathcal{S}(xi$ where $mathcal{S}(xi$ is the set of all mild solutions of the evolution inclusions of the form $$displaylines{ dot{x}(t in A(tx(t+int_0^tK(t,sF(s,x(sds cr x(0=xi ,quad tin I=[0,T], }$$ where $F$ is a lower semi continuous set valued map Lipchitzean with respect to $x$ in a separable Banach space $X$, $A$ is the infinitesimal generator of a $C_0$-semi group of bounded linear operators from $X$ to $X$, and $K(t,s$ is a continuous real valued function defined on $Iimes I$ with $tgeq s$ for all $t,sin I$ and $xi in X$.

  9. In Vitro Efficacy of Continuous Mild High Temperature on the Biofilm Formation of Aspergillus Niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Rong; Tong, Jian Bo; Liu, Yu Zhen; Chen, Qing; Lin, Tong; Li, Min; Lü, Gui Xia

    2017-12-20

    Objective To investigate whether continuous mild high temperature (increased temperature without causing significant damage to host cells) can inhibit the biofilm formation of Aspergillus niger (A.niger) and its vitality.Methods A.niger biofilms were formed on a coverslip in 24-well tissue culture plate and were checked at the time points 4,8,10,16,24,48 and 72 hours.Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to image and quantify A.niger biofilm formation under three different continuous mild high temperatures at 37℃,39℃,and 41℃.Furthermore,2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay was used to quantify the dynamic growth of A.niger biofilm under the above conditions.Results Compared with the culture condition 37℃,CLSM analysis at 39℃ or 41℃ showed that higher temperature induced later germination at 4 hours (t=8.603,P=0.047;t=14.550,P=0.008),poorer hyphal elongation at 8 hours(t=35.118,P=0.039;t=63.450,P=0.006),poorer polar growth,and reduced biofilm thickness from 10 to 24 hours.The XTT assay showed that higher temperature (39℃ or 41℃) lead to lower vitality at 10 hours,higher vitality at 16 hours,but finally lower vitality from 24 to 72 hours (t=24.262,P=0.038;t=7.556,P=0.031).Conclusion Continuous mild high temperature may have a negative regulatory effect on biofilm formation of A.niger and its vitality.

  10. Development of an advanced continuous mild gasification process for the production of coproducts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jha, M.C.; McCormick, R.L.; Hogsett, R.F.; Rowe, R.M.; Anast, K.R.

    1991-12-01

    This document describes the results of Task 4 under which a 50 pound/hour char-to-carbon (CTC) process research unit (PRU) was designed in the second half of 1989, with construction completed in June 1990. The CTC PRU at Golden was operated for nearly one year during which 35 runs were completed for a total of nearly 800 hours of operation. Char methanation and carbon production reactor development activities are detailed in this report, as well as the results of integrated runs of the CTC process. Evaluation of the process and the carbon product produced is also included. It was concluded that carbon could be produced from mild gasification char utilizing the CTC process. Char methanation and membrane separation steps performed reasonably well and can scaled up with confidence. However, the novel directly heated reactor system for methane cracking did not work satisfactorily due to materials of construction and heat transfer problems, which adversely affected the quantity and quality of the carbon product. Alternative reactor designs are recommended.

  11. Preliminary results of M-VAC chemotherapy combined with mild hyperthermia, a new therapeutic strategy for advanced or metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Yoshiaki; Itoh, Youko; Aoki, Shigeyuki; Nakamura, Kogenta; Taki, Tomohiro; Naruse, Katsuya; Tobiume, Motoi; Zennami, Kenji; Katsuda, Remi; Kato, Yoshiharu; Watanabe, Masahito; Nishikawa, Genya; Minami, Miwako; Nakahira, Mariko; Ukai, Sayaka; Sawada, Masaki; Kitamura, Akiko; Honda, Nobuaki

    2009-11-01

    We evaluated the efficacy and safety of M-VAC chemotherapy combined with mild hyperthermia, a new therapeutic strategy for advanced metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium. The subjects were 12 patients diagnosed with advanced metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium. For mild hyperthermia, the patients' oral temperature was elevated to about 38 degrees C by heating for 20 min and retaining the heat for 20 min with a far-infrared heater. The antitumor effect was evaluated according to the RECIST, while adverse drug reactions were assessed based on the NCI-CTC. The antitumor effect was rated as partial remission (PR) in 10 of the 12 patients and stable disease in 2 patients, with an efficacy rate of 83% (10/12). All 10 patients who had achieved PR received three courses of treatment. Of the 12 patients, 5 died during the observation period, with survival for 9-23 months (mean: 15.6 months). Adverse drug reactions included myelosuppression in all patients (Grade 3 in 4 patients, Grade 4 in 8), and gastrointestinal toxicity, such as nausea or vomiting, which was mild (Grade 0 in 2 patients, Grade 1 in 8, Grade 2 in 1, Grade 3 in 1). The results of the present study suggest that M-VAC chemotherapy combined with mild hyperthermia, which potentiates the anticancer effect and reduces adverse drug reactions such as gastrointestinal symptoms, is a useful and safe method for the treatment of advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium.

  12. Comparing Cognitive Profiles of Licensed Drivers with Mild Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Dementia with Lewy Bodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Yamin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Alzheimer’s disease (AD and dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB constitute two of the most common forms of dementia in North America. Driving is a primary means of mobility among older adults and the risk of dementia increases with advanced age. The purpose of this paper is to describe the cognitive profile of licensed drivers with mild AD and mild DLB. Method. Licensed drivers with mild AD, mild DLB, and healthy controls completed neuropsychological tests measuring general cognition, attention, visuospatial/perception, language, and cognitive fluctuations. Results. The results showed differences between healthy controls and demented participants on almost all neuropsychological measures. Participants with early DLB were found to perform significantly worse on some measures of attention and visuospatial functioning in comparison with early AD. Discussion. Future research should examine the relationship between neuropsychological measures and driving outcomes among individuals with mild AD and mild DLB.

  13. A randomized cross over study comparing the efficacy of two mandibular advancement appliances in the treatment of mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Dharrab, Ayman

    2017-11-01

    To compare efficacy, side effects, patient compliance, and preference between two types of custom-made mandibular advancement appliances (MAAs) in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This prospective, randomized, crossover study of 12 patients with mild to moderate OSA compared a titratable and a non-titratable MAA. Each patient was fitted with both appliances in a random order with a washout period of two weeks. Efficacy, side effects, compliance, and preference were evaluated by a questionnaire. All patients underwent overnight home sleep recordings prior to and after the use of each appliance in order to objectively assess sleep quality in terms of the apnea and hypopnea index (AHI), snoring frequency and oxygen desaturation index. Treatment successes (relief of symptoms and/or reduction of AHI to appliances. No compliance failure was reported, and in most patients, the side effects were mild, and improved with time. Both types of oral appliances were effective treatments for patients with mild to moderate OSA, with fewer side effects and higher patient satisfaction.

  14. Advances in continuous gamma-ray spectrometry and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gold, R.; McNeece, J.P.; Kaiser, B.J.

    1984-07-01

    Recent advances and applications in continuous Compton recoil gamma-ray spectrometry are described. Applications of continuous gamma-ray spectrometry are presented for: (1) Characterization of light water reactor (LWR) pressures vessel (PV) environments. (2) Assessment of fuel distributions for Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor recovery. (3) Measurement of LWR-PV-neutron exposure. The latest improvements attained with the Janus probe, a special in-situ configuration of Si(Li) detectors, are presented. The status of current efforts to extend the domain of applicability of this method beyond 3 MeV is discussed with emphasis on recent work carried out with Si(Li) detectors of much larger volume

  15. The Influence of a Mandibular Advancement Plate on Polysomnography in Different Grades of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antti Raunio

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a mandibular advancement device on different grades of obstructive sleep apnea using a relatively simple test for the apnea-hypopnea index to determine if a mandibular device will be effective. Material and Methods: A total of 68 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS including, 31 with mild, 23 with moderate and 14 with severe OSAS were treated with a mandibular advancement device (MAD and monitored with polysomnography. Results: 25 of the 31 mild, 15 of the 23 moderate and 2 of the 14 severe OSAS patients were cured of their OSAS if a post treatment apnea-hypopnea index of less than 5 is regarded as cured. The odds ratios for success with MAD therapy are 3 for women over men, 14.9 for mild obstructive sleep apnea, 5.42 for moderate obstructive sleep apnea if severe obstructive sleep apnea is assigned an odds ratio of 1. Conclusions: The use of the apnea-hypopnea index alone is useful in mild and moderate disease to predict the effectiveness of mandibular advancement device. Treatment with a mandibular advancement device is very effective in treating mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Conservative treatment with a mandibular advancement device can be successful in less severe grades of sleep apnea and may be an alternative for non-surgical patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea intolerant of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure management.

  16. Mild hybrids with CVT: comparison of electrical and mechanical torque assist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Druten, van R.M.; Serrarens, A.F.A.; Vroemen, B.G.; Tillaart, van den E.L.; de Haas, J.

    2001-01-01

    This paper evaluates two mild hybrid drive trains for a mid-class passenger car with a gasoline engine by means of comptuer simulation. The term mild hybrid is used for vehicles with sustained electric propulsion. The mild hybrid drive trains both have a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with

  17. Design of a prototype device for remote patient care with mild cognitive impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Ocampo, M.; Segura-Giraldo, B.; Floréz-Hurtado, R.; Cortés-Aguirre, C.

    2016-04-01

    This paper describes the design of a prototype telecare system, which allows to provide home care to patients with mild cognitive impairment and thus ensures their permanence in their usual environment. Telecare is oriented towards people who require constant attention due to conditions of advanced age, illness, physical risk or limited capabilities. Telecare offers these people a greater degree of independence. QFD methodology is used to develop electronic devices intended to monitor the environment and physiological state of the user continuously, providing communication between the telecare system and a monitoring center in order to take the most appropriate actions in any abnormal event.

  18. Continued advancement of the programming language HAL to an operational status

    Science.gov (United States)

    1971-01-01

    The continued advancement of the programming language HAL to operational status is reported. It is demonstrated that the compiler itself can be written in HAL. A HAL-in-HAL experiment proves conclusively that HAL can be used successfully as a compiler implementation tool.

  19. Advanced disassembling technique of irradiated driver fuel assembly for continuous irradiation of fuel pins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ichikawa, Shoichi; Haga, Hiroyuki; Katsuyama, Kozo; Maeda, Koji; Nishinoiri, Kenji

    2012-01-01

    It was necessary to carry out continuous irradiation tests in order to obtain the irradiation data of high burn-up fuel and high neutron dose material for FaCT (Fast Reactor Cycle Technology Development) project. There, the disassembling technique of an irradiated fuel assembly was advanced in order to realize further continuous irradiation tests. Although the conventional disassembling technique had been cutting a lower end-plug of a fuel pin needed to fix fuel pins to an irradiation vehicle, the advanced disassembling technique did not need cutting a lower end-plug. As a result, it was possible to supply many irradiated fuel pins to various continuous irradiation tests for FaCT project. (author)

  20. Continued rise of the cloud advances and trends in cloud computing

    CERN Document Server

    Mahmood, Zaigham

    2014-01-01

    Cloud computing is no-longer a novel paradigm, but instead an increasingly robust and established technology, yet new developments continue to emerge in this area. Continued Rise of the Cloud: Advances and Trends in Cloud Computing captures the state of the art in cloud technologies, infrastructures, and service delivery and deployment models. The book provides guidance and case studies on the development of cloud-based services and infrastructures from an international selection of expert researchers and practitioners. A careful analysis is provided of relevant theoretical frameworks, prac

  1. Design of a prototype device for remote patient care with mild cognitive impairment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez-Ocampo, M; Segura-Giraldo, B; Floréz-Hurtado, R; Cortés-Aguirre, C

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the design of a prototype telecare system, which allows to provide home care to patients with mild cognitive impairment and thus ensures their permanence in their usual environment. Telecare is oriented towards people who require constant attention due to conditions of advanced age, illness, physical risk or limited capabilities. Telecare offers these people a greater degree of independence. QFD methodology is used to develop electronic devices intended to monitor the environment and physiological state of the user continuously, providing communication between the telecare system and a monitoring center in order to take the most appropriate actions in any abnormal event. (paper)

  2. Reduced Sympathetic Response to Head-Up Tilt in Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Mild Alzheimer's Dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marte Rognstad Mellingsæter

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Hemodynamic control was compared in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI or mild Alzheimer's dementia (AD as well as in healthy elderly subjects. Methods: Noninvasive, continuous hemodynamic recordings were obtained from 14 patients and 48 controls during supine rest (tilt of 30 and 70°. Cardiac output, end-diastolic volume, total peripheral resistance, heart rate variability (HRV, systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV, and baroreceptor sensitivity were calculated. Results: At 70° tilt, the HRV indices differed significantly, with higher high-frequency (HF variability as well as lower low-frequency (LF variability and LF/HF ratios in the patients. The patients had significantly lower SBPV in the LF range at 30° tilt. Conclusions: The results indicate a poorer sympathetic response to orthostatic stress in MCI and mild AD.

  3. Mild obstructive sleep apnoea: clinical relevance and approaches to management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNicholas, Walter T; Bonsignore, Maria R; Lévy, Patrick; Ryan, Silke

    2016-10-01

    Obstructive sleep apnoea is highly prevalent in the general population worldwide, especially in its mild form. Clinical manifestations correlate poorly with disease severity measured by the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), which complicates diagnosis. Full polysomnography might be more appropriate to assess suspected mild cases because limited ambulatory diagnostic systems are least accurate in mild disease. Treatment options in mild obstructive sleep apnoea include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and oral appliance therapy, in addition to positional therapy and weight reduction when appropriate. The superior efficacy of CPAP in reducing AHI is offset by greater tolerance of oral appliances, especially in mild disease. Although severe obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with adverse health consequences, including cardiometabolic comorbidities, the association with mild disease is unclear, and reports differ regarding the clinical relevance of mild obstructive sleep apnoea. Improved diagnostic techniques and evidence-based approaches to management in mild obstructive sleep apnoea require further research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Advanced Continuous Flow Platform for On-Demand Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ping; Weeranoppanant, Nopphon; Thomas, Dale A; Tahara, Kohei; Stelzer, Torsten; Russell, Mary Grace; O'Mahony, Marcus; Myerson, Allan S; Lin, Hongkun; Kelly, Liam P; Jensen, Klavs F; Jamison, Timothy F; Dai, Chunhui; Cui, Yuqing; Briggs, Naomi; Beingessner, Rachel L; Adamo, Andrea

    2018-02-21

    As a demonstration of an alternative to the challenges faced with batch pharmaceutical manufacturing including the large production footprint and lengthy time-scale, we previously reported a refrigerator-sized continuous flow system for the on-demand production of essential medicines. Building on this technology, herein we report a second-generation, reconfigurable and 25 % smaller (by volume) continuous flow pharmaceutical manufacturing platform featuring advances in reaction and purification equipment. Consisting of two compact [0.7 (L)×0.5 (D)×1.3 m (H)] stand-alone units for synthesis and purification/formulation processes, the capabilities of this automated system are demonstrated with the synthesis of nicardipine hydrochloride and the production of concentrated liquid doses of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, neostigmine methylsulfate and rufinamide that meet US Pharmacopeia standards. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Advanced continuously variable transmissions for electric and hybrid vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loewenthal, S. H.

    1980-01-01

    A brief survey of past and present continuously variable transmissions (CVT) which are potentially suitable for application with electric and hybrid vehicles is presented. Discussion of general transmission requirements and benefits attainable with a CVT for electric vehicle use is given. The arrangement and function of several specific CVT concepts are cited along with their current development status. Lastly, the results of preliminary design studies conducted under a NASA contract for DOE on four CVT concepts for use in advanced electric vehicles are reviewed.

  6. Advanced continuous cultivation methods for systems microbiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamberg, Kaarel; Valgepea, Kaspar; Vilu, Raivo

    2015-09-01

    Increasing the throughput of systems biology-based experimental characterization of in silico-designed strains has great potential for accelerating the development of cell factories. For this, analysis of metabolism in the steady state is essential as only this enables the unequivocal definition of the physiological state of cells, which is needed for the complete description and in silico reconstruction of their phenotypes. In this review, we show that for a systems microbiology approach, high-resolution characterization of metabolism in the steady state--growth space analysis (GSA)--can be achieved by using advanced continuous cultivation methods termed changestats. In changestats, an environmental parameter is continuously changed at a constant rate within one experiment whilst maintaining cells in the physiological steady state similar to chemostats. This increases the resolution and throughput of GSA compared with chemostats, and, moreover, enables following of the dynamics of metabolism and detection of metabolic switch-points and optimal growth conditions. We also describe the concept, challenge and necessary criteria of the systematic analysis of steady-state metabolism. Finally, we propose that such systematic characterization of the steady-state growth space of cells using changestats has value not only for fundamental studies of metabolism, but also for systems biology-based metabolic engineering of cell factories.

  7. Physical self-concept and its link to cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance among adolescents with mild congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chi-Wen; Su, Wen-Jen; Wang, Jou-Kou; Yang, Hsiao-Ling; Chiang, Yueh-Tao; Moons, Philip

    2015-06-01

    Due to medical advances, most children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are expected to survive into adulthood. Establishing adequate physical self-concept and cardiopulmonary tolerance during the adolescent period can primarily enhance overall well-being. The purpose of this study was to undertake a gender-specific evaluation of the domain of physical self-concept among adolescents with mild CHD, and to examine the relationships between physical self-concept and cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance among adolescents with mild CHD. Four hundred and thirteen adolescents 12-20 years of age, whose cardiologists had not recommended any limitation of exercise, completed Physical Self-Description Questionnaires and three-minute step tests in two outpatient cardiology departments. The male participants had significantly greater scores in measures of overall physical self-concept, competence in sports, physical appearance, body fat, physical activity, endurance, and strength than did the female participants. More than 80% of the participants had at least an average cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance index. The perception of not being 'too fat' and being more physically active were significant correlates of better cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance for adolescents with mild CHD. The results provided evidence for gender-specific evaluation of domains of physical self-concept among adolescents with mild CHD. The three-minute step test to measure cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance in adolescents with mild CHD may be an appropriate objective measure for use in future research. Continued efforts are needed in early intervention to promote cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

  8. Development of an advanced continuous mild gasification process for the production of coproducts. Task 4, System integration studies: Char upgrading

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jha, M.C.; McCormick, R.L.; Hogsett, R.F.; Rowe, R.M.; Anast, K.R.

    1991-12-01

    This document describes the results of Task 4 under which a 50 pound/hour char-to-carbon (CTC) process research unit (PRU) was designed in the second half of 1989, with construction completed in June 1990. The CTC PRU at Golden was operated for nearly one year during which 35 runs were completed for a total of nearly 800 hours of operation. Char methanation and carbon production reactor development activities are detailed in this report, as well as the results of integrated runs of the CTC process. Evaluation of the process and the carbon product produced is also included. It was concluded that carbon could be produced from mild gasification char utilizing the CTC process. Char methanation and membrane separation steps performed reasonably well and can scaled up with confidence. However, the novel directly heated reactor system for methane cracking did not work satisfactorily due to materials of construction and heat transfer problems, which adversely affected the quantity and quality of the carbon product. Alternative reactor designs are recommended.

  9. Development of an advanced, continuous mild-gasification process for the production of coproducts. Report for Task 4.8, Decontamination and disassembly of the mild-gasification and char-to-carbon PRUs and disposal of products from testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merriam, N.W. [Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (United States); Jha, Mahesh C. [AMAX Research and Development Center, Golden, CO (United States)

    1991-11-01

    This report contains descriptions of mild-gasification and char-to-carbon process research units (PRUS) used by WRI and AMAX R&D Center to conduct tests under contract AC21-87MC24268. Descriptions of materials produced during those tests are also contained herein. Western Research Institute proposes to dispose of remaining fines and dried coal by combustion and remaining coal liquids by incineration during mid-1992. The mild-gasification PRU will be used for additional tests until 1993, at which time WRI proposes to decontaminate and disassemble the PRU. AMAX R&D Center intends to return the spent char, any remaining feed char, and unusable product carbon to the Eagle Butte Mine near Gillette, Wyoming, from where the coal originally came. The solid products will be added to the mine`s coal product stream. Coal liquids collected from condensers will be concentrated and sent to a local oil and solvent recycling company where the liquids will be burned as fuel. The char-to-carbon PRU will be operated periodically until 1993 when the plant will be decontaminated and disassembled.

  10. Continuous auditing & continuous monitoring : Continuous value?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hillo, Rutger; Weigand, Hans; Espana, S; Ralyte, J; Souveyet, C

    2016-01-01

    Advancements in information technology, new laws and regulations and rapidly changing business conditions have led to a need for more timely and ongoing assurance with effectively working controls. Continuous Auditing (CA) and Continuous Monitoring (CM) technologies have made this possible by

  11. Fabrication of Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Gas Diffusion Electrode for In-situ Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Process under Mild Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Heng; Su, Huimin; Chen, Ze; Yu, Han; Yu, Hongbing

    2016-01-01

    With aim to develop an efficient heterogeneous metal-free cathodic electrochemical advance oxidation process (CEAOP) for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) removal from wastewater under mild conditions, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO)-modified gas diffusion electrode (GDE) was prepared for oxygen-containing radicals production via electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A detailed physical characterization was carried out by SEM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD and XPS. The electrocatalytic behavior for ORR was investigated by electrochemical measurements and electrolysis experiments under constant current density. Bisphenol A (BPA) of 20 mg L −1 was used as a model of POPs to evaluate the performance of the CEAOP with ERGO-modified GDE. The results showed that the defects concentration and electrochemical active sites of the ERGO was increased as the reduction time (30 min, 60 min and 120 min), leading to different catalysis on ORR. ·O 2 generation via one-electron ORR was found under the electrocatalysis of ERGO (60 min and 120 min), contributing to a complete degradation of BPA within 20 min and a mineralization current efficiency (MCE) of 74.60%. An alternative metal-free CEAOP independent of Fenton reaction was established based on ERGO-modified GDE for POPs removal from wastewater under mild conditions.

  12. Current Research on Containment Technologies for Verification Activities: Advanced Tools for Maintaining Continuity of Knowledge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smartt, H.; Kuhn, M.; Krementz, D.

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Non-proliferation and Verification Research and Development currently funds research on advanced containment technologies to support Continuity of Knowledge (CoK) objectives for verification regimes. One effort in this area is the Advanced Tools for Maintaining Continuity of Knowledge (ATCK) project. Recognizing that CoK assurances must withstand potential threats from sophisticated adversaries, and that containment options must therefore keep pace with technology advances, the NNSA research and development on advanced containment tools is an important investment. The two ATCK efforts underway at present address the technical containment requirements for securing access points (loop seals) and protecting defined volumes. Multiple U.S. national laboratories are supporting this project: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SNL and SRNL are developing the ''Ceramic Seal,'' an active loop seal that integrates multiple advanced security capabilities and improved efficiency housed within a small-volume ceramic body. The development includes an associated handheld reader and interface software. Currently at the prototype stage, the Ceramic Seal will undergo a series of tests to determine operational readiness. It will be field tested in a representative verification trial in 2016. ORNL is developing the Whole Volume Containment Seal (WCS), a flexible conductive fabric capable of enclosing various sizes and shapes of monitored items. The WCS includes a distributed impedance measurement system for imaging the fabric surface area and passive tamper-indicating features such as permanent-staining conductive ink. With the expected technology advances from the Ceramic Seal and WCS, the ATCK project takes significant steps in advancing containment technologies to help maintain CoK for various verification

  13. Evolution of diagnostic criteria and assessments for Parkinson's disease mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldman, Jennifer G; Holden, Samantha K; Litvan, Irene; McKeith, Ian; Stebbins, Glenn T; Taylor, John-Paul

    2018-04-01

    Mild cognitive impairment has gained recognition as a construct and a potential prodromal stage to dementia in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD). Although mild cognitive impairment has been recognized in the Alzheimer's disease field, it is a relatively more recent topic of interest in PD. Recent advances include the development of diagnostic criteria for PD mild cognitive impairment to provide more uniform definitions for clinical and research use. Studies reveal that mild cognitive impairment in PD is frequent, but also heterogeneous, with variable clinical presentations, differences in its progression to dementia, and likely differences in underlying pathophysiology. Application of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society PD Mild Cognitive Impairment Task Force diagnostic criteria has provided insights regarding cognitive measures, functional assessments, and other key topics that may require additional refinement. Furthermore, it is important to consider definitions of PD mild cognitive impairment in the landscape of other related Lewy body disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, and in the context of prodromal and early-stage PD. This article examines the evolution of mild cognitive impairment in concept and definition, particularly in PD, but also in related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies; the development and application of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society PD Mild Cognitive Impairment diagnostic criteria; and insights and future directions for the field of PD mild cognitive impairment. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  14. Fluorouracil continuous infusion plus alfa interferon plus oral folinic acid in advanced colorectal cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Punt, C. J.; de Mulder, P. H.; Burghouts, J. T.; Wagener, D. J.

    1992-01-01

    Several reports on fluorouracil (5-FU) and alfa interferon (IFN-alpha) combination therapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer have been published. In our study high-dose continuous infusion 5-FU (60 mg/kg per 48 hours), oral folinic acid (FA) (8 x 90 mg during 5-FU), and IFN-alpha three

  15. Limbic and Basal Ganglia Neuroanatomical Correlates of Gait and Executive Function: Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Intact Cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGough, Ellen L; Kelly, Valerie E; Weaver, Kurt E; Logsdon, Rebecca G; McCurry, Susan M; Pike, Kenneth C; Grabowski, Thomas J; Teri, Linda

    2018-04-01

    adults at risk for dementia. Advanced ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  16. Mechanisms that contribute to the tendency to continue chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer. Qualitative observations in the clinical setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brom, Linda; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D; Widdershoven, Guy A M; Pasman, H Roeline W

    2016-03-01

    The study aims to describe mechanisms that contribute to the tendency towards continuing chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer. The study conducted qualitative observations of outpatient clinic visits of 28 patients with advanced cancer (glioblastoma and metastatic colorectal cancer). We uncovered four mechanisms in daily oncology practice that can contribute to the tendency towards continuing chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer: (1) "presenting the full therapy sets the standard"--patients seemed to base their justification for continuing chemotherapy on the "standard" therapy with the maximum number of cycles as presented by the physician at the start of the treatment; (2) "focus on standard evaluation moments hampers evaluation of care goals"--whether or not to continue the treatment was mostly only considered at standard evaluation moments; (3) "opening question guides towards focus on symptoms"--most patients gave an update of their physical symptoms in answer to the opening question of "How are you doing?" Physicians consequently discussed how to deal with this at length, which often took up most of the visit; (4) "treatment is perceived as the only option"--patients mostly wanted to continue with chemotherapy because they felt that they had to try every available option the physician offered. Physicians also often seemed to focus on treatment as the only option. Discussing care goals more regularly with the patient, facilitated for instance by implementing early palliative care, might help counter the mechanisms and enable a more well-considered decision. This could be either stopping or continuing chemotherapy.

  17. Optimisation of quantitative lung SPECT applied to mild COPD: a software phantom simulation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norberg, Pernilla; Olsson, Anna; Alm Carlsson, Gudrun; Sandborg, Michael; Gustafsson, Agnetha

    2015-01-01

    The amount of inhomogeneities in a (99m)Tc Technegas single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) lung image, caused by reduced ventilation in lung regions affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is correlated to disease advancement. A quantitative analysis method, the CVT method, measuring these inhomogeneities was proposed in earlier work. To detect mild COPD, which is a difficult task, optimised parameter values are needed. In this work, the CVT method was optimised with respect to the parameter values of acquisition, reconstruction and analysis. The ordered subset expectation maximisation (OSEM) algorithm was used for reconstructing the lung SPECT images. As a first step towards clinical application of the CVT method in detecting mild COPD, this study was based on simulated SPECT images of an advanced anthropomorphic lung software phantom including respiratory and cardiac motion, where the mild COPD lung had an overall ventilation reduction of 5%. The best separation between healthy and mild COPD lung images as determined using the CVT measure of ventilation inhomogeneity and 125 MBq (99m)Tc was obtained using a low-energy high-resolution collimator (LEHR) and a power 6 Butterworth post-filter with a cutoff frequency of 0.6 to 0.7 cm(-1). Sixty-four reconstruction updates and a small kernel size should be used when the whole lung is analysed, and for the reduced lung a greater number of updates and a larger kernel size are needed. A LEHR collimator and 125 (99m)Tc MBq together with an optimal combination of cutoff frequency, number of updates and kernel size, gave the best result. Suboptimal selections of either cutoff frequency, number of updates and kernel size will reduce the imaging system's ability to detect mild COPD in the lung phantom.

  18. Continued advances in high brightness fiber-coupled laser modules for efficient pumping of fiber and solid-state lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemenway, M.; Chen, Z.; Urbanek, W.; Dawson, D.; Bao, L.; Kanskar, M.; DeVito, M.; Martinsen, R.

    2018-02-01

    Both the fibber laser and diode-pumped solid-state laser market continue to drive advances in pump diode module brightness. We report on the continued progress by nLIGHT to develop and deliver the highest brightness diode-laser pumps using single-emitter technology. Continued advances in multimode laser diode technology [13] and fiber-coupling techniques have enabled higher emitter counts in the element packages, enabling us to demonstrate 305 W into 105 μm - 0.16 NA. This brightness improvement is achieved by leveraging our prior-reported package re-optimization, allowing an increase in the emitter count from two rows of nine emitters to two rows of twelve emitters. Leveraging the two rows off twelve emitter architecture,, product development has commenced on a 400 W into 200 μm - 00.16 NA package. Additionally, the advances in pump technology intended for CW Yb-doped fiber laser pumping has been leveraged to develop the highest brightness 793 nm pump modules for 2 μm Thulium fiber laser pumping, generating 150 W into 200 μm - 0.18 NA and 100 W into 105 μm - 0.15 NA. Lastly, renewed interest in direct diode materials processing led us to experiment with wavelength multiplexing our existing state of the art 200 W, 105 μm - 00.15 NA package into a combined output of 395 WW into 105 μm - 0.16 NA.

  19. Eddy current inspection of mildly ferromagnetic tubing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayo, W.R.; Carter, J.R.

    1984-02-01

    The past decade has seen the development of eddy current probes for inspection of the mildly ferro-magnetic alloy Monel 400. Due to the rapid advances in permanent magnet technology similar probes have been upgraded to magnetically saturate, and hence inspect, the duplex stainless steel Sandvik 3RE60, which has saturation induction more than twice that of Monel 400. Prototypes of these probes have been tested in three ways: saturation capability, quality of typical eddy current data, and ability to eliminate permeability induced signals. Successful laboratory testing, potential applications, and limitations of these type probes are discussed

  20. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Lessons Learned from Clinical, Sports, and Combat Concussions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judy C. Kelly

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Over the past forty years, a tremendous amount of information has been gained on the mechanisms and consequences of mild traumatic brain injuries. Using sports as a laboratory to study this phenomenon, a natural recovery curve emerged, along with standards for managing concussions and returning athletes back to play. Although advances have been made in this area, investigation into recovery and return to play continues. With the increase in combat-related traumatic brain injuries in the military setting, lessons learned from sports concussion research are being applied by the Department of Defense to the assessment of blast concussions and return to duty decision making. Concussion management and treatment for military personnel can be complicated by additional combat related stressors not present in the civilian environment. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the interventions that has been successful in treating symptoms of postconcussion syndrome. While we are beginning to have an understanding of the impact of multiple concussions and subconcussive blows in the sports world, much is still unknown about the impact of multiple blast injuries.

  1. Observations on the 2016 World Congress on Continuing Professional Development: Advancing Learning and Care in the Health Professions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turco, Mary G; Baron, Robert B

    2016-01-01

    The 2016 World Congress on Continuing Professional Development: Advancing Learning and Care in the Health Professions took place in San Diego, California, March 17-19, 2016. Hosts were the Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME), Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professionals (ACEhp), and Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME). The target audience was the international community working to improve medical (CME), nursing (CNE), pharmacy (CPE), and interprofessional (CIPE) continuing education (CE) and continuing professional development (CPD). Goals included: addressing patients' concerns and needs; advancing global medical and interprofessional health sciences education; utilizing learning to address health disparities; and promoting international cooperation. The five keynote speakers were: patient advocate Alicia Cole ("Why What We Do Matters: The Patients Voice"); linguist Lorelei Lingard ("Myths about Healthcare Teamwork and Their Implications for How We Understand Competence"); futurist and philosopher Alex Jadad ("What Do We Need to Protect at All Costs in the 21st Century?"); ethicist and change agent Zeke Emanuel ("Learn to Change: Teaching Toward a Shifting Healthcare Horizon"); and technology innovator Stephen Downes ("From Individual to Community: The Learning Is in the Doing"). Organizers announced the new Dave Davis Distinguished Award for Excellence in Mentorship in Continuing Professional Development to honor the career of David Davis, MD, in CME/CPD scholarship in Canada, the United States, and beyond. Participants valued the emphasis on interprofessional education and practice, the importance of integrating the patient voice, the effectiveness of flipped classroom methods, and the power of collective competency theories. Attendee-respondents encouraged Congress planners to continue to strive for a broad global audience and themes of international interest.

  2. Bomb blast, mild traumatic brain injury and psychiatric morbidity: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenfeld, Jeffrey V; Ford, Nick L

    2010-05-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) arising from blast exposure during war is common, and frequently complicated by psychiatric morbidity. There is controversy as to whether mild TBI from blast is different from other causes of mild TBI. Anxiety and affective disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression are common accompaniments of blast injury with a significant overlap in the diagnostic features of PTSD with post-concussive syndrome (PCS). This review focuses on this overlap and the effects of mild TBI due to bomb blast. Mild TBI may have been over diagnosed by late retrospective review of returned servicemen and women using imprecise criteria. There is therefore a requirement for clear and careful documentation by health professionals of a TBI due to bomb blast shortly after the event so that the diagnosis of TBI can be made with confidence. There is a need for the early recognition of symptoms of PCS, PTSD and depression and early multi-disciplinary interventions focussed on expected return to duties. There also needs to be a continued emphasis on the de-stigmatization of psychological conditions in military personnel returning from deployment. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Spontaneous Spreading of a Droplet: The Role of Solid Continuity and Advancing Contact Angle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Youhua; Sun, Yujin; Drelich, Jaroslaw W; Choi, Chang-Hwan

    2018-05-01

    Spontaneous spreading of a droplet on a solid surface is poorly understood from a macroscopic level down to a molecular level. Here, we investigate the effect of surface topography and wettability on spontaneous spreading of a water droplet. Spreading force is measured for a suspended droplet that minimizes interference of kinetic energy in the spontaneous spreading during its contact with solid surfaces of discontinuous (pillar) and continuous (pore) patterns with various shapes and dimensions. Results show that a droplet cannot spread spontaneously on pillared surfaces regardless of their shapes or dimensions because of the solid discontinuity. On the contrary, a droplet on pored surfaces can undergo spontaneous spreading whose force increases with a decrease in the advancing contact angle. Theoretical models based on both the system free energy and capillary force along the contact line validate the direct and universal dependency of the spontaneous spreading force on the advancing contact angle.

  4. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) Overview Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more-serious decline of dementia. It ...

  5. Lineage analysis of early and advanced tubular adenocarcinomas of the stomach: continuous or discontinuous?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakayama, Takahisa; Ling, Zhi-Qiang; Mukaisho, Ken-ichi; Hattori, Takanori; Sugihara, Hiroyuki

    2010-01-01

    Eradication of early gastric carcinoma (GC) is thought to contribute to reduction in the mortality of GC, given that most of the early GCs progress to the advanced GCs. However, early GC is alternatively considered a dormant variant of GC, and it infrequently progresses to advanced GC. The aim of this study was to clarify the extent of overlap of genetic lineages between early and advanced tubular adenocarcinomas (TUBs) of the stomach. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 was performed using 28 surgically resected stomachs with 13 intramucosal and 15 invasive TUBs. By chromosome- and array-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), genomic copy number constitution was compared between the mucosal and invasive parts of the invasive TUBs and between the mucosal parts of the invasive and intramucosal TUBs, using 25 and 22 TUBs, respectively. TP53 mutation in exons 5-8 was examined in 20 TUBs. Chromosomal CGH revealed that 4q+ and 11q+ were more common in advanced and early TUBs, respectively, whereas copy number changes in 8q and 17p showed no significant differences between early and advanced TUBs. However, array CGH revealed that, of the 13 intramucosal TUBs examined, loss of MYC (MYC-) and gain of TP53 (TP53+) was detected in 9 TUBs and MYC+ and/or TP53- was detected in 3 TUBs. Of the mucosal samples of 9 invasive TUBs, 7 showed MYC-/TP53+ and none showed MYC+ and/or TP53-. Of the 9 samples from the invasive parts, 1 (from submucosal cancers) showed MYC-/TP53+ and 6 (1 from submucosal and 5 from advanced cancers) showed MYC+ and/or TP53-. The latter 6 tumours commonly showed a mutant pattern (diffuse or null) in p53 immunohistochemistry, and 4 of the 6 tumours assessable for TP53 sequence analysis revealed mutations. The overall array CGH pattern indicated that, between the mucosal and invasive parts, genetic lineage was found discontinuous in 5 advanced cancers and continuous in 3 submucosal cancers. Genetic lineages often differed between early and advanced

  6. Entanglement in continuous-variable systems: recent advances and current perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

    2007-01-01

    We review the theory of continuous-variable entanglement with special emphasis on foundational aspects, conceptual structures and mathematical methods. Much attention is devoted to the discussion of separability criteria and entanglement properties of Gaussian states, for their great practical relevance in applications to quantum optics and quantum information, as well as for the very clean framework that they allow for the study of the structure of nonlocal correlations. We give a self-contained introduction to phase-space and symplectic methods in the study of Gaussian states of infinite-dimensional bosonic systems. We review the most important results on the separability and distillability of Gaussian states and discuss the main properties of bipartite entanglement. These include the extremal entanglement, minimal and maximal, of two-mode mixed Gaussian states, the ordering of two-mode Gaussian states according to different measures of entanglement, the unitary (reversible) localization and the scaling of bipartite entanglement in multimode Gaussian states. We then discuss recent advances in the understanding of entanglement sharing in multimode Gaussian states, including the proof of the monogamy inequality of distributed entanglement for all Gaussian states. Multipartite entanglement of Gaussian states is reviewed by discussing its qualification by different classes of separability, and the main consequences of the monogamy inequality, such as the quantification of genuine tripartite entanglement in three-mode Gaussian states, the promiscuous nature of entanglement sharing in symmetric Gaussian states and the possible coexistence of unlimited bipartite and multipartite entanglement. We finally review recent advances and discuss possible perspectives on the qualification and quantification of entanglement in non-Gaussian states, a field of research that is to a large extent yet to be explored

  7. Entanglement in continuous-variable systems: recent advances and current perspectives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adesso, Gerardo [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita degli Studi di Roma ' La Sapienza' , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome (Italy); Illuminati, Fabrizio [Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, I-84084 Fisciano (Italy)

    2007-07-13

    We review the theory of continuous-variable entanglement with special emphasis on foundational aspects, conceptual structures and mathematical methods. Much attention is devoted to the discussion of separability criteria and entanglement properties of Gaussian states, for their great practical relevance in applications to quantum optics and quantum information, as well as for the very clean framework that they allow for the study of the structure of nonlocal correlations. We give a self-contained introduction to phase-space and symplectic methods in the study of Gaussian states of infinite-dimensional bosonic systems. We review the most important results on the separability and distillability of Gaussian states and discuss the main properties of bipartite entanglement. These include the extremal entanglement, minimal and maximal, of two-mode mixed Gaussian states, the ordering of two-mode Gaussian states according to different measures of entanglement, the unitary (reversible) localization and the scaling of bipartite entanglement in multimode Gaussian states. We then discuss recent advances in the understanding of entanglement sharing in multimode Gaussian states, including the proof of the monogamy inequality of distributed entanglement for all Gaussian states. Multipartite entanglement of Gaussian states is reviewed by discussing its qualification by different classes of separability, and the main consequences of the monogamy inequality, such as the quantification of genuine tripartite entanglement in three-mode Gaussian states, the promiscuous nature of entanglement sharing in symmetric Gaussian states and the possible coexistence of unlimited bipartite and multipartite entanglement. We finally review recent advances and discuss possible perspectives on the qualification and quantification of entanglement in non-Gaussian states, a field of research that is to a large extent yet to be explored.

  8. Predictors of patient dependence in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benke, Thomas; Sanin, Günter; Lechner, Anita; Dal-Bianco, Peter; Ransmayr, Gerhard; Uranüs, Margarete; Marksteiner, Josef; Gaudig, Maren; Schmidt, Reinhold

    2015-01-01

    Patient dependence has rarely been studied in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). To identify factors which predict patient dependence in mild-to-moderate AD. We studied 398 non-institutionalized AD patients (234 females) of the ongoing Prospective Registry on Dementia (PRODEM) in Austria. The Dependence Scale (DS) was used to assess patient dependence. Patient assessment comprised functional abilities, neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive functions. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of patient dependence. AD patients were mildly-to-moderately impaired (mean scores and SDs were: CDR 0.84 ± 0.43; DAD 74.4 ± 23.3, MMSE = 22.5 ± 3.6). Psychopathology and caregiver burden were in the low range (mean NPI score 13.2, range 0 to 98; mean ZBI score 18, range 0-64). Seventy five percent of patients were classified as having a mild level of patient dependence (DS sum score 0 to 6). Patient dependence correlated significantly and positively with age, functional measures, psychopathology and depression, disease duration, and caregiver burden. Significant negative, but low correlations were found between patient dependence, cognitive variables, and global cognition. Activities of daily living, patient age, and disease severity accounted for 63% of variance in patient dependence, whereas cognitive variables accounted for only 11%. Dependence in this cohort was mainly related to age and functional impairment, and less so to cognitive and neuropsychiatric variables. This differs from studies investigating patients in more advanced disease stages which found abnormal behavior and impairments of cognition as main predictors of patient dependence.

  9. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of mild head injury - is it appropriate to classify patients with glasgow coma scale score of 13 to 15 as 'mild injury'?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchino, Y.; Saeki, N.; Yamaura, A.; Okimura, Y.; Tanaka, M.

    2001-01-01

    Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score and findings on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of patients with mild head injury presenting GCS Scores between 13 and 15. Methods. Data were collected from all consecutive patients with mild head injury who were referred to our hospital between July 1 and October 31, 1999. All patients were recommended to undergo CT and MR imaging examinations. Patients younger than 14 years of age were excluded. Results. Ninety patients were recruited into this study. CT scans were obtained in 88 patients and MR imaging were obtained in 65 patients. Of those 90 patients, 2 patients scored 13 points, 5 scored 14 points and 83 (92.2 %) 15 points. Patients with GCS score of 13 points demonstrated parenchymal lesions an both CT and MR imaging. Those with 14 points revealed absence of parenchymal abnormality an CT, but presence of parenchymal lesions an MR imaging. Patients in advanced age (chi square test, p < 0.0001), and those with amnesia (p = 0005, not significant), although scoring 15 points, revealed a tendency to abnormal intracranial lesions on CT scans. Conclusion. It is doubtful whether patients with GCS score 13 should be included in the mild head injury category, due to obvious brain damage on CT scans. MR imaging should be performed on patients with GCS score 14, since the parenchymal lesions are not clearly demonstrated an CT scans. Even if patients scored GCS 15, patients which amnesia or of advanced age should undergo CT scans at minimum, and MR imaging when available. (author)

  10. Report from a quality assurance program on patients undergoing the MILD procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durkin, Brian; Romeiser, Jamie; Shroyer, A Laurie W; Schiller, Robin; Bae, Jin; Davis, Raphael P; Peyster, Robert; Benveniste, Helene

    2013-05-01

    To characterize trends in pain and functional outcomes and identify risk factors in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and neurogenic claudication undergoing the "Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression" (MILD) procedure. Retrospective observational cohort study. Academic multidisciplinary pain center at Stony Brook Medicine. Patients undergoing the MILD procedure from October 2010 to November 2012. De-identified perioperative, pain and function related data for 50 patients undergoing MILD were extracted from the Center for Pain Management's quality assessment database. Data included numerical rating scale (NRS), symptom severity and physical function (Zurich Claudication Questionnaire), functional status (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), pain interference scores (National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS]), and patients' self-reported low back and lower extremity pain distribution. No MILD patient incurred procedure-related complications. Average NRS scores decreased postoperatively and 64.3% of patients reported less pain at 3 months. Clinically meaningful functional ODI improvements of at least 20% from baseline were present in 25% of the patients at 6 months. Preliminary analysis of changes in PROMIS scores at 3 months revealed that pre-MILD "severe" lumbar canal stenosis may be associated with high risk of "no improvement." No such impact was observed for NRS or ODI outcomes. Overall, pain is reduced and functional status improved in LSS patients following the MILD procedure at 3 and 6 months. Given the small sample size, it is not yet possible to identify patient subgroups at risk for "no improvement." Continued follow-up of longer-term outcomes appears warranted to develop evidence-based patient selection criteria. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. FLAIR images of mild head trauma with transient amnesia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wakamoto, Hirooki; Miyazaki, Hiromichi; Inaba, Makoto; Ishiyama, Naomi [Hiratsuka City Hospital, Kanagawa (Japan); Kawase, Takeshi

    1998-11-01

    A newly advanced MRI pulse sequence, the FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) imaging, in which a long TE spin echo sequence is used with suppression of the CSF with an inversion pulse, displays the CSF space as a no signal intensity area. We examined 45 cases of mild head trauma with posttraumatic amnesia by FLAIR images and could detect some findings which could not be detected by CT scan and conventional MR images. These findings could be detected in many patients with long posttraumatic amnesia (over 2 hours), but they could not be detected in patients with short posttraumatic amnesia (within 30 mins). These findings existed surrounding lateral ventricles and we classified them into 3 types: type 1 is anterior horn of lateral ventricle, type 2 is the base of frontal lobe, and type 3 is cerebral deep white matter. Some of them were examined again by FLAIR images a month later, and these findings had disappeared. We suspect that these lesions were brain edema or mild contusion without hemorrhage. (author)

  12. FLAIR images of mild head trauma with transient amnesia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakamoto, Hirooki; Miyazaki, Hiromichi; Inaba, Makoto; Ishiyama, Naomi; Kawase, Takeshi

    1998-01-01

    A newly advanced MRI pulse sequence, the FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) imaging, in which a long TE spin echo sequence is used with suppression of the CSF with an inversion pulse, displays the CSF space as a no signal intensity area. We examined 45 cases of mild head trauma with posttraumatic amnesia by FLAIR images and could detect some findings which could not be detected by CT scan and conventional MR images. These findings could be detected in many patients with long posttraumatic amnesia (over 2 hours), but they could not be detected in patients with short posttraumatic amnesia (within 30 mins). These findings existed surrounding lateral ventricles and we classified them into 3 types: type 1 is anterior horn of lateral ventricle, type 2 is the base of frontal lobe, and type 3 is cerebral deep white matter. Some of them were examined again by FLAIR images a month later, and these findings had disappeared. We suspect that these lesions were brain edema or mild contusion without hemorrhage. (author)

  13. Understanding mild persistent asthma in children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bisgaard, Hans; Szefler, Stanley J

    2005-01-01

    Limitations in asthma prevalence studies and difficulties in diagnosing pediatric asthma lead to uncertainty over the full extent of mild persistent asthma in children and adolescents. Although recent surveys have reported that the majority of pediatric patients with asthma in the United States...... and Europe have symptoms consistent with mild disease, these surveys have limitations in design. Thus, the true prevalence of mild asthma remains unknown. It is unclear whether children with mild persistent asthma progress to more severe asthma, but the risk of severe asthma exacerbations seems...... to be unrelated to the symptom severity. Clinical studies restricted to pediatric patients with mild asthma are limited, but available data do suggest substantial morbidity of mild persistent asthma in this population and support inhaled corticosteroid intervention. There is a need for further investigation...

  14. Battery Test Manual For 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walker, Lee Kenneth [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2017-03-01

    This manual details the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium and U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program goals, test methods, and analysis techniques for a 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle system. The test methods are outlined stating with characterization tests, followed by life tests. The final section details standardized analysis techniques for 48 V systems that allow for the comparison of different programs that use this manual. An example test plan is included, along with guidance to filling in gap table numbers.

  15. Battery Test Manual For 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, Lee Kenneth

    2017-01-01

    This manual details the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium and U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program goals, test methods, and analysis techniques for a 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle system. The test methods are outlined stating with characterization tests, followed by life tests. The final section details standardized analysis techniques for 48 V systems that allow for the comparison of different programs that use this manual. An example test plan is included, along with guidance to filling in gap table numbers.

  16. DYNAMIC MODELLING AND ADVANCED PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF ENZYME PURIFICATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dechechi E.C.

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available A dynamic mathematical model, simulation and computer control of a Continuous Affinity Recycle Extraction (CARE process, a protein purification technique based on protein adsorption on solid-phase adsorbents is described in this work. This process, consisting of three reactors, is a multivariable process with considerable time delay in the on-line analyses of the controlled variable. An advanced predictive control configuration, specifically the Dynamic Matrix Control (DMC, was applied. The DMC algorithm was applied in process schemes where the aim was to maintain constant the enzyme concentration in the outlet of the third reactor. The performance of the DMC controller was analyzed in the feed-flow disturbances and the results are presented.

  17. Consumer preferences for mild cheddar cheese flavors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drake, S L; Gerard, P D; Drake, M A

    2008-11-01

    Flavor is an important factor in consumer selection of cheeses. Mild Cheddar cheese is the classification used to describe Cheddar cheese that is not aged extensively and has a "mild" flavor. However, there is no legal definition or age limit for Cheddar cheese to be labeled mild, medium, or sharp, nor are the flavor profiles or flavor expectations of these cheeses specifically defined. The objectives of this study were to document the distinct flavor profiles among commercially labeled mild Cheddar cheeses, and to characterize if consumer preferences existed for specific mild Cheddar cheese flavors or flavor profiles. Flavor descriptive sensory profiles of a representative array of commercial Cheddar cheeses labeled as mild (n= 22) were determined using a trained sensory panel and an established cheese flavor sensory language. Nine representative Cheddar cheeses were selected for consumer testing. Consumers (n= 215) assessed the cheeses for overall liking and other consumer liking attributes. Internal preference mapping, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis were conducted. Mild Cheddar cheeses were diverse in flavor with many displaying flavors typically associated with more age. Four distinct consumer clusters were identified. The key drivers of liking for mild Cheddar cheese were: color, cooked/milky, whey and brothy flavors, and sour taste. Consumers have distinct flavor and color preferences for mild Cheddar cheese. These results can help manufacturers understand consumer preferences for mild Cheddar cheese.

  18. Effect of tillage on water advance and distribution under surge and continuous furrow irrigation methods for cotton in Egypt

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ismail, S.M.

    2006-01-01

    A field experiment was carried out to assess the effect of tillage on water advance and water distribution in the root zone area (0.5 m) under continuous and surge flow irrigation in a cotton field. The experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Experimental Station, Assiut University, Assiut,

  19. Advanced surface chemical analysis of continuously manufactured drug loaded composite pellets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hossain, Akter; Nandi, Uttom; Fule, Ritesh; Nokhodchi, Ali; Maniruzzaman, Mohammed

    2017-04-15

    The aim of the present study was to develop and characterise polymeric composite pellets by means of continuous melt extrusion techniques. Powder blends of a steroid hormone (SH) as a model drug and either ethyl cellulose (EC N10 and EC P7 grades) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC AS grade) as polymeric carrier were extruded using a Pharma 11mm twin screw extruder in a continuous mode of operation to manufacture extruded composite pellets of 1mm length. Molecular modelling study using commercial Gaussian 09 software outlined a possible drug-polymer interaction in the molecular level to develop solid dispersions of the drug in the pellets. Solid-state analysis conducted via a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot stage microscopy (HSM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analyses revealed the amorphous state of the drug in the polymer matrices. Surface analysis using SEM/energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) of the produced pellets arguably showed a homogenous distribution of the C and O atoms in the pellet matrices. Moreover, advanced chemical surface analysis conducted via atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed a homogenous phase system having the drug molecule dispersed onto the amorphous matrices while Raman mapping confirmed the homogenous single-phase drug distribution in the manufactured composite pellets. Such composite pellets are expected to deliver multidisciplinary applications in drug delivery and medical sciences by e.g. modifying drug solubility/dissolutions or stabilizing the unstable drug (e.g. hormone, protein) in the composite network. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for Column CO2 Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, J. F.; Lin, B.; Obland, M. D.; Liu, Z.; Kooi, S. A.; Fan, T. F.; Nehrir, A. R.; Meadows, B.; Browell, E. V.

    2016-12-01

    Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for Column CO2 MeasurementsJoel F. Campbell1, Bing Lin1, Michael D. Obland1, Zhaoyan Liu1, Susan Kooi2, Tai-Fang Fan2, Amin R. Nehrir1, Byron Meadows1, Edward V. Browell31NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 2SSAI, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 3STARSS-II Affiliate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 AbstractGlobal and regional atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission and the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT) - America project are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space and airborne platforms to meet the ASCENDS and ACT-America science measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud returns. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby minimizing bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new sub-meter hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. These techniques are used in a new data processing

  1. Writing Impairments in Japanese Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and with Mild Alzheimer's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Atsuko; Nomura, Hiroshi; Mochizuki, Ruriko; Ohnuma, Ayumu; Kimpara, Teiko; Suzuki, Kyoko; Mori, Etsuro

    2015-01-01

    We investigated writing abilities in patients with the amnestic type of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). To examine the earliest changes in writing function, we used writing tests for both words and sentences with different types of Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji). A total of 25 aMCI patients, 38 AD patients, and 22 healthy controls performed writing to dictation for Kana and Kanji words, copied Kanji words, and wrote in response to a picture story task. Analysis of variance was used to test the subject group effects on the scores in the above writing tasks. For the written Kanji words, the mild AD group performed worse than the aMCI group and the controls, but there was no difference between the aMCI group and the controls. For the picture story writing task, the mild AD and aMCI groups performed worse than the controls, but the difference between the AD and the aMCI groups was not significant. The mild AD group showed defects in writing Kanji characters, and the aMCI group showed impairments in narrative writing. Our study suggests that narrative writing, which demands complex integration of multiple cognitive functions, can be used to detect the subtle writing deficits in aMCI patients.

  2. Mild cognitive decline: Concept, types, presentation, and management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alka A Subramanyam

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available As advancements are being made in the medical field, the average life span is increasing and more complaints related to the elderly are coming into notice. Of these, mild cognitive decline (MCD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI is recently becoming an increasingly recognized entity that is often considered a precursor of dementia but is found to have other outcomes as well. It also has variations in presentations; it does not present only as memory complaint but also in the form of other cognitive or behavioral manifestations and has always been a point of controversy regarding the objectivity of the diagnosis. It is considered as the appropriate stage for intervention to prevent its progression to dementia and therefore, requires early identification for which various diagnostic modalities such as neuroimaging, neuropsychological tests, and biological markers are considered. Currently, there are no specific treatment guidelines for MCD. Drugs used in Alzheimer′s disease (AD, lifestyle modifications, and other nonpharmacological approaches have shown some benefit in MCI but the results are variable; hence, the need for further research is warranted for effective preventive therapy. In this article, we will be discussing MCD as a clinical construct, evaluation of a person suspected of having MCD, and management of the same.

  3. Optimally setting up directed searches for continuous gravitational waves in Advanced LIGO O1 data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ming, Jing; Papa, Maria Alessandra; Krishnan, Badri; Prix, Reinhard; Beer, Christian; Zhu, Sylvia J.; Eggenstein, Heinz-Bernd; Bock, Oliver; Machenschalk, Bernd

    2018-02-01

    In this paper we design a search for continuous gravitational waves from three supernova remnants: Vela Jr., Cassiopeia A (Cas A) and G347.3. These systems might harbor rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting quasiperiodic gravitational radiation detectable by the advanced LIGO detectors. Our search is designed to use the volunteer computing project Einstein@Home for a few months and assumes the sensitivity and duty cycles of the advanced LIGO detectors during their first science run. For all three supernova remnants, the sky positions of their central compact objects are well known but the frequency and spin-down rates of the neutron stars are unknown which makes the searches computationally limited. In a previous paper we have proposed a general framework for deciding on what target we should spend computational resources and in what proportion, what frequency and spin-down ranges we should search for every target, and with what search setup. Here we further expand this framework and apply it to design a search directed at detecting continuous gravitational wave signals from the most promising three supernova remnants identified as such in the previous work. Our optimization procedure yields broad frequency and spin-down searches for all three objects, at an unprecedented level of sensitivity: The smallest detectable gravitational wave strain h0 for Cas A is expected to be 2 times smaller than the most sensitive upper limits published to date, and our proposed search, which was set up and ran on the volunteer computing project Einstein@Home, covers a much larger frequency range.

  4. A computer program for estimating the power-density spectrum of advanced continuous simulation language generated time histories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunn, H. J.

    1981-01-01

    A computer program for performing frequency analysis of time history data is presented. The program uses circular convolution and the fast Fourier transform to calculate power density spectrum (PDS) of time history data. The program interfaces with the advanced continuous simulation language (ACSL) so that a frequency analysis may be performed on ACSL generated simulation variables. An example of the calculation of the PDS of a Van de Pol oscillator is presented.

  5. Differences in bone mineral density between mildly and definitively osteoporotic women

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heuck, A.F.; Steiger, P.; Block, J.E.; Glueer, C.C.; Steiger, S.; Genant, H.K.

    1988-01-01

    The authors studied 68 postmenopausal women to determine the ability of three bone densitometry techniques (QCT and DPA of the spine and SPA of the radius) for discriminating patients with mild wedge deformities (20%-25% wedge) from definitive compression fractures (≥25% wedge or crush fracture). Decrements of bone density between mildly osteoporotic women and osteoporotic women were -20% (P<.001) for QCT, -11% (P<.01) for DPA, and -5.5% (not significant) for SPA. Z-scores were -0.7 (P<.001) for QCT, -0.6 (P<.01) for DPA, and -0.4 (not significant) for SPA. The group was divided into quartiles of bone density with odds ratios calculated and the highest quartile acting as the reference group (risk=1). Odds ratios for the lower quartiles were 2.3, 5.3, and 10.7 for QCT; 0.4, 2.9, and 3.7 for DPA; and 0.7, 0.7, and 2.7 for SPA, respectively. Only the odds ratio for the lowest quartile of QCT (10.7) was found to be significant (P<.01). Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for each modality, with QCT showing the greatest area under the curve (0.70), followed by DPA (0.67) and SPA (0.60). The authors' results show that QCT and DPA are sensitive in discriminating mild from advanced forms of osteoporosis, whereas SPA has limited discriminatory capability

  6. Continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion plus long acting octreotide in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas. A phase II trial of the Piemonte Oncology Network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brizzi, Maria P; Ferretti, Benedetta; Alabiso, Oscar; Ciuffreda, Libero; Bertetto, Oscar; Papotti, Mauro; Dogliotti, Luigi; Berruti, Alfredo; Ferrero, Anna; Milanesi, Enrica; Volante, Marco; Castiglione, Federico; Birocco, Nadia; Bombaci, Sebastiano; Perroni, Davide

    2009-01-01

    Well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas are highly vascularized and may be sensitive to drugs administered on a metronomic schedule that has shown antiangiogenic properties. A phase II study was designed to test the activity of protracted 5-fluorouracil (5FU) infusion plus long-acting release (LAR) octreotide in patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma. Twenty-nine patients with metastatic or locally advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma were treated with protracted 5FU intravenous infusion (200 mg/m 2 daily) plus LAR octreotide (20 mg monthly). Patients were followed for toxicity, objective response, symptomatic and biochemical response, time to progression and survival. Assessment by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria showed partial response in 7 (24.1%), stable disease in 20 (69.0%), and disease progression in 2 patients. Response did not significantly differ when patients were stratified by primary tumor site and proliferative activity. A biochemical (chromogranin A) response was observed in 12/25 assessable patients (48.0%); symptom relief was obtained in 9/15 symptomatic patients (60.0%). There was non significant decrease in circulating vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) over time. Median time to progression was 22.6 months (range, 2.7-68.5); median overall survival was not reached yet. Toxicity was mild and manageable. Continuous/metronomic 5FU infusion plus LAR octreotide is well tolerated and shows activity in patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma. The potential synergism between metronomic chemotherapy and antiangiogenic drugs provides a rationale for exploring this association in the future. NCT00953394

  7. Continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion plus long acting octreotide in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas. A phase II trial of the Piemonte Oncology Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciuffreda Libero

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas are highly vascularized and may be sensitive to drugs administered on a metronomic schedule that has shown antiangiogenic properties. A phase II study was designed to test the activity of protracted 5-fluorouracil (5FU infusion plus long-acting release (LAR octreotide in patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma. Methods Twenty-nine patients with metastatic or locally advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma were treated with protracted 5FU intravenous infusion (200 mg/m2 daily plus LAR octreotide (20 mg monthly. Patients were followed for toxicity, objective response, symptomatic and biochemical response, time to progression and survival. Results Assessment by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST criteria showed partial response in 7 (24.1%, stable disease in 20 (69.0%, and disease progression in 2 patients. Response did not significantly differ when patients were stratified by primary tumor site and proliferative activity. A biochemical (chromogranin A response was observed in 12/25 assessable patients (48.0%; symptom relief was obtained in 9/15 symptomatic patients (60.0%. There was non significant decrease in circulating vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF over time. Median time to progression was 22.6 months (range, 2.7-68.5; median overall survival was not reached yet. Toxicity was mild and manageable. Conclusion Continuous/metronomic 5FU infusion plus LAR octreotide is well tolerated and shows activity in patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma. The potential synergism between metronomic chemotherapy and antiangiogenic drugs provides a rationale for exploring this association in the future. Trial registration NCT00953394

  8. Ventilatory response of the newborn infant to mild hypoxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, G; Malcolm, G; Henderson-Smart, D

    1997-09-01

    The transition from an immature (biphasic) to a mature (sustained hyperpneic) response to a brief period of sustained hypoxia is believed to be well advanced by postnatal day 10 for newborn infants. However, a review of the supporting evidence convinced us that this issue warranted further, more systematic investigation. Seven healthy term infants aged 2 days to 8 weeks were studied. The ventilatory response (VR) elicited by 5 min breathing of 15% O2 was measured during quiet sleep. Arterial SaO2 (pulse oximeter) and minute ventilation (expressed as a change from control, delta V'i) were measured continuously. Infants were wrapped in their usual bedding and slept in open cots at room temperature (23 degrees-25 degrees). Infants aged 2-3 days exhibited predominantely a sustained hypopnea during the period of hypoxia (delta V'i = -2% at 1 min, -13% at 5 min). At 8 weeks of age, the mean response was typically biphasic (delta V'i = +9% at 1 min, -4% at 5 min). This age-related difference between responses was statistically significant (two-way ANOVA by time and age-group; interaction P < 0.05). These data reveal that term infants studied under ambient conditions during defined quiet sleep may exhibit an immature VR to mild, sustained hypoxia for at least 2 months after birth. This suggests that postnatal development of the O2 chemoreflex is slower than previously thought.

  9. Preferential radiosensitization of human prostatic carcinoma cells by mild hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Samuel; Brown, Stephen L.; Kim, Sang-Hie; Khil, Mark S.; Kim, Jae Ho

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: Recent cell culture studies by us and others suggest that some human carcinoma cells are more sensitive to heat than are rodent cells following mild hyperthermia. In studying the cellular mechanism of enhanced thermosensitivity of human tumor cells to hyperthermia, prostatic carcinoma cells of human origin were found to be more sensitive to mild hyperthermia than other human cancer cells. The present study was designed to determine the magnitude of radiosensitization of human prostatic carcinoma cells by mild hyperthermia and to examine whether the thermal radiosensitization is related to the intrinsic thermosensitivity of cancer cells. Methods and Materials: Two human prostatic carcinoma cell lines (DU-145 and PC-3) and other carcinoma cells of human origin, in particular, colon (HT-29), breast (MCF-7), lung (A-549), and brain (U-251) were exposed to temperatures of 40-41 deg. C. Single acute dose rate radiation and fractionated radiation were combined with mild hyperthermia to determine thermal radiosensitization. The end point of the study was the colony-forming ability of single-plated cells. Results: DU-145 and PC-3 cells were found to be exceedingly thermosensitive to 41 deg. C for 24 h, relative to other cancer cell lines. Ninety percent of the prostatic cancer cells were killed by a 24 h heat exposure. Prostatic carcinoma cells exposed to a short duration of heating at 41 deg. C for 2 h resulted in a substantial enhancement of radiation-induced cytotoxicity. The thermal enhancement ratios (TERs) of single acute dose radiation following heat treatment 41 deg. C for 2 h were 2.0 in DU-145 cells and 1.4 in PC-3 cells. The TERs of fractionated irradiation combined with continuous heating at 40 deg. C were similarly in the range of 2.1 to 1.4 in prostate carcinoma cells. No significant radiosensitization was observed in MCF-7 and HT-29 cells under the same conditions. Conclusion: The present data suggest that a significant radiosensitization of

  10. Writing Impairments in Japanese Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and with Mild Alzheimer's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atsuko Hayashi

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: We investigated writing abilities in patients with the amnestic type of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD. To examine the earliest changes in writing function, we used writing tests for both words and sentences with different types of Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Methods: A total of 25 aMCI patients, 38 AD patients, and 22 healthy controls performed writing to dictation for Kana and Kanji words, copied Kanji words, and wrote in response to a picture story task. Analysis of variance was used to test the subject group effects on the scores in the above writing tasks. Results: For the written Kanji words, the mild AD group performed worse than the aMCI group and the controls, but there was no difference between the aMCI group and the controls. For the picture story writing task, the mild AD and aMCI groups performed worse than the controls, but the difference between the AD and the aMCI groups was not significant. Conclusions: The mild AD group showed defects in writing Kanji characters, and the aMCI group showed impairments in narrative writing. Our study suggests that narrative writing, which demands complex integration of multiple cognitive functions, can be used to detect the subtle writing deficits in aMCI patients.

  11. Telomere length and advanced diffusion MRI as biomarkers for repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescent rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David K. Wright

    Full Text Available Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI are of worldwide concern in adolescents of both sexes, and repeated mTBI (RmTBI may have serious long-term neurological consequences. As such, the study of RmTBI and discovery of objective biomarkers that can help guide medical decisions is an important undertaking. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI, which provides markers of axonal injury, and telomere length (TL are two clinically relevant biomarkers that have been implicated in a number of neurological conditions, and may also be affected by RmTBI. Therefore, this study utilized the lateral impact injury model of RmTBI to investigate changes in diffusion MRI and TL, and how these changes relate to each other. Adolescent male and female rats received either three mTBIs or three sham injuries. The first injury was given on postnatal day 30 (P30, with the repeated injuries separated by four days each. Seven days after the final injury, a sample of ear tissue was collected for TL analysis. Rats were then euthanized and whole brains were collected and fixated for MRI analyses that included diffusion and high-resolution structural sequences. Compared to the sham-injured group, RmTBI rats had significantly shorter TL at seven days post-injury. Analysis of advanced DWI measures found that RmTBI rats had abnormalities in the corpus callosum and cortex at seven days post-injury. Notably, many of the DWI changes were correlated with TL. These findings demonstrate that TL and DWI measurements are changed by RmTBI and may represent clinically applicable biomarkers for this. Keywords: Biomarker, Concussion, Track weighted imaging, Animal model, Diffusion tensor imaging, MRI

  12. Inhibiting mild steel corrosion from sulfate-reducing bacteria using antimicrobial-producing biofilms in Three-Mile-Island process water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuo, R; Ornek, D; Syrett, B C; Green, R M; Hsu, C-H; Mansfeld, F B; Wood, T K

    2004-04-01

    Biofilms were used to produce gramicidin S (a cyclic decapeptide) to inhibit corrosion-causing, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). In laboratory studies these biofilms protected mild steel 1010 continuously from corrosion in the aggressive, cooling service water of the AmerGen Three-Mile-Island (TMI) nuclear plant, which was augmented with reference SRB. The growth of both reference SRB (Gram-positive Desulfosporosinus orientis and Gram-negative Desulfovibrio vulgaris) was shown to be inhibited by supernatants of the gramicidin-S-producing bacteria as well as by purified gramicidin S. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and mass loss measurements showed that the protective biofilms decreased the corrosion rate of mild steel by 2- to 10-fold when challenged with the natural SRB of the TMI process water supplemented with D. orientis or D. vulgaris. The relative corrosion inhibition efficiency was 50-90% in continuous reactors, compared to a biofilm control which did not produce the antimicrobial gramicidin S. Scanning electron microscope and reactor images also revealed that SRB attack was thwarted by protective biofilms that secrete gramicidin S. A consortium of beneficial bacteria (GGPST consortium, producing gramicidin S and other antimicrobials) also protected the mild steel.

  13. Characterization of mild steel pre rusted and rust converted surfaces through advanced electrochemical analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riaz, F.; Rizvi, Z.H.; Arshad, K.

    2008-01-01

    The present work evaluates the anti corrosive properties of a tannin based rust converter applied on the pre rusted steel coupons as compared with the grit blasted bare metal and pre rusted steel coupons. The mechanism and the corrosion control behaviour of the rust converter are characterized and monitored using EIS technique. The result suggested that when the tannin based rust converter applied on the pre rusted/corroded coupon, the protection properties of the mild steel coupon clearly improved because of the more compact conversion layer being formed on the coupon. It is inferred that the rust converter can be applied on the pre rusted samples as an alternative technique to the surface preparation for protection purpose. (author)

  14. Randomized Controlled Trial of Family Therapy in Advanced Cancer Continued Into Bereavement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kissane, David W; Zaider, Talia I; Li, Yuelin; Hichenberg, Shira; Schuler, Tammy; Lederberg, Marguerite; Lavelle, Lisa; Loeb, Rebecca; Del Gaudio, Francesca

    2016-06-01

    Systematic family-centered cancer care is needed. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of family therapy, delivered to families identified by screening to be at risk from dysfunctional relationships when one of their relatives has advanced cancer. Eligible patients with advanced cancer and their family members screened above the cut-off on the Family Relationships Index. After screening 1,488 patients or relatives at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or three related community hospice programs, 620 patients (42%) were recruited, which represented 170 families. Families were stratified by three levels of family dysfunction (low communicating, low involvement, and high conflict) and randomly assigned to one of three arms: standard care or 6 or 10 sessions of a manualized family intervention. Primary outcomes were the Complicated Grief Inventory-Abbreviated (CGI) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Generalized estimating equations allowed for clustered data in an intention-to-treat analysis. On the CGI, a significant treatment effect (Wald χ(2) = 6.88; df = 2; P = .032) and treatment by family-type interaction was found (Wald χ(2) = 20.64; df = 4; P families. Low-communicating families improved by 6 months of bereavement. In the standard care arm, 15.5% of the bereaved developed a prolonged grief disorder at 13 months of bereavement compared with 3.3% of those who received 10 sessions of intervention (Wald χ(2) = 8.31; df = 2; P =.048). No significant treatment effects were found on the BDI-II. Family-focused therapy delivered to high-risk families during palliative care and continued into bereavement reduced the severity of complicated grief and the development of prolonged grief disorder. © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  15. Methodological issues and research recommendations for prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury: results of the International Collaboration on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Prognosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristman, Vicki L; Borg, Jörgen; Godbolt, Alison K; Salmi, L Rachid; Cancelliere, Carol; Carroll, Linda J; Holm, Lena W; Nygren-de Boussard, Catharina; Hartvigsen, Jan; Abara, Uko; Donovan, James; Cassidy, J David

    2014-03-01

    The International Collaboration on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Prognosis performed a comprehensive search and critical review of the literature from 2001 to 2012 to update the 2002 best-evidence synthesis conducted by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Neurotrauma, Prevention, Management and Rehabilitation Task Force on the prognosis of MTBI. Of 299 relevant studies, 101 were accepted as scientifically admissible. The methodological quality of the research literature on MTBI prognosis has not improved since the 2002 Task Force report. There are still many methodological concerns and knowledge gaps in the literature. Here we report and make recommendations on how to avoid methodological flaws found in prognostic studies of MTBI. Additionally, we discuss issues of MTBI definition and identify topic areas in need of further research to advance the understanding of prognosis after MTBI. Priority research areas include but are not limited to the use of confirmatory designs, studies of measurement validity, focus on the elderly, attention to litigation/compensation issues, the development of validated clinical prediction rules, the use of MTBI populations other than hospital admissions, continued research on the effects of repeated concussions, longer follow-up times with more measurement periods in longitudinal studies, an assessment of the differences between adults and children, and an account for reverse causality and differential recall bias. Well-conducted studies in these areas will aid our understanding of MTBI prognosis and assist clinicians in educating and treating their patients with MTBI. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Mild induced hypothermia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Maria E; Jensen, Jens-Ulrik; Bestle, Morten H

    2014-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Coagulopathy associates with poor outcome in sepsis. Mild induced hypothermia has been proposed as treatment in sepsis but it is not known whether this intervention worsens functional coagulopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Interim analysis data from an ongoing randomized controlled...... trial; The Cooling And Surviving Septic shock (CASS) study. Patients suffering severe sepsis/septic shock are allocated to either mild induced hypothermia (cooling to 32-34°C for 24hours) or control (uncontrolled temperature). TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01455116. Thrombelastography (TEG) is performed three....... At enrollment, 3%, 38%, and 59% had a hypocoagulable, normocoagulable, and hypercoagulable TEG clot strength (MA), respectively. In the hypothermia group, functional coagulopathy improved during the hypothermia phase, measured by R and MA, in patients with hypercoagulation as well as in patients...

  17. The pharmacotherapy of the HeartMate II, a continuous flow left ventricular assist device, in patients with advanced heart failure: integration of disease, device, and drug.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Douglas L; Chambers, Rachel M; Schillig, Jessica M

    2010-10-01

    Advanced heart failure continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Patients with advanced heart failure have a poor prognosis without cardiac transplantation. The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as destination therapy for these patients is therefore expected to increase in the coming years as technology advances. The HeartMate II, a continuous flow implantable device, is currently the only LVAD that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for destination therapy in patients with advanced heart failure. The pharmacotherapy associated with this device is very complex and, therefore, the need for expertly trained clinical pharmacists to care for this expanding patient population will also likely increase. Unfortunately, most pharmacists are unfamiliar with the effect of LVADs on the physiology and pharmacotherapy of a patient's heart failure. The purpose of this article is to give clinical pharmacists an introduction to the most common pharmacotherapeutic issues for patients with LVADs and present practical solutions for managing common drug therapy problems.

  18. Free and Cued Recall Memory in Parkinson’s Disease Associated with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Alberto; Monaco, Marco; Zabberoni, Silvia; Peppe, Antonella; Perri, Roberta; Fadda, Lucia; Iannarelli, Francesca; Caltagirone, Carlo; Carlesimo, Giovanni A.

    2014-01-01

    The hypothesis has been advanced that memory disorders in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are related to either retrieval or consolidation failure. However, the characteristics of the memory impairments of PD patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment have not been clarified. This study was aimed at investigating whether memory deficits in PD patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (PDaMCI) are due to failure of retrieval or consolidation processes. Sixteen individuals with PDaMCI, 20 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment without PD (aMCINPD), and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Participants were administered the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test. An index of cueing was computed for each subject to capture the advantage in retrieval of cued compared to free recall. Individuals with PDaMCI performed worse than healthy controls on the free recall (pcued recall (p>0.10) task, and they performed better than aMCINPD subjects on both recall measures (p0.10) but it was significantly higher than that of the aMCINPD sample (precall trials was significantly predicted by scores on a test investigating executive functions (i.e., the Modified Card Sorting Test; p = 0.042). Findings of the study document that, in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment associated to PD, episodic memory impairment is related to retrieval rather than to consolidation failure. The same data suggest that, in these individuals, memory deficits might be due to altered frontal-related executive functioning. PMID:24465977

  19. Archives: Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 51 - 88 of 88 ... Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home > Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 51 - 88 of 88 ...

  20. Free and cued recall memory in Parkinson's disease associated with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Costa

    Full Text Available The hypothesis has been advanced that memory disorders in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD are related to either retrieval or consolidation failure. However, the characteristics of the memory impairments of PD patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment have not been clarified. This study was aimed at investigating whether memory deficits in PD patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (PDaMCI are due to failure of retrieval or consolidation processes. Sixteen individuals with PDaMCI, 20 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment without PD (aMCINPD, and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Participants were administered the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test. An index of cueing was computed for each subject to capture the advantage in retrieval of cued compared to free recall. Individuals with PDaMCI performed worse than healthy controls on the free recall (p0.10 task, and they performed better than aMCINPD subjects on both recall measures (p0.10 but it was significantly higher than that of the aMCINPD sample (p<0.01. Moreover, PD patients' performance on free recall trials was significantly predicted by scores on a test investigating executive functions (i.e., the Modified Card Sorting Test; p = 0.042. Findings of the study document that, in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment associated to PD, episodic memory impairment is related to retrieval rather than to consolidation failure. The same data suggest that, in these individuals, memory deficits might be due to altered frontal-related executive functioning.

  1. Regional analysis of the magnetization transfer ratio of the brain in mild Alzheimer disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mascalchi, M; Ginestroni, A; Bessi, V; Toschi, N; Padiglioni, S; Ciulli, S; Tessa, C; Giannelli, M; Bracco, L; Diciotti, S

    2013-01-01

    Manually drawn VOI-based analysis shows a decrease in magnetization transfer ratio in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer disease. We investigated with whole-brain voxelwise analysis the regional changes of the magnetization transfer ratio in patients with mild Alzheimer disease and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Twenty patients with mild Alzheimer disease, 27 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and 30 healthy elderly control subjects were examined with high-resolution T1WI and 3-mm-thick magnetization transfer images. Whole-brain voxelwise analysis of magnetization transfer ratio maps was performed by use of Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 software and was supplemented by the analysis of the magnetization transfer ratio in FreeSurfer parcellation-derived VOIs. Voxelwise analysis showed 2 clusters of significantly decreased magnetization transfer ratio in the left hippocampus and amygdala and in the left posterior mesial temporal cortex (fusiform gyrus) of patients with Alzheimer disease as compared with control subjects but no difference between patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and either patients with Alzheimer disease or control subjects. VOI analysis showed that the magnetization transfer ratio in the hippocampus and amygdala was significantly lower (bilaterally) in patients with Alzheimer disease when compared with control subjects (ANOVA with Bonferroni correction, at P ratio values in the hippocampus and amygdala in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment were between those of healthy control subjects and those of patients with mild Alzheimer disease. Support vector machine-based classification demonstrated improved classification performance after inclusion of magnetization transfer ratio-related features, especially between patients with Alzheimer disease versus healthy subjects. Bilateral but asymmetric decrease of magnetization transfer ratio reflecting microstructural changes of the

  2. Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 9 (2007) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  3. Comparison of the quick mild cognitive impairment (Qmci) screen and the SMMSE in screening for mild cognitive impairment.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Caoimh, Rónán

    2012-09-01

    differentiating mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from normal cognition (NC) is difficult. The AB Cognitive Screen (ABCS) 135, sensitive in differentiating MCI from dementia, was modified to improve sensitivity and specificity, producing the quick mild cognitive impairment (Qmci) screen.

  4. inhibition performance of mild ste thiophene ac rmance of mild steel

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    userpc

    d Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Science, Bayero University, Kan. P. M. B. 3011 ..... chemical studies on the inhibition potentials of some ... Efficiency of Thiophene Derivatives on. Mild Steel : A QSAR Model. International. Journal.

  5. Mild Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Applewhite, Megan K.

    2014-01-01

    The biochemical profile of classic primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) consists of both elevated calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. The standard of care is parathyroidectomy unless prohibited by medical comorbidities. Because more patients are undergoing routine bone density evaluation and neck imaging studies for other purposes, there is a subset of people identified with a biochemically mild form of the pHPT that expresses itself as either elevated calcium or parathyroid hormone levels. These patients often do not fall into the criteria for operation based on the National Institutes of Health consensus guidelines, and they can present a challenge of diagnosis and management. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature on mild pHPT in an effort to better characterize this patient population and to determine whether patients benefit from parathyroidectomy. Evidence suggests that there are patients with mild pHPT who have overt symptoms that are found to improve after parathyroidectomy. There is also a group of patients with biochemically mild pHPT who are found to progress to classic pHPT over time; however, it is not predictable which group of patients this will be. Early intervention for this group with mild pHPT may prevent progression of bone, psychiatric, and renal complications, and parathyroidectomy has proven safe in appropriately selected patients at high volume centers. PMID:25063228

  6. Dual-task as a predictor of falls in older people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: a prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Jessica; Ansai, Juliana Hotta; Masse, Fernando Arturo Arriagada; Vale, Francisco Assis Carvalho; Takahashi, Anielle Cristhine de Medeiros; Andrade, Larissa Pires de

    2018-04-04

    A dual-task tool with a challenging and daily secondary task, which involves executive functions, could facilitate the screening for risk of falls in older people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease. To verify if a motor-cognitive dual-task test could predict falls in older people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease, and to establish cutoff scores for the tool for both groups. A prospective study was conducted with community-dwelling older adults, including 40 with mild cognitive impairment and 38 with mild Alzheimer's disease. The dual-task test consisted of the Timed up and Go Test associated with a motor-cognitive task using a phone to call. Falls were recorded during six months by calendar and monthly telephone calls and the participants were categorized as fallers or non-fallers. In the Mild cognitive impairment Group, fallers presented higher values in time (35.2s), number of steps (33.7 steps) and motor task cost (116%) on dual-task compared to non-fallers. Time, number of steps and motor task cost were significantly associated with falls in people with mild cognitive impairment. Multivariate analysis identified higher number of steps spent on the test to be independently associated with falls. A time greater than 23.88s (sensitivity=80%; specificity=61%) and a number of steps over 29.50 (sensitivity=65%; specificity=83%) indicated prediction of risk of falls in the Mild cognitive impairment Group. Among people with Alzheimer's disease, no differences in dual-task between fallers and non-fallers were found and no variable of the tool was able to predict falls. The dual-task predicts falls only in older people with mild cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  7. Do we over treat mild hypertension?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zanchetti, Alberto

    2015-06-01

    The important question whether 'mild' hypertension should or should not be treated by drugs is difficult to answer, because the only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating this question were conducted when the definition of 'mild' hypertension was based on diastolic blood pressure only, whereas the present definition of grade 1 hypertension includes both systolic and diastolic values (SBP/DBP), and the concept of 'mild' hypertension also includes that of low-moderate cardiovascular risk (hypertension only on the basis of expert opinion. However, recent meta-analyses have provided some support to drug treatment intervention in low-moderate risk grade 1 hypertensives and have shown that, when treatment is deferred until organ damage or cardiovascular disease occur, absolute residual risk (events occurring despite treatment) markedly increases. Although evidence favoring therapeutic intervention in mild hypertension is nowadays stronger than expert opinion, meta-analyses are not substitutes for specific RCTs, and the wide BP spans defining grade 1 hypertension as well as the span defining low-moderate risk leave a wide space for individualized or personalized decisions.

  8. Effect of physical activity on memory function in older adults with mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanigawa, Takanori; Takechi, Hajime; Arai, Hidenori; Yamada, Minoru; Nishiguchi, Shu; Aoyama, Tomoki

    2014-10-01

    It is very important to maintain cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive disorder. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the amount of physical activity is associated with memory function in older adults with mild cognitive disorder. A total of 47 older adults with mild cognitive disorder were studied; 30 were diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease and 17 with mild cognitive impairment. The global cognitive function, memory function, physical performance and amount of physical activity were measured in these patients. We divided these patients according to their walking speed (1 m/s). A total of 26 elderly patients were classified as the slow walking group, whereas 21 were classified as the normal walking group. The normal walking group was younger and had significantly better scores than the slow walking group in physical performance. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that only the daily step counts were associated with the Scenery Picture Memory Test in patients of the slow walking group (β=0.471, P=0.031), but not other variables. No variable was significantly associated with the Scenery Picture Memory Test in the normal walking group. Memory function was strongly associated with the amount of physical activity in patients with mild cognitive disorder who showed slow walking speed. The results show that lower physical activities could be a risk factor for cognitive decline, and that cognitive function in the elderly whose motor function and cognitive function are declining can be improved by increasing the amount of physical activity. © 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  9. Continuous tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Y.K.M.

    1978-04-01

    A tokamak configuration is proposed that permits the rapid replacement of a plasma discharge in a ''burn'' chamber by another one in a time scale much shorter than the elementary thermal time constant of the chamber first wall. With respect to the chamber, the effective duty cycle factor can thus be made arbitrarily close to unity minimizing the cyclic thermal stress in the first wall. At least one plasma discharge always exists in the new tokamak configuration, hence, a continuous tokamak. By incorporating adiabatic toroidal compression, configurations of continuous tokamak compressors are introduced. To operate continuous tokamaks, it is necessary to introduce the concept of mixed poloidal field coils, which spatially groups all the poloidal field coils into three sets, all contributing simultaneously to inducing the plasma current and maintaining the proper plasma shape and position. Preliminary numerical calculations of axisymmetric MHD equilibria in continuous tokamaks indicate the feasibility of their continued plasma operation. Advanced concepts of continuous tokamaks to reduce the topological complexity and to allow the burn plasma aspect ratio to decrease for increased beta are then suggested

  10. Low-heat, mild alkaline pretreatment of switchgrass for anaerobic digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Guang; Bierma, Tom; Walker, Paul M

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment under mild heat conditions (100°C or 212°F) on the anaerobic co-digestion of switchgrass. The effects of alkaline concentration, types of alkaline, heating time and rinsing were evaluated. In addition to batch studies, continuous-feed studies were performed in triplicate to identify potential digester operational problems caused by switchgrass co-digestion while accounting for uncertainty due to digester variability. Few studies have examined anaerobic digestion of switchgrass or the effects of mild heating to enhance alkaline pretreatment prior to biomass digestion. Results indicate that pretreatment can significantly enhance digestion of coarse-ground (≤ 0.78 cm particle size) switchgrass. Energy conversion efficiency as high as 63% was observed, and was comparable or superior to fine-grinding as a pretreatment method. The optimal NaOH concentration was found to be 5.5% (wt/wt alkaline/biomass) with a 91.7% moisture level. No evidence of operational problems such as solids build-up, poor mixing, or floating materials were observed. These results suggest the use of waste heat from a generator could reduce the concentration of alkaline required to adequately pretreat lignocellulosic feedstock prior to anaerobic digestion.

  11. Wechsler Memory Scale-III Faces test performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seelye, Adriana M; Howieson, Diane B; Wild, Katherine V; Moore, Mindy Milar; Kaye, Jeffrey A

    2009-08-01

    Little is known about the sensitivity of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) Faces subtest to memory impairment associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this study, Faces performance was examined in 24 MCI patients, 46 mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and 98 elderly controls. We hypothesized that participants with diagnoses of MCI or AD would be impaired relative to controls on Faces. Analyses showed that AD participants performed significantly worse than MCI and intact participants, although there were no significant differences between MCI and intact participants. Data suggest that brain areas specialized for face recognition memory may be less affected by MCI and mild AD than regions specialized for verbal memory.

  12. [Definition and clinical characteristics of mild hypertension].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saruta, Takao

    2008-08-01

    Mild hypertension is defined as blood pressure level of 140-159 mmHg systolic and/or 90-99 mmHg diastolic. The patients with blood pressure level of mild hypertension occupy about 60% of total hypertensive patients in Japan, and most of them are free of subjective symptoms except elevated blood pressure. However, some of the patients with mild hypertension develop cardiovascular events, since thay have occasionally cardiovascular damages on this level of blood pressure and several risk factors of cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

  13. Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... more: Key Types of Dementia , What Is Alzheimer's? , Alzheimer's Risk Factors Symptoms back to top Experts classify Mild cognitive ... in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy 2014 Thor Stein Genetic Risk Factors Underlying Chronic Trauma and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology 2014 Kun Ping Lu Validation of ...

  14. Designing and simulation smart multifunctional continuous logic device as a basic cell of advanced high-performance sensor systems with MIMO-structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasilenko, Vladimir G.; Nikolskyy, Aleksandr I.; Lazarev, Alexander A.

    2015-01-01

    We have proposed a design and simulation of hardware realizations of smart multifunctional continuous logic devices (SMCLD) as advanced basic cells of the sensor systems with MIMO- structure for images processing and interconnection. The SMCLD realize function of two-valued, multi-valued and continuous logics with current inputs and current outputs. Such advanced basic cells realize function nonlinear time-pulse transformation, analog-to-digital converters and neural logic. We showed advantages of such elements. It's have a number of advantages: high speed and reliability, simplicity, small power consumption, high integration level. The conception of construction of SMCLD consists in the use of a current mirrors realized on 1.5μm technology CMOS transistors. Presence of 50÷70 transistors, 1 PD and 1 LED makes the offered circuits quite compact. The simulation results of NOT, MIN, MAX, equivalence (EQ), normalize summation, averaging and other functions, that implemented SMCLD, showed that the level of logical variables can change from 0.1μA to 10μA for low-power consumption variants. The SMCLD have low power consumption <1mW and processing time about 1÷11μS at supply voltage 2.4÷3.3V.

  15. Equation model on continuing professional development and career advancement: Evidences among certified public accountants in Davao City, Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel B. Tan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper determined the effectiveness of Continuing Professional Development (CPD to the career advancement of Certified Public Accountant (CPA when analysed by profile. Respondents were 100 CPAs from Davao City fairly distributed as to age, sex, sector connected, year working and credit unit earned. The study covered periods 2010-2013. The paper employed descriptive-quantitative design and used a validated, self-construct questionnaire as instrument. The sampling technique employed was stratified. Data were gathered through survey and personal interview. The statistical treatments used were frequency, mean, ANOVA and logistical regression. The critical alpha was set at.05 level of significance. Results revealed that majority of active CPD participants were young, female CPAs. The extent of participation was found minimum. The overall level of contribution of CPD to career advancement was held negligible although CPD showed strongest impact on improvement of financial income and weakest on enhancement of personal competencies. Further, the study found that no significant difference exists between the level of CPD contribution and career advancement of CPA when grouped according to profile. This suggests that demographics such as age, sex, sector belonged and working years have no statistical impact on the level of CPD contribution. The predictor variable which is CPD credit unit has shown statistical influence to career advancement. The strength of association is determined by a model CPD = -2.67 + 0.43units_earnedCPD. Thus, CPAs must capitalize on best practice participation and meaningful engagements with CPD as a springboard to personal and professional success.

  16. Learning and using technology in intertwined processes: a study of people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberg, Lena; Nygård, Louise

    2014-09-01

    People with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease are likely to be challenged by the multitude of everyday technology in today's society. The aim of this study was to explore how they try to prohibit, avoid or solve problems in everyday technology use, maintain skills, and learn to use new technology. To explore how the participants applied and reasoned about using everyday technology in real-life situations interviews were conducted while the participants used their own technology in their homes. Interviews were conducted with 20 participants with mild cognitive impairment (n = 10) or Alzheimer's disease (n = 10). The analyses were inspired from grounded theory and resulted in one core category and three sub-categories that represent sub-processes in the core. The core finding presents a continuous, intertwined process of learning and using everyday technology, highlighting how the context was interwoven in the processes. The participants used a rich variety of management strategies when approaching technology, including communication with the everyday technologies on different levels. The findings underscore that it is important to support continued use of everyday technology as long as it is valued and relevant to the person with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. The intertwined process of learning and using everyday technology suggests how support could target different sub-processes. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  17. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... mild Traumatic Brain Injury Resilience Families with Kids Depression Families & Friendships Tobacco Life Stress Spirituality Anger Physical Injury Stigma Health & Wellness Work Adjustment Community Peer-2-Peer Forum ...

  18. Do epigenetic events take place in the vastus lateralis of patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ester Puig-Vilanova

    Full Text Available Muscle dysfunction is a major comorbidity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD. Several biological mechanisms including epigenetic events regulate muscle mass and function in models of muscle atrophy. Investigations conducted so far have focused on the elucidation of biological mechanisms involved in muscle dysfunction in advanced COPD. We assessed whether the epigenetic profile may be altered in the vastus lateralis of patients with mild COPD, normal body composition, and mildly impaired muscle function and exercise capacity. In vastus lateralis (VL of mild COPD patients with well-preserved body composition and in healthy age-matched controls, expression of DNA methylation, muscle-enriched microRNAs, histone acetyltransferases (HTAs and deacetylases (HDACs, protein acetylation, small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO ligases, and muscle structure were explored. All subjects were clinically evaluated. Compared to healthy controls, in the VL of mild COPD patients, muscle function and exercise capacity were moderately reduced, DNA methylation levels did not differ, miR-1 expression levels were increased and positively correlated with both forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 and quadriceps force, HDAC4 protein levels were increased, and muscle fiber types and sizes were not different. Moderate skeletal muscle dysfunction is a relevant feature in patients with mild COPD and preserved body composition. Several epigenetic events are differentially expressed in the limb muscles of these patients, probably as an attempt to counterbalance the underlying mechanisms that alter muscle function and mass. The study of patients at early stages of their disease is of interest as they are a target for timely therapeutic interventions that may slow down the course of the disease and prevent the deleterious effects of major comorbidities.

  19. Recent neuroimaging techniques in mild traumatic brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belanger, Heather G; Vanderploeg, Rodney D; Curtiss, Glenn; Warden, Deborah L

    2007-01-01

    Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by acute physiological changes that result in at least some acute cognitive difficulties and typically resolve by 3 months postinjury. Because the majority of mild TBI patients have normal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/computed tomography (CT) scans, there is increasing attention directed at finding objective physiological correlates of persistent cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms through experimental neuroimaging techniques. The authors review studies utilizing these techniques in patients with mild TBI; these techniques may provide more sensitive assessment of structural and functional abnormalities following mild TBI. Particular promise is evident with fMRI, PET, and SPECT scanning, as demonstrated by associations between brain activation and clinical outcomes.

  20. Advanced design cultures long-term perspective and continuous innovation

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This book describes new thinking and practice in Advanced Design (ADD) – design that is not merely highly developed but anticipates the future by envisioning novel products and processes. The focus is especially on the front end of innovation and the search for solutions in complex pioneering processes using design-related tools and practices. The book opens by describing these tools, the approaches that characterize ADD, and its historical dimension. Specific fields in which ADD has flourished are then examined, exploring the dynamics between research and design. The coverage ranges from transportation, lighting, and electrical appliances through to business networks, technology parks, and the development of ground-breaking materials. AdvanceDesign is the name of the research group at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy’s largest technical university) of which the authors are members. It was chosen to reflect both the “advanced”, tangible dimension of design in terms of modern product development, mater...

  1. Advanced techniques for energy-efficient industrial-scale continuous chromatography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DeCarli, J.P. II (Dow Chemical Co., Midland, MI (USA)); Carta, G. (Virginia Univ., Charlottesville, VA (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering); Byers, C.H. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA))

    1989-11-01

    Continuous annular chromatography (CAC) is a developing technology that allows truly continuous chromatographic separations. Previous work has demonstrated the utility of this technology for the separation of various materials by isocratic elution on a bench scale. Novel applications and improved operation of the process were studied in this work, demonstrating that CAC is a versatile apparatus which is capable of separations at high throughput. Three specific separation systems were investigated. Pilot-scale separations at high loadings were performed using an industrial sugar mixture as an example of scale-up for isocratic separations. Bench-scale experiments of a low concentration metal ion mixture were performed to demonstrate stepwise elution, a chromatographic technique which decreases dilution and increases sorbent capacity. Finally, the separation of mixtures of amino acids by ion exchange was investigated to demonstrate the use of displacement development on the CAC. This technique, which perhaps has the most potential, when applied to the CAC allowed simultaneous separation and concentration of multicomponent mixtures on a continuous basis. Mathematical models were developed to describe the CAC performance and optimize the operating conditions. For all the systems investigated, the continuous separation performance of the CAC was found to be very nearly the same as the batchwise performance of conventional chromatography. the technology appears, thus, to be very promising for industrial applications. 43 figs., 9 tabs.

  2. Visualizing Hyperactivation in Neurodegeneration Based on Prefrontal Oxygenation: A Comparative Study of Mild Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Healthy Controls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kah Hui Yap

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Cognitive performance is relatively well preserved during early cognitive impairment owing to compensatory mechanisms.Methods: We explored functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS alongside a semantic verbal fluency task (SVFT to investigate any compensation exhibited by the prefrontal cortex (PFC in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD. In addition, a group of healthy controls (HC was studied. A total of 61 volunteers (31 HC, 12 patients with MCI and 18 patients with mild AD took part in the present study.Results: Although not statistically significant, MCI exhibited a greater mean activation of both the right and left PFC, followed by HC and mild AD. Analysis showed that in the left PFC, the time taken for HC to achieve the activation level was shorter than MCI and mild AD (p = 0.0047 and 0.0498, respectively; in the right PFC, mild AD took a longer time to achieve the activation level than HC and MCI (p = 0.0469 and 0.0335, respectively; in the right PFC, HC, and MCI demonstrated a steeper slope compared to mild AD (p = 0.0432 and 0. 0107, respectively. The results were, however, not significant when corrected by the Bonferroni-Holm method. There was also found to be a moderately positive correlation (R = 0.5886 between the oxygenation levels in the left PFC and a clinical measure [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE score] in MCI subjects uniquely.Discussion: The hyperactivation in MCI coupled with a better SVFT performance may suggest neural compensation, although it is not known to what degree hyperactivation manifests as a potential indicator of compensatory mechanisms. However, hypoactivation plus a poorer SVFT performance in mild AD might indicate an inability to compensate due to the degree of structural impairment.Conclusion: Consistent with the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition, the task-elicited hyperactivation in MCI might reflect the presence of compensatory mechanisms and

  3. Continuous DC-CIK infusions restore CD8+ cellular immunity, physical activity and improve clinical efficacy in advanced cancer patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yan-Jie; Jiang, Ni; Song, Qing-Kun; Wu, Jiang-Ping; Song, Yu-Guang; Zhang, Hong-Mei; Chen, Feng; Zhou, Lei; Wang, Xiao-Li; Zhou, Xin-Na; Yang, Hua-Bing; Ren, Jun; Lyerly, Herbert Kim

    2015-01-01

    There are few choices for treatment of advanced cancer patients who do not respond to or tolerate conventional anti-cancer treatments. Therefore this study aimed to deploy the benefits and clinical efficacy of continuous dendritic cell-cytokine induced killer cell infusions in such patients. A total of 381 infusions (from 67 advanced cases recruited) were included in this study. All patients underwent peripheral blood mononuclear cell apheresis for the following cellular therapy and dendritic cells-cytokine induced killer cells were expanded in vitro. Peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets were quantified through flow cytometry to address the cellular immunity status. Clinical efficacy and physical activities were evaluated by RECIST criteria and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores respectively. Logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between cellular infusions and clinical benefits. An average of 5.7±2.94x10(9) induced cells were infused each time and patients were exposed to 6 infusions. Cellular immunity was improved in that cytotoxic CD8+CD28+T lymphocytes were increased by 74% and suppressive CD8+CD28-T lymphocytes were elevated by 16% (p<0.05). Continuous infusion of dendritic cells-cytokine induced killer cells was associated with improvement of both patient status and cellular immunity. A median of six infusions were capable of reducing risk of progression by 70% (95%CI 0.10-0.91). Every elevation of one ECOG score corresponded to a 3.90-fold higher progression risk (p<0.05) and 1% increase of CD8+CD28- T cell proportion reflecting a 5% higher risk of progression (p<0.05). In advanced cancer patients, continuous dendritic cell-cytokine induced killer cell infusions are capable of recovering cellular immunity, improving patient status and quality of life in those who are unresponsive to conventional cancer treatment.

  4. Possibility of objective diagnosis in patients with mild Alzheimer-type dementia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodama, Naoki; Shimada, Tetsuo; Kaeriyama, Tomoharu; Kaneko, Tomoyuki; Fukumoto, Ichiro; Okamoto, Koichiro

    2003-01-01

    In this study, patients with mild Alzheimer-type dementia were compared with healthy elderly volunteers by means of 12 features to evaluate the possibility of objective diagnosis of mild dementia. The subjects included 9 patients with questionable dementia, 14 patients with mild dementia, and 30 healthy elderly volunteers as controls. In addition, the 23 patients with questionable or mild dementia were included in the mild Alzheimer-type dementia group. A statistically significant difference was found between the mild Alzheimer-type dementia group and the healthy volunteers in 4 of the 10 textural features. Discriminant analysis using these 4 features demonstrated a sensitivity of 87.0% and a specificity of 66.7%. These results suggest the possibility of objective diagnosis in patients with mild Alzheimer-type dementia. (author)

  5. Different perception of cognitive impairment, behavioral disturbances, and functional disabilities between persons with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onor, M L; Trevisiol, M; Negro, C; Aguglia, E

    2006-01-01

    Insight in dementia is a multifaceted concept and ability, which includes the persons' perception of their behavioral and cognitive symptoms and functional disability. This ability seems to deteriorate as dementia progresses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of insight in the cognitive, behavioral, and functional disorders in a group of persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild AD (Alzheimer's disease) and to compare their perception of their illness with that of their caregivers. The study involved a group of 121 persons with MCI and mild AD and their caregivers. The persons with MCI and mild AD were administered the tests Mini-Mental State Examination, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Activities of Daily Living, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Schedule for the Assessment of Insight, Clinical Insight Rating Scale, and a short interview. Major differences were identified between how the persons with MCI or mild AD and their caregivers perceived the persons' cognitive and behavioral disorders. The group with MCI or mild AD underestimated their deficits, which were considered serious and disabling by their caregivers.

  6. Leucopenia and treatment efficacy in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su, Zhen; Mao, Yan-Ping; OuYang, Pu-Yun; Tang, Jie; Lan, Xiao-Wen; Xie, Fang-Yun

    2015-01-01

    Leucopenia or neutropenia during chemotherapy predicts better survival in several cancers. We aimed to assess whether leucopenia could be a biological measure of treatment and a marker of efficacy in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC). We retrospectively analyzed 3826 patients with ANPC who received chemoradiotherapy. Leucopenia was categorised on the basis of worst grade during treatment according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 4.0: no leucopenia (grade 0), mild leucopenia (grade 1–2), and severe leucopenia (grade 3–4). Associations between leucopenia and survival were estimated by Cox proportional hazards model. Of the 3826 patients, 2511 (65.6 %) developed mild leucopenia (grade 1–2) and 807 (21.1 %) developed severe leucopenia (grade 3–4) during treatment; 508 (13.3 %) did not. A multivariate Cox model that included leucopenia determined that the hazard ratios (HR) of death for patients with mild and severe leucopenia were 0.69 [95 % confidence interval (95 %CI) 0.56-0.85, p < 0.001] and 0.75 (95 %CI 0.59-0.95, p = 0.019), respectively; the HR of distant metastasis for patients with mild and severe leucopenia were 0.77 (95 %CI 0.61-0.96, p = 0.023) and 0.99 (95 %CI 0.77-1.29, p = 0.995), respectively. Leucopenia had no effect on locoregional relapse. Our results indicate that mild leucopenia during chemoradiotherapy is associated with improved overall survival and distant metastasis–free survival in ANPC. Mild leucopenia may indicate appropriate dosage of chemotherapy. We can identify the patients who may benefit from chemotherapy if they experienced leucopenia during the treatment. Prospective trials are required to assess whether dosing adjustments based on leucopenia may improve chemotherapy efficacy

  7. Gait, dual task and history of falls in elderly with preserved cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansai, Juliana H; Andrade, Larissa P; Rossi, Paulo G; Takahashi, Anielle C M; Vale, Francisco A C; Rebelatto, José R

    Studies with functional and applicable methods and new cognitive demands involving executive function are needed to improve screening, prevention and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment and falls. to identify differences in gait, dual task performances, and history of falls between elderly people with preserved cognition, mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 40 community-dwelling older adults with preserved cognition, 40 older adults with mild cognitive impairment, and 38 older adults with mild Alzheimer's disease. The assessment consisted of anamneses, gait (measured by the 10-meter walk test), dual task (measured by the Timed Up and Go Test associated with the motor-cognitive task of calling a phone number), and history of falls in the past year. There were no differences among all groups for all variables. However, the Alzheimer's disease Group performed significantly worse in the dual task than the other groups. No item of dual task could distinguish people with preserved cognition from those with mild cognitive impairment. The groups with cognitive impairment included more fallers, and specific characteristics in history of falls between groups were identified. Dual task could distinguish Alzheimer's disease patients specifically from other cognitive profiles. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  8. A Survey of Past Work on Rates of Advance in Land Combat Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-02-01

    Weather: Clear, mild, cold, snow, fog, rain, misty , fair-again objective definitions are not provided. c. Type action: Pursuit, limited objective...90-03 SIMPKIN-1984 J 1. Document: a. Title: Red Armour b. Author: Simpkin, Richard E. c. Date: 1984 d. Organiation: Pergamon Press Ltd, Oxford e...8217Mechanised advances on roads average about 35 miles,’day, advances on the best days achieving 50 miles for typical armoured division wheel/track mixes

  9. Continuous Improvement in Education. Advancing Teaching--Improving Learning. White Paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sandra; Hironaka, Stephanie; Carver, Penny; Nordstrum, Lee

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, "continuous improvement" has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education. This white paper attempts…

  10. Mechanical behaviour of Zn-Fe alloy coated mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panagopoulos, C.N.; Georgiou, E.P.; Agathocleous, P.E.; Giannakopoulos, K.I.

    2009-01-01

    Zinc alloy coatings containing various amounts of Fe were deposited by electrodeposition technique on a mild steel substrate. The concentration of Fe in the produced alloy coatings ranged from 0 to 14 wt.%, whereas the thickness of the coatings was about 50 μm. Structural and metallurgical characterization of the produced coatings was performed with the aid of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. This study aims in investigating the mechanical behaviour of Zn-Fe coated mild steel specimens, as no research investigation concerning the tensile behaviour of Zn alloy coated ferrous alloys has been reported in the past. The experimental results indicated that the ultimate tensile strength of the Zn-Fe coated mild steel was lower than the bare mild steel. In addition, the ductility of the Zn-Fe coated mild steel was found to decrease significantly with increasing Fe content in the coating.

  11. Socioeconomic disparities in work performance following mild stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brey, Joseph K; Wolf, Timothy J

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among the factors that influence return to work for young individuals with mild stroke from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Prospective cohort study of working adults with mild stroke (N = 21). Participants completed an assessment battery of cognitive, work environment and work performance measures at approximately 3 weeks and 7 months post mild stroke. Individuals were placed in "skilled" and "unskilled" worker categories based on the Hollingshead Index. Unskilled workers had significantly poorer scores on the majority of the cognitive assessments. Unskilled workers also perceived less social support (p = 0.017) and autonomy (p = 0.049) in work responsibilities than individuals in the skilled worker group and also reported significantly poorer work productivity due to stroke than those in the skilled group (p = 0.015). Individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds have more difficulty returning to work following mild stroke than individuals from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Future work is needed to identify factors that can increase long-term work success and quality of work performance following a mild stroke that specifically targets the needs of individuals who have a lower socioeconomic status.

  12. Continued seasonal circulation of enterovirus D68 in the Netherlands, 2011-2014.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijer, A.; Benschop, K.S.; Donker, G.A.; Avoort, H.G. van der

    2014-01-01

    Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) continued to circulate in a seasonal pattern in the Netherlands, after the outbreak in 2010. Outpatient EV-D68 cases, mainly in the under 20 and 50–59 years age groups, presented with relatively mild respiratory disease. Hospital-based enterovirus surveillance identified

  13. Twenty-five-year experience with the Björk-Shiley convexoconcave heart valve: a continuing clinical concern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blot, William J; Ibrahim, Michel A; Ivey, Tom D; Acheson, Donald E; Brookmeyer, Ron; Weyman, Arthur; Defauw, Joseph; Smith, J Kermit; Harrison, Donald

    2005-05-31

    The first Björk-Shiley convexoconcave (BSCC) prosthetic heart valves were implanted in 1978. The 25th anniversary provided a stimulus to summarize the research data relevant to BSCC valve fracture, patient management, and current clinical options. Published and unpublished data on the risks of BSCC valve fracture and replacement were compiled, and strategies for identifying candidates for prophylactic valve reoperation were summarized. By December 2003, outlet strut fractures (OSFs), often with fatal outcomes, had been reported in 633 BSCC valves (0.7% of 86,000 valves implanted). Fractures still continue to occur, but average rates of OSFs in 60 degrees valves are now valve characteristics, especially valve angle and size, with weaker effects associated with other manufacturing variables. OSF risks are mildly lower among women than men but decline sharply with advancing age. The risks of valve replacement typically greatly exceed those of OSF. By comparing individualized estimated risks of OSF versus valve replacement, guidelines have been developed to identify the small percentage of BSCC patients (mostly younger men) who would be expected to have a gain in life expectancy should reoperative surgery be performed. Twenty-five years after the initial BSCC valve implants, fractures continue to occur. Continued monitoring of BSCC patients is needed to track and quantify risks and enable periodic updating of guidelines for patients and their physicians.

  14. Cost-effectiveness of continuation maintenance pemetrexed after cisplatin and pemetrexed chemotherapy for advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer: estimates from the perspective of the Chinese health care system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Xiaohui; Peng, Liubao; Li, Jianhe; Chen, Gannong; Tan, Chongqing; Wang, Siying; Wan, Xiaomin; Ouyang, Lihui; Zhao, Ziying

    2013-01-01

    Continuation maintenance treatment with pemetrexed is approved by current clinical guidelines as a category 2A recommendation after induction therapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed chemotherapy (CP strategy) for patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the cost-effectiveness of the treatment remains unclear. We completed a trial-based assessment, from the perspective of the Chinese health care system, of the cost-effectiveness of maintenance pemetrexed treatment after a CP strategy for patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. A Markov model was developed to estimate costs and benefits. It was based on a clinical trial that compared continuation maintenance pemetrexed therapy plus best supportive care (BSC) versus placebo plus BSC after a CP strategy for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the stability of the model. The model base case analysis suggested that continuation maintenance pemetrexed therapy after a CP strategy would increase benefits in a 1-, 2-, 5-, or 10-year time horizon, with incremental costs of $183,589.06, $126,353.16, $124,766.68, and $124,793.12 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, respectively. The most sensitive influential variable in the cost-effectiveness analysis was the utility of the progression-free survival state, followed by proportion of patients with postdiscontinuation therapy in both arms, proportion of BSC costs for PFS versus progressed survival state, and cost of pemetrexed. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the cost-effective probability of adding continuation maintenance pemetrexed therapy to BSC was zero. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses revealed that the Markov model was robust. Continuation maintenance of pemetrexed after a CP strategy for patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC is not cost-effective based on a recent clinical trial. Decreasing the price or adjusting the dosage of pemetrexed may be a better option

  15. The role of cisplatin in chemotherapy of advanced breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jurga, L; Misurova, E; Kovac, V [Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, University Teaching Hospital, 04190 Kosice (Slovak Republic); Sevcikova, L [Department of Radiotherapy, Postgraduate School of Medicine, 81259 Bratislava (Slovak Republic)

    1994-12-31

    Cisplatin containing regimes as first-time, second-time or as third-line chemotherapy were administered in 26 and 36 patients, respectively. The overall response rate in patients on first-line chemotherapy was 53.9 %, in patients on on second or third-line chemotherapy 30.6 %. The differences both in overall and disease-free survival between patients on first-line and on second/third-line chemotherapy were statistically significant in favor of women treated with first-line chemotherapy (p = 0.05). Hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities were mild to moderate and were more pronounced in patients on second and third-line chemotherapy. The overall response date, disease-free survival and overall survival were significantly better and longer in the group of patients treated with `bolus` cisplatin in comparison to the group of patients treated with continuous venous infusion cisplatin. Our results confirm the activity of cisplatin-containing regimes (mainly CAP schedules) in patients with advanced breast cancer not only as first-line therapy but also in heavily pretreated patients by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and endocrine manipulation. (author) 10 tabs., 21 refs.

  16. Cognitive Profile of Elderly Patients with Mild Stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arne Gramstad

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: A pattern characterizing cognitive deficits in mild stroke could help in differential diagnosis and rehabilitation planning. Methods: Fifty patients with mild stroke (modified Rankin scale ≤2 at discharge aged >60 years were given the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE, the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R and the Stroop test. Results: On HVLT-R, significant impairments were found in learning and recall, but not in delayed recall. The Stroop test revealed significant impairments in reading speed, but not in color-word interference. Using the MMSE, significant deficits were only found in the youngest age group. Conclusion: Elderly patients with mild stroke show deficits in verbal learning/recall and in reading speed, but not in the MMSE, delayed recall or color-word interference. The deficits are consistent with a mild-to-moderate brain dysfunction, with relative sparing of medial brain structures.

  17. Mild-moderate congenital hearing loss: secular trends in outcomes across four systems of detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carew, P; Mensah, F K; Rance, G; Flynn, T; Poulakis, Z; Wake, M

    2018-01-01

    Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) targets moderate or greater hearing loss. However, UNHS also frequently detects children with mild loss that results in many receiving early treatment. The benefits of this approach are not yet established. We aimed to (i) compare language and psychosocial outcomes between four hearing loss detection systems for children aged 5-8 years with congenital mild-moderate hearing loss; (ii) determine whether age of detection predicts outcomes; and (iii) compare outcomes between children identified via well-established UNHS and the general population. Linear regression adjusted for potential confounding factors was used throughout. Via a quasi-experimental design, language and psychosocial outcomes were compared across four population-based Australian systems of hearing loss detection: opportunistic detection, born 1991-1993, n = 50; universal risk factor referral, born 2003-2005, n = 34; newly established UNHS, born 2003-2005, n = 41; and well-established UNHS, born 2007-2010, n = 21. In pooled analyses, we examined whether age of detection predicted outcomes. Outcomes were similarly compared between the current well-established UNHS system and typically developing children in the Early Language in Victoria Study, born 2003, n = 1217. Age at diagnosis and hearing aid fitting fell steadily across the four systems. For moderate losses, mean expressive language (P for trend .05) and receptive vocabulary (P for trend .06) improved across the four systems, but benefit was not obvious for mild losses. In pooled analyses, diagnosis before age six months predicted better language outcomes for moderate losses. Children with mild-moderate losses exposed to well-established UNHS continue to experience expressive language scores well below children in the general population (adjusted mean difference -8.9 points, 95% CI -14.7 to -3.1). Treatment arising from UNHS appears to be clearly benefitting children with moderate hearing

  18. Serum C-reactive protein and thioredoxin levels in subjects with mildly reduced glomerular filtration rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishimura Eiji

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD is a newly recognized high-risk condition for cardiovascular disease (CVD, and previous studies reported the changes in inflammation and oxidative stress in advanced stages of CKD. We compared the levels of serum biomarkers for inflammation and oxidative stress between subjects with normal and mildly reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR. Methods The subjects were 182 participants of a health check-up program including those with normal (≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m2, N = 79 and mildly reduced eGFR (60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2, N = 103 which was calculated based on serum creatinine, age and sex. We excluded those with reduced eGFR 2. No one had proteinuria. We measured serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP and thioredoxin (TRX as the markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, respectively. Results As compared with subjects with normal eGFR, those with mildly reduced eGFR had increased levels of both CRP and TRX. Also, eGFR was inversely correlated with these biomarkers. The associations of eGFR with these biomarkers remained significant after adjustment for age and sex. When adjustment was done for eight possible confounders, CRP showed significant association with systolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C and non-HDL-C, whereas TRX was associated with sex significantly, and with eGFR and systolic blood pressure at borderline significance. Conclusions We showed the increased levels of CRP and TRX in subjects with mildly reduced eGFR. The eGFR-CRP link and the eGFR-TRX link appeared to be mediated, at least partly, by the alterations in blood pressure and plasma lipids in these subjects.

  19. Continuous downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jungbauer, Alois

    2013-08-01

    Continuous manufacturing has been applied in many different industries but has been pursued reluctantly in biotechnology where the batchwise process is still the standard. A shift to continuous operation can improve productivity of a process and substantially reduce the footprint. Continuous operation also allows robust purification of labile biomolecules. A full set of unit operations is available to design continuous downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals. Chromatography, the central unit operation, is most advanced in respect to continuous operation. Here, the problem of 'batch' definition has been solved. This has also paved the way for implementation of continuous downstream processing from a regulatory viewpoint. Economic pressure, flexibility, and parametric release considerations will be the driving force to implement continuous manufacturing strategies in future. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Effect of air preheat temperature on the MILD combustion of syngas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Mingming; Zhang, Zhedian; Shao, Weiwei; Xiong, Yan; Liu, Yan; Lei, Fulin; Xiao, Yunhan

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • MILD combustion is achieved with reaction zone covering the entire combustion chamber. • Critical equivalence ratio for the occurrence of MILD combustion is identified. • MILD regime can be established for syngas fuel under air preheating conditions. - Abstract: The effect of air preheat temperature on MILD (Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution) combustion of coal-derived syngas was examined in parallel jet forward flow combustor. The results were presented on flow field using numerical simulations and on global flame signatures, OH ∗ radicals distribution and exhaust emissions using experiments. The discrete and high speed air/fuel injections into the combustor is necessary for the establishment of MILD conditions, because they cause strong gas recirculation and form large mixing region between the air and fuel jets. The critical equivalence ratio above which MILD combustion occurred was identified. The MILD regime was established for syngas fuel under air preheating conditions with lean operational limit and suppressed NO x and CO emissions. In the MILD combustion regime, the air preheating resulted in higher NO x but lower CO emissions, while the increase of equivalence ratio led to the increase of NO x and the decrease of CO emissions

  1. Does gender matter? Differences in social-emotional behavior among infants and toddlers before and after mild traumatic brain injury: a preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaldoja, Mari-Liis; Kolk, Anneli

    2015-06-01

    Traumatic brain injury is a common cause of acquired disability in childhood. While much is known about cognitive sequelae of brain trauma, gender-specific social-emotional problems in children with mild traumatic brain injury is far less understood. The aims of the study were to investigate gender differences in social-emotional behavior before and after mild traumatic brain injury. Thirty-five 3- to 65-month-old children with mild traumatic brain injury and 70 controls were assessed with Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional. Nine months later, 27 of 35 patients and 54 of 70 controls were reassessed. We found that before injury, boys had more self-regulation and autonomy difficulties and girls had problems with adaptive functioning. Nine months after injury, boys continued to struggle with self-regulation and autonomy and new difficulties with interaction had emerged, whereas in girls, problems in interaction had evolved. Even mild traumatic brain injury in early childhood disrupts normal social-emotional development having especially devastating influence on interaction skills. © The Author(s) 2014.

  2. Simultaneous nitrate reduction and acetaminophen oxidation using the continuous-flow chemical-less VUV process as an integrated advanced oxidation and reduction process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moussavi, Gholamreza; Shekoohiyan, Sakine

    2016-11-15

    This work was aimed at investigating the performance of the continuous-flow VUV photoreactor as a novel chemical-less advanced process for simultaneously oxidizing acetaminophen (ACT) as a model of pharmaceuticals and reducing nitrate in a single reactor. Solution pH was an important parameter affecting the performance of VUV; the highest ACT oxidation and nitrate reduction attained at solution pH between 6 and 8. The ACT was oxidized mainly by HO while the aqueous electrons were the main working agents in the reduction of nitrate. The performance of VUV photoreactor improved with the increase of hydraulic retention time (HRT); the complete degradation of ACT and ∼99% reduction of nitrate with 100% N2 selectivity achieved at HRT of 80min. The VUV effluent concentrations of nitrite and ammonium at HRT of 80min were below the drinking water standards. The real water sample contaminated with the ACT and nitrate was efficiently treated in the VUV photoreactor. Therefore, the VUV photoreactor is a chemical-less advanced process in which both advanced oxidation and advanced reduction reactions are accomplished. This unique feature possesses VUV photoreactor as a promising method of treating water contaminated with both pharmaceutical and nitrate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Memory complaints in subjective cognitive impairment, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Seon Young; Lee, Sang Bong; Kim, Tae Woo; Lee, Taek Jun

    2016-12-01

    Memory complaints are a frequent phenomenon in elderly individuals and can lead to opportunistic help-seeking behavior. The aim of this study was to compare different aspects of memory complaints (i.e., prospective versus retrospective complaints) in individuals with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study included a total of 115 participants (mean age: 68.82 ± 8.83 years) with SCI (n = 34), aMCI (n = 46), and mild AD (n = 35). Memory complaints were assessed using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), which consists of 16 items that describe everyday memory failure of both prospective memory (PM) and retrospective memory (RM). For aMCI and AD subjects, informants also completed an informant-rating of the PRMQ. All participants completed detailed neuropsychological tests. Results show that PM complaints were equivalent among the three groups. However, RM complaints differed. Specifically, RM complaints in aMCI were higher than SCI, but similar to AD. Informant-reported memory complaints were higher for AD than aMCI. Our study suggests that RM complaints of memory complaints may be helpful in discriminating between SCI and aMCI, but both PM and RM complaints are of limited value in differentiating aMCI from AD.

  4. Implementation of an advanced hybrid MPC-PID control system using PAT tools into a direct compaction continuous pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing pilot plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ravendra; Sahay, Abhishek; Karry, Krizia M; Muzzio, Fernando; Ierapetritou, Marianthi; Ramachandran, Rohit

    2014-10-01

    It is desirable for a pharmaceutical final dosage form to be manufactured through a quality by design (QbD)-based approach rather than a quality by testing (QbT) approach. An automatic feedback control system coupled with PAT tools that is part of the QbD paradigm shift, has the potential to ensure that the pre-defined end product quality attributes are met in a time and cost efficient manner. In this work, an advanced hybrid MPC-PID control architecture coupled with real time inline/online monitoring tools and principal components analysis (PCA) based additional supervisory control layer has been proposed for a continuous direct compaction tablet manufacturing process. The advantages of both MPC and PID have been utilized in a hybrid scheme. The control hardware and software integration and implementation of the control system has been demonstrated using feeders and blending unit operation of a continuous tablet manufacturing pilot plant and an NIR based PAT tool. The advanced hybrid MPC-PID control scheme leads to enhanced control loop performance of the critical quality attributes in comparison to a regulatory (e.g. PID) control scheme indicating its potential to improve pharmaceutical product quality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Does the combination of the MMSE and clock drawing test (mini-clock) improve the detection of mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacho, Jesús; Benito-León, Julián; García-García, Ricardo; Fernández-Calvo, Bernardino; Vicente-Villardón, José Luis; Mitchell, Alex J

    2010-01-01

    There is currently a need to develop tools to identify patients with mild AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We determined the validity and reliability of a brief, easily administered cognitive screening battery consisting of fusion of two well-known brief tests (Mini-Mental Status Examination [MMSE] and Clock Drawing Test [CDT]) (Mini-clock) to differentiate between patients with mild AD, MCI, and healthy control subjects. 66 consecutive patients with mild AD, 21 with MCI, and 66 healthy controls seen in a memory clinic setting were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate the cut-off value permitting discrimination between mild AD, MCI, and healthy control subjects. Interrater and test-retest reliability were also assessed. Mean cognitive scores for patients with AD, MCI, and control subjects on all two individual tests were significantly different (for each, p Mini-clock was higher than that obtained with MMSE or CDT in differentiating mild AD from controls (0.973 vs. 0.952 and 0.881, respectively) and MCI from controls (0.855 vs. 0.821 and 0.779, respectively). Test-retest reliability for the Mini-clock was 0.99, meanwhile interrater reliability was 0.87. The mean time to complete the test for all subjects was 8 min and 50 s. The Mini-clock is highly sensitive and specific in the detection of mild AD and reasonably accurate when attempting to separate MCI from health controls. It has a high interrater and test-retest reliability, can be quickly administered, and does not require major training.

  6. Stratigraphy -- The Fall of Continuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byers, Charles W.

    1982-01-01

    Reviews advances in stratigraphy as illustrated in the current geological literature, discussing discontinuity and how the recognition of discontinuity in the stratigraphic record is changing views of Superposition and Original Lateral Continuity. (Author/JN)

  7. A REVIEW OF MILD COMBUSTION AND OPEN FURNACE DESIGN CONSIDERATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.M. Noor

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Combustion is still very important to generate energy. Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution (MILD combustion is one of the best new technologies for clean and efficient combustion. MILD combustion has been proven to be a promising combustion technology in industrial applications with decreased energy consumption due to the uniformity of its temperature distribution. It is clean compared to traditional combustion due to producing low NOx and CO emissions. This article provides a review and discussion of recent research and developments in MILD. The issue and applications are summarized, with some suggestions presented on the upgrading and application of MILD in the future. Currently MILD combustion has been successfully applied in closed furnaces. The preheating of supply air is no longer required since the recirculation inside the enclosed furnace already self-preheats the supply air and self-dilutes the oxygen in the combustion chamber. The possibility of using open furnace MILD combustion will be reviewed. The design consideration for open furnace with exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR was discussed.

  8. Fully integrated biochip platforms for advanced healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrara, Sandro; Ghoreishizadeh, Sara; Olivo, Jacopo; Taurino, Irene; Baj-Rossi, Camilla; Cavallini, Andrea; de Beeck, Maaike Op; Dehollain, Catherine; Burleson, Wayne; Moussy, Francis Gabriel; Guiseppi-Elie, Anthony; De Micheli, Giovanni

    2012-01-01

    Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications.

  9. Self-similar continued root approximants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gluzman, S.; Yukalov, V.I.

    2012-01-01

    A novel method of summing asymptotic series is advanced. Such series repeatedly arise when employing perturbation theory in powers of a small parameter for complicated problems of condensed matter physics, statistical physics, and various applied problems. The method is based on the self-similar approximation theory involving self-similar root approximants. The constructed self-similar continued roots extrapolate asymptotic series to finite values of the expansion parameter. The self-similar continued roots contain, as a particular case, continued fractions and Padé approximants. A theorem on the convergence of the self-similar continued roots is proved. The method is illustrated by several examples from condensed-matter physics.

  10. Statistical parametric mapping in the detection of rCBF changes in mild Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowe, C.; Barnden, L.; Boundy, K.; McKinnon, J.; Liptak, M.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: Reduction in temporoparietal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) is proportional to the degree of cognitive deficit in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The characteristic pattern is readily apparent in advanced disease but is often subtle in early stage AD, reducing the clinical value of SPECT in the management of this condition. We have previously reported that Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM95) revealed significant temporoparietal hypoperfusion when 10 patients with mild AD (classified by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale) were compared to 10 age matched normals. We have now begun to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of SPM95 in individuals with mild AD by comparison to our bank of 39 normals (30 female, 9 male, age range 26 to 74, mean age 52). Preliminary results reveal low sensitivity (<40%) when the standard reference region for normalization (i.e. global brain counts) is used. Better results are expected from normalizing to the cerebellum or basal ganglia and this is under investigation. An objective method to improve the accuracy of rCBF imaging for the diagnosis of early AD would be very useful in clinical practice. This study will demonstrate whether SPM can fulfill this role

  11. Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease-What Is It?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weil, Rimona S; Costantini, Alyssa A; Schrag, Anette E

    2018-03-10

    Mild cognitive impairment is a common feature of Parkinson's disease, even at the earliest disease stages, but there is variation in the nature and severity of cognitive involvement and in the risk of conversion to Parkinson's disease dementia. This review aims to summarise current understanding of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. We consider the presentation, rate of conversion to dementia, underlying pathophysiology and potential biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Finally, we discuss challenges and controversies of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Large-scale longitudinal studies have shown that cognitive involvement is important and common in Parkinson's disease and can present early in the disease course. Recent criteria for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's provide the basis for further study of cognitive decline and for the progression of different cognitive phenotypes and risk of conversion to dementia. Improved understanding of the underlying pathology and progression of cognitive change are likely to lead to opportunities for early intervention for this important aspect of Parkinson's disease.

  12. Detection of Mild Emphysema by Computed Tomography Density Measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vikgren, J.; Friman, O.; Borga, M.; Boijsen, M.; Gustavsson, S.; Bake, B.; Tylen, U.; Ekberg-Jansson, A.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the ability of a conventional density mask method to detect mild emphysema by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT); to analyze factors influencing quantification of mild emphysema; and to validate a new algorithm for detection of mild emphysema. Material and Methods: Fifty-five healthy male smokers and 34 never-smokers, 61-62 years of age, were examined. Emphysema was evaluated visually, by the conventional density mask method, and by a new algorithm compensating for the effects of gravity and artifacts due to motion and the reconstruction algorithm. Effects of the reconstruction algorithm, slice thickness, and various threshold levels on the outcome of the density mask area were evaluated. Results: Forty-nine percent of the smokers had mild emphysema. The density mask area was higher the thinner the slice irrespective of the reconstruction algorithm and threshold level. The sharp algorithm resulted in increased density mask area. The new reconstruction algorithm could discriminate between smokers with and those without mild emphysema, whereas the density mask method could not. The diagnostic ability of the new algorithm was dependent on lung level. At about 90% specificity, sensitivity was 65-100% in the apical levels, but low in the rest of the lung. Conclusion: The conventional density mask method is inadequate for detecting mild emphysema, while the new algorithm improves the diagnostic ability but is nevertheless still imperfect

  13. Digit Symbol Performance in Mild Dementia and Depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Robert P.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Patients with mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT), patients with major depression, and normal control subjects completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Digit Symbol test of incidental memory. Though mild DAT and depressed patients had equivalent deficits in psychomotor speed, DAT patients recalled fewer digit-symbol items.…

  14. Impact of Mild versus Moderate Intensity Aerobic Walking Exercise ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-03-01

    Mar 1, 2014 ... Objective: To compare the effects of mild and moderate intensity treadmill walking exercises on markers of bone ... second group (B) received mild intensity aerobic exercise training. ..... Using functional loading to influence.

  15. Molecular imaging of serotonin degeneration in mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Gwenn S; Barrett, Frederick S; Joo, Jin Hui; Nassery, Najlla; Savonenko, Alena; Sodums, Devin J; Marano, Christopher M; Munro, Cynthia A; Brandt, Jason; Kraut, Michael A; Zhou, Yun; Wong, Dean F; Workman, Clifford I

    2017-09-01

    Neuropathological and neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated degeneration of monoamine systems, especially the serotonin system, in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. The evidence for degeneration of the serotonin system in mild cognitive impairment is limited. Thus, the goal of the present study was to measure the serotonin transporter in vivo in mild cognitive impairment and healthy controls. The serotonin transporter is a selective marker of serotonin terminals and of the integrity of serotonin projections to cortical, subcortical and limbic regions and is found in high concentrations in the serotonergic cell bodies of origin of these projections (raphe nuclei). Twenty-eight participants with mild cognitive impairment (age 66.6±6.9, 16 males) and 28 healthy, cognitively normal, demographically matched controls (age 66.2±7.1, 15 males) underwent magnetic resonance imaging for measurement of grey matter volumes and high-resolution positron emission tomography with well-established radiotracers for the serotonin transporter and regional cerebral blood flow. Beta-amyloid imaging was performed to evaluate, in combination with the neuropsychological testing, the likelihood of subsequent cognitive decline in the participants with mild cognitive impairment. The following hypotheses were tested: 1) the serotonin transporter would be lower in mild cognitive impairment compared to controls in cortical and limbic regions, 2) in mild cognitive impairment relative to controls, the serotonin transporter would be lower to a greater extent and observed in a more widespread pattern than lower grey matter volumes or lower regional cerebral blood flow and 3) lower cortical and limbic serotonin transporters would be correlated with greater deficits in auditory-verbal and visual-spatial memory in mild cognitive impairment, not in controls. Reduced serotonin transporter availability was observed in mild cognitive impairment compared to controls in cortical and limbic

  16. Preliminary questions before studying mild traumatic brain injury outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fayol, P; Carrière, H; Habonimana, D; Dumond, J-J

    2009-07-01

    To point out from the literature the issues in mild traumatic brain injury outcome. METHODOLOGY-RESULTS: The literature review allows to point out several different factors involved in the difficulty to study mild traumatic brain injury: mild traumatic brain injury definition, postconcussional syndrome definition, diagnosis threshold, severity and functional symptoms outcome, neuropsychological tests, unspecific syndrome feature, individual factors, confounding factors and treatment interventions. The mild traumatic brain injury outcome study is complicated by the definitions issues and especially their practical use and by the multiplicity and the intricate interrelationships among involved factors. The individual outcome and social cost weight is widely emphasized for an event still considered as medically trivial. The well-ordered preventive interventions necessity and the targeted treatment programs need for the persisting postconcussive symptoms complete our critical review.

  17. Gait, dual task and history of falls in elderly with preserved cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease

    OpenAIRE

    Ansai, Juliana H.; Andrade, Larissa P.; Rossi, Paulo G.; Takahashi, Anielle C.M.; Vale, Francisco A.C.; Rebelatto, Jos? R.

    2017-01-01

    Background Studies with functional and applicable methods and new cognitive demands involving executive function are needed to improve screening, prevention and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment and falls. Objective to identify differences in gait, dual task performances, and history of falls between elderly people with preserved cognition, mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 40 community-dwelling o...

  18. Effect of continuous recombinant human endostatin pumping combined with TP chemotherapy on serum malignant molecules and angiogenesis molecules in patients with advanced ovarian cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Dong Chen

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To study the effect of continuous recombinant human endostatin pumping combined with TP chemotherapy on serum malignant molecules and angiogenesis molecules in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Methods: 78 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who were treated in our hospital between July 2011 and December 2015 were selected and divided into observation group and control group (n=39 according to the single-blind randomized control method. Before treatment and after 4 cycles of treatment, electrochemical luminescence immunity analyzer was used to detect serum tumor marker levels; RIA method was used to determine serum apoptosis molecule levels; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA was used to detect the serum angiogenesis molecule levels. Results: Before treatment, differences in serum levels of tumor markers, apoptosis molecules and angiogenesis molecules were not statistically significant between two groups of patients (P>0.05. After 4 cycles of treatment, serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125, carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG, Bcl-2, Survivin, Bag-1, angiogenin-2 (Ang-2, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF levels of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group (P<0.05 while Bax level was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05. Conclusions: Continuous recombinant human endostatin pumping combined with TP chemotherapy can decrease the malignant degree of advanced ovarian cancer and inhibit angiogenesis.

  19. Simultaneous nitrate reduction and acetaminophen oxidation using the continuous-flow chemical-less VUV process as an integrated advanced oxidation and reduction process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moussavi, Gholamreza, E-mail: moussavi@modares.ac.ir; Shekoohiyan, Sakine

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • Simultaneous advanced oxidation and reduction processes were explored in VUV system. • Complete reduction of nitrate to N{sub 2} was achieved at the presence of acetaminophen. • Complete degradation of acetaminophen was achieved at the presence of nitrate. • Over 95% of acetaminophen was mineralized in the VUV photoreactor. • VUV is a chemical-less advanced process for treating water emerging contaminants. - Abstract: This work was aimed at investigating the performance of the continuous-flow VUV photoreactor as a novel chemical-less advanced process for simultaneously oxidizing acetaminophen (ACT) as a model of pharmaceuticals and reducing nitrate in a single reactor. Solution pH was an important parameter affecting the performance of VUV; the highest ACT oxidation and nitrate reduction attained at solution pH between 6 and 8. The ACT was oxidized mainly by HO· while the aqueous electrons were the main working agents in the reduction of nitrate. The performance of VUV photoreactor improved with the increase of hydraulic retention time (HRT); the complete degradation of ACT and ∼99% reduction of nitrate with 100% N{sub 2} selectivity achieved at HRT of 80 min. The VUV effluent concentrations of nitrite and ammonium at HRT of 80 min were below the drinking water standards. The real water sample contaminated with the ACT and nitrate was efficiently treated in the VUV photoreactor. Therefore, the VUV photoreactor is a chemical-less advanced process in which both advanced oxidation and advanced reduction reactions are accomplished. This unique feature possesses VUV photoreactor as a promising method of treating water contaminated with both pharmaceutical and nitrate.

  20. Simultaneous nitrate reduction and acetaminophen oxidation using the continuous-flow chemical-less VUV process as an integrated advanced oxidation and reduction process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moussavi, Gholamreza; Shekoohiyan, Sakine

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Simultaneous advanced oxidation and reduction processes were explored in VUV system. • Complete reduction of nitrate to N_2 was achieved at the presence of acetaminophen. • Complete degradation of acetaminophen was achieved at the presence of nitrate. • Over 95% of acetaminophen was mineralized in the VUV photoreactor. • VUV is a chemical-less advanced process for treating water emerging contaminants. - Abstract: This work was aimed at investigating the performance of the continuous-flow VUV photoreactor as a novel chemical-less advanced process for simultaneously oxidizing acetaminophen (ACT) as a model of pharmaceuticals and reducing nitrate in a single reactor. Solution pH was an important parameter affecting the performance of VUV; the highest ACT oxidation and nitrate reduction attained at solution pH between 6 and 8. The ACT was oxidized mainly by HO· while the aqueous electrons were the main working agents in the reduction of nitrate. The performance of VUV photoreactor improved with the increase of hydraulic retention time (HRT); the complete degradation of ACT and ∼99% reduction of nitrate with 100% N_2 selectivity achieved at HRT of 80 min. The VUV effluent concentrations of nitrite and ammonium at HRT of 80 min were below the drinking water standards. The real water sample contaminated with the ACT and nitrate was efficiently treated in the VUV photoreactor. Therefore, the VUV photoreactor is a chemical-less advanced process in which both advanced oxidation and advanced reduction reactions are accomplished. This unique feature possesses VUV photoreactor as a promising method of treating water contaminated with both pharmaceutical and nitrate.

  1. Mild Cognitive Impairment and Progession to Dementia: New Findings

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... David C. Spencer, MD Steven Karceski, MD Mild cognitive impairment and progression to dementia New findings John C.S. ... exami- nations showed that 534 persons had mild cognitive impairment, or MCI (see About MCI, following sec- tion). ...

  2. Effect of discontinuation of antihypertensive medication on orthostatic hypotension in older persons with mild cognitive impairment: the DANTE Study Leiden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moonen, Justine E F; Foster-Dingley, Jessica C; de Ruijter, Wouter; van der Grond, Jeroen; de Craen, Anton J M; van der Mast, Roos C

    2016-03-01

    the relationship between antihypertensive medication and orthostatic hypotension in older persons remains ambiguous, due to conflicting observational evidence and lack of data of clinical trials. to assess the effect of discontinuation of antihypertensive medication on orthostatic hypotension in older persons with mild cognitive impairment. a total of 162 participants with orthostatic hypotension were selected from the Discontinuation of Antihypertensive Treatment in Elderly people (DANTE) Study. This randomised clinical trial included community-dwelling participants aged ≥75 years, with mild cognitive impairment, using antihypertensive medication and without serious cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomised to discontinuation or continuation of antihypertensive treatment (ratio 1:1). Orthostatic hypotension was defined as a drop of at least 20 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and/or 10 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure on standing from a seated position. Outcome was the absence of orthostatic hypotension at 4-month follow-up. Relative risks (RR) were calculated by intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. at follow-up, according to intention-to-treat analyses, of the 86 persons assigned to discontinuation of antihypertensive medication, 43 (50%) were free from orthostatic hypotension, compared with 29 (38%) of the 76 persons assigned to continuation of medication [RR 1.31 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-1.87); P = 0.13]. Per-protocol analysis showed that recovery from orthostatic hypotension was significantly higher in persons who completely discontinued all antihypertensive medication (61%) compared with the continuation group (38%) [RR 1.60 (95% CI 1.10-2.31); P = 0.01]. in older persons with mild cognitive impairment and orthostatic hypotension receiving antihypertensive medication, discontinuation of antihypertensive medication may increase the probability of recovery from orthostatic hypotension. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford

  3. Combined Noncyclic Scheduling and Advanced Control for Continuous Chemical Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damon Petersen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A novel formulation for combined scheduling and control of multi-product, continuous chemical processes is introduced in which nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC and noncyclic continuous-time scheduling are efficiently combined. A decomposition into nonlinear programming (NLP dynamic optimization problems and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP problems, without iterative alternation, allows for computationally light solution. An iterative method is introduced to determine the number of production slots for a noncyclic schedule during a prediction horizon. A filter method is introduced to reduce the number of MILP problems required. The formulation’s closed-loop performance with both process disturbances and updated market conditions is demonstrated through multiple scenarios on a benchmark continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR application with fluctuations in market demand and price for multiple products. Economic performance surpasses cyclic scheduling in all scenarios presented. Computational performance is sufficiently light to enable online operation in a dual-loop feedback structure.

  4. Farmakologisk behandling af mild ukompliceret hypertension i almen praksis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paulsen, Maja Skov; Christensen, Bo; Søndergaard, Jens

    2013-01-01

    pressure 90-99 mmHg; no diabetes or cardiovascular disease) did not reduce mortality or morbidity. The evidence for pharmacotherapy in patients having mild/uncomplicated hypertension is weak. However, current Danish guidelines have taken this into consideration in their recommendations of pharmacotherapy......Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In Denmark, patients with hypertension are primarily managed in primary care. A recent Cochrane review concluded that pharmacotherapy of patients with mild hypertension (systolic blood pressure 140-159 mmHg; diastolic blood...... to patients with mild/uncomplicated hypertension....

  5. A sibship with a mild variant of Zellweger syndrome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barth, P. G.; Schutgens, R. B.; Wanders, R. J.; Heymans, H. S.; Moser, A. E.; Moser, H. W.; Bleeker-Wagemakers, E. M.; Jansonius-Schultheiss, K.; Derix, M.; Nelck, G. F.

    1987-01-01

    A mild variant of Zellweger (cerebro-hepato-renal) syndrome was diagnosed in male and female siblings aged 7 and 2 years. They had mild facial dysmorphia, moderate psychomotor retardation, tapetoretinal degeneration, sensorineural deafness and hepatomegaly. Ultrastructural examination of a liver

  6. Fully Integrated Biochip Platforms for Advanced Healthcare

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni De Micheli

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications.

  7. The Role of Colleges of Advanced Education in the Education of Adults. A Report to the Australian Commission on Advanced Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, A. J. A.

    This report to the Australian Commission on Advanced Education is intended as a basis for discussion by those who have the responsibility for making program and policy decisions in continuing education in Australia's colleges of advanced education. Though the idea that education is continuous with life is coming to be widely accepted…

  8. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness results from the randomised controlled Trial of Oral Mandibular Advancement Devices for Obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea (TOMADO) and long-term economic analysis of oral devices and continuous positive airway pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharples, Linda; Glover, Matthew; Clutterbuck-James, Abigail; Bennett, Maxine; Jordan, Jake; Chadwick, Rebecca; Pittman, Marcus; East, Clare; Cameron, Malcolm; Davies, Mike; Oscroft, Nick; Smith, Ian; Morrell, Mary; Fox-Rushby, Julia; Quinnell, Timothy

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea (OSAH) causes excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), impairs quality of life (QoL) and increases cardiovascular disease and road traffic accident risks. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment is clinically effective but undermined by intolerance, and its cost-effectiveness is borderline in milder cases. Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are another option, but evidence is lacking regarding their clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in milder disease. OBJECTIVES (1) Conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) examining the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of MADs against no treatment in mild to moderate OSAH. (2) Update systematic reviews and an existing health economic decision model with data from the Trial of Oral Mandibular Advancement Devices for Obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea (TOMADO) and newly published results to better inform long-term clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of MADs and CPAP in mild to moderate OSAH. TOMADO A crossover RCT comparing clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three MADs: self-moulded [SleepPro 1™ (SP1); Meditas Ltd, Winchester, UK]; semibespoke [SleepPro 2™ (SP2); Meditas Ltd, Winchester, UK]; and fully bespoke [bespoke MAD (bMAD); NHS Oral-Maxillofacial Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK] against no treatment, in 90 adults with mild to moderate OSAH. All devices improved primary outcome [apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI)] compared with no treatment: relative risk 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62 to 0.89] for SP1; relative risk 0.67 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.76) for SP2; and relative risk 0.64 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.76) for bMAD (p < 0.001). Differences between MADs were not significant. Sleepiness [as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)] was scored 1.51 [95% CI 0.73 to 2.29 (SP1)] to 2.37 [95% CI 1.53 to 3.22 (bMAD)] lower than no treatment (p < 0.001), with SP2 and bMAD significantly better than SP1

  9. Continuous Dropout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Xu; Tian, Xinmei; Liu, Tongliang; Xu, Fang; Tao, Dacheng

    2017-10-03

    Dropout has been proven to be an effective algorithm for training robust deep networks because of its ability to prevent overfitting by avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors. Current explanations of dropout include bagging, naive Bayes, regularization, and sex in evolution. According to the activation patterns of neurons in the human brain, when faced with different situations, the firing rates of neurons are random and continuous, not binary as current dropout does. Inspired by this phenomenon, we extend the traditional binary dropout to continuous dropout. On the one hand, continuous dropout is considerably closer to the activation characteristics of neurons in the human brain than traditional binary dropout. On the other hand, we demonstrate that continuous dropout has the property of avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors, which suggests that we can extract more independent feature detectors for model averaging in the test stage. We introduce the proposed continuous dropout to a feedforward neural network and comprehensively compare it with binary dropout, adaptive dropout, and DropConnect on Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research-10, Street View House Numbers, NORB, and ImageNet large scale visual recognition competition-12. Thorough experiments demonstrate that our method performs better in preventing the co-adaptation of feature detectors and improves test performance.

  10. Resting State Functional Connectivity in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury at the Acute Stage: Independent Component and Seed-Based Analyses

    OpenAIRE

    Iraji, Armin; Benson, Randall R.; Welch, Robert D.; O'Neil, Brian J.; Woodard, John L.; Imran Ayaz, Syed; Kulek, Andrew; Mika, Valerie; Medado, Patrick; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid; Liu, Tianming; Haacke, E. Mark; Kou, Zhifeng

    2015-01-01

    Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for more than 1 million emergency visits each year. Most of the injured stay in the emergency department for a few hours and are discharged home without a specific follow-up plan because of their negative clinical structural imaging. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly functional MRI (fMRI), has been reported as being sensitive to functional disturbances after brain injury. In this study, a cohort of 12 patients with mTBI were pr...

  11. Structural imaging of mild traumatic brain injury may not be enough: overview of functional and metabolic imaging of mild traumatic brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Samuel S; Bales, James W; Edward Dixon, C; Hwang, Misun

    2017-04-01

    A majority of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) present as mild injury with no findings on conventional clinical imaging methods. Due to this difficulty of imaging assessment on mild TBI patients, there has been much emphasis on the development of diffusion imaging modalities such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). However, basic science research in TBI shows that many of the functional and metabolic abnormalities in TBI may be present even in the absence of structural damage. Moreover, structural damage may be present at a microscopic and molecular level that is not detectable by structural imaging modality. The use of functional and metabolic imaging modalities can provide information on pathological changes in mild TBI patients that may not be detected by structural imaging. Although there are various differences in protocols of positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) methods, these may be important modalities to be used in conjunction with structural imaging in the future in order to detect and understand the pathophysiology of mild TBI. In this review, studies of mild TBI patients using these modalities that detect functional and metabolic state of the brain are discussed. Each modality's advantages and disadvantages are compared, and potential future applications of using combined modalities are explored.

  12. Deep brain stimulation targeting the fornix for mild Alzheimer dementia: design of the ADvance randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holroyd KB

    2015-07-01

    stimulation (DBS of memory circuits may improve symptoms and possibly slow disease progression. The ADvance trial was designed to examine DBS of the fornix as a treatment for mild AD. Methods: ADvance is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, delayed-start, multicenter clinical trial conducted at six sites in the US and one site in Canada. Eighty-five subjects initially consented to be screened for the trial. Of these, 42 subjects who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were implanted with DBS leads anterior to the columns of the fornix bilaterally. They were randomized 1:1 to DBS “off” or DBS “on” groups for the initial 12 months of follow-up. After 1 year, all subjects will have their devices turned “on” for the remainder of the study. Postimplantation, subjects will return for 13 follow-up visits over 48 months for cognitive and psychiatric assessments, brain imaging (up to 12 months, and safety monitoring. The primary outcome measures include Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale – cognitive component (ADAS-cog-13, Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes (CDR-SB, and cerebral glucose metabolism measured with positron emission tomography. This report details the study methods, baseline subject characteristics of screened and implanted participants, and screen-to-baseline test–retest reliability of the cognitive outcomes. Results: Implanted subjects had a mean age of 68.2 years, were mostly male (55%, and had baseline mean ADAS-cog-13 and CDR-SB scores of 28.9 (SD, 5.2 and 3.9 (SD, 1.6, respectively. There were no significant differences between screened and implanted or nonimplanted subjects on most demographic or clinical assessments. Implanted subjects had significantly lower (better ADAS-cog-11 (17.5 vs 21.1 scores, but did not differ on CDR-SB. Scores on the major outcome measures for the trial were consistent at screening and baseline. Conclusion: ADvance was successful in enrolling a substantial group of patients for this novel application of

  13. Pattern of airway inflammation and remodelling in mild persistent atopic asthma and in mild persistent asthma related to gastroesophageal reflux.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dal Negro, R W; Guerriero, M; Micheletto, C

    2012-12-01

    The increase of basement membrane thickness (BMAT) represents a structural feature described as commonly characterizing airway remodelling in asthma, even if the non-atopic condition had been investigated only episodically from this point of view. Gastrooesophageal-reflux is a pathological condition which can frequently cause and/or sustain asthma in non-atopic individuals. The aim of the study was to measure BMT; some inflammatory mediators in BAL; cys-leucotrienes (LTE4) in urine; e-NO, and BHR to Methacholine (MCh) in mild atopic and in mild non-atopic, GER-related asthma. After their informed consent, 25 mild atopic (40.9 years +/- 13.1 sd, FEV1 = 95.9% pred. +/- 12.9 sd) and 39 non-atopic, GER-related asthmatics (57.3 years +/- 14.2 ds, FEVY1 = 101.3% pred. +/- 12.2 sd), nonsmoker and of a comparable asthma duration, underwent measurements of basal lung function and bronchial response to MCh (PD20 FEV1); endobronchial biopsies and BAL (in the right middle lobe), and a 24-h gastroesophageal pHmetry. Atopic GER-related asthma showed two distinct patterns of airway inflammation. The eosinophilic contribution to airway inflammation was systematically prevailing in the former group, such as: EOS = 10.7% +/- 13.4 sd vs 2.0% +/- 2.8 sd, p = 0.001; ECP = 344.9 mcg/l +/- 635.9 sd vs 59.2 mcg/l +/- 75.1 sd, p = 0.001. Data from the present study are suggesting that persistent mild atopic and mild GER-related asthma seem to represent two distinct phenotypes of asthma in terms of airway remodelling, and in particular of BMT involvement.

  14. The clinical impact of continuing to prescribe antiretroviral therapy in patients with advanced AIDS who manifest no virologic or immunologic benefit.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A Wohl

    Full Text Available Despite the efficacy and tolerability of modern antiretroviral therapy (ART, many patients with advanced AIDS prescribed these regimens do not achieve viral suppression or immune reconstitution as a result of poor adherence, drug resistance, or both. The clinical outcomes of continued ART prescription for such patients have not been well characterized.We examined the causes and predictors of all-cause mortality, AIDS-defining conditions, and serious non-AIDS-defining events among a cohort of participants in a clinical trial of pre-emptive therapy for CMV disease. We focused on participants who, despite ART had failed to achieve virologic suppression and substantive immune reconstitution.233 ART-receiving participants entered with a median baseline CD4+ T cell count of 30/mm(3 and plasma HIV RNA of 5 log10 copies/mL. During a median 96 weeks of follow-up, 24.0% died (a mortality rate of 10.7/100 patient-years; 27.5% reported a new AIDS-defining condition, and 22.3% a new serious non-AIDS event. Of the deaths, 42.8% were due to an AIDS-defining condition, 44.6% were due to a non-AIDS-defining condition, and 12.5% were of unknown etiology. Decreased risk of mortality was associated with baseline CD4+ T cell count ≥25/mm(3 and lower baseline HIV RNA.Among patients with advanced AIDS prescribed modern ART who achieve neither virologic suppression nor immune reconstitution, crude mortality percentages appear to be lower than reported in cohorts of patients studied a decade earlier. Also, in contrast to the era before modern ART became available, nearly half of the deaths in our modern-era study were caused by serious non-AIDS-defining events. Even among the most advanced AIDS patients who were not obtaining apparent immunologic and virologic benefit from ART, continued prescription of these medications appears to alter the natural history of AIDS--improving survival and shifting the causes of death from AIDS- to non-AIDS-defining conditions.

  15. Mild Aphasia: Is This the Place for an Argument?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Elizabeth; Fox, Sarah; Wilkinson, Ray

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Individuals with mild aphasia often report significant disruption to their communication despite seemingly minor impairment. This study explored this phenomenon through examining conversations of a person with mild aphasia engaging in argumentation--a skill she felt had significantly deteriorated after her stroke. Method: A person with…

  16. Perioperative corticosteroids for intermittent and mild persistent asthma

    OpenAIRE

    Hiroto Matsuse; Terufumi Shimoda; Ikuko Machida; Yuki Kondo; Tetsuya Kawano; Sachiko Saeki; Shinya Tomari; Kazuko Mitsuta; Chizu Fukushima; Yasushi Obase; Shigeru Kohno

    2002-01-01

    Objectives: Asthmatics are considered to be at high risk for pulmonary complications during general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. The purpose of the present study was to determine the usefulness of perioperative corticosteroids for mild asthmatics in preventing perioperative exacerbation of asthma. Methods: Airway hyperresponsiveness to inhaled methacholine was determined in patients with intermittent (n = 27) and mild persistent (n = 48) asthma before general anesthesia who underwe...

  17. Agmatine attenuates chronic unpredictable mild stress induced behavioral alteration in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taksande, Brijesh G; Faldu, Dharmesh S; Dixit, Madhura P; Sakaria, Jay N; Aglawe, Manish M; Umekar, Milind J; Kotagale, Nandkishor R

    2013-11-15

    Chronic stress exposure and resulting dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis develops susceptibility to variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter has been reported to be released in response to various stressful stimuli to maintain the homeostasis. Present study investigated the role of agmatine on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced behavioral and biochemical alteration in mice. Exposure of mice to CUMS protocol for 28 days resulted in diminished performance in sucrose preference test, splash test, forced swim test and marked elevation in plasma corticosterone levels. Chronic agmatine (5 and 10 mg/kg, ip, once daily) treatment started on day-15 and continued till the end of the CUMS protocol significantly increased sucrose preference, improved self-care and motivational behavior in the splash test and decreased duration of immobility in the forced swim test. Agmatine treatment also normalized the elevated corticosterone levels and prevented the body weight changes in chronically stressed animals. The pharmacological effect of agmatine was comparable to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine (10mg/kg, ip). Results of present study clearly demonstrated the anti-depressant like effect of agmatine in chronic unpredictable mild stress induced depression in mice. Thus the development of drugs based on brain agmatinergic modulation may represent a new potential approach for the treatment of stress related mood disorders like depression. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Distinct molecular signatures of mild extrinsic and intrinsic atopic dermatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martel, Britta C; Litman, Thomas; Hald, Andreas; Norsgaard, Hanne; Lovato, Paola; Dyring-Andersen, Beatrice; Skov, Lone; Thestrup-Pedersen, Kristian; Skov, Søren; Skak, Kresten; Poulsen, Lars K

    2016-06-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease with underlying defects in epidermal function and immune responses. In this study, we used microarray analysis to investigate differences in gene expression in lesional skin from patients with mild extrinsic or intrinsic AD compared to skin from healthy controls and from lesional psoriasis skin. The primary aim was to identify differentially expressed genes involved in skin barrier formation and inflammation, and to compare our results with those reported for patients with moderate and severe AD. In contrast to severe AD, expression of the majority of genes associated with skin barrier formation was unchanged or upregulated in patients with mild AD compared to normal healthy skin. Among these, no significant differences in the expression of filaggrin (FLG) and loricrin at both mRNA and protein level were found in lesional skin from patients with mild AD, despite the presence of heterozygous FLG mutations in the majority of patients with mild extrinsic AD. Several inflammation-associated genes such as S100A9, MMP12, CXCL10 and CCL18 were highly expressed in lesional skin from patients with mild psoriasis and were also increased in patients with mild extrinsic and intrinsic AD similar to previous reports for severe AD. Interestingly, expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses in intrinsic AD resembled that of psoriasis more than that of extrinsic AD. Overall, differences in expression of inflammation-associated genes found among patients with mild intrinsic and extrinsic AD correlated with previous findings for patients with severe intrinsic and extrinsic AD. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. How and why discontinuous multiple-in-line-damage results in much higher Jc than continuous columnar pinning centres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weinstein, Roy; Gandini, Alberto; Sawh, Ravi; Mayes, Bill; Parks, Drew

    2006-01-01

    We review a recent experiment in which pinning centres, composed of discontinuous multiple-in-line damage (MILD), were compared to continuous columnar pinning centres (CCPCs). The methods used, results of the experiment, and the initial steps taken toward a phenomenological theory explaining the unusual results, are discussed. Experimental results show that MILD pinning centres, despite their reduced pinning potential, are far superior to CCPCs. Using MILD pinning, a new record J c has been achieved in large grain YBCO. The value of H irr (MILD) is comparable to, or larger, than H irr (CCPCs). Pinning effects alone, with no modification of texture, weak links or oxygenation of the YBCO, increase J c by as much as a factor of 17. Splay is expected to further increase this factor. The experimental dependence of J c on the energy lost by the ion per unit length is approximately reproduced by a phenomenological theory, including only the effects of diminished percolation, critical temperature, and pinning potential

  20. Mild MPP+ exposure impairs autophagic degradation through a novel lysosomal acidity-independent mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyara, Masatsugu; Kotake, Yaichiro; Tokunaga, Wataru; Sanoh, Seigo; Ohta, Shigeru

    2016-10-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, but its underlying cause remains unknown. Although recent studies using PD-related neurotoxin MPP + suggest autophagy involvement in the pathogenesis of PD, the effect of MPP + on autophagic processes under mild exposure, which mimics the slow progressive nature of PD, remains largely unclear. We examined the effect of mild MPP + exposure (10 and 200 μM for 48 h), which induces a more slowly developing cell death, on autophagic processes and the mechanistic differences with acute MPP + toxicity (2.5 and 5 mM for 24 h). In SH-SY5Y cells, mild MPP + exposure predominantly inhibited autophagosome degradation, whereas acute MPP + exposure inhibited both autophagosome degradation and basal autophagy. Mild MPP + exposure reduced lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin D activity without changing lysosomal acidity, whereas acute exposure decreased lysosomal density. Lysosome biogenesis enhancers trehalose and rapamycin partially alleviated mild MPP + exposure induced impaired autophagosome degradation and cell death, but did not prevent the pathogenic response to acute MPP + exposure, suggesting irreversible lysosomal damage. We demonstrated impaired autophagic degradation by MPP + exposure and mechanistic differences between mild and acute MPP + toxicities. Mild MPP + toxicity impaired autophagosome degradation through novel lysosomal acidity-independent mechanisms. Sustained mild lysosomal damage may contribute to PD. We examined the effects of MPP + on autophagic processes under mild exposure, which mimics the slow progressive nature of Parkinson's disease, in SH-SY5Y cells. This study demonstrated impaired autophagic degradation through a reduction in lysosomal cathepsin D activity without altering lysosomal acidity by mild MPP + exposure. Mechanistic differences between acute and mild MPP + toxicity were also observed. Sustained mild damage of lysosome may be an underlying cause of Parkinson

  1. Communicating with adolescents | Campbell | Continuing Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 5 (2007) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  2. Corrosion inhibition of mild steel by Capsicum annuum fruit paste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandan M. Reddy

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The anti-corrosive property of Capsicum annuum fruit paste (CFP on mild steel was investigated. Weight loss and SEM analysis showed that the aqueous and ethanolic solutions of CFP exhibits excellent corrosion inhibition in 2 M HCl. Contact angle, surface atomic composition and FTIR studies verified the presence of an organic film on the mild steel surface. The FTIR spectra also indicated the formation of active compound-Fe complex. CFP thus shows potential as an inexpensive environment friendly corrosion inhibitor for mild steel.

  3. Social participation in home-living patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Lisbeth Villemoes; Waldorff, Frans Boch; Waldemar, Gunhild

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate social participation in home-living patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to identify predictors for low social participation. The study was based on baseline data from 330 home-living patients with mild AD who participated in The Danish...... Alzheimer Intervention Study (DAISY). Proxy-obtained information from primary caregiver assessed patients' social participation. The result showed that low social participation was present in mild AD. Significant independent predictors of low social participation were impairment in activities of daily...

  4. [Cost-benefit analysis of cranial computed tomography in mild traumatic brain injury--appropriate depiction within the G-DRG system?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garving, C; Weber, C D; Poßelt, S; Pishnamaz, M; Pape, H C; Dienstknecht, T

    2014-06-01

    The treatment of patients with mild head injury is related to a continuous lack of finances. The current investigation summarises radiological costs of patients from a level I trauma centre and discusses the indication for CT scanning within the G-DRG system. The study includes all patients who underwent a CCT scan in 2011. Diagnosis, length of stay and cost data were recorded for every patient. Finally, frequent diagnosis groups were summarised to clusters (Basis-DRG/MDC 21A). A total of 380 patients was treated. Within the largest group (G-DRG B80Z) the costs for a CCT already took up one quarter of the total proceedings. In combination with the high cost for monitoring patients with mild head injuries this causes an ongoing lack of finances. In spite of the often necessary CCT investigation in mild head injuries, the earnings do not cover the costs of the patients. To improve the situation clear guidelines for CCT scanning should be provided and the reimbursement in particular in the diagnosis group of the G-DRG B80Z has to be improved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Reliability and performance evaluation of stainless and mild steel ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Reliability and performance of stainless and mild steel products in methanolic and aqueous sodium chloride media have been investigated. Weight-loss and pre-exposure methods were used. There was a higher rate of weight-loss of mild steels and stainless steels in 1% HCl methanolic solution than in aqueous NaCl ...

  6. Advanced accumulator for PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ichimura, Taiki; Chikahata, Hideyuki

    1997-01-01

    Advanced accumulators have been incorporated into the APWR design in order to simplify the safety system configuration and to improve reliability. The advanced accumulators refill the reactor vessel with a large discharge flow rate in a large LOCA, then switch to a small flow rate to continue safety injection for core reflooding. The functions of the conventional accumulator and the low head safety injection pump are integrated into this advanced accumulator. Injection performance tests simulating LOCA conditions and visualization tests for new designs have been carried out. This paper describes the APWR ECCS configuration, the advanced accumulator design and some of the injection performance and visualization test results. It was verified that the flow resistance of the advanced accumulator is independent of the model scale. The similarity law and performance data of the advanced accumulator for applying APWR was established. (author)

  7. JB-300: An advanced medium size transport for 2005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debrouwer, Giles; Graham, Katherine; Ison, Jim; Juarez, Vince; Moskalik, Steve; Pankonin, Jon; Weinstein, Arnold

    1993-01-01

    In the fall of 1992, the TAC Team was presented with a Request for Proposal (PFP) for a mid-size (250-350 passenger) commercial transport. The aircraft was to be extremely competitive in the areas of passenger comfort, performance, and economic aspects. Through the use of supercritical airfoils, a technologically advanced Very High By-pass Ratio (VHBR) turbofan engine, a low overall drag configuration, a comparable interior layout, and mild use of composites, the JB-300 offers an economically viable choice to the airlines. The cents per passenger mile of the JB-300 is 1.76, which is considerably lower than current aircraft in the same range. Overall, the JB-300 is a technologically advanced aircraft, which will meet the demands of the 21st century.

  8. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. A pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodama, Junichi; Hashimoto, Ichiro; Seki, Noriko; Hongo, Atsushi; Mizutani, Yasushi; Miyagi, Yasunari; Yoshinouchi, Mitsuo; Kudo, Takafumi

    2001-01-01

    Recently, attempts have made to use radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy in various solid tumors including cervical cancer. Twenty-four patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were treated with concurrent Carboplatin (16-24 mg/m 2 /day) or Nedaplatin (20 mg/m 2 /week) and conventional radiotherapy. Of 13 evaluable patients, there were nine complete responders and four partial responders. There was no renal damage or grade 4 hematological toxicity. Gastrointestinal adverse reactions were mild. One patient had grade 3 dermatologic toxicity after delayed radiation therapy. This pilot study suggests that daily Carboplatin or weekly Nedaplatin administered with standard radiation therapy is safe, well-tolerated, and thus may be useful as a radiation sensitizer in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. (author)

  9. Sinalbin degradation products in mild yellow mustard paste

    OpenAIRE

    Paunović, Dragana; Šolević-Knudsen, Tatjana; Krivokapić, Mirjana; Zlatković, Branislav; Antić, Mališa

    2012-01-01

    Sinalbin degradation products in mild yellow mustard paste were investigated. The analyzed material consisted of a mild yellow mustard paste condiment and ground white mustard seeds which were originally used in the mustard paste production process. The samples were extracted in a Soxhlet extraction system and analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The only sinalbin degradation product in ground mustard seeds was 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetonitrile. The most a...

  10. MiDAS I (mild Decompression Alternative to Open Surgery): a preliminary report of a prospective, multi-center clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chopko, Bohdan; Caraway, David L

    2010-01-01

    Neurogenic claudication due to lumbar spinal stenosis is a common problem that can be caused by many factors including hypertrophic ligamentum flavum, facet hypertrophy, and disc protrusion. When standard medical therapies such as pain medication, epidural steroid injections, and physical therapy fail, or when the patient is unwilling, unable, or not severe enough to advance to more invasive surgical procedures, both physicians and patients are often left with a treatment dilemma. Patients in this study were treated with mild, an ultra-minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure using a dorsal approach. The mild procedure is performed under fluoroscopic imaging to resect bone adjacent to, and achieve partial resection of, the hypertrophic ligamentum flavum with minimal disruption of surrounding muscular and skeletal structure. To assess the clinical application and patient safety and functional outcomes of the mild lumbar decompression procedure in the treatment of symptomatic central canal spinal stenosis. Multi-center, non-blinded, prospective clinical study. Fourteen US spine specialist practices. Between July 2008 and January 2010, 78 patients were enrolled in the MiDAS I Study and treated with the mild procedure for lumbar decompression. Of these patients, 6-week follow-up was available for 75 patients. Visual Analog Score (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ), and SF-12v2 Health Survey. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks post-treatment. There were no major device or procedure-related complications reported in this patient cohort. At 6 weeks, the MiDAS I Study showed statistically and clinically significant reduction of pain as measured by VAS, ZCQ, and SF-12v2. In addition, improvement in physical function and mobility as measured by ODI, ZCQ, and SF-12v2 was statistically and clinically significant in this study. This is a preliminary report encompassing 6-week follow-up. There was no control group

  11. Mild processing applied to the inactivation of the main foodborne bacterial pathogens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barba Orellana, Francisco Jose; Koubaa, Mohamed; do Prado-Silva, Leonardo

    2017-01-01

    shelf-lives, pasteurization and commercial sterilization may result in numerous nutritional and sensory changes in foods. To address these disadvantages, mild processing methods (i.e., processing technologies for food preservation that apply mild temperature; ... contaminants have been developed. Scope and approach This review emphasizes the main applications of mild technologies aiming to the inactivation of the four main pathogenic bacteria of relevance for food safety as well as their mechanisms of action. Key findings and conclusions Mild processing technologies...... such as high pressure processing, ultrasounds, pulsed electric fields, UV-light, and atmospheric cold plasma may serve, in some conditions, as useful alternatives to commercial sterilization and pasteurization aiming to destroy foodborne pathogens. Each of these mild technologies has a specific mode...

  12. Comprehensive geriatric assessment | Lipschitz | Continuing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 9 (2007) > ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  13. Continuous fractional distillation of petroleum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1921-11-05

    This invention has for its object a process of distillation, fractional, and continuous, of shale oil, tar, etc., characterized by the vapors leaving the evaporation chamber being forced, before condensation, to go over a continuous circuit. The vapors traverse first a preheater then return to the vaporization chamber in which they are passed along large surfaces and by application of the counter-current principle in contact with the liquid to be distilled. They stream through the chamber in a continuous manner (the quantity of vapor emitted in the circuit being determined in a manner to advance the distillation just to completion); the excess of vapor formed being removed from the circuit and sent to a condensing apparatus for fractionation.

  14. Neuropsychological function following mild exposure to pentaborane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hart, R.P.; Silverman, J.J.; Garrettson, L.K.; Schulz, C.; Hamer, R.M.

    1984-01-01

    Neuropsychological tests and self-report personality inventories were administered to 14 workers and rescue squad personnel approximately 2 months following mild exposure to pentaborane, a highly toxic volatile liquid boron hydride. Performance decrements were evident on 5 of 11 neuropsychological tests, including Block Design and measures of sustained attention and recent memory. Neuropsychological deficits were not related to emotional changes reported on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist nor to the presence of CT scan abnormality. These results indicate mild residual brain dysfunction following pentaborane intoxication, including possible dysfunction in subcortical regions mediating memory processes and in cortical areas mediating visuo-spatial abilities

  15. The Petroleum continues being the king

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carta Petrolera

    2001-01-01

    In spite of the environmental inconveniences and the rapids advances in technologies and alternative products, the black gold continue being for many years, the fuel of the world economy. A comparison is made among the traditional and new energy

  16. SPIRIT advance care planning intervention in early stage dementias: An NIH stage I behavioral intervention development trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Mi-Kyung; Ward, Sandra E; Hepburn, Kenneth; Paul, Sudeshna; Shah, Raj C; Morhardt, Darby J

    2018-06-02

    People in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are encouraged to engage in advance care planning (ACP) while they are still competent to appoint a surrogate decision maker and meaningfully participate in ACP discussions with the surrogate. In this NIH Stage I behavioral intervention development trial, we will adapt and test an efficacious ACP intervention, SPIRIT (Sharing Patient's Illness Representation to Increase Trust), with people with mild dementia and their surrogates to promote open, honest discussions while such discussions about end-of-life care are possible. We will first adapt SPIRIT (in person) to target people with mild dementia and their surrogates through a process of modification-pretesting-refinement using stakeholders (persons with mild dementia, family caregivers, and clinicians) and experts, including adapting the delivery mode to interactive web-based videoconference format (SPIRIT-remote). Then in a 3-group RCT with 120 patient-surrogate dyads, we will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of SPIRIT in-person and SPIRIT remote, and preliminary efficacy of SPIRIT compared to usual care on preparedness outcomes for end-of-life decision making (dyad congruence on goals of care, patient decisional conflict, and surrogate decision-making confidence) shortly after the intervention. This Stage I research of SPIRIT will generate valuable insights regarding how to improve ACP for people with mild dementia who will progress to an advanced stage of the disease in the foreseeable future. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03311711, Registered 10/12/2017. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Mild TBI Diagnosis and Management Strategies

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Veterans Affairs — The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Diagnosis and Management Strategies will assist in the study of TBI issues, such as the Influence of Concussion on Persistent...

  18. Prenatal natural history of isolated fetal mild bilateral pyelectasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo de Paula Pereira

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prenatal outcomes in a cohort of fetuses with mild bilateral pyelectasis and determine whether performing serial ultrasounds is a good follow-up strategy. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 62 fetuses with mild bilateral pyelectasis. Fetal mild bilateral pyelectasis was considered when the renal pelvis measured (in millimeters ≥5.0 to 10.0, ≥7.0 to 10.0, and ≥10.0 to 15 at ≤23 weeks 6 days, 24 to 31 weeks 6 days, and ≥32 weeks, respectively, with no uretero-calyceal dilatation. Ultrasounds were performed every 3 weeks to assess whether the mild bilateral pyelectasis regressed, remained unchanged (Group 1 or progressed (Group 2. RESULTS: Group 1 consisted of 53 fetuses (85.4%, and progression was observed in 9 cases (Group 2, 14.6%. The initial renal pelvis diameter was significantly larger in fetuses with progression (p=0.028. Statistically significant differences in the renal pelvis diameter were also found at weeks 31 and 35 for both kidneys (p<0.05. The cases requiring intrauterine procedures or early delivery were not observed. CONCLUSION: Fetal mild bilateral pyelectasis with no calyceal dilatation is a benign condition that can be managed in the postnatal period. The initial renal pelvis diameter and the diameter in week 31 or 35 were valuable parameters for identifying cases that would eventually need specific postnatal procedures.

  19. 7 CFR 1980.372 - Protective advances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... or protect the physical security. Attorney fees are not a protective advance. The Lender will not... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS... advances must constitute an indebtedness of the borrower to the Lender and be secured by the security...

  20. A phase II study using vinorelbine and continuous 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced head and neck cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Susanne; Serup-Hansen, Eva; Andersen, Lisbeth J

    2007-01-01

    Seventy patients with advanced head and neck cancer were treated with vinorelbine and continuous 5-FU administered in a central venous catheter. Over all response was 36% with 9% complete responses. The most common grade 3 and 4 toxicities were stomatitis (13), infection (5), pain related...... to vinorelbine infusion (4), skin toxicity (3). Thirty one patients had grade 3 or 4 leukopenia. Treatment was complicated by venous thrombosis in the central venous catheter in one case. A majority of patients experienced dose reduction of one or both drugs or treatment delays due to toxicity. Median time...... to progression was 4.7 months and overall median survival 6.6 months. We conclude that the regimen is feasible and tolerated with moderate toxicity. Response rates and time to progression are comparable to other studies with multi agent treatment...

  1. Ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography in mild-to-moderate preeclampsia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayaz, Tunahan; Akansel, Gur.; Hayirlioglu, Alper; Arslan, Arzu; Suer, Necdet; Kuru, Ihsan

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the hemodynamic changes in mild-moderate preeclampsia using ophthalmic artery Doppler ultrasonography technique. Methods: Ophthalmic artery pulsatility and resistivity indices were calculated in 30 mild-moderate preeclamptic women and 30 normotensive gravid women of matched gestational age. Student's t-test was performed to test the significance of difference. Results: Both indices of peripheral resistance were found to be significantly lower in the ophthalmic arteries of mild-moderately preeclamptic women than those measured in normotensive gravid women at similar stage of pregnancy. In a small number patients whose disease progressed to severe preeclampsia, both indices increased. Conclusion: In patients with mild-moderate preeclampsia, ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography detects hemodynamic changes that are not present in normotensive gravid women. Reversal of Doppler patterns in a small number of patients with progressive disease supports the hypotheses suggesting the presence of early vasodilation and late vasospasm in the etiology of preeclampsia

  2. Development of mild steel exposure chart for neutron radiography application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hafizal Yazid; Rafhayudi Jamro; Hishamuddin Husain; Muhammad Rawi Mohd Zin; Razali Kassim; Abd Aziz Mohamed; Azali Muhammad

    2004-01-01

    A neutron radiography exposure chart for mild steel was developed to facilitate the determination of exposure time when producing neutron radiographs for any given mild steel thickness. A mild steel sample in the form of step wedge (1-10 mm thick) was exposed to thermal neutron using Direct technique. This technique involves exposing x-ray film-Gadolinium converter housed in one film cassette simultaneously to thermal neutron beam. Gadolinium converters with thickness of 0.025 mm and 0.5 mm were used to observe the effect of converter thickness on radiographic density and exposure time. Collected radiographic density data is then calculated based on manufacturer's film characteristic chart and finally exposure chart for mild steel was plotted. This chart could later be used as a guide for estimating exposure time for any given sample thickness providing other conditions are similar (material, film processing, neutron flux, film density and converter thickness). (Author)

  3. Cognitive Training Using a Novel Memory Game on an iPad in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savulich, George; Piercy, Thomas; Fox, Chris; Suckling, John; Rowe, James B; O'Brien, John T; Sahakian, Barbara J

    2017-08-01

    Cognitive training is effective in patients with mild cognitive impairment but does not typically address the motivational deficits associated with older populations with memory difficulties. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of cognitive training using a novel memory game on an iPad in 42 patients with a diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment assigned to either the cognitive training (n=21; 8 hours of gameplay over 4 weeks) or control (n=21; clinic visits as usual) groups. Significant time-by-pattern-by-group interactions were found for cognitive performance in terms of the number of errors made and trials needed on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associates Learning task (P=.044; P=.027). Significant time-by-group interactions were also found for the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associates Learning first trial memory score (P=.002), Mini-Mental State Examination (P=.036), the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (P=.032), and the Apathy Evaluation Scale (P=.026). Within-group comparisons revealed highly specific effects of cognitive training on episodic memory. The cognitive training group maintained high levels of enjoyment and motivation to continue after each hour of gameplay, with self-confidence and self-rated memory ability improving over time. Episodic memory robustly improved in the cognitive training group. "Gamified" cognitive training may also enhance visuospatial abilities in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Gamification maximizes engagement with cognitive training by increasing motivation and could complement pharmacological treatments for amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Larger, more controlled trials are needed to replicate and extend these findings. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

  4. Outpatient rapid 4-step desensitization for gynecologic oncology patients with mild to low-risk, moderate hypersensitivity reactions to carboplatin/cisplatin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Quan; Cohn, David; Waller, Allyson; Backes, Floor; Copeland, Larry; Fowler, Jeffrey; Salani, Ritu; O'Malley, David

    2014-10-01

    The primary objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of an outpatient, 4-step, one-solution desensitization protocol in gynecologic oncology patients with history of mild to low-risk, moderate hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to platinums (carboplatin and cisplatin). This was a single institutional retrospective review. Gynecologic oncology patients with a documented history of mild or low-risk, moderate immediate HSRs to carboplatin/cisplatin and continued treatment with 4-step, one-solution desensitization protocols in the outpatient infusion center were included. Patients with delayed HSRs or immediate high-risk, moderate or severe HSRs were excluded. The primary end point was the rate of successful administrations of each course of platinums. From January 2011 to June 2013, eighteen eligible patients were evaluated for outpatient 4-step, one-solution desensitization. Thirteen patients had a history of HSRs to carboplatin and 5 with HSRs to cisplatin. All of 18 patients successfully completed 94 (98.9%) of 95 desensitization courses in the outpatient infusion center. Eight of 8 (100%) patients with initial mild HSRs completed 29/29 (100%) desensitization courses, and 9 of 10 (90%) of patients with initial moderate HSRs completed 65/66 (94%) desensitization courses. In total, 65/95 (68%) desensitizations resulted in no breakthrough reactions, and mild, moderate and severe breakthrough reactions were seen in 19%, 12% and 1% desensitizations, respectively. No patients were hospitalized during desensitization. The outpatient rapid, 4-step, one-solution desensitization protocol was effective and appeared safe among gynecologic oncology patients who experienced mild to low-risk, moderate HSRs to carboplatin/cisplatin. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Advances in Chemical Reaction Dynamics

    CERN Document Server

    Capellos, Christos

    1986-01-01

    This book contains the formal lectures and contributed papers presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on. the Advances in Chemical Reaction Dynamics. The meeting convened at the city of Iraklion, Crete, Greece on 25 August 1985 and continued to 7 September 1985. The material presented describes the fundamental and recent advances in experimental and theoretical aspects of, reaction dynamics. A large section is devoted to electronically excited states, ionic species, and free radicals, relevant to chemical sys­ tems. In addition recent advances in gas phase polymerization, formation of clusters, and energy release processes in energetic materials were presented. Selected papers deal with topics such as the dynamics of electric field effects in low polar solutions, high electric field perturbations and relaxation of dipole equilibria, correlation in picosecond/laser pulse scattering, and applications to fast reaction dynamics. Picosecond transient Raman spectroscopy which has been used for the elucidati...

  6. Continuous emotion detection using EEG signals and facial expressions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soleymani, Mohammad; Asghari-Esfeden, Sadjad; Pantic, Maja; Fu, Yun

    Emotions play an important role in how we select and consume multimedia. Recent advances on affect detection are focused on detecting emotions continuously. In this paper, for the first time, we continuously detect valence from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and facial expressions in response to

  7. Mild soaps and radiotherapy: a survey of the UK public to identify brands of soap considered mild and analysis of these to ascertain suitability for recommendation in radiotherapy departments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, K; Brown, P

    2011-05-01

    Cancer agencies recommend that patients use mild soap when undergoing external beam radiotherapy to minimise skin reactions. They define 'mild soap' as non-alkaline, lanolin free, unperfumed soap with a neutral pH. This study aimed to identify which soaps the UK public perceive as mild and ascertain if these were clinically mild and could potentially be recommended within radiotherapy departments. A survey of 237 participants identified eight top brands of mild soap, which were then tested for pH and analysed for potential irritants. All soaps were lanolin free and non-alkaline, with Simple and Johnson's the closest to pH 5.5. All contained fragrances except Simple and E45. Dove, Pears and Imperial Leather contained the highest concentration of fragrances. All soaps except E45 contained potential irritants. Only Simple and E45 fit the cancer agencies' definition of mild soap and could therefore be recommended for radiotherapy patients. Future research should identify current practices and recommendations in the UK as anecdotal evidence suggests large variations in skin care advice. Further scientific analysis could potentially identify cheaper brands that fit the definition of 'mild'. UK recommendations should be standardised and consistent with best practice to reduce skin reaction severity in radiotherapy patients. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  8. Cognitive Profiles of Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helmut Hildebrandt

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD and Parkinson's disease (PD are associated with severe cognitive decline, but it is still unclear to what extent they become functionally more similar over time. Methods: We compared amnestic mild cognitively impaired (aMCI; n = 29 patients to mild cognitively impaired (MCI PD patients (n = 25, and patients with AD (n = 34 to patients with PD dementia (PDD; n = 15 with respect to cognitive functioning and mood. Results: aMCI patients were impaired in episodic memory, while MCI PD patients showed deficits in visuoconstruction and attention. AD and PDD patients showed comparable deficits on tests for language, attention and visuoconstruction. However, unlike PDD patients but similar to aMCI patients, AD patients showed a characteristic memory impairment, especially commission errors on recognition tasks, whereas PDD patients scored higher on the depressive mood questionnaire. Conclusions: In advanced stages of both diseases, the pattern of functional deficits associated with parietal and temporal lobe functions (attention, visuoconstruction and language is similar. However, specific differences, already present in the early stage (recognition errors in AD, associated with mediobasal temporal lobe functioning, and depressed mood in PDD, associated with non-motor basal ganglia loops, are also observed in the late stage.

  9. A behavioral rehabilitation intervention for amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenaway, Melanie C.; Hanna, Sherrie M.; Lepore, Susan W.; Smith, Glenn E.

    2010-01-01

    Individuals with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) currently have few treatment options for combating their memory loss. The Memory Support System (MSS) is a calendar and organization system with accompanying 6-week curriculum designed for individuals with progressive memory impairment. Ability to learn the MSS and its utility were assessed in 20 participants. Participants were significantly more likely to successfully use the calendar system after training. Ninety-five percent were compliant with the MSS at training completion, and 89% continued to be compliant at follow-up. Outcome measures revealed a medium effect size for improvement in functional ability. Subjects further reported improved independence, self-confidence, and mood. This initial examination of the MSS suggests that with appropriate training, individuals with amnestic MCI can and will use a memory notebook system to help compensate for memory loss. These results are encouraging that the MSS may help with the symptoms of memory decline in MCI. PMID:18955724

  10. Advances in imaging and electron physics

    CERN Document Server

    Hawkes, Peter W

    1995-01-01

    Academic Press is pleased to announce the creation of Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics. This serial publication results from the merger of two long running serials--Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical & Electron Microscopy. Advances in Imaging & Electron Physics will feature extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies,microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains. Continuation order customers for either of the original Advances will receiveVolume 90, the first combined volume.

  11. IKLAN DALAM WACANA POSTMODERN STUDI KASUS IKLAN ROKOK A-MILD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Freddy H. Istanto

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available During the uncertain situation of politics%2C social%2C economic and culture in Indonesia recently%2C there is a new phenomenon%2C that is the existence of thousands ads of A-Mild cigarette%2C which brings various questions. The ads of this cigarette do not show a relationship between the underlying messages with the products. It is%2C indeed a strange mode in the advertisement world. The performance of A-Mild ads in this article is analyzed by the linguistic approach%2C namely semiotic theory; a theory which comes from the language theory. The message of this ads (both text and images can be read as a sign or group of signs. Between signifier and the signified of A-Mild ads there is no ideologic and stable relationship%2C but in fact they look ironic and represent "what I please idea". The performance of A-Mild ads show the growing aspects of life at that time%2C so the text (the postmodern work does not only produce a single meaning%2C but also a multidimensional space in which various problems interact and get mixed with each other. The ads also indicate the use of one of postmodern aesthetic language%2C namely parody. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Didalam situasi politik%2C ekonomi%2C sosial dan budaya yang tidak menentu di Indonesia saat ini%2C hadir fenomena baru yakni munculnya ribuan iklan rokok A-Mild; yang dalam penampilannya mengundang beragam pertanyaan. Sajian iklan yang dihadirkan%2C tidak memperlihatkan adanya hubungan antara pesan-pesan yang disampaikan dengan produk yang dipasarkan%2C sesuatu yang terlihat janggal dalam dunia iklan pada umumnya. Tampilan iklan A-Mild%2C dalam kertas kerja ini dikaji dengan pendekatan linguistik%2C yaitu teori semiotik%2C suatu teori yang berasal dari teori kebahasaan. Pesan dalam iklan (baik teks maupun gambar dapat dibaca sebagai tanda atau sekumpulan tanda. Antara penanda (bentuk dan petanda (makna dalam tampilan iklan A-Mild terlihat tidak terlihat hubungan yang ideologis dan mapan%2C namun

  12. Continuous palliative sedation for patients with advanced cancer at a tertiary care cancer center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prado, Bernard Lobato; Gomes, Diogo Bugano Diniz; Usón Júnior, Pedro Luiz Serrano; Taranto, Patricia; França, Monique Sedlmaier; Eiger, Daniel; Mariano, Rodrigo Coutinho; Hui, David; Del Giglio, Auro

    2018-01-04

    Palliative sedation (PS) is an intervention to treat refractory symptoms and to relieve suffering at the end of life. Its prevalence and practice patterns vary widely worldwide. The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency, clinical indications and outcomes of PS in advanced cancer patients admitted to our tertiary comprehensive cancer center. We retrospectively studied the use of PS in advanced cancer patients who died between March 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2014. PS was defined as the use of continuous infusion of midazolam or neuroleptics for refractory symptoms in the end of life. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of our institution (project number 2481-15). During the study period, 552 cancer patients died at the institution and 374 met the inclusion criteria for this study. Main reason for exclusion was death in the Intensive Care Unit. Among all included patients, 54.2% (n = 203) received PS. Patients who received PS as compared to those not sedated were younger (67.8 vs. 76.4 years-old, p sedation were dyspnea (55%) and delirium (19.7%) and the most common drugs used were midazolam (52.7%) or midazolam and a neuroleptic (39.4%). Median initial midazolam infusion rate was 0.75 mg/h (interquartile range - IQR - 0.6-1.5) and final rate was 1.5 mg/h (IQR 0.9-3.0). Patient survival (length of hospital stay from admission to death) of those who had PS was more than the double of those who did not (33.6 days vs 16 days, p palliative care team was involved in the care of 12% (n = 25) of sedated patients. PS is a relatively common practice in the end-of-life of cancer patients at our hospital and it is not associated with shortening of hospital stay. Involvement of a dedicated palliative care team is strongly recommended if this procedure is being considered. Further research is needed to identify factors that may affect the frequency and outcomes associated with PS.

  13. Advancing ecological understandings through technological transformations in noninvasive genetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beja-Pereira, Albano; Oliveira, Rita; Alves, Paulo C; Schwartz, Michael K; Luikart, Gordon

    2009-09-01

    Noninvasive genetic approaches continue to improve studies in molecular ecology, conservation genetics and related disciplines such as forensics and epidemiology. Noninvasive sampling allows genetic studies without disturbing or even seeing the target individuals. Although noninvasive genetic sampling has been used for wildlife studies since the 1990s, technological advances continue to make noninvasive approaches among the most used and rapidly advancing areas in genetics. Here, we review recent advances in noninvasive genetics and how they allow us to address important research and management questions thanks to improved techniques for DNA extraction, preservation, amplification and data analysis. We show that many advances come from the fields of forensics, human health and domestic animal health science, and suggest that molecular ecologists explore literature from these fields. Finally, we discuss how the combination of advances in each step of a noninvasive genetics study, along with fruitful areas for future research, will continually increase the power and role of noninvasive genetics in molecular ecology and conservation genetics. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  14. Heterogeneity in executive impairment in patients with very mild Alzheimer's

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stokholm, J.; Gade, Anders; Vogel, A.

    2006-01-01

    The presence of executive impairment in mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) has primarily been demonstrated by means of group comparison. Whether executive dysfunction is a common feature of mild AD or only present in a subgroup of patients remains unclear. The aim of this study was to describe...

  15. Corrosion Protection Of Mild Steel In Sea Water Using Chemical Inhibitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araoyinbo, Alaba O.; Salleh, Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd; Zulerwan Jusof, Muhammad

    2018-03-01

    The effect of sodium nitrite as a corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in sea water (i.e ASTM standard prepared sea water and sea water obtained from a local river) was investigated, using the weight loss technique. Different amount of sodium nitrite were prepared (i.e 2 % to 10 %) in the inhibition of the mild steel corrosion in sea water exposed to irradiation condition from sunlight exposure. The cut samples of mild steel were exposed to these corrosive media and the corresponding weight loss subsequently obtained was recorded at intervals of 1 to 4 weeks. It was observed that corrosion rate increases with the time of exposure to the corrosive medium exposed to sunlight and that sodium nitrite that was used at the chemical inhibitor was able to retard the corrosion rate of mild steel if the appropriate concentration is applied. The results obtained from the weight loss analysis shows that the optimum percentage of sodium nitrate in sea water that gives the optimum corrosion inhibition of mild steel is 4 %.

  16. Ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography in mild-to-moderate preeclampsia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayaz, Tunahan; Akansel, Gur. E-mail: gakansel@superonline.com; Hayirlioglu, Alper; Arslan, Arzu; Suer, Necdet; Kuru, Ihsan

    2003-06-01

    Objective: To evaluate the hemodynamic changes in mild-moderate preeclampsia using ophthalmic artery Doppler ultrasonography technique. Methods: Ophthalmic artery pulsatility and resistivity indices were calculated in 30 mild-moderate preeclamptic women and 30 normotensive gravid women of matched gestational age. Student's t-test was performed to test the significance of difference. Results: Both indices of peripheral resistance were found to be significantly lower in the ophthalmic arteries of mild-moderately preeclamptic women than those measured in normotensive gravid women at similar stage of pregnancy. In a small number patients whose disease progressed to severe preeclampsia, both indices increased. Conclusion: In patients with mild-moderate preeclampsia, ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography detects hemodynamic changes that are not present in normotensive gravid women. Reversal of Doppler patterns in a small number of patients with progressive disease supports the hypotheses suggesting the presence of early vasodilation and late vasospasm in the etiology of preeclampsia.

  17. Probable mild Opitz trigonocephaly C syndrome

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rabah M. Shawky

    2011-12-11

    Dec 11, 2011 ... brachycephaly shape to the skull, hypoplastic scrotum and bilateral undescended testes, and mild generalised ... It may occur isolated or syndromic involving other abnor- ..... [12] Sargent C, Burn J, Baraitser M, Pembrey ME.

  18. Mild Oxidative Damage in the Diabetic Rat Heart Is Attenuated by Glyoxalase-1 Overexpression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casper G. Schalkwijk

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Diabetes significantly increases the risk of heart failure. The increase in advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs and oxidative stress have been associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy. We recently demonstrated that there is a direct link between AGEs and oxidative stress. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate if a reduction of AGEs by overexpression of the glycation precursor detoxifying enzyme glyoxalase-I (GLO-I can prevent diabetes-induced oxidative damage, inflammation and fibrosis in the heart. Diabetes was induced in wild-type and GLO-I transgenic rats by streptozotocin. After 24-weeks of diabetes, cardiac function was monitored with ultrasound under isoflurane anesthesia. Blood was drawn and heart tissue was collected for further analysis. Analysis with UPLC-MSMS showed that the AGE Nε-(1-carboxymethyllysine and its precursor 3-deoxyglucosone were significantly elevated in the diabetic hearts. Markers of oxidative damage, inflammation, and fibrosis were mildly up-regulated in the heart of the diabetic rats and were attenuated by GLO-I overexpression. In this model of diabetes, these processes were not accompanied by significant changes in systolic heart function, i.e., stroke volume, fractional shortening and ejection fraction. This study shows that 24-weeks of diabetes in rats induce early signs of mild cardiac alterations as indicated by an increase of oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis which are mediated, at least partially, by glycation.

  19. Anticorrosion potential of hydralazine for corrosion of mild steel in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Anticorrosion potential of mild steel by Hydralazine as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1M hydrochloric acid was investigated by chemical and electrochemical measurements at 303-333 K temperature. The maximum inhibition efficiency of inhibitor by Weight loss method is around 90%, Tafel polarization method is ...

  20. Validation of the Chinese version of Addenbrooke's cognitive examination-revised for screening mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Rong; Wang, Gang; Huang, Yue; Zhuang, Jun-Peng; Tang, Hui-Dong; Wang, Ying; Deng, Yu-Lei; Xu, Wei; Chen, Sheng-Di; Ren, Ru-Jing

    2014-01-01

    As a suitable test to screen for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), studies to validate the Chinese version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) are rare. A total of 151 subjects were recruited and the neuropsychological assessments were employed. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni correction were used to compare scores of different psychometric scales. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's coefficient α were used to evaluate the reliability of psychometric scales. The validity of ACE-R to screen for mild AD and amnestic subtype of MCI (a-MCI) was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The Chinese ACE-R had good reliability (inter-rater ICC = 0.994; test-retest ICC = 0.967) as well as reliable internal consistency (Cronbach's coefficient α = 0.859). With its cutoff of 67/68, the sensitivity (0.920) and specificity (0.857) were lower than for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) cutoff (sensitivity 1.000 and specificity 0.937) to screen for mild AD. However, the sensitivity of ACE-R to screen for a-MCI was superior to the MMSE with a cutoff of 85/86. The specificity of ACE-R was lower than that of the MMSE to screen for a-MCI. The area under the ROC curve of ACE-R was much larger than that of the MMSE (0.836 and 0.751) for detecting a-MCI rather than mild AD. The Chinese ACE-R is a reliable assessment tool for cognitive impairment. It is more sensitive and accurate in screening for a-MCI rather than for AD compared to the MMSE.

  1. Mild desalination demo pilot: New normalization approach to effectively evaluate electrodialysis reversal technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roel Bisselink

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Key performance indicators for characterization of nanofiltration performance are well developed, similar key performance indicators for electrodialysis reversal are however underdeveloped. Under the E4Water project Dow Benelux BV and Evides Industriewater BV operate a pilot facility to compare both technologies for their application to mildly desalinate a variety of brackish water streams. Normalized pressure drop, normalized current efficiency and normalized membrane resistance proved to be a useful tool to interpret process performance and to initiate a cleaning procedure if required. The availability of these normalized key performance indicators enables optimization and process monitoring and control of electrodialysis reversal independent of the continuously changing conditions of the feed water.

  2. Distinct molecular signatures of mild extrinsic and intrinsic atopic dermatitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martel, Britta Cathrina; Litman, Thomas; Hald, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease with underlying defects in epidermal function and immune responses. In this study, we used microarray analysis to investigate differences in gene expression in lesional skin from patients with mild extrinsic or intrinsic AD compared...... with mild extrinsic and intrinsic AD similar to previous reports for severe AD. Interestingly, expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses in intrinsic AD resembled that of psoriasis more than that of extrinsic AD. Overall, differences in expression of inflammation-associated genes found among...... patients with mild intrinsic and extrinsic AD correlated with previous findings for patients with severe intrinsic and extrinsic AD....

  3. Exploring the Self-concept of Adults with Mild Learning Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pestana, Claudio

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study aimed to add to the research on the self-concept of adults with mild learning disabilities and to generate a deeper understanding of their self-perceptions rather than draw generalised quantitative conclusions. Eight adults diagnosed with mild learning disabilities receiving support from a supported living project were…

  4. Proton MR spectroscopy in mild traumatic brain injury

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubas, Bożena; Łebkowski, Wojciech; Łebkowska, Urszula; Kułak, Wojciech; Tarasow, Eugeniusz; Walecki, Jerzy

    2010-01-01

    To assess the role of 1H MRS in the detection of changes in cerebral metabolite levels in pyramidal tracts after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and to compare metabolite alterations to the clinical status (Glasgow Coma Scale). Study group consisted of 25 patients after mild traumatic brain injury, with a score of 11 to 15 in GCS. The MR studies were performed with a 1.5 T scanner. The results of spectra approximation (presented as metabolite ratios: NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, Cho/Cr, lac/Cr, lip/Cr, Glx/Cr) were subjected to statistical analysis. MR spectra were recorded from a normal-appearing brain region: internal capsules and cerebral peduncles. Spectra from traumatic patients were compared with a control group including 34 healthy volunteers recorded with the same techniques. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the data obtained from various brain regions of the same patients after an MTBI and between the study and the control group. Proton MR spectroscopy detects changes in cerebral metabolite levels in apparently normal regions. In pyramidal tracts (internal capsules, cerebral peduncles), we noticed a significant reduction of NAA /Cho, lip/Cr, lac/Cr and Glx/Cr. In patients with mild brain injury, we can detect some metabolite abnormalities in normal-appearing brain structures. Proton MRS is a very useful tool for evaluation of major changes in metabolite levels in pyramidal tracts after mild traumatic brain injury

  5. The effect of souvenaid on functional brain network organisation in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease: a randomised controlled study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanneke de Waal

    Full Text Available Synaptic loss is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD. Disturbed organisation of large-scale functional brain networks in AD might reflect synaptic loss and disrupted neuronal communication. The medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect, is designed to enhance synapse formation and function and has been shown to improve memory performance in patients with mild AD in two randomised controlled trials.To explore the effect of Souvenaid compared to control product on brain activity-based networks, as a derivative of underlying synaptic function, in patients with mild AD.A 24-week randomised, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, multi-country study.179 drug-naïve mild AD patients who participated in the Souvenir II study.Patients were randomised 1∶1 to receive Souvenaid or an iso-caloric control product once daily for 24 weeks.In a secondary analysis of the Souvenir II study, electroencephalography (EEG brain networks were constructed and graph theory was used to quantify complex brain structure. Local brain network connectivity (normalised clustering coefficient gamma and global network integration (normalised characteristic path length lambda were compared between study groups, and related to memory performance.THE NETWORK MEASURES IN THE BETA BAND WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN GROUPS: they decreased in the control group, but remained relatively unchanged in the active group. No consistent relationship was found between these network measures and memory performance.The current results suggest that Souvenaid preserves the organisation of brain networks in patients with mild AD within 24 weeks, hypothetically counteracting the progressive network disruption over time in AD. The results strengthen the hypothesis that Souvenaid affects synaptic integrity and function. Secondly, we conclude that advanced EEG analysis, using the mathematical framework of graph theory, is useful and

  6. The effect of souvenaid on functional brain network organisation in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease: a randomised controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Waal, Hanneke; Stam, Cornelis J; Lansbergen, Marieke M; Wieggers, Rico L; Kamphuis, Patrick J G H; Scheltens, Philip; Maestú, Fernando; van Straaten, Elisabeth C W

    2014-01-01

    Synaptic loss is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Disturbed organisation of large-scale functional brain networks in AD might reflect synaptic loss and disrupted neuronal communication. The medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect, is designed to enhance synapse formation and function and has been shown to improve memory performance in patients with mild AD in two randomised controlled trials. To explore the effect of Souvenaid compared to control product on brain activity-based networks, as a derivative of underlying synaptic function, in patients with mild AD. A 24-week randomised, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, multi-country study. 179 drug-naïve mild AD patients who participated in the Souvenir II study. Patients were randomised 1∶1 to receive Souvenaid or an iso-caloric control product once daily for 24 weeks. In a secondary analysis of the Souvenir II study, electroencephalography (EEG) brain networks were constructed and graph theory was used to quantify complex brain structure. Local brain network connectivity (normalised clustering coefficient gamma) and global network integration (normalised characteristic path length lambda) were compared between study groups, and related to memory performance. THE NETWORK MEASURES IN THE BETA BAND WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN GROUPS: they decreased in the control group, but remained relatively unchanged in the active group. No consistent relationship was found between these network measures and memory performance. The current results suggest that Souvenaid preserves the organisation of brain networks in patients with mild AD within 24 weeks, hypothetically counteracting the progressive network disruption over time in AD. The results strengthen the hypothesis that Souvenaid affects synaptic integrity and function. Secondly, we conclude that advanced EEG analysis, using the mathematical framework of graph theory, is useful and feasible for

  7. A new disease? Persistent isolated beta.hydroxybutyrate ketosis and mild congenital hyperinsulinism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christesen, Henrik Thybo; Brusgaard, Klaus; Ditkovskaya, L

    A new disease? Persistent isolated beta.hydroxybutyrate ketosis and mild congenital hyperinsulinism.......A new disease? Persistent isolated beta.hydroxybutyrate ketosis and mild congenital hyperinsulinism....

  8. Efficacy of psychosocial intervention in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Waldorff, F B; Buss, D V; Eckermann, A

    2012-01-01

    To assess the efficacy at 12 months of an early psychosocial counselling and support programme for outpatients with mild Alzheimer's disease and their primary care givers.......To assess the efficacy at 12 months of an early psychosocial counselling and support programme for outpatients with mild Alzheimer's disease and their primary care givers....

  9. Thyroid disorders in mild iodine deficiency

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laurberg, P; Nøhr, S B; Pedersen, K M

    2000-01-01

    Comparative epidemiologic studies in areas with low and high iodine intake and controlled studies of iodine supplementation have demonstrated that the major consequence of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency for the health of the population is an extraordinarily high occurrence of hyperthyroidism...... endangered but the consequences of severe iodine deficiency for brain development are grave and a considerable safety margin is advisable. Moreover, a shift toward less malignant types of thyroid cancer and a lower radiation dose to the thyroid in case of nuclear fallout support that mild-to-moderate iodine...... deficiency should be corrected. However, there is evidence that a high iodine intake may be associated with more autoimmune hypothyroidism, and that Graves' disease may manifest at a younger age and be more difficult to treat. Hence, the iodine intake should be brought to a level at which iodine deficiency...

  10. Molecular Mechanisms of Mild and Severe Pneumonia: Insights from RNA Sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Sai; Feng, Cong; Chen, Li; Huang, Zhi; Zhou, Xuan; Li, Bei; Wang, Li-Li; Chen, Wei; Lv, Fa-Qin; Li, Tan-Shi

    2017-04-06

    BACKGROUND This study aimed to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying mild and severe pneumonia by use of mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq). MATERIAL AND METHODS RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of patients with mild pneumonia, severe pneumonia, and healthy controls. Sequencing was performed on the HiSeq4000 platform. After filtering, clean reads were mapped to the human reference genome hg19. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the control group and the mild or severe group. A transcription factor-gene network was constructed for each group. Biological process (BP) terms enriched by DEGs in the network were analyzed and these genes were also mapped to the Connectivity map to search for small-molecule drugs. RESULTS A total of 199 and 560 DEGs were identified from the mild group and severe group, respectively. A transcription factor-gene network consisting of 215 nodes and another network consisting of 451 nodes were constructed in the mild group and severe group, respectively, and 54 DEGs (e.g., S100A9 and S100A12) were found to be common, with consistent differential expression changes in the 2 groups. Genes in the transcription factor-gene network for the mild group were mainly enriched in 13 BP terms, especially defense and inflammatory response (e.g., S100A8) and spermatogenesis, while the top BP terms enriched by genes in the severe group include response to oxidative stress (CCL5), wound healing, and regulation of cell differentiation (CCL5), and of the cellular protein metabolic process. CONCLUSIONS S100A9 and S100A12 may have a role in the pathogenesis of pneumonia: S100A9 and CXCL1 may contribute solely in mild pneumonia, and CCL5 and CXCL11 may contribute in severe pneumonia.

  11. Higher incidence of mild cognitive impairment in familial hypercholesterolemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zambón, D.; Quintana, M.; Mata, P.; Alonso, R.; Benavent, J.; Cruz-Sánchez, F.; Gich, J.; Pocoví, M.; Civeira, F.; Capurro, S.; Bachman, D.; Sambamurti, K.; Nicholas, J.; Pappolla, M. A.

    2010-01-01

    Objective Hypercholesterolemia is an early risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors may be involved in this disorder. Our objective was to determine the risk of mild cognitive impairment in a population of patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition involving LDL receptors dysfunction and life long hypercholesterolemia. Methods Using a cohort study design, patients with (N=47) meeting inclusion criteria and comparison patients without familial hypercholesterolemia (N=70) were consecutively selected from academic specialty and primary care clinics respectively. All patients were older than 50 years. Those with disorders which could impact cognition, including history of stroke or transient ischemic attacks, were excluded from both groups. Thirteen standardized neuropsychological tests were performed in all subjects. Mutational analysis was performed in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and brain imaging was obtained in those with familial hypercholesterolemia and mild cognitive impairment. Results Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia showed a very high incidence of mild cognitive impairment compared to those without familial hypercholesterolemia (21.3% vs. 2.9%; p = 0.00). This diagnosis was unrelated to structural pathology or white matter disease. There were significant differences between the familial hypercholesterolemia and the no-familial hypercholesterolemia groups in several cognitive measures, all in the direction of worse performance for familial hypercholesterolemia patients, independent of apoE4 or apoE2 status. Conclusions Because prior studies have shown that older patients with sporadic hypercholesterolemia do not show higher incidence of mild cognitive impairment, the findings presented here suggest that early exposure to elevated cholesterol or LDL receptors dysfunction may be risk factors for mild cognitive impairment. PMID:20193836

  12. Mild head injury and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chasle, Veronique; Riffaud, Laurent; Longuet, Romain; Martineau-Curt, Marie; Collet, Yann; Le Fournier, Luc; Pladys, Patrick

    2016-12-01

    Post-concussion syndrome is a well-described complication following moderate and severe head trauma but whether it occurs after mild head injury in children remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to mild head injury with potential additional risk factors (non-surgical lesion on computed tomographic, high kinetic trauma, or Glasgow Coma Scale <15) is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after the head trauma. This study was performed in an emergency department on children admitted between 2009 and 2013. It compared victims of mild head injury aged 6-16 years with matched children presenting isolated non-surgical forearm fracture (ratio1/2). ADHD was assessed using Conners' Global Index-Parent short version 3-40 months after the trauma. The patients were compared using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, t test or u-test as appropriate with a p value set at 0.05. During the study period, 676 patients were admitted for mild head injury. Among them, 34 (5 %) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were compared with 64 matched patients admitted for a forearm fracture. The groups were comparable. ADHD was observed in both groups (18 % in the mild head injury group, 11 % in the control group) with no significant differences between groups. The prevalence was high when compared to an expected frequency of 3.5-5.6 % in children aged 6-12 years in the general population. These results suggest that pre-existing ADHD may have contributed to injury proneness in both groups and does not argue for a specific risk of ADHD induced by mild head injury. The diagnosis of ADHD should be evoked at admission of children aged 6-16 years presenting with a trauma.

  13. Borderlines between sarcopenia and mild late-onset muscle disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johanna ePalmio

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Numerous natural or disease-related alterations occur in different tissues of the body with advancing age. Sarcopenia is defined as age-related decrease of muscle mass and strength beginning in mid-adulthood and accelerating in people older than 60 years. Pathophysiology of sarcopenia involves both neural and muscle dependent mechanisms and is enhanced by multiple factors. Aged muscles show loss in fiber number, fiber atrophy and gradual increase in the number of ragged red fibers and cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibers. Generalized loss of muscle tissue and increased amount of intramuscular fat is seen on muscle imaging. However, the degree of these changes vary greatly between individuals and the distinction between normal age-related weakening of muscle strength and clinically significant muscle disease is not always obvious. Because some of the genetic myopathies can present at a very late age and be mild in severity, the correct diagnosis is easily missed. We highlight this difficult borderline zone between sarcopenia and muscle disease by two examples: LGMD1D and myotonic dystrophy type 2. Muscle MRI is a useful tool to help differentiate myopathies from sarcopenia and to reach the correct diagnosis also in the elderly.

  14. The Influence of Quality Products and Quality of Customer Loyalty in Cigarette Class Mild(case Studies in Pt.niaga Nusaabadi Bandar Lampung)

    OpenAIRE

    Efriyanti, Farida; Rahman, Ferdy

    2016-01-01

    This research is motivated a condition that is now increasingly fast-moving business where competition is more advanced in the field of cigarettes. Integration thus a need to have a marketing strategy in order to maintain and towards higher market share. As for the issue of this study is "What are the factors of product quality, service quality, positive effect on consumer loyalty Class Mild cigarette?". The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of each - each variable, the quality ...

  15. Simulation of MILD combustion using Perfectly Stirred Reactor model

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Z.

    2016-07-06

    A simple model based on a Perfectly Stirred Reactor (PSR) is proposed for moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion. The PSR calculation is performed covering the entire flammability range and the tabulated chemistry approach is used with a presumed joint probability density function (PDF). The jet, in hot and diluted coflow experimental set-up under MILD conditions, is simulated using this reactor model for two oxygen dilution levels. The computed results for mean temperature, major and minor species mass fractions are compared with the experimental data and simulation results obtained recently using a multi-environment transported PDF approach. Overall, a good agreement is observed at three different axial locations for these comparisons despite the over-predicted peak value of CO formation. This suggests that MILD combustion can be effectively modelled by the proposed PSR model with lower computational cost.

  16. Effects of the Advance Organizer with Oral and Written Presentation on Recall and Inference of EMR Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peleg, Ziva R.; Moore, Robert F.

    1982-01-01

    The effectiveness of D. Ausubel's Advance Organizer, an introduction presented before the material to be taught, was tested with 96 mildly retarded adolescents. Results of a three-way analysis of variance indicated a facilitative effect under the written presentation, especially for high-level questions and a negative effect under the oral…

  17. Organization and Management of Continuing Education in German and Finnish Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawacki-Richter, Olaf; Knust, Michaela; Hanft, Anke

    2009-01-01

    In 2006, an international comparison study investigated the organization and management of university continuing education (UCE). The Finnish continuing education system proved to be especially advanced in this study. On the other hand, it became clear that Germany was still lagging behind in continuing education. In this article, German and…

  18. SHORT COMMUNICATION CONVENIENT AND MILD SYNTHESIS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Preferred Customer

    *Corresponding author. E-mail: naeimi@kashanu.ac.ir. SHORT COMMUNICATION. CONVENIENT AND MILD SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISATION OF. SOME NEW SCHIFF BASES. Hossein Naeimi* and Zahra Sadat Nazifi. Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Kashan,. Kashan, 87317 ...

  19. Skin Autofluorescence Examination as a Diagnostic Tool for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Healthy People.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Igase, Michiya; Ohara, Maya; Igase, Keiji; Kato, Takeaki; Okada, Yoko; Ochi, Masayuki; Tabara, Yasuharu; Kohara, Katsuhiko; Ohyagi, Yasumasa

    2017-01-01

    Accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. Tissue AGE accumulation can be estimated using the relative simple noninvasive measurement of skin autofluorescence (SAF), a method based on the fluorescent properties of some AGEs. However, possible involvement of tissue AGE accumulation in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been fully investigated. We investigated whether tissue AGE accumulation estimated by SAF is associated with mild cognitive impairment. We analyzed 226 community-dwelling subjects. In addition to several atherosclerosis-related clinical parameters, MCI screening test, assessment of brain atrophy, and SAF were performed on people aged > 40 years. MCI was assessed using the Japanese version of the MCI screening method. Atrophy of the brain was assessed by examining the temporal horn area (THA) by brain MRI. SAF was significantly higher in participants with MCI than in those with normal cognitive function (2.56±0.55 versus 2.10±0.41; p  2.27 was significantly related to the presence of MCI (odds, 6.402; 95% CI, 1.590-25.773, p = 0.009). We found an association between SAF and MCI, which was independent of brain atrophy, in healthy subjects.

  20. Cognitive and functional neuroimaging correlate for anosognosia in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vogel, Asmus; Hasselbalch, Steen G; Gade, Anders

    2005-01-01

    To investigate the correlation between anosognosia and behavioural symptoms, performance on executive tests, and frontal cortex regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with 'amnestic mild cognitive impairment' (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).......To investigate the correlation between anosognosia and behavioural symptoms, performance on executive tests, and frontal cortex regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with 'amnestic mild cognitive impairment' (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD)....

  1. 2000 GUIDELINES FOR ADVANCEMENT AND EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE AWARDS

    CERN Document Server

    2000-01-01

    1. GeneralAs indicated in last year's guidelines, studies on CERN's career structures are continuing in the context of the work of the Tripartite Forum on Employment Conditions (TREF) and should be completed during this year's 5-Yearly Remuneration Review for the application of any changes in 2001. In the meantime, the 2000 annual advancement exercise will be conducted on similar basic lines to those of previous years, i.e. within the procedures of the Administrative Circular N° 26 (Rev. 2), thus promoting the aspect of individual merit in advancement.The present guidelines continue to aim at the best possible degree of flexibility of application for each division within the present Staff Rules and Regulations in order to take full account of both the different levels of individual performance and also the different staff profiles.All advancement must be justified on the grounds of correctly judged merit: exceptional advancement (i.e. second step or entering the exceptional advancement grade) for par...

  2. Pharmacotherapy for mild hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Diao

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: People with no previous cardiovascular events or cardiovascular disease represent a primary prevention population. The benefits and harms of treating mild hypertension in primary prevention patients are not known at present. This review examines the existing randomized controlled trial (RCT evidence. OBJECTIVE: Primary objective: To quantify the effects of antihypertensive drug therapy on mortality and morbidity in adults with mild hypertension (systolic blood pressure (BP 140-159 mmHg and/or diastolic BP 90-99 mmHg and without cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Search: We searched CENTRAL (2011, Issue 1, MEDLINE (1948 to May 2011, EMBASE (1980 to May 2011 and reference lists of articles. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE were searched for previous reviews and meta-analyses of anti-hypertensive drug treatment compared to placebo or no treatment trials up until the end of 2011. Selection criteria: RCTs of at least 1 year duration. Data collection and analysis: The outcomes assessed were mortality, stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD, total cardiovascular events (CVS, and withdrawals due to adverse effects. MAIN RESULTS: Of 11 RCTs identified 4 were included in this review, with 8,912 participants. Treatment for 4 to 5 years with antihypertensive drugs as compared to placebo did not reduce total mortality (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.63, 1.15. In 7,080 participants treatment with antihypertensive drugs as compared to placebo did not reduce coronary heart disease (RR 1.12, 95% CI 0.80, 1.57, stroke (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.24, 1.08, or total cardiovascular events (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.72, 1.32. Withdrawals due to adverse effects were increased by drug therapy (RR 4.80, 95% CI 4.14, 5.57, ARR 9%. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Antihypertensive drugs used in the treatment of adults (primary prevention with mild hypertension (systolic BP 140-159 mmHg and/or diastolic BP 90-99 mmHg have not been

  3. Semantic error patterns on the Boston Naming Test in normal aging, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease: is there semantic disruption?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balthazar, Marcio Luiz Figueredo; Cendes, Fernando; Damasceno, Benito Pereira

    2008-11-01

    Naming difficulty is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the nature of this problem is not well established. The authors investigated the presence of semantic breakdown and the pattern of general and semantic errors in patients with mild AD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and normal controls by examining their spontaneous answers on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and verifying whether they needed or were benefited by semantic and phonemic cues. The errors in spontaneous answers were classified in four mutually exclusive categories (semantic errors, visual paragnosia, phonological errors, and omission errors), and the semantic errors were further subclassified as coordinate, superordinate, and circumlocutory. Patients with aMCI performed normally on the BNT and needed fewer semantic and phonemic cues than patients with mild AD. After semantic cues, subjects with aMCI and control subjects gave more correct answers than patients with mild AD, but after phonemic cues, there was no difference between the three groups, suggesting that the low performance of patients with AD cannot be completely explained by semantic breakdown. Patterns of spontaneous naming errors and subtypes of semantic errors were similar in the three groups, with decreasing error frequency from coordinate to superordinate to circumlocutory subtypes.

  4. The Continuity Project, Fall 1997 Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasilko, Peter J.

    The Continuity Project is a research, development, and technology transfer initiative aimed at creating a "Library of the Future" by combining features of an online public access catalog (OPAC) and a campus wide information system (CWIS) with advanced facilities drawn from such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), knowledge…

  5. Category verbal fluency performance may be impaired in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Márcio Luiz Figueredo Balthazar

    Full Text Available Abstract To study category verbal fluency (VF for animals in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI, mild Alzheimer disease (AD and normal controls. Method: Fifteen mild AD, 15 aMCI, and 15 normal control subjects were included. Diagnosis of AD was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, while aMCI was based on the criteria of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment, using CDR 0.5 for aMCI and CDR 1 for mild AD. All subjects underwent testing of category VF for animals, lexical semantic function (Boston Naming-BNT, CAMCOG Similarities item, WAIS-R forward and backward digit span, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVLT, Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE, and other task relevant functions such as visual perception, attention, and mood state (with Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Data analysis used ANOVA and a post-hoc Tukey test for intergroup comparisons, and Pearson's coefficient for correlations of memory and FV tests with other task relevant functions (statistical significance level was p<0.05. Results: aMCI patients had lower performance than controls on category VF for animals and on the backward digit span subtest of WAIS-R but higher scores compared with mild AD patients. Mild AD patients scored significantly worse than aMCI and controls across all tests. Conclusion: aMCI patients may have poor performance in some non-memory tests, specifically category VF for animals in our study, where this could be attributable to the influence of working memory.

  6. Pharmacokinetics of Diclofenac and Hydroxypropyl‐β‐Cyclodextrin (HPβCD) Following Administration of Injectable HPβCD‐Diclofenac in Subjects With Mild to Moderate Renal Insufficiency or Mild Hepatic Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Douglas A.; Ernst, Cynthia C.; Kramer, William G.; Madden, Donna; Lang, Eric; Liao, Edward; Lacouture, Peter G.; Ramaiya, Atulkumar

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Given their established analgesic properties, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent an important postoperative pain management option. This study investigated: (1) the effects of mild or moderate renal insufficiency and mild hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of diclofenac and hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD) following administration of the injectable NSAID HPβCD‐diclofenac; and (2) the PK of HPβCD following administration of HPβCD‐diclofenac and intravenous itraconazole formulated with HPβCD in healthy adults. Diclofenac clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (Vz) tended to increase with decreasing renal function (moderate insufficiency versus mild insufficiency or healthy controls). Regression analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between Vz (but not CL or elimination half‐life, t½) and renal function. HPβCD CL was significantly decreased in subjects with renal insufficiency, with a corresponding increase in t½. There were no significant differences in diclofenac or HPβCD PK in subjects with mild hepatic impairment versus healthy subjects. Exposure to HPβCD in healthy subjects following HPβCD‐diclofenac administration was ∼12% of that with intravenous itraconazole, after adjusting for dosing schedule and predicted accumulation (diclofenac might be administered to patients with mild or moderate renal insufficiency or mild hepatic impairment without dose adjustment (NCT00805090). PMID:29197175

  7. Delayed minocycline but not delayed mild hypothermia protects against embolic stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noor Raza

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inflammatory reactions occurring in the brain after ischemia may contribute to secondary damage. In the present study, effects of minocycline, an anti-inflammatory agent, alone or in combination with mild hypothermia on focal embolic cerebral ischemia have been examined. Methods Focal ischemic injury was induced by embolizing a preformed clot into the middle cerebral artery (MCA. Infarction volume was measured at 48 h after the injury. Mortality was also recorded. Results Delayed administration of minocycline alone or delayed minocycline plus delayed mild hypothermia reduced the infarction volume significantly. However, delayed mild hypothermia alone was not protective and delayed mild hypothermia in combination with minocycline did not show any additive effect. Conclusions These results suggest that minocycline is beneficial in focal ischemic brain injury, and the lack of the enhanced neuroprotection may be due to the brief exposure to hypothermia.

  8. Comparison of the serial position effect in very mild Alzheimer's disease, mild Alzheimer's disease, and amnesia associated with electroconvulsive therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayley, P J; Salmon, D P; Bondi, M W; Bui, B K; Olichney, J; Delis, D C; Thomas, R G; Thal, L J

    2000-03-01

    Individuals given a series of words to memorize normally show better immediate recall for items from the beginning and end of the list than for mid-list items. This phenomenon, known as the serial position effect, is thought to reflect the concurrent contributions of secondary and primary memory, respectively, to recall performance. The present study compared the serial position effects produced on Trial 1 of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in mildly demented (N = 25; M MMSE = 20.0) and very mildly demented (N = 25; M MMSE = 25.5) patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and age- and education-matched normal control (NC) participants (N = 50). In addition, the serial position effects of the very mildly demented AD patients were compared to those of patients with a transient, circumscribed amnesia arising from a prescribed series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments for the relief of depressive illness (N = 11). While the NC group exhibited the typical serial position effect, AD patients recalled significantly fewer words than NC participants overall, and exhibited a significantly reduced primacy effect (i.e., recall of the first 2 list items) with a normal recency effect (i.e., recall of the last 2 list items). Patients with circumscribed amnesia due to ECT were as impaired as the very mildly demented AD patients on most standard CVLT measures of learning and memory, but exhibited primacy and recency effects, which were within normal limits. These results suggest that a reduction in the primacy effect, but not the recency effect, is an early and ubiquitous feature of the memory impairment of AD. It is not, however, a necessary feature of all causes of memory impairment.

  9. Antistranspirant compounds alleviate the mild-desiccation-induced reduction of vase life in cut roses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fanourakis, D.; Gebraegziabher, Habtamu; Li, Tao; Kambourakis, Emmanouil; Ligoxigakis, Eleftherios K.; Padadimitriou, Michael; Strataridaki, Argiro; Bouranis, Dimitrios; Fiorani, F.; Heuvelink, E.; Ottosen, Carl-Otto

    2016-01-01

    The vase life sensitivity to mild desiccation (12% weight loss) was addressed in rose, together with alleviation possibilities. The postharvest longevity upon arrival or following mild desiccation was determined on eight cultivars, combined with several morpho-physiological traits. Mild desiccation

  10. Biographical disruption, adjustment and reconstruction of everyday occupations and work participation after mild traumatic brain injury. A focus group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sveen, Unni; Søberg, Helene Lundgaard; Østensjø, Sigrid

    2016-11-01

    To explore traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a biographical disruption and to study the reconstruction of everyday occupations and work participation among individuals with mild TBI. Seven focus groups were conducted with 12 women and 8 men (22-60 years) who had sustained mild TBI and participated in a return-to-work program. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four interrelated themes emerged: disruption of occupational capacity and balance; changes in self-perceptions; experience of time; and occupational adjustment and reconstruction. The meaning of the impairments lies in their impact on the individual's everyday occupations. The abandonment of meaningful daily occupations and the feeling of not recognizing oneself were experienced as threats to the sense of self. Successful integration of the past, present and future was paramount to continuing life activities. The unpredictability of the future seemed to permeate the entire process of adjustment and reconstruction of daily life. Our findings show that the concept of time is important in understanding and supporting the reconstruction of daily life after TBI. The fundamental work of rehabilitation is to ameliorate the disruptions caused by the injury, restoring a sense of personal narrative and supporting the ability to move forward with life. Implications for Rehabilitation Individuals with a protracted recovery after a mild traumatic brain injury must reconstruct a new way of being and acting in the world to achieve biographical continuity. The perceived anxiety regarding changes in self and occupational identity, as well as loss of control over the future, can be attenuated through informational sessions during the hospital stay and at follow-up visits. The significant personal costs of returning to full-time employment too early indicate the need for early and ongoing vocational support in achieving a successful return to work.

  11. The process of disclosing a diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, T Rune; Svensson, Birthe Hjorth; Rohr, Gitte

    2018-01-01

    aspects of disclosing a diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Method A total of 54 specialist physicians in Danish dementia diagnostic departments completed an online survey on their practices regarding diagnostic disclosure of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. The influence...... of respondent characteristics was assessed, and differences on key aspects of disclosing a diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment were analyzed. Results The results suggest that among Danish specialist physicians, there is a general consensus regarding the organization of diagnostic disclosure...... meetings. However, differences in employed terminology and information provided when disclosing a dementia diagnosis were evident. Significant differences were present on key aspects of the diagnostic disclosure of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. For instance, 91% would use the term dementia during...

  12. MR diffusion tensor imaging voxel-based analysis of whole brain white matter in patients with amnestic-type mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yadi; Feng Xiaoyuan; He Huijin; Ding Ding; Tang Weijun; Zhao Qianhua

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the microstructural integrity of white matter (WM) in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) using voxel-based analysis (VBA), and investigate the relationship between WM abnormalities and gray matter (GM) atrophy. Methods: Thirty-three cases with aMCI, 32 cases with mild AD and 31 normal aging volunteers as control subjects were scanned on a 3.0 T MR system using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and three-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled (3DSPGR) sequences. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps and morphological images were preprocessed by SPM5 and voxel-based comparisons between the 2 patient groups and the control group were performed by t test. Results: Relative to the control group, patients with aMCI showed significantly reduced FA value in bilateral frontal, temporal and left occipital WM, left anterior part of cingulum, left inferior parietal lobule, and the WM adjacent to the triangular part of the right lateral ventricle (k ≥ 20 voxels). In mild AD, significantly reduced FA value was found in bilateral hippocampal, inferior parietal lobular, frontal, temporal, and occipital WM, bilateral corpus callosum, anterior part of cingulums, the WM adjacent to the triangular part of the bilateral lateral ventricles, left temporal stem, left thalamus, right precuneus (k ≥ 20 voxels). Significantly reduced GM volume was found in left hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, lingual gyrus and superior temporal gyrus, bilateral insulae and middle temporal gyri in aMCI group when compared with control group (k ≥ 50 voxels). In mild AD, significantly reduced GM volume was found in bilateral hippocampi, parahippocampal gyri, amygdalae, thalami, temporal, parietal, frontal, occipital cortex (k ≥ 50 voxels). The pattern of areas with reduced FA differs from that of the GM volumetric reduction. No areas with significantly reduced FA was detected in aMCI compared with mild AD. There was no significant

  13. Serial position effects in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early and moderate Alzheimer's disease compared with healthy comparison subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moser, B; Deisenhammer, E A; Marksteiner, J; Papousek, I; Fink, A; Weiss, E M

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate whether the serial position effects in memory can differentiate patients with different subtypes of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from healthy controls and patients with different stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The serial position effects was tested with the CERAD word list task in 184 persons (39 healthy control subjects, 15 amnestic MCI single domain subjects, 23 amnestic MCI multiple domain subjects, 31 nonamnestic MCI subjects, 45 early or mild AD patients, and 31 moderate AD patients). With progression of dementia, memory deficits increased and the impairment in the primacy effect during the learning trials advanced, whereas the recall of recent items was less impaired. The serial position profile of nonamnestic MCI patients resembled that of healthy control subjects, whereas amnestic MCI patients showed poorer performance in all 3 positions but no significant difference as a function of serial word position. Analyses of the serial position effect may be a useful complement to clinical neuropsychological measures for distinguishing amnestic MCI patients from normal aging and patients with different stages of dementia. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  14. Slowing down after a mild traumatic brain injury: a strategy to improve cognitive task performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozen, Lana J; Fernandes, Myra A

    2012-01-01

    Long-term persistent attention and memory difficulties following a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) often go undetected on standard neuropsychological tests, despite complaints by mild TBI individuals. We conducted a visual Repetition Detection working memory task to digits, in which we manipulated task difficulty by increasing cognitive load, to identify subtle deficits long after a mild TBI. Twenty-six undergraduate students with a self-report of one mild TBI, which occurred at least 6 months prior, and 31 non-head-injured controls took part in the study. Participants were not informed until study completion that the study's purpose was to examine cognitive changes following a mild TBI, to reduce the influence of "diagnosis threat" on performance. Neuropsychological tasks did not differentiate the groups, though mild TBI participants reported higher state anxiety levels. On our working memory task, the mild TBI group took significantly longer to accurately detect repeated targets on our task, suggesting that slowed information processing is a long-term consequence of mild TBI. Accuracy was comparable in the low-load condition and, unexpectedly, mild TBI performance surpassed that of controls in the high-load condition. Temporal analysis of target identification suggested a strategy difference between groups: mild TBI participants made a significantly greater number of accurate responses following the target's offset, and significantly fewer erroneous distracter responses prior to target onset, compared with controls. Results suggest that long after a mild TBI, high-functioning young adults invoke a strategy of delaying their identification of targets in order to maintain, and facilitate, accuracy on cognitively demanding tasks. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  15. Corrosion behavior of duplex polyaniline/epoxy coating on mild steel in 3% NaCl

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gvozdenović Milica M.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The corrosion behavior and thermal stability of epoxy coatings electrodeposited on mild steel and on mild steel with electrochemically deposited polyaniline (PANI film were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA. The aim of the paper was to present new findings on the corrosion protection of mild steel by a duplex PANI/-epoxy coating in 3% NaCI solution and to determine the effect of thin PANI film on the protective properties of the coating. PANI film was deposited electrochemically on mild steel from an aqueous solution of 0.5 mol dm"3 sodium benzoate and 0.1 mol dm"3 aniline at a constant current density of 1.5 mA cm"2. Non-pigmented epoxy coatings on mild steel and on mild steel with PANI film were obtained by cathodic electrode position at constant voltage and stirring conditions. The resin concentration in the electrode position bath was 10 wt.% solid dispersion in water at pH 5.7. The applied voltage was 250 V, the temperature 26°C and the deposition time 3 min. It was shown that thin PANI film could be used to modify the surface of mild steel prior to epoxy coating deposition, due to the increased corrosion protection of a duplex PANI/epoxy coating comparing to an epoxy coating on mild steel in 3% NaCl solution.

  16. Assessing the Employment-Related Interpersonal Competence of Mildly Mentally Retarded Workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullis, Michael; Foss, Gilbert

    1986-01-01

    The Test of Interpersonal Competence for Employment (TICE) designed to assess a mildly retarded worker's knowledge of interpersonal skills in the employment setting, was developed based on analysis of problems that mildly retarded workers experience and identification of correct responses to those problems by competitive employers. Initial…

  17. Visual-Motor Integration in Children With Mild Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memisevic, Haris; Djordjevic, Mirjana

    2018-01-01

    Visual-motor integration (VMI) skills, defined as the coordination of fine motor and visual perceptual abilities, are a very good indicator of a child's overall level of functioning. Research has clearly established that children with intellectual disability (ID) have deficits in VMI skills. This article presents a meta-analytic review of 10 research studies involving 652 children with mild ID for which a VMI skills assessment was also available. We measured the standardized mean difference (Hedges' g) between scores on VMI tests of these children with mild ID and either typically developing children's VMI test scores in these studies or normative mean values on VMI tests used by the studies. While mild ID is defined in part by intelligence scores that are two to three standard deviations below those of typically developing children, the standardized mean difference of VMI differences between typically developing children and children with mild ID in this meta-analysis was 1.75 (95% CI [1.11, 2.38]). Thus, the intellectual and adaptive skill deficits of children with mild ID may be greater (perhaps especially due to their abstract and conceptual reasoning deficits) than their relative VMI deficits. We discuss the possible meaning of this relative VMI strength among children with mild ID and suggest that their stronger VMI skills may be a target for intensive academic interventions as a means of attenuating problems in adaptive functioning.

  18. Education of advanced practice nurses in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin-Misener, Ruth; Bryant-Lukosius, Denise; Harbman, Patricia; Donald, Faith; Kaasalainen, Sharon; Carter, Nancy; Kilpatrick, Kelley; DiCenso, Alba

    2010-12-01

    In Canada, education programs for the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and nurse practitioner (NP) roles began 40 years ago. NP programs are offered in almost all provinces. Education for the CNS role has occurred through graduate nursing programs generically defined as providing preparation for advanced nursing practice. For this paper, we drew on pertinent sections of a scoping review of the literature and key informant interviews conducted for a decision support synthesis on advanced practice nursing to describe the following: (1) history of advanced practice nursing education in Canada, (2) current status of advanced practice nursing education in Canada, (3) curriculum issues, (4) interprofessional education, (5) resources for education and (6) continuing education. Although national frameworks defining advanced nursing practice and NP competencies provide some direction for education programs, Canada does not have countrywide standards of education for either the NP or CNS role. Inconsistency in the educational requirements for primary healthcare NPs continues to cause significant problems and interferes with inter-jurisdictional licensing portability. For both CNSs and NPs, there can be a mismatch between a generalized education and specialized practice. The value of interprofessional education in facilitating effective teamwork is emphasized. Recommendations for future directions for advanced practice nursing education are offered.

  19. Promoting Sleep Oscillations and Their Functional Coupling by Transcranial Stimulation Enhances Memory Consolidation in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladenbauer, Julia; Ladenbauer, Josef; Külzow, Nadine; de Boor, Rebecca; Avramova, Elena; Grittner, Ulrike; Flöel, Agnes

    2017-07-26

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) not only involves loss of memory functions, but also prominent deterioration of sleep physiology, which is already evident at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cortical slow oscillations (SO; 0.5-1 Hz) and thalamocortical spindle activity (12-15 Hz) during sleep, and their temporal coordination, are considered critical for memory formation. We investigated the potential of slow oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation (so-tDCS), applied during a daytime nap in a sleep-state-dependent manner, to modulate these activity patterns and sleep-related memory consolidation in nine male and seven female human patients with MCI. Stimulation significantly increased overall SO and spindle power, amplified spindle power during SO up-phases, and led to stronger synchronization between SO and spindle power fluctuations in EEG recordings. Moreover, visual declarative memory was improved by so-tDCS compared with sham stimulation and was associated with stronger synchronization. These findings indicate a well-tolerated therapeutic approach for disordered sleep physiology and memory deficits in MCI patients and advance our understanding of offline memory consolidation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the light of increasing evidence that sleep disruption is crucially involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), sleep appears as a promising treatment target in this pathology, particularly to counteract memory decline. This study demonstrates the potential of a noninvasive brain stimulation method during sleep in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor of AD, and advances our understanding of its mechanism. We provide first time evidence that slow oscillatory transcranial stimulation amplifies the functional cross-frequency coupling between memory-relevant brain oscillations and improves visual memory consolidation in patients with MCI. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/377111-14$15.00/0.

  20. Pharmacokinetics of Diclofenac and Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin (HPβCD) Following Administration of Injectable HPβCD-Diclofenac in Subjects With Mild to Moderate Renal Insufficiency or Mild Hepatic Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Douglas A; Ernst, Cynthia C; Kramer, William G; Madden, Donna; Lang, Eric; Liao, Edward; Lacouture, Peter G; Ramaiya, Atulkumar; Carr, Daniel B

    2018-02-01

    Given their established analgesic properties, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent an important postoperative pain management option. This study investigated: (1) the effects of mild or moderate renal insufficiency and mild hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of diclofenac and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) following administration of the injectable NSAID HPβCD-diclofenac; and (2) the PK of HPβCD following administration of HPβCD-diclofenac and intravenous itraconazole formulated with HPβCD in healthy adults. Diclofenac clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (V z ) tended to increase with decreasing renal function (moderate insufficiency versus mild insufficiency or healthy controls). Regression analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between V z (but not CL or elimination half-life, t ½ ) and renal function. HPβCD CL was significantly decreased in subjects with renal insufficiency, with a corresponding increase in t ½ . There were no significant differences in diclofenac or HPβCD PK in subjects with mild hepatic impairment versus healthy subjects. Exposure to HPβCD in healthy subjects following HPβCD-diclofenac administration was ∼12% of that with intravenous itraconazole, after adjusting for dosing schedule and predicted accumulation (diclofenac might be administered to patients with mild or moderate renal insufficiency or mild hepatic impairment without dose adjustment (NCT00805090). © 2017 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  1. Vision rehabilitation interventions following mild traumatic brain injury: a scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson-Jones, Mary E; Hunt, Anne W

    2018-04-10

    To broadly examine the literature to identify vision interventions following mild traumatic brain injury. Objectives are to identify: (1) evidence-informed interventions for individuals with visual dysfunction after mild traumatic brain injury; (2) professions providing these interventions; (3) gaps in the literature and areas for further research. A scoping review was conducted of four electronic databases of peer-reviewed literature from the databases earliest records to June 2017. Articles were included if the study population was mild traumatic brain injury/concussion and a vision rehabilitation intervention was tested. Two independent reviewers screened articles for inclusion, extracted data, and identified themes. The initial search identified 3111 records. Following exclusions, 22 articles were included in the final review. Nine studies evaluated optical devices, such as corrective spectacles, contact lenses, prisms, or binasal occlusion. Two studies assessed vision therapy. Ten studies examined vision therapy using optical devices. One study investigated hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Optometrists performed these interventions in most of the studies. Future research should address quality appraisal of this literature, interventions that include older adult and pediatric populations, and interdisciplinary interventions. There are promising interventions for vision deficits following mild traumatic brain injury. However, there are multiple gaps in the literature that should be addressed by future research. Implications for Rehabilitation Mild traumatic brain injury may result in visual deficits that can contribute to poor concentration, headaches, fatigue, problems reading, difficulties engaging in meaningful daily activities, and overall reduced quality of life. Promising interventions for vision rehabilitation following mild traumatic brain injury include the use of optical devices (e.g., prism glasses), vision or oculomotor therapy (e.g., targeted exercises to

  2. Skin Autofluorescence and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Mild to Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease: A Case-Control Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, Enric; Betriu, Àngels; Arroyo, David; López, Carolina; Hernández, Marta; Rius, Ferran; Fernández, Elvira; Lecube, Albert

    2017-01-01

    Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are increased and predict mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are undergoing hemodialysis, irrespective of the presence of type 2 diabetes. However, little information exits about the relationship between AGEs and subclinical atherosclerosis at the early stages of CKD. A case-control study was performed including 87 patients with mild-to-moderate stages of CKD (glomerular filtration rate from 89 to 30 ml/min/per 1.73m2) and 87 non-diabetic non-CKD subjects matched by age, gender, body mass index, and waist circumference. Skin autofluorescence (AF), a non-invasive assessment of AGEs, was measured. The presence of atheromatous disease in carotid and femoral arteries was evaluated using vascular ultrasound, and vascular age and SCORE risk were estimated. Patients with mild-to-moderate stages of CKD showed an increase in skin AF compared with control subjects (2.5±0.6 vs. 2.2±0.4 AU, pskin AF value >2.0 AU was accompanied by a 3-fold increased risk of detecting the presence of an atheromathous plaque (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.5, p = 0.006). When vascular age was assessed through skin AF, subjects with CKD were almost 12 years older than control subjects (70.3±25.5 vs. 58.5±20.2 years, p = 0.001). Skin AF was negatively correlated with glomerular filtration rate (r = -0.354, pskin AF (R2 = 0.289, pSkin AF is elevated in patients with mild-to-moderate CKD compared with control subjects. This finding may be independently associated with the glomerular filtration rate and the presence of subclinical atheromatous disease. Therefore, the use of skin AF may help to accurately evaluate the real cardiovascular risk at the early stages of CKD.

  3. Effect of Pain and Mild Cognitive Impairment on Mobility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schepker, Caroline A; Leveille, Suzanne G; Pedersen, Mette Merete

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of pain and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)-together and separately-on performance-based and self-reported mobility outcomes in older adults in primary care with mild to moderate self-reported mobility limitations. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING...... Inventory (BPI) were defined as having pain. MCI was defined using age-adjusted scores on a neuropsychological battery. Multivariable linear regression models assessed associations between pain and MCI, together and separately, and mobility performance (habitual gait speed, Short Physical Performance...

  4. Development of new corrosion inhibitor tested on mild steel supported by electrochemical study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habeeb, Hussein Jwad; Luaibi, Hasan Mohammed; Dakhil, Rifaat Mohammed; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Al-Amiery, Ahmed A.; Gaaz, Tayser Sumer

    2018-03-01

    Mild steel is a metal which is commonly used in industrials and manufacturing of equipment for most industries round the world. It is cheaper cost compared with the other metals and its durable, hard and easy-to-wear physical properties make it a major choice in the manufacture of equipment parts. The main problem through the uses of mild steel in industry is its resistance against corrosion, especially in acidic solutions. This case led to raise the cost of maintenance of equipment that used mild steel and as a result increased costs for the company. Organic corrosive inhibitors that also act as green chemicals, 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol have been synthesized. This inhibitor is tested as corrosion inhibitor on a mild steel sample MS in 1 M hydrochloric acid solution (HCl) using electrochemical measurements test includes PD (Potentiodynamic), EIS (Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy), OCP (Open circuit potential) and EFM (electrochemical frequency modulation). The obtained results indicate that 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol acts as a good corrosion inhibitor for mild steel sample in HCl solution with efficiency above 90%. Changes in the impedance parameters postulated adsorption on the mild steel specimens' surfaces of, which it going to the formation of protective coating layer. It also shows that 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol corrosion inhibitors are effective in helping to reduce and slow down the corrosion process that occurs on mild steel surface in hydrochloric acid solution. Increase of corrosion inhibitor concentration provides a protective layer of mild steel. However, this protective layer becomes weak when the temperature of the solution increases.

  5. Developing a Model of Advanced Training to Promote Career Advancement for Certified Genetic Counselors: An Investigation of Expanded Skills, Advanced Training Paths, and Professional Opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baty, Bonnie J; Trepanier, Angela; Bennett, Robin L; Davis, Claire; Erby, Lori; Hippman, Catriona; Lerner, Barbara; Matthews, Anne; Myers, Melanie F; Robbins, Carol B; Singletary, Claire N

    2016-08-01

    There are currently multiple paths through which genetic counselors can acquire advanced knowledge and skills. However, outside of continuing education opportunities, there are few formal training programs designed specifically for the advanced training of genetic counselors. In the genetic counseling profession, there is currently considerable debate about the paths that should be available to attain advanced skills, as well as the skills that might be needed for practice in the future. The Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors (AGCPD) convened a national committee, the Committee on Advanced Training for Certified Genetic Counselors (CATCGC), to investigate varied paths to post-master's training and career development. The committee began its work by developing three related grids that view career advancement from the viewpoints of the skills needed to advance (skills), ways to obtain these skills (paths), and existing genetic counselor positions that offer career change or advancement (positions). Here we describe previous work related to genetic counselor career advancement, the charge of the CATCGC, our preliminary work in developing a model through which to view genetic counselor advanced training and career advancement opportunities, and our next steps in further developing and disseminating the model.

  6. Quantum engineering of continuous variable quantum states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabuncu, Metin

    2009-10-29

    Quantum information with continuous variables is a field attracting increasing attention recently. In continuous variable quantum information one makes use of the continuous information encoded into the quadrature of a quantized light field instead of binary quantities such as the polarization state of a single photon. This brand new research area is witnessing exciting theoretical and experimental achievements such as teleportation, quantum computation and quantum error correction. The rapid development of the field is mainly due higher optical data rates and the availability of simple and efficient manipulation tools in continuous-variable quantum information processing. We in this thesis extend the work in continuous variable quantum information processing and report on novel experiments on amplification, cloning, minimal disturbance and noise erasure protocols. The promising results we obtain in these pioneering experiments indicate that the future of continuous variable quantum information is bright and many advances can be foreseen. (orig.)

  7. Quantum engineering of continuous variable quantum states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabuncu, Metin

    2009-01-01

    Quantum information with continuous variables is a field attracting increasing attention recently. In continuous variable quantum information one makes use of the continuous information encoded into the quadrature of a quantized light field instead of binary quantities such as the polarization state of a single photon. This brand new research area is witnessing exciting theoretical and experimental achievements such as teleportation, quantum computation and quantum error correction. The rapid development of the field is mainly due higher optical data rates and the availability of simple and efficient manipulation tools in continuous-variable quantum information processing. We in this thesis extend the work in continuous variable quantum information processing and report on novel experiments on amplification, cloning, minimal disturbance and noise erasure protocols. The promising results we obtain in these pioneering experiments indicate that the future of continuous variable quantum information is bright and many advances can be foreseen. (orig.)

  8. Developmental Exposure to Mild Variable Stress: Adult ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    In utero exposure to mild variable stress has been reported to influence learning and memory formation in offspring. Our research aims to examine whether nonchemical environmental stressors will exacerbate effects to chemical exposure. This study utilized a varying stress paradigm to simulate human psychosocial stress incurred during and after pregnancy to identify phenotypic learning changes in adult offspring that are potential stress markers. We additionally wanted to compare these behavioral outcomes to rat performance induced by perinatal exposure to manganese (Mn), a neurotoxic environmental element, at 2 or 5 g/l in drinking water throughout gestation and lactation. Pregnant Long Evans rats were exposed to an unpredictable series of mild stressful events which had previously been shown to increase maternal corticosterone levels. Nonchemical stressors were presented from GD 13 through GD 21 and included varying noise, light, housing, and confinement during both sleep and wake cycles. A subgroup of offspring was also exposed to periods of maternal separation. Starting at PND 97 offspring were trained with a trace fear conditioning protocol whereby rats were exposed to a compound cue (light and tone) followed by 30 seconds (trace period) and a mild foot shock (1mA, 0.5 seconds). Five paired training sessions occurred on the first day. The following day, context and cue learning were assessed by measuring motor activity. Preliminary data suggests adu

  9. Energy and fuel efficient parallel mild hybrids for urban roads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babu, Ajay; Ashok, S.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy and fuel savings depend on battery charge variations and the vehicle speed parameters. • Indian urban conditions provide lot of scope for energy and fuel savings in mild hybrids. • Energy saving strategy has lower payback periods than the fuel saving one in mild hybrids. • Sensitivity to parameter variations is the least for energy saving strategy in a mild hybrid. - Abstract: Fuel economy improvements and battery energy savings can promote the adoption of parallel mild hybrids for urban driving conditions. The aim of this study is to establish these benefits through two operating modes: an energy saving mode and a fuel saving mode. The performances of a typical parallel mild hybrid using these modes were analysed over urban driving cycles, in the US, Europe, and India, with a particular focus on the Indian urban conditions. The energy pack available from the proposed energy-saving operating mode, in addition to the energy already available from the conventional mode, was observed to be the highest for the representative urban driving cycle of the US. The extra energy pack available was found to be approximately 21.9 times that available from the conventional mode. By employing the proposed fuel saving operating mode, the fuel economy improvement achievable in New York City was observed to be approximately 22.69% of the fuel economy with the conventional strategy. The energy saving strategy was found to possess the lowest payback periods and highest immunity to variations in various cost parameters.

  10. Emissions of NO and CO from counterflow combustion of CH4 under MILD and oxyfuel conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheong, Kin-Pang; Li, Pengfei; Wang, Feifei; Mi, Jianchun

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports on the NO and CO emission characteristics of counterflow combustion of methane simulated under MILD or/and oxyfuel conditions. Simulations using CHEMKIN are conducted for various injection conditions of fuel and oxidizer. Note that the terms “oxyfuel”, “MILD-N 2 ” and “MILD-CO 2 ” combustion adopted hereafter represent the conventional oxy-combustion and those MILD combustions diluted by N 2 and CO 2 , respectively. It is observed that the NO emission of MILD-CO 2 combustion is ultra-low for all cases of investigation, even when increasing the combustion temperature up to 2000 K or adding more N 2 (up to 20%) to either the fuel stream (to simulate nitrogen-containing fuels like biomass) or the oxidizer stream (to simulate the air-ingress). A higher temperature allowed under MILD-CO 2 combustion suggests the improvement of energy efficiency for the MILD combustion technology. Moreover, the presence of steam in the oxidant reduces both NO and CO emissions of combustion for all cases. The relative importance analysis reveals that the N 2 O-intermediate mechanism for producing NO prevails in MILD-CO 2 combustion while the prompt and thermal mechanisms predominate MILD-N 2 and oxyfuel combustion, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity analysis identifies those main reactions that play important roles for the NO emission under these combustion conditions. - Highlights: • Assessing the NO and CO emissions from MILD combustion diluted by CO 2 . • Examining the possibility of higher combustion intensity in MILD-CO 2 combustion than in MILD-N 2 combustion. • Differentiating the contributions from each NO mechanism to the total NO emission. • Revealing major NO mechanisms under different combustion conditions. • Better understanding the NO formation mechanisms under MILD combustion.

  11. Neural correlates of true and false memory in mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney-Reed, Catherine M; Riddell, Patricia M; Ellis, Judi A; Freeman, Jayne E; Nasuto, Slawomir J

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this research was to investigate the changes in neural processing in mild cognitive impairment. We measured phase synchrony, amplitudes, and event-related potentials in veridical and false memory to determine whether these differed in participants with mild cognitive impairment compared with typical, age-matched controls. Empirical mode decomposition phase locking analysis was used to assess synchrony, which is the first time this analysis technique has been applied in a complex cognitive task such as memory processing. The technique allowed assessment of changes in frontal and parietal cortex connectivity over time during a memory task, without a priori selection of frequency ranges, which has been shown previously to influence synchrony detection. Phase synchrony differed significantly in its timing and degree between participant groups in the theta and alpha frequency ranges. Timing differences suggested greater dependence on gist memory in the presence of mild cognitive impairment. The group with mild cognitive impairment had significantly more frontal theta phase locking than the controls in the absence of a significant behavioural difference in the task, providing new evidence for compensatory processing in the former group. Both groups showed greater frontal phase locking during false than true memory, suggesting increased searching when no actual memory trace was found. Significant inter-group differences in frontal alpha phase locking provided support for a role for lower and upper alpha oscillations in memory processing. Finally, fronto-parietal interaction was significantly reduced in the group with mild cognitive impairment, supporting the notion that mild cognitive impairment could represent an early stage in Alzheimer's disease, which has been described as a 'disconnection syndrome'.

  12. Neural Correlates of True and False Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney-Reed, Catherine M.; Riddell, Patricia M.; Ellis, Judi A.; Freeman, Jayne E.; Nasuto, Slawomir J.

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this research was to investigate the changes in neural processing in mild cognitive impairment. We measured phase synchrony, amplitudes, and event-related potentials in veridical and false memory to determine whether these differed in participants with mild cognitive impairment compared with typical, age-matched controls. Empirical mode decomposition phase locking analysis was used to assess synchrony, which is the first time this analysis technique has been applied in a complex cognitive task such as memory processing. The technique allowed assessment of changes in frontal and parietal cortex connectivity over time during a memory task, without a priori selection of frequency ranges, which has been shown previously to influence synchrony detection. Phase synchrony differed significantly in its timing and degree between participant groups in the theta and alpha frequency ranges. Timing differences suggested greater dependence on gist memory in the presence of mild cognitive impairment. The group with mild cognitive impairment had significantly more frontal theta phase locking than the controls in the absence of a significant behavioural difference in the task, providing new evidence for compensatory processing in the former group. Both groups showed greater frontal phase locking during false than true memory, suggesting increased searching when no actual memory trace was found. Significant inter-group differences in frontal alpha phase locking provided support for a role for lower and upper alpha oscillations in memory processing. Finally, fronto-parietal interaction was significantly reduced in the group with mild cognitive impairment, supporting the notion that mild cognitive impairment could represent an early stage in Alzheimer’s disease, which has been described as a ‘disconnection syndrome’. PMID:23118992

  13. Developmental abilities in children with mild visual impairment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vučinić Vesna

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of analyzing the relation between visual acuity and developmental abilities (perceptive functions, verbal and non-verbal abilities in younger school children. The sample consists of 1165 children from urban, suburban, and rural parts of Belgrade, of both genders, aged between 7.5 and 11. American 'Lighthouse' Optotype was used for screening assessment of visual acuity. Mild visual impairment, i.e. near visual acuity in the better eye ranging from 0.3 to 0.7, was detected in 7.9% of the pupils. ACADIA test of developmental abilities was used for the assessment of developmental abilities. When compared to the examinees with visual acuity in the better eye ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 (mild amblyopia, the examinees with normal visual acuity achieved better results in visuomotor coordination, non-verbal reasoning (Visual Association subtest, and concept formation in non-verbal domain (Sequence and Coding subtest. No significant differences were determined in constructive praxis (Drawing Shapes subtest and representational dimension of a drawing (Drawing subtest. According to the criterion of age standard deviation, a statistically significant difference was determined between the examinees with mild visual impairment and the examinees with normal vision (χ2=13,425, df=2, p=0,001; ρ=0,103, p≤0,000. The results of 24.8% of the examinees with mild visual impairment deviate from age norms in one or two SD (14.9% in one SD, and 9.9% in two SD. In the group of examinees with normal vision 12.5% of the results deviate from age norms in one or two SD (8.7% in one SD, and 3.8% in two SD.

  14. The enhancement of immunological activity by mild hypothermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawal, Takeo; Gu, Yeun Hwa; Miyata, Katuyuki

    2004-01-01

    In general, the term hypothermia is applied for the therapeutic method for the treatment of cancer using micro wave, RF wave thermal system or intra-tissue thermal device. It was found to be a tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is one of cytokines secreted by macrophages 'P'j. With remarkable progress in the instruments and technique in recent years, fundamental and clinical research showed extensive development 'Q'j. At present, hypothermia is clinically very important as inter- disciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumor 'R'j. Also, hypothermia is characterized by its selective thermal effect on tumor 'S'j. In this sense, it is called mild hypothermia. There have been not many reports, which described mild hypothermia for the purpose of treating the cases with cancer. This suggests the possibility of immunological response by heating relatively mild temperature (39-42). In this respect, by experiments using mouse as model, we evaluated the effects of hypothermia under temperature of 42.5 and lower and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect can be obtained

  15. Everyday Memory and Working Memory in Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Molen, M. J.; Van Luit, J. E. H.; Van der Molen, Maurits W.; Jongmans, Marian J.

    2010-01-01

    Everyday memory and its relationship to working memory was investigated in adolescents with mild intellectual disability and compared to typically developing adolescents of the same age (CA) and younger children matched on mental age (MA). Results showed a delay on almost all memory measures for the adolescents with mild intellectual disability…

  16. Advanced calculus of a single variable

    CERN Document Server

    Geveci, Tunc

    2016-01-01

    This advanced undergraduate textbook is based on a one-semester course on single variable calculus that the author has been teaching at San Diego State University for many years. The aim of this classroom-tested book is to deliver a rigorous discussion of the concepts and theorems that are dealt with informally in the first two semesters of a beginning calculus course. As such, students are expected to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of calculus, such as limits (with an emphasis on ε-δ definitions), continuity (including an appreciation of the difference between mere pointwise and uniform continuity), the derivative (with rigorous proofs of various versions of L’Hôpital’s rule) and the Riemann integral (discussing improper integrals in-depth, including the comparison and Dirichlet tests). Success in this course is expected to prepare students for more advanced courses in real and complex analysis and this book will help to accomplish this. The first semester of advanced calculus...

  17. Johnson - Cook Strength Models for Mild and DP 590 Steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vedantam, K.; Brar, N. S.; Bajaj, D.; Hill, S.

    2006-01-01

    Automotive steels, Mild and Dual Phase590 (DP590) are characterized in tension at room temperature, using the quasi-static and split Hopkinson bar techniques at various strain rates ranging from ∼10-3/s to ∼1800/s. Tension stress-strain data for both the steels are analyzed to determine the Johnson-Cook Strength model constants, J-C strength model constants for mild steel are A=217 MPa, B = 234 MPa, n = 0.643 and C = 0.076 and for DP590 steel are A = 430 MPa, B = 824 MPa, n = 0.510 and C = 0.017. Higher value of strain rate sensitivity constant C for mild steel (0.076) compared to DP 590 (0.017) is also reflected in the stress- strain data at various strain rates

  18. Sinalbin degradation products in mild yellow mustard paste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paunović Dragana

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Sinalbin degradation products in mild yellow mustard paste were investigated. The analyzed material consisted of a mild yellow mustard paste condiment and ground white mustard seeds which were originally used in the mustard paste production process. The samples were extracted in a Soxhlet extraction system and analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS technique. The only sinalbin degradation product in ground mustard seeds was 2-(4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile. The most abundant sinalbin degradation product in yellow mustard paste was 4-(hydroxymethylphenol. Other compounds identified in this sample were: 4-methyl phenol, 4-ethyl phenol, 4-(2-hydroxyethylphenol and 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl ethanoic acid.

  19. Advanced intensity-modulation continuous-wave lidar techniques for ASCENDS CO2 column measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Joel F.; Lin, Bing; Nehrir, Amin R.; Harrison, F. W.; Obland, Michael D.; Meadows, Byron

    2015-10-01

    Global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity- Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space to meet the ASCENDS measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud contamination. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby eliminating the need to correct for sidelobe bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. This approach works well for both BPSK and linear swept-frequency modulation techniques. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. A comparison of BPSK and linear swept-frequency is also discussed in this paper. These results are extended to include Richardson-Lucy deconvolution techniques to extend the resolution of the lidar beyond that implied by limit of the bandwidth of the modulation, where it is shown useful for making tree canopy measurements.

  20. Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for ASCENDS O2 Column Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Joel F.; Lin, Bing; Nehrir, Amin R.; Harrison, F. Wallace; Obland, Michael D.; Meadows, Byron

    2015-01-01

    Global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity- Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space to meet the ASCENDS measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud contamination. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby eliminating the need to correct for sidelobe bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. This approach works well for both BPSK and linear swept-frequency modulation techniques. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. A comparison of BPSK and linear swept-frequency is also discussed in this paper. These results are extended to include Richardson-Lucy deconvolution techniques to extend the resolution of the lidar beyond that implied by limit of the bandwidth of the modulation, where it is shown useful for making tree canopy measurements.

  1. Urinary tract infection and vesicoureteral reflux in children with mild antenatal hydronephrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sencan, A; Carvas, F; Hekimoglu, I C; Caf, N; Sencan, A; Chow, J; Nguyen, H T

    2014-12-01

    The postnatal management of mild antenatal hydronephrosis (ANH) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of UTI and VUR in children with mild ANH in order to determine the necessity of antibiotic prophylaxis (ABP) and VCUG. The data of 1511 patients with various grades of ANH who were referred to Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital between January 1998 and January 2010 were reviewed and 760 patients who had mild ANH were identified. The inclusion criteria were: 1) A confirmed report of ANH or actual prenatal ultrasound (US) images. 2) Postnatal evaluation and management conducted at the hospital. 3) Persistent mild hydronephrosis on the first US done between two weeks and three months of age. 4) No other US findings such as ureteral dilatation, duplication anomalies or bladder abnormalities. 5) At least one three-month follow up. Univariate statistical analysis was performed using a Student's t test. Of the 760 patients who were identified, 608 (80%) were males, and 225 (30%) had bilateral mild hydronephrosis. Of these, 475 patients (63%) underwent an initial screening VCUG. VUR was identified in 13 patients (1.7%) with grades varying from 1 to 5. At follow up, hydronephrosis resolved in 67% of the renal units and worsened in 3.3%. Among the 692 patients with available follow-up data, 23 (3.3%) had a documented UTI. Twelve of these children had an initial screening VCUG that was negative for VUR. Of these 12 patients, seven underwent a subsequent RNC with none having VUR; five of the 12 patients did not undergo a repeat evaluation for VUR (four had a UTI after the screening VCUG and one had an afebrile UTI). Eleven of the 23 children with mild ANH did not have an initial screening VCUG, and all underwent a subsequent VCUG/RNC. Only two children were then found to have VUR Grade 4-5. The incidence of UTI and VUR in children with mild ANH is low. Consequently, routine VCUG screening for VUR and the use of long

  2. Application of contemporary imaging methods in diagnostics of mild cognitive impairment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walecki, J.; Pawlowska-Detko, A.; Ignaciuk, K.; Gabryelewicz, T.; Barcikowska, M.

    2006-01-01

    Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as a heterogeneous clinical syndrome associated with high risk of the development of dementia, especially Alzheimer disease (AD). Owing to the recent advances in understanding of the molecular phenomena underlying AD there is a chance of introducing effective therapy for this disease in the near future. Therefore, improvement of early diagnostics methods and finding the markers of AD progression, especially in the high risk population of patients with MCI becomes a crucial issue. From the clinical point of view, great expectations are associated with neuroradiologic methods, which are hoped to make it possible to find the markers of conversion from MCI to dementia and the markers of dementia progression in subjects at risk of the development of AD. Growing interest in the problem of MCI diagnostics, reflected in numerous medical publications that have appeared during the recent few years, has prompted the authors to review and summarize the current knowledge concerning the application of modern neuroradiologic methods in the diagnostics of subjects with MCI. (author)

  3. Development of new corrosion inhibitor tested on mild steel supported by electrochemical study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hussein Jwad Habeeb

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Mild steel is a metal which is commonly used in industrials and manufacturing of equipment for most industries round the world. It is cheaper cost compared with the other metals and its durable, hard and easy-to-wear physical properties make it a major choice in the manufacture of equipment parts. The main problem through the uses of mild steel in industry is its resistance against corrosion, especially in acidic solutions. This case led to raise the cost of maintenance of equipment that used mild steel and as a result increased costs for the company. Organic corrosive inhibitors that also act as green chemicals, 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol have been synthesized. This inhibitor is tested as corrosion inhibitor on a mild steel sample MS in 1 M hydrochloric acid solution (HCl using electrochemical measurements test includes PD (Potentiodynamic, EIS (Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, OCP (Open circuit potential and EFM (electrochemical frequency modulation. The obtained results indicate that 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol acts as a good corrosion inhibitor for mild steel sample in HCl solution with efficiency above 90%. Changes in the impedance parameters postulated adsorption on the mild steel specimens' surfaces of, which it going to the formation of protective coating layer. It also shows that 4-hydroxybenzylideneaminomethyl-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol corrosion inhibitors are effective in helping to reduce and slow down the corrosion process that occurs on mild steel surface in hydrochloric acid solution. Increase of corrosion inhibitor concentration provides a protective layer of mild steel. However, this protective layer becomes weak when the temperature of the solution increases. Keywords: Hydroxybenzylideneaminomethy, Potentiodynamic, Electrochemical frequency modulation, Impedance

  4. Thermophysiological adaptations to passive mild heat acclimation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pallubinsky, H; Schellen, L; Kingma, B R M; Dautzenberg, B; van Baak, M A; van Marken Lichtenbelt, W D

    Passive mild heat acclimation (PMHA) reflects realistic temperature challenges encountered in everyday life. Active heat acclimation, combining heat exposure and exercise, influences several important thermophysiological parameters; for example, it decreases core temperature and enhances heat

  5. Colorectal cancer screening | Schneider | Continuing Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 27, No 5 (2009) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

  6. Sleep Disorders Associated With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Using Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tkachenko, Nataliya; Singh, Kanwaljit; Hasanaj, Lisena; Serrano, Liliana; Kothare, Sanjeev V

    2016-04-01

    Sleep problems affect 30% to 80% of patients with mild traumatic brain injury. We assessed the prevalence of sleep disorders after mild traumatic brain injury and its correlation with other symptoms. Individuals with mild traumatic brain injury were assessed at the New York University Concussion Center during 2013-2014 with the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool, third edition, data following mild traumatic brain injury. The relationship between sleep problems (drowsiness, difficulty falling asleep, fatigue or low energy), psychiatric symptoms (sadness, nervousness or anxiousness), headache, and dizziness were analyzed by Spearman correlation and logistic regression using moderate to severe versus none to mild categorization. Ninety-three patients were retrospectively considered. The most common injury causes were falls (34.4%) and motor vehicle accidents (21.5%). There was a positive correlation between dizziness, headache, psychiatric problems (sadness, anxiety, irritability), and sleep problems (fatigue, drowsiness, and difficulty falling asleep) (P sleep symptoms (P Sleep symptoms became more severe with increased time interval from mild traumatic brain injury to Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 administration (odds ratio = 1.005, 1.006, and 1.008, P sleep disorders following mild traumatic brain injury and should be counseled and initiated with early interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Corrosion of mild steel, copper and brass in crude oil / seawater mixture

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrabhaDevi, S.; Sawant, S.S.; Wagh, A.B.

    Mild steel, copper and brass coupons were introduced in natural seawater containing varying amount of crude oil. Mild steel showed higher rate of corrosion in seawater containing oil and lower corrosion rate in natural as well as artificial seawater...

  8. Nanocellulose in spun continuous fibers: A review and future outlook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig Clemons

    2016-01-01

    Continuous fibers are commonly manufactured for a wide variety of uses such as filters, textiles, and composites. For example, most fibrous reinforcements (e.g., carbon fiber, glass fiber) for advanced composites are continuous fibers or yarns, fabrics, and preforms made from them. This allows broad flexibility in design and manufacturing approaches by controlling...

  9. Validation of the German revised Addenbrooke's cognitive examination for detecting mild cognitive impairment, mild dementia in alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexopoulos, P; Ebert, A; Richter-Schmidinger, T; Schöll, E; Natale, B; Aguilar, C A; Gourzis, P; Weih, M; Perneczky, R; Diehl-Schmid, J; Kneib, T; Förstl, H; Kurz, A; Danek, A; Kornhuber, J

    2010-01-01

    The diagnostic accuracy of the German version of the revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-R) in identifying mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild dementia in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in comparison with the conventional Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was assessed. The study encompasses 76 cognitively healthy elderly individuals, 75 patients with MCI, 56 with AD and 22 with FTLD. ACE-R and MMSE were validated against an expert diagnosis based on a comprehensive diagnostic procedure. Statistical analysis was performed using the receiver operating characteristic method and regression analyses. The optimal cut-off score for the ACE-R for detecting MCI, AD, and FTLD was 86/87, 82/83 and 83/84, respectively. ACE-R was superior to MMSE only in the detection of patients with FTLD [area under the curve (AUC): 0.97 vs. 0.92], whilst the accuracy of the two instruments did not differ in identifying MCI and AD. The ratio of the scores of the memory ACE-R subtest to verbal fluency subtest contributed significantly to the discrimination between AD and FTLD (optimal cut-off score: 2.30/2.31, AUC: 0.77), whereas the MMSE and ACE-R total scores did not. The German ACE-R is superior to the most commonly employed MMSE in detecting mild dementia in FTLD and in the differential diagnosis between AD and FTLD. Thus it might serve as a valuable instrument as part of a comprehensive diagnostic workup in specialist centres/clinics contributing to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the cause of dementia.

  10. Mild colonic diverticulitis can be treated without antibiotics. a case-control study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Korte, N.; Kuyvenhoven, J.P.; van der Peet, D.L.; Felt-Bersma, R.J.F.; Cuesta, M.A.; Stockmann, H.B.A.C.

    2012-01-01

    Aim Conservative treatment of mild colonic diverticulitis usually consists of observation, restriction of oral intake, intravenous fluids and antibiotics. The beneficiary effect of antibiotics remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the need for antibiotics in mild colonic

  11. Prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and mild portal hypertension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ytting, Henriette; Møller, Søren; Henriksen, Jens Henrik

    2006-01-01

    HVPG has been sparse. In this study, long-term survival and the risk of complications in mild portal hypertension were analysed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-one patients with cirrhosis and HVPG below 10 mmHg were included in the study. Data were collected from medical files and National Patient...... with that in the background population. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of complications in patients with mild portal hypertension is considerable, and guidelines for follow-up or medical prophylaxis are warranted. The risk of bleeding from oesophageal varices is low and bleeding-related deaths rare....

  12. Bias-corrected estimation in potentially mildly explosive autoregressive models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haufmann, Hendrik; Kruse, Robinson

    This paper provides a comprehensive Monte Carlo comparison of different finite-sample bias-correction methods for autoregressive processes. We consider classic situations where the process is either stationary or exhibits a unit root. Importantly, the case of mildly explosive behaviour is studied...... that the indirect inference approach oers a valuable alternative to other existing techniques. Its performance (measured by its bias and root mean squared error) is balanced and highly competitive across many different settings. A clear advantage is its applicability for mildly explosive processes. In an empirical...

  13. Continuous biodisel productions: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stamenković Ivica S.

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Continuous biodiesel production on laboratory and industrial scale was analyzed, with focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Attention was paid to specific characteristics of industrial processes in order to point out the advanced technologies. The well-known base-catalyzed continuous biodiesel production processes are related to problems caused by the immiscibility of the reactants (alcohol and oil, application of relatively high operating temperature (usually the boiling temperature of alcohol or one near it and obtained yield of methyl ester yields lower than desired. One way to overcome these problems is to employ special reactor design favoring the emulsion process and increasing the overall rate of biodiesel production process, even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The second way is to apply heterogeneous catalysts in continuous processes, which will probably be the optimal approach to economically justified and environmentally friendly biodiesel production.

  14. Efficacy of the Ubiquitous Spaced Retrieval-based Memory Advancement and Rehabilitation Training (USMART) program among patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled crossover trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Ji Won; Son, Kyung Lak; Byun, Hye Jin; Ko, Ji Won; Kim, Kayoung; Hong, Jong Woo; Kim, Tae Hyun; Kim, Ki Woong

    2017-06-06

    Spaced retrieval training (SRT) is a nonpharmacological intervention for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia that trains the learning and retention of target information by recalling it over increasingly long intervals. We recently developed the Ubiquitous Spaced Retrieval-based Memory Advancement and Rehabilitation Training (USMART) program as a convenient, self-administered tablet-based SRT program. We also demonstrated the utility of USMART for improving memory in individuals with MCI through an open-label uncontrolled trial. This study had an open-label, single-blind, randomized, controlled, two-period crossover design. Fifty patients with MCI were randomized into USMART-usual care and usual care-USMART treatment sequences. USMART was completed or usual care was provided biweekly over a 4-week treatment period with a 2-week washout period between treatment periods. Primary outcome measures included the Word List Memory Test, Word List Recall Test (WLRT), and Word List Recognition Test. Outcomes were measured at baseline, week 5, and week 11 by raters who were blinded to intervention type. An intention-to-treat analysis and linear mixed modeling were used. Of 50 randomized participants, 41 completed the study (18% dropout rate). The USMART group had larger improvements in WLRT score (effect size = 0.49, p = 0.031) than the usual care group. There were no significant differences in other primary or secondary measures between the USMART and usual care groups. Moreover, no USMART-related adverse events were reported. The 4-week USMART modestly improved information retrieval in older people with MCI, and was well accepted with minimal technical support. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01688128 . Registered 12 September 2012.

  15. A mild ovarian stimulation strategy in women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF: a multicenter randomized non-inferiority trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Youssef, M A; van Wely, M; Al-Inany, H; Madani, T; Jahangiri, N; Khodabakhshi, S; Alhalabi, M; Akhondi, M; Ansaripour, S; Tokhmechy, R; Zarandi, L; Rizk, A; El-Mohamedy, M; Shaeer, E; Khattab, M; Mochtar, M H; van der Veen, F

    2017-01-01

    In subfertile women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF does a mild ovarian stimulation strategy lead to comparable ongoing pregnancy rates in comparison to a conventional ovarian stimulation strategy? A mild ovarian stimulation strategy in women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF leads to similar ongoing pregnancy rates as a conventional ovarian stimulation strategy. Women diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve are treated with a conventional ovarian stimulation strategy consisting of high-dose gonadotropins and pituitary downregulation with a long mid-luteal start GnRH-agonist protocol. Previous studies comparing a conventional strategy with a mild ovarian stimulation strategy consisting of low-dose gonadotropins and pituitary downregulation with a GnRH-antagonist have been under powered and their effectiveness is inconclusive. This open label multicenter randomized trial was designed to compare one cycle of a mild ovarian stimulation strategy consisting of low-dose gonadotropins (150 IU FSH) and pituitary downregulation with a GnRH-antagonist to one cycle of a conventional ovarian stimulation strategy consisting of high-dose gonadotropins (450 IU HMG) and pituitary downregulation with a long mid-luteal GnRH-agonist in women of advanced maternal age and/or women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF between May 2011 and April 2014. Couples seeking infertility treatment were eligible if they fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: female age ≥35 years, a raised basal FSH level >10 IU/ml irrespective of age, a low antral follicular count of ≤5 follicles or poor ovarian response or cycle cancellation during a previous IVF cycle irrespective of age. The primary outcome was ongoing pregnancy rate per woman randomized. Analyses were on an intention-to-treat basis. We randomly assigned 195 women to the mild ovarian stimulation strategy and 199 women to the conventional ovarian stimulation strategy. Ongoing pregnancy rate was 12.8% (25/195) for mild

  16. Continuous Analysis of Affect from Voice and Face

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gunes, Hatice; Nicolaou, Mihalis A.; Pantic, Maja; Salah, Albert Ali; Gevers, Theo

    2011-01-01

    Human affective behavior is multimodal, continuous and complex. Despite major advances within the affective computing research field, modeling, analyzing, interpreting and responding to human affective behavior still remains a challenge for automated systems as affect and emotions are complex

  17. The pathways by which mild hypothermia inhibits neuronal apoptosis following ischemia/reperfusion injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun Luo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Several studies have demonstrated that mild hypothermia exhibits a neuroprotective role and it can inhibit endothelial cell apoptosis following ischemia/reperfusion injury by decreasing casp-ase-3 expression. It is hypothesized that mild hypothermia exhibits neuroprotective effects on neurons exposed to ischemia/reperfusion condition produced by oxygen-glucose deprivation. Mild hypothermia significantly reduced the number of apoptotic neurons, decreased the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and increased mitochondrial membrane potential, with the peak of anti-apoptotic effect appearing between 6 and 12 hours after the injury. These findings indicate that mild hypothermia inhibits neuronal apoptosis following ischemia/reperfusion injury by protecting the mitochondria and that the effective time window is 6-12 hours after ischemia/reperfusion injury

  18. Microstructural characterisation of friction stir welding joints of mild steel to Ni-based alloy 625

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez, J. [Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), P.O. Box 6192, Campinas, SP (Brazil); University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil); Ramirez, A.J., E-mail: ramirezlondono.1@osu.edu [Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), P.O. Box 6192, Campinas, SP (Brazil); University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University — OSU, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States)

    2015-12-15

    In this study, 6-mm-thick mild steel and Ni-based alloy 625 plates were friction stir welded using a tool rotational speed of 300 rpm and a travel speed of 100 mm·min{sup −1}. A microstructural characterisation of the dissimilar butt joint was performed using optical microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XEDS). Six different weld zones were found. In the steel, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was divided into three zones and was composed of ferrite, pearlite colonies with different morphologies, degenerated regions of pearlite and allotriomorphic and Widmanstätten ferrite. The stir zone (SZ) of the steel showed a coarse microstructure consisting of allotriomorphic and Widmanstätten ferrite, degenerate pearlite and MA constituents. In the Ni-based alloy 625, the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) showed deformed grains and redistribution of precipitates. In the SZ, the high deformation and temperature produced a recrystallised microstructure, as well as fracture and redistribution of MC precipitates. The M{sub 23}C{sub 6} precipitates, present in the base material, were also redistributed in the stir zone of the Ni-based alloy. TMAZ in the steel and HAZ in the Ni-based alloy could not be identified. The main restorative mechanisms were discontinuous dynamic recrystallisation in the steel, and discontinuous and continuous dynamic recrystallisation in the Ni-based alloy. The interface region between the steel and the Ni-based alloy showed a fcc microstructure with NbC carbides and an average length of 2.0 μm. - Highlights: • Comprehensive microstructural characterisation of dissimilar joints of mild steel to Ni-based alloy • Friction stir welding of joints of mild steel to Ni-based alloy 625 produces sound welds. • The interface region showed deformed and recrystallised fcc grains with NbC carbides and a length of 2.0 μm.

  19. Prevalence and dietetic management of mild gastrointestinal disorders in milk-fed infants

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    D Infante Pina; X Badia Llach; B Ari(n)o-Armengol; V Villegas Iglesias

    2008-01-01

    AIM: To assess the prevalence of mild gastrointestinal disorders in milk-fed infants in paediatric practice, and to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction with dietetic treatment.METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was first carried out. A total of 285 paediatricians included 3487 children seen during a period of one week. In a second phase an observational, prospective and multicentre study was conducted and 2069 milk-fed infants with mild gastrointestinal disorders (colic,constipation, regurgitation and diarrhoea) were included.There was a baseline visit (start of treatment) and a final visit four weeks later. The effectiveness of the various Novalac formulas, as well as the satisfaction of the parents/tutors and paediatricians with the dietetic treatment were assessed at the final visit.RESULTS: The prevalence of mild gastrointestinal disorders was 27.8% of all paediatrician consultations (9.2%, 7.8%, 6.1% and 4.6% in relation to colic,constipation, regurgitation and diarrhoea, respectively).The several Novalac adapted milk formulas resolved 88.4% of the mild gastrointestinal disorders. Depending on the type of disorder, differences in response rate were observed. The highest effectiveness was recorded with respect to diarrhoea (92.6%), followed by constipation (91.6%), colic (87.6%) and regurgitation (81%). Overall,91% of the paediatricians and 88.8% of the parents/tutors were satisfied or very satisfied with the Novalac adapted milk formulas.CONCLUSION: Mild gastrointestinal disorders show a high prevalence in paediatric practice. The Novalac adapted milk formulas have been shown to be effective in treating mild gastrointestinal disorders in milk-fed infants in the context of routine clinical practice.

  20. DISAL glycosyl donors for the synthesis of a linear hexasaccharide under mild conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars; Laursen, Jane B.; Larsen, K.

    2003-01-01

    The new class of glycosyl donors with a methyl 3,5-dinitrosalicylate (DISAL) anomeric leaving group has proved efficient for glycosylation under strictly neutral, mildly basic, or mildly acidic conditions. Here, we report the synthesis of novel DISAL disaccharide glycosyl donors prepared by easy...... nucleophilic aromatic substitution. These DISAL donors proved efficient in the synthesis of a starch-related hexasaccharide under very mild conditions. Glycosylations proceeded with alpha-selectivity and were compatible with Trt protecting groups....

  1. Anosognosia for cognitive and behavioral symptoms in Parkinson's disease with mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment: Frequency and neuropsychological/neuropsychiatric correlates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orfei, Maria Donata; Assogna, Francesca; Pellicano, Clelia; Pontieri, Francesco Ernesto; Caltagirone, Carlo; Pierantozzi, Mariangela; Stefani, Alessandro; Spalletta, Gianfranco

    2018-04-17

    Anosognosia is a multidimensional phenomenon with detrimental effects on patients' illness course, therapy compliance and quality of life. We aimed at investigating anosognosia for cognitive and behavioral symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD) with dementia (PDD) and, for the first time, in PD with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI-PD). Community dwelling subjects (47 mild PDD, 136 multidomain MCI-PD (mdMCI-PD), 5 single domain MCI-PD (sdMCI-PD), and 197 PD without cognitive impairment (noCI-PD) were enrolled in a cross-sectional design study. All the subjects were administered the Anosognosia Questionnaire for Dementia, the Mental Deterioration Battery and a number of neuropsychiatric inventories. A diagnosis of anosognosia was made in 36% of patients with mild PDD and 16% with mdMCI-PD, whether it was negligible in sdMCI-PD and noCI-PD. Higher severity of anosognosia for cognitive impairment was also found in PDD and in mdMCI-PD. SdMCI-PD had the lower severity of anosognosia for cognitive impairment. Higher anosognosia for cognitive impairment was associated to lower depression in noCI-PD (r = -0.227, p = 0.0013) and mdMCI-PD (r = -0.266, p = 0.0016), and to reduced hedonic tone in noCI-PD (r = -0.191, p = 0.0071). Greater anosognosia was associated to lower executive performances in PDD (r = 0.424, p = 0.0074). Anosognosia for non-motor symptoms is frequent in PD patients with mild dementia or mdMCI. Results confirm the role of neuropsychiatric characteristics in anosognosia also in PD, the high prevalence of anosognosia in neurodegenerative illnesses and suggest a common pathogenic path for anosognosia in different neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Integrated Eye Tracking and Neural Monitoring for Enhanced Assessment of Mild TBI

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-01

    working memory load effects after mild traumatic brain injury. Neuroimage, 2001. 14(5): p. 1004-12. 2. Chen, J.K., et al., Functional abnormalities in...report. 10 Supporting Data None. Integrated Eye Tracking and Neural Monitoring for Enhanced Assessment of Mild TBI Psychological Health

  3. Advances in Opto Electronics

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Advances in Opto Electronics. Optoelectronics is where electronics was 15 years back. All Optical Amplifiers and Semiconductor Amplifiers. Fastest Semiconductor (InP) switch is at 170GHz- where is terrabit ? MEMS based switches that route traffic at wavelength level ...

  4. The enhancement of immunological activity by mild hypothermia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasegawal, Takeo; Gu, Yeun Hwa; Miyata, Katuyuki [Graduate School of Suzuka Univ. of Med Sci. Master, Suzuka (Japan)] (and others)

    2004-11-15

    In general, the term hypothermia is applied for the therapeutic method for the treatment of cancer using micro wave, RF wave thermal system or intra-tissue thermal device. It was found to be a tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is one of cytokines secreted by macrophages 'P'j. With remarkable progress in the instruments and technique in recent years, fundamental and clinical research showed extensive development 'Q'j. At present, hypothermia is clinically very important as inter- disciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumor 'R'j. Also, hypothermia is characterized by its selective thermal effect on tumor 'S'j. In this sense, it is called mild hypothermia. There have been not many reports, which described mild hypothermia for the purpose of treating the cases with cancer. This suggests the possibility of immunological response by heating relatively mild temperature (39-42). In this respect, by experiments using mouse as model, we evaluated the effects of hypothermia under temperature of 42.5 and lower and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect can be obtained.

  5. Postpartum Depression After Mild and Severe Preeclampsia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoedjes, Meeke; Berks, Durk; Vogel, Ineke; Franx, Arie; Bangma, Meike; Darlington, Anne-Sophie E.; Visser, Willy; Duvekot, Johannes J.; Habbema, J. Dik F.; Steegers, Eric A. P.; Raat, Hein

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To describe the prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms after preeclampsia, to assess the extent to which the prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms differs after mild and severe preeclampsia, and to investigate which factors contribute to such differences. Methods: Women

  6. Ventilatory sensitivity to mild asphyxia: prone versus supine sleep position

    OpenAIRE

    Galland, B; Bolton, D; Taylor, B; Sayers, R; Williams, S

    2000-01-01

    AIMS—To compare the effects of prone and supine sleep position on the main physiological responses to mild asphyxia: increase in ventilation and arousal.
METHODS—Ventilatory and arousal responses to mild asphyxia (hypercapnia/hypoxia) were measured in 53 healthy infants at newborn and 3 months of age, during quiet sleep (QS) and active sleep (AS), and in supine and prone sleep positions. The asphyxial test mimicked face down rebreathing by slowly altering the inspired air: C...

  7. Service Delivery to Children With Mild Hearing Loss: Current Practice Patterns and Parent Perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Elizabeth A; Spratford, Meredith; Ambrose, Sophie E; Holte, Lenore; Oleson, Jacob

    2017-03-01

    This study investigates clinical practice patterns and parent perception of intervention for children with mild hearing loss (HL). Ages at and delays between service delivery steps (first diagnostic evaluation, confirmation of HL, hearing aid [HA] fitting, entry into early intervention) were investigated for 113 children with mild HL. Comparisons were made to children with moderate-to-severe HL. Parents of children with mild HL reported reasons for delays and their perceptions of intervention and amplification for their children. Seventy-four percent of children with mild HL were identified through the newborn hearing screen; 26% were identified later due to passing or not receiving a newborn hearing screen. Ninety-four percent of children with mild HL were fit with HAs, albeit at significantly later ages than children with moderate-to-severe HL. Most parents indicated that their children benefited from HA use, but some parents expressed ambivalence toward the amount of benefit. Audiologists appear to be moving toward regularly providing amplification for children with mild HL. However, delays in HA fittings indicate that further educating professionals and parents about the benefits of early amplification and intervention is warranted to encourage timely fitting and consistent use of HAs.

  8. Plaque Characteristics of Patients with Symptomatic Mild Carotid Artery Stenosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takai, Hiroki; Uemura, Juniti; Yagita, Yoshiki; Ogawa, Yukari; Kinoshita, Keita; Hirai, Satoshi; Ishihara, Manabu; Hara, Keijirou; Toi, Hiroyuki; Matsubara, Shunji; Nishimura, Hirotake; Uno, Masaaki

    2018-03-20

    Carotid revascularization may be considered for severe stenosis, but its use for symptomatic mild stenosis (<50%) with vulnerable plaque or ulcer remains uncertain. The characteristics of patients with symptomatic mild stenosis who underwent revascularization are reviewed. The subjects of this study were 18 patients with symptomatic mild stenosis (<50%) on angiography from among 175 patients who underwent revascularization in our department. The plaques were evaluated by black-blood magnetic resonance imaging (BB-MRI) and ultrasonography (US) and classified into 2 types: type 1 (n = 15), a lesion with an ulcer or mobile plaque or thrombosis on angiography or US; and type 2 (n = 3), a lesion without any of the above. Fourteen patients underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and 4 patients underwent carotid artery stenting. The stenosis on angiography was 27.2% ± 10.7 (5%-41%), and the area carotid artery stenosis rate on US was 69.8 ± 14.5% (44.5%-97%). The stenosis rate of these 2 methods was not at all correlated. In type 1 plaque that underwent CEA, 10 of 11 patients had vulnerable plaque by histopathology, and 1 patient had thrombus on the plaque by operative findings. In type 2 plaque that underwent CEA, all patients had vulnerable plaque by histopathology. During the follow-up period, none of the patients had restenosis or stroke. The findings of US and BB-MRI in patients with symptomatic mild stenosis (<50%) on angiography are important for determining treatment. If BB-MRI or US shows the findings of vulnerable plaque in mild stenosis, surgical treatment may be considered for these patients. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Broader Considerations of Higher Doses of Donepezil in the Treatment of Mild, Moderate, and Severe Alzheimer's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camryn Berk

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Donepezil, a highly selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI, is approved as a symptomatic treatment mild, moderate, and severe Alzheimer's disease (AD. Donepezil exerts its treatment effect through multiple mechanisms of action including nicotinic receptor stimulation, mitigation of excitotoxicity, and influencing APP processing. The use of donepezil at higher doses is justified given the worsening cholinergic deficit as the disease advances. Donepezil has been investigated in several clinical trials of subjects with moderate-to-severe AD. While the side effects are class specific (cholinergically driven, demonstrable benefit has been shown at the 10 mg dose and the 23 mg doses. Here, we review the clinical justification, efficacy, safety, and tolerability of use of donepezil in the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD.

  10. The Continuity Project. Spring/Summer 1998 Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasilko, Peter J.

    The Continuity Project is a research, development, and technology transfer initiative aimed at creating a Library of the Future by combining features of an online public access catalog (OPAC) and a campuswide information system (CWIS) with advanced facilities drawn from such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), knowledge representation (KR),…

  11. Advanced LIGO status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dwyer, S

    2015-01-01

    Advanced LIGO is currently in the final stages of installation and early commissioning. In the design of Advanced LIGO a key goal was the ability to detect gravitational waves from compact object binary inspirals, as these are thought to be the most likely candidates for early detections with ground based interferometers. Special emphasis has been placed on improving the low frequency sensitivity relative to the first generations of LIGO, in addition to improving the high frequency sensitivity by increasing the laser power. The interferometer in Livingston Louisiana has been locked (continuously held within the linear operating range) and noise investigations have begun, and the major installation activities for the interferometer at Hanford, Washington are completed. (paper)

  12. Tannin bark Melalauca cajuputi powell (gelam) as green corrosion inhibitor of mild steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Talib, Nur Atiqah Abu; Zakaria, Sarani; Hua, Chia Chin; Othman, Norinsan Kamil [School of Applied Physic, Faculty Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2014-09-03

    Tannin was extracted from gelam bark and used to produce corrosion inhibitor for mild steel. Tannin was extracted from gelam bark using 70% aqueous acetone for 6 hour. Tannin powder was characterization using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyse chemical component in tannin and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) for tannin physical structure. The tannin effect on the corrosion inhibition of mild steel has been investigated in 1Mol HCl solution for 6 hour followed ASTM. The weight loss method were applied to study the mild steel corrosion behavior in the present and absend of different concentration of tannin (250, 300, 350)ppm. Tannin act good inhibitor as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acid medium. Surface morphology of carbon steel with and without inhibitor was investigated by scanning electron microscopy.

  13. Which part of the Quick mild cognitive impairment screen (Qmci) discriminates between normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment and dementia?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Caoimh, Rónán

    2013-05-01

    the Qmci is a sensitive and specific test to differentiate between normal cognition (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of the subtests of the Qmci to determine which best discriminated NC, MCI and dementia.

  14. The advanced MAPLE reactor concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lidstone, R.F.; Lee, A.G.; Gillespie, G.E.; Smith, H.J.

    1989-01-01

    High-flux neutron sources are continuing to be of interest both in Canada and internationally to support materials testing for advanced power reactors, new developments in extracted-neutron-beam applications, and commercial production of selected radioisotopes. The advanced MAPLE reactor concept has been developed to meet these needs. The advanced MAPLE reactor is a new tank-type D 2 O reactor that uses rodded low-enrichment uranium fuel in a compact annular core to generate peak thermal-neutron fluxes of 1 x 10 19 n·s -1 in a central irradiation rig with a thermal power output of 50 MW. Capital and incremental development costs are minimized by using MAPLE reactor technology to the greatest extent practicable

  15. The association between asymptomatic and mild neurocognitive ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-04-12

    Apr 12, 2018 ... antiretroviral therapy among people living with human .... larger than 0.05.26 This is as shown below: = +. −. 1. 1 ..... HAND in general, and did not focus on the mild forms of .... Poster exhibition: Sydney – IAS 2007: Abstract no.

  16. Fatigue following mild Traumatic Brain Injury : A six-month prospective cohort study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rakers, Sandra; Scheenen, Myrthe; de Koning, Myrthe; van der Horn, Harm J.; van der Naalt, Joukje; Spikman, Jacoba

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Fatigue is a frequent and profoundly disabling symptom following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), that may even persist for years. Approximately 85–90% of thepatients with TBI sustain a mild TBI, and among these patients, about 68% experience complaints of fatigue in the acute phase

  17. Various MRS application tools for Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, F; Barker, P B

    2014-06-01

    MR spectroscopy is a noninvasive technique that allows the detection of several naturally occurring compounds (metabolites) from well-defined regions of interest within the human brain. Alzheimer disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. During the past 20 years, multiple studies have been performed on MR spectroscopy in patients with both mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease. Generally, MR spectroscopy studies have found decreased N-acetylaspartate and increased myo-inositol in both patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease, with greater changes in Alzheimer disease than in mild cognitive impairment. This review summarizes the information content of proton brain MR spectroscopy and its related technical aspects, as well as applications of MR spectroscopy to mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease. While MR spectroscopy may have some value in the differential diagnosis of dementias and assessing prognosis, more likely its role in the near future will be predominantly as a tool for monitoring disease response or progression in treatment trials. More work is needed to evaluate the role of MR spectroscopy as a biomarker in Alzheimer disease and its relationship to other imaging modalities. © 2014 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

  18. Exercise-related changes of networks in aging and mild cognitive impairment brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pei eHuang

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Aging and mild cognitive impairment are accompanied by decline of cognitive functions. Meanwhile, the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious to make difficulties for patients in their daily life. Mild cognitive impairment is a transition period between normal aging and dementia, which has been used for early detection of emerging dementia. It converts to dementia with an annual rate of 5-15% as compared to normal aging with 1% rate. Small decreases in the conversion rate of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease might significantly reduce the prevalence of dementia. Thus, it is important to intervene at the preclinical stage. Since there are still no effective drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, non-drug intervention is crucial for the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline in aging and mild cognitive impairment populations. Previous studies have found some cognitive brain networks disrupted in aging and mild cognitive impairment population, and physical exercise could effectively remediate the function of these brain networks. Understanding the exercise-related mechanisms is crucial to design efficient and effective physical exercise programs for treatment/intervention of cognitive decline. In this review, we provide an overview of the neuroimaging studies on physical training in normal aging and mild cognitive impairment to identify the potential mechanisms underlying current physical training procedures. Studies of functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography and positron emission tomography on brain networks were all included. Based on our review, the default mode network, fronto-parietal network and fronto-executive network are probably the three most valuable targets for efficiency evaluation of interventions.

  19. Estimates for mild solutions to semilinear Cauchy problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kresimir Burazin

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The existence (and uniqueness results on mild solutions of the abstract semilinear Cauchy problems in Banach spaces are well known. Following the results of Tartar (2008 and Burazin (2008 in the case of decoupled hyperbolic systems, we give an alternative proof, which enables us to derive an estimate on the mild solution and its time of existence. The nonlinear term in the equation is allowed to be time-dependent. We discuss the optimality of the derived estimate by testing it on three examples: the linear heat equation, the semilinear heat equation that models dynamic deflection of an elastic membrane, and the semilinear Schrodinger equation with time-dependent nonlinearity, that appear in the modelling of numerous physical phenomena.

  20. First low-frequency Einstein@Home all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves in Advanced LIGO data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Afrough, M.; Agarwal, B.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Amato, A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Antier, S.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; AultONeal, K.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Bae, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Banagiri, S.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bawaj, M.; Bazzan, M.; Becsy, B.; Beer, C.; Bejger, M.; Belahcene, I.; Bell, A. S.; Berger, B. K.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Billman, C. R.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Birnholtz, O.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackman, J.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bode, N.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bohe, A.; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Broida, J. E.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brown, N. M.; Brunett, S.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cabero, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Bustillo, J. Calderon; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Canizares, P.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, H.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Carney, M. F.; Diaz, J. Casanueva; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglia, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Baiardi, L. Cerboni; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chatterjee, D.; Cheeseboro, B. D.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. -P.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Chmiel, T.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, A. J. K.; Chua, S.; Chung, A. K. W.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Ciolfi, R.; Cirelli, C. E.; Cirone, A.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Cocchieri, C.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P. -F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L. R.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conti, L.; Cooper, S. J.; Corban, P.; Corbitt, T. R.; Corley, K. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J. -P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Covas, P. B.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cullen, T. J.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dasgupta, A.; Costa, C. F. Da Silva; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Davier, M.; Davis, D.; Daw, E. J.; Day, B.; De, S.; DeBra, D.; Deelman, E.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deleglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Devenson, J.; Devine, R. C.; Dhurandhar, S.; Diaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Renzo, F.; Doctor, Z.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Dorrington, I.; Douglas, R.; Alvarez, M. Dovale; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Duncan, J.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H. -B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Eisenstein, R. A.; Essick, R. C.; Etienne, Z. B.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Fauchon-Jones, E. J.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Feicht, J.; Fejer, M. M.; Fernandez-Galiana, A.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fong, H.; Forsyth, P. W. F.; Forsyth, S. S.; Fournier, J. -D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fries, E. M.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H.; Gabel, M.; Gadre, B. U.; Gaebel, S. M.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Ganija, M. R.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gaudio, S.; Gaur, G.; Gayathri, V.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, D.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghonge, S.; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glover, L.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gomes, S.; Gonzalez, G.; Castro, J. M. Gonzalez; Gopakumar, A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Gruning, P.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannuksela, O. A.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Haster, C. -J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Henry, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Horst, C.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Intini, G.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J. -M.; Isi, M.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jimenez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katolik, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kefelian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kemball, A. J.; Kennedy, R.; Kent, C.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, W.; Kim, W. S.; Kim, Y. -M.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kraemer, C.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Krolak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Kwang, S.; Lackey, B. D.; Lai, K. H.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, H. W.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lo, R. K. L.; Lockerbie, N. A.; London, L. T.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lovelace, G.; Lueck, H.; Lumaca, D.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Hernandez, I. Magana; Magana-Sandoval, F.; Zertuche, L. Magana; Magee, R. M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Marka, S.; Marka, Z.; Markakis, C.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matas, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mayani, R.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McCuller, L.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Mejuto-Villa, E.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, A.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minazzoli, O.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B. C.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muniz, E. A. M.; Murray, P. G.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Neri, M.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Ng, K. K. Y.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nichols, D.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; Ormiston, R.; Ortega, L. F.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pace, A. E.; Page, J.; Page, M. A.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pang, B.; Pang, P. T. H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Porter, E. K.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Puerrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Qiu, S.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramirez, K. E.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Ricker, P. M.; Rieger, S.; Riles, K.; Rizzo, M.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, R.; Romel, C. L.; Romie, J. H.; Rosinska, D.; Ross, M. P.; Rowan, S.; Ruediger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Rynge, M.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Sakellariadou, M.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sampson, L. M.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Scheuer, J.; Schmidt, E.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schoenbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schulte, B. W.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwalbe, S. G.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Seidel, E.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shah, A. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shao, L.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, R. J. E.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sonnenberg, J. A.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Spencer, A. P.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Stratta, G.; Strigin, S. E.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sunil, S.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepanczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tapai, M.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, J. A.; Taylor, R.; Theeg, T.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toland, K.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torrie, C. I.; Toyra, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifiro, D.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tsang, K. W.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ueno, K.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahi, K.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; Vallisneri, M.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasuth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Vicere, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J. -Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walet, R.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, J. Z.; Wang, M.; Wang, Y. -F.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L. -W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wessel, E. K.; Wessels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Wofford, J.; Wong, K. W. K.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wu, G.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; Zadrozny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zelenova, T.; Zendri, J. -P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y. -H.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; Anderson, D. P.

    2017-01-01

    We report results of a deep all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars in data from the first Advanced LIGO observing run. This search investigates the low frequency range of Advanced LIGO data, between 20 and 100 Hz, much of which was not explored in initial LIGO.

  1. Mild trigonocephaly. Report of 300 operative cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimoji, Takeyoshi; Yamashiro, Katsumi; Nagamine, Tomoaki; Kawakubo, Junichi; Shimoji, Kazuaki

    2009-01-01

    Since 1999, we have reported mild trigonocephaly with symptoms mainly accompanied with developmental delays. We would like to report the operative results of 300 patients. All patients had some kind of clinical symptoms. The diagnosis made recognizing ridge of the fused metopic suture by palpation and a three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). Most patients (287 among 300) could not be diagnosed because of the mild changes of their facial features and their natural development as infants. They suffered from symptoms such as mental retardation, delayed language development, hyperactivity, autistic tendencies, panic and irritability, motor dysfunctions, self-mutilation and sleeping disturbances. Two hundred thirteen patients were recorded intracranial pressure (ICP). Developmental quotients (D.Q) were also measured. Two hundred fifteen (73.6%) of 292 patients with delays of language development were improved within a year after surgery. Other symptoms also improved: 91.6% in hyperactivity, 76.5% in autistic tendencies, 92% in panic, 90.4% in motor dysfunctions, 88.6% in self-mutilation and 93% in sleeping disturbances. The chronological scores in D.Q maintained parallel in most patients. Measurements of ICP resulted in 10 cases (5%) under mean 10 mmHg, 33 cases (15%) between 11 to 15 mmHg and 170 cases (80%) over 16 mmHg. The mean pulse pressure calculated around 9 mmHg in each group. Decompressive cranioplasty was applied to all patients. Patients with mild trigonocephaly may have a possibility to show clinical symptoms. Since the ICP seems to be high, decompressive cranioplasty may be a reasonable treatment for these patients. (author)

  2. Different Functional and Microstructural Changes Depending on Duration of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, N-Y; Shin, Y S; Lee, P H; Yoon, U; Han, S; Kim, D J; Lee, S-K

    2016-05-01

    The higher cortical burden of Lewy body and Alzheimer disease-type pathology has been reported to be associated with a faster onset of cognitive impairment of Parkinson disease. So far, there has been a few studies only about the changes of gray matter volume depending on duration of cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the different patterns of structural and functional changes in Parkinson disease with mild cognitive impairment according to the duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment. Fifty-nine patients with Parkinson disease with mild cognitive impairment were classified into 2 groups on the basis of shorter (parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment. Fifteen drug-naïve patients with de novo Parkinson disease with intact cognition were included for comparison. Cortical thickness, Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity analyses were performed. Age, sex, years of education, age at onset of parkinsonism, and levodopa-equivalent dose were included as covariates. The group with shorter duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean and radial diffusivity values in the frontal areas compared with the group with longer duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment (corrected P parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased resting-state functional connectivity in the default mode network area when the left or right posterior cingulate was used as a seed, and in the dorsolateral prefrontal areas when the left or right caudate was used as a seed (corrected P parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased resting-state functional connectivity mainly in the medial prefrontal cortex when the left or right posterior cingulate was used as a seed, and in the parieto-occipital areas when the left or right caudate was used as a seed (corrected P Parkinson

  3. Tolerability and safety of Souvenaid in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease: results of multi-center, 24-week, open-label extension study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M; Verhey, Frans R; Blesa, Rafael; von Arnim, Christine A F; Bongers, Anke; Harrison, John; Sijben, John; Scarpini, Elio; Vandewoude, Maurits F J; Vellas, Bruno; Witkamp, Renger; Kamphuis, Patrick J G H; Scheltens, Philip

    2015-01-01

    The medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect, is designed to improve synapse formation and function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCT) with Souvenaid of 12 and 24 week duration (Souvenir I and Souvenir II) showed that memory performance was improved in drug-naïve mild AD patients, whereas no effects on cognition were observed in a 24-week RCT (S-Connect) in mild to moderate AD patients using AD medication. Souvenaid was well-tolerated in all RCTs. In this 24-week open-label extension (OLE) study to the 24-week Souvenir II RCT, long-term safety and intake adherence of the medical food Souvenaid was evaluated. Patients with mild AD (n = 201) received Souvenaid once-daily during the OLE. Main outcome parameters were safety and product intake adherence. The memory domain z-score from a revised neuropsychological test battery was continued as exploratory parameter. Compared to the RCT, a similar (low) incidence and type of adverse events was observed, being mainly (68.3%) of mild intensity. Pooled data (RCT and OLE) showed that 48-week use of Souvenaid was well tolerated with high intake adherence (96.1%). Furthermore, a significant increase in the exploratory memory outcome was observed in both the active-active and control-active groups during Souvenaid intervention. Souvenaid use for up to 48-weeks was well tolerated with a favorable safety profile and high intake adherence. The findings in this OLE study warrant further investigation toward the long-term safety and efficacy of Souvenaid in a well-controlled, double-blind RCT.

  4. Parenting with Mild Intellectual Deficits: Parental Expectations and the Educational Attainment of their Children

    OpenAIRE

    Taylor, Julie Lounds; Hurd, Heather Doescher; Seltzer, Marsha Mailick; Greenberg, Jan S.; Floyd, Frank J.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined how educational expectations parents with mild intellectual deficits had for their children shaped their children’s attainment, and how parents’ own intellectual limitations affected this process. We identified 612 parents with mild intellectual deficits and 2712 comparison parents from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a prospective longitudinal study that followed participants from ages 18 to 64. Compared to the norm, parents with mild intellectual deficits expected thei...

  5. Long duration mild temperature hyperthermia and brachytherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armour, E P; Raaphorst, G P

    2004-03-01

    Combining long duration mild temperature hyperthermia (LDMH) and low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy to enhance therapeutic killing of cancer cells was proposed many years ago. The cellular and tumour research that supports this hypothesis is presented in this review. Research describing LDMH interaction with pulsed brachytherapy and high dose-rate brachytherapy using clinically relevant parameters are compared with LDMH/LDR brachytherapy. The mechanism by which LDMH sensitizes LDR has been established as the inhibition of sublethal damage repair. The molecular mechanisms have been shown to involve DNA repair enzymes, but the exact nature of these processes is still under investigation. The relative differences between LDMH interactions with human and rodent cells are presented to help in the understanding of possible roles of LDMH in clinical application. The role of LDMH in modifying tumour blood flow and its possible role in LDR sensitization of tumours is also presented. The positive aspects of LDMH-brachytherapy for clinical application are sixfold; (1) the thermal goals (temperature, time and volume) are achievable with currently available technology, (2) the hyperthermia by itself has no detectable toxic effects, (3) thermotolerance appears to play a minor if any role in radiation sensitization, (4) TER of around 2 can be expected, (5) hypoxic fraction may be decreased due to blood flow modification and (6) simultaneous chemotherapy may also be sensitized. Combined LDMH and brachytherapy is a cancer therapy that has established biological rationale and sufficient technical and clinical advancements to be appropriately applied. This modality is ripe for clinical testing.

  6. Mild Epicureanism: notes toward the definition of a therapeutic attitude.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strenger, Carlo

    2008-01-01

    Psychotherapists generally feel uncomfortable addressing patients' beliefs, particularly religious beliefs, because of the desire to respect client subjectivity and to avoid the abuse of therapeutic authority. This paper's first contention is that at some junctures, investigation of the client's belief structure can be an important catalyst for change, as exemplified by an extended case example. This stance assumes that much of the individual and collective damage rigid belief systems inflict derives from their function as a defense against death awareness, as described by terror management theory. The paper develops the concept of a therapeutic meta-attitude towards belief mild Epicureanism, related to the classical Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC). Mild Epicureanism means to soften attachments to all belief systems, even therapeutic theories, to lower their potential inhibition of personal growth. The paper presents the argument that mild Epicureanism is consistent with most therapeutic approaches, and allows addressing clients' belief without interfering with their right to make up their own minds.

  7. Self-reported versus informant-reported depressive symptoms in adults with mild intellectual disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mileviciute, I; Hartley, S L

    2015-02-01

    Virtually nothing is known about potential differences in the types of depression symptoms reported by adults with mild intellectual disability (ID) on self-reported questionnaires as compared with the types of symptoms reported by caregivers on informant questionnaires. Moreover, little is known about how the presentation of depression among adults with mild ID varies based on socio-demographic characteristics. We compared findings from two self-reported questionnaires, the Self-Reported Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ) and the Glasgow Depression Scale for People with a Learning Disability (GDS), to that of an informant questionnaire of depressive symptoms, the Glasgow Depression Scale--Caregiver Supplement (CGDS), in 80 adults with mild ID. We also examined the association between age, sex, IQ and the presence of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder and frequency of affective, cognitive and somatic depressive symptoms in our sample of adults with mild ID. Adults with mild ID self-reported a higher frequency of affective and cognitive depressive symptoms than staff reported on the informant measure. Staff reported a higher frequency of somatic symptoms than adults with mild ID on one of the self-reported questionnaires (GDS) and a similar frequency on the other self-reported questionnaire (SRDQ). Important differences were found in the types of depressive symptoms based on their IQ, age and presence of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder. Informant questionnaires offer valuable information, but assessment should include self-reported questionnaires as these questionnaires add unique information about internalised experiences (affective and cognitive symptoms) of adults with mild ID that may not be apparent to caregivers. Health care providers should be made aware of the important differences in the presentation of depressive based on their IQ, age and presence of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, MENCAP & IASSID.

  8. Ethical decisions in endof- life care | Norval | Continuing Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 21, No 5 (2003) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  9. Effects of a 12-week intervention period with football and running for habitually active men with mild hypertension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knoepfli-Lenzin, C.; Sennhauser, C.; Toigo, M.

    2010-01-01

    /L) but was not altered in R and C. We conclude that football training, consisting of high-intensity intermittent exercise, results in positive effects on blood pressure, body composition, stroke volume and supine heart rate variability, and elicits at least the same cardiovascular health benefits as continuous running......The present study examined the effect of football (F, n=15) training on the health profile of habitually active 25-45-year-old men with mild hypertension and compared it with running (R, n=15) training and no additional activity (controls, C, n=17). The participants in F and R completed a 1-h...

  10. Continuous nowhere differentiable functions the monsters of analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Jarnicki, Marek

    2015-01-01

    This book covers the construction, analysis, and theory of continuous nowhere differentiable functions, comprehensively and accessibly. After illuminating the significance of the subject through an overview of its history, the reader is introduced to the sophisticated toolkit of ideas and tricks used to study the explicit continuous nowhere differentiable functions of Weierstrass, Takagi–van der Waerden, Bolzano, and others. Modern tools of functional analysis, measure theory, and Fourier analysis are applied to examine the generic nature of continuous nowhere differentiable functions, as well as linear structures within the (nonlinear) space of continuous nowhere differentiable functions. To round out the presentation, advanced techniques from several areas of mathematics are brought together to give a state-of-the-art analysis of Riemann’s continuous, and purportedly nowhere differentiable, function. For the reader’s benefit, claims requiring elaboration, and open problems, are clearly indicated. An a...

  11. Mild gestational diabetes mellitus and long-term child health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landon, Mark B; Rice, Madeline Murguia; Varner, Michael W; Casey, Brian M; Reddy, Uma M; Wapner, Ronald J; Rouse, Dwight J; Biggio, Joseph R; Thorp, John M; Chien, Edward K; Saade, George; Peaceman, Alan M; Blackwell, Sean C; VanDorsten, J Peter

    2015-03-01

    To evaluate whether treatment of mild gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) confers sustained offspring health benefits, including a lower frequency of obesity. Follow-up study of children (ages 5-10) of women enrolled in a multicenter trial of treatment versus no treatment of mild GDM. Height, weight, blood pressure, waist circumference, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol were measured. Five hundred of 905 eligible offspring (55%) were enrolled. Maternal baseline characteristics were similar between the follow-up treated and untreated groups. The frequencies of BMI ≥95th (20.8% and 22.9%) and 85th (32.6% and 38.6%) percentiles were not significantly different in treated versus untreated offspring (P = 0.69 and P = 0.26). No associations were observed for BMI z score, log waist circumference, log triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, or log HOMA-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The effect of treatment was different by sex for fasting glucose and log HOMA-IR (P for interaction = 0.002 and 0.02, respectively) but not by age-group (5-6 and 7-10 years) for any outcomes. Female offspring of treated women had significantly lower fasting glucose levels. Although treatment for mild GDM has been associated with neonatal benefits, no reduction in childhood obesity or metabolic dysfunction in the offspring of treated women was found. However, only female offspring of women treated for mild GDM had lower fasting glucose. © 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

  12. The Effect of Souvenaid on Functional Brain Network Organisation in Patients with Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomised Controlled Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Waal, Hanneke; Stam, Cornelis J.; Lansbergen, Marieke M.; Wieggers, Rico L.; Kamphuis, Patrick J. G. H.; Scheltens, Philip; Maestú, Fernando; van Straaten, Elisabeth C. W.

    2014-01-01

    Background Synaptic loss is a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Disturbed organisation of large-scale functional brain networks in AD might reflect synaptic loss and disrupted neuronal communication. The medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect, is designed to enhance synapse formation and function and has been shown to improve memory performance in patients with mild AD in two randomised controlled trials. Objective To explore the effect of Souvenaid compared to control product on brain activity-based networks, as a derivative of underlying synaptic function, in patients with mild AD. Design A 24-week randomised, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, multi-country study. Participants 179 drug-naïve mild AD patients who participated in the Souvenir II study. Intervention Patients were randomised 1∶1 to receive Souvenaid or an iso-caloric control product once daily for 24 weeks. Outcome In a secondary analysis of the Souvenir II study, electroencephalography (EEG) brain networks were constructed and graph theory was used to quantify complex brain structure. Local brain network connectivity (normalised clustering coefficient gamma) and global network integration (normalised characteristic path length lambda) were compared between study groups, and related to memory performance. Results The network measures in the beta band were significantly different between groups: they decreased in the control group, but remained relatively unchanged in the active group. No consistent relationship was found between these network measures and memory performance. Conclusions The current results suggest that Souvenaid preserves the organisation of brain networks in patients with mild AD within 24 weeks, hypothetically counteracting the progressive network disruption over time in AD. The results strengthen the hypothesis that Souvenaid affects synaptic integrity and function. Secondly, we conclude that advanced EEG

  13. Mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: your role in patient compliance and health care costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tindall, William N; Boltri, John M; Wilhelm, Sheila M

    2007-09-01

    Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic relapsing disease necessitating lifelong treatment. Most patients present with mild-to-moderate disease characterized by alternating periods of remission and clinical relapse. Continued disease progression and relapse of UC over time are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). To discuss the latest treatment options for mild-to-moderate UC, to review the current data involving the economics of UC, and to demonstrate the relationship between treatment adherence, clinical relapse, inflammation severity, CRC risk, and treatment outcomes. One of the main goals of therapy in UC is to induce and maintain a long-lasting remission of disease to reduce or avoid the high personal and financial costs of relapse. In recent studies, researchers have demonstrated a link between increased colonic inflammation and CRC risk, highlighting the importance of preventing relapse, which can lead to costly surgical procedures and hospital stays and thus increase the cost of treatment 2- to 20-fold. The risk of disease relapse is affected by several factors, of which the most prominent is nonadherence to maintenance therapy. Nonadherence to therapy can be associated with several other factors, including forgetfulness, male sex, complicated dosing regimens, treatment delivery methods (oral vs. rectal), and pill burden. In the treatment of mild-to-moderate UC, 5-aminosalicyclic acid (5-ASA) is the standard first-line therapy and the treatment of choice for maintaining remission of disease. Novel formulations of 5-ASA and newly devised high-dose 5-ASA regimens offer more options for the treatment of UC and thus may lead to improved treatment adherence, longer remission, and improved patient well-being. Periods of remission during UC treatment must be aggressively maintained to prevent relapse and decrease the risk of an unfavorable outcome. By controlling the risks and conditions that lead to therapeutic nonadherence and relapse among

  14. Caregivers’ quality of life in mild and moderate dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Luiza Santos

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective To investigate quality of life (QoL of caregivers of mild and moderate dementia and the aspects related to QoL. Method Cross-sectional assessment of dyads of people with dementia (PwD and family caregivers (n=88. Results Burden (p<0.05 and depressive symptoms (p<0.001 were related to caregivers’ QoL in both stages of dementia. In mild dementia, caregivers’ depressive symptoms (p<0.001 and PwD neuropsychiatric symptoms (p<0.001 were related to burden. PwD aberrant motor activity (p<0.001 and anxiety (p<0.001, and caregiver-reported QoL domains of friends (p<0.001 and mood (p<0.05 were related to depressive symptoms. In moderate dementia, self-reported QoL (p<0.01 and anxiety (p<0.01, and PwD anxiety (p<0.01 were related to burden. Caregivers’ anxiety (p<0.001 and self-reported QoL (p<0.001 were related to depressive symptoms. Conclusion Burden and depressive symptoms were related to QoL of caregivers of mild and moderate dementia. However, they are driven by different factors according to dementia severity.

  15. 1993 guidelines for the management of mild hypertension: memorandum from a WHO/ISH meeting.

    OpenAIRE

    1993-01-01

    The present guidelines were prepared by the Guidelines Sub-Committee of the WHO/ISH (International Society of Hypertension) Mild Hypertension Liaison Committee. They represent the third revision of the WHO/ISH guidelines and were finalized after discussions at the Sixth WHO/ISH Meeting on Mild Hypertension in Chantilly, France, on 28-31 March 1993. The new guidelines discuss the cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension, the definition and classification of mild hypertension, drug tre...

  16. 1989 guidelines for the management of mild hypertension: memorandum from a WHO/ISH meeting.

    OpenAIRE

    1989-01-01

    The present guidelines were prepared by a subcommittee of the WHO/ISH (International Society of Hypertension) Mild Hypertension Liaison Committee, and wee finalized after discussion at the Fifth WHO/ISH Mild Hypertension Conference. They include the definition of mild hypertension, and describe blood pressure measurement, factors influencing the decision to begin treatment, methods of treatment, and follow-up. These guidelines are a revision of those published in 1986; they are based on the b...

  17. Increase of mild disability in Japanese elders: A seven year follow-up cohort study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Okochi Jiro

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world. In a 2002 census government report, 18.5% of Japanese were 65 years old and over and 7.9% were over 75 years old. In this ageing population, the increase in the number of dependent older persons, especially those with mild levels of disability, has had a significant impact on the insurance budget. This study examines the increase of mild disability and its related factors. Methods All community-dwelling residents aged 65 and over and without functional decline (n = 1560, of Omishima town, Japan, were assessed in 1996 using a simple illustrative measure, "the Typology of the Aged with Illustrations" to establish a baseline level of function and were followed annually until 2002. The prevalence and incidence of low to severe disability, and their association with chronic conditions present at the commencement of the study, was analyzed. A polychotomous logistic regression model was constructed to estimate the association of each chronic condition with two levels of disability. Results An increase in mild functional decline was more prevalent than severe functional decline. The accumulation of mild disability was more prominent in women. The major chronic conditions associated with mild disability were chronic arthritis and diabetes in women, and cerebrovascular accident and malignancy in men. Conclusion This study showed a tendency for mild disability prevalence to increase in Japanese elders, and some risk factors were identified. As mild disability increasingly prevalent, these findings will help determine priorities for its prevention in Japanese elders.

  18. The predictive value of arterial stiffness on major adverse cardiovascular events in individuals with mildly impaired renal function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han J

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Jie Han,* Xiaona Wang,* Ping Ye, Ruihua Cao, Xu Yang, Wenkai Xiao, Yun Zhang, Yongyi Bai, Hongmei Wu Department of Geriatric Cardiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objectives: Despite growing evidence that arterial stiffness has important predictive value for cardiovascular disease in patients with advanced stages of chronic kidney disease, the predictive significance of arterial stiffness in individuals with mildly impaired renal function has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of arterial stiffness on cardiovascular disease in this specific population. Materials and methods: We analyzed measurements of arterial stiffness (carotid–femoral pulse-wave velocity [cf-PWV] and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs in 1,499 subjects from a 4.8-year longitudinal study. Results: A multivariate Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis showed that in individuals with normal renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2, the baseline cf-PWV was not associated with occurrence of MACEs (hazard ratio 1.398, 95% confidence interval 0.748–2.613; P=0.293. In individuals with mildly impaired renal function (eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m2, a higher baseline cf-PWV level was associated with a higher risk of MACEs (hazard ratio 2.334, 95% confidence interval 1.082–5.036; P=0.031. Conclusion: Arterial stiffness is a moderate and independent predictive factor for MACEs in individuals with mildly impaired renal function (eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Keywords: epidemiology, arterial stiffness, impaired renal function, predictive value, MACEs

  19. The Persistence of the Self over Time in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynette J. Tippett

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Diachronic unity is the belief that, despite changes, we are the same person across the lifespan. We propose that diachronic unity is supported by the experience of remembering the self over time during episodic recall (i.e., phenomenological continuity. However, we also predict that diachronic unity is also possible when episodic memory is impaired, as long as the ability to construct life narratives from semantic memory (i.e., semantic continuity is intact. To examine this prediction, we investigated diachronic unity in Alzheimer's Disease (AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI, two conditions characterised by disrupted phenomenological continuity. If semantic continuity is also altered in these conditions, there should be an associated deterioration in diachronic unity. Participants with AD, aMCI, and healthy controls (HC completed a self-persistence interview measuring diachronic unity (beliefs about self-persistence, explanations for stability/change. Semantic continuity was assessed with a life-story interview measuring autobiographical reasoning (self-event connections, and coherence (temporal/thematic/causal of narratives. Our results highlight a complex relationship between semantic continuity and diachronic unity and revealed a divergence between two aspects of diachronic unity: AD/aMCI groups did not differ from HC in continuity beliefs, but AD explanations for self-persistence were less sophisticated. Semantic continuity was most impaired in AD: their narratives had fewer self-event connections (vs. HCs and lower temporal/thematic coherence (vs. HC/aMCI, while both AD/aMCI groups had lower causal coherence. Paradoxically AD participants who scored higher on measures of beliefs in the persistence of the core self, provided less sophisticated explanations for their self-persistence and were less able to explore persistence in their life narratives. These findings support the importance of semantic continuity to diachronic

  20. High-dose amrinone is required to accelerate rewarming from deliberate mild intraoperative hypothermia for neurosurgical procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Satoki; Kawaguchi, Masahiko; Sakamoto, Takanori; Kitaguchi, Katsuyasu; Furuya, Hitoshi; Sakaki, Toshisuke

    2002-07-01

    Since the time available to provide the cooling and rewarming is limited during deliberate mild hypothermia, the technique to accelerate the cooling and rewarming rate of core temperature has been studied. Amrinone has been reported to accelerate the cooling rate but not the rewarming rate of core temperature during deliberate mild hypothermia. The failure of amrinone effect on the rewarming rate might be due to an insufficient dose of amrinone during hypothermic conditions. The authors therefore tested whether higher doses of amrinone can accelerate the rewarming rate of core temperature during deliberate mild hypothermia for neurosurgery. After institutional approval and informed consent, 30 patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Patients in the control group (n = 10) did not receive amrinone; patients in the AMR 15 group (n = 10) received 15 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) amrinone with a 1.0-mg/kg loading dose of amrinone at the beginning of cooling; and patients in the ReAMR group (n = 10) received 5 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) amrinone with 1.0-mg/kg loading and reloading doses of amrinone at the beginning of cooling and rewarming, respectively. Administration of amrinone was started just after the induction of cooling and continued until the end of anesthesia. Anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide in oxygen, propofol, and fentanyl. After induction of anesthesia, patients were cooled, and tympanic membrane temperature was maintained at 34.5 degrees C. After completion of the main surgical procedures, patients were actively rewarmed and extubated in the operating room. The cooling and rewarming rates of core temperature were both significantly faster in both amrinone groups than in the control group. During the cooling and rewarming periods, forearm minus fingertip temperature gradient was significantly smaller in both amrinone groups than in the control group. During the rewarming period, heart rate and mean arterial pressure in the AMR 15

  1. Facility design consideration for continuous mix production of class 1.3 propellant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, K. L.; Schirk, P. G.

    1994-01-01

    In November of 1989, NASA awarded the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) contract to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (LMSC) for production of advanced solid rocket motors using the continuous mix process. Aerojet ASRM division (AAD) was selected as the facility operator and RUST International Corporation provided the engineering, procurement, and construction management services. The continuous mix process mandates that the mix and cast facilities be 'close-coupled' along with the premix facilities, creating unique and challenging requirements for the facility designer. The classical approach to handling energetic materials-division into manageable quantities, segregation, and isolation-was not available due to these process requirements and quantities involved. This paper provides a description of the physical facilities, the continuous mix process, and discusses the monitoring and detection techniques used to mitigate hazards and prevent an incident.

  2. Mission Connect Mild TBI Translational Research Consortium

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    and covered with dental acrylic . Isoflurane was discontinued; rats were connected to the trauma device and subjected to a mild 1.0-atm fluid-percussion...thought to play roles in the regulation of extracellular concentrations of water, potassium and other ions, and glutamate and other transmitters and

  3. More about ... Immunology | Singh | Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 30, No 8 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

  4. Screening for diabetic retinopathy | Rice | Continuing Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 31, No 4 (2013) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

  5. Studies on the effects of sulphate-reducing bacteria on mild carbon-steel relevant to radioactive waste disposal in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Philp, J.C.; Christofi, N.; Taylor, K.J.; West, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have been used to determine their maximum effect on mild carbon-steel (BS4360 grade 43A) of relevance to waste disposal. Batch (static) and continuous culture studies were carried out and corrosion effects monitored by measuring weight loss and pitting. Results show that corrosion increases linearly with increased ferrous iron concentrations. Maximum corrosion was obtained in continuous culture where the organisms were maintained in the exponential phase of growth. Corrosion by SRB has been monitored in model systems mimicking low groundwater flow, deep rock formations in which steel coupons were subjected to a synthetic granitic water/bentonite environment with or without microorganisms. At termination of the experiment corrosion in the presence of SRB was almost three times higher than in their absence. (author)

  6. Advances in Intelligence and Security Informatics

    CERN Document Server

    Mao, Wenji

    2012-01-01

    The Intelligent Systems Series comprises titles that present state of the art knowledge and the latest advances in intelligent systems. Its scope includes theoretical studies, design methods, and real-world implementations and applications. Traditionally, Intelligence and Security Informatics (ISI) research and applications have focused on information sharing and data mining, social network analysis, infrastructure protection and emergency responses for security informatics. With the continuous advance of IT technologies and the increasing sophistication of national and international securi

  7. Rehabilitation and education are underutilized for mild stroke and TIA sufferers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faux, Steven G; Arora, Pooja; Shiner, Christine T; Thompson-Butel, Angelica G; Klein, Linda A

    2018-06-01

    Transient ischemic attack (TIA) and mild stroke represent a large proportion of cerebrovascular events, at high risk of being followed by recurrent, serious events. The importance of early education addressing risk management, secondary prevention and lifestyle modifications is the centerpiece of further stroke prevention. However, delivering education and rehabilitation to this population can be complex and challenging. Via synthesis of a narrative review and clinical experience, we explore the unique and inherent complexities of rehabilitation management and education provision for patients following mild stroke and TIA. A considerable proportion of TIA/mild stroke survivors have ongoing rehabilitation needs that are poorly addressed. The need for rehabilitation in these patients is often overlooked, and available assessment tools lack the sensitivity to identify common subtle impairments in cognition, mood, language and fatigue. Active and accessible education interventions need to be initiated early after the event, and integrated with ongoing rehabilitation management. Priority areas in need of future development in this field are highlighted and discussed. Implications for rehabilitation Survivors of mild stroke and TIA have ongoing unmet rehabilitation needs and require a unique approach to rehabilitation and education. Rehabilitation needs are difficult to assess and poorly addressed in this cohort, where available assessment tools lack the sensitivity required to identify subtle impairments. Education needs to be initiated early after the event and involve active engagement of the patient in order to improve stroke knowledge, mood and motivate adherence to lifestyle modifications and secondary prevention. Rehabilitation physicians are currently an underutilized resource, who should be more involved in the management of all patients following TIA or mild stroke.

  8. Advances in Home Photo Printing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qian Lin; Brian Atkins; Huitao Luo

    2004-01-01

    With digital camera adoptions going main stream, consumers capture a record number of photos.Currently, the majority of the digital photos are printed at home. One of the key enablers of this transformation is the advancement of home photo printing technologies. In the past few years, inkjet printing technologies have continued to deliver smaller drop size, larger number of inks, and longer-lasting prints. In the mean time, advanced image processing automatically enhances captured digital photos while being printed. The combination of the above two forces has closed the gap between the home photo prints and AgX prints. It will give an overview of the home photo printing market and technology trends, and discuss major advancements in automatic image processing.

  9. Association of Lower Spiritual Well-Being, Social Support, Self-Esteem, Subjective Well-Being, Optimism and Hope Scores With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina B. dos Santos

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Positive psychology (PP constructs contribute significantly to a better quality of life for people with various diseases. There are still few studies that have evaluated the evolution of these aspects during the progression of dementia.Objective: To compare the scores for self-esteem, life satisfaction, affect, spirituality, hope, optimism and perceived support network between elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, mild dementia and moderate dementia and control group.Methods: Cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 66 healthy controls, 15 elderly people with MCI, 25 with mild dementia and 22 with moderate dementia matched by age, gender, and schooling. The instruments used were: Spirituality Self Rating Scale (SSRS, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Medical Outcomes Study’s Social Support Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS, Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R, and Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS.Results: The scores for spiritual well-being, social support, self-esteem, life satisfaction, positive affect, optimism, negative affect, and hope differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.05. The individuals with MCI and mild dementia had lower spiritual well-being, social support, self-esteem, life satisfaction, positive affect, optimism and hope scores, and higher negative affect scores compared with the controls. The scores for PP constructs did not differ between the group of people with moderate dementia and the control group.Conclusion: Dementia was found to impact several PP constructs in the early stages of the disease. For individuals with greater cognitive impairment, anosognosia appears to suppress the disease’s impact on these constructs.

  10. Mild disintegration of green microalgae and macroalgae

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Postma, Richard

    2016-01-01

    An increased worldwide protein demand for food and feed and the necessity to release the water soluble proteins in the first stage of the cascade biorefinery require the development of mild protein extraction technologies. Cell disintegration is the first hurdle and is considered as one of the

  11. Reducing Truancy in Students with Mild Handicaps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Albert M.; And Others

    1990-01-01

    Contingency contracting and group counseling were provided to 26 mildly to moderately handicapped middle school students with high rates of truancy. Subjects exhibited attendance gains after treatment; gains were not maintained at followup but attendance rates were still higher than the rates of control students. Measures of academic performance…

  12. Mild cold effects on hunger, food intake, satiety and skin temperature in humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Langeveld

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background Mild cold exposure increases energy expenditure and can influence energy balance, but at the same time it does not increase appetite and energy intake. Objective To quantify dermal insulative cold response, we assessed thermal comfort and skin temperatures changes by infrared thermography. Methods We exposed healthy volunteers to either a single episode of environmental mild cold or thermoneutrality. We measured hunger sensation and actual free food intake. After a thermoneutral overnight stay, five males and five females were exposed to either 18°C (mild cold or 24°C (thermoneutrality for 2.5 h. Metabolic rate, vital signs, skin temperature, blood biochemistry, cold and hunger scores were measured at baseline and for every 30 min during the temperature intervention. This was followed by an ad libitum meal to obtain the actual desired energy intake after cold exposure. Results We could replicate the cold-induced increase in REE. But no differences were detected in hunger, food intake, or satiety after mild cold exposure compared with thermoneutrality. After long-term cold exposure, high cold sensation scores were reported, which were negatively correlated with thermogenesis. Skin temperature in the sternal area was tightly correlated with the increase in energy expenditure. Conclusions It is concluded that short-term mild cold exposure increases energy expenditure without changes in food intake. Mild cold exposure resulted in significant thermal discomfort, which was negatively correlated with the increase in energy expenditure. Moreover, there is a great between-subject variability in cold response. These data provide further insights on cold exposure as an anti-obesity measure.

  13. Transitions to mild cognitive impairments, dementia, and death: findings from the Nun Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyas, Suzanne L; Salazar, Juan Carlos; Snowdon, David A; Desrosiers, Mark F; Riley, Kathryn P; Mendiondo, Marta S; Kryscio, Richard J

    2007-06-01

    The potential of early interventions for dementia has increased interest in cognitive impairments less severe than dementia. However, predictors of the trajectory from intact cognition to dementia have not yet been clearly identified. The purpose of this study was to determine whether known risk factors for dementia increased the risk of mild cognitive impairments or progression from mild cognitive impairments to dementia. A polytomous logistic regression model was used, with parameters governing transitions within transient states (intact cognition, mild cognitive impairments, global impairment) estimated separately from parameters governing the transition from transient to absorbing state (dementia or death). Analyses were based on seven annual examinations (1991-2002) of 470 Nun Study participants aged > or = 75 years at baseline and living in the United States. Odds of developing dementia increased with age primarily for those with low educational levels. In these women, presence of an apolipoprotein E gene *E4 allele increased the odds more than fourfold by age 95 years. Age, education, and the apolipoprotein E gene were all significantly associated with mild cognitive impairments. Only age, however, was associated with progression to dementia. Thus, risk factors for dementia may operate primarily by predisposing individuals to develop mild cognitive impairments; subsequent progression to dementia then depends on only time and competing mortality.

  14. Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) 2.0 Precursor System: Final Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-03-01

    Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) have experienced significant growth since their initial inception in the 1990s. Technologies have continued to evolve at a rapid pace, enabling the integration of advanced solutions for traveler informatio...

  15. Design of automatic control and measurement software for radioactive aerosol continuity monitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao Yong; Li Aiwu

    1997-01-01

    The radioactive aerosol continuity measurement is very important for the development of nuclear industry, and it is the major method to measure and find out the leakage of radioactive material. Radioactive aerosol continuity monitor is the advanced method for the radioactive aerosol continuity measurement. With the development of nuclear industry and nuclear power station, it is necessary to design and automatic continuity measurement device. Because of this reason, the authors developed the first unit of radioactive aerosol continuity monitor and adopted the ministry appraisal. The design idea and method of automatic control and measurement for radioactive aerosol continuity monitor are discussed

  16. 30 CFR 75.388 - Boreholes in advance of mining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Boreholes in advance of mining. 75.388 Section... of mining. (a) Boreholes shall be drilled in each advancing working place when the working place... cannot be examined, and before mining continues, a certified person shall, if possible, determine— (1...

  17. Learning Strategies for Adolescents with Mild Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conderman, Greg; Koman, Kara; Schibelka, Mary; Higgin, Karen; Cooper, Cody; Butler, Jordyn

    2013-01-01

    Learning strategy instruction is an evidence-based practice for teaching adolescents with mild disabilities. However, researchers have not developed strategies for every content area or skill. Therefore, teachers need to be able develop strategies based on the needs of their students. This article reviews the process for developing and teaching…

  18. Gemcitabine Chemotherapy and Single-Fraction Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schellenberg, Devin; Goodman, Karyn A.; Lee, Florence; Chang, Stephanie; Kuo, Timothy; Ford, James M.; Fisher, George A.; Quon, Andrew; Desser, Terry S.; Norton, Jeffrey; Greco, Ralph; Yang, George P.; Koong, Albert C.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: Fractionated radiotherapy and chemotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer achieves only modest local control. This prospective trial evaluated the efficacy of a single fraction of 25 Gy stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivered between Cycle 1 and 2 of gemcitabine chemotherapy. Methods and Materials: A total of 16 patients with locally advanced, nonmetastatic, pancreatic adenocarcinoma received gemcitabine with SBRT delivered 2 weeks after completion of the first cycle. Gemcitabine was resumed 2 weeks after SBRT and was continued until progression or dose-limiting toxicity. The gross tumor volume, with a 2-3-mm margin, was treated in a single 25-Gy fraction by Cyberknife. Patients were evaluated at 4-6 weeks, 10-12 weeks, and every 3 months after SBRT. Results: All 16 patients completed SBRT. A median of four cycles (range one to nine) of chemotherapy was delivered. Three patients (19%) developed local disease progression at 14, 16, and 21 months after SBRT. The median survival was 11.4 months, with 50% of patients alive at 1 year. Patients with normal carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 levels either at diagnosis or after Cyberknife SBRT had longer survival (p <0.01). Acute gastrointestinal toxicity was mild, with 2 cases of Grade 2 (13%) and 1 of Grade 3 (6%) toxicity. Late gastrointestinal toxicity was more common, with five ulcers (Grade 2), one duodenal stenosis (Grade 3), and one duodenal perforation (Grade 4). A trend toward increased duodenal volumes radiated was observed in those experiencing late effects (p = 0.13). Conclusion: SBRT with gemcitabine resulted in comparable survival to conventional chemoradiotherapy and good local control. However, the rate of duodenal ulcer development was significant

  19. Implementation of Segmentation Methods for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matoug, S; Abdel-Dayem, A

    2012-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia affecting seniors age 65 and over. When AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioural assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan. Advanced medical imaging is a good tool to predict conversion from prodromal stages (mild cognitive impairment) to Alzheimer's disease. Since volumetric MRI can detect changes in the size of brain regions, measuring those regions that atrophy during the progress of Alzheimer's disease can help the neurologist in his diagnostic. In the present investigation, we present an automatic tool that reads volumetric MRI and performs 2-dimensional (volume slices) and volumetric segmentation methods in order to segment gray matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We used the MRI data sets database from the Open Access Series of Imaging Studies (OASIS).

  20. Event-based prospective memory in mildly and severely autistic children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheppard, Daniel P; Kvavilashvili, Lia; Ryder, Nuala

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing body of research into the development of prospective memory (PM) in typically developing children but research is limited in autistic children (Aut) and rarely includes children with more severe symptoms. This study is the first to specifically compare event-based PM in severely autistic children to mildly autistic and typically developing children. Fourteen mildly autistic children and 14 severely autistic children, aged 5-13 years, were matched for educational attainment with 26 typically developing children aged 5-6 years. Three PM tasks and a retrospective memory task were administered. Results showed that severely autistic children performed less well than typically developing children on two PM tasks but mildly autistic children did not differ from either group. No group differences were found on the most motivating (a toy reward) task. The findings suggest naturalistic tasks and motivation are important factors in PM success in severely autistic children and highlights the need to consider the heterogeneity of autism and symptom severity in relation to performance on event-based PM tasks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Dementia with Insufficient Neuropathological Changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano-Pozo, Alberto; Qian, Jing; Monsell, Sarah E.; Blacker, Deborah; Gómez-lsla, Teresa; Betensky, Rebecca A.; Growdon, John H.; Johnson, Keith; Frosch, Matthew P.; Sperling, Reisa A.; Hyman, Bradley T.

    2014-01-01

    Recently, ∼16% of participants in an anti-Aβ passive immunotherapy trial for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease (AD) had a negative baseline amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Whether they have AD or are AD clinical phenocopies remains unknown. We examined the 2005-2013 National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center autopsy database and found that ∼14% of autopsied subjects clinically diagnosed with mild-to-moderate probable AD have no or sparse neuritic plaques, which would expectedly yield a negative amyloid PET scan. More than half of these “Aβ-negative” subjects have low neurofibrillary tangle Braak stages. These findings support the implementation of a positive amyloid biomarker as an inclusion criterion in future anti-Aβ drug trials. PMID:24585367

  2. Mild perinatal adversities moderate the association between maternal harsh parenting and hair cortisol: Evidence for differential susceptibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Windhorst, Dafna A; Rippe, Ralph C A; Mileva-Seitz, Viara R; Verhulst, Frank C; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Noppe, Gerard; van Rossum, Elisabeth F C; van den Akker, Erica L T; Tiemeier, Henning; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J

    2017-04-01

    It has been shown that following exposure to mild perinatal adversity, children have greater susceptibility to both the negative and positive aspects of their subsequent environment. In a large population-based cohort study (N = 1,776), we investigated whether mild perinatal adversity moderated the association between maternal harsh parenting and children's hair cortisol levels, a biomarker of chronic stress. Mild perinatal adversity was defined as late preterm birth (gestational age at birth of 34-37 weeks, 6 days) or small for gestational age (birth weight between the 2.5th and 10th percentile for full term gestational age). Harsh parenting was assessed by maternal self-report at 3 years. Children's hair cortisol concentrations were measured from hair samples collected at age 6. There were no significant bivariate associations between mild perinatal adversities and harsh parenting and hair cortisol. However, mild perinatal adversities moderated the association between maternal harsh parenting and hair cortisol levels. Children with mild perinatal adversity had lower cortisol levels if parented more harshly and higher cortisol levels in the absence of harsh parenting than children who did not experience mild perinatal adversity. These results provide further evidence that mild perinatal adversity is a potential marker of differential susceptibility to environmental influences. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Tolerability and safety of souvenaid in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

    OpenAIRE

    Olde Rikkert, Marcel G.M.; Verhey, Frans R.; Blesa, Rafael; Arnim, Von, Christine A.F.; Bongers, Anke; Harrison, John; Sijben, John; Scarpini, Elio; Vandewoude, Maurits F.J.; Vellas, Bruno; Witkamp, Renger; Kamphuis, Patrick J.G.H.; Scheltens, Philip

    2015-01-01

    Background: The medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect, is designed to improve synapse formation and function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCT) with Souvenaid of 12 and 24 week duration (Souvenir I and Souvenir II) showed that memory performance was improved in drug-naïve mild AD patients, whereas no effects on cognition were observed in a 24-week RCT (S-Connect) in mild to moderate AD ...

  4. Research progress of donepezil for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin-xin LI

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Donepezil is the second generation of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs, which has a good effect on mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD. In recent years, there were a lot of studies on the mechanism of donepezil. This paper mainly introduces the diagnosis and treatment situation of AD in China, and the action mechanism of donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate AD. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.02.012

  5. Advanced flip chip packaging

    CERN Document Server

    Lai, Yi-Shao; Wong, CP

    2013-01-01

    Advanced Flip Chip Packaging presents past, present and future advances and trends in areas such as substrate technology, material development, and assembly processes. Flip chip packaging is now in widespread use in computing, communications, consumer and automotive electronics, and the demand for flip chip technology is continuing to grow in order to meet the need for products that offer better performance, are smaller, and are environmentally sustainable. This book also: Offers broad-ranging chapters with a focus on IC-package-system integration Provides viewpoints from leading industry executives and experts Details state-of-the-art achievements in process technologies and scientific research Presents a clear development history and touches on trends in the industry while also discussing up-to-date technology information Advanced Flip Chip Packaging is an ideal book for engineers, researchers, and graduate students interested in the field of flip chip packaging.

  6. Intraarterial Chemotherapy or Chemoembolization for Locally Advanced and/or Recurrent Hepatic Tumors: Evaluation of the Feeding Artery with an Interventional CT System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirai, Toshinori; Korogi, Yukunori; Ono, Ken; Maruoka, Kousei; Harada, Kazunori; Aridomi, Satoshi; Takahashi, Mutsumasa

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the utility of an interventional CT system for intraarterial chemotherapy or chemoembolization for locally advanced and/or recurrent hepatic tumors.Methods: Thirty-eight patients with locally advanced or recurrent hepatic tumors underwent 73 intraarterial contrast-enhanced CT (IA-CECT) examinations immediately before chemotherapy or chemoembolization. The degree of tumor vascularity on angiography and enhancement on IA-CECT was classified into three grades: no, mild, or marked vascularity. The IA-CECT grades were compared with the angiographic grades.Results: Twenty-nine (69%) of 42 examinations that were interpreted as having no or mild vascularity on angiography were classified as marked enhancement on IA-CECT. Based on IA-CECT findings, the position of the catheter was changed in 14 (19%) of 73 CT examinations. The reasons for the reposition were as follows: weak or no enhancement of the tumor (n = 11) or strong enhancement of the gallbladder wall (n = 3). The treatment strategy was changed in three patients (8%). No major complications relating to the interventional procedures were observed.Conclusions: IA-CECT is a reliable method when evaluating the perfusion of the tumor and adjacent normal tissues. The interventional CT system is useful for performing safe and effective intraarterial chemotherapy or chemoembolization in patients with locally advanced and/or recurrent hepatic tumors

  7. U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring workshop—Workshop summary report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Daniel J.; Joiner, John K.; Caslow, Kerry A.; Landers, Mark N.; Pellerin, Brian A.; Rasmussen, Patrick P.; Sheets, Rodney A.

    2018-04-20

    Executive SummaryThe collection of high-frequency (in other words, “continuous”) water data has been made easier over the years because of advances in technologies to measure, transmit, store, and query large, temporally dense datasets. Commercially available, in-situ sensors and data-collection platforms—together with new techniques for data analysis—provide an opportunity to monitor water quantity and quality at time scales during which meaningful changes occur. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Continuous Monitoring Workshop was held to build stronger collaboration within the Water Mission Area on the collection, interpretation, and application of continuous monitoring data; share technical approaches for the collection and management of continuous data that improves consistency and efficiency across the USGS; and explore techniques and tools for the interpretation of continuous monitoring data, which increases the value to cooperators and the public. The workshop was organized into three major themes: Collecting Continuous Data, Understanding and Using Continuous Data, and Observing and Delivering Continuous Data in the Future. Presentations each day covered a variety of related topics, with a special session at the end of each day designed to bring discussion and problem solving to the forefront.The workshop brought together more than 70 USGS scientists and managers from across the Water Mission Area and Water Science Centers. Tools to manage, assure, control quality, and explore large streams of continuous water data are being developed by the USGS and other organizations and will be critical to making full use of these high-frequency data for research and monitoring. Disseminating continuous monitoring data and findings relevant to critical cooperator and societal issues is central to advancing the USGS networks and mission. Several important outcomes emerged from the presentations and breakout sessions.

  8. Riblet drag reduction in mild adverse pressure gradients: A numerical investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boomsma, Aaron; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We model several differently sized scalloped riblets using LES. • Riblets were modeled in both ZPG and mild APG and compared to each other and to a baseline (flat plate) case. • Scalloped riblets in the mild APG reduce drag only slightly more than those in ZPG. • Maximum values of streamwise turbulence intensities, streamwise vorticity, and TKE are proportional to riblet width. • Primary Reynolds shear stresses and turbulence energy production scale with riblet drag reduction. - Abstract: Riblet films are a passive method of turbulent boundary layer control that can reduce viscous drag. They have been studied with great detail for over 30 years. Although common riblet applications include flows with Adverse Pressure Gradients (APG), nearly all research thus far has been performed in channel flows. Recent research has provided motivation to study riblets in more complicated turbulent flows with claims that riblet drag reduction can double in mild APG common to airfoils at moderate angles of attack. Therefore, in this study, we compare drag reduction by scalloped riblet films between riblets in a zero pressure gradient and those in a mild APG using high-resolution large eddy simulations. In order to gain a fundamental understanding of the relationship between drag reduction and pressure gradient, we simulated several different riblet sizes that encompassed a broad range of s"+ (riblet width in wall units), similarly to many previously published experimental studies. We found that there was only a slight improvement in drag reduction for riblets in the mild APG. We also observed that peak values of streamwise turbulence intensity, turbulent kinetic energy, and streamwise vorticity scale with riblet width. Primary Reynolds shear stresses and turbulence kinetic energy production however scale with the ability of the riblet to reduce skin-friction.

  9. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahni, R; Wung, J T

    1998-01-01

    Progress in neonatal intensive care is closely linked to improvements in the management of respiratory failure in small infants. This applies to the care of the preterm infants with immature lungs, and also to treatment of the preterm or full term infants with specific diseases that are associated with respiratory failure. Respiratory distress of the newborn continues to account for significant morbidity in the intensive care unit. The spectrum of disease ranges from mild distress to severe respiratory failure requiring varying degrees of support. The current modalities of ventilatory assistance range from the more benign continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to conventional mechanical ventilation, and on to high frequency ventilation. It is a reasonable supposition that the type of ventilatory assistance provided to these infants should be graded according to the severity of the disease. However, the principal objective in selecting the mode of respiratory support should be to use a modality which results in minimal volo- or barotrauma to the infant. The following detailed description on CPAP explains its physiological effects, delivery system, indications for use, application, maintenance, and associated complications. The equipment described is simple to use, has a greater cost benefit, and has a more universal application, which is of help to smaller units including those in the developing parts of the world. We have also included our institutional clinical experience of CPAP usage in very low birth weight infants from the periods before and after commercial availability of surfactant in the United States.

  10. Model-based investigation of intracellular processes determining antibody Fc-glycosylation under mild hypothermia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sou, Si Nga; Jedrzejewski, Philip M; Lee, Ken; Sellick, Christopher; Polizzi, Karen M; Kontoravdi, Cleo

    2017-07-01

    Despite the positive effects of mild hypothermic conditions on monoclonal antibody (mAb) productivity (q mAb ) during mammalian cell culture, the impact of reduced culture temperature on mAb Fc-glycosylation and the mechanism behind changes in the glycan composition are not fully established. The lack of knowledge about the regulation of dynamic intracellular processes under mild hypothermia restricts bioprocess optimization. To address this issue, a mathematical model that quantitatively describes Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell behavior and metabolism, mAb synthesis and mAb N-linked glycosylation profile before and after the induction of mild hypothermia is constructed. Results from this study show that the model is capable of representing experimental results well in all of the aspects mentioned above, including the N-linked glycosylation profile of mAb produced under mild hypothermia. Most importantly, comparison between model simulation results for different culture temperatures suggests the reduced rates of nucleotide sugar donor production and galactosyltransferase (GalT) expression to be critical contributing factors that determine the variation in Fc-glycan profiles between physiological and mild hypothermic conditions in stable CHO transfectants. This is then confirmed using experimental measurements of GalT expression levels, thereby closing the loop between the experimental and the computational system. The identification of bottlenecks within CHO cell metabolism under mild hypothermic conditions will aid bioprocess optimization, for example, by tailoring feeding strategies to improve NSD production, or manipulating the expression of specific glycosyltransferases through cell line engineering. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1570-1582. © 2016 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. © 2016 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc.

  11. The advanced thermionics initiative...program update

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamp, T.R.; Donovan, B.D.

    1993-01-01

    The United States Air Force has had a long standing interest in thermionic space power dating back to the early 1960s when a heat pipe cooled thermionic converter was demonstrated through work at the predecessor to Wright Laboratory (WL). With the exception of the short hiatus in the mid-70s, Air Force thermionics work at Wright Laboratory has continued to the present time with thermionic technology programs including the burst power thermionic phase change concepts, heat pipe cooled planar diodes, and advanced in-core concept developments such as composite materials, insulators and oxygenation. The Advanced Thermionics Initiative (ATI) program was organized to integrate thermionic technology advances into a converter suitable for in-core reactor applications in the 10 to 40 kWe power range. As an advanced thermionics technology program, the charter and philosophy of the ATI program is to provide the needed advanced converter concepts in support of national thermionic space power programs

  12. Advanced calculus

    CERN Document Server

    Fitzpatrick, Patrick M

    2009-01-01

    Advanced Calculus is intended as a text for courses that furnish the backbone of the student's undergraduate education in mathematical analysis. The goal is to rigorously present the fundamental concepts within the context of illuminating examples and stimulating exercises. This book is self-contained and starts with the creation of basic tools using the completeness axiom. The continuity, differentiability, integrability, and power series representation properties of functions of a single variable are established. The next few chapters describe the topological and metric properties of Euclide

  13. Mild trigonocephaly in patients with microcephaly. Surgical results in 12 cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimoji, Takeyoshi; Yamashiro, Katsumi; Nagamine, Tomoaki; Kawakubo, Junichi

    2010-01-01

    We have recently diagnosed several cases of mild trigonocephaly associated with microcephaly. The surgical approach is often difficult to decide for such cases. Surgical treatment is often attempted if neuroradiological studies show evidence of increased intracranial pressure. Twelve patients (9 girls and 3 boys) were found to microcephaly during infancy. All patients had symptoms, including varying degrees of mental retardation, delayed language, hyperactivity, motor dysfunctions, and self-mutilation (head banging). Most patients had mild trigonocephaly with microcephaly and tended to be of short stature. Head circumferences were at least 2 standard deviations below the mean for age at the time of surgery. Mild trigonocephaly was diagnosed in all patients by means of 3-dimensional computed tomography. Magnetic resonance of the brain showed no abnormalities in any patient. Plain skull X-ray films showed marked digital markings in 8 patients. Intracranial pressure was measured under normocapnia: results were obtained in 9 patients, and intracranial pressure was increased in 8 patients. Decompressive cranioplasty was performed in all patients. After surgery, chronological measurements showed tendencies for head circumferences to increase in 7 patients. Cognitive impairment showed no change, but other symptoms showed some improvement in all patients. These results suggest that surgery is indicated for patients with mild trigonocephaly associated with microcephaly if intracranial pressure is increased and if magnetic resonance of the brain shows no abnormalities. (author)

  14. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in middle-aged patients with mild or no knee osteoarthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hare, Kristoffer B; Lohmander, Stefan; Christensen, Robin

    2013-01-01

    Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy has been shown to be of no benefit to patients with concomitant knee osteoarthritis, but the optimal treatment of a degenerative meniscus tear in patients with mild or no knee osteoarthritis is unknown. This article describes the rationale and methodology...... of a randomized sham-controlled trial to assess the benefit of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy of a medial meniscus tear in patients with mild or no knee osteoarthritis. The objective of the study is to test whether the benefit from arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in patients with knee pain, medial meniscus...... lesion and mild/no knee osteoarthritis, is greater after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy than following sham surgery....

  15. Declining financial capacity in patients with mild Alzheimer disease: a one-year longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Roy; Griffith, H Randall; Belue, Katherine; Harrell, Lindy; Zamrini, Edward; Anderson, Britt; Bartolucci, Alfred; Marson, Daniel

    2008-03-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate change over time in financial abilities in patients with mild Alzheimer disease (AD). The authors conducted a prospective 1-year longitudinal study at a large southern U.S. metropolitan-area medical school university. Participants included healthy older adults (N=63) and patients with mild AD (N=55). The authors conducted a standardized performance measure of financial capacity. Performance was assessed on 18 financial tasks, nine domains of financial activity, and overall financial capacity. Capacity outcomes classifications (capable, marginally capable, or incapable) for domains and overall performance were made using cut scores referenced to comparison group performance. At baseline, patients with mild AD performed significantly below healthy older adults on 16 of 18 tasks, on all nine domains, and on overall financial capacity. At one-year follow up, comparison group performance was stable on all variables. In contrast, patients with mild AD showed substantial declines in overall financial capacity, on eight of nine domains, and on 12 of 18 tasks. Similarly, the proportion of the mild AD group classified as marginally capable and incapable increased substantially over one year for the two overall scores and for five financial domains. Financial capacity is already substantially impaired in patients with mild AD at baseline and undergoes rapid additional decline over one year. Relative to the comparison group, overall financial capacity performance in the AD group declined 10%, from approximately 80% of the comparison group performance at baseline to 70% at follow up. Financial skills showed differential rates of decline on both simple and complex tasks. Of clinical and public policy interest was the declining judgment of patients with mild AD regarding simple fraud schemes. The study supports the importance of prompt financial supervision and planning for patients newly diagnosed with AD.

  16. Forensic applications of cerebral single photon emission computed tomography in mild traumatic brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wortzel, Hal S; Filley, Christopher M; Anderson, C Alan; Oster, Timothy; Arciniegas, David B

    2008-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a substantial source of mortality and morbidity world wide. Although most such injuries are relatively mild, accurate diagnosis and prognostication after mild TBI are challenging. These problems are complicated further when considered in medicolegal contexts, particularly civil litigation. Cerebral single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) may contribute to the evaluation and treatment of persons with mild TBI. Cerebral SPECT is relatively sensitive to the metabolic changes produced by TBI. However, such changes are not specific to this condition, and their presence on cerebral SPECT imaging does not confirm a diagnosis of mild TBI. Conversely, the absence of abnormalities on cerebral SPECT imaging does not exclude a diagnosis of mild TBI, although such findings may be of prognostic value. The literature does not demonstrate consistent relationships between SPECT images and neuropsychological testing or neuropsychiatric symptoms. Using the rules of evidence shaped by Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and its progeny to analyze the suitability of SPECT for forensic purposes, we suggest that expert testimony regarding SPECT findings should be admissible only as evidence to support clinical history, neuropsychological test results, and structural brain imaging findings and not as stand-alone diagnostic data.

  17. Paediatric triage in South Africa: Where are we? | Buys | Continuing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 31, No 1 (2013) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  18. Memory deficits for facial identity in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savaskan, Egemen; Summermatter, Daniel; Schroeder, Clemens; Schächinger, Hartmut

    2018-01-01

    Faces are among the most relevant social stimuli revealing an encounter's identity and actual emotional state. Deficits in facial recognition may be an early sign of cognitive decline leading to social deficits. The main objective of the present study is to investigate if individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment show recognition deficits in facial identity. Thirty-seven individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, multiple-domain (15 female; age: 75±8 yrs.) and forty-one healthy volunteers (24 female; age 71±6 yrs.) participated. All participants completed a human portrait memory test presenting unfamiliar faces with happy and angry emotional expressions. Five and thirty minutes later, old and new neutral faces were presented, and discrimination sensitivity (d') and response bias (C) were assessed as signal detection parameters of cued facial identity recognition. Memory performance was lower in amnestic mild cognitive impairment as compared to control subjects, mainly because of an altered response bias towards an increased false alarm rate (favoring false OLD ascription of NEW items). In both groups, memory performance declined between the early and later testing session, and was always better for acquired happy than angry faces. Facial identity memory is impaired in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Liberalization of the response bias may reflect a socially motivated compensatory mechanism maintaining an almost identical recognition hit rate of OLD faces in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

  19. Long-term atmospheric corrosion of mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuente, D. de la; Diaz, I.; Simancas, J.; Chico, B.; Morcillo, M.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Atmospheric corrosion rate stabilises after the first 4-6 years of exposure. → Great compaction of the rust layers in rural and urban atmospheres. → Corrosion (in rural and urban) deviates from common behaviour of bilogarithmic law. → Typical structures of lepidocrocite, goethite and akaganeite are identified. → Formation of hematite (industrial atmosphere) and ferrihydrite (marine atmosphere). - Abstract: A great deal of information is available on the atmospheric corrosion of mild steel in the short, mid and even long term, but studies of the structure and morphology of corrosion layers are less abundant and generally deal with those formed in just a few years. The present study assesses the structure and morphology of corrosion product layers formed on mild steel after 13 years of exposure in five Spanish atmospheres of different types: rural, urban, industrial and marine (mild and severe). The corrosion layers have been characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Long-term corrosion is seen to be more severe in the industrial and marine atmospheres, and less so in the rural and urban atmospheres. In all cases the corrosion rate is seen to decrease with exposure time, stabilising after the first 4-6 years of exposure. The most relevant aspects to be noted are (a) the great compaction of the rust layers formed in the rural and urban atmospheres, (b) the formation of hematite and ferrihydrite phases (not commonly found) in the industrial and marine atmospheres, respectively and (c) identification of the typical morphological structures of lepidocrocite (sandy crystals and flowery plates), goethite (cotton balls structures) and akaganeite (cotton balls structures and cigar-shaped crystals).

  20. Advances in transport phenomena 2011

    CERN Document Server

    2014-01-01

    This new volume of the annual review “Advances in Transport Phenomena” series contains three in-depth review articles on the microfluidic fabrication of vesicles, the dielectrophoresis field-flow fractionation for continuous-flow separation of particles and cells in microfluidic devices, and the thermodynamic analysis and optimization of heat exchangers, respectively.

  1. Validation of the Dutch version of the quick mild cognitive impairment screen (Qmci-D).

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Bunt, Steven

    2015-10-01

    Differentiating mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from dementia is important, as treatment options differ. There are few short (<5 min) but accurate screening tools that discriminate between MCI, normal cognition (NC) and dementia, in the Dutch language. The Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Qmci) screen is sensitive and specific in differentiating MCI from NC and mild dementia. Given this, we adapted the Qmci for use in Dutch-language countries and validated the Dutch version, the Qmci-D, against the Dutch translation of the Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE-D).

  2. Advanced CCD camera developments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Condor, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

    1994-11-15

    Two charge coupled device (CCD) camera systems are introduced and discussed, describing briefly the hardware involved, and the data obtained in their various applications. The Advanced Development Group Defense Sciences Engineering Division has been actively designing, manufacturing, fielding state-of-the-art CCD camera systems for over a decade. These systems were originally developed for the nuclear test program to record data from underground nuclear tests. Today, new and interesting application for these systems have surfaced and development is continuing in the area of advanced CCD camera systems, with the new CCD camera that will allow experimenters to replace film for x-ray imaging at the JANUS, USP, and NOVA laser facilities.

  3. Tribological and wear behavior of yttria stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings on mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farooq, M.; Pervez, A.

    2012-01-01

    The perfection of the temperature confrontation of the engine essentials can be obtained by claim of a single ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC) or several composite layers. Engine elements protected by TBC can work safely in elevated temperature range above 1000 degree C. Continuous endeavor to increase thermal resistance of engine the elements requires, apart from laboratory investigations, also numerical study of the different engine parts. The high temperatures and stress concentrations can act as the local sources of damage initiation and defects propagation in the form of cracks. The current study focuses the development of Yttria stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coating by Thermal spray technique. Mild steel was used as a substrate and the coating was then characterized for tribological analysis followed by the optical analysis of wear tracks and found the TBC behavior more promising then steel. (author)

  4. Cost-effectiveness analysis of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Treatment of patients with absence or mild fibrosis compared to patients with advanced fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buti, M; Domínguez-Hernández, R; Oyagüez, I; Casado, M A; Esteban, R

    2017-09-01

    To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) genotype 1 (GT1) in the absence or mild fibrosis (F0-F1) versus advanced fibrosis (F2-F4), from the perspective of the Spanish Health System. A Markov model was developed to simulate disease progression, estimating costs and outcomes [life years gained (LYG) and quality-adjusted life years (QALY)] derived from starting with LDV/SOF in patients with F0-F1 compared with F2-F4. Therapy duration was 8 weeks in noncirrhotic patients with viral load rates were obtained from real-world cohort studies. Transition probabilities, utilities and direct costs were obtained from the literature. A 3% annual discount rate was applied to costs and outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were performed. LDV/SOF in F0-F1 patients was a dominant strategy, being more effective (19.85 LYG and 19.80 QALY) than beginning treatment in F2-F4 patients (18.63 LYG and 16.25 QALY), generating savings of €9228 per patient (€3661 due to disease management and monitoring). In a cohort of 1000 patients, LDV/SOF in F0-F1 patients decreased the number of cases of decompensated cirrhosis (93%), hepatocellular carcinoma (97%) and liver-related deaths (95%) and prevented 6 liver transplants compared to initiating LDV/SOF in F2-F4 patients. In CHC treatment-naïve GT1 patients, starting treatment with LDV/SOF in patients with F0-F1 compared to those with F2-F4 increases effectiveness by 1.22 LYG and 3.55 QALY gained and reduces disease burden and it is associated with cost savings. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. [Update in continuous renal replacement techniques].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero-García, M; de la Cueva-Ariza, L; Delgado-Hito, P

    2013-01-01

    Acute renal failure affects 25% of patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Despite technological advances, the mortality of these patients is still high due to its associated complications. Continuous renal replacement techniques are one of the treatments for acute renal failure because they make it possible to treat the complications and decrease mortality. The nurse's knowledge and skills regarding these techniques will be decisive for the success of the therapy. Consequently, the nurse's experience and training are key components. The objective of this article is to update the knowledge on continuous renal replacement techniques. Keeping this in mind, a review has been made of the physical and chemical principles such as diffusion and convection, among others. A description of the different continuous renal replacement techniques, a presentation of the main vascular access, and a description of the nursing cares and complications related to techniques used have also been provided. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

  6. Advanced Seal Sessions I and II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinetz, Bruce M.; Dunlap, Patrick H.; Sarawate, Neelesh

    2013-01-01

    As aircraft operators continue to seek higher fuel efficiency, lower emissions, and longer on-wing performance, turbine engine designers are scrutinizing all components for areas of improvement. To achieve overall goals, turbine pressure ratios and by-pass ratios continue to climb. Also, designers are seeking to minimize parasitic and cooling flows to extract the most useful work out of the flow stream, placing a renewed interest on seal technology and secondary flow path management. In the area of future manned spacecraft, advancements are being examined for both habitat seals and re-entry thermal protection system thermal barrierseals. For long duration space craft, designers are continuing to look for savings in parasitic losses to reduce the amount of cabin re-supply air that needs to be brought along. This is placing greater demands on seal designs and materials to exhibit low leakage and be resistant to space environments. For future missions to and from distant planets, the re-entry heating will be higher than for low-earth orbit or lunar return motivating advanced thermal barrier development. This presentation will provide an overview of the seal challenges and opportunities in these diverse areas.

  7. FACTORS INFLUENCING CONTINUOUS ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandru Rizescu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Change involves the continuous adjustment to the external conditions of organizations in the operating environment, in parallel with the growth of domestic stability. This process constitutes the dilemma of change-stability, which can be tackled only through a vision of the future, meaning the idorganization of organization-environment interaction along with a flexible organizational structure, the use of advanced technology and the existence of a system of rewarding employees that reflects the values and priorities of both, organizational norms and individual needs.

  8. Elimination of striation in laser cutting of mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobih, M; Crouse, P L; Li, L

    2007-01-01

    High-power laser cutting is extensively used in many industrial applications. An important weakness of this process is the formation of striations (regular lines down the cut surface), which affect the quality of the surfaces produced. The elimination of striation formation is of considerable importance, since it could open up a variety of novel high-precision applications. This study presents the results of oxygen-assisted laser cutting of EN43 mild steel sheets, using a high-power fibre laser. Striation-free laser cuts are demonstrated for cutting 1 and 2 mm thick mild steel sheets. The optimal operating windows are presented and a mathematical method is proposed to estimate the critical speed at which striation-free cut can be obtained

  9. Elimination of striation in laser cutting of mild steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sobih, M; Crouse, P L; Li, L [Laser Processing Research Centre, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Sackville Street Building, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom)

    2007-11-21

    High-power laser cutting is extensively used in many industrial applications. An important weakness of this process is the formation of striations (regular lines down the cut surface), which affect the quality of the surfaces produced. The elimination of striation formation is of considerable importance, since it could open up a variety of novel high-precision applications. This study presents the results of oxygen-assisted laser cutting of EN43 mild steel sheets, using a high-power fibre laser. Striation-free laser cuts are demonstrated for cutting 1 and 2 mm thick mild steel sheets. The optimal operating windows are presented and a mathematical method is proposed to estimate the critical speed at which striation-free cut can be obtaine000.

  10. Advanced direct liquefaction concepts for PETC generic units

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-04-01

    In the Advance Coal Liquefaction Concept Proposal (ACLCP) carbon monoxide (CO) and water have been proposed as the primary reagents in the pretreatment process. The main objective of this project is to develop a methodology for pretreating coal under mild conditions based on a combination of existing processes which have shown great promise in liquefaction, extraction and pyrolysis studies. The aim of this pretreatment process is to partially depolymerise the coal, eliminate oxygen and diminish the propensity for retograde reactions during subsequent liquefaction. The desirable outcome of the CO pretreatment step should be: (1) enhanced liquefaction activity and/or selectivity toward products of higher quality due to chemical modification of the coal structure; (2) cleaner downstream products; (3) overall improvement in operability and process economics.

  11. Conceptualizing a Framework for Advanced Placement Statistics Teaching Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haines, Brenna

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to sketch a conceptualization of a framework for Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Teaching Knowledge. Recent research continues to problematize the lack of knowledge and preparation among secondary level statistics teachers. The College Board's AP Statistics course continues to grow and gain popularity, but is a…

  12. Methane synthesis under mild conditions for decentralized applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlueter, Michael; Roensch, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    It is a central aim of the German government to significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the next years. One possibility to reach this aim is the substitution of fossil fuels, especially natural gas, by fuels from biogenic sources (Bio-SNG). However, it is a drawback of Bio-SNG that the production costs are considerably higher than those of fossil natural gas. This work provides an approach to reduce the production costs of Bio-SNG. It is the aim to reduce the process parameters of the methane synthesis. At the same time, it has to be ensured that high methane yields are achieved even at those mild conditions. A procedure for the optimization of the methanation catalyst activity will be presented. If the catalyst is as active as possible even at mild conditions, it will be possible to produce Bio-SNG cost efficient even in small, decentralized scale.

  13. Electrochemical studies of novel corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1 M hydrochloric acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed A. Al-Amiery

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The electrochemical performance of a novel organic corrosion inhibitor 6-(4-hydroxyphenyl-3-mercapto-7,8-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazine [HT3], for mild steel in 1 M hydrochloric acid is evaluated by potentiodynamic curves. The experimental results show that the investigated inhibitor [HT3], which can effectively retard the corrosion process that occurs to mild steel with a hydrochloric acid solution by providing a protective coating for the mild steel that, can be weakened by increasing the temperature. Furthermore, the inhibition efficiency of [HT3] increased with increasing the concentrations of the inhibitors and decreased with increasing temperature. Keywords: Corrosion, Inhibitor, Mild steel, Potentiodynamic polarization, HT3, NMR, FT-IR

  14. A phase analysis of mild steel corrosion using 57Fe Moessbauer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lal, Roshan; Sharma, N.D.; Suman

    2005-01-01

    A phase analysis of corrosion of mild steel was studied by 57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy, when the fumes of aqueous hydrochloric acid in the environment of thermal power plant react with various equipment's and machinery parts made from mild steel. The formation of ΥFeOOH was observed. But the presence of some amount of αFeOOH in the super paramagnetic form cannot be ruled out. (author)

  15. Advanced calculus

    CERN Document Server

    Friedman, Avner

    2007-01-01

    This rigorous two-part treatment advances from functions of one variable to those of several variables. Intended for students who have already completed a one-year course in elementary calculus, it defers the introduction of functions of several variables for as long as possible, and adds clarity and simplicity by avoiding a mixture of heuristic and rigorous arguments.The first part explores functions of one variable, including numbers and sequences, continuous functions, differentiable functions, integration, and sequences and series of functions. The second part examines functions of several

  16. Anticorrosive Performance of Zinc Phosphate Coatings on Mild Steel Developed Using Galvanic Coupling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Arthanareeswari

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The anticorrosive performance of zinc phosphate coatings developed by galvanic coupling technique on mild steel substrates using the cathode materials such as titanium (Ti, copper (Cu, brass (BR, nickel (Ni, and stainless steel (SS is elucidated in this study. Thermal and chemical stability tests, immersion test in 3.5% NaCl, ARE salt droplet test, and salt spray test were carried out. The study reveals that the mild steel substrates phosphated under galvanically coupled condition showed better corrosion resistance than the one coated without coupling. The open circuit potential (OCP of phosphated mild steel panels in 3.5% NaCl was found to be a function of phosphate coating weight and porosity of the coating.

  17. The Formation of Fe/Mg Smectite Under Mildly Acidic Conditions on Early Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutter, B.; Golden, D. C.; Ming, Douglas W.; Niles, P. B.

    2011-01-01

    The detection of Fe/Mg smectites and carbonate in Noachian and early Hesperian terrain of Mars suggests that neutral to mildly alkaline conditions prevailed during the early history of Mars. If early Mars surface geochemical conditions were neutral to moderately alkaline with a denser CO2 atmosphere than today, then large carbonates deposits should be more widely detected in Noachian terrain. Why have so few carbonate deposits been detected compared to Fe/Mg smectites? Fe/Mg smectites on early Mars formed under mildly acidic conditions, which would preclude the extensive formation of carbonate deposits. The goal of the proposed work is to evaluate the formation of Fe/Mg smectites under mildly acidic conditions.

  18. The Test Your Memory for Mild Cognitive Impairment (TYM-MCI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Jeremy M; Lansdall, Claire J; Wiggins, Julie; Dawson, Kate E; Hunter, Kristina; Rowe, James B; Parker, Richard A

    2017-12-01

    To validate a short cognitive test: the Test Your Memory for Mild Cognitive Impairment (TYM-MCI) in the diagnosis of patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease (aMCI/AD). Two hundred and two patients with mild memory problems were recruited. All had 'passed' the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Patients completed the TYM-MCI, the Test Your Memory test (TYM), MMSE and revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-R), had a neurological examination, clinical diagnostics and multidisciplinary team review. As a single test, the TYM-MCI performed as well as the ACE-R in the distinction of patients with aMCI/AD from patients with subjective memory impairment with a sensitivity of 0.79 and specificity of 0.91. Used in combination with the ACE-R, it provided additional value and identified almost all cases of aMCI/AD. The TYM-MCI correctly classified most patients who had equivocal ACE-R scores. Integrated discriminant improvement analysis showed that the TYM-MCI added value to the conventional memory assessment. Patients initially diagnosed as unknown or with subjective memory impairment who were later rediagnosed with aMCI/AD scored poorly on their original TYM-MCI. The TYM-MCI is a powerful short cognitive test that examines verbal and visual recall and is a valuable addition to the assessment of patients with aMCI/AD. It is simple and cheap to administer and requires minimal staff time and training. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  19. Hypothyroxinemia Induced by Mild Iodine Deficiency Deregulats Thyroid Proteins during Gestation and Lactation in Dams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Chen

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The main object of the present study was to explore the effect on thyroidal proteins following mild iodine deficiency (ID-induced maternal hypothyroxinemia during pregnancy and lactation. In the present study, we established a maternal hypothyroxinemia model in female Wistar rats by using a mild ID diet. Maternal thyroid iodine content and thyroid weight were measured. Expressions of thyroid-associated proteins were analyzed. The results showed that the mild ID diet increased thyroid weight, decreased thyroid iodine content and increased expressions of thyroid transcription factor 1, paired box gene 8 and Na+/I− symporter on gestational day (GD 19 and postpartum days (PN 21 in the maternal thyroid. Moreover, the up-regulated expressions of type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO1 and type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO2 were detected in the mild ID group on GD19 and PN21. Taken together, our data indicates that during pregnancy and lactation, a maternal mild ID could induce hypothyroxinemia and increase the thyroidal DIO1 and DIO2 levels.

  20. Current status of fluid biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulbe, Jacqueline R.; Geddes, James W.

    2015-01-01

    Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects millions of people annually and is difficult to diagnose. Mild injury is insensitive to conventional imaging techniques and diagnoses are often made using subjective criteria such as self-reported symptoms. Many people who sustain a mTBI develop persistent post-concussive symptoms. Athletes and military personnel are at great risk for repeat injury which can result in second impact syndrome or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. An objective and quantifiable measure, such as a serum biomarker, is needed to aid in mTBI diagnosis, prognosis, return to play/duty assessments, and would further elucidate mTBI pathophysiology. The majority of TBI biomarker research focuses on severe TBI with few studies specific to mild injury. Most studies use a hypothesis-driven approach, screening biofluids for markers known to be associated with TBI pathophysiology. This approach has yielded limited success in identifying markers that can be used clinically, additional candidate biomarkers are needed. Innovative and unbiased methods such as proteomics, microRNA arrays, urinary screens, autoantibody identification and phage display would complement more traditional approaches to aid in the discovery of novel mTBI biomarkers. PMID:25981889

  1. 47 CFR 54.621 - Access to advanced telecommunications and information services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Access to advanced telecommunications and information services. 54.621 Section 54.621 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... § 54.621 Access to advanced telecommunications and information services. (a) Twenty-five percent of the...

  2. The management of patients with mild hepatitis C

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verslype, C.; Michielsen, P.; Adler, M.; Orlent, H.; Sprengers, D.; Delwaide, J.; D'Heygere, F.; Langlet, Ph; Brenard, R.; Colle, I.; Reynaert, H.; Stärkel, P.; Henrion, J.

    2005-01-01

    Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents an important public health problem and is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Chronic hepatitis C is a heterogeneous disease. Many patients have mild disease at presentation but not all of them will

  3. Late-Life Depression, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Richard, Edo; Reitz, Christiane; Honig, Lawrence H.; Schupf, Nicole; Tang, Ming X.; Manly, Jennifer J.; Mayeux, Richard; Devanand, Devangere; Luchsinger, José A.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the association of late-life depression with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in a multiethnic community cohort. Design and Setting: A cohort study was conducted in Northern Manhattan, New York, New York. Participants: A total of 2160 community-dwelling Medicare

  4. Mild cognitive impairment: coping with an uncertain label.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Joosten-Weyn Banningh, E.W.A.; Vernooy-Dassen, M.J.F.J.; Olde Rikkert, M.G.M.; Teunisse, J.P.W.M.

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The recently introduced diagnostic label of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) identifies patients with a cognitive decline that is more pronounced than is usual for a person's age and educational level but does not notably interfere with activities of daily living (ADL). The natural course

  5. Scientific Advances in Thoracic Oncology 2016

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soo, Ross A.; Stone, Emily C. A.; Cummings, K. Michael; Jett, James R.; Field, John K.; Groen, Harry J. M.; Mulshine, James L.; Yatabe, Yasushi; Bubendorf, Lukas; Dacic, Sanja; Rami-Porta, Ramon; Detterbeck, Frank C.; Lim, Eric; Asamura, Hisao; Donington, Jessica; Wakelee, Heather A.; Wu, Yi-Long; Higgins, Kristin; Senan, Suresh; Solomon, Benjamin; Kim, Dong-Wan; Johnson, Melissa; Yang, James C. H.; Sequist, Lecia V.; Shaw, Alice T.; Ahn, Myung-Ju; Costa, Daniel B.; Patel, Jyoti D.; Horn, Leora; Gettinger, Scott; Peters, Solange; Wynes, Murry W.; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Rudin, Charles M.; Tsao, Anne; Baas, Paul; Kelly, Ronan J.; Leighl, Natasha B.; Scagliotti, Giorgio V.; Gandara, David R.; Hirsch, Fred R.; Spigel, David R.

    Lung cancer care is rapidly changing with advances in genomic testing, the development of next-generation targeted kinase inhibitors, and the continued broad study of immunotherapy in new settings and potential combinations. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the Journal

  6. Pharmacokinetics of Diclofenac and Hydroxypropyl‐β‐Cyclodextrin (HPβCD) Following Administration of Injectable HPβCD‐Diclofenac in Subjects With Mild to Moderate Renal Insufficiency or Mild Hepatic Impairment

    OpenAIRE

    Hamilton, Douglas A.; Ernst, Cynthia C.; Kramer, William G.; Madden, Donna; Lang, Eric; Liao, Edward; Lacouture, Peter G.; Ramaiya, Atulkumar; Carr, Daniel B.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Given their established analgesic properties, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent an important postoperative pain management option. This study investigated: (1) the effects of mild or moderate renal insufficiency and mild hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of diclofenac and hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD) following administration of the injectable NSAID HPβCD‐diclofenac; and (2) the PK of HPβCD following administration of HPβCD‐diclofenac and in...

  7. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depressed Adults with Mild Intellectual Disability: A Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartley, Sigan L.; Esbensen, Anna J.; Shalev, Rebecca; Vincent, Lori B.; Mihaila, Iulia; Bussanich, Paige

    2015-01-01

    There is a paucity of research on psychosocial treatments for depression in adults with intellectual disability (ID). In this pilot study, we explored the efficacy of a group CBT treatment that involved a caregiver component in adults with mild ID with a depressive disorder. Sixteen adults with mild ID and a depressive disorder participated in a…

  8. Selection and development of advanced nuclear fuel products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stucker, David L.; Miller, Richard S.; Arnsberger, Peter L.

    2004-01-01

    The highly competitive international marketplace requires a continuing product development commitment, short development cycle times and timely, on-target product development to assure customer satisfaction and continuing business. Westinghouse has maintained its leadership position within the nuclear fuel industry with continuous developments and improvements to fuel assembly materials and design. This paper presents a discussion of the processes used by Westinghouse in the selection and refinement of advanced concepts for deployment in the highly competitive US and international nuclear fuel fabrication marketplace. (author)

  9. Increased susceptibility of dystrophin-deficient brain to mild hypoxia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallis, T.; Rae, C.; Bubb, W.A.; Head, S.I.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked disorder resulting from total absence of the 427 kDa protein dystrophin. Dystrophin is normally expressed in the brain mainly in a neuronal subpopulation: cortical pyramidal cells, hippocampal CA1 neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells. One suggested role for dystrophin is in colocalising mitochondrial creatine kinase with ADP translocase and ATP synthase in mitochondria. Brain tissue slices in the murine model of Duchenne dystrophy, the mdx mouse, have been shown to be more sensitive to hypoxia than control. In this work, we used 13 C NMR to monitor the metabolic response of mdx cortical brain tissue slices to normoxia (95%O 2 /5% CO 2 ) and mild hypoxia (95%air/5% CO 2 ). Under normoxic conditions, mdx cortical slices displayed increased net flux through the Krebs cycle and glutamate/glutamine cycle, consistent with the proposed GABA A lesion which results in decreased inhibitory input. By contrast, mild hypoxia resulted in a significant increase in the total pool size of lactate and decreased net flux of 13 C from [3- 13 C]pyruvate into glutamate C4, GABA C2 and Ala C2, as well as decreased anaplerotic activity as measured by the ratio of Asp C2: Asp C3 label. Mild hypoxia has a significantly greater effect on brain oxidative metabolism in mdx mice, than in control

  10. Advanced location-based technologies and services

    CERN Document Server

    Karimi, Hassan A

    2013-01-01

    Due to the rapid increase in the number of mobile device users worldwide, location-based services (LBSs) have become pervasive, and the demand for them will continue to grow. Exploring recent changes in the technology and its uses, Advanced Location-Based Technologies and Services takes an in-depth look at new and existing technologies, techniques, applications, and opportunities. Under the editorial guidance of Hassan Karimi, with contributions from experts in the field, the book examines the breadth and depth of advanced LBS technologies and techniques. The book provides up-to-date informati

  11. An advanced fusion neutron source facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.L.

    1992-01-01

    Accelerator-based 14-MeV-neutron sources based on modifications of the original Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility are currently under consideration for investigating the effects of high-fluence high-energy neutron irradiation on fusion-reactor materials. One such concept for a D-Li neutron source is based on recent advances in accelerator technology associated with the Continuous Wave Deuterium Demonstrator accelerator under construction at Argonne National Laboratory, associated superconducting technology, and advances in liquid-metal technology. In this paper a summary of conceptual design aspects based on improvements in technologies is presented

  12. Mild hypothermic culture conditions affect residual host cell protein composition post-Protein A chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goey, Cher Hui; Bell, David; Kontoravdi, Cleo

    2018-04-01

    Host cell proteins (HCPs) are endogenous impurities, and their proteolytic and binding properties can compromise the integrity, and, hence, the stability and efficacy of recombinant therapeutic proteins such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Nonetheless, purification of mAbs currently presents a challenge because they often co-elute with certain HCP species during the capture step of protein A affinity chromatography. A Quality-by-Design (QbD) strategy to overcome this challenge involves identifying residual HCPs and tracing their source to the harvested cell culture fluid (HCCF) and the corresponding cell culture operating parameters. Then, problematic HCPs in HCCF may be reduced by cell engineering or culture process optimization. Here, we present experimental results linking cell culture temperature and post-protein A residual HCP profile. We had previously reported that Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures conducted at standard physiological temperature and with a shift to mild hypothermia on day 5 produced HCCF of comparable product titer and HCP concentration, but with considerably different HCP composition. In this study, we show that differences in HCP variety at harvest cascaded to downstream purification where different residual HCPs were present in the two sets of samples post-protein A purification. To detect low-abundant residual HCPs, we designed a looping liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method with continuous expansion of a preferred, exclude, and targeted peptide list. Mild hypothermic cultures produced 20% more residual HCP species, especially cell membrane proteins, distinct from the control. Critically, we identified that half of the potentially immunogenic residual HCP species were different between the two sets of samples.

  13. Preclinical cerebral network connectivity evidence of deficits in mild white matter lesions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying eLiang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available White matter lesions (WMLs are notable for their high prevalence and have been demonstrated to be a potential neuroimaging biomarker of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to identify the brain functional and structural mechanisms underlying cognitive decline observed in mild WMLs. Multi-domain cognitive tests, as well as resting-state, diffusion tensor and structural images were obtained on 42 mild WMLs and 42 age/sex-matched healthy controls. For each participant, we examined the functional connectivity of three resting-state networks related to the changed cognitive domains: the default mode network (DMN and the bilateral fronto-parietal network (FPN. We also performed voxel-based morphometry analysis to compare whole-brain gray matter volume, atlas-based quantification of the white matter tracts interconnecting the RSNs, and the relationship between functional connectivity and structural connectivity. We observed functional connectivity alterations in the DMN and the right FPN combined with related white matter integrity disruption in mild WMLs. However, no significant gray matter atrophy difference was found. Furthermore, the right precuneus functional connectivity in the DMN exhibited a significantly negative correlation with the memory test scores. Our study suggests that in mild WMLs, dysfunction of RSNs might be a consequence of decreased white matter structural connectivity, which further affects cognitive performance.

  14. Evaluation of reduced chemical kinetic mechanisms used for modeling mild combustion for natural gas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamdi Mohamed

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A numerical and parametric study was performed to evaluate the potential of reduced chemistry mechanisms to model natural gas chemistry including NOx chemistry under mild combustion mode. Two reduced mechanisms, 5-step and 9-step, were tested against the GRI-Mech3.0 by comparing key species, such as NOx, CO2 and CO, and gas temperature predictions in idealized reactors codes under mild combustion conditions. It is thus concluded that the 9-step mechanism appears to be a promising reduced mechanism that can be used in multi-dimensional codes for modeling mild combustion of natural gas.

  15. The Frequency and Severity of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormalities in Infants with Mild Neonatal Encephalopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Brian H; Neil, Jeffrey; Morey, JoAnn; Yang, Edward; Silvera, Michelle V; Inder, Terrie E; Ortinau, Cynthia

    2017-08-01

    To assess and contrast the incidence and severity of abnormalities on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between infants with mild, moderate, and severe neonatal encephalopathy who received therapeutic hypothermia. This retrospective cohort studied infants with mild, moderate, and severe neonatal encephalopathy who received therapeutic hypothermia at a single tertiary neonatal intensive care unit between 2013 and 2015. Two neuroradiologists masked to the clinical condition evaluated brain MRIs for cerebral injury after therapeutic hypothermia using the Barkovich classification system. Additional abnormalities not included in this classification system were also noted. The rate, pattern, and severity of abnormalities/injury were compared across the grades of neonatal encephalopathy. Eighty-nine infants received therapeutic hypothermia and met study criteria, 48 with mild neonatal encephalopathy, 35 with moderate neonatal encephalopathy, and 6 with severe neonatal encephalopathy. Forty-eight infants (54%) had an abnormality on MRI. There was no difference in the rate of overall MRI abnormalities by grade of neonatal encephalopathy (mild neonatal encephalopathy 54%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 54%, and severe neonatal encephalopathy 50%; P= .89). Basal ganglia/thalamic injury was more common in those with severe neonatal encephalopathy (mild neonatal encephalopathy 4%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 9%, severe neonatal encephalopathy 34%; P = .03). In contrast, watershed injury did not differ between neonatal encephalopathy grades (mild neonatal encephalopathy 36%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 32%, severe neonatal encephalopathy 50%; P = .3). Mild neonatal encephalopathy is commonly associated with MRI abnormalities after therapeutic hypothermia. The grade of neonatal encephalopathy during the first hours of life may not discriminate adequately between infants with and without cerebral injury noted on MRI after therapeutic hypothermia

  16. Evidence of structurally continuous collagen fibrils in tendon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svensson, Rene B; Herchenhan, Andreas; Starborg, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    favor continuity. This study initially set out to trace the full length of individual fibrils in adult human tendons, using serial block face-scanning electron microscopy. But even with this advanced technique the required length could not be covered. Instead a statistical approach was used on a large...... volume of fibrils in shorter image stacks. Only a single end was observed after tracking 67.5 mm of combined fibril lengths, in support of fibril continuity. To shed more light on this observation, the full length of a short tendon (mouse stapedius, 125 μm) was investigated and continuity of individual...... fibrils was confirmed. In light of these results, possible mechanisms that could reconcile the opposing findings on fibril continuity are discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Connective tissues hold all parts of the body together and are mostly constructed from thin threads of the protein collagen...

  17. 2nd conference on Continuous Media with Microstructure

    CERN Document Server

    Kuczma, Mieczysław

    2016-01-01

    This book presents research advances in the field of Continuous Media with Microstructure and considers the three complementary pillars of mechanical sciences: theory, research and computational simulation. It focuses on the following problems: thermodynamic and mathematical modeling of materials with extensions of classical constitutive laws, single and multicomponent media including modern multifunctional materials, wave propagation, multiscale and multiphysics processes, phase transformations, and porous, granular and composite materials. The book presents the proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Continuous Media with Microstructure, which was held in 2015 in Łagów, Poland, in memory of Prof. Krzysztof Wilmański. .

  18. The progress of functional neuroimaging in the study of mild cognitive impairment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zugui

    2006-01-01

    Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a transitional state between healthy aging and very mild Alzheimer's disease. MCI patients have a substantially higher rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease compared with cognitively normal elderly people. Functional neutroimaging modalities, including PET, SPECT and functional MRI show that MCI patients have special abnormalities in brain metabolism and perfusion, so they can offer great value in the predicting cognitive decline and early diagnosis of dementia. (authors)

  19. On the mild solutions of higher-order differential equations in Banach spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nguyen Thanh Lan

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available For the higher-order abstract differential equation u(n(t=Au(t+f(t, t∈ℝ, we give a new definition of mild solutions. We then characterize the regular admissibility of a translation-invariant subspace ℳ of BUC(ℝ,E with respect to the above-mentioned equation in terms of solvability of the operator equation AX−Xn=C. As applications, periodicity and almost periodicity of mild solutions are also proved.

  20. Legacy Clinical Data from the Mission Connect Mild TBI Translational Research Consortium

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-2-0026 TITLE: Legacy Clinical Data from the Mission Connect Mild TBI Translational Research Consortium PRINCIPAL...2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Legacy Clinical Data from the Mission Connect Mild TBI Translational Research 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Consortium 5b. GRANT...mTBI) Translational Research Consortium was to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mTBI. We enrolled a total of 88 mTBI patients and 73 orthopedic

  1. A 100 MWe Advanced Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (AFR-100)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grandy, C.; Kim, T.K.; Jin, E.

    2013-01-01

    • AFR-100 Design development is continuing in the U.S.; • Various innovations are included in the design to understand their feasibility; • Engineering and safety analyses have been performed that demonstrate the inherent safety characteristics of the AFR-100 design during severe accidents; • R&D is being performed on a number of the innovations such as advanced materials, compact fuel handing system, advanced energy conversion system, advanced core design, etc

  2. Palliative prostate radiotherapy for symptomatic advanced prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Din, Omar S.; Thanvi, Narottam; Ferguson, Catherine J.; Kirkbride, Peter

    2009-01-01

    Background and purpose: To report the results for the use of short-course palliative radiotherapy to the prostate for localised symptoms. Materials and methods: Fifty-eight patients were identified from radiotherapy records between 2003 and 2007. Data were collected retrospectively on patients' demographics, radiotherapy details and response. Symptoms and toxicity were scored, retrospectively, according to the following scale: 0 = no symptoms, 1 = mild symptoms, 2 = moderate symptoms, and 3 = severe symptoms. Results: All the 58 patients had advanced prostate carcinoma. The median age at radiotherapy was 76.6 years (range 54-91). Fifty-six patients (97%) had hormone refractory disease. Twenty-seven patients (47%) had evidence of metastatic disease. 20Gy in 5 fractions was the most commonly used fractionation. The most frequent baseline symptom was haematuria (54%). Eighty-nine percent (31/35) of the patients had a complete or partial resolution of symptoms at 4 months. Response rates for individual symptoms (including unknown responses) were: rectal symptoms (75%), pelvic pain (69%), urinary obstruction (54%) and haematuria (42%). A >50% reduction in PSA occurred in five patients. Toxicity was mild to moderate only and was self-limiting. Conclusion: Palliative radiotherapy to the prostate gland for local symptoms appears to be an effective means of palliation with minimal toxic side effects. Prospective studies are now required to assess its benefits in more detail.

  3. Characteristics in Paintability of Advanced High Strength Steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Ha Sun

    2007-01-01

    It is expected that advanced high strength steels (AHSS) would be widely used for vehicles with better performance in automotive industries. One of distinctive features of AHSS is the high value of carbon equivalent (Ceq), which results in the different properties in formability, weldability and paintability from those of common grade of steel sheets. There is an exponential relation between Ceq and electric resistance, which seems also to have correlation with the thickness of electric deposition (ED) coat. higher value of Ceq of AHSS lower the thickness of ED coat of AHSS. Some elements of AHSS such as silicon, if it is concentrated on the surface, affect negatively the formation of phosphates. In this case, silicon itself doesn't affect the phosphate, but its oxide does. This phenomenon is shown dramatically in the welding area. Arc welding or laser welding melts the base material. In the process of cooling of AHSS melt, the oxides of Si and Mn are easily concentrated on the surface of boundary between welded and non welded area because Si and Mn cold be oxidized easier than Fe. More oxide on surface results in poor phosphating and ED coating. This is more distinctive in AHSS than in mild steel. General results on paintability of AHSS would be reported, being compared to those of mild steel

  4. A mild form of Proteus syndrome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauer, M.P.; Allmann, K.H.; Langer, M. [Abteilung Roentgendiagnostik, Radiologische Universitaetsklinik, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg (Germany); Uhl, M. [Sektion Kinderradiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet (Germany); Darge, K. [Radiologische Universitaetsklinik, Abteilung Kinderradiologie, Universitaet Heidelberg (Germany)

    1998-05-01

    Proteus syndrome is a rare congenital hamartomatous syndrome. We report on the clinical and radiological appearances of a boy in order to illustrate the typical signs which include subcutaneous masses, in mild forms partial gigantism of hands and feet, hemihypertrophy, and bony abnormalities. We discuss how to make the definitive diagnosis on the basis of using a known rating scale, important aspects of differential diagnosis and clinical features, and diagnostic management. (orig.) With 3 figs., 1 tab., 14 refs.

  5. Roc curves for continuous data

    CERN Document Server

    Krzanowski, Wojtek J

    2009-01-01

    Since ROC curves have become ubiquitous in many application areas, the various advances have been scattered across disparate articles and texts. ROC Curves for Continuous Data is the first book solely devoted to the subject, bringing together all the relevant material to provide a clear understanding of how to analyze ROC curves.The fundamental theory of ROC curvesThe book first discusses the relationship between the ROC curve and numerous performance measures and then extends the theory into practice by describing how ROC curves are estimated. Further building on the theory, the authors prese

  6. Reflections on "Multisensory Mathematics for Children with Mild Disabilities."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Kristin S.

    1993-01-01

    The author of EC 606 784 describes the background of her research, noting her experience with the "TOUCH MATH" manipulative materials to help students with mild disabilities acquire math facts and computational skills. (DB)

  7. Learning capacity in adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tiekstra, Marlous; Hessels, Marco G P; Minnaert, Alexander E M G

    2009-01-01

    Scores on a learning potential test (the Hessels Analogical Reasoning Test) were examined to assess how to provide a better estimate of the learning capacity of students with mild intellectual disabilities compared to IQ scores. As a criterion, a dynamic test of chemistry learning was used. 46

  8. Clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion caused by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with toxic shock syndrome: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosami, Koki; Kenzaka, Tsuneaki; Sagara, Yuka; Minami, Kensuke; Matsumura, Masami

    2016-04-18

    Clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a mild encephalopathy caused by various pathological processes, but encephalopathy due to bacteria is rare. We report the case of a 45-year-old Japanese woman who on receiving chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer developed an altered mental status and dysarthria soon after fever from infection of a subcutaneous implantable port. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in her blood cultures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an ovoid lesion in the central portion of the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC). Although hypotension was not observed, we diagnosed probable toxic shock syndrome (TSS) based on fever (temperature: >38.9 °C), altered mental status, erythema, desquamation, thrombocytopenia, liver dysfunction, and creatine phosphokinase elevation. We administered antimicrobial therapy and her neurological symptoms improved gradually. The lesion in the SCC completely disappeared on MRI 7 days after disease onset. We diagnosed this case as MERS caused by S. aureus bacteremia with TSS. This is the first report of such a case, and we suggest that when a TSS patient presents with neurological symptoms, the possibility of MERS should be considered.

  9. Needed: A Voucher Plan in Support of Continuing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushnell, David S.

    Opportunities for career advancement, an adequate pool of trained manpower, and the growth of our economy are inextricably connected with the availability of continuing education and training opportunities to working adults. Availability is a function of access to training and successful participation in training. The federally funded voucher plan…

  10. Advanced lubrication systems and materials. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsu, S.

    1998-05-07

    This report described the work conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology under an interagency agreement signed in September 1992 between DOE and NIST for 5 years. The interagency agreement envisions continual funding from DOE to support the development of fuel efficient, low emission engine technologies in terms of lubrication, friction, and wear control encountered in the development of advanced transportation technologies. However, in 1994, the DOE office of transportation technologies was reorganized and the tribology program was dissolved. The work at NIST therefore continued at a low level without further funding from DOE. The work continued to support transportation technologies in the development of fuel efficient, low emission engine development. Under this program, significant progress has been made in advancing the state of the art of lubrication technology for advanced engine research and development. Some of the highlights are: (1) developed an advanced high temperature liquid lubricant capable of sustaining high temperatures in a prototype heat engine; (2) developed a novel liquid lubricant which potentially could lower the emission of heavy duty diesel engines; (3) developed lubricant chemistries for ceramics used in the heat engines; (4) developed application maps for ceramic lubricant chemistry combinations for design purpose; and (5) developed novel test methods to screen lubricant chemistries for automotive air-conditioning compressors lubricated by R-134a (Freon substitute). Most of these findings have been reported to the DOE program office through Argonne National Laboratory who manages the overall program. A list of those reports and a copy of the report submitted to the Argonne National Laboratory is attached in Appendix A. Additional reports have also been submitted separately to DOE program managers. These are attached in Appendix B.

  11. Identifying classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: a latent class analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nouwens, Peter J G; Lucas, Rosanne; Smulders, Nienke B M; Embregts, Petri J C M; van Nieuwenhuizen, Chijs

    2017-07-17

    Persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning are often studied as a single group with similar characteristics. However, there are indications that differences exist within this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and to examine whether these classes are related to individual and/or environmental characteristics. Latent class analysis was performed using file data of 250 eligible participants with a mean age of 26.1 (SD 13.8, range 3-70) years. Five distinct classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning were found. These classes significantly differed in individual and environmental characteristics. For example, persons with a mild intellectual disability experienced fewer problems than those with borderline intellectual disability. The identification of five classes implies that a differentiated approach is required towards persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning.

  12. A new device for administration of continuous positive airway pressure in preterm infants: comparison with a standard nasal CPAP continuous positive airway pressure system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trevisanuto, Daniele; Grazzina, Nicoletta; Doglioni, Nicoletta; Ferrarese, Paola; Marzari, Francesco; Zanardo, Vincenzo

    2005-06-01

    We compared the effectiveness of a new continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device (neonatal helmet CPAP) with a conventional nasal CPAP system in preterm neonates needing continuous distending pressure. Randomized, physiological, cross-over study in a tertiary referral, neonatal intensive care unit in a university teaching hospital. Twenty very low birth weight infants with a postnatal age greater than 24 h who were receiving nasal CPAP for apnea and/or mild respiratory distress were enrolled. CPAP delivered by neonatal helmet CPAP and nasal CPAP in random order for two subsequent 90-min periods. Were continuously measured the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) score, oxygen requirements, respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, transcutaneous PO(2) (tcPO(2)) and PCO(2) (tcPCO(2)), blood pressure, and desaturations. NIPS scores were significantly lower when the infants were on the neonatal helmet CPAP than when they were on nasal CPAP (0.26+/-0.07 vs. 0.63+/-0.12). The other studied parameters did not differ between the two CPAP modes. The number of desaturations was reduced during the neonatal helmet CPAP treatment (18 vs. 32), although this difference was not significant. In this short-term physiological study the neonatal helmet CPAP appears to be as good as the golden standard for managing preterm infants needing continuous distending pressure, with enhanced tolerability. Further evaluation in a randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm these findings.

  13. Homovanillic acid in CSF of mild stage Parkinson's disease patients correlates with motor impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefani, Alessandro; Pierantozzi, Mariangela; Olivola, Enrica; Galati, Salvatore; Cerroni, Rocco; D'Angelo, Vincenza; Hainsworth, Atticus H; Saviozzi, Valentina; Fedele, Ernesto; Liguori, Claudio

    2017-05-01

    In Parkinson's disease (PD), several efforts have been spent in order to find biochemical parameters able to identify the progression of the pathological processes at the basis of the disease. It is already known that advanced PD patients manifesting dyskinesia are featured by the high homovanillic acid (HVA)/dopamine (DA) ratio, suggesting the increased turnover of DA in these patients. Less clear is whether similar changes affect mild and moderate stages of the disease (between 1 and 2.5 of Hoehn & Yahr -H&Y- stage). Hence, here we tested whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of DA and its major metabolites, either 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) or HVA, correlate with motor performance in mild and moderate PD patients. CSF samples were collected after 2 days of anti-PD drugs washout, via lumbar puncture (LP) performed 130 min following administration of oral levodopa (LD) dose (200 mg). LP timing was determined in light of our previous tests clarifying that 2 h after oral LD administration CSF DA concentration reaches a plateau, which was un-respective of PD stage or duration. DA, DOPAC and HVA were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography in a group of 19 patients, distributed in two groups on the basis of the H&Y stage with a cut-off of 1.5. In these PD patients, HVA was correlated with DOPAC (R = 0,56, p motor impairment. More importantly, HVA correlated with motor impairment measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Score -III (UPDRS) (R = 0.61; p motor impairment. Therefore, we suggest the potential use of measuring the CSF HVA level as a possible biomarker of PD stage changes in order to monitor the effectiveness of PD-modifying pharmacological therapies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Advanced LIGO: sources and astrophysics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Creighton, Teviet

    2003-01-01

    Second-generation detectors in LIGO will take us from the discovery phase of gravitational-wave observations to the phase of true gravitational-wave astrophysics, with hundreds or thousands of potential sources. This paper surveys the most likely and interesting potential sources for Advanced LIGO, and the astrophysical processes that each one will probe. I conclude that binary inspiral signals are expected, while continuous signals from pulsars are plausible but not guaranteed. Other sources, such as core-collapse bursts, cosmic strings and primordial stochastic backgrounds, are speculative sources for Advanced LIGO, but also potentially the most interesting, since they push the limits of our theoretical knowledge

  15. Association of body mass index with amnestic and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment risk in elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Feng; Zhao, Minghui; Han, Zhaoli; Li, Dai; Zhang, Shishuang; Zhang, Yongqiang; Kong, Xiaodong; Sun, Ning; Zhang, Qiang; Lei, Ping

    2017-09-15

    Previous studies focused on the relationship between body mass index and cognitive disorder and obtained many conflicting results. This study explored the potential effects of body mass index on the risk of mild cognitive impairment (amnestic and non-amnestic) in the elderly. The study enrolled 240 amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients, 240 non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients and 480 normal cognitive function controls. Data on admission and retrospective data at baseline (6 years ago) were collected from their medical records. Cognitive function was evaluated using Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Being underweight, overweight or obese at baseline was associated with an increased risk of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR: 2.30, 95%CI: 1.50 ~ 3.52; OR: 1.74, 95%CI: 1.36 ~ 2.20; OR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.32 ~ 2.22, respectively). Being overweight or obese at baseline was also associated with an increased risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.20 ~ 1.92; OR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.21 ~ 1.97, respectively). In subjects with normal weights at baseline, an increased or decreased body mass index at follow-up was associated with an elevated risk of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR: 1.80, 95%CI: 1.10 ~ 3.05; OR: 3.96, 95%CI: 2.88 ~ 5.49, respectively), but only an increased body mass index was associated with an elevated risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.16 ~ 2.59). Unhealthy body mass index levels at baseline and follow-up might impact the risk of both types of mild cognitive impairment (amnestic and non-amnestic).

  16. THE DISTANCE EDUCATION TO PROMOTE CONTINUOUS LEARNING OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: REVIEW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lívia Lima Ferraz

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The results of many articles and researches showed thatemploymenthavean importantrolefor continuous learning. The main factors that made possible this continuous education were:the technology information advanced and distance education flexibilities.Theevolutionofon-line continuing education helps the health care professionals development manyfundamental learning skillsas self-assessment and self-criticism.Therefore, this articlesobjective is to identify howpublic policiescould promote continuous learning of healthprofessionals through distance education(DEand the contributions of this education formatfor transformationhealth activities.In conclusion, the results were that distance education(DE was an important strategy for permanent education, because(DEdevelopments goodskills of learning and breaksterritories barriers. Wherefore, distance education became aneffective learning format

  17. Impact of scientific and technological advances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dragan, I F; Dalessandri, D; Johnson, L A; Tucker, A; Walmsley, A D

    2018-03-01

    Advancements in research and technology are transforming our world. The dental profession is changing too, in the light of scientific discoveries that are advancing biological technology-from new biomaterials to unravelling the genetic make-up of the human being. As health professionals, we embrace a model of continuous quality improvement and lifelong learning. Our pedagogical approach to incorporating the plethora of scientific-technological advancements calls for us to shift our paradigm from emphasis on skill acquisition to knowledge application. The 2017 ADEE/ADEA workshop provided a forum to explore and discuss strategies to ensure faculty, students and, ultimately, patients are best positioned to exploit the opportunities that arise from integrating new technological advances and research outcomes. Participants discussed methods of incorporating the impact of new technologies and research findings into the education of our dental students. This report serves as a signpost of the way forward and how to promote incorporation of research and technology advances and lifelong learning into the dental education curriculum. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. The #betta# irradiation-enhanced corrosion of stainless and mild steels by water in the presence of air, argon and hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burns, W.G.; Marsh, W.R.; Walters, W.S.

    1983-01-01

    When air-saturated pure water was #betta#-irradiated in the presence of air to high doses in sealed stainless steel containers hydrogen and oxygen were formed. The amounts were less than one tenth of the maximum possible for continuous aqueous radiolysis but the increase in oxygen appearing as gas was less than that equivalent to the hydrogen formed from the water present, indicating that metallic corrosion had occurred. In the absence of radiation no change in gas composition was observed. When the air in solution and in the gas space was replaced by argon or by hydrogen, radiolysis and corrosion were virtually suppressed. When the container was made of mild steel or strips of mild steel were initially introduced into a sealed stainless steel container containing air and water, oxygen was consumed on irradiation, and hydrogen was formed, together with a suspended brown oxide. In the absence of radiation oxygen was consumed and hydrogen was formed but both at a lower rate than in the presence of radiation. In this case, unlike the case of stainless steel, the formation of hydrogen was not prevented by replacing the air present with argon. The results are discussed. (author)

  19. COMPLIANCE TO LONG-TERM TREATMENT OF CARDIOLOGIC PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION: INEFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIDEPRESSIVE THERAPY WITH PIRLINDOL IN RANDOMIZED STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. V. Strokova

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the influence of antidepressant therapy with pirlindol on compliance to the long-term treatment and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular diseases and mild to moderate depression. Material and methods. 61 patients with cardiovascular diseases and mild to moderate depression (according to Beck depression scale were randomized into two groups. Patients of intervention group received pirlindol, while patients of control group did not receive this drug. Compliance to cardiovascular and antidepressant treatment were estimated in 3 and 6 months. Adverse reactions and patients self-assessment of their well-being and global satisfaction in treatmen were also registered.  Results. 24 (75%, 2 (6% and 0 patients of intervention group continue pirlindol treatment in 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. In 3 months of observation patients of intervention group took drugs for cardiovascular diseases more often than these in control group (81% vs 72%, respectively , р<0.05, they also less frequently showed adverse reactions (56% vs 72%, respectively ,p=0.01 and more often — improvement of their well-being (65% vs 50%, respectively , р=0.03. Compliance to cardiovascular therapy did not differ significantly in patients of both groups by the end the study.  Conclusion. Antidepressant therapy with pirlindol did not influence compliance to long-term cardiovascular treatment in patients with cardiovascular diseases and mild to moderate depression, apparently because of low compliance to pirlindol therapy.

  20. Thyroid disorders in mild iodine deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurberg, P; Nøhr, S B; Pedersen, K M; Hreidarsson, A B; Andersen, S; Bülow Pedersen, I; Knudsen, N; Perrild, H; Jørgensen, T; Ovesen, L

    2000-11-01

    Comparative epidemiologic studies in areas with low and high iodine intake and controlled studies of iodine supplementation have demonstrated that the major consequence of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency for the health of the population is an extraordinarily high occurrence of hyperthyroidism in elderly subjects, especially women, with risk of cardiac arrhythmias, osteoporosis, and muscle wasting. The hyperthyroidism is caused by autonomous nodular growth and function of the thyroid gland and it is accompanied by a high frequency of goiter. Pregnant women and small children are not immediately endangered but the consequences of severe iodine deficiency for brain development are grave and a considerable safety margin is advisable. Moreover, a shift toward less malignant types of thyroid cancer and a lower radiation dose to the thyroid in case of nuclear fallout support that mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency should be corrected. However, there is evidence that a high iodine intake may be associated with more autoimmune hypothyroidism, and that Graves' disease may manifest at a younger age and be more difficult to treat. Hence, the iodine intake should be brought to a level at which iodine deficiency disorders are avoided but not higher. Iodine supplementation programs should aim at relatively uniform iodine intake, avoiding deficient or excessive iodine intake in subpopulations. To adopt such a strategy, surveillance programs are needed.

  1. 7 CFR 1033.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1033.50 Section 1033.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  2. 7 CFR 1005.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1005.50 Section 1005.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  3. 7 CFR 1001.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1001.50 Section 1001.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  4. 7 CFR 1006.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1006.50 Section 1006.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  5. 7 CFR 1126.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1126.50 Section 1126.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  6. 7 CFR 1032.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1032.50 Section 1032.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  7. 7 CFR 1131.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1131.50 Section 1131.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  8. 7 CFR 1007.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1007.50 Section 1007.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  9. Mild traumatic brain injury: a description of how children and youths between 16 and 18 years of age perform leisure activities after 1 year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonsson, Cecilia; Andersson, Elisabeth Elgmark

    2013-01-01

    The aim is to describe how children and youths perform leisure activities, 1 year after a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Basis is to compile previously collected material; patients were extracted from a prospective randomized controlled trial of MTBI. A retrospective analysis was conducted among 73 children and youths between 16 and 18 years of age. The entire group administrated the Interest Checklist at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Statistical significant difference was found in 31 of 50 different activities. The result showed that children and youths did not return to perform leisure activities. Fewer returned in the intervention group than in the control group. An occupational therapist can help children and youths to have balance in their life and continue a functional life after a MTBI. Continued research is needed, how to prevent MTBI and how to support children and youths to continue with leisure activities.

  10. Iconic Memory Deficit of Mildly Mentally Retarded Individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hornstein, Henry A.; Mosley, James L.

    1987-01-01

    Ten mildly retarded young adult males and nonretarded subjects matched for chronological age or mental age were required to recognize both verbal and nonverbal stimuli presented tachistoscopically. Results of a backward visual masking paradigm varying stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) indicated the retarded subjects performed poorer at the longest…

  11. Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) Technology Maturation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Wayne A.; Wilson, Scott; Collins, Josh; Wilson, Kyle

    2016-01-01

    The Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) development effort was initiated by NASA Glenn Research Center with contractor Sunpower, Inc., to develop high-efficiency thermal-to-electric power conversion technology for NASA Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs). Early successful performance demonstrations led to the expansion of the project as well as adoption of the technology by the Department of Energy (DOE) and system integration contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company as part of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) flight project. The ASRG integrates a pair of ASCs to convert the heat from a pair of General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules into electrical power. The expanded NASA ASC effort included development of several generations of ASC prototypes or engineering units to help prepare the ASC technology and Sunpower for flight implementation. Sunpower later had two parallel contracts allowing the last of the NASA engineering units called ASC-E3 to serve as pathfinders for the ASC-F flight convertors being built for DOE. The ASC-E3 convertors utilized the ASC-F flight specifications and were built using the ASC-F design and process documentation. Shortly after the first ASC-F pair achieved initial operation, due to budget constraints, the DOE ASRG flight development contract was terminated. NASA continues to invest in the development of Stirling RPS technology including continued production of the ASC-E3 convertors, seven of which have been delivered with one additional unit in production. Starting in fiscal year 2015, Stirling Convertor Technology Maturation has been reorganized as an element of the RPS Stirling Cycle Technology Development (SCTD) Project and long-term plans for continued Stirling technology advancement are in reformulation. This paper provides a status on the ASC project, an overview of advancements made in the design and production of the ASC at Sunpower, and a summary of acceptance tests, reliability tests, and tactical

  12. Industrial market assessment of the products of mild gasification: Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sinor, J.E.

    1988-01-01

    The goal of this study is to determine the best available conditions, in terms of market volumes and prices, for the products from a mild gasification facility. A process feasibility study will then have to determine the cost of building and operating a facility to make those products. The study is presented as a summary of the options available to a coal producer for creating added product value. For this reason, three specific coal mines owned by AMAX Inc. were chosen, and the options were analyzed from the viewpoint of increasing the total revenue derived from those coals. No specific mild gasification, or mild devolatilization technology was assumed during the assessment. The analysis considers only product prices, volumes, and specifications. It does not assign any intangible value or national benefit to substituting coal for oil or to producing a cleaner fuel. Although it would be desirable to conceive of a product slate which would be immune from energy price fluctuations, such a goal is probably unattainable and no particular emphasis was placed on it. 76 figs., 75 tabs.

  13. Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome Patients Have Worse Sleep Quality Compared to Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Balester Mello de Godoy

    Full Text Available To compare sleep quality and sustained attention of patients with Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS, mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA and normal individuals.UARS criteria were presence of excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale-ESS-≥ 10 and/or fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale-MFIS-≥ 38 associated to Apnea/hypopnea index (AHI ≤ 5 and Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI > 5 events/hour of sleep or more than 30% of total sleep time with flow limitation. Mild OSA was considered if the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS ≥ 10 and/or fatigue (MFIS ≥ 38 associated to AHI ≥ 5 and ≤ 15 events/hour. "Control group" criteria were AHI < 5 events/hour and RDI ≤ 5 events/hour and ESS ≤ 9, without any sleep, clinical, neurological or psychiatric disorder. 115 individuals (34 UARS and 47 mild OSA patients and 34 individuals in "control group", adjusted for age, gender, body mass index (BMI and schooling years, performed sleep questionnaires and sustained attention evaluation. Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT was performed five times (each two hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.UARS patients had worse sleep quality (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-FOSQ-and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI: p < 0.05 and more fatigue than mild OSA patients (p = 0.003 and scored significantly higher in both Beck inventories than "control group" (p < 0.02. UARS patients had more lapses early in the morning (in time 1 compared to the results in the afternoon (time 5 than mild OSA (p = 0.02. Mild OSA patients had more lapses in times 2 than in time 5 compared to "control group" (p = 0.04.UARS patients have a worse sleep quality, more fatigue and a worse early morning sustained attention compared to mild OSA. These last had a worse sustained attention than controls.

  14. Enhancement of immunological activity after mild hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noguchi, Kenichi; Hasegawa, Takeo; Takahashi, Tohru

    2002-01-01

    At present, hyperthermia is clinically very important as interdisciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumors. We evaluated the effects of hyperthermia under temperature of 42.5C and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect cabn be obtained in this studies. We used animals were C3H mice (male,7W) bearing SCC-VII tumor on femur skin. Then, the mice were divided to 10 mice in each group, and only femur region was immersed in warm water for thermal treatment. Also we measured the tumor growth, changes of blood cell fraction and NK cell activity. The results of the present study confirmed: (1) Anti-tumor effect can be given by thermal treatment at relatively mild temperature (mild temperature at 39C-42C); (2) The increase of neutrophils is dependent on the quantity of heat added; (3) Immunological response of monocytes and lymphocytes is associated with it; (4) Activity of the immunological potency as a whole such as activation of NK cells was also confirmed

  15. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF MILD COMBUSTION BURNER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.M. Noor

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the design and development of the Moderate and Intense Low oxygen Dilution (MILD combustion burner using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD simulations. The CFD commercial package was used to simulate preliminary designs for the burner before the final design was sent to the workshop for fabrication. The burner is required to be a non-premixed and open burner. To capture and use the exhaust gas, the burner was enclosed within a large circular shaped wall with an opening at the top. An external EGR pipe was used to transport the exhaust gas which was mixed with the fresh oxidant. To control the EGR and exhaust flow, butterfly valves were installed at the top opening as a damper to close the exhaust gas flow at a certain ratio for EGR and exhaust out to the atmosphere. High temperature fused silica glass windows were installed to view and capture images of the flame and analyze the flame propagation. The burner simulation shows that MILD combustion was achieved for the oxygen mole fraction of 3-13%. The final design of the burner was fabricated and ready for the experimental validation.

  16. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Chronically Impairs Sleep- and Wake-Dependent Emotional Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mantua, Janna; Henry, Owen S; Garskovas, Nolan F; Spencer, Rebecca M C

    2017-06-01

    A single traumatic brain injury (TBI), even when mild (ie, concussion), can cause lasting consequences. Individuals with a history of chronic (>1-year prior) mild TBI have an increased risk of mood disturbances (eg, depression, suicide). This population also has lingering sleep alterations, including poor sleep quality and changes in sleep stage proportions. Given these sleep deficits, we aimed to test whether sleep-dependent emotional memory consolidation is reduced in this population. We utilized a mild TBI group (3.7 ± 2.9 years post injury) and an uninjured (non-TBI) population. Participants viewed negative and neutral images both before and after a 12-hour period containing sleep ("Sleep" group) or an equivalent period of time spent awake ("Wake" group). Participants rated images for valence/arousal at both sessions, and memory recognition was tested at session two. The TBI group had less rapid eye movement (REM), longer REM latency, and more sleep complaints. Sleep-dependent memory consolidation of nonemotional images was present in all participants. However, consolidation of negative images was only present in the non-TBI group. A lack of differentiation between the TBI Sleep and Wake groups was due to poor performance in the sleep group and, unexpectedly, enhanced performance in the wake group. Additionally, although the non-TBI participants habituated to negative images over a waking period, the TBI participants did not. We propose disrupted sleep- and wake-dependent emotional processing contributes to poor emotional outcomes following chronic, mild TBI. This work has broad implications, as roughly one-third of the US population will sustain a mild TBI during their lifetime. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Children with Mild Bilateral and Unilateral Hearing Loss: Parents' Reflections on Experiences and Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Grandpierre, Viviane; Durieux-Smith, Andrée; Gaboury, Isabelle; Coyle, Doug; Na, Eunjung; Sallam, Nusaiba

    2016-01-01

    Children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss are now commonly identified early through newborn hearing screening initiatives. There remains considerable uncertainty about how to support parents and about which services to provide for children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss. The goal of this study was to learn about…

  18. Alpha desynchronization/synchronization during working memory testing is compromised in acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arakaki, Xianghong; Shoga, Michael; Li, Lianyang; Zouridakis, George; Tran, Thao; Fonteh, Alfred N; Dawlaty, Jessica; Goldweber, Robert; Pogoda, Janice M; Harrington, Michael G

    2018-01-01

    Diagnosing and monitoring recovery of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is challenging because of the lack of objective, quantitative measures. Diagnosis is based on description of injuries often not witnessed, subtle neurocognitive symptoms, and neuropsychological testing. Since working memory (WM) is at the center of cognitive functions impaired in mTBI, this study was designed to define objective quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) measures of WM processing that may correlate with cognitive changes associated with acute mTBI. First-time mTBI patients and mild peripheral (limb) trauma controls without head injury were recruited from the emergency department. WM was assessed by a continuous performance task (N-back). EEG recordings were obtained during N-back testing on three occasions: within five days, two weeks, and one month after injury. Compared with controls, mTBI patients showed abnormal induced and evoked alpha activity including event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS). For induced alpha power, TBI patients had excessive frontal ERD on their first and third visit. For evoked alpha, mTBI patients had lower parietal ERD/ERS at the second and third visits. These exploratory qEEG findings offer new and non-invasive candidate measures to characterize the evolution of injury over the first month, with potential to provide much-needed objective measures of brain dysfunction to diagnose and monitor the consequences of mTBI.

  19. Opioid use in palliative care | Hosking | Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 21, No 5 (2003) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Opioid use in palliative care. M Hosking. Abstract.

  20. 7 CFR 1124.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1124.50 Section 1124.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  1. 7 CFR 1030.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1030.50 Section 1030.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

  2. 26 CFR 1.612-3 - Depletion; treatment of bonus and advanced royalty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Depletion; treatment of bonus and advanced... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Natural Resources § 1.612-3 Depletion; treatment... the payee as a cost depletion deduction in respect of the bonus an amount equal to that proportion of...

  3. Advances in protease engineering for laundry detergents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vojcic, Ljubica; Pitzler, Christian; Körfer, Georgette; Jakob, Felix; Ronny Martinez; Maurer, Karl-Heinz; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

    2015-12-25

    Proteases are essential ingredients in modern laundry detergents. Over the past 30 years, subtilisin proteases employed in the laundry detergent industry have been engineered by directed evolution and rational design to tailor their properties towards industrial demands. This comprehensive review discusses recent success stories in subtilisin protease engineering. Advances in protease engineering for laundry detergents comprise simultaneous improvement of thermal resistance and activity at low temperatures, a rational strategy to modulate pH profiles, and a general hypothesis for how to increase promiscuous activity towards the production of peroxycarboxylic acids as mild bleaching agents. The three protease engineering campaigns presented provide in-depth analysis of protease properties and have identified principles that can be applied to improve or generate enzyme variants for industrial applications beyond laundry detergents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Microscopic mild focal cortical dysplasia in temporal lobe dual pathology: an electrocorticography study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales Chacón, L; Estupiñán, B; Lorigados Pedre, L; Trápaga Quincoses, O; García Maeso, I; Sanchez, A; Bender del Busto, J; Garcia, M E; Baez Martin, M; Zaldivar, M; Gómez, A; Orozco, S; Rocha Arrieta, L

    2009-10-01

    Associations between electrophysiological and histological findings might provide an insight into the epileptogenicity of mild focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and a dual pathology. A total of 22 patients with pharmacoresistant TLE were included in the study, 16 of them with histologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (HS) associated with neocortical temporal mild Palmini Type-I FCD subtypes and 6 with HS. Intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings were analysed for epileptiform discharge frequency and morphology. Associations between histological, and electrocorticography pattern findings in these patients were analysed. Electroclinical outcomes in these patients were also evaluated. Neocortical areas with mild Palmini Type-I FCD showed a significantly higher spike frequency (SF) recorded in the inferior temporal gyrus than those neocortical areas in patients with HS. There was a tendency to higher spike frequency and lower amplitude in neocortical areas with histopathologic subtype IB FCD in relation with IA during intraoperative ECoG. Post-SF excision and amplitude were significantly lower during neocortical post-excision intraoperative ECoG than during neocortical pre-excision recording. There was no difference found in the clinical outcome between patients with and without FCD. Intraoperative electrocorticographic interictal spike frequency recorded in the neocortical inferior temporal gyrus may help to characterize the histopathologic subtypes of mild Palmini Type-I FCD in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and a dual pathology. Our data support the epileptogenicity of neocortical mild FCD in TLE and assessments of ECoG patterns are relevant to determine the extent of the resection in these patients which can influence the electroclinical outcome.

  5. The effect of mild motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsangas, Panagiotis; McCauley, Michael E; Becker, William

    2014-09-01

    In this study, we investigated the effects of mild motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance. Despite knowledge on general motion sickness, little is known about the effect of motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance. Specifically, there is a gap in existing knowledge in the gray area of mild motion sickness. Fifty-one healthy individuals performed a multitasking battery. Three independent groups of participants were exposed to two experimental sessions. Two groups received motion only in the first or the second session, whereas the control group did not receive motion. Measurements of motion sickness, sopite syndrome, alertness, and performance were collected during the experiment Only during the second session, motion sickness and sopite syndrome had a significant negative association with cognitive performance. Significant performance differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants in the second session were identified in composite (9.43%), memory (31.7%), and arithmetic (14.7%) task scores. The results suggest that performance retention between sessions was not affected by mild motion sickness. Multitasking cognitive performance declined even when motion sickness and soporific symptoms were mild. The results also show an order effect. We postulate that the differential effect of session on the association between symptomatology and multitasking performance may be related to the attentional resources allocated to performing the multiple tasks. Results suggest an inverse relationship between motion sickness effects on performance and the cognitive effort focused on performing a task. Even mild motion sickness has potential implications for multitasking operational performance.

  6. Numerical Modeling of MILD Combustion at High Pressure to Predict the Optimal Operating Conditions

    KAUST Repository

    Vanteru, Mahendra Reddy

    2017-02-01

    This Chapter presents numerical simulation on MILD combustion operating at high pressure. Influence of preheat and dilution of oxidizer and operating pressure on stabilization of MILD combustion are presented. Three different preheat temperatures (1100, 1300 and 1500 K) and three different dilution levels (3, 6 and 9% O2) are simulated over an operating pressure variation from 1 atm to 16 atm. A classical jet in hot coflow burner is considered for this study. Total of 45 cases are simulated and analyzed. Essential characteristics of MILD combustion, i.e., maximum temperature (Tmax), temperature rise (ΔT) and temperature distributions, are analyzed. The distribution of emissions OH and CO are also studied and presented. Well-stabilized MILD combustion is observed for all cases except for two cases with high preheated (1500 K). Peak temperature is observed to decrease with increasing operating pressure for a given level of preheat and dilution. OH mass faction is reduced with increasing pressure. The CO emissions show little sensitivity to operating pressure. However, CO mass fraction is slightly higher at 1 atm operating pressure as compared to 4 to 16 atm. Since the residence time of reactants increases as the operating pressure increases, well-stabilized MILD combustion is observed for all highly diluted and low temperature preheat cases (3% O2 and 1100 K).

  7. Numerical Modeling of MILD Combustion at High Pressure to Predict the Optimal Operating Conditions

    KAUST Repository

    Vanteru, Mahendra Reddy; Roberts, William L.

    2017-01-01

    This Chapter presents numerical simulation on MILD combustion operating at high pressure. Influence of preheat and dilution of oxidizer and operating pressure on stabilization of MILD combustion are presented. Three different preheat temperatures (1100, 1300 and 1500 K) and three different dilution levels (3, 6 and 9% O2) are simulated over an operating pressure variation from 1 atm to 16 atm. A classical jet in hot coflow burner is considered for this study. Total of 45 cases are simulated and analyzed. Essential characteristics of MILD combustion, i.e., maximum temperature (Tmax), temperature rise (ΔT) and temperature distributions, are analyzed. The distribution of emissions OH and CO are also studied and presented. Well-stabilized MILD combustion is observed for all cases except for two cases with high preheated (1500 K). Peak temperature is observed to decrease with increasing operating pressure for a given level of preheat and dilution. OH mass faction is reduced with increasing pressure. The CO emissions show little sensitivity to operating pressure. However, CO mass fraction is slightly higher at 1 atm operating pressure as compared to 4 to 16 atm. Since the residence time of reactants increases as the operating pressure increases, well-stabilized MILD combustion is observed for all highly diluted and low temperature preheat cases (3% O2 and 1100 K).

  8. Mild dehydration modifies the cerebrovascular response to the cold pressor test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Blake G; Bear, Tracey L K; Lucas, Samuel J E; Mündel, Toby

    2016-01-01

    The cold pressor test (CPT) is widely used in clinical practice and physiological research. It is characterized by a robust autonomic response, with associated increases in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mean middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAv(mean)). Hydration status is not commonly reported when conducting this test, yet blood viscosity alone can modulate MCAv(mean), potentially modifying the MCAv(mean) response to the CPT. We investigated the effect of mild dehydration on the physiological response to the CPT in 10 healthy men (mean ± SD: age 28 ± 5 years; body mass 83 ± 5 kg). All participants completed two CPTs, cold water (0°C) immersion of both feet for 90 s, with the order of the euhydration and dehydration trials counterbalanced. Beat-to-beat MCAv, MAP, HR and breath-by-breath partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 (P(ET,CO2)) were measured continuously. Participants' pain perception was measured 1 min into the CPT using a visual analog scale (no pain = 0; maximal pain = 10). Dehydration significantly elevated plasma osmolality and urine specific gravity and reduced body mass (all P 0.05). After 90 s of immersion, the change in MCAv(mean) from baseline was less in the dehydration compared with the euhydration trial (change 0 ± 5 versus 7 ± 7 cm s(-1), P = 0.01), as was P(ET,CO2) (change -3 ± 2 versus 0 ± 3 mmHg, P = 0.02). Dehydration was associated with greater relative pain sensation during the CPT (7.0 ± 1.3 vs 5.8 ± 1.8, P = 0.02). Our results demonstrate that mild dehydration can modify the cerebrovascular response to the CPT, with dehydration increasing perceived pain, lowering P ET ,CO2 and, ultimately, blunting the MCAv(mean) response. © 2015 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

  9. Efficacy of guided ovarian hyperstimulation in patients with mild type endometriosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jašović-Siveska Emilija

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aim. Endometriosis befalls in one of the most frequent gynecologic diseases. It manifests itself by the presence and growth of focus of endometrium out of the uterus cavum that reacts to hormonal stimulations as the normal uterus endometrium does. Hyperstimulation and induction of ovulation together with intrauterine insemination (IUI are the most frequently used treatments of unexplained infertility in patients with mild type endometriosis. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of stimulation using human menopausal gonadotrophine (hMG in the patients with mild type endometriosis to the patients with infertility of unknown ethiology. Methods. The study included 50 patients with unexplained infertility (group N, as well as 50 patients with mild type endometriosis (group E confirmed by laparoscopy. Within the same therapeutic protocole hMG stimulation and horionic gonadotrophine induction (hCG were used. Results. In the group E ovulation occurred in 74% of the patients during the first stimulation, in 77.78% during the second cycle, and in 75% of the patients during the third one. Regarding the group N, ovulation appeared in 82% of the patients during the first stimulation. Stimulation was performed two times more in 38 patients with unknown couse of infertility, and ovulation appeared in 84.21% of them. In the group N stimulation was performed three times in 28 women resulting in ovulation in 85.71% of them. Conclusion. Considering the obtained results it can be concluded that hMG stimulation and hCG induction are efficient in the treatment of infertility, particularly in mild type endometriosis.

  10. Cognitive correlates of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mild Alzheimer's dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabri, Osama; Meyer, Philipp M; Gräf, Susanne; Hesse, Swen; Wilke, Stephan; Becker, Georg-Alexander; Rullmann, Michael; Patt, Marianne; Luthardt, Julia; Wagenknecht, Gudrun; Hoepping, Alexander; Smits, Rene; Franke, Annegret; Sattler, Bernhard; Tiepolt, Solveig; Fischer, Steffen; Deuther-Conrad, Winnie; Hegerl, Ulrich; Barthel, Henryk; Schönknecht, Peter; Brust, Peter

    2018-06-01

    In early Alzheimer's dementia, there is a need for PET biomarkers of disease progression with close associations to cognitive dysfunction that may aid to predict further cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Amyloid biomarkers are not suitable for that purpose. The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α4β2-nAChRs) are widely abundant in the human brain. As neuromodulators they play an important role in cognitive functions such as attention, learning and memory. Post-mortem studies reported lower expression of α4β2-nAChRs in more advanced Alzheimer's dementia. However, there is ongoing controversy whether α4β2-nAChRs are reduced in early Alzheimer's dementia. Therefore, using the recently developed α4β2-nAChR-specific radioligand (-)-18F-flubatine and PET, we aimed to quantify the α4β2-nAChR availability and its relationship to specific cognitive dysfunction in mild Alzheimer's dementia. Fourteen non-smoking patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia, drug-naïve for cholinesterase therapy, were compared with 15 non-smoking healthy controls matched for age, sex and education by applying (-)-18F-flubatine PET together with a neuropsychological test battery. The one-tissue compartment model and Logan plot method with arterial input function were used for kinetic analysis to obtain the total distribution volume (VT) as the primary, and the specific binding part of the distribution volume (VS) as the secondary quantitative outcome measure of α4β2-nAChR availability. VS was determined by using a pseudo-reference region. Correlations between VT within relevant brain regions and Z-scores of five cognitive functions (episodic memory, executive function/working memory, attention, language, visuospatial function) were calculated. VT (and VS) were applied for between-group comparisons. Volume of interest and statistical parametric mapping analyses were carried out. Analyses revealed that in patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia compared to healthy controls

  11. Existence of mild solutions of a semilinear evolution differential inclusions with nonlocal conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reem A. Al-Omair

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we prove the existence of a mild solution for a semilinear evolution differential inclusion with nonlocal condition and governed by a family of linear operators, not necessarily bounded or closed, in a Banach space. No compactness assumption is assumed on the evolution operator generated by the family operators. Also, we prove that the set of mild solutions is compact.

  12. The lightest market in the world: light and mild cigarettes in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assunta, Mary; Chapman, Simon

    2008-05-01

    This article reviews the history of the introduction and use of light and mild labeled cigarettes in Japan, the "lightest" market in the world. Systematic keyword and opportunistic Web site searches were conducted on tobacco industry internal documents relevant to Japan, supplemented with relevant material from the tobacco trade and sociological literatures. Certain "market quirks" of the Japanese society benefited the tobacco industry in promoting its light and mild cigarettes. Japan's is a trend-conscious society with a penchant for new fashion and products. The Japanese are innovative, with the propensity to transform concepts into something characteristically their own marked by a distinct cultural style, such as the concept of keihaku tansho ("light-thin-short-small"). With big-budget sophisticated advertising, tobacco companies developed a lucrative market for mild, light, and ultra-low-tar cigarettes. Smokers had a preference for charcoal filters, which they believed protected them. Tar numbers meant little to smokers. The transnational tobacco companies capitalized on consumer concerns about the health hazards of smoking to promote low-tar cigarettes as a safer alternative. This may be one factor that explains why smoking prevalence in Japan remains high. Light and mild cigarettes are popular in Japan because Japanese smokers believe low tar/nicotine cigarette with charcoal filters protect them and help mollify their health concerns about smoking.

  13. Pragmatic skills of children and youth with mild intellectual disability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brojčin Branislav

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Pragmatic competence means the use of language in social context. Persons with intellectual disability experience numerous problems in this aspect of communication, but they are relatively pragmatically skilled in well-known situations, in which they are not subjected to significant cognitive and social requirements. The aim of this paper is to determine the level of pragmatic abilities of children and youth with mild intellectual disability and to perceive its relation to chronological age, speech comprehension, speech production, the level of intellectual functioning, gender and bilingualism of the participants. The level of pragmatic competence was tested in the sample of 120 children with mild intellectual disability, aged between 8 and 16, by using the Test of pragmatic language competence. The Clinical scales of Luria-Nebraska neuropsychological battery for children were also used. The results obtained in this research suggest that general level of achievement of children with mild intellectual disability in this domain of development is far below the expectations based on their chronological age. Significant progress appears between 12 and 14 years of age, but there are also two critical periods in their development. Important relations of pragmatic skills with speech comprehension, speech production, chronological age and intellectual level were established.

  14. Promotion of Viral IRES-Mediated Translation Initiation under Mild Hypothermia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Licursi

    Full Text Available Internal ribosome entry site (IRES-mediated translation is an essential replication step for certain viruses. As IRES-mediated translation is regulated differently from cap-dependent translation under various cellular conditions, we sought to investigate whether temperature influences efficiency of viral IRES-mediated translation initiation by using bicistronic reporter constructs containing an IRES element of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV, hepatitis C virus (HCV, human rhinovirus (HRV or poliovirus (PV. Under mild hypothermic conditions (30 and 35°C, we observed increases in the efficiency of translation initiation by HCV and HRV IRES elements compared to translation initiation at 37°C. The promotion of HRV IRES activity was observed as early as 2 hours after exposure to mild hypothermia. We also confirmed the promotion of translation initiation by HRV IRES under mild hypothermia in multiple cell lines. The expression levels and locations of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB and upstream of N-Ras (unr, the IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs of HCV and HRV IRES elements, were not modulated by the temperature shift from 37°C to 30°C. Taken together, this study demonstrates that efficiency of translation initiation by some viral IRES elements is temperature dependent.

  15. Continuous wet-process growth of ZnO nanoarrays for wire-shaped photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Pan; Guo, Wanwan; Du, Jun; Tao, Changyuan; Qing, Shenglan; Fan, Xing

    2016-09-15

    Well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays have been grown on metal-plated polymer fiber via a mild wet process in a newly-designed continuous reactor, aiming to provide wire-shaped photoanodes for wearable dye-sensitized solar cells. The growth conditions were systematically optimized with the help of computational flow-field simulation. The flow field in the reactor will not only affect the morphology of the ZnO nanorod⧹nanowire but also affect the pattern distribution of nanoarray on the electrode surface. Unlike the sectional structure from the traditional batch-type reactor, ZnO nanorods with finely-controlled length and uniform morphology could be grown from the continuous reactor. After optimization, the wire-shaped ZnO-type photoanode grown from the continuous reactor exhibited better photovoltaic performance than that from the traditional batch-type reactor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Psychosocial consequences of mild traumatic brain injury in children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keightley, Michelle L; Côté, Pierre; Rumney, Peter

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the best available evidence regarding psychosocial consequences of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) in children. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus were searched (2001-2012). Inclusion criteria included published peer-reviewed reports...

  17. Simulation of MILD combustion using Perfectly Stirred Reactor model

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Z.; Vanteru, Mahendra Reddy; Ruan, S.; Doan, N. A K; Roberts, William L.; Swaminathan, N.

    2016-01-01

    A simple model based on a Perfectly Stirred Reactor (PSR) is proposed for moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion. The PSR calculation is performed covering the entire flammability range and the tabulated chemistry approach is used

  18. Swimming and Persons with Mild Persistant Asthma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirjana Arandelovic

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of recreational swimming on lung function and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR in patients with mild persistent asthma. This study included 65 patients with mild persistent asthma, who were divided into two groups: experimental group A (n = 45 and control group B (n = 20. Patients from both groups were treated with low doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS and short-acting β2 agonists salbutamol as needed. Our program for patients in group A was combined asthma education with swimming (twice a week on a 1-h basis for the following 6 months. At the end of the study, in Group A, we found a statistically significant increase of lung function parameters FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (3.55 vs. 3.65 (p < 0.01, FVC (forced vital capacity (4.27 vs. 4.37 (p < 0.05, PEF (peak expiratory flow (7.08 vs. 7.46 (p < 0.01, and statistically significant decrease of BHR (PD20 0.58 vs. 2.01 (p < 0.001. In Group B, there was a statistically significant improvement of FEV1 3.29 vs. 3.33 (p < 0.05 and although FVC, FEV1/FVC, and PEF were improved, it was not significant. When Groups A and B were compared at the end of the study, there was a statistically significant difference of FVC (4.01 vs. 4.37, FEV1 (3.33 vs. 3.55, PEF (6.79 vs.7.46, and variability (p <0.001, and statistically significantly decreased BHR in Group A (2.01 vs. 1.75 (p < 0.001. Engagement of patients with mild persistent asthma in recreational swimming in nonchlorinated pools, combined with regular medical treatment and education, leads to better improvement of their parameters of lung function and also to more significant decrease of their airway hyperresponsiveness compared to patients treated with traditional medicine

  19. GFAP and S100B in the acute phase of mild traumatic brain injury

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Metting, Z.; Wilczak, N.; Rodiger, L. A.; Schaaf, J. M.; van der Naalt, J.

    Objective: The biomarkers glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) and S100B are increasingly used as prognostic tools in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data for mild TBI are scarce. This study aims to analyze the predictive value of GFAP and S100B for outcome in mild TBI and the relation with

  20. Theoretical description of the influence of neutron irradiation on viscoplastic properties of mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pecherski, R.

    1978-01-01

    The physical bases of plastic deformation of mild steel are described. The influence of neutron irradiation on the change of mechanisms of plastic deformation is discussed in detail. Constitutive equations of viscoplasticity for irradiated mild steel are given. The problem of thickwalled viscoplastic spherical tank irradiated by neutrons is studied. (Z.R.)

  1. Introduction of a Successful Pregnancy in a Patient with Advanced Chronic Renal Insufficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Saghafi

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and ObjectiveIn the women with chronic renal insufficiency ovulation is suppressed therefore they rarely become pregnant. If pregnancy occurs, they might encounter many conflictions. It may lead to death (fetus or mother. The aim of this study was reporting a successful pregnancy in a patient with advanced chronic renal insufficiency.Case reportThe patient was a 32 years old woman with long period of infertility (8 years. The first main clinical symptom was abdominal pain especially in hypogastric area as well as hyperuremia, elevated levels of creatinine (2.9 mg/dl, mild proteinuria and hematuria. The urine specific gravity was 1010. Sonography data showed asymmetrical small kidneys. Other complaints were pruritus and flank pain during urination. The primary diagnosis was chronic renal failure due to probable chronic pyelonephritis. After an interval she returned with positive pregnancy test. She decided to continue the pregnancy in despite of obstetrician belief for aborting. During pregnancy, proteinuria reached to two plus, hemoglobin fell to 9.7, creatinine levels reached to 3.7 mg/dl and blood pressure was fluctuating between 110/80 and 130/85 mmHg. She admitted in the hospital in third trimester of pregnancy because of preterm labor. However the pain was suppressed after starting magnesium sulfate infusion. Keywords: Renal Insufficiency, Chronic Renal Insufficiency, Pregnancy

  2. Our Continuing Program of Optical Color Measurements of Centaurs and KBOs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romanishin, W.; Tegler, S. C.; Consolmagno, G. J.

    2012-05-01

    We report on our continuing program of BVR color measurement of Centaurs and KBOs. Most of our measurements have been made with the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT). We report of new colors obtained through October 2011.

  3. The importance of clinical monitoring for compliance with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelosi, Lucas B; Silveira, Mariana L C; Eckeli, Alan L; Chayamiti, Emilia M P C; Almeida, Leila A; Sander, Heidi H; Küpper, Daniel S; Valera, Fabiana C P

    Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is currently a public health problem of great importance. When misdiagnosed or improperly treated, it can lead to serious consequences on patients' quality of life. The gold standard treatment for cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, especially in mild to severe and symptomatic cases, is continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy is directly dependent on the active participation of the patient, which can be influenced by several factors. The objective of this study is to describe the factors related to compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, and to analyze which associated factors directly influence the efficiency of the treatment. Patients who received continuous positive airway pressure therapy through the Municipal Health Department of the city of Ribeirão Preto were recruited. A structured questionnaire was administered to the patients. Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy was assessed by average hours of continuous positive airway pressure therapy usage per night. Patients with good compliance (patients using continuous positive airway pressure therapy ≥4h/night) were compared to those with poor compliance (patients using <4h/night). 138 patients were analyzed: 77 (55.8%) were considered compliant while 61 (44.2%) were non-compliant. The comparison between the two groups showed that regular monitoring by a specialist considerably improved compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy (odds ratio, OR=2.62). Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy is related to educational components, which can be enhanced with continuous and individualized care to patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  4. Efficacy of pharmacotherapy in patients with mild periodontitis by liniment of cycloferon

    OpenAIRE

    Zaitseva Е.М.; Eremin О.V.; Ivaschenko Y.У.; Mekhtieva R.R.; Nelovko Т.V.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the study, to improve the quality of treatment of mild periodontitis based on clinical and microbiological studies on the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy by liniment of cycloferon. Research methods. Clinical study included 50 patients aged 20-50 years old with mild periodontitis in the acute stage. Liniment of cycloferon was applied on the gums two times a day in 10-12 hours for 14 days. Microbial picture of oral mucosal and periodontal pockets in patients with periodontitis w...

  5. Recent advances in severe accident technology - direct containment heating in advanced light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fontana, M.H.

    1993-01-01

    The issues affecting high-pressure melt ejection (HPME) and the consequential containment pressurization from direct containment heating (DCH), as they affect advanced light water reactors (ALWRs), specifically advanced pressurized water reactors (APWRs), were reviewed by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Severe Accident Program (ARSAP). Recommendations from ARSAP regarding the design of APWRs to minimize DCH are embodied within the Electric Power Research Institute ALWR Utility Requirements Document, which specifies (a) a large, strong containment; (b) an in-containment refueling water storage tank; (c) a reactor cavity configuration that minimizes energy transport to the containment atmosphere; and (d) a reactor coolant system depressurization system. Experimental and analytical efforts, which have focused on current-generation plants, and analyses for APWRs were reviewed. Although DCH is a subject of continuous research and considerable uncertainties remain, it is the judgment of the ARSAP that reactors complying with the recommended design requirements would have a low probability of early containment failure due to HPME and DCH

  6. Major depressive symptoms increase 3-year mortality rate in patients with mild dementia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Jindong Ding; Waldorff, Frans Boch; Siersma, Volkert Dirk

    2017-01-01

    Depression and dementia are commonly concurrent and are both associated with increased mortality among older people. However, little is known about whether home-dwelling patients newly diagnosed with mild dementia coexisting with depressive symptoms have excess mortality. We conducted a post hoc...... analysis based on data from the Danish Alzheimer's Intervention Study of 330 individuals who were diagnosed with mild dementia within the past 12 months. Thirty-four patients were identified with major depressive symptoms (MD-S) at baseline. During the 3-year follow-up period, 56 patients died, and, among...... mortality as compared to the patients without or with only few depressive symptoms. Our result revealed that depression is possibly associated with increased mortality in patients with mild dementia. Given that depression is treatable, screening for depression and treatment of depression can be important...

  7. Advances in computers improving the web

    CERN Document Server

    Zelkowitz, Marvin

    2010-01-01

    This is volume 78 of Advances in Computers. This series, which began publication in 1960, is the oldest continuously published anthology that chronicles the ever- changing information technology field. In these volumes we publish from 5 to 7 chapters, three times per year, that cover the latest changes to the design, development, use and implications of computer technology on society today.Covers the full breadth of innovations in hardware, software, theory, design, and applications.Many of the in-depth reviews have become standard references that continue to be of significant, lasting value i

  8. Mild psychotic experiences among ethnic minority and majority adolescents and the role of ethnic density

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eilbracht, Lizzy; Stevens, Gonneke W. J. M.; Wigman, J. T. W.; van Dorsselaer, S.; Vollebergh, Wilma A. M.

    Despite evidence of the increased risk of psychotic disorders among ethnic minority adults, little is known about the effect of ethnic minority status to mild psychotic experiences among adolescents. This study investigated mild psychotic experiences in ethnic minority and majority adolescents in a

  9. Water-wave diffraction and radiation by multiple three-dimensional bodies over a mild-slope bottom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruiz, Pau Mercadé; Ferri, Francesco; Kofoed, Jens Peter

    2017-01-01

    Highlights •A tool to model wave diffraction and radiation in mild-slope bottoms is proposed. •The tool combines a mild-slope equation model with diffraction transfer matrices. •The tool predictions are verified against analytical solutions for two test problems....

  10. Teaching Staff Advanced Training: European Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovalchuk, Vasyl

    2015-01-01

    The issue of teaching staff advanced training is paid much attention in many countries. In the Republic of Moldova progressive professional credits system is used. Credits are scored not only in assigning teaching degrees or issuing a certificate of continuing professional education, but also for teachers' evaluation at the educational…

  11. Mild Fe-deficiency improves biomass production and quality of hydroponic-cultivated spinach plants (Spinacia oleracea L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Chong-Wei; Liu, Yue; Mao, Qian-Qian; Wang, Qian; Du, Shao-Ting

    2013-06-15

    It is of great practical importance to improve yield and quality of vegetables in soilless cultures. This study investigated the effects of iron-nutrition management on yield and quality of hydroponic-cultivated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). The results showed that mild Fe-deficient treatment (1 μM FeEDTA) yielded a greater biomass of edible parts than Fe-omitted treatment (0 μM FeEDTA) or Fe-sufficient treatments (10 and 50 μM FeEDTA). Conversely, mild Fe-deficient treatment had the lowest nitrate concentration in the edible parts out of all the Fe treatments. Interestingly, all the concentrations of soluble sugar, soluble protein and ascorbate in mild Fe-deficient treatments were higher than Fe-sufficient treatments. In addition, both phenolic concentration and DPPH scavenging activity in mild Fe-deficient treatments were comparable with those in Fe-sufficient treatments, but were higher than those in Fe-omitted treatments. Therefore, we concluded that using a mild Fe-deficient nutrition solution to cultivate spinach not only would increase yield, but also would improve quality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A comparison of individual qualities of resiliency in adolescents with mild intellectual disability and typically developing adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavlović Miroslav V.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Intellectual disability (ID is a chronic adversity that increases the likelihood of negative developmental outcomes. The aim of this research is to examine differences between adolescents with mild ID and typically developing (TD adolescents in personal qualities which contribute to successful adaptation. The sample consisted of 92 adolescents with mild ID and 772 TD adolescents, 13-19 years of age, of both sexes. Resiliency was assessed using the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents. In comparison to TD adolescents, adolescents with mild ID have significantly lower levels of sense of mastery and sense of relatedness and a higher level of emotional reactivity. In the subsample of adolescents with mild ID there were no age or sex differences for resiliency. Adolescents with mild ID have a lower level of resiliency than TD adolescents, which highlights the need to develop programs focused on personal qualities associated with positive developmental outcomes.

  13. Inhibition of Mild Steel Corrosion in Hydrochloric Acid Solution by New Coumarin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Amir H. Kadhum

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available A new coumarin derivative, N,N′-((2E,2′E-2,2′-(1,4-phenylenebis (methanylylidenebis(hydrazinecarbonothioylbis(2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide PMBH, was synthesized and its chemical structure was elucidated and confirmed using spectroscopic techniques (Infrared spectroscopy IR, Proton nuclear  magnetic resonance, 1H-NMR and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance 13C-NMR. The corrosion inhibition effect of PMBH on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl was investigated using corrosion potential (ECORR, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS, and electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM measurements. The obtained results indicated that PMBH has promising inhibitive effects on the corrosion of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl across all of the conditions examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM was used to investigate the morphology of the mild steel before and after immersion in 1.0 M HCl solution containing 0.5 mM of PMBH. Surface analysis revealed improvement of corrosion resistance in presence of PMBH.

  14. Inhibition of Mild Steel Corrosion in Hydrochloric Acid Solution by New Coumarin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Hammed, Leiqaa A.; Al-Amiery, Ahmed A.; San, Ng Hooi; Musa, Ahmed Y.

    2014-01-01

    A new coumarin derivative, N,N′-((2E,2′E)-2,2′-(1,4-phenylenebis(methanylylidene))bis(hydrazinecarbonothioyl))bis(2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide) PMBH, was synthesized and its chemical structure was elucidated and confirmed using spectroscopic techniques (Infrared spectroscopy IR, Proton nuclear magnetic resonance, 1H-NMR and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance 13C-NMR). The corrosion inhibition effect of PMBH on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl was investigated using corrosion potential (ECORR), potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM) measurements. The obtained results indicated that PMBH has promising inhibitive effects on the corrosion of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl across all of the conditions examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology of the mild steel before and after immersion in 1.0 M HCl solution containing 0.5 mM of PMBH. Surface analysis revealed improvement of corrosion resistance in presence of PMBH. PMID:28788680

  15. Perspectives on creating clinically relevant blast models for mild traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa eBrenner

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Military personnel are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and reporting non-specific physical (somatic, behavioral, psychological, and cognitive symptoms. Many of these symptoms are frequently associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI and/or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD. Despite significant attention and advances in assessment and intervention for these two conditions, challenges persist. To address this, clinically relevant blast models are essential in the full characterization of this type of injury, as well as in the testing and identification of potential treatment strategies. In this publication, existing diagnostic challenges and current treatment practices for mTBI and/or PTSD will be summarized, along with suggestions regarding how what has been learned from existing models of PTSD and traditional mechanism (e.g., non-blast TBI can be used to facilitate the development of clinically relevant blast models.

  16. ADHD Symptoms in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonoff, Emily; Pickles, Andrew; Wood, Nicky; Gringras, Paul; Chadwick, Oliver

    2007-01-01

    Objectives: To determine whether the nature and correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are different in subjects with mild intellectual disability (ID) compared to subjects with average ability. Method: From a general population sample of 2,726 12- to 15-year-olds, a stratified subsample was selected to enrich for…

  17. LANL continuity of operations plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Senutovitch, Diane M [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2010-12-22

    The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a premier national security research institution, delivering scientific and engineering solutions for the nation's most crucial and complex problems. Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile. LANL emphasizes worker safety, effective operational safeguards and security, and environmental stewardship, outstanding science remains the foundation of work at the Laboratory. In addition to supporting the Laboratory's core national security mission, our work advances bioscience, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, and physics disciplines. To accomplish LANL's mission, we must ensure that the Laboratory EFs continue to be performed during a continuity event, including localized acts of nature, accidents, technological or attack-related emergencies, and pandemic or epidemic events. The LANL Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan documents the overall LANL COOP Program and provides the operational framework to implement continuity policies, requirements, and responsibilities at LANL, as required by DOE 0 150.1, Continuity Programs, May 2008. LANL must maintain its ability to perform the nation's PMEFs, which are: (1) maintain the safety and security of nuclear materials in the DOE Complex at fixed sites and in transit; (2) respond to a nuclear incident, both domestically and internationally, caused by terrorist activity, natural disaster, or accident, including mobilizing the resources to support these efforts; and (3) support the nation's energy infrastructure. This plan supports Continuity of Operations for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This plan issues LANL policy as directed by the DOE 0 150.1, Continuity Programs, and provides direction for the orderly continuation of LANL EFs for 30 days of closure or 60 days for a pandemic/epidemic event. Initiation of COOP operations may

  18. Status of advanced technologies for CANDU reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lipsett, J.J.

    1989-01-01

    The future development of the CANDU reactor is a continuation of a successful series of reactors, the most recent of which are nine CANDU 6 Mk 1* units and four Darlington units. There are three projects underway that continue the development of the CANDU reactor. These new design projects flow from the original reactor designs and are a natural progression of the CANDU 6 Mk 1, two units of which are operating successfully in Canada, one each in Argentina and Korea, with five more being built in Rumania. These new design projects are known as: CANDU 6 Mk 2, an improved version of CANDU 6 Mk 1; CANDU 3, a small, advanced version of the CANDU 6 Mk 1; CANDU 6 Mk 3, a series of advanced CANDU reactors. A short description of modified versions of CANDU reactors is given in this paper. 5 figs

  19. A mild and efficient procedure for the synthesis of ethers from various alkyl halides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mosstafa Kazemi

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available A simple, mild and practical procedure has been developed for the synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical ethers by using DMSO, TBAI in the presence of K2CO3. We extended the utility of Potassium carbonate as an efficient base for the preparation of ethers. A wide range of alkyl aryl and dialkyl ethers are synthezied from treatment of aliphatic alcohols and phenols with various alkyl halides in the prescence of efficient base Potassium carbonate. Secondary alkyl halides were easily converted to corresponding ethers in releatively good yields . This is a mild, simple and practical procedure for the preparation of ethers in high yields and suitable times under mild condition.

  20. Mild traumatic brain injury results in depressed cerebral glucose uptake: An (18)FDG PET study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selwyn, Reed; Hockenbury, Nicole; Jaiswal, Shalini; Mathur, Sanjeev; Armstrong, Regina C; Byrnes, Kimberly R

    2013-12-01

    Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans and rats induces measurable metabolic changes, including a sustained depression in cerebral glucose uptake. However, the effect of a mild TBI on brain glucose uptake is unclear, particularly in rodent models. This study aimed to determine the glucose uptake pattern in the brain after a mild lateral fluid percussion (LFP) TBI. Briefly, adult male rats were subjected to a mild LFP and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)FDG), which was performed prior to injury and at 3 and 24 h and 5, 9, and 16 days post-injury. Locomotor function was assessed prior to injury and at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after injury using modified beam walk tasks to confirm injury severity. Histology was performed at either 10 or 21 days post-injury. Analysis of function revealed a transient impairment in locomotor ability, which corresponds to a mild TBI. Using reference region normalization, PET imaging revealed that mild LFP-induced TBI depresses glucose uptake in both the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres in comparison with sham-injured and naïve controls from 3 h to 5 days post-injury. Further, areas of depressed glucose uptake were associated with regions of glial activation and axonal damage, but no measurable change in neuronal loss or gross tissue damage was observed. In conclusion, we show that mild TBI, which is characterized by transient impairments in function, axonal damage, and glial activation, results in an observable depression in overall brain glucose uptake using (18)FDG-PET.

  1. Development of Zn50 Brazing Alloy for Joining Mild Steel to Mild Steel (SAE1018

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.C. Nwigbo

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This work has developed new brazing alloys for joining mild steel to mild steel (SAE1018 at a lower temperature. The alloys blends and error analysis were done by experimental design software (Design Expert 8.0.7.1. Design of experiments was done by Scheffe quadratic mixture method. The liquidus temperatures were predicted by calculation of phase diagrams of the alloying metals. The brazing alloys were produced by gravity technique and melted using silicon carbide graphite crucible. The quality of the brazing alloys was analyzed by optical microscopy (OM, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR. Brazed joints were produced by torch method with a commercial flux. Brazing temperatures (liquidus were tracked by a digital infrared/laser pyrometer. Some mechanical properties studied were tensile strength and hardness. Finally, brazed joints produced from the developed brazing alloys were compared to that produced from muntz brass. Six (6 brazing alloys were successfully developed. Zinc and manganese were the main components, to which were added; 3 to 4 %wt silver and 11 to15 %wt modifying element. The microstructure showed a typical eutectic structure with zinc-rich phase distributed uniformly in the matrix with a combination of different sizes of dendrite, rounded blocks of compounds and hypoeutectic structures. AAS results indicated minimal out-gassing of zinc and FT-IR results indicated very low presence of atmospheric gas. The range of brazing temperature for best results was recorded from 690.90 to 735.10 0C. The joints produced from the developed brazing alloys had acceptable strengths with improved stress-strain behaviour compared to muntz brass.

  2. Continuous downstream processing for high value biological products: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zydney, Andrew L

    2016-03-01

    There is growing interest in the possibility of developing truly continuous processes for the large-scale production of high value biological products. Continuous processing has the potential to provide significant reductions in cost and facility size while improving product quality and facilitating the design of flexible multi-product manufacturing facilities. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art in separations technology suitable for continuous downstream bioprocessing, focusing on unit operations that would be most appropriate for the production of secreted proteins like monoclonal antibodies. This includes cell separation/recycle from the perfusion bioreactor, initial product recovery (capture), product purification (polishing), and formulation. Of particular importance are the available options, and alternatives, for continuous chromatographic separations. Although there are still significant challenges in developing integrated continuous bioprocesses, recent technological advances have provided process developers with a number of attractive options for development of truly continuous bioprocessing operations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Minimally Invasive and Open Distal Chevron Osteotomy for Mild to Moderate Hallux Valgus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brogan, Kit; Lindisfarne, Edward; Akehurst, Harold; Farook, Usama; Shrier, Will; Palmer, Simon

    2016-11-01

    Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques are increasingly being used in foot and ankle surgery but it is important that they are adopted only once they have been shown to be equivalent or superior to open techniques. We believe that the main advantages of MIS are found in the early postoperative period, but in order to adopt it as a technique longer-term studies are required. The aim of this study was to compare the 2-year outcomes of a third-generation MIS distal chevron osteotomy with a comparable traditional open distal chevron osteotomy for mild-moderate hallux valgus. Our null hypothesis was that the 2 techniques would yield equivalent clinical and radiographic results at 2 years. This was a retrospective cohort study. Eighty-one consecutive feet (49 MIS and 32 open distal chevron osteotomies) were followed up for a minimum 24 months (range 24-58). All patients were clinically assessed using the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire. Radiographic measures included hallux valgus angle, the intermetatarsal angle, hallux interphalangeal angle, metatarsal phalangeal joint angle, distal metatarsal articular angle, tibial sesamoid position, shape of the first metatarsal head, and plantar offset. Statistical analysis was done using Student t test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous data and Pearson chi-square test for categorical data. Clinical and radiologic postoperative scores in all domains were substantially improved in both groups (P .05). There were no significant differences in complications between the 2 groups ( > .5). The midterm results of this third-generation technique show that it was a safe procedure with good clinical outcomes and comparable to traditional open techniques for symptomatic mild-moderate hallux valgus. Level III, retrospective comparative study. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Advances in atomic spectroscopy

    CERN Document Server

    Sneddon, J

    1998-01-01

    This volume continues the series'' cutting-edge reviews on developments in this field. Since its invention in the 1920s, electrostatic precipitation has been extensively used in industrial hygiene to remove dust and particulate matter from gases before entering the atmosphere. This combination of electrostatic precipitation is reported upon in the first chapter. Following this, chapter two reviews recent advances in the area of chemical modification in electrothermal atomization. Chapter three consists of a review which deal with advances and uses of electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry. Flow injection atomic spectroscopy has developed rapidly in recent years and after a general introduction, various aspects of this technique are looked at in chapter four. Finally, in chapter five the use of various spectrometric techniques for the determination of mercury are described.

  5. Developing Reception Competence in Children with a Mild Intellectual Disability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Koritnik

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents research paradigms which study factors that allow influencing the language development of children with mild intellectual disabilities to the greatest extent possible. Special attention is dedicated to the development of the reception competence with the use of reception didactics methods based on a relatively frequent use of less demanding non-language semiotic functions. The core of the paper presents results of an experimental case study (on a sample of five children with a mild intellectual disability over a one school year period, through which the reception competence in these children was developed with a systematic use of an adapted communication model of literary education as an experimental factor. The results have confirmed the initially set hypothesis about reception progress.

  6. Continuing Education Workshops in Bioinformatics Positively Impact Research and Careers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brazas, Michelle D; Ouellette, B F Francis

    2016-06-01

    Bioinformatics.ca has been hosting continuing education programs in introductory and advanced bioinformatics topics in Canada since 1999 and has trained more than 2,000 participants to date. These workshops have been adapted over the years to keep pace with advances in both science and technology as well as the changing landscape in available learning modalities and the bioinformatics training needs of our audience. Post-workshop surveys have been a mandatory component of each workshop and are used to ensure appropriate adjustments are made to workshops to maximize learning. However, neither bioinformatics.ca nor others offering similar training programs have explored the long-term impact of bioinformatics continuing education training. Bioinformatics.ca recently initiated a look back on the impact its workshops have had on the career trajectories, research outcomes, publications, and collaborations of its participants. Using an anonymous online survey, bioinformatics.ca analyzed responses from those surveyed and discovered its workshops have had a positive impact on collaborations, research, publications, and career progression.

  7. Chronic kidney disease – the silent epidemic | Davids | Continuing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 8 (2007) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

  8. Human Capability, Mild Perfectionism and Thickened Educational Praxis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Melanie

    2008-01-01

    This paper argues for a mild perfectionism in applying Amartya Sen's capability approach for an education transformative of student agency and well-being. Key to the paper is the significance of education as a process of being and becoming in the future, and education's fundamental objective of a positively changed human being. The capability…

  9. Music Enhances Autobiographical Memory in Mild Alzheimer's Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Haj, Mohamad; Postal, Virginie; Allain, Philippe

    2012-01-01

    Studies have shown that the "Four Seasons" music may enhance the autobiographical performance of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. We used a repeated measures design in which autobiographical recall of 12 mild AD patients was assessed using a free narrative method under three conditions: (a) in "Silence," (b) after being exposed to the opus "Four…

  10. Ginger extract as green corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fidrusli, A.; Suryanto; Mahmood, M.

    2018-01-01

    Ginger extract as corrosion inhibitor from natural resources was studied to prevent corrosion of mild steel in acid media. Ginger rhizome was extracted to produce green corrosion inhibitor (G-1) while ginger powder bought at supermarket was also extract to form green corrosion inhibitor (G-2). Effectiveness of inhibitor in preventing corrosion process of mild steel was studied in 1.0 M of hydrochloric acid. The experiment of weight loss method and polarization technique were conducted to measure corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency of mild steel in solution containing 1.0 M of hydrochloric acid with various concentration of inhibitor at room temperature. The results showed that, the rate of corrosion dropped from 8.09 mmpy in solution containing no inhibitor to 0.72 mmpy in solution containing 150g/l inhibitor while inhibition efficiency up to 91% was obtained. The polarization curve in polarization experiments shows that the inhibition efficiency is 86% with high concentration of inhibitor. The adsorption of ginger extract on the surface of mild steel was observed by using optical microscope and the characterization analysis was done by using pH measurement method. When high concentration of green inhibitor in the acid solution is used, the pH at the surface of steel is increasing.

  11. Comparison of the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and VBM-MRI in very mild Alzheimer's disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawachi, Takashi [Division of Neuroimaging Research, HIABCD, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Kobe, Hyogo (Japan); Ishii, Kazunari; Mori, Tetsuya [Division of Neuroimaging Research, HIABCD, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Hyogo Brain and Heart Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Sakamoto, Setsu; Sasaki, Masahiro [Division of Neuroimaging Research, HIABCD, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Yamashita, Fumio; Matsuda, Hiroshi [National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Radiology, Kodaira, Tokyo (Japan); Mori, Etsuro [Institute for Aging Brain and Cognitive Disorders, Hyogo Brain and Heart Center, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan)

    2006-07-15

    The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of{sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the same group of patients with very mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thirty patients with very mild AD (age 67.0{+-}5.8 years; MMSE score 25.5{+-}1.2, range 24-28), 32 patients with mild AD (age 67.0{+-}4.5 years, MMSE score 22.1{+-}0.8, range 21-23) and 60 age- and sex-matched normal volunteers underwent both FDG-PET and three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo MRI. Statistical parametric mapping was used to conduct voxel by voxel analysis and Z score mapping. First, the region of interest (ROI) maps of significant reductions in glucose metabolism and grey matter density in the mild AD patients were defined. Secondly, analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for Z scores in the ROI maps discriminating very mild AD patients and normal controls was performed. In mild AD patients, FDG-PET indicated significant reductions in glucose metabolism in the bilateral posterior cingulate gyri and the right parietotemporal area, while VBM analysis showed a significant decrease in grey matter volume density in the bilateral amygdala/hippocampus complex, compared with the normal control group. ROC analysis showed that in very mild AD patients the accuracy of FDG-PET diagnosis was 89% and that of VBM-MRI diagnosis was 83%. The accuracy of the combination of FDG-PET and VBM-MRI diagnosis was 94%. In very mild AD, both FDG-PET and VBM-MRI had high accuracy for diagnosis, but FDG-PET showed slightly higher accuracy than VBM-MRI. Combination of the two techniques will yield a higher diagnostic accuracy in very mild AD by making full use of functional and morphological images. (orig.)

  12. Clinical predictive score of intracranial hemorrhage in mild traumatic brain injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuksen C

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Chaiyaporn Yuksen,1 Yuwares Sittichanbuncha,1 Jayanton Patumanond,2 Sombat Muengtaweepongsa,3 Kittisak Sawanyawisuth4,5 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 2Clinical Epidemiology Unit and Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, 3Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, 4Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 5Sleep Apnea Research Group, Research Center in Back, Neck, Other Joint Pain and Human Performance (BNOJPH, and Research and Training Center for Enhancing Quality of Life of Working Age People, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI is a common condition at the Emergency Medicine Department. Head computer tomography (CT scans in mild TBI patients must be properly justified in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to X-rays and to reduce the hospital/transfer costs. This study aimed to evaluate which clinical factors are associated with intracranial hemorrhage in Asian population and to develop a user-friendly predictive model.Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively at the Emergency Medicine Department in Ramathibodi Hospital, a university-affiliated super tertiary care hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The study period was between September 2013 and August 2016. The inclusion criteria were age >15 years and having received a head CT scan after presenting with mild TBI. Those patients with mild TBI and no symptoms/deterioration after 24 h of clinical observation were excluded. The predictive model and prediction score for intracranial hemorrhage was developed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: During the study period, there were 708 patients who met the study criteria. Of those, 100 patients (14.12% had positive head CT scan results. There were seven independent factors that were

  13. CONTINUOUS FORMALDEHYDE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM BASED ON MODIFIED FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is developing advanced open-path and cell-based optical techniques for time-resolved measurement of priority hazardous air pollutants such as formaldehyde (HCHO). Due to its high National Air Toxics Assessment risk factor, there is increasing interest in continuous measuremen...

  14. Krill Oil Improves Mild Knee Joint Pain: A Randomized Control Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Yoshio; Fukushima, Minoru; Sakuraba, Keishoku; Sawaki, Keisuke; Sekigawa, Kazuaki

    2016-01-01

    Krill oil is an edible oil extracted from krill, a small red-colored crustacean found in the Antarctic Ocean. The administration of krill oil is reported to mitigate inflammation in patients with cardiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis. However, the effect of krill oil on mild knee pain has not yet been determined. To assess the effect of krill oil on mild knee pain. A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of fifty adults (38-85 years old) with mild knee pain attending the Fukushima Orthopedic Clinic (Tochigi, Japan) between September 2014 and March 2015. Participants were randomized to receive 2 g per day of either krill oil or an identical placebo for 30 days. The primary outcome was improvement in subjective symptoms of knee pain as assessed by the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA). Secondary outcomes included blood and urine biochemical parameters. Both the placebo and krill oil groups showed significant improvements in the questions in the JKOM and JOA questionnaires after administration. After the intervention, krill oil group showed more improvements than placebo group in two questions regarding the pain and stiffness in knees in JKOM. Controlling for age, sex, weight, and smoking and drinking habits, krill oil significantly mitigated knee pain in sleeping (P knees (both P = 0.011) compared to placebo. Krill oil administration raised plasma EPA (P = 0.048) and EPA/AA ratio (P = 0.003). This study indicates that krill oil administration (2 g/day, 30 days) improved the subjective symptoms of knee pain in adults with mild knee pain. UMIN-CTR; ID UMIN000014413.

  15. Pilot study of continuous-infusion 5-fluorouracil, oral leucovorin, and upper-abdominal radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced residual or recurrent upper gastrointestinal or extrapelvic colon cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martenson, James A.; Swaminathan, Revathi; Burch, Patrick A.; Santala, Roger G.; Schroeder, Georgene; Pitot, Henry C.; Wright, Keith; Kugler, John W.; Stella, Philip J.; Garton, Graciela R.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a satisfactorily tolerated regimen of radiation therapy, continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin in patients with locally advanced upper-abdominal gastrointestinal cancer. Methods and Materials: Patients with locally advanced or locally recurrent gastric, pancreatic, or extrapelvic colon cancer were eligible for this study. Radiation therapy consisted of 45 Gy in 25 fractions to the tumor and regional lymph nodes, followed by 5.4-9 Gy in three to five fractions to the tumor. Treatment with leucovorin, 10 mg orally daily, and continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil was initiated on the first day of radiation therapy. 5-Fluorouracil was administered at an initial daily dose of 125 mg/m 2 , with dose escalation planned in 25-mg increments, depending on patient tolerance. Results: Twenty-one evaluable patients participated in this study. Six were treated at the initial daily 5-fluorouracil dose of 125 mg/m 2 . One patient experienced Grade 4 anorexia and nausea. No other Grade ≥3 toxicity was observed at this dose. Fifteen evaluable patients were entered at a planned 5-fluorouracil dose of 150 mg/m 2 daily; 6 of them experienced Grade 3 toxicity, and none experienced Grade ≥ 4 toxicity. Grade 3 toxicities and the number of patients who developed each were: vomiting (three patients); nausea (two patients); diarrhea (two patients); and skin toxicity, hand-foot syndrome, catheter-related infection, and stomatitis in one patient each. Four of the six patients who experienced Grade 3 toxicity developed more than one type of Grade 3 toxicity. Conclusions: In patients with upper-abdominal gastrointestinal cancer, continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil (150 mg/m 2 daily), leucovorin (10 mg orally daily), and radiation therapy (50-54 Gy) resulted in a 40% rate of severe toxicity but no life-threatening toxicity. This clinical trial excludes, with 90% confidence, a 20% risk of Grade 4 toxicity with this combination. The 40

  16. Depressive symptoms predict slow cognitive decline in mild dementia.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janzing, J.G.E.; Naarding, P.; Eling, P.A.T.M.

    2005-01-01

    Depression may be a prognostic marker of subsequent cognitive decline in patients with dementia. Earlier investigations did not find support for this hypothesis, but these considered mainly syndromal depression. In this prospective study, 32 subjects with mild dementia were followed up for 12

  17. Parenting of children with borderline to mild intellectual disability

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleefman, Marijke

    2015-01-01

    Raising children with borderline to mild intellectual disability (BMID) may cause parenting stress, especially when the child with BMID has psychosocial problems. To improve support, it is important to have a better understanding of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce problems in raising

  18. Three families with mild PMM2-CDG and normal cognitive development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vals, Mari-Anne; Morava, Eva; Teeäär, Kai; Zordania, Riina; Pajusalu, Sander; Lefeber, Dirk J; Õunap, Katrin

    2017-06-01

    Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are caused by defective glycosylation of proteins and lipids. PMM2-CDG is the most common subtype among the CDG. The severity of PMM2-CDG is variable. Patients often have a recognizable phenotype with neurological and multisystem symptoms that might cause early death. We report six patients from three families who are diagnosed with a clinically mild PMM2-CDG and have normal cognitive development. All these patients had delayed gross motor skills with mild-to-moderate neurological findings. Cerebellar hypoplasia was detected in all siblings for whom brain MRI was performed. In 5/6 children the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) showed normal cognitive development with full scale IQ scores ranging from borderline to average. Four patients were diagnosed with PMM2-CDG at the age of 8 years or later as their neurological symptoms were quite mild and they had been able to participate in regular school programs. We report patients with p.Val231Met/p.Arg239Trp and p.Ile120Thr/p.Gly228Cys genotypes which may cause milder variants of PMM2-CDG. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Radiation therapy for the treatment of feline advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cunha, S.C.S.; Corgozinho, K.B.; Ferreira, A.M.R; Carvalho, L.A.V.; Holguin, P.G.

    2014-01-01

    The efficacy of radiation therapy for feline advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma was evaluated. A full course radiation therapy protocol was applied to six cats showing single or multiple facial squamous cell carcinomas, in a total of seven histologically confirmed neoplastic lesions. Of the lesions, one was staged as T 1 , and six as T 4 according to WHO staging system of epidermal tumors. The animals were submitted to twelve radiation fractions of 4 Gy each, on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, and the equipment used was an orthovoltage unit. Energy used was 120 kV, 15 mA and 2 mm aluminum filter. The cats were evaluated during the treatment and 30 and 60 days after the end of the radiation therapy. In this study, 87% of the lesions had complete remission and 13% partial remission to the treatment. Side effects were considered mild according to Veterinary Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Toxicity criteria, and included erythema, epilation and rhinitis. Radiation Therapy was considered safe for feline cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, leading to mild side effects and can represent a good therapeutic option. (author)

  20. Estrogen replacement therapy, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulnard, Ruth A; Corrada, Marìa M; Kawas, Claudia H

    2004-09-01

    This article highlights the latest findings regarding estrogen replacement therapy in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment in women. Despite considerable evidence from observational studies, recent randomized clinical trials of conjugated equine estrogens, alone and in combination with progestin, have shown no benefit for either the treatment of established AD or for the short-term prevention of AD, mild cognitive impairment, or cognitive decline. Based on the evidence, there is no role at present for estrogen replacement therapy in the treatment or prevention of AD or cognitive decline, despite intriguing results from the laboratory and from observational studies. However, numerous questions remain about the biologic effects of estrogens on brain structure and function. Additional basic and clinical investigations are necessary to examine different forms and dosages of estrogens, other populations, and the relevance of timing and duration of exposure.