Suicidality and interrogative suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Pritchard-Boone, Lea; Range, Lillian M

2005-01-01

All people are subject to memory suggestibility, but suicidal individuals may be especially so. The link between suicidality and suggestibility is unclear given mixed findings and methodological weaknesses of past research. To test the link between suicidality and interrogative suggestibility, 149 undergraduates answered questions about suicidal thoughts and reasons for living, and participated in a direct suggestibility procedure. As expected, suggestibility correlated with suicidality but accounted for little overall variance (4%). Mental health professionals might be able to take advantage of client suggestibility by directly telling suicidal persons to refrain from suicidal thoughts or actions.

Mindfulness, Eating Behaviours, and Obesity: A Review and Reflection on Current Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantzios, Michail; Wilson, Janet Clare

2015-03-01

Mindfulness and mindful eating have become popular in recent years. In this review, we first explore what mindfulness is in the context of psychological research, and why it offers promise for eating behaviours and weight loss. Second, we review the main empirical findings for weight loss in mindfulness-based intervention programmes. Third, contradictions in the findings are explored in more depth, and suggestions are made regarding why they may be occurring. Fourth, the benefits of adding self-compassion (and compassion) training to mindfulness practise to assist weight loss is discussed. Finally, the limitations of the research literature (and possible solutions) are explored. Overall, it is concluded that while mindfulness meditations that specifically focus on eating may be extremely helpful in promoting better eating behaviours, and assist in weight regulation, work is still needed to make such interventions appeal to a wider audience.

CT findings suggesting anastomotic leak and predicting the recovery period following gastric surgery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Tae Ho; Kim, Jung Hoon; Shin, Cheong-Il; Kim, Se Hyung; Han, Joon Koo; Choi, Byung Ihn [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-07-15

To assess diagnostic performance of routine CT for detecting anastomotic leak after gastric surgery, and analyse the relationship between recovery period and CT findings. We included 179 patients who underwent immediate CT and fluoroscopy after gastric surgery. Two reviewers retrospectively rated the possibility of leak on CT using a five-point scale focused on predefined CT findings. They also evaluated CT findings. Patients were categorised as: Group I, leak on fluoroscopy; Group II, possible leak on CT but negative on fluoroscopy; Group III, no leak. We analysed the relationship between recovery period and group. Area under the curve for detecting leak on CT was 0.886 in R1 and 0.668 in R2 with moderate agreement (k = 0.482). Statistically common CT findings for leak included discontinuity, large amount of air-fluid and wall thickening at anastomosis site (p < 0.05). Discontinuity at anastomosis site and a large air-fluid collection were independently associated with leak (p < 0.05). The recovery period including hospitalisation and postoperative fasting period was longer in Group I than Group II or III (p < 0.05). Group II showed a longer recovery period than Group III (p < 0.05). Postoperative routine CT was useful for predicting anastomotic leak using specific findings, and for predicting length of recovery period. (orig.)

A remarkable finding that suggests the existence of a new groundwater biome based on chemoautotrophic resources, named

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ştefan Negrea

2009-01-01

Full Text Available An important work of subterranean biology, signed by Francis Dov Por, Ophel: a groundwater biome based on chemoautotrophic resources. The global significance of the Ayyalon cave finds, Israel is presented and discussed in the present paper. The subject is a remarkable discovery suggesting the existence of a new aquatic subterranean biome autonomous energy based the author calls Ophel, the Hebrew word for “darkness” and “netherworld”. For F.D. Por, this biome links different marine chemosynthetic ecosystems in a global biospheric entity. Finally, F.D. POR hypothesizes on the existence of three overlapped biospheres: the bacteriosphere in the depths of the planet’s crust, which does not require light or oxygen; the aphotic, subterranean deuterobiosphere, formed of bacterial chemosynthesis based eukaryotes and limited-supplied dissolved oxygen from above-ground; the above-ground eubiosphere, based on aerobic photosynthesis. I would like to emphasize that, at my suggestion, Prof. Dr. F.D. Por participated at the 18th International Symposium of Biospeleology from Cluj-Napoca (Romania at 10th to 15th July 2006 where he mentioned for the first time orally some data on the Ayyalon Cave and the Ophel biome.

Hepatic encephalopathy. Imaging Findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrillo, Maria Claudia; Bermudez Munoz, Sonia; J Morillo, Anibal

2007-01-01

Hepatic encephalopathy occurs in patients with chronic hepatic insufficiency and can produce abnormalities in the central nervous system, which can be observed in MRI studies. Traditionally, these imaging findings include symmetrical hyper intensities in T1-weighted sequences in the basal ganglia (mainly globus pallidus), involving also the substantia nigra, mesencephalic tegmentum, frontal and occipital cortex. These areas appear of normal intensity in T2-weighted imaging sequences. Other entities that can lead to similar findings include manganese intoxication and type-1 neurofibromatosis. Currently, with the advent of MR spectroscopy, abnormalities in patients with clinical and subclinical hepatic encephalopathy have been described. After hepatic transplantation, hyper intensities of the basal ganglia and the MR spectroscopic findings may disappear within 3 months to 1 year, suggesting a functional, more than a structural damage. This article will demonstrate the MR findings of patients with hepatic encephalopathy due to chronic hepatic insufficiency.

Children's suggestibility research: Things to know before interviewing a child

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia Courtney Hritz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Children's testimony is often the only evidence of alleged abuse. Thus, the importance of conducting forensic interviews that are free from bias and misleading information is immense, as these could lead to false reports. In the current paper, we review unexpected findings in children's suggestibility that illustrate the difficulty in distinguishing between false and accurate reports. We explore situations in which a younger person's memory account may be more accurate than that of an adult, when a single suggestive interview may be as detrimental as multiple interviews, and when children can make inaccurate reports spontaneously. We conclude with recommendations for interviewers to decrease false reporting by both children and adults.

Perinatal pathology: practice suggestions for limited-resource settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Drucilla J

2013-06-01

The practice of perinatal pathology in much of the world suffers, as do all subspecialties of anatomic pathology, from inadequate resources (equipment, consumables, and both professional and technical personnel), from lack of education (not only of the pathologist but also of the clinicians responsible for sending the specimens, and the technicians processing the specimens), and from lack of appropriate government sector support. Perinatal pathology has significant public health-related utility and should be championing its service by providing maternal and fetal/infant mortality and morbidity data to governmental health ministries. It is with this pathologic data that informed decisions can be made on health-related courses of action and allocation of resources. These perinatal pathology data are needed to develop appropriate public health initiatives, specifically toward achieving the Millennium Developmental Goals as the best way to effectively decrease infant and maternal deaths and to determine causes of perinatal mortality and morbidity. The following overview will focus on the utility of perinatal pathology specifically as related to its public health function and will suggest methods to improve its service in resource-poor settings. This article is offered not as a critique of the current practice that most pathologists find themselves working in globally, but to provide suggestions for improving perinatal pathology services, which could be implemented with the limited available resources and manpower most pathology departments currently have. In addition, we offer suggestions for graded improvements ("ramping up") over time.

Aerobic Fitness Linked to Cortical Brain Development in Adolescent Males: Preliminary Findings Suggest a Possible Role of BDNF Genotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Herting, Megan M; Keenan, Madison F; Nagel, Bonnie J

2016-01-01

Aerobic exercise has been shown to impact brain structure and cognition in children and adults. Exercise-induced activation of a growth protein known as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is thought to contribute to such relationships. To date, however, no study has examined how aerobic fitness relates to cortical brain structure during development and if BDNF genotype moderates these relationships. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FreeSurfer, the current study examined how aerobic fitness relates to volume, thickness, and surface area in 34 male adolescents, 15 to 18 years old. Moreover, we examined if the val66met BDNF genotype moderated these relationships. We hypothesized that aerobic fitness would relate to greater thickness and volumes in frontal, parietal, and motor regions, and that these relationships would be less robust in individuals carrying a Met allele, since this genotype leads to lower BDNF expression. We found that aerobic fitness positively related to right rostral middle frontal cortical volume in all adolescents. However, results also showed BDNF genotype moderated the relationship between aerobic fitness and bilateral medial precuneus surface area, with a positive relationship seen in individuals with the Val/Val allele, but no relationship detected in those adolescents carrying a Met allele. Lastly, using self-reported levels of aerobic activity, we found that higher-fit adolescents showed larger right medial pericalcarine, right cuneus and left precuneus surface areas as compared to their low-fit peers. Our findings suggest that aerobic fitness is linked to cortical brain development in male adolescents, and that more research is warranted to determine how an individual's genes may influence these relationships.

Aerobic Fitness Linked to Cortical Brain Development in Adolescent Males: Preliminary Findings Suggest a Possible Role of BDNF Genotype

Science.gov (United States)

Herting, Megan M.; Keenan, Madison F.; Nagel, Bonnie J.

2016-01-01

Aerobic exercise has been shown to impact brain structure and cognition in children and adults. Exercise-induced activation of a growth protein known as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is thought to contribute to such relationships. To date, however, no study has examined how aerobic fitness relates to cortical brain structure during development and if BDNF genotype moderates these relationships. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FreeSurfer, the current study examined how aerobic fitness relates to volume, thickness, and surface area in 34 male adolescents, 15 to 18 years old. Moreover, we examined if the val66met BDNF genotype moderated these relationships. We hypothesized that aerobic fitness would relate to greater thickness and volumes in frontal, parietal, and motor regions, and that these relationships would be less robust in individuals carrying a Met allele, since this genotype leads to lower BDNF expression. We found that aerobic fitness positively related to right rostral middle frontal cortical volume in all adolescents. However, results also showed BDNF genotype moderated the relationship between aerobic fitness and bilateral medial precuneus surface area, with a positive relationship seen in individuals with the Val/Val allele, but no relationship detected in those adolescents carrying a Met allele. Lastly, using self-reported levels of aerobic activity, we found that higher-fit adolescents showed larger right medial pericalcarine, right cuneus and left precuneus surface areas as compared to their low-fit peers. Our findings suggest that aerobic fitness is linked to cortical brain development in male adolescents, and that more research is warranted to determine how an individual’s genes may influence these relationships. PMID:27445764

Selective mutism: an update and suggestions for future research.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Samantha; Beidel, Deborah C

2011-08-01

Speculation continues regarding the accurate classification of selective mutism and potential etiologic factors. Current research has shed some light on several factors that may predispose some children to this disorder, but conclusions are difficult to draw due to reliance on subjective measures, few comparison groups, and/or limited theoretical grounding. This article provides an update on recent efforts to elucidate the etiologic pathways of selective mutism and on the current debate regarding its strong overlap with anxiety disorders, most notably social phobia. An additional attempt is made to examine findings based on a developmental perspective that accounts for multiple pathways, context, and the developmental stage of the child. Emotion regulation theory is offered as a potential factor in why some children may be more vulnerable to the etiologic factors described. Suggestions for future research are offered based on this integration of information.

Autolysis: a plausible finding suggestive of long ESD procedure time.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun, Jong Jin; Chun, Hoon Jai; Keum, Bora; Seo, Yeon Seok; Kim, Yong Sik; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Lee, Hong Sik; Um, Soon Ho; Kim, Chang Duck; Ryu, Ho Sang; Chae, Yang-Seok

2012-04-01

Autolysis is the enzymatic digestion of cells by the action of its own enzymes, and it mostly occurs in dying or dead cells. It has previously been suggested that prolonged procedure time could lead to autolytic changes from the periphery of the endoscopic submucosal dissection specimens. Recently, the authors have experienced a case of autolysis; due to the presence of ulcer, fibrosis, and frequent bleeding from the cut surface, it took 6 hours to complete the resection. More than halfway through the resection; bluish purple discoloration of the part of the dissected flap where the dissection was initiated was noticed. Histologic examination of this site showed diffuse distortion of epithelial lining and cellular architectures along with loss of cell components, compatible with autolysis. Because autolysis could theoretically pose a potential problem regarding the evaluation of resection margin, endoscopists and pathologists should communicate with each other for a reliable pathologic decision.

Portuguese adaptation of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS1 and GSS2): empirical findings

OpenAIRE

Pires, Rute; Silva, Danilo R.; Ferreira, Ana Sousa

2012-01-01

In study 1 (n = 51, M age = 21.4 years, SD = 5.7), the validity of the Portuguese adaptation of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (Pires, 2011) was shown through the comparison of means of the original (Gudjonsson, 1997) and the translated scales and the analysis of the correlations between the GSS1 and GSS2 scores. The relationships between interrogative suggestibility and the big five were also addressed and the results point to independence between suggestibility and personality, which ...

The effect of posthypnotic suggestion, hypnotic suggestibility, and goal intentions on adherence to medical instructions.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Claudia; Mazzoni, Giuliana; Kirsch, Irving; Meo, Maria; Santandrea, Maura

2008-04-01

The effects of implementation intentions and posthypnotic suggestion were investigated in 2 studies. In Experiment 1, participants with high levels of hypnotic suggestibility were instructed to take placebo pills as part of an investigation of how to best enhance compliance with medical instruction. In Experiment 2, participants with high, medium, and low levels of hypnotic suggestibility were asked to run in place, take their pulse rate before, and send an e-mail report to the experimenter each day. Experiment 1 revealed enhanced adherence as a function of both implementation intentions and posthypnotic suggestion. Experiment 2 failed to find any significant main effects but found a significant interaction between suggestibility and the effects of posthypnotic suggestion. Posthypnotic suggestion enhanced adherence among high suggestible participants but lowered it among low suggestibles.

Neuroimaging studies of aggressive and violent behavior: current findings and implications for criminology and criminal justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bufkin, Jana L; Luttrell, Vickie R

2005-04-01

With the availability of new functional and structural neuroimaging techniques, researchers have begun to localize brain areas that may be dysfunctional in offenders who are aggressive and violent. Our review of 17 neuroimaging studies reveals that the areas associated with aggressive and/or violent behavioral histories, particularly impulsive acts, are located in the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal regions. These findings are explained in the context of negative emotion regulation, and suggestions are provided concerning how such findings may affect future theoretical frameworks in criminology, crime prevention efforts, and the functioning of the criminal justice system.

Why do generic drugs fail to achieve an adequate market share in Greece? Empirical findings and policy suggestions.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasopoulos, T; Charonis, A; Athanasakis, K; Kyriopoulos, J; Pavi, E

2017-03-01

Since 2010, the memoranda of understanding were implemented in Greece as a measure of fiscal adjustment. Public pharmaceutical expenditure was one of the main focuses of this implementation. Numerous policies, targeted on pharma spending, reduced the pharmaceutical budget by 60.5%. Yet, generics' penetration in Greece remained among the lowest among OECD countries. This study aims to highlight the factors that affect the perceptions of the population on generic drugs and to suggest effective policy measures. The empirical analysis is based on a national cross-sectional survey that was conducted through a sample of 2003 individuals, representative of the general population. Two ordinal logistic regression models were constructed in order to identify the determinants that affect the respondents' beliefs on the safety and the effectiveness of generic drugs. The empirical findings presented a positive and statistically significant correlation with income, bill payment difficulties, safety and effectiveness of drugs, prescription and dispensing preferences and the views toward pharmaceutical companies. Also, age and trust toward medical community have a positive and statistically significant correlation with the perception on the safety of generic drugs. Policy interventions are suggested on the bases of the empirical results on 3 major categories; (a) information campaigns, (b) incentives to doctors and pharmacists and (c) to strengthen the bioequivalence control framework and the dissemination of results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with focal findings: caveats to current diagnostic criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Mader, Edward C.; El-Abassi, Rima; Villemarette-Pittman, Nicole R.; Santana-Gould, Lenay; Olejniczak, Piotr W.; England, John D.

2013-01-01

The clinical diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is largely based on the 1998 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. Unfortunately, rigid compliance with these criteria may result in failure to recognize sporadic CJD (sCJD), especially early in its course when focal findings predominate and traditional red flags are not yet present. A 61-year-old man presented with a 3-week history of epilepsia partialis continua (jerking of the left upper extremity) and a 2-week history of forgetfulness and left hemiparesis; left hemisensory neglect was also detected on admission. Repeated brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed areas of restricted diffusion in the cerebral cortex, initially on the right but later spreading to the left. Electroence-phalography (EEG) on hospital days 7, 10, and 14 showed right-sided periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. On day 20, the EEG showed periodic sharp wave complexes leading to a diagnosis of probable sCJD and subsequently to definite sCJD with brain biopsy. Neurological decline was relatively fast with generalized myoclonus and akinetic mutism developing within 7 weeks from the onset of illness. CJD was not immediately recognized because of the patient's focal/lateralized manifestations. Focal/lateralized clinical, EEG, and MRI findings are not uncommon in sCJD and EEG/MRI results may not be diagnostic in the early stages of sCJD. Familiarity with these caveats and with the most current criteria for diagnosing probable sCJD (University of California San Francisco 2007, MRI-CJD Consortium 2009) will enhance the ability to recognize sCJD and implement early safety measures. PMID:23717780

Abnormal immune system development and function in schizophrenia helps reconcile diverse findings and suggests new treatment and prevention strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Anders, Sherry; Kinney, Dennis K

2015-08-18

Extensive research implicates disturbed immune function and development in the etiology and pathology of schizophrenia. In addition to reviewing evidence for immunological factors in schizophrenia, this paper discusses how an emerging model of atypical immune function and development helps explain a wide variety of well-established - but puzzling - findings about schizophrenia. A number of theorists have presented hypotheses that early immune system programming, disrupted by pre- and perinatal adversity, often combines with abnormal brain development to produce schizophrenia. The present paper focuses on the hypothesis that disruption of early immune system development produces a latent immune vulnerability that manifests more fully after puberty, when changes in immune function and the thymus leave individuals more susceptible to infections and immune dysfunctions that contribute to schizophrenia. Complementing neurodevelopmental models, this hypothesis integrates findings on many contributing factors to schizophrenia, including prenatal adversity, genes, climate, migration, infections, and stress, among others. It helps explain, for example, why (a) schizophrenia onset is typically delayed until years after prenatal adversity, (b) individual risk factors alone often do not lead to schizophrenia, and (c) schizophrenia prevalence rates actually tend to be higher in economically advantaged countries. Here we discuss how the hypothesis explains 10 key findings, and suggests new, potentially highly cost-effective, strategies for treatment and prevention of schizophrenia. Moreover, while most human research linking immune factors to schizophrenia has been correlational, these strategies provide ethical ways to experimentally test in humans theories about immune function and schizophrenia. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroimmunology in Health And Disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spin drift and spin diffusion currents in semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Idrish Miah, M [Nanoscale Science and Technology Centre and School of Biomolecular and Physical Sciences, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, QLD 4111 (Australia)], E-mail: m.miah@griffith.edu.au

2008-09-15

On the basis of a spin drift-diffusion model, we show how the spin current is composed and find that spin drift and spin diffusion contribute additively to the spin current, where the spin diffusion current decreases with electric field while the spin drift current increases, demonstrating that the extension of the spin diffusion length by a strong field does not result in a significant increase in spin current in semiconductors owing to the competing effect of the electric field on diffusion. We also find that there is a spin drift-diffusion crossover field for a process in which the drift and diffusion contribute equally to the spin current, which suggests a possible method of identifying whether the process for a given electric field is in the spin drift or spin diffusion regime. Spin drift-diffusion crossover fields for GaAs are calculated and are found to be quite small. We derive the relations between intrinsic spin diffusion length and the spin drift-diffusion crossover field of a semiconductor for different electron statistical regimes. The findings resulting from this investigation might be important for semiconductor spintronics.

Spin drift and spin diffusion currents in semiconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Idrish Miah

2008-01-01

Full Text Available On the basis of a spin drift-diffusion model, we show how the spin current is composed and find that spin drift and spin diffusion contribute additively to the spin current, where the spin diffusion current decreases with electric field while the spin drift current increases, demonstrating that the extension of the spin diffusion length by a strong field does not result in a significant increase in spin current in semiconductors owing to the competing effect of the electric field on diffusion. We also find that there is a spin drift-diffusion crossover field for a process in which the drift and diffusion contribute equally to the spin current, which suggests a possible method of identifying whether the process for a given electric field is in the spin drift or spin diffusion regime. Spin drift-diffusion crossover fields for GaAs are calculated and are found to be quite small. We derive the relations between intrinsic spin diffusion length and the spin drift-diffusion crossover field of a semiconductor for different electron statistical regimes. The findings resulting from this investigation might be important for semiconductor spintronics.

Spin drift and spin diffusion currents in semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idrish Miah, M

2008-01-01

On the basis of a spin drift-diffusion model, we show how the spin current is composed and find that spin drift and spin diffusion contribute additively to the spin current, where the spin diffusion current decreases with electric field while the spin drift current increases, demonstrating that the extension of the spin diffusion length by a strong field does not result in a significant increase in spin current in semiconductors owing to the competing effect of the electric field on diffusion. We also find that there is a spin drift-diffusion crossover field for a process in which the drift and diffusion contribute equally to the spin current, which suggests a possible method of identifying whether the process for a given electric field is in the spin drift or spin diffusion regime. Spin drift-diffusion crossover fields for GaAs are calculated and are found to be quite small. We derive the relations between intrinsic spin diffusion length and the spin drift-diffusion crossover field of a semiconductor for different electron statistical regimes. The findings resulting from this investigation might be important for semiconductor spintronics.

Bow Shock Generator Current Systems: MMS Observations of Possible Current Closure

Science.gov (United States)

Hamrin, M.; Gunell, H.; Lindkvist, J.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Ergun, R. E.; Giles, B. L.

2018-01-01

We use data from the first two dayside seasons of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to study current systems associated with quasi-perpendicular bow shocks of generator type. We have analyzed 154 MMS bow shock crossings near the equatorial plane. We compute the current density during the crossings and conclude that the component perpendicular to the shock normal (J⊥) is consistent with a pileup of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) inside the magnetosheath. For predominantly southward IMF, we observe a component Jn parallel (antiparallel) to the normal for GSM Y > 0 (MMS probing region. For IMF clock angles near 90∘, we find indications of the current system being tilted toward the north-south direction, obtaining a significant Jz component, and we suggest that the current closes off the equatorial plane at higher latitudes where the spacecraft are not probing. The observations are complicated for several reasons. For example, variations in the solar wind and the magnetospheric currents and loads affect the closure, and Jn is distributed over large regions, making it difficult to resolve inside the magnetosheath proper.

High-Percentage Pathological Findings in Obese Patients Suggest that Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy Should Be Made Mandatory Prior to Bariatric Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Silva, Mizelle; Bhasker, Aparna Govil; Kantharia, Nimisha S; Lakdawala, Muffazal

2018-04-21

ᅟ: Obesity is a global epidemic and will soon become the number one priority in healthcare management. Bariatric surgery causes a significant improvement in obesity and its related complications. Pre-operative esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) is done by several bariatric surgical teams across the world but is still not mandatory. To study the percentage of symptomatic and asymptomatic pathological EGD findings in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and to analyze whether these findings influence the eventual choice of bariatric surgery. All patients posted for bariatric surgery at our institute from January 2015 to March 2017 had a pre-operative EGD done by the same team of endoscopists. In this study, totally, 675 patients were assessed prior to routine bariatric surgery. 78.52% of all pre-operative patients had an abnormal EGD. The most common endoscopic abnormalities found were hiatus hernia (52.44%), gastritis (46.22%), presence of Helicobacter (H.) pylori (46.67%), reflux esophagitis (16.89%), Barrett's esophagus (1.78%), gastric erosions (13.19%), and polyps (7.41%). Fifty patients had upper gastrointestinal polyps: 41 in the stomach, 3 in the esophagus, and 6 in the duodenum, mostly benign hyperplastic or inflammatory polyps. Two patients had gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), 6 leiomyoma, and 6 neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Of those with endoscopic evidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 70 (60.03%) of patients were asymptomatic. The pre-operative EGD findings resulted in a change of the planned surgical procedure in 67 (9.93%) patients. Our study suggests that a large percentage of patients undergoing bariatric surgery have pathologically significant endoscopic findings of which a significant number are asymptomatic; this can lead to a change in the planned bariatric procedure in a section of patients; hence, we believe that EGD should be made mandatory as a pre-operative investigation in all bariatric surgery patients.

Immediate CT findings following embolization of cerebral aneurysms: suggestion of blood-brain barrier or vascular permeability change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baik, Seung Kug; Kim, Yong Sun; Lee, Hui Jung; Kim, Gab Chul; Park, Jaechan

2008-01-01

Although endovascular techniques are widely used for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, the immediate postprocedural brain CT findings have not been reported. Therefore, in the present study we assessed the immediate postprocedural brain CT findings following the uneventful coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms. Included in the study were 59 patients with 61 cerebral aneurysms after uncomplicated coil embolization. Acute subarachnoid hemorrhage was present with 32 of the 61 aneurysms. All patients underwent a brain CT scan just before and within 2 h after the endovascular treatment. If the postprocedural CT scan revealed any new findings, a follow-up CT scan and/or MRI were performed within 24 h. The variables related to the abnormal CT findings were also evaluated. Among the 61 immediate brain CT scans, 26 (43%) showed abnormal findings, including cortical contrast enhancement (n=21, 34%), subarachnoid contrast enhancement (n=8, 13%), intraventricular contrast enhancement (n=5, 8%), and striatal contrast enhancement (n=2, 3%). Single or mixed CT findings were also seen. None of the 61 aneurysms was associated with new neurological symptoms after endovascular treatment, and all patients made an uneventful recovery. Abnormal findings were more likely to be found with lower body weight and with increased corrected amounts of contrast material and heparin (P<0.05). After uneventful endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms, the immediate brain CT findings can reveal various patterns of abnormal contrast enhancement. Recognizing the immediate brain CT findings is important, as they can mimic various diseases. (orig.)

The Influence of Judgment Calls on Meta-Analytic Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarrahi, Farid; Eisend, Martin

2016-01-01

Previous research has suggested that judgment calls (i.e., methodological choices made in the process of conducting a meta-analysis) have a strong influence on meta-analytic findings and question their robustness. However, prior research applies case study comparison or reanalysis of a few meta-analyses with a focus on a few selected judgment calls. These studies neglect the fact that different judgment calls are related to each other and simultaneously influence the outcomes of a meta-analysis, and that meta-analytic findings can vary due to non-judgment call differences between meta-analyses (e.g., variations of effects over time). The current study analyzes the influence of 13 judgment calls in 176 meta-analyses in marketing research by applying a multivariate, multilevel meta-meta-analysis. The analysis considers simultaneous influences from different judgment calls on meta-analytic effect sizes and controls for alternative explanations based on non-judgment call differences between meta-analyses. The findings suggest that judgment calls have only a minor influence on meta-analytic findings, whereas non-judgment call differences between meta-analyses are more likely to explain differences in meta-analytic findings. The findings support the robustness of meta-analytic results and conclusions.

Predicting the importance of current papers.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klavans, Richard (SciTech Strategies, Inc., Berwyn, PA); Boyack, Kevin W.

2005-01-01

This article examines how well one can predict the importance of a current paper (a paper that is recently published in the literature). We look at three factors--journal importance, reference importance and author reputation. Citation-based measures of importance are used for all variables. We find that journal importance is the best predictor (explaining 22.3% out of a potential 29.1% of the variance in the data), and that this correlation value varies significantly by discipline. Journal importance is a better predictor of citation in Computer Science than in any other discipline. While the finding supports the present policy of using journal impact statistics as a surrogate for the importance of current papers, it calls into question the present policy of equally weighting current documents in text-based analyses. We suggest that future researchers take into account the expected importance of a document when attempting to describe the cognitive structure of a field.

Interrogative suggestibility in opiate users.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, A; Edelmann, R J; Davis, P E

1996-09-01

The present study investigated interrogative suggestibility in opiate users. A group of patients undergoing a methadone detoxification programme in an in-patient drug treatment unit (Detox group, n = 21), and a group of residents who had come off drugs and were no longer suffering from withdrawal syndrome (Rehab group, n = 19) were compared on interrogative suggestibility and various other psychological factors. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with the Detox group having more physical and psychological problems, and a higher total suggestibility score in comparison with the Rehab group. These findings are discussed in relation to the context of police interrogations and the reliability of confessions made by suspects and witnesses dependent on opiates.

Current Status and Future Suggestions for Improving the Pharm. D Curriculum towards Clinical Pharmacy Practice in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Malhi, Saima Mahmood; Ajmal, Kiran; Shamim, Sumbul; Ata, Saniya; Farooq, Salman; Sharib, Syed Muhammad; Muntaha, Sidrat-ul

2017-01-01

Objectives & Background: Good curriculum is reflected as the backbone for standard universities to develop competitive professionals having great potential. Pharmacy education in Pakistan has gone through the same developmental stages as in other countries, but is still striving for improvement. In the present study, we want (i) to know the opinion on whether the current pharmacy curriculum requires any improvement in order to meet the training needs of pharmacy professionals regarding clinical knowledge and pharmacy practice; and (ii) to present some humble suggestions to decision-making authorities in order to improve it with respect to patient-focused programs (PFP). Methods: The study was conducted in two sessions. In first session, a questionnaire was distributed to pharmacy students of eight public/private sector universities of Karachi (N = 354) offering Pharm. D degrees. The second session dealt with the pharmacy teachers, deans, and practicing pharmacists in health care facilities (who are in any ways also related to academia), in order to take their opinions on and suggestions for the development of a better Pharm. D curriculum (N = 135). Results: Our results showed that 75.2% of respondents agree that the Pharm. D curriculum does not meet the international standards of practice, and 88.4% of respondents support the addition of more clinical aspects than industrial ones, as Pharm. D could be both clinically and industrially oriented, according to the needs of the Pakistani people. Furthermore, 80.2% of respondents are of the view that an apprenticeship should be included in last two years, while 88.4% demand a ‘paid residency program’ to facilitate the hospital, clinical and compounding areas of pharmacy. In addition, we also received a number of verbal suggestions for improving the Pharm. D curriculum being followed in Pakistan. Discussion & Conclusions: We conclude that our Pharm. D curriculum needs additions in terms of clinical practice by

Finding Silver Linings: A Preliminary Examination of Benefit Finding in Youth With Chronic Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Soltani, Sabine; Neville, Alex; Hurtubise, Karen; Hildenbrand, Aimee; Noel, Melanie

2018-04-01

Chronic pain is a pervasive condition in adolescence and is associated with significant psychological distress, functional disability, social isolation, and decreased quality of life for a subset of affected youth. There is a paucity of research examining potential resilience factors and adaptive processes in pediatric chronic pain. Benefit finding refers to the process of perceiving positive consequences in the face of adversity. Previous research on benefit finding in pediatric samples (e.g., oncology; acute injury) has yielded inconsistent results. This is the first study to examine this construct in youth with chronic pain. The objective of the current investigation was to extend previous research on benefit finding to adolescents with chronic pain and to assess relationships between benefit finding, internalizing mental health symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), pain outcomes (pain intensity and interference), and quality of life. Psychometrically sound self-report measures of benefit finding, anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms, pain intensity, pain interference, and quality of life were completed by 145 youth (67.4% female, Mage = 13.3 years, SD = 2.6), referred to a tertiary-level chronic pain program. Benefit finding was significantly correlated with internalizing mental health symptoms, pain outcomes, and quality of life. Further, benefit finding significantly predicted children's self-reported pain intensity, pain interference, and quality of life when controlling for age and sex. Findings suggest that benefit finding is associated with internalizing mental health symptoms, pain outcomes, and quality of life in youth with chronic pain. Future research examining this construct is warranted.

Drift in ocean currents impacts intergenerational microbial exposure to temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Doblin, Martina A; van Sebille, Erik

2016-05-17

Microbes are the foundation of marine ecosystems [Falkowski PG, Fenchel T, Delong EF (2008) Science 320(5879):1034-1039]. Until now, the analytical framework for understanding the implications of ocean warming on microbes has not considered thermal exposure during transport in dynamic seascapes, implying that our current view of change for these critical organisms may be inaccurate. Here we show that upper-ocean microbes experience along-trajectory temperature variability up to 10 °C greater than seasonal fluctuations estimated in a static frame, and that this variability depends strongly on location. These findings demonstrate that drift in ocean currents can increase the thermal exposure of microbes and suggests that microbial populations with broad thermal tolerance will survive transport to distant regions of the ocean and invade new habitats. Our findings also suggest that advection has the capacity to influence microbial community assemblies, such that regions with strong currents and large thermal fluctuations select for communities with greatest plasticity and evolvability, and communities with narrow thermal performance are found where ocean currents are weak or along-trajectory temperature variation is low. Given that fluctuating environments select for individual plasticity in microbial lineages, and that physiological plasticity of ancestors can predict the magnitude of evolutionary responses of subsequent generations to environmental change [Schaum CE, Collins S (2014) Proc Biol Soc 281(1793):20141486], our findings suggest that microbial populations in the sub-Antarctic (∼40°S), North Pacific, and North Atlantic will have the most capacity to adapt to contemporary ocean warming.

Hypnotic suggestibility predicts the magnitude of the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect in a non-hypnotic context.

Science.gov (United States)

Parris, Benjamin A; Dienes, Zoltan

2013-09-01

The present study investigated how the magnitude the word blindness suggestion effect on Stroop interference depended on hypnotic suggestibility when given as an imaginative suggestion (i.e. not post-hypnotic suggestion) and under conditions in which hypnosis was not mentioned. Hypnotic suggestibility is shown to be a significant predictor of the magnitude of the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect under these conditions. This is therefore the first study to show a linear relationship between the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect and hypnotic suggestibility across the whole hypnotizability spectrum. The results replicate previous findings showing that highs respond to the word blindness suggestion to a greater extent than lows but extend previous work by showing that the advantage for those higher on the hypnotizability spectrum occurs even in a non-hypnotic context. Negative attitudes about hypnosis may not explain the failure to observe similar effects of the word blindness suggestion in less hypnotizable individuals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recalling a witnessed event increases eyewitness suggestibility: the reversed testing effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Jason C K; Thomas, Ayanna K; Bulevich, John B

2009-01-01

People's later memory of an event can be altered by exposure to misinformation about that event. The typical misinformation paradigm, however, does not include a recall test prior to the introduction of misinformation, contrary to what real-life eyewitnesses encounter when they report to a 911 operator or crime-scene officer. Because retrieval is a powerful memory enhancer (the testing effect), recalling a witnessed event prior to receiving misinformation about it should reduce eyewitness suggestibility. We show, however, that immediate cued recall actually exacerbates the later misinformation effect for both younger and older adults. The reversed testing effect we observed was based on two mechanisms: First, immediate cued recall enhanced learning of the misinformation; second, the initially recalled details became particularly susceptible to interference from later misinformation, a finding suggesting that even human episodic memory may undergo a reconsolidation process. These results show that real-life eyewitness memory may be even more susceptible to misinformation than is currently envisioned.

Field and current amplification in the SSPX spheromak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, D.N. . hilld@llnl.gov; Bulmer, R.H.; Cohen, B.I.

2003-01-01

Results are presented from experiments relating to magnetic field generation and current amplification in the SSPX spheromak. The SSPX spheromak plasma is driven by DC coaxial helicity injection using a 2MJ capacitor bank. Peak toroidal plasma currents of up to 0.7MA and peak edge poloidal fields of 0.3T are produced; lower current discharges can be sustained up to 3.5msec. When edge magnetic fluctuations are reduced below 1% by driving the plasma near threshold, it is possible to produce plasmas with Te > 150eV, e >∼4% and core χ e ∼30m 2 /s. Helicity balance for these plasmas suggests that sheath dissipation can be significant, pointing to the importance of maximizing the voltage on the coaxial injector. For most operational modes we find a stiff relationship between peak spheromak field and injector current, and little correlation with plasma temperature, which suggests that other processes than ohmic dissipation may limit field amplification. However, slowing spheromak buildup by limiting the initial current pulse increases the ratio of toroidal current to injected current and points to new operating regimes with more favorable current amplification. (author)

State-of-the-art technologies, current opinions and developments, and novel findings: news from the field of histochemistry and cell biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Asan, Esther; Drenckhahn, Detlev

2008-12-01

Investigations of cell and tissue structure and function using innovative methods and approaches have again yielded numerous exciting findings in recent months and have added important data to current knowledge, inspiring new ideas and hypotheses in various fields of modern life sciences. Topics and contents of comprehensive expert reviews covering different aspects in methodological advances, cell biology, tissue function and morphology, and novel findings reported in original papers are summarized in the present review.

A study on the national safeguards system -Current status and suggested development-

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Wan Su; Kwack, Eun Ho; An, Jong Sung; Kim, Hyun Tae; Min, Kyung Sik; Park, Chan Sik

1995-03-01

In Korea, 17 nuclear facilities are currently under IAEA's safeguards and it is expected that more than 25 nuclear facilities will be under IAEA's safeguards in the year 2000 according to nuclear R and D and industry expansion. In connection with unlimited extension of NPT in 1995 and IAEA's measures to strengthen the safeguards like 'Programme 93+2', the international non-proliferation regime will be strengthened more and nuclear advanced countries will require the transparency and credibility of nuclear activities in recipient countries instead of transferring advanced nuclear technologies and nuclear material. In 1995, the Korean government had revised the Atomic Energy Law to control increasing nuclear facilities and nuclear material effectively and to establish international transparency and credibility. In the revised Atomic Energy Law, it is provided that the national inspection, other than IAEA inspection, will be started from 1996. Currently, necessary arrangements for national inspection are being prepared by MOST and TCNC at KAERI. However, the safeguards system in Korea is still beginning stage, Korea's safeguards activity was passive and fragmentary that leads non-attainment of safeguards goal in many facilities. The reasons were; absence of systematic safeguards system (SSAC); lack of understanding safeguards concepts; lack of manpower, designated organization for safeguards, etc. As Korea ranked world top 10 nuclear power generation country and has a plan to be a nuclear advanced country, Korea should have appropriate safeguards system and should not spare necessary assistance to that system. 14 tabs., 15 figs., 29 refs. (Author)

GROUP FINDING IN THE STELLAR HALO USING PHOTOMETRIC SURVEYS: CURRENT SENSITIVITY AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Sanjib; Johnston, Kathryn V.; Majewski, Steven R.; Bullock, James; Munoz, Ricardo R.

2011-01-01

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) provided the first deep and global photometric catalogs of stars in our halo and not only clearly mapped its structure but also demonstrated the ubiquity of substructure within it. Future surveys promise to push such catalogs to ever increasing depths and larger numbers of stars. This paper examines what can be learned from current and future photometric databases using group-finding techniques. We compare groups recovered from a sample of M-giants from 2MASS with those found in synthetic surveys of simulated ΛCDM stellar halos that were built entirely from satellite accretion events and demonstrate broad consistency between the properties of the two sets. We also find that these recovered groups are likely to represent the majority of high-luminosity (L > 5 x 10 6 L sun ) satellites accreted within the last 10 Gyr and on orbits with apocenters within 100 kpc. However, the sensitivity of the M-giant survey to accretion events that were either ancient from low-luminosity objects or those on radial orbits is limited because of the low number of stars, bias toward high-metallicity stars, and the shallow depth (distance explored only out to 100 kpc from the Sun). We examine the extent to which these limitations are addressed by current and future surveys, in particular catalogs of main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars from SDSS and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), and of RR Lyrae stars from LSST or PanSTARRS. The MSTO and RR Lyrae surveys are more sensitive to low-luminosity events (L ∼ 10 5 L sun or less) than the 2MASS M-giant sample. Additionally, RR Lyrae surveys, with superior depth, are also good at detecting events on highly eccentric orbits whose debris tends to lie beyond 100 kpc. When combined we expect these photometric surveys to provide a comprehensive picture of the last 10 Gyr of Galactic accretion. Events older than this are too phase mixed to be discovered. Pushing

A birth-death process suggested by a chain sequence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lenin, R.B.; Parthasarathy, P.R.

2000-01-01

We consider a birth-death process whose birth and death rates are suggested by a chain sequence. We use an elegant transformation to find the transition probabilities in a simple closed form. We also find an explicit expression for time-dependent mean. We find parallel results in discrete time.

Biomechanical findings in rats undergoing fascial reconstruction with graft materials suggested as an alternative to polypropylene.

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantinovic, M L; Ozog, Y; Spelzini, F; Pottier, C; De Ridder, D; Deprest, J

2010-03-01

Graft materials used for pelvic floor reinforcement should still be considered as investigational and, therefore, evaluated experimentally and within clinical trials. The present report describes our biomechanical findings in rats implanted with selected novel implant materials, which in recent years have been suggested as alternatives to plain polypropylene (PP) meshes. Full thickness abdominal wall defects were primarily repaired by the implant of interest. Experiments involved eight different implant materials: two partly degradable synthetic implants, that is, a hybrid of polyglactin 910 with PP (Vypro II) and collagen coated PP (Pelvitex); two non-cross linked (Surgisis, InteXēn LP) and two cross-linked materials (Pelvicol, Pelvisoft) and two porous modifications of InteXēn LP and Pelvicol implants. At different time points (7, 14, 30, and 90 days), the implants and surrounding host tissue (explant) were harvested and tensiometry was performed. Tensile strength and location of breakage were recorded. In general resorbable non-cross linked collagen matrices and porous materials were weaker after 90 days; similar behavior was seen for implant materials alone and their construction with the surrounding native tissue. Both non-porous and porous modification of InteXēn LP appeared at 90 days as a very thin layer of collagen that was two-thirds, respectively one-third of the initial thickness. In experimental conditions, sufficient strength was obtained only after 3 months, and PP containing constructs appeared as the strongest though reconstruction with Pelvicol showed comparable outcomes. Lower values for strength of non-cross linked and porous collagen materials are questioning their efficacy for pelvic floor reconstruction. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Preparing for the introduction of hospital autonomy in Laos: an assessment of current situation and suggestions for policy-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Jinsong; Yu, Hao; Chen, Yingyao

2016-04-01

The National Assembly of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) approved the Health Sector Reform Strategy in 2012, which called for an assessment as to whether Laos should introduce hospital autonomy, and if so, in which ways. The purpose of this study is to assess the status quo of hospital governance in Laos and propose policy suggestions for hospital autonomy in the country. We formulated an analytic framework for hospital autonomy based on previous work by other researchers, collected qualitative data through key informant interviews and focus group discussions, and also performed secondary data analysis. Public hospitals in Laos enjoyed some informal autonomy with little accountability and Laos is facing key challenges of hospital governance. As a result, introducing hospital autonomy in Laos could bring risks, benefits and debates. Before Laos decides on granting autonomy to its public hospitals, we strongly suggest that the government do pilot in selected public hospitals with well-regulated governance framework first and conduct rigorous evaluations to examine whether the granted autonomy leads to the intended social goals of equity, quality, efficiency and sustainability. We recommend residual claimants should be monitored by the government and by the society with open and transparent approach, and active measures should be taken to improve performance and ensure social functions. The study findings may also provide some suggestions for low- and middle-income countries, which are contemplating the introduction of hospital autonomy in the public sector. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leadership Theories--Managing Practices, Challenges, Suggestions

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Cheryl

2009-01-01

A shortage of community college executives due to the number of retirements occurring among current leaders is predicted. An examination of three leadership theories--servant-leadership, business leadership and transformational leadership--suggests techniques for potential community college leaders. Servant-leaders focus on the needs of their…

Cable Television Report and Suggested Ordinance.

Science.gov (United States)

League of California Cities, Sacramento.

Guidelines and suggested ordinances for cable television regulation by local governments are comprehensively discussed in this report. The emphasis is placed on franchising the cable operator. Seventeen legal aspects of franchising are reviewed, and an exemplary ordinance is presented. In addition, current statistics about cable franchising in…

ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICITS IN CAMEROON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edouard T. Djeutem

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Two approaches are used to analyze the sustainability of the current account deficits of Cameroon in order to find out whether current economic policies are sound enough to guarantee the country’ s financial solvency. The first uses a structural procedure to compare current account deficits relative to an optimal benchmark using the Campbell-Shiller’s methodology. The second uses a reduced form approach to test for intertemporal budget constraint through cointegration tests between imports and exports plus net transfer payments on foreign obligations. Our results suggest that the current account imbalances for Cameroon based on data from the period 1970-2002 are “excessive” and the deficits are currently unsustainable.

Climate Analogues Suggest Limited Potential for Intensification of Production on Current Croplands Under Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, T. A. M.; Mueller, C.; Elliott, J.; Deryng, D.; Folberth, C.; Olin, S.; Schmid, E.; Arneth, A.

2016-01-01

Climate change could pose a major challenge to efforts towards strongly increase food production over the coming decades. However, model simulations of future climate-impacts on crop yields differ substantially in the magnitude and even direction of the projected change. Combining observations of current maximum-attainable yield with climate analogues, we provide a complementary method of assessing the effect of climate change on crop yields. Strong reductions in attainable yields of major cereal crops are found across a large fraction of current cropland by 2050. These areas are vulnerable to climate change and have greatly reduced opportunity for agricultural intensification. However, the total land area, including regions not currently used for crops, climatically suitable for high attainable yields of maize, wheat and rice is similar by 2050 to the present-day. Large shifts in land-use patterns and crop choice will likely be necessary to sustain production growth rates and keep pace with demand.

Access to Bridge Employment: Who Finds and Who Does Not Find Work After Retirement?

Science.gov (United States)

Dingemans, Ellen; Henkens, Kène; Solinge, Hanna van

2016-08-01

Empirical studies on the determinants of bridge employment have often neglected the fact that some retirees may be unsuccessful in finding a bridge job. We present an integrative framework that emphasizes socioeconomic factors, health status, social context, and psychological factors to explain why some people fully retired after career exit, some participated in bridge jobs, while others unsuccessfully searched for one. Using Dutch panel data for 1,221 retirees, we estimated a multinomial logit model to explain participation in, and unsuccessful searches for, bridge employment. About 1 in 4 retirees participated in bridge employment after retirement, while 7% searched unsuccessfully for such work. Particularly those who experienced involuntary career exit were found to have a higher probability of being unsuccessful at finding bridge employment. The current study provides evidence for the impact of the social context on postretirement work and suggests a cumulative disadvantage in the work domain in later life. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Interrogative suggestibility, compliance and false confessions among prisoners and their relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudjonsson, G H; Sigurdsson, J F; Bragason, O O; Newton, A K; Einarsson, E

2008-07-01

Interrogative suggestibility and compliance are important psychological vulnerabilities during interrogation. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship of suggestibility and compliance with childhood and current symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Compliance has not been studied previously in relation to ADHD. A further aim was to investigate the relationship between ADHD and the reporting of having made a false confession to the police. The participants were 90 male prisoners, all of whom had completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility and Compliance Scales (GSS and GCS) within 10 days of admission to the prison. Childhood ADHD symptoms were screened by the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and current adult symptoms by the DSM-IV Checklist criteria for ADHD. Half of the prisoners (50%) were found on screening to meet criteria for ADHD in childhood and, of those, over half (60%) were either fully symptomatic or in partial remission of their symptoms. ADHD symptoms were found to be significantly associated with compliance, but not with suggestibility. The relationship with compliance was stronger (effect size) in relation to current than childhood symptoms. The ADHD symptomatic groups were significantly more likely to claim that they had made a false confession to the police in the past. The findings raise important questions about the potential vulnerability of adults with ADHD symptoms in terms of their ability to cope with interrogation.

"The internet is a mask": High School students' suggestions for preventing cyberbullying.

Science.gov (United States)

Parris, Leandra N; Varjas, Kris; Meyers, Joel

2014-08-01

Interactions through technology have an important impact on today's youth. While some of these interactions are positive, there are concerns regarding students engaging in negative interactions like cyberbullying behaviors and the negative impact these behaviors have on others. The purpose of the current study was to explore participant suggestions for both students and adults for preventing cyberbullying incidents. Forty high school students participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Participant experiences and perceptions were coded using constant comparative methods to illustrate ways in which students and adults may prevent cyberbullying from occurring within their school and community. Students reported that peers would benefit from increasing online security, as well as becoming more aware of their cyber-surroundings. Regarding adult-provided prevention services, participants often discussed that there is little adults can do to reduce cyberbullying. Reasons included the difficulties in restricting online behaviors or providing effective consequences. However, some students did discuss the use of in-school curricula while suggesting that adults blame people rather than technology as potential ways to prevent cyberbullying. Findings from the current study indicate some potential ways to improve adult efforts to prevent cyberbullying. These strategies include parent/teacher training in technology and cyberbullying, interventions focused more on student behavior than technology restriction, and helping students increase their online safety and awareness.

Intratumor heterogeneous distribution of 10B-compounds suggested by the radiobiological findings from in vivo mouse studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masunaga, S.; Ono, K.; Sakurai, Y.; Takagaki, M.; Kobayashi, T.; Kinashi, Y.; Akaboshi, M.; Akuta, K.

2000-01-01

After continuous labeling with or without 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), SCC VII tumor-bearing mice received one of the following treatments in vivo; 1) Tumor excision right after thermal neutron irradiation following sodium borocaptate- 10 B (BSH) or p-boronophenylalanine- 10 B (BPA) administration. 2) Tumor excision 5 min through 72 h after thermal neutron or γ-ray irradiation. 3) Determination of hypoxic fraction (HF) of implanted tumors by γ-ray test irradiation 5 min through 72 h after thermal neutron or γ-ray irradiation. 4) Determination of the tumor sensitivity to γ-rays 0-24 h after thermal neutron or γ-ray irradiation. The following results were obtained; 1) BSH and BPA sensitized quiescent (Q) and total (proliferating (P) + Q) tumor cells, respectively, and the use of 10 B-compound, especially BPA, widened the sensitivity difference between Q and total cells. 2) The use of 10 B-compound, especially BPA, increased the repair capacity from potentially lethal damage (PLDR) and induced PLDR pattern like post-γ-ray irradiation. 3) Reoxygenation after thermal neutron irradiation following 10 B-compound, especially BPA, administration occurred slowly, compared with after neutron irradiation only and looked like after γ-ray irradiation. 4) The use of 10 B-compound, especially BPA, promoted sublethal damage repair (SLDR) in total cells and the recruitment from Q to P state, compared with after thermal neutron irradiation alone. All these findings suggested the difficulty in distribution of 10 B-compound, especially BPA, in Q cells and the heterogeneity in intratumor distribution of 10 B-compound. (author)

Reconciling current approaches to blindsight

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Morten; Mogensen, Jesper

2015-01-01

After decades of research, blindsight is still a mysterious and controversial topic in consciousness research. Currently, many researchers tend to think of it as an ideal phenomenon to investigate neural correlates of consciousness, whereas others believe that blindsight is in fact a kind...... of degraded vision rather than "truly blind". This article considers both perspectives and finds that both have difficulties understanding all existing evidence about blindsight. In order to reconcile the perspectives, we suggest two specific criteria for a good model of blindsight, able to encompass all...

Career Path Suggestion using String Matching and Decision Trees

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Akshay; P. Panda, Supriya

2015-05-01

High school and college graduates seemingly are often battling for the courses they should major in order to achieve their target career. In this paper, we worked on suggesting a career path to a graduate to reach his/her dream career given the current educational status. Firstly, we collected the career data of professionals and academicians from various career fields and compiled the data set by using the necessary information from the data. Further, this was used as the basis to suggest the most appropriate career path for the person given his/her current educational status. Decision trees and string matching algorithms were employed to suggest the appropriate career path for a person. Finally, an analysis of the result has been done directing to further improvements in the model.

Co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems among homeless persons: Suggestions for research and practice

Science.gov (United States)

Polcin, Douglas L.

2016-01-01

Abstract Communities throughout the U.S. are struggling to find solutions for serious and persistent homelessness. Alcohol and drug problems can be causes and consequences of homelessness, as well as co-occurring problems that complicate efforts to succeed in finding stable housing. Two prominent service models exist, one known as “Housing First” takes a harm reduction approach and the other known as the “linear” model typically supports a goal of abstinence from alcohol and drugs. Despite their popularity, the research supporting these models suffers from methodological problems and inconsistent findings. One purpose of this paper is to describe systematic reviews of the homelessness services literature, which illustrate weaknesses in research designs and inconsistent conclusions about the effectiveness of current models. Problems among some of the seminal studies on homelessness include poorly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, inadequate measures of alcohol and drug use, unspecified or poorly implemented comparison conditions, and lack of procedures documenting adherence to service models. Several recent papers have suggested broader based approaches for homeless services that integrate alternatives and respond better to consumer needs. Practical considerations for implementing a broader system of services are described and peer-managed recovery homes are presented as examples of services that address some of the gaps in current approaches. Three issues are identified that need more attention from researchers: (1) improving upon the methodological limitations in current studies, (2) assessing the impact of broader based, integrated services on outcome, and (3) assessing approaches to the service needs of homeless persons involved in the criminal justice system. PMID:27092027

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions

OpenAIRE

Jarrar, Mu?taman; Rahman, Hamzah Abdul; Don, Mohammad Sobri

2015-01-01

Background and Objective: Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. Design: Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patie...

(18)F-FDG positron-emission tomography/computed tomography findings of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed tuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Yun-Jeong; Paeng, Jin Chul; Nam, Hyun-Yeol; Lee, Ji Sun; Lee, Sang-Min; Yoo, Chul-Gyu; Kim, Young Whan; Han, Sung Koo; Yim, Jae-Joon

2014-03-01

The presence of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed tuberculosis (TB) is one of the strongest risk factors for the subsequent development of active TB. We elucidated the metabolic activity of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT). This cross-sectional study included 63 participants with radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB and with available (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) measured in the lesions, the clinical characteristics, results of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) were analyzed. The SUVmax in old healed TB was 1.5 or higher among nine (14.3%) participants. Age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.46), history of previous TB (aOR, 60.43; 95% CI, 1.71-2131.65), and extent of the lesions (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.02-1.75) were associated with higher SUVmax. The positive rates for the TST and IGRA were not different between groups with and without increased FDG uptake. Increased FDG uptake on (18)F-FDG PET/CT was observed in a subset of patients with radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB. Given that the factors associated with increased FDG uptake are known risk factors for TB development, the possibility exists that participants with old healed TB lesions with higher SUV on (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans might be at higher risk for active TB.

Discovery and Use of Online Learning Resources: Case Study Findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie Miller Nelson

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Much recent research and funding have focused on building Internet-based repositories that contain collections of high-quality learning resources, often called ‘learning objects.’ Yet little is known about how non-specialist users, in particular teachers, find, access, and use digital learning resources. To address this gap, this article describes a case study of mathematics and science teachers’ practices and desires surrounding the discovery, selection, and use of digital library resources for instructional purposes. Findings suggest that the teacher participants used a broad range of search strategies in order to find resources that they deemed were age-appropriate, current, and accurate. They intended to include these resources with little modifications into planned instructional activities. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for improving the design of educational digital library systems, including tools supporting resource reuse.

Treating ADHD With Suggestion: Neurofeedback and Placebo Therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Thibault, Robert T; Veissière, Samuel; Olson, Jay A; Raz, Amir

2018-06-01

We propose that clinicians can use suggestion to help treat conditions such as ADHD. We use EEG neurofeedback as a case study, alongside evidence from a recent pilot experiment utilizing a sham MRI scanner to highlight the therapeutic potential of suggestion-based treatments. The medical literature demonstrates that many practitioners already prescribe treatments that hardly outperform placebo comparators. Moreover, the sham MRI experiment showed that, even with full disclosure of the procedure, suggestion alone can reduce the symptomatology of ADHD. Non-deceptive suggestion-based treatments, especially those drawing on accessories from neuroscience, may offer a safe complement and potential alternative to current standard of care for individuals with ADHD.

Hemispheric asymmetry of the sun suggested by the annual variation of the aa index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oksman, J.; Kataja, E.

1986-01-01

The annual variation of Mayaud's aa index has been discovered to exhibit unequal spring and fall maxima, the relative dominance of the two equinoxes varying in a quasiperiodic way. This finding suggests to us that one magnetic hemisphere of the sun might predominate slightly over the other for several years in succession, the dominance switching over in a quasiperiodic way. The result of this magnetic asymmetry of the sun would be a droop of the current sheet in the solar wind and a difference of the solar magnetic latitudes of the earth in the two equinoxes, resulting in an equinoctial asymmetry in the energy transfer from the solar wind into the magnetosphere and, consequently, in geomagnetic agitation. Comparison with other available pieces of evidence suggests that some non-reconnection mechanism, such as viscous interaction at the flanks of the magnetosphere, might play an important role in geomagnetic agitation

From Antarctica or Asia? New colonization scenario for Australian-New Guinean narrow mouth toads suggested from the findings on a mysterious genus Gastrophrynoides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Norhayati

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microhylidae is a geographically widespread family of anurans. Although several extensive molecular analyses have attempted to elucidate their subfamilial relationships, and correlate these with Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental drifts, consensus has not been reached. Further, generic level relationships have not been well investigated in some microhylid subfamilies, and therefore subfamilial affiliations of some genera are still unclear. To elucidate the phylogenetic positions of two mysterious Asian genera, Gastrophrynoides and Phrynella, and to better understand the trans-continental distributions of microhylid taxa, we performed molecular phylogenetic and dating analyses using the largest molecular dataset applied to these taxa to date. Results Six nuclear and two mitochondrial genes (approx. 8 kbp were sequenced from 22 microhylid frog species representing eight subfamilies. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses could not fully elucidate the subfamilial relationships, suggesting a rapid radiation of these taxa between 85 and 66 million years ago. In contrast, generic relationships of Asian microhylines were generally well resolved. Conclusion Our results clearly showed that one of two problematic Asian genera, Phrynella, was nested in the clade of the Asian subfamily Microhylinae. By contrast, Gastrophrynoides occupied the most basal position of the Australian-New Guinean subfamily Asterophryinae. The estimated divergence of Gastrophrynoides from other asterophryine was unexpectedly around 48 million years ago. Although a colonization scenario via Antarctica to the Australian-New Guinean landmass has been suggested for Asterophryinae, our finding suggested a novel colonization route via Indo-Eurasia.

“The Internet is a Mask”: High School Students' Suggestions for Preventing Cyberbullying

Science.gov (United States)

Parris, Leandra N.; Varjas, Kris; Meyers, Joel

2014-01-01

Introduction: Interactions through technology have an important impact on today's youth. While some of these interactions are positive, there are concerns regarding students engaging in negative interactions like cyberbullying behaviors and the negative impact these behaviors have on others. The purpose of the current study was to explore participant suggestions for both students and adults for preventing cyberbullying incidents. Methods: Forty high school students participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Participant experiences and perceptions were coded using constant comparative methods to illustrate ways in which students and adults may prevent cyberbullying from occurring within their school and community. Results: Students reported that peers would benefit from increasing online security, as well as becoming more aware of their cyber-surroundings. Regarding adult-provided prevention services, participants often discussed that there is little adults can do to reduce cyberbullying. Reasons included the difficulties in restricting online behaviors or providing effective consequences. However, some students did discuss the use of in-school curricula while suggesting that adults blame people rather than technology as potential ways to prevent cyberbullying. Conclusion: Findings from the current study indicate some potential ways to improve adult efforts to prevent cyberbullying. These strategies include parent/teacher training in technology and cyberbullying, interventions focused more on student behavior than technology restriction, and helping students increase their online safety and awareness. PMID:25157306

Preliminary findings demonstrating latent effects of early adolescent marijuana use onset on cortical architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca M. Filbey

2015-12-01

Conclusions: Divergent patterns between current MJ use and elements of cortical architecture were associated with early MJ use onset. Considering brain development in early adolescence, findings are consistent with disruptions in pruning. However, divergence with continued use for many years thereafter suggests altered trajectories of brain maturation during late adolescence and beyond.

Finding optimal exact reducts

KAUST Repository

AbouEisha, Hassan M.

2014-01-01

The problem of attribute reduction is an important problem related to feature selection and knowledge discovery. The problem of finding reducts with minimum cardinality is NP-hard. This paper suggests a new algorithm for finding exact reducts

Phylogenetic findings suggest possible new habitat and routes of infection of human eumyctoma.

Science.gov (United States)

de Hoog, G Sybren; Ahmed, Sarah A; Najafzadeh, Mohammad J; Sutton, Deanna A; Keisari, Maryam Saradeghi; Fahal, Ahmed H; Eberhardt, Ursala; Verkleij, Gerard J; Xin, Lian; Stielow, Benjamin; van de Sande, Wendy W J

2013-01-01

Eumycetoma is a traumatic fungal infection in tropical and subtropical areas that may lead to severe disability. Madurella mycetomatis is one of the prevalent etiologic agents in arid Northeastern Africa. The source of infection has not been clarified. Subcutaneous inoculation from plant thorns has been hypothesized, but attempts to detect the fungus in relevant material have remained unsuccessful. The present study aims to find clues to reveal the natural habitat of Madurella species using a phylogenetic approach, i.e. by comparison of neighboring taxa with known ecology. Four species of Madurella were included in a large data set of species of Chaetomium, Chaetomidium, Thielavia, and Papulaspora (n = 128) using sequences of the universal fungal barcode gene rDNA ITS and the partial LSU gene sequence. Our study demonstrates that Madurella species are nested within the Chaetomiaceae, a family of fungi that mainly inhabit animal dung, enriched soil, and indoor environments. We hypothesize that cattle dung, ubiquitously present in rural East Africa, plays a significant role in the ecology of Madurella. If cow dung is an essential factor in inoculation by Madurella, preventative measures may involve the use of appropriate footwear in addition to restructuring of villages to reduce the frequency of contact with etiologic agents of mycetoma. On the other hand, the Chaetomiaceae possess a hidden clinical potential which needs to be explored.

Integrative Analysis of Desert Dust Size and Abundance Suggests Less Dust Climate Cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Jasper F.; Ridley, David A.; Zhou, Qing; Miller, Ron L.; Zhao, Chun; Heald, Colette L.; Ward, Daniel S.; Albani, Samuel; Haustein, Karsten

2017-01-01

Desert dust aerosols affect Earths global energy balance through interactions with radiation, clouds, and ecosystems. But the magnitudes of these effects are so uncertain that it remains unclear whether atmospheric dust has a net warming or cooling effect on global climate. Consequently, it is still uncertain whether large changes in atmospheric dust loading over the past century have slowed or accelerated anthropogenic climate change, and the climate impact of possible future alterations in dust loading is similarly disputed. Here we use an integrative analysis of dust aerosol sizes and abundance to constrain the climatic impact of dust through direct interactions with radiation. Using a combination of observational, experimental, and model data, we find that atmospheric dust is substantially coarser than represented in current climate models. Since coarse dust warms global climate, the dust direct radiative effect (DRE) is likely less cooling than the 0.4 W m superscript 2 estimated by models in a current ensemble. We constrain the dust DRE to -0.20 (-0.48 to +0.20) W m superscript 2, which suggests that the dust DRE produces only about half the cooling that current models estimate, and raises the possibility that dust DRE is actually net warming the planet.

Photocurrent, Rectification, and Magnetic Field Symmetry of Induced Current Through Quantum Dots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

DiCarlo, L.; M. Marcus, C.; Harris jr, J.

2003-01-01

We report mesoscopic dc current generation in an open chaotic quantum dot with ac excitation applied to one of the shape-defining gates. For excitation frequencies large compared to the inverse dwell time of electrons in the dot (i.e., GHz), we find mesoscopic fluctuations of induced current...... that are fully asymmetric in the applied perpendicular magnetic field, as predicted by recent theory. Conductance, measured simultaneously, is found to be symmetric in field. In the adiabatic (i.e., MHz) regime, in contrast, the induced current is always symmetric in field, suggesting its origin is mesoscopic...

Combined RF current drive and bootstrap current in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, S. D.; Bers, A.; Ram, A. K.

1999-01-01

By calculating radio frequency current drive (RFCD) and the bootstrap current in a consistent kinetic manner, we find synergistic effects in the total noninductive current density in tokamaks [1]. We include quasilinear diffusion in the Drift Kinetic Equation (DKE) in order to generalize neoclassical theory to highly non-Maxwellian electron distributions due to RFCD. The parallel plasma current is evaluated numerically with the help of the FASTEP Fokker-Planck code [2]. Current drive efficiency is found to be significantly affected by neoclassical effects, even in cases where only circulating electrons interact with the waves. Predictions of the current drive efficiency are made for lower hybrid and electron cyclotron wave current drive scenarios in the presence of bootstrap current

Calcium Homeostasis Modulator 1-Like Currents in Rat Fungiform Taste Cells Expressing Amiloride-Sensitive Sodium Currents.

Science.gov (United States)

Bigiani, Albertino

2017-05-01

Salt reception by taste cells is still the less understood transduction process occurring in taste buds, the peripheral sensory organs for the detection of food chemicals. Although there is evidence suggesting that the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) works as sodium receptor, yet it is not clear how salt-detecting cells signal the relevant information to nerve endings. Taste cells responding to sweet, bitter, and umami substances release ATP as neurotransmitter through a nonvesicular mechanism. Three different channel proteins have been proposed as conduit for ATP secretion: pannexin channels, connexin hemichannels, and calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1) channels. In heterologous expression systems, these channels mediate outwardly rectifying membrane currents with distinct biophysical and pharmacological properties. I therefore tested whether also salt-detecting taste cells were endowed with these currents. To this aim, I applied the patch-clamp techniques to single cells in isolated taste buds from rat fungiform papillae. Salt-detecting cells were functionally identified by exploiting the effect of amiloride, which induces a current response by shutting down ENaCs. I looked for the presence of outwardly rectifying currents by using appropriate voltage-clamp protocols and specific pharmacological tools. I found that indeed salt-detecting cells possessed these currents with properties consistent with the presence, at least in part, of CALHM1 channels. Unexpectedly, CALHM1-like currents in taste cells were potentiated by known blockers of pannexin, suggesting a possible inhibitory action of this protein on CALMH1. These findings indicate that communication between salt-detecting cells and nerve endings might involve ATP release by CALMH1 channels. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Confidence Judgments in Children's and Adults' Event Recall and Suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Roebers, Claudia M.

2002-01-01

Three studies investigated the role of 8- and 10-year-olds' and adults' metacognitive monitoring and control processes for unbiased event recall tasks and suggestibility. Findings suggested strong tendencies to overestimate confidence regardless of age and question format. Children did not lack principal metacognitive competencies when questions…

Prostitution advertisements suggest association of transvestism and masochism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chivers, M; Blanchard, R

1996-01-01

Previous research and clinical observation have suggested that the sexual interest of many transvestites include involvement in sadomasochistic sexual acts. Through data gathered via prostitution advertisements in print media, we tested the hypothesis that prostitutes welcoming cross-dressing client would be primarily those describing themselves as dominant. The specialty of the prostitute was recorded by coding the advertisements for the presence or absence of the features of dominance, submissiveness, acceptance of cross-dressing clients, and whether the prostitute was a biological male presenting as a woman or quasi-woman. The findings showed that 20% of prostitutes describing themselves as dominant welcomed cross-dressing clients, whereas none of the other subgroups of prostitutes mentioned cross-dressing clients in their advertisements. These findings reinforce other lines of indirect evidence suggesting that, in heterosexual men, the presence of masochism increases the likelihood of transvestism, and vice versa.

A Novel Mutation on RAF1 in Association with Fetal Findings Suggestive of Noonan Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kneitel, Anna W; Norby, Audrey; Vettraino, Ivana; Treadwell, Marjorie C

2015-01-01

Noonan syndrome is a multisystem genetic disorder caused by genes encoding proteins involved in the RAS-MAPK pathway. Affected fetuses have variable presentations ranging from the absence of prenatal findings to increased nuchal fold, cystic hygromas, pleural effusions, cardiac malformations, or skin edema. We describe a male fetus who had features consistent with Noonan syndrome at the time of fetal anatomic survey, including hydrops and a possible cardiac defect. Subsequent scan revealed persistent bilateral pleural effusions (with predominance of lymphocytes). After bilateral thoracoamniotic shunt placement, the fetus did well and delivered at term. Prenatal testing revealed an S650F missense mutation in the RAF1 gene, which had not previously been associated with Noonan syndrome.

G-CSF in acute myocardial infarction - experimental and clinical findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ince, Hüseyin; Petzsch, Michael; Rehders, Tim C; Dunkelmann, Simone; Nienaber, Christoph A

2006-09-01

Early data from clinical studies suggest that intracoronary injection of autologous progenitor cells may beneficially affect postinfarction remodeling and perfusion. Beyond intracoronary infusion of autologous bone marrow mononuclear CD34+ cells (MNCCD34+), mobilization of stem cells by G-CSF has recently attracted attention because of various advantages such as the noninvasive nature of MNCCD34+ mobilization by subcutaneous injections. It is the aim of the present work to give an overview about the current experimental and clinical findings of G-CSF treatment in acute myocardial infarction.

Charge Exchange Contribution to the Decay of the Ring Current, Measured by Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs)

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, A. M.; Henderson, M. G.; Roelof, E. C.; Reeves, G. D.; Spence, H. E.

2001-01-01

In this paper we calculate the contribution of charge exchange to the decay of the ring current. Past works have suggested that charge exchange of ring current protons is primarily responsible for the decay of the ring current during the late recovery phase, but there is still much debate about the fast decay of the early recovery phase. We use energetic neutral atom (ENA) measurements from Polar to calculate the total ENA energy escape. To get the total ENA escape we apply a forward modeling technique, and to estimate the total ring current energy escape we use the Dessler-Parker-Sckopke relationship. We find that during the late recovery phase of the March 10, 1998 storm ENAs with energies greater than 17.5 keV can account for 75% of the estimated energy loss from the ring current. During the fast recovery the measured ENAs can only account for a small portion of the total energy loss. We also find that the lifetime of the trapped ions is significantly shorter during the fast recovery phase than during the late recovery phase, suggesting that different processes are operating during the two phases.

Imaging findings of sternal abnormalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franquet, T.; Gimenez, A.; Alegret, X.; Sanchis, E.; Rivas, A.

1997-01-01

Radiographic findings in the sternal abnormalities are often nonspecific, showing appearances from a localized benign lesion to an aggressive lesion as seen with infections and malignant neoplasms. A specific diagnosis of sternal abnormalities can be suggested on the basis of CT and MR characteristics. Familiarity with the presentation and variable appearance of sternal abnormalities may aid the radiologist is suggesting a specific diagnosis. We present among others characteristic radiographic findings of hemangioma, chondrosarcoma, hydatid disease, and SAPHO syndrome. In those cases in which findings are not specific, cross-sectional imaging modalities may help the clinician in their management. (orig.)

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarrar, Mu'taman; Abdul Rahman, Hamzah; Don, Mohammad Sobri

2015-10-20

Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety. The country health plan of Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and the MOH Malaysia Annual Reports were reviewed. The MOH has set four strategies for optimizing quality and sustaining quality of life. The 10th Malaysia Health Plan promotes the theme "1 Care for 1 Malaysia" in order to sustain the quality of care. Despite of these efforts, the total number of complaints received by the medico-legal section of the MOH Malaysia is increasing. The current global initiatives indicted that quality performance generally belong to three main categories: patient; staffing; and working environment related factors. There is no single intervention for optimizing quality of care to maintain patient safety. Multidimensional efforts and interventions are recommended in order to optimize the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia.

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Jarrar, Mu’taman; Rahman, Hamzah Abdul; Don, Mohammad Sobri

2016-01-01

Background and Objective: Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. Design: Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety. The country health plan of Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and the MOH Malaysia Annual Reports were reviewed. Results: The MOH has set four strategies for optimizing quality and sustaining quality of life. The 10th Malaysia Health Plan promotes the theme “1 Care for 1 Malaysia” in order to sustain the quality of care. Despite of these efforts, the total number of complaints received by the medico-legal section of the MOH Malaysia is increasing. The current global initiatives indicted that quality performance generally belong to three main categories: patient; staffing; and working environment related factors. Conclusions: There is no single intervention for optimizing quality of care to maintain patient safety. Multidimensional efforts and interventions are recommended in order to optimize the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. PMID:26755459

Echocardiographic Findings Suggestive of Infective Endocarditis in Asymptomatic Danish Injection Drug Users Attending Urban Injection Facilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsson, Anna; Søholm, Helle; Dalsgaard, Morten

2014-01-01

Injection drug users (IDUs) account for a considerable number of the hospitalizations for infective endocarditis (IE), but the prevalence of diagnosed and unrecognized IE in IDUs is unknown. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of valvular abnormalities suggestive of IE in IDUs...

Analysis on current limiting characteristics of a transformer type SFCL with two triggering current levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Sung-Hun; Ko, Seckcheol; Han, Tae-Hee

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We suggested the transformer type SFCL with two triggering current levels. ► The short-circuit tests for the suggested SFCL was executed. ► The fault angle as the fault conditions to verify its operation was selected. ► The usefulness of the suggested SFCL was confirmed through the short-circuit test. -- Abstract: In this paper, the transformer type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) with two triggering current levels was suggested and its current limiting characteristics were analyzed. The structure of the suggested transformer type SFCL with two triggering current levels largely consists of two parts. One is the transformer with two magnetically coupled coils, which correspond to the primary winding and the secondary one connected with one high-T C superconducting (HTSC) element. The other is third coil, or, another secondary winding with one HTSC element, which is wound on the same iron core together with two coils. This suggested transformer type SFCL can limit the fault current by generating its limiting impedance with two different amplitudes, which are dependent on the initial amplitude of the fault current in case of the fault occurrence. To confirm the usefulness of the proposed SFCL, the current limiting tests of the SFCL according to the fault angle, one of the effective fault conditions to affect the amplitude of the initial fault current, were carried out and its effective limiting operations were discussed

Enhancing business intelligence by means of suggestive reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Qazi, Atika; Raj, Ram Gopal; Tahir, Muhammad; Cambria, Erik; Syed, Karim Bux Shah

2014-01-01

Appropriate identification and classification of online reviews to satisfy the needs of current and potential users pose a critical challenge for the business environment. This paper focuses on a specific kind of reviews: the suggestive type. Suggestions have a significant influence on both consumers' choices and designers' understanding and, hence, they are key for tasks such as brand positioning and social media marketing. The proposed approach consists of three main steps: (1) classify comparative and suggestive sentences; (2) categorize suggestive sentences into different types, either explicit or implicit locutions; (3) perform sentiment analysis on the classified reviews. A range of supervised machine learning approaches and feature sets are evaluated to tackle the problem of suggestive opinion mining. Experimental results for all three tasks are obtained on a dataset of mobile phone reviews and demonstrate that extending a bag-of-words representation with suggestive and comparative patterns is ideal for distinguishing suggestive sentences. In particular, it is observed that classifying suggestive sentences into implicit and explicit locutions works best when using a mixed sequential rule feature representation. Sentiment analysis achieves maximum performance when employing additional preprocessing in the form of negation handling and target masking, combined with sentiment lexicons.

Reducing Current Spread using Current Focusing in Cochlear Implant Users

Science.gov (United States)

Landsberger, David M.; Padilla, Monica; Srinivasan, Arthi G.

2012-01-01

Cochlear implant performance in difficult listening situations is limited by channel interactions. It is known that partial tripolar (PTP) stimulation reduces the spread of excitation (SOE). However, the greater the degree of current focusing, the greater the absolute current required to maintain a fixed loudness. As current increases, so does SOE. In experiment 1, the SOE for equally loud stimuli with different degrees of current focusing is measured via a forward-masking procedure. Results suggest that at a fixed loudness, some but not all patients have a reduced SOE with PTP stimulation. Therefore, it seems likely that a PTP speech processing strategy could improve spectral resolution for only those patients with a reduced SOE. In experiment 2, the ability to discriminate different levels of current focusing was measured. In experiment 3, patients subjectively scaled verbal descriptors of stimuli of various levels of current focusing. Both discrimination and scaling of verbal descriptors correlated well with SOE reduction, suggesting that either technique have the potential to be used clinically to quickly predict which patients would receive benefit from a current focusing strategy. PMID:22230370

Critical current fluctuation in a microwave-driven Josephson junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Ning; Sun Guozhu; Wang Yiwen; Cao Junyu; Yu Yang; Chen Jian; Kang Lin; Xu Weiwei; Han Siyuan; Wu Peiheng

2007-01-01

Josephson junction devices are good candidates for quantum computation. A large energy splitting was observed in the spectroscopy of a superconducting Josephson junction. The presence of the critical current fluctuation near the energy splitting indicated coupling between the junction and a two-level system. Furthermore, we find that this fluctuation is microwave dependent. It only appears at certain microwave frequency. This relation suggested that the decoherence of qubits is influenced by the necessary computing operations

Quantitative Review Finds No Evidence of Cognitive Effects in Healthy Populations From Single-session Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Horvath, Jared Cooney; Forte, Jason D; Carter, Olivia

2015-01-01

Over the last 15-years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a relatively novel form of neuromodulation, has seen a surge of popularity in both clinical and academic settings. Despite numerous claims suggesting that a single session of tDCS can modulate cognition in healthy adult populations (especially working memory and language production), the paradigms utilized and results reported in the literature are extremely variable. To address this, we conduct the largest quantitative review of the cognitive data to date. Single-session tDCS data in healthy adults (18-50) from every cognitive outcome measure reported by at least two different research groups in the literature was collected. Outcome measures were divided into 4 broad categories: executive function, language, memory, and miscellaneous. To account for the paradigmatic variability in the literature, we undertook a three-tier analysis system; each with less-stringent inclusion criteria than the prior. Standard mean difference values with 95% CIs were generated for included studies and pooled for each analysis. Of the 59 analyses conducted, tDCS was found to not have a significant effect on any - regardless of inclusion laxity. This includes no effect on any working memory outcome or language production task. Our quantitative review does not support the idea that tDCS generates a reliable effect on cognition in healthy adults. Reasons for and limitations of this finding are discussed. This work raises important questions regarding the efficacy of tDCS, state-dependency effects, and future directions for this tool in cognitive research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neurocognitive Processes and Pediatric Obesity Interventions: Review of Current Literature and Suggested Future Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Alison L

2016-06-01

Childhood obesity is a significant problem in the United States, but current childhood obesity prevention approaches have limited efficacy. Self-regulation processes organize behavior to achieve a goal and may shape health behaviors and health outcomes. Obesity prevention approaches that focus on the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that underlie self-regulation early in life may therefore lead to better outcomes. This article reviews the development of executive functioning (EF), identifies influences on EF development, discusses aspects of EF relating to increased risk for childhood obesity, and considers how EF-weight associations may change across development. Implications for intervention are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hypnosis, suggestion, and suggestibility: an integrative model.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, Steven Jay; Laurence, Jean-Roch; Kirsch, Irving

2015-01-01

This article elucidates an integrative model of hypnosis that integrates social, cultural, cognitive, and neurophysiological variables at play both in and out of hypnosis and considers their dynamic interaction as determinants of the multifaceted experience of hypnosis. The roles of these variables are examined in the induction and suggestion stages of hypnosis, including how they are related to the experience of involuntariness, one of the hallmarks of hypnosis. It is suggested that studies of the modification of hypnotic suggestibility; cognitive flexibility; response sets and expectancies; the default-mode network; and the search for the neurophysiological correlates of hypnosis, more broadly, in conjunction with research on social psychological variables, hold much promise to further understanding of hypnosis.

Local physeal widening on MR imaging: an incidental finding suggesting prior metaphyseal insult

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laor, T.; Hartman, A.L.; Jaramillo, D.

1997-01-01

To offer a descriptive review which characterizes and evaluates the significance of local physeal widening, (cartilaginous signal extending from the physis into the adjacent metaphysis), identified on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MR images (recollected from exams performed between 1988 and 1995) of 31 metaphyses in 22 children where we recognized local physeal widening were examined retrospectively. These areas of physeal widening were evaluated for morphology, depth, location, signal intensity, and the coexistence of epiphyseal alterations. The characteristics of the signal abnormalities were correlated with the duration and type of any identifiable insult to the adjacent metaphysis, and with the development of growth disturbance. Twenty-six metaphyses had identifiable insults (19 single event and 7 sustained or repetitive). The widened physes were of focal tongue (n = 15), broad band (n 10), or mixed (n = 6) morphology. Most (n = 27) areas of widening were isointense with the physeal cartilage on all sequences. Subsequent growth disturbance was more likely when the metaphyseal insult was a single event rather than sustained or repetitive (P = 0.023), with focal tongues (P = 0.029), and with centrally located lesions (P = 0.030). In five cases, the adjacent epiphysis showed signal abnormalities; all developed growth disturbance. Histologic examinations available in two limbs confirmed that the MR findings represented extensions of hypertrophic physeal chondrocytes into the metaphysis. Incidentally observed local physeal widening in a growing bone may represent the imprint of a previous or ongoing interference with endochondral ossification from a prior metaphyseal insult, rather than a primary metaphyseal disorder. Single event insults, physeal widening of focal tongue morphology, central distribution in the metaphysis, and concomitant epiphyseal signal abnormalities on MR imaging are significant predictors of subsequent growth disturbance. (orig.). With 9

The current suggestions on amending the new Act on Combined Heat and Power Generation; Die aktuellen Vorschlaege zur Novellierung der Kraft-Waerme-Kopplungsgesetzes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamfried, D. [Lueneburg Univ. (Germany)

2007-10-15

In the contribution under consideration the author reports on current suggestions on amending the new Act on Combined Heat and Power Generation (KWKG). In particular, the design by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany) is interesting. The vote on the direct financial voting according to KWKG with the indirect instrument of emission trade underlines the denotation of the emission trade. Nevertheless, the design of the BMWi cannot be considered as a conclusive concept of the financial support. The emission trade does not offer sufficient financial terms of reference with respect to the extension of the KWKG. It has no control effects. The current version of the BMWi does not go beyond the valid rights decisively. The application of the 10 MW threshold results into an enormous retrogressive step in the financial support of the modernization of stock plants. There exists some reasons according to a continuing legal procedure. The expansion of the utilization of the combined heat and power generation in the production of electricity in the Federal Republic of Germany has a great potential in the reduction of emission of CO{sub 2}.

A debate on current eating disorder diagnoses in light of neurobiological findings: is it time for a spectrum model?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brooks Samantha

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sixty percent of eating disorders do not meet criteria for anorexia- or bulimia nervosa, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version 4 (DSM-IV. Instead they are diagnosed as ‘eating disorders not otherwise specified’ (EDNOS. Discrepancies between criteria and clinical reality currently hampering eating disorder diagnoses in the DSM-IV will be addressed by the forthcoming DSM-V. However, future diagnoses for eating disorders will rely on current advances in the fields of neuroimaging and genetics for classification of symptoms that will ultimately improve treatment. Discussion Here we debate the classification issues, and discuss how brain imaging and genetic discoveries might be interwoven into a model of eating disorders to provide better classification and treatment. The debate concerns: a current issues in the classification of eating disorders in the DSM-IV, b changes proposed for DSM-V, c neuroimaging eating disorder research and d genetic eating disorder research. Summary We outline a novel evidence-based ‘impulse control’ spectrum model of eating disorders. A model of eating disorders is proposed that will aid future diagnosis of symptoms, coinciding with contemporary suggestions by clinicians and the proposed changes due to be published in the DSM-V.

A debate on current eating disorder diagnoses in light of neurobiological findings: is it time for a spectrum model?

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Sixty percent of eating disorders do not meet criteria for anorexia- or bulimia nervosa, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version 4 (DSM-IV). Instead they are diagnosed as ‘eating disorders not otherwise specified’ (EDNOS). Discrepancies between criteria and clinical reality currently hampering eating disorder diagnoses in the DSM-IV will be addressed by the forthcoming DSM-V. However, future diagnoses for eating disorders will rely on current advances in the fields of neuroimaging and genetics for classification of symptoms that will ultimately improve treatment. Discussion Here we debate the classification issues, and discuss how brain imaging and genetic discoveries might be interwoven into a model of eating disorders to provide better classification and treatment. The debate concerns: a) current issues in the classification of eating disorders in the DSM-IV, b) changes proposed for DSM-V, c) neuroimaging eating disorder research and d) genetic eating disorder research. Summary We outline a novel evidence-based ‘impulse control’ spectrum model of eating disorders. A model of eating disorders is proposed that will aid future diagnosis of symptoms, coinciding with contemporary suggestions by clinicians and the proposed changes due to be published in the DSM-V. PMID:22770364

‘‘The Internet is a Mask’’: High School Students’ Suggestions for Preventing Cyberbullying

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandra N. Parris

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Interactions through technology have an important impact on today’s youth. While some of these interactions are positive, there are concerns regarding students engaging in negative interactions like cyberbullying behaviors and the negative impact these behaviors have on others. The purpose of the current study was to explore participant suggestions for both students and adults for preventing cyberbullying incidents. Methods: Forty high school students participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Participant experiences and perceptions were coded using constant comparative methods to illustrate ways in which students and adults may prevent cyberbullying from occurring within their school and community. Results: Students reported that peers would benefit from increasing online security, as well as becoming more aware of their cyber-surroundings. Regarding adult-provided prevention services, participants often discussed that there is little adults can do to reduce cyberbullying. Reasons included the difficulties in restricting online behaviors or providing effective consequences. However, some students did discuss the use of in-school curricula while suggesting that adults blame people rather than technology as potential ways to prevent cyberbullying. Conclusion: Findings from the current study indicate some potential ways to improve adult efforts to prevent cyberbullying. These strategies include parent/teacher training in technology and cyberbullying, interventions focused more on student behavior than technology restriction, and helping students increase their online safety and awareness.

Viewpoints of Nurses about Productivity and the Effects of Current Evaluation Process on it

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

nahid Dehghan Nayeri

2006-02-01

Findings: Nurses consider productivity both quantitatively (efficiency and qualitatively (effectiveness. But most of them think about productivity from qualitative view. They consider the effective care which they provide to patients. One of the factors facilitating or impeding productivity is evaluation. Effective evaluation can increase productivity, and current barriers impede nursing team productivity from their viewpoint. Conclusion: Effective evaluation can improve productivity. Thus, it is suggested that current evaluation process be revised extensively.

Enhancing Business Intelligence by Means of Suggestive Reviews

Science.gov (United States)

Qazi, Atika

2014-01-01

Appropriate identification and classification of online reviews to satisfy the needs of current and potential users pose a critical challenge for the business environment. This paper focuses on a specific kind of reviews: the suggestive type. Suggestions have a significant influence on both consumers' choices and designers' understanding and, hence, they are key for tasks such as brand positioning and social media marketing. The proposed approach consists of three main steps: (1) classify comparative and suggestive sentences; (2) categorize suggestive sentences into different types, either explicit or implicit locutions; (3) perform sentiment analysis on the classified reviews. A range of supervised machine learning approaches and feature sets are evaluated to tackle the problem of suggestive opinion mining. Experimental results for all three tasks are obtained on a dataset of mobile phone reviews and demonstrate that extending a bag-of-words representation with suggestive and comparative patterns is ideal for distinguishing suggestive sentences. In particular, it is observed that classifying suggestive sentences into implicit and explicit locutions works best when using a mixed sequential rule feature representation. Sentiment analysis achieves maximum performance when employing additional preprocessing in the form of negation handling and target masking, combined with sentiment lexicons. PMID:25054188

Enhancing Business Intelligence by Means of Suggestive Reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atika Qazi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Appropriate identification and classification of online reviews to satisfy the needs of current and potential users pose a critical challenge for the business environment. This paper focuses on a specific kind of reviews: the suggestive type. Suggestions have a significant influence on both consumers’ choices and designers’ understanding and, hence, they are key for tasks such as brand positioning and social media marketing. The proposed approach consists of three main steps: (1 classify comparative and suggestive sentences; (2 categorize suggestive sentences into different types, either explicit or implicit locutions; (3 perform sentiment analysis on the classified reviews. A range of supervised machine learning approaches and feature sets are evaluated to tackle the problem of suggestive opinion mining. Experimental results for all three tasks are obtained on a dataset of mobile phone reviews and demonstrate that extending a bag-of-words representation with suggestive and comparative patterns is ideal for distinguishing suggestive sentences. In particular, it is observed that classifying suggestive sentences into implicit and explicit locutions works best when using a mixed sequential rule feature representation. Sentiment analysis achieves maximum performance when employing additional preprocessing in the form of negation handling and target masking, combined with sentiment lexicons.

Axial U(1) current in Grabowska and Kaplan's formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hamada, Yu; Kawai, Hikaru

2017-06-01

Recently, Grabowska and Kaplan [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 211602 (2016); Phys. Rev. D 94, 114504 (2016)] suggested a nonperturbative formulation of a chiral gauge theory, which consists of the conventional domain-wall fermion and a gauge field that evolves by gradient flow from one domain wall to the other. We introduce two sets of domain-wall fermions belonging to complex conjugate representations so that the effective theory is a 4D vector-like gauge theory. Then, as a natural definition of the axial-vector current, we consider a current that generates simultaneous phase transformations for the massless modes in 4 dimensions. However, this current is exactly conserved and does not reproduce the correct anomaly. In order to investigate this point precisely, we consider the mechanism of the conservation. We find that this current includes not only the axial current on the domain wall but also a contribution from the bulk, which is nonlocal in the sense of 4D fields. Therefore, the local current is obtained by subtracting the bulk contribution from it.

Electric currents induced by twisted light in Quantum Rings.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinteiro, G F; Berakdar, J

2009-10-26

We theoretically investigate the generation of electric currents in quantum rings resulting from the optical excitation with twisted light. Our model describes the kinetics of electrons in a two-band model of a semiconductor-based mesoscopic quantum ring coupled to light having orbital angular momentum (twisted light). We find the analytical solution, which exhibits a "circular" photon-drag effect and an induced magnetization, suggesting that this system is the circular analog of that of a bulk semiconductor excited by plane waves. For realistic values of the electric field and material parameters, the computed electric current can be as large as microA; from an applied perspective, this opens new possibilities to the optical control of the magnetization in semiconductors.

Simple suggestions for including vertical physics in oil spill models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Asaro, Eric; University of Washington, Seatle, WA

2001-01-01

Current models of oil spills include no vertical physics. They neglect the effect of vertical water motions on the transport and concentration of floating oil. Some simple ways to introduce vertical physics are suggested here. The major suggestion is to routinely measure the density stratification of the upper ocean during oil spills in order to develop a database on the effect of stratification. (Author)

Infantile Refsum's disease: biochemical findings suggesting multiple peroxisomal dysfunction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poll-The, B. T.; Saudubray, J. M.; Ogier, H.; Schutgens, R. B.; Wanders, R. J.; Schrakamp, G.; van den Bosch, H.; Trijbels, J. M.; Poulos, A.; Moser, H. W.

1986-01-01

Infantile Refsum's disease was diagnosed in three male patients, presenting with facial dysmorphia, retinitis pigmentosa, neurosensory hearing loss, hepatomegaly, osteopenia and delayed growth and psychomotor development. An elevated plasma phytanic acid concentration and a deficient phytanic acid

Onsite-effects of dual-hemisphere versus conventional single-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yong Hyun; Jang, Sung Ho

2012-01-01

We performed functional MRI examinations in six right-handed healthy subjects. During functional MRI scanning, transcranial direct current stimulation was delivered with the anode over the right primary sensorimotor cortex and the cathode over the left primary sensorimotor cortex using dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. This was compared to a cathode over the left supraorbital area using conventional single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. Voxel counts and blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensities in the right primary sensorimotor cortex regions were estimated and compared between the two transcranial direct current stimulation conditions. Our results showed that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation induced greater cortical activities than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. These findings suggest that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation may provide more effective cortical stimulation than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. PMID:25624815

Monitoring the outcomes of interventions against Taenia solium: options and suggestions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lightowlers, M W; Garcia, H H; Gauci, C G; Donadeu, M; Abela-Ridder, B

2016-03-01

There is an increasing interest in reducing the incidence of human neurocysticercosis, caused by infection with the larval stage of Taenia solium. Several intervention trials are currently assessing various options for control of T. solium transmission. A critical aspect of these trials will be the evaluation of whether the interventions have been successful. However, there is no consensus about the most appropriate or valuable methods that should be used. Here, we undertake a critical assessment of the diagnostic tests which are currently available for human T. solium taeniasis and human and porcine cysticercosis, as well as their suitability for evaluation of intervention trial outcomes. Suggestions are made about which of the measures that are available for evaluation of T. solium interventions would be most suitable, and which methodologies are the most appropriate given currently available technologies. Suggestions are also made in relation to the most urgent research needs in order to address deficiencies in current diagnostic methods. © 2015 The Authors. Parasite Immunology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Study of graduate curriculum in the radiological science: problems and suggestions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Seong Jin; Kim, Hwa Gon; Kang, Se Sik; Park, Byeong Rae; Kim, Chang Soo

2006-01-01

Currently, Educational program of radiological science is developed in enormous growth, our educational environments leading allied health science education program in the number of super high speed medical industry. Radiological science may be the fastest growing technologies in our medical department today. In this way, Medical industry fields converged in the daily quick, the fact that department of radiological science didn't discharged ones duties on current educational environments. The curriculum of radiological technologists that play an important part between skill and occupation's education as major and personality didn't performed one's part most effectively on current medical environments and digital radiological equipment interface. We expect improvement and suggestion to grow natural disposition as studies in the graduate of radiological science. Therefore, in this paper, current curriculum of radiological science are catched hold of trend and problems on digital radiology environments, on fact the present state of problems, for Graduate program of radiological science, graduate courses of MS and ph.D. are suggested a reform measure of major education curriculum introduction

Electric-current Neutralization, Magnetic Shear, and Eruptive Activity in Solar Active Regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yang; Sun, Xudong [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 (United States); Török, Tibor; Titov, Viacheslav S. [Predictive Science Inc., 9990 Mesa Rim Road, Suite 170, San Diego, CA 92121 (United States); Leake, James E. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2017-09-01

The physical conditions that determine whether or not solar active regions (ARs) produce strong flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are not yet well understood. Here, we investigate the association between electric-current neutralization, magnetic shear along polarity inversion lines (PILs), and eruptive activity in four ARs: two emerging and two well-developed ones. We find that the CME-producing ARs are characterized by a strongly non-neutralized total current, while the total current in the ARs that did not produce CMEs is almost perfectly neutralized. The difference in the PIL shear between these two groups is much less pronounced, which suggests that the degree of current neutralization may serve as a better proxy for assessing the ability of ARs to produce CMEs.

Types of suggestibility: Relationships among compliance, indirect, and direct suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Polczyk, Romuald; Pasek, Tomasz

2006-10-01

It is commonly believed that direct suggestibility, referring to overt influence, and indirect suggestibility, in which the intention to influence is hidden, correlate poorly. This study demonstrates that they are substantially related, provided that they tap similar areas of influence. Test results from 103 students, 55 women and 48 men, were entered into regression analyses. Indirect suggestibility, as measured by the Sensory Suggestibility Scale for Groups, and compliance, measured by the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale, were predictors of direct suggestibility, assessed with the Barber Suggestibility Scale. Spectral analyses showed that indirect suggestibility is more related to difficult tasks on the BSS, but compliance is more related to easy tasks on this scale.

Current and emerging practice of end-of-life care in British prisons: findings from an online survey of prison nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Papadopoulos, Irena; Lay, Margaret

2016-03-01

There are concerns about prisoners and detainees not having equal access to end-of-life care while in prison. There is a lack of existing literature about the standards of end-of-life care in UK prisons. The aim of this study was to investigate the views of current and former prison nurses with regard to the end-of-life care being provided in UK prisons. Prison nurses were invited to participate in an online survey and asked about their role in the prison, prisoners' access to healthcare facilities, and any barriers and good practices to end-of-life care. The survey included open-ended and closed questions. The closed questions were analysed using descriptive statistics. The open-ended responses were coded and grouped into themes. 31 (N=31) prison nurses responded to the survey. The reported barriers to end-of-life care included some prison regimes, lack of appropriate care and visiting facilities, lack of privacy and inadequate visiting hours. Respondents also reported examples of good practice, including having access to specialist palliative care and specialist equipment, and being able to receive visits from family and friends. The findings suggest that there is considerable variability in the end-of-life care provided to prisoners in the UK. Further research is needed in order to reduce the health inequalities and improve the quality of end-of-life care experienced by prisoners in the UK. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Collisionless current sheet equilibria

Science.gov (United States)

Neukirch, T.; Wilson, F.; Allanson, O.

2018-01-01

Current sheets are important for the structure and dynamics of many plasma systems. In space and astrophysical plasmas they play a crucial role in activity processes, for example by facilitating the release of magnetic energy via processes such as magnetic reconnection. In this contribution we will focus on collisionless plasma systems. A sensible first step in any investigation of physical processes involving current sheets is to find appropriate equilibrium solutions. The theory of collisionless plasma equilibria is well established, but over the past few years there has been a renewed interest in finding equilibrium distribution functions for collisionless current sheets with particular properties, for example for cases where the current density is parallel to the magnetic field (force-free current sheets). This interest is due to a combination of scientific curiosity and potential applications to space and astrophysical plasmas. In this paper we will give an overview of some of the recent developments, discuss their potential applications and address a number of open questions.

Epidemiology of Schizophrenia: Review of Findings and Myths

OpenAIRE

Messias, Erick; Chen, Chuan-Yu; Eaton, William W.

2007-01-01

By describing patterns of disease distribution within populations, identifying risk factors, and finding associations, epidemiological studies have contributed to our current understanding of schizophrenia. Advanced paternal age and the association with auto-immune diseases are some of the newly described epidemiological finding in schizophrenia epidemiology, shaping our current definition of schizophrenia. Though early intervention strategies have gained momentum, primary prevention of schiz...

Interesting bone scans - unusual findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobson, M.; Wadhwa, S.S.; Mansberg, R.; Fernandes, V.B.

1997-01-01

A 59-year-old female with carcinoma of the colon and known liver metastatic disease was referred for bone scan to evaluate for bone metastases. Although no bone metastases were found, there was abnormal uptake noted in the liver corresponding to a metastatic calcified lesion. The only other findings were of degenerative disease in the cervical spine, right shoulder and small joints of the hands. A 69-year-old male with carcinoma of the prostate and right side low back pain was referred for bone scan. No focal abnormalities to suggest metastatic disease were identified; findings within the cervical spine, lumber spine and knees were presumed secondary to degenerative disease. Intermittent pain persisted and the patient was referred for a repeat bone scan six months later. Previous scan findings of degenerative disease and no metastatic disease were confirmed; however, closer inspection revealed an enlarged right kidney with significant retention of tracer in the pelvicalyceal system suggesting possible obstruction. A Retrograde pyelogram was performed, and no obvious obstruction demonstrated. As bone scan findings were very suggestive of obstruction, a DTPA scan with lasix was performed showing a dilated right collecting system with no functional obstruction. Given the degree of dilation, it is possible that the patient experiences intermittent PUJ obstruction causing his symptoms. A 33-year-old male with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and viral arthritis was referred for a bone scan. A three phase revealed increased uptake in the region of the knee and leR proximal tibia. Delayed whole body images revealed multiple focal areas of osteoblastic activity in the leR tibia. Abnormal uptake was also seen in the upper third of the leR femur. The remainder of the skeletal survey was normal. X-ray correlation of the leR tibia and femoral findings was undertaken. Combinating unilateral changes on bone scan and X-ray although very suggestive of sclerotic polyostotic

Monte Carlo Simulations Suggest Current Chlortetracycline Drug-Residue Based Withdrawal Periods Would Not Control Antimicrobial Resistance Dissemination from Feedlot to Slaughterhouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Cazer, Casey L; Ducrot, Lucas; Volkova, Victoriya V; Gröhn, Yrjö T

2017-01-01

Antimicrobial use in beef cattle can increase antimicrobial resistance prevalence in their enteric bacteria, including potential pathogens such as Escherichia coli . These bacteria can contaminate animal products at slaughterhouses and cause food-borne illness, which can be difficult to treat if it is due to antimicrobial resistant bacteria. One potential intervention to reduce the dissemination of resistant bacteria from feedlot to consumer is to impose a withdrawal period after antimicrobial use, similar to the current withdrawal period designed to prevent drug residues in edible animal meat. We investigated tetracycline resistance in generic E. coli in the bovine large intestine during and after antimicrobial treatment by building a mathematical model of oral chlortetracycline pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics and E. coli population dynamics. We tracked three E. coli subpopulations (susceptible, intermediate, and resistant) during and after treatment with each of three United States chlortetracycline indications (liver abscess reduction, disease control, disease treatment). We compared the proportion of resistant E. coli before antimicrobial use to that at several time points after treatment and found a greater proportion of resistant enteric E. coli after the current withdrawal periods than prior to treatment. In order for the proportion of resistant E. coli in the median beef steer to return to the pre-treatment level, withdrawal periods of 15 days after liver abscess reduction dosing (70 mg daily), 31 days after disease control dosing (350 mg daily), and 36 days after disease treatment dosing (22 mg/kg bodyweight for 5 days) are required in this model. These antimicrobial resistance withdrawal periods would be substantially longer than the current U.S. withdrawals of 0-2 days or Canadian withdrawals of 5-10 days. One published field study found similar time periods necessary to reduce the proportion of resistant E. coli following chlortetracycline disease

Monte Carlo Simulations Suggest Current Chlortetracycline Drug-Residue Based Withdrawal Periods Would Not Control Antimicrobial Resistance Dissemination from Feedlot to Slaughterhouse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Casey L. Cazer

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Antimicrobial use in beef cattle can increase antimicrobial resistance prevalence in their enteric bacteria, including potential pathogens such as Escherichia coli. These bacteria can contaminate animal products at slaughterhouses and cause food-borne illness, which can be difficult to treat if it is due to antimicrobial resistant bacteria. One potential intervention to reduce the dissemination of resistant bacteria from feedlot to consumer is to impose a withdrawal period after antimicrobial use, similar to the current withdrawal period designed to prevent drug residues in edible animal meat. We investigated tetracycline resistance in generic E. coli in the bovine large intestine during and after antimicrobial treatment by building a mathematical model of oral chlortetracycline pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics and E. coli population dynamics. We tracked three E. coli subpopulations (susceptible, intermediate, and resistant during and after treatment with each of three United States chlortetracycline indications (liver abscess reduction, disease control, disease treatment. We compared the proportion of resistant E. coli before antimicrobial use to that at several time points after treatment and found a greater proportion of resistant enteric E. coli after the current withdrawal periods than prior to treatment. In order for the proportion of resistant E. coli in the median beef steer to return to the pre-treatment level, withdrawal periods of 15 days after liver abscess reduction dosing (70 mg daily, 31 days after disease control dosing (350 mg daily, and 36 days after disease treatment dosing (22 mg/kg bodyweight for 5 days are required in this model. These antimicrobial resistance withdrawal periods would be substantially longer than the current U.S. withdrawals of 0–2 days or Canadian withdrawals of 5–10 days. One published field study found similar time periods necessary to reduce the proportion of resistant E. coli following

Accelerated sea level rise and Florida Current transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Park

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Florida Current is the headwater of the Gulf Stream and is a component of the North Atlantic western boundary current from which a geostrophic balance between sea surface height and mass transport directly influence coastal sea levels along the Florida Straits. A linear regression of daily Florida Current transport estimates does not find a significant change in transport over the last decade; however, a nonlinear trend extracted from empirical mode decomposition (EMD suggests a 3 Sv decline in mean transport. This decline is consistent with observed tide gauge records in Florida Bay and the straits exhibiting an acceleration of mean sea level (MSL rise over the decade. It is not known whether this recent change represents natural variability or the onset of the anticipated secular decline in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC; nonetheless, such changes have direct impacts on the sensitive ecological systems of the Everglades as well as the climate of western Europe and eastern North America.

Studies and Suggestions on English Vocabulary Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Shigao

2012-01-01

To improve vocabulary learning and teaching in ELT settings, two questionnaires are designed and directed to more than 100 students and teachers in one of China's key universities. The findings suggest that an enhanced awareness of cultural difference, metaphorical competence, and learners' autonomy in vocabulary acquisition will effectively…

Persistent Web References – Best Practices and New Suggestions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zierau, Eld; Nyvang, Caroline; Kromann, Thomas Hvid

In this paper, we suggest adjustments to best practices for persistent web referencing; adjustments that aim at preservation and long time accessibility of web referenced resources in general, but with focus on web references in web archives. Web referencing is highly relevant and crucial...... refer to archive URLs which depends on the web archives access implementations. A major part of the suggested adjustments is a new web reference standard for archived web references (called wPID), which is a supplement to the current practices. The purpose of the standard is to support general, global...

Enhancement of suggestibility and imaginative ability with nitrous oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Whalley, M G; Brooks, G B

2009-05-01

Imaginative suggestibility, a trait closely related to hypnotic suggestibility, is modifiable under some circumstances. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is commonly used for sedation in dentistry and is reported to be more effective when combined with appropriate suggestions. The aim of this study was to determine whether nitrous oxide inhalation alters imaginative suggestibility and imagery vividness. Thirty participants were tested twice in a within-subjects design, once during inhalation of 25% nitrous oxide and once during inhalation of air plus oxygen. Before the study, participants' expectancies regarding the effects of nitrous oxide were assessed. Participants were blinded to drug administration. During each session, participants were verbally administered detailed measures of imagination and suggestibility: the Sheehan-Betts Quality of Mental Imagery scale and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale Form C, minus the hypnotic induction. Imaginative suggestibility and imaginative ability (imagery vividness) were both elevated in the nitrous oxide condition. This effect was unrelated to participants' expectations regarding the effects of the drug. Nitrous oxide increased imaginative suggestibility and imaginative ability. Possible explanations of these findings are discussed with respect to the effects of N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonists and to other pharmacological effects upon suggestibility and imagination.

MR findings in iliotibial band syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, G.; Yamato, M.; Tamai, K.; Takahashi, J.; Uetani, M.

1997-01-01

Objective. To elucidate the MR findings in iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome. Design and patients. The subjects comprised four patients (five knees) with lateral knee pain: two athletes and two non-athletes. One non-athlete was engaged in work requiring repetitive knee movement, and the other suffered from Cushing syndrome and had bilateral abnormalities. All patients were suspected of having a lateral meniscal tear prior to MR examination, but physical examination following provisional MR diagnosis warranted the final diagnosis. MR studies included fast spin echo sagittal imaging, fat-saturated fast spin echo proton density coronal imaging, and T2* radial imaging. Twelve normal volunteers were examined. Results and conclusion. Fat-saturated coronal imaging demonstrated an ill-defined, high-intensity area deep to the ITB. T2* radial imaging showed an identical, but less conspicuous, abnormality. The MR finding suggested soft tissue inflammation and/or edema rather than focal fluid collection in the bursae. The signal alteration predominated in the region beneath the posterior fibers of the ITB, thus supporting the current opinion that the posterior fibers of the ITB are tighter against the lateral femoral epicondyle than the anterior fibers. The ITB itself did not show any signal alteration or increased thickness. (orig.). With 4 figs., 1 tab

Structural and functional cerebral correlates of hypnotic suggestibility.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexa Huber

Full Text Available Little is known about the neural bases of hypnotic suggestibility, a cognitive trait referring to the tendency to respond to hypnotic suggestions. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we performed regression analyses to assess hypnotic suggestibility-related differences in local gray matter volume, using voxel-based morphometry, and in waking resting state functional connectivity of 10 resting state networks, in 37 healthy women. Hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with gray matter volume in portions of the left superior and medial frontal gyri, roughly overlapping with the supplementary and pre-supplementary motor area, and negatively correlated with gray matter volume in the left superior temporal gyrus and insula. In the functional connectivity analysis, hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with functional connectivity between medial posterior areas, including bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, and both the lateral visual network and the left fronto-parietal network; a positive correlation was also found with functional connectivity between the executive-control network and a right postcentral/parietal area. In contrast, hypnotic suggestibility was negatively correlated with functional connectivity between the right fronto-parietal network and the right lateral thalamus. These findings demonstrate for the first time a correlation between hypnotic suggestibility, the structural features of specific cortical regions, and the functional connectivity during the normal resting state of brain structures involved in imagery and self-monitoring activity.

Structural and functional cerebral correlates of hypnotic suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Alexa; Lui, Fausta; Duzzi, Davide; Pagnoni, Giuseppe; Porro, Carlo Adolfo

2014-01-01

Little is known about the neural bases of hypnotic suggestibility, a cognitive trait referring to the tendency to respond to hypnotic suggestions. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we performed regression analyses to assess hypnotic suggestibility-related differences in local gray matter volume, using voxel-based morphometry, and in waking resting state functional connectivity of 10 resting state networks, in 37 healthy women. Hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with gray matter volume in portions of the left superior and medial frontal gyri, roughly overlapping with the supplementary and pre-supplementary motor area, and negatively correlated with gray matter volume in the left superior temporal gyrus and insula. In the functional connectivity analysis, hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with functional connectivity between medial posterior areas, including bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, and both the lateral visual network and the left fronto-parietal network; a positive correlation was also found with functional connectivity between the executive-control network and a right postcentral/parietal area. In contrast, hypnotic suggestibility was negatively correlated with functional connectivity between the right fronto-parietal network and the right lateral thalamus. These findings demonstrate for the first time a correlation between hypnotic suggestibility, the structural features of specific cortical regions, and the functional connectivity during the normal resting state of brain structures involved in imagery and self-monitoring activity.

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Attenuates Neuronal Adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kar, Kohitij; Duijnhouwer, Jacob; Krekelberg, Bart

2017-03-01

insight explains previous behavioral findings and suggests a novel way to modulate neural information processing using transcranial currents. In addition, by developing an animal model to help understand transcranial stimulation, this study will aid the rational design of stimulation protocols for the treatment of mental illnesses, and the improvement of perception and learning. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/372325-11$15.00/0.

Current manufactured cigarette smoking and roll-your-own cigarette smoking in Thailand: findings from the 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Benjakul, Sarunya; Termsirikulchai, Lakkhana; Hsia, Jason; Kengganpanich, Mondha; Puckcharern, Hataichanok; Touchchai, Chitrlada; Lohtongmongkol, Areerat; Andes, Linda; Asma, Samira

2013-03-27

Current smoking prevalence in Thailand decreased from 1991 to 2004 and since that time the prevalence has remained flat. It has been suggested that one of the reasons that the prevalence of current smoking in Thailand has stopped decreasing is due to the use of RYO cigarettes. The aim of this study was to examine characteristics of users of manufactured and RYO cigarettes and dual users in Thailand, in order to determine whether there are differences in the characteristics of users of the different products. The 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS Thailand) provides detailed information on current smoking patterns. GATS Thailand used a nationally and regionally representative probability sample of 20,566 adults (ages 15 years and above) who were chosen through stratified three-stage cluster sampling and then interviewed face-to-face. The prevalence of current smoking among Thai adults was 45.6% for men and 3.1% for women. In all, 18.4% of men and 1.0% of women were current users of manufactured cigarettes only, while 15.8% of men and 1.7% of women were current users of RYO cigarettes only. 11.2% of men and 0.1% of women used both RYO and manufactured cigarettes. Users of manufactured cigarettes were younger and users of RYO were older. RYO smokers were more likely to live in rural areas. Smokers of manufactured cigarettes appeared to be more knowledgeable about the health risks of tobacco use. However, the difference was confounded with age and education; when demographic variables were controlled, the knowledge differences no longer remained. Smokers of manufactured cigarettes were more likely than dual users and those who used only RYO to report that they were planning on quitting in the next month. Users of RYO only appeared to be more addicted than the other two groups as measured by time to first cigarette. There appears to be a need for product targeted cessation and prevention efforts that are directed toward specific population subgroups in Thailand and

CT findings of infant epilepsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hojoh, Hiroatsu; Kataoka, Kenkichi; Nakagawa, Yoshihiro; Nakano, Shozo; Tomita, Yutaka.

1982-01-01

CT diagnosis of infantile epilepsy was evaluated. High incidence of abnormal CT findings in infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome was same as in other reports. Comparison between CT findings and neurological complications and that between CT findings and electroencephalogram findings revealed a stronger relationship existing in the former. This suggested that CT is more useful as a measure to detect underlying diseases which are due to organic change of the brain to cause epilepsy, rather than as that to disclose epileptic primary lesions of functional change. (Ueda, J.)

Finite-size effects on current correlation functions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shunda; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Jiao; Zhao, Hong

2014-02-01

We study why the calculation of current correlation functions (CCFs) still suffers from finite-size effects even when the periodic boundary condition is taken. Two important one-dimensional, momentum-conserving systems are investigated as examples. Intriguingly, it is found that the state of a system recurs in the sense of microcanonical ensemble average, and such recurrence may result in oscillations in CCFs. Meanwhile, we find that the sound mode collisions induce an extra time decay in a current so that its correlation function decays faster (slower) in a smaller (larger) system. Based on these two unveiled mechanisms, a procedure for correctly evaluating the decay rate of a CCF is proposed, with which our analysis suggests that the global energy CCF decays as ˜t-2/3 in the diatomic hard-core gas model and in a manner close to ˜t-1/2 in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-β model.

Age and interviewer behavior as predictors of interrogative suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Dukala, Karolina; Polczyk, Romuald

2014-05-01

The main objective was to explore the influence of interviewer behavior-abrupt versus friendly-and the age of participants on interrogative suggestibility. The study involved 42 young adults and 50 elderly participants. The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 2 was used. Data analysis involved a 2-factor between-subjects design (interviewer behavior × age) and mediation analysis. The scores of elderly participants were significantly lower than younger adults on memory indices and significantly higher on some suggestibility indexes. Some suggestibility indices in the abrupt experimental condition were higher than those in the friendly experimental condition. Elderly participants who were interviewed under the abrupt condition were more likely to change their answers after receiving negative feedback than younger adults. Memory quality was a mediator of the relationship between age and the tendency to yield to suggestive questions. Self-appraisal of memory was a mediator between both age and interviewer behavior and the tendency to change answers after negative feedback. Mechanisms of the relationship between age, interviewer behavior, and suggestibility are discussed on the basis of the mediational analyses. The findings suggest that a friendly manner should be adopted when interrogating witnesses.

How do adolescent girls and boys perceive symptoms suggestive of endometriosis among their peers? Findings from focus group discussions in New York City.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Jhumka; Cardoso, Lauren F; Harris, Courtney S; Dance, Arielle D; Seckin, Tamer; Baker, Nina; Ferguson, Yvonne O

2018-06-04

Symptoms of endometriosis, including pelvic pain, back and nerve pain, and gastrointestinal pain, often begin in adolescence. Yet, research on the experience of these debilitating symptoms among young people is scarce. Of particular concern is the influence of adolescent girls' social context. This study qualitatively examined how, among adolescents, endometriosis and symptoms suggestive of endometriosis is perceived at the family, peer/school and community/society levels. Eight focus groups were conducted; vignettes were used to elicit participants' perceptions of factors that may shape girls' experiences of endometriosis. Data were analysed using constant comparison analysis. An ethnically diverse sample of girls and boys ages 14-18 (n=54) residing in New York City. Fifteen themes emerged and were distilled to eight cross-cutting factors that influence perceptions of endometriosis at different levels of the ecological model: distrust of community healthcare providers, societal stigma of menstruation, peer stigma of endometriosis symptoms, distrust of school healthcare providers, lack of endometriosis knowledge among peers and school personnel, inequitable gender norms, invisibility of symptoms and the stigma of teen sex among parents. Further, these factors may compound symptoms' impact on individual girl's social, educational and emotional well-being. Findings underscore the importance of understanding the social environment of girls experiencing symptoms suggestive of endometriosis and educating and engaging their peers, family and school personnel to create a supportive, informed social climate. Efforts should specifically include stigma reduction campaigns targeted towards female and male adolescents. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Finding Sliesthorp?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dobat, Andres S.

2016-01-01

In 2003, a hitherto unknown Viking age settlement was discovered at Füsing in Northern Germany close to Hedeby/Schleswig, the largest of the early Scandinavian towns. Finds and building features suggest a high status residence and a seat of some chiefly elite that flourished from around 700 to th...... and the transformation of socio‐political structures in Northern Europe as it transitioned from prehistory into the middle Ages....

Current suicidal ideation in treatment-seeking individuals in the United Kingdom with gambling problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ronzitti, Silvia; Soldini, Emiliano; Smith, Neil; Potenza, Marc N; Clerici, Massimo; Bowden-Jones, Henrietta

2017-11-01

Studies show higher lifetime prevalence of suicidality in individuals with pathological gambling. However, less is known about the relationship between pathological gambling and current suicidal ideation. We investigated socio-demographic, clinical and gambling-related variables associated with suicidality in treatment-seeking individuals. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were generated on data from 903 individuals to identify measures associated with aspects of suicidality. Forty-six percent of patients reported current suicidal ideation. People with current suicidal thoughts were more likely to report greater problem-gambling severity (psuicidality. Logistic regression models suggested that past suicidal ideation (psuicidality. Our findings suggest that the severity of anxiety disorder, along with a lifetime history of suicidal ideation, may help to identify treatment-seeking individuals with pathological gambling with a higher risk of suicidality, highlighting the importance of assessing suicidal ideation in clinical settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

US findings of tubal pregnancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hwa Sung; Kim, Hyun Hee; Jee, Mi Hyun; Kweon, Young Hwa; Oh, Yoon Jin; Hong, Ju Hee; Kim, Soon Yong; Kim, Sang Young

1994-01-01

Early diagnosis of ruptured and unruptured tubal pregnancy became more accurate with the introduction of transvaginal sonographic equipment. The management principle of tubal pregnancy might be changed according to the sonographic findings. The purposes of this study were to define the sonographic findings of tubal pregnancy and to determine whether it is possible to differentiate the unruptured tubal pregnancies from the ruptured ones depending on the sonographic findings. The authors investigated the sonographic findings of the surgically confirmed 25 tubal pregnancy patients. There were 22(88%) unruptured and 3(12%) ruptured tubal pregnancies. Unruptured pregnancies showed tubal ring in 8, well defined hematosalpinx in 11, and poorly defined hematosalpinxin 2 patients. Ruptured pregnancies showed tubal sac with irregular margin in 2, and ill-defined hematosalpinx in one patient. In summary, well marginated tubal ring and hematosalpinx suggested unruptured tubal pregnancy, while tubal sac with irregular margin suggested ruptured pregnancy. However, it was difficult to differentiate the unruptured tubal pregnancy from the ruptured one when hematosalpinx was ill-defined

Animal Rights: Selected Resources and Suggestions for Further Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidoff, Donald J.

1989-01-01

Presents an annotated list of selected resources intended to serve as a guide to the growing amount of material on animal rights. Suggestions to aid in additional research include subject headings used to find books, indexes used to locate periodical articles, sources for locating organizations, and a selected list of animal rights organizations.…

New Zealand Nurses’ Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual care: Qualitative Findings from a National Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Egan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the qualitative findings from the first national survey of New Zealand nurses’ views on spirituality and spiritual care. The importance of spirituality as a core aspect of holistic nursing care is gaining momentum. Little is currently known about New Zealand nurses’ understandings, perceptions and experience of spirituality. Design: A descriptive online survey. Method: A random sample of 2000 individuals resident in New Zealand whose occupation on the New Zealand electoral roll suggested nursing was their current or past occupation were invited via postcard to participate in an online survey. This paper reports on the free response section of the survey. Findings: Overall, 472 invitees responded (24.1%. From the respondents, 63% completed at least one of the optional free response sections. Thematic analysis generated three metathemes: ‘The role of spirituality in nursing practice’, ‘Enabling best practice’, and ‘Creating a supportive culture’. Conclusions: Spirituality was predominantly valued as a core aspect of holistic nursing care. However, clarity is needed surrounding what constitutes spiritual care and how this intersects with professional responsibilities and boundaries. Participants’ insights suggest a focus on improving the consistency and quality of spiritual care by fostering inter-professional collaboration, and improved provision of resources and educational opportunities.

ON current enhancement of nanowire Schottky barrier tunnel field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Takei, Kohei; Hashimoto, Shuichiro; Sun, Jing; Zhang, Xu; Asada, Shuhei; Xu, Taiyu; Matsukawa, Takashi; Masahara, Meishoku; Watanabe, Takanobu

2016-04-01

Silicon nanowire Schottky barrier tunnel field effect transistors (NW-SBTFETs) are promising structures for high performance devices. In this study, we fabricated NW-SBTFETs to investigate the effect of nanowire structure on the device characteristics. The NW-SBTFETs were operated with a backgate bias, and the experimental results demonstrate that the ON current density is enhanced by narrowing the width of the nanowire. We confirmed using the Fowler-Nordheim plot that the drain current in the ON state mainly comprises the quantum tunneling component through the Schottky barrier. Comparison with a technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulation revealed that the enhancement is attributed to the electric field concentration at the corners of cross-section of the NW. The study findings suggest an effective approach to securing the ON current by Schottky barrier width modulation.

Inoculating against eyewitness suggestibility via interpolated verbatim vs. gist testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pansky, Ainat; Tenenboim, Einat

2011-01-01

In real-life situations, eyewitnesses often have control over the level of generality in which they choose to report event information. In the present study, we adopted an early-intervention approach to investigate to what extent eyewitness memory may be inoculated against suggestibility, following two different levels of interpolated reporting: verbatim and gist. After viewing a target event, participants responded to interpolated questions that required reporting of target details at either the verbatim or the gist level. After 48 hr, both groups of participants were misled about half of the target details and were finally tested for verbatim memory of all the details. The findings were consistent with our predictions: Whereas verbatim testing was successful in completely inoculating against suggestibility, gist testing did not reduce it whatsoever. These findings are particularly interesting in light of the comparable testing effects found for these two modes of interpolated testing.

Mental health inpatients' and staff members' suggestions for reducing physical restraint: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, C; Rouse, L; Rae, S; Kar Ray, M

2018-04-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Restraint has negative psychological, physical and relational consequences for mental health patients and staff. Restraint reduction interventions have been developed (e.g., "Safewards"). Limited qualitative research has explored suggestions on how to reduce physical restraint (and feasibility issues with implementing interventions) from those directly involved. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper explores mental health patients' and staff members' suggestions for reducing physical restraint, whilst addressing barriers to implementing these. Findings centred on four themes: improving communication and relationships; staffing factors; environment and space; and activities and distraction. Not all suggestions are addressed by currently available interventions. Barriers to implementation were identified, centring on a lack of time and/or resources; with the provision of more time for staff to spend with patients and implement interventions seen as essential to reducing physical restraint. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Improving communication and relationships between staff/patients, making staffing-related changes, improving ward environments and providing patient activities are central to restraint reduction in mental healthcare. Fundamental issues related to understaffing, high staff turnover, and lack of time and resources need addressing in order for suggestions to be successfully implemented. Introduction Physical restraint has negative consequences for all involved, and international calls for its reduction have emerged. Some restraint reduction interventions have been developed, but limited qualitative research explores suggestions on how to reduce physical restraint (and feasibility issues with implementation) from those directly involved. Aims To explore mental health patients' and staff members' suggestions for reducing physical restraint. Methods Interviews were conducted with 13 inpatients

Open to Suggestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Journal of Reading, 1987

1987-01-01

Offers (1) suggestions for improving college students' study skills; (2) a system for keeping track of parent, teacher, and community contacts; (3) suggestions for motivating students using tic tac toe; (4) suggestions for using etymology to improve word retention; (5) a word search grid; and (6) suggestions for using postcards in remedial reading…

Link Between Capacity for Current Production and Syntrophic Growth in Geobacter species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia-Elena eRotaru

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Electrodes are unnatural electron acceptors, and it is yet unknown how some Geobacter species evolved to use electrodes as terminal electron acceptors. Analysis of different Geobacter species revealed that they varied in their capacity for current production. G. metallireducens and G. hydrogenophilus generated high current densities (ca. 0.05 mA/cm2, comparable to G. sulfurreducens. G. bremensis, G. chapellei, G. humireducens, and G. uranireducens, produced much lower currents (ca. 0.05 mA/cm2 and G. bemidjiensis was previously found to not produce current. There was no correspondence between the effectiveness of current generation and Fe(III oxide reduction rates. Some high-current-density strains (G. metallireducens and G. hydrogenophilus reduced Fe(III-oxides as fast as some low-current-density strains (G. bremensis, G. humireducens, and G. uranireducens whereas other low-current-density strains (G. bemidjiensis and G. chapellei reduced Fe(III oxide as slowly as G. sulfurreducens, a high-current-density strain. However, there was a correspondence between the ability to produce higher currents and the ability to grow syntrophically. G. hydrogenophilius was found to grow in co-culture with Methanosarcina barkeri, which is capable of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET, but not with Methanospirillium hungatei capable only of H2 or formate transfer. Conductive granular activated carbon (GAC stimulated metabolism of the G. hydrogenophilus - M. barkeri co-culture, consistent with electron exchange via DIET. These findings, coupled with the previous finding that G. metallireducens and G. sulfurreducens are also capable of DIET, suggest that evolution to optimize DIET has fortuitiously conferred the capability for high-density current production to some Geobacter species.

Prosecuting International Crimes at National Level: Lessons from the Argentine ‘Truth-Finding Trials’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Maculan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Truth-finding trials (juicios por la verdad constitute a novel solution devised by the Argentine judicial system to cope with crimes committed by the past military dictatorship. This mechanism uses criminal courts as well as criminal procedure in order to investigate the truth about the dictatorship's crimes; however, the trials allow judges neither to establish criminal responsibility nor to punish the perpetrators of crimes. This limitation is due to the inability, imposed by the Full Stop and Due Obedience Laws, to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes.From the perspective of criminal law, truth-finding trials present two problematic features: firstly, their creation and regulation are set by judges, which has caused the development of many non-homogeneous local solutions and, secondly, their hybrid nature, which entails a possible subversion of conventional forms and goals in the context of the criminal trial.The paper also describes the current situation, since the Argentine impunity laws were declared unconstitutional and criminal proceedings reopened. The new framework provokes questions about the relationship between the reopened criminal trials and the truth-finding investigations, not only with regard to evidentiary issues but also with respect to the reason why the truth-finding investigations are still held.Finally, the shift from a non-punitive approach to the current full criminal accountability seems to suggest that truth-finding trials were merely a temporary solution, while the notion of the full prosecution and punishment of State crimes was never really set aside.

Domain wall manipulation in magnetic nanotubes induced by electric current pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otálora, J A; López-López, J A; Landeros, P; Núñez, A S

2012-01-01

We propose that the injection of electric currents can be used to independently manipulate the position and chirality of vortex-like domain walls in metallic ferromagnetic nanotubes. We support this proposal upon theoretical and numerical assessment of the magnetization dynamics driven by such currents. We show that proper interplay between the tube geometry, magnitude of the electric current and the duration of a current pulse, can be used to manipulate the position, velocity and chirality of a vortex domain wall. Our calculations suggest that domain wall velocities greater than 1 km s -1 can be achieved for tube diameters of the order of 30 nm and increasing with it. We also find that the transition from steady to precessional domain wall motion occurs for very high electric current densities, of the order of 10 13 A m -2 . Furthermore, the great stability displayed by such chiral magnetic configurations, and the reduced Ohmic loses provided by the current pulses, lead to highly reproducible and efficient domain wall reversal mechanisms.

Evaluation of early atherosclerotic findings in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadi Afshin

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is the most common endocrinopathy in women of childbearing age, and it seems better to consider it as an ovarian manifestation of metabolic syndrome. The aim of the current study was to evaluate early atherosclerotic findings in patients with PCOS. Methods We enrolled 46 women with PCOS and 45 normal control subjects who were referred to our hospital's endocrinology outpatient clinic. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD were performed in both cases and matched controls. Results Patients with PCOS showed an increased mean CIMT (0.63 ± 0.16 mm when compared with the control subjects (0.33 ± 0.06 mm. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.001. The mean FMD in young patients with PCOS was 10.07 ± 1.2%, while it was 6.5 ± 2.06% in normal subjects. This difference was also statistically significant (p = 0.001. Conclusion Our findings suggest that PCOS is related with early atherosclerotic findings.

Dinosaur peptides suggest mechanisms of protein survival.

Science.gov (United States)

San Antonio, James D; Schweitzer, Mary H; Jensen, Shane T; Kalluri, Raghu; Buckley, Michael; Orgel, Joseph P R O

2011-01-01

Eleven collagen peptide sequences recovered from chemical extracts of dinosaur bones were mapped onto molecular models of the vertebrate collagen fibril derived from extant taxa. The dinosaur peptides localized to fibril regions protected by the close packing of collagen molecules, and contained few acidic amino acids. Four peptides mapped to collagen regions crucial for cell-collagen interactions and tissue development. Dinosaur peptides were not represented in more exposed parts of the collagen fibril or regions mediating intermolecular cross-linking. Thus functionally significant regions of collagen fibrils that are physically shielded within the fibril may be preferentially preserved in fossils. These results show empirically that structure-function relationships at the molecular level could contribute to selective preservation in fossilized vertebrate remains across geological time, suggest a 'preservation motif', and bolster current concepts linking collagen structure to biological function. This non-random distribution supports the hypothesis that the peptides are produced by the extinct organisms and suggests a chemical mechanism for survival.

Dinosaur Peptides Suggest Mechanisms of Protein Survival

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

San Antonio, James D.; Schweitzer, Mary H.; Jensen, Shane T.; Kalluri, Raghu; Buckley, Michael; Orgel, Joseph P.R.O. (Harvard-Med); (IIT); (NCSU); (UPENN); (Manchester); (Orthovita)

2011-09-16

Eleven collagen peptide sequences recovered from chemical extracts of dinosaur bones were mapped onto molecular models of the vertebrate collagen fibril derived from extant taxa. The dinosaur peptides localized to fibril regions protected by the close packing of collagen molecules, and contained few acidic amino acids. Four peptides mapped to collagen regions crucial for cell-collagen interactions and tissue development. Dinosaur peptides were not represented in more exposed parts of the collagen fibril or regions mediating intermolecular cross-linking. Thus functionally significant regions of collagen fibrils that are physically shielded within the fibril may be preferentially preserved in fossils. These results show empirically that structure-function relationships at the molecular level could contribute to selective preservation in fossilized vertebrate remains across geological time, suggest a 'preservation motif', and bolster current concepts linking collagen structure to biological function. This non-random distribution supports the hypothesis that the peptides are produced by the extinct organisms and suggests a chemical mechanism for survival.

Helping Teachers Use Research Findings: The Consumer-Validation Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaker, Robert E.; Huffman, James O.

A program stressing teacher involvement and classroom implementation of educational research findings is described. The program was designed to familiarize teachers with current findings, have them apply the findings in their classrooms, analyze their own teaching behavior, and critically evaluate the findings in terms of their applicability to…

Factor structure of suggestibility revisited: new evidence for direct and indirect suggestibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romuald Polczyk

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background Yielding to suggestions can be viewed as a relatively stable individual trait, called suggestibility. It has been long proposed that there are two kinds of suggestible influence, and two kinds of suggestibility corresponding to them: direct and indirect. Direct suggestion involves overt unhidden influence, while indirect suggestion concerns influence that is hidden, and the participant does not know that the suggestibility is being measured. So far however, empirical evidence for the existence of the two factors has been scarce. In the present study, more sophisticated and reliable tools for measuring suggestibility were applied than in the previous research, in the hope that better measurement would reveal the factor structure of suggestibility. Two tests of direct suggestibility were used: the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A, measuring hypnotic susceptibility, and the Barber Suggestibility Scale, measuring non-hypnotic direct imaginative suggestibility. Three tests served to measure indirect suggestibility: the Sensory Suggestibility Scale, measuring indirect suggestibility relating to perception; the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale, measuring the tendency to yield to suggestive questions and changing answers after negative feedback; and the Emotional Dialogs Tests, measuring the tendency to perceive nonexistent aggression. Participants and procedure In sum, 115 participants were tested, 69 women, 49 men, mean age 22.20 years, SD = 2.20. Participants were tested in two sessions, lasting for a total of four hours. Results Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the existence of two uncorrelated factors of suggestibility: direct and indirect. Conclusions Suggestibility may indeed involve two factors, direct and indirect, and failure to discover them in previous research may be due to methodological problems.

Charged and neutral current production of Δ(1236)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koerner, J.G.; Kobayashi, T.; Avilez, C.

1977-04-01

Based on a hybrid quark model approach previously developed by us which employs a q 2 -continuation in terms of generalized meson dominance form factors we study the weak production of the isobar Δ(1236). First we demonstrate that our model is in agreement with the Argonne data on charged current production of the Δ. We then study neutral current Δ-production using four different gauge models, namely the standard Weinberg-Salam model, a vector-like model with six quarks, a five quark model due to Achiman, Koller and Walsh and a variant of the Guersey-Sikivie model. We find that the results for the differential cross-section in the forward region are very sensitive to the structure of the weak neutral current and suggest that measurements in this region constitute a stringent test of weak interaction models. We also calculate the density matrix elements measurable from decay correllations. The density matrix elements are not so sensitive to the models containing some axial contribution whereas the vector-like model shows a behaviour quite distinct from the others. (orig.) [de

3D mathematical modeling of glioblastoma suggests that transdifferentiated vascular endothelial cells mediate resistance to current standard-of-care therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Huaming; Romero-López, Mónica; Benitez, Lesly I.; Di, Kaijun; Frieboes, Hermann B.; Hughes, Christopher C. W.; Bota, Daniela A.; Lowengrub, John S.

2017-01-01

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive brain tumor in human patients, is decidedly heterogeneous and highly vascularized. Glioma stem/initiating cells (GSC) are found to play a crucial role by increasing cancer aggressiveness and promoting resistance to therapy. Recently, crosstalk between GSC and vascular endothelial cells has been shown to significantly promote GSC self-renewal and tumor progression. Further, GSC also transdifferentiate into bona-fide vascular endothelial cells (GEC), which inherit mutations present in GSC and are resistant to traditional anti-angiogenic therapies. Here we use 3D mathematical modeling to investigate GBM progression and response to therapy. The model predicted that GSC drive invasive fingering and that GEC spontaneously form a network within the hypoxic core, consistent with published experimental findings. Standard-of-care treatments using DNA-targeted therapy (radiation/chemo) together with anti-angiogenic therapies, reduced GBM tumor size but increased invasiveness. Anti-GEC treatments blocked the GEC support of GSC and reduced tumor size but led to increased invasiveness. Anti-GSC therapies that promote differentiation or disturb the stem cell niche effectively reduced tumor invasiveness and size, but were ultimately limited in reducing tumor size because GEC maintain GSC. Our study suggests that a combinatorial regimen targeting the vasculature, GSC, and GEC, using drugs already approved by the FDA, can reduce both tumor size and invasiveness and could lead to tumor eradication. PMID:28536277

Amelogenesis imperfecta: review of diagnostic findings and treatment concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabandal, Martin M I; Schäfer, Edgar

2016-09-01

Mineralization defects like amelogenesis imperfecta are often of hereditary origin. This article reviews the diagnostic findings and summarizes the suggested treatment approaches. Currently, there are no defined therapy recommendations available for patients suffering from amelogenesis imperfecta. The mentioned therapies are more or less equal but no comprehensive therapy recommendation is evident. When treating patients suffering from amelogenesis imperfecta, a comprehensive therapy of almost every dental discipline has to be considered. The earlier the diagnosis of amelogenesis imperfecta is confirmed, the better the outcome is. Optimal treatment approaches consist of early diagnosis and treatment approach and frequent dental recall appointments to prevent progressive occlusal wear or early destruction by caries. Full-mouth prosthetic treatment seems to be the best treatment option.

Key tasks in healthcare marketing: assessing importance and current level of knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennett, Pamela A; Henson, Steve W; Crow, Stephen M; Hartman, Sandra J

2005-01-01

When examining the healthcare industry, the need for continuing education in internal functions (i.e., HR management) has been documented. However, equally important to success in the healthcare industry are external functions such as marketing. In an expansion of research on internally focused functions, we report findings from an exploratory study designed to examine the perceptions of executives about managerial skill needs in the externally focused area of marketing. Specifically, we examine eight key tasks in marketing and ask executives to rate the level of knowledge required for each and then to assess current, or actual, levels of knowledge in the field. Findings suggest that pricing strategy, product strategy, and segmentation and targeting were the tasks that require the most knowledge for healthcare marketers, and that they do, in fact, perceive various gaps in all of the areas examined. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Sneaking a peek: pigeons use peripheral vision (not mirrors) to find hidden food.

Science.gov (United States)

Ünver, Emre; Garland, Alexis; Tabrik, Sepideh; Güntürkün, Onur

2017-07-01

A small number of species are capable of recognizing themselves in the mirror when tested with the mark-and-mirror test. This ability is often seen as evidence of self-recognition and possibly even self-awareness. Strangely, a number of species, for example monkeys, pigs and dogs, are unable to pass the mark test but can locate rewarding objects by using the reflective properties of a mirror. Thus, these species seem to understand how a visual reflection functions but cannot apply it to their own image. We tested this discrepancy in pigeons-a species that does not spontaneously pass the mark test. Indeed, we discovered that pigeons can successfully find a hidden food reward using only the reflection, suggesting that pigeons can also use and potentially understand the reflective properties of mirrors, even in the absence of self-recognition. However, tested under monocular conditions, the pigeons approached and attempted to walk through the mirror rather than approach the physical food, displaying similar behavior to patients with mirror agnosia. These findings clearly show that pigeons do not use the reflection of mirrors to locate reward, but actually see the food peripherally with their near-panoramic vision. A re-evaluation of our current understanding of mirror-mediated behavior might be necessary-especially taking more fully into account species differences in visual field. This study suggests that use of reflections in a mirrored surface as a tool may be less widespread than currently thought.

Factor structure of suggestibility revisited: new evidence for direct and indirect suggestibility

OpenAIRE

Romuald Polczyk

2016-01-01

Background Yielding to suggestions can be viewed as a relatively stable individual trait, called suggestibility. It has been long proposed that there are two kinds of suggestible influence, and two kinds of suggestibility corresponding to them: direct and indirect. Direct suggestion involves overt unhidden influence, while indirect suggestion concerns influence that is hidden, and the participant does not know that the suggestibility is being measured. So far however, empirical evidence ...

Clinical, instrumental, serological and histological findings suggest that hemophilia B may be less severe than hemophilia A.

Science.gov (United States)

Melchiorre, Daniela; Linari, Silvia; Manetti, Mirko; Romano, Eloisa; Sofi, Francesco; Matucci-Cerinic, Marco; Carulli, Christian; Innocenti, Massimo; Ibba-Manneschi, Lidia; Castaman, Giancarlo

2016-02-01

Recent evidence suggests that patients with severe hemophilia B may have a less severe disease compared to severe hemophilia A. To investigate clinical, radiological, laboratory and histological differences in the arthropathy of severe hemophilia A and hemophilia B, 70 patients with hemophilia A and 35 with hemophilia B with at least one joint bleeding were consecutively enrolled. Joint bleedings (50), regimen of treatment (prophylaxis/on demand), World Federation of Hemophilia, Pettersson and ultrasound scores, serum soluble RANK ligand and osteoprotegerin were assessed in all patients. RANK, RANK ligand and osteoprotegerin expression was evaluated in synovial tissue from 18 hemophilia A and 4 hemophilia B patients. The percentage of patients with either 10-50 or more than 50 hemarthrosis was greater in hemophilia A than in hemophilia B (Phemophilia B (PHemophilia (36.6 vs. 20.2; Phemophilia A patients. Serum osteoprotegerin and soluble RANK ligand were decreased in hemophilia A versus hemophilia B (Phemophilia A patients. In conclusion, the reduced number of hemarthrosis, the lower World Federation of Hemophilia and ultrasound scores, and higher osteoprotegerin expression in serum and synovial tissue in hemophilia B suggest that hemophilia B is a less severe disease than hemophilia A. Osteoprotegerin reduction seems to play a pivotal role in the progression of arthropathy in hemophilia A. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

FindZebra - using machine learning to aid diagnosis of rare diseases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svenstrup, Dan Tito

FindZebra is a search engine for rare diseases intended to act as a diagnosis decision support system (DDSS) capable of assisting the user both during and after a search. Rare diseases are diseases that affect only a small part of the population (less than one in two thousand). Currently around...... retrieval systems. Improving retrieval performance is important, but is not the only way of improving the success rate of a DDSS such as FindZebra. Following an unsuccessful search, the search engine should assist the user by indicating what information is likely to be missing. This idea is called...... language and the search engine should then give a suggestion for a differential diagnosis based on all the information contained in a multilingual corpus, not only in the native corpus. Methods for performing multilingual search will be the fourth line of research explored in this dissertation. ...

Women's empowerment: Finding strength in self-compassion.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, Olivia; Allen, Ashley Batts

2017-03-01

Empowerment is often a desired outcome for health programs; however, it is rarely evaluated. One way to increase empowerment may be through self-compassion. The authors of the current study aimed to determine whether self-compassion and empowerment were positively related. Two hundred and five women (ages 18 to 48 years) were recruited from a pool of undergraduate students at a university in the southeastern United States in the summer/fall of 2012. Participants completed the study using Qualtrics, an online survey system. Participants wrote about a fight in a romantic relationship and were randomly assigned to write about the fight either self-compassionately or generally. Empowerment and perceptions of the fight were assessed as dependent measures. Hierarchical regression analyses investigated the relation of self-compassion, manipulated self-compassion, and their interaction with empowerment. A significant positive relationship was found between self-compassion and empowerment. However, manipulated self-compassion was not significantly related to empowerment. These findings suggested that self-compassion and empowerment were strongly related, but using a short-term self-compassion intervention may not be strong enough to influence empowerment. Empowerment-based practitioners may find empowerment increases more easily in women who are self-compassionate. If self-compassion is incorporated into empowerment settings, a long-term intervention may be necessary.

Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis in longhaired Chihuahuas: clinical, pathologic, and MRI findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamoto, Yuya; Yamato, Osamu; Uchida, Kazuyuki; Nibe, Kazumi; Tamura, Shinji; Ozawa, Tsuyoshi; Ueoka, Naotami; Nukaya, Aya; Yabuki, Akira; Nakaichi, Munekazu

2011-01-01

Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a rare group of inherited neurodegenerative lysosomal storage diseases characterized histopathologically by the abnormal accumulation of ceroid- or lipofuscin-like lipopigments in neurons and other cells throughout the body. The present article describes the clinical, pathologic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the NCL in three longhaired Chihuahuas between 16 mo and 24 mo of age. Clinical signs, including visual defects and behavioral abnormalities, started between 16 mo and 18 mo of age. Cranial MRI findings in all the dogs were characterized by diffuse severe dilation of the cerebral sulci, dilated fissures of diencephalons, midbrain, and cerebellum, and lateral ventricular enlargement, suggesting atrophy of the forebrain. As the most unusual feature, diffuse meningeal thickening was observed over the entire cerebrum, which was strongly enhanced on contrast T1-weighted images. The dogs' conditions progressed until they each died subsequent to continued neurologic deterioration between 23 mo and 24 mo of age. Histopathologically, there was severe to moderate neuronal cell loss with diffuse astrogliosis throughout the brain. The remaining neuronal cells showed intracytoplasmic accumulation of pale to slightly yellow lipopigments mimicking ceroid or lipofuscin. The thickened meninges consisted of the proliferation of connective tissues with abundant collagen fibers and mild infiltration of inflammatory cells suggesting neuroimmune hyperactivity. Although the etiology of this neuroimmune hyperactivity is not currently known, MRI findings such as meningeal thickening may be a useful diagnostic marker of this variant form of canine NCL.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and behavioral models of smoking addiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paige eFraser

2012-08-01

Full Text Available While few studies have applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS to smoking addiction, existing work suggests that the intervention holds promise for altering the complex system by which environmental cues interact with cravings to drive behavior. Imaging and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS studies suggest that increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC activation and integrity may be associated with increased resistance to smoking cues. Anodal tDCS of the DLPFC, believed to boost activation, reduces cravings in response to these cues. The finding that noninvasive stimulation modifies cue induced cravings has profound implications for understanding the processes underlying addiction and relapse. TDCS can also be applied to probe mechanisms underlying and supporting nicotine addiction, as was done in a pharmacologic study that applied nicotine, tDCS, and TMS paired associative stimulation to find that stopping nicotine after chronic use induces a reduction in plasticity, causing difficulty in breaking free from association between cues and cravings. This mini-review will place studies that apply tDCS to smokers in the context of research involving the neural substrates of nicotine addiction.

Sleep, insomnia, and hypertension: current findings and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, S Justin; Calhoun, David

2017-02-01

Blood pressure (BP) varies over 24 hours. During normal sleep, BP typically decreases by 10% or more. Research suggests that disordered sleep, particularly sleep deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea, is associated with increased BP and risk of hypertension. Less is known about the relationship between insomnia and hypertension. Population-based studies have reported an association between insomnia symptoms and both prevalent and incident hypertension, particularly in the context of short sleep duration. Furthermore, a number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the relationship between insomnia and hypertension. However, few studies have examined these proposed mechanisms, and even fewer clinical trials have been conducted to determine if improved sleep improves BP and/or reverses a nondipping BP pattern. Methodological concerns, particularly with respect to the diagnosis of insomnia, no doubt impact the strength of any observed association. Additionally, a large majority of studies have only examined the association between insomnia symptoms and clinic BP. Therefore, future research needs to focus on careful consideration of the diagnostic criteria for insomnia, as well as inclusion of either home BP or ambulatory BP monitoring. Finally, clinical trials aimed at improving the quality of sleep should be conducted to determine if improved sleep impacts 24-hour BP. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CCHCR1 interacts with EDC4, suggesting its localization in P-bodies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, Y.H.; Wong, C.C. [School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong (China); Li, K.W. [Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands); Chan, K.M. [School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong (China); Boukamp, P. [Division of Genetics of Skin Carcinogenesis, A110 German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Liu, W.K., E-mail: ken-liu@cuhk.edu.hk [School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong (China)

2014-09-10

Coiled‐coil alpha‐helical rod protein 1 (CCHCR1) is suggested as a candidate biomarker for psoriasis for more than a decade but its function remains poorly understood because of the inconsistent findings in the literature. CCHCR1 protein is suggested to be localized in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, or centrosome and to regulate various cellular functions, including steroidogenesis, proliferation, differentiation, and cytoskeleton organization. In this study, we attempted to find a consensus between these findings by identifying the interaction partners of CCHCR1 using co-immunoprecipiation with a stable cell line expressing EGFP-tagged CCHCR1. Out of more than 100 co-immunoprecipitants identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the enhancer of mRNA-decapping protein 4 (EDC4), which is a processing body (P-body) component, was particularly found to be the major interacting partner of CCHCR1. Confocal imaging confirmed the localization of CCHCR1 in P-bodies and its N-terminus is required for this subcellular localization, suggesting that CCHCR1 is a novel P-body component. As P-bodies are the site for mRNA metabolism, our findings provide a molecular basis for the function of CCHCR1, any disruption of which may affect the transcriptome of the cell, and causing abnormal cell functions. - Highlights: • We identified CCHCR1 as a novel P-body component. • We identified EDC4 as the major interacting partner of CCHCR1. • N-terminus of CCHCR1 protein is required for its P-bodies localization.

Manifestations of electric currents in interstellar molecular clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlqvist, P.; Gahm, G.F.

1991-12-01

We draw the attention to filamentary structures in molecular clouds and point out the existence of subfilaments of sinusoidal shape and also of helix-like structures. For two dark clouds, the Lynds 204 complex and the Sandqvist 187-188 complex (The Norma 'sword') we make a detailed study of such shapes and in addition we find the possible existence of helices wound around the main filaments. All these features are highly reminiscent of morphologies encountered in solar ascending prominences and in experiments in plasma physics and suggest the existence of electric currents and magnetic fields in these clouds. On the basis of a generalization of the Bennett pinch model, we derive the magnitudes of the currents expected to flow in the filaments. Values of column densities, magnetic field strengths, and direction of the fields are derived from observations. Magnetic fields with both toroidal and axial components are considered. This study shows that axial currents of the order of a few times 10 13 A are necessary for the clouds to be in equilibrium. The corresponding mean current densities are very small and even at the very low values of the fractional abundance of electrons encountered in these clouds, the mean electron velocities are of the order of 10 -2 -10 -5 m s -1 , much lower than the thermal velocities in the clouds. We suggest that helical structures may evolve as a result of various instabilities in the pinched clouds. We also call the attention to the kink intability in connection with the sinusoidal shapes. The existence of electromagnetically controlled features in the interstellar clouds can be tested by further observations. (au)

Safety and tolerability of transcranial direct current stimulation to stroke patients - A phase I current escalation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhatbar, Pratik Y; Chen, Rong; Deardorff, Rachael; Dellenbach, Blair; Kautz, Steven A; George, Mark S; Feng, Wuwei

A prior meta-analysis revealed that higher doses of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have a better post-stroke upper-extremity motor recovery. While this finding suggests that currents greater than the typically used 2 mA may be more efficacious, the safety and tolerability of higher currents have not been assessed in stroke patients. We aim to assess the safety and tolerability of single session of up to 4 mA in stroke patients. We adapted a traditional 3 + 3 study design with a current escalation schedule of 1»2»2.5»3»3.5»4 mA for this tDCS safety study. We administered one 30-min session of bihemispheric montage tDCS and simultaneous customary occupational therapy to patients with first-ever ischemic stroke. We assessed safety with pre-defined stopping rules and investigated tolerability through a questionnaire. Additionally, we monitored body resistance and skin temperature in real-time at the electrode contact site. Eighteen patients completed the study. The current was escalated to 4 mA without meeting the pre-defined stopping rules or causing any major safety concern. 50% of patients experienced transient skin redness without injury. No rise in temperature (range 26°C-35 °C) was noted and skin barrier function remained intact (i.e. body resistance >1 kΩ). Our phase I safety study supports that single session of bihemispheric tDCS with current up to 4 mA is safe and tolerable in stroke patients. A phase II study to further test the safety and preliminary efficacy with multi-session tDCS at 4 mA (as compared with lower current and sham stimulation) is a logical next step. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02763826. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies of current-perpendicular-to-plane magnetoresistance (CPP-MR) and current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Kurt, Huseyin

2005-08-01

We present two CPP-MR studies of spin-valves based upon ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic (F/N/F) trilayers. We measure the spin-diffusion lengths of N = Pd, Pt, and Au at 4.2K, and both the specific resistances (sample area A times resistance R) and spin-memory-loss of N/Cu interfaces. Pd, Pt and Au are of special device interest because they give perpendicular anisotropy when sandwiching very thin Co layers. Comparing our spin-memory-loss data at Pd/Cu and Pt/Cu interfaces with older data for Nb/Cu and W/Cu gives insight into the importance of spin-orbit coupling in producing such loss. We reproduce and extend prior studies by Eid of 'magnetic activity' at the interface of Co and N-metals (or combinations of N-metals), when the other side of the N-metal contacts a superconductor (S). Our data suggest that magnetic activity may require strong spin-flipping at the N/S interface. We present five studies of a new phenomenon, CIMS, in F1/N/F2 trilayers, with F1 a thick 'polarizing' layer and F2 a thin 'switching' layer. In all prior studies of CIMS, positive current caused the magnetization of F2 to switch from parallel (P) to anti-parallel (AP) to that of F1- 'normal' switching. By judicious addition of impurities to F-metals, we are able to controllably produce both 'normal' and 'inverse' switching- where positive current switches the magnetization of F2 from AP to P to that of F1. In the samples studied, whether the switching is normal or inverse is set by the 'net polarization' produced by F1 and is independent of the properties of F2. As scattering in the bulk of F1 and F2 is essential to producing our results, these results cannot be described by ballistic models, which allow scattering only at interfaces. Most CIMS experiments use Cu as the N-layer due to its low resistivity and long spin-diffusion length. We show that Ag and Au have low enough resistivities and long enough spin-diffusion lengths to be useful alternatives to Cu for some devices. While

The TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) : Design, Current Status, and Selected Findings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ormel, Johan; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Sijtsema, Jelle; van Oort, Floor; Raven, Dennis; Veenstra, Rene; Vollebergh, Wilma A M; Verhulst, Frank C

2012-01-01

Objectives: The objectives of this study were as follows: to present a concise overview of the sample, outcomes, determinants, non-response and attrition of the ongoing TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), which started in 2001; to summarize a selection of recent findings on

Findings from analysing and quantifying human error using current methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dang, V.N.; Reer, B.

1999-01-01

In human reliability analysis (HRA), the scarcity of data means that, at best, judgement must be applied to transfer to the domain of the analysis what data are available for similar tasks. In particular for the quantification of tasks involving decisions, the analyst has to choose among quantification approaches that all depend to a significant degree on expert judgement. The use of expert judgement can be made more reliable by eliciting relative judgements rather than absolute judgements. These approaches, which are based on multiple criterion decision theory, focus on ranking the tasks to be analysed by difficulty. While these approaches remedy at least partially the poor performance of experts in the estimation of probabilities, they nevertheless require the calibration of the relative scale on which the actions are ranked in order to obtain the probabilities of interest. This paper presents some results from a comparison of some current HRA methods performed in the frame of a study of SLIM calibration options. The HRA quantification methods THERP, HEART, and INTENT were applied to derive calibration human error probabilities for two groups of operator actions. (author)

Radiologic findings in taxane induced colitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaur, Harmeet; Loyer, Evelyne M.; David, Cynthia L.; Sawaf, Hassan; DuBrow, Ronelle A.; Ibrahim, Nuhad K.

2008-01-01

Ischemic colitis in breast cancer patients being treated with taxane-based chemotherapy, which may lead to serious morbidities and even death, has recently been defined as a clinical entity. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the computed tomography (CT) findings in taxane-related colitis and determine their clinical relevance. CT scans of 41 patients at risk for taxane colitis were reviewed retrospectively for bowel and peritoneal abnormalities. Morphological findings were analyzed and correlated with clinical, pathological, and endoscopic findings. CT scans in 10 of the 41 patients showed a definitely abnormal colon with a thickened wall or distended with fluid, signs that are suggestive of colitis, in the context of the clinical picture. Radiographic changes in patients with taxane colitis are not specific but, in the appropriate context, can suggest the correct diagnosis and guide the patient's management

Diode-Assisted Buck-Boost Current Source Inverters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gao, F.; Cai, Liang; Loh, P.C.

2007-01-01

This paper presents a couple of novel current source inverters (CSIs) with the enhanced current buckboost capability. With the unique diode-inductor network added between current source inverter circuitry and current boost elements, the proposed buck-boost current source inverters demonstrate...... uninfluenced. Lastly, all theoretical findings were verified experimentally using constructed laboratory prototypes....

A Study on the Current Oil and Gas Price Formula and Its Improvement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Chang Won; Lee, Young Koo [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea)

2000-12-01

The object of this study is to suggest some improvements on current price formulas on oil and gas which have been pivotal roles in the process of Korean economic growth. This study first examines basic frames and transition of oil and gas pricing in Korea and then finds some suggestions on them by scrutinizing their theoretical backgrounds. This study finds several problems on oil and gas pricing formulas. (a) In a model that is now studied to evaluate the current domestic oil price, the costs associated with oil security such as oil stockpile are fully penetrated into oil price without their fair evaluations. There is no evaluation principle on the costs occurred in oil supply security. (b) The Rate Of Equity(ROE), a crucial factor in town-gas pricing which is strictly controlled, is directly connected to the average interest rate on saving accounts of domestic commercial banks. Some arguments may have rise about inclusion a risk factor on ROE in order to compensate the uncertainty of town-gas business. (c) New demand for natural gas which is generated by new technologies or machinery and tools can help reduce the costs occurred from seasonal imbalance between power sector and gas sector. So it is also important to decide how to include the beneficiary of cost reduction in town-gas pricing. In order to evaluate the proper price levels, this study tests energy supply security by adopting methodologies such as Herfindahl Index and Portfolio Variance Risk. They can help develop the method to effectively improve the energy security and include the proper energy security costs into energy prices. This study also provides some suggestions for betterment of current ROE decision rule in town-gas business and for improvement of current town-gas policy that government subsidizes newly developed demand for strengthening price competitiveness in the early stage. (author). 145 refs., 16 figs., 49 tabs.

The TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS): Design, Current Status, and Selected Findings

Science.gov (United States)

Ormel, Johan; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Sijtsema, Jelle; van Oort, Floor; Raven, Dennis; Veenstra, Rene; Vollebergh, Wilma A. M.; Verhulst, Frank C.

2012-01-01

Objectives: The objectives of this study were as follows: to present a concise overview of the sample, outcomes, determinants, non-response and attrition of the ongoing TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), which started in 2001; to summarize a selection of recent findings on continuity, discontinuity, risk, and protective…

Differential frontal-parietal phase synchrony during hypnosis as a function of hypnotic suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Terhune, Devin Blair; Cardeña, Etzel; Lindgren, Magnus

2011-10-01

Spontaneous dissociative alterations in awareness and perception among highly suggestible individuals following a hypnotic induction may result from disruptions in the functional coordination of the frontal-parietal network. We recorded EEG and self-reported state dissociation in control and hypnosis conditions in two sessions with low and highly suggestible participants. Highly suggestible participants reliably experienced greater state dissociation and exhibited lower frontal-parietal phase synchrony in the alpha2 frequency band during hypnosis than low suggestible participants. These findings suggest that highly suggestible individuals exhibit a disruption of the frontal-parietal network that is only observable following a hypnotic induction. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

CT findings of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kigami, Yusuke; Nishizawa, Sadahiko; Kuroda, Yasumasa

1992-01-01

CT scans in 11 cases of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) were reviewed. Peripheral dense opacities suggesting air-space consolidation were the most peculiar findings seen in 9 patients on CT, but 7 on chest radiographs. Five patients showed broad plate-like opacities parallel to the pleura, which were the results of resolution from the periphery of the consolidation. Diffuse interstitial opacities suggesting alveolitis were the predominant finding in 3 patients, one of which also had peripheral air-space consolidation. Follow-up CT showed no residual abnormality except one who had DIP concomitant with CEP. CT scans are useful tool for both diagnosis and follow-up of CEP. (author)

A compilation of jet finding algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flaugher, B.; Meier, K.

1990-12-01

Technical descriptions of jet finding algorithms currently in use in p bar p collider experiments (CDF, UA1, UA2), e + e - experiments and Monte-Carlo event generators (LUND programs, ISAJET) have been collected. 20 refs

Onsite-effects of dual-hemisphere versus conventional single-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation: A functional MRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yong Hyun; Jang, Sung Ho

2012-08-25

We performed functional MRI examinations in six right-handed healthy subjects. During functional MRI scanning, transcranial direct current stimulation was delivered with the anode over the right primary sensorimotor cortex and the cathode over the left primary sensorimotor cortex using dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. This was compared to a cathode over the left supraorbital area using conventional single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. Voxel counts and blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensities in the right primary sensorimotor cortex regions were estimated and compared between the two transcranial direct current stimulation conditions. Our results showed that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation induced greater cortical activities than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. These findings suggest that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation may provide more effective cortical stimulation than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation.

Current stress and poor oral health.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasiliou, A; Shankardass, K; Nisenbaum, R; Quiñonez, C

2016-09-02

Psychological stress appears to contribute to poor oral health systemically in combination with other chronic diseases. Few studies directly examine this relationship. Data from a cross-sectional study of 2,412 participants between the ages of 25-64 years old living in the City of Toronto between 2009 and 2012 were used to examine the relationship between current stress and two self-rated oral health outcomes (general oral health and oral pain). Dental care utilization and access to dental insurance were examined as effect modifiers. A positive relationship between current stress and poor oral health was observed for both outcomes (oral pain coefficient 0.32, 95 % CI 0.26-0.38; general oral health coefficient 0.28, 95 % CI 0.19-0.36). Effects on oral pain were stronger for the uninsured, while effects on general oral health were stronger with decreasing socioeconomic position. Our findings suggest that individuals with greater perceived stress also report poorer oral health, and that this relationship is modified by dental insurance and socioeconomic position. These findings warrant a greater focus on the role of psychological stress in the development of oral disease, including how perceived stress contributes to health inequities in self-reported oral health status. Patients experiencing stressful lives may differentially require closer monitoring and more vigilant maintenance of their oral health, above and beyond that which is needed to achieve a state of health in the oral environment of less stressed individuals. There may be health promoting effects of addressing psychosocial concerns related to dental care - particularly for the poor and uninsured.

An Investigation of the Academic Information Finding and Re-finding Behavior on the Web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsiao-Tieh Pu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Academic researchers often need and re-use relevant information found after a period of time. This preliminary study used various methods, including experiments, interviews, search log analysis, sequential analysis, and observation to investigate characteristics of academic information finding and re-finding behavior. Overall, the participants in this study entered short queries either in finding or re-finding phases. Comparatively speaking, the participants entered greater number of queries, modified more queries, browsed more web pages, and stayed longer on web pages in the finding phase. On the other hand, in the re-finding phase, they utilized personal information management tools to re-find instead of finding again using search engine, such as checking browsing history; moreover, they tend to input less number of queries and stayed shorter on web pages. In short, the participants interacted more with the retrieval system during the finding phase, while they increased the use of personal information management tools in the re-finding phase. As to the contextual clues used in re-finding phase, the participants used less clues from the target itself, instead, they used indirect clues more often, especially location-related information. Based on the results of sequential analysis, the transition states in the re-finding phase was found to be more complex than those in the finding phase. Web information finding and re-finding behavior is an important and novel area of research. The preliminary results would benefit research on Web information re-finding behavior, and provide useful suggestions for developing personal academic information management systems. [Article content in Chinese

Suggestibility and compliance among alleged false confessors and resisters in criminal trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudjonsson, G H

1991-04-01

This paper describes a study which compares the interrogative suggestibility and compliance scores of 20 alleged false confessors and 20 subjects who had persistently denied their involvement in the crime they were charged with in spite of forensic evidence against them (labelled 'resisters'). The two groups were 'matched' for age, sex, intelligence, memory recall capacity, and the seriousness of the offence. It was hypothesized that the resisters would score significantly lower on tests of suggestibility and compliance than the alleged false confessors. The findings were confirmed at a high level of significance. A separate analysis of 14 resisters and 72 alleged false confessors, where IQ and memory were used as covariates rather than 'matching' the two groups on the relevant variables, gave almost identical results. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Childhood Enuresis: Current Diagnostic Formulations, Salient Findings, and Effective Treatment Modalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurber, Steven

2017-06-01

Enuresis constitutes a frequently encountered problem area for children that may adversely affect social and emotional adjustment. This type of incontinence has been of concern to the human family for centuries. A brief history of enuresis is presented followed by current conceptualizations, diagnostic criteria, prevalence rates and psychiatric comorbidities. Historic notions of causation together with ineffective, sometimes barbaric treatments are then discussed, ending with a presentation of evidence-based treatment modalities, with the urine alarm being an essential element of effective treatment. An intervention termed dry bed training combines the urine alarm with a series of procedures designed in part to reduce relapse potential and should be a primary consideration for implementation by treatment professionals. Finally, a brief case study is presented illustrating special etiological and treatment considerations with juvenile psychiatric patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Induction of self awareness in dreams through frontal low current stimulation of gamma activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Voss, Ursula; Holzmann, Romain; Hobson, Allan; Paulus, Walter; Koppehele-Gossel, Judith; Klimke, Ansgar; Nitsche, Michael A

2014-06-01

Recent findings link fronto-temporal gamma electroencephalographic (EEG) activity to conscious awareness in dreams, but a causal relationship has not yet been established. We found that current stimulation in the lower gamma band during REM sleep influences ongoing brain activity and induces self-reflective awareness in dreams. Other stimulation frequencies were not effective, suggesting that higher order consciousness is indeed related to synchronous oscillations around 25 and 40 Hz.

Electroencephalographic findings in panic disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcele Regine de Carvalho

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Some studies have reported the importance of electroencephalography (EEG as a method for investigating abnormal parameters in psychiatric disorders. Different findings in time and frequency domain analysis with regard to central nervous system arousal during acute panic states have already been obtained. This study aimed to systematically review the EEG findings in panic disorder (PD, discuss them having a currently accepted neuroanatomical hypothesis for this pathology as a basis, and identify limitations in the selected studies. Literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge, using the keywords electroencephalography and panic disorder; 16 articles were selected. Despite the inconsistency of EEG findings in PD, the major conclusions about the absolute power of alpha and beta bands point to a decreased alpha power, while beta power tends to increase. Different asymmetry patterns were found between studies. Coherence studies pointed to a lower degree of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity at the frontal region and intra-hemispheric at the bilateral temporal region. Studies on possible related events showed changes in memory processing in PD patients when exposed to aversive stimuli. It was noticed that most findings reflect the current neurobiological hypothesis of PD, where inhibitory deficits of the prefrontal cortex related to the modulation of amygdala activity, and the subsequent activation of subcortical regions, may be responsible to trigger anxiety responses. We approached some important issues that need to be considered in further researches, especially the use of different methods for analyzing EEG signals. Keywords: Electroencephalography, panic disorder, neurobiology, brain mapping.

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS Mechanisms and Protocols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir V. Tavakoli

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Perception, cognition and consciousness can be modulated as a function of oscillating neural activity, while ongoing neuronal dynamics are influenced by synaptic activity and membrane potential. Consequently, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS may be used for neurological intervention. The advantageous features of tACS include the biphasic and sinusoidal tACS currents, the ability to entrain large neuronal populations, and subtle control over somatic effects. Through neuromodulation of phasic, neural activity, tACS is a powerful tool to investigate the neural correlates of cognition. The rapid development in this area requires clarity about best practices. Here we briefly introduce tACS and review the most compelling findings in the literature to provide a starting point for using tACS. We suggest that tACS protocols be based on functional brain mechanisms and appropriate control experiments, including active sham and condition blinding.

Adolescent suicide prevention. Current research and social policy implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Garland, A F; Zigler, E

1993-02-01

The rate of adolescent suicide has increased dramatically in the past few decades, prompting several interventions to curb the increase. Unfortunately, many of the intervention efforts have not benefited from current research findings because the communication between researchers and those who develop the interventions is inadequate. Of specific concern are the increasingly popular curriculum-based suicide prevention programs, which have not demonstrated effectiveness and may contain potentially deleterious components. This article reviews the current epidemiological research in adolescent suicide and suggests how this knowledge could be used more effectively to reduce the rate of adolescent suicide. Recommendations include support for integrated primary prevention efforts; suicide prevention education for professionals; education and policies on firearm management; education for the media about adolescent suicide; more efficient identification and treatment of at-risk youth, including those exposed to suicidal behavior; crisis intervention; and treatment for suicide attempters.

Children Undergoing Radiotherapy: Swedish Parents’ Experiences and Suggestions for Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Mullaney, Tara; Nilsson, Kristina; Wickart-Johansson, Gun; Svärd, Anna-Maja; Nyholm, Tufve; Lindh, Jack; Lindh, Viveca

2015-01-01

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80–90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child’s and the parent’s view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multicenter study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents’ experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents’ suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2–16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people’s lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child’s suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process. PMID:26509449

Responding to hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions: performance standards, imaginative suggestibility, and response expectancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Eric C; Lynn, Steven Jay

2011-07-01

This study examined the relative impact of hypnotic inductions and several other variables on hypnotic and nonhypnotic responsiveness to imaginative suggestions. The authors examined how imaginative suggestibility, response expectancies, motivation to respond to suggestions, and hypnotist-induced performance standards affected participants' responses to both hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions and their suggestion-related experiences. Suggestions were administered to 5 groups of participants using a test-retest design: (a) stringent performance standards; (b) lenient performance standards; (c) hypnosis test-retest; (d) no-hypnosis test-retest; and (e) no-hypnosis/hypnosis control. The authors found no support for the influence of a hypnotic induction or performance standards on responding to suggestions but found considerable support for the role of imaginative suggestibility and response expectancies in predicting responses to both hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions.

Recessions and seniors' health, health behaviors, and healthcare use: analysis of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, Melissa; Mellor, Jennifer M

2012-09-01

A number of studies report that U.S. state mortality rates, particularly for the elderly, decline during economic downturns. Further, several prior studies use microdata to show that as state unemployment rates rise, physical health improves, unhealthy behaviors decrease, and medical care use declines. We use data on elderly mortality rates and data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey from a time period that encompasses the start of the Great Recession. We find that elderly mortality is countercyclical during most of the 1994-2008 period. Further, as unemployment rates rise, seniors report worse mental health and are no more likely to engage in healthier behaviors. We find suggestive evidence that inpatient utilization increases perhaps because of an increased physician willingness to accept Medicare patients. Our findings suggest that either elderly individuals respond differently to recessions than do working age adults, or that the relationship between unemployment and health has changed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trends in Mediation Analysis in Nursing Research: Improving Current Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hertzog, Melody

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe common approaches used by nursing researchers to test mediation models and evaluate them within the context of current methodological advances. MEDLINE was used to locate studies testing a mediation model and published from 2004 to 2015 in nursing journals. Design (experimental/correlation, cross-sectional/longitudinal, model complexity) and analysis (method, inclusion of test of mediated effect, violations/discussion of assumptions, sample size/power) characteristics were coded for 456 studies. General trends were identified using descriptive statistics. Consistent with findings of reviews in other disciplines, evidence was found that nursing researchers may not be aware of the strong assumptions and serious limitations of their analyses. Suggestions for strengthening the rigor of such studies and an overview of current methods for testing more complex models, including longitudinal mediation processes, are presented.

Ultrasonographic findings of breast lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, In Sung; Kim, Yang Soo; Suh, Hyoung Sim

1990-01-01

Authors retrospectively analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 61 cases of breast lesions which were proven pathologically at Daerim St. Mary's Hospital from May 1987 to February 1990. The results were as follows : 1. Of all 61 cases, there were 27 fibroadenomas, 13 fibrocystic diseases, 11 carcinomas, 8 abscesses, 1 sclerosing adenosis, and 1 intraductal papilloma. 2. Findings suggesting benignancy were smooth contour, round or oval shape, homogeneously echolucent internal echo, echogenic boundary echo, and posterior enhancement. In the cases of abscess, the findings were rather irregular contour, strong posterior enhancement, and dirty, inhomogeneous internal echo. While irregular and lobulated shape, inhomogeneous and mixed internal echo and pectoral muscle invasion were suggested for malignancy. 3. The sensitivity was 98% and the specificity 58% in benign mass excluding abscesses, 63% and 98% in abscesses, and 55% and 98% in carcinomas. In conclusion, ultrasonography is one of the excellent imaging modality for detecting breast lesions larger than 5 mm in size, but unfortunately some of the malignant tumors simulated benignancy, thus we considered fine needle aspiration biopsy and adjunctive imaging modalities such as film mammography must be followed for better detection of breast cancer

Ultrasonographic findings of breast lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, In Sung; Kim, Yang Soo; Suh, Hyoung Sim [College of Medicine, Daerim St. Mary' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1990-07-15

Authors retrospectively analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 61 cases of breast lesions which were proven pathologically at Daerim St. Mary's Hospital from May 1987 to February 1990. The results were as follows : 1. Of all 61 cases, there were 27 fibroadenomas, 13 fibrocystic diseases, 11 carcinomas, 8 abscesses, 1 sclerosing adenosis, and 1 intraductal papilloma. 2. Findings suggesting benignancy were smooth contour, round or oval shape, homogeneously echolucent internal echo, echogenic boundary echo, and posterior enhancement. In the cases of abscess, the findings were rather irregular contour, strong posterior enhancement, and dirty, inhomogeneous internal echo. While irregular and lobulated shape, inhomogeneous and mixed internal echo and pectoral muscle invasion were suggested for malignancy. 3. The sensitivity was 98% and the specificity 58% in benign mass excluding abscesses, 63% and 98% in abscesses, and 55% and 98% in carcinomas. In conclusion, ultrasonography is one of the excellent imaging modality for detecting breast lesions larger than 5 mm in size, but unfortunately some of the malignant tumors simulated benignancy, thus we considered fine needle aspiration biopsy and adjunctive imaging modalities such as film mammography must be followed for better detection of breast cancer.

Prenatal ultrasound findings of fetal neoplasms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Soo Hyun; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Song, Mi Jin; Min, Jee Yeon; Han, Byoung Hee; Lee, Young Ho; Cho, Byung Jae; Kim, Seung Hyup

2002-01-01

A variety of neoplasms can develop in each tetal organ. Most fetal neoplasms can be detected by careful prenatal ultrasonographic examination. Some neoplosms show specific ultrasonographic findings suggesting the differential diagnosis, but others do not. Knowledge of the presence of a neoplasm in the fetus may alter the prenatal management of a pregnancy and the mode of delivery, and facilitates immediate postnatal treatment. During the last five years, we experienced 32 cases of fetal neoplasms in a variety of organs. We describe their typical and ultrasonographic findings with correlating postnatal CT, MRI, and pathologic findings

Thyrolipomas – Prevalence in Computed Tomography and Suggestions for Pragmatic Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gossner, Johannes

2015-01-01

Thyrolipomas seem to be a rare occurrence and until now their prevalence has only been reported in two studies. Because of the known significant geographic variations of thyroid disease, generalizability of these findings is uncertain as well as the management of found thyrolipomas. Retrospective study of 107 computed tomography scans of the chest of a European inpatient population. A literature review was performed and considerations for pragmatic management were proposed. Thyrolipomas were found in 2.8% of patients. All thyrolipomas were smaller than 15 mm. In all patients these were incidental findings unrelated to patients symptoms. No secondary signs of malignancy could be detected. Thyrolipomas are a common finding on cross sectional imaging. Like in this study they seem to be incidental findings lacking clinical relevance. Because of the rare possibility of an thyroid cancer with inclusion of mature fat, sonographic follow-up of incidentally discovered thyrolipomas larger than 15 mm should be suggested

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Magnetic resonance imaging findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puvaneswary, M.; Floate, D.; Harper, C.

1999-01-01

Rapidly progressive dementia in an adult with findings of bilateral, symmetric high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences and normal findings on T1-weighted sequences predominantly in the deep grey matter is suggestive of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The peripheral cortex may be involved, as it was in the present case. The absence of subcortical periventricular white matter high signal intensity suggests that symmetric high signal intensities within the basal ganglia and cortical grey matter are more likely to be due to a degenerative process rather than due to ischaemia, infection or tumour. Copyright (1999) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

Finding optimal exact reducts

KAUST Repository

AbouEisha, Hassan M.

2014-01-01

The problem of attribute reduction is an important problem related to feature selection and knowledge discovery. The problem of finding reducts with minimum cardinality is NP-hard. This paper suggests a new algorithm for finding exact reducts with minimum cardinality. This algorithm transforms the initial table to a decision table of a special kind, apply a set of simplification steps to this table, and use a dynamic programming algorithm to finish the construction of an optimal reduct. I present results of computer experiments for a collection of decision tables from UCIML Repository. For many of the experimented tables, the simplification steps solved the problem.

High-temperature current conduction through three kinds of Schottky diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fei, Li; Xiao-Ling, Zhang; Yi, Duan; Xue-Song, Xie; Chang-Zhi, Lü

2009-01-01

Fundamentals of the Schottky contacts and the high-temperature current conduction through three kinds of Schottky diodes are studied. N-Si Schottky diodes, GaN Schottky diodes and AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes are investigated by I–V–T measurements ranging from 300 to 523 K. For these Schottky diodes, a rise in temperature is accompanied with an increase in barrier height and a reduction in ideality factor. Mechanisms are suggested, including thermionic emission, field emission, trap-assisted tunnelling and so on. The most remarkable finding in the present paper is that these three kinds of Schottky diodes are revealed to have different behaviours of high-temperature reverse currents. For the n-Si Schottky diode, a rise in temperature is accompanied by an increase in reverse current. The reverse current of the GaN Schottky diode decreases first and then increases with rising temperature. The AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode has a trend opposite to that of the GaN Schottky diode, and the dominant mechanisms are the effects of the piezoelectric polarization field and variation of two-dimensional electron gas charge density. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Dissociated control as a signature of typological variability in high hypnotic suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Terhune, Devin Blair; Cardeña, Etzel; Lindgren, Magnus

2011-09-01

This study tested the prediction that dissociative tendencies modulate the impact of a hypnotic induction on cognitive control in different subtypes of highly suggestible individuals. Low suggestible (LS), low dissociative highly suggestible (LDHS), and high dissociative highly suggestible (HDHS) participants completed the Stroop color-naming task in control and hypnosis conditions. The magnitude of conflict adaptation (faster response times on incongruent trials preceded by an incongruent trial than those preceded by a congruent trial) was used as a measure of cognitive control. LS and LDHS participants displayed marginally superior up-regulation of cognitive control following a hypnotic induction, whereas HDHS participants' performance declined. These findings indicate that dissociative tendencies modulate the influence of a hypnotic induction on cognitive control in high hypnotic suggestibility and suggest that HS individuals are comprised of distinct subtypes with dissimilar cognitive profiles. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Odd-parity currents induced by dynamic deformations in graphene-like systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Kai; Zhang, Erhu; Chen, Huawei; Zhang, Shengli

2016-01-01

Reduced (3  +  1)-dimensional Dirac systems with inter-pseudo-spin and inter-valley scattering are employed to investigate current responses to (chiral) gauge fields in graphene-like systems. From (chiral) current—(chiral) current correlation functions, we derive the current responses. Except for electric currents induced by external gauge fields, we find the inter-valley scattering can break the topological nature of odd-parity currents. Given the proper conditions, this property can help us realize valley-polarized electric currents. Through the dynamic deformations generating the chiral gauge fields, we find the vortex-like currents while their profiles can be tuned by superposition of some deformations. In particular, we find a more manageable approach to realize the topological electric current by choosing a linear dynamic deformation. (paper)

Theory of Mind, Inhibitory Control, and Preschool-Age Children's Suggestibility in Different Interviewing Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Scullin, Matthew H.; Bonner, Karri

2006-01-01

The current study examined the relations among 3- to 5-year-olds' theory of mind, inhibitory control, and three measures of suggestibility: yielding to suggestive questions (yield), shifting answers in response to negative feedback (shift), and accuracy in response to misleading questions during a pressured interview about a live event. Theory of…

Mammography image assessment; validity and reliability of current scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, C.; Robinson, L.

2015-01-01

Mammographers currently score their own images according to criteria set out by Regional Quality Assurance. The criteria used are based on the ‘Perfect, Good, Moderate, Inadequate’ (PGMI) marking criteria established by the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) in their Quality Assurance Guidelines of 2006 1 . This document discusses the validity and reliability of the current mammography image assessment scheme. Commencing with a critical review of the literature this document sets out to highlight problems with the national approach to the use of marking schemes. The findings suggest that ‘PGMI’ scheme is flawed in terms of reliability and validity and is not universally applied across the UK. There also appear to be differences in schemes used by trainees and qualified mammographers. Initial recommendations are to be made in collaboration with colleagues within the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP), Higher Education Centres, College of Radiographers and the Royal College of Radiologists in order to identify a mammography image appraisal scheme that is fit for purpose. - Highlights: • Currently no robust evidence based marking tools in use for the assessment of images in mammography. • Is current system valid, reliable and robust? • How can the current image assessment tool be improved? • Should students and qualified mammographers use the same tool? • What marking criteria are available for image assessment?

Early modern human diversity suggests subdivided population structure and a complex out-of-Africa scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Gunz, Philipp; Bookstein, Fred L.; Mitteroecker, Philipp; Stadlmayr, Andrea; Seidler, Horst; Weber, Gerhard W.

2009-01-01

The interpretation of genetic evidence regarding modern human origins depends, among other things, on assessments of the structure and the variation of ancient populations. Because we lack genetic data from the time when the first anatomically modern humans appeared, between 200,000 and 60,000 years ago, instead we exploit the phenotype of neurocranial geometry to compare the variation in early modern human fossils with that in other groups of fossil Homo and recent modern humans. Variation is assessed as the mean-squared Procrustes distance from the group average shape in a representation based on several hundred neurocranial landmarks and semilandmarks. We find that the early modern group has more shape variation than any other group in our sample, which covers 1.8 million years, and that they are morphologically similar to recent modern humans of diverse geographically dispersed populations but not to archaic groups. Of the currently competing models of modern human origins, some are inconsistent with these findings. Rather than a single out-of-Africa dispersal scenario, we suggest that early modern humans were already divided into different populations in Pleistocene Africa, after which there followed a complex migration pattern. Our conclusions bear implications for the inference of ancient human demography from genetic models and emphasize the importance of focusing research on those early modern humans, in particular, in Africa. PMID:19307568

The relationship between suggestibility and anxiety among suspects detained at police stations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudjonsson, G H; Rutter, S C; Clare, I C

1995-07-01

The present study investigated the relationship between anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Inventory (Spielberger, 1983) and interrogative suggestibility, as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 2, Gudjonsson, 1987). One hundred and sixty-one suspects detained at two English police stations for questioning were assessed prior to being interviewed by the police. Unexpectedly, trait anxiety correlated more consistently with suggestibility than did state anxiety. The correlations were consistently higher among the Caucasian than the Afro-Caribbean subjects and the Afro-Caribbean subjects were significantly more suggestible than the Caucasian subjects even after their GSS 2 memory and IQ scores had been controlled for. The main practical implications of the findings are that interrogative suggestibility cannot be easily evaluated from the person's self-reported anxiety and the situation in which people are assessed may influence the relationship between these psychological variables.

Supporting cognition in systems biology analysis: findings on users' processes and design implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirel, Barbara

2009-02-13

Current usability studies of bioinformatics tools suggest that tools for exploratory analysis support some tasks related to finding relationships of interest but not the deep causal insights necessary for formulating plausible and credible hypotheses. To better understand design requirements for gaining these causal insights in systems biology analyses a longitudinal field study of 15 biomedical researchers was conducted. Researchers interacted with the same protein-protein interaction tools to discover possible disease mechanisms for further experimentation. Findings reveal patterns in scientists' exploratory and explanatory analysis and reveal that tools positively supported a number of well-structured query and analysis tasks. But for several of scientists' more complex, higher order ways of knowing and reasoning the tools did not offer adequate support. Results show that for a better fit with scientists' cognition for exploratory analysis systems biology tools need to better match scientists' processes for validating, for making a transition from classification to model-based reasoning, and for engaging in causal mental modelling. As the next great frontier in bioinformatics usability, tool designs for exploratory systems biology analysis need to move beyond the successes already achieved in supporting formulaic query and analysis tasks and now reduce current mismatches with several of scientists' higher order analytical practices. The implications of results for tool designs are discussed.

A High-Current, Stable Nonaqueous Organic Redox Flow Battery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wei, Xiaoliang; Duan, Wentao; Huang, Jinhua; Zhang, Lu; Li, Bin; Reed, David; Xu, Wu; Sprenkle, Vincent; Wang, Wei

2016-10-14

Nonaqueous redox flow batteries are promising in pursuit of high-energy storage systems owing to the broad voltage window, but currently are facing key challenges such as poor cycling stability and lack of suitable membranes. Here we report a new nonaqueous all-organic flow chemistry that demonstrates an outstanding cell cycling stability primarily because of high chemical persistency of the organic radical redox species and their good compatibility with the supporting electrolyte. A feasibility study shows that Daramic® and Celgard® porous separators can lead to high cell conductivity in flow cells thus producing remarkable cell efficiency and material utilization even at high current operations. This result suggests that the thickness and pore size are the key performance-determining factors for porous separators. With the greatly improved flow cell performance, this new flow system largely addresses the above mentioned challenges and the findings may greatly expedite the development of durable nonaqueous flow batteries.

Eating psychopathology amongst athletes: links to current attachment styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugam, Vaithehy; Jowett, Sophia; Meyer, Caroline

2012-01-01

The aims of the study were two-fold; first to determine the associations between current attachment styles, and eating psychopathology amongst athletes, and second to simultaneously assess the mediating effects of self-esteem, perfectionism, and depression in this association. Four hundred and eleven British athletes completed self-report instruments pertaining to eating psychopathology, attachment styles, self-esteem, depression, and perfectionism. Athletes who scored highly on both avoidant and anxious attachment styles, reported elevated eating psychopathology scores. However, such associations were indirect and mediated via athletes' levels of self-esteem, self-critical perfectionism, and depression, with self-esteem and depression identified as more salient mediators than self-critical perfectionism. The current findings provide evidence to suggest that insecure attachment styles influence athletes' eating psychopathology via their impact on self-esteem, depression, and self-critical perfectionism. Moreover, self-esteem and depression may play more significant role in transferring the impact of insecure attachment styles on elevated eating psychopathology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vitamin C and Heart Health: A Review Based on Findings from Epidemiologic Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa A. Moser

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Vitamin C is a powerful dietary antioxidant that has received considerable attention in the literature related to its possible role in heart health. Although classical vitamin C deficiency, marked by scurvy, is rare in most parts of the world, some research has shown variable heart disease risks depending on plasma vitamin C concentration, even within the normal range. Furthermore, other studies have suggested possible heart-related benefits to vitamin C taken in doses beyond the minimal amounts required to prevent classically defined deficiency. The objective of this review is to systematically review the findings of existing epidemiologic research on vitamin C and its potential role in cardiovascular disease (CVD. It is well established that vitamin C inhibits oxidation of LDL-protein, thereby reducing atherosclerosis, but the cardiovascular outcomes related to this action and other actions of vitamin C are not fully understood. Randomized controlled trials as well as observational cohort studies have investigated this topic with varying results. Vitamin C has been linked in some work to improvements in lipid profiles, arterial stiffness, and endothelial function. However, other studies have failed to confirm these results, and observational cohort studies are varied in their findings on the vitamin’s effect on CVD risk and mortality. Overall, current research suggests that vitamin C deficiency is associated with a higher risk of mortality from CVD and that vitamin C may slightly improve endothelial function and lipid profiles in some groups, especially those with low plasma vitamin C levels. However, the current literature provides little support for the widespread use of vitamin C supplementation to reduce CVD risk or mortality.

Are Dysphoric Individuals More Suggestible or Less Suggestible Than Nondysphoric Individuals?

Science.gov (United States)

MacFarland, Wendy L.; Morris, Steven J.

1998-01-01

Dysphoric individuals are shown to be susceptible to interrogative suggestion, whether in the form of leading questions or interrogative pressure. The association of a clinically relevant condition of dysphoria (depression) with relatively high levels of suggestibility was investigated in a college student population (N=139). Applicability to…

Clinically relevant incidental cardiovascular findings in CT examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voigt, P.; Fahnert, J.; Kahn, T.; Surov, A.; Schramm, D.; Bach, A.G.

2017-01-01

Incidental cardiovascular findings are a frequent phenomenon in computed tomography (CT) examinations. As the result of a dedicated PubMed search this article gives a systemic overview of the current literature on the most important incidental cardiovascular findings, their prevalence and clinical relevance. The majority of incidental cardiovascular findings are of only low clinical relevance; however, highly relevant incidental findings, such as aortic aneurysms, thromboses and thromboembolic events can also occasionally be found, especially in oncology patients. The scans from every CT examination should also be investigated for incidental findings as they can be of decisive importance for the further clinical management of patients, depending on their clinical relevance. (orig.) [de

Transient and steady-state currents in epoxy resin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillermin, Christophe; Rain, Pascal; Rowe, Stephen W

2006-01-01

Charging and discharging currents have been measured in a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin with and without silica fillers, below and above its glass transition temperature T g = 65 deg. C. Both transient and steady-state current densities have been analysed. The average applied fields ranged from 3 to 35 kV mm -1 with a sample thickness of 0.5 mm. Above T g , transient currents suggested a phenomenon of charge injection forming trapped space charges even at low fields. Steady-state currents confirmed that the behaviour was not Ohmic and suggested Schottky-type injection. Below T g , the current is not controlled by the metal-dielectric interface but by the conduction in the volume: the current is Ohmic at low fields and both transient and steady-state currents suggest a phenomenon of space-charge limited currents at high fields. The field threshold is similar in the filler-free and the filled resin. Values in the range 12-17 kV mm -1 have been measured

Transient and steady-state currents in epoxy resin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guillermin, Christophe [Schneider Electric Industries S.A.S., 37 quai Paul-Louis Merlin, 38050 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Rain, Pascal [Laboratoire d' Electrostatique et de Materiaux Dielectriques (LEMD), CNRS, 25 avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Rowe, Stephen W [Schneider Electric Industries S.A.S., 37 quai Paul-Louis Merlin, 38050 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

2006-02-07

Charging and discharging currents have been measured in a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin with and without silica fillers, below and above its glass transition temperature T{sub g} = 65 deg. C. Both transient and steady-state current densities have been analysed. The average applied fields ranged from 3 to 35 kV mm{sup -1} with a sample thickness of 0.5 mm. Above T{sub g}, transient currents suggested a phenomenon of charge injection forming trapped space charges even at low fields. Steady-state currents confirmed that the behaviour was not Ohmic and suggested Schottky-type injection. Below T{sub g}, the current is not controlled by the metal-dielectric interface but by the conduction in the volume: the current is Ohmic at low fields and both transient and steady-state currents suggest a phenomenon of space-charge limited currents at high fields. The field threshold is similar in the filler-free and the filled resin. Values in the range 12-17 kV mm{sup -1} have been measured.

Expanding the basic science debate: the role of physics knowledge in interpreting clinical findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldszmidt, Mark; Minda, John Paul; Devantier, Sarah L; Skye, Aimee L; Woods, Nicole N

2012-10-01

Current research suggests a role for biomedical knowledge in learning and retaining concepts related to medical diagnosis. However, learning may be influenced by other, non-biomedical knowledge. We explored this idea using an experimental design and examined the effects of causal knowledge on the learning, retention, and interpretation of medical information. Participants studied a handout about several respiratory disorders and how to interpret respiratory exam findings. The control group received the information in standard "textbook" format and the experimental group was presented with the same information as well as a causal explanation about how sound travels through lungs in both the normal and disease states. Comprehension and memory of the information was evaluated with a multiple-choice exam. Several questions that were not related to the causal knowledge served as control items. Questions related to the interpretation of physical exam findings served as the critical test items. The experimental group outperformed the control group on the critical test items, and our study shows that a causal explanation can improve a student's memory for interpreting clinical details. We suggest an expansion of which basic sciences are considered fundamental to medical education.

An update on age, hypnotic suggestibility, and gender: a brief report.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, Roger A; Green, Joseph P

2007-04-01

This study assessed the relationship of age and hypnotic suggestibility in an effort to partially update the findings of Morgan and Hilgard (1973). A total of 2,660 undergraduates were administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A; Shor & Orne, 1962) over a 7 year period. Consistent with Morgan and Hilgard's results, we found a general trend for hypnotic suggestibility scores to decrease from age 17 to 40, and then increase thereafter. We also found that female participants scored higher on the HGSHS: A compared with males across the various age ranges that we sampled.

Polyarteritis nodosa presenting with clinical and radiologic features suggestive of polymyositis.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Haroon, Muhammad

2011-02-18

We report a patient who presented with clinical and MRI findings suggestive of polymyositis but, in whom, muscle biopsy disclosed a strikingly different diagnosis. A 65-year-old woman presented with 3-week history of bilateral proximal muscle pain and weakness. Laboratory investigations showed markedly elevated inflammatory markers and mildly elevated muscle enzymes. MRI scans of lower limbs showed features suggestive of polymyositis. However, muscle biopsy showed features of a polyarteritis-type vasculitis affecting an intramuscular blood vessel. Our reports highlight the critical role of muscle biopsy in establishing the correct diagnosis in patients with suspected myositis.

Current self-reported symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with total brain volume in healthy adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martine Hoogman

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Reduced total brain volume is a consistent finding in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD. In order to get a better understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD, we take the first step in studying the dimensionality of current self-reported adult ADHD symptoms, by looking at its relation with total brain volume. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a sample of 652 highly educated adults, the association between total brain volume, assessed with magnetic resonance imaging, and current number of self-reported ADHD symptoms was studied. The results showed an association between these self-reported ADHD symptoms and total brain volume. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the symptom domain of inattention had the strongest association with total brain volume. In addition, the threshold for impairment coincides with the threshold for brain volume reduction. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This finding improves our understanding of the biological substrates of self-reported ADHD symptoms, and suggests total brain volume as a target intermediate phenotype for future gene-finding in ADHD.

Sonographic findings of renal tuberculosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Chong Hyun; Lee, Chang Joon; Kim, Seung Hyun

1990-01-01

In order to determine sonographic characteristic of renal tuberculosis, we retrospectively collected 27 cases during a 5 year period. Infected kidneys showed large size (52%) and lobulating contour (76%). In 19 cases of increased parenchymal echogenicity, most of them (16 cases) showed decreased parenchymal thickness. We divided hydronephrotic patterns into 4 categories; predominant calyceal dilatation with mild or no pelvic dilatation (67%), focal calyectasis without pelvic dilation (15%), parenchymal cavitation without hydronephrosis (11%) and proportional hydronephrosis with calyceal deformity (7%). Our findings suggest that disproportional hydronephrosis would be the characteristic finding of renal tuberculosis

The Dark Side of Testing Memory: Repeated Retrieval Can Enhance Eyewitness Suggestibility

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Jason C. K.; LaPaglia, Jessica A.

2011-01-01

Eyewitnesses typically recount their experiences many times before trial. Such repeated retrieval can enhance memory retention of the witnessed event. However, recent studies (e.g., Chan, Thomas, & Bulevich, 2009) have found that initial retrieval can exacerbate eyewitness suggestibility to later misleading information--a finding termed…

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Magnetic resonance imaging findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puvaneswary, M.; Floate, D. [John Hunter Hospital, NewCastle, NSW (Australia). Departments of Medical Imaging and Neurology; Harper, C. [Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW (Australia). Department of Neuropathology

1999-02-01

Rapidly progressive dementia in an adult with findings of bilateral, symmetric high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences and normal findings on T1-weighted sequences predominantly in the deep grey matter is suggestive of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The peripheral cortex may be involved, as it was in the present case. The absence of subcortical periventricular white matter high signal intensity suggests that symmetric high signal intensities within the basal ganglia and cortical grey matter are more likely to be due to a degenerative process rather than due to ischaemia, infection or tumour. Copyright (1999) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd 17 refs., 6 figs.

Removing the current-limit of vertical organic field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Sheleg, Gil; Greenman, Michael; Lussem, Bjorn; Tessler, Nir

2017-11-01

The reported Vertical Organic Field Effect Transistors (VOFETs) show either superior current and switching speeds or well-behaved transistor performance, especially saturation in the output characteristics. Through the study of the relationship between the device architecture or dimensions and the device performance, we find that achieving a saturation regime in the output characteristics requires that the device operates in the injection limited regime. In current structures, the existence of the injection limited regime depends on the source's injection barrier as well as on the buried semiconductor layer thickness. To overcome the injection limit imposed by the necessity of injection barrier, we suggest a new architecture to realize VOFETs. This architecture shows better gate control and is independent of the injection barrier at the source, thus allowing for several A cm-2 for a semiconductor having a mobility value of 0.1 cm2 V-1 s-1.

Dermoscopy Findings of Hidroacanthoma Simplex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yota Sato

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Hidroacanthoma simplex (HAS, also known as intraepidermal eccrine poroma, is a rare eccrine adnexal tumor that tends to be misdiagnosed as other types of benign skin tumor, including clonal seborrheic keratosis. Notably, HAS is sometimes misdiagnosed and treated by cryosurgery as seborrheic keratosis, which could trigger the later development of porocarcinoma. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of HAS is indispensable for dermatologists to avoid the development of malignant tumors by an unsuitable treatment. In this report, we present the characteristic dermoscopy findings of HAS. Indeed, the dermoscopy findings might be related to the melanin-rich necrotic cells in the epidermis, which are quite different from dermoscopy findings of clonal seborrheic keratosis. As a previous report suggested, it is difficult for a dermatologist to differentiate HAS from clonal seborrheic keratosis by the naked eye. Our findings might be supportive for the early diagnosis of HAS.

Design and array signal suggestion of array type pulsed eddy current probe for health monitoring of metal tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Young Kil [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kunsan National University, Kunsan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

An array type probe for monitoring metal tubes is proposed in this paper which utilizes peak value and peak time of a pulsed eddy current(PEC) signal. The probe consists of an array of encircling coils along a tube and the outside of coils is shielded by ferrite to prevent source magnetic fields from directly affecting sensor signals since it is the magnetic fields produced by eddy currents that reflect the condition of metal tubes. The positions of both exciter and sensor coils are consecutively moved automatically so that manual scanning is not necessary. At one position of send-receive coils, peak value and peak time are extracted from a sensor PEC signal and these data are accumulated for all positions to form an array type peak value signal and an array type peak time signal. Numerical simulation was performed using the backward difference method in time and the finite element method for spatial analysis. Simulation results showed that peak value increases and the peak appears earlier as the defect depth or length increases. The proposed array signals are shown to be excellent in reflecting the defect location as well as variations of defect depth and length within the array probe.

Study on current limiting characteristics of SFCL with two trigger current levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, S.H.

2010-01-01

In this paper, the superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) with two trigger current levels was suggested and its effectiveness through the analysis on the current limiting characteristics was described. The proposed SFCL, which consists of the triggering and the limiting components, can limit the fault current by generating the limiting impedance through two steps according to the amplitude of the initial fault current. In case that the fault happens, the lower initial fault current causes the only superconducting element of the triggering component to be quenched. On the other hand, the higher initial fault current makes both the superconducting elements comprising the triggering and the limiting components of the SFCL to be quenched, which contributes to the higher impedance of the SFCL. Therefore, the effective fault current limiting operation of the SFCL can be performed by generating the SFCL's impedance in proportion to the amplitude of the initial fault current. To confirm the current limiting operation of the proposed SFCL, the short-circuit tests of the SFCL according to the fault angle were carried out and its effective fault current limiting operations could be discussed.

Currents and upwelling along the Latium coasts in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea (western Mediterranean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Rossi

1995-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, springtime coastal currents along the Latium coast and their relation to external forcings, mainly wind stress curl and atmospheric pressure, are analysed. As a main result, we find that hydrographical measurements reveal currents parallel to the bottom isobaths, but with isopycnal sloping upwards towards the coast, suggesting the importance of upwellings in determining the coastal currents. This is confirmed by thermal satellite data showing the presence of a ~10-km-wide patch of cold water east of Mount Argentario, i.e. a cyclonic vortex. The current meter data give rather small values of the time-averaged alongshore velocities (~2 cm s–1 for most current meters and ~3 cm s–1 for the current meter placed immediately off the Argentario and also smaller values for the offshore velocities. The correlation between these two types of currents is rather poor; this is also due to the variability characteristic of a wind-induced upwelling. Finally, we obtain a value of 0.74 for the correlation between the alongshore current (first mode of Empirical Orthogonal Functions decomposition and the wind stress if a 23-h time lag is assumed.

Teaching the Evolution of the Mind: Current Findings, Trends, and Controversies in Evolutionary Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Liddle, James R.; Shackelford, Todd K.

2011-01-01

As the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology continues to gain exposure and acceptance throughout the psychological community, it is important to explain this field clearly and accurately to students. This article discusses some recent findings and trends in evolutionary psychological research to aid instructors in their efforts to provide…

Evaluating bacterial gene-finding HMM structures as probabilistic logic programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mørk, Søren; Holmes, Ian

2012-03-01

Probabilistic logic programming offers a powerful way to describe and evaluate structured statistical models. To investigate the practicality of probabilistic logic programming for structure learning in bioinformatics, we undertook a simplified bacterial gene-finding benchmark in PRISM, a probabilistic dialect of Prolog. We evaluate Hidden Markov Model structures for bacterial protein-coding gene potential, including a simple null model structure, three structures based on existing bacterial gene finders and two novel model structures. We test standard versions as well as ADPH length modeling and three-state versions of the five model structures. The models are all represented as probabilistic logic programs and evaluated using the PRISM machine learning system in terms of statistical information criteria and gene-finding prediction accuracy, in two bacterial genomes. Neither of our implementations of the two currently most used model structures are best performing in terms of statistical information criteria or prediction performances, suggesting that better-fitting models might be achievable. The source code of all PRISM models, data and additional scripts are freely available for download at: http://github.com/somork/codonhmm. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Classification of hadith into positive suggestion, negative suggestion, and information

Science.gov (United States)

Faraby, Said Al; Riviera Rachmawati Jasin, Eliza; Kusumaningrum, Andina; Adiwijaya

2018-03-01

As one of the Muslim life guidelines, based on the meaning of its sentence(s), a hadith can be viewed as a suggestion for doing something, or a suggestion for not doing something, or just information without any suggestion. In this paper, we tried to classify the Bahasa translation of hadith into the three categories using machine learning approach. We tried stemming and stopword removal in preprocessing, and TF-IDF of unigram, bigram, and trigram as the extracted features. As the classifier, we compared between SVM and Neural Network. Since the categories are new, so in order to compare the results of the previous pipelines, we created a baseline classifier using simple rule-based string matching technique. The rule-based algorithm conditions on the occurrence of words such as “janganlah, sholatlah, and so on” to determine the category. The baseline method achieved F1-Score of 0.69, while the best F1-Score from the machine learning approach was 0.88, and it was produced by SVM model with the linear kernel.

Oxytocin impedes the effect of the word blindness post-hypnotic suggestion on Stroop task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Parris, Benjamin A; Dienes, Zoltan; Bate, Sarah; Gothard, Stace

2014-07-01

The ability to enhance sensitivity to relevant (post)hypnotic suggestions has implications for creating clinically informed analogues of psychological and neuropsychological conditions and for the use of hypnotic interventions in psychological and medical conditions. The aim of this study was to test the effect of oxytocin inhalation on a post-hypnotic suggestion that previously has been shown to improve the selectivity of attention in the Stroop task. In a double-blind placebo-controlled between-subjects study, medium hypnotizable individuals performed the Stroop task under normal conditions and when they had been given a post-hypnotic suggestion that they would perceive words as meaningless symbols. In line with previous research, Stroop interference was substantially reduced by the suggestion in the placebo condition. However, contrary to expectations, oxytocin impeded the effect of the word blindness suggestion on performance. The results are explained in terms of the requirement for the re-implementation of the word blindness suggestion on a trial-by-trial basis and the need to sustain activation of the suggestion between trials. The findings contrast with a recent study showing a beneficial effect of oxytocin on sensitivity to (post)hypnotic suggestions but are consistent with findings showing a detrimental effect of oxytocin on memory processes. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Incidental enchondromas at knee magnetic resonance imaging: intraobserver and interobserver agreement and prevalence of imaging findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Akemi Nakamura

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Objective To evaluate intra- and interobserver agreement in the identification of incidental enchondromas at knee magnetic resonance imaging, and to assess the prevalence of imaging findings. Materials and Methods Retrospective study reviewing 326 knee magnetic resonance images acquired in the period between November 2009 and September 2010. The images were independently and blindly analyzed by two specialists in musculoskeletal radiology, with the objective of identifying incidental enchondromas, presence of foci with signal similar to bone marrow and foci of signal absence suggestive of calcifications within the enchondromas. Inter- and intraobserver agreements were analyzed. Results Eleven lesions compatible with enchondromas (3.3% were identified. The interobserver agreement for the presence of enchondroma was high. Prevalence of foci of bone marrow signal inside the enchondromas was of 54.55%, and foci suggestive of calcification corresponded to 36.36%. The intraobserver agreement for foci of bone marrow signal in enchondromas was perfect, and interobserver agreement was high. Conclusion The prevalence of incidental enchondromas in the current study was compatible with data in the literature. Excellent agreement was observed in the identification of enchondromas and in the assessment of imaging findings. A higher prevalence of fat signal foci was observed as compared with signal absence suggestive of calcifications.

Pension coverage among the baby boomers: initial findings from a 1993 survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, J R

1994-01-01

Using data from a series of supplements to the Current Population Survey, this article presents findings on workers' coverage under employer-sponsored retirement plans in 1993, and recent trends in coverage. The analysis focuses on workers 25-54, a group that includes the baby boom generation. Among all wage and salary workers in this age range (including government employees and part-time workers), 55 percent reported participating in a retirement plan on their current primary jobs, and an additional 3 percent were covered from other jobs. After a modest decline in the early 1980's, the coverage rate has remained essentially unchanged over the past 10 years, and limited data suggest that the baby boomers are doing about as well on pension coverage as older workers at similar points in their careers. Beneath this relative stability in overall coverage, however, at least two important changes have occurred: a significant narrowing of the gender gap in coverage and a shift in types of retirement plans. Increasing numbers of workers are being covered solely by 401(k)-type plans, a development that raises new uncertainties about the form and amount of future benefits. On the other hand, limited data in this study suggest that 401(k) plans may be serving their intended purpose for the majority of workers who have them.

Assessment of Dog Guides by Users in Japan and Suggestions for Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Koda, Naoko; Kubo, Masumi; Ishigami, Tomomi; Furuhashi, Hiroaki

2011-01-01

Dog guide users in Japan were mostly satisfied with and used their dogs frequently; however, they requested some improvements in training and in basic guiding work. The findings of the study suggest the need for further improvement of training methods, considering cultural factors and individual users' needs. (Contains 3 tables.)

Self-reported history of anorexia nervosa and current quality of life: findings from a community-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchison, D; Hay, P; Mond, J; Slewa-Younan, S

2013-03-01

To evaluate the impact of a lifetime history of anorexia nervosa (AN) on current quality of life (QoL) and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology. 3,034 participants from a randomly selected sample of households in the Australian population were interviewed for current ED symptoms and QoL (SF-36). 89 participants (2.9 %) reported a history of AN, 73 of whom were female. These participants scored lower on six of the eight subscales on the SF-36, including all of the mental health subscales, and were more likely to report binge eating and extreme weight or shape concerns than participants who did not report a history of AN. On the other hand, participants who reported a history of AN were less likely to be overweight. None of the participants who reported a history of AN met current criteria for AN; however, one met criteria for bulimia nervosa non-purging subtype and four met criteria for binge eating disorder. The endorsement of current ED symptoms was found to moderate the impact of a history of AN on scores of the social functioning and role limitations due to emotional health SF-36 subscales, such that participants who reported a history of AN scored lower on these subscales if they also reported current ED symptoms. A history of AN has a deleterious impact on current QoL, despite remittance from the disorder. This may be explained in part by the presence of certain ED symptoms, including objective binge eating and the persistence of extreme weight and shape concerns.

Nonlinear spin current generation in noncentrosymmetric spin-orbit coupled systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hamamoto, Keita; Ezawa, Motohiko; Kim, Kun Woo; Morimoto, Takahiro; Nagaosa, Naoto

2017-06-01

Spin current plays a central role in spintronics. In particular, finding more efficient ways to generate spin current has been an important issue and has been studied actively. For example, representative methods of spin-current generation include spin-polarized current injections from ferromagnetic metals, the spin Hall effect, and the spin battery. Here, we theoretically propose a mechanism of spin-current generation based on nonlinear phenomena. By using Boltzmann transport theory, we show that a simple application of the electric field E induces spin current proportional to E2 in noncentrosymmetric spin-orbit coupled systems. We demonstrate that the nonlinear spin current of the proposed mechanism is supported in the surface state of three-dimensional topological insulators and two-dimensional semiconductors with the Rashba and/or Dresselhaus interaction. In the latter case, the angular dependence of the nonlinear spin current can be manipulated by the direction of the electric field and by the ratio of the Rashba and Dresselhaus interactions. We find that the magnitude of the spin current largely exceeds those in the previous methods for a reasonable magnitude of the electric field. Furthermore, we show that application of ac electric fields (e.g., terahertz light) leads to the rectifying effect of the spin current, where dc spin current is generated. These findings will pave a route to manipulate the spin current in noncentrosymmetric crystals.

Knowledge translation of research findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grimshaw Jeremy M

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One of the most consistent findings from clinical and health services research is the failure to translate research into practice and policy. As a result of these evidence-practice and policy gaps, patients fail to benefit optimally from advances in healthcare and are exposed to unnecessary risks of iatrogenic harms, and healthcare systems are exposed to unnecessary expenditure resulting in significant opportunity costs. Over the last decade, there has been increasing international policy and research attention on how to reduce the evidence-practice and policy gap. In this paper, we summarise the current concepts and evidence to guide knowledge translation activities, defined as T2 research (the translation of new clinical knowledge into improved health. We structure the article around five key questions: what should be transferred; to whom should research knowledge be transferred; by whom should research knowledge be transferred; how should research knowledge be transferred; and, with what effect should research knowledge be transferred? Discussion We suggest that the basic unit of knowledge translation should usually be up-to-date systematic reviews or other syntheses of research findings. Knowledge translators need to identify the key messages for different target audiences and to fashion these in language and knowledge translation products that are easily assimilated by different audiences. The relative importance of knowledge translation to different target audiences will vary by the type of research and appropriate endpoints of knowledge translation may vary across different stakeholder groups. There are a large number of planned knowledge translation models, derived from different disciplinary, contextual (i.e., setting, and target audience viewpoints. Most of these suggest that planned knowledge translation for healthcare professionals and consumers is more likely to be successful if the choice of knowledge

Knowledge translation of research findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Eccles, Martin P; Lavis, John N; Hill, Sophie J; Squires, Janet E

2012-05-31

One of the most consistent findings from clinical and health services research is the failure to translate research into practice and policy. As a result of these evidence-practice and policy gaps, patients fail to benefit optimally from advances in healthcare and are exposed to unnecessary risks of iatrogenic harms, and healthcare systems are exposed to unnecessary expenditure resulting in significant opportunity costs. Over the last decade, there has been increasing international policy and research attention on how to reduce the evidence-practice and policy gap. In this paper, we summarise the current concepts and evidence to guide knowledge translation activities, defined as T2 research (the translation of new clinical knowledge into improved health). We structure the article around five key questions: what should be transferred; to whom should research knowledge be transferred; by whom should research knowledge be transferred; how should research knowledge be transferred; and, with what effect should research knowledge be transferred? We suggest that the basic unit of knowledge translation should usually be up-to-date systematic reviews or other syntheses of research findings. Knowledge translators need to identify the key messages for different target audiences and to fashion these in language and knowledge translation products that are easily assimilated by different audiences. The relative importance of knowledge translation to different target audiences will vary by the type of research and appropriate endpoints of knowledge translation may vary across different stakeholder groups. There are a large number of planned knowledge translation models, derived from different disciplinary, contextual (i.e., setting), and target audience viewpoints. Most of these suggest that planned knowledge translation for healthcare professionals and consumers is more likely to be successful if the choice of knowledge translation strategy is informed by an assessment of the

The motivational salience of cigarette-related stimuli among former, never, and current smokers

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Jason D.; Versace, Francesco; Engelmann, Jeffery M.; Cui, Yong; Slapin, Aurelija; Oum, Robert; Cinciripini, Paul M.

2014-01-01

While smokers are known to find smoking-related stimuli to be motivationally salient, the extent to which former smokers do so is largely unknown. In this study, we collected event-related potential (ERP) data from former and never smokers and compared them to a sample of current smokers interested in quitting who completed the same ERP paradigm prior to smoking cessation treatment. All participants (n = 180) attended one laboratory session where we recorded dense-array ERPs in response to cigarette-related, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures, and where we collected valence and arousal ratings of the pictures. We identified three spatial and temporal regions of interest, corresponding to the P1 (120-132 ms), early posterior negativity (EPN; 244-316 ms), and late positive potential (LPP; 384-800 ms) ERP components. We found that all participants produced larger P1 responses to cigarette-related pictures compared to the other picture categories. With the EPN component, we found that, similar to pleasant and unpleasant pictures, cigarette-related pictures attracted early attentional resources, regardless of smoking status. Both former and never smokers produced reduced LPP responses to cigarette-related and pleasant pictures compared to current smokers. Current smokers rated the cigarette-related pictures as being more pleasant and arousing than the former and never smokers. The LPP and picture rating results suggest that former smokers, like never smokers, do not find cigarette-related stimuli to be as motivationally salient as current smokers. PMID:25436840

Predictive value of radiographic findings in gastritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remley, K.B.; Mann, F.A.; Simons, M.A.

1986-01-01

In a retrospective review of biphasic upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract examinations in 300 consecutive patients with abdominal pain, blood loss, nausea and vomiting, weight loss or dysphagia, the author evaluated the frequency of radiographic findings suggestive of gastritis. Forty-eight patients had undergone endoscopy within 1 week of upper GI tract examination. ''Best findings'' were defined by receiver operating characteristic wave analysis of individual findings, including aphthous lesions, serrated or nodular folds, marginal spiculation, and luminal constriction. Most false negative studies were in the fundus or proximal body; most false positive studies were in the antrum. They present a pictorial dictionary of findings and data for use of ''best findings'' to improve sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of gastritis

Human Factors Engineering: Current Practices and Development Needs in Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savioja, Paula; Norros, Leena; Liinasuo, Marja; Laarni, Jari [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland (Finland)

2011-08-15

This paper describes initial findings from a study concerning the practices and development needs of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) in Finland. HFE is increasing in importance as the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland (STUK) is renewing the regulatory guidelines and the intention is to include requirements concerning HFE. The motivation for the paper is to discover how HFE is conducted currently in order to envision what should be aimed at when modifying requirements for design practices. In an interview with STUK it was discovered that current HFE practices encompass mainly activities related to control room modifications and as such namely verification and validation of new designs. The adoption of the entire HFE process in design and modification projects requires changes that include better integration of technical and Human Factors Engineering approaches. Boundary objects that mediate between different design disciplines are needed in order to enforce the stronger integration. Concept of operations (CONOPS) is suggested as a such boundary object.

Thermal instability and current-voltage scaling in superconducting fault current limiters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeimetz, B [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB1 3QZ (United Kingdom); Tadinada, K [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Eves, D E [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Coombs, T A [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Evetts, J E [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB1 3QZ (United Kingdom); Campbell, A M [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2004-04-01

We have developed a computer model for the simulation of resistive superconducting fault current limiters in three dimensions. The program calculates the electromagnetic and thermal response of a superconductor to a time-dependent overload voltage, with different possible cooling conditions for the surfaces, and locally variable superconducting and thermal properties. We find that the cryogen boil-off parameters critically influence the stability of a limiter. The recovery time after a fault increases strongly with thickness. Above a critical thickness, the temperature is unstable even for a small applied AC voltage. The maximum voltage and maximum current during a short fault are correlated by a simple exponential law.

Examining the role of interrogative suggestibility in Miranda rights comprehension in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Roesch, Ronald; Douglas, Kevin S

2011-06-01

This study aimed to further clarify the association between interrogative suggestibility and Miranda rights comprehension in adolescents; in particular, we examined whether intellectual ability (IQ) serves as a mediator of this relationship. Participants completed Grisso's Miranda Instruments, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, and the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale. Many youth demonstrated poor comprehension of their rights, particularly younger and less intellectually capable adolescents. Both yield and shift components of interrogative suggestibility were inversely related to rights comprehension; however, IQ fully mediated these relationships. Neither demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status after controlling for IQ, and English as a second language (ESL) status) nor previous police experience were significantly associated with rights comprehension in the present sample. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Current inversion induced by colored non-Gaussian noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bag, Bidhan Chandra; Hu, Chin-Kung

2009-01-01

We study a stochastic process driven by colored non-Gaussian noises. For the flashing ratchet model we find that there is a current inversion in the variation of the current with the half-cycle period which accounts for the potential on–off operation. The current inversion almost disappears if one switches from non-Gaussian (NG) to Gaussian (G) noise. We also find that at low value of the asymmetry parameter of the potential the mobility controlled current is more negative for NG noise as compared to G noise. But at large magnitude of the parameter the diffusion controlled positive current is higher for the former than for the latter. On increasing the noise correlation time (τ), keeping the noise strength fixed, the mean velocity of a particle first increases and then decreases after passing through a maximum if the noise is non-Gaussian. For Gaussian noise, the current monotonically decreases. The current increases with the noise parameter p, 0< p<5/3, which is 1 for Gaussian noise

Finding the unexpected: pathological examination of surgically resected femoral heads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fornasier, V.L. [St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Battaglia, D.M. [St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Division of Pathology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2005-06-01

To study the clinically diagnosed disease process but also identify additional, clinically undetected pathologies in femoral heads resected for replacement arthroplasty. A retrospective review was carried out of the pathological findings in 460 surgically resected femoral heads. Serial sections were submitted to low-energy fine-detail radiography, then decalcified sections stained by the WHO method were examined. The preoperative clinical and imaging diagnoses were compared with the pathological findings and special interest was placed on assessing the clinical significance of any unexpected, clinically undetected findings. The most common findings included the presence of bone islands (solitary osteomas) and areas of avascular necrosis in addition to the primary joint disease for which the patient underwent surgery. The preoperative symptomatology did not distinguish between the known primary disease and the additional pathological findings. Some of the clinically unidentified lesions were of a size that fell below the ability of current clinical investigations to detect. However, the finding of lesions by tissue fine-detail radiography indicates that current, more sensitive clinical imaging techniques may identify them. Careful examination of surgically resected femoral heads is important to ensure that all pathologies are identified and assessed for clinical relevance. (orig.)

Finding the unexpected: pathological examination of surgically resected femoral heads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornasier, V.L.; Battaglia, D.M.

2005-01-01

To study the clinically diagnosed disease process but also identify additional, clinically undetected pathologies in femoral heads resected for replacement arthroplasty. A retrospective review was carried out of the pathological findings in 460 surgically resected femoral heads. Serial sections were submitted to low-energy fine-detail radiography, then decalcified sections stained by the WHO method were examined. The preoperative clinical and imaging diagnoses were compared with the pathological findings and special interest was placed on assessing the clinical significance of any unexpected, clinically undetected findings. The most common findings included the presence of bone islands (solitary osteomas) and areas of avascular necrosis in addition to the primary joint disease for which the patient underwent surgery. The preoperative symptomatology did not distinguish between the known primary disease and the additional pathological findings. Some of the clinically unidentified lesions were of a size that fell below the ability of current clinical investigations to detect. However, the finding of lesions by tissue fine-detail radiography indicates that current, more sensitive clinical imaging techniques may identify them. Careful examination of surgically resected femoral heads is important to ensure that all pathologies are identified and assessed for clinical relevance. (orig.)

Sonographic and Endoscopic Findings in Cocaine-Induced Ischemic Colitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leth, Thomas; Wilkens, Rune; Bonderup, Ole Kristian

2015-01-01

Cocaine-induced ischemic colitis is a recognized entity. The diagnosis is based on clinical and endoscopic findings. However, diagnostic imaging is helpful in the evaluation of abdominal symptoms and prior studies have suggested specific sonographic findings in ischemic colitis. We report...

Finding two-dimensional peaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silagadze, Z.K.

2007-01-01

Two-dimensional generalization of the original peak finding algorithm suggested earlier is given. The ideology of the algorithm emerged from the well-known quantum mechanical tunneling property which enables small bodies to penetrate through narrow potential barriers. We merge this 'quantum' ideology with the philosophy of Particle Swarm Optimization to get the global optimization algorithm which can be called Quantum Swarm Optimization. The functionality of the newborn algorithm is tested on some benchmark optimization problems

Awareness, trial, and current use of electronic cigarettes in 10 countries: Findings from the ITC project.

Science.gov (United States)

Gravely, Shannon; Fong, Geoffrey T; Cummings, K Michael; Yan, Mi; Quah, Anne C K; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Hitchman, Sara C; McNeill, Ann; Hammond, David; Thrasher, James F; Willemsen, Marc C; Seo, Hong Gwan; Jiang, Yuan; Cavalcante, Tania; Perez, Cristina; Omar, Maizurah; Hummel, Karin

2014-11-13

In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers. A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (≥ 18 years) current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use. There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%), Republic of Korea (2010: 79%), United States (2010: 73%), Australia (2013: 66%), Malaysia (2011: 62%), United Kingdom (2010: 54%), Canada (2010: 40%), Brazil (2013: 37%), Mexico (2012: 34%), and China (2009: 31%)), in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%), Malaysia (19%), Netherlands (18%), United States (15%), Republic of Korea (11%), United Kingdom (10%), Brazil (8%), Mexico (4%), Canada (4%), and China (2%)), and in current use (Malaysia (14%), Republic of Korea (7%), Australia (7%), United States (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Netherlands (3%), Canada (1%), and China (0.05%)) [corrected]. The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine), and the survey timing along the trajectory of e-cigarette awareness and trial

Awareness, Trial, and Current Use of Electronic Cigarettes in 10 Countries: Findings from the ITC Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shannon Gravely

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (≥ 18 years current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use. Results: There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%, Republic of Korea (2010: 79%, United States (2010: 73%, Australia (2013: 66%, Malaysia (2011: 62%, United Kingdom (2010: 54%, Canada (2010: 40%, Brazil (2013: 35%, Mexico (2012: 34%, and China (2009: 31%, in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%, Malaysia (19%, Netherlands (18%, United States (15%, Republic of Korea (11%, United Kingdom (10%, Mexico (4%, Canada (4%, Brazil (3%, and China (2%, and in current use (Malaysia (14%, Republic of Korea (7%, Australia (7%, United States (6%, United Kingdom (4%, Netherlands (3%, Canada (1%, and China (0.05%. Conclusions: The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine, and the survey timing along the trajectory of e

Do not let death do us part: ‘find-me' signals in communication between dying cells and the phagocytes

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, C B; Ravichandran, K S

2016-01-01

The turnover and clearance of cells is an essential process that is part of many physiological and pathological processes. Improper or deficient clearance of apoptotic cells can lead to excessive inflammation and autoimmune disease. The steps involved in cell clearance include: migration of the phagocyte toward the proximity of the dying cells, specific recognition and internalization of the dying cell, and degradation of the corpse. The ability of phagocytes to recognize and react to dying cells to perform efficient and immunologically silent engulfment has been well-characterized in vitro and in vivo. However, how apoptotic cells themselves initiate the corpse removal and also influence the cells within the neighboring environment during clearance was less understood. Recent exciting observations suggest that apoptotic cells can attract phagocytes through the regulated release of ‘find-me' signals. More recent studies also suggest that these find-me signals can have additional roles outside of phagocyte attraction to help orchestrate engulfment. This review will discuss our current understanding of the different find-me signals released by apoptotic cells, how they may be relevant in vivo, and their additional roles in facilitating engulfment. PMID:26891690

Comparison of CT findings with upper GI series and surgical findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Jin Kyo; Suh, Soo Jhi; Kim, Soon Yong [School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1981-09-15

The authors made comparative studies of CT findings with upper GI series and surgical findings in 20 cases of histologically proven gastric cancers. The identification of chickening of gastric wall and local and remote metastasis by CT was thought to be great value in treatment planning and prediction of prognosis of the patients. The results were as follows: 1. Of 20 cases, 19 cases demonstrated thickening of gastric wall. Among 3 cases suggested as early cancer on upper GI series, 2 cases demonstrated thickened gastric wall on CT and it was proved to be advanced cancer at surgery. 2. Out of 8 cases showed no definite metastasis on CT, 4 cases had malignant infiltration histologically in the regional lymph nodes. But they were less than 1.5 cm in diameter. 3. The frequency order of remote metastasis found by CT was pancreas, liver, left adrenal gland and lung in organs and retroperitoneal, retrocrural and regional nodes in lymph nodes.

Current information technology needs of small to medium sized apparel manufacturers and contractors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wimple, C., LLNL

1998-04-01

This report documents recent efforts of the American Textile Partnership (AMTEX{sup TM}) Demand Activated Manufacturing Architecture (DAMA) Project to identify opportunities for cost effective enhanced information technology use by small to medium sized apparel manufacturers and contractors. Background on the AMTEX/DAMA project and objectives for the specific DAMA Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) effort are discussed in this section. The approach used to gather information about current opportunities or needs is outlined in Section 2 Approach, and relevant findings are identified and a brief analysis of the information gathered is presented in Section 3 Findings. Recommendations based on the analysis, are offered in Section 4 Recommendations, and plans are suggested for DAMA follow-on in Section 5 Future Plans. Trip reports for each of the companies visited are contained in Appendix E - Company Trip Reports. These individual reports contain the data upon which the analysis presented in Section 3 Findings is based.

Quantum theory of space charge limited current in solids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González, Gabriel, E-mail: gabriel.gonzalez@uaslp.mx [Cátedras Conacyt, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78000, Mexico and Coordinación para la Innovación y la Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78000 (Mexico)

2015-02-28

We present a quantum model of space charge limited current transport inside trap-free solids with planar geometry in the mean field approximation. We use a simple transformation which allows us to find the exact analytical solution for the steady state current case. We use our approach to find a Mott-Gurney like behavior and the mobility for single charge carriers in the quantum regime in solids.

Photocatalytic effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on aquatic organisms-Current knowledge and suggestions for future research.

Science.gov (United States)

Haynes, Vena N; Ward, J Evan; Russell, Brandon J; Agrios, Alexander G

2017-04-01

Nanoparticles are entering natural systems through product usage, industrial waste and post-consumer material degradation. As the production of nanoparticles is expected to increase in the next decade, so too are predicted environmental loads. Engineered metal-oxide nanomaterials, such as titanium dioxide, are known for their photocatalytic capabilities. When these nanoparticles are exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the environment, however, they can produce radicals that are harmful to aquatic organisms. There have been a number of studies that have reported the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the absence of light. An increasing number of studies are assessing the interactive effects of nanoparticles and ultraviolet light. However, most of these studies neglect environmentally-relevant experimental conditions. For example, researchers are using nanoparticle concentrations and light intensities that are too high for natural systems, and are ignoring water constituents that can alter the light field. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the photocatalytic effects of TiO 2 nanoparticles on aquatic organisms, discuss the limitations of these studies, and outline environmentally-relevant factors that need to be considered in future experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suggestibility under Pressure: Theory of Mind, Executive Function, and Suggestibility in Preschoolers

Science.gov (United States)

Karpinski, Aryn C.; Scullin, Matthew H.

2009-01-01

Eighty preschoolers, ages 3 to 5 years old, completed a 4-phase study in which they experienced a live event and received a pressured, suggestive interview about the event a week later. Children were also administered batteries of theory of mind and executive function tasks, as well as the Video Suggestibility Scale for Children (VSSC), which…

Field-aligned current signatures in the near-tail region. 2. Coupling between the region 1 and region 2 systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtani, S.; Kokubun, S.; Nakamura, R.; Elphic, R.C.; Russell, C.T.; Baker, D.N.

1990-01-01

The development of the substorm-associated current system in the near-tail region is examined in the light of both experiment and theory. First, the March 28, 1979, event is examined intensively by using ground magnetometer data and satellite magnetic field and energetic particle data. The comparison of field-aligned current signatures at geosynchronous altitude and in the near-tail region indicates that the development of the region 1 system is not merely the enhancement in current intensity of the pre-existing system. This finding is consistent with the so-called current wedge model, in which the tail current is converted into a pair of field-aligned currents with the region 1 polarity at substorm onsets. Detailed inspection, however, suggests that the region 2 system is as important as the region 1 system. Statistical properties of the azimuthal magnetic component at synchronous orbit indicate that the deviation during disturbed periods is larger than expected from the enhancement of the region 1 current. These individual and statistical studies suggest that the region 2 system tends to develop in the synchronous region and that the coupling between the region 1 and the region 2 systems is important. The current closure in the magnetosphere is discussed from a viewpoint of the macroscopic behavior of plasma. It is suggested that the dawnside and the duskside region 2 currents are closed in the magnetosphere by the curvature current during the growth phase and by the magnetic gradient current during the expansion phase. The field-aligned currents of the region 1 and the region 2 systems are closed in the ionosphere by the Pedersen current. Consequently, the energy is dissipated as the Joule heating and this energy must be supplied from the magnetosphere. Therefore, the counter part of the Pedersen current, which closes the region 1 and the region 2 currents in magnetosphere, must be the dynamo current

High- and Low-Load Resistance Training: Interpretation and Practical Application of Current Research Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, James; Steele, James; Smith, Dave

2017-03-01

Our current state of knowledge regarding the load (lighter or heavier) lifted in resistance training programmes that will result in 'optimal' strength and hypertrophic adaptations is unclear. Despite this, position stands and recommendations are made based on, we propose, limited evidence to lift heavier weights. Here we discuss the state of evidence on the impact of load and how it, as a single variable, stimulates adaptations to take place and whether evidence for recommending heavier loads is available, well-defined, currently correctly interpreted or has been overlooked. Areas of discussion include electromyography amplitude, in vivo and in vitro methods of measuring hypertrophy, and motor schema and skill acquisition. The present piece clarifies to trainers and trainees the impact of these variables by discussing interpretation of synchronous and sequential motor unit recruitment and revisiting the size principle, poor agreement between whole-muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and biopsy-determined changes in myofibril CSA, and neural adaptations around task specificity. Our opinion is that the practical implications of being able to self-select external load include reducing the need for specific facility memberships, motivating older persons or those who might be less confident using heavy loads, and allowing people to undertake home- or field-based resistance training intervention strategies that might ultimately improve exercise adherence.

Radial transport of storm time ring current ions

Science.gov (United States)

Lui, A. T. Y.

1993-01-01

Radial transport of energetic ions for the development of the main phase of geomagnetic storms is investigated with data from the medium energy particle analyzer (MEPA) on the Charge Composition Explorer spacecraft, which monitored protons, helium ions, and the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen group, which is mostly dominated by oxygen ions. From a study of four geomagnetic storms, we show that the flux increase of these ions in the inner ring current region can be accounted for by an inward displacement of the ring current population by 0.5 to 3.5 R(E). There is a general trend that a larger inward displacement occurs at higher L shells than at lower ones. These results are in agreement with previous findings. The radially injected population consists of the prestorm population modified by substorm injections which occur on a much shorter time scale than that for a storm main phase. It is also found that the inward displacement is relatively independent of ion mass and energy, suggesting that the radial transport of these energetic ions is effected primarily by convective motion from a large electric field or by diffusion resulting from magnetic field fluctuations.

Musculoskeletal Imaging Findings of Hematologic Malignancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro, Shannon M; Matcuk, George R; Patel, Dakshesh B; Skalski, Matthew; White, Eric A; Tomasian, Anderanik; Schein, Aaron J

2017-01-01

Hematologic malignancies comprise a set of prevalent yet clinically diverse diseases that can affect every organ system. Because blood components originate in bone marrow, it is no surprise that bone marrow is a common location for both primary and metastatic hematologic neoplasms. Findings of hematologic malignancy can be seen with most imaging modalities including radiography, computed tomography (CT), technetium 99m ( 99m Tc) methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scanning, fluorine 18 ( 18 F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Because of the diversity of imaging appearances and clinical behavior of this spectrum of disease, diagnosis can be challenging, and profound understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic changes and current treatment modalities can be daunting. The appearance of normal bone marrow at MR imaging and FDG PET/CT is also varied due to dynamic compositional changes with normal aging and in response to hematologic demand or treatment, which can lead to false-positive interpretation of imaging studies. In this article, the authors review the normal maturation and imaging appearance of bone marrow. Focusing on lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma, they present the spectrum of imaging findings of hematologic malignancy affecting the musculoskeletal system and the current imaging tools available to the radiologist. They discuss the imaging findings of posttreatment bone marrow and review commonly used staging systems and consensus recommendations for appropriate imaging for staging, management, and assessment of clinical remission. © RSNA, 2017.

Current neurotrauma treatment practice in secondary medical service centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suehiro, Eiichi; Yoshino, Hiroko; Koizumi, Hiroyasu; Yoneda, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Michiyasu

2011-01-01

Despite neurotrauma treatment practices comprising a significant amount of neurosurgical work for secondary medical service centers, little attention has been placed on neurotrauma cases and evaluation of current neurotrauma treatment practices is limited. Therefore we investigated current neurotrauma practices in our hospital located in a Japanese suburban city. We analyzed 439 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to our hospital between April 2004 and October 2010. Patients were divided into three groups based on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission: mild TBI (GCS 14-15) in 252 patients (57.4%), moderate TBI (GCS 9-13) in 116 patients (26.4%), and severe TBI (GCS 3-8) in 71 patients (16.2%). Age, gender, alcohol consumption, cause of injury, cranial CT findings, neurosurgical procedure, length of hospital stay, and clinical outcome were analyzed. The average age of the patients was 59.2 years old. Male patients comprised 65%. Alcohol consumption was reported in 81 cases (18.5%), most of them with moderate TBI. Fall (208 cases, 47.4%) was the most frequent cause of injury, followed by traffic accident (115 cases, 26.2%) and high fall (73 cases, 16.6%). Acute subdural hematoma (174 cases, 39.6%) was most frequently seen in cranial CT findings on admission, which significantly increased with severity. A neurosurgical procedure was performed for 70 cases (15.9%), of which 15 (6.0%) were mild TBI and 18 (15.5%) were moderate TBI. The average hospital stay was 20.8 days, which significantly increased with severity. The overall rate of favorable outcome was 82.7%, and mortality was 8.2%; outcome deteriorated with severity. Some mild and moderate TBI cases had deteriorated and required surgery or resulted in death. These findings suggest that cautious treatment is necessary even in mild to moderate TBI cases which are often encountered in secondary medical service centers. (author)

Women's Suggestions for Improving Midwifery Care in The Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Baas, Carien I; Erwich, Jan Jaap H M; Wiegers, Therese A; de Cock, T Paul; Hutton, Eileen K

2015-12-01

The experience of the care a woman receives during pregnancy and childbirth has an immediate and long-lasting effect on her well being. The involvement of patients and clients in health care has increased over the last decades. The Dutch maternity care system offers an excellent opportunity to explore and involve women's suggestions for the improvement of midwifery care in the current maternity care model. This qualitative study is part of the "DELIVER" study. Clients were recruited from 20 midwifery practices. Purposive sampling was used to select the practices. The clients received up to three questionnaires, in which they could respond to the question; "Do you have any suggestions on how your midwife could improve his/her provision of care?" The answers were analyzed with a qualitative thematic content analysis, using the software program MAXQDA. Altogether, 3,499 answers were provided. One overarching concept emerged: clients' desire for individualized care. Within this concept, suggestions could be clustered around 1) provider characteristics: interpersonal skills, communication, and competence, and 2) service characteristics: content and quantity of care, guidance and support, continuity of care provider, continuity of care, information, and coordination of care. Informed by the suggestions of women, care to women and their families could be improved by the following: 1) more continuity of the care provider during the prenatal, natal, and postnatal periods, 2) more information and information specifically tailored for the person, 3) client-centered communication, and 4) a personal approach with 5) enough time spent per client. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Retrospective analysis of necropsy reports suggestive of abuse in dogs and cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Daniel C; Torres, Sheila M F; Wuenschmann, Arno

2018-02-15

OBJECTIVE To identify historical and necropsy findings suggestive of neglect or abuse of dogs and cats by retrospective analysis of necropsy reports from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SAMPLE 119 necropsy reports of dogs and cats. PROCEDURES Necropsy reports from February 2001 to May 2012 were electronically searched to identify potential animal abuse or neglect cases. Cases were selected and categorized according to a previously proposed method for classification of animal abuse. Inclusion criteria included signs of neglect, nonaccidental injury (NAI; blunt-force or sharp-force trauma, gunshot, burns, drowning, asphyxiation, and suspicious intoxications), and sexual abuse. Poor preservation of cadavers, age abuse cases, determined on the basis of all necropsies performed in the study period, was 73 of 8,417 (0.87%) in dogs and 46 of 4,905 (0.94%) in cats. Neglect and NAI were commonly identified in cats; NAI was most commonly found in dogs. Gunshot and blunt-force trauma were the most common NAIs in dogs and cats, respectively. Pit bull-type dogs (29/73 [40%]) were overrepresented in several abuse categories. Most cats (29/46 [63%]) were domestic shorthair, but no breed association was found. Most (41/71 [58%]) affected animals with age data available were ≤ 2 years old. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Approximately 1% of dogs and cats necropsied in the study period had signs suggestive of abuse. Medical findings alone are not necessarily indicative of abuse, but some findings can increase the index of suspicion.

Enhancement of spin Hall effect induced torques for current-driven magnetic domain wall motion: Inner interface effect

KAUST Repository

Bang, Do; Yu, Jiawei; Qiu, Xuepeng; Wang, Yi; Awano, Hiroyuki; Manchon, Aurelien; Yang, Hyunsoo

2016-01-01

We investigate the current-induced domain wall motion in perpendicular magnetized Tb/Co wires with structure inversion asymmetry and different layered structures. We find that the critical current density to drive domain wall motion strongly depends on the layered structure. The lowest critical current density ∼15MA/cm2 and the highest slope of domain wall velocity curve are obtained for the wire having thin Co sublayers and more inner Tb/Co interfaces, while the largest critical current density ∼26MA/cm2 required to drive domain walls is observed in the Tb-Co alloy magnetic wire. It is found that the Co/Tb interface contributes negligibly to Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, while the effective spin-orbit torque strongly depends on the number of Tb/Co inner interfaces (n). An enhancement of the antidamping torques by extrinsic spin Hall effect due to Tb rare-earth impurity-induced skew scattering is suggested to explain the high efficiency of current-induced domain wall motion.

Enhancement of spin Hall effect induced torques for current-driven magnetic domain wall motion: Inner interface effect

KAUST Repository

Bang, Do

2016-05-23

We investigate the current-induced domain wall motion in perpendicular magnetized Tb/Co wires with structure inversion asymmetry and different layered structures. We find that the critical current density to drive domain wall motion strongly depends on the layered structure. The lowest critical current density ∼15MA/cm2 and the highest slope of domain wall velocity curve are obtained for the wire having thin Co sublayers and more inner Tb/Co interfaces, while the largest critical current density ∼26MA/cm2 required to drive domain walls is observed in the Tb-Co alloy magnetic wire. It is found that the Co/Tb interface contributes negligibly to Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, while the effective spin-orbit torque strongly depends on the number of Tb/Co inner interfaces (n). An enhancement of the antidamping torques by extrinsic spin Hall effect due to Tb rare-earth impurity-induced skew scattering is suggested to explain the high efficiency of current-induced domain wall motion.

MR findings of cerebral palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Sang Hum; Chang, Seung Kuk; Cho, Mee Young; Park, Dong Woo; Kim, Jong Deok; Eun, Choong Ki

1994-01-01

To evaluate the MR findings of brain damage in cerebral palised patients and to correlate it with gestational age and the time of damage. A retrospective analysis was performed in 40 patients who underwent MR scanning for evaluation of brain lesion in clinically diagnosed cerebral palsy. Authors classified the patients into two groups as premature and full-term and compared MR findings of the two groups. Abnormal MR findings were noted in 28 cases (70%). Five out of 6 patients who had been born prematurely showed isolate periventricular white matter lesions. Twenty-three out of 34 patients who had been born at full-term showed abnormal MR findings. Of these 23 patients, migration anomalies in 7 patients, isolate periventricular white matter lesions in 3 patients, and other combined periventricular subcortical white matter and deep gray matter lesions in 14 patients were seen. At least, 10 patients(43%) of full term group showed abnormal MRI findings reflecting intrauterine brain damage and all 5 patients of premature group showed isolate periventricular white matter lesions suggesting immaturity of brain. MRI is thought to be very useful in the assessment of brain damage for the patients with cerebral palsy by recognizing the location of the lesion and estimating the time of damage

MR findings of cerebral palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Sang Hum; Chang, Seung Kuk; Cho, Mee Young; Park, Dong Woo; Kim, Jong Deok; Eun, Choong Ki [Pusan Paik Hospital, Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

1994-11-15

To evaluate the MR findings of brain damage in cerebral palised patients and to correlate it with gestational age and the time of damage. A retrospective analysis was performed in 40 patients who underwent MR scanning for evaluation of brain lesion in clinically diagnosed cerebral palsy. Authors classified the patients into two groups as premature and full-term and compared MR findings of the two groups. Abnormal MR findings were noted in 28 cases (70%). Five out of 6 patients who had been born prematurely showed isolate periventricular white matter lesions. Twenty-three out of 34 patients who had been born at full-term showed abnormal MR findings. Of these 23 patients, migration anomalies in 7 patients, isolate periventricular white matter lesions in 3 patients, and other combined periventricular subcortical white matter and deep gray matter lesions in 14 patients were seen. At least, 10 patients(43%) of full term group showed abnormal MRI findings reflecting intrauterine brain damage and all 5 patients of premature group showed isolate periventricular white matter lesions suggesting immaturity of brain. MRI is thought to be very useful in the assessment of brain damage for the patients with cerebral palsy by recognizing the location of the lesion and estimating the time of damage.

CT findings of renal abscess

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Myung Jun; Kim, Mi Young; Woo, Jung Ju; Kim, Ho Kyun; Kim, Won Hong; Jeon, Jeong Dong; Jeon, Woo Ki; Han, Chang Yul

1996-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine characteristic CT findings in renal abscess. Twenty cases of renal abscess were retrospectively analyzed for CT findings relating to the shape and extent of the abscess, change of nephrogram, peripheral rim enhancement, wedge-shaped enhancement on delayed scans, enlargement of the kidney involved and associated findings. Seven patients had a renal abscess at the right kidney, nine at the lift kidney and two bilaterally. The abscesses were round in 18 cases and finger-like in two. Rim enhancement around renal abscess was seen in four cases (20%). Changes in the nephrogram around the abscess were seen in 12 cases (60%). In all six patients who had undergone delayed postcontrast scans, wedge-shaped enhancement was shown around the abscess (100%). In the observation of the extent of renal abscesses, 14 cases were within the kidney, six cases extended the beyond renal capsule, and two were loculated in the renal fascia itself. Renal enlargement was seen in nine cases (45%). These results suggest that CT findings such as delayed wedge-shaped enhancement, change of nephrogram, peripheral rim enhancement, renal enlargement, and associated findings are valuable for diagnosis, and that CT also gives information concerning the extent, evolution and complication of a renal abscess

Understanding current causes of women's underrepresentation in science.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceci, Stephen J; Williams, Wendy M

2011-02-22

Explanations for women's underrepresentation in math-intensive fields of science often focus on sex discrimination in grant and manuscript reviewing, interviewing, and hiring. Claims that women scientists suffer discrimination in these arenas rest on a set of studies undergirding policies and programs aimed at remediation. More recent and robust empiricism, however, fails to support assertions of discrimination in these domains. To better understand women's underrepresentation in math-intensive fields and its causes, we reprise claims of discrimination and their evidentiary bases. Based on a review of the past 20 y of data, we suggest that some of these claims are no longer valid and, if uncritically accepted as current causes of women's lack of progress, can delay or prevent understanding of contemporary determinants of women's underrepresentation. We conclude that differential gendered outcomes in the real world result from differences in resources attributable to choices, whether free or constrained, and that such choices could be influenced and better informed through education if resources were so directed. Thus, the ongoing focus on sex discrimination in reviewing, interviewing, and hiring represents costly, misplaced effort: Society is engaged in the present in solving problems of the past, rather than in addressing meaningful limitations deterring women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers today. Addressing today's causes of underrepresentation requires focusing on education and policy changes that will make institutions responsive to differing biological realities of the sexes. Finally, we suggest potential avenues of intervention to increase gender fairness that accord with current, as opposed to historical, findings.

The effects of current and expected future income on stated preferences for environmental improvements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl; Lundhede, Thomas; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark

2013-01-01

We formulate and test the hypothesis that expectations regarding changes in future income influences the WTP for environmental goods. For valuation of environmental goods in forests and other habitats in Denmark, we find that both current income and expected changes in future income are significant...... determinants for preferences. The effect of income on WTP seems to be caused by changes in preferences for environmental attributes rather than by marginal utility of income. The results suggest that to evaluate the distributional impacts of environmental improvements, researchers need a better measure...

Gifted Male Readers: Current Understandings and Suggestions for Future Research

Science.gov (United States)

Pagnani, Alexander R.

2013-01-01

Research literature concerning gifted male readers relies primarily on more extensive bodies of work regarding gifted males and male readers. Studied as a whole, the two halves portray a worrisome state of affairs for gifted male readers, who lag behind their female counterparts in the same patterns found across the ability spectrum. This literacy…

PERISTALTIC PUMPING NEAR POST-CORONAL MASS EJECTION SUPRA-ARCADE CURRENT SHEETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, Roger B.; Longcope, Dana W.; McKenzie, David E., E-mail: rscott@physics.montana.edu [Department of Physics, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173840, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States)

2013-10-10

Temperature and density measurements near supra-arcade current sheets suggest that plasma on unreconnected field lines may experience some degree of 'pre-heating' and 'pre-densification' prior to reconnection. Models of patchy reconnection allow for heating and acceleration of plasma along reconnected field lines but do not offer a mechanism for transport of thermal energy across field lines. Here, we present a model in which a reconnected flux tube retracts, deforming the surrounding layer of unreconnected field. The deformation creates constrictions that act as peristaltic pumps, driving plasma flow along affected field lines. Under certain circumstances, these flows lead to shocks that can extend far out into the unreconnected field, altering the plasma properties in the affected region. These findings have direct implications for observations in the solar corona, particularly in regard to such phenomena as high temperatures near current sheets in eruptive solar flares and wakes seen in the form of descending regions of density depletion or supra-arcade downflows.

Andropause: Current concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parminder Singh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Andropause or late-onset hypogonadism is a common disorder which increases in prevalence with advancing age. Diagnosis of late-onset of hypogonadism is based on presence of symptoms suggestive of testosterone deficiency - prominent among them are sexual symptoms like loss of libido, morning penile erection and erectile dysfunction; and demonstration of low testosterone levels. Adequate therapeutic modalities are currently available, but disparate results of clinical trial suggest further evaluation of complex interaction between androgen deficiency and ageing. Before initiating therapy benefits and risk should be discussed with patients and in case of poor response , alternative cause should be investigated.

Eyewitness recall and suggestibility in individuals with Down syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, D; Henry, L

2016-12-01

Many criminal justice professionals perceive the eyewitness skills of individuals with intellectual disabilities to be weaker than those of typically developing (TD) individuals. Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common genetic causes of intellectual disabilities, yet there is no research addressing eyewitness skills in this population. This study examined the eyewitness recall and suggestibility of young people with DS. Young people with DS and mental age-matched TD children viewed a video of a non-violent petty crime and were subsequently asked to freely recall the event before being asked general and specific questions incorporating both misleading and non-leading prompts. Compared with mental age-matched TD individuals, young people with DS produced as much information, were just as accurate and were no more suggestible. The eyewitness memory skills of young people with DS are comparable to those of mental age-matched TD children. The implications of these findings for the forensic context and eyewitness memory are discussed. © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Testing increases suggestibility for narrative-based misinformation but reduces suggestibility for question-based misinformation.

Science.gov (United States)

LaPaglia, Jessica A; Chan, Jason C K

2013-01-01

A number of recent studies have found that recalling details of an event following its occurrence can increase people's suggestibility to later presented misinformation. However, several other studies have reported the opposite result, whereby earlier retrieval can reduce subsequent eyewitness suggestibility. In the present study, we investigated whether differences in the way misinformation is presented can modulate the effects of testing on suggestibility. Participants watched a video of a robbery and some were questioned about the event immediately afterwards. Later, participants were exposed to misinformation in a narrative (Experiment 1) or in questions (Experiment 2). Consistent with previous studies, we found that testing increased suggestibility when misinformation was presented via a narrative. Remarkably, when misinformation was presented in questions, testing decreased suggestibility. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Methods for Preventing Core Saturation Instability in HVDC Transmission Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norheim, Ian

2002-07-01

In this thesis a study of the HVDC related phenomenon core saturation instability and methods to prevent this phenomenon is performed. It is reason to believe that this phenomenon caused disconnection of the Skagerrak HVDC link 10 August 1993. Internationally, core saturation instability has been reported at several HVDC schemes and thorough complex studies of the phenomenon has been performed. This thesis gives a detailed description of the phenomenon and suggest some interesting methods to prevent the development of it. Core saturation instability and its consequences can be described in a simplified way as follows: It is now assumed that a fundamental harmonic component is present in the DC side current. Due to the coupling between the AC side and the DC side of the HVDC converter, a subsequent second harmonic positive-sequence current and DC currents will be generated on the AC side. The DC currents will cause saturation in the converter transformers. This will cause the magnetizing current to also have a second harmonic positive-sequence component. If a high second harmonic impedance is seen from the commutation bus, a high positive-sequence second harmonic component will be present in the commutation voltages. This will result in a relatively high fundamental frequency component in the DC side voltage. If the fundamental frequency impedance at the DC side is relatively low the fundamental component in the DC side current may become larger than it originally was. In addition the HVDC control system may contribute to the fundamental frequency component in the DC side voltage, and in this way cause a system even more sensitive to core saturation instability. The large magnetizing currents that eventually will flow on the AC side cause large zero-sequence currents in the neutral conductors of the AC transmission lines connected to the HVDC link. This may result in disconnection of the lines. Alternatively, the harmonics in the large magnetizing currents may cause

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER IN THE MEDICAL SETTING: Suggestive Behaviors, Syndromes, and Diagnoses.

Science.gov (United States)

Sansone, Randy A; Sansone, Lori A

2015-01-01

Borderline personality disorder is a personality dysfunction that is characterized by disinhibition and impulsivity, which oftentimes manifest as self-regulation difficulties. Patients with this disorder have always been present in medical settings, but have been described as "difficult patients" rather than patients with borderline personality disorder. According to empirical findings, a number of behaviors and medical syndromes/diagnoses are suggestive of borderline personality disorder. Suggestive behaviors in the medical setting may include aggressive or disruptive behaviors, the intentional sabotage of medical care, and excessive healthcare utilization. Suggestive medical syndromes and diagnoses in the medical setting may include alcohol and substance misuse (including the abuse of prescription medications), multiple somatic complaints, chronic pain, obesity, sexual impulsivity, and hair pulling. While not all-inclusive or diagnostic, these behaviors and syndromes/diagnoses may invite further clinical evaluation of the patient for borderline personality disorder.

High current ion sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, I.G.

1989-06-01

The concept of high current ion source is both relative and evolutionary. Within the domain of one particular kind of ion source technology a current of microamperers might be 'high', while in another area a current of 10 Amperes could 'low'. Even within the domain of a single ion source type, what is considered high current performance today is routinely eclipsed by better performance and higher current output within a short period of time. Within their fields of application, there is a large number of kinds of ion sources that can justifiably be called high current. Thus, as a very limited example only, PIGs, Freemen sources, ECR sources, duoplasmatrons, field emission sources, and a great many more all have their high current variants. High current ion beams of gaseous and metallic species can be generated in a number of different ways. Ion sources of the kind developed at various laboratories around the world for the production of intense neutral beams for controlled fusion experiments are used to form large area proton deuteron beams of may tens of Amperes, and this technology can be used for other applications also. There has been significant progress in recent years in the use of microwave ion sources for high current ion beam generation, and this method is likely to find wide application in various different field application. Finally, high current beams of metal ions can be produced using metal vapor vacuum arc ion source technology. After a brief consideration of high current ion source design concepts, these three particular methods are reviewed in this paper

Clarification of the memory artefact in the assessment of suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Willner, P

2008-04-01

effect on either of these measures; multiple presentation of the GSS2 produced a modest increase in recognition memory and a modest decrease in suggestibility; and replacing the GSS with the ASS3 produced a large increase in recognition memory and a large decrease in suggestibility. The results support earlier findings that the GSS is likely to overestimate how suggestible a person will be in relation to a personally significant event. This reflects poor recognition memory for the material being tested, rather than increased suggestibility per se. People with ID may in fact be relatively non-suggestible for well-remembered events, which would include personally significant events, particularly those witnessed recently.

Deepening Sleep by Hypnotic Suggestion

Science.gov (United States)

Cordi, Maren J.; Schlarb, Angelika A.; Rasch, Björn

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Slow wave sleep (SWS) plays a critical role in body restoration and promotes brain plasticity; however, it markedly declines across the lifespan. Despite its importance, effective tools to increase SWS are rare. Here we tested whether a hypnotic suggestion to “sleep deeper” extends the amount of SWS. Design: Within-subject, placebo-controlled crossover design. Setting: Sleep laboratory at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Participants: Seventy healthy females 23.27 ± 3.17 y. Intervention: Participants listened to an auditory text with hypnotic suggestions or a control tape before napping for 90 min while high-density electroencephalography was recorded. Measurements and Results: After participants listened to the hypnotic suggestion to “sleep deeper” subsequent SWS was increased by 81% and time spent awake was reduced by 67% (with the amount of SWS or wake in the control condition set to 100%). Other sleep stages remained unaffected. Additionally, slow wave activity was significantly enhanced after hypnotic suggestions. During the hypnotic tape, parietal theta power increases predicted the hypnosis-induced extension of SWS. Additional experiments confirmed that the beneficial effect of hypnotic suggestions on SWS was specific to the hypnotic suggestion and did not occur in low suggestible participants. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of hypnotic suggestions to specifically increase the amount and duration of slow wave sleep (SWS) in a midday nap using objective measures of sleep in young, healthy, suggestible females. Hypnotic suggestions might be a successful tool with a lower risk of adverse side effects than pharmacological treatments to extend SWS also in clinical and elderly populations. Citation: Cordi MJ, Schlarb AA, Rasch B. Deepening sleep by hypnotic suggestion. SLEEP 2014;37(6):1143-1152. PMID:24882909

Radiologic findings of neonatal sepsis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sam Soo; Han, Dae Hee; Choi, Guk Myeong; Jung, Hye Won; Yoon, Hye Kyung; Han, Bokyung Kim; Lee, Nam Yong

1997-01-01

To review the simple radiographic and sonographic findings in infants with neonatal sepsis. We retrospectively analyzed simple chest and abdominal radiographs, and brain sonograms in 36 newborn infants (preterm : term=23 :13). With neonatal sepsis diagnosed by blood culture and clinical manifestations. Pulmonary parenchymal infiltrate excluding respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary edema or atelectasis was found in 22 infants (61%). Paralytic ileus, hepatosplenomegaly, and necrotizing enterocolitis were present in 18(50%), 9(25%), and 1(3%) infants, respectively, while skeletal changes suggesting osteomyelitis were found in three. Brain sonography was performed in 29 infants and in four, abnormalities were seen ; these comprised three germinal matrix hemorrhages and one intraparenchymal hemorrhage. In six patients(17%) radiologic examinations revealed no abnormality. In patients with neonatal sepsis, pulmonary infiltrates and paralytic ileus were common abnormalities. Although these were nonspecific, radiologic findings may be used to supplement clinical and laboratory findings in diagnosing neonatal sepsis and planning its treatment

Radiologic findings of neonatal sepsis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sam Soo; Han, Dae Hee; Choi, Guk Myeong; Jung, Hye Won [Seoul National Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Hye Kyung; Han, Bokyung Kim; Lee, Nam Yong [Sansung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1997-06-01

To review the simple radiographic and sonographic findings in infants with neonatal sepsis. We retrospectively analyzed simple chest and abdominal radiographs, and brain sonograms in 36 newborn infants (preterm : term=23 :13). With neonatal sepsis diagnosed by blood culture and clinical manifestations. Pulmonary parenchymal infiltrate excluding respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary edema or atelectasis was found in 22 infants (61%). Paralytic ileus, hepatosplenomegaly, and necrotizing enterocolitis were present in 18(50%), 9(25%), and 1(3%) infants, respectively, while skeletal changes suggesting osteomyelitis were found in three. Brain sonography was performed in 29 infants and in four, abnormalities were seen ; these comprised three germinal matrix hemorrhages and one intraparenchymal hemorrhage. In six patients(17%) radiologic examinations revealed no abnormality. In patients with neonatal sepsis, pulmonary infiltrates and paralytic ileus were common abnormalities. Although these were nonspecific, radiologic findings may be used to supplement clinical and laboratory findings in diagnosing neonatal sepsis and planning its treatment.

Hyperthyroid dementia: clinicoradiological findings and response to treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukui, T; Hasegawa, Y; Takenaka, H

2001-02-15

Dementia associated with hyperthyroidism is less well documented than is hypothyroid dementia. Therapeutic response of hyperthyroid dementia and associated cerebral circulatory and/or metabolic abnormalities has not been elucidated. We described a patient with hyperthyroid dementia and clinicoradiological response to treatment. Single photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) study was repeated and analyzed semiquantitatively. A 67-year-old man experienced progressive impairments of attention, memory, constructive skills and behavior as well as hand tremor and weight loss of two-year duration. Laboratory findings were compatible with Graves' disease. The initial SPECT showed diffuse tracer uptake defect with an accentuation in the bilateral temporoparietal regions. Clinical and SPECT findings both suggested concurrent "possible" Alzheimer's disease. However, initial treatment with a beta-blocker improved behavior and attention-related cognitive functions as well as tracer uptake in the frontal lobes. Subsequent treatment with additional methimazole then improved memory and constructive abilities when a euthyroid state was established. Uptake defect in the temporoparietal regions also responded gradually to the medication. We suggest that the present patient represent hyperthyroid dementia, which responds favorably to treatment with regard to clinical symptoms and SPECT findings. We also suggest that thyroid function be measured in patients with "possible" Alzheimer's disease because treatable hyperthyroid dementia may not be identified.

MELAS syndrome: neuroradiological findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cano, A.; Romero, A. I.; Bravo, F.; Vida, J. M.; Espejo, S.

2002-01-01

To assess the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings in MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes) and their contribution to the diagnosis of this entity. We present three patients in which a diagnosis of MELAS syndrome was confirmed by muscle biopsy. CT revealed pathological findings in two patients: bilateral calcifications in the basal nuclei in one and low-attenuation lesions in occipital lobes in the other. Initial or follow-up MR demonstrated pathological findings highly suggestive of MELAS syndrome in all the patients. They consisted of hyperintense lesions in T2-weighted images, located predominantly in the cortex of occipital and parietal lobes. Cerebellar atrophy was also observed in two patients. The clinical signs varied, but epileptic seizures, headache, vomiting, ataxia, muscle weakness and pyramidal involvement were among the major ones. Only one patient presented high lactic acid levels, and in two, the initial muscle biopsy was not conclusive enough to provide the definitive diagnosis. CT and, especially, MR are useful tools in the diagnosis of MELAS syndrome, particularly in those cases in which initial negative laboratory and histological results make diagnosis difficult. (Author) 21 refs

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for YBCO film fabrication of superconducting fault-current limiter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jun, Byung Hyuk; Kim, Chan Joong

2006-05-15

Since the high-temperature superconductor of oxide type was founded, many researches and efforts have been performed for finding its application field. The YBCO superconducting film fabricated on economic metal substrate with uniform critical current density is considered as superconducting fault-current limiter (SFCL). There are physical and chemical processes to fabricate superconductor film, and it is understood that the chemical methods are more economic to deposit large area. Among them, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising deposition method in obtaining film uniformity. To solve the problems due to the high deposition temperature of thermal CVD, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is suggested. This report describes the principle and fabrication trend of SFCL, example of YBCO film deposition by PECVD method, and principle of plasma deposition.

Current interruption by density depression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, J.S.; Tajima, T.; Akasofu, S.I.

1985-04-01

Using a one-dimensional electrostatic particle code, we examine processes associated with current interruption in a collisionless plasma when a density depression is present along the current channel. Current interruption due to double layers was suggested by Alfven and Carlqvist (1967) as a cause of solar flares. At a local density depression, plasma instabilities caused by an electron current flow are accentuated, leading to current disruption. Our simulation study encompasses a wide range of the parameters in such a way that under appropriate conditions, both the Alfven and Carlqvist (1967) regime and the Smith and Priest (1972) regime take place. In the latter regime the density depression decays into a stationary structure (''ion-acoustic layer'') which spawns a series of ion-acoustic ''solitons'' and ion phase space holes travelling upstream. A large inductance of the current circuit tends to enhance the plasma instabilities

The Footprint of Continental-Scale Ocean Currents on the Biogeography of Seaweeds

Science.gov (United States)

Wernberg, Thomas; Thomsen, Mads S.; Connell, Sean D.; Russell, Bayden D.; Waters, Jonathan M.; Zuccarello, Giuseppe C.; Kraft, Gerald T.; Sanderson, Craig; West, John A.; Gurgel, Carlos F. D.

2013-01-01

Explaining spatial patterns of biological organisation remains a central challenge for biogeographic studies. In marine systems, large-scale ocean currents can modify broad-scale biological patterns by simultaneously connecting environmental (e.g. temperature, salinity and nutrients) and biological (e.g. amounts and types of dispersed propagules) properties of adjacent and distant regions. For example, steep environmental gradients and highly variable, disrupted flow should lead to heterogeneity in regional communities and high species turnover. In this study, we investigated the possible imprint of the Leeuwin (LC) and East Australia (EAC) Currents on seaweed communities across ~7,000 km of coastline in temperate Australia. These currents flow poleward along the west and east coasts of Australia, respectively, but have markedly different characteristics. We tested the hypothesis that, regional seaweed communities show serial change in the direction of current flow and that, because the LC is characterised by a weaker temperature gradient and more un-interrupted along-shore flow compared to the EAC, then coasts influenced by the LC have less variable seaweed communities and lower species turnover across regions than the EAC. This hypothesis was supported. We suggest that this pattern is likely caused by a combination of seaweed temperature tolerances and current-driven dispersal. In conclusion, our findings support the idea that the characteristics of continental-scale currents can influence regional community organisation, and that the coupling of ocean currents and marine biological structure is a general feature that transcends taxa and spatial scales. PMID:24260352

MRI findings of Guillain-Barre syndrome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Won Kyu; Lee, Hwa Jin; Byun, Woo Mok [Yeungnam Univ. College of Medicine, Taegu (Korea, Republic of)

1997-04-01

To evaluate MRI findings of Guillain-Barre syndrome. In six patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome diagnosed by clinical, cerebrospinal fluid and electrophysiologic findings, a retrospective review of MR findings was conducted. Follow-up MRI scans were carried out in two patients showing minimal clinical improvement. Marked or moderate enhancement of thickened nerve roots was seen in all cases on gadopentetate dimeglumine enhanced axial T1-weighted images. Two patterns were seen; one was even enhancement of both anterior and posterior nerve roots (n=1) and the other was enhancement of anterior nerve roots only (n=5). Enhancement and thickness of nerve roots was seen to have slightly decreased on MRI follow-up at 32 and 50 days; clinical and electrophysiologic examination showed minimal improvement. Although MRI findings of nerve root enhancement are nonspecific and can be seen in neoplastic and other inflammatory diseases, the enhancement of thickened anterior nerve roots within the cal sac suggests Guillain-Barre syndrome.

MRI findings of Guillain-Barre syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Won Kyu; Lee, Hwa Jin; Byun, Woo Mok

1997-01-01

To evaluate MRI findings of Guillain-Barre syndrome. In six patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome diagnosed by clinical, cerebrospinal fluid and electrophysiologic findings, a retrospective review of MR findings was conducted. Follow-up MRI scans were carried out in two patients showing minimal clinical improvement. Marked or moderate enhancement of thickened nerve roots was seen in all cases on gadopentetate dimeglumine enhanced axial T1-weighted images. Two patterns were seen; one was even enhancement of both anterior and posterior nerve roots (n=1) and the other was enhancement of anterior nerve roots only (n=5). Enhancement and thickness of nerve roots was seen to have slightly decreased on MRI follow-up at 32 and 50 days; clinical and electrophysiologic examination showed minimal improvement. Although MRI findings of nerve root enhancement are nonspecific and can be seen in neoplastic and other inflammatory diseases, the enhancement of thickened anterior nerve roots within the cal sac suggests Guillain-Barre syndrome

Finding of region of interest in radioisotope scintigraphy's images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glazs, A.; Lubans, A.

2003-01-01

The paper is about some problems, which arise, when physicians try to make diagnosis, using information from pictures, which are obtained at radioisotope scintigraphy. The algorithm of obtaining pictures' sets (called GFR) is described in this paper. The possible mistakes in diagnosis are also described. One reason of the mistakes is wrong detection the investigated organ's location. The new method is suggested for detection of organ's location in radioisotope scintigraphy's images' sets. Using of dynamic curves of pixels' intensities is suggested for solving of this problem. It is shown, why using of maximums of such curves is impossible for finding of the investigated organ's location in radioisotope scintigraphy's images sets. The using of integral expression is suggested to solve the problem. The suggested method allows finding and selecting of investigated organ's location in image's sequences (correction is not available in the existing methods). The results of using this method are present. The method can work fully automatically or with manual setting of threshold. (authors)

Direct current contamination of kilohertz frequency alternating current waveforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Franke, Manfred; Bhadra, Niloy; Bhadra, Narendra; Kilgore, Kevin

2014-07-30

Kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) waveforms are being evaluated in a variety of physiological settings because of their potential to modulate neural activity uniquely when compared to frequencies in the sub-kilohertz range. However, the use of waveforms in this frequency range presents some unique challenges regarding the generator output. In this study we explored the possibility of undesirable contamination of the KHFAC waveforms by direct current (DC). We evaluated current- and voltage-controlled KHFAC waveform generators in configurations that included a capacitive coupling between generator and electrode, a resistive coupling and combinations of capacitive with inductive coupling. Our results demonstrate that both voltage- and current-controlled signal generators can unintentionally add DC-contamination to a KHFAC signal, and that capacitive coupling is not always sufficient to eliminate this contamination. We furthermore demonstrated that high value inductors, placed in parallel with the electrode, can be effective in eliminating DC-contamination irrespective of the type of stimulator, reducing the DC contamination to less than 1 μA. This study highlights the importance of carefully designing the electronic setup used in KHFAC studies and suggests specific testing that should be performed and reported in all studies that assess the neural response to KHFAC waveforms. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Radiologic findings of granulomatous mastitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Tae Gyu; Kim, Ji Young; Jeong, Myeong Ja; Kim, Jae Hyung; Kim, Soung Hee; Kim, Soo Hyun; Jun, Woo Sun; Park, Kyeong Mee; Han, Se Hwan [Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2008-08-15

The describe the radiologic findings of granulomatous mastitis of the breast. This study included 19 patients (age range: 22 to 56 years; mean 37 years) with 22 lesions that were pathologically confirmed as having granulomatous mastitis. All the patients underwent a breast ultrasonography and 13 patients underwent a mammography. The results of the mammography revealed focal asymmetry (n = 9), multiple ill-defined isodense nodules (n 2), ill-defined nodular density on craniocaudal view (n = 1), and unremarkable finding (n = 1). The sonographic findings included continuous or discontinuous multiple tubular and nodular low echoic lesions (n = 7), ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesion (n = 5), irregular-shaped, ill-defined low echoic mass (n = 4), fluid collection with internal floating materials suggesting the presence of an abscess (n = 4), ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesion and abscess (n = 1), and multiple ill-defined nodules (n = 1). In the case of granulomatous mastitis, the mammography results indicate a lack of specificity between normal findings and focal asymmetry. The sonographic findings indicate that ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesions or irregular shaped, ill-defined low echoic masses are difficult to differentiate from breast cancer. The sonographic findings of abscesses indicate a difficulty in differentiating them from cases of pyogenic mastitis. However, multiple tubular and nodular low echoic lesions, especially with a continuous appearance, should point to granulomatous mastitis, and is helpful in its differential diagnosis and treatment.

Radiologic findings of granulomatous mastitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Gyu; Kim, Ji Young; Jeong, Myeong Ja; Kim, Jae Hyung; Kim, Soung Hee; Kim, Soo Hyun; Jun, Woo Sun; Park, Kyeong Mee; Han, Se Hwan

2008-01-01

The describe the radiologic findings of granulomatous mastitis of the breast. This study included 19 patients (age range: 22 to 56 years; mean 37 years) with 22 lesions that were pathologically confirmed as having granulomatous mastitis. All the patients underwent a breast ultrasonography and 13 patients underwent a mammography. The results of the mammography revealed focal asymmetry (n = 9), multiple ill-defined isodense nodules (n 2), ill-defined nodular density on craniocaudal view (n = 1), and unremarkable finding (n = 1). The sonographic findings included continuous or discontinuous multiple tubular and nodular low echoic lesions (n = 7), ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesion (n = 5), irregular-shaped, ill-defined low echoic mass (n = 4), fluid collection with internal floating materials suggesting the presence of an abscess (n = 4), ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesion and abscess (n = 1), and multiple ill-defined nodules (n = 1). In the case of granulomatous mastitis, the mammography results indicate a lack of specificity between normal findings and focal asymmetry. The sonographic findings indicate that ill-defined heterogeneously low echoic lesions or irregular shaped, ill-defined low echoic masses are difficult to differentiate from breast cancer. The sonographic findings of abscesses indicate a difficulty in differentiating them from cases of pyogenic mastitis. However, multiple tubular and nodular low echoic lesions, especially with a continuous appearance, should point to granulomatous mastitis, and is helpful in its differential diagnosis and treatment

[Agnosia for streets and defective root finding].

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Nobuyoshi

2011-08-01

Topographical disorientation is identified as a condition in which patients are unable to find their way in familiar surroundings, such as their home neighborhood or the admitting hospital after the onset of illness. I proposed to classify topographical disorientation into two categories: agnosia for streets (landmark agnosia) and defective root finding (heading disorientation). Patients with agnosia for streets are unable to identify familiar buildings and landscapes. They can, however, morphologically perceive them and remember their way around familiar areas. The lesions are located in the right posterior part of the parahippocampus gyrus, anterior half of the lingual gyrus and adjacent fusiform gyrus. Clinical findings and functional imaging studies suggest that these regions play a crucial role in the interaction between the visual information of streets and memories of them, which are thought to be retained in the right anterior part of the temporal lobe. In particular, the posterior part of the parahippocampus gyrus is critical for the acquisition of novel information. On the other hand, patients with defective root finding can identify familiar streets, but cannot remember their own location or positional relation between two points within a comparatively wide range not surveyable at one time. The lesions are located in the right retrosplenial cortex (Areas 29, 30), posterior cingulate cortex (Areas 23, 31) and precuneus. Clinical findings and functional imaging studies suggest that these regions are involved in the orientation function for navigating in wide spaces. In particular, the retrosplenial cortex is critical for encoding novel information.

Agnosia for streets and defective root finding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Nobuyoshi

2011-01-01

Topographical disorientation is identified as a condition in which patients are unable to find their way in familiar surroundings, such as their home neighborhood or the admitting hospital after the onset of illness. I proposed to classify topographical disorientation into two categories: agnosia for streets (landmark agnosia) and defective root finding (heading disorientation). Patients with agnosia for streets are unable to identify familiar buildings and landscapes. They can, however, morphologically perceive them and remember their way around familiar areas. The lesions are located in the right posterior part of the parahippocampus gyrus, anterior half of the lingual gyrus and adjacent fusiform gyrus. Clinical findings and functional imaging studies suggest that these regions play a crucial role in the interaction between the visual information of streets and memories of them, which are thought to be retained in the right anterior part of the temporal lobe. In particular, the posterior part of the parahippocampus gyrus is critical for the acquisition of novel information. On the other hand, patients with defective root finding can identify familiar streets, but cannot remember their own location or positional relation between two points within a comparatively wide range not surveyable at one time. The lesions are located in the right retrosplenial cortex (Areas 29, 30), posterior cingulate cortex (Areas 23, 31) and precuneus. Clinical findings and functional imaging studies suggest that these regions are involved in the orientation function for navigating in wide spaces. In particular, the retrosplenial cortex is critical for encoding novel information. (author)

Intelligence, previous convictions and interrogative suggestibility: a path analysis of alleged false-confession cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharrock, R; Gudjonsson, G H

1993-05-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between interrogative suggestibility and previous convictions among 108 defendants in criminal trials, using a path analysis technique. It was hypothesized that previous convictions, which may provide defendants with interrogative experiences, would correlate negatively with 'shift' as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (Gudjonsson, 1984a), after intelligence and memory had been controlled for. The hypothesis was partially confirmed and the theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Wolf population genetics in Europe: a systematic review, meta-analysis and suggestions for conservation and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindrikson, Maris; Remm, Jaanus; Pilot, Malgorzata; Godinho, Raquel; Stronen, Astrid Vik; Baltrūnaité, Laima; Czarnomska, Sylwia D; Leonard, Jennifer A; Randi, Ettore; Nowak, Carsten; Åkesson, Mikael; López-Bao, José Vicente; Álvares, Francisco; Llaneza, Luis; Echegaray, Jorge; Vilà, Carles; Ozolins, Janis; Rungis, Dainis; Aspi, Jouni; Paule, Ladislav; Skrbinšek, Tomaž; Saarma, Urmas

2017-08-01

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is an iconic large carnivore that has increasingly been recognized as an apex predator with intrinsic value and a keystone species. However, wolves have also long represented a primary source of human-carnivore conflict, which has led to long-term persecution of wolves, resulting in a significant decrease in their numbers, genetic diversity and gene flow between populations. For more effective protection and management of wolf populations in Europe, robust scientific evidence is crucial. This review serves as an analytical summary of the main findings from wolf population genetic studies in Europe, covering major studies from the 'pre-genomic era' and the first insights of the 'genomics era'. We analyse, summarize and discuss findings derived from analyses of three compartments of the mammalian genome with different inheritance modes: maternal (mitochondrial DNA), paternal (Y chromosome) and biparental [autosomal microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)]. To describe large-scale trends and patterns of genetic variation in European wolf populations, we conducted a meta-analysis based on the results of previous microsatellite studies and also included new data, covering all 19 European countries for which wolf genetic information is available: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Belarus, Russia, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Spain and Portugal. We compared different indices of genetic diversity in wolf populations and found a significant spatial trend in heterozygosity across Europe from south-west (lowest genetic diversity) to north-east (highest). The range of spatial autocorrelation calculated on the basis of three characteristics of genetic diversity was 650-850 km, suggesting that the genetic diversity of a given wolf population can be influenced by populations up to 850 km away. As an important outcome of this synthesis, we

Recognizing limitations in eddy current testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Drunen, G.; Cecco, V.S.

1981-11-01

This paper addresses known limitations and constraints in eddy current nondestructive testing. Incomplete appreciation for eddy current limitations is believed to have contributed to both under-utilization and misapplication of the technique. Neither situation need arise if known limitations are recognized. Some, such as the skin depth effect, are inherent to electromagnetic test methods and define the role of eddy current testing. Others can be overcome with available technology such as surface probes to find circumferential cracks in tubes and magnetic saturation of ferromagnetic alloys to eliminate permeability effects. The variables responsible for limitations in eddy current testing are discussed and where alternative approaches exist, these are presented. Areas with potential for further research and development are also identified

Interrogative suggestibility: its relationship with assertiveness, social-evaluative anxiety, state anxiety and method of coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudjonsson, G H

1988-05-01

This paper attempts to investigate empirically in 30 subjects some of the theoretical components related to individual differences that are thought by Gudjonsson & Clark (1986) to mediate interrogative suggestibility as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS; Gudjonsson, 1984a). The variables studied were: assertiveness, social-evaluative anxiety, state anxiety and the coping methods subjects are able to generate and implement during interrogation. Low assertiveness and high evaluative anxiety were found to correlate moderately with suggestibility, but no significant correlations emerged for 'social avoidance and distress'. State anxiety correlated significantly with suggestibility, particularly after negative feedback had been administered. Coping methods (active-cognitive/behavioural vs. avoidance) significantly predicted suggestibility scores. The findings give strong support to the theoretical model of Gudjonsson & Clark.

Emotion regulation and mental health: recent findings, current challenges, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Berking, Matthias; Wupperman, Peggilee

2012-03-01

In recent years, deficits in emotion regulation have been studied as a putative maintaining factor and promising treatment target in a broad range of mental disorders. This article aims to provide an integrative review of the latest theoretical and empirical developments in this rapidly growing field of research. Deficits in emotion regulation appear to be relevant to the development, maintenance, and treatment of various forms of psychopathology. Increasing evidence demonstrates that deficits in the ability to adaptively cope with challenging emotions are related to depression, borderline personality disorder, substance-use disorders, eating disorders, somatoform disorders, and a variety of other psychopathological symptoms. Unfortunately, studies differ with regard to the conceptualization and assessment of emotion regulation, thus limiting the ability to compare findings across studies. Future research should systematically work to use comparable methods in order to clarify the following: which individuals have; what kinds of emotion regulation difficulties with; which types of emotions; and what interventions are most effective in alleviating these difficulties. Despite some yet to be resolved challenges, the concept of emotion regulation has a broad and significant heuristic value for research in mental health.

Coping style and ecstasy use motives as predictors of current mood symptoms in ecstasy users.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Rebecca M; Hides, Leanne; Allen, J Sabura; Lubman, Dan I

2013-10-01

Elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms during childhood and adolescence have been associated with greater risk of later ecstasy use. Ecstasy users have reported using ecstasy to reduce depression or worry, or to escape. While these findings suggest that some people use ecstasy as a form of self-medication, limited research has been conducted examining the relationship between affective symptoms, coping styles and drug use motives in ecstasy users. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine if coping style and/or ecstasy use motives are associated with current mood symptoms in ecstasy users. A community sample (n=184) of 18-35 year olds who had taken ecstasy at least once in the past 12 months completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, ecstasy use motives and coping styles. Timeline follow back methods were used to collect information on lifetime ecstasy, recent drug use and life stress. Trauma exposure was measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Trauma List. Coping motives for ecstasy use and an emotion-focused coping style were significantly associated with current depressive and anxiety symptoms. Emotion-focused coping mediated the relationship between a history of trauma and current anxiety symptoms and moderated the relationship between recent stressful life events and current depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of interventions targeting motives for ecstasy use, and providing coping skills training for managing stressful life events among people with co-occurring depressive/anxiety symptoms and ecstasy use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The usefulness of assessing suggestibility and compliance in prisoners with unidentified intellectual disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Søndenaa, Erik; Rasmussen, Kirsten; Palmstierna, Tom; Nøttestad, Jim Aage

2010-10-01

This present study explored the relationship of interrogative suggestibility (n = 133) and compliance (n = 118) to intellectual functioning among prison inmates. The Norwegian versions of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) and the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS) were used. The results supported previous findings of a negative correlation between the Gudjonsson scales and IQ, and the scales were found useful throughout the IQ range. The impact of a memory artifact was discussed in the light of recent studies and criticism of the scales. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Design of nuclear power plant control rooms: some findings and possible improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohr, E.

1984-01-01

Major findings are described of a study on the present status and possible improvements in the design of nuclear power plant control rooms according to ergonomic principles and criteria. The findings have been acquired by observing the performance of control room operators, by interviewing operators and management personnel, and by analysing major characteristics of the man-machine interface. The methods currently used for developing and designing control rooms have also been examined. The results of the study indicate that there is a growing awareness and consideration of physical factors affecting performance. More attention should be paid to the essential cognitive characteristics of work in the control room with the aim of avoiding unnecessary hindrances and possible errors. Examples are given of some of these problems, and approaches, ways and means for solving or mitigating them are indicated. A more deliberate consideration of factors affecting operator performance and reliability is suggested, based on a systems ergonomics approach. Analyses of critical tasks would be a major feature of this approach. Its main objective is to ensure that operators are able to carry out their tasks reliably. (author)

Synovial hemangioma of the knee: MRI findings in two cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llauger, J.; Monill, J.M.; Palmer, J.; Clotet, M.

1995-01-01

The findings in two patients with histologically proven synovial hemangioma of the knee are described. Both cases emphasize the typical appearance of this unusual tumor on magnetic resonance imaging. Additional radiologic findings, such as adjacent osseous insolvement, are discussed. The MRI findings of this tumor are highly suggestive of the diagnosis and MRI should eliminate the need for invasive angiographic procedures. (orig.)

Basally activated nonselective cation currents regulate the resting membrane potential in human and monkey colonic smooth muscle

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, Laura; Rhee, Poong-Lyul; Lowe, Vanessa; Zheng, Haifeng; Peri, Lauren; Ro, Seungil; Sanders, Kenton M.

2011-01-01

Resting membrane potential (RMP) plays an important role in determining the basal excitability of gastrointestinal smooth muscle. The RMP in colonic muscles is significantly less negative than the equilibrium potential of K+, suggesting that it is regulated not only by K+ conductances but by inward conductances such as Na+ and/or Ca2+. We investigated the contribution of nonselective cation channels (NSCC) to the RMP in human and monkey colonic smooth muscle cells (SMC) using voltage- and current-clamp techniques. Qualitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to examine potential molecular candidates for these channels among the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily. Spontaneous transient inward currents and holding currents were recorded in human and monkey SMC. Replacement of extracellular Na+ with equimolar tetraethylammonium or Ca2+ with Mn2+ inhibited basally activated nonselective cation currents. Trivalent cations inhibited these channels. Under current clamp, replacement of extracellular Na+ with N-methyl-d-glucamine or addition of trivalent cations caused hyperpolarization. Three unitary conductances of NSCC were observed in human and monkey colonic SMC. Molecular candidates for basally active NSCC were TRPC1, C3, C4, C7, M2, M4, M6, M7, V1, and V2 in human and monkey SMC. Comparison of the biophysical properties of these TRP channels with basally active NSCC (bINSCC) suggests that TRPM4 and specific TRPC heteromultimer combinations may underlie the three single-channel conductances of bINSCC. In conclusion, these findings suggest that basally activated NSCC contribute to the RMP in human and monkey colonic SMC and therefore may play an important role in determining basal excitability of colonic smooth muscle. PMID:21566016

Way finding during fire evacuation; an analysis of unannounced fire drills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kobes, M.; Helsloot, I.; Vries, de B.; Post, J.G.; Oberije, N.; Groenewegen, K.

2010-01-01

Findings in earlier studies on fire evacuation and way finding suggest that building features have influence on evacuation behaviour. For example, way finding is believed to be strongly dependent on the lay-out of the building and seems to be hardly dependent on (escape) route signs. Though some

Soft tissue masses of extremities: MR findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Seok Hyun; Yang, Seoung Oh; Choi, Jong Chul; Park, Byeong Ho; Lee, Ki Nam; Choi, Sun Seob; Chung, Duck Hwan [Dong-A University College of Medicine, Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

1993-11-15

To evaluate MR findings of soft tissue masses in extremities and to find the helpful findings of distinguish benignity from malignancy, 28 soft tissue masses (22 benign and 6 malignant) in extremities were reviewed. TI-weighted, proton density, T2-weighted and Gd-DTPA enhanced images were obtained. MR images allowed a specific diagnosis in large number of benign masses, such as hemangioma(8/9), lipoma(2/2), angiolipoma(1/1), epidermoid cyst(2/2), myositis ossificans(1/1), synovial chondromatosis(1/1) and pigmented villonodular synovitis(1/2). Specific diagnosis was difficult in the rest of the masses including malignancy. However, inhomogeneous signal intensities with necrosis and inhomogeneous enhancement may suggest malignant masses.

Incidental MRI Findings in Patients with Impaired Cognitive Function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Yoon Joon

2013-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the incidental findings on brain MRI of patients with cognitive function impairments. We analyzed magnetic resonance (MR) findings of 236 patients with decreased cognitive function. MR protocols include conventional T2 weighted axial images, fluid attenuated inversion recovery axial images, T1 weighted coronal 3-dimensional magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition of gradient echo and diffusion tensor images. We retrospectively evaluated the signal changes that suggest acute/subacute infarction and space occupying lesions which show mass effect. Incidental MR findings were seen in 16 patients. Nine patients (3.8%) showed increased signal intensity on trace map of diffusion tensor images suggesting acute/subacute infarctions. Space occupying lesions were detected in 7 patients, and 3 lesions (1.27%) had mass effect and edema and were considered clinically significant lesions that diminish cognitive functions. Several incidental MR findings were detected in patients with decreased cognitive function, and the incidence of aucte/subacute infarctions were higher. Proper evaluations of MRI in patients with impaired cognitive functions will be helpful in early detection and management of ischemic lesions and space occupying lesions.

Two ways to model voltage-current curves of adiabatic MgB2 wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stenvall, A; Korpela, A; Lehtonen, J; Mikkonen, R

2007-01-01

Usually overheating of the sample destroys attempts to measure voltage-current curves of conduction cooled high critical current MgB 2 wires at low temperatures. Typically, when a quench occurs a wire burns out due to massive heat generation and negligible cooling. It has also been suggested that high n values measured with MgB 2 wires and coils are not an intrinsic property of the material but arise due to heating during the voltage-current measurement. In addition, quite recently low n values for MgB 2 wires have been reported. In order to find out the real properties of MgB 2 an efficient computational model is required to simulate the voltage-current measurement. In this paper we go back to basics and consider two models to couple electromagnetic and thermal phenomena. In the first model the magnetization losses are computed according to the critical state model and the flux creep losses are considered separately. In the second model the superconductor resistivity is described by the widely used power law. Then the coupled current diffusion and heat conduction equations are solved with the finite element method. In order to compare the models, example runs are carried out with an adiabatic slab. Both models produce a similar significant temperature rise near the critical current which leads to fictitiously high n values

Photocatalytic effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on aquatic organisms—Current knowledge and suggestions for future research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haynes, Vena N., E-mail: vena.haynes@uconn.edu [University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Ward, J. Evan, E-mail: evan.ward@uconn.edu [University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Russell, Brandon J., E-mail: brandon.russell@uconn.edu [University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Agrios, Alexander G., E-mail: agrios@engr.uconn.edu [University of Connecticut, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 261 Glenbrook Road Unit 3037, Storrs, CT 06269 (United States)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • Ecotoxicological approaches are needed to predict effects of photoactive nanomaterials. • Research on effects of photoactive nanomaterials must include defined light fields. • Light fields must be appropriate for depth, latitude, season and water properties. • Physicochemical properties of water can alter light fields and photoreactivity. - Abstract: Nanoparticles are entering natural systems through product usage, industrial waste and post-consumer material degradation. As the production of nanoparticles is expected to increase in the next decade, so too are predicted environmental loads. Engineered metal-oxide nanomaterials, such as titanium dioxide, are known for their photocatalytic capabilities. When these nanoparticles are exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the environment, however, they can produce radicals that are harmful to aquatic organisms. There have been a number of studies that have reported the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the absence of light. An increasing number of studies are assessing the interactive effects of nanoparticles and ultraviolet light. However, most of these studies neglect environmentally-relevant experimental conditions. For example, researchers are using nanoparticle concentrations and light intensities that are too high for natural systems, and are ignoring water constituents that can alter the light field. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the photocatalytic effects of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles on aquatic organisms, discuss the limitations of these studies, and outline environmentally-relevant factors that need to be considered in future experiments.

A Privacy-by-Design Contextual Suggestion System for Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlos S. Efraimidis

2016-05-01

Full Text Available We focus on personal data generated by the sensors and through the everyday usage of smart devices and take advantage of these data to build a non-invasive contextual suggestion system for tourism. The system, which we call Pythia, exploits the computational capabilities of modern smart devices to offer high quality personalized POI (point of interest recommendations. To protect user privacy, we apply a privacy by design approach within all of the steps of creating Pythia. The outcome is a system that comprises important architectural and operational innovations. The system is designed to process sensitive personal data, such as location traces, browsing history and web searches (query logs, to automatically infer user preferences and build corresponding POI-based user profiles. These profiles are then used by a contextual suggestion engine to anticipate user choices and make POI recommendations for tourists. Privacy leaks are minimized by implementing an important part of the system functionality at the user side, either as a mobile app or as a client-side web application, and by taking additional precautions, like data generalization, wherever necessary. As a proof of concept, we present a prototype that implements the aforementioned mechanisms on the Android platform accompanied with certain web applications. Even though the current prototype focuses only on location data, the results from the evaluation of the contextual suggestion algorithms and the user experience feedback from volunteers who used the prototype are very positive.

Limiting beta of stellarators with no net current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, H.R.; Monticello, D.A.

1981-01-01

Using reduced nonlinear MHD equations, we find finite beta, resistive, l = 2 stellarator equilibria with no net current. We then investigate stability to low mode number internal MHD modes, and find beta limits comparable to tokamaks. Low shear equilibria appear to be substantially more stable than high shear

Steady Increase In Prices For Oral Anticancer Drugs After Market Launch Suggests A Lack Of Competitive Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennette, Caroline S; Richards, Catherine; Sullivan, Sean D; Ramsey, Scott D

2016-05-01

The cost of treating cancer has risen to unprecedented heights, putting tremendous financial pressure on patients, payers, and society. Previous studies have documented the rising prices of cancer drugs at launch, but less critical attention has been paid to the cost of these drugs after launch. We used pharmacy claims for commercially insured individuals to examine trends in postlaunch prices over time for orally administered anticancer drugs recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the period 2007-13, inflation-adjusted per patient monthly drug prices increased 5 percent each year. Certain market changes also played a role, with prices rising an additional 10 percent with each supplemental indication approved by the FDA and declining 2 percent with the FDA's approval of a competitor drug. Our findings suggest that there is currently little competitive pressure in the oral anticancer drug market. Policy makers who wish to reduce the costs of anticancer drugs should consider implementing policies that affect prices not only at launch but also later. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Sciatica caused by a dilated epidural vein: MR findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demaerel, P.; Petre, C.; Wilms, G.; Plets, C.

1999-01-01

We report the MR imaging findings in a 41-year-old woman presenting with sudden low back pain and sciatica. At surgery a dilated epidural vein was found compressing the nerve root. The MR findings may suggest the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of a dilated epidural vein or varix causing sciatica has not been reported until now. (orig.) (orig.)

Inhibition of Na+ channel currents in rat myoblasts by 4-aminopyridine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Boxun; Liu Linyun; Liao Lei; Zhang Zhihong; Mei Yanai

2005-01-01

Our previous study revealed that 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a specific blocker of A-type current, could also inhibit inward Na + currents (I Na ) with a state-independent mechanism in rat cerebellar granule cells. In the present study, we report an inhibitory effect of 4-AP on voltage-gated and tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive I Na recorded from cultured rat myoblasts. 4-AP inhibited I Na amplitude in a dose-dependent manner between the concentrations of 0.5 and 10 mM without significant alteration in the activation or inactivation kinetics of the channel. By comparison to the 4-AP-induced inhibitory effect on cerebellum neurons, the inhibitory effect on myoblasts was enhanced through repetitive pulse and inflected by changing frequency. Specifically, the lower the frequency of pulse, the higher the inhibition observed, suggesting that block manner is inversely use-dependent. Moreover, experiments adding 4-AP to the intracellular solution indicate that the inhibitory effects are localized inside the cell. Additionally, 4-AP significantly modifies the properties of steady-state activation and inactivation kinetics of the channel. Our data suggest that the K + channel blocker 4-AP inhibits both neuron and myoblast Na + channels via different mechanisms. These findings may also provide information regarding 4-AP-induced pharmacological and toxicological effects in clinical use and experimental research

Apamin does not inhibit human cardiac Na+ current, L-type Ca2+ current or other major K+ currents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Chieh Yu

Full Text Available Apamin is commonly used as a small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK current inhibitor. However, the specificity of apamin in cardiac tissues remains unclear.To test the hypothesis that apamin does not inhibit any major cardiac ion currents.We studied human embryonic kidney (HEK 293 cells that expressed human voltage-gated Na+, K+ and Ca2+ currents and isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes. Whole-cell patch clamp techniques were used to determine ionic current densities before and after apamin administration.Ca2+ currents (CACNA1c+CACNB2b were not affected by apamin (500 nM (data are presented as median [25th percentile;75th percentile] (from -16 [-20;-10] to -17 [-19;-13] pA/pF, P = NS, but were reduced by nifedipine to -1.6 [-3.2;-1.3] pA/pF (p = 0.008. Na+ currents (SCN5A were not affected by apamin (from -261 [-282;-145] to -268 [-379;-132] pA/pF, P = NS, but were reduced by flecainide to -57 [-70;-47] pA/pF (p = 0.018. None of the major K+ currents (IKs, IKr, IK1 and Ito were inhibited by 500 nM of apamin (KCNQ1+KCNE1, from 28 [20]; [37] to 23 [18]; [32] pA/pF; KCNH2+KCNE2, from 28 [24]; [30] to 27 [24]; [29] pA/pF; KCNJ2, from -46 [-48;-40] to -46 [-51;-35] pA/pF; KCND3, from 608 [505;748] to 606 [454;684]. Apamin did not inhibit the INa or ICaL in isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes (INa, from -67 [-75;-59] to -68 [-71;-59] pA/pF; ICaL, from -16 [-17;-14] to -14 [-15;-13] pA/pF, P = NS for both.Apamin does not inhibit human cardiac Na+ currents, L-type Ca2+ currents or other major K+ currents. These findings indicate that apamin is a specific SK current inhibitor in hearts as well as in other organs.

Multitarget transcranial direct current stimulation for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Dagan, Moria; Herman, Talia; Harrison, Rachel; Zhou, Junhong; Giladi, Nir; Ruffini, Giulio; Manor, Brad; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M

2018-04-01

Recent findings suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation of the primary motor cortex may ameliorate freezing of gait. However, the effects of multitarget simultaneous stimulation of motor and cognitive networks are mostly unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of multitarget transcranial direct current stimulation of the primary motor cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on freezing of gait and related outcomes. Twenty patients with Parkinson's disease and freezing of gait received 20 minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation on 3 separate visits. Transcranial direct current stimulation targeted the primary motor cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex simultaneously, primary motor cortex only, or sham stimulation (order randomized and double-blinded assessments). Participants completed a freezing of gait-provoking test, the Timed Up and Go, and the Stroop test before and after each transcranial direct current stimulation session. Performance on the freezing of gait-provoking test (P = 0.010), Timed Up and Go (P = 0.006), and the Stroop test (P = 0.016) improved after simultaneous stimulation of the primary motor cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, but not after primary motor cortex only or sham stimulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation designed to simultaneously target motor and cognitive regions apparently induces immediate aftereffects in the brain that translate into reduced freezing of gait and improvements in executive function and mobility. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

The Outwardly Rectifying Current of Layer 5 Neocortical Neurons that was Originally Identified as "Non-Specific Cationic" Is Essentially a Potassium Current.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omer Revah

Full Text Available In whole-cell patch clamp recordings from layer 5 neocortical neurons, blockade of voltage gated sodium and calcium channels leaves a cesium current that is outward rectifying. This current was originally identified as a "non-specific cationic current", and subsequently it was hypothesized that it is mediated by TRP channels. In order to test this hypothesis, we used fluorescence imaging of intracellular sodium and calcium indicators, and found no evidence to suggest that it is associated with influx of either of these ions to the cell body or dendrites. Moreover, the current is still prominent in neurons from TRPC1-/- and TRPC5-/- mice. The effects on the current of various blocking agents, and especially its sensitivity to intracellular tetraethylammonium, suggest that it is not a non-specific cationic current, but rather that it is generated by cesium-permeable delayed rectifier potassium channels.

On Suggestibility and Placebo: A Follow-Up Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lifshitz, Michael; Sheiner, Eli O; Olson, Jay A; Thériault, Rémi; Raz, Amir

2017-04-01

Identifying what makes some people respond well to placebos remains a major challenge. Here, we attempt to replicate an earlier study in which we found a relationship between hypnotic suggestibility and subjective ratings of relaxation following the ingestion of a placebo sedative (Sheiner, Lifshitz, & Raz, 2016). To assess the reliability of this effect, we tested 34 participants using a similar design. Participants ingested a placebo capsule in one of two conditions: (1) relaxation, wherein we described the capsule as a herbal sedative, or (2) control, wherein we described the capsule as inert. To index placebo response, we collected measures of blood pressure and heart rate, as well as self-report ratings of relaxation and drowsiness. Despite using a similar experimental design as in our earlier study, we were unable to replicate the correlation between hypnotic suggestibility and placebo response. Furthermore, whereas in our former experiment we observed a change in subjective ratings of relaxation but no change in physiological measures, here we found that heart rate dropped in the relaxation condition while subjective ratings remained unchanged. Even within a consistent context of relaxation, therefore, our present results indicate that placebos may induce effects that are fickle, tenuous, and unreliable. Although we had low statistical power, our findings tentatively accord with the notion that placebo response likely involves a complex, multifaceted interaction between traits, expectancies, and contexts.

Primary cerebral lymphoma: radiological findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz, J.C.; Grandse, D.; Equidazu, J.; Elizagaray, E.; Grande, J.; Carrandi, J.

1990-01-01

We present four cases of primary cerebral lymphoma in non-immunodepressed adult patients. All cases were dsemonstrated with pathological study. CAT study showed solitary or multiple isodense lesions, which incorporated avidly and homoneneously the contrast. Arteriography performed in three patients and magnetic resonance, performed in one did not help for diagnosis. We also review the radiological findings obtained with different imaging methods, and suggest the criteria which could be useful for early diagnosis (Author)

The role of academic motivation in high school students' current and lifetime alcohol consumption: adopting a self-determination theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Wormington, Stephanie V; Anderson, Kristen G; Corpus, Jennifer Henderlong

2011-11-01

The current study investigated the relationship between different types of academic motives-specifically, intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, and external regulation-and high school students' current and lifetime alcohol consumption. One thousand sixty-seven high school students completed measures of academic motivation, other school-related factors, and lifetime and current alcohol consumption. Using structural equation modeling, different types of motivation and school-related factors were differentially related to student drinking. Specifically, intrinsic motivation was negatively related to lifetime and current alcohol consumption. External regulation, on the other hand, was positively associated with current drinking. Grade point average was the only school-related factor related to student alcohol use. These findings suggest that motivation is an important construct to consider in predicting students' alcohol use, even when other more commonly studied educational variables are considered. In addition, it supports the adoption of a motivation framework that considers different types of motivation in understanding the relationship between academic motivation and alcohol use. Suggestions for incorporating the self-determination model of motivation into studies of alcohol and substance use, as well as potential impacts on intervention efforts, are discussed. In particular, it may be important to foster only certain types of motivation, rather than all types of academically-focused motives, in efforts to deter alcohol use.

Current oscillations, interacting Hall discs and boundary CFTs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balachandran, A.P.; Vaidya, S.; Bimonte, G.; Govindarajan, T.R.; Gupta, K.S.; John, V.

1998-12-01

In this paper, we discuss the behavior of conformal field theories interacting at a single point. The edge states of the quantum Hall effect (QHE) system gives rise to a particular representation of a chiral Kac-Moody current algebra. We show that in the case of QHE systems interacting at one point we obtain a 'twisted' representation of the current algebra. The condition for stationarity of currents is the same as the classical Kirchoff's law applied to the currents at the interaction point. We find that in the case of two discs touching at one point, since the currents are chiral, they are not stationary and one obtains current oscillations between the two discs. We determine the frequency of these oscillations in terms of an effective parameter characterizing the interactions. The chiral conformal field theories can be represented in terms of bosonic Lagrangians with a boundary interaction. We discuss how these one point interactions can be represented as boundary conditions on fields, and how the requirement of chirality leads to restrictions on the interactions described by these Lagrangians. By gauging these models we find that the theory is naturally coupled to a Chern-Simons gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions, and this coupling is completely determined by the requirement of anomaly cancellation. (author)

Relative Price Levels and Current Accounts: An Exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua Aizenman

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the links between current accounts and relative price levels, finding that current account changes are associated with sizable future relative price levels effects. This is done in panel regressions of the Penn effect, adding a lagged current account/GDP and other explanatory variables. Higher GDP/ capita and a greater export share of manufacturing tend to mitigate the real exchange rate impact of lagged current accounts. Active management of current accounts may provide a powerful adjustment channel, mitigating the real exchange rate effects of volatile terms of trade, and may explain the growing proliferation of Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Significant events in psychotherapy: An update of research findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Timulak, Ladislav

2010-11-01

Significant events research represents a specific approach to studying client-identified important moments in the therapy process. The current study provides an overview of the significant events research conducted, the methodology used together with findings and implications. PsychInfo database was searched with keywords such as significant events, important events, significant moments, important moments, and counselling or psychotherapy. The references of the selected studies were also searched. This process led to the identification of 41 primary studies that used client-identified significant event(s) as a main or secondary focus of the study. These were consequently reviewed with regard to their methodology and findings. The findings are presented according to type of study conducted. The impacts of helpful events reported by clients are focused on contributions to therapeutic relationship and to in-session outcomes. Hindering events focus on some client disappointment with the therapist or therapy. The group therapy modality highlighted additional helpful impacts (like learning from others). Perspectives on what is significant in therapy differ between clients and therapists. The intensive qualitative studies reviewed confirm that the processes involved in significant events are complex and ambiguous. Studies show that the helpful events may also contain many hindering elements and that specific events are deeply contextually embedded in the preceding events of therapy. Some studies suggest that helpful significant events are therapeutically productive although this may need to be established further. Specific intensive studies show that the clients' perceptions in therapy may differ dramatically from that of the therapist. Furthermore, the relational and emotional aspects of significant moments may be more important for the clients than the cognitive aspects of therapy which are frequently stressed by therapists. 2010 The British Psychological Society.

Algorithmic Approaches to Finding Cover in Three-Dimensional, Virtual Environments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Morgan, David

2003-01-01

.... The ability to find cover is fairly intuitive for humans, but current attempts at replicating this ability in computer simulations and video games have been either simplistic or totally missing...

Planetary Protection and Mars Special Regions--A Suggestion for Updating the Definition.

Science.gov (United States)

Rettberg, Petra; Anesio, Alexandre M; Baker, Victor R; Baross, John A; Cady, Sherry L; Detsis, Emmanouil; Foreman, Christine M; Hauber, Ernst; Ori, Gian Gabriele; Pearce, David A; Renno, Nilton O; Ruvkun, Gary; Sattler, Birgit; Saunders, Mark P; Smith, David H; Wagner, Dirk; Westall, Frances

2016-02-01

We highlight the role of COSPAR and the scientific community in defining and updating the framework of planetary protection. Specifically, we focus on Mars "Special Regions," areas where strict planetary protection measures have to be applied before a spacecraft can explore them, given the existence of environmental conditions that may be conducive to terrestrial microbial growth. We outline the history of the concept of Special Regions and inform on recent developments regarding the COSPAR policy, namely, the MEPAG SR-SAG2 review and the Academies and ESF joint committee report on Mars Special Regions. We present some new issues that necessitate the update of the current policy and provide suggestions for new definitions of Special Regions. We conclude with the current major scientific questions that remain unanswered regarding Mars Special Regions.

Advancing Implementation of Evidence-Based Public Health in China: An Assessment of the Current Situation and Suggestions for Developing Regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jianwei; Jiang, Chenghua; Tan, Duxun; Yu, Dehua; Lu, Yuan; Sun, Pengfei; Pan, Ying; Zhang, Hanzhi; Wang, Zhaoxin; Yang, Beilei

2016-01-01

Objective. Existing research shows a serious scarcity of EBPH practice in China and other developing regions; as an exploratory study, this study aimed to assess the current EBPH implementation status in Shanghai of China qualitatively. Methods. Using semistructured key informant interviews, we examined the status of and impediments to the lagging EBPH in China. Data were analyzed based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results. Chinese public health practitioners knew more about evidence-based medicine but less about EBPH. The situation was worse in community healthcare centers. Participants perceived that evidence sources were limited and the quality of evidence was low. Concerning the inner setting factors, the structural characteristics, networks and communications, implementation climate, and leadership engagement were confronted with many problems. Among the outer setting factors, external government policies and incentives and low patient compliance were the key problems. Additionally, public health practitioners in Shanghai lacked sufficient awareness of EBPH. Furthermore, the current project-based EBPH lacks a systematic implementation system. Conclusions. Existing practical perspectives on EBPH indicate a lag in the advocacy of this new ideology in China. It would be advisable for healthcare institutions to take the initiative to explore feasible and multiple methods of EBPH promotion.

Advancing Implementation of Evidence-Based Public Health in China: An Assessment of the Current Situation and Suggestions for Developing Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianwei Shi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. Existing research shows a serious scarcity of EBPH practice in China and other developing regions; as an exploratory study, this study aimed to assess the current EBPH implementation status in Shanghai of China qualitatively. Methods. Using semistructured key informant interviews, we examined the status of and impediments to the lagging EBPH in China. Data were analyzed based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR. Results. Chinese public health practitioners knew more about evidence-based medicine but less about EBPH. The situation was worse in community healthcare centers. Participants perceived that evidence sources were limited and the quality of evidence was low. Concerning the inner setting factors, the structural characteristics, networks and communications, implementation climate, and leadership engagement were confronted with many problems. Among the outer setting factors, external government policies and incentives and low patient compliance were the key problems. Additionally, public health practitioners in Shanghai lacked sufficient awareness of EBPH. Furthermore, the current project-based EBPH lacks a systematic implementation system. Conclusions. Existing practical perspectives on EBPH indicate a lag in the advocacy of this new ideology in China. It would be advisable for healthcare institutions to take the initiative to explore feasible and multiple methods of EBPH promotion.

Crisis Phones - Suicide Prevention Versus Suggestion/Contagion Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Stack, Steven

2015-01-01

There has been no systematic work on the short- or long-term impact of the installation of crisis phones on suicides from bridges. The present study addresses this issue. Data refer to 219 suicides from 1954 through 2013 on the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. Six crisis phones with signs were installed in July 1999. In the first decade after installation, the phones were used by 27 suicidal persons and credited with preventing 26 or 2.6 suicides a year. However, the net suicide count increased from 48 in the 13 years before installation of phones to 106 the following 13 years or by 4.5 additional suicides/year (t =3.512, p < .001). Although the phones prevented some suicides, there was a net increase after installation. The findings are interpreted with reference to suggestion/contagion effects including the emergence of a controversial bridge suicide blog.

Seasonal dependence of large-scale Birkeland currents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, R.; Iijima, T.; Potemra, T.A.; Sugiura, M.

1981-01-01

The seasonal dependence of large-scale Birkeland currents has been determined from the analysis of vector magnetic field data acquired by the TRIAD satellite in the northern hemisphere. Statistical characteristics of single sheet (i.e., net currents) and double sheet Birkeland currents were determined from 555 TRIAD passes during the summer, and 408 passes during the winter (more complicated multiple-sheet current systems were not included in this study). The average K/sub p/ value for the summer events is 1.9 and for the winter events is 2.0. The principal results include the following: (1) The single sheet Birkeland currents are statistically observed more often than the double sheet currents in the dayside of the auroral zone during any season. The single sheet currents are also observed more often in the summer than in the winter (as much as 2 to 3 times as often depending upon the MLT sector). (2) The intensities of the single and double sheet Birkeland currents on the dayside, from approximately 1000 MLT to 1800 MLT, are larger during the summer (in comparison to winter) by a factor of about 2. (3) The intensities of the double sheet Birkeland currents in the nightside (the dominant system in this local time) do not show a significant difference from summer to winter. (4) The single and double sheet currents in the dayside (between 0600 and 1800 MLT) appear at higher latitudes (by about 1 0 to 3 0 ) during the summer in comparison to the winter. These characterisctis suggest that the Birkeland current intensities are controlled by the ionosphere conductivity in the polar region. The greater occurrence of single sheet Birkeland currents during the summertime supports the suggestion that these currents close via the polar cap when the conductivity there is sufficiently high to permit it

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Electronic Cigarette Use and Reasons for Use among Current and Former Smokers: Findings from a Community-Based Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Webb Hooper, Monica; Kolar, Stephanie K.

2016-01-01

The prevalence of e-cigarette use is increasing, yet few studies have focused on its use in racial/ethnic minority populations. We examined associations between race/ethnicity and e-cigarette use, plans to continue using e-cigarettes, and reasons for use among current/former smokers. Participants (285 in total; 29% non-Hispanic White, 42% African American/Black, and 29% Hispanic) were recruited between June and November 2014. Telephone-administered surveys assessed demographics, cigarette smoking, e-cigarette use, plans to continue using, and reasons for use. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted. African Americans/Blacks were significantly less likely to report ever-use compared to Whites and Hispanics (50% vs. 71% and 71%, respectively; p e-cigarette use, intentions, and reasons for use emerged in our study. African American ever users may be particularly vulnerable to maintaining their use, particularly to try to quit smoking. These findings have implications for cigarette smoking and e-cigarette dual use, continued e-cigarette use, and potentially for smoking-related disparities. PMID:27754449

Fast simulation and topological vertex finding in JAVA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walkowiak, Wolfgang

2001-01-01

An overview of the fast Monte Carlo simulation for NLC detector studies as currently provided in the Java Analysis Studio environment is presented. Special emphasis is given to the simulation of tracks. In addition, the SLD collaboration's topological vertex finding algorithm (ZVTOP) has been implemented in the Java Analysis Studio framework

Novel 12S mtDNA findings in sloths (Pilosa, Folivora and anteaters (Pilosa, Vermilingua suggest a true case of long branch attraction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Claudene Barros

2008-01-01

Full Text Available We sequenced 12S RNA mtDNA for the majority of the extant species of sloths and anteaters and compared our results with previous data obtained by our group using 16S RNA mtDNA in the same specimens and to GenBank sequences of the extinct giant sloth Mylodon. Our results suggest that pigmy-anteaters may be a case of the long-branch attraction phenomenon and also show the large genetic difference between the Amazonian and Atlantic forest three-toed sloths, contrasting with the small differences observed between the two non-Atlantic forest forms of sloths. These results have important implications for the taxonomy of sloths and anteaters and strongly suggest the placement of pigmy anteaters in their own family (Cyclopidae and raising the taxonomic status of Bradypus torquatus to a genus.

Statistical survey of day-side magnetospheric current flow using Cluster observations: magnetopause

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Liebert

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We present a statistical survey of current structures observed by the Cluster spacecraft at high-latitude day-side magnetopause encounters in the close vicinity of the polar cusps. Making use of the curlometer technique and the fluxgate magnetometer data, we calculate the 3-D current densities and investigate the magnetopause current direction, location, and magnitude during varying solar wind conditions. We find that the orientation of the day-side current structures is in accordance with existing magnetopause current models. Based on the ambient plasma properties, we distinguish five different transition regions at the magnetopause surface and observe distinctive current properties for each region. Additionally, we find that the location of currents varies with respect to the onset of the changes in the plasma environment during magnetopause crossings.

Preliminary findings suggest hidradenitis suppurativa may be due to defective follicular support

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danby, F W; Jemec, G B E; Marsch, W Ch

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: The initial pathology in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)/acne inversa takes place in the folliculopilosebaceous unit (FPSU) and its surrounding tissue. The process involves follicular hyperkeratosis, inflammation and perifolliculitis. Identification of the exact origin of inflammation m...

Fetal MRI: incidental findings in the mother

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdullah, Selwan B. [University of Maryland Medical Center, Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); University of Minnesota, Medical School, Minneapolis, MN (United States); Dietz, Kelly R.; Holm, Tara L. [University of Minnesota, Department of Radiology, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2016-11-15

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a routinely used tool in prenatal diagnosis; however, there is a lack of studies evaluating incidental findings observed in the mother. This study describes and quantifies incidental findings observed in the mother during fetal MRI. We reviewed all fetal MRI studies at the University of Minnesota Medical Center from February 2008 to September 2014. Two pediatric radiologists retrospectively conducted a consensus evaluation. The maternal findings were categorized into neurologic, gynecologic, urinary, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal. Hydronephrosis consistent with the stage of pregnancy was recorded but was not included as an abnormal finding. Abnormal findings were classified into three groups, depending on their clinical significance: level I (low), level II (medium) and level III (high). We evaluated 332 pregnant patients with a mean age of 29.3 years and a mean gestational age of 29 weeks. Of these, 55.4% had at least 1 incidental finding, for a total of 262 incidental maternal findings. Of the 262 abnormalities, 113 (43.1%) were neurologic, 69 were gynecologic (26.3%), 36 (13.7%) urinary, 24 (9.2%) gastrointestinal and 20 (7.6%) musculoskeletal. Of the 262 incidental findings, 237 (90.5%) were level I, 24 (9.2%) were level II and 1 (0.4%) was level III. Our results suggest that although the vast majority of incidental maternal findings are benign, more significant findings are still encountered and should be expected. (orig.)

Fetal MRI: incidental findings in the mother

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullah, Selwan B.; Dietz, Kelly R.; Holm, Tara L.

2016-01-01

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a routinely used tool in prenatal diagnosis; however, there is a lack of studies evaluating incidental findings observed in the mother. This study describes and quantifies incidental findings observed in the mother during fetal MRI. We reviewed all fetal MRI studies at the University of Minnesota Medical Center from February 2008 to September 2014. Two pediatric radiologists retrospectively conducted a consensus evaluation. The maternal findings were categorized into neurologic, gynecologic, urinary, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal. Hydronephrosis consistent with the stage of pregnancy was recorded but was not included as an abnormal finding. Abnormal findings were classified into three groups, depending on their clinical significance: level I (low), level II (medium) and level III (high). We evaluated 332 pregnant patients with a mean age of 29.3 years and a mean gestational age of 29 weeks. Of these, 55.4% had at least 1 incidental finding, for a total of 262 incidental maternal findings. Of the 262 abnormalities, 113 (43.1%) were neurologic, 69 were gynecologic (26.3%), 36 (13.7%) urinary, 24 (9.2%) gastrointestinal and 20 (7.6%) musculoskeletal. Of the 262 incidental findings, 237 (90.5%) were level I, 24 (9.2%) were level II and 1 (0.4%) was level III. Our results suggest that although the vast majority of incidental maternal findings are benign, more significant findings are still encountered and should be expected. (orig.)

Aniridia-associated cytogenetic rearrangements suggest that a position effect may cause the mutant phenotype

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fantes, J.; Redeker, B.; Breen, M.; Boyle, S.; Brown, J.; Fletcher, J.; Jones, S.; Bickmore, W.; Fukushima, Y.; Mannens, M.

1995-01-01

Current evidence suggests that aniridia (absence of iris) is caused by loss of function of one copy of the PAX6 gene, which maps to 11p13. We present the further characterisation of two aniridia pedigrees in which the disease segregates with chromosomal rearrangements which involve 11p13 but do not

Self-reports of executive dysfunction in current ecstasy/polydrug Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadjiefthyvoulou, Florentia; Fisk, John E; Montgomery, Catharine; Bridges, Nikola

2012-09-01

Ecstasy/polydrug users have exhibited deficits in executive functioning in laboratory tests. We sought to extend these findings by investigating the extent to which ecstasy/polydrug users manifest executive deficits in everyday life. Forty-two current ecstasy/polydrug users, 18 previous (abstinent for at least 6 months) ecstasy/polydrug users, and 50 non-users of ecstasy (including both non-users of any illicit drug and some cannabis-only users) completed the self-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) measure. Current ecstasy/polydrug users performed significantly worse than previous users and non-users on subscales measuring inhibition, self-monitoring, initiating action, working memory, planning, monitoring ongoing task performance, and organizational ability. Previous ecstasy/polydrug users did not differ significantly from non-users. In regression analyses, although the current frequency of ecstasy use accounted for statistically significant unique variance on 3 of the 9 BRIEF-A subscales, daily cigarette consumption was the main predictor in 6 of the subscales. Current ecstasy/polydrug users report more executive dysfunction than do previous users and non-users. This finding appears to relate to some aspect of ongoing ecstasy use and seems largely unrelated to the use of other illicit drugs. An unexpected finding was the association of current nicotine consumption with executive dysfunction.

ST5 Observations of the Imbalance of Region 1 and 2 Field-Aligned Currents and Its Implication to the Cross-Polar Cap Pedersen Currents

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Guan; Slavin, J. A.; Strangeway, Robert

2011-01-01

In this study, we use the in-situ magnetic field observations from Space Technology 5 mission to quantify the imbalance of Region 1 (R1) and Region 2 (R2) currents. During the three-month duration of the ST5 mission, geomagnetic conditions range from quiet to moderately active. We find that the R1 current intensity is consistently stronger than the R2 current intensity both for the dawnside and the duskside large-scale field-aligned current system. The net currents flowing into (out of) the ionosphere in the dawnside (duskside) are in the order of 5% of the total R1 currents. We also find that the net currents flowing into or out of the ionosphere are controlled by the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction in the same way as the field-aligned currents themselves are. Since the net currents due to the imbalance of the R1 and R2 currents require that their closure currents flow across the polar cap from dawn to dusk as Pedersen currents, our results indicate that the total amount of the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents is in the order of 0.1 MA. This study, although with a very limited dataset, is one of the first attempts to quantify the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents. Given the importance of the Joule heating due to Pedersen currents to the high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics, quantifying the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents and associated Joule heating is needed for developing models of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.

Variations of current profiles in tokamaks. Formation mechanism and confinement property of current-hole configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takizuka, Tomonori

2003-01-01

The formation mechanism of the current hole in tokamak plasmas is reviewed. Experimental results of JT-60U are shown. Increase of the off-central noninductive current is a key factor for the current-hole formation. The internal Transport Barrier (ITB), which generates large bootstrap current, plays an important role. The central current density in the hole stays nearly 0. The idea of a new equilibrium for a tokamak plasma with a current hole is introduced. This equilibrium configuration called Axisymmetric Tri-Magnetic-Islands (ATMI) equilibrium', has three islands along the R direction (a central-negative-current island and side-positive-current islands). The equilibrium is stable with the elongation coils when the current in the ATMI region is limited to a small amount. The confinement properties of a current-hole configuration with box-type ITB is described. A scaling of the core poloidal beta inside the ITB, β p,core , is given as ε f β p,core approx. = 1, which suggests the equilibrium limit (ε f : inverse aspect ratio at the ITB foot). Though the core stored energy is little dependent on the heating power, the estimated heat diffusivity in the ITB region moderately correlates with a neoclassical diffusivity. (author)

Children's Memory for Their Mother's Murder: Accuracy, Suggestibility, and Resistance to Suggestion.

Science.gov (United States)

McWilliams, Kelly; Narr, Rachel; Goodman, Gail S; Ruiz, Sandra; Mendoza, Macaria

2013-01-31

From its inception, child eyewitness memory research has been guided by dramatic legal cases that turn on the testimony of children. Decades of scientific research reveal that, under many conditions, children can provide veracious accounts of traumatic experiences. Scientific studies also document factors that lead children to make false statements. In this paper we describe a legal case in which children testified about their mother's murder. We discuss factors that may have influenced the accuracy of the children's eyewitness memory. Children's suggestibility and resistance to suggestion are illustrated. Expert testimony, based on scientific research, can aid the trier of fact when children provide crucial evidence in criminal investigations and courtroom trials about tragic events.

24th Current Trends in Computational Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-17

Corps of Engineers Army Research Office Conference on Current Trends in Computational Chemistry 2016 NOVEMBER 11-12, 2016 JACKSON, MS... Chemistry and Biochemistry Jackson, MS 39217 U.S.A. Tel: 6019793723 E-mail: shonda@icnanotox.org Richard Alo Dean College of Science, Engineering ...Report: 24th Current Trends in Computational Chemistry The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should

Imaging Findings of Ulceroglandular Tularemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Anand, Neil; Deochand, Osmani; Murphy, Robyn

2017-01-01

Francisella tularensis, the causative organism in Tularemia, is a relatively rare disease. There are a few radiological clues to elucidate its presence when suspicion arises. There should be strong consideration for Tularemia in the differential of any patient with its classic symptoms, diffuse cervical lymphadenopathy with evidence of necrosis, and enlarged adenoids. Ultrasound may demonstrate suppurative lymphadenopathy suggestive of infection, as in the case presented. CT often will demonstrate the extent of lymphadenopathy. On chest radiography, tularemia pneumonia is often the presenting finding, which may demonstrate bilateral or lobar infiltrates. Additionally, hilar lymphadenopathy and pleural effusions are often associated findings. Cavitary lesions may be present, which are better delineated on CT scan. We present a case of a 7-year-old male who presented with a painful right-sided palpable neck mass for 9 days, who was diagnosed with Tularemia after numerous admissions.

Library OPACs on the Web: Finding and Describing Directories.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Marcia

1997-01-01

Provides current descriptions of some of the major directories that link to library catalogs on the World Wide Web. Highlights include LibWeb; Hytelnet; WebCats; WWW Library Directory; and techniques for finding new library OPAC (online public access catalog) directories. (LRW)

Rapid growth, maturity, current problems, future prospects of NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guinn, V.P.

2000-01-01

The early rapid growth, the attainment of maturity, current problems, and future prospects of NAA (neutron activation analysis) are discussed, each in reasonable detail. In particular, the nature and causes of its current problems are examined, and suggestions are presented for the solution of these problems. The author believes that vigorous action in suggested areas of concentration can reinvigorate the status of NAA as an important method of elemental analysis. (author)

Sciatica caused by a dilated epidural vein: MR findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demaerel, P.; Petre, C.; Wilms, G. [Dept. of Radiology, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Plets, C. [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)

1999-02-01

We report the MR imaging findings in a 41-year-old woman presenting with sudden low back pain and sciatica. At surgery a dilated epidural vein was found compressing the nerve root. The MR findings may suggest the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of a dilated epidural vein or varix causing sciatica has not been reported until now. (orig.) (orig.) With 1 fig., 4 refs.

Problems and limitations of eddy current tube inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilham Mukriz Zainal Abidin; Khairul Anuar Mohd Salleh; Mohamed Hairul Hasmoni

2003-01-01

Incomplete appreciation of eddy current limitations has contributed to both under-utilization and misapplication of the technique. A brief review on the physical principle of eddy current is presented. Eddy current technique in identifying inhomogeneity in tested tubes is discussed, highlighting its limitation in distinguishing between real pit type defects and other mundane anomalies. The variables responsible for limitation in eddy current tube inspection are discussed and alternative approaches, where they exist, are suggested. (Author)

Agrotourist products-feedback and suggestions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramona Ciolac

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Currently tourism activity is rising, and the fierce competition between destinations, plus the stress conditions of the present time makes, lately, searching rural areas for rest and recreation to be a general trend in world practice of current tourism. In this context, each community has a chance of developing it, but to accomplishing it must highlight the valences through competitive agrotourist products. The content of agrotourist product involves complex packages of products and services, both from the "base" area and in the "entertainment" area.

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Personalized Genomic Medicine Research: Current Literature and Suggestions for the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Callier, Shawneequa L; Abudu, Rachel; Mehlman, Maxwell J; Singer, Mendel E; Neuhauser, Duncan; Caga-Anan, Charlisse; Wiesner, Georgia L

2016-11-01

This review identifies the prominent topics in the literature pertaining to the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) raised by research investigating personalized genomic medicine (PGM). The abstracts of 953 articles extracted from scholarly databases and published during a 5-year period (2008-2012) were reviewed. A total of 299 articles met our research criteria and were organized thematically to assess the representation of ELSI issues for stakeholders, health specialties, journals, and empirical studies. ELSI analyses were published in both scientific and ethics journals. Investigational research comprised 45% of the literature reviewed (135 articles) and the remaining 55% (164 articles) comprised normative analyses. Traditional ELSI concerns dominated the discourse including discussions about disclosure of research results. In fact, there was a dramatic increase in the number of articles focused on the disclosure of research results and incidental findings to research participants. Few papers focused on particular disorders, the use of racial categories in research, international communities, or special populations (e.g., adolescents, elderly patients, or ethnic groups). Considering that strategies in personalized medicine increasingly target individuals' unique health conditions, environments, and ancestries, further analysis is needed on how ELSI scholarship can better serve the increasingly global, interdisciplinary, and diverse PGM research community. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Does the Nature of the Experience Influence Suggestibility? A Study of Children's Event Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobbo, Camilla; Mega, Carolina; Pipe, Margaret-Ellen

2002-01-01

Two experiments examined effects of event modality on young children's memory and suggestibility. Findings indicated that 5-year-olds were more accurate than 3-year-olds and those participating in the event were more accurate than those either observing or listening to a narrative. Assessment method, level of event learning, delay to testing, and…

Sensitivity of dose-finding studies to observation errors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zohar, Sarah; O'Quigley, John

2009-11-01

The purpose of Phase I designs is to estimate the MTD (maximum tolerated dose, in practice a dose with some given acceptable rate of toxicity) while, at the same time, minimizing the number of patients treated at doses too far removed from the MTD. Our purpose here is to investigate the sensitivity of conclusions from dose-finding designs to recording or observation errors. Certain toxicities may go undetected and, conversely, certain non-toxicities may be incorrectly recorded as dose-limiting toxicities. Recording inaccuracies would be expected to have an influence on final and within trial recommendations and, in this paper, we study in greater depth this question. We focus, in particular on three designs used currently; the standard '3+3' design, the grouped up-and-down design [M. Gezmu, N. Flournoy, Group up-and-down designs for dose finding. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference 2006; 136 (6): 1749-1764.] and the continual reassessment method (CRM, [J. O'Quigley, M. Pepe, L. Fisher, Continual reassessment method: a practical design for phase 1 clinical trials in cancer. Biometrics 1990; 46 (1): 33-48.]). A non-toxicity incorrectly recorded as a toxicity (error of first kind) has a greater influence in general than the converse (error of second kind). These results are illustrated via figures which suggest that the standard '3+3' design in particular is sensitive to errors of the second kind. Such errors can have a very important impact on drug development in that, if carried through to the Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies, we can significantly increase the probability of failure to detect efficacy as a result of having delivered an inadequate dose.

Current Flow in the Bubble and Stripe Phases

Science.gov (United States)

Friess, B.; Umansky, V.; von Klitzing, K.; Smet, J. H.

2018-03-01

The spontaneous ordering of spins and charges in geometric patterns is currently under scrutiny in a number of different material systems. A topic of particular interest is the interaction of such ordered phases with itinerant electrons driven by an externally imposed current. It not only provides important information on the charge ordering itself but potentially also allows manipulating the shape and symmetry of the underlying pattern if current flow is strong enough. Unfortunately, conventional transport methods probing the macroscopic resistance suffer from the fact that the voltage drop along the sample edges provides only indirect information on the bulk properties because a complex current distribution is elicited by the inhomogeneous ground state. Here, we promote the use of surface acoustic waves to study these broken-symmetry phases and specifically address the bubble and stripe phases emerging in high-quality two-dimensional electron systems in GaAs /AlGaAs heterostructures as prototypical examples. When driving a unidirectional current, we find a surprising discrepancy between the sound propagation probing the bulk of the sample and the voltage drop along the sample edges. Our results prove that the current-induced modifications observed in resistive transport measurements are in fact a local phenomenon only, leaving the majority of the sample unaltered. More generally, our findings shed new light on the extent to which these ordered electron phases are impacted by an external current and underline the intrinsic advantages of acoustic measurements for the study of such inhomogeneous phases.

Imaging Findings of Fibrous Hamartoma of Infancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rho, Byung Hak; Lee, Hee Jung; Kwon, Sun Young

2009-01-01

We wanted to evaluate the imaging findings of fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical presentation and the sonographic (n = 5) and CT (n = 3) findings of 5 cases of surgically/pathologically confirmed FHI. The sonographic findings were evaluated according to the location, size, internal echogenicity and vascularity. The CT findings were evaluated according to the attenuation of the mass on both the pre- (n = 3) and postcontrast (n = 2) scans. The image findings were correlated with the pathologic findings. The mean age was 14.8 months (range, 7 months - 3 years). The location of lesions was all in the fatty layer of the back (n = 4) and upper arm (n = 1). All the lesions demonstrated-hypertrichosis on the overlying skin. The lesions measured 31.2 mm in the longest diameter (range: 18 mm - 50 mm). The sonographic findings were purely solid, heterogeneously hyperechoic and hypovacular for all the cases. The internal architecture revealed a 'layering' appearance (n = 3). The CT findings demonstrated isoattenuation, as compared to the adjacent muscle on both the pre- and postcontrast CT scans. The pathologic correlation demonstrated a characteristic 'organoid' mixture of fibrous, mucoid and fatty tissues in all cases. The diagnosis of FHI can be suggested by the sonographic findings of a superficially located, heterogeneous solid mass with a 'layering' appearance in the fatty layer of the back or arms of infants with local hypertrochosis on the overlying skin

CT findings of acute cholecystitis and its complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Shakespear, Jonathan S; Shaaban, Akram M; Rezvani, Maryam

2010-06-01

The purpose of this article is to describe and illustrate the CT findings of acute cholecystitis and its complications. CT findings suggesting acute cholecystitis should be interpreted with caution and should probably serve as justification for further investigation with abdominal ultrasound. CT has a relatively high negative predictive value, and acute cholecystitis is unlikely in the setting of a negative CT. Complications of acute cholecystitis have a characteristic CT appearance and include necrosis, perforation, abscess formation, intraluminal hemorrhage, and wall emphysema.

Radiological findings of meconium aspiration of the newborn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Seok; Lee, Sung Sik; Lee, Hong Kyu; Kim, Kye Tae; Lee, Soon Il; Yeon, Kyung Mo

1985-01-01

Authors reviewed 264 cases of meconium aspiration pneumonia of the newborn at Sohwa Children's Hospital from July 1981 to June 1984. The radiological findings were retrospectively analysed with particular attention to the degree of pulmonic infiltrations. The results were as follows: 1. The male to female ratio was 1.8 : 1 and clinical condition which commonly associated were post-term infants (41.3%), placental dysfunction syndrome (33%) and perinatal asphyxia (11.4%). 2. There were improved (76.9%) and expired cases (12.1%) as clinical course. 3. Radiologic findings were noticed as pulmonic infiltration (68.2%), hyperinflation (35.2%), pneumo-mediastinum (18.6%), pleural effusion (14.4%), pneumothorax (13.3%) and suggestive interstitial emphysema (6.8%). The more the degree of pulmonary infiltration was been severe, the more the incidence of other pulmonary lesions was increased. 4. Pulmonary infiltrations were commonly occurred in both lungs but pneumothorax, pleural effusion and hyperinflation in right. 5. Radiologic findings of 32 expired cases were noticed as pulmonic infiltrations (93.8%), hyperinflation (53.1%), pneumomediastinum (37.5%), pneumothorax (18.8%), suggestive interstitial emphysema (18.8%) and pleural effusion (18.8%)

Radiological findings of meconium aspiration of the newborn

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Young Seok; Lee, Sung Sik; Lee, Hong Kyu; Kim, Kye Tae; Lee, Soon Il [Sohwa Children' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yeon, Kyung Mo [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1985-02-15

Authors reviewed 264 cases of meconium aspiration pneumonia of the newborn at Sohwa Children's Hospital from July 1981 to June 1984. The radiological findings were retrospectively analysed with particular attention to the degree of pulmonic infiltrations. The results were as follows: 1. The male to female ratio was 1.8 : 1 and clinical condition which commonly associated were post-term infants (41.3%), placental dysfunction syndrome (33%) and perinatal asphyxia (11.4%). 2. There were improved (76.9%) and expired cases (12.1%) as clinical course. 3. Radiologic findings were noticed as pulmonic infiltration (68.2%), hyperinflation (35.2%), pneumo-mediastinum (18.6%), pleural effusion (14.4%), pneumothorax (13.3%) and suggestive interstitial emphysema (6.8%). The more the degree of pulmonary infiltration was been severe, the more the incidence of other pulmonary lesions was increased. 4. Pulmonary infiltrations were commonly occurred in both lungs but pneumothorax, pleural effusion and hyperinflation in right. 5. Radiologic findings of 32 expired cases were noticed as pulmonic infiltrations (93.8%), hyperinflation (53.1%), pneumomediastinum (37.5%), pneumothorax (18.8%), suggestive interstitial emphysema (18.8%) and pleural effusion (18.8%)

CANADA’S MOTHER-CHILD PROGRAM: EXAMINING ITS EMERGENCE, USAGE, AND CURRENT STATE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Brennan

2014-04-01

Full Text Available One of many issues a mother must face while incarcerated is separation from her child(ren for an extended period of time. Empirical findings have consistently highlighted various negative effects for both mothers and their children as a result of this separation. To curb some of the negative effects, Correctional Service Canada’s Mother-Child Program offers full- and part-time visitation between children and their incarcerated mothers at various women’s federal correctional facilities in Canada. The current study involves an in-depth critical analysis of Canada’s MCP by asking three related questions. First, to what extent has the MCP been used since its full implementation in 2001? Second, to what extent is the MCP used today? Third, do any barriers exist currently that are inhibiting the success of the MCP and, if so, how can these be addressed? The results of the study reveal that, since the full implementation of the program in 2001, the participation rate declined from an already low starting point and has remained relatively low since. Further, three main factors were suggested as potential barriers impeding the success of the MCP: correctional overcrowding, a more punitive institutional culture, and a series of changes to the program’s eligibility criteria. Recommendations on ways to increase the usage of the program are offered and suggestions for future research are made.

Effects of substorms on the stormtime ring current index Dst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Rostoker

Full Text Available There has been some discussion in recent times regarding whether or not substorm expansive phase activity plays any role of importance in the formation of the stormtime ring current. I explore this question using the Kp index as a proxy for substorm expansive phase activity and the Dst index as a proxy for symmetric ring current strength. I find that increases in Dst are mildly related to the strength of substorm expansive phase activity during the development of the storm main phase. More surprisingly, I find that the strength of Dst during the storm recovery phase is positively correlated with the strength of substorm expansive phase activity. This result has an important bearing on the question of how much the Dst index reflects activity other than that of the stormtime symmetric ring current strength for which it is supposed to be a proxy.Key words: Ionosphere (electric fields and currents - Magnetospheric physics (current systems; storms and substorms

Effects of substorms on the stormtime ring current index Dst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Rostoker

2000-11-01

Full Text Available There has been some discussion in recent times regarding whether or not substorm expansive phase activity plays any role of importance in the formation of the stormtime ring current. I explore this question using the Kp index as a proxy for substorm expansive phase activity and the Dst index as a proxy for symmetric ring current strength. I find that increases in Dst are mildly related to the strength of substorm expansive phase activity during the development of the storm main phase. More surprisingly, I find that the strength of Dst during the storm recovery phase is positively correlated with the strength of substorm expansive phase activity. This result has an important bearing on the question of how much the Dst index reflects activity other than that of the stormtime symmetric ring current strength for which it is supposed to be a proxy.Key words: Ionosphere (electric fields and currents - Magnetospheric physics (current systems; storms and substorms

Discrepancy detection in the retrieval-enhanced suggestibility paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Brendon Jerome; Loftus, Elizabeth F

2018-04-01

Retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES) refers to the finding that immediately recalling the details of a witnessed event can increase susceptibility to later misinformation. In three experiments, we sought to gain a deeper understanding of the role that retrieval plays in the RES paradigm. Consistent with past research, initial testing did increase susceptibility to misinformation - but only for those who failed to detect discrepancies between the original event and the post-event misinformation. In all three experiments, subjects who retrospectively detected discrepancies in the post-event narratives were more resistant to misinformation than those who did not. In Experiments 2 and 3, having subjects concurrently assess the consistency of the misinformation narratives negated the RES effect. Interestingly, in Experiments 2 and 3, subjects who had retrieval practice and detected discrepancies were more likely to endorse misinformation than control subjects who detected discrepancies. These results call attention to limiting conditions of the RES effect and highlight the complex relationship between retrieval practice, discrepancy detection, and misinformation endorsement.

Clinically isolated syndromes suggestive of multiple sclerosis: an optical coherence tomography study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celia Oreja-Guevara

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT is a simple, high-resolution technique to quantify the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL, which provides an indirect measurement of axonal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS. This study aimed to evaluate RNFL thickness in patients at presentation with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS suggestive of MS. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study. Twenty-four patients with CIS suggestive of MS (8 optic neuritis [ON], 6 spinal cord syndromes, 5 brainstem symptoms and 5 with sensory and other syndromes were prospectively studied. The main outcome evaluated was RNFL thickness at CIS onset. Secondary objectives were to study the relationship between RNFL thickness and MRI criteria for disease dissemination in space (DIS as well as the presence of oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Thirteen patients had decreased RNFL thickness in at least one quadrant. Mean RNFL thickness was 101.67±10.72 µm in retrobulbar ON eyes and 96.93±10.54 in unaffected eyes. Three of the 6 patients with myelitis had at least one abnormal quadrant in one of the two eyes. Eight CIS patients fulfilled DIS MRI criteria. The presence of at least one quadrant of an optic nerve with a RNFL thickness at a P<5% cut-off value had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 56% for predicting DIS MRI. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study show that axonal damage measured by OCT is present in any type of CIS; even in myelitis forms, not only in ON as seen up to now. OCT can detect axonal damage in very early stages of disease and seems to have high sensitivity and moderate specificity for predicting DIS MRI. Studies with prospective long-term follow-up would be needed to establish the prognostic value of baseline OCT findings.

Pseudomembranous colitis: CT findings in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blickman, J.G.; Boland, G.W.L.; Cleveland, R.H.; Bramson, R.T.; Lee, M.J.

1995-01-01

A spectrum of nodular haustral thickening and an 'accordion' pattern have been reported as specific features of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) in adults. A retrospective review of nine patients with PMC was performed to assess whether this spectrum of CT findings also occurred in children. In four girls and five boys, CT scans were performed within 3 days of a positive stool toxin assay for Clostridium difficile. Documented CT abnormalities included nodular haustral thickening, the 'accordion' pattern, colonic wall thickening, ascites, and pericolonic edema. These results were then correlated as to their impact on the clinical outcome. Circumferential colon wall thickening was identified in 7/9 (78%) patients (mean thickening 14.5 mm). Nodular haustral thickening was identified in 4/9 (44%) and the 'accordion' pattern in 2/9 (22%). Other findings included pericolonic edema in 3/9 (33%) and ascites in 1/9 (11%). Wall thickening was confined to the left colon and rectum in 2/9 (22%), to the right colon in 2/9 (22%), and involved the whole colon in 3/9 (33%). Although CT findings associated with PMC in children may be suggestive for this diagnosis, CT is less specific than laboratory and clinical findings. (orig.)

Pseudomembranous colitis: CT findings in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blickman, J.G. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Boland, G.W.L. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Cleveland, R.H. [The Children`s Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Bramson, R.T. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Lee, M.J. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States)

1995-11-01

A spectrum of nodular haustral thickening and an `accordion` pattern have been reported as specific features of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) in adults. A retrospective review of nine patients with PMC was performed to assess whether this spectrum of CT findings also occurred in children. In four girls and five boys, CT scans were performed within 3 days of a positive stool toxin assay for Clostridium difficile. Documented CT abnormalities included nodular haustral thickening, the `accordion` pattern, colonic wall thickening, ascites, and pericolonic edema. These results were then correlated as to their impact on the clinical outcome. Circumferential colon wall thickening was identified in 7/9 (78%) patients (mean thickening 14.5 mm). Nodular haustral thickening was identified in 4/9 (44%) and the `accordion` pattern in 2/9 (22%). Other findings included pericolonic edema in 3/9 (33%) and ascites in 1/9 (11%). Wall thickening was confined to the left colon and rectum in 2/9 (22%), to the right colon in 2/9 (22%), and involved the whole colon in 3/9 (33%). Although CT findings associated with PMC in children may be suggestive for this diagnosis, CT is less specific than laboratory and clinical findings. (orig.)

Managing peri-implant bone loss: current understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Aljateeli, Manar; Fu, Jia-Hui; Wang, Hom-Lay

2012-05-01

With the improved macro- and micro-designs, dental implants enjoy a high survival rate. However, peri-implant bone loss has recently emerged to be the focus of implant therapy. As such, researchers and clinicians are in need of finding predictable techniques to treat peri-implant bone loss and stop its progression. Literature search on the currently available treatment modalities was performed and a brief description of each modality was provided. Numerous techniques have been proposed and none has been shown to be superior and effective in managing peri-implant bone loss. This may be because of the complex of etiological factors acting on the implant-supported prosthesis hence the treatment approach has to be individually tailored. Due to the lack of high-level clinical evidence on the management of peri-implant bone loss, the authors, through a literature review, attempt to suggest a decision tree or guideline, based on sound periodontal surgical principles, to aid clinicians in managing peri-implantitis associated bone loss. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The powers of suggestion: Albert Moll and the debate on hypnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Maehle, Andreas-Holger

2014-03-01

The Berlin physician Albert Moll (1862-1939) was an advocate of hypnotic suggestion therapy and a prolific contributor to the medical, legal and public discussions on hypnotism from the 1880s to the 1920s. While his work in other areas, such as sexology, medical ethics and parapsychology, has recently attracted scholarly attention, this paper for the first time comprehensively examines Moll's numerous publications on hypnotism and places them in their contemporary context. It covers controversies over the therapeutic application of hypnosis, the reception of Moll's monograph Der Hypnotismus (1889), his research on the rapport between hypnotizer and subject, his role as an expert on 'hypnotic crime', and his views on the historical influence of hypnotism on the development of psychotherapy. My findings suggest that Moll rose to prominence due to the strong late-nineteenth-century public and medical interest in the phenomena of hypnosis, but that his work was soon overshadowed by new, non-hypnotic psychotherapeutic approaches, particularly Freud's psychoanalysis.

Comparing to Prepare: Suggesting Ways to Study Social Media Today—and Tomorrow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anders Olof Larsson

2015-04-01

Full Text Available While the two currently most popular social media services – Twitter and Facebook – are different in terms of technical and end-user details, this paper suggests that a series of similarities can also be found regarding different modes of communication offered by both services. These modes are labeled as Broadcasting, Redistributing, Interacting and Acknowledging. The argument is put forward that such synthesis of communication modes across platform could prove useful for longitudinal and comparative research efforts.

Current fluctuations of interacting active Brownian particles

OpenAIRE

Pre, Trevor Grand; Limmer, David T.

2018-01-01

We derive the distribution function for particle currents for a system of interacting active Brownian particles in the long time limit using large deviation theory and a weighted many body expansion. We find the distribution is non-Gaussian, except in the limit of passive particles. The non-Gaussian fluctuations can be understood from the effective potential the particles experience when conditioned on a given current. This potential suppresses fluctuations of the particle's orientation, and ...

Radiologic findings of struma ovarii

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Chul [Chungnam National Univ. School of Medicine, Taejeon (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Hyun Ja [Korea Veterans Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Seung Hyup [Seoul National Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Jae Young [Catholic Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1997-01-01

Struma ovarii is ovarian tumor composed solely or predominantly of thyroid tissue or tumor in which hyperthyroidism results from ovarian thyroid tissue, and usually occurs in tandem with cystic teratoma. Ovarian cystic teratoma is radiologically easily diagnosed due to calcification or fat, for example, but the preoperative diagnosis of struma ovarii is often difficult due to rare characteristic features of thyroid tissue. Our purpose was to determine whether there were specific findings of struma ovarii which distinguished it from other ovarian tumors, and this involved analysis of its radiologic findings. Using ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, preoperative radiologic findings of pathologically-proven struma ovarii in eleven patients were retrospectively evaluated for site, margin, nature (cystic, solid, mixed), contrast enhancement, septa, mural nodule, calcification, fat, and metastasis. These findings were compared with pathologic findings. All eleven tumors were unilateral, ten had smooth tumor margins, seven were mixed cystic and solid tumors (more than 70% of solid components in one tumor), and nine had regular septa. Three of four cystic masses (one unilocular, one bilocular and two multilocular cysts) had mural nodules. Calcifications were found in two tumors, and fat in one. Malignant change or metastasis was not found in any tumor. In one patient with hyperthyroidism due to struma ovarii, symptoms and signs of this subsided after removal of the tumor on salpingo-oophorectomy. Most cases of struma ovarii occurred unilaterally within ovarian teratomas in premenopausal women, and were mixed cystic and solid masses with smooth margins that are commonly enhanced on contrast enhanced scans. In one patient, hyperthyroidism was caused by struma ovarii. There were, however, no specific radiologic findings that were sufficiently typical to suggest the correct preoperative diagnosis of struma ovarii.

Radiologic findings of struma ovarii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Chul; Shin, Hyun Ja; Kim, Seung Hyup; Byun, Jae Young

1997-01-01

Struma ovarii is ovarian tumor composed solely or predominantly of thyroid tissue or tumor in which hyperthyroidism results from ovarian thyroid tissue, and usually occurs in tandem with cystic teratoma. Ovarian cystic teratoma is radiologically easily diagnosed due to calcification or fat, for example, but the preoperative diagnosis of struma ovarii is often difficult due to rare characteristic features of thyroid tissue. Our purpose was to determine whether there were specific findings of struma ovarii which distinguished it from other ovarian tumors, and this involved analysis of its radiologic findings. Using ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, preoperative radiologic findings of pathologically-proven struma ovarii in eleven patients were retrospectively evaluated for site, margin, nature (cystic, solid, mixed), contrast enhancement, septa, mural nodule, calcification, fat, and metastasis. These findings were compared with pathologic findings. All eleven tumors were unilateral, ten had smooth tumor margins, seven were mixed cystic and solid tumors (more than 70% of solid components in one tumor), and nine had regular septa. Three of four cystic masses (one unilocular, one bilocular and two multilocular cysts) had mural nodules. Calcifications were found in two tumors, and fat in one. Malignant change or metastasis was not found in any tumor. In one patient with hyperthyroidism due to struma ovarii, symptoms and signs of this subsided after removal of the tumor on salpingo-oophorectomy. Most cases of struma ovarii occurred unilaterally within ovarian teratomas in premenopausal women, and were mixed cystic and solid masses with smooth margins that are commonly enhanced on contrast enhanced scans. In one patient, hyperthyroidism was caused by struma ovarii. There were, however, no specific radiologic findings that were sufficiently typical to suggest the correct preoperative diagnosis of struma ovarii

The influence of suggestibility on memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolas, Serge; Collins, Thérèse; Gounden, Yannick; Roediger, Henry L

2011-06-01

We provide a translation of Binet and Henri's pioneering 1894 paper on the influence of suggestibility on memory. Alfred Binet (1857-1911) is famous as the author who created the IQ test that bears his name, but he is almost unknown as the psychological investigator who generated numerous original experiments and fascinating results in the study of memory. His experiments published in 1894 manipulated suggestibility in several ways to determine effects on remembering. Three particular modes of suggestion were employed to induce false recognitions: (1) indirect suggestion by a preconceived idea; (2) direct suggestion; and (3) collective suggestion. In the commentary we suggest that Binet and Henri's (1894) paper written over 115 years ago is still highly relevant even today. In particular, Binet's legacy lives on in modern research on misinformation effects in memory, in studies of conformity, and in experiments on the social contagion of memory. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alpine ski bindings and injuries. Current findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Natri, A; Beynnon, B D; Ettlinger, C F; Johnson, R J; Shealy, J E

1999-07-01

In spite of the fact that the overall incidence of alpine ski injuries has decreased during the last 25 years, the incidence of serious knee sprains usually involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has risen dramatically since the late 1970s. This trend runs counter to a dramatic reduction in lower leg injuries that began in the early 1970s and to date has lowered the risk of injury below the knee by almost 90%. One of the primary design objectives of modern ski boots and bindings has been to protect the skier from tibia and ankle fractures. So, in that sense, they have done an excellent job. However, despite advances in equipment design, modern ski bindings have not protected the knee from serious ligament trauma. At the present time, we are unaware of any binding design, settings or function that can protect both the knee and lower extremities from serious ligament sprains. No innovative change in binding design appears to be on the horizon that has the potential to reduce the risk of these severe knee injuries. Indeed, only 1 study has demonstrated a means to help reduce this risk of serious knee sprains, and this study involved education of skiers, not ski equipment. Despite the inability of bindings to reduce the risk of severe knee injuries there can be no doubt that improvement in ski bindings has been the most important factor in the marked reduction in incidence of lower leg and ankle injuries during the last 25 years. The authors strongly endorse the application of present International Standards Organisation (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards concerning mounting, setting and maintaining modern 'state of the art' bindings.

The Role of Academic Motivation in High School Students’ Current and Lifetime Alcohol Consumption: Adopting a Self-Determination Theory Perspective*

Science.gov (United States)

Wormington, Stephanie V.; Anderson, Kristen G.; Corpus, Jennifer Henderlong

2011-01-01

Objective: The current study investigated the relationship between different types of academic motives—specifically, intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, and external regulation—and high school students' current and lifetime alcohol consumption. Method: One thousand sixty-seven high school students completed measures of academic motivation, other school-related factors, and lifetime and current alcohol consumption. Results: Using structural equation modeling, different types of motivation and school-related factors were differentially related to student drinking. Specifically, intrinsic motivation was negatively related to lifetime and current alcohol consumption. External regulation, on the other hand, was positively associated with current drinking. Grade point average was the only school-related factor related to student alcohol use. Conclusions: These findings suggest that motivation is an important construct to consider in predicting students’ alcohol use, even when other more commonly studied educational variables are considered. In addition, it supports the adoption of a motivation framework that considers different types of motivation in understanding the relationship between academic motivation and alcohol use. Suggestions for incorporating the self-determination model of motivation into studies of alcohol and substance use, as well as potential impacts on intervention efforts, are discussed. In particular, it may be important to foster only certain types of motivation, rather than all types of academically-focused motives, in efforts to deter alcohol use. PMID:22051210

Pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis: radiologic findings with pathologic correlation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binkovitz, Larry A.; Lorenz, Emily A.; Di Lorenzo, Carlo; Kahwash, Samir

2010-01-01

Eosinophilic esophagitis is increasingly recognized as a cause of dysphagia or food impaction in pediatric patients. It has a high male predominance and is often associated with a history of allergy or asthma. To correlate fluoroscopic findings in eosinophilic esophagitis with the endoscopic and histologic findings. We retrospectively reviewed the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) findings of eosinophilic esophagitis and correlated them with the clinical, endoscopic and histologic findings in a series of 17 children (12 boys, 5 girls). UGI findings were normal in 12 children, including 4 who had a normal UGI exam after endoscopic disimpaction for an obstructing food bolus. Five children had strictures identified on UGI: one was demonstrated with endoscopy. This suggests that the impactions and strictures were due to an esophageal dysmotility rather than a fixed anatomic abnormality. Because the UGI findings are frequently normal in eosinophilic esophagitis, radiologists need to have a high index of suspicion for this disease. In children with a strong clinical history, especially impaction in the absence of an esophageal stricture, endoscopy and biopsy are indicated for further evaluation. (orig.)

Pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis: radiologic findings with pathologic correlation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binkovitz, Larry A. [Nationwide Children' s Hospital, Columbus, OH (United States); Mayo Clinic, Division of Pediatric Radiology, E-2, Rochester, MN (United States); Lorenz, Emily A. [Nationwide Children' s Hospital, Columbus, OH (United States); Di Lorenzo, Carlo [Nationwide Children' s Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Columbus, OH (United States); Kahwash, Samir [Nationwide Children' s Hospital, Department of Pathology, Columbus, OH (United States)

2010-05-15

Eosinophilic esophagitis is increasingly recognized as a cause of dysphagia or food impaction in pediatric patients. It has a high male predominance and is often associated with a history of allergy or asthma. To correlate fluoroscopic findings in eosinophilic esophagitis with the endoscopic and histologic findings. We retrospectively reviewed the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) findings of eosinophilic esophagitis and correlated them with the clinical, endoscopic and histologic findings in a series of 17 children (12 boys, 5 girls). UGI findings were normal in 12 children, including 4 who had a normal UGI exam after endoscopic disimpaction for an obstructing food bolus. Five children had strictures identified on UGI: one was demonstrated with endoscopy. This suggests that the impactions and strictures were due to an esophageal dysmotility rather than a fixed anatomic abnormality. Because the UGI findings are frequently normal in eosinophilic esophagitis, radiologists need to have a high index of suspicion for this disease. In children with a strong clinical history, especially impaction in the absence of an esophageal stricture, endoscopy and biopsy are indicated for further evaluation. (orig.)

EEG and CT findings of infant partial seizures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajitani, Takashi; Kumanomido, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Makoto; Ueoka, Kiyotaka

1981-01-01

Examination of EEG and cranial CT were performed in 19 cases of partial seizures with elementary symptomatology (PSES), 6 cases of partial seizures with complex symptomatology (PSCS), and 17 cases of benign focal pilepsy of childhood with Rolandic spikes (BFECRS). The results were as follows. 1) In 16 of 19 cases of PSES (84%), various abnormal CT findings such as localized cerebral atrophy (7 cases), localized cerebral atrophy complicated with porencephaly (4 cases), porencephaly alone (2 cases), and diffuse cerebral atrophy (3 cases) were found. 2) Of 6 cases of PSCS localized cerebral atrophy was found in 3 cases, porencephaly in one case, and localized calcification in one case. Normal CT findings were obtained in one case. 3) In comparison of EEG findings with CT findings in 25 cases of partial seizures CT findings correlated with the basic waves rather than the paroxysmal ones. 4) The fact that CT findings in patients with BFECRS were mostly normal suggests the functional origin of the seizures. 5) CT was valuable in partial seizures for detecting underlying disorders and predicting the prognosis. (Ueda, J.)

Representational constraints on children's suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceci, Stephen J; Papierno, Paul B; Kulkofsky, Sarah

2007-06-01

In a multistage experiment, twelve 4- and 9-year-old children participated in a triad rating task. Their ratings were mapped with multidimensional scaling, from which euclidean distances were computed to operationalize semantic distance between items in target pairs. These children and age-mates then participated in an experiment that employed these target pairs in a story, which was followed by a misinformation manipulation. Analyses linked individual and developmental differences in suggestibility to children's representations of the target items. Semantic proximity was a strong predictor of differences in suggestibility: The closer a suggested distractor was to the original item's representation, the greater was the distractor's suggestive influence. The triad participants' semantic proximity subsequently served as the basis for correctly predicting memory performance in the larger group. Semantic proximity enabled a priori counterintuitive predictions of reverse age-related trends to be confirmed whenever the distance between representations of items in a target pair was greater for younger than for older children.

Buck-Boost Current-Source Inverters With Diode-Inductor Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gao, Feng; Liang, Chao; Loh, Poh Chiang

2009-01-01

This paper presents a number of novel currentsource inverters (CSIs) with enhanced current buck-boost capability. By adding a unique diode-inductor network between the inverter circuitry and current-boost elements, the proposed buck-boost CSIs demonstrate a doubling of current-boost capability......, as compared with other recently reported buck-boost CSIs. For controlling the proposed CSIs, two modulation schemes are designed for achieving either optimized harmonic performance or minimized commutation count without influencing the inverter current buck-boost gain. These theoretical findings were...

CT findings of respiratory bronchiolitis caused by cigarette smoking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katagiri, Siro; Osima, K.; Kim, S. [Chiba Tokusyukai Hospital, Funabashi (Japan)

1998-07-01

CT scans were performed in 11 cases of respiratory bronchiolitis caused by cigarette smoking. Characteristics of CT findings were as follows: Remarkable visualization of the branching in peripheral bronchi within secondary lobules, multiple ground-glass opacities of centrilobular or lobular size adjacent to the above mentioned bronchial branching, thickening of the bronchial wall without dilatation, and no or minimal centrilobular emphysema. These characteristic CT findings were observed in all of 11 cases, who are current smokers, and never observed in non-smokers, ex-smokers and patients with apparent centrilobular emphysema. (author)

CT findings of respiratory bronchiolitis caused by cigarette smoking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katagiri, Siro; Osima, K.; Kim, S.

1998-01-01

CT scans were performed in 11 cases of respiratory bronchiolitis caused by cigarette smoking. Characteristics of CT findings were as follows: Remarkable visualization of the branching in peripheral bronchi within secondary lobules, multiple ground-glass opacities of centrilobular or lobular size adjacent to the above mentioned bronchial branching, thickening of the bronchial wall without dilatation, and no or minimal centrilobular emphysema. These characteristic CT findings were observed in all of 11 cases, who are current smokers, and never observed in non-smokers, ex-smokers and patients with apparent centrilobular emphysema. (author)

Co-current and Counter-Current Operations for Steam Reforming of Heptane in a Novel CFB Membrane Reformer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.; Elnashaie, S.S.E.H.

2004-01-01

Hydrogen production by steam reforming of higher hydrocarbon over nickel supported catalyst is investigated in an earlier suggested novel Circulating Fast Fluidized Bed Membrane Reformer (CFFBMR). Palladium hydrogen membranes are used with co-current and counter-current operation modes. It is found that hydrogen production has a non-monotonic dependence upon the reaction temperature in the range of 623-823 K. Between 623 and 723 K. the yields of hydrogen decrease and then increase between 723 and 823 K. This important phenomenon is investigated, discussed and explained. The simulation results shows that the reformer performance can be significantly improved using hydrogen membranes, especially in the counter-current operation mode. At low temperatures around 623 K, both .co-current and counter-current operation modes provide similar yields of hydrogen. While at temperature 723 K and higher, the counter-current operation provides the highest yield of hydrogen

FindZebra: A search engine for rare diseases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dragusin, Radu; Petcu, Paula; Lioma, Christina Amalia

2013-01-01

Background: The web has become a primary information resource about illnesses and treatments for both medical and non-medical users. Standard web search is by far the most common interface for such information. It is therefore of interest to find out how well web search engines work for diagnostic...... approach for web search engines for rare disease diagnosis which includes 56 real life diagnostic cases, state-of-the-art evaluation measures, and curated information resources. In addition, we introduce FindZebra, a specialized (vertical) rare disease search engine. FindZebra is powered by open source...... medical concepts to demonstrate different ways of displaying the retrieved results to medical experts. Conclusions: Our results indicate that a specialized search engine can improve the diagnostic quality without compromising the ease of use of the currently widely popular web search engines. The proposed...

Current-induced dynamics in carbon atomic contacts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Jing Tao; Gunst, Tue; Brandbyge, Mads

2011-01-01

voltage, which can be used to explore current-induced vibrational instabilities due the NC/BP forces. Furthermore, using tight-binding and the Brenner potential we illustrate how Langevin-type molecular-dynamics calculations including the Joule heating effect for the carbon-chain systems can be performed...... be used to explore current-induced dynamics and instabilities. We find instabilities at experimentally relevant bias and gate voltages for the carbon-chain system. © 2011 Lü et al....... carbon chain connecting electrically gated graphene electrodes. This illustrates how the device stability can be predicted solely from the modes obtained from the Langevin equation, including the current-induced forces. We point out that the gate offers control of the current, independent of the bias...

Frontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) abolishes list-method directed forgetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Silas, Jonathan; Brandt, Karen R

2016-03-11

It is a point of controversy as to whether directed forgetting effects are a result of active inhibition or a change of context initiated by the instruction to forget. In this study we test the causal role of active inhibition in directed forgetting. By applying cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right prefrontal cortex we suppressed cortical activity commonly associated with inhibitory control. Participants who underwent real brain stimulation before completing the directed forgetting paradigm showed no directed forgetting effects. Conversely, those who underwent sham brain stimulation demonstrated classical directed forgetting effects. We argue that these findings suggest that inhibition is the primary mechanism that results in directed forgetting costs and benefits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current-induced forces: a new mechanism to induce negative differential resistance and current-switching effect in molecular junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Lei; Fu, Hua-Hua

2015-12-01

Current-induced forces can excite molecules, polymers and other low-dimensional materials, which in turn leads to an effective gate voltage through Holstein interaction. Here, by taking a short asymmetric DNA junction as an example, and using the Langevin approach, we find that when suppression of charge transport by the effective gate voltage surpasses the current increase from an elevated voltage bias, the current-voltage (I-V) curves display strong negative differential resistance (NDR) and perfect current-switching characteristics. The asymmetric DNA chain differs in mechanical stability under inverse voltages and the I-V curve is asymmetric about inverse biases, which can be used to understand recent transport experiments on DNA chains, and meanwhile provides a new strategy to realize NDR in molecular junctions and other low-dimensional quantum systems.

Current-induced forces: a new mechanism to induce negative differential resistance and current-switching effect in molecular junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Lei; Fu, Hua-Hua

2015-01-01

Current-induced forces can excite molecules, polymers and other low-dimensional materials, which in turn leads to an effective gate voltage through Holstein interaction. Here, by taking a short asymmetric DNA junction as an example, and using the Langevin approach, we find that when suppression of charge transport by the effective gate voltage surpasses the current increase from an elevated voltage bias, the current-voltage (I–V) curves display strong negative differential resistance (NDR) and perfect current-switching characteristics. The asymmetric DNA chain differs in mechanical stability under inverse voltages and the I–V curve is asymmetric about inverse biases, which can be used to understand recent transport experiments on DNA chains, and meanwhile provides a new strategy to realize NDR in molecular junctions and other low-dimensional quantum systems. (paper)

Chaos as a psychological construct: historical roots, principal findings, and current growth directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Guastello, Stephen J

2009-07-01

The landmarks in the use of chaos and related constructs in psychology were entwined with the growing use of other nonlinear dynamical constructs, especially catastrophes and self-organization. The growth in substantive applications of chaos in psychology is partially related to the development of methodologies that work within the constraints of psychological data. The psychological literature includes rigorous theory with testable propositions, lighter-weight metaphorical uses of the construct, and colloquial uses of "chaos" with no particular theoretical intent. The current state of the chaos construct and supporting empirical research in psychological theory is summarized in neuroscience, psychophysics, psychomotor skill and other learning phenomena, clinical and abnormal psychology, and group dynamics and organizational behavior. Trends indicate that human systems do not remain chaotic indefinitely; they eventually self-organize, and the concept of the complex adaptive system has become prominent. Chaotic turbulence is generally higher in healthy systems compared to unhealthy systems, although opposite appears true in mood disorders. Group dynamics research shows trends consistent with the complex adaptive system, whereas organizational behavior lags behind in empirical studies relative to the quantity of its theory. Future directions for research involving the chaos construct and other nonlinear dynamics are outlined.

Reinventing suggestion systems for continuous improvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schuring, R.W.; Luijten, Harald

2001-01-01

This article reports an experiment to increase the effectiveness of a suggestion system by deliberately applying principles of the kaizen and performance management. Design rules for suggestion systems are derived from these theories. The suggestion system that resulted differs from traditional

Using cognitive behaviour therapy with South Asian Muslims: Findings from the culturally sensitive CBT project.

Science.gov (United States)

Naeem, Farooq; Phiri, Peter; Munshi, Tariq; Rathod, Shanaya; Ayub, Muhhhamad; Gobbi, Mary; Kingdon, David

2015-01-01

It has been suggested that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) needs adaptation for it to be effective for patients from collectivistic cultures, as currently CBT is underpinned by individualistic values. In prior studies we have demonstrated that CBT could be adapted for Pakistani patients in Southampton, UK, and for local populations in Pakistan. Findings from these studies suggest that CBT can be adapted for patients from collectivistic cultures using a series of steps. In this paper we focus on these steps, and the process of adapting CBT for specific groups. The adaptation process should focus on three major areas of therapy, rather than simple translation of therapy manuals. These include (1) awareness of relevant cultural issues and preparation for therapy, (2) assessment and engagement, and (3) adjustments in therapy. We also discuss the best practice guidelines that evolved from this work to help therapists working with this population. We reiterate that CBT can be adapted effectively for patients from traditional cultures. This is, however, an emerging area in psychotherapy, and further work is required to refine the methodology and to test adapted CBT.

Bruxism: overview of current knowledge and suggestions for dental implants planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manfredini, D.; Bucci, M.B.; Sabattini, V.B.; Lobbezoo, F.

2011-01-01

Bruxism is commonly considered a detrimental motor activity, potentially causing overload of the stomatognathic structures and representing a risk factor for dental implant survival. The available literature does not provide evidence-based guidelines for the management of bruxers undergoing

Suggestive Objects at Work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ratner, Helene Gad

2009-01-01

In Western secular societies, spiritual life is no longer limited to classical religious institutions but can also be found at workplace organizations. While spirituality is conventionally understood as a subjective and internal process, this paper proposes the concept of ‘suggestive objects......’, constructed by combining insights from Gabriel Tarde's sociology with Bruno Latour's actor-network theory, to theorize the material dimension of organizational spirituality. The sacred in organizations arises not from the internalization of collective values but through the establishment of material...... scaffolding. This has deep implications for our understanding of the sacred, including a better appreciation of the way that suggestive objects make the sacred durable, the way they organize it....

Effect of external noise on the current response in superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suqing Duan; Wu Binyi; Wang Zhigang; Zhao Xiangeng

2004-01-01

Within the single-band model and the nearest-neighbor approximation we investigate the effect of external noise on the current response driven by dc-ac field which has a fluctuating component. We find the external noise can destroy the current resonant peaks. When the strength of the external noise becomes enough large, all the current resonant peaks will completely disappear

Current pregnancy among women with spinal cord injury: findings from the US national spinal cord injury database.

Science.gov (United States)

Iezzoni, L I; Chen, Y; McLain, A B J

2015-11-01

Cross-sectional study. To examine the prevalence of pregnancy and associations with sociodemographic and clinical factors among women with spinal cord injury (SCI). US National Spinal Cord Injury Database, an SCI registry that interviews participants 1, 5 and then every 5 years post injury. Data include SCI clinical details, functional impairments, participation measures, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Women aged 18-49 are asked about hospitalizations in the last year relating to pregnancy or its complications. Data represent 1907 women, who completed 3054 interviews. We used generalized estimating equations to examine bivariable associations between pregnancy and clinical and psychosocial variables and to perform multivariable regressions predicting pregnancy. Across all women, 2.0% reported pregnancy during the prior 12 months. This annual prevalence differed significantly by the years elapsed since injury; the highest rate occurred 15 years post injury (3.7%). Bivariable analyses found that younger age at injury was significantly associated with current pregnancy (Ppregnancy were significantly more likely to be married or partnered, have sport-related SCI, have higher motor scores and have more positive psychosocial status scores. Multivariable analyses found significant associations between current pregnancy and age, marital status, motor score and mobility and occupation scale scores. Current pregnancy rates among reproductive-aged women with SCI are similar to rates of other US women with chronic mobility impairments. More information is needed about pregnancy experiences and outcomes to inform both women with SCI seeking childbearing and clinicians providing their care.

Landform elevation suggests ecohydrologic footprints in subsurface geomorphology

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, A. C.; Watts, D.; Kaplan, D. A.; Mclaughlin, D. L.; Heffernan, J. B.; Martin, J. B.; Murray, A.; Osborne, T.; Cohen, M. J.; Kobziar, L. N.

2012-12-01

Many landscapes exhibit patterns in their arrangement of biota, or in their surface geomorphology as a result of biotic activity. Examples occur around the globe and include northern peatlands, Sahelian savannas, and shallow marine reefs. Such self-organized patterning is strongly suggestive of coupled, reciprocal feedbacks (i.e. locally positive, and distally negative) among biota and their environment. Much research on patterned landscapes has concerned emergent biogeomorphologic surfaces such as those found in peatlands, or the influence of biota on soil formation or transport. Our research concerns ecohydrologic feedbacks hypothesized to produce patterned occurrence of depressions in a subtropical limestone karst landscape. Our findings show strong evidence of self-organized patterning, in the form of overdispersed dissolution basins. Distributions of randomized bedrock elevation measurements on the landscape are bimodal, with means clustered about either higher- or lower-elevation modes. Measurements on the thin mantle of soil overlying this landscape, however, display reduced bimodality and mode separation. These observations indicate abiotic processes in diametric opposition to the biogenic forces which may be responsible for generating landscape pattern. Correlograms show higher spatial autocorrelation among soil measurements compared to bedrock measurements, and measurements of soil-layer thickness show high negative correlation with bedrock elevation. Our results are consistent with predictions of direct ecohydrologic feedbacks that would produce patterned "footprints" directly on bedrock, and of abiotic processes operating to obfuscate this pattern. The study suggests new steps to identify biogeochemical mechanisms for landscape patterning: an "ecological drill" by which plant communities modify geology.

Current Tobacco Use Among Adults in the United States: Findings From the National Adult Tobacco Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Dube, Shanta R.; Tynan, Michael A.

2012-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of tobacco use among US adults. Methods. We used data from the 2009–2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey, a national landline and cell phone survey of adults aged 18 years and older, to estimate current use of any tobacco; cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, or small cigars; chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip; water pipes; snus; and pipes. We stratified estimates by gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, sexual orientation, and US state. Results. National prevalence of current use was 25.2% for any tobacco; 19.5% for cigarettes; 6.6% for cigars, cigarillos, or small cigars; 3.4% for chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip; 1.5% for water pipes; 1.4% for snus; and 1.1% for pipes. Tobacco use was greatest among respondents who were male, younger, of non-Hispanic “other” race/ethnicity, less educated, less wealthy, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Prevalence ranged from 14.1% (Utah) to 37.4% (Kentucky). Conclusions. Tobacco use varies by geography and sociodemographic factors, but remains prevalent among US adults. Evidence-based prevention strategies are needed to decrease tobacco use and the health and economic burden of tobacco-related diseases. PMID:22994278

BOOK REVIEW: The Current Comparator

Science.gov (United States)

Petersons, Oskars

1989-01-01

dc use are covered in earlier chapters. In relation to the number of dc vs ac instruments in use, the length of this chapter presents something of an imbalance. Nevertheless, in the limited number of pages, the authors have covered the principal direct-current comparator applications—the ratio device (dc comparator), the resistance bridge, and the potentiometer. More specialized instruments such as the differential voltmeter and the digital-to-analog converter are also mentioned. The unique feature of the dc comparator is the modulator-type balance detector. It is covered in Chapter 3 with current-comparator construction details. In conclusion, the technical depth and style of discussion, the material covered, the size of the volume, and the ample references suggest that the authors should satisfy most of the audience interested in current comparators. A possible exception might be those interested in extremely high accuracies (errors in the 10-8 to 10-9 range). The authors have selected the overall approach of presentation that is predominantly pragmatic rather than analytical. Metrologists unfamiliar with current comparators should be able, after a day's reading, to embark upon the construction of their own devices or upon the application of current comparators to their own measurement needs. The serious practioner will find the book valuable for the complete coverage of the subject and the bibliography. Also, most practitioners should find in the book a number of useful design, construction, or application tricks for their own use. At the present time, development activity on transformer-type ratio devices, including the current comparator, has subsided in comparison with the peak level of the sixties. For many applications, however, these devices remain the most accurate and sometimes the only viable instruments for scaling current and voltage. The applications include factory test systems and instruments for absolute electrical measurements. This situation is

Improvements to the Root Finding Algorithm in VBBinaryLensing

Science.gov (United States)

Heintz, Tyler; Hoag, Ava; Bozza, Valerio; Oberst, Thomas

2018-01-01

VBBinaryLensing is the leading code for fitting magnification maps to microlensing events by binary lenses, most especially for exoplanet discoveries. The majority of the code’s runtime is devoted to finding roots of a fifth order complex polynomial arising from the binary lens equation. This is currently accomplished via the ZROOTS subroutine, which employs Laguerre’s method. Skowron and Gould’s (2012) algorithm, which employs a combination of Laguerre’s and Newton’s methods, presents the possibility of faster runtimes. We introduce a C++ translation of Skowron and Gould’s algorithm and test it as a replacement for ZROOTS in VBBinaryLensing. We find that this new implementation both reduces the time spent finding roots and makes the code more robust in extreme regimes.

Are You Suggesting That's My Hand? The Relation Between Hypnotic Suggestibility and the Rubber Hand Illusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, E; Guilmette, D N; Longo, M R; Moore, J W; Oakley, D A; Halligan, P W; Mehta, M A; Deeley, Q

2015-01-01

Hypnotic suggestibility (HS) is the ability to respond automatically to suggestions and to experience alterations in perception and behavior. Hypnotically suggestible participants are also better able to focus and sustain their attention on an experimental stimulus. The present study explores the relation between HS and susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI). Based on previous research with visual illusions, it was predicted that higher HS would lead to a stronger RHI. Two behavioral output measures of the RHI, an implicit (proprioceptive drift) and an explicit (RHI questionnaire) measure, were correlated against HS scores. Hypnotic suggestibility correlated positively with the implicit RHI measure contributing to 30% of the variation. However, there was no relation between HS and the explicit RHI questionnaire measure, or with compliance control items. High hypnotic suggestibility may facilitate, via attentional mechanisms, the multisensory integration of visuoproprioceptive inputs that leads to greater perceptual mislocalization of a participant's hand. These results may provide insight into the multisensory brain mechanisms involved in our sense of embodiment.

Current psychiatric disorders in patients with epilepsy are predicted by maltreatment experiences during childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Labudda, Kirsten; Illies, Dominik; Herzig, Cornelia; Schröder, Katharina; Bien, Christian G; Neuner, Frank

2017-09-01

Childhood maltreatment has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders. Although the prevalence of psychiatric disorders is high in epilepsy patients, it is unknown if childhood maltreatment experiences are elevated compared to the normal population and if early maltreatment is a risk factor for current psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy patients. This is the main purpose of this study. Structured interviews were used to assess current Axis I diagnoses in 120 epilepsy patients from a tertiary Epilepsy Center (34 TLE patients, 86 non-TLE patients). Childhood maltreatment in the family and peer victimization were assessed with validated questionnaires. Patients' maltreatment scores were compared with those of a representative matched control group. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the potential impact of childhood maltreatment on current psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy patients. Compared to a matched control group, epilepsy patients had higher emotional and sexual maltreatment scores. Patients with a current psychiatric diagnosis reported more family and peer maltreatment than patients without a psychiatric disorder. Family maltreatment scores predicted the likelihood of a current psychiatric disorder. TLE patients did not differ from non-TLE patients according to maltreatment experiences and rates of current psychiatric disorders. Our findings suggest that in epilepsy patients emotional and sexual childhood maltreatment is experienced more often than in the normal population and that early maltreatment is a general risk factor for psychiatric comorbidities in this group. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Suggestibility on Relaxation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rickard, Henry C.; And Others

1985-01-01

Selected undergraduates (N=32) on the basis of Creative Imagination Scale scores and randomly assigned high and low suggestibility subjects to progressive relaxation (PR) and suggestions of relaxation (SR) training modes. Results revealed a significant pre-post relaxation effect, and main efffects for both suggestibility and training mode. (NRB)

Rates and impact of trauma and current stressors among Darfuri refugees in Eastern Chad.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Andrew; Nguyen, Leanh; Wilkinson, John; Vundla, Sikhumbuzo; Raghavan, Sumithra; Miller, Kenneth E; Keller, Allen S

2010-04-01

Darfur refugees face hardships associated with chronic displacement, including lack of basic needs and safety concerns. Psychiatric research on refugees has focused on trauma, but daily stressors may contribute more to variance in distress. This article reports rates of past trauma and current stressors among Darfur refugees and gauges the contribution of each to psychological distress and functional impairment. A representative sample of 848 Darfuris in 2 refugee camps were interviewed about traumatic events, stressors faced in the camps, psychological distress, and functional impairment. Basic needs and safety concerns were more strongly correlated with measures of distress (rs = .19-.31) than were war-related traumatic events (rs = .09-.20). Hierarchical regression supported models in which effects of trauma on distress were mediated by current stressors. Although war-related traumatic events are the initial causes of refugees' hardship, findings suggest that the day-to-day challenges and concerns in camps mediate psychological distress associated with these events.

THE EVOLUTION OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION DURING THE CURRENT GLOBAL CRISIS

OpenAIRE

Sabina Tuca

2013-01-01

The current economic crisis constitutes a serious test for the process of globalization. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the current global crisis on economic globalization. To assess the impact of the current crisis on economic globalization, this paper examines the KOF Index of Globalization, before and during the crisis. The findings generally support the idea that economic globalization has been, in fact, weakened, after the onset of the current crisis. However, t...

Global pyrogeography: the current and future distribution of wildfire.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meg A Krawchuk

Full Text Available Climate change is expected to alter the geographic distribution of wildfire, a complex abiotic process that responds to a variety of spatial and environmental gradients. How future climate change may alter global wildfire activity, however, is still largely unknown. As a first step to quantifying potential change in global wildfire, we present a multivariate quantification of environmental drivers for the observed, current distribution of vegetation fires using statistical models of the relationship between fire activity and resources to burn, climate conditions, human influence, and lightning flash rates at a coarse spatiotemporal resolution (100 km, over one decade. We then demonstrate how these statistical models can be used to project future changes in global fire patterns, highlighting regional hotspots of change in fire probabilities under future climate conditions as simulated by a global climate model. Based on current conditions, our results illustrate how the availability of resources to burn and climate conditions conducive to combustion jointly determine why some parts of the world are fire-prone and others are fire-free. In contrast to any expectation that global warming should necessarily result in more fire, we find that regional increases in fire probabilities may be counter-balanced by decreases at other locations, due to the interplay of temperature and precipitation variables. Despite this net balance, our models predict substantial invasion and retreat of fire across large portions of the globe. These changes could have important effects on terrestrial ecosystems since alteration in fire activity may occur quite rapidly, generating ever more complex environmental challenges for species dispersing and adjusting to new climate conditions. Our findings highlight the potential for widespread impacts of climate change on wildfire, suggesting severely altered fire regimes and the need for more explicit inclusion of fire in research

Global pyrogeography: the current and future distribution of wildfire.

Science.gov (United States)

Krawchuk, Meg A; Moritz, Max A; Parisien, Marc-André; Van Dorn, Jeff; Hayhoe, Katharine

2009-01-01

Climate change is expected to alter the geographic distribution of wildfire, a complex abiotic process that responds to a variety of spatial and environmental gradients. How future climate change may alter global wildfire activity, however, is still largely unknown. As a first step to quantifying potential change in global wildfire, we present a multivariate quantification of environmental drivers for the observed, current distribution of vegetation fires using statistical models of the relationship between fire activity and resources to burn, climate conditions, human influence, and lightning flash rates at a coarse spatiotemporal resolution (100 km, over one decade). We then demonstrate how these statistical models can be used to project future changes in global fire patterns, highlighting regional hotspots of change in fire probabilities under future climate conditions as simulated by a global climate model. Based on current conditions, our results illustrate how the availability of resources to burn and climate conditions conducive to combustion jointly determine why some parts of the world are fire-prone and others are fire-free. In contrast to any expectation that global warming should necessarily result in more fire, we find that regional increases in fire probabilities may be counter-balanced by decreases at other locations, due to the interplay of temperature and precipitation variables. Despite this net balance, our models predict substantial invasion and retreat of fire across large portions of the globe. These changes could have important effects on terrestrial ecosystems since alteration in fire activity may occur quite rapidly, generating ever more complex environmental challenges for species dispersing and adjusting to new climate conditions. Our findings highlight the potential for widespread impacts of climate change on wildfire, suggesting severely altered fire regimes and the need for more explicit inclusion of fire in research on global

Coral-inferred Variability of Upstream Kuroshio Current from 1953-2004 AD

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Yi, L.; Shen, C. C.; Hsin, Y. C.

2016-12-01

The Kuroshio Current (KC), one of the most important western boundary currents in the North Pacific Ocean, strongly impacts regional climate in East Asia and upper-ocean thermal structure. However, the responses of KC to regional and remote climate forcing are poorly understood owing to lacking of long-term KC observations. Here, we present a sea surface temperature (SST) record from 1953 to 2004 AD derived from monthly skeletal δ18O data of a living coral Porites core, drilled in Nanwan, southern Taiwan (22°N, 121°E), located on the western front of the Upstream KC. The increased/reduced Kuroshio transport would generate stronger/weaker upwelling in Southern Taiwan, which can cause lower/higher SST. Agreement between dynamics of interannual coral δ18O and modern KC data shows that the regional coral δ18O can be used as a promising proxy for Upstream KC intensity. The KC-induced SST anomaly record reveals prominent interannual and decadal variability predominantly controlled by the bifurcation latitude of North Equatorial Current. We also find that the reconstructed KC intensity at east of Taiwan and south of Japan have nearly simultaneous interannual changes, suggesting the same dominant forcing(s) for the entire KC system. Additional work is needed to understand the KC system with respect to the interannual to decadal climate variability and the influences of global warming.

Clinicians' perspective of the current diagnostic criteria for myofascial pain syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosman-Rimon, Liza; Clarke, Hance; Chan, Aaron K; Mills, Patricia Branco; Rathbone, Alasdair Timothy Llewelyn; Kumbhare, Dinesh

2017-01-01

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is one of the most common chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. However, MPS is often under-diagnosed. The purpose of this study was to characterize practicing clinicians' perspectives of the current diagnostic criteria for MPS. A cross-sectional study design was used with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire evaluated clinicians' perspective of the current diagnostic criteria for MPS. The sample population (n= 119) consisted of 40% family physicians, 31% physical medicine (PM) and rehabilitation specialists, 11% rheumatologists, 10% emergency room (ER) physicians, and 8% anesthesiologists specializing in chronic pain. Our findings demonstrated that participating clinicians agree that ``point tenderness'' and ``pain reproduction'' are criteria for MPS. In contrast, the clinicians do not consider ``autonomic symptoms'' as an important criterion for MPS. The anesthesiologists view ``restricted range of motion'' as a criterion for MPS more than the other groups, and they tend to consider ``referred pain'' and ``pain reproduction'' as criteria. Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and anesthesiologists tend to view ``local twitch response'' more as a criterion for MPS compared with the other groups. Most groups of clinicians consider ``weakness without atrophy'' as an important MPS criterion except for family physicians. It is important to note that ``poor sleep'', ``daytime fatigue'' and ``cognitive symptoms'', which are not considered as MPS symptoms, are often mistaken for MPS among practicing clinicians. Our findings suggest that the diagnostic criteria are not well known, highlighting the need for an expert consensus to determine the importance of each criterion for MPS diagnosis.

A high-current, high-voltage power supply with special output current waveform for APS injector synchrotron dipole magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fathizadeh, M.; Despe, O.D.; McGhee, D.G.; Mills, F.E.; Turner, L.R.

1991-01-01

This paper describes a high-voltage, high-current power supply for the injector synchrotron dipole magnets at APS. In order to reset the dipole magnets in each cycle two different current waveforms are suggested. The first current waveform consists of three sections, namely: dc-reset, linear ramp, and recovery sections where injection is done ''on the fly''. The second current waveform consists of six different sections, dc-reset, transition to injection level, injection flat level, parabolic, linear ramp and recovery sections. The effect of such waveforms on the beam is discussed and the power supply limitations to follow such waveforms are given. The power supply limitations are due to the power components and control loops. The reference for the current loop is generated by a DAC which is discussed

Tritium-caused background currents in electron multipliers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, M.E.

1979-05-01

One channel electron multiplier (Galileo No. 4501) and one 14 stage Be/Cu multiplier (Dumont No. SPM3) were exposed to tritium pressures between approx. 10 -7 Torr to 10 -3 Torr in amounts from approx. 10 -5 Torr-s to 60 Torr-s and the β-decay caused currents in the multipliers measured. The background currents in both multipliers consisted of two components: (1) a high, reversible current which was proportional to the tritium exposure pressure; and (2) a lower, irreversible background current which increased with increasing cumulative tritium exposure. The β-decay caused currents in each multiplier increased the same way with exposure, suggesting the detected electrons arose from decaying tritium adsorbed on surfaced external to the multipliers

Suggestions of Policy Direction to Improve the Housing Quality in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyeon Park

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Following the recent global climate changes, many countries, including developed nations, are announcing greenhouse gas (GHG reduction targets and are actively participating in reducing GHG. Therefore, the role of the building sector on reducing GHG is being emphasized, and the establishment of policy structures for both making environmentally friendly capacity compulsory and improving the housing quality is being demanded. South Korea is also developing a policy for improving housing quality, but in order to achieve more competitive growth, this must be preceded by an analysis of current policy status within various countries on improving housing quality. This study aims to suggest direction about policies that will improve the housing quality in South Korea. For this, the policies of major countries were able to categorize and compare according to three major categories (performance, function, and aesthetics, and seven factors (safety, durability, cost and maintenance, response to residents’ needs, habitability, energy saving, and building design regarding housing quality. As a result, from the performance aspect, policy directions were suggested for safe housing, the urban environment, regeneration of quality stock, and the usage of existing stock; from the functional aspect, policies for improving housing quality that responds to the aging population and energy saving housing were suggested; from the aesthetic aspect, housing designs that consider the urban environment were suggested.

He said, she said: The gender wage gap according to self and proxy reports in the Current Population Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Jeremy; Wenger, Jeffrey B

2012-03-01

Roughly half the labor force data in the Current Population Survey (CPS) are provided by proxy respondents, and since 1979, men's reliance on proxies has dropped dramatically while women's reliance on proxies has increased. Few authors, however, have examined how combining these first-hand and second-hand reports may influence our understanding of long-term economic trends. We exploit the outgoing rotation group structure of the CPS by matching individual records one year apart, and we find that self-reported wages are higher than proxy-reported wages even after controlling for all time invariant characteristics. Furthermore, we find that changes in the use of proxy respondents by men and women since 1979 have made current estimates of the gender wage gap larger than they would have been without changes in reporting status. This suggests that the gender wage gap has closed more than previously estimated. We recommend that researchers combine self and proxy responses with great care, especially when analyzing time trends or making gender comparisons. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Descriptive currents in philosophy of religion for Hebrew Bible studies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2010-09-30

Sep 30, 2010 ... problematic currents in the English-speaking world and that we find ourselves in the context of developing postmodern, post-analytic and post-empiricist approaches. Even so, analytic philosophy of religion is still the most representative current in the discipline within the English-speaking world.

CT findings of overian teratomas : mature versus immature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Chul; Kim, Young Wol

1996-01-01

To differentiate mature and immature ovarian teratomas, using CT findings. The CT findings of ten mature ovarian teratomas (in one patient, bilateral) and ten which were immature were compared, using statistical analysis. Images were evaluated for size, margins, architecture, contents (mural nodules, fat, calcification), septa, local invasion and distant metastasis. These findings were compared with pathologic findings. Of the ten mature tumors, nine were well defined and predominantly cystic in internal architecture, and one was mixed. Mural nodules were found in six tumor, fat in all, distinct calcification in seven, and regular septa in three lesions. Of the ten immature humors, eight had irregular margins. Seven were predominantly solid in internal architecture and irregularly enhanced, two were mixed, and one was mainly cystic. Fat was detected in five lesions, indistinct scattered calcification in six, irregular septa in three, and local invasion of distant metastasis in four patients. Compared with mature ovarian teratomas, those that are immature tend to show CT findings of marginal irregularity, solid mass with irregular enhacement, scattered indistinct calcifications, septal irregularity, local invasion or distant metastasis. Our experience suggests that these findings may be helpful in differentiation of mature and immature ovarian teratomas

Myeloid sarcoma of the rib: An atypical isolated chest finding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Raucci

2015-03-01

Systemic treatment was administered and currently neither systemic nor local relapse has been identified. Our experience suggests surgical resection could be a valid treatment in isolated myeloid sarcoma patients.

Radiofrequency contact currents: sensory responses and dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavet, Robert; Tell, R.A.; Olsen, R.G.

2014-01-01

The process of setting science-based exposure standards (or guidelines) for radiofrequency (RF) contact current exposure has been disadvantaged by a lack of relevant data. The authors first review the essential features and results of the available studies and illustrate the apparent discrepancies among them. Then, they examine the manner in which current was administered in these studies and suggest as to how the physical relationship of a contacting finger to the current electrode may play a role in affecting sensory thresholds specific to those configurations. A major factor in this analysis relates to whether current density is uniformly distributed across the contact area or whether an electrode's 'edge effects' enhance currents with a net effect of decreasing apparent thresholds, when expressed as the bulk current entering a subject. For an exposure with a clear hazard potential, thresholds of human sensory response to RF currents require further investigation. (authors)

Emission mechanism in high current hollow cathode arcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnan, M.

1976-01-01

Large (2 cm-diameter) hollow cathodes have been operated in a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) arc over wide ranges of current (0.25 to 17 kA) and mass flow (10 -3 to 8 g/sec), with orifice current densities and mass fluxes encompassing those encountered in low current steady-state hollow cathode arcs. Detailed cathode interior measurements of current and potential distributions show that maximum current penetration into the cathode is about one diameter axially upstream from the tip, with peak inner surface current attachment up to one cathode diameter upstream of the tip. The spontaneous attachment of peak current upstream of the cathode tip is suggested as a criterion for characteristic hollow cathode operation. This empirical criterion is verified by experiment

LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Carhart-Harris, R L; Kaelen, M; Whalley, M G; Bolstridge, M; Feilding, A; Nutt, D J

2015-02-01

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has a history of use as a psychotherapeutic aid in the treatment of mood disorders and addiction, and it was also explored as an enhancer of mind control. The present study sought to test the effect of LSD on suggestibility in a modern research study. Ten healthy volunteers were administered with intravenous (i.v.) LSD (40-80 μg) in a within-subject placebo-controlled design. Suggestibility and cued mental imagery were assessed using the Creative Imagination Scale (CIS) and a mental imagery test (MIT). CIS and MIT items were split into two versions (A and B), balanced for 'efficacy' (i.e. A ≈ B) and counterbalanced across conditions (i.e. 50 % completed version 'A' under LSD). The MIT and CIS were issued 110 and 140 min, respectively, post-infusion, corresponding with the peak drug effects. Volunteers gave significantly higher ratings for the CIS (p = 0.018), but not the MIT (p = 0.11), after LSD than placebo. The magnitude of suggestibility enhancement under LSD was positively correlated with trait conscientiousness measured at baseline (p = 0.0005). These results imply that the influence of suggestion is enhanced by LSD. Enhanced suggestibility under LSD may have implications for its use as an adjunct to psychotherapy, where suggestibility plays a major role. That cued imagery was unaffected by LSD implies that suggestions must be of a sufficient duration and level of detail to be enhanced by the drug. The results also imply that individuals with high trait conscientiousness are especially sensitive to the suggestibility-enhancing effects of LSD.

The powers of suggestion: Albert Moll and the debate on hypnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Maehle, Andreas-Holger

2014-01-01

The Berlin physician Albert Moll (1862–1939) was an advocate of hypnotic suggestion therapy and a prolific contributor to the medical, legal and public discussions on hypnotism from the 1880s to the 1920s. While his work in other areas, such as sexology, medical ethics and parapsychology, has recently attracted scholarly attention, this paper for the first time comprehensively examines Moll’s numerous publications on hypnotism and places them in their contemporary context. It covers controversies over the therapeutic application of hypnosis, the reception of Moll’s monograph Der Hypnotismus (1889), his research on the rapport between hypnotizer and subject, his role as an expert on ‘hypnotic crime’, and his views on the historical influence of hypnotism on the development of psychotherapy. My findings suggest that Moll rose to prominence due to the strong late-nineteenth-century public and medical interest in the phenomena of hypnosis, but that his work was soon overshadowed by new, non-hypnotic psychotherapeutic approaches, particularly Freud’s psychoanalysis. PMID:24594818

Does a trade-off between current reproductive success and survival affect the honesty of male signalling in species with male parental care?

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, N B; Alonzo, S H

2010-11-01

Recent theory predicted that male advertisement will reliably signal investment in paternal care in species where offspring survival requires paternal care and males allocate resources between advertisement and care. However, the predicted relationship between care and advertisement depended on the marginal gains from investment in current reproductive traits. Life history theory suggests that these fitness gains are also subject to a trade-off between current and future reproduction. Here, we investigate whether male signalling remains a reliable indicator of parental care when males allocate resources between current advertisement, paternal care and survival to future reproduction. We find that advertisement is predicted to remain a reliable signal of male care but that advertisement may cease to reliably indicate male quality because low-quality males are predicted to invest in current reproduction, whereas higher-quality males are able to invest in both current reproduction and survival to future reproduction. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries in infants and children: imaging findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koplewitz, B.Z.; Manson, D.E.; Babyn, P.S.; Ramos, C.; Ein, S.H.

2000-01-01

Objectives. Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries (DI) in infants and children are uncommon and are often associated with multiple severe injuries. Delayed presentation can be life threatening due to organ herniation and strangulation. We present the imaging findings in a relatively large population of children who experienced this rare injury. Methods. Medical records of all patients admitted to our Trauma Service from 1977 to 1998 with DI were retrospectively reviewed recording imaging, clinical and surgical or autopsy findings. Results. Of sixteen patients with DI (7 females, 9 males; age 3 weeks to 15 years), 14 suffered from blunt trauma secondary to high-energy impact, and 2 from penetrating injuries. Unilateral DI occurred equally on each side, with one bilateral injury. Associated injuries, present in 81%, included severe head injuries, visceral, mesenteric and vascular injuries and multiple fractures. Six patients died from multiple organ failure (3), head injury (2), and shock (1). Findings in the initial chest X-ray suggested the diagnosis in 13 (81%) of 16 injuries, and CT demonstrated irregularity and thickening of the diaphragm in 4 out of 7. Conclusions. Plain film findings suggested the diagnosis in most; CT and MR were useful adjuncts. High index of suspicion and awareness of the mechanism of injury can lead to prompt diagnosis, early repair, and decreased morbidity and mortality. (orig.)

School satisfaction and social relations: Swedish schoolchildren's improvement suggestions.

Science.gov (United States)

Persson, Louise; Haraldsson, Katarina; Hagquist, Curt

2016-01-01

The aim was to explore schoolchildren's views on how to increase school satisfaction and improve social relations among peers at school. Improvement suggestions were collected from school children aged 10-12 years with the help of a feedback model developed for the purpose. Qualitative content analysis was used. Two categories emerged from the analysis: 'psychosocial climate', which included the subcategories 'adults' roles and responsibilities' and 'classmates' norms and values'; 'influence', which included the subcategories 'changes in the physical environment' and 'flexible learning'. The categories are seen as important to increase school satisfaction and improve social relations among peers at school. Examining children's opinions is requested and promoted by the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. The findings contribute to the field by showing how school satisfaction and social relations might be improved, if the child perspective is considered in the planning of health promotion activities in school.

Understanding the impact of prior depression on stress generation: examining the roles of current depressive symptoms and interpersonal behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Josephine H; Eberhart, Nicole K

2008-08-01

Stress generation is a process in which individuals contribute to stressful life events. While research has supported an association between current depression and stress generation, it has been noted that individuals with prior depression tend to contribute to stressors even when they are no longer experiencing a depressive episode. The aim of the study is to elucidate the pathways through which prior major depression predicts interpersonal stress generation in women. Specifically, we examined current subsyndromal depressive symptoms and problematic interpersonal behaviours as potential mediators. Fifty-one college women were followed prospectively for 6 weeks. Participants were interviewed to assess current and past depression as well as stressful life events they experienced over the 6-week period. The findings suggest that prior major depression continues to have an impact even after the episode has ended, as the disorder continues to contribute to stress generation through residual depressive symptoms.

Rare medical conditions and suggestive past-life memories: a case report and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucchetti, Giancarlo; dos Santos Camargo, Luizete; Lucchetti, Alessandra L G; Schwartz, Gary E; Nasri, Fabio

2013-01-01

We aim to report the case of a 38-year-old male with suggestive past-life memories during a regression session and to show how these memories were related to unusual medical conditions: (1) isolated obstruction of the right coronary artery in a young patient, (2) omental infarction, and (3) right aortic arch with isolation of the left subclavian artery. These conditions were related to the following suggestive past-life memories: (1) a priest who committed suicide with a crucifix nailed to his chest and (2) a medieval weapon (skull flail) hitting his cervical and left back region. There was an intriguing relation between the patient's suggestive past-life memories and rare medical conditions. In this article, the authors highlight possible explanations, rarity of findings, and similarities/differences from previous cases and potential pitfalls in this area. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MRI findings of complete growth hormone deficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichiba, Yozo

1995-01-01

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed on the pituitary gland of 20 children (age range, 2-11 years) with short stature due to growth hormone deficiency. Sixteen patients with multiple pituitary hormone deficiency showed disappearance of the pituitary stalk, disappearance of high signal area of the posterior pituitary, presence of ectopic pituitary, and decreased volume of the anterior pituitary. Many of them had a history of perinatal abnormalities such as asphyxia at delivery, breech delivery, and bradytocia. On the contrary, patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency presented no abnormal findings on MR images, and had no history of perinatal abnormalities. The findings of pituitary stalk separation syndrome suggested the presence of multiple hypopituitarism. (S.Y.)

MRI findings of complete growth hormone deficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ichiba, Yozo [National Hospital of Okayama (Japan)

1995-10-01

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed on the pituitary gland of 20 children (age range, 2-11 years) with short stature due to growth hormone deficiency. Sixteen patients with multiple pituitary hormone deficiency showed disappearance of the pituitary stalk, disappearance of high signal area of the posterior pituitary, presence of ectopic pituitary, and decreased volume of the anterior pituitary. Many of them had a history of perinatal abnormalities such as asphyxia at delivery, breech delivery, and bradytocia. On the contrary, patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency presented no abnormal findings on MR images, and had no history of perinatal abnormalities. The findings of pituitary stalk separation syndrome suggested the presence of multiple hypopituitarism. (S.Y.).

''It's Magic!'' the Effects of Presentation Modality on Children's Event Memory, Suggestibility, and Confidence Judgments

Science.gov (United States)

Roebers, Claudia M.; Gelhaar, Tim; Schneider, Wolfgang

2004-01-01

The current study investigated the influence of presentation modality (live, video, and slide show) on children's memory, suggestibility, recognition, and metamemorial monitoring processes. A total of 270 children in three age groups (5- and 6-year-olds, 7- and 8-year-olds, and 9- and 10-year-olds) watched a magic show and were questioned about it…

Spectral Coefficient Analyses of Word-Initial Stop Consonant Productions Suggest Similar Anticipatory Coarticulation for Stuttering and Nonstuttering Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruthy, Santosh; Feng, Yongqiang; Max, Ludo

2018-03-01

A longstanding hypothesis about the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying stuttering suggests that stuttered speech dysfluencies result from a lack of coarticulation. Formant-based measures of either the stuttered or fluent speech of children and adults who stutter have generally failed to obtain compelling evidence in support of the hypothesis that these individuals differ in the timing or degree of coarticulation. Here, we used a sensitive acoustic technique-spectral coefficient analyses-that allowed us to compare stuttering and nonstuttering speakers with regard to vowel-dependent anticipatory influences as early as the onset burst of a preceding voiceless stop consonant. Eight adults who stutter and eight matched adults who do not stutter produced C 1 VC 2 words, and the first four spectral coefficients were calculated for one analysis window centered on the burst of C 1 and two subsequent windows covering the beginning of the aspiration phase. Findings confirmed that the combined use of four spectral coefficients is an effective method for detecting the anticipatory influence of a vowel on the initial burst of a preceding voiceless stop consonant. However, the observed patterns of anticipatory coarticulation showed no statistically significant differences, or trends toward such differences, between the stuttering and nonstuttering groups. Combining the present results for fluent speech in one given phonetic context with prior findings from both stuttered and fluent speech in a variety of other contexts, we conclude that there is currently no support for the hypothesis that the fluent speech of individuals who stutter is characterized by limited coarticulation.

Genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity suggest therapeutic implications in SCN2A-related disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Markus; Johannesen, Katrine M; Hedrich, Ulrike B S; Masnada, Silvia; Rubboli, Guido; Gardella, Elena; Lesca, Gaetan; Ville, Dorothée; Milh, Mathieu; Villard, Laurent; Afenjar, Alexandra; Chantot-Bastaraud, Sandra; Mignot, Cyril; Lardennois, Caroline; Nava, Caroline; Schwarz, Niklas; Gérard, Marion; Perrin, Laurence; Doummar, Diane; Auvin, Stéphane; Miranda, Maria J; Hempel, Maja; Brilstra, Eva; Knoers, Nine; Verbeek, Nienke; van Kempen, Marjan; Braun, Kees P; Mancini, Grazia; Biskup, Saskia; Hörtnagel, Konstanze; Döcker, Miriam; Bast, Thomas; Loddenkemper, Tobias; Wong-Kisiel, Lily; Baumeister, Friedrich M; Fazeli, Walid; Striano, Pasquale; Dilena, Robertino; Fontana, Elena; Zara, Federico; Kurlemann, Gerhard; Klepper, Joerg; Thoene, Jess G; Arndt, Daniel H; Deconinck, Nicolas; Schmitt-Mechelke, Thomas; Maier, Oliver; Muhle, Hiltrud; Wical, Beverly; Finetti, Claudio; Brückner, Reinhard; Pietz, Joachim; Golla, Günther; Jillella, Dinesh; Linnet, Karen M; Charles, Perrine; Moog, Ute; Õiglane-Shlik, Eve; Mantovani, John F; Park, Kristen; Deprez, Marie; Lederer, Damien; Mary, Sandrine; Scalais, Emmanuel; Selim, Laila; Van Coster, Rudy; Lagae, Lieven; Nikanorova, Marina; Hjalgrim, Helle; Korenke, G Christoph; Trivisano, Marina; Specchio, Nicola; Ceulemans, Berten; Dorn, Thomas; Helbig, Katherine L; Hardies, Katia; Stamberger, Hannah; de Jonghe, Peter; Weckhuysen, Sarah; Lemke, Johannes R; Krägeloh-Mann, Ingeborg; Helbig, Ingo; Kluger, Gerhard; Lerche, Holger; Møller, Rikke S

2017-05-01

Mutations in SCN2A, a gene encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.2, have been associated with a spectrum of epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we report the phenotypes of 71 patients and review 130 previously reported patients. We found that (i) encephalopathies with infantile/childhood onset epilepsies (≥3 months of age) occur almost as often as those with an early infantile onset (<3 months), and are thus more frequent than previously reported; (ii) distinct phenotypes can be seen within the late onset group, including myoclonic-atonic epilepsy (two patients), Lennox-Gastaut not emerging from West syndrome (two patients), and focal epilepsies with an electrical status epilepticus during slow sleep-like EEG pattern (six patients); and (iii) West syndrome constitutes a common phenotype with a major recurring mutation (p.Arg853Gln: two new and four previously reported children). Other known phenotypes include Ohtahara syndrome, epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures, and intellectual disability or autism without epilepsy. To assess the response to antiepileptic therapy, we retrospectively reviewed the treatment regimen and the course of the epilepsy in 66 patients for which well-documented medical information was available. We find that the use of sodium channel blockers was often associated with clinically relevant seizure reduction or seizure freedom in children with early infantile epilepsies (<3 months), whereas other antiepileptic drugs were less effective. In contrast, sodium channel blockers were rarely effective in epilepsies with later onset (≥3 months) and sometimes induced seizure worsening. Regarding the genetic findings, truncating mutations were exclusively seen in patients with late onset epilepsies and lack of response to sodium channel blockers. Functional characterization of four selected missense mutations using whole cell patch-clamping in tsA201 cells-together with data from the literature-suggest that

Comparison of Current On-line Payment Technologies

OpenAIRE

Mandadi, Ravi

2006-01-01

The purpose of this thesis work was to make a survey of current on-line payment technologies and find out which are they and how do they work? Compare and analyze them from a security point of view, as well as a usability point of view. What is good? What is bad? What is lacking? To achieve this purpose, an overview of the current on-line payment technologies was acquired through academic books and papers, Internet sites, magazines. Basic cryptographic and security related techniques were stu...

New Zealand dental technicians and continuing education: findings from a qualitative survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Vivienne R; Pang, Lilian C Y; Aarts, John M

2012-06-01

Under the 2003 Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (HPCA) Act, New Zealand registered dental technicians are subject to mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. Internationally, little published literature has examined dental technicians' perspectives of CPD and CPD needs, and there is no published literature relating to the New Zealand context. Available research highlights the importance of CPD for maintaining high professional standards, ensuring patient safety, allowing dental technicians to keep abreast of current research and technological advances, fostering peer networks, and promoting job satisfaction. In 2009, an online open-ended questionnaire was developed to examine New Zealand dental and clinical dental technicians' perspectives of CPD and their perceived CPD needs. In total, 45 New Zealand registered dental technicians responded. Questionnaire responses provided rich qualitative insights into dental technicians' wide-ranging perceptions of CPD, factors that make CPD involvement more or less difficult and more or less desirable, and ways in which CPD access and relevance might be improved. This paper discusses the survey findings in the light of the existing literature on CPD and in relation to the unique New Zealand regulatory environment. It highlights the factors which respondents identified as shaping their CPD decisions, barriers to CPD engagement, perceived CPD needs, suggestions as to how the current CPD system could be improved, and areas for future research.

Hallucinators find meaning in noises: pareidolic illusions in dementia with Lewy bodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoi, Kayoko; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Uchiyama, Makoto; Shimomura, Tatsuo; Iizuka, Osamu; Mori, Etsuro

2014-04-01

By definition, visual illusions and hallucinations differ in whether the perceived objects exist in reality. A recent study challenged this dichotomy, in which pareidolias, a type of complex visual illusion involving ambiguous forms being perceived as meaningful objects, are very common and phenomenologically similar to visual hallucinations in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We hypothesise that a common psychological mechanism exists between pareidolias and visual hallucinations in DLB that confers meaning upon meaningless visual information. Furthermore, we believe that these two types of visual misperceptions have a common underlying neural mechanism, namely, cholinergic insufficiency. The current study investigated pareidolic illusions using meaningless visual noise stimuli (the noise pareidolia test) in 34 patients with DLB, 34 patients with Alzheimer׳s disease and 28 healthy controls. Fifteen patients with DLB were administered the noise pareidolia test twice, before and after donepezil treatment. Three major findings were discovered: (1) DLB patients saw meaningful illusory images (pareidolias) in meaningless visual stimuli, (2) the number of pareidolic responses correlated with the severity of visual hallucinations, and (3) cholinergic enhancement reduced both the number of pareidolias and the severity of visual hallucinations in patients with DLB. These findings suggest that a common underlying psychological and neural mechanism exists between pareidolias and visual hallucinations in DLB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MR findings of ulegyria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Momoshima, Suketaka; Shiga, Hayao; Yuasa, Yuji; Imai, Yutaka; Higuchi, Nobuya; Maezawa, Mariko.

1991-01-01

Magnetic resonance (MR) findings of the brains diagnosed to have ulegyria were reviewed. The reviewed subjects comprised six epileptic children, ranged from 2 to 16 years of age. All patients had convulsion of tonic-clonic type of various severity and had histories of ischemic-hypoxic or hypoglycemic episode in the perinatal or postnatal period. T 1 -weighted images demonstrated the findings precisely reflecting the salient macroscopic features of ulegyria; localized atrophy of the brain with mushroom-shaped cortical gyri with narrow roots and relatively spared wider crowns. T 2 -weighted images showed the areas of hyperintensity in the subcortical and deep white matter subjacent to the atrophic cortex, suggestive of cicatrical gliosis as well as cystic degeneration. The atrophic gyri were seen in the anterior and/or posterior parasagittal arterial border zones bilaterally with minimal asymmetry. Although these findings were nearly pathognomonic to ulegyria, polymicrogyria could mimic it since both are characterized by abnormally diminutive cortical gyri seen in epileptic children. In polymicrogyria, however, affected gyri are uniformly diminutive and not mushroom-shaped, the cortex is rather thickened than atrophic, the underlying white matter shows no focal hyperintensity, subcortical cystic changes are not present, and affected cortex is not restricted to arterial border zones. Even in one of our cases with extensive ulegyria, it was easy to differentiate it from polymicrogyria since parasagittal regions were most severely affected. Although the previous reports on ulegyria have been exclusively based on postmortem pathological examinations or experimental models, its easy recognition on MRI would contribute to further understanding of its clinical significance and mechanisms. (author)

Behavioural Decision Making and Suggestional Processes

OpenAIRE

Molz, Günter

2001-01-01

Common features between the domains of behavioural decision making and suggestional processes are discussed. These features are allocated in two aspects. First, behavioural decision making and suggestional processes are traditionally considered to provoke inadequate human behaviour. In this article arguments are put forward against this interpretation: Actions induced by non-rational decisions and / or by suggestional processes often have adaptive functions. Second, two common themat...

Awareness, Trial, and Current Use of Electronic Cigarettes in 10 Countries: Findings from the ITC Project

OpenAIRE

Gravely, Shannon; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Cummings, K. Michael; Yan, Mi; Quah, Anne C. K.; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Hitchman, Sara C.; McNeill, Ann; Hammond, David; Thrasher, James F.; Willemsen, Marc C.; Seo, Hong Gwan; Jiang, Yuan; Cavalcante, Tania

2014-01-01

Background: In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probabilit...

Radiologic findings of sacroiliitis : emphasis on MR findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Ik; Park, Hai Jung; Lee, Yul; Chung, Soo Young; Park, Jong Ho

1997-01-01

To compare the characteristic MR findings of infectious sacroiliitis (IS) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We retrospectively reviewed MR findings in eight patients with IS (pyogenic in six, tuberculosis in two) confirmed by culture and clinical follow-up, and in six with AS by HLA-B27 typing. AA control group of 13 asymptomatic volunteers was formed, and they underwent MRI Findings were analysed for morphology, degree of bone erosion, and adjacent soft tissue change. CT findings of AS in four patients and IS in four were also compared to MR findings. MR characteristics of IS included unilaterality (100%), abnormal cartilage signal intensity (100%), bone marrow change (100%), contrast enhancement (100%), erosion (63%), and soft tissue change (63%). MR findings of AS showed bilaterality (67%), abnormal cartilage signal intensity (80%), bone marrow change (80%), erosion (80%), contrast enhancement (44%) and soft tissue change (10%). CT scan showed bony sclerosis and erosion (86%), and abnormal joint space (71%). MR findings of sacroiliitis were loss of thin zone of a cartilage and erosions on T1-weighted image, and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted image. MRI is regarded as a useful diagnostic method where conventional diagnosis is difficult, and is able to image cartilage abnormalities directly and noninvasively. Significant differences in MR findings between IS and AS were not noted, however

Meson exchange and neutral weak currents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beck, D.H. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)

1994-04-01

Measurements of parity-violating electron scattering asymmetries to determine weak neutral currents in nuclei will be effected by the presence of meson exchange currents. Present low momentum transfer calculations, based on a flavor independent framework, show these effects to be small. In general, however, as the momentum transfer increases to values typical of deep-inelastic scattering, fragmentation functions show a clear flavor dependence. It is suggested that a good experimental starting point for understanding the flavor dependence of meson production and exchange currents is the Q{sup 2} dependence of parity-violating asymmetry in inclusive single pion electroproduction. A CEBAF facility with doubled energy is necessary to approach momentum transfers where this process begins to scale.

Ion current reduction in pinched electron beam diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quintenz, J.P.; Poukey, J.W.

1977-01-01

A new version of a particle-in-cell diode code has been written which permits the accurate treatment of higher-current diodes with greater physical dimensions. Using this code, we have studied ways to reduce the ion current in large-aspect-ratio pinched electron beam diodes. In particular, we find that allowing the ions to reflex in such diodes lowers the ion to electron current ratio considerably. In a 3-MV R/d=24 case this ratio was lowered by a factor of 6--8 compared with the corresponding nonreflexing-ion diode, while still producing a superpinched electron beam

Molecular imaging: current status and emerging strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pysz, M.A.; Gambhir, S.S.; Willmann, J.K.

2010-01-01

In vivo molecular imaging has a great potential to impact medicine by detecting diseases in early stages (screening), identifying extent of disease, selecting disease- and patient-specific treatment (personalized medicine), applying a directed or targeted therapy, and measuring molecular-specific effects of treatment. Current clinical molecular imaging approaches primarily use positron-emission tomography (PET) or single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT)-based techniques. In ongoing preclinical research, novel molecular targets of different diseases are identified and, sophisticated and multifunctional contrast agents for imaging these molecular targets are developed along with new technologies and instrumentation for multi-modality molecular imaging. Contrast-enhanced molecular ultrasound (US) with molecularly-targeted contrast microbubbles is explored as a clinically translatable molecular imaging strategy for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring diseases at the molecular level. Optical imaging with fluorescent molecular probes and US imaging with molecularly-targeted microbubbles are attractive strategies as they provide real-time imaging, are relatively inexpensive, produce images with high spatial resolution, and do not involve exposure to ionizing irradiation. Raman spectroscopy/microscopy has emerged as a molecular optical imaging strategy for ultrasensitive detection of multiple biomolecules/biochemicals with both in vivo and ex vivo versatility. Photoacoustic imaging is a hybrid of optical and US techniques involving optically-excitable molecularly-targeted contrast agents and quantitative detection of resulting oscillatory contrast agent movement with US. Current preclinical findings and advances in instrumentation, such as endoscopes and microcatheters, suggest that these molecular imaging methods have numerous potential clinical applications and will be translated into clinical use in the near future.

Current distribution in conducting nanowire networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ankush; Vidhyadhiraja, N. S.; Kulkarni, Giridhar U.

2017-07-01

Conducting nanowire networks find diverse applications in solar cells, touch-screens, transparent heaters, sensors, and various related transparent conducting electrode (TCE) devices. The performances of these devices depend on effective resistance, transmittance, and local current distribution in these networks. Although, there have been rigorous studies addressing resistance and transmittance in TCE, not much attention is paid on studying the distribution of current. Present work addresses this compelling issue of understanding current distribution in TCE networks using analytical as well as Monte-Carlo approaches. We quantified the current carrying backbone region against isolated and dangling regions as a function of wire density (ranging from percolation threshold to many multiples of threshold) and compared the wired connectivity with those obtained from template-based methods. Further, the current distribution in the obtained backbone is studied using Kirchhoff's law, which reveals that a significant fraction of the backbone (which is believed to be an active current component) may not be active for end-to-end current transport due to the formation of intervening circular loops. The study shows that conducting wire based networks possess hot spots (extremely high current carrying regions) which can be potential sources of failure. The fraction of these hot spots is found to decrease with increase in wire density, while they are completely absent in template based networks. Thus, the present work discusses unexplored issues related to current distribution in conducting networks, which are necessary to choose the optimum network for best TCE applications.

Comparison of radiation delivered by current diagnostic procedures for herniated disc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasquet, C.; Drouineau, J.; Goubault, F.; Hurmic, A.; Lavigne, B.; Vandermarcq, P.

1983-01-01

Three methods are currently employed for the diagnosis of sciatica due to disc lesions: radiculography, spinal phlebography, and computed tomography. Though their indications vary according to the author, it seemed worthwhile to compare radiation delivered by each of them, because of the often young age of the patients. Dosimetric studies using a Rando Phantom enabled calculation of doses to the skin, spinal cord, and gonads. Results indicated that low doses were delivered by the scanner, relatively high doses by spinal phlebography, and intermediate doses by radiculography. These findings suggest that the initial examination preoperatively in cases of simple sciatica due to herniated disc should be a CT scan whenever possible. Phlebography, on the contrary, and particularly in young women, should be used only exceptionally, as a result of the high doses delivered to the ovaries even during technically simple explorations [fr

The "Finding Physics" Project: Recognizing and Exploring Physics Outside the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Judith; Perkins, James

2016-11-01

Students in introductory physics classes often have difficulty recognizing the relevance of physics concepts outside the confines of the physics classroom, lab, and textbook. Even though textbooks and instructors often provide examples of physics applications from a wide array of areas, students have difficulty relating physics to their own lives. Encouraging students to apply physics to their own surroundings helps them develop the critical analysis skills of a scientifically literate and competent citizen. Fink, in his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences, emphasizes the importance of constructing opportunities to help students connect what they learn in their academic courses with past and current life experiences and link them to possible future life experiences. Several excellent papers in this journal have presented labs and activities that address this concern by encouraging teachers to bring real-world examples into the classroom or to take students into the field for data collection and observation. Alternatively, Smith suggests a writing exercise in which his students identify and explain an event in terms of their understanding of physics. In this paper we present a multiphase exercise that challenges students to find their own examples of physics from outside the classroom and analyze them using the conceptual understanding and quantitative skills which they are developing in the classroom. The ultimate goal of the "Finding Physics" project is to improve students' learning through enhancing their recognition that, to quote one participant's end-of-course survey, "Physics is everywhere!"

Current Assessment of Marihuana: A Rebuttal

Science.gov (United States)

Fulton, Gere B.

1973-01-01

A rebuttal of statements made in an article on ...summary of the most current findings related to marihuana'' which was published in the September issue of The Journal of School Health. It is the author's contention that quality of the data and the validity of the approach were too faulty to fortify the statements made. (JC)

Gestational diabetes mellitus in Europe: prevalence, current screening practice and barriers to screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buckley, B S; Harreiter, J; Damm, P

2012-01-01

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus is a potentially serious condition that affects many pregnancies and its prevalence is increasing. Evidence suggests early detection and treatment improves outcomes, but this is hampered by continued disagreement and inconsistency regarding many aspects...... of its diagnosis. Methods: The Vitamin D and Lifestyle Intervention for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevention (DALI) research programme aims to promote pan-European standards in the detection and diagnosis of gestational diabetes and to develop effective preventive interventions. To provide...... an overview of the context within which the programme will be conducted and its findings interpreted, systematic searching and narrative synthesis have been used to identify and review the best available European evidence relating to the prevalence of gestational diabetes, current screening practices...

Effects of soil rewetting and thawing on soil gas fluxes: a review of current literature and suggestions for future research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.-G. Kim

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The rewetting of dry soils and the thawing of frozen soils are short-term, transitional phenomena in terms of hydrology and the thermodynamics of soil systems. The impact of these short-term phenomena on larger scale ecosystem fluxes is increasingly recognized, and a growing number of studies show that these events affect fluxes of soil gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂, methane (CH₄, nitrous oxide (N₂O, ammonia (NH₃ and nitric oxide (NO. Global climate models predict that future climatic change is likely to alter the frequency and intensity of drying-rewetting events and thawing of frozen soils. These future scenarios highlight the importance of understanding how rewetting and thawing will influence dynamics of these soil gases. This study summarizes findings using a new database containing 338 studies conducted from 1956 to 2011, and highlights open research questions. The database revealed conflicting results following rewetting and thawing in various terrestrial ecosystems and among soil gases, ranging from large increases in fluxes to non-significant changes. Studies reporting lower gas fluxes before rewetting tended to find higher post-rewetting fluxes for CO₂, N₂O and NO; in addition, increases in N₂O flux following thawing were greater in warmer climate regions. We discuss possible mechanisms and controls that regulate flux responses, and recommend that a high temporal resolution of flux measurements is critical to capture rapid changes in gas fluxes after these soil perturbations. Finally, we propose that future studies should investigate the interactions between biological (i.e., microbial community and gas production and physical (i.e., porosity, diffusivity, dissolution changes in soil gas fluxes, apply techniques to capture rapid changes (i.e., automated measurements, and explore synergistic experimental and modelling approaches.

PAK4 crystal structures suggest unusual kinase conformational movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Eric Y; Ha, Byung Hak; Boggon, Titus J

2018-02-01

In order for protein kinases to exchange nucleotide they must open and close their catalytic cleft. These motions are associated with rotations of the N-lobe, predominantly around the 'hinge region'. We conducted an analysis of 28 crystal structures of the serine-threonine kinase, p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4), including three newly determined structures in complex with staurosporine, FRAX486, and fasudil (HA-1077). We find an unusual motion between the N-lobe and C-lobe of PAK4 that manifests as a partial unwinding of helix αC. Principal component analysis of the crystal structures rationalizes these movements into three major states, and analysis of the kinase hydrophobic spines indicates concerted movements that create an accessible back pocket cavity. The conformational changes that we observe for PAK4 differ from previous descriptions of kinase motions, and although we observe these differences in crystal structures there is the possibility that the movements observed may suggest a diversity of kinase conformational changes associated with regulation. Protein kinases are key signaling proteins, and are important drug targets, therefore understanding their regulation is important for both basic research and clinical points of view. In this study, we observe unusual conformational 'hinging' for protein kinases. Hinging, the opening and closing of the kinase sub-domains to allow nucleotide binding and release, is critical for proper kinase regulation and for targeted drug discovery. We determine new crystal structures of PAK4, an important Rho-effector kinase, and conduct analyses of these and previously determined structures. We find that PAK4 crystal structures can be classified into specific conformational groups, and that these groups are associated with previously unobserved hinging motions and an unusual conformation for the kinase hydrophobic core. Our findings therefore indicate that there may be a diversity of kinase hinging motions, and that these may

Measuring Children's Suggestibility in Forensic Interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Volpini, Laura; Melis, Manuela; Petralia, Stefania; Rosenberg, Melina D

2016-01-01

According to the scientific literature, childrens' cognitive development is not complete until adolescence. Therefore, the problems inherent in children serving as witnesses are crucial. In preschool-aged children, false memories may be identified because of misinformation and insight bias. Additionally, they are susceptible of suggestions. The aim of this study was to verify the levels of suggestibility in children between three and 5 years of age. Ninety-two children were examined (44 male, 48 female; M = 4.5 years, SD = 9.62). We used the correlation coefficient (Pearson's r) and the averages variance by SPSS statistical program. The results concluded that: younger children are almost always more susceptible to suggestibility. The dimension of immediate recall was negatively correlates with that of total suggestibility (r = -0.357 p suggestibility, because older children shift their answers more often (r = 0.394 p < 0.001). Younger children change their answers more times (r = -0.395 p < 0.001). © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Impulsivity, self-control, and hypnotic suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludwig, V U; Stelzel, C; Krutiak, H; Prunkl, C E; Steimke, R; Paschke, L M; Kathmann, N; Walter, H

2013-06-01

Hypnotic responding might be due to attenuated frontal lobe functioning after the hypnotic induction. Little is known about whether personality traits linked with frontal functioning are associated with responsiveness to hypnotic suggestions. We assessed whether hypnotic suggestibility is related to the traits of self-control and impulsivity in 154 participants who completed the Brief Self-Control Scale, the Self-Regulation Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS:A). BIS-11 non-planning impulsivity correlated positively with HGSHS:A (Bonferroni-corrected). Furthermore, in the best model emerging from a stepwise multiple regression, both non-planning impulsivity and self-control positively predicted hypnotic suggestibility, and there was an interaction of BIS-11 motor impulsivity with gender. For men only, motor impulsivity tended to predict hypnotic suggestibility. Hypnotic suggestibility is associated with personality traits linked with frontal functioning, and hypnotic responding in men and women might differ. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Schnitzler's syndrome: an unusual cause of bone pain with suggestive nuclear imaging features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raedt, N. de; Mortelmans, L.

2009-01-01

Schnitzler's syndrome is a rare inflammatory disorder characterised by chronic urticarial rash and monoclonal IgM gammopathy accompanied by at least two of the following features: fever, arthralgia or arthritis, bone pain, lymphadenopathy, hepato- or splenomegaly, leucocytosis and elevated sedimentation. The association of these clinical and biological features with radiographic and bone scan findings are suggestive of the disease. The case of a 37-year-old man presenting with Schnitzler's syndrome, emphasizing nuclear imaging features is reported here. (N.C.)

Duodenal diverticulitis. computed tomography findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, E.; Martin, S.; Garcia, J.; Dominguez, A.

2001-01-01

Duodenal diverticular occur very frequently among the general public. However, duodenal diverticulitis is a very uncommon clinical entity, the diagnosis of which requires radiological studies since the clinical signs cam mimic a great number of disease processes with different treatments. We present a case of duodenal diverticulitis in which the diagnosis according to ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) studies was confirmed intraoperatively. We also review the few cases of this entity reported in the literature. The CT findings are highly suggestive of duodenal diverticulitis given their similarity to those associated with diverticulitis at other sites. (Author) 5 refs,

Suggestibility and negative priming: two replication studies.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Daniel; Brown, Richard J

2002-07-01

Research suggests that inhibiting the effect of irrelevant stimuli on subsequent thought and action (cognitive inhibition) may be an important component of suggestibility. Two small correlation studies were conducted to address the relationship between different aspects of suggestibility and individual differences in cognitive inhibition, operationalized as the degree of negative priming generated by to-be-ignored stimuli in a semantic categorization task. The first study found significant positive correlations between negative priming, hypnotic suggestibility, and creative imagination; a significant negative correlation was obtained between negative priming and interrogative suggestibility, demonstrating the discriminant validity of the study results. The second study replicated the correlation between negative priming and hypnotic suggestibility, using a different suggestibility measurement procedure that assessed subjective experience and hypnotic involuntariness as well as objective responses to suggestions. These studies support the notion that the ability to engage in cognitive inhibition may be an important component of hypnotic responsivity and maybe of other forms of suggestibility.

Powerful Bivariate Genome-Wide Association Analyses Suggest the SOX6 Gene Influencing Both Obesity and Osteoporosis Phenotypes in Males

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yao-Zhong; Pei, Yu-Fang; Liu, Jian-Feng; Yang, Fang; Guo, Yan; Zhang, Lei; Liu, Xiao-Gang; Yan, Han; Wang, Liang; Zhang, Yin-Ping; Levy, Shawn; Recker, Robert R.; Deng, Hong-Wen

2009-01-01

Background Current genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are normally implemented in a univariate framework and analyze different phenotypes in isolation. This univariate approach ignores the potential genetic correlation between important disease traits. Hence this approach is difficult to detect pleiotropic genes, which may exist for obesity and osteoporosis, two common diseases of major public health importance that are closely correlated genetically. Principal Findings To identify such pleiotropic genes and the key mechanistic links between the two diseases, we here performed the first bivariate GWAS of obesity and osteoporosis. We searched for genes underlying co-variation of the obesity phenotype, body mass index (BMI), with the osteoporosis risk phenotype, hip bone mineral density (BMD), scanning ∼380,000 SNPs in 1,000 unrelated homogeneous Caucasians, including 499 males and 501 females. We identified in the male subjects two SNPs in intron 1 of the SOX6 (SRY-box 6) gene, rs297325 and rs4756846, which were bivariately associated with both BMI and hip BMD, achieving p values of 6.82×10−7 and 1.47×10−6, respectively. The two SNPs ranked at the top in significance for bivariate association with BMI and hip BMD in the male subjects among all the ∼380,000 SNPs examined genome-wide. The two SNPs were replicated in a Framingham Heart Study (FHS) cohort containing 3,355 Caucasians (1,370 males and 1,985 females) from 975 families. In the FHS male subjects, the two SNPs achieved p values of 0.03 and 0.02, respectively, for bivariate association with BMI and femoral neck BMD. Interestingly, SOX6 was previously found to be essential to both cartilage formation/chondrogenesis and obesity-related insulin resistance, suggesting the gene's dual role in both bone and fat. Conclusions Our findings, together with the prior biological evidence, suggest the SOX6 gene's importance in co-regulation of obesity and osteoporosis. PMID:19714249

Emergent lineages of mumps virus suggest the need for a polyvalent vaccine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghan May

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Mumps outbreaks among vaccinated patients have become increasingly common in recent years. While there are multiple conditions driving this re-emergence, convention has suggested that these outbreaks are associated with waning immunity rather than vaccine escape. Molecular evidence from both the ongoing American and Dutch outbreaks in conjunction with recent structural biology studies challenge this convention, and suggest that emergent lineages of mumps virus exhibit key differences in antigenic epitopes from the vaccine strain employed: Jeryl-Lynn 5. The American and Dutch 2016–2017 outbreak lineages were examined using computational biology through the lens of diversity in immunogenic epitopes. Findings are discussed and the laboratory evidence indicating neutralization of heterologous mumps strains by serum from vaccinated individuals is reviewed. Taken together, it is concluded that the number of heterologous epitopes occurring in mumps virus in conjunction with waning immunity is facilitating small outbreaks in vaccinated patients, and that consideration of a polyvalent mumps vaccine is warranted.

In silico analysis suggests interaction between Ebola virus and the extracellular matrix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veljko eVeljkovic

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The worst Ebola virus (EV outbreak in history has hit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea hardest and the trendlines in this crisis are grave, and now represents global public health threat concern. Limited therapeutic and/or prophylactic options which are available for humans suffering from Ebola virus disease (EVD further complicate situation. Previous studies suggested that the EV glycoprotein (GP is the main determinant causing structural damage of endothelial cells that triggers the hemorrhagic diathesis, but molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remains elusive. Using the informational spectrum method (ISM, a virtual spectroscopy method for analysis of the protein-protein interactions, the interaction of GP with endothelial extracellular matrix (ECM was investigated. Presented results of this in silico study suggest that Elastin Microfibril Interface Located Proteins (EMILINs are involved in interaction between GP and ECM. This finding could contribute to better understanding of EV/endothelium interaction and its role in pathogenesis, prevention and therapy of EVD.

Glass-to-cryogenic-liquid transitions in aqueous solutions suggested by crack healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chae Un; Tate, Mark W; Gruner, Sol M

2015-09-22

Observation of theorized glass-to-liquid transitions between low-density amorphous (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) water states had been stymied by rapid crystallization below the homogeneous water nucleation temperature (∼235 K at 0.1 MPa). We report optical and X-ray observations suggestive of glass-to-liquid transitions in these states. Crack healing, indicative of liquid, occurs when LDA ice transforms to cubic ice at 160 K, and when HDA ice transforms to the LDA state at temperatures as low as 120 K. X-ray diffraction study of the HDA to LDA transition clearly shows the characteristics of a first-order transition. Study of the glass-to-liquid transitions in nanoconfined aqueous solutions shows them to be independent of the solute concentrations, suggesting that they represent an intrinsic property of water. These findings support theories that LDA and HDA ice are thermodynamically distinct and that they are continuously connected to two different liquid states of water.

Glass-to-cryogenic-liquid transitions in aqueous solutions suggested by crack healing

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chae Un; Tate, Mark W.; Gruner, Sol M.

2015-01-01

Observation of theorized glass-to-liquid transitions between low-density amorphous (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) water states had been stymied by rapid crystallization below the homogeneous water nucleation temperature (∼235 K at 0.1 MPa). We report optical and X-ray observations suggestive of glass-to-liquid transitions in these states. Crack healing, indicative of liquid, occurs when LDA ice transforms to cubic ice at 160 K, and when HDA ice transforms to the LDA state at temperatures as low as 120 K. X-ray diffraction study of the HDA to LDA transition clearly shows the characteristics of a first-order transition. Study of the glass-to-liquid transitions in nanoconfined aqueous solutions shows them to be independent of the solute concentrations, suggesting that they represent an intrinsic property of water. These findings support theories that LDA and HDA ice are thermodynamically distinct and that they are continuously connected to two different liquid states of water. PMID:26351671

Linking brain electrical signals elicited by current outcomes with future risk decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dandan eZhang

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The experience of current outcomes influences future decisions in various ways. The neural mechanism of this phenomenon may help to clarify the determinants of decision-making. In this study, thirty-nine young adults finished a risky gambling task by choosing between a high- and a low-risk option in each trial during electroencephalographic data collection. We found that risk-taking strategies significantly modulated mean amplitudes of the event-related potential (ERP component P3, particularly at the central scalp. The event-related spectral perturbation and the inter-trial coherence measurements of the independent component analysis (ICA data indicated that the stay vs. switch electrophysiological difference associated with subsequent decision-making was mainly due to fronto-central theta and left/right mu independent components. Event-related cross-coherence results suggested that the neural information of action monitoring and updating emerged in the fronto-central cortex and propagated to sensorimotor area for further behavior adjustment. Based on these findings of ERP and event-related oscillation (ERO measures, we proposed a neural model of the influence of current outcomes on future decisions.

The origin, current diversity and future conservation of the modern lion (Panthera leo)

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Ross; Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki; Barnes, Ian; Cooper, Alan

2006-01-01

Understanding the phylogeographic processes affecting endangered species is crucial both to interpreting their evolutionary history and to the establishment of conservation strategies. Lions provide a key opportunity to explore such processes; however, a lack of genetic diversity and shortage of suitable samples has until now hindered such investigation. We used mitochondrial control region DNA (mtDNA) sequences to investigate the phylogeographic history of modern lions, using samples from across their entire range. We find the sub-Saharan African lions are basal among modern lions, supporting a single African origin model of modern lion evolution, equivalent to the ‘recent African origin’ model of modern human evolution. We also find the greatest variety of mtDNA haplotypes in the centre of Africa, which may be due to the distribution of physical barriers and continental-scale habitat changes caused by Pleistocene glacial oscillations. Our results suggest that the modern lion may currently consist of three geographic populations on the basis of their recent evolutionary history: North African–Asian, southern African and middle African. Future conservation strategies should take these evolutionary subdivisions into consideration. PMID:16901830

Albinism: classification, clinical characteristics, and recent findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Summers, C Gail

2009-06-01

To describe the clinical characteristics and recent findings in the heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of melanin biosynthesis grouped as "albinism." The current classification of albinism, and the cutaneous, ocular, and central nervous system characteristics are presented. Recent clinical findings are summarized. Albinism is now classified based on genes known to be responsible for albinism. Foveal hypoplasia is invariably present and individuals with albinism often have delayed visual development, reduced vision, nystagmus, a positive angle kappa, strabismus, iris transillumination, and absent or reduced melanin pigment in the fundi. A visual-evoked potential can document the excessive retinostriate decussation seen in albinism. Grating acuity can be used to document delayed visual development in preverbal children. Glasses are often needed to improve visual acuity and binocular alignment. Albinism is caused by several different genes. Heterogeneity in clinical phenotype indicates that expressivity is variable.

Climate change: Recent findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesselmans, G.H.F.M.

1993-08-01

In the late eighties several reports have been published on climate change and sea level rise. In the meantime insights may have changed due to the availability of better and more observations and/or more advanced climate models. The aim of this report is to present the most recent findings with respect to climate change, in particular of sea level rise, storm surges and river peak flows. These climate factors are important for the safety of low-lying areas with respect to coastal erosion and flooding. In the first chapters a short review is presented of a few of the eighties reports. Furthermore, the predictions by state of the art climate models at that time are given. The reports from the eighties should be considered as 'old' information, whereas the IPCC supplement and work, for example, by Wigley should be considered as new information. To assess the latest findings two experts in this field were interviewed: dr J. Oerlemans and dr C.J.E. Schuurmans, a climate expert from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Their views are presented together with results published in recent papers on the subject. On the basis of this assessment, the report presents current knowledge regarding predictions of climate change (including sea-level rise) over the next century, together with an assessment of the uncertainties associated with these predictions. 14 figs., 11 tabs., 24 refs

Eddy Current Assessment of Engineered Components Containing Nanofibers

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Ray T.; Hoppe, Wally; Pierce, Jenny

2009-03-01

The eddy current approach has been used to assess engineered components containing nanofibers. Five specimens with different programmed defects were fabricated. A 4-point collinear probe was used to verify the electrical resistivity of each specimen. The liftoff component of the eddy current signal was used to test two extreme cases with different nano contents. Additional eddy current measurements were also used in detecting a missing nano layer simulating a manufacturing process error. The results of this assessment suggest that eddy current liftoff measurement can be a useful tool in evaluating the electrical properties of materials containing nanofibers.

Are Suicidal Behaviors Contagious in Adolescence?: Using Longitudinal Data to Examine Suicide Suggestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrutyn, Seth; Mueller, Anna S

2014-04-01

Though Durkheim argued that strong social relationships protect individuals from suicide, we posit that these relationships have the potential to increase individuals' vulnerability when they expose them to suicidality. Using three waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we evaluate whether new suicidal thoughts and attempts are in part responses to exposure to the suicide attempts of role models, specifically friends and family. We find that the suicide attempts of role models do in fact trigger new suicidal thoughts and in some cases attempts, even after significant controls are introduced. Moreover, we find that these effects fade with time, that girls are more vulnerable to them than boys, and that the relationship to the role model-for teenagers at least-matters. Friends appear to be more salient role models for both boys and girls. Our findings suggest that exposure to suicidal behaviors in significant others may teach individuals new ways to deal with emotional distress, namely by becoming suicidal. This reinforces the idea that the structure - and content - of social networks conditions their role in preventing suicidality. Specifically, social ties can be conduits of not just social support, but also anti-social behaviors, like suicidality.

MR findings of cerebral palsy and clinical correlation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sun Ho; Kim, In One; Kim, Woo Sun; Yeon, Kyung Mo [Seoul National Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1997-04-01

To demonstrate MR findings of cerebral palsy (CP), correlation with clinical findings, and differences between the full-term and pre-term group. Brain MRI of 94 patients with cerebral palsy (CP) were reviewed. The frequency of each MR finding, statistical correlation with clinical findings including type, severity and extent of CP, and differences between the full-term and pre-term group were analyzed. Abnormal MR findings were found in 83 patients(88%), and were as follows : diffuse brain atrophy(30%); periventricular leukomalacia(PVL)(28%); infarction(11%), basal ganglia abnormality(11%); delayed myelination(10%); nonspecific tissue loss or encephalomalacia(9%); and cortical dysplasia(7%). Hemiplegia was the most common condition among patients with infarction, and was found in 80% of this group; diplegia was found in 50% of cases with diffuse brain atrophy, while paraplegia was found in 36% of those with normal MR findings (p < .05). Mild symptoms were dominant in patients with normal MR findings(82%) and in those with infarctions(90%)(p < .05). PVL was the dominant finding in the pre-term group (65%) whereas findings in the full-term group varied; in this group, 38% of MR findings suggested prenatal insults. Possible causative factors were found in 66% of the full-term and 80% of the pre-term group. Perinatal factors were dominant in the pre-term group(81%), whereas prenatal and postnatal factors showed relatively higher frequencies in the full-term group(30% and 24%, respectively). Diffuse brain atrophy and PVL were the most common MR findings. The extent of CP the pre-term correlated well with MR findings. PVL and perinatal factors were dominant in the pre-term group, whereas variable MR findings and relatively higher frequencies of pre- and postnatal factors were found in the full-term group.

MR findings of cerebral palsy and clinical correlation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sun Ho; Kim, In One; Kim, Woo Sun; Yeon, Kyung Mo

1997-01-01

To demonstrate MR findings of cerebral palsy (CP), correlation with clinical findings, and differences between the full-term and pre-term group. Brain MRI of 94 patients with cerebral palsy (CP) were reviewed. The frequency of each MR finding, statistical correlation with clinical findings including type, severity and extent of CP, and differences between the full-term and pre-term group were analyzed. Abnormal MR findings were found in 83 patients(88%), and were as follows : diffuse brain atrophy(30%); periventricular leukomalacia(PVL)(28%); infarction(11%), basal ganglia abnormality(11%); delayed myelination(10%); nonspecific tissue loss or encephalomalacia(9%); and cortical dysplasia(7%). Hemiplegia was the most common condition among patients with infarction, and was found in 80% of this group; diplegia was found in 50% of cases with diffuse brain atrophy, while paraplegia was found in 36% of those with normal MR findings (p < .05). Mild symptoms were dominant in patients with normal MR findings(82%) and in those with infarctions(90%)(p < .05). PVL was the dominant finding in the pre-term group (65%) whereas findings in the full-term group varied; in this group, 38% of MR findings suggested prenatal insults. Possible causative factors were found in 66% of the full-term and 80% of the pre-term group. Perinatal factors were dominant in the pre-term group(81%), whereas prenatal and postnatal factors showed relatively higher frequencies in the full-term group(30% and 24%, respectively). Diffuse brain atrophy and PVL were the most common MR findings. The extent of CP the pre-term correlated well with MR findings. PVL and perinatal factors were dominant in the pre-term group, whereas variable MR findings and relatively higher frequencies of pre- and postnatal factors were found in the full-term group

Persistent current of relativistic electrons on a Dirac ring in presence of impurities

KAUST Repository

Ghosh, Sumit; Saha, Arijit

2014-01-01

We study the behaviour of persistent current of relativistic electrons on a one dimensional ring in presence of attractive/repulsive scattering potentials. In particular, we investigate the persistent current in accordance with the strength as well as the number of the scattering potential. We find that in presence of single scatterer the persistent current becomes smaller in magnitude than the scattering free scenario. This behaviour is similar to the non-relativistic case. Even for a very strong scattering potential, finite amount of persistent current remains for a relativistic ring. In presence of multiple scatterer we observe that the persistent current is maximum when the scatterers are placed uniformly compared to the current averaged over random configurations. However if we increase the number of scatterers, we find that the random averaged current increases with the number of scatterers. The latter behaviour is in contrast to the non-relativistic case. © 2014 EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Persistent current of relativistic electrons on a Dirac ring in presence of impurities

KAUST Repository

Ghosh, Sumit

2014-08-01

We study the behaviour of persistent current of relativistic electrons on a one dimensional ring in presence of attractive/repulsive scattering potentials. In particular, we investigate the persistent current in accordance with the strength as well as the number of the scattering potential. We find that in presence of single scatterer the persistent current becomes smaller in magnitude than the scattering free scenario. This behaviour is similar to the non-relativistic case. Even for a very strong scattering potential, finite amount of persistent current remains for a relativistic ring. In presence of multiple scatterer we observe that the persistent current is maximum when the scatterers are placed uniformly compared to the current averaged over random configurations. However if we increase the number of scatterers, we find that the random averaged current increases with the number of scatterers. The latter behaviour is in contrast to the non-relativistic case. © 2014 EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Fluctuation of heat current in Josephson junctions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Virtanen

2015-02-01

Full Text Available We discuss the statistics of heat current between two superconductors at different temperatures connected by a generic weak link. As the electronic heat in superconductors is carried by Bogoliubov quasiparticles, the heat transport fluctuations follow the Levitov–Lesovik relation. We identify the energy-dependent quasiparticle transmission probabilities and discuss the resulting probability density and fluctuation relations of the heat current. We consider multichannel junctions, and find that heat transport in diffusive junctions is unique in that its statistics is independent of the phase difference between the superconductors.