Dual hit lipopolysaccharide & oleic acid combination induced rat model of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T N Hagawane

2016-01-01

Results: It was noted that the respiratory rate, and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α levels were significantly higher at 4 h in the dual hit group as compared to LPS, OA and control groups. Interleukin-6 (IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the dual hit group as compared to LPS at 8 and 24 h, OA at 8 h and control (at all time intervals group. IL-1β levels were significantly higher in LPS and dual hit groups at all time intervals, but not in OA and control groups. The injury induced in dual hit group was earlier and more sustained as compared to LPS and OA alone. Interpretation & conclusions: The lung pathology and changes in respiration functions produced by the dual hit model were closer to the diagnostic criteria of ALI/ARDS in terms of clinical manifestations and pulmonary injury and the injury persisted longer as compared to LPS and OA single hit model. Therefore, the ARDS model produced by the dual hit method was closer to the diagnostic criteria of ARDS in terms of clinical manifestations and pulmonary injury.

77 FR 32639 - HIT Standards Committee and HIT Policy Committee; Call for Nominations

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee and HIT Policy Committee; Call for... Health Information Technology Policy Committee (HITPC). Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee and HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committees: The HITSC is charged to provide...

Hit Parade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Backe, Hans-Joachim

2017-01-01

Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Kulturnatten 2017, ITU, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 13, 2017.......Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Kulturnatten 2017, ITU, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 13, 2017....

Hit Parade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cermak, Daniel; Wrighton, Max Alexander; Backe, Hans-Joachim

2016-01-01

Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Demo Night, ITU, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 5, 2016.......Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Demo Night, ITU, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 5, 2016....

NIMROD Simulations of the HIT-SI and HIT-SI3 Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Kyle; Jarboe, Tom; Hossack, Aaron; Chandra, Rian; Everson, Chris

2017-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) experiment uses a set of inductively driven helicity injectors to apply non-axisymmetric current drive on the edge of the plasma, driving an axisymmetric spheromak equilibrium in a central confinement volume. Significant improvements have been made to extended MHD modeling of HIT-SI, with both the resolution of disagreement at high injector frequencies in HIT-SI in addition to successes with the new upgraded HIT-SI3 device. Previous numerical studies of HIT-SI, using a zero-beta eMHD model, focused on operations with a drive frequency of 14.5 kHz, and found reduced agreement with both the magnetic profile and current amplification at higher frequencies (30-70 kHz). HIT-SI3 has three helicity injectors which are able to operate with different mode structures of perturbations through the different relative temporal phasing of the injectors. Simulations that allow for pressure gradients have been performed in the parameter regimes of both devices using the NIMROD code and show improved agreement with experimental results, most notably capturing the observed Shafranov-shift due to increased beta observed at higher finj in HIT-SI and the variety of toroidal perturbation spectra available in HIT-SI3. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-FG02- 96ER54361.

Hit Parade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cermak, Daniel; Wrighton, Max Alexander; Backe, Hans-Joachim

2016-01-01

Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Kulturnatten 2016, Danish Science Ministry, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 14, 2016.......Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Max Alexander Wrighton, Hans-Joachim Backe. Hit Parade. Installation. Kulturnatten 2016, Danish Science Ministry, Copenhagen, DK, Oct 14, 2016....

Post-hit dynamics of price limit hits in the Chinese stock markets

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ting; Wang, Yue; Li, Ming-Xia

2017-01-01

Price limit trading rules are useful to cool off traders short-term trading mania on individual stocks. The price dynamics approaching the limit boards are known as the magnet effect. However, the price dynamics after opening price limit hits are not well investigated. Here, we provide a detailed analysis on the price dynamics after the hits of up-limit or down-limit is open based on all A-share stocks traded in the Chinese stock markets. A "W" shape is found in the expected return, which reveals high probability of a continuous price limit hit on the following day. We also find that price dynamics after opening limit hits are dependent on the market trends. The time span of continuously hitting the price limit is found to an influence factor of the expected profit after the limit hit is open. Our analysis provides a better understanding of the price dynamics around the limit boards and contributes potential practical values for investors.

Sense of coherence and its associations with psychosocial health: results of survey of the unemployed in Kaunas.

Science.gov (United States)

Stankūnas, Mindaugas; Kalediene, Ramune; Starkuviene, Skirmante

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE. To evaluate the associations between sense of coherence and psychosocial health among unemployed adult population. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The data were collected during a cross-sectional study in 2005. There were 429 filled-in questionnaires received (response rate, 53.6%) from unemployed persons registered at the Kaunas Labor Market Office (Lithuania). For the assessment of the sense of coherence, a short 13-item version of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire was used. Long-term unemployment was defined as lasting 12 months or longer. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk factors having influence on sense of coherence. The risk was evaluated using odds ratio (OR). RESULTS. The mean score for sense of coherence was 56.6+/-11.2 (min, 13; max, 91). Significantly higher sense of coherence was found among the short-term unemployed as compare to the long-term ones. Analysis showed that sense of coherence was significantly higher in males, more educated and less materially deprived groups. The findings indicated that persons with depression, suicide intentions, more intensive alcohol consumption (after the job loss), poor self-reported health, feelings of loneliness and shame, and poor relations with family reported lower sense of coherence. The risk of low sense of coherence was significantly higher for females (OR=2.97) and the long-term unemployed (OR=1.81). Nevertheless, higher education (OR=0.73) and income (OR=0.83) were the factors that significantly improved sense of coherence. CONCLUSIONS. Sense of coherence was low among the unemployed in Kaunas. Sense of coherence was lower among the unemployed with negative psychosocial health characteristics in comparison to the unemployed with positive characteristics.

Eyewitness Identification Reforms: Are Suggestiveness-Induced Hits and Guesses True Hits?

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Gary L; Steblay, Nancy K; Dysart, Jennifer E

2012-05-01

Research-based reforms for collecting eyewitness identification evidence (e.g., unbiased pre-lineup instructions, double-blind administration) have been proposed by psychologists and adopted in increasing numbers of jurisdictions across the United States. It is well known that reducing rates of mistaken identifications can also reduce accurate identification rates (hits). But the reforms are largely designed to reduce the suggestiveness of the procedures they are meant to replace. Accordingly, we argue that it is misleading to label any hits obtained because of suggestive procedures as "hits" and then saddle reforms with the charge that they reduce the rate of these illegitimate hits. Eyewitness identification evidence should be based solely on the independent memory of the witness, not aided by biased instructions, cues from lineup administrators, or the use of lineup fillers who make the suspect stand out. Failure to call out these hits as being illegitimate can give solace to those who are motivated to preserve the status quo. © The Author(s) 2012.

Mental hygiene movement as a (r)evolutionary trend in public health in interwar Kaunas and Vilnius from 1918 to 1939.

Science.gov (United States)

Žalnora, Aistis; Miežutavičiūtė, Vitalija

2016-01-01

The health care system of the interwar period is distinguished by its revolutionary attempts to overcome social diseases and social hardships in general. In the researches published after the Second World War, different and in some cases even contradicting ideas on mental hygiene and eugenics were mixed together and were associated - almost exclusively - with the Nazi's racist ideology, totalitarian, or authoritarian regimes. The assessments of social-medical policy of the interwar period in the Baltic region also became rather one-sided. Felder's recent study (1) gives the impression that changes in psychiatry in Lithuania were caused by the Nazi's eugenics as a single agent. However, there were other factors. One of the most significant ones was the mental hygiene movement that will be discussed in this paper. In this research we used descriptive and comparative methods. After the First World War, the problem of treatment of the mentally ill was a medical and a social issue that required a completely new approach both in Lithuania and in Vilnius. The most notable manifestation of such a new attitude in psychiatry was a mental hygiene movement. University scientists in Vilnius and Kaunas were discussing issues of mental hygiene. The mental hygiene movement of the early 20th century played an important role in the later development in psychiatry and medical sciences. The ideas published by the medical doctors in Kaunas and Vilnius were partly characteristic of the interwar period, although some of them went far ahead of their times.

A fast online hit verification method for the single ion hit system at GSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, G.; Fischer, B.; Barberet, P.; Heiss, M.

2006-01-01

For a single ion hit facility built to irradiate specific targets inside biological cells, it is necessary to prove that the ions hit the selected targets reliably because the ion hits usually cannot be seen. That ability is traditionally tested either indirectly by aiming at pre-etched tracks in a nuclear track detector or directly by making the ion tracks inside cells visible using a stain coupled to special proteins produced in response to ion hits. However, both methods are time consuming and hits can be verified only after the experiment. This means that targeting errors in the experiment cannot be corrected during the experiment. Therefore, we have developed a fast online hit verification method that measures the targeting accuracy electronically with a spatial resolution of ±1 μm before cell irradiation takes place. (authors)

Health Information Technology (HIT) Adaptation: Refocusing on the Journey to Successful HIT Implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yen, Po-Yin; McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Sieck, Cynthia J; Hefner, Jennifer L; Huerta, Timothy R

2017-09-07

In past years, policies and regulations required hospitals to implement advanced capabilities of certified electronic health records (EHRs) in order to receive financial incentives. This has led to accelerated implementation of health information technologies (HIT) in health care settings. However, measures commonly used to evaluate the success of HIT implementation, such as HIT adoption, technology acceptance, and clinical quality, fail to account for complex sociotechnical variability across contexts and the different trajectories within organizations because of different implementation plans and timelines. We propose a new focus, HIT adaptation, to illuminate factors that facilitate or hinder the connection between use of the EHR and improved quality of care as well as to explore the trajectory of changes in the HIT implementation journey as it is impacted by frequent system upgrades and optimizations. Future research should develop instruments to evaluate the progress of HIT adaptation in both its longitudinal design and its focus on adaptation progress rather than on one cross-sectional outcome, allowing for more generalizability and knowledge transfer. ©Po-Yin Yen, Ann Scheck McAlearney, Cynthia J Sieck, Jennifer L Hefner, Timothy R Huerta. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 07.09.2017.

Dirty Hits

OpenAIRE

Clarke, Louise

2010-01-01

Issue 9 of the Saatchi Gallery Magazine: Art&Music is dedicated to Sex. The article Dirty Hits invited a cross-section of contemporary artists and musicians to answer: What makes a dirty hit? As one of the artists invited, I wrote an autobiographical piece to reveal how these fumbling, feral sexual experiences of my childhood landscape, along with irrational superstition and folk law inform my life and underpin my work. The article also included an artwork: Louise Clarke, Sip (2009)

Quantum walks with infinite hitting times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krovi, Hari; Brun, Todd A.

2006-01-01

Hitting times are the average time it takes a walk to reach a given final vertex from a given starting vertex. The hitting time for a classical random walk on a connected graph will always be finite. We show that, by contrast, quantum walks can have infinite hitting times for some initial states. We seek criteria to determine if a given walk on a graph will have infinite hitting times, and find a sufficient condition, which for discrete time quantum walks is that the degeneracy of the evolution operator be greater than the degree of the graph. The set of initial states which give an infinite hitting time form a subspace. The phenomenon of infinite hitting times is in general a consequence of the symmetry of the graph and its automorphism group. Using the irreducible representations of the automorphism group, we derive conditions such that quantum walks defined on this graph must have infinite hitting times for some initial states. In the case of the discrete walk, if this condition is satisfied the walk will have infinite hitting times for any choice of a coin operator, and we give a class of graphs with infinite hitting times for any choice of coin. Hitting times are not very well defined for continuous time quantum walks, but we show that the idea of infinite hitting-time walks naturally extends to the continuous time case as well

77 FR 23250 - HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information... 2009 mandates that the HIT Standards Committee develop a schedule for the assessment of policy...

76 FR 25355 - HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-04

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information... 2009 mandates that the HIT Standards Committee develop a schedule for the assessment of policy...

78 FR 29134 - HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee; Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information... 2009 mandates that the HIT Standards Committee develop a schedule for the assessment of policy...

Statistical properties and pre-hit dynamics of price limit hits in the Chinese stock markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Yu-Lei; Xie, Wen-Jie; Gu, Gao-Feng; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Xiong, Xiong; Zhang, Wei; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2015-01-01

Price limit trading rules are adopted in some stock markets (especially emerging markets) trying to cool off traders' short-term trading mania on individual stocks and increase market efficiency. Under such a microstructure, stocks may hit their up-limits and down-limits from time to time. However, the behaviors of price limit hits are not well studied partially due to the fact that main stock markets such as the US markets and most European markets do not set price limits. Here, we perform detailed analyses of the high-frequency data of all A-share common stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2011 to investigate the statistical properties of price limit hits and the dynamical evolution of several important financial variables before stock price hits its limits. We compare the properties of up-limit hits and down-limit hits. We also divide the whole period into three bullish periods and three bearish periods to unveil possible differences during bullish and bearish market states. To uncover the impacts of stock capitalization on price limit hits, we partition all stocks into six portfolios according to their capitalizations on different trading days. We find that the price limit trading rule has a cooling-off effect (object to the magnet effect), indicating that the rule takes effect in the Chinese stock markets. We find that price continuation is much more likely to occur than price reversal on the next trading day after a limit-hitting day, especially for down-limit hits, which has potential practical values for market practitioners.

Statistical Properties and Pre-Hit Dynamics of Price Limit Hits in the Chinese Stock Markets

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Yu-Lei; Xie, Wen-Jie; Gu, Gao-Feng; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Xiong, Xiong; Zhang, Wei; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2015-01-01

Price limit trading rules are adopted in some stock markets (especially emerging markets) trying to cool off traders’ short-term trading mania on individual stocks and increase market efficiency. Under such a microstructure, stocks may hit their up-limits and down-limits from time to time. However, the behaviors of price limit hits are not well studied partially due to the fact that main stock markets such as the US markets and most European markets do not set price limits. Here, we perform detailed analyses of the high-frequency data of all A-share common stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2011 to investigate the statistical properties of price limit hits and the dynamical evolution of several important financial variables before stock price hits its limits. We compare the properties of up-limit hits and down-limit hits. We also divide the whole period into three bullish periods and three bearish periods to unveil possible differences during bullish and bearish market states. To uncover the impacts of stock capitalization on price limit hits, we partition all stocks into six portfolios according to their capitalizations on different trading days. We find that the price limit trading rule has a cooling-off effect (object to the magnet effect), indicating that the rule takes effect in the Chinese stock markets. We find that price continuation is much more likely to occur than price reversal on the next trading day after a limit-hitting day, especially for down-limit hits, which has potential practical values for market practitioners. PMID:25874716

Developing Health Information Technology (HIT) Programs and HIT Curriculum: The Southern Polytechnic State University Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chi; Reichgelt, Han; Rutherfoord, Rebecca H.; Wang, Andy Ju An

2014-01-01

Health Information Technology (HIT) professionals are in increasing demand as healthcare providers need help in the adoption and meaningful use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems while the HIT industry needs workforce skilled in HIT and EHR development. To respond to this increasing demand, the School of Computing and Software Engineering…

Sun exposure causes somatic second-hit mutations and angiofibroma development in tuberous sclerosis complex

Science.gov (United States)

Tyburczy, Magdalena E.; Wang, Ji-an; Li, Shaowei; Thangapazham, Rajesh; Chekaluk, Yvonne; Moss, Joel; Kwiatkowski, David J.; Darling, Thomas N.

2014-01-01

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is characterized by the formation of tumors in multiple organs and is caused by germline mutation in one of two tumor suppressor genes, TSC1 and TSC2. As for other tumor suppressor gene syndromes, the mechanism of somatic second-hit events in TSC tumors is unknown. We grew fibroblast-like cells from 29 TSC skin tumors from 22 TSC subjects and identified germline and second-hit mutations in TSC1/TSC2 using next-generation sequencing. Eighteen of 22 (82%) subjects had a mutation identified, and 8 of the 18 (44%) subjects were mosaic with mutant allele frequencies of 0 to 19% in normal tissue DNA. Multiple tumors were available from four patients, and in each case, second-hit mutations in TSC2 were distinct indicating they arose independently. Most remarkably, 7 (50%) of the 14 somatic point mutations were CC>TT ultraviolet ‘signature’ mutations, never seen as a TSC germline mutation. These occurred exclusively in facial angiofibroma tumors from sun-exposed sites. These results implicate UV-induced DNA damage as a cause of second-hit mutations and development of TSC facial angiofibromas and suggest that measures to limit UV exposure in TSC children and adults should reduce the frequency and severity of these lesions. PMID:24271014

Multiple-hit parameter estimation in monolithic detectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, William C J; Barrett, Harrison H; Lewellen, Tom K; Miyaoka, Robert S

2013-02-01

We examine a maximum-a-posteriori method for estimating the primary interaction position of gamma rays with multiple interaction sites (hits) in a monolithic detector. In assessing the performance of a multiple-hit estimator over that of a conventional one-hit estimator, we consider a few different detector and readout configurations of a 50-mm-wide square cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate block. For this study, we use simulated data from SCOUT, a Monte-Carlo tool for photon tracking and modeling scintillation- camera output. With this tool, we determine estimate bias and variance for a multiple-hit estimator and compare these with similar metrics for a one-hit maximum-likelihood estimator, which assumes full energy deposition in one hit. We also examine the effect of event filtering on these metrics; for this purpose, we use a likelihood threshold to reject signals that are not likely to have been produced under the assumed likelihood model. Depending on detector design, we observe a 1%-12% improvement of intrinsic resolution for a 1-or-2-hit estimator as compared with a 1-hit estimator. We also observe improved differentiation of photopeak events using a 1-or-2-hit estimator as compared with the 1-hit estimator; more than 6% of photopeak events that were rejected by likelihood filtering for the 1-hit estimator were accurately identified as photopeak events and positioned without loss of resolution by a 1-or-2-hit estimator; for PET, this equates to at least a 12% improvement in coincidence-detection efficiency with likelihood filtering applied.

The SVT Hit Buffer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belforte, S.; Dell'Orso, M.; Donati, S.

1996-01-01

The Hit Buffer is part of the Silicon Vertex Tracker, a trigger processor dedicated to the reconstruction of particle trajectories in the Silicon Vertex Detector and the Central Tracking Chamber of the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The Hit Buffer is a high speed data-traffic node, where thousands of words are received in arbitrary order and simultaneously organized in an internal structured data base, to be later promptly retrieved and delivered in response to specific requests. The Hit Buffer is capable of processing data at a rate of 25 MHz, thanks to the use of special fast devices like Cache-Tag RAMs and high performance Erasable Programmable Logic Devices from the XILINX XC7300 family

Heparin-independent, PF4-dependent binding of HIT antibodies to platelets: implications for HIT pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Padmanabhan, Anand; Jones, Curtis G; Bougie, Daniel W; Curtis, Brian R; McFarland, Janice G; Wang, Demin; Aster, Richard H

2015-01-01

Antibodies specific for platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin complexes are the hallmark of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HIT), but many antibody-positive patients have normal platelet counts. The basis for this is not fully understood, but it is believed that antibodies testing positive in the serotonin release assay (SRA) are the most likely to cause disease. We addressed this issue by characterizing PF4-dependent binding of HIT antibodies to intact platelets and found that most antibodies testing positive in the SRA, but none of those testing negative, bind to and activate platelets when PF4 is present without any requirement for heparin (P HIT antibodies recognize PF4 in a complex with heparin, only a subset of these antibodies recognize more subtle epitopes induced in PF4 when it binds to CS, the major platelet glycosaminoglycan. Antibodies having this property could explain "delayed HIT" seen in some individuals after discontinuation of heparin and the high risk for thrombosis that persists for weeks in patients recovered from HIT. © 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.

Coexistence of Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia in a Patient with Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Adediran

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT is a prothrombotic adverse drug reaction in which heparin forms complexes with platelet factor 4 forming neoantigens that are recognized by autoantibodies. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS is similar to HIT in that it is mediated by autoantibodies that are also prothrombotic. We present a case of rare coexistence of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in a peritoneal dialysis patient with prune-belly syndrome: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Geurts, N; Hubens, G; Wojciechowski, M; Vaneerdeweg, W

2010-01-01

This case describes a prune-belly syndrome patient who had a kidney transplantation and was diagnosed with Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis (EPS), a rare but potentially fatal condition, mostly associated with Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). The definition of EPS is based on the clinical findings linked to bowel obstruction and on the demonstration of peritoneal thickening. Surgical treatment is the only established basic treatment for the condition. Prune-belly syndrome is characterized by the triad of deficient abdominal musculature, urinary tract abnormality and cryptorchidism. Because it is often associated with end-stage renal disease, PD is essential in the treatment of patients with prune-belly syndrome. The aetiology of EPS follows a 'two-hit theory': the first 'hit' is peritoneal deterioration, caused by long-time exposure to PD. This causes peritoneal disruption which predisposes the patient to a second hit. In our patient, PD discontinuation and renal transplantation are possible 'second hits' that triggered the development of EPS. This case of prune-belly syndrome has all the necessary elements for the development of EPS, and we felt we should report it as the peroperative diagnosis was unexpected.

How I treat double-hit lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedberg, Jonathan W

2017-08-03

The 2016 revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification for lymphoma has included a new category of lymphoma, separate from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, termed high-grade B-cell lymphoma with translocations involving myc and bcl-2 or bcl-6 . These lymphomas, which occur in hit lymphomas (or triple-hit lymphomas if all 3 rearrangements are present). It is important to differentiate these lymphomas from the larger group of double-expressor lymphomas, which have increased expression of MYC and BCL-2 and/or BCL-6 by immunohistochemistry, by using variable cutoff percentages to define positivity. Patients with double-hit lymphomas have a poor prognosis when treated with standard chemoimmunotherapy and have increased risk of central nervous system involvement and progression. Double-hit lymphomas may arise as a consequence of the transformation of the underlying indolent lymphoma. There are no published prospective trials in double-hit lymphoma, however retrospective studies strongly suggest that aggressive induction regimens may confer a superior outcome. In this article, I review my approach to the evaluation and treatment of double-hit lymphoma, with an eye toward future clinical trials incorporating rational targeted agents into the therapeutic armamentarium. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Statistics of hits to bone cell nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruglikov, I.L.; Polig, E.; Jee, W.S.S.

1993-01-01

The statistics of hits to the nuclei of bone cells irradiated from alpha sources labeling bone tissue is described. It is shown that the law of remodeling of a bone structural unit (BSU), which describes the distribution of quiescence periodes of this unit, affects the statistics of hits. It the irradiation of bone cells occurs during the whole cell cycle, the mean number of hits is independent of the law of remodeling. In this case the variance of hits has the minimum value for constant quiescence periods of BSUs (deterministic remodeling) and the maximum value for exponentially distributed quiescence periods (random remodeling). For the first generation of bone cells, i.e. for the cells which existed at the moment of the uptake of the nuclide, the mean number of hits depends on the law of remodeling. For random remodeling the mean number is equal to the mean value for the complete remodeling cycle. For deterministic remodeling the mean is only half this value. For the first generation of bone cells, changing the law of remodeling from random to deterministic increases the probability of no hits to the nuclei of bone cells. For the same mean value of hits, the difference does not exceed 13.3% of the total number of cells. For the subsequent generations of bone cells, such a change of the law of remodeling decreases the probability of no hits up to 20.4% of the total number of cells. (orig.)

Recent Improvements in the SHIELD-HIT Code

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, David Christoffer; Lühr, Armin Christian; Herrmann, Rochus

2012-01-01

Purpose: The SHIELD-HIT Monte Carlo particle transport code has previously been used to study a wide range of problems for heavy-ion treatment and has been benchmarked extensively against other Monte Carlo codes and experimental data. Here, an improved version of SHIELD-HIT is developed concentra......Purpose: The SHIELD-HIT Monte Carlo particle transport code has previously been used to study a wide range of problems for heavy-ion treatment and has been benchmarked extensively against other Monte Carlo codes and experimental data. Here, an improved version of SHIELD-HIT is developed...

Nedley Depression Hit Hypothesis

OpenAIRE

Nedley, Neil; Ramirez, Francisco E.

2014-01-01

Depression is often diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. We propose how certain lifestyle choices and non-modifiable factors can predict the development of depression. We identified 10 cause categories (hits or ?blows? to the brain) and theorize that four or more active hits could trigger a depression episode. Methods. A sample of 4271 participants from our community-based program (70% female; ages 17-94 years) was assessed ...

Current insights into the laboratory diagnosis of HIT.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakchoul, T; Zöllner, H; Greinacher, A

2014-06-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an adverse drug reaction and prothrombotic disorder caused by immunization against platelet factor 4 (PF4) after complex formation with heparin or other polyanions. After antibody binding to PF4/heparin complexes, HIT antibodies are capable of intravascular platelet activation by cross-linking Fc gamma receptor IIa (FcγRIIa) on the platelet surface leading to a platelet count decrease and/or thrombosis. In contrast to most other immune-mediated disorders, the currently available laboratory tests for anti-PF4/heparin antibodies show a high sensitivity also for clinically irrelevant antibodies. This makes the diagnosis of HIT challenging and bears the risk to substantially overdiagnose HIT. The strength of the antigen assays for HIT is in ruling out HIT when the test is negative. Functional assays have a higher specificity for clinically relevant antibodies, but they are restricted to specialized laboratories. Currently, a Bayesian approach combining the clinical likelihood estimation for HIT with laboratory tests is the most appropriate approach to diagnose HIT. In this review, we give an overview on currently available diagnostic procedures and discuss their limitations. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Constructive Technology Assessment for HIT development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høstgaard, Anna Marie Balling; Bertelsen, Pernille; Petersen, Lone Stub

2013-01-01

Experience and time has shown a need for new evaluation methods for evaluating Health Information Technology (HIT), as summative evaluation methods fail to accommodate the rapid and constant changes in HIT over time and to involve end-users, which has been recognized as an important success facto...... during all the phases in the process. Thereby anumber of problems were prevented to occur later on.Thus, the CTA method and its framework are useful for evaluators and project-management in order to facilitate and support successful HIT development....

Simplified validation of borderline hits of database searches

OpenAIRE

Thomas, Henrik; Shevchenko, Andrej

2008-01-01

Along with unequivocal hits produced by matching multiple MS/MS spectra to database sequences, LC-MS/MS analysis often yields a large number of hits of borderline statistical confidence. To simplify their validation, we propose to use rapid de novo interpretation of all acquired MS/MS spectra and, with the help of a simple software tool, display the candidate sequences together with each database search hit. We demonstrate that comparing hit database sequences and independent de novo interpre...

78 FR 29135 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting AGENCY: Office of...: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to the National... Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee...

Reduction of multiple hits in atom probe tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thuvander, Mattias; Kvist, Anders; Johnson, Lars J.S.; Weidow, Jonathan; Andrén, Hans-Olof

2013-01-01

The accuracy of compositional measurements using atom probe tomography is often reduced because some ions are not recorded when several ions hit the detector in close proximity to each other and within a very short time span. In some cases, for example in analysis of carbides, the multiple hits result in a preferential loss of certain elements, namely those elements that frequently field evaporate in bursts or as dissociating molecules. In this paper a method of reducing the effect of multiple hits is explored. A fine metal grid was mounted a few millimeters behind the local electrode, effectively functioning as a filter. This resulted in a decrease in the overall detection efficiency, from 37% to about 5%, but also in a decrease in the fraction of multiple hits. In an analysis of tungsten carbide the fraction of ions originating from multiple hits decreased from 46% to 10%. As a result, the measured carbon concentration increased from 48.2 at%to 49.8 at%, very close to the expected 50.0 at%. The characteristics of the multiple hits were compared for analyses with and without the grid filter. - Highlights: ► APT experiments have been performed with a reduced amount of multiple hits. ► The multiple hits were reduced by placing a grid behind the electrode. ► This resulted in improved carbon measurement of WC

42 CFR 495.340 - As-needed HIT PAPD update and as-needed HIT IAPD update requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... limited to any of the following: (a) A projected cost increase of $100,000 or more. (b) A schedule... implementation approach, or scope of activities beyond that approved in the HIT planning advance planning document or the HIT implementation advance planning document. (d) A change in implementation concept or a...

On the Hitting Probability of Max-Stable Processes

OpenAIRE

Hofmann, Martin

2012-01-01

The probability that a max-stable process {\\eta} in C[0, 1] with identical marginal distribution function F hits x \\in R with 0 < F (x) < 1 is the hitting probability of x. We show that the hitting probability is always positive, unless the components of {\\eta} are completely dependent. Moreover, we consider the event that the paths of standard MSP hit some x \\in R twice and we give a sufficient condition for a positive probability of this event.

Implementation of a rapid HIT immunoassay at a university hospital - Retrospective analysis of HIT laboratory orders in patients with thrombocytopenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Anne; Heimerl, Susanne; Oertli, Linnéa; Wilczek, Wolf; Greinacher, Andreas; Spannagl, Michael; Herr, Wolfgang; Hart, Christina

2017-10-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare cause of thrombocytopenia and a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction. Clinical overdiagnosis of HIT results in costly laboratory tests and anticoagulation. Criteria and algorithms for diagnosis are established, but their translation into clinical practice is still challenging. In a retrospective approach we studied all HIT related laboratory test requests within four years and evaluated data before (1st period, 24month) and after (2nd period, 24month) replacing particle gel immunoassay (PaGIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA). HIT was confirmed by heparin-induced platelet activation (HIPA) test. Clinical pretest probability for HIT using an implemented simplified 4Ts score and platelet count were evaluated. Costs for laboratory tests and alternative anticoagulation were calculated. In 1850 patients with suspected HIT, 2327 laboratory orders were performed. In 87.2% of these orders an intermediate/high simplified 4Ts score was found. Thrombocytopenia was present in 87.1%. After replacing PaGIA and ELISA by CLIA the number of immunological and functional laboratory tests was reduced by 38.2%. The number of positive HIT immunoassays declined from 22.6% to 6.0%, while the number of positive HIPA tests among positive immunological tests increased by 19%. Altogether, acute HIT was confirmed in 59 patients. A decline in the use of alternative anticoagulants was observed in the 2nd period. Our study shows that in a university hospital setting HIT is well-known, but diagnosis requires a precise laboratory confirmation. Replacing PaGIA and ELISA by CLIA did not influence laboratory order behavior but results in reduced overall costs for laboratory diagnostics and alternative anticoagulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and Environmental Physical Activity, Kaunas, 1995-2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoupel, E.; Dulskiene, V.; Kuciene, R.; Abramson, E.; Israelevich, P.; Sulkes, J.

2009-12-01

Recent studies described a number of fetal development sides related to the environmental physical activity. The aim of this study was to check the possible links between congenital heart disease (CHD) born in a non-selected medical network and indices of environmental physical activity. Children born with CHD in Kaunas, Lithuania, in years 1995-2005 were analyzed at the end of the first year of life (including also those died after birth from this condition). Monthly distribution of CHD (total - 371, both gender (178 boys and 193 girls), 41435 births) were compared with parameters of solar (SA), geomagnetic (GMA) and cosmic ray (CRA) activity, as well as the year, at the month of birth, 9 months before and at year of birth and one year before. CRA was represented by neutron activity on the Earth's surface. Heliogeophysical data were obtained from space research centers in the USA, Russia and Finland. There was found a significant correlation between yearly number of births (r = - 0.9, p = 0.00012). Monthly number of CHD was correlated with SA and CRA often highly at the beginning of pregnancy both in monthly and yearly (r = - 0.7, p = 0.025 for SA, r = 0.8, p = 0.005 for CRA) comparison. For boys the correlation was stronger, but also it was significant for girls. GMA has not shown significant effects. It is concluded that the number of yearly and monthly CHD is connected with SA and CRA in pregnancy. Boys show high levels in these correlations. The mechanism of the cosmophysical effects on human development and temporal distribution of CHD deserve special studies.

Inflammation and the Two-Hit Hypothesis of Schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Feigenson, Keith A.; Kusnecov, Alex W.; Silverstein, Steven M.

2014-01-01

The high societal and individual cost of schizophrenia necessitates finding better, more effective treatment, diagnosis, and prevention strategies. One of the obstacles in this endeavor is the diverse set of etiologies that comprises schizophrenia. A substantial body of evidence has grown over the last few decades to suggest that schizophrenia is a heterogeneous syndrome with overlapping symptoms and etiologies. At the same time, an increasing number of clinical, epidemiological, and experimental studies have shown links between schizophrenia and inflammatory conditions. In this review, we analyze the literature on inflammation and schizophrenia, with a particular focus on comorbidity, biomarkers, and environmental insults. We then identify several mechanisms by which inflammation could influence the development of schizophrenia via the two-hit hypothesis. Lastly, we note the relevance of these findings to clinical applications in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of schizophrenia. PMID:24247023

Vestibular Restoration and Adaptation in Vestibular Neuritis and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome With Vertigo.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Sanz, Eduardo; Rueda, Almudena; Esteban-Sanchez, Jonathan; Yanes, Joaquin; Rey-Martinez, Jorge; Sanz-Fernandez, Ricardo

2017-08-01

To evaluate vestibular restoration and the evolution of the compensatory saccades in acute severe inflammatory vestibular nerve paralysis, including vestibular neuritis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome with vertigo. Prospective. Tertiary referral center. Vestibular neuritis (n = 18) and Ramsay Hunt syndrome patients with vertigo (n = 13) were enrolled. After treatment with oral corticosteroids, patients were followed up for 6 months. Functional recovery of the facial nerve was scored according to the House-Brackman grading system. Caloric and video head impulse tests were performed in every patient at the time of enrolment. Subsequently, successive video head impulse test (vHIT) exploration was performed at the 1, 3, and 6-month follow-up. Eighteen patients with vestibular neuritis and 13 with Ramsay Hunt syndrome and associated vertigo were included. Vestibular function was significantly worse in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome than in those with vestibular neuritis. Similar compensatory saccades velocity and latency values were observed in both groups, in both the caloric and initial vHIT tests. Successive vHIT results showed a significantly higher vestibulo-ocular reflex gain recovery in vestibular neuritis patients than in Ramsay Hunt syndrome patients. A significantly faster reduction in the latency, velocity, and organization of the compensatory saccades was observed in neuritis than in Ramsay Hunt syndrome patients. In addition to the recovery of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, the reduction of latency, velocity and the organization of compensatory saccades play a role in vestibular compensation.

Novel HIT antibody detection method using Sonoclot® coagulation analyzer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wanaka, Keiko; Asada, Reiko; Miyashita, Kumiko; Kaneko, Makoto; Endo, Hirokazu; Yatomi, Yutaka

2015-01-01

Since heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), caused by the generation of antibodies against platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin complexes (HIT antibodies), may induce serious complications due to thrombosis, a prompt diagnosis is desirable. Functional tests with platelet activation to detect HIT antibodies are useful for diagnosis of HIT, in particular (14)C-selotonin release assay (SRA). However, they are complicated and so can be performed only in limited laboratories. We tested if a blood coagulation test using Sonoclot® analyzer can serve for the detection of HIT antibodies. A murine monoclonal antibody (HIT-MoAb) against PF4/heparin complexes was used as an alternative to human HIT antibodies. To the mixture of HIT-MoAb and heparin (0.5 U/mL, final), whole blood obtained from a healthy volunteer was added, and then the activated clotting time (ACT), clot rate (CR), and area under the curve (AUC) were measured with Sonoclot® analyzer for 30minutes. The HIT-MoAb (30 to 100μg/mL, final) concentration dependently suppressed the anticoagulation activity (prolongation of ACT and decrease of CR and AUC) of heparin. The suppression of anticoagulation effect of heparin by HIT-MoAb was demonstrated by measurements using Sonoclot® analyzer. This method may provide a new tool for screening of HIT antibodies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The validation of Huffaz Intelligence Test (HIT)

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, Mohd Azrin Mohammad; Ahmad, Tahir; Awang, Siti Rahmah; Safar, Ajmain

2017-08-01

In general, a hafiz who can memorize the Quran has many specialties especially in respect to their academic performances. In this study, the theory of multiple intelligences introduced by Howard Gardner is embedded in a developed psychometric instrument, namely Huffaz Intelligence Test (HIT). This paper presents the validation and the reliability of HIT of some tahfiz students in Malaysia Islamic schools. A pilot study was conducted involving 87 huffaz who were randomly selected to answer the items in HIT. The analysis method used includes Partial Least Square (PLS) on reliability, convergence and discriminant validation. The study has validated nine intelligences. The findings also indicated that the composite reliabilities for the nine types of intelligences are greater than 0.8. Thus, the HIT is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the multiple intelligences among huffaz.

MYC/BCL2/BCL6 triple hit lymphoma: a study of 40 patients with a comparison to MYC/BCL2 and MYC/BCL6 double hit lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wenting; Medeiros, L Jeffrey; Lin, Pei; Wang, Wei; Tang, Guilin; Khoury, Joseph; Konoplev, Sergej; Yin, C Cameron; Xu, Jie; Oki, Yasuhiro; Li, Shaoying

2018-05-21

High-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 rearrangements (triple hit lymphoma) are uncommon. We studied the clinicopathologic features of 40 patients with triple hit lymphoma and compared them to 157 patients with MYC/BCL2 double hit lymphoma and 13 patients with MYC/BCL6 double hit lymphoma. The triple hit lymphoma group included 25 men and 15 women with a median age of 61 years (range, 34-85). Nine patients had a history of B-cell lymphoma. Histologically, 23 (58%) cases were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and 17 cases had features of B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. Most cases of triple hit lymphoma were positive for CD10 (100%), BCL2 (95%), BCL6 (82%), MYC (74%), and 71% with MYC and BCL2 coexpression. P53 was overexpressed in 29% of triple hit lymphoma cases. The clinicopathological features of triple hit lymphoma patients were similar to patients with MYC/BCL2 and MYC/BCL6 double hit lymphoma, except that triple hit lymphoma cases were more often CD10 positive compared with MYC/BCL6 double hit lymphoma (p hit lymphoma and double hit lymphoma and overall survival in triple hit lymphoma patients was 17.6 months, similar to the overall survival of patients with double hit lymphoma (p = 0.67). Patients with triple hit lymphoma showing P53 overexpression had significantly worse overall survival compared with those without P53 overexpression (p = 0.04). On the other hand, double expressor status and prior history of B-cell lymphoma did not correlate with overall survival. In conclusion, most patients with triple hit lymphoma have an aggressive clinical course and poor prognosis and these tumors have a germinal center B-cell immunophenotype, similar to patients with double hit lymphomas. P53 expression is a poor prognostic factor in patients with triple hit lymphoma.

Health information technology knowledge and skills needed by HIT employers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenton, S H; Gongora-Ferraez, M J; Joost, E

2012-01-01

To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) workforce knowledge and skills needed by HIT employers. Statewide face-to-face and online focus groups of identified HIT employer groups in Austin, Brownsville, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and webinars for rural health and nursing informatics. HIT employers reported needing an HIT workforce with diverse knowledge and skills ranging from basic to advanced, while covering information technology, privacy and security, clinical practice, needs assessment, contract negotiation, and many other areas. Consistent themes were that employees needed to be able to learn on the job and must possess the ability to think critically and problem solve. Many employers wanted persons with technical skills, yet also the knowledge and understanding of healthcare operations. The HIT employer focus groups provided valuable insight into employee skills needed in this fast-growing field. Additionally, this information will be utilized to develop a statewide HIT workforce needs assessment survey.

A Two-Hit Model of Autism: Adolescence as the Second Hit

Science.gov (United States)

Picci, Giorgia; Scherf, K. Suzanne

2015-01-01

Adolescence brings dramatic changes in behavior and neural organization. Unfortunately, for some 30% of individuals with autism, there is marked decline in adaptive functioning during adolescence. We propose a two-hit model of autism. First, early perturbations in neural development function as a “first hit” that sets up a neural system that is “built to fail” in the face of a second hit. Second, the confluence of pubertal hormones, neural reorganization, and increasing social demands during adolescence provides the “second hit” that interferes with the ability to transition into adult social roles and levels of adaptive functioning. In support of this model, we review evidence about adolescent-specific neural and behavioral development in autism. We conclude with predictions and recommendations for empirical investigation about several domains in which developmental trajectories for individuals with autism may be uniquely deterred in adolescence. PMID:26609500

75 FR 21629 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-26

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National... only. Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's Workgroups: Clinical Operations Vocabulary... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The HIT Standards Committee Workgroups will hold the...

77 FR 66617 - HIT Policy and Standards Committees; Workgroup Application Database

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-06

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy and Standards Committees; Workgroup Application... of New ONC HIT FACA Workgroup Application Database. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has.... Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee and HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the...

Anti-diabetic potential of the essential oil of Pinus koraiensis leaves toward streptozotocin-treated mice and HIT-T15 pancreatic β cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Joo, Hye-Eun; Lee, Hyo-Jung; Sohn, Eun Jung; Lee, Min-Ho; Ko, Hyun-Suk; Jeong, Soo-Jin; Lee, Hyo-Jeong; Kim, Sung-Hoon

2013-01-01

The metabolic syndrome creates risk factors for coronary heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver, obesity and several cancers. Our group has already reported that the essential oil from leaves of Pinus koraiensis SIEB (EOPK) exerted antihyperlipidemic effects by upregulating the low-density lipoprotein receptor and inhibiting acyl-coenzyme A, cholesterol acyltransferases. We evaluated in the current study the anti-diabetic effects of EOPK on mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetes and on HIT-T15 pancreatic β cells. EOPK significantly protected HIT-T15 cells from STZ-induced cytotoxicity and reduced the blood glucose level in STZ-induced diabetic mice when compared with the untreated control. EOPK consistently and significantly suppressed the α-amylase activity in a dose-dependent manner and enhanced the expression of insulin at the mRNA level in STZ-treated HIT-T15 cells, while the expression of insulin was attenuated. EOPK also significantly abrogated the population of reactive oxygen species when compared to the untreated control in STZ-treated HIT-T15 cells. Furthermore, EOPK significantly reduce nitric oxide production, suppressed the phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase and suppressed the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in STZ-treated HIT-T15 cells, implying its potential application to diabetic retinopathy. Overall, our findings suggest that EOPK had hypoglycemic potential by inhibiting reactive oxygene species (ROS), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and VEGF in STZ-treated mice and HIT-T15 pancreatic β cells as a potent anti-diabetic agent.

76 FR 46297 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The HIT Standards Committee Workgroups will hold the...

Hit-and-run, hit-and-stay, and commensal bacteria present different peptide content when viewed from the perspective of the T cell.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Lu; De Groot, Anne S; Bailey-Kellogg, Chris

2015-11-27

Different types of bacteria face different pressures from the immune system, with those that persist ("hit-and-stay") potentially having to adapt more in order to escape than those prone to short-lived infection ("hit-and-run"), and with commensal bacteria potentially different from both due to additional physical mechanisms for avoiding immune detection. The Janus Immunogenicity Score (JIS) was recently developed to assess the likelihood of T cell recognition of an antigen, using an analysis that considers both binding of a peptide within the antigen by major histocompatability complex (MHC) and recognition of the peptide:MHC complex by cognate T cell receptor (TCR). This score was shown to be predictive of T effector vs. T regulatory or null responses in experimental data, as well as to distinguish viruses representative of the hit-and-stay vs. hit-and-run phenotypes. Here, JIS-based analyses were conducted in order to characterize the extent to which the pressure to avoid T cell recognition is manifested in genomic differences among representative hit-and-run, hit-and-stay, and commensal bacteria. Overall, extracellular proteins were found to have different JIS profiles from cytoplasmic ones. Contrasting the bacterial groups, extracellular proteins were shown to be quite different across the groups, much more so than intracellular proteins. The differences were evident even at the level of corresponding peptides in homologous protein pairs from hit-and-run and hit-and-stay bacteria. The multi-level analysis of patterns of immunogenicity across different groups of bacteria provides a new way to approach questions of bacterial immune camouflage or escape, as well as to approach the selection and optimization of candidates for vaccine design. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do pigeons prefer alternatives that include near-hit outcomes?

Science.gov (United States)

Stagner, Jessica P; Case, Jacob P; Sticklen, Mary F; Duncan, Amanda K; Zentall, Thomas R

2015-07-01

Pigeons show suboptimal choice on a gambling-like task similar to that shown by humans. Humans also show a preference for gambles in which there are near hits (losses that come close to winning). In the present research, we asked if pigeons would show a preference for alternatives with near-hit-like trials. In Experiment 1, we included an alternative that presented a near hit, in which a stimulus associated with reinforcement (a presumed conditioned reinforcer) changed to a stimulus associated with the absence of reinforcement (a presumed conditioned inhibitor). The pigeons tended to avoid this alternative. In Experiment 2, we varied the duration of the presumed conditioned reinforcer (2 vs. 8 s) that changed to a presumed conditioned inhibitor (8 vs. 2 s) and found that the longer the conditioned reinforcer was presented, the more the pigeons avoided it. In Experiment 3, the near-hit alternative involved an ambiguous stimulus for 8 s that changed to a presumed conditioned reinforcer (or a presumed conditioned inhibitor) for 2 s, but the pigeons still avoided it. In Experiment 4, we controlled for the duration of the conditioned reinforcer by presenting it first for 2 s followed by the ambiguous stimulus for 8 s. Once again, the pigeons avoided the alternative with the near-hit trials. In all 4 experiments, the pigeons tended to avoid alternatives that provided near-hit-like trials. We concluded that humans may be attracted to near-hit trials because near-hit trials give them the illusion of control, whereas this does not appear to be a factor for pigeons. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Combined hit theory-microdosimetric explanation of cellular radiobiological action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bond, V.P.; Varma, M.N.

1983-01-01

Hit theory is combined with microdosimetry in a stochastic approach that explains the observed responses of cell populations exposed in radiation fields of different qualities. The central thesis is that to expose a population of cells in a low-level radiation field is to subject the cells to the potential for interaction with charged particles in the vicinity of the cells, quantifiable in terms of the charged particle fluence theta. When such an interaction occurs there is a resulting stochastic transfer of energy to a critical volume (CV) of cross section sigma, within the cell(s). The severity of cell injury is dependent on the amount of energy thus imparted, or the hit size. If the severity is above some minimal level, there is a non-zero probability that the injury will result in a quantal effect (e.g., a mutational or carcinogenic initial event, cell transformation). A microdosimetric proportional counter, viewed here as a phantom cell CV that permits measurements not possible in the living cell, is used to determine the incidence of hit cells and the spectrum of hit sizes. Each hit is then weighted on the basis of an empirically-determined function that provides the fraction of cells responding quantally, as a function of hit size. The sum of the hits so weighted provides the incidence of quantally-responding cells, for any amount of exposure theta in a radiation field of any quality or mixture qualities. The hit size weighting function for pink mutations in Tradescantia is discussed, as are its implications in terms of a replacement for RBE and dose equivalent. 14 references, 9 figures

Lead generation and examples opinion regarding how to follow up hits.

Science.gov (United States)

Orita, Masaya; Ohno, Kazuki; Warizaya, Masaichi; Amano, Yasushi; Niimi, Tatsuya

2011-01-01

In fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), not only identifying the starting fragment hit to be developed but also generating a drug lead from that starting fragment hit is important. Converting fragment hits to leads is generally similar to a high-throughput screening (HTS) hits-to-leads approach in that properties associated with activity for a target protein, such as selectivity against other targets and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME/Tox), and physicochemical properties should be taken into account. However, enhancing the potency of the fragment hit is a key requirement in FBDD, unlike HTS, because initial fragment hits are generally weak. This enhancement is presently achieved by adding additional chemical groups which bind to additional parts of the target protein or by joining or combining two or more hit fragments; however, strategies for effecting greater improvements in effective activity are needed. X-ray analysis is a key technology attractive for converting fragments to drug leads. This method makes it clear whether a fragment hit can act as an anchor and provides insight regarding introduction of functional groups to improve fragment activity. Data on follow-up chemical synthesis of fragment hits has allowed for the differentiation of four different strategies: fragment optimization, fragment linking, fragment self-assembly, and fragment evolution. Here, we discuss our opinion regarding how to follow up on fragment hits, with a focus on the importance of fragment hits as an anchor moiety to so-called hot spots in the target protein using crystallographic data. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rare transformation to double hit lymphoma in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Okolo, Onyemaechi N; Johnson, Ariel C; Yun, Seongseok; Arnold, Stacy J; Anwer, Faiz

2017-08-01

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a lymphoproliferative lymphoma that is characterized by monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) protein and bone marrow infiltration. Its incidence is rare and rarer still is its ability to transform to a B-cell lymphoma, particularly the aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which bodes a poor prognosis. When transformation includes mutations of MYC, BCL-2 and/or BCL-6, it is known as a 'double hit' or 'triple hit' lymphoma respectively. This paper presents a rare case of WM with mutations positive for MYC and BCL2, making it a case of double hit B-cell lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with plasmatic differentiation without morphological transformation to aggressive histology like DLBCL. The paper also broadens to include discussions on current topics in the classification, diagnosis, possible causes of transformation, and treatment of WM, including transformation to double hit lymphoma. The significance of this case lies in that the presence of double hit lymphoma-like genetic mutations in WM have not been previously described in the literature and potentially such changes are harbinger of extra-nodal presentation, aggressive growth, and possibly poor prognosis, if data from other double-hit lymphoma are extrapolated.

Overview of the HIT-SI3 spheromak experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Hossack, A. C.; Jarboe, T. R.; Chandra, R. N.; Morgan, K. D.; Sutherland, D. A.; Everson, C. J.; Penna, J. M.; Nelson, B. A.

2017-10-01

The HIT-SI and HIT-SI3 spheromak experiments (a = 23 cm) study efficient, steady-state current drive for magnetic confinement plasmas using a novel method which is ideal for low aspect ratio, toroidal geometries. Sustained spheromaks show coherent, imposed plasma motion and low plasma-generated mode activity, indicating stability. Analysis of surface magnetic fields in HIT-SI indicates large n = 0 and 1 mode amplitudes and little energy in higher modes. Within measurement uncertainties all the n = 1 energy is imposed by the injectors, rather than being plasma-generated. The fluctuating field imposed by the injectors is sufficient to sustain the toroidal current through dynamo action whereas the plasma-generated field is not (Hossack et al., Phys. Plasmas, 2017). Ion Doppler spectroscopy shows coherent, imposed plasma motion inside r 10 cm in HIT-SI and a smaller volume of coherent motion in HIT-SI3. Coherent motion indicates the spheromak is stable and a lack of plasma-generated n = 1 energy indicates the maximum q is maintained below 1 for stability during sustainment. In HIT-SI3, the imposed mode structure is varied to test the plasma response (Hossack et al., Nucl. Fusion, 2017). Imposing n = 2, n = 3, or large, rotating n = 1 perturbations is correlated with transient plasma-generated activity. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, under Award Number DE-FG02-96ER54361.

Prenatal cannabis exposure - The "first hit" to the endocannabinoid system.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Kimberlei A; Hester, Allison K; McLemore, Gabrielle L

As more states and countries legalize medical and/or adult recreational marijuana use, the incidences of prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) will likely increase. While young people increasingly view marijuana as innocuous, marijuana preparations have been growing in potency in recent years, potentially creating global clinical, public health, and workforce concerns. Unlike fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, there is no phenotypic syndrome associated with PCE. There is also no preponderance of evidence that PCE causes lifelong cognitive, behavioral, or functional abnormalities, and/or susceptibility to subsequent addiction. However, there is compelling circumstantial evidence, based on the principles of teratology and fetal malprogramming, suggesting that pregnant women should refrain from smoking marijuana. The usage of marijuana during pregnancy perturbs the fetal endogenous cannabinoid signaling system (ECSS), which is present and active from the early embryonic stage, modulating neurodevelopment and continuing this role into adulthood. The ECSS is present in virtually every brain structure and organ system, and there is also evidence that this system is important in the regulation of cardiovascular processes. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) undergird a broad spectrum of processes, including the early stages of fetal neurodevelopment and uterine implantation. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, enters maternal circulation, and readily crosses the placental membrane. THC binds to CB receptors of the fetal ECSS, altering neurodevelopment and possibly rewiring ECSS circuitry. In this review, we discuss the Double-Hit Hypothesis as it relates to PCE. We contend that PCE, similar to a neurodevelopmental teratogen, delivers the first hit to the ECSS, which is compromised in such a way that a second hit (i.e., postnatal stressors) will precipitate the emergence of a specific phenotype. In summary, we conclude that perturbations of the

The immune imbalance in the second hit of pancreatitis is independent of IL-17A.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, John-Edwin; Brand, Martin; Fonteh, Pascaline

2018-04-01

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is characterised by two distinct clinical phases. Organ dysfunction and death is initially as a result of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Systemic sepsis from infected pancreatic necrosis characterises the second phase, the so called 'second hit' of acute pancreatitis (AP). An immune imbalance during the second hit is postulated to contribute to the formation of the septic complications that occur in these patients. The pro-inflammatory T-helper (Th) 17 pathway has been shown to be an initiator of early SIRS in AP, however to date its role has not been established in the second hit in AP. Thirty-six patients with mild (n = 16), moderate (n = 10) and severe (n = 10) acute pancreatitis were enrolled. Peripheral blood samples were drawn on days 7, 9, 11 and 13 of illness for analysis of routine clinical markers as well as cytokine analysis. Flow cytometry and a IL-17A ELISA was performed to determine cytokine concentrations. There were no significant differences between days 7, 9, 11 and 13 for either the mild/moderate or SAP groups for IL-17A (CBA assay or ELISA), IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2 or IL-4. For each of the study days, the mean IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations were significantly higher in the SAP group compared to the mild/moderate group. WCC, CRP and PCT were all significantly higher in severe acute pancreatitis over the study days. An immune imbalance exists in patients with SAP, however secreted IL-17A is not responsible for the second hit in AP. Copyright © 2018 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of a Motivation and Practical Skills Development Methods on the Oral Hygiene of Orphans Children in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Science.gov (United States)

Markeviciute, Greta; Narbutaite, Julija

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a motivation and practical skills development methods on the oral hygiene of orphans. Sixty eight orphans aged between 7 and 17 years from two orphanages in Kaunas were divided into two groups: practical application group and motivation group. Children were clinically examined by determining their oral hygiene status using Silness-Löe plaque index. Questionnaire was used to estimate the oral hygiene knowledge and practices at baseline and after 3 months. Statistical analysis included: Chi-square test (χ(2)), Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's rho correlation coefficient and Kappa coefficient. All children had a plaque on at least one tooth in both groups: motivation 1.14 (SD 0.51), practical application 1.08 (SD 0.4) (P = 0.58). Girls in both groups showed significantly better oral hygiene than boys (P soft drinks, the statistically significant decline of their use was in both groups (P = 0.004). Educational programs are effective in improving oral hygiene, especially when they're based on practical skills training.

Creating a safe place for pediatric care: A no hit zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, Erin R; Liu, Gilbert C; Dauk, Kelly L

2014-07-01

Our goal was to create and implement a program, Kosair Children's Hospital's No Hit Zone, which trains health care workers in de-escalation techniques to address parental disruptive behaviors and physical discipline of children commonly encountered in the hospital environment. The Child Abuse Task Force, a multidisciplinary group, along with key hospital administrators developed specific content for the policy, as well as marketing and educational materials. The No Hit Zone policy designates Kosair Children's Hospital as "an environment in which no adult shall hit a child, no adult shall hit another adult, no child shall hit an adult, and no child shall hit another child. When hitting is observed, it is everyone's responsibility to interrupt the behavior as well as communicate system policy to those present." Via a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach, the No Hit Zone was successfully implemented at Kosair Children's Hospital in 2012. Cost was nominal, and the support of key hospital administrators was critical to the program's success. Education of health professionals on de-escalation techniques and intervention with families at the early signs of parental stress occurred via live sessions and online training via case-based scenarios. The No Hit Zone is an important program used to provide a safe and caring environment for all families and staff of Kosair Children's Hospital. Demand for the program continues, demonstrated by the establishment of No Hit Zones at other local hospitals and multiple outpatient clinics. This article offers information for other organizations planning to conduct similar initiatives. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

HIT and brain reward function: A case of mistaken identity (theory).

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Cory; Colombo, Matteo; Beard, Alexander

2017-08-01

This paper employs a case study from the history of neuroscience-brain reward function-to scrutinize the inductive argument for the so-called 'Heuristic Identity Theory' (HIT). The case fails to support HIT, illustrating why other case studies previously thought to provide empirical support for HIT also fold under scrutiny. After distinguishing two different ways of understanding the types of identity claims presupposed by HIT and considering other conceptual problems, we conclude that HIT is not an alternative to the traditional identity theory so much as a relabeling of previously discussed strategies for mechanistic discovery. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Assessment of the impact of the Kruonis hydro pumped storage on the ichtyocenosis of the Kaunas water reservoir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valushiene, V.; Gerulaitis, A.; Repechka, R.

1996-01-01

During the exploitation period (1992-1993) of one hydroagregate unit of the Kruonis Hydro Pumped Storage (HPS) the lower basin of the Kaunas Water Reservoir (Kauno Marios) fish species, their dimensions and age were found to change insignificantly as compared with the background data of the previous years (1989-1991). These changes can be associated with the peculiarities of natural conditions. At the current velocity 9-10 cm/s the penetration of young fish and their larvae into the hydroagregates of HPS was observed. At the end of summer, the abundance of fish larvae in the reverse canal before the unit started operating made up 41.3, during the pumping period - 51.3, at discharge time - 30.5 spec./100 m 3 . The greater part of the 'pumped in' fish accumulated in the upper basin. The rest ones, having passed through aggregates, penetrated into the reverse canal and came back into the lower basin. When operating one unit at the regime of 'pump', the injuries of young fish do not exceed 3-5%. The larger the fish the more often the injuries. The main injuries were mechanical or associated with fluctuations of pressure. 12 refs., 4 figs

A combined hit theory-microdosimetric explanation of cellular radiobiological action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bond, V.P.; Varma, M.N.

1983-01-01

Hit theory is combined with microdosimetry in a stochastic approach that explains the observed responses of cell populations exposed in radiation fields of different qualities. The central thesis is that to expose a population of cells in a low-level radiation field is to subject the cells to the potential for interaction with charged particles, quantifiable in terms of the charged particle fluence PHI. When such an interaction occurs there is resulting stochastic transfer of energy to a critical volume (CV) of cross-section σ within the cell(s). The severity of cell injury is dependent on the amount of energy thus imparted, or the hit size. If the severity is above some minimal level, there is a non-zero probability that the injury will result in a quantal effect (e.g., a mutational or carcinogenic initial event, cell transformation). A microdosimetric proportional counter, viewed here as a phantom cell CV that permits measurements not possible in the living cell, is used to determine the incidence of hit cells and the spectrum of hit sizes. Each hit is then weighted on the basis of an empirically determined function that provides the fraction of cells responding quantally, as a function of hit size. The sum of the hits so weighted provides the incidence of quantally responding cells, for any amount of exposure PHI in a radiation field of any quality or mixture of qualities. The hit size weighting function for pink mutations in Tradescantia is discussed, as are its implications in terms of a replacement for relative biological effectiveness and dose equivalent. (author)

PageRank, HITS and a unified framework for link analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Chris; He, Xiaofeng; Husbands, Parry; Zha, Hongyuan; Simon, Horst

2001-10-01

Two popular webpage ranking algorithms are HITS and PageRank. HITS emphasizes mutual reinforcement between authority and hub webpages, while PageRank emphasizes hyperlink weight normalization and web surfing based on random walk models. We systematically generalize/combine these concepts into a unified framework. The ranking framework contains a large algorithm space; HITS and PageRank are two extreme ends in this space. We study several normalized ranking algorithms which are intermediate between HITS and PageRank, and obtain closed-form solutions. We show that, to first order approximation, all ranking algorithms in this framework, including PageRank and HITS, lead to same ranking which is highly correlated with ranking by indegree. These results support the notion that in web resource ranking indegree and outdegree are of fundamental importance. Rankings of webgraphs of different sizes and queries are presented to illustrate our analysis.

76 FR 55914 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

76 FR 46297 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

76 FR 22399 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

76 FR 28784 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

75 FR 29762 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-27

... Technology HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National... only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups: Meaningful Use, Privacy & Security Policy... specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee Workgroups will...

76 FR 14974 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

76 FR 50735 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT...

Associations between neck musculoskeletal complaints and work related factors among public service computer workers in Kaunas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gintaré Kaliniene

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives:Information technologies have been developing very rapidly, also in the case of occupational activities. Epidemiological studies have shown that employees, who work with computers, are more likely to complain of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between neck MSD and individual and work related factors. Materials and Methods: The investigation which consisted of two parts - a questionnaire study (using Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire and a direct observation (to evaluate ergonomic work environment using RULA method was carried out in three randomly selected public sector companies of Kaunas. The study population consisted of 513 public service office workers. Results: The survey showed that neck MSDs were very common in the investigated population. The prevalence rate amounted to 65.7%. According to our survey neck MSDs were significantly associated with older age, bigger work experience, high quantitative and cognitive job demands, working for longer than 2 h without taking a break as well as with higher ergonomic risk score. The fully adjusted model working for longer than 2 h without taking a break had the strongest associations with neck complaints. Conclusion: It was confirmed, that neck MSDs were significantly associated with individual factors as well as conditions of work, therefore, preventive acions against neck complaints should be oriented at psychosocial and ergonomic work environment as well as at individual factors.

Verbs in the lexicon: Why is hitting easier than breaking?

Science.gov (United States)

McKoon, Gail; Love, Jessica

2011-11-01

Adult speakers use verbs in syntactically appropriate ways. For example, they know implicitly that the boy hit at the fence is acceptable but the boy broke at the fence is not. We suggest that this knowledge is lexically encoded in semantic decompositions. The decomposition for break verbs (e.g. crack, smash) is hypothesized to be more complex than that for hit verbs (e.g. kick, kiss). Specifically, the decomposition of a break verb denotes that "an entity changes state as the result of some external force" whereas the decomposition for a hit verb denotes only that "an entity potentially comes in contact with another entity." In this article, verbs of the two types were compared in a lexical decision experiment - Experiment 1 - and they were compared in sentence comprehension experiments with transitive sentences (e.g. the car hit the bicycle and the car broke the bicycle) - Experiments 2 and 3. In Experiment 1, processing times were shorter for the hit than the break verbs and in Experiments 2 and 3, processing times were shorter for the hit sentences than the break sentences, results that are in accord with the complexities of the postulated semantic decompositions.

Mixed Hitting-Time Models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbring, J.H.

2009-01-01

We study mixed hitting-time models, which specify durations as the first time a Levy process (a continuous-time process with stationary and independent increments) crosses a heterogeneous threshold. Such models of substantial interest because they can be reduced from optimal-stopping models with

76 FR 46298 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held virtually on August 17, 2011...

76 FR 50734 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on September 28, 2011, from 9...

77 FR 2727 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on February 29, 2012, from 9...

76 FR 70455 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on December 14, 2011, from 9...

75 FR 5595 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-03

... Technology HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Health Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT... Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee...

77 FR 73661 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meetings; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: These meetings will be held on the following dates and...

76 FR 70454 - HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups... certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee Workgroups will hold the following...

76 FR 28784 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's... implementation of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT...

76 FR 50736 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's... implementation of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT...

76 FR 14975 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of... be open to the public via dial-in access only. Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's... implementation of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT...

77 FR 65691 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on November 13, 2012, from 9...

77 FR 50690 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on September 19, 2012, from 9...

75 FR 21628 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-26

... Technology HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The...

76 FR 55913 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held virtually on October 21, 2011...

77 FR 65690 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on December 19, 2012, from 9...

Single-hit mechanism of tumour cell killing by radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, J D

2003-02-01

To review the relative importance of the single-hit mechanism of radiation killing for tumour response to 1.8-2.0 Gy day(-1) fractions and to low dose-rate brachytherapy. Tumour cell killing by ionizing radiation is well described by the linear-quadratic equation that contains two independent components distinguished by dose kinetics. Analyses of tumour cell survival curves that contain six or more dose points usually provide good estimates of the alpha- and beta-inactivation coefficients. Superior estimates of tumour cell intrinsic radiosensitivity are obtained when synchronized populations are employed. The characteristics of single-hit inactivation of tumour cells are reviewed and compared with the characteristics of beta-inactivation. Potential molecular targets associated with single-hit inactivation are discussed along with strategies for potentiating cell killing by this mechanism. The single-hit mechanism of tumour cell killing shows no dependence on dose-rate and, consequently, no evidence of sublethal damage repair. It is uniquely potentiated by high linear-energy-transfer radiation, exhibits a smaller oxygen enhancement ratio and exhibits a larger indirect effect by hydroxyl radicals than the beta-mechanism. alpha-inactivation coefficients vary slightly throughout interphase but mitotic cells exhibit extremely high alpha-coefficients in the range of those observed for lymphocytes and some repair-deficient cells. Evidence is accumulating to suggest that chromatin in compacted form could be a radiation-hypersensitive target associated with single-hit radiation killing. Analyses of tumour cell survival curves demonstrate that it is the single-hit mechanism (alpha) that determines the majority of cell killing after doses of 2Gy and that this mechanism is highly variable between tumour cell lines. The characteristics of single-hit inactivation are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct from those of beta-inactivation. Compacted chromatin in tumour cells

Assessing the lipophilicity of fragments and early hits

Science.gov (United States)

Mortenson, Paul N.; Murray, Christopher W.

2011-07-01

A key challenge in many drug discovery programs is to accurately assess the potential value of screening hits. This is particularly true in fragment-based drug design (FBDD), where the hits often bind relatively weakly, but are correspondingly small. Ligand efficiency (LE) considers both the potency and the size of the molecule, and enables us to estimate whether or not an initial hit is likely to be optimisable to a potent, druglike lead. While size is a key property that needs to be controlled in a small molecule drug, there are a number of additional properties that should also be considered. Lipophilicity is amongst the most important of these additional properties, and here we present a new efficiency index (LLEAT) that combines lipophilicity, size and potency. The index is intuitively defined, and has been designed to have the same target value and dynamic range as LE, making it easily interpretable by medicinal chemists. Monitoring both LE and LLEAT should help both in the selection of more promising fragment hits, and controlling molecular weight and lipophilicity during optimisation.

77 FR 16035 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on March 27, 2012, from 9 a.m...

76 FR 79684 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on January 25, 2012, from 9 a...

77 FR 15760 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on April 18, 2012, from 9 a.m...

76 FR 14976 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on April 20, 2011, from 9 a.m...

76 FR 39109 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on July 20, 2011, from 9 a.m...

76 FR 28782 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on June 22, 2011, from 9 a.m...

77 FR 27459 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on June 20, 2012, from 9 a.m...

77 FR 37408 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee... with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on July 19...

77 FR 22787 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on May 24, 2012, from 9 a.m...

76 FR 22396 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on May 18, 2011, from 9 a.m...

77 FR 60438 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on October 17, 2012, from 9 a...

76 FR 9783 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on March 29, 2011, from 9 a.m...

77 FR 45353 - HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of... public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide... developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The meeting will be held on August 15, 2012, from 9:00...

A C++ object-oriented toolkit for track finding with k-dimensional hits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uiterwijk, J.W.E.; Panman, J.; Vyver, B. van de

2006-01-01

A library is described for the recognition of tracks in a set of hits. The hits are assumed to be k-dimensional points (k-d), with k>=1, of which a subset can be grouped into tracks by using short-range correlations. A connection graph between the hits is created by sorting the hits first in k-d space using one of the developed, fast, k-space containers. The track-finding algorithm considers any connection between two hits as a possible track seed and grows these seeds into longer track segments using a modified depth-first search of the connection graph. All hit-acceptance decisions are called via abstract methods of an acceptance criterion class which isolates the library from the application's hit and track model. An application is tuned for a particular tracking environment by creating a concrete implementation for the hit and track acceptance calculations. The implementer is free to trade tracking time for acceptance complexity (influencing efficiency) depending on the requirements of the particular application. Results for simulated data show that the track finding is both efficient and fast even for high noise environments

Bullying behavior and mental health in healthcare and educational sectors in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernotaite, Lina; Malinauskiene, Vilija; Leisyte, Palmira

2017-05-16

Investigations on workplace bullying in the countries of Eastern Europe are yet not too extensive. The aim of the study has been to identify the most frequent bullying behavior and to explore the associations with psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms in 3 female-dominated occupations in Kaunas, Lithuania. This crosssectional study employed 517 teachers (response rate (RR) = 71.3%), 174 family physicians (RR = 65.7%) and 311 internal medicine department nurses (RR = 69.1%). The twenty-two-item Negative Acts Questionnaire was used for measuring the exposure to bullying behavior, Goldberg 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) - psychological distress, Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) inventory - post-traumatic stress symptoms, Karasek & Theorell Demand-Control questionnaire - psychosocial job characteristics. The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) SPSS Statistics version 20.0 was used for performing the statistical analysis. Logistic regression was used for assessing the associations among 22 negative acts as continuous variable and mental health outcomes adjusting to age, psychosocial factors at work and everyday life. Exposure to workplace bullying behavior on a weekly/daily basis was prevalent among family physicians at the rate of 19%, among nurses - 12.9%, among teachers - 4.1%. Even after adjustment to age, psychosocial job characteristics and threatening life events, the exposure to 22 negative acts as continuous variable was significantly associated with psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms for all 3 occupations. Health care sector is particularly affected by workplace bullying. Exposure to bullying behavior was associated with mental health problems for all 3 occupations. Preventive measures are necessary to improve psychosocial work environment conditions in healthcare and educational institutions in Lithuania. Med Pr 2017;68(3):307-314. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under

Bullying behavior and mental health in healthcare and educational sectors in Kaunas, Lithuania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lina Bernotaite

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Investigations on workplace bullying in the countries of Eastern Europe are yet not too extensive. The aim of the study has been to identify the most frequent bullying behavior and to explore the associations with psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms in 3 female-dominated occupations in Kaunas, Lithuania. Material and Methods: This crosssectional study employed 517 teachers (response rate (RR = 71.3%, 174 family physicians (RR = 65.7% and 311 internal medicine department nurses (RR = 69.1%. The twenty-two-item Negative Acts Questionnaire was used for measuring the exposure to bullying behavior, Goldberg 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12 – psychological distress, Event Scale-Revised (IES-R inventory – post-traumatic stress symptoms, Karasek & Theorell Demand-Control questionnaire – psychosocial job characteristics. The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0 was used for performing the statistical analysis. Logistic regression was used for assessing the associations among 22 negative acts as continuous variable and mental health outcomes adjusting to age, psychosocial factors at work and everyday life. Results: Exposure to workplace bullying behavior on a weekly/daily basis was prevalent among family physicians at the rate of 19%, among nurses – 12.9%, among teachers – 4.1%. Even after adjustment to age, psychosocial job characteristics and threatening life events, the exposure to 22 negative acts as continuous variable was significantly associated with psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms for all 3 occupations. Conclusions: Health care sector is particularly affected by workplace bullying. Exposure to bullying behavior was associated with mental health problems for all 3 occupations. Preventive measures are necessary to improve psychosocial work environment conditions in healthcare and educational institutions in Lithuania. Med Pr

Throat hit in users of the electronic cigarette: An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Etter, Jean-François

2016-02-01

A cross-sectional survey on the Internet in 2012-2014 was used to study the "throat hit," the specific sensation in the throat felt by users of e-cigarettes. Participants were 1672 current users of e-cigarettes, visitors of Websites dedicated to e-cigarettes and to smoking cessation. It was assessed whether the strength of the throat hit was associated with the characteristics of e-cigarettes and e-liquids, modifications of the devices, patterns of use, reasons for use, satisfaction with e-cigarettes, dependence on e-cigarettes, smoking behavior, and perceived effects on smoking. The strongest throat hit was obtained by using better-quality models and liquids with high nicotine content. Those who reported a "very strong" throat hit used liquids with 17.3 mg/mL nicotine, versus 7.1 mg/mL for those reporting a "very weak" hit (p e-cigarette models that provide high levels of nicotine, a strong throat hit, high satisfaction, and more effects on smoking, but may also be addictive, and models than contain less nicotine and are less addictive, but produce a weaker throat hit, are less satisfactory, and are possibly less efficient at helping people quit smoking. This trade-off must be kept in mind when regulating e-cigarettes. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Identifying and Synchronizing Health Information Technology (HIT) Events from FDA Medical Device Reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hong; Wang, Frank; Zhou, Sicheng; Miao, Qi; Gong, Yang

2017-01-01

Health information technology (HIT) events, a subtype of patient safety events, pose a major threat and barrier toward a safer healthcare system. It is crucial to gain a better understanding of the nature of the errors and adverse events caused by current HIT systems. The scarcity of HIT event-exclusive databases and event reporting systems indicates the challenge of identifying the HIT events from existing resources. FDA Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database is a potential resource for HIT events. However, the low proportion and the rapid evolvement of HIT-related events present challenges for distinguishing them from other equipment failures and hazards. We proposed a strategy to identify and synchronize HIT events from MAUDE by using a filter based on structured features and classifiers based on unstructured features. The strategy will help us develop and grow an HIT event-exclusive database, keeping pace with updates to MAUDE toward shared learning.

High energy ion hit technique to local area using microbeam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Ryuichi; Kamiya, Tomihiro; Suda, Tamotsu; Sakai, Takuro; Hirao, Toshio; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Watanabe, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

1997-03-01

Single energetic ion hit technique has been developed as an application of ion microbeam technique, in order to study the effect of local damage or injury to materials and living organisms. The overall performance is basically defined by those of separate techniques: microbeam formation, microbeam positioning, single ion detection, detection signal processing, hit timing control, and hit verification. Recent progress on the developments of these techniques at JAERI-TIARA facility are reviewed. (author)

Database for High Throughput Screening Hits (dHITS): a simple tool to retrieve gene specific phenotypes from systematic screens done in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuartzman, Silvia G; Schuldiner, Maya

2018-03-25

In the last decade several collections of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains have been created. In these collections every gene is modified in a similar manner such as by a deletion or the addition of a protein tag. Such libraries have enabled a diversity of systematic screens, giving rise to large amounts of information regarding gene functions. However, often papers describing such screens focus on a single gene or a small set of genes and all other loci affecting the phenotype of choice ('hits') are only mentioned in tables that are provided as supplementary material and are often hard to retrieve or search. To help unify and make such data accessible, we have created a Database of High Throughput Screening Hits (dHITS). The dHITS database enables information to be obtained about screens in which genes of interest were found as well as the other genes that came up in that screen - all in a readily accessible and downloadable format. The ability to query large lists of genes at the same time provides a platform to easily analyse hits obtained from transcriptional analyses or other screens. We hope that this platform will serve as a tool to facilitate investigation of protein functions to the yeast community. © 2018 The Authors Yeast Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

All hypertopologies are hit-and-miss

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Somshekhar Naimpally

2002-04-01

Full Text Available We solve a long standing problem by showing that all known hypertopologies are hit-and-miss. Our solution is not merely of theoretical importance. This representation is useful in the study of comparison of the Hausdorff-Bourbaki or H-B uniform topologies and the Wijsman topologies among themselves and with others. Up to now some of these comparisons needed intricate manipulations. The H-B uniform topologies were the subject of intense activity in the 1960's in connection with the Isbell-Smith problem. We show that they are proximally locally finite topologies from which the solution to the above problem follows easily. It is known that the Wijsman topology on the hyperspace is the proximal ball (hit-and-miss topology in”nice” metric spaces including the normed linear spaces. With the introduction of a new far-miss topology we show that the Wijsman topology is hit-and-miss for all metric spaces. From this follows a natural generalization of the Wijsman topology to the hyperspace of any T1 space. Several existing results in the literature are easy consequences of our work.

Cosmic Ray Hit Detection with Homogenous Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, O. M.

Cosmic ray (CR) hits can affect a significant number of pixels both on long-exposure ground-based CCD observations and on the Space Telescope frames. Thus, methods of identifying the damaged pixels are an important part of the data preprocessing for practically any application. The paper presents an implementation of a CR hit detection algorithm based on a homogenous structure (also called cellular automata ), a concept originating in artificial intelligence and dicrete mathematics. Each pixel of the image is represented by a small automaton, which interacts with its neighbors and assumes a distinct state if it ``decides'' that a CR hit is present. On test data, the algorithm has shown a high detection rate (~0.7 ) and a low false alarm rate (frame. A homogenous structure is extremely trainable, which can be very important for processing large batches of data obtained under similar conditions. Training and optimizing issues are discussed, as well as possible other applications of this concept to image processing.

A fast DSP-based calorimeter hit scanning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekikawa, S.; Arai, I.; Suzuki, A.; Watanabe, A.; Marlow, D.R.; Mindas, C.R.; Wixted, R.L.

1997-01-01

A custom made digital signal processor (DSP) based system has been developed to scan calorimeter hits read by a 32-channel FASTBUS waveform recorder board. The scanner system identifies hit calorimeter elements by surveying their discriminated outputs. This information is used to generate a list of addresses, which guides the read-out process. The system is described and measurements of the scan times are given. (orig.)

Salient cues improve prospective remembering in Korsakoff's syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Altgassen, Mareike; Ariese, Laura; Wester, Arie J; Kessels, Roy P C

2016-06-01

Korsakoff's syndrome is characterized by deficits in episodic memory and executive functions. Both cognitive functions are needed to remember to execute delayed intentions (prospective memory, PM), an ability that is crucial for independent living in everyday life. So far, PM has only been targeted by one study in Korsakoff's syndrome. This study explored the effects of executive control demands on PM to shed further light on a possible interdependence of memory and executive functions in Korsakoff's syndrome, Twenty-five individuals with Korsakoff's syndrome and 23 chronic alcoholics (without amnesia) performed a categorization task into which a PM task was embedded that put either high or low demands on executive control processes (using low vs. high salient cues). Overall, Korsakoff patients had fewer PM hits than alcoholic controls. Across groups, participants had fewer PM hits when cues were low salient as compared to high salient. Korsakoff patients performed better on PM when highly salient cues were presented than cues of low salience, while there were no differential effects for alcoholic controls. While overall Korsakoff patients' showed a global PM deficit, the extent of this deficit was moderated by the executive control demands of the task applied. This indicated further support for an interrelation of executive functions and memory performance in Korsakoff. Positive clinical implications of the work Prospective memory (PM) performance in Korsakoff's syndrome is related to executive control load. Increasing cues' salience improves PM performance in Korsakoff's syndrome. Salient visual aids may be used in everyday life to improve Korsakoff individuals' planning and organization skills. Cautions or limitations of the study Results were obtained in a structured laboratory setting and need to be replicated in a more naturalistic setting to assess their transferability to everyday life. Given the relatively small sample size, individual predictors of PM

Double-hit mouse model of cigarette smoke priming for acute lung injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakhatskyy, Pavlo; Wang, Zhengke; Borgas, Diana; Lomas-Neira, Joanne; Chen, Yaping; Ayala, Alfred; Rounds, Sharon; Lu, Qing

2017-01-01

Epidemiological studies indicate that cigarette smoking (CS) increases the risk and severity of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The mechanism is not understood, at least in part because of lack of animal models that reproduce the key features of the CS priming process. In this study, using two strains of mice, we characterized a double-hit mouse model of ALI induced by CS priming of injury caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). C57BL/6 and AKR mice were preexposed to CS briefly (3 h) or subacutely (3 wk) before intratracheal instillation of LPS and ALI was assessed 18 h after LPS administration by measuring lung static compliance, lung edema, vascular permeability, inflammation, and alveolar apoptosis. We found that as little as 3 h of exposure to CS enhanced LPS-induced ALI in both strains of mice. Similar exacerbating effects were observed after 3 wk of preexposure to CS. However, there was a strain difference in susceptibility to CS priming for ALI, with a greater effect in AKR mice. The key features we observed suggest that 3 wk of CS preexposure of AKR mice is a reproducible, clinically relevant animal model that is useful for studying mechanisms and treatment of CS priming for a second-hit-induced ALI. Our data also support the concept that increased susceptibility to ALI/ARDS is an important adverse health consequence of CS exposure that needs to be taken into consideration when treating critically ill individuals.

Public perception of Tourette syndrome on YouTube.

Science.gov (United States)

Fat, Mary Jane Lim; Sell, Erick; Barrowman, Nick; Doja, Asif

2012-08-01

We sought to determine public perception surrounding Tourette syndrome through viewers' responses to videos on YouTube. The top 20 videos on YouTube for search terms Tourette's, Tourette's syndrome, Tourette syndrome and tics were selected. The portrayal of Tourette syndrome was assessed as positive, negative, or neutral. Top 10 comments for each video were graded as "sympathetic," "neutral," or "derogatory." A total of 14 970 hits were obtained and 41 videos were retained, with an average of 590 113 views (1369 to 13 747 069) and 1761 comments (0 to 35 241). Twenty-two percent of videos retained portrayed Tourette syndrome negatively, 20% were neutral and 59% positive. Negative portrayals were significantly associated with more views (Spearman correlation rho = -.46, P =.003) and comments (Spearman correlation rho = -.47, P = .002). Although excellent examples of Tourette syndrome are available on YouTube, the popularity of negative portrayals may reinforce existing stigma in society.

"Hit-and-Run" leaves its mark: catalyst transcription factors and chromatin modification.

Science.gov (United States)

Varala, Kranthi; Li, Ying; Marshall-Colón, Amy; Para, Alessia; Coruzzi, Gloria M

2015-08-01

Understanding how transcription factor (TF) binding is related to gene regulation is a moving target. We recently uncovered genome-wide evidence for a "Hit-and-Run" model of transcription. In this model, a master TF "hits" a target promoter to initiate a rapid response to a signal. As the "hit" is transient, the model invokes recruitment of partner TFs to sustain transcription over time. Following the "run", the master TF "hits" other targets to propagate the response genome-wide. As such, a TF may act as a "catalyst" to mount a broad and acute response in cells that first sense the signal, while the recruited TF partners promote long-term adaptive behavior in the whole organism. This "Hit-and-Run" model likely has broad relevance, as TF perturbation studies across eukaryotes show small overlaps between TF-regulated and TF-bound genes, implicating transient TF-target binding. Here, we explore this "Hit-and-Run" model to suggest molecular mechanisms and its biological relevance. © 2015 The Authors. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Hit Identification and Optimization in Virtual Screening: Practical Recommendations Based Upon a Critical Literature Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Tian; Cao, Shuyi; Su, Pin-Chih; Patel, Ram; Shah, Darshan; Chokshi, Heta B.; Szukala, Richard; Johnson, Michael E.; Hevener, Kirk E.

2013-01-01

A critical analysis of virtual screening results published between 2007 and 2011 was performed. The activity of reported hit compounds from over 400 studies was compared to their hit identification criteria. Hit rates and ligand efficiencies were calculated to assist in these analyses and the results were compared with factors such as the size of the virtual library and the number of compounds tested. A series of promiscuity, drug-like, and ADMET filters were applied to the reported hits to assess the quality of compounds reported and a careful analysis of a subset of the studies which presented hit optimization was performed. This data allowed us to make several practical recommendations with respect to selection of compounds for experimental testing, defining hit identification criteria, and general virtual screening hit criteria to allow for realistic hit optimization. A key recommendation is the use of size-targeted ligand efficiency values as hit identification criteria. PMID:23688234

Hit identification and optimization in virtual screening: practical recommendations based on a critical literature analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Tian; Cao, Shuyi; Su, Pin-Chih; Patel, Ram; Shah, Darshan; Chokshi, Heta B; Szukala, Richard; Johnson, Michael E; Hevener, Kirk E

2013-09-12

A critical analysis of virtual screening results published between 2007 and 2011 was performed. The activity of reported hit compounds from over 400 studies was compared to their hit identification criteria. Hit rates and ligand efficiencies were calculated to assist in these analyses, and the results were compared with factors such as the size of the virtual library and the number of compounds tested. A series of promiscuity, druglike, and ADMET filters were applied to the reported hits to assess the quality of compounds reported, and a careful analysis of a subset of the studies that presented hit optimization was performed. These data allowed us to make several practical recommendations with respect to selection of compounds for experimental testing, definition of hit identification criteria, and general virtual screening hit criteria to allow for realistic hit optimization. A key recommendation is the use of size-targeted ligand efficiency values as hit identification criteria.

Direct oral anticoagulants for treatment of HIT: update of Hamilton experience and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Warkentin, Theodore E; Pai, Menaka; Linkins, Lori-Ann

2017-08-31

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are attractive options for treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). We report our continuing experience in Hamilton, ON, Canada, since January 1, 2015 (when we completed our prospective study of rivaroxaban for HIT), using rivaroxaban for serologically confirmed HIT (4Ts score ≥4 points; positive platelet factor 4 [PF4]/heparin immunoassay, positive serotonin-release assay). We also performed a literature review of HIT treatment using DOACs (rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban). We focused on patients who received DOAC therapy for acute HIT as either primary therapy (group A) or secondary therapy (group B; initial treatment using a non-DOAC/non-heparin anticoagulant with transition to a DOAC during HIT-associated thrombocytopenia). Our primary end point was occurrence of objectively documented thrombosis during DOAC therapy for acute HIT. We found that recovery without new, progressive, or recurrent thrombosis occurred in all 10 Hamilton patients with acute HIT treated with rivaroxaban. Data from the literature review plus these new data identified a thrombosis rate of 1 of 46 patients (2.2%; 95% CI, 0.4%-11.3%) in patients treated with rivaroxaban during acute HIT (group A, n = 25; group B, n = 21); major hemorrhage was seen in 0 of 46 patients. Similar outcomes in smaller numbers of patients were observed with apixaban (n = 12) and dabigatran (n = 11). DOACs offer simplified management of selected patients, as illustrated by a case of persisting (autoimmune) HIT (>2-month platelet recovery with inversely parallel waning of serum-induced heparin-independent serotonin release) with successful outpatient rivaroxaban management of HIT-associated thrombosis. Evidence supporting efficacy and safety of DOACs for acute HIT is increasing, with the most experience reported for rivaroxaban. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Efficiency Improvement of HIT Solar Cells on p-Type Si Wafers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Chun-You; Lin, Chu-Hsuan; Hsiao, Hao-Tse; Yang, Po-Chuan; Wang, Chih-Ming; Pan, Yen-Chih

2013-11-22

Single crystal silicon solar cells are still predominant in the market due to the abundance of silicon on earth and their acceptable efficiency. Different solar-cell structures of single crystalline Si have been investigated to boost efficiency; the heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) structure is currently the leading technology. The record efficiency values of state-of-the art HIT solar cells have always been based on n-type single-crystalline Si wafers. Improving the efficiency of cells based on p-type single-crystalline Si wafers could provide broader options for the development of HIT solar cells. In this study, we varied the thickness of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous Si layer to improve the efficiency of HIT solar cells on p-type Si wafers.

Computational Physics' Greatest Hits

Science.gov (United States)

Bug, Amy

2011-03-01

The digital computer, has worked its way so effectively into our profession that now, roughly 65 years after its invention, it is virtually impossible to find a field of experimental or theoretical physics unaided by computational innovation. It is tough to think of another device about which one can make that claim. In the session ``What is computational physics?'' speakers will distinguish computation within the field of computational physics from this ubiquitous importance across all subfields of physics. This talk will recap the invited session ``Great Advances...Past, Present and Future'' in which five dramatic areas of discovery (five of our ``greatest hits'') are chronicled: The physics of many-boson systems via Path Integral Monte Carlo, the thermodynamic behavior of a huge number of diverse systems via Monte Carlo Methods, the discovery of new pharmaceutical agents via molecular dynamics, predictive simulations of global climate change via detailed, cross-disciplinary earth system models, and an understanding of the formation of the first structures in our universe via galaxy formation simulations. The talk will also identify ``greatest hits'' in our field from the teaching and research perspectives of other members of DCOMP, including its Executive Committee.

COPD: A stepwise or a hit hard approach?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.J. Ferreira

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Current guidelines differ slightly on the recommendations for treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD patients, and although there are some undisputed recommendations, there is still debate regarding the management of COPD. One of the hindrances to deciding which therapeutic approach to choose is late diagnosis or misdiagnosis of COPD. After a proper diagnosis is achieved and severity assessed, the choice between a stepwise or “hit hard” approach has to be made. For GOLD A patients the stepwise approach is recommended, whilst for B, C and D patients this remains debatable. Moreover, in patients for whom inhaled corticosteroids (ICS are recommended, a step-up or “hit hard” approach with triple therapy will depend on the patient's characteristics and, for patients who are being over-treated with ICS, ICS withdrawal should be performed, in order to optimize therapy and reduce excessive medications.This paper discusses and proposes stepwise, “hit hard”, step-up and ICS withdrawal therapeutic approaches for COPD patients based on their GOLD group. We conclude that all approaches have benefits, and only a careful patient selection will determine which approach is better, and which patients will benefit the most from each approach. Keywords: COPD, Stepwise, Hit hard, Step-up, ICS withdrawal, Bronchodilators, ICS

Computational Breakthrough of Natural Lead Hits from the Genus of Arisaema against Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kant, Kamal; Lal, Uma Ranjan; Ghosh, Manik

2018-01-01

To date, efforts for the prevention and treatment of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection have been still vain, and there is no safe and effective clinical accepted vaccine. Arisaema genus has claimed for various traditional bioactivities, but scientific assessments are quite limited. This encouraged us to carry out our present study on around 60 phytoconstituents of different Arisaema species as a natural inhibitor against the human RSV. Selected 60 phytochemical entities were evaluated on the docking behavior of human RSV receptor (PDB: 4UCC) using Maestro 9.3 (Schrödinger, LLC, Cambridge, USA). Furthermore, kinetic properties and toxicity nature of top graded ligands were analyzed through QikProp and ProTox tools. Notably, rutin (glide score: -8.49), schaftoside (glide score: -8.18) and apigenin-6,8-di-C-β-D-galactoside (glide score - 7.29) have resulted in hopeful natural lead hits with an ideal range of kinetic descriptors values. ProTox tool (oral rodent toxicity) has resulted in likely toxicity targets of apex-graded tested ligands. Finally, the whole efforts can be explored further as a model to confirm its anti-human RSV potential with wet laboratory experiments. Rutin, schaftoside, and apigenin-6,8-di-C-β-D-galactoside showed promising top hits docking profile against human respiratory syncytial virusMoreover, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion properties (QikProp) of top hits resulted within an ideal range of kinetic descriptorsProTox tool highlighted toxicity class ranges, LD 50 values, and possible toxicity targets of apex-graded tested ligands. Abbreviations used: RSV: Respiratory syncytial virus, PRRSV: Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus, ADME-T: Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity.

Double-hit B-cell lymphomas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aukema, Sietse M.; Siebert, Reiner; Schuuring, Ed; van Imhoff, Gustaaf W.; Kluin-Nelemans, Hanneke C.; Boerma, Evert-Jan; Kluin, Philip M.

2011-01-01

In many B-cell lymphomas, chromosomal translocations are biologic and diagnostic hallmarks of disease. An intriguing subset is formed by the so-called double-hit (DH) lymphomas that are defined by a chromosomal breakpoint affecting the MYC/8q24 locus in combination with another recurrent breakpoint,

Are stripes beneficial? Dazzle camouflage influences perceived speed and hit rates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bettina von Helversen

Full Text Available In the animal kingdom, camouflage refers to patterns that help potential prey avoid detection. Mostly camouflage is thought of as helping prey blend in with their background. In contrast, disruptive or dazzle patterns protect moving targets and have been suggested as an evolutionary force in shaping the dorsal patterns of animals. Dazzle patterns, such as stripes and zigzags, are thought to reduce the probability with which moving prey will be captured by impairing predators' perception of speed. We investigated how different patterns of stripes (longitudinal-i.e., parallel to movement direction-and vertical-i.e., perpendicular to movement direction affect the probability with which humans can hit moving objects and if differences in hitting probability are caused by a misperception of speed. A first experiment showed that longitudinally striped objects were hit more often than unicolored objects. However, vertically striped objects did not differ from unicolored objects. A second study examining the link between perceived speed and hitting probability showed that longitudinally and vertically striped objects were both perceived as moving faster and were hit more often than unicolored objects. In sum, our results provide evidence that striped patterns disrupt the perception of speed, which in turn influences how often objects are hit. However, the magnitude and the direction of the effects depend on additional factors such as speed and the task setup.

Influence of Running on Pistol Shot Hit Patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerkhoff, Wim; Bolck, Annabel; Mattijssen, Erwin J A T

2016-01-01

In shooting scene reconstructions, risk assessment of the situation can be important for the legal system. Shooting accuracy and precision, and thus risk assessment, might be correlated with the shooter's physical movement and experience. The hit patterns of inexperienced and experienced shooters, while shooting stationary (10 shots) and in running motion (10 shots) with a semi-automatic pistol, were compared visually (with confidence ellipses) and statistically. The results show a significant difference in precision (circumference of the hit patterns) between stationary shots and shots fired in motion for both inexperienced and experienced shooters. The decrease in precision for all shooters was significantly larger in the y-direction than in the x-direction. The precision of the experienced shooters is overall better than that of the inexperienced shooters. No significant change in accuracy (shift in the hit pattern center) between stationary shots and shots fired in motion can be seen for all shooters. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The impact of Health Information Technology (I-HIT) Scale: the Australian results.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Robyn; Foster, Joanne

2009-01-01

One of role of the nurse in the clinical setting is that of co-ordinating communication across the healthcare team. On a daily basis nurses interact with the person receiving care, their family members, and multiple care providers thus placing the nurse in the central position with access to a vast array of information on the person. Through this nurses have historically functioned as "information repositories". With the advent of Health Information Technology (HIT) tools there is a potential that HIT could impact interdisciplinary communication, practice efficiency and effectiveness, relationships and workflow in acute care settings [1][3]. In 2005, the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Community developed the I-HIT Scale to measure the impact of HIT on the nursing role and interdisciplinary communication in USA hospitals. In 2007, nursing informatics colleagues from Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA formed a research collaborative to validate the I-HIT in six additional countries. This paper will discuss the background, methodology, results and implications from the Australian I-HIT survey of over 1,100 nurses. The results are currently being analyzed and will be presented at the conference.

75 FR 62399 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-08

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations.... SUMMARY: Section 3003(b)(3) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 mandates that the HIT Standards Committee develop a schedule for the assessment of policy recommendations developed by the HIT...

HIT-6 and MIDAS as measures of headache disability in a headache referral population.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauro, Khara M; Rose, Marianne S; Becker, Werner J; Christie, Suzanne N; Giammarco, Rose; Mackie, Gordon F; Eloff, Arnoldas G; Gawel, Marek J

2010-03-01

The objective of this study was to compare the headache impact test (HIT-6) and the migraine disability assessment scale (MIDAS) as clinical measures of headache-related disability. The degree of headache-related disability is an important factor in treatment planning. Many quality of life and headache disability measures exist but it is unclear which of the available disability measures is the most helpful in planning and measuring headache management. We compared HIT-6 and MIDAS scores from 798 patients from the Canadian Headache Outpatient Registry and Database (CHORD). Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between the HIT-6 and MIDAS total scores, headache frequency and intensity, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) scores. A positive correlation was found between HIT-6 and MIDAS scores (r = 0.52). The BDI-II scores correlated equally with the HIT-6 and the MIDAS (r = 0.42). There was a non-monotonic relationship between headache frequency and the MIDAS, and a non-linear monotonic relationship between headache frequency and the HIT-6 (r = 0.24). The correlation was higher between the intensity and the HIT-6 scores (r = 0.46), than MIDAS (r = 0.26) scores. Seventy-nine percent of patients fell into the most severe HIT-6 disability category, compared with the 57% of patients that fell into the most severe MIDAS disability category. Significantly more patients were placed in a more severe category with the HIT-6 than with the MIDAS (McNemar chi-square = 191 on 6 d.f., P MIDAS appear to measure headache-related disability in a similar fashion. However, some important differences may exist. Headache intensity appears to influence HIT-6 score more than the MIDAS, whereas the MIDAS was influenced more by headache frequency. Using the HIT-6 and MIDAS together may give a more accurate assessment of a patient's headache-related disability.

Does ′heparin-induced thrombocytopenia′ hit our minds?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arun R Thangavel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Unfractionated heparin is a widely used drug to prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli in patients at risk. With the advent of newer anticoagulants having lesser side effects, its use has diminished but not out of service. Here, we report a case of deep venous thrombosis, in a patient on prophylactic dose of heparin, which was later found to be a manifestation of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT. Thrombosis in the presence of heparin prophylaxis should be considered as HIT rather than a failure of anticoagulation.

Nedley Depression Hit Hypothesis: Identifying Depression and Its Causes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nedley, Neil; Ramirez, Francisco E

2016-11-01

Depression is often diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. We propose how certain lifestyle choices and non-modifiable factors can predict the development of depression. We identified 10 cause categories (hits or "blows" to the brain) and theorize that four or more active hits could trigger a depression episode. Methods. A sample of 4271 participants from our community-based program (70% female; ages 17-94 years) was assessed at baseline and at the eighth week of the program using a custom test. Ten cause categories were examined as predictors of depression are (1) Genetic, (2)Developmental, (3)Lifestyle, (4)Circadian Rhythm, (5)Addiction, (6)Nutrition, (7)Toxic, (8)Social/Complicated Grief, (9)Medical Condition, and (10)Frontal Lobe. Results. The relationship between the DSM-5 score and a person having four hits categories in the first program week showed a sensitivity of 89.98 % (95% CI: 89.20 % - 90.73%), specificity 48.84% (CI 45.94-51.75) and Matthew Correlation Coefficient (MCC) .41 . For the eight-week test, the results showed a sensitivity 83.6% (CI 81.9-85.5), specificity 53.7% (CI 51.7-55.6) and MCC .38. Overall, the hits that improved the most from baseline after the eighth week were: Nutrition (47%), Frontal lobe (36%), Addiction (24%), Circadian rhythm (24%), Lifestyle (20%), Social (12%) and Medical (10%). Conclusions. The Nedley four-hit hypothesis seems to predict a depressive episode and correlates well with the DSM-5 criteria with good sensitivity and MCC but less specificity. Identifying these factors and applying lifestyle therapies could play an important role in the treatment of depressed individuals.

77 FR 57567 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 50690 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 15760 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 39108 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS ACTION: Notice of... the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide...

77 FR 37407 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 22397 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 22787 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 27459 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide recommendations to...

76 FR 28783 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 79684 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 73660 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 28881 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide recommendations to...

76 FR 46298 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

77 FR 65691 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 70455 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide recommendations to...

77 FR 2727 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 14975 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: to provide recommendations to...

76 FR 50734 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

76 FR 55912 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide...

77 FR 41788 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee. General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to...

SHIELD-HIT12A - a Monte Carlo particle transport program for ion therapy research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bassler, Niels; Hansen, David Christoffer; Lühr, Armin

2014-01-01

. We experienced that new users quickly learn to use SHIELD-HIT12A and setup new geometries. Contrary to previous versions of SHIELD-HIT, the 12A distribution comes along with easy-to-use example files and an English manual. A new implementation of Vavilov straggling resulted in a massive reduction......Abstract. Purpose: The Monte Carlo (MC) code SHIELD-HIT simulates the transport of ions through matter. Since SHIELD-HIT08 we added numerous features that improves speed, usability and underlying physics and thereby the user experience. The “-A” fork of SHIELD-HIT also aims to attach SHIELD....... It supports native formats compatible with the heavy ion treatment planning system TRiP. Stopping power files follow ICRU standard and are generated using the libdEdx library, which allows the user to choose from a multitude of stopping power tables. Results: SHIELD-HIT12A runs on Linux and Windows platforms...

75 FR 21629 - HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee...

Multi-hit time-to-amplitude CAMAC module (MTAC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, H.

1980-10-01

A Multi-Hit Time-to-Amplitude Module (MTAC) for the SLAC Mark III drift chamber system has been designed to measure drift time by converting time-proportional chamber signals into analog levels, and converting the analog data by slow readout via a semi-autonomous controller in a CAMAC crate. The single width CAMAC module has 16 wire channels, each with a 4-hit capacity. An externally generated common start initiates an internal precision ramp voltage which is then sampled using a novel shift register gating scheme and CMOS sampling switches. The detailed design and performance specifications are described

Improvements to the ion Doppler spectrometer diagnostic on the HIT-SI experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Hossack, Aaron; Chandra, Rian; Everson, Chris; Jarboe, Tom

2018-03-01

An ion Doppler spectrometer diagnostic system measuring impurity ion temperature and velocity on the HIT-SI and HIT-SI3 spheromak devices has been improved with higher spatiotemporal resolution and lower error than previously described devices. Hardware and software improvements to the established technique have resulted in a record of 6.9 μs temporal and ≤2.8 cm spatial resolution in the midplane of each device. These allow Ciii and Oii flow, displacement, and temperature profiles to be observed simultaneously. With 72 fused-silica fiber channels in two independent bundles, and an f/8.5 Czerny-Turner spectrometer coupled to a video camera, frame rates of up to ten times the imposed magnetic perturbation frequency of 14.5 kHz were achieved in HIT-SI, viewing the upper half of the midplane. In HIT-SI3, frame rates of up to eight times the perturbation frequency were achieved viewing both halves of the midplane. Biorthogonal decomposition is used as a novel filtering tool, reducing uncertainty in ion temperature from ≲13 to ≲5 eV (with an instrument temperature of 8-16 eV) and uncertainty in velocity from ≲2 to ≲1 km/s. Doppler shift and broadening are calculated via the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, after which the errors in velocity and temperature are uniquely specified. Axisymmetric temperature profiles on HIT-SI3 for Ciii peaked near the inboard current separatrix at ≈40 eV are observed. Axisymmetric plasma displacement profiles have been measured on HIT-SI3, peaking at ≈6 cm at the outboard separatrix. Both profiles agree with the upper half of the midplane observable by HIT-SI. With its complete midplane view, HIT-SI3 has unambiguously extracted axisymmetric, toroidal current dependent rotation of up to 3 km/s. Analysis of the temporal phase of the displacement uncovers a coherent structure, locked to the applied perturbation. Previously described diagnostic systems could not achieve such results.

NMR characterization of weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiuyang; Gao, Jia; Li, Fudong; Ma, Rongsheng; Wei, Qingtao; Wang, Aidong; Wu, Jihui; Ruan, Ke

2017-01-01

The delineation of intrinsically weak interactions between novel targets and fragment screening hits has long limited the pace of hit-to-lead evolution. Rho guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor 2 (RhoGDI2) is a novel target that lacks any chemical probes for the treatment of tumor metastasis. Protein-observed and ligand-observed NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits. We identified three hits of RhoGDI2 using streamlined NMR fragment-based screening. The binding site residues were assigned using non-uniformly sampled C α - and H α -based three dimensional NMR spectra. The molecular docking to the proposed geranylgeranyl binding pocket of RhoGDI2 was guided by NMR restraints of chemical shift perturbations and ligand-observed transferred paramagnetic relaxation enhancement. We further validated the weak RhoGDI2-hit interactions using mutagenesis and structure-affinity analysis. Weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits were delineated using an integrated NMR approach. Binders to RhoGDI2 as a potential anti-cancer target have been first reported, and their weak interactions were depicted using NMR spectroscopy. Our work highlights the powerfulness and the versatility of the integrative NMR techniques to provide valuable structural insight into the intrinsically weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and the fragment screening hits, which could hardly be conceived using other biochemical techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Impact of Health Information Technology (I-HIT) scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Dykes, Patricia C; Hurley, Ann; Cashen, Margaret; Bakken, Suzanne; Duffy, Mary E

2007-01-01

The use of health information technology (HIT) for the support of communication processes and data and information access in acute care settings is a relatively new phenomenon. A means of evaluating the impact of HIT in hospital settings is needed. The purpose of this research was to design and psychometrically evaluate the Impact of Health Information Technology scale (I-HIT). I-HIT was designed to measure the perception of nurses regarding the ways in which HIT influences interdisciplinary communication and workflow patterns and nurses' satisfaction with HIT applications and tools. Content for a 43-item tool was derived from the literature, and supported theoretically by the Coiera model and by nurse informaticists. Internal consistency reliability analysis using Cronbach's alpha was conducted on the 43-item scale to initiate the item reduction process. Items with an item total correlation of less than 0.35 were removed, leaving a total of 29 items. Item analysis, exploratory principal component analysis and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha were used to confirm the 29-item scale. Principal components analysis with Varimax rotation produced a four-factor solution that explained 58.5% of total variance (general advantages, information tools to support information needs, information tools to support communication needs, and workflow implications). Internal consistency of the total scale was 0.95 and ranged from 0.80-0.89 for four subscales. I-HIT demonstrated psychometric adequacy and is recommended to measure the impact of HIT on nursing practice in acute care settings.

Plasma exchange to remove HIT antibodies: dissociation between enzyme-immunoassay and platelet activation test reactivities.

Science.gov (United States)

Warkentin, Theodore E; Sheppard, Jo-Ann I; Chu, F Victor; Kapoor, Anil; Crowther, Mark A; Gangji, Azim

2015-01-01

Repeated therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been advocated to remove heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) IgG antibodies before cardiac/vascular surgery in patients who have serologically-confirmed acute or subacute HIT; for this situation, a negative platelet activation assay (eg, platelet serotonin-release assay [SRA]) has been recommended as the target serological end point to permit safe surgery. We compared reactivities in the SRA and an anti-PF4/heparin IgG-specific enzyme immunoassay (EIA), testing serial serum samples in a patient with recent (subacute) HIT who underwent serial TPE precardiac surgery, as well as for 15 other serially-diluted HIT sera. We observed that post-TPE/diluted HIT sera-when first testing SRA-negative-continue to test strongly positive by EIA-IgG. This dissociation between the platelet activation assay and a PF4-dependent immunoassay for HIT antibodies indicates that patients with subacute HIT undergoing repeated TPE before heparin reexposure should be tested by serial platelet activation assays even when their EIAs remain strongly positive. © 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.

Progress on FIR interferometry and Thomson Scattering measurements on HIT-SI3

Science.gov (United States)

Everson, Christopher; Jarboe, Thomas; Morgan, Kyle

2017-10-01

Spatially resolved measurements of the electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) will be fundamental in assessing the degree to which HIT-SI3 demonstrates closed magnetic flux and energy confinement. Further, electron temperature measurements have not yet been made on an inductively-driven spheromak. Far infrared (FIR) interferometer and Thomson Scattering (TS) systems have been installed on the HIT-SI3 spheromak. The TS system currently implemented on HIT-SI3 was originally designed for other magnetic confinement experiments, and progress continues toward modifying and optimizing for HIT-SI3 plasmas. Initial results suggest that the electron temperature is of order 10 eV. Plans to modify the TS system to provide more sensitivity and accuracy at low temperatures are presented. The line-integrated ne is measured on one chord by the FIR interferometer, with densities near 5x1019 m-3. Four cylindrical volumes have been added to the HIT-SI3 apparatus to enhance passive pumping. It is hoped that this will allow for more control of the density during the 2 ms discharges. Density measurements from before and after the installation of the passive pumping volumes are presented for comparison.

76 FR 4352 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-25

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National... only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups: Meaningful Use, Privacy & Security Tiger..., implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee...

The T10 beam produces a few hits per event. In ALICE the SSD will have to cope with many hits per strip. In the three centimeters of aluminium the beam will produce many secondary particles. This increases the chance of multiple hits per strip, although not to the level in ALICE.

CERN Multimedia

Nooren, G.

2004-01-01

The T10 beam produces a few hits per event. In ALICE the SSD will have to cope with many hits per strip. In the three centimeters of aluminium the beam will produce many secondary particles. This increases the chance of multiple hits per strip, although not to the level in ALICE.

Platelet count recovery and seroreversion in immune HIT despite continuation of heparin: further observations and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Andrew W; Sheppard, Jo-Ann I; Warkentin, Theodore E

2017-10-05

One of the standard distinctions between type 1 (non-immune) and type 2 (immune-mediated) heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is the transience of thrombocytopenia: type 1 HIT is viewed as early-onset and transient thrombocytopenia, with platelet count recovery despite continuing heparin administration. In contrast, type 2 HIT is viewed as later-onset (i. e., 5 days or later) thrombocytopenia in which it is generally believed that platelet count recovery will not occur unless heparin is discontinued. However, older reports of type 2 HIT sometimes did include the unexpected observation that platelet counts could recover despite continued heparin administration, although without information provided regarding changes in HIT antibody levels in association with platelet count recovery. In recent years, some reports of type 2 HIT have confirmed the observation that platelet count recovery can occur despite continuing heparin administration, with serological evidence of waning levels of HIT antibodies ("seroreversion"). We now report two additional patient cases of type 2 HIT with platelet count recovery despite ongoing therapeutic-dose (1 case) or prophylactic-dose (1 case) heparin administration, in which we demonstrate concomitant waning of HIT antibody levels. We further review the literature describing this phenomenon of HIT antibody seroreversion and platelet count recovery despite continuing heparin administration. Our observations add to the concept that HIT represents a remarkably transient immune response, including sometimes even when heparin is continued.

Health Information Technologies-Academic and Commercial Evaluation (HIT-ACE) methodology: description and application to clinical feedback systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyon, Aaron R; Lewis, Cara C; Melvin, Abigail; Boyd, Meredith; Nicodimos, Semret; Liu, Freda F; Jungbluth, Nathaniel

2016-09-22

Health information technologies (HIT) have become nearly ubiquitous in the contemporary healthcare landscape, but information about HIT development, functionality, and implementation readiness is frequently siloed. Theory-driven methods of compiling, evaluating, and integrating information from the academic and commercial sectors are necessary to guide stakeholder decision-making surrounding HIT adoption and to develop pragmatic HIT research agendas. This article presents the Health Information Technologies-Academic and Commercial Evaluation (HIT-ACE) methodology, a structured, theory-driven method for compiling and evaluating information from multiple sectors. As an example demonstration of the methodology, we apply HIT-ACE to mental and behavioral health measurement feedback systems (MFS). MFS are a specific class of HIT that support the implementation of routine outcome monitoring, an evidence-based practice. HIT-ACE is guided by theories and frameworks related to user-centered design and implementation science. The methodology involves four phases: (1) coding academic and commercial materials, (2) developer/purveyor interviews, (3) linking putative implementation mechanisms to hit capabilities, and (4) experimental testing of capabilities and mechanisms. In the current demonstration, phase 1 included a systematic process to identify MFS in mental and behavioral health using academic literature and commercial websites. Using user-centered design, implementation science, and feedback frameworks, the HIT-ACE coding system was developed, piloted, and used to review each identified system for the presence of 38 capabilities and 18 additional characteristics via a consensus coding process. Bibliometic data were also collected to examine the representation of the systems in the scientific literature. As an example, results are presented for the application of HIT-ACE phase 1 to MFS wherein 49 separate MFS were identified, reflecting a diverse array of characteristics

75 FR 3906 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-25

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National... only. Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups: Meaningful Use, Privacy & Security Policy... specifications, and certification criteria are needed. Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee Workgroups will...

75 FR 65636 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-26

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The...

75 FR 57027 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-17

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The...

75 FR 42090 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-20

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... Strategic Plan, and in accordance with policies developed by the HIT Policy Committee. Date and Time: The...

Laboratory tests for identification or exclusion of heparin induced thrombocytopenia: HIT or miss?

Science.gov (United States)

Favaloro, Emmanuel J

2018-02-01

Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially fatal condition that arises subsequent to formation of antibodies against complexes containing heparin, usually platelet-factor 4-heparin ("anti-PF4-heparin"). Assessment for HIT involves both clinical evaluation and, if indicated, laboratory testing for confirmation or exclusion, typically using an initial immunological assay ("screening"), and only if positive, a secondary functional assay for confirmation. Many different immunological and functional assays have been developed. The most common contemporary immunological assays comprise enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], chemiluminescence, lateral flow, and particle gel techniques. The most common functional assays measure platelet aggregation or platelet activation events (e.g., serotonin release assay; heparin-induced platelet activation (HIPA); flow cytometry). All assays have some sensitivity and specificity to HIT antibodies, but differ in terms of relative sensitivity and specificity for pathological HIT, as well as false negative and false positive error rate. This brief article overviews the different available laboratory methods, as well as providing a suggested approach to diagnosis or exclusion of HIT. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MIDAS and HIT-6 French translation: reliability and correlation between tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnoux, E; Freeman, M A; Zlotnik, G

2008-01-01

The aim was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the French translation of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) and Headache Impact Test (HIT)-6 questionnaires as applied to episodic and chronic headaches and to assess the correlation between these two questionnaires. The MIDAS and HIT-6 questionnaires, which assess the degree of migraine-related functional disability, are widely used in headache treatment clinics. The French translation has not been checked for test-retest reliability. MIDAS involves recall, over the previous 3 months, of the number of days with functional disability with regard to work and to home and social life. HIT-6 involves a more subjective and general assessment of headache-related disability over the previous 4 weeks. We expect that there may be greater impact recall bias for chronic headaches than for episodic headaches and considered it important to be able to determine if the reliability of these questionnaires is equally good for these two patient populations. Given that both questionnaires have the same objective, that of assessing headache impact, it was thought useful to determine if their results might show a correlation and if they could thus be used interchangeably. The study was approved by an external ethics committee. The subjects were patients who regularly visit the Clinique de la Migraine de Montréal, which specializes in the treatment of headaches. The MIDAS and HIT-6 questionnaires were completed by the patients during their regular visit. Twelve days later, the same questionnaires were mailed with a prepaid return envelope. Sixty-five patients were required in both the episodic and chronic headache groups, assuming an 80% questionnaire return rate. One hundred and eighty-five patients were enrolled, and 143 completed the study, 75 with episodic headaches and 68 with chronic headaches. The questionnaire return rate was 78.9%. On average, questionnaires were completed a second time 21 days after the first

HIT or miss? A comprehensive contemporary investigation of laboratory tests for heparin induced thrombocytopenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Favaloro, Emmanuel J; McCaughan, Georgia; Mohammed, Soma; Lau, Kun Kan Edwin; Gemmell, Rosalie; Cavanaugh, Lauren; Donikian, Dea; Kondo, Mayuko; Brighton, Timothy; Pasalic, Leonardo

2018-04-17

Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of heparin therapy, which in a proportion of patients causes platelet activation and thrombosis. Initial clinical assessment of the likelihood of HIT is facilitated by laboratory testing to confirm or exclude HIT. This prospective investigation was performed over an 18-month period, and has involved testing of over 300 test samples from over 100 consecutive patients. Clinical assessment by 4T score was supplemented by laboratory tests that comprised both immunological [lateral flow ('STiC'), chemiluminescence (AcuStar; HIT-IgG (PF4-H) ), ELISA (Asserachrom HPIA IgG)] and functional assays [SRA, platelet aggregation using whole blood ('Multiplate') and platelet rich plasma ('LTA')]. We observed both false positive and false negative test findings with most assays. Overall, the whole blood aggregation method provided a reasonable alternative to SRA for identifying functional HIT. STiC, AcuStar and ELISA procedures were fairly comparable in terms of screening for HIT, although STiC and AcuStar both yielded false negatives, albeit also resulting in fewer false positives than ELISA. The 4T score had less utility in our patient cohort than we were expecting, although there was an association with the likelihood of HIT. Nevertheless, we accept that our observations are based on limited test numbers. In conclusion, no single approach (clinical or laboratory) was associated with optimal sensitivity or specificity of HIT exclusion or identification, and thus, a combination of clinical evaluation and laboratory testing will best ensure the accuracy of diagnosis. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Impact of Health Information Technology (I-HIT) Scale: an international collaborative.

Science.gov (United States)

Dykes, Patricia C; Hurley, Ann C; Brown, Suzanne; Carr, Robyn; Cashen, Margaret; Collins, Rita; Cook, Robyn; Currie, Leanne; Docherty, Charles; Ensio, Anneli; Foster, Joanne; Hardiker, Nicholas R; Honey, Michelle L L; Killalea, Rosaleen; Murphy, Judy; Saranto, Kaija; Sensmeier, Joyce; Weaver, Charlotte

2009-01-01

In 2005, the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Nursing Informatics Community developed a survey to measure the impact of health information technology (HIT), the I-HIT Scale, on the role of nurses and interdisciplinary communication in hospital settings. In 2007, nursing informatics colleagues from Australia, England, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States formed a research collaborative to validate the I-HIT across countries. All teams have completed construct and face validation in their countries. Five out of six teams have initiated reliability testing by practicing nurses. This paper reports the international collaborative's validation of the I-HIT Scale completed to date.

Effective progression of nuclear magnetic resonance-detected fragment hits.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, Hugh L; Wyss, Daniel F

2011-01-01

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has become increasingly popular over the last decade as an alternate lead generation tool to HTS approaches. Several compounds have now progressed into the clinic which originated from a fragment-based approach, demonstrating the utility of this emerging field. While fragment hit identification has become much more routine and may involve different screening approaches, the efficient progression of fragment hits into quality lead series may still present a major bottleneck for the broadly successful application of FBDD. In our laboratory, we have extensive experience in fragment-based NMR screening (SbN) and the subsequent iterative progression of fragment hits using structure-assisted chemistry. To maximize impact, we have applied this approach strategically to early- and high-priority targets, and those struggling for leads. Its application has yielded a clinical candidate for BACE1 and lead series in about one third of the SbN/FBDD projects. In this chapter, we will give an overview of our strategy and focus our discussion on NMR-based FBDD approaches. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HIT Solar Cells with N-Type Low-Cost Metallurgical Si

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Yang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A conversion efficiency of 20.23% of heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT solar cell on 156 mm × 156 mm metallurgical Si wafer has been obtained. Applying AFORS-HET software simulation, HIT solar cell with metallurgical Si was investigated with regard to impurity concentration, compensation level, and their impacts on cell performance. It is known that a small amount of impurity in metallurgical Si materials is not harmful to solar cell properties.

Biophysics: for HTS hit validation, chemical lead optimization, and beyond.

Science.gov (United States)

Genick, Christine C; Wright, S Kirk

2017-09-01

There are many challenges to the drug discovery process, including the complexity of the target, its interactions, and how these factors play a role in causing the disease. Traditionally, biophysics has been used for hit validation and chemical lead optimization. With its increased throughput and sensitivity, biophysics is now being applied earlier in this process to empower target characterization and hit finding. Areas covered: In this article, the authors provide an overview of how biophysics can be utilized to assess the quality of the reagents used in screening assays, to validate potential tool compounds, to test the integrity of screening assays, and to create follow-up strategies for compound characterization. They also briefly discuss the utilization of different biophysical methods in hit validation to help avoid the resource consuming pitfalls caused by the lack of hit overlap between biophysical methods. Expert opinion: The use of biophysics early on in the drug discovery process has proven crucial to identifying and characterizing targets of complex nature. It also has enabled the identification and classification of small molecules which interact in an allosteric or covalent manner with the target. By applying biophysics in this manner and at the early stages of this process, the chances of finding chemical leads with novel mechanisms of action are increased. In the future, focused screens with biophysics as a primary readout will become increasingly common.

High-Throughput Screening and Hit Validation of Extracellular-Related Kinase 5 (ERK5) Inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Stephanie M; Bawn, Ruth H; Bisset, Louise C; Blackburn, Timothy J; Cottyn, Betty; Molyneux, Lauren; Wong, Ai-Ching; Cano, Celine; Clegg, William; Harrington, Ross W; Leung, Hing; Rigoreau, Laurent; Vidot, Sandrine; Golding, Bernard T; Griffin, Roger J; Hammonds, Tim; Newell, David R; Hardcastle, Ian R

2016-08-08

The extracellular-related kinase 5 (ERK5) is a promising target for cancer therapy. A high-throughput screen was developed for ERK5, based on the IMAP FP progressive binding system, and used to identify hits from a library of 57 617 compounds. Four distinct chemical series were evident within the screening hits. Resynthesis and reassay of the hits demonstrated that one series did not return active compounds, whereas three series returned active hits. Structure-activity studies demonstrated that the 4-benzoylpyrrole-2-carboxamide pharmacophore had excellent potential for further development. The minimum kinase binding pharmacophore was identified, and key examples demonstrated good selectivity for ERK5 over p38α kinase.

Upgrade tracking with the UT Hits

CERN Document Server

Gandini, P; Wang, J

2014-01-01

The performance of the LHCb tracking system for the upgrade on long tracks is evaluated in terms of efficiency and ghost rate reduction for several different sets of requirements. We find that the efficiency is quite high and that the ghost rate reduction is substantial. We also describe the current algorithm for adding UT hits to the tracks.

LncRNA-HIT Functions as an Epigenetic Regulator of Chondrogenesis through Its Recruitment of p100/CBP Complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Hanqian L; Quinn, Jeffrey J; Yang, Yul W; Thornburg, Chelsea K; Chang, Howard Y; Stadler, H Scott

2015-12-01

Gene expression profiling in E 11 mouse embryos identified high expression of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), LNCRNA-HIT in the undifferentiated limb mesenchyme, gut, and developing genital tubercle. In the limb mesenchyme, LncRNA-HIT was found to be retained in the nucleus, forming a complex with p100 and CBP. Analysis of the genome-wide distribution of LncRNA-HIT-p100/CBP complexes by ChIRP-seq revealed LncRNA-HIT associated peaks at multiple loci in the murine genome. Ontological analysis of the genes contacted by LncRNA-HIT-p100/CBP complexes indicate a primary role for these loci in chondrogenic differentiation. Functional analysis using siRNA-mediated reductions in LncRNA-HIT or p100 transcripts revealed a significant decrease in expression of many of the LncRNA-HIT-associated loci. LncRNA-HIT siRNA treatments also impacted the ability of the limb mesenchyme to form cartilage, reducing mesenchymal cell condensation and the formation of cartilage nodules. Mechanistically the LncRNA-HIT siRNA treatments impacted pro-chondrogenic gene expression by reducing H3K27ac or p100 activity, confirming that LncRNA-HIT is essential for chondrogenic differentiation in the limb mesenchyme. Taken together, these findings reveal a fundamental epigenetic mechanism functioning during early limb development, using LncRNA-HIT and its associated proteins to promote the expression of multiple genes whose products are necessary for the formation of cartilage.

Evaluation of flow cytometric HIT assays in relation to an IgG-Specific immunoassay and clinical outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerényi, Adrienne; Beke Debreceni, Ildikó; Oláh, Zsolt; Ilonczai, Péter; Bereczky, Zsuzsanna; Nagy, Béla; Muszbek, László; Kappelmayer, János

2017-09-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a severe side effect of heparin treatment caused by platelet activating IgG antibodies generated against the platelet factor 4 (PF4)-heparin complex. Thrombocytopenia and thrombosis are the leading clinical symptoms of HIT. The clinical pretest probability of HIT was evaluated by the 4T score system. Laboratory testing of HIT was performed by immunological detection of antibodies against PF4-heparin complex (EIA) and two functional assays. Heparin-dependent activation of donor platelets by patient plasma was detected by flow cytometry. Increased binding of Annexin-V to platelets and elevated number of platelet-derived microparticles (PMP) were the indicators of platelet activation. EIA for IgG isotype HIT antibodies was performed in 405 suspected HIT patients. Based on negative EIA results, HIT was excluded in 365 (90%) of cases. In 40 patients with positive EIA test result functional tests were performed. Platelet activating antibodies were detected in 17 cases by Annexin V binding. PMP count analysis provided nearly identical results. The probability of a positive flow cytometric assay result was higher in patients with elevated antibody titer. 71% of patients with positive EIA and functional assay had thrombosis. EIA is an important first line laboratory test in the diagnosis of HIT; however, HIT must be confirmed by a functional test. Annexin V binding and PMP assays using flow cytometry are functional HIT tests convenient in a clinical diagnostic laboratory. The positive results of functional assays may predict the onset of thrombosis. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

Possilibity of estimating payoff matrix from model for hit phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Akira; Sakaidani, Shota; Iwanaga, Saori

2016-01-01

The conflicts of topics on social media is considered using an extended mathematical model based on the mathematical model for hit phenomena that has been used to analyze entertainment hits. The social media platform used in this study was blog. The calculation results shows examples of strong conflict, weak conflict, and no conflict cases. Since the conflict of two topics can be considered in the framework of game theory, the results can be used to determine each matrix element of the payoff matrix of game theory.

Visual Illusions and the Control of Ball Placement in Goal-Directed Hitting

Science.gov (United States)

Caljouw, Simone R.; Van der Kamp, John; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.

2010-01-01

When hitting, kicking, or throwing balls at targets, online control in the target area is impossible. We assumed this lack of late corrections in the target area would induce an effect of a single-winged Muller-Lyer illusion on ball placement. After extensive practice in hitting balls to different landing locations, participants (N = 9) had to hit…

Aggressive B cell Lymphoma: Optimal Therapy for MYC-positive, Double-Hit, and Triple-Hit DLBCL.

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Dunleavy, Kieron

2015-12-01

Approximately 10% of cases of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) harbor a MYC rearrangement and this has been associated with an inferior outcome following standard therapy across many different studies. Double-hit and triple-hit lymphomas harbor concurrent rearrangements of MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 and are also associated with a very aggressive course and poor clinical outcome. It is unclear and there is lack of consensus on how these diseases should be approached therapeutically. They are characterized typically by high tumor proliferation and likely require Burkitt lymphoma-type strategies and several retrospective studies suggest that more intensive approaches than rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) may be beneficial. One challenge in this respect is that most patients with these diseases are older than 60 years and generally have poor tolerability of regimens typically used in Burkitt lymphoma. Dose-adjusted EPOCH-R is an alternative effective immunochemotherapy platform for DLBCL and is effective in Burkitt lymphoma, and retrospective studies suggest that it is effective and feasible in patients with DLBCL that harbors a MYC rearrangement with or without a BCL-2 translocation (double-hit). A multicenter study of this approach in MYC-rearranged DLBCL is ongoing and preliminary results are very encouraging. There is a lack of consensus on the role of consolidation stem cell transplantation in patients who achieve a good response to initial therapy but at this point in time, no (retrospective) studies have demonstrated any benefit. These diseases are also associated with a high rate of CNS involvement and progression and checking for cerebrospinal fluid by cytology and flow cytometry at initial diagnosis should be considered. In summary, based on retrospective data and preliminary prospective data (as more mature data is awaited), while Burkitt-type regimens may be feasible in young patients, DA-EPOCH-R is a

Simulation optimizing of n-type HIT solar cells with AFORS-HET

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Yao, Yao; Xiao, Shaoqing; Zhang, Xiumei; Gu, Xiaofeng

2017-07-01

This paper presents a study of heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells based on n-type silicon substrates by a simulation software AFORS-HET. We have studied the influence of thickness, band gap of intrinsic layer and defect densities of every interface. Details in mechanisms are elaborated as well. The results show that the optimized efficiency reaches more than 23% which may give proper suggestions to practical preparation for HIT solar cells industry.

Assessment of the performances of AcuStar HIT and the combination with heparin-induced multiple electrode aggregometry: a retrospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Minet, V; Bailly, N; Douxfils, J; Osselaer, J C; Laloy, J; Chatelain, C; Elalamy, I; Chatelain, B; Dogné, J M; Mullier, F

2013-09-01

Early diagnosis of immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is challenging. HemosIL® AcuStar HIT and heparin-induced multiple electrode aggregometry (HIMEA) were recently proposed as rapid diagnostic methods. We conducted a study to assess performances of AcuStar HIT-IgG (PF4-H) and AcuStar HIT-Ab (PF4-H). The secondary objective was to compare the performances of the combination of Acustar HIT and HIMEA with standardised clinical diagnosis. Sera of 104 suspected HIT patients were retrospectively tested with AcuStar HIT. HIMEA was performed on available sera (n=81). The clinical diagnosis was established by analysing in a standardized manner the patient's medical records. These tests were also compared with PF4-Enhanced®, LTA, and SRA in subsets of patients. Thresholds were determined using ROC curve analysis with clinical outcome as reference. Using the recommended thresholds (1.00AU), the negative predictive value (NPV) of HIT-IgG and HIT-Ab were 100.0% (95% CI: 95.9%-100.0% and 95.7%-100.0%). The positive predictive value (PPV) were 64.3% (95% CI: 35.1%-87.2.2%) and 45.0% (95% CI: 23.2%-68.6%), respectively. Using our thresholds (HIT-IgG: 2.89AU, HIT-Ab: 9.41AU), NPV of HIT-IgG and HIT-Ab were 100.0% (95% CI: 96.0%-100.0% and 96.1%-100.0%). PPV were 75.0% (95% CI: 42.7%-94.5%) and 81.8% (95% CI: 48.3%-97.7%), respectively. Of the 79 patients with a medium-high pretest probability score, 67 were negative using HIT-IgG (PF4-H) test at our thresholds. HIMEA was performed on HIT-IgG positive patients. Using this combination, only one patient on 79 was incorrectly diagnosed. Acustar HIT showed good performances to exclude the diagnosis of HIT. Combination with HIMEA improves PPV. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reconstruction of hit time and hit position of annihilation quanta in the J-PET detector using the Mahalanobis distance

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Sharma Neha Gupta

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The J-PET detector being developed at the Jagiellonian University is a positron emission tomograph composed of the long strips of polymer scintillators. At the same time, it is a detector system that will be used for studies of the decays of positronium atoms. The shape of photomultiplier signals depends on the hit time and hit position of the gamma quantum. In order to take advantage of this fact, a dedicated sampling front-end electronics that enables to sample signals in voltage domain with the time precision of about 20 ps and novel reconstruction method based on the comparison of examined signal with the model signals stored in the library has been developed. As a measure of the similarity, we use the Mahalanobis distance. The achievable position and time resolution depend on the number and values of the threshold levels at which the signal is sampled. A reconstruction method as well as preliminary results are presented and discussed.

Rare genome-wide copy number variation and expression of schizophrenia in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bassett, Anne S.; Lowther, Chelsea; Merico, Daniele; Costain, Gregory; Chow, Eva W C; Van Amelsvoort, Therese; McDonald-Mcginn, Donna M.; Gur, Raquel E.; Swillen, Ann; van den Bree, Marianne B M; Murphy, Kieran C.; Gothelf, Doron; Bearden, Carrie E.; Eliez, Stephan; Kates, Wendy R.; Philip, Nicole; Sashi, Vandana; Campbell, Linda E.; Vorstman, Jacob; Cubells, Joseph; Repetto, Gabriela M.; Simon, Tony J.; Boot, Erik; Heung, Tracy; Evers, Rens; Vingerhoets, Claudia; Van Duin, Esther; Zackai, Elaine; Vergaelen, Elfi; Devriendt, Koen; Vermeesch, Joris R.; Owen, Michael J; Murphy, Clodagh M.; Michaelovosky, Elena; Kushan, Leila; Schneider, Maude; Fremont, Wanda; Busa, Tiffany; Hooper, Stephen R.; McCabe, Kathryn; Duijff, Sasja; Isaev, Karin; Pellecchia, Giovanna; Wei, John; Gazzellone, Matthew J.; Scherer, Stephen W.; Emanuel, Beverly S.; Guo, Tingwei; Morrow, Bernice E.; Marshall, Christian R.

2017-01-01

Objective: Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with a more than 20-fold increased risk for developing schizophrenia. The aim of this studywas to identify additional genetic factors (i.e., "second hits") that may contribute to schizophrenia expression. Method: Through an

USER FRUSTRATION IN HIT INTERFACES: EXPLORING PAST HCI RESEARCH FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CLINICIANS' EXPERIENCES.

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Opoku-Boateng, Gloria A

2015-01-01

User frustration research has been one way of looking into clinicians' experience with health information technology use and interaction. In order to understand how clinician frustration with Health Information Technology (HIT) use occurs, there is the need to explore Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature that addresses both frustration and HIT use. In the past three decades, HCI frustration research has increased and expanded. Researchers have done a lot of work to understand emotions, end-user frustration and affect. This paper uses a historical literature review approach to review the origins of emotion and frustration research and explore the research question; Does HCI research on frustration provide insights on clinicians' frustration with HIT interfaces? From the literature review HCI research on emotion and frustration provides additional insights that can indeed help explain user frustration in HIT. Different approaches and HCI perspectives also help frame HIT user frustration research as well as inform HIT system design. The paper concludes with a suggested directions on how future design and research may take.

Effectiveness of a Motivation and Practical Skills Development Methods on the Oral Hygiene of Orphans Children in Kaunas, Lithuania

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Greta Markeviciute

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a motivation and practical skills development methods on the oral hygiene of orphans. Material and Methods: Sixty eight orphans aged between 7 and 17 years from two orphanages in Kaunas were divided into two groups: practical application group and motivation group. Children were clinically examined by determining their oral hygiene status using Silness-Löe plaque index. Questionnaire was used to estimate the oral hygiene knowledge and practices at baseline and after 3 months. Statistical analysis included: Chi-square test (χ2, Fisher‘s exact test, Student‘s t-test, nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient and Kappa coefficient. Results: All children had a plaque on at least one tooth in both groups: motivation 1.14 (SD 0.51, practical application 1.08 (SD 0.4 (P = 0.58. Girls in both groups showed significantly better oral hygiene than boys (P < 0.001. After 3 months educational program oral hygiene status improved in both groups significantly 0.4 (SD 0.35 (P < 0.001. Significantly better oral hygiene was determined in practical application group 0.19 (SD 0.27 in comparison with motivation group 0.55 (SD 0.32 (P < 0.001. By comparing results of first and second questionnaire surveys on use of soft drinks, the statistically significant decline of their use was in both groups (P = 0.004. Conclusions: Educational programs are effective in improving oral hygiene, especially when they’re based on practical skills training.

Informing the Selection of Screening Hit Series with in Silico Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity Profiles.

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Sanders, John M; Beshore, Douglas C; Culberson, J Christopher; Fells, James I; Imbriglio, Jason E; Gunaydin, Hakan; Haidle, Andrew M; Labroli, Marc; Mattioni, Brian E; Sciammetta, Nunzio; Shipe, William D; Sheridan, Robert P; Suen, Linda M; Verras, Andreas; Walji, Abbas; Joshi, Elizabeth M; Bueters, Tjerk

2017-08-24

High-throughput screening (HTS) has enabled millions of compounds to be assessed for biological activity, but challenges remain in the prioritization of hit series. While biological, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), purity, and structural data are routinely used to select chemical matter for further follow-up, the scarcity of historical ADMET data for screening hits limits our understanding of early hit compounds. Herein, we describe a process that utilizes a battery of in-house quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to generate in silico ADMET profiles for hit series to enable more complete characterizations of HTS chemical matter. These profiles allow teams to quickly assess hit series for desirable ADMET properties or suspected liabilities that may require significant optimization. Accordingly, these in silico data can direct ADMET experimentation and profoundly impact the progression of hit series. Several prospective examples are presented to substantiate the value of this approach.

HIT or miss: the application of health care information technology to managing uncertainty in clinical decision making.

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Kazandjian, Vahé A; Lipitz-Snyderman, Allison

2011-12-01

To discuss the usefulness of health care information technology (HIT) in assisting care providers minimize uncertainty while simultaneously increasing efficiency of the care provided. An ongoing study of HIT, performance measurement (clinical and production efficiency) and their implications to the payment for care represents the design of this study. Since 2006, all Maryland hospitals have embarked on a multi-faceted study of performance measures and HIT adoption surveys, which will shape the health care payment model in Maryland, the last of the all-payor states, in 2011. This paper focuses on the HIT component of the Maryland care payment initiative. While the payment model is still under review and discussion, 'appropriateness' of care has been discussed as an important dimension of measurement. Within this dimension, the 'uncertainty' concept has been identified as associated with variation in care practices. Hence, the methods of this paper define how HIT can assist care providers in addressing the concept of uncertainty, and then provides findings from the first HIT survey in Maryland to infer the readiness of Maryland hospital in addressing uncertainty of care in part through the use of HIT. Maryland hospitals show noteworthy variation in their adoption and use of HIT. While computerized, electronic patient records are not commonly used among and across Maryland hospitals, many of the uses of HIT internally in each hospital could significantly assist in better communication about better practices to minimize uncertainty of care and enhance the efficiency of its production. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Hit Dexter: A Machine-Learning Model for the Prediction of Frequent Hitters.

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Stork, Conrad; Wagner, Johannes; Friedrich, Nils-Ole; de Bruyn Kops, Christina; Šícho, Martin; Kirchmair, Johannes

2018-03-20

False-positive assay readouts caused by badly behaving compounds-frequent hitters, pan-assay interference compounds (PAINS), aggregators, and others-continue to pose a major challenge to experimental screening. There are only a few in silico methods that allow the prediction of such problematic compounds. We report the development of Hit Dexter, two extremely randomized trees classifiers for the prediction of compounds likely to trigger positive assay readouts either by true promiscuity or by assay interference. The models were trained on a well-prepared dataset extracted from the PubChem Bioassay database, consisting of approximately 311 000 compounds tested for activity on at least 50 proteins. Hit Dexter reached MCC and AUC values of up to 0.67 and 0.96 on an independent test set, respectively. The models are expected to be of high value, in particular to medicinal chemists and biochemists who can use Hit Dexter to identify compounds for which extra caution should be exercised with positive assay readouts. Hit Dexter is available as a free web service at http://hitdexter.zbh. uni-hamburg.de. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

HitRECord: Cultura remix y copyright. Una experiencia en primera persona en el interior de la Compañía de Producción hitRECord.

OpenAIRE

Sabater Planelles, Pablo

2016-01-01

El Proyecto que hemos desarrollado, mezcla investigación y experiencia en primera persona entorno a dos temas principales con la finalidad de abordarlos, experimentarlos y comprenderlos de la mejor manera en el contexto actual. Mantienen una estrecha confrontación entre ellos y gran relación con la comunidad online hitRECord. Éstos son el copyright y la cultura remix. HitRECord es una plataforma online impulsada en el 2010 por el actor y artista Joseph Gordon-Levitt, convertida en una ...

Development of pulsation technique for single ion hit system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakai, Takuro; Hamano, Tsuyoshi; Hirao, Toshio; Kamiya, Tomihiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

1996-12-01

When a high energy heavy ion enters into a substance, high density of ionization and excitement occurrs along its flying trace. Especially, when such an ion enters into a semiconductor cell, a bit inversion called single event is occurred or a phenomenon destroyed element itself on case of the worst is formed. The present semiconductor cell is made in a size of some micron square, as different from its accumulated degree. In order to analyze the single event phenomenon formed by entering ion into such fine region in detail, a technique possible enter heavy ion beam with space resolution under 1 micron to each sample is necessary. In order to develop this technique, a static type high speed beam switch for control of entering a beam into a sample and a single ion detector for detecting entrance of ion into the sample were installed to heavy ion microbeam forming apparatus. The single ion hit system in Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment, JAERI succeeded in detection and control technique of the single ion and control of noise due to pulsization and finished development of basic technique of the single ion hit, since now. After today, it is planned to hit actually the single ion onto the sample and evaluate its accuracy. (G.K.)

Biomarkers for IgA nephropathy on the basis of multi-hit pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Hitoshi

2018-05-08

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most prevalent glomerular disease worldwide and is associated with a poor prognosis. Development of curative treatment strategies and approaches for early diagnosis is necessary. Renal biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. However, reliable biomarkers are needed for the noninvasive diagnosis of this disease and to more fully delineate the risk of progression. With regard to the pathogenesis of IgAN, the multi-hit hypothesis, including production of galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1; Hit 1), IgG or IgA autoantibodies that recognize Gd-IgA1 (Hit 2), and their subsequent immune complexes formation (Hit 3) and glomerular deposition (Hit 4), has been widely supported by many studies. Although the prognostic values of several biomarkers have been discussed, we recently developed a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic method by measuring serum levels of Gd-IgA1 and Gd-IgA1-containing immune complexes. In addition, urinary Gd-IgA1 may represent a disease-specific biomarker for IgAN. We also confirmed that there is a significant correlation between serum levels of these effector molecules and disease activity, suggesting that each can be considered a practical surrogate marker of therapeutic response. Thus, these disease-oriented specific serum and urine biomarkers may be useful for screening of potential IgAN with isolated hematuria, earlier diagnosis, disease activity, and eventually, response to treatment. In this review, we discuss these concepts, with a focus on potential clinical applications of these biomarkers.

Hit-size effectiveness theory applied to high doses of low LET radiation for pink mutations in Tradescantia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varma, M.N.; Bond, V.P.; Matthews, G.

1985-01-01

A hit-size effectiveness function which represents the probability of inducing a pink mutation in Tradescantia as a function of lineal energy density has been obtained (1) using observed pink mutation data for seven different radiation qualities and their respective single event microdosimetric spectra. In obtaining this function only the linear portions of dose-response curves were used. A significant improvement of the concepts embodied in the proposed hit-size effectiveness theory would be the demonstration of its applicability at high doses (where multiple hits are produced) and high dose rates (at which no significant biological repair takes place). In this article details are given on preliminary calculations of the pink mutation frequency in Tradescantia at 1, 5, 10, 20, and 60 rads for 250 kVp x rays, using the multi-hit spectra and the hit-size effectiveness function obtained on the basis of single hit microdosimetric spectra as outline in (1). A comparison of the calculated and observed pink mutation frequencies indicate excellent agreement and suggests the possibility of obtaining the hit-size effectiveness function from high dose biological-effect data obtained using low-LET radiations. 6 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

A possible association between space weather conditions and the risk of acute coronary syndrome in patients with diabetes and the metabolic syndrome

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Vencloviene, Jone; Babarskiene, Ruta Marija; Kiznys, Deivydas

2017-01-01

Hyperglycemia negatively affects cardiovascular variables that are also adversely affected by increased geomagnetic activity. It is likely that geomagnetic storms (GS) could have a stronger negative impact on these patients. We analyzed data on 1548 randomly selected patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were admitted inpatient treatment in Kaunas city, during 2000-2003. We evaluated the associations of GS, solar proton events (SPE), and high-speed solar wind (HSSW) (solar wind speed ≥600 km/s) with the risk of ACS in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and the metabolic syndrome (MS) by using logistic regression with categorical predictors. During days of HSSW, the risk of ACS in DM patients increased by 1.95 times (OR = 1.95, 95 % CI 1.36-2.79) as compared to days without either of these events or 2 days prior to or after them. In the multivariate model, the risk of ACS in DM patients was associated with days of HSSW and 1-2 days after (OR = 1.40, 95 % CI 1.01-1.93), with days of GS lasting >1 day and occurring on days of HSSW or 1-2 days after (OR = 2.31, 95 % CI 1.28-4.17), and with the onset of SPE (OR = 2.72 (1.09-6.83)). The risk of ACS in MS patients was associated with days of GS and 1-2 days prior or after GS (OR = 1.31 (1.00-1.73)); an additional impact was established if these days coincided with days of HSSW or 1-2 days before (OR = 2.16 (1.39-3.35)). These findings suggest that not only GS but also HSSW and changes in space weather conditions prior to SPE affect the human cardiovascular system.

Double-hit lymphomas constitute a highly aggressive subgroup in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas in the era of rituximab.

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Kobayashi, Tsutomu; Tsutsumi, Yasuhiko; Sakamoto, Natsumi; Nagoshi, Hisao; Yamamoto-Sugitani, Mio; Shimura, Yuji; Mizutani, Shinsuke; Matsumoto, Yosuke; Nishida, Kazuhiro; Horiike, Shigeo; Asano, Naoko; Nakamura, Shigeo; Kuroda, Junya; Taniwaki, Masafumi

2012-11-01

The incorporation of rituximab in immunochemotherapy has improved treatment outcomes for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but the prognosis for some diffuse large B-cell lymphomas remains dismal. Identification of adverse prognostic subgroups is essential for the choice of appropriate therapeutic strategy. We retrospectively investigated the impact of so-called 'double-hit' cytogenetic abnormalities, i.e. cytogenetic abnormalities involving c-MYC co-existing with other poor prognostic cytogenetic abnormalities involving BCL2, BCL6 or BACH2, on treatment outcomes for 93 consecutive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients. According to the revised international prognostic index, no patients were cytogenetically diagnosed with double-hit lymphomas in the 'very good' risk group or in the 'good' risk group, while 5 of 33 patients had double-hit lymphomas in the 'poor' risk group. All the double-hit lymphoma patients possessed both nodal and extranodal involvement. The overall complete response rate was 89.3%, overall survival 87.1% and progression-free survival 75.8% over 2 years (median observation period: 644 days). The complete response rates were 93.2% for the non-double-hit lymphoma patients and 40.0% for the double-hit lymphoma patients. Significantly longer progression-free survival and overall survival were observed for the 'very good' and the 'good' risk patients than for the 'poor' risk patients. Moreover, the progression-free survival of double-hit lymphoma was significantly shorter than that of the non-double-hit lymphoma 'poor' risk patients (P = 0.016). In addition, the overall survival of the double-hit lymphoma patients also tended to be shorter than that of the non-double-hit lymphoma 'poor' risk group. The diagnosis of double-hit lymphoma can help discriminate a subgroup of highly aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphomas and indicate the need for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for double-hit lymphoma.

PF4-HIT antibody (KKO) complexes activate broad innate immune and inflammatory responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Haile, Lydia A; Rao, Roshni; Polumuri, Swamy K; Arepally, Gowthami M; Keire, David A; Verthelyi, Daniela; Sommers, Cynthia D

2017-11-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune-mediated complication of heparin anticoagulation therapy resulting in thrombocytopenia frequently accompanied by thrombosis. Current evidence suggests that HIT is associated with antibodies developed in response to multi-molecular complexes formed by platelet factor 4 (PF4) bound to heparin or cell surface glycosaminoglycans. These antibody complexes activate platelets and monocytes typically through FcγRIIA receptors increasing the production of PF4, inflammatory mediators, tissue factor and thrombin. The influence of underlying events in HIT including complex-induced pro-inflammatory cell activation and structural determinants leading to local inflammatory responses are not fully understood. The stoichiometry and complex component requirements were determined by incubating fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with different concentrations of unfractionated heparin (H), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), PF4- and anti-PF4-H complex antibodies (KKO). Cytokine mRNA or protein were measured by qRT-PCR or Meso Scale Discovery technology, respectively. Gene expression profile analysis for 594 genes was performed using Nanostring technology and analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software. The data show that antibodies magnify immune responses induced in PBMCs by PF4 alone or in complex with heparin or LMWH. We propose that following induction of HIT antibodies by heparin-PF4 complexes, binding of the antibodies to PF4 is sufficient to induce a local pro-inflammatory response which may play a role in the progression of HIT. In vitro assays using PBMCs may be useful in characterizing local inflammatory and innate immune responses induced by HIT antibodies in the presence of PF4 and different sources of heparins. The findings and conclusions in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and are not being formally disseminated by the Food and Drug Administration. Thus, they should not be

Measurements and Simulations on the Mechanisms of Efficiency Losses in HIT Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvio Pierro

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We study the electrical and the optical behavior of HIT solar cell by means of measurements and optoelectrical simulations by TCAD simulations. We compare the HIT solar cell with a conventional crystalline silicon solar cell to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the HIT technology. Results highlight different mechanisms of electrical and optical efficiency losses caused by the presence of the amorphous silicon layer. The higher resistivity of the a-Si layers implies a smaller distance between the metal lines that causes a higher shadowing. The worst optical coupling between the amorphous silicon and the antireflective coating implies a slight increase of reflectivity around the 600 nm wavelength.

Lessons learnt from the Wenchuan earthquake: performance evaluation of treatment of critical injuries in hardest-hit areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jie; Li, Youping; Huang, Xiaolin; Li, Bing; Su, Lin; Zhong, Dake; Shi, Chenghu; Li, Mingxu; Shan, Juan; Chen, Yin

2012-08-01

Critical injury treatment in the hardest-hit areas after a great earthquake was retrospectively analyzed to determine how best to reduce mortality and disability and increase the rehabilitation rate through postquake medical relief. Retrospective analysis, primary sources, and secondary sources were comprehensively retrieved and analyzed. According to incomplete data, 30,620 injured were rescued by themselves among the hardest-hit areas in the 72 hours immediately following the earthquake. Critically injured patients accounted for 22% of total inpatients. Mortality rates declined with greater distance from the epicenter: rates were 12.21% for municipal healthcare centers in the hardest-hit areas, 4.50% for municipal medical units in peripheral quake-hit areas, 2.50% for provincial medical units in peripheral quake-hit areas, and 2.17% for Ministry of Health-affiliated hospitals in peripheral quake-hit areas. The number of injured with fractures on body, limbs or unknown-parts, severe conditions as well as other kinds of non-traumatic diseases received in second-line hospitals was much more than those treated in first-line hospitals with more severe injuries. Among 10,373 injured in stable condition transferred to third-line hospitals, 99.07% were discharged from hospitals within four months, while the mortality rate was 0.017%. The medical relief model of "supervising body helping subordinate unit, severely stricken areas assisting hardest-hit areas, least-hit areas supporting both hardest-hit and severely stricken areas, and self help and mutual assistance applied between hardest-hit areas" was roughly established for injured from severely stricken areas after the Wenchuan Earthquake. The "four-centralization" treatment principle, which referred to concentrating patients, experts, resources and treatment for those injured in critical condition effectively reduced the mortality from 15.06% to 2.9%. Timely, scientific, and standard on-site triage and postmedical

The effect of atmospheric temperature and pressure on the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction in Kaunas.

Science.gov (United States)

Radišauskas, Ričardas; Vaičiulis, Vidmantas; Ustinavičienė, Rūta; Bernotienė, Gailutė

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature and pressure) on the daily occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study used the daily values of atmospheric temperature and pressure in 2000-2007. The meteorological data were obtained from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service for Kaunas. The relative risks of event occurrence were computed for 5°C atmospheric temperature and for 10-hPa atmospheric pressure variations by means of the Poisson regression model. RESULTS. The occurrence of AMI and atmospheric temperature showed an inverse linear relationship, while the occurrence of AMI and atmospheric pressure, a positive linear relationship. Among the youngest subjects (25-44 years old), no relationships were detected. Contrary, among the subjects aged 45-64 years and those aged 65 years and older, the occurrence of AMI significantly decreased with higher temperature (P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). A decrease in atmospheric temperature by 10ºC reduced the risk of AMI by 8.7% in the age groups of 45-64 and 65 years and older and by 19% in the age group of 25 years and older. Among the first AMI cases, the risk increased by 7.5% in the age group of 45-64-year olds and by 6.4% in the age group of 25-64-year olds. The relationship between atmospheric temperature and pressure, and AMI occurrence was found to be linear but inverse. An increase in atmospheric pressure by 10 hPa resulted in an increase in risk by 4% among the subjects aged 65 years and more and by 3% among the subjects aged 25 years and more. CONCLUSIONS. Atmospheric temperature and pressure variations had the greatest effect on middle-aged and aging subjects (starting from 45 years). At younger age, the effect of such factors on the AMI risk was considerably lower.

The Holistic Integrity Test (HIT - quantified resilience analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dobson Mike

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Holistic Integrity Test (HIT - Quantified Resilience Analysis. Rising sea levels and wider climate change mean we face an increasing risk from flooding and other natural hazards. Tough economic times make it difficult to economically justify or afford the desired level of engineered risk reduction. Add to this significant uncertainty from a range of future predictions, constantly updated with new science. We therefore need to understand not just how to reduce the risk, but what could happen should above design standard events occur. In flood terms this includes not only the direct impacts (damage and loss of life, but the wider cascade impacts to infrastructure systems and the longer term impacts on the economy and society. However, understanding the “what if” is only the first part of the equation; a range of improvement measures to mitigate such effects need to be identified and implemented. These measures should consider reducing the risk, lessening the consequences, aiding the response, and speeding up the recovery. However, they need to be objectively assessed through quantitative analysis, which underpins them technically and economically. Without such analysis, it cannot be predicted how measures will perform if the extreme events occur. It is also vital to consider all possible hazards as measures for one hazard may hinder the response to another. The Holistic Integrity Test (HIT, uses quantitative system analysis and “HITs” the site, its infrastructure, contained dangers and wider regional system to determine how it copes with a range of severe shock events, Before, During and After the event, whilst also accounting for uncertainty (as illustrated in figure 1. First explained at the TINCE 2014 Nuclear Conference in Paris, it was explained in terms of a Nuclear Facility needing to analyse the site in response to post Fukushima needs; the hit is however universally applicable. The HIT has three key risk reduction goals: The

Anticipating mismatches of HIT investments: Developing a viability-fit model for e-health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Mettler, Tobias

2016-01-01

Albeit massive investments in the recent years, the impact of health information technology (HIT) has been controversial and strongly disputed by both research and practice. While many studies are concerned with the development of new or the refinement of existing measurement models for assessing the impact of HIT adoption (ex post), this study presents an initial attempt to better understand the factors affecting viability and fit of HIT and thereby underscores the importance of also having instruments for managing expectations (ex ante). We extend prior research by undertaking a more granular investigation into the theoretical assumptions of viability and fit constructs. In doing so, we use a mixed-methods approach, conducting qualitative focus group discussions and a quantitative field study to improve and validate a viability-fit measurement instrument. Our findings suggest two issues for research and practice. First, the results indicate that different stakeholders perceive HIT viability and fit of the same e-health services very unequally. Second, the analysis also demonstrates that there can be a great discrepancy between the organizational viability and individual fit of a particular e-health service. The findings of this study have a number of important implications such as for health policy making, HIT portfolios, and stakeholder communication. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

The prognosis of MYC translocation positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma depends on the second hit.

Science.gov (United States)

Clipson, Alexandra; Barrans, Sharon; Zeng, Naiyan; Crouch, Simon; Grigoropoulos, Nicholas F; Liu, Hongxiang; Kocialkowski, Sylvia; Wang, Ming; Huang, Yuanxue; Worrillow, Lisa; Goodlad, John; Buxton, Jenny; Neat, Michael; Fields, Paul; Wilkins, Bridget; Grant, John W; Wright, Penny; Ei-Daly, Hesham; Follows, George A; Roman, Eve; Watkins, A James; Johnson, Peter W M; Jack, Andrew; Du, Ming-Qing

2015-07-01

A proportion of MYC translocation positive diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) harbour a BCL2 and/or BCL6 translocation, known as double-hit DLBCL, and are clinically aggressive. It is unknown whether there are other genetic abnormalities that cooperate with MYC translocation and form double-hit DLBCL, and whether there is a difference in clinical outcome between the double-hit DLBCL and those with an isolated MYC translocation. We investigated TP53 gene mutations along with BCL2 and BCL6 translocations in a total of 234 cases of DLBCL, including 81 with MYC translocation. TP53 mutations were investigated by PCR and sequencing, while BCL2 and BCL6 translocation was studied by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization. The majority of MYC translocation positive DLBCLs (60/81 = 74%) had at least one additional genetic hit. In MYC translocation positive DLBCL treated by R-CHOP ( n  = 67), TP53 mutation and BCL2, but not BCL6 translocation had an adverse effect on patient overall survival. In comparison with DLBCL with an isolated MYC translocation, cases with MYC/TP53 double-hits had the worst overall survival, followed by those with MYC/BCL2 double-hits. In MYC translocation negative DLBCL treated by R-CHOP ( n  = 101), TP53 mutation, BCL2 and BCL6 translocation had no impact on patient survival. The prognosis of MYC translocation positive DLBCL critically depends on the second hit, with TP53 mutations and BCL2 translocation contributing to an adverse prognosis. It is pivotal to investigate both TP53 mutations and BCL2 translocations in MYC translocation positive DLBCL, and to distinguish double-hit DLBCLs from those with an isolated MYC translocation.

Direct determination of the hit locations from experimental HPGe pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Désesquelles, P., E-mail: Pierre.Desesquelles@in2p3.fr [Univ. Paris-Sud, CSNSM CNRS/IN2P3, 15 rue G. Clémenceau, 91405 Orsay (France); Boston, A.J.; Boston, H.C.; Cresswell, J.R.; Dimmock, M.R. [Oliver Lodge Laboratory, The University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE (United Kingdom); Lazarus, I.H. [STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); Ljungvall, J. [Univ. Paris-Sud, CSNSM CNRS/IN2P3, 15 rue G. Clémenceau, 91405 Orsay (France); Nelson, L. [Oliver Lodge Laboratory, The University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE (United Kingdom); Nga, D.-T. [Univ. Paris-Sud, CSNSM CNRS/IN2P3, 15 rue G. Clémenceau, 91405 Orsay (France); Nolan, P.J.; Rigby, S.V. [Oliver Lodge Laboratory, The University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE (United Kingdom); Simpson, J. [STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD (United Kingdom); Van-Oanh, N.-T. [Univ. Paris-Sud, LCP UMR8000 CNRS, 15 rue G. Clémenceau, 91405 Orsay (France)

2013-11-21

The gamma-tracking technique optimises the determination of the energy and emission angle of gamma-rays detected by modern segmented HPGe detectors. This entails the determination, using the delivered pulse shapes, of the interaction points of the gamma-ray within the crystal. The direct method presented here allows the localisation of the hits using only a large sample of pulses detected in the actual operating conditions. No external crystal scanning system or pulse shape simulation code is needed. In order to validate this method, it is applied to sets of pulses obtained using the University of Liverpool scanning system. The hit locations are determined by the method with good precision.

Plasma response to sustainment with imposed-dynamo current drive in HIT-SI and HIT-SI3

Science.gov (United States)

Hossack, A. C.; Jarboe, T. R.; Chandra, R. N.; Morgan, K. D.; Sutherland, D. A.; Penna, J. M.; Everson, C. J.; Nelson, B. A.

2017-07-01

The helicity injected torus—steady inductive (HIT-SI) program studies efficient, steady-state current drive for magnetic confinement plasmas using a novel experimental method. Stable, high-beta spheromaks have been sustained using steady, inductive current drive. Externally induced loop voltage and magnetic flux are oscillated together so that helicity and power injection are always positive, sustaining the edge plasma current indefinitely. Imposed-dynamo current drive (IDCD) theory further shows that the entire plasma current is sustained. The method is ideal for low aspect ratio, toroidal geometries with closed flux surfaces. Experimental studies of spheromak plasmas sustained with IDCD have shown stable magnetic profiles with evidence of pressure confinement. New measurements show coherent motion of a stable spheromak in response to the imposed perturbations. On the original device two helicity injectors were mounted on either side of the spheromak and the injected mode spectrum was predominantly n  =  1. Coherent, rigid motion indicates that the spheromak is stable and a lack of plasma-generated n  =  1 energy indicates that the maximum q is maintained below 1 during sustainment. Results from the HIT-SI3 device are also presented. Three inductive helicity injectors are mounted on one side of the spheromak flux conserver. Varying the relative injector phasing changes the injected mode spectrum which includes n  =  2, 3, and higher modes.

A case of neuroblastoma in DICER1 syndrome: Chance finding or noncanonical causation?

Science.gov (United States)

Saskin, Avi; de Kock, Leanne; Sabbaghian, Nelly; Apellaniz-Ruiz, Maria; Bozkurt, Ceyhun; Bouron-Dal Soglio, Dorothée; Foulkes, William D

2018-01-01

DICER1 syndrome is an inherited disorder associated with at least a dozen rare, mainly pediatric-onset tumors. Its characterization remains incomplete. Some studies suggested that neuroblastoma (NB) may be involved in this syndrome. Here, we describe the case of a 14-year-old female presenting with a multinodular goiter (MNG) and a collision tumor composed of NB and cystic nephroma (CN). She is a carrier of a deleterious germline mutation in exon 23 of DICER1 and harbored different somatic mutations in the CN and MNG. However, no second hit was found in the NB, questioning its status as a DICER1-related tumor. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Isolated orbital mass as the primary presentation of a triple-hit lymphoma transformed from a systemic follicular lymphoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Yi Zhou

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Triple-hit lymphoma is a highly aggressive B-cell lymphoma. We report a case of triple-hit lymphoma transformed from systemic follicular lymphoma (FL after 9-year remission and presented primarily as an isolated orbital mass without systemic symptoms or lymphadenopathy. Observations: A 58-year-old female presented with intermittent vertical binocular diplopia, left upper eyelid swelling and pain and was found to have a 2.9 cm orbital mass. Histological section revealed a CD10-positive large B-cell lymphoma, consistent with transformation of FL. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH analysis demonstrated rearrangements involving C-MYC, BCL-2 and BCL-6 genes, indicating a high grade, triple-hit lymphoma. Conclusions and importance: Triple-hit lymphoma transformed from a low-grade lymphoma may initially present as an isolated orbital mass without systemic evidence of transformation. Early recognition of double or triple-hit lymphomas is important since these patients require aggressive chemotherapy. Keywords: Lymphoma, Triple-hit lymphoma, Orbital mass

Lower bounds on the periodic Hamming correlations of frequency hopping sequences with low hit zone

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

In this paper, several periodic Hamming correlation lower bounds for frequency hopping sequences with low hit zone, with respect to the size p of the frequency slot set, the sequence length L, the family size M, low hit zone LH ( or no hit zone NH ), the maximum periodic Hamming autocorrelation sidelobe Ha and the maximum periodic Hamming crosscorrelation Hc, are established. It is shown that the new bounds include the known Lempel-Greenberger bounds, T.S. Seay bounds and Peng-Fan bounds for the conventional frequency hopping sequences as special cases.

75 FR 6398 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Adoption/Certification Workgroup Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office... of Committee: HIT Policy Committee's Adoption/Certification Workgroup. General Function of the...

Do repeated rumble strip hits improve driver alertness?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Watling, C.N.; Akerstedt, T.; Kecklund, L.G.; Anund, A.

2016-01-01

Driving while sleepy is associated with increased crash risk. Rumble strips are designed to alert a sleepy or inattentive driver when they deviate outside their driving lane. The current study sought to examine the effects of repeated rumble strip hits on levels of physiological and subjective

Maternal discipline of children with Asperger Syndrome and nonverbal learning disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Little, Liza

2002-01-01

This study investigated how often mothers of children with Asperger Syndrome and nonverbal learning disorders reported using either psychological aggression (shouting, cursing, name calling) or corporal punishment (spanking, hitting) when disciplining their children, and also examined the correlates of these methods of discipline. A descriptive study of 41l mothers with children between ages 4 and 17 years. Mothers were recruited by placing an invitation on two national Web sites; one for parents of children with Asperger syndrome and one for parents of children with nonverbal learning disabilities. An anonymous, mailed survey was used and a 70% response rate was obtained. The Conflict Tactics Scale-Child Form was used to measure psychological aggression and corporal punishment. Univariate analyses were used to describe the child and maternal characteristics and maternal rates of discipline. The correlates of maternal discipline were measured using bivariate analyses. The overall reported use of any corporal punishment (slaps on the hand, arm, and leg; hitting on the buttocks with a belt or brush; spanking on the buttocks with a hand; pinching and shaking) during the past year was 58%. The yearly use of any psychological aggression (screaming and yelling, cursing, threatening to hit or spank, threatening to kick out or send away, calling the child "dumb" or "lazy") was 95%. Spanking declined with increasing age of the child and the mother. Mothers who used psychological aggression were more likely to use corporal punishment with their child. Informed nurses working with these populations can use the results of this study to help address the stresses felt by these mothers, and to teach alternative strategies of coping to mothers who are in danger of using psychological aggression and corporal punishment.

Screening and hit evaluation of a chemical library against blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum.

Science.gov (United States)

Avery, Vicky M; Bashyam, Sridevi; Burrows, Jeremy N; Duffy, Sandra; Papadatos, George; Puthukkuti, Shyni; Sambandan, Yuvaraj; Singh, Shivendra; Spangenberg, Thomas; Waterson, David; Willis, Paul

2014-05-27

In view of the need to continuously feed the pipeline with new anti-malarial agents adapted to differentiated and more stringent target product profiles (e.g., new modes of action, transmission-blocking activity or long-duration chemo-protection), a chemical library consisting of more than 250,000 compounds has been evaluated in a blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum growth inhibition assay and further assessed for chemical diversity and novelty. The selection cascade used for the triaging of hits from the chemical library started with a robust three-step in vitro assay followed by an in silico analysis of the resulting confirmed hits. Upon reaching the predefined requirements for selectivity and potency, the set of hits was subjected to computational analysis to assess chemical properties and diversity. Furthermore, known marketed anti-malarial drugs were co-clustered acting as 'signposts' in the chemical space defined by the hits. Then, in cerebro evaluation of the chemical structures was performed to identify scaffolds that currently are or have been the focus of anti-malarial medicinal chemistry programmes. Next, prioritization according to relaxed physicochemical parameters took place, along with the search for structural analogues. Ultimately, synthesis of novel chemotypes with desired properties was performed and the resulting compounds were subsequently retested in a P. falciparum growth inhibition assay. This screening campaign led to a 1.25% primary hit rate, which decreased to 0.77% upon confirmatory repeat screening. With the predefined potency (EC₅₀  10) criteria, 178 compounds progressed to the next steps where chemical diversity, physicochemical properties and novelty assessment were taken into account. This resulted in the selection of 15 distinct chemical series. A selection cascade was applied to prioritize hits resulting from the screening of a medium-sized chemical library against blood-stage P. falciparum. Emphasis was placed on chemical

Hit size effectiveness in relation to the microdosimetric site size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varma, M.N.; Wuu, C.S.; Zaider, M.

1994-01-01

This paper examines the effect of site size (that is, the diameter of the microdosimetric volume) on the hit size effectiveness function (HSEF), q(y), for several endpoints relevant in radiation protection. A Bayesian and maximum entropy approach is used to solve the integral equations that determine, given microdosimetric spectra and measured initial slopes, the function q(y). All microdosimetric spectra have been calculated de novo. The somewhat surprising conclusion of this analysis is that site size plays only a minor role in selecting the hit size effectiveness function q(y). It thus appears that practical means (e.g. conventional proportional counters) are already at hand to actually implement the HSEF as a radiation protection tool. (Author)

The Rock that Hit New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meade, Roger Allen [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Keksis, August Lawrence [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-10-03

On January 12, 1975, a rock seemed to fall from the sky over New York State’s Schoharie County hitting the tractor of a local farmer, who was “preparing his fields for spring planting.” As the farmer later described the event to a reporter from the UFO INVESTIGATOR, the object glanced off the tractor, fell to the ground, and melted its way through a patch of ice that was two and one half inches thick. The farmer, Leonard Tillapaugh, called the county sheriff, Harvey Stoddard, who recovered the rock, noting that it “was still warm.” Why and how a sample of the rock came to Los Alamos is not known. However, it captivated a wide Laboratory audience, was subjected to rigorous testing and evaluation. Los Alamos used the scientific method in the manner promoted by Hynek. Did Los Alamos solve the mystery of the rock’s origin? Not definitively. Although the exact origin could not be determined, it was shown conclusively that the rock was not from outer space. With that said, the saga of Rock that hit New York came to an end. Nothing more was said or written about it. The principals involved have long since passed from the scene. The NICAP ceased operations in 1980. And, the rock, itself, has disappeared.

Reviewing Hit Discovery Literature for Difficult Targets: Glutathione Transferase Omega-1 as an Example.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Yiyue; Dahlin, Jayme L; Oakley, Aaron J; Casarotto, Marco G; Board, Philip G; Baell, Jonathan B

2018-05-10

Early stage drug discovery reporting on relatively new or difficult targets is often associated with insufficient hit triage. Literature reviews of such targets seldom delve into the detail required to critically analyze the associated screening hits reported. Here we take the enzyme glutathione transferase omega-1 (GSTO1-1) as an example of a relatively difficult target and review the associated literature involving small-molecule inhibitors. As part of this process we deliberately pay closer-than-usual attention to assay interference and hit quality aspects. We believe this Perspective will be a useful guide for future development of GSTO1-1 inhibitors, as well serving as a template for future review formats of new or difficult targets.

Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry in Chagas' Disease: Compounds at The Final Stage of "Hit-To-Lead" Phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerecetto, Hugo; González, Mercedes

2010-03-25

Chagas' disease, or American trypanosomosiasis, has been the most relevant illness produced by protozoa in Latin America. Synthetic medicinal chemistry efforts have provided an extensive number of chemodiverse hits at the "active-to-hit" stage. However, only a more limited number of these have been studied in vivo in models of Chagas' disease. Herein, we survey some of the cantidates able to surpass the "hit-to-lead" stage discussing their limitations or merit to enter in clinical trials in the short term.

76 FR 1432 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-10

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards...

75 FR 8954 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-26

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards...

75 FR 70923 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-19

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee...

75 FR 70923 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-19

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards...

75 FR 29761 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology: HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-27

... Technology: HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards...

76 FR 4354 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-25

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards...

Comparison of Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) Gains Between Two Commercially Available Devices and by Different Gain Analytical Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang Hun; Yoo, Myung Hoon; Park, Jun Woo; Kang, Byung Chul; Yang, Chan Joo; Kang, Woo Suk; Ahn, Joong Ho; Chung, Jong Woo; Park, Hong Ju

2018-06-01

To evaluate whether video head impulse test (vHIT) gains are dependent on the measuring device and method of analysis. Prospective study. vHIT was performed in 25 healthy subjects using two devices simultaneously. vHIT gains were compared between these instruments and using five different methods of comparing position and velocity gains during head movement intervals. The two devices produced different vHIT gain results with the same method of analysis. There were also significant differences in the vHIT gains measured using different analytical methods. The gain analytic method that compares the areas under the velocity curve (AUC) of the head and eye movements during head movements showed lower vHIT gains than a method that compared the peak velocities of the head and eye movements. The former method produced the vHIT gain with the smallest standard deviation among the five procedures tested in this study. vHIT gains differ in normal subjects depending on the device and method of analysis used, suggesting that it is advisable for each device to have its own normal values. Gain calculations that compare the AUC of the head and eye movements during the head movements show the smallest variance.

Role of Health Information Technology (HIT) in disability determinations: when medical records become medical evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulu, Bengisu; Daniels, Susan; Feldman, Sue; Horan, Thomas A

2008-11-06

This exploratory study investigated the impact of incomplete medical evidence on the SSA disability determination process and the role of HIT as a solution. We collected qualitative data from nineteen expert-interviews. Findings indicate that HIT can lead to innovative solutions that can significantly improve the determination process.

Influence of The Difference of Perception and Kinesthetic Exercise Methods Against Precision Hit The Ball Softball

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fajar Rokhayah

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine: 1 The difference between the effects of training methods and the gradual striking distance striking distance remains as to the accuracy of hitting the ball Softball. 2 The difference in accuracy influence Softball hitting the ball between the athletes who have a good kinesthetic perception, kinesthetic perception was, and kinesthetic perception less. 3 The effect of interaction between training methods with kinesthetic perception as to the accuracy of hitting the ball Softball. This study used an experimental method with 2x3 factorial design. The results of this study were: 1 There is a significant difference between the gradual striking distance training methods and training methods remain striking distance of the ability to hit a softball with the result of the acquisition value p-value = 0.027 smaller than 0.05. 2 There is a significant difference between athletes who have a kinesthetic perception of good, moderate, lacking the ability to hit a softball with the result of the acquisition value p-value = 0.000, which is smaller than 0.05. 3 There is an interaction between striking distance training methods and kinesthetic perception of the ability to hit a softball with the result of the acquisition value p-value = 0.000, which is smaller than 0.05 The conclusion of this study were: 1 Gradually striking distance training methods have a better effect than the fixed striking distance training methods. 2 Athletes who have less kinesthetic perception has better results than the athletes who have good kinesthetic perception and being. 3 There is an interaction between striking distance training methods and kinesthetic perception of the ability to hit a softball.

Isolated orbital mass as the primary presentation of a triple-hit lymphoma transformed from a systemic follicular lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiao Yi; Lu, Xinyan; Raparia, Kirtee; Chen, Yi-Hua

2018-06-01

Triple-hit lymphoma is a highly aggressive B-cell lymphoma. We report a case of triple-hit lymphoma transformed from systemic follicular lymphoma (FL) after 9-year remission and presented primarily as an isolated orbital mass without systemic symptoms or lymphadenopathy. A 58-year-old female presented with intermittent vertical binocular diplopia, left upper eyelid swelling and pain and was found to have a 2.9 cm orbital mass. Histological section revealed a CD10-positive large B-cell lymphoma, consistent with transformation of FL. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis demonstrated rearrangements involving C-MYC, BCL-2 and BCL-6 genes, indicating a high grade, triple-hit lymphoma. Triple-hit lymphoma transformed from a low-grade lymphoma may initially present as an isolated orbital mass without systemic evidence of transformation. Early recognition of double or triple-hit lymphomas is important since these patients require aggressive chemotherapy.

Chronic Porcine Two-Hit Model with Hemorrhagic Shock and textitPseudomonas aeruginosa Sepsis

OpenAIRE

Eissner, B.;Matz, K.;Smorodchenko, A.;Röschmann, A.;Specht, B. U. v.

2016-01-01

Background: Sepsis is still a major cause of death despite well-developed therapeutical strategies such as antibiotics and supportive medication. The aim of this study was to characterize the long-term effects of a two-hit porcine sepsis model with a hemorrhagic shock as ‘first hit’ followed by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infusion as ‘second hit’. Materials and Methods: Twelve juvenile healthy pigs were anesthetized and hemodynamically monitored. The two-hit group (n = 6) underwent a hemorrhagic...

Near-optimal alternative generation using modified hit-and-run sampling for non-linear, non-convex problems

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, D. E.; Alafifi, A.

2016-12-01

Water resources systems analysis often focuses on finding optimal solutions. Yet an optimal solution is optimal only for the modelled issues and managers often seek near-optimal alternatives that address un-modelled objectives, preferences, limits, uncertainties, and other issues. Early on, Modelling to Generate Alternatives (MGA) formalized near-optimal as the region comprising the original problem constraints plus a new constraint that allowed performance within a specified tolerance of the optimal objective function value. MGA identified a few maximally-different alternatives from the near-optimal region. Subsequent work applied Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling to generate a larger number of alternatives that span the near-optimal region of linear problems or select portions for non-linear problems. We extend the MCMC Hit-And-Run method to generate alternatives that span the full extent of the near-optimal region for non-linear, non-convex problems. First, start at a feasible hit point within the near-optimal region, then run a random distance in a random direction to a new hit point. Next, repeat until generating the desired number of alternatives. The key step at each iterate is to run a random distance along the line in the specified direction to a new hit point. If linear equity constraints exist, we construct an orthogonal basis and use a null space transformation to confine hits and runs to a lower-dimensional space. Linear inequity constraints define the convex bounds on the line that runs through the current hit point in the specified direction. We then use slice sampling to identify a new hit point along the line within bounds defined by the non-linear inequity constraints. This technique is computationally efficient compared to prior near-optimal alternative generation techniques such MGA, MCMC Metropolis-Hastings, evolutionary, or firefly algorithms because search at each iteration is confined to the hit line, the algorithm can move in one

Markov chains with quasitoeplitz transition matrix: first zero hitting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander M. Dukhovny

1989-01-01

Full Text Available This paper continues the investigation of Markov Chains with a quasitoeplitz transition matrix. Generating functions of first zero hitting probabilities and mean times are found by the solution of special Riemann boundary value problems on the unit circle. Duality is discussed.

#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou: Social Media Underscore the Realities of Intimate Partner Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

McCauley, Heather L; Bonomi, Amy E; Maas, Megan K; Bogen, Katherine W; O'Malley, Teagen L

2018-03-22

Public intimate partner violence (IPV) discourse emphasizes physical violence. In May 2016, the Twitter hashtag #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou generated a public conversation about abuse beyond physical IPV. Because of the often-disconnect between IPV research and what survivors struggle to name as abuse in their daily lives, we sought to understand how IPV discourse was unfolding as a result of the #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou hashtag. NCapture was used to collect publically available Twitter data containing the hashtag "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou" from May 10, 2016 to May 17, 2016. Using the Duluth Power and Control Wheel (a range of tactics used by abusers to control and harm their partners) and the Women's Experience with Battering (WEB) framework (emotional and behavioral responses to being abused), we analyzed 1,229 original content tweets using qualitative content analysis. All dimensions of the Power and Control Wheel and five of six dimensions of the WEB framework were expressed via #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou; users did not express yearning for intimacy with their abusive partners. Users described one form of IPV not currently represented within the Power and Control Wheel-reproductive coercion (e.g., "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he refuses to use condoms and forces you not to use contraception so you try to do it behind his back"). Two additional themes emerged; users challenged the gender pronoun of the hashtag, highlighting that abuse may happen with partners of all genders, and users provided social support for others (e.g., "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou is real. Bruises and scars aren't the only measure of abuse! If this is you, help is there…"). Results from our study underscore the potential for social media platforms to be powerful agents for engaging public dialogue about the realities of IPV, as well as a space for seeking and providing social support about this critical women's health issue.

Modeling distortion of HIT by an Actuator Disk in a periodic domain

Science.gov (United States)

Ghate, Aditya; Ghaisas, Niranjan; Lele, Sanjiva

2017-11-01

We study the distortion of incompressible, homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT) by a dragging actuator disk with a fixed thrust coefficient (under the large Reynolds number limit), using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The HIT inflow is tailored to ensure that the largest length scales in the flow are smaller than the actuator disk diameter in order to minimize the meandering of the turbulent wake and isolate the length scales that undergo distortion. The numerical scheme (Fourier collocation with dealiasing) and the SGS closure (anisotropic minimum dissipation model) are carefully selected to minimize numerical artifacts expected due to the inviscid assumption. The LES is used to characterize the following 3 properties of the flow a) distortion of HIT due to the expanding streamtube resulting in strong anisotropy, b) turbulent pressure modulation across the actuator disk, and the c) turbulent wake state. Finally, we attempt to model the initial distortion and the pressure modulation using a WKB variant of RDT solved numerically using a set of discrete Gabor modes. Funding provided by Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University.

Hype, Hope, and Hit in Movies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dholakia, Nikhilesh; Turcan, Romeo V.

2012-01-01

This paper is part of an ongoing project to develop an interdisciplinary metatheory of bubbles, relevant to the contemporary era of globalization and rapid, technology-aided communication flows. Just in the first few years of the 21st century, several bubbles have appeared – the so-called dotcom ...... cultural field where relatively small bubbles may form. Movies represent a good arena to examine cultural bubbles on a scale that is not daunting, and where the hype-hope-hit dynamics can be observed more frequently than in most other settings....

The three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience: toward understanding adaptation to early-life adversity outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Daskalakis, Nikolaos P; Bagot, Rosemary C; Parker, Karen J; Vinkers, Christiaan H; de Kloet, E R

2013-09-01

Stressful experiences during early-life can modulate the genetic programming of specific brain circuits underlying emotional and cognitive aspects of behavioral adaptation to stressful experiences later in life. Although this programming effect exerted by experience-related factors is an important determinant of mental health, its outcome depends on cognitive inputs and hence the valence an individual assigns to a given environmental context. From this perspective we will highlight, with studies in rodents, non-human primates and humans, the three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience to stress-related mental disorders, which is based on gene-environment interactions during critical phases of perinatal and juvenile brain development. The three-hit (i.e., hit-1: genetic predisposition, hit-2: early-life environment, and hit-3: later-life environment) concept accommodates the cumulative stress hypothesis stating that in a given context vulnerability is enhanced when failure to cope with adversity accumulates. Alternatively, the concept also points to the individual's predictive adaptive capacity, which underlies the stress inoculation and match/mismatch hypotheses. The latter hypotheses propose that the experience of relatively mild early-life adversity prepares for the future and promotes resilience to similar challenges in later-life; when a mismatch occurs between early and later-life experience, coping is compromised and vulnerability is enhanced. The three-hit concept is fundamental for understanding how individuals can either be prepared for coping with life to come and remain resilient or are unable to do so and succumb to a stress-related mental disorder, under seemingly identical circumstances. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DEPDC5 takes a second hit in familial focal epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Matthew P

2018-04-30

Loss-of-function mutations in a single allele of the gene encoding DEP domain-containing 5 protein (DEPDC5) are commonly linked to familial focal epilepsy with variable foci; however, a subset of patients presents with focal cortical dysplasia that is proposed to result from a second-hit somatic mutation. In this issue of the JCI, Ribierre and colleagues provide several lines of evidence to support second-hit DEPDC5 mutations in this disorder. Moreover, the authors use in vivo, in utero electroporation combined with CRISPR-Cas9 technology to generate a murine model of the disease that recapitulates human manifestations, including cortical dysplasia-like changes, focal seizures, and sudden unexpected death. This study provides important insights into familial focal epilepsy and provides a preclinical model for evaluating potential therapies.

B-HIT - A Tool for Harvesting and Indexing Biodiversity Data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Kelbert

Full Text Available With the rapidly growing number of data publishers, the process of harvesting and indexing information to offer advanced search and discovery becomes a critical bottleneck in globally distributed primary biodiversity data infrastructures. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF implemented a Harvesting and Indexing Toolkit (HIT, which largely automates data harvesting activities for hundreds of collection and observational data providers. The team of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem has extended this well-established system with a range of additional functions, including improved processing of multiple taxon identifications, the ability to represent associations between specimen and observation units, new data quality control and new reporting capabilities. The open source software B-HIT can be freely installed and used for setting up thematic networks serving the demands of particular user groups.

Powered two-wheeler drivers' risk of hitting a pedestrian in towns.

Science.gov (United States)

Clabaux, Nicolas; Fournier, Jean-Yves; Michel, Jean-Emmanuel

2014-12-01

The risk of collision between pedestrians and powered two-wheelers is poorly understood today. The objective of this research is to determine the risk for powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting and injuring a pedestrian per kilometer driven in towns and to compare this risk with that run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. Using the bodily injury accidents recorded by the police on nine roads in the city of Marseille in 2011 and a campaign of observations of powered two-wheeler traffic, we estimated the risk per kilometer driven by powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting a pedestrian and compared it with the risk run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. The results show that the risk for powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting and injuring a pedestrian is significantly higher than the risk run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. On the nine roads studied, it is on average 3.33 times higher (95% CI: 1.63; 6.78). Taking four more years into account made it possible to consolidate these results and to tighten the confidence interval. There does indeed seem to be problems in the interactions between pedestrians and powered two-wheeler users in urban traffic. These interaction problems lead to a higher risk of hitting and injuring a pedestrian for powered two-wheeler drivers than for four-wheeled vehicle drivers. The analysis of the police reports suggests that part of this increased risk comes from filtering maneuvers by powered two-wheelers. Possible countermeasures deal with the urban street layout. Measures consisting in reducing the width and the number of traffic lanes to a strict minimum and installing medians or pedestrian islands could be an effective way for the prevention of urban accidents between pedestrians and powered two-wheelers. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk Factors and Types of Urinary Incontinence among Middle-Aged and Older Male and Female Primary Care Patients in Kaunas Region of Lithuania: Cross Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Aniuliene, Rosita; Aniulis, Povilas; Steibliene, Vesta

2016-03-05

The aims of the study were to evaluate the incidences, types of urinary incontinence (UI) and its risk factors among middle-aged and older (> 40 years) men and women visiting a general practitioner (GP). This is a descriptive and cross-sectional comparative study using a questionnaire-based survey included 172 male and female patients who consecutively visited a primary care center in Kaunas region of Lithuania. All 86 women (100%) and 65 men (75.58%) had symptoms of UI (P urinary incontinence (SUI) and 60% of men urge urinary incontinence (UUI) (P risk factors for women with SUI were: age below 60 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.89-4.43; P pregnancies. The UUI was associated with age over 60 years (OR in men = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.15-7.51; P = .022, in women OR = 8.76, 95% CI: 2.37-32.33; P 40 years visiting GP and affected more women of the same age range. SUI was more prevalent among women, while more men had UUI. Age below 60, being married, pregnancy and delivery history, concomitant illnesses were significant risk factors for women' SUI and older age and menopause for UUI. The only risk factor for men' UUI was age over 60 years.

Analysis of impact noise induced by hitting of titanium head golf driver.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young Ho; Kim, Young Chul; Lee, Jun Hee; An, Yong-Hwi; Park, Kyung Tae; Kang, Kyung Min; Kang, Yeon June

2014-11-01

The hitting of titanium head golf driver against golf ball creates a short duration, high frequency impact noise. We analyzed the spectra of these impact noises and evaluated the auditory hazards from exposure to the noises. Noises made by 10 titanium head golf drivers with five maximum hits were collected, and the spectra of the pure impact sounds were studied using a noise analysis program. The noise was measured at 1.7 m (position A) and 3.4 m (position B) from the hitting point in front of the hitter and at 3.4 m (position C) behind the hitting point. Average time duration was measured and auditory risk units (ARUs) at position A were calculated using the Auditory Hazard Assessment Algorithm for Humans. The average peak levels at position A were 119.9 dBA at the sound pressure level (SPL) peak and 100.0 dBA at the overall octave level. The average peak levels (SPL and overall octave level) at position B were 111.6 and 96.5 dBA, respectively, and at position C were 111.5 and 96.7 dBA, respectively. The average time duration and ARUs measured at position A were 120.6 ms and 194.9 units, respectively. Although impact noises made by titanium head golf drivers showed relatively low ARUs, individuals enjoying golf frequently may be susceptible to hearing loss due to the repeated exposure of this intense impact noise with short duration and high frequency. Unprotected exposure to impact noises should be limited to prevent cochleovestibular disorders.

First hitting probabilities for semi markov chains and estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgiadis, Stylianos

2017-01-01

We first consider a stochastic system described by an absorbing semi-Markov chain with finite state space and we introduce the absorption probability to a class of recurrent states. Afterwards, we study the first hitting probability to a subset of states for an irreducible semi-Markov chain...

Promiscuous 2-aminothiazoles (PrATs): a frequent hitting scaffold.

Science.gov (United States)

Devine, Shane M; Mulcair, Mark D; Debono, Cael O; Leung, Eleanor W W; Nissink, J Willem M; Lim, San Sui; Chandrashekaran, Indu R; Vazirani, Mansha; Mohanty, Biswaranjan; Simpson, Jamie S; Baell, Jonathan B; Scammells, Peter J; Norton, Raymond S; Scanlon, Martin J

2015-02-12

We have identified a class of molecules, known as 2-aminothiazoles (2-ATs), as frequent-hitting fragments in biophysical binding assays. This was exemplified by 4-phenylthiazol-2-amine being identified as a hit in 14/14 screens against a diverse range of protein targets, suggesting that this scaffold is a poor starting point for fragment-based drug discovery. This prompted us to analyze this scaffold in the context of an academic fragment library used for fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) and two larger compound libraries used for high-throughput screening (HTS). This analysis revealed that such "promiscuous 2-aminothiazoles" (PrATs) behaved as frequent hitters under both FBDD and HTS settings, although the problem was more pronounced in the fragment-based studies. As 2-ATs are present in known drugs, they cannot necessarily be deemed undesirable, but the combination of their promiscuity and difficulties associated with optimizing them into a lead compound makes them, in our opinion, poor scaffolds for fragment libraries.

An explanation of closed-flux formation and sustainment using coaxial helicity injection on HIT-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T R

2010-01-01

An explanation of the closed-flux operation on HIT-II is given. This method of operation generated flux amplification and closed flux on HIT-II without the presence of n = 1 or any large amplitude mode as measured from the outside shell. The method of operating also prevents hard absorber arcs and maximizes the toroidal current.

On hitting children: a review of corporal punishment in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Knox, Michele

2010-01-01

Research has clearly demonstrated associations between corporal punishment of children and maladaptive behavior patterns such as aggression and delinquency. Hitting children is an act of violence and a clear violation of children's human rights. In this article, the position of the United States on corporal punishment of children is discussed. Professional and international progress on ending corporal punishment is explained, and the relationship between corporal punishment and child abuse is discussed. An appeal is made for prevention efforts such as parent education and removal of social sanctions for hitting children that may hold significant promise for preventing child maltreatment.

Computing Principal Eigenvectors of Large Web Graphs: Algorithms and Accelerations Related to PageRank and HITS

Science.gov (United States)

Nagasinghe, Iranga

2010-01-01

This thesis investigates and develops a few acceleration techniques for the search engine algorithms used in PageRank and HITS computations. PageRank and HITS methods are two highly successful applications of modern Linear Algebra in computer science and engineering. They constitute the essential technologies accounted for the immense growth and…

The average number of alpha-particle hits to the cell nucleus required to eradicate a tumour cell population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roeske, John C; Stinchcomb, Thomas G

2006-01-01

Alpha-particle emitters are currently being considered for the treatment of micrometastatic disease. Based on in vitro studies, it has been speculated that only a few alpha-particle hits to the cell nucleus are considered lethal. However, such estimates do not consider the stochastic variations in the number of alpha-particle hits, energy deposited, or in the cell survival process itself. Using a tumour control probability (TCP) model for alpha-particle emitters, we derive an estimate of the average number of hits to the cell nucleus required to provide a high probability of eradicating a tumour cell population. In simulation studies, our results demonstrate that the average number of hits required to achieve a 90% TCP for 10 4 clonogenic cells ranges from 18 to 108. Those cells that have large cell nuclei, high radiosensitivities and alpha-particle emissions occurring primarily in the nuclei tended to require more hits. As the clinical implementation of alpha-particle emitters is considered, this type of analysis may be useful in interpreting clinical results and in designing treatment strategies to achieve a favourable therapeutic outcome. (note)

Development and formative evaluation of the e-Health Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mair Frances

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT or e-Health is seen as essential for a modern, cost-effective health service. However, there are well documented problems with implementation of e-Health initiatives, despite the existence of a great deal of research into how best to implement e-Health (an example of the gap between research and practice. This paper reports on the development and formative evaluation of an e-Health Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT which aims to summarise and synthesise new and existing research on implementation of e-Health initiatives, and present it to senior managers in a user-friendly format. Results The content of the e-HIT was derived by combining data from a systematic review of reviews of barriers and facilitators to implementation of e-Health initiatives with qualitative data derived from interviews of "implementers", that is people who had been charged with implementing an e-Health initiative. These data were summarised, synthesised and combined with the constructs from the Normalisation Process Model. The software for the toolkit was developed by a commercial company (RocketScience. Formative evaluation was undertaken by obtaining user feedback. There are three components to the toolkit - a section on background and instructions for use aimed at novice users; the toolkit itself; and the report generated by completing the toolkit. It is available to download from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pcph/research/ehealth/documents/e-HIT.xls Conclusions The e-HIT shows potential as a tool for enhancing future e-Health implementations. Further work is needed to make it fully web-enabled, and to determine its predictive potential for future implementations.

The effect of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana.

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Aidoo, Eric Nimako; Amoh-Gyimah, Richard; Ackaah, Williams

2013-04-01

The number of pedestrians who have died as a result of being hit by vehicles has increased in recent years, in addition to vehicle passenger deaths. Many pedestrians who were involved in road traffic accident died as a result of the driver leaving the pedestrian who was struck unattended at the scene of the accident. This paper seeks to determine the effect of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana. Using pedestrian accident data extracted from the National Road Traffic Accident Database at the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana, a binary logit model was employed in the analysis. The results from the estimated model indicate that fatal accidents, unclear weather, nighttime conditions, and straight and flat road sections without medians and junctions significantly increase the likelihood that the vehicle driver will leave the scene after hitting a pedestrian. Thus, integrating median separation and speed humps into road design and construction and installing street lights will help to curb the problem of pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transfer, loss and physical processing of water in hit-and-run collisions of planetary embryos

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, C.; Maindl, T. I.; Schäfer, C. M.

2018-01-01

Collisions between large, similar-sized bodies are believed to shape the final characteristics and composition of terrestrial planets. Their inventories of volatiles such as water are either delivered or at least significantly modified by such events. Besides the transition from accretion to erosion with increasing impact velocity, similar-sized collisions can also result in hit-and-run outcomes for sufficiently oblique impact angles and large enough projectile-to-target mass ratios. We study volatile transfer and loss focusing on hit-and-run encounters by means of smooth particle hydrodynamics simulations, including all main parameters: impact velocity, impact angle, mass ratio and also the total colliding mass. We find a broad range of overall water losses, up to 75% in the most energetic hit-and-run events, and confirm the much more severe consequences for the smaller body also for stripping of volatile layers. Transfer of water between projectile and target inventories is found to be mostly rather inefficient, and final water contents are dominated by pre-collision inventories reduced by impact losses, for similar pre-collision water mass fractions. Comparison with our numerical results shows that current collision outcome models are not accurate enough to reliably predict these composition changes in hit-and-run events. To also account for non-mechanical losses, we estimate the amount of collisionally vaporized water over a broad range of masses and find that these contributions are particularly important in collisions of ˜ Mars-sized bodies, with sufficiently high impact energies, but still relatively low gravity. Our results clearly indicate that the cumulative effect of several (hit-and-run) collisions can efficiently strip protoplanets of their volatile layers, especially the smaller body, as it might be common, e.g., for Earth-mass planets in systems with Super-Earths. An accurate model for stripping of volatiles that can be included in future planet

Pattern recognition with vector hits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frühwirth, R

2012-01-01

Trackers at the future high-luminosity LHC, designed to have triggering capability, will feature layers of stacked modules with a small stack separation. This will allow the reconstruction of track stubs or vector hits with position and direction information, but lacking precise curvature information. This opens up new possibilities for track finding, online and offline. Two track finding methods, the Kalman filter and the convergent Hough transform are studied in this context. Results from a simplified fast simulation are presented. It is shown that the performance of the methods depends to a large extent on the size of the stack separation. We conclude that the detector design and the choice of the track finding algorithm(s) are strongly coupled and should proceed conjointly.

Straightforward hit identification approach in fragment-based discovery of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Borysko, Petro; Moroz, Yurii S; Vasylchenko, Oleksandr V; Hurmach, Vasyl V; Starodubtseva, Anastasia; Stefanishena, Natalia; Nesteruk, Kateryna; Zozulya, Sergey; Kondratov, Ivan S; Grygorenko, Oleksandr O

2018-05-09

A combination approach of a fragment screening and "SAR by catalog" was used for the discovery of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibitors. Initial screening of 3695-fragment library against bromodomain 1 of BRD4 using thermal shift assay (TSA), followed by initial hit validation, resulted in 73 fragment hits, which were used to construct a follow-up library selected from available screening collection. Additionally, analogs of inactive fragments, as well as a set of randomly selected compounds were also prepared (3 × 3200 compounds in total). Screening of the resulting sets using TSA, followed by re-testing at several concentrations, counter-screen, and TR-FRET assay resulted in 18 confirmed hits. Compounds derived from the initial fragment set showed better hit rate as compared to the other two sets. Finally, building dose-response curves revealed three compounds with IC 50  = 1.9-7.4 μM. For these compounds, binding sites and conformations in the BRD4 (4UYD) have been determined by docking. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of multi-hit capability on quantitative measurement of NiPtSi thin film with laser-assisted atom probe tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinno, T.; Akutsu, H.; Tomita, M.; Kawanaka, S.; Sonehara, T.; Hokazono, A.; Renaud, L.; Martin, I.; Benbalagh, R.; Sallé, B.; Takeno, S.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Laser-assisted atom probe tomography was applied to NiPtSi films on Si substrates. ► Comparison of depth profiles of single-hit events and those of multi-hit events. ► ∼80% of Pt atoms were detected in multi-hit events. ► Multiple-ion detection is important for Laser-assisted atom probe tomography. - Abstract: Laser-assisted atom probe tomography (LA-APT) was applied to NiPtSi (0, 30, and 50% Pt contents) thin films on Si substrates. Consistent results with those of high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (HR-RBS) were obtained. Based on the obtained data sets, the composition profiles from only the signals of single-hit events, meaning detection of one ion by one laser pulse, were compiled. The profiles from only the signals of multi-hit events, meaning detection of multiple ions by one laser pulse, were also compiled. There were large discrepancies with respect to Ni and Pt concentrations among the compiled profiles and the original profiles including the signals of both types of detection events. Additionally, the profiles compiled from single-hit events showed that Si concentration in NiPtSi layer became smaller toward the surface, differing from the original profiles and the multi-hit profiles. These results suggest that capability of simultaneous multiple-ion detection is important for appropriate LA-APT analyses.

Hit discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase, GuaB2, inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, Niteshkumar U; Singh, Vinayak; Ferraris, Davide M; Rizzi, Menico; Kharkar, Prashant S

2018-04-18

Tuberculosis remains a global concern. There is an urgent need of newer antitubercular drugs due to the development of resistant forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), guaB2, of Mtb, required for guanine nucleotide biosynthesis, is an attractive target for drug development. In this study, we screened a focused library of 73 drug-like molecules with desirable calculated/predicted physicochemical properties, for growth inhibitory activity against drug-sensitive MtbH37Rv. The eight hits and mycophenolic acid, a prototype IMPDH inhibitor, were further evaluated for activity on purified Mtb-GuaB2 enzyme, target selectivity using a conditional knockdown mutant of guaB2 in Mtb, followed by cross-resistance to IMPDH inhibitor-resistant SRMV2.6 strain of Mtb, and activity on human IMPDH2 isoform. One of the hits, 13, a 5-amidophthalide derivative, has shown growth inhibitory potential and target specificity against the Mtb-GuaB2 enzyme. The hit, 13, is a promising molecule with potential for further development as an antitubercular agent. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spinal cord injury with central cord syndrome from surfing.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinfeld, Yaniv; Keren, Yaniv; Haddad, Elias

2018-01-01

Central cord syndrome (CCS) is an injury to the center of the spinal cord. It is well known as a hyperextension injury, but it has never been described as a surfing injury. Our report describes this injury in detail. A 35-year-old male novice surfer presented to the emergency department with acute tetraplegia following falling off his surfboard and hitting sea floor at a shallow beach break. He was rescued by a fellow surfer while floating in the sea and unable to raise his head above sea level. Upon arrival at the hospital, tetraplegia and sensory deficits were noted. Radiological investigations showed advanced spinal stenosis at C4-6 levels. T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated myelopathy at C5-C6 level. He was diagnosed as having central cord syndrome, treated conservatively, and regained near full neurologic recovery after a month of rehabilitation. Unique sport activities lead to unique injuries. It is important to accurately describe these injuries in order to create protective measures against them. Neurologic injuries in surfers are uncommon. With low-energy trauma, surfer's myelopathy is still the most common diagnosis, but central cord syndrome should be in the differential diagnosis.

The probability of a tornado missile hitting a target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodman, J.; Koch, J.E.

1983-01-01

It is shown that tornado missile transportation is a diffusion Markovian process. Therefore, the Green's function method is applied for the estimation of the probability of hitting a unit target area. This propability is expressed through a joint density of tornado intensity and path area, a probability of tornado missile injection and a tornado missile height distribution. (orig.)

Effects of Experimental Volleyball Rules Quantified by Type and Number of Jumps, Hits and Contacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mladen Stankovic

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the two new rules tested at the inaugural U23 Men’s Volleyball World Championship (21-point set excluding the fifth set, and 15 seconds between rallies–10 seconds from the finished point until the referee’s whistle for serve and five seconds for performing the serve on number and types of jumps and number of contacts and hits. The analysis comprised 25,930 jumps (an essential physical activity for volleyball, 15,706 contacts and 10,224 hits during 36 matches played by 144 males aged under 23 at the first Under 23 Men’s World Championships organized in Uberlandia, Brazil, in 2013. Two investigations were conducted: 1 Analysis of jumps by Jump type, In-game role and Level of set win; 2 Analysis of contacts (reception, setting, block, defense and hits (serve and attack by Type, In-game role and Set outcome. Significant differences (p=0.000 were found between in-game role and jump type, as Middle blocker performed the most (34.7%, followed by Outside hitter (24.9%, Setter (24.6% and Opposite (15.8%. Significant differences were found for number and types of Hits between set Winner and Loser teams only for serves by Setter (p<0.001 and Middle blocker (p<0.05. The results showed major differences in jumps, hits and contacts between in-game roles: Middle blocker was the most frequent jumping position, followed by Outside hitter and Setter. The Libero showed a new tendency of being Setter with a jump after the initial Setter defense.

Greito maisto įtaka vartotojų sveikatai ir kūno masei

OpenAIRE

Meškauskė, Gintarė

2015-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the influence of fast food on Kaunas students’ health and body weight and to compare the calorific value and the amount of salt in meals of fast-food restaurants. Methods. Ten identical meals from two Kaunas city fast food restaurants were chosen for comparison. The calorific value (kcal) and the amount of salt (g) of every meal (100 g) were compared. A questionnaire “Influence of fast food on Kaunas students’ health and body weight” was composed and 551 stu...

Influence of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Alleles and Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors (KIR) Types on Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT).

Science.gov (United States)

Karnes, Jason H; Shaffer, Christian M; Cronin, Robert; Bastarache, Lisa; Gaudieri, Silvana; James, Ian; Pavlos, Rebecca; Steiner, Heidi E; Mosley, Jonathan D; Mallal, Simon; Denny, Joshua C; Phillips, Elizabeth J; Roden, Dan M

2017-09-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an unpredictable, life-threatening, immune-mediated reaction to heparin. Variation in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes is now used to prevent immune-mediated adverse drug reactions. Combinations of HLA alleles and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are associated with multiple autoimmune diseases and infections. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of HLA alleles and KIR types, alone or in the presence of different HLA ligands, with HIT. HIT cases and heparin-exposed controls were identified in BioVU, an electronic health record coupled to a DNA biobank. HLA sequencing and KIR type imputation using Illumina OMNI-Quad data were performed. Odds ratios for HLA alleles and KIR types and HLA*KIR interactions using conditional logistic regressions were determined in the overall population and by race/ethnicity. Analysis was restricted to KIR types and HLA alleles with a frequency greater than 0.01. The p values for HLA and KIR association were corrected by using a false discovery rate qHIT cases and 350 matched controls were identified. No statistical differences in baseline characteristics were observed between cases and controls. The HLA-DRB3*01:01 allele was significantly associated with HIT in the overall population (odds ratio 2.81 [1.57-5.02], p=2.1×10 -4 , q=0.02) and in individuals with European ancestry, independent of other alleles. No KIR types were associated with HIT, although a significant interaction was observed between KIR2DS5 and the HLA-C1 KIR binding group (p=0.03). The HLA-DRB3*01:01 allele was identified as a potential risk factor for HIT. This class II HLA gene and allele represent biologically plausible candidates for influencing HIT pathogenesis. We found limited evidence of the role of KIR types in HIT pathogenesis. Replication and further study of the HLA-DRB3*01:01 association is necessary. © 2017 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

A biomechanical comparison in the lower limb and lumbar spine between a hit and drag flick in field hockey.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Leo; Rosalie, Simon M; Sherry, Dorianne; Loh, Wei Bing; Sjurseth, Andreas M; Iyengar, Shrikant; Wild, Catherine Y

2018-03-01

Research has revealed that field hockey drag flickers have greater odds of hip and lumbar injuries compared to non-drag flickers (DF). This study aimed to compare the biomechanics of a field hockey hit and a specialised field hockey drag flick. Eighteen male and seven female specialised hockey DF performed a hit and a drag flick in a motion analysis laboratory with an 18-camera three-dimensional motion analysis system and a calibrated multichannel force platform to examine differences in lower limb and lumbar kinematics and kinetics. Results revealed that drag flicks were performed with more of a forward lunge on the left lower limb resulting in significantly greater left ankle dorsiflexion, knee, hip and lumbar flexion (Pshit. Drag flicks were also performed with significantly greater lateral flexion (P hit. Differences in kinematics lead to greater shear, compression and tensile forces in multiple left lower limb and lumbar joints in the drag flick compared to the hit (P hit may have ramifications with respect to injury in field hockey drag flickers.

Prediction of Potential Hit Song and Musical Genre Using Artificial Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Monterola, Christopher; Abundo, Cheryl; Tugaff, Jeric; Venturina, Lorcel Ericka

Accurately quantifying the goodness of music based on the seemingly subjective taste of the public is a multi-million industry. Recording companies can make sound decisions on which songs or artists to prioritize if accurate forecasting is achieved. We extract 56 single-valued musical features (e.g. pitch and tempo) from 380 Original Pilipino Music (OPM) songs (190 are hit songs) released from 2004 to 2006. Based on an effect size criterion which measures a variable's discriminating power, the 20 highest ranked features are fed to a classifier tasked to predict hit songs. We show that regardless of musical genre, a trained feed-forward neural network (NN) can predict potential hit songs with an average accuracy of ΦNN = 81%. The accuracy is about +20% higher than those of standard classifiers such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA, ΦLDA = 61%) and classification and regression trees (CART, ΦCART = 57%). Both LDA and CART are above the proportional chance criterion (PCC, ΦPCC = 50%) but are slightly below the suggested acceptable classifier requirement of 1.25*ΦPCC = 63%. Utilizing a similar procedure, we demonstrate that different genres (ballad, alternative rock or rock) of OPM songs can be automatically classified with near perfect accuracy using LDA or NN but only around 77% using CART.

Concentrated Hitting Times of Randomized Search Heuristics with Variable Drift

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehre, Per Kristian; Witt, Carsten

2014-01-01

Drift analysis is one of the state-of-the-art techniques for the runtime analysis of randomized search heuristics (RSHs) such as evolutionary algorithms (EAs), simulated annealing etc. The vast majority of existing drift theorems yield bounds on the expected value of the hitting time for a target...

The Influence of Metabolic Syndrome and Sex on the DNA Methylome in Schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Lines, Brittany N.

2018-01-01

Introduction The mechanism by which metabolic syndrome occurs in schizophrenia is not completely known; however, previous work suggests that changes in DNA methylation may be involved which is further influenced by sex. Within this study, the DNA methylome was profiled to identify altered methylation associated with metabolic syndrome in a schizophrenia population on atypical antipsychotics. Methods Peripheral blood from schizophrenia subjects was utilized for DNA methylation analyses. Discovery analyses (n = 96) were performed using an epigenome-wide analysis on the Illumina HumanMethylation450K BeadChip based on metabolic syndrome diagnosis. A secondary discovery analysis was conducted based on sex. The top hits from the discovery analyses were assessed in an additional validation set (n = 166) using site-specific methylation pyrosequencing. Results A significant increase in CDH22 gene methylation in subjects with metabolic syndrome was identified in the overall sample. Additionally, differential methylation was found within the MAP3K13 gene in females and the CCDC8 gene within males. Significant differences in methylation were again observed for the CDH22 and MAP3K13 genes, but not CCDC8, in the validation sample set. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that DNA methylation may be associated with metabolic syndrome and sex in schizophrenia. PMID:29850476

Variation in number of hits for complex searches in Google Scholar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wichor Matthijs Bramer, BSc

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: Google Scholar is often used to search for medical literature. Numbers of results reported by Google Scholar outperform the numbers reported by traditional databases. How reliable are these numbers? Why are often not all available 1,000 references shown? Methods: For several complex search strategies used in systematic review projects, the number of citations and the total number of versions were calculated. Several search strategies were followed over a two-year period, registering fluctuations in reported search results. Results: Changes in numbers of reported search results varied enormously between search strategies and dates. Theories for calculations of the reported and shown number of hits were not proved. Conclusions: The number of hits reported in Google Scholar is an unreliable measure. Therefore, its repeatability is problematic, at least when equal results are needed.

An automated single ion hit at JAERI heavy ion microbeam to observe individual radiation damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiya, Tomihiro; Sakai, Takuro; Naitoh, Yutaka; Hamano, Tsuyoshi; Hirao, Toshio

1999-01-01

Microbeam scanning and a single ion hit technique have been combined to establish an automated beam positioning and single ion hit system at the JAERI Takasaki heavy ion microbeam system. Single ion irradiation on preset points of a sample in various patterns can be performed automatically in a short period. The reliability of the system was demonstrated using CR-39 nuclear track detectors. Single ion hit patterns were achieved with a positioning accuracy of 2 μm or less. In measurement of single event transient current using this system, the reduction of the pulse height by accumulation of radiation damages was observed by single ion injection to the same local areas. This technique showed a possibility to get some quantitative information about the lateral displacement of an individual radiation effect in silicon PIN photodiodes. This paper will give details of the irradiation system and present results from several experiments

Comparison of validity and reliability of the Migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) versus headache impact test (HIT) in an Iranian population.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghorbani, Abbas; Chitsaz, Ahmad

2011-01-01

Migraine is one of the most common headaches that affect 11% or more adult population. Recently, researchers have designed two questionnaires, namely Headache Impact Test (HIT) and Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), with the aim of improving migraine care. These two tests provide a standard measurement about migraine's effects on people's life style that divide patients into 4 groups (grades) based on headaches intensity. The aim of this study was to compare the validity and reliability of these two tests. This study was designed as a multicenter, descriptive study to compare validity and reliability of Persian version of MIDAS and HIT questionnaires in 240 males and females with a migraine diagnosis according to criteria for headache and facial pain of the International Headache Society (IHS). The patients were enrolled in the study from 3 neurology clinics in Isfahan, Iran, between July 2004 and January 2005 and were evaluated at baseline (visit 1) and 4 weeks later (visit 2). According to our study, there was a high correlation between two tests (r = 0.94). This decreased their MIDAS grade in comparison to their grade HIT questionnaire. These findings demonstrated that Persian version of HIT have the same validity and reliability as MIDAS. Replying to HIT questionnaire was easier than MIDAS for Iranian patients. Physicians can reliably use the Persian translation of both MIDAS and HIT questionnaires to define the severity of illness and its treatment strategy as a self-administered report by migraine patients. However, we recommend HIT for its simplicity in headache clinics.

Uudised : Kaunas

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2005-01-01

Baltic Multiplex Ventures, mille üheks osanikuks on BDG, avab Kaunases uue kobarkino ja meelelahutuskeskuse CINAMON. Esimene taoline keskus Eestis tuleb 2006.a. Tartusse ja teine Tallinna, uude Sakala keskusse

X-hitting: A new algorithm for novelty detection and dereplication by UV spectra of complex mixtures of natural products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael Edberg; Smedsgaard, Jørn; Larsen, Thomas Ostenfeld

2005-01-01

A major challenge in lead discovery is to detect well-known and trivial compounds rapidly, a process known as dereplication, so that isolation, structure elucidation, and pharmacological investigations can be focused on novel compounds. In this paper, we present a new algorithm, X-hitting, based...... on cross sample comparison of full UV spectra from HPLC analysis of highly complex natural product extracts/samples. X-Hitting allows automatic identification of known compounds but more important also allows finding of potentially new or similar compounds. We demonstrate this new algorithm by automatic...... identification of known structures, a task we call cross-hitting, and tentative identification of potentially new bioactive compounds, a task we call new-hitting, in HPLC data from analysis of fungal extracts. Both tasks are illustrated using 18 important reference compounds and complex fungal extracts obtained...

The accelerator facility of the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Centre (HIT)

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Andreas

The following sections are included: * Introduction * Beam parameters * General layout of the HIT facility * The accelerator chain in detail * Operational aspects of a particle therapy facility * 24/7 accelerator operation at 335 days per year * Safety and regulatory aspects * Status and perspectives * References

76 FR 39107 - HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice... of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The [[Page 39108...

Optimal Fixed-Interval Integrated Guidance-Control Laws for Hit-to-Kill Missiles

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Menon, P. K; Sweriduk, G. D; Ohlmeyer, E. J

2003-01-01

Due to their potential for reducing the weapon size and efficiency, design methods for realizing hit-to- kill capabilities in missile systems are of significant research interest in the missile flight control community...

Family time, parental behaviour model and the initiation of smoking and alcohol use by ten-year-old children: an epidemiological study in Kaunas, Lithuania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaborskis Apolinaras

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Family is considered to be the first and the most important child development and socialization bond. Nevertheless, parental behaviour model importance for the children, as well as family time for shared activity amount influence upon the child's health-related behaviour habit development has not been yet thoroughly examined. The aim of this paper is to indicate the advanced health-hazardous behaviour modelling possibilities in the families, as well as time spent for joint family activities, and to examine the importance of time spent for joint family activities for the smoking and alcohol use habit initiation among children. Methods This research was carried out in Kaunas, Lithuania, during the school year 2004–2005. The research population consisted of 369 fifth-grade schoolchildren (211 (57.2% boys and 158 (42.8% girls and 565 parents: 323 (57.2% mothers and 242 (48.2% fathers. The response rate was 80.7% for children; 96.1% and 90.6% for mothers and fathers correspondingly. Results Eating a meal together was the most frequent joint family activity, whereas visiting friends or relatives together, going for a walk, or playing sports were the most infrequent joint family activities. More than two thirds (81.5% of parents (248 (77.0% mothers and 207 (85.9% fathers (p Conclusion Joint family activity time deficit together with frequent parental examples of smoking and alcohol use underlie the development of alcohol and smoking addictions in children to some extent. The above-mentioned issues are suggested to be widely addressed in the comprehensive family health education programs.

Selective histone deacetylase 6 inhibition prolongs survival in a lethal two-hit model.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xin; Liu, Zhengcai; Liu, Baoling; Zhao, Ting; Li, Yongqing; Alam, Hasan B

2015-07-01

Hemorrhagic shock (HS) followed by a subsequent insult ("second hit") often initiates an exaggerated systemic inflammatory response and multiple organ failure. We have previously demonstrated that valproic acid, a pan histone deacetylase inhibitor, could improve survival in a rodent "two-hit" model. In the present study, our goal was to determine whether selective inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 with Tubastatin A (Tub-A) could prolong survival in a two-hit model where HS was followed by sepsis from cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). C57Bl/6J mice were subjected to sublethal HS (30% blood loss) and then randomly divided into two groups (n = 13 per group) such as Tub-A group (treatment) and vehicle (VEH) group (control). The Tub-A group was given an intraperitoneal injection of Tub-A (70 mg/kg) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The VEH group was injected with DMSO (1 μl/g body weight). After 24 h, all mice were subjected CLP followed immediately by another dose of Tub-A or DMSO. Survival was monitored for 10 d. In a parallel study, peritoneal irrigation fluid and liver tissue from Tub-A- or DMSO-treated mice were collected 3 h after CLP. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to quantify activity of the myeloperoxidase and concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the peritoneal irrigation fluid. RNA was isolated from the liver tissue, and real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure relative messenger RNA levels of TNF-α and IL-6. Treatment with Tub-A significantly improved survival compared with that of the control (69.2% versus 15.4%). In addition, Tub-A significantly suppressed myeloperoxidase activity (169.9 ± 8.4 ng/mL versus 70.4 ± 17.4 ng/mL; P hit model. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interactive football training based on rebounders with hit position sensing and audio/light feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Mads Møller; Grønbæk, Kaj; Rasmussen, Majken Kirkegård

A Danish football club has established a (24/7/365) football training facility, where the authors developed an interactive training installation (http://vimeo.com/28446312). The training installation consist of a 12*12 m square with 4 M­Station Pro rebounders equipped with sensors that enable hit...... position sensing. The rebounders are equipped with loudspeakers and lights being used to call for the ball. Here we discuss one game “Pass ­and ­Turn”, which is meant to train speed in controlling a returned ball, reaction to a call for the ball and turning to hit rebounders to the left, right, behind...

Madoff Debacle Hits Colleges and Raises Questions about Trustee Conflicts

Science.gov (United States)

Fain, Paul

2009-01-01

Several colleges and universities lost millions in the alleged $50-billion Ponzi scheme run by the Wall Street trader Bernard L. Madoff. The losses include institutions' endowment holdings in hedge funds that were invested with Madoff as well as hits taken by supporting foundations and donors. Several foundations that have been active in higher…

Recent results from the HIT-II and HIT-SI helicity injection current drive experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T.R.; Hamp, W.T.; Izzo, V.A.; Nelson, B.A.; O'Neill, R.G.; Raman, R.; Redd, A.J.; Sieck, P.E.; Smith, R.J.

2005-01-01

Three important results are reported. 1) CHI startup has produced 100 kA of closed current without using poloidal field (PF) coils or any transformer action. The initial equilibrium is then driven to 240 kA with a 3 V transformer loop voltage, indicating high quality plasma. 2) For the first time CHI alone has produced toroidal currents (350 kA) that far exceed q a I inj , and with I p /I tf as high as 1.2. The key to these new results appears to be having the toroidal field small enough that relaxation will occur. 3) The steady inductive helicity injection spheromak experiment has operated at 5 kHz for 6 ms with current amplitudes up to 11 kA in each injector. The helicity injection rate is nearly constant with the ExB flow always into the plasma and not into the walls. NIMROD simulations of HIT-SI show a buildup of spheromak fields. (author)

Hitting the nail on the head: Force vectors in verb semantics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goldschmidt, A.; Zwarts, J.

2016-01-01

We present an analysis of force verbs, like hit, as involving paths with force-dynamic properties, modelled through force vectors. This allows us to explain a number of observations about the lexical meaning and composition of these verbs. For instance, force adverbs such as hard specify the

Individual exposures to drinking water trihalomethanes, low birth weight and small for gestational age risk: a prospective Kaunas cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Evidence for an association between exposure during pregnancy to trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water and impaired fetal growth is still inconsistent and inconclusive, in particular, for various exposure routes. We examined the relationship of individual exposures to THMs in drinking water on low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and birth weight (BW) in singleton births. Methods We conducted a cohort study of 4,161 pregnant women in Kaunas (Lithuania), using individual information on drinking water, ingestion, showering and bathing, and uptake factors of THMs in blood, to estimate an internal dose of THM. We used regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between internal THM dose and birth outcomes, adjusting for family status, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, ethnic group, previous preterm, infant gender, and birth year. Results The estimated internal dose of THMs ranged from 0.0025 to 2.40 mg/d. We found dose-response relationships for the entire pregnancy and trimester-specific THM and chloroform internal dose and risk for LBW and a reduction in BW. The adjusted odds ratio for third tertile vs. first tertile chloroform internal dose of entire pregnancy was 2.17, 95% CI 1.19-3.98 for LBW; the OR per every 0.1 μg/d increase in chloroform internal dose was 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.19. Chloroform internal dose was associated with a slightly increased risk of SGA (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.87-1.63 and OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.89-1.68, respectively, for second and third tertile of third trimester); the risk increased by 4% per every 0.1 μg/d increase in chloroform internal dose (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.09). Conclusions THM internal dose in pregnancy varies substantially across individuals, and depends on both water THM levels and water use habits. Increased internal dose may affect fetal growth. PMID:21501533

Performance of an all-electric vehicle under UN ECE R101 test conditions: A feasibility study for the city of Kaunas, Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raslavičius, Laurencas; Starevičius, Martynas; Keršys, Artūras; Pilkauskas, Kęstutis; Vilkauskas, Andrius

2013-01-01

Transport activity has been a key facilitator and driver of economic prosperity in Lithuanian (hereinafter LIT) and it is likely to continue to grow. It can produce both positive and negative effects on the quality of life and the environment depending on country-specific circumstances. This research paper sets the stage for a look at the LIT passenger vehicle fleet and its transition towards sustainable mobility through the use of all-electric vehicles. The large multi purpose vehicle from French car-maker Renault, model Renault Espace, was used for test drives, according ECE R101 (urban cycle) requirements. The conventional spark ignited internal combustion engine of the vehicle was replaced by the electric one and equipped with the new generation LiFePO 4 Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Three streets of Kaunas city (LIT) with different categories B1, B2 and C2 were selected for the test procedure. Estimation of the power demand (depending on displacement and daytime) and evaluation of battery performance characteristics were discussed in detail. Calculation of the driving distance of the one charge of the traction battery estimates several driving conditions and variation of the mass of the investigated vehicle. Comparison of consumption of different fuel grades for 1 km showed that costs of electric power driven vehicle is 4 times as low as with A95 grade petrol and 2.4 times as low as with diesel fuel. - Highlights: • This paper examines the perspectives for electric vehicles use in Lithuania. • We used standardized test procedure UN ECE R101 (urban cycle). • The study found that the BEVs (battery-only electric vehicles) can cover approximately 75% of all daily driving. • Inspection of the results highlights the importance of BEVs introduction. • We have shown that battery-only electric vehicles are economically rational

THEORY OF ACTIVE HITTINGS IS IN PROCESSES OF ELECTRO-COAGULATION THE ADMIXTURES IN WATER TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

В.В. Березуцький

2012-10-01

Full Text Available  In the article theoretical bases of electro-coagulation of admixtures are examined in a water technological environment with the use of theory of the active hittings, which are based on the results of the executed researches and analysis of scientific information. Application of theory of the active hittings is in coagulation, provides high efficiency of process of extraction of admixtures from water environments during minimization of energy consumption and expenses of materials.

Capture orbits around asteroids by hitting zero-velocity curves

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Yang, Hongwei; Zhang, Wei; Ma, Guangfu

2017-12-01

The problem of capturing a spacecraft from a heliocentric orbit into a high parking orbit around binary asteroids is investigated in the current study. To reduce the braking Δ V, a new capture strategy takes advantage of the three-body gravity of the binary asteroid to lower the inertial energy before applying the Δ V. The framework of the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) is employed for the binary asteroid system. The proposed capture strategy is based on the mechanism by which inertial energy can be decreased sharply near zero-velocity curves (ZVCs). The strategy has two steps, namely, hitting the target ZVC and raising the periapsis by a small Δ V at the apoapsis. By hitting the target ZVC, the positive inertial energy decreases and becomes negative. Using a small Δ V, the spacecraft inserts into a bounded orbit around the asteroid. In addition, a rotating mass dipole model is employed for elongated asteroids, which leads to dynamics similar to that of the CR3BP. With this approach, the proposed capture strategy can be applied to elongated asteroids. Numerical simulations validate that the proposed capture strategy is applicable for the binary asteroid 90 Antiope and the elongated asteroid 216 Kleopatra.

1 December 2016 - First Deputy Chancellor of the Government of Lithuania R. Vaitkus signing the guest book with CERN Director-General R. Heuer.

CERN Multimedia

Gadmer, Jean-Claude Robert

2015-01-01

Dr Rimantas Vaitkus First Deputy Chancellor of the Government of Lithuania with Rectors of Kaunas Technological and Health Science Universities Republic of Lithuania on the occasion of the Signature of the Joint Statement of Intent by KTU and LUHS Rectors, Hospital of LUHS Kaunas Clinics and CERN.

"Hits" emerge through self-organized coordination in collective response of free agents

Science.gov (United States)

Chakrabarti, Anindya S.; Sinha, Sitabhra

2016-10-01

Individuals in free societies frequently exhibit striking coordination when making independent decisions en masse. Examples include the regular appearance of hit products or memes with substantially higher popularity compared to their otherwise equivalent competitors or extreme polarization in public opinion. Such segregation of events manifests as bimodality in the distribution of collective choices. Here we quantify how apparently independent choices made by individuals result in a significantly polarized but stable distribution of success in the context of the box-office performance of movies and show that it is an emergent feature of a system of noninteracting agents who respond to sequentially arriving signals. The aggregate response exhibits extreme variability amplifying much smaller differences in individual cost of adoption. Due to self-organization of the competitive landscape, most events elicit only a muted response but a few stimulate widespread adoption, emerging as "hits".

Sleeping beauties in psychology: comparisons of "hits" and "missed signals" in psychological journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, Lydia L

2005-05-01

Scientific publications tend to be forgotten quickly. A few works, however, are still cited 100 years and more after their publication. The author used bibliometric methods to compare "hits" (works noticed by the scientific community soon after their publication) with "missed signals" (works that went unnoticed until much later) by investigating 2 psychological journals founded in the 1890s: Zeitschrift für Psychologie and Psychological Review. All articles that were published in either of these journals up to 1920 and cited more than 25 times in the Web of Science up to the year 2000 were considered for inclusion in the analysis. It emerged that hits corresponded more closely to the focus of scientific attention at the time of the publications than missed signals.

Antiproton annihilation physics annihilation physics in the Monte Carlo particle transport code particle transport code SHIELD-HIT12A

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taasti, Vicki Trier; Knudsen, Helge; Holzscheiter, Michael

2015-01-01

The Monte Carlo particle transport code SHIELD-HIT12A is designed to simulate therapeutic beams for cancer radiotherapy with fast ions. SHIELD-HIT12A allows creation of antiproton beam kernels for the treatment planning system TRiP98, but first it must be benchmarked against experimental data. An...

Concurrent inhibition of MYC and BCL2 is a potentially effective treatment strategy for double hit and triple hit B-cell lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Cinar, Munevver; Rosenfelt, Fred; Rokhsar, Sepehr; Lopategui, Jean; Pillai, Raju; Cervania, Melissa; Pao, Andy; Cinar, Bekir; Alkan, Serhan

2015-07-01

Double hit lymphoma or triple hit lymphoma (DHL/THL) is a rare form of aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma. Overexpression of MYC, BCL2 or/and BCL6 due to genomic rearrangements are the key molecular features of DHL/THL. Patients with DHL/THL show very aggressive disease course and poor survival due to the lack of effective treatment modalities. Here, we established new THL cell model and assessed its in vitro growth characteristics along with the DHL cell line in response to potent MYC inhibitors, 10058-F4 and JQ-1, and a BCL2 inhibitor, ABT-199, with or without chemotherapeutic agent vincristine or doxorubicin. We found that 10058-F4, JQ-1 or ABT-199 exposure as a single agent inhibited the growth of DHL/THL cells in a dose-dependent manner. Combined exposure of 10058-F4 or JQ-1 and ABT-199 as well as vincristine or doxorubicin markedly suppressed the growth of DHL/THL cells compared with the single treatment. As assessed by multiple approaches, apoptosis induced by ABT-199, 10058-F4 or JQ-1 was underlying cause of the observed growth suppression. These findings suggest that co-inhibition of MYC and BCL2 signaling is a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with DHL/THL lymphomas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HitPredict version 4: comprehensive reliability scoring of physical protein-protein interactions from more than 100 species.

Science.gov (United States)

López, Yosvany; Nakai, Kenta; Patil, Ashwini

2015-01-01

HitPredict is a consolidated resource of experimentally identified, physical protein-protein interactions with confidence scores to indicate their reliability. The study of genes and their inter-relationships using methods such as network and pathway analysis requires high quality protein-protein interaction information. Extracting reliable interactions from most of the existing databases is challenging because they either contain only a subset of the available interactions, or a mixture of physical, genetic and predicted interactions. Automated integration of interactions is further complicated by varying levels of accuracy of database content and lack of adherence to standard formats. To address these issues, the latest version of HitPredict provides a manually curated dataset of 398 696 physical associations between 70 808 proteins from 105 species. Manual confirmation was used to resolve all issues encountered during data integration. For improved reliability assessment, this version combines a new score derived from the experimental information of the interactions with the original score based on the features of the interacting proteins. The combined interaction score performs better than either of the individual scores in HitPredict as well as the reliability score of another similar database. HitPredict provides a web interface to search proteins and visualize their interactions, and the data can be downloaded for offline analysis. Data usability has been enhanced by mapping protein identifiers across multiple reference databases. Thus, the latest version of HitPredict provides a significantly larger, more reliable and usable dataset of protein-protein interactions from several species for the study of gene groups. Database URL: http://hintdb.hgc.jp/htp. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

A New Track Reconstruction Algorithm suitable for Parallel Processing based on Hit Triplets and Broken Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schöning André

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Track reconstruction in high track multiplicity environments at current and future high rate particle physics experiments is a big challenge and very time consuming. The search for track seeds and the fitting of track candidates are usually the most time consuming steps in the track reconstruction. Here, a new and fast track reconstruction method based on hit triplets is proposed which exploits a three-dimensional fit model including multiple scattering and hit uncertainties from the very start, including the search for track seeds. The hit triplet based reconstruction method assumes a homogeneous magnetic field which allows to give an analytical solutions for the triplet fit result. This method is highly parallelizable, needs fewer operations than other standard track reconstruction methods and is therefore ideal for the implementation on parallel computing architectures. The proposed track reconstruction algorithm has been studied in the context of the Mu3e-experiment and a typical LHC experiment.

Efficiency profile method to study the hit efficiency of drift chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abyzov, A.; Bel'kov, A.; Lanev, A.; Spiridonov, A.; Walter, M.; Hulsbergen, W.

2002-01-01

A method based on the usage of efficiency profile is proposed to estimate the hit efficiency of drift chambers with a large number of channels. The performance of the method under real conditions of the detector operation has been tested analysing the experimental data from the HERA-B drift chambers

Simulation of a Real-Time Brain Computer Interface for Detecting a Self-Paced Hitting Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammad, Sofyan H; Kamavuako, Ernest N; Farina, Dario; Jensen, Winnie

2016-12-01

An invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) is a promising neurorehabilitation device for severely disabled patients. Although some systems have been shown to work well in restricted laboratory settings, their utility must be tested in less controlled, real-time environments. Our objective was to investigate whether a specific motor task could be reliably detected from multiunit intracortical signals from freely moving animals in a simulated, real-time setting. Intracortical signals were first obtained from electrodes placed in the primary motor cortex of four rats that were trained to hit a retractable paddle (defined as a "Hit"). In the simulated real-time setting, the signal-to-noise-ratio was first increased by wavelet denoising. Action potentials were detected, and features were extracted (spike count, mean absolute values, entropy, and combination of these features) within pre-defined time windows (200 ms, 300 ms, and 400 ms) to classify the occurrence of a "Hit." We found higher detection accuracy of a "Hit" (73.1%, 73.4%, and 67.9% for the three window sizes, respectively) when the decision was made based on a combination of features rather than on a single feature. However, the duration of the window length was not statistically significant (p = 0.5). Our results showed the feasibility of detecting a motor task in real time in a less restricted environment compared to environments commonly applied within invasive BCI research, and they showed the feasibility of using information extracted from multiunit recordings, thereby avoiding the time-consuming and complex task of extracting and sorting single units. © 2016 International Neuromodulation Society.

EASY-HIT: HIV full-replication technology for broad discovery of multiple classes of HIV inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kremb, Stephan; Helfer, Markus; Heller, Werner; Hoffmann, Dieter; Wolff, Horst; Kleinschmidt, Andrea; Cepok, Sabine; Hemmer, Bernhard; Durner, Jörg; Brack-Werner, Ruth

2010-12-01

HIV replication assays are important tools for HIV drug discovery efforts. Here, we present a full HIV replication system (EASY-HIT) for the identification and analysis of HIV inhibitors. This technology is based on adherently growing HIV-susceptible cells, with a stable fluorescent reporter gene activated by HIV Tat and Rev. A fluorescence-based assay was designed that measures HIV infection by two parameters relating to the early and the late phases of HIV replication, respectively. Validation of the assay with a panel of nine reference inhibitors yielded effective inhibitory concentrations consistent with published data and allowed discrimination between inhibitors of early and late phases of HIV replication. Finer resolution of the effects of reference drugs on different steps of HIV replication was achieved in secondary time-of-addition assays. The EASY-HIT assay yielded high Z' scores (>0.9) and signal stabilities, confirming its robustness. Screening of the LOPAC(1280) library identified 10 compounds (0.8%), of which eight were known to inhibit HIV, validating the suitability of this assay for screening applications. Studies evaluating anti-HIV activities of natural products with the EASY-HIT technology led to the identification of three novel inhibitory compounds that apparently act at different steps of HIV-1 replication. Furthermore, we demonstrate successful evaluation of plant extracts for HIV-inhibitory activities, suggesting application of this technology for the surveillance of biological extracts with anti-HIV activities. We conclude that the EASY-HIT technology is a versatile tool for the discovery and characterization of HIV inhibitors.

A case presenting concurrence of Marfan syndrome, Basedow's disease and Arg353Gln polymorphism-related factor VII deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Kotoko; Seino, Yoshihiko; Inokuchi, Koiti; Ohmura, Kazuko; Kobayashi, Yoshinori; Takano, Teruo

2005-02-15

We report the case of a 48-year-old Japanese man who suffered from Marfan syndrome with severe aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation and rapid atrial fibrillation, which were aggravated by hyperdynamic circulatory conditions associated with coexistent Basedow's disease. Furthermore, concurrence of Arg353Gln polymorphism-related factor VII deficiency was discovered at the preoperative assessments. Both of his two brothers suffered from Marfan syndrome; however they had no findings of Arg353Glu polymorphism-related factor VII deficiency or Basedow's disease. After normalization of thyroid function, he had successfully the operations of Bentall procedure: a composite prosthetic graft: replacement of both the ascending aorta and aortic valve, and mitral valve annuloplasty. No specific therapy such as fresh frozen plasma or factor VII replacement therapy was required. He completely returned to his business work 6 weeks after the operation. Concurrence of Marfan syndrome and factor VII deficiency induced by two-hit genomic abnormalities and furthermore Basedow's disease, which significantly compromised the pathophysiological condition of Marfan syndrome, is extremely rare.

Antimicrobial combinations: Bliss independence and Loewe additivity derived from mechanistic multi-hit models

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guozhi; Hozé, Nathanaël; Rolff, Jens

2016-01-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antibiotics reduce the net growth rate of bacterial populations they target. It is relevant to understand if effects of multiple antimicrobials are synergistic or antagonistic, in particular for AMP responses, because naturally occurring responses involve multiple AMPs. There are several competing proposals describing how multiple types of antimicrobials add up when applied in combination, such as Loewe additivity or Bliss independence. These additivity terms are defined ad hoc from abstract principles explaining the supposed interaction between the antimicrobials. Here, we link these ad hoc combination terms to a mathematical model that represents the dynamics of antimicrobial molecules hitting targets on bacterial cells. In this multi-hit model, bacteria are killed when a certain number of targets are hit by antimicrobials. Using this bottom-up approach reveals that Bliss independence should be the model of choice if no interaction between antimicrobial molecules is expected. Loewe additivity, on the other hand, describes scenarios in which antimicrobials affect the same components of the cell, i.e. are not acting independently. While our approach idealizes the dynamics of antimicrobials, it provides a conceptual underpinning of the additivity terms. The choice of the additivity term is essential to determine synergy or antagonism of antimicrobials. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolutionary ecology of arthropod antimicrobial peptides’. PMID:27160596

Antimicrobial combinations: Bliss independence and Loewe additivity derived from mechanistic multi-hit models.

Science.gov (United States)

Baeder, Desiree Y; Yu, Guozhi; Hozé, Nathanaël; Rolff, Jens; Regoes, Roland R

2016-05-26

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antibiotics reduce the net growth rate of bacterial populations they target. It is relevant to understand if effects of multiple antimicrobials are synergistic or antagonistic, in particular for AMP responses, because naturally occurring responses involve multiple AMPs. There are several competing proposals describing how multiple types of antimicrobials add up when applied in combination, such as Loewe additivity or Bliss independence. These additivity terms are defined ad hoc from abstract principles explaining the supposed interaction between the antimicrobials. Here, we link these ad hoc combination terms to a mathematical model that represents the dynamics of antimicrobial molecules hitting targets on bacterial cells. In this multi-hit model, bacteria are killed when a certain number of targets are hit by antimicrobials. Using this bottom-up approach reveals that Bliss independence should be the model of choice if no interaction between antimicrobial molecules is expected. Loewe additivity, on the other hand, describes scenarios in which antimicrobials affect the same components of the cell, i.e. are not acting independently. While our approach idealizes the dynamics of antimicrobials, it provides a conceptual underpinning of the additivity terms. The choice of the additivity term is essential to determine synergy or antagonism of antimicrobials.This article is part of the themed issue 'Evolutionary ecology of arthropod antimicrobial peptides'. © 2016 The Author(s).

A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Justin; Eyre, Harris; Jacka, Felice N; Dodd, Seetal; Dean, Olivia; McEwen, Sarah; Debnath, Monojit; McGrath, John; Maes, Michael; Amminger, Paul; McGorry, Patrick D; Pantelis, Christos; Berk, Michael

2016-01-01

Schizophrenia risk has often been conceptualized using a model which requires two hits in order to generate the clinical phenotype—the first as an early priming in a genetically predisposed individual and the second a likely environmental insult. The aim of this paper was to review the literature and reformulate this binary risk-vulnerability model. We sourced the data for this narrative review from the electronic database PUBMED. Our search terms were not limited by language or date of publication. The development of schizophrenia may be driven by genetic vulnerability interacting with multiple vulnerability factors including lowered prenatal vitamin D exposure, viral infections, smoking intelligence quotient, social cognition cannabis use, social defeat, nutrition and childhood trauma. It is likely that these genetic risks, environmental risks and vulnerability factors are cumulative and interactive with each other and with critical periods of neurodevelopmental vulnerability. The development of schizophrenia is likely to be more complex and nuanced than the binary two hit model originally proposed nearly thirty years ago. Risk appears influenced by a more complex process involving genetic risk interfacing with multiple potentially interacting hits and vulnerability factors occurring at key periods of neurodevelopmental activity, which culminate in the expression of disease state. These risks are common across a number of neuropsychiatric and medical disorders, which might inform common preventive and intervention strategies across non-communicable disorders. PMID:27073049

Adiabatic condition and the quantum hitting time of Markov chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krovi, Hari; Ozols, Maris; Roland, Jeremie

2010-01-01

We present an adiabatic quantum algorithm for the abstract problem of searching marked vertices in a graph, or spatial search. Given a random walk (or Markov chain) P on a graph with a set of unknown marked vertices, one can define a related absorbing walk P ' where outgoing transitions from marked vertices are replaced by self-loops. We build a Hamiltonian H(s) from the interpolated Markov chain P(s)=(1-s)P+sP ' and use it in an adiabatic quantum algorithm to drive an initial superposition over all vertices to a superposition over marked vertices. The adiabatic condition implies that, for any reversible Markov chain and any set of marked vertices, the running time of the adiabatic algorithm is given by the square root of the classical hitting time. This algorithm therefore demonstrates a novel connection between the adiabatic condition and the classical notion of hitting time of a random walk. It also significantly extends the scope of previous quantum algorithms for this problem, which could only obtain a full quadratic speedup for state-transitive reversible Markov chains with a unique marked vertex.

A traumatic case of Weber's syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirakuni, Takayuki; Tamaki, Norihiko; Matsumoto, Satoshi; Ishida, Kazuhiko; Fujiwara, Masayasu.

1983-01-01

The present authors encountered a rare traumatic case of Weber's syndrome in which computerized tomography (CT) revealed a hematoma localized in the tegmentum of the midbrain. This 49-year-old male was admitted because of a disturbed consciousness level caused by a hit on the right frontal area in a traffic accident. A neurological examination on admission disclosed Weber's syndrome: a dilatation of the right pupil, no reaction to direct or indirect light stimuli, ptosis of the right eyelid, lateral deviation of the right eyeball, and left hemiparesis with increased deep tendon reflexes and Babinski's sign. CT revealed a high-density area localized in the tegmentum of the midbrain, but interpeduncular and quadrigeminal cisterns were patent. After admission, his motor function and level of consciousness have showed improvement with medical treatment, but his right oculomotor palsy is unchanged. CT performed 7 days after admission showed a low-density area in place of the absorbed hematoma. In this case, we cannot explain the mechanism of the primary brain-stem injury. However, there are four possible mechanisms: nerve avulsion, neurovascular friction, localized contusion, and shear strain injury. Careful consideration of the anatomical relationship shows that it is likely that the lesion was a contusional hemorrhage caused by impact on the tentorial edge. (author)

Hitting the nail on the head: Force vectors in verb semantics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goldschmidt, A.; Zwarts, J.

2016-01-01

Hitting the nail on the head: Forces in verb meanings Anja Goldschmidt (UU) & Joost Zwarts (UU) There is a growing recognition of the role of forces in verb meanings, starting with the seminal work of Leonard Talmy (Talmy 1985). In one line of research these forces are analyzed in terms of vectors,

Contribution of Visual Information about Ball Trajectory to Baseball Hitting Accuracy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takatoshi Higuchi

Full Text Available The contribution of visual information about a pitched ball to the accuracy of baseball-bat contact may vary depending on the part of trajectory seen. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between hitting accuracy and the segment of the trajectory of the flying ball that can be seen by the batter. Ten college baseball field players participated in the study. The systematic error and standardized variability of ball-bat contact on the bat coordinate system and pitcher-to-catcher direction when hitting a ball launched from a pitching machine were measured with or without visual occlusion and analyzed using analysis of variance. The visual occlusion timing included occlusion from 150 milliseconds (ms after the ball release (R+150, occlusion from 150 ms before the expected arrival of the launched ball at the home plate (A-150, and a condition with no occlusion (NO. Twelve trials in each condition were performed using two ball speeds (31.9 m·s-1 and 40.3 m·s-1. Visual occlusion did not affect the mean location of ball-bat contact in the bat's long axis, short axis, and pitcher-to-catcher directions. Although the magnitude of standardized variability was significantly smaller in the bat's short axis direction than in the bat's long axis and pitcher-to-catcher directions (p < 0.001, additional visible time from the R+150 condition to the A-150 and NO conditions resulted in a further decrease in standardized variability only in the bat's short axis direction (p < 0.05. The results suggested that there is directional specificity in the magnitude of standardized variability with different visible time. The present study also confirmed the limitation to visual information is the later part of the ball trajectory for improving hitting accuracy, which is likely due to visuo-motor delay.

As the Economic Crisis Hits Home, Colleges Seek Help from Congress

Science.gov (United States)

Field, Kelly

2008-01-01

Congress is crafting a second economic-stimulus bill, and the nation's colleges, hit by the deepening fiscal crisis, want a share of the money. Over the last few weeks, colleges and their lobbyists have bombarded members of Congress with letters and phone calls seeking money for research, student aid, and infrastructure. However, Congress is…

Protective effects of Lagerstroemia speciosa on 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1)-induced oxidative stress in HIT-T15 pancreatic β cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jia-Le; Zhao, Xin; Wang, Qiang; Zhang, Ting

2013-05-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced pancreatic β cell death affects insulin secretion and is important in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Lagerstroemia speciosa, a traditional folk medicine, has been used for t he prevention and treatment of diabetes. However, whether Lagerstroemia speciosa has a cytoprotective effect on pancreatic β cells remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the cytoprotective effects of hot water extracts from Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves (LWE) on 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1)-induced oxidative damage in Syrian hamster pancreatic insulinoma HIT-T15 cells. The HIT-T15 cells were first treated with SIN-1 (50 µM) for 24 h and then co-incubated with LWE for 48 h. SIN-1 significantly decreased HIT-T15 cell viability (PHIT-T15 cells in a dose‑dependent manner. To further investigate the protective effects of LWE on SIN-1‑induced oxidative stress in HIT-T15 cells, the cellular levels of ROS, lipid peroxidation and endogenous antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), were determined. LWE decreased the intracellular levels of ROS and lipid peroxidation, and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes. These results suggest that LWE has a cytoprotective effect against SIN-1‑induced oxidative stress in HIT-T15 cells through the inhibition of lipid peroxidation, a decrease in ROS levels and an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity. In addition, LWE increased insulin secretion in SIN-1-treated HIT-T15 cells. Our results suggested that LWE were effective in the treatment of diabetes. Further studies are required to study the anti-diabetic molecular mechanism in a cell model.

Hit discovery of 4-amino-N-(4-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)pyrimidin-5-yl)benzamide: A novel EGFR inhibitor from a designed small library.

Science.gov (United States)

Elkamhawy, Ahmed; Paik, Sora; Hassan, Ahmed H E; Lee, Yong Sup; Roh, Eun Joo

2017-12-01

Searching for hit compounds within the huge chemical space resembles the attempt to find a needle in a haystack. Cheminformatics-guided selection of few representative molecules of a rationally designed virtual combinatorial library is a powerful tool to confront this challenge, speed up hit identification and cut off costs. Herein, this approach has been applied to identify hit compounds with novel scaffolds able to inhibit EGFR kinase. From a generated virtual library, six 4-aryloxy-5-aminopyrimidine scaffold-derived compounds were selected, synthesized and evaluated as hit EGFR inhibitors. 4-Aryloxy-5-benzamidopyrimidines inhibited EGFR with IC 50 1.05-5.37 μM. Cell-based assay of the most potent EGFR inhibitor hit (10ac) confirmed its cytotoxicity against different cancerous cells. In spite of no EGFR, HER2 or VEGFR1 inhibition was elicited by 4-aryloxy-5-(thio)ureidopyrimidine derivatives, cell-based evaluation suggested them as antiproliferative hits acting by other mechanism(s). Molecular docking study provided a plausible explanation of incapability of 4-aryloxy-5-(thio)ureidopyrimidines to inhibit EGFR and suggested a reasonable binding mode of 4-aryloxy-5-benzamidopyrimidines which provides a basis to develop more optimized ligands. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Current drive experiments on the HIT-II spherical torus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T.R.; Raman, R.; Nelson, B.A.; Holcomb, C.T.; McCollam, K.J.; Sieck, P.E.

1999-01-01

This paper describes the following new achievements from the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) program: a) formation and sustainment of a toroidal magnetic equilibrium using coaxial helicity injection (CHI) in a conducting shell that has an L/R time much shorter than the pulse length; b) static formation of a spherical torus with plasma current over 180 kA using a transformer and feedback controlled equilibrium coils; and c) production of a current increase in a transformer produced spherical torus using CHI. (author)

Current drive experiments on the HIT-II spherical torus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T.; Raman, R.; Nelson, B.; Holcomb, C.T.; McCollam, K.J.; Sieck, P.E.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the following new achievements from the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) program: a) formation and sustainment of a toroidal magnetic equilibrium using coaxial helicity injection (CHI) in a conducting shell that has an L/R time much shorter than the pulse length; b) static formation of a spherical torus with plasma current over 180 kA using a transformer and feedback controlled equilibrium coils; and c) production of a current increase in a transformer produced spherical torus using CHI. (author)

Demand spillovers of smash-hit papers: evidence from the 'Male Organ Incident'.

Science.gov (United States)

Kässi, Otto; Westling, Tatu

2013-12-01

This study explores the short-run spillover effects of popular research papers. We consider the publicity of 'Male Organ and Economic Growth: Does Size Matter?' as an exogenous shock to economics discussion paper demand, a natural experiment of a sort. In particular, we analyze how the very substantial visibility influenced the downloads of Helsinki Center of Economic Research discussion papers. Difference in differences and regression discontinuity analysis are conducted to elicit the spillover patterns. This study finds that the spillover effect to average economics paper demand is positive and statistically significant. It seems that hit papers increase the exposure of previously less downloaded papers. We find that part of the spillover effect could be attributable to Internet search engines' influence on browsing behavior. Conforming to expected patterns, papers residing on the same web page as the hit paper evidence very significant increases in downloads which also supports the spillover thesis. A11, C21. 97K80.

A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Justin; Eyre, Harris; Jacka, Felice N; Dodd, Seetal; Dean, Olivia; McEwen, Sarah; Debnath, Monojit; McGrath, John; Maes, Michael; Amminger, Paul; McGorry, Patrick D; Pantelis, Christos; Berk, Michael

2016-06-01

Schizophrenia risk has often been conceptualized using a model which requires two hits in order to generate the clinical phenotype-the first as an early priming in a genetically predisposed individual and the second a likely environmental insult. The aim of this paper was to review the literature and reformulate this binary risk-vulnerability model. We sourced the data for this narrative review from the electronic database PUBMED. Our search terms were not limited by language or date of publication. The development of schizophrenia may be driven by genetic vulnerability interacting with multiple vulnerability factors including lowered prenatal vitamin D exposure, viral infections, smoking intelligence quotient, social cognition cannabis use, social defeat, nutrition and childhood trauma. It is likely that these genetic risks, environmental risks and vulnerability factors are cumulative and interactive with each other and with critical periods of neurodevelopmental vulnerability. The development of schizophrenia is likely to be more complex and nuanced than the binary two hit model originally proposed nearly thirty years ago. Risk appears influenced by a more complex process involving genetic risk interfacing with multiple potentially interacting hits and vulnerability factors occurring at key periods of neurodevelopmental activity, which culminate in the expression of disease state. These risks are common across a number of neuropsychiatric and medical disorders, which might inform common preventive and intervention strategies across non-communicable disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A business case for HIT adoption: effects of "meaningful use" EHR financial incentives on clinic revenue.

Science.gov (United States)

Behkami, Nima A; Dorr, David A; Morrice, Stuart

2010-01-01

The goal of this study is to describe a framework that allows decision makers to efficiently evaluate factors that affect Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption and test suitable interventions; specifically financial incentives. The United States healthcare delivery system is experiencing a transformation to improve population health. There is strong agreement that "meaningful use" of Health Information Technology (HIT) is a major enabler in this effort. However it's also understood that the high cost of implementing an EHR is an obstacle for adoption. To help understand these complexities we developed a simulation model designed to capture the dynamic nature of policy interventions that affect the adoption of EHR. We found that "Effective" use of HIT approaches break-even-point and larger clinic revenue many times faster that "average" or "poor" use of HIT. This study uses a systems perspective to the evaluate EHR adoption process through the "meaningful use" redesign as proposed in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act 2009 in the United States healthcare industry by utilizing the System Dynamics methodology and Scenario Analysis.

Budd-Chiari syndrome and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in polycythemia vera: Successful treatment with repeated TIPS and interferon alpha

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akoum Riad

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Polycythemia vera (PV is a common cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS and portal vein thrombosis (PVT. The postpartum period is a precipitating cofactor. An additional heparin-induced thrombocytopenia/thrombosis (HIT/T leads to a life-threatening condition in which transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS seems to be the only life-saving procedure. We describe the case of a subacute BCS and PVT in the late postpartum period. The diagnosis was established using CT scan, MRI, and Doppler ultrasonography of abdominal vessels and the laboratory findings were compatible with PV. After a successful creation of TIPS, a HIT/T worsened the hemorrhagic and thrombotic picture. TIPS procedure was successfully repeated and heparin was replaced with Fondaparinux and then vitamin K antagonist. The treatment with interferon alpha-2A, started after the normalization of liver functions, resulted in a complete remission within 6 months. The JAK2 V617F mutation clone remained undetectable after 2 years′ follow-up.

Influence of ITO deposition and post annealing on HIT solar cell structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, D.; Tavakoliyaraki, A.; Wu, Y.; Van Swaaij, R.A.C.M.M.; Zeman, M.

2011-01-01

Heterojunction silicon with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells that combine advanced thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and crystalline silicon (c-Si) technologies are promising because of the high performance at low cost. Due to the low conductivity of a-Si:H, indium tin oxide

42 CFR 495.332 - State Medicaid health information technology (HIT) plan requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... and strategic plan for the next 5 years. (2) A description of how the State Medicaid HIT plan will be... processes that enable improved program administration for the Medicaid enterprise; (ii) Includes business... used certified EHR technology during the EHR reporting period, and that they have adopted, implemented...

An orthogonal-polynomial approach to first-hitting times of birth-death processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Erik A.

In a recent paper [J. Theor. Probab. 25 (2012) 950-980] Gong, Mao and Zhang, using the theory of Dirichlet forms, extended Karlin and McGregor's classical results on first-hitting times of a birth-death process on the nonnegative integers by establishing a representation for the Laplace transform

Current drive experiments in the HIT-II spherical tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T.R.; Gu, P.; Isso, V.A.; Jewell, P.E.; McCollam, K.J.; Nelson, B.A.; Ramon, R.; Redd, A.J.; Sieck, P.E.; Smith, R.J.; Nagata, M.; Uyama, T.

2001-01-01

The Helicity Injected Torus (Hit) program has made progress in understanding relaxation and helicity injection current drive. Helicity-conserving MHD activity during the inductive (Ohmic) current ramp demonstrates the profile flattening needed for coaxial helicity injection (CHI). Results from cathode and anode central column (CC) CHI pulses are consistent with the electron locking model of current drive from a pure n=1 mode. Finally, low density CHI, compatible with Ohmic operation, has been achieved. Some enhancement of CHI discharges with the application of Ohmic is shown. (author)

Characterisation of a pre-cell hit detector to be used in single cell irradiation experiments at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Charlotta; Pallon, Jan; Thungstroem, Goeran; Marrero, Natalia Arteaga; Elfman, Mikael; Kristiansson, Per; Nilsson, Christer; Wegden, Marie

2008-01-01

This paper describes the characterisation of an ultra-thin silicon semiconductor ΔE detector to be used as a pre-cell ion hit detector in single ion experiments on individual, living cells. The characteristics of interest for this specific application are the hit detection efficiency, which has to be close to 100% to enable bombardment with either a single ion or a counted number of ions, the beam spreading, which should be as small as possible to maintain the targeting accuracy, and the vacuum tightness, since the detector is intended, if possible, to be used simultaneously as vacuum window. The hit detection efficiency was shown to be above 99% when detecting alpha particles or 2 MeV protons, the increase in beam size was about 1 μm and the vacuum tightness was comparable to that of the Si 3 N 4 wafer which is normally used as vacuum window, thus the ΔE detector fulfils the main criteria to function properly as a single ion hit detector.

Ionoluminescence analysis of glass scintillators and application to single-ion-hit real-time detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokoyama, Akihito, E-mail: yokoyama.akihito@jaea.go.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Takasaki Advanced Radiation Research Institute (TARRI), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 1233 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Kada, Wataru [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Satoh, Takahiro; Koka, Masashi [Takasaki Advanced Radiation Research Institute (TARRI), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 1233 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Shimada, Keisuke; Yokoata, Yuya; Miura, Kenta; Hanaizumi, Osamu [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan)

2016-03-15

In this paper, we propose and test a real-time detection system for single-ion hits using mega-electronvolt (MeV)-heavy ions. The system was constructed using G2000 and G9 glass scintillators, as well as an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) camera combined with an inverted microscope with a 10× objective lens. Commercially available G2000 and G9 glass scintillators, which have been reported to exhibit strong photoluminescence at 489, 543, 585, and 622 nm as a result of the Tb{sup 3+} f–f transition, were employed for highly accurate ionized particle detection. The EMCCD camera had a resolution of 512 × 512 pixels, each with a size of 16 μm × 16 μm, and a maximum linear gain of 8 × 10{sup 5} electrons. For 260-MeV Ne, 3 ion hits/s were detected by our system. The intensity of the ionoluminescence (IL) peak induced by the heavy ions was 140 times the noise intensity. In contrast, the luminous diameter at the full width at half maximum (FWHM) in both the horizontal and vertical directions was calculated to be approximately 4.5 μm. These results suggest that our detection system can accurately detect single-ion hits with a diameter of the order of 1 μm.

Heparin- induced thrombocytopenia (HIT: a case report of CABG patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Jahangirifard

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Heparin- induced thrombocytopenia (HIT is an antibody mediated adverse effect of heparin therapy which is classified into two subtypes, HITI which is non-immune, spontaneously reversible thrombocytopenia and; HITII which is an autoimmune-mediated adverse effect of heparin therapy. In this case report, we described a 65-year old male patient with HITII after coronary artery bypass grafting.Key words: Heparin- induced thrombocytopenia, Heparin- induced thrombosis, coronary artery bypass grafting.

Hit and lead criteria in drug discovery for infectious diseases of the developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsuno, Kei; Burrows, Jeremy N; Duncan, Ken; Hooft van Huijsduijnen, Rob; Kaneko, Takushi; Kita, Kiyoshi; Mowbray, Charles E; Schmatz, Dennis; Warner, Peter; Slingsby, B T

2015-11-01

Reducing the burden of infectious diseases that affect people in the developing world requires sustained collaborative drug discovery efforts. The quality of the chemical starting points for such projects is a key factor in improving the likelihood of clinical success, and so it is important to set clear go/no-go criteria for the progression of hit and lead compounds. With this in mind, the Japanese Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund convened with experts from the Medicines for Malaria Venture, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and the TB Alliance, together with representatives from the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, to set disease-specific criteria for hits and leads for malaria, tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. Here, we present the agreed criteria and discuss the underlying rationale.

An orthogonal-polynomial approach to first-hitting times of birth-death processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Erik A.

In a recent paper in this journal, Gong, Mao and Zhang, using the theory of Dirichlet forms, extended Karlin and McGregor’s classical results on first-hitting times of a birth–death process on the nonnegative integers by establishing a representation for the Laplace transform E[exp(sTij)] of the

Effects of panaxadiol saponins on contents of TNF-α and IL-6 in two-hit rat models with hemorrhage and lipopolysaech

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Zhenxiang; Ding Yanhua; Li Lu; Zhao Xuejian

2005-01-01

Objective: To explore the changes of serum TNF-α and IL-6 contents in the two-hit rat models with hemorrhage and lipopolysaech (LPS) and the effects of panaxadiol saponins (PDS) on TNF-α and contents IL-6. Methods: Adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham operational group (S), hemorrhage group (H), two-hit group with hemorrhage and LPS groups (HL), Dexamethasone pretreatment group (HLD), PDS pretreatment group (HLP). The rat models were made by hemorrhagic shock as the first hit and with endotoxin as the second hit. Then the rats were killed after 6 h. The contents of serum TNF-α and IL-6 in rats were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results: The serum TNF-α and IL-6 contents in HL group were increased significantly compared with S group or H group (P<0.001). The TNF-α and IL-6 contents in HLP group and HLD group were significantly lower than those in HL group (P<0.01). Conclusion: LPS can increase significantly the contents of serum TNF-α and IL-6 in rats with hemorrhagic shock. PDS can inhibit the release of serum TNF-α and IL-6, and has the same effects with DEX to protect against the tissue injuries of two-hit rats with hemorrhage and LPS. (authors)

Two-fluid (plasma-neutral) Extended-MHD simulations of spheromak configurations in the HIT-SI experiment with PSI-Tet

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, D. A.; Hansen, C. J.; Jarboe, T. R.

2017-10-01

A self-consistent, two-fluid (plasma-neutral) dynamic neutral model has been implemented into the 3-D, Extended-MHD code PSI-Tet. A monatomic, hydrogenic neutral fluid reacts with a plasma fluid through elastic scattering collisions and three inelastic collision reactions: electron-impact ionization, radiative recombination, and resonant charge-exchange. Density, momentum, and energy are evolved for both the plasma and neutral species. The implemented plasma-neutral model in PSI-Tet is being used to simulate decaying spheromak configurations in the HIT-SI experimental geometry, which is being compare to two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence measurements (TALIF) made on the HIT-SI3 experiment. TALIF is used to measure the absolute density and temperature of monatomic deuterium atoms. Neutral densities on the order of 1015 m-3 and neutral temperatures between 0.6-1.7 eV were measured towards the end of decay of spheromak configurations with initial toroidal currents between 10-12 kA. Validation results between TALIF measurements and PSI-Tet simulations with the implemented dynamic neutral model will be presented. Additionally, preliminary dynamic neutral simulations of the HIT-SI/HIT-SI3 spheromak plasmas sustained with inductive helicity injection will be presented. Lastly, potential benefits of an expansion of the two-fluid model into a multi-fluid model that includes multiple neutral species and tracking of charge states will be discussed.

Alcohol consumption and risk of gastric cancer: a cohort study of men in Kaunas, Lithuania, with up to 30 years follow-up

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Everatt Ruta

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in the world. Epidemiological findings on alcohol use in relation to gastric cancer remain controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of gastric cancer. Methods The association between alcohol intake and the risk of gastric cancer was examined in a population-based cohort of 7,150 men in Kaunas, Lithuania, who were enrolled during 1972–1974 or 1976–1980. After up to 30 years of follow-up, 185 gastric cancer cases were identified. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI. The attained age was used as a time-scale. Results After adjustment for smoking, education level and body mass index, the HR of gastric cancer was 2.00 (95% CI: 1.04–3.82 for the highest alcohol consumption frequency (2–7 times per week compared with occasional drinking (a few times per year and 1.90 (95% CI: 1.13–3.18 for ≥100.0 g ethanol/week versus 0.1–9.9 g ethanol/week. A stronger effect of alcohol consumption on gastric cancer risk was observed during the second half of the study (1993–2008. In the analysis of gastric cancer risk by alcoholic beverage type, all beverages were included simultaneously in the model. The multivariate HR for men who consumed ≥0.5 litre of wine per occasion (compared with those who consumed Conclusions This study supports a link between alcohol consumption (primarily from ethanol and the development of gastric cancer in the Lithuanian population. Although an association with heavy wine consumption was observed, the effect of exposure to acetaldehyde on the development of gastric cancer in this cohort was not confirmed. Further research is needed to provide a more detailed evaluation of alcohol drinking and gastric cancer risk.

Simulation of injector dynamics during steady inductive helicity injection current drive in the HIT-SI experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, C., E-mail: hansec@uw.edu [PSI-Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States); Marklin, G. [PSI-Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Victor, B. [HIT-SI Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Akcay, C. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Jarboe, T. [HIT-SI Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); PSI-Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)

2015-04-15

We present simulations of inductive helicity injection in the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) device that treats the entire plasma volume in a single dynamic MHD model. A new fully 3D numerical tool, the PSI-center TETrahedral mesh code, was developed that provides the geometric flexibility required for this investigation. Implementation of a zero-β Hall MHD model using PSI-TET will be presented including formulation of a new self-consistent magnetic boundary condition for the wall of the HIT-SI device. Results from simulations of HIT-SI are presented focusing on injector dynamics that are investigated numerically for the first time. Asymmetries in the plasma loading between the two helicity injectors and progression of field reversal in each injector are observed. Analysis indicates cross-coupling between injectors through confinement volume structures. Injector impedance is found to scale with toroidal current at fixed density, consistent with experimental observation. Comparison to experimental data with an injector drive frequency of 14.5 kHz shows good agreement with magnetic diagnostics. Global mode structures from Bi-Orthogonal decomposition agree well with experimental data for the first four modes.

Are We There Yet? Applying Thermodynamic and Kinetic Profiling on Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) Hit-to-Lead Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying; Edalji, Rohinton P; Panchal, Sanjay C; Sun, Chaohong; Djuric, Stevan W; Vasudevan, Anil

2017-10-26

It is advocated that kinetic and thermodynamic profiling of bioactive compounds should be incorporated and utilized as complementary tools for hit and lead optimizations in drug discovery. To assess their applications in the EED hit-to-lead optimization process, large amount of thermodynamic and kinetic data were collected and analyzed via isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), respectively. Slower dissociation rates (k off ) of the lead compounds were observed as the program progressed. Analysis of the kinetic data indicated that compound cellular activity correlated with both K i and k off . Our analysis revealed that ITC data should be interpreted in the context of chiral purity of the compounds. The thermodynamic signatures of the EED aminopyrrolidine compounds were found to be mainly enthalpy driven with improved enthalpic contributions as the program progressed. Our study also demonstrated that significant challenges still exist in utilizing kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for hit selection.

Fragment-assisted hit investigation involving integrated HTS and fragment screening: Application to the identification of phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Varnes, Jeffrey G; Geschwindner, Stefan; Holmquist, Christopher R; Forst, Janet; Wang, Xia; Dekker, Niek; Scott, Clay W; Tian, Gaochao; Wood, Michael W; Albert, Jeffrey S

2016-01-01

Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) relies on direct elaboration of fragment hits and typically requires high resolution structural information to guide optimization. In fragment-assisted drug discovery (FADD), fragments provide information to guide selection and design but do not serve as starting points for elaboration. We describe FADD and high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign strategies conducted in parallel against PDE10A where fragment hit co-crystallography was not available. The fragment screen led to prioritized fragment hits (IC50's ∼500μM), which were used to generate a hypothetical core scaffold. Application of this scaffold as a filter to HTS output afforded a 4μM hit, which, after preparation of a small number of analogs, was elaborated into a 16nM lead. This approach highlights the strength of FADD, as fragment methods were applied despite the absence of co-crystallographical information to efficiently identify a lead compound for further optimization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FedWeb Greatest Hits: Presenting the New Test Collection for Federated Web Search

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demeester, Thomas; Trieschnigg, Rudolf Berend; Zhou, Ke; Nguyen, Dong-Phuong; Hiemstra, Djoerd

This paper presents 'FedWeb Greatest Hits', a large new test collection for research in web information retrieval. As a combination and extension of the datasets used in the TREC Federated Web Search Track, this collection opens up new research possibilities on federated web search challenges, as

Enhancing hit identification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug discovery using validated dual-event Bayesian models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sean Ekins

Full Text Available High-throughput screening (HTS in whole cells is widely pursued to find compounds active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb for further development towards new tuberculosis (TB drugs. Hit rates from these screens, usually conducted at 10 to 25 µM concentrations, typically range from less than 1% to the low single digits. New approaches to increase the efficiency of hit identification are urgently needed to learn from past screening data. The pharmaceutical industry has for many years taken advantage of computational approaches to optimize compound libraries for in vitro testing, a practice not fully embraced by academic laboratories in the search for new TB drugs. Adapting these proven approaches, we have recently built and validated Bayesian machine learning models for predicting compounds with activity against Mtb based on publicly available large-scale HTS data from the Tuberculosis Antimicrobial Acquisition Coordinating Facility. We now demonstrate the largest prospective validation to date in which we computationally screened 82,403 molecules with these Bayesian models, assayed a total of 550 molecules in vitro, and identified 124 actives against Mtb. Individual hit rates for the different datasets varied from 15-28%. We have identified several FDA approved and late stage clinical candidate kinase inhibitors with activity against Mtb which may represent starting points for further optimization. The computational models developed herein and the commercially available molecules derived from them are now available to any group pursuing Mtb drug discovery.

ANALYSIS MUSIC CONCERTS ADOPTING THE MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF HIT PHENOMENA

OpenAIRE

Kawahata Yasuko; Genda Etsuo; Ishii Akira

2013-01-01

A mathematical model for the hit phenomenon in entertainment within a society is presented as a stochastic process of interactions of human dynamics. In this paper, we analyzed music to the concert.Knowing the cost of advertising the concert is difficult. But exposure to the media of the artist can be seen. We tried to analysis of music concert itself by performing a prediction of reputation of artists during the concert tour from this exposure.In this paper, The world most pop...

Exploring the multiple-hit hypothesis of preterm white matter damage using diffusion MRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madeleine L. Barnett

2018-01-01

Conclusion: This study suggests multiple perinatal risk factors have an independent association with diffuse white matter injury at term equivalent age and exposure to multiple perinatal risk factors exacerbates dMRI defined, clinically significant white matter injury. Our findings support the multiple hit hypothesis for preterm white matter injury.

Combined postoperative irradiation and chemotherapy for anaplastic ependymomas in childhood: results of the German prospective trials hit 88/89 and hit 91

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timmermann, Beate; Kortmann, Rolf-Dieter; Kuehl, Joachim; Meisner, Christoph; Slavc, Irene; Pietsch, Thorsten; Bamberg, Michael

2000-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome in children with anaplastic ependymomas after surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy; and to identify prognostic factors for survival. Methods and Materials: Fifty-five children (n = 27 girls, 28 boys; median age at diagnosis, 6.2 years) with newly diagnosed anaplastic ependymomas were treated in the multicenter, prospective trials HIT 88/89 and HIT 91. Macroscopic complete resection was achieved in 28 patients; 27 patients underwent incomplete resection. All patients received chemotherapy before (n = 40) or after irradiation (n = 15). The irradiation volume encompassed either the neuraxis followed by a boost to the primary tumor site (n = 40) or the tumor region only (n = 13). No radiotherapy was administered in two patients. Results: Median follow-up was 38 months. The overall survival rate at 3 years after surgery was 75.6%. Disease progression occurred in 25 children with local progression occurring in 20. The median time to disease progression was 45 months. The only significant prognostic factor was the extent of resection (estimated progression-free survival [EPFS] after 3 years was 83.3% after complete resection and 38.5% after incomplete resection) and the presence of metastases at the time of diagnosis (0% vs. 65.8% 3-year EPFS in localized tumors). Age, sex, tumor site, mode of chemotherapy, and irradiation volume did not influence survival. Conclusions: Treatment centers should be meticulous about surgery and diagnostic workup. Because the primary tumor region is the predominant site of failure it is important to intensify local treatment. Dose escalation by hyperfractionation or stereotactic radiotherapy might be a promising approach in macroscopically residual disease. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy requires further study

Effects on ontogenesis of Carausius morosus hit by cosmic heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reitz, G.; Buecker, H.; Ruether, W.

1990-01-01

Among the biological problems that arise in long duration spaceflights, the effects of weightlessness and ionizing radiation appear to be the two main risk factors. Eggs of the stick insect Carausius morosus were exposed to spaceflight conditions during the 12.56 day Biosatellite mission Cosmos 1887. Five different ages were used, representing different sensitivities to radiation and different capacities for regeneration. During spaceflight the eggs continued their development. Already, in the Spacelab D1 mission in 1985, it has been shown that microgravity leads to a reduced hatching rate of eggs exposed during the early steps of development. When the eggs were hit by a heavy ion, a further but not significant reduction of the hatching rate was observed. Hatching was normal for eggs which were exposed on a 1 g reference centrifuge in space. Heavy ion hits caused body anomalies. The combined action of heavy ions and microgravity resulted in an unexpectedly high rate of anomalies. In the experiment on Cosmos 1887 these results were confirmed. Studies on the embryonic development before hatching showed no major difference between flight and ground control specimen, neither in speed of development nor in morphological anomalies. Hatching therefore seems to be the critical point in insect ontogenesis. (author)

Pirminės sveikatos priežiūros prieinamumas ir pacientų pasitenkinimas paslaugomis Panevėžio rajone

OpenAIRE

Grigienė, Violeta

2005-01-01

SUMMARY Management of Public Health THE PATIENTS’ ACCESSIBILITY AND SATISFACTION WITH PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICE IN PANEVEZYS RURAL DISTRICT Violeta Grigiene Supervisor Jadvyga Petrauskienė, Dr. Sc., Prof., Department of Social medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Kaunas University of Medicine, - Kaunas, 2005. P.64. The aim. To evaluate the patients’ accessibility and satisfaction with primary health care service in Panevezys rural district. Methods. The anonymous que...

Genetic and clinicopathologic aspects of Gorlin-Goltz syndrome (NBCCS): presentation of two case reports and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Acocella, A; Sacco, R; Bertolai, R; Sacco, N

2009-01-01

Gorlin-Goltz Syndrome (Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome) is a well-known disorder with distinctive symptoms, which are studied since the 1960s. This is an hereditary disease, with autosomal dominant trait, characterised by high penetration and variable expressivity. Only recently it has been ascertained that it is caused by the aberration of the long arm of the chromosome 9q22.3, mapped specifically in the area of Patched gene (PTCH). In particular, the PTCH gene is important both for embryonic structuring and cellular cycle, therefore, its mutation represents a key event for the development of the disease. From a clinical point of view, the syndrome requires a multidisciplinary approach meaning that a successful treatment needs the simultaneous co-operation of different specialists. Thus, a correct treatment entails the following steps: an early detection of the disease, an extended family history and a careful evaluation of symptoms. The aim of this article was to highlight the main pathologic and genetic features of Gorlin-Goltz Syndrome, its outbreak frequency and the main characteristics of the population clusters it is more likely to hit. Furthermore, due to the predisposition of the disease to relapse, a constant clinical follow-up combined with a correct treatment are important.

Assessment of HIT Antibody Complex in Hip Fracture Patients Receiving Enoxaparin or Unfractionated Heparin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Griffin, Justin W; Hopkinson, William J; Rud-Lassen, Michael

2011-01-01

of antiheparin-PF4 antibodies and a greater prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) subtype. Heparin and enoxaparin are capable of generating heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibodies in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery but perhaps not to the same extent. When comparing low...

Cost-effectiveness of the HIT programme in patients with schizophrenia and persistent auditory hallucinations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stant, AD; TenVergert, EM; Groen, H; Jenner, JA; Nienhuis, FJ; van de Willige, G; Wiersma, D

Objective: To examine the cost-effectiveness of Hallucination focused Integrative Treatment (HIT) in patients with schizophrenia and a history of persistent auditory hallucinations. Method: Costs, in and outside the health care sector, and outcomes were registered prospectively during a period of 18

Selection and optimization of hits from a high-throughput phenotypic screen against Trypanosoma cruzi.

Science.gov (United States)

Keenan, Martine; Alexander, Paul W; Chaplin, Jason H; Abbott, Michael J; Diao, Hugo; Wang, Zhisen; Best, Wayne M; Perez, Catherine J; Cornwall, Scott M J; Keatley, Sarah K; Thompson, R C Andrew; Charman, Susan A; White, Karen L; Ryan, Eileen; Chen, Gong; Ioset, Jean-Robert; von Geldern, Thomas W; Chatelain, Eric

2013-10-01

Inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi with novel mechanisms of action are urgently required to diversify the current clinical and preclinical pipelines. Increasing the number and diversity of hits available for assessment at the beginning of the discovery process will help to achieve this aim. We report the evaluation of multiple hits generated from a high-throughput screen to identify inhibitors of T. cruzi and from these studies the discovery of two novel series currently in lead optimization. Lead compounds from these series potently and selectively inhibit growth of T. cruzi in vitro and the most advanced compound is orally active in a subchronic mouse model of T. cruzi infection. High-throughput screening of novel compound collections has an important role to play in diversifying the trypanosomatid drug discovery portfolio. A new T. cruzi inhibitor series with good drug-like properties and promising in vivo efficacy has been identified through this process.

Visual strategies underpinning the development of visual-motor expertise when hitting a ball

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sarpeshkar, Vishnu; Abernethy, B.; Mann, D.L.

2017-01-01

It is well known that skilled batters in fast-ball sports do not align their gaze with the ball throughout ball-flight, but instead adopt a unique sequence of eye and head movements that contribute toward their skill. However, much of what we know about visual-motor behavior in hitting is based on

TJC: HCOs need to be on alert for HIT problems related to sociotechnical factors, take steps to improve safety culture, process, and leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Noting that too many errors related to health information technology (HIT) are resulting in adverse consequences, The Joint Commission (TJC) has issued a Sentinel Event Alert, urging health care providers to take steps to improve their safety culture, approach to process improvement, and leadership in this area. In this latest alert, the accrediting agency is taking particular aim at risks posed by sociotechnical factors--or the ways in which HIT is implemented and used. Experts say that many of these risks are, in fact, exemplified at a higher level in the emergency setting, where providers are under constant pressure to see more patients and move them though the system faster. In an analysis of 3,375 sentinel events that resulted in permanent patient harm or death between January 1, 2010, and June 20, 2013, The Joint Commission (TJC) found that 120 events included HIT-related contributing factors. Many of the problems cited by TJC relate to orders or medicines being prescribed for the wrong patients. These can result from toggling errors or pop-up screens where providers are asked to click on the appropriate patient or medicine, and they mistakenly click on the wrong selection. In the ED, experts recommend the creation of a multidisciplinary performance improvement group to continuously monitor the ED information system (EDIS), recognize problems, and work with the vendor to resolve them. Also important is a quick and easy way for providers to report HIT-related problems. Experts add that emergency providers need to be fully engaged in the process of selecting HIT that they will be using, and that health care organizations should arrange for usability assessments before purchasing HIT.

Two-hit model of schizophrenia induced by neonatal immune activation and peripubertal stress in rats: Study of sex differences and brain oxidative alterations.

Science.gov (United States)

Monte, Aline Santos; Mello, Bruna Stefânia Ferreira; Borella, Vládia Célia Moreira; da Silva Araujo, Tatiane; da Silva, Francisco Eliclécio Rodrigues; Sousa, Francisca Cléa F de; de Oliveira, Antônio Carlos Pinheiro; Gama, Clarissa Severino; Seeman, Mary V; Vasconcelos, Silvânia Maria Mendes; Lucena, David Freitas De; Macêdo, Danielle

2017-07-28

Schizophrenia is considered to be a developmental disorder with distinctive sex differences. Aiming to simulate the vulnerability of the third trimester of human pregnancy to the developmental course of schizophrenia, an animal model was developed, using neonatal poly(I:C) as a first-hit, and peripubertal stress as a second-hit, i.e. a two-hit model. Since, to date, there have been no references to sex differences in the two-hit model, our study sought to determine sex influences on the development of behavior and brain oxidative change in adult rats submitted to neonatal exposure to poly(I:C) on postnatal days 5-7 as well as peripubertal unpredictable stress (PUS). Our results showed that adult two-hit rats present sex-specific behavioral alterations, with females showing more pronounced deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex and hyperlocomotion, while males showing more deficits in social interaction. Male and female animals exhibited similar working memory deficits. The levels of the endogenous antioxidant, reduced glutathione, were decreased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of both male and female animals exposed to both poly(I:C) and poly(I:C)+PUS. Only females presented decrements in GSH levels in the striatum. Nitrite levels were increased in the PFC of male and in the striatum of female poly(I:C)+PUS rats. Increased lipid peroxidation was observed in the PFC of females and in the striatum of males and females exposed to poly(I:C) and poly(I:C)+PUS. Thus, the present study presents evidence for sex differences in behavior and oxidative brain change induced by a two-hit model of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tanzania Health Information Technology (T-HIT) System: Pilot Test of a Tablet-Based System to Improve Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Sheana; Thomas, Deborah Sk; Nyanza, Elias C; Ngallaba, Sospatro E

2018-01-15

The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV requires innovative solutions. Although routine monitoring is effective in some areas, standardized and easy-to-scale solutions to identify and monitor pregnant women, test them for HIV, and treat them and their children is still lacking. Mobile health (mHealth) offers opportunities for surveillance and reporting in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to document the preliminary impacts of the Tanzania Health Information Technology (T-HIT) system mHealth intervention aimed at health workers for PMTCT care delivery and capacity building in a rural area of Tanzania. We developed T-HIT as a tablet-based system for an electronic data collection system designed to capture and report PMTCT data during antenatal, delivery, and postnatal visits in Misungwi, Tanzania. T-HIT was tested by health workers in a pilot randomized trial comparing seven sites using T-HIT assigned at random to seven control sites; all sites maintained standard paper record-keeping during the pilot intervention period. We compared numbers of antenatal visits, number of HIV tests administered, and women testing positive across all sites. Health workers recorded data from antenatal visits for 1530 women; of these, 695 (45.42%) were tested for HIV and 3.59% (55/1530) tested positive. Health workers were unable to conduct an HIV test for 103 women (6.73%, 103/1530) because of lack of reagent, which is not captured on paper logs. There was no difference in the activity level for testing when comparing sites T-HIT to non-T-HIT sites. We observed a significant postintervention increase in the numbers of women testing positive for HIV compared with the preintervention period (P=.04), but this was likely not attributable to the T-HIT system. T-HIT had a high degree of acceptability and feasibility and is perceived as useful by health workers, who documented more antenatal visits during the pilot intervention

Tanzania Health Information Technology (T-HIT) System: Pilot Test of a Tablet-Based System to Improve Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Sheana; Nyanza, Elias C; Ngallaba, Sospatro E

2018-01-01

Background The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV requires innovative solutions. Although routine monitoring is effective in some areas, standardized and easy-to-scale solutions to identify and monitor pregnant women, test them for HIV, and treat them and their children is still lacking. Mobile health (mHealth) offers opportunities for surveillance and reporting in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. Objective The aim of this study was to document the preliminary impacts of the Tanzania Health Information Technology (T-HIT) system mHealth intervention aimed at health workers for PMTCT care delivery and capacity building in a rural area of Tanzania. Methods We developed T-HIT as a tablet-based system for an electronic data collection system designed to capture and report PMTCT data during antenatal, delivery, and postnatal visits in Misungwi, Tanzania. T-HIT was tested by health workers in a pilot randomized trial comparing seven sites using T-HIT assigned at random to seven control sites; all sites maintained standard paper record-keeping during the pilot intervention period. We compared numbers of antenatal visits, number of HIV tests administered, and women testing positive across all sites. Results Health workers recorded data from antenatal visits for 1530 women; of these, 695 (45.42%) were tested for HIV and 3.59% (55/1530) tested positive. Health workers were unable to conduct an HIV test for 103 women (6.73%, 103/1530) because of lack of reagent, which is not captured on paper logs. There was no difference in the activity level for testing when comparing sites T-HIT to non-T-HIT sites. We observed a significant postintervention increase in the numbers of women testing positive for HIV compared with the preintervention period (P=.04), but this was likely not attributable to the T-HIT system. Conclusions T-HIT had a high degree of acceptability and feasibility and is perceived as useful by health workers, who documented more

Comparison of Document Index Graph Using TextRank and HITS Weighting Method in Automatic Text Summarization

Science.gov (United States)

Hadyan, Fadhlil; Shaufiah; Arif Bijaksana, Moch.

2017-01-01

Automatic summarization is a system that can help someone to take the core information of a long text instantly. The system can help by summarizing text automatically. there’s Already many summarization systems that have been developed at this time but there are still many problems in those system. In this final task proposed summarization method using document index graph. This method utilizes the PageRank and HITS formula used to assess the web page, adapted to make an assessment of words in the sentences in a text document. The expected outcome of this final task is a system that can do summarization of a single document, by utilizing document index graph with TextRank and HITS to improve the quality of the summary results automatically.

Challenges in ethics, safety, best practices, and oversight regarding HIT vendors, their customers, and patients: a report of an AMIA special task force

Science.gov (United States)

Berner, Eta S; Dente, Mark A; Kaplan, Bonnie; Koppel, Ross; Rucker, Donald; Sands, Daniel Z; Winkelstein, Peter

2010-01-01

The current commercial health information technology (HIT) arena encompasses a number of competing firms that provide electronic health applications to hospitals, clinical practices, and other healthcare-related entities. Such applications collect, store, and analyze patient information. Some vendors incorporate contract language whereby purchasers of HIT systems, such as hospitals and clinics, must indemnify vendors for malpractice or personal injury claims, even if those events are not caused or fostered by the purchasers. Some vendors require contract clauses that force HIT system purchasers to adopt vendor-defined policies that prevent the disclosure of errors, bugs, design flaws, and other HIT-software-related hazards. To address this issue, the AMIA Board of Directors appointed a Task Force to provide an analysis and insights. Task Force findings and recommendations include: patient safety should trump all other values; corporate concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership may be valid but should not over-ride all other considerations; transparency and a commitment to patient safety should govern vendor contracts; institutions are duty-bound to provide ethics education to purchasers and users, and should commit publicly to standards of corporate conduct; and vendors, system purchasers, and users should encourage and assist in each others' efforts to adopt best practices. Finally, the HIT community should re-examine whether and how regulation of electronic health applications could foster improved care, public health, and patient safety. PMID:21075789

Challenges in ethics, safety, best practices, and oversight regarding HIT vendors, their customers, and patients: a report of an AMIA special task force.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Kenneth W; Berner, Eta S; Dente, Mark A; Kaplan, Bonnie; Koppel, Ross; Rucker, Donald; Sands, Daniel Z; Winkelstein, Peter

2011-01-01

The current commercial health information technology (HIT) arena encompasses a number of competing firms that provide electronic health applications to hospitals, clinical practices, and other healthcare-related entities. Such applications collect, store, and analyze patient information. Some vendors incorporate contract language whereby purchasers of HIT systems, such as hospitals and clinics, must indemnify vendors for malpractice or personal injury claims, even if those events are not caused or fostered by the purchasers. Some vendors require contract clauses that force HIT system purchasers to adopt vendor-defined policies that prevent the disclosure of errors, bugs, design flaws, and other HIT-software-related hazards. To address this issue, the AMIA Board of Directors appointed a Task Force to provide an analysis and insights. Task Force findings and recommendations include: patient safety should trump all other values; corporate concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership may be valid but should not over-ride all other considerations; transparency and a commitment to patient safety should govern vendor contracts; institutions are duty-bound to provide ethics education to purchasers and users, and should commit publicly to standards of corporate conduct; and vendors, system purchasers, and users should encourage and assist in each others' efforts to adopt best practices. Finally, the HIT community should re-examine whether and how regulation of electronic health applications could foster improved care, public health, and patient safety.

75 FR 32472 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-08

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of committee recommendations and invitation for public input... Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Name of Committee: HIT Standards Committee. General...

Patterns of Hits to the Nearshore from a Major Fairway in the Gulf of Finland

Science.gov (United States)

Viikmae, B.; Soomere, T.

2012-04-01

The Baltic Sea hosts one of the heaviest ship traffic in the world. Although relatively small in size, still up to 15% of the world's cargo is transported along its numerous fairways. The largest threat to the environment is oil transportation that has increased more than by a factor of two in 2000-2008 and a 40% increase is expected by the year 2015. One of the major marine highways in the European waters enters the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straits, crosses the Baltic Proper and stretches through the Gulf of Finland to Saint Petersburg. An area that is highly vulnerable to ship pollution is the nearshore that usually has the largest ecological value. While the probability of coastal pollution for open ocean coasts can be reduced by shifting ship routes farther offshore, the problem for narrow bays, like the Gulf of Finland, is how to minimize the probability of hitting any of the coasts. To a certain extent, light can be shed to this problem by means of quantification of the offshore areas in terms of their ability to serve a danger to coastal environment if pollution would happen in these areas. A convenient way to address this problem is to use statistical analysis of a large number of Lagrangian trajectories of test particles representing the potential pollution and passively carried by surface currents. In this paper, we make and attempt to quantify the link between potential sources of pollution along an existing fairway and the sections of the coast reached by current-driven pollution. The problem is analysed by means of considering hits to the nearshore from a major fairway in the Gulf of Finland and by making sure whether certain parts of the coast are hit by pollution particles most frequently and whether or not these pollution particles stem from certain specific parts of the fairway. Trajectories are simulated in the Gulf of Finland by placing tracers among a line that follows one of the major fairways from the Baltic Proper to Saint Petersburg

The Developmental Trajectory of Self-Injurious Behaviours in Individuals with Prader Willi Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren J. Rice

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In the present study we examined the nature and developmental trajectory of self-injurious behaviour in Prader Willi syndrome (PWS and autism spectrum disorder (ASD. The development of interventions is greatly aided by understanding gene to behaviour pathways, and this requires an accurate description of the behaviour phenotype, that is, which types and natural history of self-injurious behaviour are more common in PWS and ASD and which are shared with other forms of developmental disability. Self-injury displayed by individuals with PWS and individuals with ASD was compared with that reported in a group of individuals with intellectual disability due to mixed aetiology (ID group. Three self-injurious behaviours (head banging, skin-picking and hitting and/or biting self were measured on five occasions over 18 years using the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC a well-validated caregiver report measure. Rates of skin picking were higher in individuals with PWS and hitting and/or biting self was higher in individuals with ASD compared to the ID group. Rates of head banging were similar across the three groups. Over time, skin-picking and head banging increased with age for individuals with ASD and hitting and/or biting self increased for the PWS group. In the PWS and mixed ID groups head banging decreased with age. These findings suggest that the typology and developmental trajectories of self-injurious behaviours differ between those with PWS and ASD.

75 FR 51819 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-23

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health [[Page 51820

The influence of electronical business on increasing the competitive ability of the company

OpenAIRE

Baranauskas, Nerijus

2014-01-01

BARANAUSKAS, Nerijus. (2008) The Influence of Electronical Business on Increasing the Competitive Ability of the Company. MBA Graduation Paper. Kaunas: Kaunas Faculty of Humanities, Vilnius University. 58 p. (study contains 3 tables and 9 pictures) SUMMARY Global market internationalization processes started in the last decades of the 20th century when globalization has influenced a rapid development of information society as well as the use of information technologies in various business pro...

Causes of conflict and their potential prevention in a rehabilitation hospital

OpenAIRE

Darbutienė, Rita

2010-01-01

Management of public health CAUSES OF CONFLICT AND THEIR POTENTIAL PREVENTION IN A REHABILITATION HOSPITAL Rita Darbutiene Supervisor – doc. dr. Junona Almonaitene Kaunas University of Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Department of Health Management. Kaunas 2010. 79 p. Aim of study: to determine the attidute of the staff to conflicts occurring in the hospital, to work out a conflict prevention scheme. Goals of study: 1. To establish the most common causes of conflict ...

Grupinės dailės terapijos poveikis šizofrenija sergantiems pacientams

OpenAIRE

Murauskaitė, Agnė

2017-01-01

Murauskaitė A. Group art therapy effect on patients with schizophrenia / Scientific adviser prof. V. Adomaitienė; Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, Vilnius University, Kaunas Faculty of Arts, Kaunas, 2017:68 pages. The research aim is to assess the impact of a group art therapy for patients with schizophrenia. Tasks: 1. Evaluate the patients with schizophrenic changes of positive and negative symptoms in group art therapy process and compare with the control ...

Where does HIT fit? An examination of the affective response to high-intensity intervals in comparison to continuous moderate- and continuous vigorous-intensity exercise in the exercise intensity-affect continuum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary E Jung

Full Text Available Affect experienced during an exercise session is purported to predict future exercise behaviour. Compared to continuous moderate-intensity exercise (CMI, the affective response to continuous vigorous-intensity exercise (CVI has consistently been shown to be more aversive. The affective response, and overall tolerability to high-intensity interval training (HIT, is less studied. To date, there has yet to be a comparison between HIT, CVI, and CMI. The purpose of this study was to compare the tolerability and affective responses during HIT to CVI and CMI. This study utilized a repeated measures, randomized, counter-balanced design. Forty-four participants visited the laboratory on four occasions. Baseline fitness testing was conducted to establish peak power output in Watts (W peak. Three subsequent visits involved a single bout of a HIT, corresponding to 1-minute at ∼ 100% W peak and 1-minute at ∼ 20% W peak for 20 minutes, b CMI, corresponding to ∼ 40% W peak for 40 minutes, and c CVI, corresponding to ∼ 80% W peak for 20 minutes. The order of the sessions was randomized. Affective responses were measured before, during and after each session. Task self-efficacy, intentions, enjoyment and preference were measured after sessions. Participants reported greater enjoyment of HIT as compared to CMI and CVI, with over 50% of participants reporting a preference to engage in HIT as opposed to either CMI or CVI. HIT was considered more pleasurable than CVI after exercise, but less pleasurable than CMI at these times. Despite this participants reported being just as confident to engage in HIT as they were CMI, but less confident to engage in CVI. This study highlights the utility of HIT in inactive individuals, and suggests that it may be a viable alternative to traditionally prescribed continuous modalities of exercise for promoting self-efficacy and enjoyment of exercise.

Where does HIT fit? An examination of the affective response to high-intensity intervals in comparison to continuous moderate- and continuous vigorous-intensity exercise in the exercise intensity-affect continuum.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Mary E; Bourne, Jessica E; Little, Jonathan P

2014-01-01

Affect experienced during an exercise session is purported to predict future exercise behaviour. Compared to continuous moderate-intensity exercise (CMI), the affective response to continuous vigorous-intensity exercise (CVI) has consistently been shown to be more aversive. The affective response, and overall tolerability to high-intensity interval training (HIT), is less studied. To date, there has yet to be a comparison between HIT, CVI, and CMI. The purpose of this study was to compare the tolerability and affective responses during HIT to CVI and CMI. This study utilized a repeated measures, randomized, counter-balanced design. Forty-four participants visited the laboratory on four occasions. Baseline fitness testing was conducted to establish peak power output in Watts (W peak). Three subsequent visits involved a single bout of a) HIT, corresponding to 1-minute at ∼ 100% W peak and 1-minute at ∼ 20% W peak for 20 minutes, b) CMI, corresponding to ∼ 40% W peak for 40 minutes, and c) CVI, corresponding to ∼ 80% W peak for 20 minutes. The order of the sessions was randomized. Affective responses were measured before, during and after each session. Task self-efficacy, intentions, enjoyment and preference were measured after sessions. Participants reported greater enjoyment of HIT as compared to CMI and CVI, with over 50% of participants reporting a preference to engage in HIT as opposed to either CMI or CVI. HIT was considered more pleasurable than CVI after exercise, but less pleasurable than CMI at these times. Despite this participants reported being just as confident to engage in HIT as they were CMI, but less confident to engage in CVI. This study highlights the utility of HIT in inactive individuals, and suggests that it may be a viable alternative to traditionally prescribed continuous modalities of exercise for promoting self-efficacy and enjoyment of exercise.

Liquid Argon TPC Signal Formation, Signal Processing and Hit Reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baller, Bruce [Fermilab

2017-03-11

This document describes the early stage of the reconstruction chain that was developed for the ArgoNeuT and MicroBooNE experiments at Fermilab. These experiments study accelerator neutrino interactions that occur in a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber. Reconstructing the properties of particles produced in these interactions requires knowledge of the micro-physics processes that affect the creation and transport of ionization electrons to the readout system. A wire signal deconvolution technique was developed to convert wire signals to a standard form for hit reconstruction, to remove artifacts in the electronics chain and to remove coherent noise.

Reliability and comparison of gain values with occurrence of saccades in the EyeSeeCam video head impulse test (vHIT)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hviid Korsager, Leise Elisabeth; Schmidt, Jesper Hvass; Faber, Christian

2016-01-01

. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the reliability of the two parameters. The objective was to investigate the reliability of vHIT by comparing gain values between examiners on the same subjects, and to see how differences affected the occurrence of saccades. SUBJECTS: 25 subjects who had undergone cochlear...... coefficient (ICC) of the gain values between examiners ranged from 0.62 to 0.70. Differences in gain values amongst examiners did not seem to affect the occurrence of saccades in the same patient. The occurrence of saccades, therefore, seems to be more reliable than the gain value in the evaluation......The vHIT (video head impulse test) investigates the vestibular function in two ways: a VOR (vestibulo-ocular reflex) gain value and a head impulse diagram. From the diagram covert and overt saccades can be detected. Evaluation of the vestibular function based on vHIT depends on both parameters...

75 FR 16126 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-31

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 16126 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-31

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... and Coordination, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. [FR Doc. 2010...

75 FR 151 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-04

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

76 FR 9784 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-22

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 8078 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-23

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

76 FR 1432 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-10

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 33811 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Privacy & Security Tiger Team Meeting; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This... National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name...

75 FR 369 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-05

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 51818 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-23

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 12752 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 65486 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-25

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 21630 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-26

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 57025 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-17

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 36658 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-28

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 8079 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-23

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

76 FR 4353 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-25

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 12753 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 36657 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-28

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

76 FR 1433 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-10

... Technology HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 70925 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT; Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-19

... Technology; HIT; Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 29761 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-27

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 368 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-05

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 3905 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-25

... Technology; HIT Standards Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 70924 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-19

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 34141 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-16

... Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meetings. This notice announces... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access...

75 FR 65486 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-25

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 29762 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-27

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 51820 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-23

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 8953 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-26

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology...

76 FR 4352 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-25

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 5595 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-03

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 57026 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-17

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

75 FR 42091 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-20

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Policy Committee... framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that...

Pelvic rotation torque during fast-pitch softball hitting under three ball height conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Iino, Yoichi; Fukushima, Atsushi; Kojima, Takeji

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relevance of hip joint angles to the production of the pelvic rotation torque in fast-pitch softball hitting and to examine the effect of ball height on this production. Thirteen advanced female softball players hit stationary balls at three different heights: high, middle, and low. The pelvic rotation torque, defined as the torque acting on the pelvis through the hip joints about the pelvic superior-inferior axis, was determined from the kinematic and force plate data using inverse dynamics. Irrespective of the ball heights, the rear hip extension, rear hip external rotation, front hip adduction, and front hip flexion torques contributed to the production of pelvic rotation torque. Although the contributions of the adduction and external rotation torques at each hip joint were significantly different among the ball heights, the contributions of the front and rear hip joint torques were similar among the three ball heights owing to cancelation of the two torque components. The timings of the peaks of the hip joint torque components were significantly different, suggesting that softball hitters may need to adjust the timings of the torque exertions fairly precisely to rotate the upper body effectively.

Use of health information technology (HIT) to improve statin adherence and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal attainment in high-risk patients: proceedings from a workshop.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Jerome D; Aspry, Karen E; Brown, Alan S; Foody, Joanne M; Furman, Roy; Jacobson, Terry A; Karalis, Dean G; Kris-Etherton, Penny M; Laforge, Ralph; O'Toole, Michael F; Scott, Ronald D; Underberg, James A; Valuck, Thomas B; Willard, Kaye-Eileen; Ziajka, Paul E; Ito, Matthew K

2013-01-01

The workshop discussions focused on how low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment can be enhanced with the use of health information technology (HIT) in different clinical settings. A gap is acknowledged in LDL-C goal attainment, but because of the passage of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Acts there is now reason for optimism that this gap can be narrowed. For HIT to be effectively used to achieve treatment goals, it must be implemented in a setting in which the health care team is fully committed to achieving these goals. Implementation of HIT alone has not resulted in reducing the gap. It is critical to build an effective management strategy into the HIT platform without increasing the overall work/time burden on staff. By enhancing communication between the health care team and the patient, more timely adjustments to treatment plans can be made with greater opportunity for LDL-C goal attainment and improved efficiency in the long run. Patients would be encouraged to take a more active role. Support tools are available. The National Lipid Association has developed a toolkit designed to improve patient compliance and could be modified for use in an HIT system. The importance of a collaborative approach between nongovernmental organizations such as the National Lipid Association, National Quality Forum, HIT partners, and other members of the health care industry offers the best opportunity for long-term success and the real possibility that such efforts could be applied to other chronic conditions, for example, diabetes and hypertension. Copyright © 2013 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computational Methods Used in Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization Stages of Structure-Based Drug Discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Heifetz, Alexander; Southey, Michelle; Morao, Inaki; Townsend-Nicholson, Andrea; Bodkin, Mike J

2018-01-01

GPCR modeling approaches are widely used in the hit-to-lead (H2L) and lead optimization (LO) stages of drug discovery. The aims of these modeling approaches are to predict the 3D structures of the receptor-ligand complexes, to explore the key interactions between the receptor and the ligand and to utilize these insights in the design of new molecules with improved binding, selectivity or other pharmacological properties. In this book chapter, we present a brief survey of key computational approaches integrated with hierarchical GPCR modeling protocol (HGMP) used in hit-to-lead (H2L) and in lead optimization (LO) stages of structure-based drug discovery (SBDD). We outline the differences in modeling strategies used in H2L and LO of SBDD and illustrate how these tools have been applied in three drug discovery projects.

75 FR 151 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-04

... Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting. This notice announces a... Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the public. Name of Committee: HIT Standards... Programs and Coordination Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. [FR Doc. E9...

Drug discovery for schistosomiasis: hit and lead compounds identified in a library of known drugs by medium-throughput phenotypic screening.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maha-Hamadien Abdulla

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Praziquantel (PZQ is the only widely available drug to treat schistosomiasis. Given the potential for drug resistance, it is prudent to search for novel therapeutics. Identification of anti-schistosomal chemicals has traditionally relied on phenotypic (whole organism screening with adult worms in vitro and/or animal models of disease-tools that limit automation and throughput with modern microtiter plate-formatted compound libraries.A partially automated, three-component phenotypic screen workflow is presented that utilizes at its apex the schistosomular stage of the parasite adapted to a 96-well plate format with a throughput of 640 compounds per month. Hits that arise are subsequently screened in vitro against adult parasites and finally for efficacy in a murine model of disease. Two GO/NO GO criteria filters in the workflow prioritize hit compounds for tests in the animal disease model in accordance with a target drug profile that demands short-course oral therapy. The screen workflow was inaugurated with 2,160 chemically diverse natural and synthetic compounds, of which 821 are drugs already approved for human use. This affords a unique starting point to 'reposition' (re-profile drugs as anti-schistosomals with potential savings in development timelines and costs.Multiple and dynamic phenotypes could be categorized for schistosomula and adults in vitro, and a diverse set of 'hit' drugs and chemistries were identified, including anti-schistosomals, anthelmintics, antibiotics, and neuromodulators. Of those hits prioritized for tests in the animal disease model, a number of leads were identified, one of which compares reasonably well with PZQ in significantly decreasing worm and egg burdens, and disease-associated pathology. Data arising from the three components of the screen are posted online as a community resource.To accelerate the identification of novel anti-schistosomals, we have developed a partially automated screen workflow that

Construct and face validity of a new model for the three-hit theory of depression using PACAP mutant mice on CD1 background.

Science.gov (United States)

Farkas, József; Kovács, László Á; Gáspár, László; Nafz, Anna; Gaszner, Tamás; Ujvári, Balázs; Kormos, Viktória; Csernus, Valér; Hashimoto, Hitoshi; Reglődi, Dóra; Gaszner, Balázs

2017-06-23

Major depression is a common cause of chronic disability. Despite decades of efforts, no equivocally accepted animal model is available for studying depression. We tested the validity of a new model based on the three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience. Genetic predisposition (hit 1, mutation of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, PACAP gene), early-life adversity (hit 2, 180-min maternal deprivation, MD180) and chronic variable mild stress (hit 3, CVMS) were combined. Physical, endocrinological, behavioral and functional morphological tools were used to validate the model. Body- and adrenal weight changes as well as corticosterone titers proved that CVMS was effective. Forced swim test indicated increased depression in CVMS PACAP heterozygous (Hz) mice with MD180 history, accompanied by elevated anxiety level in marble burying test. Corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in the oval division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis showed increased FosB expression, which was refractive to CVMS exposure in wild-type and Hz mice. Urocortin1 neurons became over-active in CMVS-exposed PACAP knock out (KO) mice with MD180 history, suggesting the contribution of centrally projecting Edinger-Westphal nucleus to the reduced depression and anxiety level of stressed KO mice. Serotoninergic neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus lost their adaptation ability to CVMS in MD180 mice. In conclusion, the construct and face validity criteria suggest that MD180 PACAP HZ mice on CD1 background upon CVMS may be used as a reliable model for the three-hit theory. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kauno rajono mokyklų mokytojų darbo motyvacijos tyrimas

OpenAIRE

Gadišauskaitė, Dovilė

2007-01-01

Teacher activities motivation’s analysis in Kaunas region schools. Master work. The main goal of the paper is to analyse teachers’ of Kaunas region schools’ work and its determinants. To reach the goal the following tasks are raised: to explore motivation conception analysing research literature; to educe motivation specific features of a school as an organization and its staff; to educe teachers’ motivation and its determinants. The master paper consists of three main parts. In th...

Kokybės vadybos sistemos diegimas Lietuvos palaikomojo gydymo ir slaugos ligoninėse

OpenAIRE

Malčankina, Sonata

2005-01-01

Management of Public Health, M. Sc. INSTALLATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN LITHUANIAN HEALTH KEEPING AND NURSING HOSPITALS Sonata Malčankina Supervisor Ilona Bučiūnienė, Dr.Sc.Assoc.Prof., ISM University of Management and Economics. Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Kaunas University of Medicine.- Kaunas, 2005. – P. 92. Aim of the study: to evaluate the installation of quality management system (QMS) in Lithuanian health keeping and nursing hospi...

Kauno teritorinės ligonių kasos paslaugų kokybės vertinimas

OpenAIRE

Šešeikaitė, Neringa

2015-01-01

Aim of the study. To evaluate the quality of services provided by Kaunas Territorial Health Insurance Fund according to consumers’ and employees’ opinions. Methods. A total of 224 service consumers were surveyed by means of a questionnaire-based approach in the Kaunas Territorial Health Insurance Fund on November 4-15, 2013. Statistical data analysis was performed by using the IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 statistical package. A total of 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted among the emplo...

Optimization of a pyrazole hit from FBDD into a novel series of indazoles as ketohexokinase inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xuqing; Song, Fengbing; Kuo, Gee-Hong; Xiang, Amy; Gibbs, Alan C.; Abad, Marta C.; Sun, Weimei; Kuo, Lawrence C.; Sui, Zhihua (J); (J-PRD)

2013-11-20

A series of indazoles have been discovered as KHK inhibitors from a pyrazole hit identified through fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD). The optimization process guided by both X-ray crystallography and solution activity resulted in lead-like compounds with good pharmaceutical properties.

Effect of the Exclusion of Behavioral Health from Health Information Technology (HIT) Legislation on the Future of Integrated Health Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Deborah

2015-10-01

Past research has shown abundant comorbidity between physical chronic health conditions and mental illness. The focal point of the conversation to reduce cost is better care coordination through the implementation of health information technology (HIT). At the policy level, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act) was implemented as a way to increase the implementation of HIT. However, behavioral health providers have been largely excluded from obtaining access to the funds provided by the HITECH Act. Without further intervention, disjointed care coordination between physical and behavioral health providers will continue.

Identification of ligand efficient, fragment-like hits from an HTS library: structure-based virtual screening and docking investigations of 2H- and 3H-pyrazolo tautomers for Aurora kinase A selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarvagalla, Sailu; Singh, Vivek Kumar; Ke, Yi-Yu; Shiao, Hui-Yi; Lin, Wen-Hsing; Hsieh, Hsing-Pang; Hsu, John T A; Coumar, Mohane Selvaraj

2015-01-01

Furanopyrimidine 1 (IC50 = 273 nM, LE = 0.36, LELP = 10.28) was recently identified by high-throughput screening (HTS) of an in-house library (125,000 compounds) as an Aurora kinase inhibitor. Structure-based hit optimization resulted in lead molecules with in vivo efficacy in a mouse tumour xenograft model, but no oral bioavailability. This is attributed to "molecular obesity", a common problem during hit to lead evolution during which degradation of important molecular properties such as molecular weight (MW) and lipophilicity occurs. This could be effectively tackled by the right choice of hit compounds for optimization. In this regard, ligand efficiency (LE) and ligand efficiency dependent lipophilicity (LELP) indices are more often used to choose fragment-like hits for optimization. To identify hits with appropriate LE, we used a MW cut-off library. Next, structure-based virtual screening using software (Libdock and Glide) in the Aurora A crystal structure (PDB ID: 3E5A) was carried out, and the top scoring 18 compounds tested for Aurora A enzyme inhibition. This resulted in the identification of a novel tetrahydro-pyrazolo-isoquinoline hit 7 (IC50 = 852 nM, LE = 0.44, LELP = 8.36) with fragment-like properties suitable for further hit optimization. Moreover, hit 7 was found to be selective for Aurora A (Aurora B IC50 = 35,150 nM) and the possible reasons for selectivity investigated by docking two tautomeric forms (2H- and 3H-pyrazole) of 7 in Auroras A and B (PDB ID: 4AF3) crystal structures. This docking study shows that the major 3H-pyrazole tautomer of 7 binds in Aurora A stronger than in Aurora B.

HIT maintains performance during the transition period and improves next season performance in well-trained cyclists.

Science.gov (United States)

Rønnestad, Bent R; Askestad, Arild; Hansen, Joar

2014-09-01

To investigate the effects of combining low-intensity endurance training (LIT) with one high-intensity endurance training (HIT) session every 7-10 days (EXP, n = 7) vs. traditional approach focusing on LIT (TRAD, n = 6) during the transition period. The effects of different training strategies during the transition period were investigated after the transition period and at the beginning of the subsequent competition season. Well-trained cyclists were tested after the competition season, after an 8-week transition period, and after a 16-week preparatory period, before the subsequent competition season. The only difference between groups was a larger time with HIT during the transition phase in EXP. It was very likely that EXP had a larger impact on power output at 4 mmol L(-1) [la(-)] after both the transition period and after the preparatory period than TRAD [between-group change (90% CI): 10.6% (8.2%) and 12.9% (11.9%), respectively]. It was very likely that EXP had a larger impact on mean power output in the 40-min all-out trial after the transition period than TRAD [between-group change 12.4% (7.6%)]. EXP was also likely to have a larger improvement in the 40-min trial performance from pre-test to after the preparatory period than TRAD [between-group change 6.0% (6.6%)]. The present findings suggest that HIT sessions should be incorporated during the transition phase to avoid reduction in fitness and performance level and thereby increase the likelihood of improved performance from the end of one season to the beginning of the subsequent season.

Bendruomenės slaugytojų pasitenkinimas darbu

OpenAIRE

Adomavičiūtė, Dana

2005-01-01

SUMMARY Management of Public Health JOB SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY NURSES Danutė Adomavičiūtė Supervisor Jurgita Vladičkienė, Dr.Sc., Department of Social medicine. Faculty of Public Health, Kaunas University of Medicine.- Kaunas, 2005.- P.71 Primary health care is a priority field of health care in Lithuania. Community nursing as a part of primary health care meets with development difficulties. First of all, is paid too few attention to community nurses, in primary hea...

Assessment of anger expression using art therapy with younger school-age children with emotional and behavioral problems

OpenAIRE

Duobienė, Greta

2017-01-01

Greta D. Assessment of anger expression using art therapy with younger school-age children with emotional and behavioral problems, Master’s thesis / lecturer Dr. V. Grigaliūnienė, consultant Dr. A. Brazauskaitė; Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, , Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas, 2017:107psl. The aim of this Master‘s thesis was to evaluate the changes in anger expression and control by using art therapy with younger school-age children that ha...

Double-hit BCL2/MYC translocations in a consecutive cohort of patients with large B-cell lymphoma - a single centre's experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mette Ø; Gang, Anne O; Poulsen, Tim S

2012-01-01

Concurrent BCL2 and MYC translocations, so called double hit (DH), are a rare finding in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Based on data from retrospective series, DH has been correlated with aggressive clinical behaviour and poor outcome. We conducted a consecutive study of DH incidence and correlat......Concurrent BCL2 and MYC translocations, so called double hit (DH), are a rare finding in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Based on data from retrospective series, DH has been correlated with aggressive clinical behaviour and poor outcome. We conducted a consecutive study of DH incidence...

The first neutron beam hits EAR2

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2014-01-01

On 25 July 2014, about a year after construction work began, the Experimental Area 2 (EAR2) of CERN’s neutron facility n_TOF recorded its first beam. Unique in many aspects, EAR2 will start its rich programme of experimental physics this autumn.   The last part of the EAR2 beamline: the neutrons come from the underground target and reach the top of the beamline, where they hit the samples. Built about 20 metres above the neutron production target, EAR2 is in fact a bunker connected to the n_TOF underground facilities via a duct 80 cm in diameter, where the beamline is installed. The feet of the bunker support pillars are located on the concrete structure of the n_TOF tunnel and part of the structure lies above the old ISR building. A beam dump located on the roof of the building completes the structure. Neutrons are used by physicists to study neutron-induced reactions with applications in a number of fields, including nuclear waste transmutation, nuclear technology, nuclear astrop...

Notes on 'Hit-And-Run enables efficient weight generation for simulation-based multiple criteria decision analysis'

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Valkenhoef, Gert; Tervonen, Tommi; Postmus, Douwe

2014-01-01

In our previous work published in this journal, we showed how the Hit-And-Run (HAR) procedure enables efficient sampling of criteria weights from a space formed by restricting a simplex with arbitrary linear inequality constraints. In this short communication, we note that the method for generating

Estimate of aircraft crash hit frequencies on to facilities at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Site 200

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, C.Y.

1997-01-01

Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities are required by DOE Order 5480.23, Section 8.b.(3)(k) to consider external events as initiating events to accidents within the scope of their Safety Analysis Reports (SAR). One of the external initiating events which should be considered within the scope of a SAR is an aircraft accident, i.e., an aircraft crashing into the nuclear facility with the related impact and fire leading to penetration of the facility and to the release of radioactive and/or hazardous materials. This report presents the results of an Aircraft Crash Frequency analysis performed for the Materials Management Area (MMA), and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Site 200. The analysis estimates only the aircraft crash hit frequency on to the analyzed facilities. No initial aircraft crash hit frequency screening structural response calculations of the facilities to the aircraft impact, or consequence analysis of radioactive/hazardous materials released following the aircraft impact are performed. The method used to estimate the aircraft crash hit frequencies on to facilities at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) generally follows the procedure given by the DOE Standard 3014-96 on Aircraft Crash Analysis. However, certain adjustments were made to the DOE Standard procedure because of the site specific fight environment or because of facility specific characteristics

Hit and target theories and the molecular theory of radiation action: Notes on the influence of radiation quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dennis, J.A.

1977-01-01

The two target and two hit models are the simplest that can be invoked to explain the dependence of the response of eukaryotic cells on radiation quality. The formal mathematical developments of these two models are contrasted using the LET concept as a description of radiation quality. The two hit model is generalised in terms of event sizes in spherical volumes, as in the dual radiation action theory of Kellerer and Rossi. The effects of short tracks and oxygen enhancement are described. Biological damage is considered as originating in any one of a large number of sites within a cell as in the molecular theory of Chadwick and Leenhouts. Evidence from prokaryotic systems of the possible necessity for more complicated models of radiation action and, in particular, for the necessity to account for the dependence of repair and metabolic factors on radiation quality is cited. The 'track segment' and 'track structure' theories are briefly discussed as alternatives to LET for the description of radiation quality. It is suggested that it would be premature to apply the simple two target or two hit models as a basis for the specification of quality factor in radiological protection. The consequence of doing so would be that the current dose limits for gamma radiation would appear to be too high or that the limits for neutron radiation would appear to be too low. (author)

Clinical Computer Systems Survey (CLICS): learning about health information technology (HIT) in its context of use.

Science.gov (United States)

Lichtner, Valentina; Cornford, Tony; Klecun, Ela

2013-01-01

Successful health information technology (HIT) implementations need to be informed on the context of use and on users' attitudes. To this end, we developed the CLinical Computer Systems Survey (CLICS) instrument. CLICS reflects a socio-technical view of HIT adoption, and is designed to encompass all members of the clinical team. We used the survey in a large English hospital as part of its internal evaluation of the implementation of an electronic patient record system (EPR). The survey revealed extent and type of use of the EPR; how it related to and integrated with other existing systems; and people's views on its use, usability and emergent safety issues. Significantly, participants really appreciated 'being asked'. They also reminded us of the wider range of administrative roles engaged with EPR. This observation reveals pertinent questions as to our understanding of the boundaries between administrative tasks and clinical medicine - what we propose as the field of 'administrative medicine'.

An Analytic Model for the Success Rate of a Robotic Actuator System in Hitting Random Targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Stuart

2015-11-20

Autonomous robotic systems are increasingly being used in a wide range of applications such as precision agriculture, medicine, and the military. These systems have common features which often includes an action by an "actuator" interacting with a target. While simulations and measurements exist for the success rate of hitting targets by some systems, there is a dearth of analytic models which can give insight into, and guidance on optimization, of new robotic systems. The present paper develops a simple model for estimation of the success rate for hitting random targets from a moving platform. The model has two main dimensionless parameters: the ratio of actuator spacing to target diameter; and the ratio of platform distance moved (between actuator "firings") to the target diameter. It is found that regions of parameter space having specified high success are described by simple equations, providing guidance on design. The role of a "cost function" is introduced which, when minimized, provides optimization of design, operating, and risk mitigation costs.

Kauno medicinos universiteto Histologijos ir embriologijos katedrai – 80 metų

OpenAIRE

Valančiūtė, Angelija; Baltrušaitis, Kęstutis Stanislovas; Vitkus, Albertas; Vitkus, Aleksandras

2003-01-01

The Department of Histology and Embryology at Kaunas University was established in 1923. Professor E. Landau was the very first to head the Department. He arrived in Kaunas from the University of Bern (Switzerland) and worked here from 1923 till 1932. At that time the staff of the Department had only four people: professor E. Landau, head of the Department, J. Bubėnaitė, senior assistant, D. Kesiūnaitė, assistant, and J. Masevičius, laboratory assistant. From 1934 till 1937 the Department was...

Natural evolution of late whiplash syndrome outside the medicolegal context.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrader, H; Obelieniene, D; Bovim, G; Surkiene, D; Mickeviciene, D; Miseviciene, I; Sand, T

1996-05-04

In Lithuania, few car drivers and passengers are covered by insurance and there is little awareness among the general public about the potentially disabling consequences of a whiplash injury. We took this opportunity to study the natural course of head and neck symptoms after rear-end car collisions. In a retrospective questionnaire-based cohort study, 202 individuals (157 men; 45 women) were identified from the records of the traffic police department in Kaunas, Lithuania. These individuals were interviewed 1-3 years after experiencing a rear-end car collision. Neck pain, headache, subjective cognitive dysfunction, psychological disorders, and low back pain in this group were compared with the same complaints in a sex-matched and age-matched control group of uninjured individuals selected randomly from the population register of the same geographic area. Neck pain was reported by 71 (35% [95% CI 29-42]) accident victims and 67 (33% [27-40]) controls. Headache was reported by 107 (53% [46-60]) accident victims and 100 (50% [42-57]) controls. Chronic neck pain and chronic headache (more than 7 days per month) were also reported in similar proportions (17 [8.4%; 5-13] vs 14 [6.9%; 4-12] and 19 [9.4%; 6-15] vs 12 [5.9%; 3-10]) by the two groups. Of those who reported chronic neck pain or daily headache after the accident, substantial proportions had had similar symptoms before the accident (7/17 for chronic neck pain; 10/12 for daily headache). There was no significant difference found. No one in the study group had disabling or persistent symptoms as a result of the car accident. There was no relation between the impact severity and degree of pain. A family history of neck pain was the most important risk factor for current neck symptoms in logistic regression analyses. Our results suggest that chronic symptoms were not usually caused by the car accident. Expectation of disability, a family history, and attribution of pre-existing symptoms to the trauma may be more

Ethical Issues in Corpus Linguistics And Annotation: Pay Per Hit Does Not Affect Effective Hourly Rate For Linguistic Resource Development On Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, K Bretonnel; Fort, Karën; Adda, Gilles; Zhou, Sophia; Farri, Dimeji

2016-05-01

Ethical issues reported with paid crowdsourcing include unfairly low wages. It is assumed that such issues are under the control of the task requester. Can one control the amount that a worker earns by controlling the amount that one pays? 412 linguistic data development tasks were submitted to Amazon Mechanical Turk. The pay per HIT was manipulated through a range of values. We examined the relationship between the pay that is offered per HIT and the effective pay rate. There is no such relationship. Paying more per HIT does not cause workers to earn more: the higher the pay per HIT, the more time workers spend on them ( R = 0.92). So, the effective hourly rate stays roughly the same. The finding has clear implications for language resource builders who want to behave ethically: other means must be found in order to compensate workers fairly. The findings of this paper should not be taken as an endorsement of unfairly low pay rates for crowdsourcing workers. Rather, the intention is to point out that additional measures, such as pre-calculating and communicating to the workers an average hourly, rather than per-task, rate must be found in order to ensure an ethical rate of pay.

Double-hit or dual expression of MYC and BCL2 in primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Menguy, Sarah; Frison, Eric; Prochazkova-Carlotti, Martina; Dalle, Stephane; Dereure, Olivier; Boulinguez, Serge; Dalac, Sophie; Machet, Laurent; Ram-Wolff, Caroline; Verneuil, Laurence; Gros, Audrey; Vergier, Béatrice; Beylot-Barry, Marie; Merlio, Jean-Philippe; Pham-Ledard, Anne

2018-03-26

In nodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the search for double-hit with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements or for dual expression of BCL2 and MYC defines subgroups of patients with altered prognosis that has not been evaluated in primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma. Our objectives were to assess the double-hit and dual expressor status in a cohort of 44 patients with primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma according to the histological subtype and to evaluate their prognosis relevance. The 44 cases defined by the presence of more than 80% of large B-cells in the dermis corresponded to 21 primary cutaneous follicle centre lymphoma with large cell morphology and 23 primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type. Thirty-one cases (70%) expressed BCL2 and 29 (66%) expressed MYC. Dual expressor profile was observed in 25 cases (57%) of either subtypes (n = 6 or n = 19, respectively). Only one primary cutaneous follicle centre lymphoma, large-cell case had a double-hit status (2%). Specific survival was significantly worse in primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type than in primary cutaneous follicle centre lymphoma, large cell (p = 0.021) and for the dual expressor primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma group (p = 0.030). Both overall survival and specific survival were worse for patients belonging to the dual expressor primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type subgroup (p = 0.001 and p = 0.046, respectively). Expression of either MYC and/or BCL2 negatively impacted overall survival (p = 0.017 and p = 0.018 respectively). As the differential diagnosis between primary cutaneous follicle centre lymphoma, large cell and primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type has a major impact on prognosis, dual-expression of BCL2 and MYC may represent a new diagnostic criterion for primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type subtype and further identifies patients with

Clinicopathological and genomic analysis of double-hit follicular lymphoma: comparison with high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyaoka, Masashi; Kikuti, Yara Y; Carreras, Joaquim; Ikoma, Haruka; Hiraiwa, Shinichiro; Ichiki, Akifumi; Kojima, Minoru; Ando, Kiyoshi; Yokose, Tomoyuki; Sakai, Rika; Hoshikawa, Masahiro; Tomita, Naoto; Miura, Ikuo; Takata, Katsuyoshi; Yoshino, Tadashi; Takizawa, Jun; Bea, Silvia; Campo, Elias; Nakamura, Naoya

2018-02-01

Most high-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements are aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Occasional double-hit follicular lymphomas have been described but the clinicopathological features of these tumors are not well known. To clarify the characteristics of double-hit follicular lymphomas, we analyzed 10 cases of double-hit follicular lymphomas and 15 cases of high-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements for clinicopathological and genome-wide copy-number alterations and copy-neutral loss-of-heterozygosity profiles. For double-hit follicular lymphomas, the median age was 67.5 years (range: 48-82 years). The female/male ratio was 2.3. Eight patients presented with advanced clinical stage. The median follow-up time was 20 months (range: 1-132 months). At the end of the follow-up, 8 patients were alive, 2 patients were dead including 1 patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma transformation. Rearrangements of MYC/BCL2, MYC/BCL6, and MYC/BCL2/BCL6 were seen in 8, 1, and 1 cases, respectively. The partner of MYC was IGH in 6 cases. There were no cases of histological grade 1, 4 cases of grade 2, 5 cases of grade 3a, and 1 case of grade 3b. Two cases of grade 3a exhibited immunoblast-like morphology. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated 9 cases with ≥50% MYC-positive cells. There was significant difference in MYC intensity (P=0.00004) and MIB-1 positivity (P=0.001) between double-hit follicular lymphomas and high-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements. The genome profile of double-hit follicular lymphomas was comparable with conventional follicular lymphomas (GSE67385, n=198) with characteristic gains of 2p25.3-p11.1, 7p22.3-q36.3, 12q11-q24.33, and loss of 18q21.32-q23 (Phit follicular lymphomas had fewer copy-number alterations and minimal common region of gain at 2p16.1 (70%), locus also significant against conventional follicular lymphomas (P=0.0001). In summary, double-hit follicular

Optimization of a pyrazole hit from FBDD into a novel series of indazoles as ketohexokinase inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuqing; Song, Fengbing; Kuo, Gee-Hong; Xiang, Amy; Gibbs, Alan C; Abad, Marta C; Sun, Weimei; Kuo, Lawrence C; Sui, Zhihua

2011-08-15

A series of indazoles have been discovered as KHK inhibitors from a pyrazole hit identified through fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD). The optimization process guided by both X-ray crystallography and solution activity resulted in lead-like compounds with good pharmaceutical properties. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Polynomial Time Construction of a Hitting Set for Read-Once Branching Programs of Width 3

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šíma, Jiří; Žák, Stanislav

-, subm. 2015 (2018) ISSN 0022-0000 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP202/12/G061; GA ČR GAP202/10/1333 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : derandomization * Hitting Set * read-once branching programs * bounded width Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 1.678, year: 2016

Integral transforms of the quantum mechanical path integral: Hit function and path-averaged potential

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, James P.; Gerber, Urs; Schubert, Christian; Trejo, Maria Anabel; Weber, Axel

2018-04-01

We introduce two integral transforms of the quantum mechanical transition kernel that represent physical information about the path integral. These transforms can be interpreted as probability distributions on particle trajectories measuring respectively the relative contribution to the path integral from paths crossing a given spatial point (the hit function) and the likelihood of values of the line integral of the potential along a path in the ensemble (the path-averaged potential).

Biophysics Representation of the Two-Hit Model of Alzheimer's Disease for the Exploration of Late CNS Risks from Space Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Ponomarev, Artem

2009-01-01

A concern for long-term space travel outside the Earth s magnetic field is the late effects to the central nervous system (CNS) from galactic cosmic ray (GCR) or solar particle events (SPE). Human epidemiology data is severely limited for making CNS risk estimates and it is not clear such effects occur following low LET exposures. We are developing systems biology models based on biological information on specific diseases, and experimental data for proton and heavy ion radiation. A two-hit model of Alzheimer s disease (AD) has been proposed by Zhu et al.(1), which is the framework of our model. Of importance is that over 50% of the US population over the age of 75-y have mild to severe forms of AD. Therefore we recommend that risk assessment for a potential AD risk from space radiation should focus on the projection of an earlier age of onset of AD and the prevention of this possible acceleration through countermeasures. In the two-hit model, oxidative stress and aberrant cell cycle-related abnormalities leading to amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are necessary and invariant steps in AD. We have formulated a stochastic cell kinetics model of the two-hit AD model. In our model a population of neuronal cells is allowed to undergo renewal through neurogenesis and is susceptible to oxidative stress or cell cycle abnormalities with age-specific accumulation of damage. Baseline rates are fitted to AD population data for specific ages, gender, and for persons with an apolipoprotein 4 allele. We then explore how low LET or heavy ions may increase either of the two-hits or neurogenesis either through persistent oxidative stress, direct mutation, or through changes to the micro-environment, and suggest possible ways to develop accurate quantitative estimates of these processes for predicting AD risks following long-term space travel.

Relationships between Parents' Use of Corporal Punishment and Their Children's Endorsement of Spanking and Hitting Other Children

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Dominique A.; Wurtele, Sandy K.

2010-01-01

Objectives: To explore the intergenerational cycle of violence, the present study examined the relationship between parental approval and children's approval of corporal punishment (CP) and the subsequent relationship between children's CP experience and preference for hitting to resolve interpersonal conflict. Method: Participants consisted of…

Modeling non-syndromic autism and the impact of TRPC6 disruption in human neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Griesi-Oliveira, Karina; Acab, Allan; Gupta, Abha R.; Sunaga, Daniele Yumi; Chailangkarn, Thanathom; Nicol, Xavier; Nunez, Yanelli; Walker, Michael F.; Murdoch, John D.; Sanders, Stephan J.; Fernandez, Thomas V.; Ji, Weizhen; Lifton, Richard P.; Vadasz, Estevão; Dietrich, Alexander; Pradhan, Dennis; Song, Hongjun; Ming, Guo-li; Guoe, Xiang; Haddad, Gabriel; Marchetto, Maria C. N.; Spitzer, Nicholas; Passos-Bueno, Maria Rita; State, Matthew W.; Muotri, Alysson R.

2014-01-01

An increasing number of genetic variants have been implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and the functional study of such variants will be critical for the elucidation of autism pathophysiology. Here, we report a de novo balanced translocation disruption of TRPC6, a cation channel, in a non-syndromic autistic individual. Using multiple models, such as dental pulp cells, iPSC-derived neuronal cells and mouse models, we demonstrate that TRPC6 reduction or haploinsufficiency leads to altered neuronal development, morphology, and function. The observed neuronal phenotypes could then be rescued by TRPC6 complementation and by treatment with IGF1 or hyperforin, a TRPC6-specific agonist, suggesting that ASD individuals with alterations in this pathway might benefit from these drugs. We also demonstrate that MeCP2 levels affect TRPC6 expression. Mutations in MeCP2 cause Rett syndrome, revealing common pathways among ASDs. Genetic sequencing of TRPC6 in 1041 ASD individuals and 2872 controls revealed significantly more nonsynonymous mutations in the ASD population, and identified loss-of-function mutations with incomplete penetrance in two patients. Taken together, these findings suggest that TRPC6 is a novel predisposing gene for ASD that may act in a multiple-hit model. This is the first study to use iPSC-derived human neurons to model non-syndromic ASD and illustrate the potential of modeling genetically complex sporadic diseases using such cells. PMID:25385366

Antano Samuolio tapybinė ekspresija

OpenAIRE

Andrijauskas, Antanas

2008-01-01

One of the most talented Lithuanian painters of the last century Anatanas Samuolis was born in 1899 in Samogitia. During WW I he lived in Russia, in Moscow. After the war, he returned to Lithuania to serve in the army. In 1920 he entered Kaunas Drawing Courses opened by Justinas Vienoþinskis. After two years of studies there, he entered Kaunas Arts School and graduated from it in 1929. Samuolis was a member of the Association of Independent Artist. In 1932 he became on of the organizes of Ars...

高效HIT太阳电池组件及其应用%High Efficiency HIT Solar Cell Assembly And Its Application

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李正平; 沈文忠

2015-01-01

介绍带本征薄层的非晶硅/晶体硅异质结太阳电池（HIT）的结构特点。与常规晶体硅太阳电池组件相比，HIT太阳电池组件的单位面积发电量更高、高温时能发更多的电、制成双面组件能够利用反射光，发电量进一步提升。因此HIT太阳电池组件特别适合于分布式光伏电站。%This paper introduces intrinsic thin layer structural characteristics of amorphous silicon / crystal silicon heterojunction solar cell (HIT). Compared with the conventional components of crystalline silicon solar cells, HIT solar battery assembly has more high capacity per unit area, can generate more electricity at high temperature. When it is made of double component, it can use the reflected light to further improve power generation capacity. Therefore HIT solar cell components especially are suitable for distributed photovoltaic power station.

Target immobilization as a strategy for NMR-based fragment screening: comparison of TINS, STD, and SPR for fragment hit identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Masakazu; Retra, Kim; Figaroa, Francis; Hollander, Johan G; Ab, Eiso; Heetebrij, Robert J; Irth, Hubertus; Siegal, Gregg

2010-09-01

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has become a widely accepted tool that is complementary to high-throughput screening (HTS) in developing small-molecule inhibitors of pharmaceutical targets. Because a fragment campaign can only be as successful as the hit matter found, it is critical that the first stage of the process be optimized. Here the authors compare the 3 most commonly used methods for hit discovery in FBDD: high concentration screening (HCS), solution ligand-observed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). They selected the commonly used saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy and the proprietary target immobilized NMR screening (TINS) as representative of the array of possible NMR methods. Using a target typical of FBDD campaigns, the authors find that HCS and TINS are the most sensitive to weak interactions. They also find a good correlation between TINS and STD for tighter binding ligands, but the ability of STD to detect ligands with affinity weaker than 1 mM K(D) is limited. Similarly, they find that SPR detection is most suited to ligands that bind with K(D) better than 1 mM. However, the good correlation between SPR and potency in a bioassay makes this a good method for hit validation and characterization studies.

Incidence of the muscular stretching as mechanical factor in the hit of pinareños boxers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Razel Martínez-Quetglas

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This work was carried out with the objective of valuing the muscular visco-elastic component in the explosive stretching in the superior extremities of Pinar del Rio team boxers, in the special preparation stage of the 2012 preparatory cycle. To achieve this purpose, the Test was applied to evaluate the elastic and reactive capacities in the superior extremities, concerning the evaluation of the elastic capacity, obtaining in this measurement the numeric value that characterizes the contribution of the visco-elastic component in the explosive stretching of the superior extremities. Starting from the results of the measurement, it is evaluated the contribution of this component in the hit, comparing the results of an athlete with the others of his group, analyzing how far it is of the best result. Finally it was valued with the trainer this more precise information about the visco-elastic component contribution in the action of hitting, proposing him a group of recommendations that will allow the trainer the regulation of the training toward this component improvement to elevate the levels of production of force plosive.

A static-cidal assay for Trypanosoma brucei to aid hit prioritisation for progression into drug discovery programmes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manu De Rycker

Full Text Available Human African Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne disease of sub-Saharan Africa that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Current therapies have many drawbacks, and there is an urgent need for new, better medicines. Ideally such new treatments should be fast-acting cidal agents that cure the disease in as few doses as possible. Screening assays used for hit-discovery campaigns often do not distinguish cytocidal from cytostatic compounds and further detailed follow-up experiments are required. Such studies usually do not have the throughput required to test the large numbers of hits produced in a primary high-throughput screen. Here, we present a 384-well assay that is compatible with high-throughput screening and provides an initial indication of the cidal nature of a compound. The assay produces growth curves at ten compound concentrations by assessing trypanosome counts at 4, 24 and 48 hours after compound addition. A reduction in trypanosome counts over time is used as a marker for cidal activity. The lowest concentration at which cell killing is seen is a quantitative measure for the cidal activity of the compound. We show that the assay can identify compounds that have trypanostatic activity rather than cidal activity, and importantly, that results from primary high-throughput assays can overestimate the potency of compounds significantly. This is due to biphasic growth inhibition, which remains hidden at low starting cell densities and is revealed in our static-cidal assay. The assay presented here provides an important tool to follow-up hits from high-throughput screening campaigns and avoid progression of compounds that have poor prospects due to lack of cidal activity or overestimated potency.

Double-hit lymphoma demonstrating t(6;14;18)(p25;q32;q21), suggesting two independent dual-hit translocations, MYC/BCL-2 and IRF4/BCL-2.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabata, Rie; Yasumizu, Ryoji; Tabata, Chiharu; Kojima, Masaru

2013-01-01

Here, we report a rare case of double-hit lymphoma, demonstrating t(6;14;18)(p25;q32;q21), suggesting two independent dual-translocations, c-MYC/BCL-2 and IRF4/BCL-2. The present case had a rare abnormal chromosome, t(6;14;18)(p25;q32;q21), independently, in addition to known dual-hit chromosomal abnormalities, t(14;18)(q32;q21) and t(8;22)(q24;q11.2). Lymph node was characterized by a follicular and diffuse growth pattern with variously sized neoplastic follicles. The intrafollicular area was composed of centrocytes with a few centroblasts and the interfollicular area was occupied by uniformly spread medium- to large-sized lymphocytes. CD23 immunostaining demonstrated a disrupted follicular dendritic cell meshwork. The intrafollicular tumor cells had a germinal center phenotype with the expression of surface IgM, CD10, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, and MUM1/IRF4. However, the interfollicular larger cells showed plasmacytic differentiation with diminished CD20, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, and positive intracytoplasmic IgM, and co-expression of MUM1/IRF4 and CD138 with increased Ki-67-positive cells (> 90%). MUM1/IRF4 has been found to induce c-MYC expression, and in turn, MYC transactivates MUM1/IRF4, creating a positive autoregulatory feedback loop. On the other hand, MUM1/IRF4 functions as a tumor suppressor in c-MYC-induced B-cell leukemia. The present rare case arouses interest in view of the possible "dual" activation of both c-MYC and MUM1/IRF4 through two independent dual-translocations, c-MYC/BCL-2 and IRF4/BCL-2.

Clinical Significance of "Double-hit" and "Double-protein" expression in Primary Gastric B-cell Lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Miaoxia; Chen, Keting; Li, Suhong; Zhang, Shimin; Zheng, Jianming; Hu, Xiaoxia; Gao, Lei; Chen, Jie; Song, Xianmin; Zhang, Weiping; Wang, Jianmin; Yang, Jianmin

2016-01-01

Primary gastric B-cell lymphoma is the second most common malignancy of the stomach. There are many controversial issues about its diagnosis, treatment and clinical management. "Double-hit" and "double-protein" involving gene rearrangement and protein expression of c-Myc and bcl2/bcl6 are the most used terms to describe DLBCL poor prognostic factors in recent years. However, very little is known about the role of these prognostic factors in primary gastric B-cell lymphomas. This study aims to obtain a molecular pathology prognostic model of gastric B-cell lymphoma for clinical stratified management by evaluating how the "double-hit" and "double-protein" in tumor cells as well as microenvironmental reaction of tumor stromal tissue affect clinical outcome in primary gastric B-cell lymphomas. Data and tissues of 188 cases diagnosed with gastric B-cell lymphomas were used in this study. Tumor tissue microarray (TMA) of formalin fixed and paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues was constructed for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis with a serial of biomarkers containing MYC, BCL2, BCL6, CD31, SPARC, CD10, MUM1 and Ki-67. Modeled period analysis was used to estimate 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) distributions. There was no definite "double-hit" case though the gene rearrangement of c-Myc (5.9%), bcl2 (0.1%) and bcl6 (7.4%) was found in gastric B-cell lymphomas. The gene amplification or copy gains of c-Myc (10.1%), bcl-2 (17.0%) and bcl-6 (0.9%) were present in these lymphomas. There were 12 cases of the lymphomas with the "double-protein" expression of MYC and BCL2/BCL6. All patients with "double-protein" gastric B-cell lymphomas had poor outcome compared with those without. More importantly, "MYC-BCL2-BCL6" negative group of gastric B-cell lymphoma patients had favorable clinical outcome regardless clinical stage, pathological types and therapeutic modalities. And the similar better

Understanding Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Fremont, Oliver T; Chan, James C M

2012-02-01

We aim to review the clinical features of two renal tubular disorders characterized by sodium and potassium wasting: Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome. Selected key references concerning these syndromes were analyzed, together with a PubMed search of the literature from 2000 to 2011. The clinical features common to both conditions and those which are distinct to each syndrome were presented. The new findings on the genetics of the five types of Bartter syndrome and the discrete mutations in Gitelman syndrome were reviewed, together with the diagnostic workup and treatment for each condition. Patients with Bartter syndrome types 1, 2 and 4 present at a younger age than classic Bartter syndrome type 3. They present with symptoms, often quite severe in the neonatal period. Patients with classic Bartter syndrome type 3 present later in life and may be sporadically asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. The severe, steady-state hypokalemia in Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome may abruptly become life-threatening under certain aggravating conditions. Clinicians need to be cognizant of such renal tubular disorders, and promptly treat at-risk patients.

Beyond the cold hit: measuring the impact of the national DNA data bank on public safety at the city and county level.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Matthew; Boland, Cherisse; Holt, Cydne

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) has increased solvability of violent crimes by linking evidence DNA profiles to known offenders. At present, an in-depth analysis of the United States National DNA Data Bank effort has not assessed the success of this national public safety endeavor. Critics of this effort often focus on laboratory and police investigators unable to provide timely investigative support as a root cause(s) of CODIS' failure to increase public safety. By studying a group of nearly 200 DNA cold hits obtained in SFPD criminal investigations from 2001-2006, three key performance metrics (Significance of Cold Hits, Case Progression & Judicial Resolution, and Potential Reduction of Future Criminal Activity) provide a proper context in which to define the impact of CODIS at the City and County level. Further, the analysis of a recidivist group of cold hit offenders and their past interaction with law enforcement established five noteworthy criminal case resolution trends; these trends signify challenges to CODIS in achieving meaningful case resolutions. CODIS' effectiveness and critical activities to support case resolutions are the responsibility of all criminal justice partners in order to achieve long-lasting public safety within the United States.

The head tracks and gaze predicts: how the world's best batters hit a ball.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David L Mann

Full Text Available Hitters in fast ball-sports do not align their gaze with the ball throughout ball-flight; rather, they use predictive eye movement strategies that contribute towards their level of interceptive skill. Existing studies claim that (i baseball and cricket batters cannot track the ball because it moves too quickly to be tracked by the eyes, and that consequently (ii batters do not - and possibly cannot - watch the ball at the moment they hit it. However, to date no studies have examined the gaze of truly elite batters. We examined the eye and head movements of two of the world's best cricket batters and found both claims do not apply to these batters. Remarkably, the batters coupled the rotation of their head to the movement of the ball, ensuring the ball remained in a consistent direction relative to their head. To this end, the ball could be followed if the batters simply moved their head and kept their eyes still. Instead of doing so, we show the elite batters used distinctive eye movement strategies, usually relying on two predictive saccades to anticipate (i the location of ball-bounce, and (ii the location of bat-ball contact, ensuring they could direct their gaze towards the ball as they hit it. These specific head and eye movement strategies play important functional roles in contributing towards interceptive expertise.

A framework of induced hyperspace dynamical systems equipped with the hit-or-miss topology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yangeng; Wei Guo; Campbell, William H.; Bourquin, Steven

2009-01-01

For any dynamical system (E,d,f), where E is Hausdorff locally compact second countable (HLCSC), let F (resp., 2 E ) denote the space of all closed subsets (resp., non-empty closed subsets) of E equipped with the hit-or-miss topology τ f . Both F and 2 E are again HLCSC (F actually compact), thus metrizable. Let ρ be such a metric (three metrics available). The main purpose is to determine the conditions on f that ensure the continuity of the induced hyperspace maps 2 f :F→F and 2 f :2 E →2 E defined by 2 f (F)=f(F). With this setting, the induced hyperspace systems (F,ρ,2 f ) and (2 E ,ρ,2 f ) are compact and locally compact dynamical systems, respectively. Consequently, dynamical properties, particularly metric related dynamical properties, of the given system (E,d,f) can be explored through these hyperspace systems. In contrast, when the Vietoris topology τ v is equipped on 2 E , the space of the induced hyperspace topological dynamical system (2 E ,τ v ,2 f ) is not metrizable if E is not compact metrizable, e.g., E=R n , implying that metric related dynamical concepts cannot be defined for (2 E ,τ v ,2 f ). Moreover, two examples are provided to illustrate the advantages of the hit-or-miss topology as compared to the Vietoris topology.

The detector response simulation for the CBM silicon tracking system as a tool for hit error estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malygina, Hanna [Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt (Germany); KINR, Kyiv (Ukraine); GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Friese, Volker; Zyzak, Maksym [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment(CBM) at FAIR is designed to explore the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities. As the central detector component, the Silicon Tracking System (STS) is based on double-sided micro-strip sensors. To achieve realistic modelling, the response of the silicon strip sensors should be precisely included in the digitizer which simulates a complete chain of physical processes caused by charged particles traversing the detector, from charge creation in silicon to a digital output signal. The current implementation of the STS digitizer comprises non-uniform energy loss distributions (according to the Urban theory), thermal diffusion and charge redistribution over the read-out channels due to interstrip capacitances. Using the digitizer, one can test an influence of each physical processes on hit error separately. We have developed a new cluster position finding algorithm and a hit error estimation method for it. Estimated errors were verified by the width of pull distribution (expected to be about unity) and its shape.

The distribution of alpha hits per target cell: a parameter to improve risk assessment after inhalation exposure to actinide oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fritsch, P.

2006-01-01

After inhalation exposure to radionuclides, according to ICRP recommendations, the equivalent dose delivered to the different target regions of the respiratory tract corresponds to a mean value. Some actinide oxides have a very high specific activity, so that, the Annual Limit of Intake (A.L.I.) can be reached when only a few particles have been deposited. In this case, because of the short range of α radiation, only a small fraction of the tissues is irradiated, due to the presence of hot spots. Recently, animal studies have shown that, in the rat, for the same a dose delivered to the lungs, the risk for lung tumour induction varies over more than 1 order of magnitude, depending on the number of deposited particles. The aim of this work is to identify a parameter which could take into account heterogeneity of dose distribution for a realistic risk assessment from the result of a standard dose calculation. In vitro experiments have shown that, the risk for pre-neoplastic transformation per unit of dose gradually decreases when more than 1 α hit is received per target cell. This could be explained by a gradual increase of the ratio of cell death versus cell transformation. Thus, the distribution of the number of α hits per cell could be a useful parameter to improve dose calculation for a risk assessment purpose. The α hit distribution has been characterized in basal cells of the extra thoracic and bronchial epithelia irradiated from the sequestered regions (E.T. seq and B.B. seq ) after exposure inhalation to 1 A.L.I. of 238 U or 238-239 Pu oxide aerosols. Default parameters were used for calculation (aerosol size 5 μm, type S compounds, standard workers). In a first step, the number of particles deposited in the source regions and their activity was obtained after simulations which corresponded to a stochastic application of the ICRP 66 deposition model (the behaviour of each particle was taken into account, and for each particle size, the fraction deposited

[Maxillofacial and dental abnormalities in some multiple abnormality syndromes. "Cri du chat" syndrome, Wilms' tumor-aniridia syndrome; Sotos syndrome; Goldenhar syndrome].

Science.gov (United States)

Berio, A; Trucchi, R; Meliota, M

1992-05-01

The paper describes the maxillo-facial and dental anomalies observed in some chromosome and non-chromosome poly-malformative syndromes ("Cri du chat" syndrome; Wilms' tumour; Sotos' syndrome; Goldenhar's syndrome). The Authors emphasise the possibility of diagnosing these multiple deformity syndromes from maxillo-facial alterations in early infancy; anomalous tooth position and structure cal also be successfully treated immediately after the first appearance of teeth. This is a particularly promising field of pediatrics and preventive pediatric medicine.

Visual strategies underpinning the development of visual-motor expertise when hitting a ball.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarpeshkar, Vishnu; Abernethy, Bruce; Mann, David L

2017-10-01

It is well known that skilled batters in fast-ball sports do not align their gaze with the ball throughout ball-flight, but instead adopt a unique sequence of eye and head movements that contribute toward their skill. However, much of what we know about visual-motor behavior in hitting is based on studies that have employed case study designs, and/or used simplified tasks that fall short of replicating the spatiotemporal demands experienced in the natural environment. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive examination of the eye and head movement strategies that underpin the development of visual-motor expertise when intercepting a fast-moving target. Eye and head movements were examined in situ for 4 groups of cricket batters, who were crossed for playing level (elite or club) and age (U19 or adult), when hitting balls that followed either straight or curving ('swinging') trajectories. The results provide support for some widely cited markers of expertise in batting, while questioning the legitimacy of others. Swinging trajectories alter the visual-motor behavior of all batters, though in large part because of the uncertainty generated by the possibility of a variation in trajectory rather than any actual change in trajectory per se. Moreover, curving trajectories influence visual-motor behavior in a nonlinear fashion, with targets that curve away from the observer influencing behavior more than those that curve inward. The findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the development of visual-motor expertise in interception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in polycystic ovary syndrome: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Anwar, Safa; Shikalgar, Nigar

2017-12-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is recognized as one of the most common endocrinopathies in women of reproductive age, associated with metabolic sequelae which includes increased risk factors for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The adverse effects of DM2 affects a woman throughout her lifespan. Health care expenditure of DM2 highlights the need for prevention through appropriate screening, diagnosis and intervention. Lifestyle modification (LSM) programs that include diet and/or physical activity are suggested for patients characterized as prediabetic to delay the onset of adult DM2. Diet (i.e. low carbohydrate), combination of aerobic and resistance exercise with high intensity interval training (HIT) 150 to 175min/week with resistance exercise 2 to 3days/week and weight loss may be valuable supporters in the fight against IR, IGT and DM2 associated with PCOS. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marfan syndrome masked by Down syndrome?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vis, J.C.; Engelen, K. van; Timmermans, J.; Hamel, B.C.J.; Mulder, B.J.

2009-01-01

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality. A simultaneous occurrence with Marfan syndrome is extremely rare. We present a case of a 28-year-old female with Down syndrome and a mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene. The patient showed strikingly few manifestations of Marfan syndrome.

The effect of solar-geomagnetic activity during and after admission on survival in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Science.gov (United States)

Vencloviene, Jone; Babarskiene, Ruta; Milvidaite, Irena; Kubilius, Raimondas; Stasionyte, Jolanta

2014-08-01

A number of studies have established the effects of solar-geomagnetic activity on the human cardio-vascular system. It is plausible that the heliophysical conditions existing during and after hospital admission may affect survival in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We analyzed data from 1,413 ACS patients who were admitted to the Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania, and who survived for more than 4 days. We evaluated the associations between active-stormy geomagnetic activity (GMA), solar proton events (SPE), and solar flares (SF) that occurred 0-3 days before and after admission, and 2-year survival, based on Cox's proportional-hazards model, controlling for clinical data. After adjustment for clinical variables, active-stormy GMA on the 2nd day after admission was associated with an increased (by 1.58 times) hazard ratio (HR) of cardiovascular death (HR = 1.58, 95 % CI 1.07-2.32). For women, geomagnetic storm (GS) 2 days after SPE occurred 1 day after admission increased the HR by 3.91 times (HR = 3.91, 95 % CI 1.31-11.7); active-stormy GMA during the 2nd-3rd day after admission increased the HR by over 2.5 times (HR = 2.66, 95 % CI 1.40-5.03). In patients aged over 70 years, GS occurring 1 day before or 2 days after admission, increased the HR by 2.5 times, compared to quiet days; GS in conjunction with SF on the previous day, nearly tripled the HR (HR = 3.08, 95 % CI 1.32-7.20). These findings suggest that the heliophysical conditions before or after the admission affect the hazard ratio of lethal outcome; adjusting for clinical variables, these effects were stronger for women and older patients.

Rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome caused by SMARCB1 constitutional deletion: prenatal detection of new case of recurrence in siblings due to gonadal mosaicism.

Science.gov (United States)

Gigante, Laura; Paganini, Irene; Frontali, Marina; Ciabattoni, Serena; Sangiuolo, Federica Carla; Papi, Laura

2016-01-01

Rhabdoid tumors are aggressive malignancies that show loss-of-function mutations of SMARCB1 gene, a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex controlling gene transcription. One-third of patients affected by rhabdoid tumor harbor a germ-line mutation of SMARCB1 defining a rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome. The occurrence of a second somatic mutation determines the development of neoplasia in a two-hit model. Most germ-line mutations occur de novo, and few cases of recurrence in a sibship have been described. Here we report on a new Italian family with recurrence of SMARCB1 germ-line deletion in two siblings due to gonadal mosaicism. The deletion was identified in the 9-month-old proband with malignant rhabdoid tumor of the right kidney and disseminated metastases. Testing of both parents confirmed the de novo origin of the mutation, but recurrence was then detected prenatally in a new pregnancy. This is the sixth family with malignant rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome with the recurrence of the same germ-line SMARCB1 mutation in the sibship but not in healthy parents, suggesting that gonadal mosaicism is a less rare event than supposed. The clinical outcome in our patient confirms previous data of poorer outcome in patients with rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome.

The developmental trajectory of disruptive behavior in Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and Williams syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Lauren J; Gray, Kylie M; Howlin, Patricia; Taffe, John; Tonge, Bruce J; Einfeld, Stewart L

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the developmental trajectories of verbal aggression, physical aggression, and temper tantrums in four genetic syndrome groups. Participants were part of the Australian Child to Adult Development Study (ACAD), which collected information from a cohort of individuals with an intellectual disability at five time points over 18 years. Data were examined from a total of 248 people with one of the four following syndromes: Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, or Williams syndrome. Changes in behaviors were measured using validated items from the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC). The results indicate that, while verbal aggression shows no evidence of diminishing with age, physical aggression, and temper tantrums decline with age before 19 years for people with Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and William syndrome; and after 19 years for people with Prader-Willi syndrome. These findings offer a somewhat more optimistic outlook for people with an intellectual disability than has previously been suggested. Research is needed to investigate the mechanisms predisposing people with PWS to persistence of temper tantrums and physical aggression into adulthood. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jelsig, Anne Marie; Qvist, Niels; Brusgaard, Klaus

2014-01-01

Hamartomatous Polyposis Syndromes (HPS) are genetic syndromes, which include Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Juvenile polyposis syndrome, PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (Cowden Syndrom, Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba and Proteus Syndrome) as well as hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. Other syndromes such as ......Hamartomatous Polyposis Syndromes (HPS) are genetic syndromes, which include Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Juvenile polyposis syndrome, PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (Cowden Syndrom, Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba and Proteus Syndrome) as well as hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. Other syndromes...

Tracking, aiming, and hitting the UAV with ordinary assault rifle

Science.gov (United States)

Racek, František; Baláž, Teodor; Krejčí, Jaroslav; Procházka, Stanislav; Macko, Martin

2017-10-01

The usage small-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is significantly increasing nowadays. They are being used as a carrier of military spy and reconnaissance devices (taking photos, live video streaming and so on), or as a carrier of potentially dangerous cargo (intended for destruction and killing). Both ways of utilizing the UAV cause the necessity to disable it. From the military point of view, to disable the UAV means to bring it down by a weapon of an ordinary soldier that is the assault rifle. This task can be challenging for the soldier because he needs visually detect and identify the target, track the target visually and aim on the target. The final success of the soldier's mission depends not only on the said visual tasks, but also on the properties of the weapon and ammunition. The paper deals with possible methods of prediction of probability of hitting the UAV targets.

Medicinal and Biological Chemistry (MBC) Library: An Efficient Source of New Hits.

Science.gov (United States)

Sebastián-Pérez, Víctor; Roca, Carlos; Awale, Mahendra; Reymond, Jean-Louis; Martinez, Ana; Gil, Carmen; Campillo, Nuria E

2017-09-25

Identification of new hits is one of the biggest challenges in drug discovery. Creating a library of well-characterized drug-like compounds is a key step in this process. Our group has developed an in-house chemical library called the Medicinal and Biological Chemistry (MBC) library. This collection has been successfully used to start several medicinal chemistry programs and developed in an accumulation of more than 30 years of experience in drug design and discovery of new drugs for unmet diseases. It contains over 1000 compounds, mainly heterocyclic scaffolds. In this work, analysis of drug-like properties and comparative study with well-known libraries by using different computer software are presented here.

Comparing among the Experiences of Self-Cutting, Hitting, and Scratching in Chinese Adolescents Attending Secondary Schools: An Interview Study

Science.gov (United States)

You, Jianing; Ma, Congfen; Lin, Min-Pei; Leung, Freedom

2015-01-01

This study examined adolescents' experiences associated with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and compared among the experiences of self-cutting, hitting, and scratching. Participants included 42 Chinese adolescents attending secondary schools. They had at least three NSSI episodes in the preceding year. Information about their experiences of NSSI…

Retrospective case-control study of surgical treatment of stage IB-IIA cervical carcinomas after neoadjuvant radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cigriejiene, V. M.; Kajenas, S.; Balnys, M.; Mikuckaite, L.

2004-01-01

To evaluate if preoperative radiotherapy influences course of operation (radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy) and postoperative period in series of stage IB-IIA cervical carcinomas. Retrospective comparative study was performed. During the study we analyzed 101 case histories of patients who underwent radical type II hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital and Kaunas Hospital of Oncology between 1995 and 2002. Mean operation time was shorter, hemoglobin and hematocrit values after operation were better, stay in hospital was longer, demand for narcotic analgetics was bigger, function of ovaries was maintained more rarely (p 0.05). In our study, preoperative radiotherapy did not seem to complicate course of radical hysterectomy. (author)

NIMROD simulations and physics assessment of possible designs for a next generation Steady Inductive Helicity Injection HIT device

Science.gov (United States)

Penna, James; Morgan, Kyle; Grubb, Isaac; Jarboe, Thomas

2017-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus - Steady Inductive 3 (HIT-SI3) experiment forms and maintains spheromaks via Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI) using discrete injectors that inject magnetic helicity via a non-axisymmetric perturbation and drive toroidally symmetric current. Newer designs for larger SIHI-driven spheromaks incorporate a set of injectors connected to a single external manifold to allow more freedom for the toroidal structure of the applied perturbation. Simulations have been carried out using the NIMROD code to assess the effectiveness of various imposed mode structures and injector schema in driving current via Imposed Dynamo Current Drive (IDCD). The results are presented here for varying flux conserver shapes on a device approximately 1.5 times larger than the current HIT-SI3 experiment. The imposed mode structures and spectra of simulated spheromaks are analyzed in order to examine magnetic structure and stability and determine an optimal regime for IDCD sustainment in a large device. The development of scaling laws for manifold operation is also presented, and simulation results are analyzed and assessed as part of the development path for the large scale device.

Satisfactory throat-hit is needed to switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes: a lesson from an e-liquid blind test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bertrand Dautzenberg

2016-04-01

The present data justify the need to further develop e-cigarettes so that an optimal OTH is identified quickly. Further research is needed to confirm the above results in other populations and to assess the specific influence of flavour on throat hit.

Seckel syndrome: an overdiagnosed syndrome.

OpenAIRE

Thompson, E; Pembrey, M

1985-01-01

Five children in whom a diagnosis of Seckel syndrome had previously been made were re-examined in the genetic unit. One child had classical Seckel syndrome, a sib pair had the features of the syndrome with less severe short stature, and in two children the diagnosis was not confirmed. Seckel syndrome is only one of a group of low birth weight microcephalic dwarfism and careful attention should be paid to fulfillment of the major criteria defined by Seckel before the diagnosis is made. There r...

Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT): Initial clinical experience in the first 80 patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Combs, Stephanie E. (Univ. Hospital of Heidelberg, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg (Germany)), E-mail: Stephanie.Combs@med.uni-heidelberg.de; Ellerbrock, Malte; Haberer, Thomas (Heidelberger Ionenstrahl Therapiezentrum (HIT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 450, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany)) (and others)

2010-10-15

The Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT) started clinical operation in November 2009. In this report we present the first 80 patients treated with proton and carbon ion radiotherapy and describe patient selection, treatment planning and daily treatment for different indications. Patients and methods. Between November 15, 2009 and April 15, 2010, 80 patients were treated at the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT) with carbon ion and proton radiotherapy. Main treated indications consisted of skull base chordoma (n = 9) and chondrosarcoma (n = 18), malignant salivary gland tumors (n=29), chordomas of the sacrum (n = 5), low grade glioma (n=3), primary and recurrent malignant astrocytoma and glioblastoma (n=7) and well as osteosarcoma (n = 3). Of these patients, four pediatric patients aged under 18 years were treated. Results. All patients were treated using the intensity-modulated rasterscanning technique. Seventy-six patients were treated with carbon ions (95%), and four patients were treated with protons. In all patients x-ray imaging was performed prior to each fraction. Treatment concepts were based on the initial experiences with carbon ion therapy at the Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI) including carbon-only treatments and carbon-boost treatments with photon-IMRT. The average time per fraction in the treatment room per patient was 29 minutes; for irradiation only, the mean time including all patients was 16 minutes. Position verification was performed prior to every treatment fraction with orthogonal x-ray imaging. Conclusion. Particle therapy could be included successfully into the clinical routine at the Dept. of Radiation Oncology in Heidelberg. Numerous clinical trials will subsequently be initiated to precisely define the role of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy in radiation oncology.

Assigning Significance in Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics to Include Single-Peptide-Hit Proteins with Low Replicates

OpenAIRE

Li, Qingbo

2010-01-01

When sample replicates are limited in a label-free proteomics experiment, selecting differentially regulated proteins with an assignment of statistical significance remains difficult for proteins with a single-peptide hit or a small fold-change. This paper aims to address this issue. An important component of the approach employed here is to utilize the rule of Minimum number of Permuted Significant Pairings (MPSP) to reduce false positives. The MPSP rule generates permuted sample pairings fr...

Long-range effects of direct-hit ultraviolet and particle radiation in oncogene activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ladik, J.J.

1990-01-01

A simple statistical analysis shows that the oncogene-activation effect of chemical carcinogens cannot be explained if one takes into account only short-range effects. As one of the most probable solid state physical long-range effects, the generation at the site of carcinogen binding of travelling solitary waves, which can interfere with DNA-blocking protein interactions, is discussed. It has been shown that the direct hit carcinogenic effects on DNA by ultraviolet--or particle radiation can also be explained by the generation of solitary waves (in the latter case the first step is a collective plasma oscillation which decays to individual local excitations and ionizations)

It's no surprise! Men are not hit more than women by the health consequences of unemployment in the Northern Swedish Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammarström, Anne; Gustafsson, Per E; Strandh, Mattias; Virtanen, Pekka; Janlert, Urban

2011-03-01

Research often fails to ascertain whether men and women are equally hit by the health consequences of unemployment. The aim of this study was to analyze whether men's self-reported health and health behaviour were hit more by unemployment than women's in a follow-up of the Northern Swedish Cohort. A follow-up study of a cohort of all school leavers in a middle-sized industrial town in northern Sweden was performed from age 16 to age 42. Of those still alive of the original cohort, 94% (n = 1,006) participated during the whole period. A sample was made of participants in the labour force and living in Sweden (n = 916). Register data were used to assess the length of unemployment from age 40 to 42, while questionnaire data were used for the other variables. In multivariate logistic regression analyses significant relations between unemployment and mental health/smoking were found among both women and men, even after control for unemployment at the time of the investigation and indicators of health-related selection. Significant relations between unemployment and alcohol consumption were found among women, while few visits to a dentist was significant among men. Men are not hit more by the health consequences of unemployment in a Swedish context, with a high participation rate of women in the labour market. The public health relevance is that the study indicates the need to take gendered contexts into account in public health research.

Exploration of 'over kill effect' of high-LET Ar- and Fe-ions by evaluating the fraction of non-hit cell and interphase death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehnati, P.; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Morimoto, Shigeko; Yatagai, Fumio; Hanaoka, Fumio; Furusawa, Yoshiya; Kanai, Tatsuaki; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Wada, Seiichi

2005-01-01

The reason why relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for cell killing fell to less than unity (1.0) with very high-linear energy transfer (LET) heavy-ions ( 40 Ar: 1,640 keV/μm; 56 Fe: 780, 1,200, 2,000 keV/μm) was explored by evaluating the fraction of non-hit cell (time-lapse observation) and cells undergoing interphase death (calculation based on our previous data). Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were exposed to 4 Gy (30% survival dose) of Ar (1,640 keV/μm) or Fe-ions (2,000 keV/μm). About 20% of all cells were judged to be non-hit, and about 10% cells survived radiation damage. About 70% cells died after dividing at least once (reproductive death) or without dividing (interphase death). RBE for reproductive (RBE[R]) and interphase (RBE[I]) death showed a similar LET dependence with maximum around 200 keV/μm. In this LET region, at 30% survival level, about 10% non-survivors underwent interphase death. The corresponding value for very high-LET Fe-ions (2,000 keV/μm) was not particularly high (-15%), whereas that for X-rays was less than 3%. However, reproductive death (67%) predominated over interphase death (33%) even in regard to rather severely damaged cells (1% survival level) after exposure to Fe-ions (2,000 keV/μm). These indicate that interphase death is a type of cell death characteristic for the cells exposed to high-LET radiation and is not caused by 'cellular over kill effect'. Both NHF37 (non-hit fraction at 37% survival) and inactivation cross-section for reproductive death (σ[R]) began to increase when LET exceeded 100 keV/μm. The exclusion of non-hit fraction in the calculation of surviving fraction partially prevented the fall of RBE[R] when LET exceeded 200 keV/μm. On the other hand, the mean number of lethal damage per unit dose (NLD/Gy) showed the same LET-dependent pattern as RBE[R]. These suggest that the increase in non-hit fraction and σ[R] with an increasing LET is caused by enhanced clustering of ionization and DNA damage

Complement and thrombosis in the antiphospholipid syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Oku, Kenji; Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Kono, Michihiro; Ohmura, Kazumasa; Kato, Masaru; Bohgaki, Toshiyuki; Horita, Tetsuya; Yasuda, Shinsuke; Amengual, Olga; Atsumi, Tatsuya

2016-10-01

The involvement of complement activation in the pathophysiology of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was first reported in murine models of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-related pregnancy morbidities. We previously reported that complement activation is prevalent and may function as a source of procoagulant cell activation in the sera of APS patients. Recently, autoantibodies against C1q, a component of complement 1, were reported to be correlated with complement activation in systemic lupus erythematosus. These antibodies target neoepitopes of deformed C1q bound to various molecules (i.e., anionic phospholipids) and induce accelerated complement activation. We found that anti-C1q antibodies are more frequently detected in primary APS patients than in control patients and in refractory APS patients with repeated thrombotic events. The titer of anti-C1q antibodies was significantly higher in refractory APS patients than in APS patients without flare. The binding of C1q to anionic phospholipids may be associated with the surge in complement activation in patients with anti-C1q antibodies when triggered by 'second-hit' biological stressors such as infection. Such stressors will induce overexpression of anionic phospholipids, with subsequent increases in deformed C1q that is targeted by anti-C1q antibodies. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Certain dietary patterns are beneficial for the metabolic syndrome: reviewing the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Calton, Emily K; James, Anthony P; Pannu, Poonam K; Soares, Mario J

2014-07-01

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global public health issue of increasing magnitude. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be hardest hit due to large population numbers, rising obesity, and insulin resistance (IR). This review assessed the protective effects of dietary patterns and their components on MetS. A literature search was conducted using prominent electronic databases and search terms that included in combination: diet, dietary components, dietary patterns, and metabolic syndrome. Articles were restricted to prospective studies and high quality randomized controlled trials that were conducted on humans, reported in the English language, and within the time period of 2000 to 2012. Traditional factors such as age, gender, physical activity, and obesity were associated with risk of MetS; however, these potential confounders were not always accounted for in study outcomes. Three dietary patterns emerged from the review; a Mediterranean dietary pattern, dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet, and the Nordic Diet. Potential contributors to their beneficial effects on prevalence of MetS or reduction in MetS components included increases in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and dairy components, calcium, vitamin D, and whey protein, as well as monounsaturated fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids. Additional prospective and high quality randomized controlled trial studies that investigate Mediterranean dietary pattern, the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet, and the Nordic Diet would cement the protective benefits of these diets against the MetS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome or Wilkie Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castano Llano, Rodrigo; Chams Anturi, Abraham; Arango Vargas, Paula

2009-01-01

We described three cases of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome, also known as Wilkie's syndrome, chronic duodenal ileus, or cast syndrome. This syndrome occurs when the third portion of the duodenum is compressed between the SMA and the aorta. The major risk factors for development of SMA syndrome are rapid weight loss and surgical correction of spinal deformities. The clinical presentation of SMA syndrome is variable and nonspecific, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and weight loss. The diagnosis is based on endoscopic, radiographic and tomographic findings of duodenal compression by the SMA. The treatment of SMA syndrome is aimed at the precipitating factor, which usually is related to weight loss. Therefore, conservative therapy with nutritional supplementation is the initial approach, and surgery is reserved for those who do not respond to nutritional therapy.

Beals Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

... the syndrome. How does Beals syndrome compare with Marfan syndrome? People with Beals syndrome have many of the ... bone) and aortic enlargement problems as people with Marfan syndrome, and treatments for these problems are the same. ...

The Hit and Away technique: optimal usage of the ultrasonic scalpel in laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Irino, Tomoyuki; Hiki, Naoki; Ohashi, Manabu; Nunobe, Souya; Sano, Takeshi; Yamaguchi, Toshiharu

2016-01-01

Thermal injury and unexpected bleeding caused by ultrasonic scalpels can lead to fatal complications in laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG), such as postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPF). In this study, we developed the "Hit and Away" protocol for optimal usage of the ultrasonic scalpel, which in essence involves dividing tissues and vessels in batches using the tip of the scalpel to control tissue temperature. To assess the effectiveness of the technique, the surface temperature of the mesocolon of female swine after ultrasonic scalpel activations was measured, and tissue samples were collected to evaluate microscopic thermal injury to the pancreas. In parallel, we retrospectively surveyed 216 patients who had undergone LG before or after the introduction of this technique and assessed the ability of this technique to reduce POPF. The tissue temperature of the swine mesocolon reached 43 °C, a temperature at which adipose tissue melted but fibrous tissue, including vessels, remained intact. The temperature returned to baseline within 3 s of turning off the ultrasonic scalpel, demonstrating the advantage of using ultrasonic scalpel in a pulsatile manner. Tissue samples from the pancreas demonstrated that the extent of thermal injury post-procedure was limited to the capsule of the pancreas. Moreover, with respect to the clinical outcomes before and after the introduction of this technique, POPF incidence decreased significantly from 7.8 to 1.0% (p = 0.021). The "Hit and Away" technique can reduce blood loss and thermal injury to the pancreas and help to ensure the safety of lymph node dissection in LG.

Hitting your foothills target the first time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ewanek, J. [MI Drilling Fluids Canada, Calgary, AB (Canada); Young, S. [M-I L.L.C., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2001-07-01

As the demand for gas increases, operators are exploring for more long-term gas reserves in the foothills and in more complex structural traps and reservoirs. The high tectonic activity in the foothills has rendered the structural geology complex, making it difficult to hit an exploration target the first time. Costly sidetracking operations are common. The use of oil based fluids is often necessary for drilling in such technically challenging environments. However, dips/structural evaluation tools such as the Formation Micro Imager (FMI) and the GeoVision 675 Logging While Drilling (LWD) tool cannot be used because of the non-conductive nature of oil based fluids. Therefore, a conductive oil based fluid was developed with the recent advances in oil based mud technology, and it is now available. This new conductive oil based fluid allows LWD tools to transmit structural information in real time and FMI logs to give detailed structural information while wireline logging the hole. The combination of LWD and FMI data plus a conductive oil based fluid makes it possible to gather better structural information while drilling. This minimizes sidetracks and leads to a better understanding of the structural geology in that field. It was concluded that the use of this technology well enable better pre-planning on future well sites and will make it possible to reduce costs associated with drilling and oilfield operations in the foothills. 9 refs., 2 tabs., 13 figs.

Target Immobilization as a Strategy for NMR-Based Fragment Screening: Comparison of TINS, STD, and SPR for Fragment Hit Identification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kobayashi, M.; Retra, K.; Figaroa, F.; Hollander, J.G.; Ab, E.; Heetebrij, R.J.; Irth, H.; Siegal, G.

2010-01-01

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has become a widely accepted tool that is complementary to high-throughput screening (HTS) in developing small-molecule inhibitors of pharmaceutical targets. Because a fragment campaign can only be as successful as the hit matter found, it is critical that the

Rationale and Study Protocol for a Multi-component Health Information Technology (HIT) Screening Tool for Depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in the Primary Care Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Biegler, Kelly; Mollica, Richard; Sim, Susan Elliott; Nicholas, Elisa; Chandler, Maria; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Paigne, Kittya; Paigne, Sompia; Nguyen, Danh V.; Sorkin, Dara H.

2016-01-01

The prevalence rate of depression in primary care is high. Primary care providers serve as the initial point of contact for the majority of patients with depression, yet, approximately 50% of cases remain unrecognized. The under-diagnosis of depression may be further exacerbated in limited English-language proficient (LEP) populations. Language barriers may result in less discussion of patients’ mental health needs and fewer referrals to mental health services, particularly given competing priorities of other medical conditions and providers’ time pressures. Recent advances in Health Information Technology (HIT) may facilitate novel ways to screen for depression in LEP populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale and protocol of a clustered-randomized controlled trial that will test the effectiveness of an HIT intervention that provides a multi-component approach to delivering culturally competent, mental health care in the primary care setting. The HIT intervention has four components: 1) web-based provider training, 2) multimedia electronic screening of depression and PTSD in the patients’ primary language, 3) Computer generated risk assessment scores delivered directly to the provider, and 4) clinical decision support. The outcomes of the study include assessing the potential of the HIT intervention to improve screening rates, clinical detection, provider initiation of treatment, and patient outcomes for depression and PTSD among LEP Cambodian refugees who experienced war atrocities and trauma during the Khmer Rouge. This technology has the potential to be adapted to any LEP population in order to facilitate mental health screening and treatment in the primary care setting. PMID:27394385

HitPredict version 4: comprehensive reliability scoring of physical protein?protein interactions from more than 100 species

OpenAIRE

L?pez, Yosvany; Nakai, Kenta; Patil, Ashwini

2015-01-01

HitPredict is a consolidated resource of experimentally identified, physical protein?protein interactions with confidence scores to indicate their reliability. The study of genes and their inter-relationships using methods such as network and pathway analysis requires high quality protein?protein interaction information. Extracting reliable interactions from most of the existing databases is challenging because they either contain only a subset of the available interactions, or a mixture of p...

Getting Hit by Pitch in Professional Baseball: Analysis of Injury Patterns, Risk Factors, Concussions, and Days Missed for Batters.

Science.gov (United States)

Camp, Christopher L; Wang, Dean; Sinatro, Alec S; D'Angelo, John; Coleman, Struan H; Dines, Joshua S; Fealy, Stephen; Conte, Stan

2018-05-01

Although batters are frequently hit by pitch (HBP) in baseball, the effect of HBP injuries remains undefined in the literature. To determine the effect of HBP injuries in terms of time out of play, injury patterns resulting in the greatest time out of play, and the value of protective gear such as helmets and elbow pads. Descriptive laboratory study. Based on the Major League Baseball (MLB) Health and Injury Tracking System, all injuries to batters HBP during the 2011-2015 MLB and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) seasons were identified and analyzed. Video analysis was performed on all HBP events from the 2015 MLB season. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis was utilized to determine the predictive capacity of multiple variables (velocity, pitch type, location, etc) on injury status and severity. A total of 2920 HBP injuries resulted in 24,624 days missed (DM) over the 5 seasons. MLB HBP injuries occurred at a rate of 1 per 2554 plate appearances (1 per 9780 pitches thrown). Mean DM per injury were 8.4 (11.7 for MLB vs 8.0 for MiLB, P hit in the head/face (odds ratio, 28.7) or distal upper extremity (odds ratio, 6.4) were more likely to be injured than players HBP in other locations. Players with an unprotected elbow missed 1.7 more days (95% CI, -4.1 to 7.6) than those with an elbow protector ( P = .554) when injured after being HBP. Although HBP injuries occur infrequently in the course of normal play, they collectively represent a significant source of time out of play. The most common body regions injured include the hands/fingers and head/face, and batters hit in these locations are significantly more likely to be injured. After contusions, concussions were the most common injury diagnosis.

Cutaneous double-hit B-cell lymphoma: an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma with a propensity for cutaneous dissemination.

Science.gov (United States)

Magro, Cynthia M; Wang, Xuan; Subramaniyam, Shivakumar; Darras, Natasha; Mathew, Susan

2014-04-01

Diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma of the skin is most commonly represented by diffuse large cell variants of primary cutaneous follicle center cell lymphoma and the leg-type lymphoma. In a minority of cases, the infiltrates are an expression of stage 4 disease of established extracutaneous B-cell lymphoma. We describe 3 patients with an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma secondarily involving the skin. Two of the patients were in the ninth decade of life, whereas 1 patient was 34 years of age. In the elderly patients, there was an antecedent and/or concurrent history of follicular lymphoma, whereas in the younger patient, the tumor was a de novo presentation of this aggressive form of lymphoma. The elderly patients succumbed to their disease within less than a year from the time of diagnosis, whereas 1 patient is alive but with persistent and progressive disease despite chemotherapeutic intervention. The infiltrates in all 3 cases were diffuse and composed of large malignant hematopoietic cells that exhibited a round nucleus with a finely dispersed chromatin. Phenotypically, the tumor cells were Bcl-2 and CD10 positive, whereas Bcl-6 and Mum-1 showed variable positivity. One case showed combined Mum-1 positivity along with an acute lymphoblastic lymphoma phenotype, including the absence of CD20 expression. In each case, there was a c-MYC and BCL2/IGH rearrangement diagnostic of double-hit lymphoma. In one case, there was an additional BCL6 rearrangement, defining what is in essence triple-hit lymphoma. In conclusion, double-hit lymphoma is an aggressive form of B-cell neoplasia resistant to standard chemotherapy regimens, which in many but not all cases represents tumor progression in the setting of a lower grade B-cell malignancy.

Effects of vagus nerve stimulation and vagotomy on systemic and pulmonary inflammation in a two-hit model in rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthijs Kox

Full Text Available Pulmonary inflammation contributes to ventilator-induced lung injury. Sepsis-induced pulmonary inflammation (first hit may be potentiated by mechanical ventilation (MV, second hit. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been shown to attenuate inflammation in various animal models through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. We determined the effects of vagotomy (VGX and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS on systemic and pulmonary inflammation in a two-hit model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were i.v. administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS and subsequently underwent VGX, VNS or a sham operation. 1 hour following LPS, MV with low (8 mL/kg or moderate (15 mL/kg tidal volumes was initiated, or animals were left breathing spontaneously (SP. After 4 hours of MV or SP, rats were sacrificed. Cytokine and blood gas analysis was performed. MV with 15, but not 8 mL/kg, potentiated the LPS-induced pulmonary pro-inflammatory cytokine response (TNF-α, IL-6, KC: p<0.05 compared to LPS-SP, but did not affect systemic inflammation or impair oxygenation. VGX enhanced the LPS-induced pulmonary, but not systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine response in spontaneously breathing, but not in MV animals (TNF-α, IL-6, KC: p<0.05 compared to SHAM, and resulted in decreased pO(2 (p<0.05 compared to sham-operated animals. VNS did not affect any of the studied parameters in both SP and MV animals. In conclusion, MV with moderate tidal volumes potentiates the pulmonary inflammatory response elicited by systemic LPS administration. No beneficial effects of vagus nerve stimulation performed following LPS administration were found. These results questions the clinical applicability of stimulation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in systemically inflamed patients admitted to the ICU where MV is initiated.

Hitting times of local and global optima in genetic algorithms with very high selection pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eremeev Anton V.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to upper bounds on the expected first hitting times of the sets of local or global optima for non-elitist genetic algorithms with very high selection pressure. The results of this paper extend the range of situations where the upper bounds on the expected runtime are known for genetic algorithms and apply, in particular, to the Canonical Genetic Algorithm. The obtained bounds do not require the probability of fitness-decreasing mutation to be bounded by a constant which is less than one.

Serotonin syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Hyperserotonemia; Serotonergic syndrome; Serotonin toxicity; SSRI - serotonin syndrome; MAO - serotonin syndrome ... brain area. For example, you can develop this syndrome if you take migraine medicines called triptans together ...

Improvements for extending the time between maintenance periods for the Heidelberg ion beam therapy center (HIT) ion sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winkelmann, Tim, E-mail: tim.winkelmann@med.uni-heidelberg.de; Cee, Rainer; Haberer, Thomas; Naas, Bernd; Peters, Andreas; Schreiner, Jochen [Heidelberger Ionenstrahl-Therapie Centrum (HIT), D -69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

2014-02-15

The clinical operation at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT) started in November 2009; since then more than 1600 patients have been treated. In a 24/7 operation scheme two 14.5 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion sources are routinely used to produce protons and carbon ions. The modification of the low energy beam transport line and the integration of a third ion source into the therapy facility will be shown. In the last year we implemented a new extraction system at all three sources to enhance the lifetime of extraction parts and reduce preventive and corrective maintenance. The new four-electrode-design provides electron suppression as well as lower beam emittance. Unwanted beam sputtering effects which typically lead to contamination of the insulator ceramics and subsequent high-voltage break-downs are minimized by the beam guidance of the new extraction system. By this measure the service interval can be increased significantly. As a side effect, the beam emittance can be reduced allowing a less challenging working point for the ion sources without reducing the effective beam performance. This paper gives also an outlook to further enhancements at the HIT ion source testbench.

The application of SHIELD-HIT12A computer code to calculate of absorption dose for in vitro and in vivo test in BNCT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yohannes Sardjono; Hamidatul Faqqiyyah; Niels Bassler

2014-01-01

The projection of world population growth and increased longevity are leading to a rapid increase in the total number of middle-aged and older adults, with a corresponding increase in the number of deaths caused by non communicable diseases. It is projected that the annual number of deaths due to cardiovascular disease will increase from 17 million in 2008 to 25 million in 2030 with annual cancer deaths increasing from 7.6 million to 13 million. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy is a therapy that utilizes the absorption interaction of Boron-10 with thermal neutron and become He-4 particle and located in cell target and very short half life gamma emission. Studies were carried out to dose distribution in HER-2+ breast cancer therapy by Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) using SHIELD Heavy Ion Therapy (HIT12A) T program. The Monte Carlo particle transport code SHIELD-HIT1 is designed to precisely simulate therapeutic beams of protons and ions in biological tissue relevant for ion beam cancer therapy. SHIELD-HIT (Heavy Ion Therapy) evolved from the common SHIELD code that models interactions of hadrons and atomic nuclei in complex extended targets in the energy range up to 1 TeV/nucleon. Through this computer code can be applied to calculate of absorption dose in cell target. (author)

Stochastic, weighted hit size theory of cellular radiobiological action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bond, V.P.; Varma, M.N.

1982-01-01

A stochastic theory that appears to account well for the observed responses of cell populations exposed in radiation fields of different qualities and for different durations of exposure is described. The theory appears to explain well most cellular radiobiological phenomena observed in at least autonomous cell systems, argues for the use of fluence rate (phi) instead of absorbed dose for quantification of the amount of radiation involved in low level radiation exposure. With or without invoking the cell sensitivity function, the conceptual improvement would be substantial. The approach suggested also shows that the absorbed dose-cell response functions currently employed do not reflect the spectrum of cell sensitivities to increasing cell doses of a single agent, nor can RBE represent the potency ratio for different agents that can produce similar quantal responses. Thus, for accurate comparison of cell sensitivities among different cells in the same individual, or between the cells in different kinds of individuals, it is necessary to quantify cell sensitivity in terms of the hit size weighting or cell sensitivity function introduced here. Similarly, this function should be employed to evaluate the relative potency of radiation and other radiomimetic chemical or physical agents

[Association Budd Chiari syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome and Grave's disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Mouelhi, Leila; Chaieb, Mouna; Debbeche, Radhouane; Salem, Mohamed; Sfar, Imene; Trabelsi, Sinda; Gorgi, Yosr; Najjar, Taoufik

2009-02-01

Antiphospholipid syndrome is revealed by Budd Chiari syndrome in 5% of the cases. Antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by venous or arterial thrombosis, foetal loss and positivity of antiphospholipid antibodies, namely lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I. Anticardiolipin antibodies was reported in auto-immune thyroid disorders, particularly in Grave's disease. Antiphospholipid syndrome associated to Grave's disease was reported in only three cases. To describe a case report of association of Grave's disease and antiphospholipid syndrome. We report the first case of Grave's disease associated with antiphospholipid syndrome, revealed by Budd Chiari syndrome. Our observation is particular by the fact that it is about a patient presenting a Grave's disease associated with antiphospholipid syndrome revealed by Budd Chiari syndrome. This triple association has never been reported in literature. Although association between antiphospholipid syndrome and Grave's disease was previously described, further studies evaluating the coexistence of these two affections in the same patient would be useful.

Duane Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

... Frequently Asked Questions Español Condiciones Chinese Conditions Duane Syndrome En Español Read in Chinese What is Duane Syndrome? Duane syndrome, also called Duane retraction syndrome (DRS), ...

Wells syndrome and its relationship to Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratzinger, Gudrun; Zankl, Julia; Zelger, Bernhard

2013-08-01

  Wells syndrome has been described as an inflammatory disorder based on typical clinical appearance combined with the histopathological presence of eosinophilic infiltrates and flame figures in the absence of vasculitis. Churg-Strauss syndrome, on the other hand, is primarily a diffuse, necrotizing vasculitis but is also typically displaying eosinophils and flame figures. Despite several parallels, the present understanding of these two diseases excludes any pathogenetic relationship.   We describe the clinical course and histopathological appearance of three patients who had initially been diagnosed with Wells syndrome that developed into Churg-Strauss syndrome during the course of their disease.   The clinical presentation of all three patients led to the diagnosis of Wells syndrome by independent specialists. Histopathology showed an eosinophilic infiltrate and flame figures next to features of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Detailed examination revealed asthma bronchiale and additional symptoms indicating Churg-Strauss syndrome. The initial diagnosis of Wells syndrome had to be revised to Churg-Strauss syndrome.   We conclude that Wells syndrome could be the starting point of a pathogenetic process that might reach its maximum in Churg-Strauss syndrome. As a clinical consequence, patients with Wells syndrome should be evaluated and followed for Churg-Strauss syndrome. © 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.

HIT-Sanyo: Revolutionary technology, what is the truth and what a hoax? New technology from Japan tested in Germany; ''Sanyo-HIT: Revolutionaere Technik oder mehr Schein als Sein?''. Neue Technik aus Japan in Deutschland erprobt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rust, T. [Atmosphaere GmbH, Laatzen (Germany); Kohake, D. [Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen (Germany). Fachbereich Elektrotechnik; Rossner, M. [Fachhochschule Coburg (Germany). Fachbereich Elektrotechnik und Informatik

2004-07-01

The new modules from Japanese manufacturer Sanyo with the HIT-Technology are supposed to have the worlds best efficiency. In addition the manufacturer claims that by the HIT-Technology the modules supply more energy output compared to conventional crystalline solar modules. This article tries to prove these statements by outdoor investigation. Measurements of one grid connected system, which contains Sanyo, Kyocera and Ersol modules, show that Sanyo modules have at least 7% more energy output than the other modules. DC-measurements at Sanyo and BP modules even prove that due to the low temperature coefficient the Sanyo modules cope better with high cell temperatures compared to the BP ones. In addition the inspection sheets given by Sanyo seem to contain lower power data than determined in field measurements which may be caused by the different spectral consistence of the test light in Japan. The data collected during the second half of 2003 reveals that systems with Sanyo modules can provide 7% and more plus of energy output than systems with other well-known modules. Nevertheless it will be interesting to gather long time data of plants with Sanyo modules in order to achieve a statement of how the energy output evolves during the period of at least one year. (orig.)

Goldenhar Syndrome in Association with Duane Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U D Shrestha

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Goldenhar syndrome (GHS is also known as Oculo-Auriculo-Vertebral (OAV syndrome or Branchial arch syndrome. Duane retraction syndrome (DRS is a congenital disorder of ocular motility characterized by limited abduction, adduction or both. It is unilateral in 80% of cases. The important and interesting part of this eight months old child is presence of GHS with DRS. She has bilateral invol-vement, which is seen in only 5-8% of GHS, as compared to high incidence of unilateral involve-ment. This child also had refractive error of + 6.00/ - 1.5 * 180. At four year of age her vision with glass was 6/9. Children with GHS and DRS should have early eye examination done to treat the problem of refractive error. Keywords: Duane retraction syndrome; goldenhar syndrome, refractive error.

Rationale and study protocol for a multi-component Health Information Technology (HIT) screening tool for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the primary care setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Biegler, Kelly; Mollica, Richard; Sim, Susan Elliott; Nicholas, Elisa; Chandler, Maria; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Paigne, Kittya; Paigne, Sompia; Nguyen, Danh V; Sorkin, Dara H

2016-09-01

The prevalence rate of depression in primary care is high. Primary care providers serve as the initial point of contact for the majority of patients with depression, yet, approximately 50% of cases remain unrecognized. The under-diagnosis of depression may be further exacerbated in limited English-language proficient (LEP) populations. Language barriers may result in less discussion of patients' mental health needs and fewer referrals to mental health services, particularly given competing priorities of other medical conditions and providers' time pressures. Recent advances in Health Information Technology (HIT) may facilitate novel ways to screen for depression and other mental health disorders in LEP populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale and protocol of a clustered randomized controlled trial that will test the effectiveness of an HIT intervention that provides a multi-component approach to delivering culturally competent, mental health care in the primary care setting. The HIT intervention has four components: 1) web-based provider training, 2) multimedia electronic screening of depression and PTSD in the patients' primary language, 3) Computer generated risk assessment scores delivered directly to the provider, and 4) clinical decision support. The outcomes of the study include assessing the potential of the HIT intervention to improve screening rates, clinical detection, provider initiation of treatment, and patient outcomes for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among LEP Cambodian refugees who experienced war atrocities and trauma during the Khmer Rouge. This technology has the potential to be adapted to any LEP population in order to facilitate mental health screening and treatment in the primary care setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scientific impact: the story of your big hit

Science.gov (United States)

Sinatra, Roberta; Wang, Dashun; Deville, Pierre; Song, Chaoming; Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo

2014-03-01

A gradual increase in performance through learning and practice characterize most trades, from sport to music or engineering, and common sense suggests this to be true in science as well. This prompts us to ask: what are the precise patterns that lead to scientific excellence? Does performance indeed improve throughout a scientific career? Are there quantifiable signs of an impending scientific hit? Using citation-based measures as a proxy of impact, we show that (i) major discoveries are not preceded by works of increasing impact, nor are followed by work of higher impact, (ii) the precise time ranking of the highest impact work in a scientist's career is uniformly random, with the higher probability to have a major discovery in the middle of scientific careers being due only to changes in productivity, (iii) there is a strong correlation between the highest impact work and average impact of a scientist's work. These findings suggest that the impact of a paper is drawn randomly from an impact distribution that is unique for each scientist. We present a model which allows to reconstruct the individual impact distribution, making possible to create synthetic careers that exhibit the same properties of the real data and to define a ranking based on the overall impact of a scientist. RS acknowledges support from the James McDonnell Foundation.

Fanconi syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

De Toni-Fanconi syndrome ... Fanconi syndrome can be caused by faulty genes, or it may result later in life due to kidney damage. Sometimes the cause of Fanconi syndrome is unknown. Common causes of Fanconi syndrome in ...

OCULO-CEREBRO-RENAL SYNDROME (LOWE'S SYNDROME)

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

1991-01-01

Oculo-cerebro-renal syndrome (Lowe's syndrome) is characterized by mental and motor retardation, cataract, glaucoma and renal abnormalities. It is an X-linked recessive metabolic disease. Two brothers suffering from Lowe's syndrome are reported. Their mother with lenticular opacities and peculiar facial appearance is in concordance with the obligate carrier. The ocular changes and heridity are discussed.

Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome or LEOPARD Syndrome? A clinical dilemma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tullu M

2000-04-01

Full Text Available Neurofibromatosis (NF, Noonan syndrome (NS, and LEOPARD syndrome are all autosomal dominant conditions, each being a distinct clinical entity by itself. Rarely, one encounters cases with features of NF and NS and is termed as the ′Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome′ (NF-NS. The authors report a clinical dilemma with major clinical features of the NF-NS syndrome and LEOPARD syndrome co-existing in the same patient. Also, features of Noonan syndrome and LEOPARD syndrome are compared with the case reported.

Formation and sustainment of a very low aspect ratio tokamak using coaxial helicity injection (the Helicity Injected Torus [HIT] experiment)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T.R.; Nelson, B.A.

1992-01-01

In the paper we will detail the progress of the HIT experiment construction, including the following components: preliminary data and interpretation; diagnostic systems; vacuum vessel and pumping system; helicity source and power supplies; toroidal field coil and power supply; data acquisition system; collaboration with general atomics, with a brief summary given on each

Preclinical investigations towards the first spacer gel application in prostate cancer treatment during particle therapy at HIT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruciński, Antoni; Parodi, Katia; Jäkel, Oliver; Haberer, Thomas; Bauer, Julia; Campbell, Patrick; Brons, Stephan; Unholtz, Daniel; Habl, Gregor; Herfarth, Klaus; Debus, Jürgen; Bert, Christoph

2013-01-01

The application of spacer gel represents a promising approach to reliably spare the rectal frontal wall during particle therapy (IJROBP 76:1251-1258, 2010). In order to qualify the spacer gel for the clinical use in particle therapy, a variety of measurements were performed in order to ensure the biological compatibility of the gel, its physical stability during and after the irradiation, and a proper definition of the gel in terms of the Hounsfield Unit (HU) values for the treatment planning system. The potential for the use of the spacer gel for particle therapy monitoring with off-line Positron Emission Tomography (PET) was also investigated. The spacer gel implanted to the prostate patient in direct neighbourhood to the clinical target volume does not interfere with the particle therapy treatment planning procedure applied at Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Centre (HIT). The performed measurements show that Bragg-peak position of the particles can be properly predicted on the basis of computed tomography imaging with the treatment planning system used at HIT (measured water equivalent path length of 1.011 ±0.011 (2σ), measured Hounsfield Unit of 28.9 ±6.1 (2σ)). The spacer gel samples remain physically unchanged after irradiation with a dose exceeding the therapeutic dose level. The independently measured Bragg-Peak position does not change within the time interval of 10 weeks. As a result of the presented experiments, the first clinical application of spacer gel implant during prostate cancer treatment with carbon ions and protons was possible at HIT in 2012. The reported pre-clinical investigations demonstrate that use of spacer gel is safe in particle therapy in presence of therapy target motion and patient positioning induced particle range variations. The spacer gel injected between prostate and rectum enlarge the distance between both organs, which is expected to clinically significantly decrease the undesirable exposure of the most critical organ at risk