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Sample records for mac disease patients

  1. Patients with MAC Lung Disease Have a Low Visceral Fat Area and Low Nutrient Intake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kentaro Wakamatsu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. This study aimed to examine the nutritional status and nutrient intake of patients with MAC lung disease with a focus on visceral fat area. Patients and Methods. Among 116 patients of our hospital with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis who were registered between May 2010 and August 2011, 103 patients with MAC lung disease were included in this study. In all patients, nutritional status and nutrient intake were prospectively examined. Results. Patients were 23 men and 80 women (mean age, 72.3±10.9 years. BMI (kg/m2 at the time of registration was 20.4±2.7 in men and 19.2±2.9 in women. Visceral fat area (cm2 was significantly lower in women (35.7±26.6 than in men (57.5±47.4 (p=0.0111. The comparison with general healthy adults according to age revealed a markedly reduced visceral fat area among patients with MAC lung disease. With respect to nutrient intake, energy adequacy (86.1±15.7%, protein adequacy (82.4±18.2%, lipid adequacy (78.1±21.8%, and carbohydrate adequacy (89.6±19.2% ratios were all low at the time of registration. BMI was significantly correlated with protein adequacy (p=0.0397 and lipid adequacy (p=0.0214 ratios, while no association was found between visceral fat area and nutrient intake. Conclusion. Patients with MAC lung disease had a low visceral fat area and low nutrient intake.

  2. The MacNew Heart Disease health-related quality of life instrument: A summary

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    Guyatt Gordon

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The measurement of health, the effects of disease, and the impact of health care include not only an indication of changes in disease frequency and severity but also an estimate of patients' perception of health status before and after treatment. One of the more important developments in health care in the past decade may be the recognition that the patient's perspective is as legitimate and valid as the clinician's in monitoring health care outcomes. This has lead to the development of instruments to quantify the patients' perception of their health status before and after treatment. Methods We review evidence supporting the measurement properties of the MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of Life [MacNew] Questionnaire which was designed to evaluate how daily activities and physical, emotional, and social functioning are affected by coronary heart disease and its treatment. Results Reliability was demonstrated by using internal consistency and the intraclass correlation coefficients for the three domains in the Dutch, English, Farsi, German, and Spanish versions of the MacNew. With internal consistency and intraclass correlation coefficients =>0.73, reliability is high. Validity of the MacNew was examined with factor analysis and three core underlying factors, physical, emotional, and social, were identified, explaining 63.0 – 66.5% of the observed variance and replicated in the translations with psychometric data. Construct validity of the MacNew was further demonstrated by extensive substantiation of the logical relationships, defined a priori, between items and other comparison tools. The MacNew is responsive and sensitive to changes in HRQL following various interventions for patients with heart disease with 11 of 13 effect size statistics >0.80. Taking an average of 10 minutes or less to complete, the respondent-burden for the MacNew is low and its acceptability is demonstrated by response rates of over 90

  3. Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC isolated from AIDS patients and the criteria required for its implication in disease Complexo Mycobacterium avium (MAC isolado de pacientes com AIDS e os critérios exigidos para sua implicação em doença

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Jamil Hadad

    1995-10-01

    Full Text Available Before the AIDS pandemia, the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC was responsible in most cases for the pneumopathies that attack patients with basic chronic pulmonary diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis36. In 1981, with the advent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, MAC started to represent one of the most frequent bacterial diseases among AIDS patients, with the disseminated form of the disease being the major clinical manifestation of the infection8. Between January 1989 and February 1991, the Section of Mycobacteria of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, São Paulo, isolated MAC from 103 patients by culturing different sterile and no-sterile processed specimens collected from 2304 patients seen at the AIDS Reference and Training Center and/or Emilio Ribas Infectology Institute. Disseminated disease was diagnosed in 29 of those patients on the basis of MAC isolation from blood and/or bone marrow aspirate. The other 74 patients were divided into categories highly (5, moderately (26 and little suggestive of disease (43 according to the criteria of DAVIDSON (198910. The various criteria for MAC isolation from sterile and non-sterile specimens are discussed.Anterior a pandemia de AIDS, o Complexo Mycobacterium avium (MAC era responsável pela maioria das vezes, por pneumopatias acometendo pacientes com doença pulmonar crônica de base como enfisema e bronquite crônica36. Em 1981, com o advento da síndrome de imunodeficiência adquirida (SIDA, o MAC passou a representar uma das doenças bacterianas mais frequentes em pacientes com esta síndrome, sendo a doença disseminada a principal forma de manifestação clínica da infecção8. Entre Janeiro de 1989 e Fevereiro de 1991, no Setor de Micobactérias do Instituto Adolfo Lutz em São Paulo, o MAC foi isolado de 103 pacientes a partir do cultivo de diferentes espécimes estéreis e não estéreis processados, coletados de 2.304 pacientes atendidos no Centro de Referência e

  4. Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) in a 34-year-old patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolai, Heleen; Wirix, Mieke; Spielberg, Leigh; Leys, Anita

    2014-09-23

    We report macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) in a 34-year-old man, the youngest patient so far published with MacTel type 2. The patient presented with metamorphopsia and impaired reading ability. Diagnosis was based on bilateral abnormal macular autofluorescence, perifoveal telangiectasia with fluorescein angiographic hyperfluorescence without cystoid oedema, a small foveal avascular zone, asymmetric configuration of the foveal pit, disruptions in the inner segment/outer segment layer and hyper-reflective haze and spots in the outer nuclear layer. Although MacTel usually manifests with a slowly progressive decrease in visual acuity in the fifth to seventh decades of life, younger patients may occasionally be diagnosed with the disease. Awareness of subtle signs of the condition is essential for early diagnosis. 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

  5. Validity and Reliability of the MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire in Patients with Heart Failure: The Persian Version

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    Mohammad Abbasi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Heart failure due to changes in the lungs, circulation, and skeletal muscle adversely influences the quality of life. Objectives: The objective of the present study is to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the MacNew in patients with heart failure. Patients and Methods: The 200 Iranian patients who referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital in Qom were recruited by convenience sampling. All the patients filled out the MacNew HRQL questionnaire, the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS, the Short Form- 36 and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. The reliability of the MacNew was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, convergent validity and discriminant validity. Discriminant validity of MacNew was assessed by the known-groups approach. All analyses were done through SPSS, version 20, and level of significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results: The mean MacNew Global score was 3.6 ± 0.82. Our results demonstrated that internal consistency (α = 0.94 and reproducibility (ICC = 0.84 of the Persian version of the MacNew were confirmed. The Factor analysis confirmed three factors as the original MacNew. Convergent and divergent validity of the MacNew was confirmed by its correlation pattern with physical and mental components of the SF-36. Discriminative validity was confirmed statistically and clinically for the differences in the MacNew scores on the Global scale and each subscale between Iranian patients with and without anxiety and depression. Conclusions: The Persian version of the MacNew HRQL questionnaire can be applied as a reliable and valid tool in the clinical research for Iranian patients with heart failure.

  6. Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease: characteristics and treatment in an Irish patient cohort.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Judge, EP

    2016-04-01

    The prevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease is increasing globally. However, reliable national and international data relating to its epidemiology and management is lacking. During the period 2003-2014, MAC was isolated from the pulmonary samples of 75 patients at the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory (IMRL). Most patients (42, 56%) had underlying pulmonary disease, and 37 (49%) had clinical\\/radiographic characteristics consistent with MAC pulmonary disease. However, only 18 patients (24%) fulfilled internationally accepted criteria for diagnosis\\/treatment of this disease. Treatment was started in 13 (72%) of these cases, which is similar to internationally published treatment rates. The diagnosis of significant MAC pulmonary disease can be difficult, and treatment is not always warranted even when diagnostic criteria are met.

  7. GENETIC FINGERPRINTING OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX (MAC) ORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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    A particularly pathogenic group of mycobacteria belong to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which includes M. avium and M. intracellulare. MAC organisms cause disease in children, the elderly, and immuno-compromised individuals. A critical step in preventing MAC infections...

  8. Evaluation of Fucosylated Haptoglobin and Mac-2 Binding Protein as Serum Biomarkers to Estimate Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C.

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    Seiichi Tawara

    Full Text Available Fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hpt and Mac-2 binding protein (Mac-2 bp are identified as cancer biomarkers, based on the results from a glyco-proteomic analysis. Recently, we reported that these glyco-biomarkers were associated with liver fibrosis and/or ballooning hepatocytes in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. We evaluated the ability of these glycoproteins to estimate liver fibrosis in 317 patients with chronic hepatitis C. We measured the serum Fuc-Hpt and Mac-2 bp levels using a lectin-antibody ELISA and ELISA, respectively. The serum levels of both Fuc-Hpt and Mac-2 bp increased with the progression of liver fibrosis. The multivariate analysis revealed that Mac-2 bp was an independent factor associated with moderate liver fibrosis (F ≥ 2. In contrast, Fuc-Hpt was an independent factor associated with advanced liver fibrosis (F ≥ 3. In terms of evaluating liver fibrosis, the serum levels of these glycomarkers were correlated with well-known liver fibrosis indexes, such as the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI and Fibrosis-4 (FIB4 index. An assay that combined the APRI or FIB4 index and the Fuc-Hpt or Mac-2 bp levels increased the AUC value for diagnosing hepatic fibrosis. Interestingly, the cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC was significantly higher in the patients with elevated serum levels of Fuc-Hpt and Mac-2 bp. In conclusion, both Fuc-Hpt and Mac-2 bp could be useful glyco-biomarkers of liver fibrosis and predictors of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

  9. MITRAL ANNULAR CALCIFICATION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS: RELATIONSHIP WITH CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND RISK FACTORS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES CAUSED BY ATHEROSCLEROSIS

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    G. M. Urvacheva

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim – to study the association of the mitral annular calcification (MAC with traditional risk factors and clinical manifestations of atherosclerosisin patients aged over 65 years without diabetes.Materials and methods. The prospective study included 100 patients over 65 years with MAC consistently identified among 910 ambulatory patients after transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in relation to the symptoms of cardiovascular disease. The comparison group consisted of 65 consecutively examined patients aged over 65 with no MAC.Results. When comparing risk factors in patients with and without MAC, MAC statistically significant differences was found with age (72,4 ± 5,4 and 70,2 ± 4,3 years, respectively; p = 0,006, the incidence of hypertension of moderate and severe degree (99 % and 90.8 % of patients, p = 0.012, levels of total cholesterol – TC (6,91 ± 0,92 and 6,2 ± 0,90 mmol / l, p = 0.0008 and lipoproteinlow density (3,57 ± 0,95 and 2,96 ± 0,96 mmol / l, p = 0.004 in subgroups of patients aged 65 to 70 years. In multivariate analysis remained statistically significant association of MAC only with age (p = 0,025, β = 0,173 and total cholesterol levels (p = 0,040; β = 0,160. Averages of the coefficient of atherogenicity of blood lipids, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, body mass index, waist circumference, the frequency of smoking, and risk assessment on a scale of SCORE in groups of patients with and without MAC did not differ significantly. In patients with MAC was higher incidence of myocardial infarction (p = 0.024 and more often than in patients without MAC, diagnosed coronary heart disease (p = 0.029. In the multivariate analysis adjusted for age and total cholesterol level is set significantly associated with the presence and extent of MAC with symptomatic atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (p < 0,00001; β = 0,410.Conclusion. In patients with MAC older than 65 years without diabetes

  10. Cellular immune responses to ESAT-6 discriminate between patients with pulmonary disease due to Mycobacterium avium complex and those with pulmonary disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lein, A D; von Reyn, C F; Ravn, P

    1999-01-01

    ESAT-6 (for 6-kDa early secreted antigenic target) is a secreted antigen found almost exclusively in organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. We compared in vitro gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) responses by peripheral blood mononuclear cells to this antigen in patients with pulmonary...... disease due to either Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis with those in healthy, skin test-negative, control subjects. Significant IFN-gamma responses to ESAT-6 were detected in 16 (59%) of 27 M. tuberculosis pulmonary disease patients, 0 (0%) of 8 MAC disease patients, and 0...... (0%) of 8 controls. Significant IFN-gamma responses to M. tuberculosis purified protein derivative were detected in 23 (85%) of 27 M. tuberculosis disease patients, 2 (25%) of 8 MAC disease patients, and 5 (63%) of 8 healthy controls. M. avium sensitin was recognized in 24 (89%) of 27 M. tuberculosis...

  11. [Spanish validation of the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment interview to assess patients competence to consent treatment].

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    Alvarez Marrodán, Ignacio; Baón Pérez, Beatriz; Navío Acosta, Mercedes; López-Antón, Raul; Lobo Escolar, Elena; Ventura Faci, Tirso

    2014-09-09

    To validate the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) Spanish version, which assesses the mental capacity of patients to consent treatment, by examining 4 areas (Understanding, Appreciation, Reasoning and Expressing a choice). 160 subjects (80 Internal Medicine inpatients, 40 Psychiatric inpatients and 40 healthy controls). MacCAT-T, Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE). Feasibility study, reliability and validity calculations (against to gold standard of clinical expert). Mean duration of the MacCAT-T interview was 18min. Inter-rater reliability: Intraclass correlation coefficient for Understanding=0.98, Appreciation=0.97, Reasoning=0.98, Expressing a choice=0.91. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha): Understanding=0.87, for Appreciation=0.76, for Reasoning=0.86. Patients considered to be incapable (gold standard) scored lower in all the MacCAT-T areas. Poor performance on the MacCAT-T was related to cognitive impairment assessed by MMSE. Spanish version of the MacCAT-T is feasible, reliable, and valid for assessing the capacity of patients to consent treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  12. VALIDATION OF THE MACNEW QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ISHEMIC HEART DISEASE

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    N. V. Pogosova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Recently, a greater emphasis is being placed on health-related quality of life (HRQL in both global and Russian practice. In many countries HRQL in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD is assessed by a disease-specific questionnaire – The MacNew Heart Disease HRQL questionnaire (MacNew – that has been validated in many countries, but not yet in Russia.Aim. To validate Russian MacNew questionnaire in patients with different clinical types of ICD.Material and methods. Direct and reverse translation of the MacNew questionnaire was performed in accordance with the protocol of international HeartQol study. The patients (n=322 with angina, myocardial infarction, and heart failure were enrolled into the study and completed the Short-Form 36 (SF-36, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS and the Mac-New at the baseline; approximately 20% of the patients were reexamined 2 weeks later. The conceptual framework, reliability and validity of the Russian version of MacNew HRQL questionnaire were assessed.Results. The Russian version of MacNew questionnaire demonstrated sufficient internal consistency with Cronbach’s α exceeding 0.80. High test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was established in the total sample of ICD patients (0.949; p<0.01. Factor analysis in general substantiated the conceptual model of the Russian version of MacNew and its satisfactory content validity. Convergent validity was confirmed by strong correlations between the subscales of Russian MacNew questionnaire and conceptually similar subscales of the SF-36 survey (in the total sample and in separated clinical groups. Discriminant validity of the Russian version of MacNew was also confirmed differentiating patients with different SF-36 health transition and patients with and without anxiety and depression (HADS questionnaire.Conclusions. The Russian version of MacNew HRQL questionnaire has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity as compared

  13. Comparison of the C-MAC video laryngoscope to the Macintosh laryngoscope for intubation of blunt trauma patients in the ED

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    Erkan Goksu

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: We aimed to compare the performance of the C-MAC video laryngoscope (C-MAC to the Macintosh laryngoscope for intubation of blunt trauma patients in the ED. Material and methods: This was a prospective randomized study. The primary outcome measure is overall successful intubation. Secondary outcome measures are first attempt successful intubation, Cormack–Lehane (CL grade, and indicators of the reasons for unsuccessful intubation at the first attempt with each device. Adult patients who suffered from blunt trauma and required intubation were randomized to video laryngoscopy with C-MAC device or direct laryngoscopy (DL. Results: During a 17-month period, a total of 150 trauma intubations were performed using a C-MAC and DL. Baseline characteristics of patients were similar between the C-MAC and DL group. Overall success for the C-MAC was 69/75 (92%, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.96 while for the DL it was 72/75 (96%, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98. First attempt success for the C-MAC was 47/75 (62.7%, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.72 while for the DL it was 44/75 patients (58.7%, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.69. The mean time to achieve successful intubation was 33.4 ± 2.5 s for the C-MAC versus 42.4 ± 5.1 s for the DL (p = 0.93. There was a statistically significant difference between the DL and C-MAC in terms of visualizing the glottic opening and esophageal intubation in favor of the C-MAC (p = 0.002 and p = 0.013 respectively. Discussion and conclusion: The overall success rates were similar. The C-MAC demonstrated improved glottic view and decrease in esophageal intubation rate. Keywords: Airway management, Emergency medicine, Video laryngoscope

  14. Enterprise Mac Security Mac OS X Snow Leopard Security

    CERN Document Server

    Edge, Stephen Charles; Hunter, Beau; Sullivan, Gene; LeBlanc, Dee-Ann

    2010-01-01

    A common misconception in the Mac community is that Mac's operating system is more secure than others. While this might be true in certain cases, security on the Mac is still a crucial issue. When sharing is enabled or remote control applications are installed, Mac OS X faces a variety of security threats. Enterprise Mac Security: Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a definitive, expert-driven update of the popular, slash-dotted first edition and was written in part as a companion to the SANS Institute course for Mac OS X. It contains detailed Mac OS X security information, and walkthroughs on securing s

  15. Technical Report : ContikiMAC vs X-MAC performance analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Michel, Mathieu; Quoitin, Bruno

    2014-01-01

    This paper try to better understand the performance of ContikiMAC compared to X-MAC. ContikiMAC achieves a transmission by repeatedly transmitting a data packet until the reception of an ACK from the destination. While X-MAC uses a stream of small size strobes to advertise the destination of the incoming transmission. A priori, X-MAC is then less bandwidth consumptive. To better understand the efficiency of ContikiMAC, despite an intuitively more consumptive transmitting procedure, we have co...

  16. The characteristics of patients with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex disease diagnosed by bronchial lavage culture compared to those diagnosed by sputum culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maekawa, Koichi; Naka, Megumi; Shuto, Saki; Harada, Yuka; Ikegami, Yumiko

    2017-09-01

    The utility of bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) disease has been reported; however, which patients require bronchoscopy remains unclear. Our objective was to identify the characteristics of the patients in whom bronchoscopy is needed for the diagnosis of MAC disease. Fifty-four patients with pulmonary MAC disease were divided into two groups according to established diagnostic criteria: 39 patients were diagnosed by sputum culture and 15 patients were diagnosed by bronchial lavage culture. We analysed the differences in demographic and clinical characteristics as well as microbiological and radiological data between the two groups. There were no significant differences in age, sex, smoking status, MAC species, underlying diseases, or steroid use. Significantly more patients diagnosed by sputum culture than bronchial lavage culture had a positive sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli (79.5% vs. 0.0%, respectively; p disease, bronchiectasis, and cavities. However, more patients diagnosed by sputum culture than bronchial lavage culture had abnormalities in the left upper division (48.7% vs. 13.3%, respectively; p = 0.017) and higher numbers of affected lobes (4.3 ± 1.4 vs. 3.3 ± 1.6, respectively; p = 0.034). If patients suspected of having pulmonary MAC disease have a negative sputum smear, no symptoms, no abnormal findings in the left upper division, or fewer affected lobes on computed tomography, bronchoscopy might be needed for the diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. MAC reduction of isoflurane by sufentanil.

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    Brunner, M D; Braithwaite, P; Jhaveri, R; McEwan, A I; Goodman, D K; Smith, L R; Glass, P S

    1994-01-01

    We have shown previously that a plasma fentanyl concentration of 1.67 ng ml-1 reduced the MAC of isoflurane by 50%. By comparing equal degrees of MAC reduction by sufentanil, we may determine the potency ratio of these opioids. Seventy-six patients were allocated randomly to receive predetermined infusions of sufentanil, and end-tidal concentrations of isoflurane in oxygen. Blood samples were obtained 10 min after the start of the infusion, and just before and after skin incision. Any purposeful movement by the patient was recorded. The MAC reduction of isoflurane produced by sufentanil was obtained using a logistic regression model. A sufentanil plasma concentration of 0.145 ng ml-1 (95% confidence limits 0.04, 0.26 ng ml-1) resulted in a 50% reduction in the MAC of isoflurane. At a plasma concentration greater than 0.5 ng ml-1, sufentanil exhibited a ceiling effect.

  18. Mac Bible

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    Spivey, Dwight

    2009-01-01

    This essential guide answers all your questions on using a Macintosh computer, whether you?re unpacking your very first Mac after switching from a PC or upgrading from an older Mac. You?ll walk through all pre-installed Mac applications, including using Mac OS X, browsing the Web using Safari, downloading music from the iTunes store, troubleshooting Mac-specific problems, organizing photos in iPhoto, organizing calendars in iCal, editing digital video in iMovie, and more.

  19. Alterações de linguagem em pacientes idosos portadores de demência avaliados com a Bateria MAC Language alterations in elderly patients with dementia assessed with the MAC Battery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristine Koehler

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Identificar as alterações de linguagem em um grupo de pacientes idosos portadores de demência nas tarefas de evocação lexical livre, com critério ortográfico e com critério semântico, interpretação de metáforas e discurso narrativo da Bateria Montreal de Avaliação da Comunicação - Bateria MAC, bem como, verificar a frequência de déficits. MÉTODOS: Participaram do estudo 13 pacientes com demência de grau leve a moderada, atendidos no Setor de Neurologia do Ambulatório de Distúrbios do Movimento e Demências do Hospital Santa Clara da Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre (ISCMPA. O instrumento neuropsicológico de avaliação foi a Bateria MAC e a aplicação das tarefas seguiu a seguinte ordem: evocação lexical livre, evocação lexical com critério ortográfico, evocação lexical com critério semântico, interpretação de metáforas e discurso narrativo. RESULTADOS: O grupo de pacientes com demência apresentou desempenho deficitário em todas as tarefas da Bateria MAC que foram avaliadas, com diferença significativa. Além disso, os participantes apresentaram maior frequência de déficits, em ordem decrescente, nas tarefas de reconto parcial do discurso narrativo (informações essenciais e presentes, seguidas pelas tarefas de evocação lexical com critério ortográfico e com critério semântico, e reconto integral do discurso narrativo. Pelo menos dois pacientes apresentaram alterações de desempenho em alguma das cinco tarefas realizadas da Bateria MAC. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação de linguagem através da Bateria MAC permitiu a verificação de alterações do processamento linguístico em idosos com demência, o que caracteriza que tal instrumento também é aplicável para esta população clínica.PURPOSE: To identify language deficits in a group of elderly patients with dementia in tasks of free lexical retrieval, lexical retrieval with orthographic and semantic criteria

  20. Serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein expression predicts disease severity in chronic hepatitis C patients

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    Ching-I Huang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+-M2BP has recently been developed as a promising liver fibrosis glyco biomarker. We assessed its efficacy in evaluating liver disease severity in chronic hepatitis C (CHC in Taiwan. The association between WFA+-M2BP and histological features was evaluated among those CHC patients underwent liver biopsy. We also aimed to clarify the factors determining the performance of WFA+-M2BP in CHC. A total of 229 CHC patients were consecutively recruited. The mean value of WFA+-M2BP in patients from F0 to F4 was 1.68, 2.23, 3.45, 3.48, 3.77 respectively (linear trend P = 0.008. Linear regression analysis revealed that alanine aminotransferase (odds ratio [OR]: 0.03, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.02–0.05, P < 0.001, AST (OR: −0.1, 95% CI: −0.02 to −0.01, P < 0.001, and liver fibrosis (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.01–0.59, P = 0.043 were the independent factors correlated to serum WFA+-M2BP level. The optimal cutoff values of WFA+-M2BP for fibrosis stages F1, F2, F3, and F4 were 1.42, 1.61, 1.42, and 2.67, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the platelet count (OR/CI: −0.009/0.986–0.996, P = <0.001, r-glutamyl transferase (OR/CI: 0.007/1.000–1.013, P = 0.036, and WFA+-M2BP (OR/CI: 0.187/1.057–1.374, P = 0.005. We concluded that WFA+-M2BP is a competent noninvasive marker for liver fibrosis assessment in CHC patients.

  1. [Pulmonary Mycobacterium Avium-Complex (MAC) Disease Differentially Diagnosed from Metastasis of Testicular Cancer : A Case Report].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mori, Kohei; Teranishi, Jyn-Ichi; Yoneyama, Shuko; Ishida, Hiroaki; Hattori, Yusuke; Yumura, Yasushi; Miyoshi, Yasuhide; Kondo, Keiichi; Uemura, Hiroji; Noguchi, Kazumi

    2017-01-01

    A 45 year-old-man was admitted to our hospital because of discomfort in his left scrotum. He had a left testicular tumor. We performed high orchiectomy and pathological findings revealed testicular cancer. He was treated with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Computed tomography showed a new mass in the left lung after 3 cycles of the chemotherapy. Because of its rapid growth, the tumor was thought to be a metastasis lesion of testicular cancer or pulmonary infection. Transbronchial lung biopsy showed an invasion of multinucleated giant cells and granuloma. The culture and polymerase chain reaction of the bronchial sputum were positive for myobacterium avium-complex (MAC). From these findings, the left lung tumor was diagnosed as pulmonary MAC disease. He received partial resection of the left lung and the lesion was diagnosed as granuloma. There was no recurrence of testicular cancer or pulmonary disease after the surgery.

  2. Increase of infiltrating monocytes in the livers of patients with chronic liver diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Rui; Wu, Hongyan; Liu, Yong; Yang, Chenchen; Pan, Zhiyun; Xia, Juan; Xiong, Yali; Wang, Guiyang; Sun, Zhenhua; Chen, Jun; Yan, Xiaomin; Zhang, Zhaoping; Wu, Chao

    2016-01-01

    Infiltrating monocytes have been demonstrated to contribute to tissue damage in experimental models of liver injury and fibrosis. However, less is known about monocyte infiltration in the livers of patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD). In the present study, we demonstrated that CD68+ hepatic macrophages and MAC387+ infiltrating monocytes were significantly increased in the livers of CLD patients with different etiologies as compared with normal liver tissue. In addition, CLD patients with higher inflammatory grading scores had more CD68+ macrophages and MAC387+ monocytes infiltration in their livers compared to those with lower scores. Significantly more MAC387+ infiltrating monocytes were found in the liver tissue of CLD patients with higher fibrotic staging scores compared to those with lower scores. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression was significantly increased in the livers of CLD patients with different etiologies. MCP-1 staining scores were significantly positively associated with the numbers of MAC387+ infiltrating monocytes in CLD patients. Taken together, our results demonstrate that infiltrating monocytes may play a pathological role in exacerbating chronic liver inflammation and fibrosis in CLD. MCP-1 may be involved in the monocyte infiltration and progression of liver inflammation and fibrosis in CLD.

  3. Macs for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Baig, Edward C

    2014-01-01

    Get the most out of your Mac with this comprehensive guide Macs For Dummies, 13th Edition is the ultimate guide to your Mac, fully updated to include information about the latest updates. The book walks you through troubleshooting, syncing mobile devices, integrating Windows, and more, so you can take advantage of everything Macs have to offer. Whether you're a new user, a recent convert, or you just want to get the most out of your Mac, this book puts all the information you need in one place. Discover what makes Macs superior computing machines. Learn the basics, from mastering the Dock and

  4. TM6SF2 and MAC30, new enzyme homologues in sterol metabolism and common metabolic disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis eSanchez-Pulido

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Carriers of the Glu167Lys coding variant in the TM6SF2 gene have recently been identified as being more susceptible to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, yet exhibit lower levels of circulating lipids and hence are protected against cardiovascular disease. Despite the physiological importance of these observations, the molecular function of TM6SF2 remains unknown, and no sequence similarity with functionally characterised proteins has been identified. In order to trace its evolutionary history and to identify functional domains, we embarked on a computational protein sequence analysis of TM6SF2. We identified a new domain, the EXPERA domain, which is conserved among TM6SF, MAC30/TMEM97 and EBP (D8,D7 sterol isomerase protein families. EBP mutations are the cause of chondrodysplasia punctata 2 X-linked dominant (CDPX2, also known as Conradi-Hünermann-Happle syndrome, a defective cholesterol biosynthesis disorder. Our analysis of evolutionary conservation among EXPERA domain-containing families and the previously suggested catalytic mechanism for the EBP enzyme, indicate that TM6SF and MAC30/TMEM97 families are both highly likely to possess, as for the EBP family, catalytic activity as sterol isomerases. This unexpected prediction of enzymatic functions for TM6SF and MAC30/TMEM97 is important because it now permits detailed experiments to investigate the function of these key proteins in various human pathologies, from cardiovascular disease to cancer.

  5. Mac Security Bible

    CERN Document Server

    Kissell, Joe

    2010-01-01

    Your essential, no-holds-barred guide to Mac security threats and solutions. Myth number one: Macs are safer than PCs. Not really, says author Joe Kissell, named one of MacTech's "25 Most Influential People" in the Mac community for 2008. In this timely guide, he not only takes you beyond the myths, he also delves into the nitty-gritty of each potential threat, helping you weigh the pros and cons of the solutions you might choose. Learn to measure risk versus inconvenience, make informed decisions, and protect your Mac computers, your privacy, and your data with this essential guide.

  6. THE ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX (MAC) RECOVERED FROM LOS ANGELES POTABLE WATER, A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF INFECTION IN AIDS PATIENTS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Los Angeles water was investigated as a possible source of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in patients with AIDS. MAC consists of M.avium (MA), M. intracellulare (MI) and Mycobacterium X (MX)(positive for MAC by DNA probe but not MA or MI). The study included 13 reser...

  7. Effectiveness of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of bronchial-type mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex pulmonary disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Kazuhiro; Kourakata, Hiroyo

    2004-01-01

    Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) pulmonary disease with associated nodules and bronchiectasis is an increasingly prevalent condition. This condition is often difficult to diagnose in the early stages of the disease, because of the limited effectiveness of sputum culture cytology. The effectiveness of bronchoscopy in the isolation and diagnosis of MAC in respiratory secretions is still unclear. Over a three-year period, we examined the effectiveness of bronchoscopy in 45 non-HIV-infected patients who had clusters of small peripheral lung nodules. These nodules were associated with changes of the draining bronchi detected by high-resolution CT (HRCT). A total of 22 of 45 patients (48.9%) had cultures positive for MAC. In the MAC-positive group, 10 patients tested positive for disease in sputum and 22 tested positive for disease in bronchial washings. A total of 13 of 45 patients (28.9%) fulfilled the American Thoracic Society criteria for pulmonary MAC disease, and 9 (20.0%) others with cultures positive for MAC did not fulfill the criteria. Radiographic measures and sputum cultures of 13 of 16 patients (81.3%) with negative cultures revealed no further disease progression. We found that HRCT was a useful technique in the diagnosis of MAC-pulmonary disease. We also found that bronchoscopy was a more sensitive diagnostic technique than sputum culture, analysis in the differential diagnosis of MAC pulmonary diseases. (author)

  8. iMac portable genius

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2010-01-01

    The most up-to-date coverage on the latest iMac advice, tools, and shortcuts Cool and useful tips, full-color screenshots, and savvy advice show you how to get the most out of your iMac. Fully updated to cover the iMac's latest features and capabilities, this guide is packed with indispensible information on iLife '09 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and shows you how to customize your iMac in a way that it will work best for you.Explores all the bells and whistles of the iMac, including the new Magic Mouse, iLife apps such as iPhoto and iMovie, and Mac OS X Snow LeopardShows yo

  9. MacBook for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Chambers , Mark L

    2014-01-01

    Make friends with your MacBook the fun and easy way! Ultra-light, ultra-fast, and ultra-powerful, the MacBook is the coolest laptop in town, and longtime Mac guru Mark L. Chambers is just the guy to help you get to know your MacBook in no time. Take a closer look at the latest features, get the lowdown on OS X, unleash your creative forces with iLife, take care of business with the iWork applications, and sync it all with iCloud with the expert advice in this bestselling MacBook guide. Whether this is your first MacBook or your first laptop, period, you''ll learn to navigate the Mac desktop, c

  10. Windows for Intel Macs

    CERN Document Server

    Ogasawara, Todd

    2008-01-01

    Even the most devoted Mac OS X user may need to use Windows XP, or may just be curious about XP and its applications. This Short Cut is a concise guide for OS X users who need to quickly get comfortable and become productive with Windows XP basics on their Macs. It covers: Security Networking ApplicationsMac users can easily install and use Windows thanks to Boot Camp and Parallels Desktop for Mac. Boot Camp lets an Intel-based Mac install and boot Windows XP on its own hard drive partition. Parallels Desktop for Mac uses virtualization technology to run Windows XP (or other operating systems

  11. Distribution of nontuberculous mycobacteria in treated patients with pulmonary disease in Greece - relation to microbiological data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manika, Katerina; Tsikrika, Stamatoula; Tsaroucha, Emilia; Karabela, Simona; Karachaliou, Iris; Bosmi, Ioulia; Kioumis, Ioannis; Papavasileiou, Apostolos

    2015-01-01

    The aim was to assess the distribution of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in treated patients with pulmonary disease (PD) in Greece. Patients treated for NTM PD at the two largest chest diseases hospitals in Greece, in the period 1990-2013 were investigated. For the years 2005-2013 data on NTM isolation frequency were recorded. M. avium complex (MAC) was the predominant cause of NTM PD disease followed by M. kansasii and rapid growing mycobacteria (RGM). The pathogenicity of RGM was significantly lower than this of MAC and M. kansasii. An increase was observed in the percentage of isolated NTM species that were considered clinically significant over the study period. The increasing number of NTM PD in Greece is a consequence of their isolation being more frequently considered as clinically relevant.

  12. iMac for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Chambers, Mark L

    2014-01-01

    Do it all with your iMac and this bestselling For Dummies guide! You're still a little giddy from finally scoring your new iMac, and you can't wait to get started. Even if you're already in love with your iMac, it helps to have a little guidance to really get the most out of this ultimate all-in-one computer. This updated edition of iMac For Dummies is the ideal way to learn the iMac fundamentals from setting up and personalizing your machine to importing files, making FaceTime video calls, surfing the web, using your favorite programs and apps, and everything in between. Trusted Mac guru Mark

  13. Mac at Work

    CERN Document Server

    Sparks, David

    2011-01-01

    Bridge the gap between using a Mac at home and at the office. Now that you love your Mac at home, you want to use one at the office without missing a beat of productivity or professionalism. This unique guide shows you how.  You'll find best Mac business practices for handling word processing, spreadsheet and presentation creation, task and project management, and graphics. The book also explores topics such as hardware maintenance, how to synchronize with multiple computers, data backup, and communication with Windows networks.: Covers the nuts and bolts of using a Mac at work, including sync

  14. Analysis of 3gpp-MAC and two-key 3gpp-MAC

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Lars Ramkilde; Mitchell, C.J.

    2003-01-01

    Forgery and key-recovery attacks are described on the 3gpp-MAC scheme, proposed for inclusion in the 3gpp specification. Three main classes of attack are given, all of which operate whether or not truncation is applied to the MAC value. Attacks in the first class use a large number of 'chosen MAC...

  15. MacBook Teach Yourself VISUALLY

    CERN Document Server

    Miser, Brad

    2010-01-01

    Like the MacBook itself, Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook, Second Edition is designed to be visually appealing, while providing excellent functionality at the same time. By using this book, MacBook users will be empowered to do everyday tasks quickly and easily. From such basic steps as powering on or shutting down the MacBook, working on the Mac desktop with the Dashboard and its widgets to running Windows applications, Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook, Second Edition covers all the vital information and provides the help and support a reader needs—in many ways it's like having a Mac Genius at

  16. iMac pocket genius

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2010-01-01

    If you want to get the very most out of your iMac, put this savvy Portable Genius guide to work. Want to make the most of the new Magic Mouse and the latest iLife apps? Set up a wireless network using your iMac's AirPort card? Watch television on your iMac, or show iMac videos and movies on your television? You'll find cool and useful Genius tips, full-color screenshots, and pages of easy-to-access shortcuts and tools that will save you time and let you enjoy your iMac to the max.

  17. Enterprise Mac Administrator's Guide

    CERN Document Server

    Edge, Charles; Hunter, Beau

    2009-01-01

    Charles Edge, Zack Smith, and Beau Hunter provide detailed explanations of the technology required for large-scale Mac OS X deployments and show you how to integrate it with other operating systems and applications. Enterprise Mac Administrator's Guide addresses the growing size and spread of Mac OS X deployments in corporations and institutions worldwide. In some cases, this is due to the growth of traditional Mac environments, but for the most part it has to do with "switcher" campaigns, where Windows and/or Linux environments are migrating to Mac OS X. However, there is a steep cu

  18. "They just come, pick and go." The Acceptability of Integrated Medication Adherence Clubs for HIV and Non Communicable Disease (NCD) Patients in Kibera, Kenya.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venables, Emilie; Edwards, Jeffrey K; Baert, Saar; Etienne, William; Khabala, Kelly; Bygrave, Helen

    2016-01-01

    The number of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the long-term management of HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is continuing to increase, along with the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The need to provide large volumes of HIV patients with ART has led to significant adaptations in how medication is delivered, but access to NCD care remains limited in many contexts. Medication Adherence Clubs (MACs) were established in Kibera, Kenya to address the large numbers of patients requiring chronic HIV and/or NCD care. Stable NCD and HIV patients can now collect their chronic medication every three months through a club, rather than through individual clinic appointments. We conducted a qualitative research study to assess patient and health-care worker perceptions and experiences of MACs in the urban informal settlement of Kibera, Kenya. A total of 106 patients (with HIV and/or other NCDs) and health-care workers were purposively sampled and included in the study. Ten focus groups and 19 in-depth interviews were conducted and 15 sessions of participant observation were carried out at the clinic where the MACs took place. Thematic data analysis was conducted using NVivo software, and coding focussed on people's experiences of MACs, the challenges they faced and their perceptions about models of care for chronic conditions. MACs were considered acceptable to patients and health-care workers because they saved time, prevented unnecessary queues in the clinic and provided people with health education and group support whilst they collected their medication. Some patients and health-care workers felt that MACs reduced stigma for HIV positive patients by treating HIV as any other chronic condition. Staff and patients reported challenges recruiting patients into MACs, including patients not fully understanding the eligibility criteria for the clubs. There were also some practical challenges during the implementation of the clubs, but MACs

  19. iMac for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Chambers, Mark L

    2012-01-01

    The bestselling guide to the ultimate all-in-one computer—now updated and revised throughout! If you're looking for speed, performance, and power, the iMac is the ultimate all-in-one computer. From its superior performance, powerful operating system, and amazing applications, the iMac is one awesome machine, and the fun, friendly, and approachable style of iMac For Dummies is an ideal way to get started with the basics. You'll learn the fundamentals of the iMac including setting up and customizing your iMac and the software that comes with it, importing files from your old computer, send

  20. Macs For Dummies, Pocket Edition

    CERN Document Server

    Baig, Edward C

    2011-01-01

    The fun and easy way to make the most of your wonderful Mac. Simply Mac-nificent — all the cool things your Mac can do! This handy guide helps you figure out the nuts and bolts of your Mac. Navigate the Mac desktop, use the Safari Web browser to surf the Internet, e-mail photos to friends and family, create and print documents, rip audio CDs, and more. The fun begins right here!. Open the book and find: How to set up and configure your Mac; Tips for getting around on the Mac desktop; Steps for setting up an e-mail account and browsing the Internet; Details about the free programs that come wit

  1. Enterprise Mac administrators guide

    CERN Document Server

    Smith, William

    2015-01-01

    IT departments everywhere will be integrating Macs and Mac OS X into their IT infrastructure and this book will tell them how to do it. It will serve as an authoritative, useful and frequently referenced book on Mac OS X administration.

  2. C-MAC compared with direct laryngoscopy for intubation in patients with cervical spine immobilization: A manikin trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smereka, Jacek; Ladny, Jerzy R; Naylor, Amanda; Ruetzler, Kurt; Szarpak, Lukasz

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study was to compare C-MAC videolaryngoscopy with direct laryngoscopy for intubation in simulated cervical spine immobilization conditions. The study was designed as a prospective randomized crossover manikin trial. 70 paramedics with immobilization (Scenario A); manual inline cervical immobilization (Scenario B); cervical immobilization using cervical extraction collar (Scenario C). Scenario A: Nearly all participants performed successful intubations with both MAC and C-MAC on the first attempt (95.7% MAC vs. 100% C-MAC), with similar intubation times (16.5s MAC vs. 18s C-MAC). Scenario B: The results with C-MAC were significantly better than those with MAC (pimmobilization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Mac OS X Forensics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craiger, Philip; Burke, Paul

    This paper describes procedures for conducting forensic examinations of Apple Macs running Mac OS X. The target disk mode is used to create a forensic duplicate of a Mac hard drive and preview it. Procedures are discussed for recovering evidence from allocated space, unallocated space, slack space and virtual memory. Furthermore, procedures are described for recovering trace evidence from Mac OS X default email, web browser and instant messaging applications, as well as evidence pertaining to commands executed from a terminal.

  4. I-MAC: an incorporation MAC for wireless sensor networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jumin; Li, Yikun; Li, Dengao; Lin, Xiaojie

    2017-11-01

    This paper proposes an innovative MAC protocol called I-MAC. Protocol for wireless sensor networks, which combines the advantages of collision tolerance and collision cancellation. The protocol increases the number of antenna in wireless sensor nodes. The purpose is to monitor the occurrence of packet collisions by increasing the number of antenna in real time. The built-in identity structure is used in the frame structure in order to help the sending node to identify the location of the receiving node after a data packet collision is detected. Packets can be recovered from where the conflict occurred. In this way, we can monitor the conflict for a fixed period of time. It can improve the channel utilisation through changing the transmission probability of collision nodes and solve the problem of hidden terminal through collision feedback mechanism. We have evaluated our protocol. Our results show that the throughput of I-MAC is 5 percentage points higher than that of carrier sense multiple access/collision notification. The network utilisation of I-MAC is more than 92%.

  5. TreeMAC: Localized TDMA MAC protocol for real-time high-data-rate sensor networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, W.-Z.; Huang, R.; Shirazi, B.; Husent, R.L.

    2009-01-01

    Earlier sensor network MAC protocols focus on energy conservation in low-duty cycle applications, while some recent applications involve real-time high-data-rate signals. This motivates us to design an innovative localized TDMA MAC protocol to achieve high throughput and low congestion in data collection sensor networks, besides energy conservation. TreeMAC divides a time cycle into frames and frame into slots. Parent determines children's frame assigmnent based on their relative bandwidth demand, and each node calculates its own slot assignment based on its hop-count to the sink. This innovative 2-dimensional frame-slot assignment algorithm has the following nice theory properties. Firstly, given any node, at any time slot, there is at most one active sender in its neighborhood (includ ing itself). Secondly, the packet scheduling with TreelMAC is bufferless, which therefore minimizes the probability of network congestion. Thirdly, the data throughput to gateway is at least 1/3 of the optimum assuming reliable links. Our experiments on a 24 node test bed demonstrate that TreeMAC protocol significantly improves network throughput and energy efficiency, by comparing to the TinyOS's default CSMA MAC protocol and a recent TDMA MAC protocol Funneling-MAC[8]. ?? 2009 IEEE.

  6. A randomized controlled trial comparing C Mac D Blade and Macintosh laryngoscope for nasotracheal intubation in patients undergoing surgeries for head and neck cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Hrishikesh; Saxena, Anudeep; Meshram, Pradeep; Kumar Bhargava, Ajay

    2018-01-01

    Several devices are available to take care of difficult airway, but C-MAC D-Blade has scant evidence of its use in nasotracheal intubation in a difficult airway scenario. We compared the C-MAC D-Blade videolaryngoscope ™ , and the standard Macintosh laryngoscope for nasal intubation in patients with difficult airways selected by El-Ganzouri risk index using parameters of time and attempts required for intubation, glottic view in terms of Cormack-Lehane grade, ease of intubation, success rate, use of accessory maneuvers, incidence of complications, and hemodynamic changes. One hundred American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III patients aged 20-70 years with EGRI score 1-≤7 scheduled for head and neck surgery requiring nasal intubation. ASA IV patients, patients with mouth opening <2.5 cm, patients difficult to mask ventilate, and patients with hyperkalemia and history of malignant hyperthermia were excluded from the study. Primary outcome was time taken to intubation, and secondary outcomes were a number of attempts, glottic view in terms of C/L grade, use of accessory maneuvers, success rate, incidence of trauma, ease of intubation, and hemodynamic changes before and after intubation. Time required for intubation was less (39.56 ± 15.65 s) in Group C than in Group M (50.34 ± 15.65 s). Cormack-Lehane Grade I and II view were more in C-MAC D-Blade group ( P < 0.05). Success rate and ease of intubation were found to be more in C-MAC D-Blade group than in Macintosh group ( P < 0.05). A number of attempts and incidence of complications such as trauma, bleeding, and failed intubation were greater in Macintosh group than in C-MAC D-Blade group. Hemodynamic changes were observed to be comparable in both the groups. C-MAC D-Blade videolaryngoscope ™ is a better tool in anesthetic management of difficult airway for nasal intubation compared to conventional Macintosh laryngoscope.

  7. Early Experience With CliniMACS Prodigy CCS (IFN-gamma) System in Selection of Virus-specific T Cells From Third-party Donors for Pediatric Patients With Severe Viral Infections After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kállay, Krisztián; Kassa, Csaba; Réti, Marienn; Karászi, Éva; Sinkó, János; Goda, Vera; Stréhn, Anita; Csordás, Katalin; Horváth, Orsolya; Szederjesi, Attila; Tasnády, Szabolcs; Hardi, Apor; Kriván, Gergely

    2018-04-01

    Viral reactivation is a frequent complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation especially in children. For refractory cases, rapid virus-specific T-cell therapy would be ideally implemented within a few days. Over the course of a year in our pediatric cohort of 43 allogeneic transplantation, 9 patients fulfilled criteria for virus-specific T-cell therapy. Viral infections were due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 3, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in 2, and adenovirus (AdV) in 1 case, whereas >1 virus was detected in 3 cases. Viral diseases necessitating a T-cell therapy were CMV pneumonitis and colitis, AdV enteritis and cystitis, and EBV-induced posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease. Cells were produced by the CliniMACS Prodigy CCS (IFN-gamma) System within 24 hours after mononuclear leukapheresis. Eight patients became completely asymptomatic, whereas 7 also cleared the virus. Six patients are alive without viral illness or sequelae demonstrating viral DNA clearance in peripheral blood with a median follow-up of 535 (350-786) days. One patient with CMV pneumonitis died of respiratory insufficiency. In 2 cases the viral illness improved or cleared, however, the patients died of invasive aspergillosis. No cases of graft-versus-host disease, rejection, organ toxicity, or recurrent infection were noticed. Virus-specific T-cell therapy implemented by the CliniMACS Prodigy CCS (IFN-gamma) System is an automated, fast, safe, and probably effective way to control resistant viral diseases after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

  8. Gotcha! Macs lose their innocence

    CERN Multimedia

    Computer Security Team

    2012-01-01

    Still believe your Mac is secure because Microsoft PCs fall prey to viruses and worms but Macs don’t? Time to wake up! This year has seen the first major compromise of Macs worldwide*. How is yours doing?   The “Flashback” Trojan is affecting Apple’s own variant of Java and compromises Macs via so-called drive-by infections, i.e. when you visit an appropriately prepared (infected!) website - and this might not necessarily be a site with questionable contents, but could well be a popular, reputable one. Security Companies worldwide have been monitoring this particular Trojan for a while and have estimated that more than half a million Macs were compromised. Connected to a few central command and control servers, the compromised Macs were then supporting the malicious activity of the bad guys! Fortunately, the security companies have now been able to take over those command and control servers and stop their destructive drive. So, Mac users, face the f...

  9. Mac Leod's syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schad, M.; Danesi, C.; Ricci, R.; Galluzzi, S.; Coviello, G.

    1988-01-01

    Mac Leod's syndrome is a rarely diagnosed disease; that is why an accurate differential diagnosis is needed by means of radiological imaging. This paper is aimed at discussing the differential diagnosis, with a special emphasis on the pathogenesis of the syndrome. The phenomenon of air trapping in absence of central bronchial lesions is a typical radiographic finding. Chest X-ray is performed in both inspiration and expiration. Posterior oblique tomography at 55 grade centigrade of the effected side is also performed. Diffuse bronchiolitis obliterans in infancy or early childhood ia widely accepted pathogenetic pattern. Pulmonary hypoventilation causes vasoconstriction and underdevelopment of pulmonary vessels, that are reduced in caliber. Differential diagnosis includes all the diseases resulting in pulmonary hyperlucency, i.e. pulmonary and pleural alterations, and skeletal anomalies

  10. Initial validation of the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale: study of Portuguese end-of-life cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Filomena Moreira Pinto; Santos, Célia Samarina Vilaça de Brito

    2014-10-01

    The Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC) is a 29-item instrument designed to evaluate the responses developed by cancer patients during their mental adjustment to diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to validate the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC) translated and adapted to the Portuguese language and culture, in end-of-life cancer patients receiving palliative care. The instrument was administered to 346 Portuguese end-of-life cancer patients, receiving care through outpatient visits or admitted into palliative care units, without cognitive symptoms and with symptoms under control. A cross-sectional validation study using orthogonal rotation through the varimax method followed by convergent and discriminant validity. The analysis of the main components confirms the existence of five factors, demonstrating the validity of the construct, with good internal consistency in the subscales and Cronbach's alpha values between 0.78 and 0.93. Good test-retest reliability was also found, and r values for subscales ranged from 0.62 to 0.99. The instrument proved to be a reliable, valid and sensitive measure in the study of mental adjustment of Portuguese end-of-life patients with cancer receiving palliative care. Nurses can use the Mini-MAC Scale in research and clinical practice in order to evaluate the mental adjustment of Portuguese end-of-life cancer patients receiving palliative care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The periplasmic membrane proximal domain of MacA acts as a switch in stimulation of ATP hydrolysis by MacB transporter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modali, Sita D; Zgurskaya, Helen I

    2011-08-01

    Escherichia coli MacAB-TolC is a tripartite macrolide efflux transporter driven by hydrolysis of ATP. In this complex, MacA is the periplasmic membrane fusion protein that stimulates the activity of MacB transporter and establishes the link with the outer membrane channel TolC. The molecular mechanism by which MacA stimulates MacB remains unknown. Here, we report that the periplasmic membrane proximal domain of MacA plays a critical role in functional MacA-MacB interactions and stimulation of MacB ATPase activity. Binding of MacA to MacB stabilizes the ATP-bound conformation of MacB, whereas interactions with both MacB and TolC affect the conformation of MacA. A single G353A substitution in the C-terminus of MacA inactivates MacAB-TolC function by changing the conformation of the membrane proximal domain of MacA and disrupting the proper assembly of the MacA-MacB complex. We propose that MacA acts in transport by promoting MacB transition into the closed ATP-bound conformation and in this respect, is similar to the periplasmic solute-binding proteins. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  12. Limited value of transbronchial lung biopsy for diagnosing Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekine, Akimasa; Saito, Takefumi; Satoh, Hiroaki; Morishita, Yukio; Tsunoda, Yoshiya; Tanaka, Toru; Yatagai, Yohei; Lin, Shih-Yuen; Miyazaki, Kunihiko; Miura, Yukiko; Hayashihara, Kenji

    2017-11-01

    It remains unclear whether transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is useful for diagnosing Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease. Thirty-eight consecutive patients with MAC lung disease, who were evaluated with TBLB tissue culture between June 2006 and May 2010, were included. Bronchial washing (BW) and histopathological evaluation were performed in all patients. The positivity rates of BW and TBLB tissue culture, and typical histopathological findings for MAC disease were investigated. Furthermore, all patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of intrabronchial purulent or mucopurulent secretion and the clinical, bacteriological and pathological characteristics were compared between the two groups. The positive culture rates of BW and TBLB specimens for MAC were 100% (38 patients) and 28.9% (11 patients). BW materials were much more sensitive for culture positivity than TBLB specimens (P present in the TBLB specimens of only 11 patients (28.9%). Intrabronchial secretion was identified in 15 patients (39.5%, secretion-positive group) and absent in 23 patients (60.5%, secretion-negative group). Typical histopathological findings for MAC disease were more common in the secretion-positive group than in the secretion-negative group (53.3% vs 13.0%, P = 0.01), although the radiological classification and smear positivity of BW were not different between the two groups. TBLB for pathological and bacterial investigations would provide only a limited value for MAC diagnosis. Moreover, the presence of intrabronchial secretion may be an important manifestation of ongoing airway damage, which would require early treatment. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. The role of skin trauma in the distribution of morphea lesions: a cross-sectional survey of the Morphea in Adults and Children (MAC) cohort IV

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabell, Daniel; Hsieh, Clifford; Andrew, Rachel; Martires, Kathryn; Kim, Andrew; Vasquez, Rebecca; Jacobe, Heidi

    2014-01-01

    Background Skin trauma may play a role in the development of morphea lesions. The association between trauma and the distribution of cutaneous lesions has never been examined. Objective Determine whether patients enrolled in the Morphea in Adults and Children (MAC) cohort exhibit skin lesions distributed in areas of prior (isotopic) or ongoing (isomorphic) trauma. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the MAC cohort. Results Of 329 patients in the MAC cohort, 52 (16%) had trauma associated lesions at the onset of disease. Patients with lesions in an isotopic distribution had greater clinical severity as measured by a clinical outcome measure (mean modified Rodnan Skin Score of 13.8 vs. 5.3, P=0.004, 95% CI=3.08-13.92) and impact on life quality (mean Dermatology Life Quality Index 8.4 vs. 4.1, P=0.009, 95% CI 1.18-7.50) than those with an isomorphic distribution. Most frequent associated trauma were chronic friction (isomorphic) and surgery/isotopic. Limitations Recall bias for patient reported events. Conclusion Sixteen percent of patients in the MAC cohort developed initial morphea lesions at sites of skin trauma. If these findings can be confirmed in additional series, they suggest that elective procedures and excessive skin trauma or friction might be avoided in these patients. PMID:24880663

  14. Power Saving MAC Protocols for WSNs and Optimization of S-MAC Protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simarpreet Kaur

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Low power MAC protocols have received a lot of consideration in the last few years because of their influence on the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. Since, sensors typically operate on batteries, replacement of which is often difficult. A lot of work has been done to minimize the energy expenditure and prolong the sensor lifetime through energy efficient designs, across layers. Meanwhile, the sensor network should be able to maintain a certain throughput in order to fulfill the QoS requirements of the end user, and to ensure the constancy of the network. This paper introduces different types of MAC protocols used for WSNs and proposes S‐MAC, a Medium‐Access Control protocol designed for Wireless Sensor Networks. S‐MAC uses a few innovative techniques to reduce energy consumption and support selfconfiguration. A new protocol is suggested to improve the energy efficiency, latency and throughput of existing MAC protocol for WSNs. A modification of the protocol is then proposed to eliminate the need for some nodes to stay awake longer than the other nodes which improves the energy efficiency, latency and throughput and hence increases the life span of a wireless sensor network.

  15. Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... sweat, and saliva red-orange (may stain contact lenses); can interfere with birth control pills. Many drug interactions. CAN MAC BE PREVENTED? The bacteria that cause MAC are very common. It is ...

  16. Cognitive MAC designs for OSA networks

    CERN Document Server

    Derakhshani, Mahsa

    2014-01-01

    This SpringerBrief presents recent advances in the cognitive MAC designs for opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) networks. It covers the basic MAC functionalities and MAC enhancements of IEEE 802.11. Later chapters discuss the existing MAC protocols for OSA and classify them based on characteristic features. The authors provide new research in adaptive carrier sensing-based MAC designs tailored for OSA, which optimize spectrum utilization and ensure a peaceful coexistence of licensed and unlicensed systems. Analytically devised via optimization and game-theoretic approaches, these adaptive M

  17. Sero-diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease using serum immunoglobulin A antibody against glycopeptidolipid antigen in Taiwan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chin-Chung Shu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Lung disease (LD due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria is an important clinical concern. Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC is one of the most common causative agents but the diagnosis of MAC-LD remains challenging. Detection of serum IgA antibody against MAC glycopeptidolipid (GPL has recently been shown to improve the diagnosis of MAC-LD, but has yet to be validated worldwide. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary referral center in northern Taiwan and enrolled patients with MAC-LD, MAC contamination, other lung diseases, and control subjects. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA antibody against MAC-GPL was detected in the participants and its specificity and sensitivity was assessed. RESULTS: There were 56 patients with MAC-LD, 11 with MAC contamination, 13 M. kansasii-LD, 26 LD due to rapidly-growing mycobacteria (RGM, 48 pulmonary tuberculosis, and 42 household contacts of patients with TB. Patients with MAC-LD were older and 32% of them had an underlying co-morbidity. By logistic regression, serum MAC-GPL IgA level was an independent predictor of MAC-LD among the study subjects and those with culture-positive specimens for MAC. By the receiver operating characteristic curve, serum MAC-GPL IgA had a good power to discriminate MAC-LD from MAC contamination. Under the optimal cut-off value of 0.73 U/mL, its sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 91%, respectively. Among MAC-LD patients, presence of co-morbidity was associated with MAC-GPL <0.73 U/ml in logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of serum anti-MAC-GPL IgA level is useful for the diagnosis of MAC-LD. However, its implement in clinical practice for immuno-compromised hosts needs careful consideration.

  18. Sero-Diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium Complex Lung Disease Using Serum Immunoglobulin A Antibody against Glycopeptidolipid Antigen in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jann-Tay; Jou, Ruwen; Wang, Jann-Yuan; Kobayashi, Kazuo; Lai, Hsin-Chih; Yu, Chong-Jen; Lee, Li-Na; Luh, Kwen-Tay

    2013-01-01

    Background Lung disease (LD) due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria is an important clinical concern. Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is one of the most common causative agents but the diagnosis of MAC-LD remains challenging. Detection of serum IgA antibody against MAC glycopeptidolipid (GPL) has recently been shown to improve the diagnosis of MAC-LD, but has yet to be validated worldwide. Methods This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary referral center in northern Taiwan and enrolled patients with MAC-LD, MAC contamination, other lung diseases, and control subjects. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody against MAC-GPL was detected in the participants and its specificity and sensitivity was assessed. Results There were 56 patients with MAC-LD, 11 with MAC contamination, 13 M. kansasii-LD, 26 LD due to rapidly-growing mycobacteria (RGM), 48 pulmonary tuberculosis, and 42 household contacts of patients with TB. Patients with MAC-LD were older and 32% of them had an underlying co-morbidity. By logistic regression, serum MAC-GPL IgA level was an independent predictor of MAC-LD among the study subjects and those with culture-positive specimens for MAC. By the receiver operating characteristic curve, serum MAC-GPL IgA had a good power to discriminate MAC-LD from MAC contamination. Under the optimal cut-off value of 0.73 U/mL, its sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 91%, respectively. Among MAC-LD patients, presence of co-morbidity was associated with MAC-GPL <0.73 U/ml in logistic regression analysis. Conclusions Measurement of serum anti-MAC-GPL IgA level is useful for the diagnosis of MAC-LD. However, its implement in clinical practice for immuno-compromised hosts needs careful consideration. PMID:24260398

  19. The periplasmic membrane proximal domain of MacA acts as a switch in stimulation of ATP hydrolysis by MacB transporter

    OpenAIRE

    Modali, Sita D.; Zgurskaya, Helen I.

    2011-01-01

    Escherichia coli MacAB-TolC is a tri-partite macrolide efflux transporter driven by hydrolysis of ATP. In this complex, MacA is the periplasmic membrane fusion protein that stimulates the activity of MacB transporter and establishes the link with the outer membrane channel TolC. The molecular mechanism by which MacA stimulates MacB remains unknown. Here, we report that the periplasmic membrane proximal domain of MacA plays a critical role in functional MacA-MacB interactions and stimulation o...

  20. Learn Excel 2011 for Mac

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2011-01-01

    Microsoft Excel 2011 for Mac OS X is a powerful application, but many of its most impressive features can be difficult to find. Learn Excel 2011 for Mac by Guy Hart-Davis is a practical, hands-on approach to learning all of the details of Excel 2011 in order to get work done efficiently on Mac OS X. From using formulas and functions to creating databases, from analyzing data to automating tasks, you'll learn everything you need to know to put this powerful application to use for a variety of tasks. What you'll learn * The secrets of the Excel for Mac interface! * How to create effective workbo

  1. Mac Programming for Absolute Beginners

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Wallace

    2011-01-01

    Want to learn how to program on your Mac? Not sure where to begin? Best-selling author Wallace Wang will explain how to get started with Cocoa, Objective-C, and Xcode. Whether you are an experienced Windows coder moving to the Mac, or you are completely new to programming, you'll see how the basic design of a Mac OS X program works, how Objective-C differs from other languages you may have used, and how to use the Xcode development environment. Most importantly, you'll learn how to use elements of the Cocoa framework to create windows, store data, and respond to users in your own Mac programs.

  2. Switching to a Mac For Dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Reinhold, Arnold

    2007-01-01

    Thinking of making the switch from your PC to a Mac? Congratulations! You're in for a great, virus-free ride. And Switching to Mac For Dummies makes it smoother than you ever imagined. From buying the Mac that's right for you to transferring your files to breaking your old Windows habits and learning to do things the (much easier) Mac way, it makes the whole process practically effortless. Whether you've been using Windows XP, Vista, or even Linux, you'll find simple, straightforward ways to make your transition go smoothly. That will leave you plenty of time to get familiar with Mac'

  3. Accuracy of the MacArthur competence assessment tool for clinical research (MacCAT-CR) for measuring children's competence to consent to clinical research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hein, Irma M; Troost, Pieter W; Lindeboom, Robert; Benninga, Marc A; Zwaan, C Michel; van Goudoever, Johannes B; Lindauer, Ramón J L

    2014-12-01

    An objective assessment of children's competence to consent to research participation is currently not possible. Age limits for asking children's consent vary considerably between countries, and, to our knowledge, the correlation between competence and children's age has never been systematically investigated. To test a standardized competence assessment instrument for children by modifying the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), to investigate its reliability and validity, and to examine the correlation of its assessment with age and estimate cutoff ages. This prospective study included children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years in the inpatient and outpatient departments of allergology, gastroenterology, oncology, ophthalmology, and pulmonology from January 1, 2012, through January 1, 2014. Participants were eligible for clinical research studies, including observational studies and randomized clinical trials. Competence judgments by experts aware of the 4 relevant criteria-understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and choice-were used to establish the reference standard. The index test was the MacCAT-CR, which used a semistructured interview format. Interrater reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the MacCAT-CR and estimated cutoff ages for competence. Of 209 eligible patients, we included 161 (mean age, 10.6 years; 47.2% male). Good reproducibility of MacCAT-CR total and subscale scores was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient range, 0.68-0.92). We confirmed unidimensionality of the MacCAT-CR. By the reference standard, we judged 54 children (33.5%) to be incompetent; by the MacCAT-CR, 61 children (37.9%). Criterion-related validity of MacCAT-CR scores was supported by high overall accuracy in correctly classifying children as competent against the reference standard (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, 0.78). Age was a good predictor of competence on the MacCAT-CR (area under the receiver

  4. Enterprise Mac Managed Preferences

    CERN Document Server

    Marczak, Edward

    2010-01-01

    Many systems administrators on the Mac need a way to manage machine configuration after initial setup and deployment. Apple's Managed Preferences system (also known as MCX) is under-documented, often misunderstood, and sometimes outright unknown by sys admins. MCX is usually deployed in conjunction with an OS X server, but it can also be used in Windows environments or where no dedicated server exists at all. Enterprise Mac Managed Preferences is the definitive guide to Apple's Managed Client technology. With this book, you'll get the following: * An example-driven guide to Mac OS X Managed Pr

  5. Traffic Adaptive MAC Protocols in Wireless Body Area Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhan Masud

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs, every healthcare application that is based on physical sensors is responsible for monitoring the vital signs data of patient. WBANs applications consist of heterogeneous and dynamic traffic loads. Routine patient’s observation is described as low-load traffic while an alarming situation that is unpredictable by nature is referred to as high-load traffic. This paper offers a thematic review of traffic adaptive Medium Access Control (MAC protocols in WBANs. First, we have categorized them based on their goals, methods, and metrics of evaluation. The Zigbee standard IEEE 802.15.4 and the baseline MAC IEEE 802.15.6 are also reviewed in terms of traffic adaptive approaches. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the protocols is made and their performances are analyzed in terms of delay, packet delivery ratio (PDR, and energy consumption. The literature shows that no review work has been done on traffic adaptive MAC protocols in WBANs. This review work, therefore, could add enhancement to traffic adaptive MAC protocols and will stimulate a better way of solving the traffic adaptivity problem.

  6. Qualitative analysis of the capacity to consent to treatment in patients with a chronic neurodegenerative disease: Alzheimer's disease / Analisi qualitativa sulla capacità a prestare consenso al trattamento in pazienti con malattie cronico degenerative neuropsicoorganiche: Demenza di Alzheimer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carabellese, Felice; Felthous, Alan R; La Tegola, Donatella; Piazzolla, Giuseppina; Distaso, Salvatore; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Leo, Antonio; Ventriglio, Antonio; Catanesi, Roberto

    2018-02-01

    Informed consent is an essential element in doctor-patient relationship. In particular, obtaining valid informed consent from patients with neurocognitive diseases is a critical issue at present. For this reason, we decided to conduct research on elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) to assess their capacity to make treatment decisions. The experimental group comprised 70 Alzheimer patients who were admitted to the Neurodegenerative Disease Unit of the University of Bari. The control group consisted of 83 elderly patients without neurocognitive disorders who were hospitalized in the Geriatric Unit at the same university. After providing written consent to participate in the research, each subject underwent the following assessments: (a) assessment of comprehension sheet, (b) Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Global Functioning Evaluation (GFE), (c) neurological evaluation, (d) neuropsychological assessment with a full battery of tests, (d) The MacArthur Treatment Competence Study (MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T); understanding, appreciating, reasoning and expressing a choice) and (e) a semi-structured interview administered by the patient's caregiver. The present survey was designed to analyze possible qualitative and quantitative correlations between cognitive functioning and capacity to consent in relation to different degrees of severity of the neurodegenerative disorder. A large portion of the patients in our experimental sample did not appear to have the capacity to provide a valid consent. The authors present initial results of this study and discuss their possible implications.

  7. SACRB-MAC: A High-Capacity MAC Protocol for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks in Smart Grid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhutian; Shi, Zhenguo; Jin, Chunlin

    2016-03-31

    The Cognitive Radio Sensor Network (CRSN) is considered as a viable solution to enhance various aspects of the electric power grid and to realize a smart grid. However, several challenges for CRSNs are generated due to the harsh wireless environment in a smart grid. As a result, throughput and reliability become critical issues. On the other hand, the spectrum aggregation technique is expected to play an important role in CRSNs in a smart grid. By using spectrum aggregation, the throughput of CRSNs can be improved efficiently, so as to address the unique challenges of CRSNs in a smart grid. In this regard, we proposed Spectrum Aggregation Cognitive Receiver-Based MAC (SACRB-MAC), which employs the spectrum aggregation technique to improve the throughput performance of CRSNs in a smart grid. Moreover, SACRB-MAC is a receiver-based MAC protocol, which can provide a good reliability performance. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate that SACRB-MAC is a promising solution for CRSNs in a smart grid.

  8. Adaptation of the MacNew quality of life questionnaire after myocardial infarction in an Iranian population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oldridge Neil B

    2003-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Health-related quality of life (HRQL assessment is an important measure of the impact of a wide range of disease process on an individual. To date, no HRQL tool has been evaluated in an Iranian population with cardiovascular disorders, specifically myocardial infarction, a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of Life instrument is a disease-specific HRQL questionnaire with satisfactory validity and reliability when applied cross-culturally. Method A Persian version of MacNew was prepared by both forward and backward translation by bilinguals after which a feasibility test was performed. Consecutive patients (n = 51 admitted to a coronary care unit with acute myocardial infarction were recruited for measurement of their HRQL with retest one month after discharge in the follow-up clinic. Principal components analysis, intra-class correlation reliability, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were assessed. Results Trivial rates of missing data confirmed the acceptability of the tool. Principal component analysis revealed that the three domains, emotional, social and physical, performed as well as in the original studies. Internal consistency was high and comparable to other studies, ranging from 0.92 for the emotional and physical domains, to 0.94 for the social domain, and to 0.95 for the Global score. Domain means of 5, 5.3 and 4.9 for emotional, physical and social respectively indicate that our Iranian population has similar emotional and physical but worse social HRQL scores. Test-retest analysis showed significant correlation in emotional and physical domains (P Conclusion The Persian version of the MacNew questionnaire is comparable to the English version. It has high internal consistency and reasonable reproducibility, making it an appropriate specific quality of life tool for population-based studies and clinical practice in Iran in patients who have

  9. The impact of HAART on the respiratory complications of HIV infection: longitudinal trends in the MACS and WIHS cohorts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew R Gingo

    Full Text Available To review the incidence of respiratory conditions and their effect on mortality in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals prior to and during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART.Two large observational cohorts of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men (Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study [MACS] and women (Women's Interagency HIV Study [WIHS], followed since 1984 and 1994, respectively.Adjusted odds or hazards ratios for incident respiratory infections or non-infectious respiratory diagnoses, respectively, in HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected individuals in both the pre-HAART (MACS only and HAART eras; and adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios for mortality in HIV-infected persons with lung disease during the HAART era.Compared to HIV-uninfected participants, HIV-infected individuals had more incident respiratory infections both pre-HAART (MACS, odds ratio [adjusted-OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-2.7; p<0.001 and after HAART availability (MACS, adjusted-OR, 1.5; 95%CI 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-OR, 2.2; 95%CI 1.8-2.7; p<0.001. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in MACS HIV-infected vs. HIV-uninfected participants pre-HAART (hazard ratio [adjusted-HR] 2.9; 95%CI, 1.02-8.4; p = 0.046. After HAART availability, non-infectious lung diseases were not significantly more common in HIV-infected participants in either MACS or WIHS participants. HIV-infected participants in the HAART era with respiratory infections had an increased risk of death compared to those without infections (MACS adjusted-HR, 1.5; 95%CI, 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-HR, 1.9; 95%CI, 1.5-2.4; p<0.001.HIV infection remained a significant risk for infectious respiratory diseases after the introduction of HAART, and infectious respiratory diseases were associated with an increased risk of mortality.

  10. Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks

    CERN Document Server

    Jepson, Brian

    2005-01-01

    If you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its Unix core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Unix and Mac OS X are kissing cousins, but there are enough pitfalls and minefields in going from one to another that even a Unix guru can stumble, and most guides to Mac OS X are written for Mac aficionados. For a Unix developer, approaching Tiger from the Mac side is a bit like learning Russian by reading the Russian side of a Russian-English dictionary. Fortunately, O'Reilly has been the Unix authority for over 25 years, and in Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Gee

  11. Use of the mini-MAC scale in the evaluation of mental adjustment to cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czerw, Aleksandra Izabela; Marek, Ewelina; Deptała, Andrzej

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the study was to evaluate mental adjustment to cancer in patients diagnosed with an oncologic disease through identification of the coping strategies they had adopted. Seventy-four patients of the Clinic of Oncology and Haematology at the Central Clinical Hospital (CSK) of the Ministry of Interior (MSW) in Warsaw were included in the study. The degree of adaptation to cancer was evaluated with the use of the mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (mini-MAC) scale. The individual subscales, i.e. fighting spirit, positive redefinition, helplessness-hopelessness, and anxious preoccupation, were collated with socio-demographic characteristics. Study findings indicate that: 1) tumour patients typically manifest behaviour that allows one to identify their adjustment to cancer; 2) in malignant tumour patients constructive behaviour prevails over destructive behaviour; 3) the helplessness-hopelessness response is more pronounced in men than women; 4) metastatic patients manifest stronger helplessness-hopelessness response than patients with locally limited tumours; 5) pensioners more often than people of working age adopt the helplessness-hopelessness strategy; and 6) patients with the shortest disease period manifest the strongest fighting spirit. Cancer patients employ various strategies of coping with disease depending on socio-demographic factors.

  12. Mac protocols for cyber-physical systems

    CERN Document Server

    Xia, Feng

    2015-01-01

    This book provides a literature review of various wireless MAC protocols and techniques for achieving real-time and reliable communications in the context of cyber-physical systems (CPS). The evaluation analysis of IEEE 802.15.4 for CPS therein will give insights into configuration and optimization of critical design parameters of MAC protocols. In addition, this book also presents the design and evaluation of an adaptive MAC protocol for medical CPS, which exemplifies how to facilitate real-time and reliable communications in CPS by exploiting IEEE 802.15.4 based MAC protocols. This book wil

  13. Eliminating the Heart from the Curcumin Molecule: Monocarbonyl Curcumin Mimics (MACs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dinesh Shetty

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Curcumin is a natural product with several thousand years of heritage. Its traditional Asian application to human ailments has been subjected in recent decades to worldwide pharmacological, biochemical and clinical investigations. Curcumin’s Achilles heel lies in its poor aqueous solubility and rapid degradation at pH ~ 7.4. Researchers have sought to unlock curcumin’s assets by chemical manipulation. One class of molecules under scrutiny are the monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin (MACs. A thousand plus such agents have been created and tested primarily against cancer and inflammation. The outcome is clear. In vitro, MACs furnish a 10–20 fold potency gain vs. curcumin for numerous cancer cell lines and cellular proteins. Similarly, MACs have successfully demonstrated better pharmacokinetic (PK profiles in mice and greater tumor regression in cancer xenografts in vivo than curcumin. The compounds reveal limited toxicity as measured by murine weight gain and histopathological assessment. To our knowledge, MAC members have not yet been monitored in larger animals or humans. However, Phase 1 clinical trials are certainly on the horizon. The present review focuses on the large and evolving body of work in cancer and inflammation, but also covers MAC structural diversity and early discovery for treatment of bacteria, tuberculosis, Alzheimer’s disease and malaria.

  14. Eliminating the Heart from the Curcumin Molecule: Monocarbonyl Curcumin Mimics (MACs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shetty, Dinesh; Kim, Yong Joon; Shim, Hyunsuk; Snyder, James P.

    2015-01-01

    Curcumin is a natural product with several thousand years of heritage. Its traditional Asian application to human ailments has been subjected in recent decades to worldwide pharmacological, biochemical and clinical investigations. Curcumin’s Achilles heel lies in its poor aqueous solubility and rapid degradation at pH ~ 7.4. Researchers have sought to unlock curcumin’s assets by chemical manipulation. One class of molecules under scrutiny are the monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin (MACs). A thousand plus such agents have been created and tested primarily against cancer and inflammation. The outcome is clear. In vitro, MACs furnish a 10–20 fold potency gain vs. curcumin for numerous cancer cell lines and cellular proteins. Similarly, MACs have successfully demonstrated better pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles in mice and greater tumor regression in cancer xenografts in vivo than curcumin. The compounds reveal limited toxicity as measured by murine weight gain and histopathological assessment. To our knowledge, MAC members have not yet been monitored in larger animals or humans. However, Phase 1 clinical trials are certainly on the horizon. The present review focuses on the large and evolving body of work in cancer and inflammation, but also covers MAC structural diversity and early discovery for treatment of bacteria, tuberculosis, Alzheimer’s disease and malaria. PMID:25547726

  15. AeroMACS system characterization and demonstrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerczewski, R. J.; Apaza, R. D.; Dimond, R. P.

    This The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) is being developed to provide a new broadband wireless communications capability for safety critical communications in the airport surface domain, providing connectivity to aircraft and other ground vehicles as well as connections between other critical airport fixed assets. AeroMACS development has progressed from requirements definition through technology definition, prototype deployment and testing, and now into national and international standards development. The first prototype AeroMACS system has been deployed at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and the adjacent NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). During the past three years, extensive technical testing has taken place to characterize the performance of the AeroMACS prototype and provide technical support for the standards development process. The testing has characterized AeroMACS link and network performance over a variety of conditions for both fixed and mobile data transmission and has included basic system performance testing and fixed and mobile applications testing. This paper provides a summary of the AeroMACS performance testing and the status of standardization activities that the testing supports.

  16. Differential effect on TCR:CD3 stimulation of a 90-kD glycoprotein (gp90/Mac-2BP), a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain protein family

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Silvestri, B; Calderazzo, F; Coppola, V

    1998-01-01

    We studied the effects of a 90-kD glycoprotein (gp90/Mac-2BP) belonging to the scavenger receptor family, present in normal serum and at increased levels in inflammatory disease and cancer patients, on some T cell function parameters. Whereas the lymphocyte proliferative response to non-specific ......We studied the effects of a 90-kD glycoprotein (gp90/Mac-2BP) belonging to the scavenger receptor family, present in normal serum and at increased levels in inflammatory disease and cancer patients, on some T cell function parameters. Whereas the lymphocyte proliferative response to non......-specific mitogens such as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A), but not pokeweed mitogen (PWM), was strongly reduced, probably due to the lectin-binding properties of gp90/Mac-2BP, the response to T cell receptor (TCR) agonists such as superantigens and allogeneic cells was potentiated. When...... lymphocytes were stimulated with different anti-TCR:CD3 MoAbs, both in soluble and solid-phase form, gp90/Mac-2BP was able to down-regulate the proliferative response to anti-CD3 MoAb, whereas the response to anti-TCR alphabeta MoAb was enhanced. A similar differential effect was observed when a MoAb against...

  17. Broncho-pleural fistula with hydropneumothorax at CT: Diagnostic implications in mycobacterium avium complex lung disease with pleural involvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Hyun Jung; Chung, Myung Jin; Lee, Kyung Soo; Park, Hye Yun; Koh, Won Jung; Kim, Jung Soo

    2016-01-01

    To determine the patho-mechanism of pleural effusion or hydropneumothorax in Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease through the computed tomographic (CT) findings. We retrospectively collected data from 5 patients who had pleural fluid samples that were culture-positive for MAC between January 2001 and December 2013. The clinical findings were investigated and the radiological findings on chest CT were reviewed by 2 radiologists. The 5 patients were all male with a median age of 77 and all had underlying comorbid conditions. Pleural fluid analysis revealed a wide range of white blood cell counts (410-100690/µL). The causative microorganisms were determined as Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare in 1 and 4 patients, respectively. Radiologically, the peripheral portion of the involved lung demonstrated fibro-bullous changes or cavitary lesions causing lung destruction, reflecting the chronic, insidious nature of MAC lung disease. All patients had broncho-pleural fistulas (BPFs) and pneumothorax was accompanied with pleural effusion. In patients with underlying MAC lung disease who present with pleural effusion, the presence of BPFs and pleural air on CT imaging are indicative that spread of MAC infection is the cause of the effusion

  18. Broncho-pleural fistula with hydropneumothorax at CT: Diagnostic implications in mycobacterium avium complex lung disease with pleural involvement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Hyun Jung; Chung, Myung Jin; Lee, Kyung Soo; Park, Hye Yun; Koh, Won Jung [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Soo [Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-04-15

    To determine the patho-mechanism of pleural effusion or hydropneumothorax in Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease through the computed tomographic (CT) findings. We retrospectively collected data from 5 patients who had pleural fluid samples that were culture-positive for MAC between January 2001 and December 2013. The clinical findings were investigated and the radiological findings on chest CT were reviewed by 2 radiologists. The 5 patients were all male with a median age of 77 and all had underlying comorbid conditions. Pleural fluid analysis revealed a wide range of white blood cell counts (410-100690/µL). The causative microorganisms were determined as Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare in 1 and 4 patients, respectively. Radiologically, the peripheral portion of the involved lung demonstrated fibro-bullous changes or cavitary lesions causing lung destruction, reflecting the chronic, insidious nature of MAC lung disease. All patients had broncho-pleural fistulas (BPFs) and pneumothorax was accompanied with pleural effusion. In patients with underlying MAC lung disease who present with pleural effusion, the presence of BPFs and pleural air on CT imaging are indicative that spread of MAC infection is the cause of the effusion.

  19. MacBook All-in-One For Dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Chambers, Mark L

    2011-01-01

    Get comfortable and confident with your MacBook! Combining the fun-but-straightforward content of nine minibooks, this new edition of MacBook All-in-One For Dummies delivers helpful coverage of the rich features and essential tools you need to know to use the MacBook to its fullest potential. You'll learn an array of MacBook basics while veteran author Mark Chambers walks you through setting up your MacBook, running programs, finding files with Finder, searching with Spotlight, keeping track with Address Book, enjoying music with iTunes, creating cool multimedia projects with iLife, and more.

  20. Mac OS X Lion Server For Dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Rizzo, John

    2011-01-01

    The perfect guide to help administrators set up Apple's Mac OS X Lion Server With the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone and iPad, more Macs are appearing in corporate settings. The newest version of Mac Server is the ideal way to administer a Mac network. This friendly guide explains to both Windows and Mac administrators how to set up and configure the server, including services such as iCal Server, Podcast Producer, Wiki Server, Spotlight Server, iChat Server, File Sharing, Mail Services, and support for iPhone and iPad. It explains how to secure, administer, and troubleshoot the networ

  1. Pulmonary symptoms and diagnoses are associated with HIV in the MACS and WIHS cohorts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gingo, Matthew R; Balasubramani, Goundappa K; Rice, Thomas B; Kingsley, Lawrence; Kleerup, Eric C; Detels, Roger; Seaberg, Eric C; Greenblatt, Ruth M; Holman, Susan; Huang, Laurence; Sutton, Sarah H; Bertolet, Marnie; Morris, Alison

    2014-04-30

    Several lung diseases are increasingly recognized as comorbidities with HIV; however, few data exist related to the spectrum of respiratory symptoms, diagnostic testing, and diagnoses in the current HIV era. The objective of the study is to determine the impact of HIV on prevalence and incidence of respiratory disease in the current era of effective antiretroviral treatment. A pulmonary-specific questionnaire was administered yearly for three years to participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Adjusted prevalence ratios for respiratory symptoms, testing, or diagnoses and adjusted incidence rate ratios for diagnoses in HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected participants were determined. Risk factors for outcomes in HIV-infected individuals were modeled. Baseline pulmonary questionnaires were completed by 907 HIV-infected and 989 HIV-uninfected participants in the MACS cohort and by 1405 HIV-infected and 571 HIV-uninfected participants in the WIHS cohort. In MACS, dyspnea, cough, wheezing, sleep apnea, and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were more common in HIV-infected participants. In WIHS, wheezing and sleep apnea were more common in HIV-infected participants. Smoking (MACS and WIHS) and greater body mass index (WIHS) were associated with more respiratory symptoms and diagnoses. While sputum studies, bronchoscopies, and chest computed tomography scans were more likely to be performed in HIV-infected participants, pulmonary function tests were no more common in HIV-infected individuals. Respiratory symptoms in HIV-infected individuals were associated with history of pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, or use of HAART. A diagnosis of asthma or COPD was associated with previous pneumonia. In these two cohorts, HIV is an independent risk factor for several respiratory symptoms and pulmonary diseases including COPD and sleep apnea. Despite a higher prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms

  2. Switching to the Mac The Missing Manual

    CERN Document Server

    Pogue, David

    2010-01-01

    Is Windows giving you pause? Ready to make the leap to the Mac instead? There has never been a better time to switch from Windows to Mac, and this incomparable guide will help you make a smooth transition. New York Times columnist and Missing Manuals creator David Pogue gets you past three challenges: transferring your stuff, assembling Mac programs so you can do what you did with Windows, and learning your way around Mac OS X. Learning to use a Mac is not a piece of cake, but once you do, the rewards are oh-so-much better. No viruses, worms, or spyware. No questionable firewalls, inefficien

  3. Macs all-in-one for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Hutsko, Joe

    2014-01-01

    Your all-in-one guide to unleashing your Mac's full potential It's a Mac world out there. But if you haven't read the instruction manual, you may be neglecting some of your computer's coolest features. Turn to Macs All-in-One For Dummies' jam-packed guide to access the incredible tools within your computer. With this fully updated reference, you will learn how to use Launchpad and Mission Control; protect your Mac; back up and restore data with Time Machine; sync across devices in iCloud; import, organize, and share photos; direct in iMovie; compose in GarageBand; and so much more. The possi

  4. Mac protocols for wireless sensor network (wsn): a comparative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arshad, J.; Akram, Q.; Saleem, Y.

    2014-01-01

    Data communication between nodes is carried out under Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol which is defined at data link layer. The MAC protocols are responsible to communicate and coordinate between nodes according to the defined standards in WSN (Wireless Sensor Networks). The design of a MAC protocol should also address the issues of energy efficiency and transmission efficiency. There are number of MAC protocols that exist in the literature proposed for WSN. In this paper, nine MAC protocols which includes S-MAC, T-MAC, Wise-MAC, Mu-MAC, Z-MAC, A-MAC, D-MAC, B-MAC and B-MAC+ for WSN have been explored, studied and analyzed. These nine protocols are classified in contention based and hybrid (combination of contention and schedule based) MAC protocols. The goal of this comparative study is to provide a basis for MAC protocols and to highlight different mechanisms used with respect to parameters for the evaluation of energy and transmission efficiency in WSN. This study also aims to give reader a better understanding of the concepts, processes and flow of information used in these MAC protocols for WSN. A comparison with respect to energy reservation scheme, idle listening avoidance, latency, fairness, data synchronization, and throughput maximization has been presented. It was analyzed that contention based MAC protocols are less energy efficient as compared to hybrid MAC protocols. From the analysis of contention based MAC protocols in term of energy consumption, it was being observed that protocols based on preamble sampling consume lesser energy than protocols based on static or dynamic sleep schedule. (author)

  5. Mycobacterium avium complex--the role of potable water in disease transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiley, H; Keegan, A; Giglio, S; Bentham, R

    2012-08-01

    Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a group of opportunistic pathogens of major public health concern. It is responsible for a wide spectrum of disease dependent on subspecies, route of infection and patients pre-existing conditions. Presently, there is limited research on the incidence of MAC infection that considers both pulmonary and other clinical manifestations. MAC has been isolated from various terrestrial and aquatic environments including natural waters, engineered water systems and soils. Identifying the specific environmental sources responsible for human infection is essential in minimizing disease prevalence. This paper reviews current literature and case studies regarding the wide spectrum of disease caused by MAC and the role of potable water in disease transmission. Potable water was recognized as a putative pathway for MAC infection. Contaminated potable water sources associated with human infection included warm water distribution systems, showers, faucets, household drinking water, swimming pools and hot tub spas. MAC can maintain long-term contamination of potable water sources through its high resistance to disinfectants, association with biofilms and intracellular parasitism of free-living protozoa. Further research is required to investigate the efficiency of water treatment processes against MAC and into construction and maintenance of warm water distribution systems and the role they play in MAC proliferation. No claim to Australian Government works Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  6. Mac OS X ja tietoturva

    OpenAIRE

    Herranen, Joni

    2011-01-01

    Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on luoda kattava kokonaiskuva Mac OS X -käyttöjärjestelmän sisäänrakennetuista tietoturvaratkaisuista ja selvittää miten tietoturvaratkaisut toteuttavat tietoturvan kolmea perustavoitetta eli luottamuksellisuutta, eheyttä ja saatavuutta. Työn kohderyhmäksi on valittu edistyneemmät tietokoneenkäyttäjät, joilla ei ole aikaisempaa Mac-kokemusta. Teoriaosuudessa syvennytään aluksi Apple-yhtiöön sekä Mac OS X -järjestelmän teknisiin ominaisuuksiin. Osuuden pääta...

  7. Learn Mac OS X Snow Leopard

    CERN Document Server

    Meyers, Scott

    2009-01-01

    You're smart and savvy, but also busy. This comprehensive guide to Apple's Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard, gives you everything you need to know to live a happy, productive Mac life. Learn Mac OS X Snow Leopard will have you up and connected lickity split. With a minimum of overhead and a maximum of useful information, you'll cover a lot of ground in the time it takes other books to get you plugged in. If this isn't your first experience with Mac OS X, skip right to the "What's New in Snow Leopard" sections. You may also find yourself using this book as a quick refresher course or a way

  8. Current evidence for the use of C-MAC videolaryngoscope in adult airway management: a review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xue FS

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Fu-Shan Xue, Hui-Xian Li, Ya-Yang Liu, Gui-Zhen Yang Department of Anesthesiology, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Abstract: The C-MAC videolaryngoscope is the first Macintosh-typed videolaryngoscope. Since the advent of its original version video Macintosh system in 1999, this device has been modified several times. A unique feature of C-MAC device is its ability to provide the 2 options of direct and video laryngoscopy with the same device. The available evidence shows that in patients with normal airways, C-MAC videolaryngoscope compared with direct laryngoscopy can provide comparable or better laryngeal views and exerts less force on maxillary incisors, but does not offer conclusive benefits with regard to intubation time, intubation success, number of intubation attempts, the use of adjuncts, and hemodynamic responses to intubation. In patients with predicted or known difficult airways, C-MAC videolaryngoscope can achieve a better laryngeal view, a higher intubation success rate and a shorter intubation time than direct laryngoscopy. Furthermore, the option to perform direct and video laryngoscopy with the same device makes C-MAC videolaryngoscope exceptionally useful for emergency intubation. In addition, the C-MAC videolaryngoscope is a very good tool for tracheal intubation teaching. However, tracheal intubation with C-MAC videolaryngoscope may occasionally fail and introduction of C-MAC videolaryngoscope in clinical practice must be accompanied by formal training programs in normal and difficult airway managements. Keywords: videolaryngoscopy, direct laryngoscopy, airway management, tracheal intubation, patient safety

  9. Java and Mac OS X

    CERN Document Server

    Davis, T Gene

    2010-01-01

    Learn the guidelines of integrating Java with native Mac OS X applications with this Devloper Reference book. Java is used to create nearly every type of application that exists and is one of the most required skills of employers seeking computer programmers. Java code and its libraries can be integrated with Mac OS X features, and this book shows you how to do just that. You'll learn to write Java programs on OS X and you'll even discover how to integrate them with the Cocoa APIs.: Shows how Java programs can be integrated with any Mac OS X feature, such as NSView widgets or screen savers; Re

  10. Standardization of the Korean version of Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (K-Mini-MAC) scale: factor structure, reliability and validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jee In; Chung, Hyun Cheol; Kim, Se Joo; Choi, Hye Jin; Ahn, Joong Bae; Jeung, Hei-Cheul; Namkoong, Kee

    2008-06-01

    Mental adjustment and coping affect the physical outcome and survival as well as quality of life in cancer patients. The Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale is a new refined, economical and reliable self-rating instrument measuring cognitive and behavioral responses to cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mini-MAC in Korean cancer patients. A total of 208 cancer patients recruited from the Yonsei Cancer Center were assessed with the Mini-MAC and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Principal component analysis with varimax rotation for the Korean version of Mini-MAC (K-Mini-MAC) confirmed four factors. Three had psychometric properties similar to Helpless-Hopeless (HH), Anxious Preoccupation (AP) and Cognitive Avoidance (CA) of the original Mini-MAC. A novel factor, named Positive Attitude, included items of both Fatalism (FA) and Fighting Spirit (FS) from the original version. The five subscales from the original version (AP, HH, FS, FA and CA) and Positive Attitude had acceptable internal reliabilities in our sample (Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.50-0.86; correlation coefficient of test-retest 0.68-0.88). For the validity, significant interscale correlation was observed in the original five subscales and Positive Attitude. Each subscale including Positive Attitude was also significantly related to Depression and Anxiety of HADS. As a whole, the K-Mini-MAC was a reliable, valid and acceptable tool for Korean cancer patients. These findings can provide information about the cross-cultural validity of Mini-MAC scale's factor structure. Cultural differences were also discussed.

  11. Development of high yielding Soybean variety MACS 450 by using Kalitur mutant-MACS 111

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raut, V.M.; Taware, S.P.; Halvankar, G.B.; Varghese, Philips

    2000-01-01

    A mutant variety -MACS 111 developed by treating seeds of indigenous black seeded 'Kalitur' variety with gamma irradiation + Ethyleneimine was used in development of high yielding varieties. MACS 450 a promising high yielding variety was selected from Bragg x MACS 111 cross by pedigree selection method. This variety gave the highest average seed yield in station trials (3422 kg/ha), coordinated breeding trials (2361 kg/ha) and varieties cum plant population trial (2215 kg/ha). On the basis of its performance in these trials it was released for commercial cultivation in Southern India. On all India basis, it also recorded the highest seed yield of 4076 kg/ha and 3582 kg/ha in Front line Demonstrations conducted on the farmers' field during 1998 and 1999 respectively. (author)

  12. Take control the Mac OS X lexicon

    CERN Document Server

    Zardetto, Sharon

    2009-01-01

    This ebook explains a little bit of everything; in fact, it's The Mac OS X (and then some) Lexicon because it's never just you and your Mac. It's you and your Mac and the Web, and your email, and that article you just read that threw 17 new acronyms at you or assumed that you knew all sorts of networking terms. Or it's you and your Mac and Finder features you've never touched, such as burn folders, smart folders, or proxy icons, and that mysterious Services submenu. This book is a great guide for Macintosh users everywhere who have trouble keeping up with the latest jargon, fo

  13. MacA, a periplasmic membrane fusion protein of the macrolide transporter MacAB-TolC, binds lipopolysaccharide core specifically and with high affinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Shuo; Zgurskaya, Helen I

    2013-11-01

    The Escherichia coli MacAB-TolC transporter has been implicated in efflux of macrolide antibiotics and secretion of enterotoxin STII. In this study, we found that purified MacA, a periplasmic membrane fusion protein, contains one tightly bound rough core lipopolysaccharide (R-LPS) molecule per MacA molecule. R-LPS was bound specifically to MacA protein with affinity exceeding that of polymyxin B. Sequence analyses showed that MacA contains two high-density clusters of positively charged amino acid residues located in the cytoplasmic N-terminal domain and the periplasmic C-terminal domain. Substitutions in the C-terminal cluster reducing the positive-charge density completely abolished binding of R-LPS. At the same time, these substitutions significantly reduced the functionality of MacA in the protection of E. coli against macrolides in vivo and in the in vitro MacB ATPase stimulation assays. Taken together, our results suggest that R-LPS or a similar glycolipid is a physiological substrate of MacAB-TolC.

  14. MacBook Pro Portable Genius

    CERN Document Server

    Miser, Brad

    2011-01-01

    Tips and techniques for forward-thinking MacBook Pro users Now that you have a MacBook Pro, you need just one more accessory, your very own copy of MacBook Pro Portable Genius, Third Edition. This handy, compact book lets you in on a wealth of tips and tricks, so you get the very most out of Apple's very popular notebook. Discover the latest on the most recent release of iLife, get the skinny on the new Intel Core i7 and i5 processors in the Pro, see how to go wireless in a smart way, and much more. The book is easy to navigate, doesn't skimp on the essentials, and helps you save time and avoi

  15. MacSelfService online tutorial

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Mac Self-Service is a functionality within the Mac Desktop Service built and maintained to empower CERN users by giving them easy access to applications and configurations through the Self-Service application. This tutorial (text attached to the event page) explains how to install Mac Self-Service and how to use it to install applications and printers. Content owner: Vincent Nicolas Bippus Presenter: Pedro Augusto de Freitas Batista Tell us what you think via e-learning.support at cern.ch More tutorials in the e-learning collection of the CERN Document Server (CDS) https://cds.cern.ch/collection/E-learning%20modules?ln=en All info about the CERN rapid e-learning project is linked from http://twiki.cern.ch/ELearning  

  16. Cognitive function and advanced kidney disease: longitudinal trends and impact on decision-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyasere, Osasuyi; Okai, David; Brown, Edwina

    2017-02-01

    Background: Cognitive impairment commonly affects renal patients. But little is known about the influence of dialysis modality on cognitive trends or the influence of cognitive impairment on decision-making in renal patients. This study evaluated cognitive trends amongst chronic kidney disease (CKD), haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The relationship between cognitive impairment and decision-making capacity (DMC) was also assessed. Methods: Patients were recruited from three outpatient clinics. Cognitive function was assessed 4-monthly for up to 2 years, using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. Cognitive trends were assessed using mixed model analysis. DMC was assessed using the Macarthur Competency Assessment tool (MacCAT-T). MacCAT-T scores were compared between patients with cognitive impairment (MoCA cognitive impairment had lower MacCAT-T compared with those without [median (interquartile range) 19 (17.9-19.6) versus 17.4 (16.3-18.4); P = 0.049]. Conclusions: Cognition declines faster in dialysis patients compared with CKD patients and in HD patients compared with PD patients. Cognitive impairment affects DMC in patients with advanced kidney disease.

  17. [Health valuations for patients with chronic ischemic heart disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meder, M; Farin, E

    2011-08-01

    The study deals with the question of how patients with chronic ischemic heart disease assess different health situations that can be achieved by rehabilitation. Furthermore it examines which factors influence these health valuations and whether the predictors vary depending on the level of education. The health valuations of n = 331 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease are compiled using visual analogue scales (VAS). In addition to sociodemographic questions, generic and illness-specific scales (SF-12, MacNew) for the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are used as potential predictors of the health valuations. Additional basic medical data were provided by the physician. Hierarchical regression analyses are conducted; the sociodemographic, medical and HRQOL variables are included stepwise. Since many variables are observed for the regression models, an imputation of missing values is made. The health dimensions "Self-care and domestic life" and "Mobility" are assigned the highest values on the VAS. The lowest preference is assigned to the dimensions "Reduction of symptoms" and "Information about the disease". The differences between the health dimensions are statistically significant. Sociodemographic variables explain up to 3.6% of the variance of health valuations, with level of education and living with a partner being the most important predictors. The medical variables included in the second step explain between 2.1 and 6.8% incremental variance; the most important predictor is the operation performed prior to rehabilitation (bypass, heart valve). The HRQOL variables in the third block provide 7.1-24.9% incremental explanation of variance, by far the highest percentage. This is mainly achieved using the 3 MacNew scales (emotional, social and physical functioning). The overall explanation of variance for the health valuations is 17.1-28.8%. For patients with a higher level of education, the total explanation of variance is about 9.2% higher on

  18. IL-32 expression in the airway epithelial cells of patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bai, X.; Ovrutsky, A.R.; Kartalija, M.; Chmura, K.; Kamali, A.; Honda, J.R.; Oberley-Deegan, R.E.; Dinarello, C.A.; Crapo, J.D.; Chang, L.Y.; Chan, E.D.

    2011-01-01

    Lung disease due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) organisms is increasing. A greater understanding of the host immune response to MAC organisms will provide a foundation to develop novel therapies for these recalcitrant infections. IL-32 is a newly described pro-inflammatory cytokine that

  19. Office 2008 for Mac for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    LeVitus, Bob

    2013-01-01

    Office 2008 for Mac is here, with great new enhancements to all your favorite office productivity tools. Who better than "Dr. Mac, "Bob LeVitus, to show you how to load and use them all? From choosing the best version for your needs to managing your life with your online calendar, Office 2008 For Mac For Dummies covers what you need to know. It compares the Student/Teacher Edition, Standard Edition, and Professional Edition, then walks you through installing your preferred version and keeping it up to date. You'll find out all the things you can do with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage,

  20. Potential of Wake-Up Radio-Based MAC Protocols for Implantable Body Sensor Networks (IBSN—A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vignesh Raja Karuppiah Ramachandran

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available With the advent of nano-technology, medical sensors and devices are becoming highly miniaturized. Consequently, the number of sensors and medical devices being implanted to accurately monitor and diagnose a disease is increasing. By measuring the symptoms and controlling a medical device as close as possible to the source, these implantable devices are able to save lives. A wireless link between medical sensors and implantable medical devices is essential in the case of closed-loop medical devices, in which symptoms of the diseases are monitored by sensors that are not placed in close proximity of the therapeutic device. Medium Access Control (MAC is crucial to make it possible for several medical devices to communicate using a shared wireless medium in such a way that minimum delay, maximum throughput, and increased network life-time are guaranteed. To guarantee this Quality of Service (QoS, the MAC protocols control the main sources of limited resource wastage, namely the idle-listening, packet collisions, over-hearing, and packet loss. Traditional MAC protocols designed for body sensor networks are not directly applicable to Implantable Body Sensor Networks (IBSN because of the dynamic nature of the radio channel within the human body and the strict QoS requirements of IBSN applications. Although numerous MAC protocols are available in the literature, the majority of them are designed for Body Sensor Network (BSN and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN. To the best of our knowledge, there is so far no research paper that explores the impact of these MAC protocols specifically for IBSN. MAC protocols designed for implantable devices are still in their infancy and one of their most challenging objectives is to be ultra-low-power. One of the technological solutions to achieve this objective so is to integrate the concept of Wake-up radio (WuR into the MAC design. In this survey, we present a taxonomy of MAC protocols based on their use of Wu

  1. Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budinger, James M.; Hall, Edward

    2011-01-01

    To help increase the capacity and efficiency of the nation s airports, a secure wideband wireless communications system is proposed for use on the airport surface. This paper provides an overview of the research and development process for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). AeroMACS is based on a specific commercial profile of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard known as Wireless Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMAX (WiMax Forum). The paper includes background on the need for global interoperability in air/ground data communications, describes potential AeroMACS applications, addresses allocated frequency spectrum constraints, summarizes the international standardization process, and provides findings and recommendations from the world s first AeroMACS prototype implemented in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

  2. McMAC: towards a MAC protocol with multi-constrained QoS provisioning for diverse traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monowar, Muhammad Mostafa; Hassan, Mohammad Mehedi; Bajaber, Fuad; Al-Hussein, Musaed; Alamri, Atif

    2012-11-12

    The emergence of heterogeneous applications with diverse requirements for resource-constrained Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) poses significant challenges for provisioning Quality of Service (QoS) with multi-constraints (delay and reliability) while preserving energy efficiency. To address such challenges, this paper proposes McMAC,a MAC protocol with multi-constrained QoS provisioning for diverse traffic classes in WBANs. McMAC classifies traffic based on their multi-constrained QoS demands and introduces a novel superframe structure based on the "transmit-whenever-appropriate"principle, which allows diverse periods for diverse traffic classes according to their respective QoS requirements. Furthermore, a novel emergency packet handling mechanism is proposedto ensure packet delivery with the least possible delay and the highest reliability. McMAC is also modeled analytically, and extensive simulations were performed to evaluate its performance. The results reveal that McMAC achieves the desired delay and reliability guarantee according to the requirements of a particular traffic class while achieving energy efficiency.

  3. A Mobile Automated Characterization System (MACS) for indoor floor characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richardson, B.S.; Haley, D.C.; Dudar, A.M.; Ward, C.R.

    1995-01-01

    The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing an advanced Mobile Automated Characterization System (MACS) to characterize indoor contaminated floors. MACS is based upon Semi-Intelligent Mobile Observing Navigator (SIMON), an earlier floor characterization system developed at SRTC. MACS will feature enhanced navigation systems, operator interface, and an interface to simplify integration of additional sensors. The enhanced navigation system will provide the capability to survey large open areas much more accurately than is now possible with SIMON, which is better suited for hallways and corridors that provide the means for recalibrating position and heading. MACS operator interface is designed to facilitate MACS's use as a tool for health physicists, thus eliminating the need for additional training in the robot's control language. Initial implementation of MACS will use radiation detectors. Additional sensors, such as PCB sensors currently being developed, will be integrated on MACS in the future. Initial use of MACS will be focused toward obtaining comparative results with manual methods. Surveys will be conducted both manually and with MACS to compare relative costs and data quality. While clear cost benefits anticipated, data quality benefits should be even more significant

  4. Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Leopard)

    CERN Document Server

    Rothman, Ernest E; Rosen, Rich

    2009-01-01

    If you've been lured to Mac OS X because of its Unix roots, this invaluable book serves as a bridge between Apple's Darwin OS and the more traditional Unix systems. The new edition offers a complete tour of Mac OS X's Unix shell for Leopard and Tiger, and helps you find the facilities that replace or correspond to standard Unix utilities. Learn how to compile code, link to libraries, and port Unix software to Mac OS X and much more with this concise guide.

  5. Functional Implications of an Intermeshing Cogwheel-like Interaction between TolC and MacA in the Action of Macrolide-specific Efflux Pump MacAB-TolC*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yongbin; Song, Saemee; Moeller, Arne; Kim, Nahee; Piao, Shunfu; Sim, Se-Hoon; Kang, Mooseok; Yu, Wookyung; Cho, Hyun-Soo; Chang, Iksoo; Lee, Kangseok; Ha, Nam-Chul

    2011-01-01

    Macrolide-specific efflux pump MacAB-TolC has been identified in diverse Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli. The inner membrane transporter MacB requires the outer membrane factor TolC and the periplasmic adaptor protein MacA to form a functional tripartite complex. In this study, we used a chimeric protein containing the tip region of the TolC α-barrel to investigate the role of the TolC α-barrel tip region with regard to its interaction with MacA. The chimeric protein formed a stable complex with MacA, and the complex formation was abolished by substitution at the functionally essential residues located at the MacA α-helical tip region. Electron microscopic study delineated that this complex was made by tip-to-tip interaction between the tip regions of the α-barrels of TolC and MacA, which correlated well with the TolC and MacA complex calculated by molecular dynamics. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MacA hexamer interacts with TolC in a tip-to-tip manner, and implies the manner by which MacA induces opening of the TolC channel. PMID:21325274

  6. Functional implications of an intermeshing cogwheel-like interaction between TolC and MacA in the action of macrolide-specific efflux pump MacAB-TolC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yongbin; Song, Saemee; Moeller, Arne; Kim, Nahee; Piao, Shunfu; Sim, Se-Hoon; Kang, Mooseok; Yu, Wookyung; Cho, Hyun-Soo; Chang, Iksoo; Lee, Kangseok; Ha, Nam-Chul

    2011-04-15

    Macrolide-specific efflux pump MacAB-TolC has been identified in diverse gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli. The inner membrane transporter MacB requires the outer membrane factor TolC and the periplasmic adaptor protein MacA to form a functional tripartite complex. In this study, we used a chimeric protein containing the tip region of the TolC α-barrel to investigate the role of the TolC α-barrel tip region with regard to its interaction with MacA. The chimeric protein formed a stable complex with MacA, and the complex formation was abolished by substitution at the functionally essential residues located at the MacA α-helical tip region. Electron microscopic study delineated that this complex was made by tip-to-tip interaction between the tip regions of the α-barrels of TolC and MacA, which correlated well with the TolC and MacA complex calculated by molecular dynamics. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MacA hexamer interacts with TolC in a tip-to-tip manner, and implies the manner by which MacA induces opening of the TolC channel.

  7. Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server For Dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Rizzo, John

    2009-01-01

    Making Everything Easier!. Mac OS® X Snow Leopard Server for Dummies. Learn to::;. Set up and configure a Mac network with Snow Leopard Server;. Administer, secure, and troubleshoot the network;. Incorporate a Mac subnet into a Windows Active Directory® domain;. Take advantage of Unix® power and security. John Rizzo. Want to set up and administer a network even if you don't have an IT department? Read on!. Like everything Mac, Snow Leopard Server was designed to be easy to set up and use. Still, there are so many options and features that this book will save you heaps of time and effort. It wa

  8. McMAC: Towards a MAC Protocol with Multi-Constrained QoS Provisioning for Diverse Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Monowar, Muhammad; Hassan, Mohammad; Bajaber, Fuad; Al-Hussein, Musaed; Alamri, Atif

    2012-01-01

    The emergence of heterogeneous applications with diverse requirements for resource-constrained Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) poses significant challenges for provisioning Quality of Service (QoS) with multi-constraints (delay and reliability) while preserving energy efficiency. To address such challenges, this paper proposes McMAC, a MAC protocol with multi-constrained QoS provisioning for diverse traffic classes in WBANs. McMAC classifies traffic based on their multi-constrained QoS de...

  9. iMac G3 Blueberry 350MHz

    CERN Multimedia

    2000-01-01

    The iMac G3 is an all-in-one personal computer, encompassing both the monitor and the computer in one package. It allowed to revitalize the Apple brand that was in decline and close to financial ruin. Originally released in striking bondi blue and later a range of other translucent plastic envelopes in bright colors. The iMac comes with a keyboard and mouse matching the color of the case. The iMac G3 was sold from 1998 to 2003 and has been updated many times.

  10. Una lectura interpretativa de Tras la virtud, de Alasdair MacIntyre - An Interpretive Reading of After Virtue, by Alasdair MacIntyre

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Fernández-Llebrez

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available This article centers on the thought of Alasdair MacIntyre, whose most prominente work, After Virtue, is considered a classic of political science. In contrast with other reviews, this article will examine After Virtue within the broader context of MacIntyre’s thinking and publications. An overview of MacIntyre’s literary corpus and the evolution of his thinking will shed light on the volume examined and trace certain ideas that are characteristic of this Scottish political philosopher. Matters that remained unsettled in After Virtue have become over time more defined in MacIntyre’s thinking, such as the influence exerted upon him by Thomas Aquinas.

  11. George MacDonald's Estimate of Childhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pridmore, John

    2007-01-01

    The nineteenth-century fantasy writer George MacDonald believed that "it is better to be a child in a green field than a knight of many orders." In this paper, I shall explore the bearing of this high estimate of childhood on spiritual education. MacDonald explores the spirituality of the child in his essay "A Sketch of Individual Development" and…

  12. Mac OS X : Tiger edition the missing manual

    CERN Document Server

    Pogue, David

    2005-01-01

    You can set your watch to it: As soon as Apple comes out with another version of Mac OS X, David Pogue hits the streets with another meticulous Missing Manual to cover it with a wealth of detail. The new Mac OS X 10.4, better known as Tiger, is faster than its predecessors, but nothing's too fast for Pogue and Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. There are many reasons why this is the most popular computer book of all time. With its hallmark objectivity, the Tiger Edition thoroughly explores the latest features to grace the Mac OS. Which ones work well and which do not? What should you look for? Th

  13. Increased NMDA receptor inhibition at an increased Sevoflurane MAC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brosnan Robert J

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Sevoflurane potently enhances glycine receptor currents and more modestly decreases NMDA receptor currents, each of which may contribute to immobility. This modest NMDA receptor antagonism by sevoflurane at a minimum alveolar concentration (MAC could be reciprocally related to large potentiation of other inhibitory ion channels. If so, then reduced glycine receptor potency should increase NMDA receptor antagonism by sevoflurane at MAC. Methods Indwelling lumbar subarachnoid catheters were surgically placed in 14 anesthetized rats. Rats were anesthetized with sevoflurane the next day, and a pre-infusion sevoflurane MAC was measured in duplicate using a tail clamp method. Artificial CSF (aCSF containing either 0 or 4 mg/mL strychnine was then infused intrathecally at 4 μL/min, and the post-infusion baseline sevoflurane MAC was measured. Finally, aCSF containing strychnine (either 0 or 4 mg/mL plus 0.4 mg/mL dizocilpine (MK-801 was administered intrathecally at 4 μL/min, and the post-dizocilpine sevoflurane MAC was measured. Results Pre-infusion sevoflurane MAC was 2.26%. Intrathecal aCSF alone did not affect MAC, but intrathecal strychnine significantly increased sevoflurane requirement. Addition of dizocilpine significantly decreased MAC in all rats, but this decrease was two times larger in rats without intrathecal strychnine compared to rats with intrathecal strychnine, a statistically significant (P  Conclusions Glycine receptor antagonism increases NMDA receptor antagonism by sevoflurane at MAC. The magnitude of anesthetic effects on a given ion channel may therefore depend on the magnitude of its effects on other receptors that modulate neuronal excitability.

  14. MACS as a tool for international inspections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Curtiss, J.A.; Indusi, J.P.

    1995-08-01

    The MACS/ACRS (Managed Access by Controlled Sensing/Access by Controlled Remote Sensing) system is a collection of communication devices, video capability, and distance-measuring equipment which can effectively substitute for the physical presence of a challenge inspector within a facility. The MACS design allows growth of the prototype, developed in response to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), into a versatile device for inspection of sensitive nuclear facilities under other international arrangements, for example the proposed Fissile Material Cutoff Convention. A MACS/ACRS-type system in a standard, international-recognized configuration could resolve sensitive information and safety concerns through providing a means of achieving the goals of an inspection while excluding the inspector. We believe the technology used to develop MACS for the Defense Nuclear Agency, followed by ACRS for the Department of Energy, is universally adaptable for minimally-intrusive managed-access international inspections of sensitive sites.

  15. MACS as a tool for international inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curtiss, J.A.; Indusi, J.P.

    1995-01-01

    The MACS/ACRS (Managed Access by Controlled Sensing/Access by Controlled Remote Sensing) system is a collection of communication devices, video capability, and distance-measuring equipment which can effectively substitute for the physical presence of a challenge inspector within a facility. The MACS design allows growth of the prototype, developed in response to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), into a versatile device for inspection of sensitive nuclear facilities under other international arrangements, for example the proposed Fissile Material Cutoff Convention. A MACS/ACRS-type system in a standard, international-recognized configuration could resolve sensitive information and safety concerns through providing a means of achieving the goals of an inspection while excluding the inspector. We believe the technology used to develop MACS for the Defense Nuclear Agency, followed by ACRS for the Department of Energy, is universally adaptable for minimally-intrusive managed-access international inspections of sensitive sites

  16. A Mac Protocol Implementation for Wireless Sensor Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamila Bhar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available IEEE 802.15.4 is an important standard for Low Rate Wireless Personal Area Network (LRWPAN. The IEEE 802.15.4 presents a flexible MAC protocol that provides good efficiency for data transmission by adapting its parameters according to characteristics of different applications. In this research work, some restrictions of this standard are explained and an improvement of traffic efficiency by optimizing MAC layer is proposed. Implementation details for several blocks of communication system are carefully modeled. The protocol implementation is done using VHDL language. The analysis gives a full understanding of the behavior of the MAC protocol with regard to backoff delay, data loss probability, congestion probability, slot effectiveness, and traffic distribution for terminals. Two ideas are proposed and tested to improve efficiency of CSMA/CA mechanism for IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Layer. Primarily, we dynamically adjust the backoff exponent (BE according to queue level of each node. Secondly, we vary the number of consecutive clear channel assessment (CCA for packet transmission. We demonstrate also that slot compensation provided by the enhanced MAC protocol can greatly avoid unused slots. The results show the significant improvements expected by our approach among the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC standards. Synthesis results show also hardware performances of our proposed architecture.

  17. Learn Office 2011 for Mac OS X

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2011-01-01

    Office for Mac remains the leading productivity suite for Mac, with Apple's iWork and the free OpenOffice.org trailing far behind. And now it's being updated with a cleaner interface and more compatibility with Exchange and SharePoint. Learn Office 2011 for Mac OS X offers a practical, hands-on approach to using Office 2011 applications to create and edit documents and get work done efficiently. You'll learn how to customize Office, design, create, and share documents, manipulate data in a spreadsheet, and create lively presentations. You'll also discover how to organize your email, contacts,

  18. Nontuberculous mycobacteria in non-AIDS patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Marinho

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM play an increasingly significant pathogenic role in HIV-positive patients, in patients with chronic lung disease, in other chronic conditions and in the elderly. Aims: Evaluate the importance of NTM isolation in respiratory samples in patients without HIV-infection. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of our hospital patients with no known AIDS, with at least one NTM positive respiratory sample, from 1997-2004. Results: We found 102 patients, with a median age of 63 years; 67% male. Sixty-three (62% had underlying lung disease, mainly tuberculosis sequelae (n = 19. The majority (47% of the isolations were Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC.A diagnosis of Mycobacterium pulmonary disease was made in 16 patients (15.7%, 14 of which met the American Thoracic Society diagnostic criteria. Ten male and 6 female; median age 65 years. Twelve had underlying lung disease. All of them had respiratory infection complaints. Chest X-rays showed mainly pulmonary infiltrates, linear opacities and cavitation. MAC was the cause of mycobacterium respiratory disease in 12 patients (75%. Conclusion: NTM isolation did not equal pulmonary NTM disease in the majority of cases, even in patients with underlying lung disease. MAC was the most commonly isolated agent and its relative importance was higher in the presence of NTM disease. Resumo: As micobactérias não tuberculosas (MNT têm um papel patogénico de importância crescente em doentes com serologia positiva para o vírus da imunodeficiência humana (VIH, em doentes com doença pulmonar crónica, em outras doencas crónicas, e ainda nos idosos. Objectivo: Avaliar a importância do isolamento de MNT em amostras respiratórias em doentes adultos sem infecção VIH. Material e métodos: Estudo retrospectivo dos doentes do Hospital de São João sem infecção VIH conhecida, com pelo menos uma amostra respiratória positiva para MNT, entre 1997 e 2004. Resultados: Foram encontrados 102

  19. Connectivity-Based Reliable Multicast MAC Protocol for IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woo-Yong Choi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose the efficient reliable multicast MAC protocol based on the connectivity information among the recipients. Enhancing the BMMM (Batch Mode Multicast MAC protocol, the reliable multicast MAC protocol significantly reduces the RAK (Request for ACK frame transmissions in a reasonable computational time and enhances the MAC performance. By the analytical performance analysis, the throughputs of the BMMM protocol and our proposed MAC protocol are derived. Numerical examples show that our proposed MAC protocol increases the reliable multicast MAC performance for IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs.

  20. Victor Bérard et la Macédoine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan Savev

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Un helléniste convaincu, Victor Bérard, en vient, au début du XXe siècle à soutenir l’existence de « Macédoniens » et le slogan « la Macédoine aux Macédoniens”.Le Congrès de Berlin en 1878 avait laissé la Macédoine aux mains des Ottomans. La Grèce, la Serbie et la Bulgarie, parvenues à ses limites et prévoyant le retrait futur des Ottomans peaufinent les arguments linguistiques et historiques qui justifieront leurs revendications territoriales. Victor Bérard, un helléniste respecté et bon connaisseur de la région sud balkanique, effectue des enquêtes en Macédoine en 1896 et 1903 qu’il publie à Paris.Cette étude montre comment, dans le contexte de la propagande nationaliste des prétendants à la possession de la Macédoine, Victor Bérard en vient progressivement à affirmer qu’il existe une population autochtone, les Macédoniens. Il soutient leur programme pour la constitution d’une fédération ou confédération avec le slogan « la Macédoine aux Macédoniens » ce qui fait toute l’actualité de ses ouvrages.In 1878, the Congress of Berlin had left Macedonia in the hands of the Ottomans. Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria had reached its limits. Anticipating the Ottoman retreat, they polish language and historical arguments that will justify their territorial claims. Victor Bérard, a respected Hellenist and a good expert of the southern Balkans, is doing researches in Macedonia in 1896 and 1903. These will be later published in Paris.This study shows how, in the context of the nationalist propaganda build-up made by the candidates for the possession of Macedonia, Victor Bérard comes progressively to assert the existence of a native population: the Macedonians. He supports their program for the forming of a federation or confederation which slogan would be “Macedonia to Macedonians”. This makes his works very topical.

  1. Assessment of mental capacity to consent to treatment in anorexia nervosa: A comparison of clinical judgment and MacCAT-T and consequences for clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elzakkers, Isis F F M; Danner, Unna N; Grisso, Thomas; Hoek, Hans W; van Elburg, Annemarie A

    Informed consent requires adequate mental capacity to consent to treatment. Mental capacity (MC) to consent to treatment refers to the ability to make medical decisions. MC is assessed in a general psychiatric interview, but this clinical assessment is known to overestimate mental capacity in patients and the inter rater reliability is low. The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) has emerged as the gold standard to assess mental capacity to consent to treatment. The MacCAT-T is a semi-structured interview designed to aid clinicians in this assessment and has shown good inter rater reliability in patients with schizophrenia and other mental disorders, but has hardly been studied in patients with anorexia nervosa. Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) regularly avoid treatment, even when severely ill and discussion includes assessing MC to consent to treatment. The aim of this study is to compare clinical judgment and the MacCAT-T in evaluating MC in patients with AN which in turn may influence use of the MacCAT-T in daily practice. In a sample of 70 consecutively referred severely ill patients with AN with a mean BMI of 15.5 kg/m 2 and a mean duration of illness of 8.6 years, clinical assessment of MC by experienced psychiatrists and the outcome of the MacCAT-T interview were compared. Agreement (κ-value) was calculated. Agreement between clinical assessment and outcome of the MacCAT-T was questionable (κ 0.23). Unlike in other psychiatric populations, clinicians judged a high proportion of patients with AN as having diminished MC. The MacCAT-T can be useful in assessing MC in AN when used in addition to clinical judgment to aid clinicians in complex cases. Why clinicians judge a relatively high proportion of patients with AN as having diminished MC, in contrast to lower proportions in other psychiatric disorders, is an area in need of further research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Post-transplant outcomes in pediatric ventricular assist device patients: A PediMACS-Pediatric Heart Transplant Study linkage analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutcliffe, David L; Pruitt, Elizabeth; Cantor, Ryan S; Godown, Justin; Lane, John; Turrentine, Mark W; Law, Sabrina P; Lantz, Jodie L; Kirklin, James K; Bernstein, Daniel; Blume, Elizabeth D

    2017-12-13

    Pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) support as bridge to transplant has improved waitlist survival, but the effects of pre-implant status and VAD-related events on post-transplant outcomes have not been assessed. This study is a linkage analysis between the PediMACS and Pediatric Heart Transplant Study databases to determine the effects of VAD course on post-transplant outcomes. Database linkage between October 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015 identified 147 transplanted VAD patients, the primary study group. The comparison cohort was composed of 630 PHTS patients without pre-transplant VAD support. The primary outcome was post-transplant survival, with secondary outcomes of post-transplant length of stay, freedom from infection and freedom from rejection. At implant, the VAD cohort was INTERMACS Profile 1 in 33 (23%), Profile 2 in 89 (63%) and Profile 3 in 14 (10%) patients. The VAD cohort was older, larger, and less likely to have congenital heart disease (p < 0.0001). However, they had greater requirements for inotrope and ventilator support and increased liver and renal dysfunction (p < 0.0001), both of which normalized at transplant after device support. Importantly, there were no differences in 1-year post-transplant survival (96% vs 93%, p = 0.3), freedom from infection (81% vs 79%, p = 0.9) or freedom from rejection (71% vs 74%, p = 0.87) between cohorts. Pediatric VAD patients have post-transplant outcomes equal to that of medically supported patients, despite greater pre-implant illness severity. Post-transplant survival, hospital length of stay, infection and rejection were not affected by patient acuity at VAD implantation or VAD-related complications. Therefore, VAD as bridge to transplant mitigates severity of illness in children. Copyright © 2017 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Profile of a leader. Alena Jean MacMaster: administrator, educator, professional activist and community advocate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gautreau, G; Winans, P

    1999-01-01

    This paper profiles Alena Jean MacMaster, an extraordinary nurse leader, activist, visionary and humanitarian from New Brunswick. Her determination and drive were instrumental in fostering the development and progression of health care, nursing education and nursing services at the local, provincial, federal and international levels. "First, loyalty to the institution in which you serve. The patient is the most important person in the entire institution," was Miss MacMaster's guiding principle throughout her career.

  4. Power-Controlled MAC Protocols with Dynamic Neighbor Prediction for Ad hoc Networks

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LI Meng; ZHANG Lin; XIAO Yong-kang; SHAN Xiu-ming

    2004-01-01

    Energy and bandwidth are the scarce resources in ad hoc networks because most of the mobile nodes are battery-supplied and share the exclusive wireless medium. Integrating the power control into MAC protocol is a promising technique to fully exploit these precious resources of ad hoc wireless networks. In this paper, a new intelligent power-controlled Medium Access Control (MAC) (iMAC) protocol with dynamic neighbor prediction is proposed. Through the elaborate design of the distributed transmit-receive strategy of mobile nodes, iMAC greatly outperforms the prevailing IEEE 802.11 MAC protocols in not only energy conservation but also network throughput. Using the Dynamic Neighbor Prediction (DNP), iMAC performs well in mobile scenes. To the best of our knowledge, iMAC is the first protocol that considers the performance deterioration of power-controlled MAC protocols in mobile scenes and then proposes a solution. Simulation results indicate that DNP is important and necessary for power-controlled MAC protocols in mobile ad hoc networks.

  5. Multichannel MAC Layer In Mobile Ad—Hoc Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Logesh, K.; Rao, Samba Siva

    2010-11-01

    This paper we presented the design objectives and technical challenges in Multichannel MAC protocols in Mobile Ad-hoc Network. In IEEE 802.11 a/b/g standards allow use of multiple channels, only a single channel is popularly used, due to the lack of efficient protocols that enable use of Multiple Channels. Even though complex environments in ad hoc networks require a combined control of physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers resources in order to optimize performance. And also we discuss the characteristics of cross-layer frame and give a multichannel MAC approach.

  6. QL-MAC : a Q-learning based MAC for wireless sensor networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Galzarano, S.; Liotta, A.; Fortino, G.; Aversa, R.; Kolodziej, J.; Zhang, J.; Amato, F.; Fortino, G.

    2013-01-01

    WSNs are becoming an increasingly attractive technology thanks to the significant benefits they can offer to a wide range of application domains. Extending the system lifetime while preserving good network performance is one of the main challenges in WSNs. In this paper, a novel MAC protocol

  7. McMAC: Towards a MAC Protocol with Multi-Constrained QoS Provisioning for Diverse Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Mostafa Monowar

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of heterogeneous applications with diverse requirements forresource-constrained Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs poses significant challengesfor provisioning Quality of Service (QoS with multi-constraints (delay and reliability whilepreserving energy efficiency. To address such challenges, this paper proposes McMAC,a MAC protocol with multi-constrained QoS provisioning for diverse traffic classes inWBANs. McMAC classifies traffic based on their multi-constrained QoS demands andintroduces a novel superframe structure based on the "transmit-whenever-appropriate"principle, which allows diverse periods for diverse traffic classes according to their respectiveQoS requirements. Furthermore, a novel emergency packet handling mechanism is proposedto ensure packet delivery with the least possible delay and the highest reliability. McMACis also modeled analytically, and extensive simulations were performed to evaluate itsperformance. The results reveal that McMAC achieves the desired delay and reliabilityguarantee according to the requirements of a particular traffic class while achieving energyefficiency.

  8. Library Signage: Applications for the Apple Macintosh and MacPaint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diskin, Jill A.; FitzGerald, Patricia

    1984-01-01

    Describes specific applications of the Macintosh computer at Carnegie-Mellon University Libraries, where MacPaint was used as a flexible, easy to use, and powerful tool to produce informational, instructional, and promotional signage. Profiles of system hardware and software, an evaluation of the computer program MacPaint, and MacPaint signage…

  9. A Very Low Power MAC (VLPM Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyung Sup Kwak

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs consist of a limited number of battery operated nodes that are used to monitor the vital signs of a patient over long periods of time without restricting the patient’s movements. They are an easy and fast way to diagnose the patient’s status and to consult the doctor. Device as well as network lifetime are among the most important factors in a WBAN. Prolonging the lifetime of the WBAN strongly depends on controlling the energy consumption of sensor nodes. To achieve energy efficiency, low duty cycle MAC protocols are used, but for medical applications, especially in the case of pacemakers where data have time-limited relevance, these protocols increase latency which is highly undesirable and leads to system instability. In this paper, we propose a low power MAC protocol (VLPM based on existing wakeup radio approaches which reduce energy consumption as well as improving the response time of a node. We categorize the traffic into uplink and downlink traffic. The nodes are equipped with both a low power wake-up transmitter and receiver. The low power wake-up receiver monitors the activity on channel all the time with a very low power and keeps the MCU (Micro Controller Unit along with main radio in sleep mode. When a node [BN or BNC (BAN Coordinator] wants to communicate with another node, it uses the low-power radio to send a wakeup packet, which will prompt the receiver to power up its primary radio to listen for the message that follows shortly. The wake-up packet contains the desired node’s ID along with some other information to let the targeted node to wake-up and take part in communication and let all other nodes to go to sleep mode quickly. The VLPM protocol is proposed for applications having low traffic conditions. For high traffic rates, optimization is needed. Analytical results show that the proposed protocol outperforms both synchronized and unsynchronized MAC protocols like T-MAC, SCP-MAC, B-MAC

  10. LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrins bind to the serine/threonine-rich domain of thrombomodulin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawamoto, Eiji [Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507 (Japan); Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan); Okamoto, Takayuki, E-mail: okamotot@doc.medic.mie-u.ac.jp [Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507 (Japan); Takagi, Yoshimi [Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507 (Japan); Honda, Goichi [Medical Affairs Department, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, 1-105 Kanda Jinbo-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8101 (Japan); Suzuki, Koji [Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 3500-3, Minamitamagaki-cho, Suzuka, Mie 513-8679 (Japan); Imai, Hiroshi [Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan); Shimaoka, Motomu, E-mail: shimaoka@doc.medic.mie-u.ac.jp [Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507 (Japan)

    2016-05-13

    LFA-1 (αLβ2) and Mac-1 (αMβ2) integrins regulate leukocyte trafficking in health and disease by binding primarily to IgSF ligand ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 on endothelial cells. Here we have shown that the anti-coagulant molecule thrombomodulin (TM), found on the surface of endothelial cells, functions as a potentially new ligand for leukocyte integrins. We generated a recombinant extracellular domain of human TM and Fc fusion protein (TM-domains 123-Fc), and showed that pheripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) bind to TM-domains 123-Fc dependent upon integrin activation. We then demonstrated that αL integrin-blocking mAb, αM integrin-blocking mAb, and β2 integrin-blocking mAb inhibited the binding of PBMCs to TM-domains 123-Fc. Furthermore, we show that the serine/threonine-rich domain (domain 3) of TM is required for the interaction with the LFA-1 (αLβ2) and Mac-1 (αMβ2) integrins to occur on PBMCs. These results demonstrate that the LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrins on leukocytes bind to TM, thereby establishing the molecular and structural basis underlying LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrin interaction with TM on endothelial cells. In fact, integrin-TM interactions might be involved in the dynamic regulation of leukocyte adhesion with endothelial cells. - Highlights: • LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrins bind to the anti-coagulant molecule thrombomodulin. • The serine/threonine-rich domain of thrombomodulin is essential to interact with the LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrins on PBMCs. • Integrin-TM interactions might be involved in the dynamic regulation of leukocyte adhesion with endothelial cells.

  11. MacRuby Ruby and Cocoa on OS X

    CERN Document Server

    Aimonetti, Matt

    2011-01-01

    Want to build native Mac OS X applications with a sleek, developer-friendly alternative to Objective-C? MacRuby is an ideal choice. This in-depth guide shows you how Apple's implementation of Ruby gives you access to all the features available to Objective-C programmers. You'll get clear, detailed explanations of MacRuby, including quick programming techniques such as prototyping. Perfect for programmers at any level, this book is packed with code samples and complete project examples. If you use Ruby, you can tap your skills to take advantage of Interface Builder, Cocoa libraries, the Objec

  12. MacBook Pro portable genius

    CERN Document Server

    Gruman, Galen

    2013-01-01

    Learn the skills, tools and shortcuts you need in order to make the most of your MacBook Pro This easy-to-use, compact guide skips the fluff and gets right to the essentials so that you can maximize all the latest features of the MacBook Pro. Packed with savvy insights and tips on key tools and shortcuts, this handy book aims to help you increase your productivity and save you time and hassle. From desktop sharing and wireless networking to running Windows applications and more, this book shows you what you want to know. Includes the latest version of OS X, iCloud, FaceTime, and moreCovers al

  13. MacBook Pro Portable Genius

    CERN Document Server

    Miser, Brad

    2012-01-01

    Discover loads of tips and techniques for the newest MacBook Pro You're already ahead of the game with a MacBook Pro. Now you can get even more out the popular Apple notebook with the new edition of this handy, compact book. Crammed with savvy insights and tips on key tools and shortcuts, this book will help you increase your productivity and keep your Apple digital lifestyle on track. From desktop sharing and wireless networking to running Windows applications, this book avoids fluff, doesn't skimp on the essentials, saves you time and hassle, and shows you what you most want to know. Include

  14. Learning Unix for Mac OS X Tiger Unlock the Power of Unix

    CERN Document Server

    Taylor, Dave

    2005-01-01

    Thoroughly revised and updated for Mac OS X Tiger, this new edition introduces Mac users to the Terminal application and shows you how to navigate the command interface, explore hundreds of Unix applications that come with the Mac, and, most importantly, how to take advantage of both the Mac and Unix interfaces. If you want to master the command-line, this gentle guide to using Unix on Mac OS X Tiger is well worth its cover price

  15. MAC layer security issues in wireless mesh networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, K. Ganesh; Thilagam, P. Santhi

    2016-03-01

    Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have emerged as a promising technology for a broad range of applications due to their self-organizing, self-configuring and self-healing capability, in addition to their low cost and easy maintenance. Securing WMNs is more challenging and complex issue due to their inherent characteristics such as shared wireless medium, multi-hop and inter-network communication, highly dynamic network topology and decentralized architecture. These vulnerable features expose the WMNs to several types of attacks in MAC layer. The existing MAC layer standards and implementations are inadequate to secure these features and fail to provide comprehensive security solutions to protect both backbone and client mesh. Hence, there is a need for developing efficient, scalable and integrated security solutions for WMNs. In this paper, we classify the MAC layer attacks and analyze the existing countermeasures. Based on attacks classification and countermeasures analysis, we derive the research directions to enhance the MAC layer security for WMNs.

  16. A Fair Cooperative MAC Protocol in IEEE 802.11 WLAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Davoud Mousavi

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Cooperative communication techniques have recently enabled wireless technologies to overcome their challenges. The main objective of these techniques is to improve resource allocation. In this paper, we propose a new protocol in medium access control (MAC of the IEEE 802.11 standard. In our new protocol, which is called Fair Cooperative MAC (FC-MAC, every relay node participates in cooperation proportionally to its provided cooperation gain. This technique improves network resource allocation by exploiting the potential capacity of all relay candidates. Simulation results demonstrate that the FC-MAC protocol presents better performance in terms of throughput, fairness, and network lifetime.

  17. Douglas MacArthur- An Administrative Biography

    OpenAIRE

    Tehan III, William J.

    2002-01-01

    For more than a half century Douglas MacArthur was a servant of the United States. He is best remembered as a general and a soldier, especially for his leadership during World War II and the Korean War. MacArthur was also the Superintendent of West Point, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Generalissimo ( Commander) of the Armed Forces and Military Advisor (Minister of Defense) to the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, and the Supreme Commander Allied Powers and the Military Gove...

  18. Immunodiagnostic confirmation of hydatid disease in patients with a presumptive diagnosis of injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varela-Diaz, V.M.; Coltorti, E.A.

    1984-01-01

    Information obtained from the routine application of hydatid immunodiagnostic techniques in different clinical situations over a seven-year period is presented. The immunoelectrophoresis test was used and was replaced by the arc 5 double diffusion (DD5) test. Examination of sera from 1.888 patients with signs and/or symptoms comparatible with hydatid disease revealed that the presurgical confirmation of Echinococcus granulosus infection is only obtained by detection of anti-antigen 5 antibodies. In all patients whose preoperative serum showed three or more uncharacteristic bands in the absence of anti-antigen 5 antibodies, hydatid cysts were found surgically. DD5 testing of a fluid sample collected by puncture estabilished its hydatid etiology. Pos-operative monitoring of hydatidosis patients demonstrated that persintence of DD5-positivity two years after surgery established the presence of ther cysts. (M.A.C.) [pt

  19. Turning the Big Mac Index into the Medical MAC Index | Wilson ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to create a global medical earnings index, called the Medical MAC Index, to enable a comparison of what medical specialists earn in the countries included in the study. Design: The study gathered data on the earnings of specialist anaesthetists employed in state hospitals with five ...

  20. Design of an autonomous decentralized MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hoesel, L.F.W.; Dal Pont, L.; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    In this document the design of a MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks is discussed. The autonomous decentralized TDMA based MAC protocol minimizes power consumtion by efficiency implementing unicast/omnicast, scheduled rendezvous times and wakeup calls. The MAC protocol is an ongoing research

  1. Alistair William MacDonald.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callegari, Angus

    2018-01-06

    A devoted family man and churchgoer, Alistair MacDonald was a meticulous vet with a great sense of humour. Having served in the RAF during the Second World War, he had plenty of stories to tell. British Veterinary Association.

  2. Office for iPad and Mac for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Weverka, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The easy way to work with Office on your iPad or Mac Are you a Mac user who isn't accustomed to working with Microsoft Office? Consider this friendly guide your go-to reference! Written in plain English and packed with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, Office for iPad and Mac For Dummies walks you through every facet of Office, from installing the software and opening files to working with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook-and beyond. Plus, you'll discover how to manage files, share content and collaborate online through social media, and find help when you need it. Two things a

  3. A Full-Duplex MAC Tailored for 5G Wireless Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas de Melo Guimarães

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The increasing demands for high-data rate traffic stimulated the development of the fifth-generation (5G mobile networks. The envisioned 5G network is expected to meet its challenge by devising means to further improve spectrum usage. Many alternatives to enhance spectrum usage are being researched, such as massive MIMO, operation in mmWave frequency, cognitive radio, and the employment of full-duplex antennas. Efficient utilization of the potential of any of these technologies faces a set of challenges related to medium access control (MAC schemes. This work focuses on MAC schemes tailored for full-duplex antennas, since they are expected to play a major role in the foreseeable 5G networks. In this context, this paper presents a MAC layer technique to improve total transmission time when full-duplex antennas are employed. Several evaluations in different scenarios are conducted to assess the proposed MAC scheme. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme provides gains up to 156% when compared to a state-of-the-art full-duplex antenna MAC protocol. Compared to traditional half-duplex antenna MAC protocols, the proposed scheme yields gain up to 412%.

  4. Wound Healing in Mac-1 Deficient Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-05-01

    Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2 Department of Defense Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software...study, we used a commercially available Mac-1 deficient strain to examine whether this deficit 5 extends to slightly smaller wounds and incisional...levels of Collagen I and Collagen III in wounds from the two strains of mice at any time point. Unwounded skin from both WT and Mac-1 -/- mice contained

  5. Douglas MacArthur Upon Reflection

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Snitchler, Lowell

    1998-01-01

    .... This research recounts MacArthur's personality development from childhood, investigates his last military campaign, and, finally, applies the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder to the assembled data...

  6. Mammalian Synthetic Biology: Time for Big MACs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martella, Andrea; Pollard, Steven M; Dai, Junbiao; Cai, Yizhi

    2016-10-21

    The enabling technologies of synthetic biology are opening up new opportunities for engineering and enhancement of mammalian cells. This will stimulate diverse applications in many life science sectors such as regenerative medicine, development of biosensing cell lines, therapeutic protein production, and generation of new synthetic genetic regulatory circuits. Harnessing the full potential of these new engineering-based approaches requires the design and assembly of large DNA constructs-potentially up to chromosome scale-and the effective delivery of these large DNA payloads to the host cell. Random integration of large transgenes, encoding therapeutic proteins or genetic circuits into host chromosomes, has several drawbacks such as risks of insertional mutagenesis, lack of control over transgene copy-number and position-specific effects; these can compromise the intended functioning of genetic circuits. The development of a system orthogonal to the endogenous genome is therefore beneficial. Mammalian artificial chromosomes (MACs) are functional, add-on chromosomal elements, which behave as normal chromosomes-being replicating and portioned to daughter cells at each cell division. They are deployed as useful gene expression vectors as they remain independent from the host genome. MACs are maintained as a single-copy and can accommodate multiple gene expression cassettes of, in theory, unlimited DNA size (MACs up to 10 megabases have been constructed). MACs therefore enabled control over ectopic gene expression and represent an excellent platform to rapidly prototype and characterize novel synthetic gene circuits without recourse to engineering the host genome. This review describes the obstacles synthetic biologists face when working with mammalian systems and how the development of improved MACs can overcome these-particularly given the spectacular advances in DNA synthesis and assembly that are fuelling this research area.

  7. Florence Jessie Mac Williams

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    CPMGIKAlBGE-340/2003-05. Resonance - January 2005. Licenced to post WPP No.6 RT Nagar Postoffice. Florence Jessie Mac Williams. (1917 - 1990). Registered with Registrar of Newspapers in India vide Regn. No. 66273/96. ISSN 0971-8044. Price per copy: Rs 40.

  8. Vehicle Health Management Communications Requirements for AeroMACS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerczewski, Robert J.; Clements, Donna J.; Apaza, Rafael D.

    2012-01-01

    As the development of standards for the aeronautical mobile airport communications system (AeroMACS) progresses, the process of identifying and quantifying appropriate uses for the system is progressing. In addition to defining important elements of AeroMACS standards, indentifying the systems uses impacts AeroMACS bandwidth requirements. Although an initial 59 MHz spectrum allocation for AeroMACS was established in 2007, the allocation may be inadequate; studies have indicated that 100 MHz or more of spectrum may be required to support airport surface communications. Hence additional spectrum allocations have been proposed. Vehicle health management (VHM) systems, which can produce large volumes of vehicle health data, were not considered in the original bandwidth requirements analyses, and are therefore of interest in supporting proposals for additional AeroMACS spectrum. VHM systems are an emerging development in air vehicle safety, and preliminary estimates of the amount of data that will be produced and transmitted off an aircraft, both in flight and on the ground, have been prepared based on estimates of data produced by on-board vehicle health sensors and initial concepts of data processing approaches. This allowed an initial estimate of VHM data transmission requirements for the airport surface. More recently, vehicle-level systems designed to process and analyze VHM data and draw conclusions on the current state of vehicle health have been undergoing testing and evaluation. These systems make use of vehicle system data that is mostly different from VHM data considered previously for airport surface transmission, and produce processed system outputs that will be also need to be archived, thus generating additional data load for AeroMACS. This paper provides an analysis of airport surface data transmission requirements resulting from the vehicle level reasoning systems, within the context of overall VHM data requirements.

  9. Cushing's disease: diagnostic evaluation, therapeutics and prognostic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, M.A.A.; Jugue, S.M.; Moura, O.M.D.; Gross, K.; Halpern, A.; Nicolau, W.; Liberman, B.; Bloise, W.; Mendonca, B.; Cabral, N.D.; Marino Junior, R.; Wajchenberg, B.L.

    1992-01-01

    Aspects as clinical, diagnosis, laboratory tests and radiological evaluations concerning Cushing's disease are analysed in 56 patients. Several options of non medicamental therapy are presented. The relationship between preoperative data (hormonal and radiological information), postoperative findings and hypophyseal adenomectomy is discussed. (M.A.C.)

  10. Enhanced Sleep Mode MAC Control for EPON

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yan, Ying; Dittmann, Lars

    2011-01-01

    This paper introduces sleep mode operations for EPON. New MAC control functions are proposed to schedule sleep periods. Traffic profiles are considered to optimize energy efficiency and network performances. Simulation results are analyzed in OPNET modeler.......This paper introduces sleep mode operations for EPON. New MAC control functions are proposed to schedule sleep periods. Traffic profiles are considered to optimize energy efficiency and network performances. Simulation results are analyzed in OPNET modeler....

  11. High-dose therapy and autologous transplantation for lymphoma: the Peter MacCallum Cancer institute experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dowling, A.J.; Prince, H.M.; Wolf, M.; Januszewicz, H.; Seymour, J.F.; Gates, P.; Wirth, A.; Juneja, S.; Smith, J.G.

    2001-01-01

    High-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous bone marrow or blood cell transplantation for the treatment of lymphoma commenced at Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in 1986. To examine the patient characteristics and outcomes of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease (HD) treated with HDT and autologous transplantation at our Institute in the first 10 years of the service (1986-95). A retrospective analysis was performed examining patient characteristics, prior chemotherapy regimens, pretransplant disease status, HDT regimen, source of stem cells, time for haematopoietic recovery, complications of transplantation, response rates, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Sixty-seven patients with NHL were treated with an estimated 5-year OS rate of 44% (95% confidence interval (CI) 32-56%) and PFS rate of 34% (95% CI 21-44%). Factors independently predictive of an unfavourable PFS on multivariate analyses were presence of constitutional symptoms at transplant (P < 0.002) and chemotherapy-resistant disease at transplant (P= 0.02). Twenty-three patients with HD were treated with a 5-year predicted OS rate of 74% (95% CI 56-92%) and PFS rate of 57% (95% CI 36-77%).There was no difference in PFS for HD patients who relapsed either within 12 months of completion of front-line therapy or after this time (P =0.5). The transplant-related mortality for the entire cohort was 17%, with a progressive decrease over time. HDT with autologous transplantation achieves durable PFS and OS in patients with lymphoma. Improved patient selection, therapy modifications according to prognostic factors and ongoing improvements in supportive care should improve outcomes further

  12. A Priority-Based Adaptive MAC Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabin Bhandari

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In wireless body area networks (WBANs, various sensors and actuators are placed on/inside the human body and connected wirelessly. WBANs have specific requirements for healthcare and medical applications, hence, standard protocols like the IEEE 802.15.4 cannot fulfill all the requirements. Consequently, many medium access control (MAC protocols, mostly derived from the IEEE 802.15.4 superframe structure, have been studied. Nevertheless, they do not support a differentiated quality of service (QoS for the various forms of traffic coexisting in a WBAN. In particular, a QoS-aware MAC protocol is essential for WBANs operating in the unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM bands, because different wireless services like Bluetooth, WiFi, and Zigbee may coexist there and cause severe interference. In this paper, we propose a priority-based adaptive MAC (PA-MAC protocol for WBANs in unlicensed bands, which allocates time slots dynamically, based on the traffic priority. Further, multiple channels are effectively utilized to reduce access delays in a WBAN, in the presence of coexisting systems. Our performance evaluation results show that the proposed PA-MAC outperforms the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC and the conventional priority-based MAC in terms of the average transmission time, throughput, energy consumption, and data collision ratio.

  13. A Priority-Based Adaptive MAC Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandari, Sabin; Moh, Sangman

    2016-03-18

    In wireless body area networks (WBANs), various sensors and actuators are placed on/inside the human body and connected wirelessly. WBANs have specific requirements for healthcare and medical applications, hence, standard protocols like the IEEE 802.15.4 cannot fulfill all the requirements. Consequently, many medium access control (MAC) protocols, mostly derived from the IEEE 802.15.4 superframe structure, have been studied. Nevertheless, they do not support a differentiated quality of service (QoS) for the various forms of traffic coexisting in a WBAN. In particular, a QoS-aware MAC protocol is essential for WBANs operating in the unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) bands, because different wireless services like Bluetooth, WiFi, and Zigbee may coexist there and cause severe interference. In this paper, we propose a priority-based adaptive MAC (PA-MAC) protocol for WBANs in unlicensed bands, which allocates time slots dynamically, based on the traffic priority. Further, multiple channels are effectively utilized to reduce access delays in a WBAN, in the presence of coexisting systems. Our performance evaluation results show that the proposed PA-MAC outperforms the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC and the conventional priority-based MAC in terms of the average transmission time, throughput, energy consumption, and data collision ratio.

  14. MAC calorimeters and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MAC Collaboration.

    1982-03-01

    The MAC detector at PEP features a large solid-angle electromagnetic/hadronic calorimeter system, augmented by magnetic charged-particle tracking, muon analysis and scintillator triggering. Its implementation in the context of electron-positron annihilation physics is described, with emphasis on the utilization of calorimetry

  15. MACS as a tool for international inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curtiss, J.A.; Indusi, J.P.

    1995-01-01

    General acceptance of the challenge provision in the Chemical Weapons Convention has the potential for influence in other arms control areas. While most applications of the challenge inspection may be straightforward, there may be instances where access to the site by inspectors may be problematic. The MACS system described in this paper was developed to respond to these situations. Inspection and verification may be difficult when a host is unwilling,for valid reasons, to permit physical access to a site. We proposed a system of remote sensors which may be used to demonstrate compliance with Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) challenge inspections even ff the inspector is physically excluded from a sensitive site. The system is based upon alternative-means-of-access provisions of the CWC. The Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) funded design and construction of a system prototype, designated as MACS for Managed Access by Controlled Sensing. Features of the MACS design allow growth of the prototype into a versatile device for international monitoring of production facilities and other sites. MACS consists of instrumentation and communication equipment allowing site personnel to conduct a facility tour and perform acceptable measurements, while physically excluding the inspector from the facility. MACS consists of a base station used by the inspector, and a mobile unit used within the facility and manipulated by the facility staff. The base station and the mobile unit are at sign ed by a communication system, currently realized as a fiber optic cable. The mobile unit is equipped with television cameras and remote-reading distance-measuring equipment (DME) for use in verifying locations and dimensions. Global Positioning System receivers on the mobile unit provide both precise location and dead reckoning, suitable for tracking the mobile unit's position while within a building when satellite signals are not available

  16. Styles of coping with cancer: the Italian version of the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grassi, Luigi; Buda, Patrizia; Cavana, Laura; Annunziata, Maria Antonietta; Torta, Riccardo; Varetto, Antonella

    2005-02-01

    Mental adjustment to cancer has been explored in a large body of the literature by using the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale. Problems in the factor structure of the scale and the need for refining the instrument have determined the development of the Mini-MAC. The aim of this study was to validate, according to a test-oriented approach, the Italian version of the Mini-MAC. Four hundred and thirty cancer patients in five centres in Northern Italy completed the Mini-MAC and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). A subgroup of 153 patients filled out the instruments again within 3 months of the first assessment. The five original subscales (Fighting Spirit, Hopeless, Fatalism, Anxious Preoccupation and Cognitive Avoidance) showed acceptable levels of reliability (Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from 0.55 to 0.80) although alphas were lower for the scales Fighting Spirit and Fatalism. Factor analysis (Varimax rotation) identified the same five factors with minor variations from the original version. Again, alpha coefficients were less robust for the factors Fighting Sprit and Fatalism. Hopeless and Anxious Preoccupation were significantly related to all the BSI psychological stress symptoms, including the Global Stress Index (GSI). Test-retest reliability showed no differences in the sub-scales scores between assessments. Copyright (c) 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users Advanced Capabilities and Techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Granneman, Scott

    2010-01-01

    Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users: Advanced Capabilities and Techniques is for Mac OS X users who want to go beyond the obvious, the standard, and the easy. If want to dig deeper into Mac OS X and maximize your skills and productivity using the world's slickest and most elegant operating system, then this is the book for you. Written by Scott Granneman, an experienced teacher, developer, and consultant, Mac OS X for Power Users helps you push Mac OS X to the max, unveiling advanced techniques and options that you may have not known even existed. Create custom workflows and apps with Automa

  18. Mid-arm and calf circumferences are stronger mortality predictors than body mass index for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ho SC

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Shu-Chuan Ho,1,2 Jiun-Yi Wang,3,4 Han-Pin Kuo,5 Chien-Da Huang,5 Kang-Yun Lee,2,6 Hsiao-Chi Chuang,1,2 Po-Hao Feng,2,6 Tzu-Tao Chen,2,* Min-Fang Hsu7,* 1School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, 2Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, 3Department of Healthcare Administration, Asia University, Wufeng, 4Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, 5Department of Thoracic Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 6Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 7Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu City, Taiwan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is currently the third most common cause of death in the world. Patients with COPD experience airflow obstruction, weight loss, skeletal muscle dysfunction, and comorbidities. Anthropometric indicators are risk factors for mortality in geriatric assessment. Purpose: This study examined and compared the associations of anthropometric indicators, such as low body mass index (BMI, low mid-arm circumference (MAC, and low calf circumference (CC, with the prediction of a 3-year follow-up mortality risk in patients with COPD. Methods: We recruited nonhospitalized patients with COPD without acute conditions from a general hospital in Taiwan. The BMI, MAC, and CC of all patients were measured, and they were followed for 3 years through telephone interviews and chart reviews. The Kaplan–Meier survival curves stratified by BMI, MAC, and CC were analyzed. Variables univariately associated with survival were entered into a multivariate Cox regression model. The Bayesian information criterion was used to compare the predictive ability of the three anthropometric

  19. Impact of industrial structure and soil exposure on the regional variations in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease prevalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamada, Satoshi; Ito, Yutaka; Hirai, Toyohiro; Murase, Kimihiko; Tsuji, Takahiro; Fujita, Kohei; Mio, Tadashi; Maekawa, Koichi; Fujii, Takashi; Ono, Shigeki; Nishimura, Takashi; Hayashi, Akihiko; Komori, Toshiaki; Fujita, Naohisa; Niimi, Akio; Ichiyama, Satoshi; Chin, Kazuo; Mishima, Michiaki

    2016-06-01

    The prevalence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (pNTM) disease, including Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), varies widely according to geographic region. However, the factors that influence regional variations in pNTM disease prevalence remain unknown. This study was undertaken to examine whether environmental or occupational factors or host traits could influence regional variations in pNTM disease prevalence. We collected laboratory data on pulmonary tuberculosis (pTB) and pNTM from two hospitals in the West Harima area of Japan and five hospitals in Kyoto City, Japan from 2012 to 2013. We estimated microbiological pNTM disease prevalence by multiplying all pTB cases in each area with the ratio of pNTM cases and pTB cases at the survey hospitals in each area. We administered a standardized questionnaire to 52 patients and 120 patients with pulmonary MAC (pMAC) disease at Ako City Hospital and Kyoto University Hospital, respectively. The estimated prevalence of microbiological pNTM disease in the West Harima area (85.4/100,000 population-years) was significantly higher than that observed in Kyoto City (23.6/100,000 population-years; pdisease prevalence. Copyright © 2016 Asian-African Society for Mycobacteriology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Macintosh Troubleshooting Pocket Guide for Mac OS

    CERN Document Server

    Lerner, David; Corporation, Tekserve

    2009-01-01

    The Macintosh Troubleshooting Pocket Guide covers the most common user hardware and software trouble. It's not just a book for Mac OS X (although it includes tips for OS X and Jaguar), it's for anyone who owns a Mac of any type-- there are software tips going back as far as OS 6. This slim guide distills the answers to the urgent questions that Tekserve's employee's answer every week into a handy guide that fits in your back pocket or alongside your keyboard.

  1. Infection with the Mycobacterium avium complex in patients without predisposing conditons: a case report and literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Barral Martins

    Full Text Available Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM, especially Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC, has been considered responsible for human disease, especially in HIV patients. Nevertheless, it has been diagnosed in immunocompetent elderly men, frequently with previous pulmonary disease: chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD, complications of tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiectasis. We relate the case of a female patient, 51 years old, with continuously acid fast bacilli (AFB smears and with three previous treatments, which were conducted at the multiresistant tuberculosis (MRTB service. MAC was identified in the sputum culture, and she received treatment for one year. The posterior sputum exams were negative. The cavity lesions observed in the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT were reduced, and some of the nodule lesions became bronchiectasis, even after the end of treatment. We agree with the literature reports that indicate that MAC is the cause of bronchiectasis. It is necessary to identify the type of mycobacteria in immunocompetent individuals with positive AFB smears that do not become negative with tuberculosis treatment.

  2. Directional Medium Access Control (MAC Protocols in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks: A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Tung Chong Wong

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This survey paper presents the state-of-the-art directional medium access control (MAC protocols in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks (WAHSNs. The key benefits of directional antennas over omni-directional antennas are longer communication range, less multipath interference, more spatial reuse, more secure communications, higher throughput and reduced latency. However, directional antennas lead to single-/multi-channel directional hidden/exposed terminals, deafness and neighborhood, head-of-line blocking, and MAC-layer capture which need to be overcome. Addressing these problems and benefits for directional antennas to MAC protocols leads to many classes of directional MAC protocols in WAHSNs. These classes of directional MAC protocols presented in this survey paper include single-channel, multi-channel, cooperative and cognitive directional MACs. Single-channel directional MAC protocols can be classified as contention-based or non-contention-based or hybrid-based, while multi-channel directional MAC protocols commonly use a common control channel for control packets/tones and one or more data channels for directional data transmissions. Cooperative directional MAC protocols improve throughput in WAHSNs via directional multi-rate/single-relay/multiple-relay/two frequency channels/polarization, while cognitive directional MAC protocols leverage on conventional directional MAC protocols with new twists to address dynamic spectrum access. All of these directional MAC protocols are the pillars for the design of future directional MAC protocols in WAHSNs.

  3. MacIntyre's Moral Theory and Moral Relativism

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Abedi Renani

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, I seek to explain the similarity and disparity between MacIntyre’s moral theory and moral relativism. I will argue that MacIntyre’s moral theory can escape the charge of moral relativism because both his earlier social and his later metaphysical approaches appeal to some criteria, the human telos or universal human qualities respectively. The notion of telos is wider than the notion of function which is defined in social contexts. If there is a context-transcending notion of te...

  4. Liver transplantation may prevent neurodevelopmental deterioration in high-risk patients with urea cycle disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kido, Jun; Matsumoto, Shirou; Momosaki, Ken; Sakamoto, Rieko; Mitsubuchi, Hiroshi; Endo, Fumio; Nakamura, Kimitoshi

    2017-09-01

    UCDs are among the most common inherited metabolic diseases in Japan. We investigated the clinical manifestations, treatment, and prognoses of 177 patients with UCDs who were evaluated and treated from January 1999 to March 2009 in Japan, using a questionnaire survey. Among these 177 patients, 42 (seven with carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency, 27 with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, seven with argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency, and one with arginase 1 deficiency) underwent living-donor LT. Although this study was retrospective and included limited neurodevelopmental information before and after LT, we evaluated whether LT could improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in patients with UCDs. The neurodevelopmental outcomes of patients with a MAC of <300 μmol/L at the time of onset were not significantly different between the LT and non-LT groups (P=.222). LT may have prevented further neurodevelopmental complications in children with MAC ≥300 μmol/L (P=.008) compared with non-transplant management. Therefore, Liver transplant should be considered in patients with UCD with a MAC of ≥300 μmol/L at the time of disease onset. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Design and FPGA implementation for MAC layer of Ethernet PON

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Zengxi; Lin, Rujian; Chen, Jian; Ye, Jiajun; Chen, Xinqiao

    2004-04-01

    Ethernet passive optical network (EPON), which represents the convergence of low-cost, high-bandwidth and supporting multiple services, appears to be one of the best candidates for the next-generation access network. The work of standardizing EPON as a solution for access network is still underway in the IEEE802.3ah Ethernet in the first mile (EFM) task force. The final release is expected in 2004. Up to now, there has been no standard application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip available which fulfills the functions of media access control (MAC) layer of EPON. The MAC layer in EPON system has many functions, such as point-to-point emulation (P2PE), Ethernet MAC functionality, multi-point control protocol (MPCP), network operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) and link security. To implement those functions mentioned above, an embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) and a flexible programmable logic device (PLD) with an embedded processor are used. The software and hardware functions in MAC layer are realized through programming embedded microprocessor and field programmable gate array(FPGA). Finally, some experimental results are given in this paper. The method stated here can provide a valuable reference for developing EPON MAC layer ASIC.

  6. A MAC Mode for Lightweight Block Ciphers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Luykx, Atul; Preneel, Bart; Tischhauser, Elmar Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    Lightweight cryptography strives to protect communication in constrained environments without sacrificing security. However, security often conflicts with efficiency, shown by the fact that many new lightweight block cipher designs have block sizes as low as 64 or 32 bits. Such low block sizes lead...... no effect on the security bound, allowing an order of magnitude more data to be processed per key. Furthermore, LightMAC is incredibly simple, has almost no overhead over the block cipher, and is parallelizable. As a result, LightMAC not only offers compact authentication for resource-constrained platforms...

  7. Mr MacDonald's suitcase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    Undervisningsforløbet Mr. MacDonald’s suitcase beskriver læringsmålstyret undervisning i faget engelsk i 1. klasse, hvor der arbejdes med kompetenceområdet mundtlig kommunikation. Undervisningsforløbet er bygget op omkring en engelsk tøjdukke, der besøger klassen og fortæller små historier...

  8. Functional characterization of the copper transcription factor AfMac1 from Aspergillus fumigatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Yong-Sung; Kim, Tae-Hyoung; Yun, Cheol-Won

    2017-07-03

    Although copper functions as a cofactor in many physiological processes, copper overload leads to harmful effects in living cells. Thus, copper homeostasis is tightly regulated. However, detailed copper metabolic pathways have not yet been identified in filamentous fungi. In this report, we investigated the copper transcription factor AfMac1 ( A spergillus f umigatus Mac1 homolog) and identified its regulatory mechanism in A. fumigatus AfMac1 has domains homologous to the DNA-binding and copper-binding domains of Mac1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae , and AfMac1 efficiently complemented Mac1 in S. cerevisiae Expression of Afmac1 resulted in CTR1 up-regulation, and mutation of the DNA-binding domain of Afmac1 failed to activate CTR1 expression in S. cerevisiae The Afmac1 deletion strain of A. fumigatus failed to grow in copper-limited media, and its growth was restored by introducing ctrC We found that AfMac1 specifically bound to the promoter region of ctrC based on EMSA. The AfMac1-binding motif 5'-TGTGCTCA-3' was identified from the promoter region of ctrC , and the addition of mutant ctrC lacking the AfMac1-binding motif failed to up-regulate ctrC in A. fumigatus Furthermore, deletion of Afmac1 significantly reduced strain virulence and activated conidial killing activity by neutrophils and macrophages. Taken together, these results suggest that AfMac1 is a copper transcription factor that regulates cellular copper homeostasis in A. fumigatus . © 2017 The Author(s); published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  9. High incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease after myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation for chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Sweden: graft-versus-leukemia effect protects against relapse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machaczka, Maciej; Johansson, Jan-Erik; Remberger, Mats; Hallböök, Helene; Lazarevic, Vladimir Lj; Wahlin, Björn Engelbrekt; Omar, Hamdy; Wahlin, Anders; Juliusson, Gunnar; Kimby, Eva; Hägglund, Hans

    2013-12-01

    Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is a potentially curative treatment option for eligible patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, it is known that cure of CLL is only possible if a graft-versus-leukemia effect is present. Between 1994 and 2007, 48 adults underwent allo-SCT for poor-risk CLL in Sweden. Of these, ten (21%) patients aged 24-53 years (median: 46 years) received myeloablative conditioning (MAC), based on TBI and cyclophosphamide. All MAC patients had refractory, poorly controlled CLL before allo-SCT (partial remission in 9/10 patients and progressive disease in one). The cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grades II-IV was 30%. Nine patients developed chronic GVHD; extensive in four. Rates of nonrelapse mortality at 1, 3 and 10 years were 0, 10 and 20%, respectively. Two patients relapsed 36 and 53 months after transplantation. Six patients were still alive after a median follow-up time of 11.5 years (range 5.9-13.7). The probabilities of relapse-free and overall survival from 1, 3 and 5 years after transplantation were 100, 90 and 70%, and 100, 90 and 80%, respectively. Nevertheless, our analysis of long-term outcome after MAC allo-SCT for CLL suggests that younger patients with poorly controlled CLL may benefit from MAC allo-SCT.

  10. The role of MAC1 in diesel exhaust particle-induced microglial activation and loss of dopaminergic neuron function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levesque, Shannon; Taetzsch, Thomas; Lull, Melinda E; Johnson, Jo Anne; McGraw, Constance; Block, Michelle L

    2013-06-01

    Increasing reports support that air pollution causes neuroinflammation and is linked to central nervous system (CNS) disease/damage. Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are a major component of urban air pollution, which has been linked to microglial activation and Parkinson's disease-like pathology. To begin to address how DEP may exert CNS effects, microglia and neuron-glia cultures were treated with either nanometer-sized DEP (neuron function was assessed. All three treatments showed enhanced ameboid microglia morphology, increased H2 O2 production, and decreased DA uptake. Mechanistic inquiry revealed that the scavenger receptor inhibitor fucoidan blocked DEP internalization in microglia, but failed to alter DEP-induced H2 O2 production in microglia. However, pre-treatment with the MAC1/CD11b inhibitor antibody blocked microglial H2 O2 production in response to DEP. MAC1(-/-) mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures were protected from DEP-induced loss of DA neuron function, as measured by DA uptake. These findings support that DEP may activate microglia through multiple mechanisms, where scavenger receptors regulate internalization of DEP and the MAC1 receptor is mandatory for both DEP-induced microglial H2 O2 production and loss of DA neuron function. © 2013 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  11. Steven MacCall: Winner of LJ's 2010 Teaching Award

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, John N., III

    2010-01-01

    This article profiles Steven L. MacCall, winner of "Library Journal's" 2010 Teaching Award. An associate professor at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, MacCall was nominated by Kathie Popadin, known as "Kpop" to the members of her cohort in the online MLIS program at SLIS. Sixteen of…

  12. Is the MacNew quality of life questionnaire a useful diagnostic and evaluation instrument for cardiac rehabilitation?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maes, Stan; de Gucht, Véronique; Goud, Rick; Hellemans, Irene; Peek, Niels

    2008-01-01

    Purpose The MacNew health-related quality of life questionnaire is internationally used as a standard for psychosocial assessment in many cardiac rehabilitation centres. This study investigates its discriminating capacity between diagnostic disease categories, sex and age at entry (T1) and at the

  13. Mutational screening of CHX10, GDF6, OTX2, RAX and SOX2 genes in 50 unrelated microphthalmia-anophthalmia-coloboma (MAC) spectrum cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Rodriguez, J; Pelcastre, E L; Tovilla-Canales, J L; Garcia-Ortiz, J E; Amato-Almanza, M; Villanueva-Mendoza, C; Espinosa-Mattar, Z; Zenteno, J C

    2010-08-01

    Microphthalmia-anophthalmia-coloboma (MAC) are congenital eye malformations causing a significant percentage of visually impairments in children. Although these anomalies can arise from prenatal exposure to teratogens, mutations in well-defined genes originate potentially heritable forms of MAC. Mutations in genes such as CHX10, GDF6, RAX, SOX2 and OTX2, among others, have been recognised in dominant or recessive MAC. SOX2 and OTX2 are the two most commonly mutated genes in monogenic MAC. However, as more numerous samples of MAC subjects would be analysed, a better estimation of the actual involvement of specific MAC-genes could be made. Here, a comprehensive mutational analysis of the CHX10, GDF6, RAX, SOX2 and OTX2 genes was performed in 50 MAC subjects. PCR amplification and direct automated DNA sequencing of all five genes in 50 unrelated subjects. Eight mutations (16% prevalence) were recognised, including four GDF6 mutations (one novel), two novel RAX mutations, one novel OTX2 mutation and one SOX2 mutation. Anophthalmia and nanophthalmia, not previously associated with GDF6 mutations, were observed in two subjects carrying defects in this gene, expanding the spectrum of GDF6-linked ocular anomalies. Our study underscores the importance of genotyping large groups of patients from distinct ethnic origins for improving the estimation of the global involvement of particular MAC-causing genes.

  14. Outside-In Signal Transmission by Conformational Changes in Integrin Mac-11

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lefort, Craig T.; Hyun, Young-Min; Schultz, Joanne B.; Law, Foon-Yee; Waugh, Richard E.; Knauf, Philip A.; Kim, Minsoo

    2010-01-01

    Intracellular signals associated with or triggered by integrin ligation can control cell survival, differentiation, proliferation, and migration. Despite accumulating evidence that conformational changes regulate integrin affinity to its ligands, how integrin structure regulates signal transmission from the outside to the inside of the cell remains elusive. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we addressed whether conformational changes in integrin Mac-1 are sufficient to transmit outside-in signals in human neutrophils. Mac-1 conformational activation induced by ligand occupancy or activating Ab binding, but not integrin clustering, triggered similar patterns of intracellular protein tyrosine phosphorylation, including Akt phosphorylation, and inhibited spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis, indicating that global conformational changes are critical for Mac-1-dependent outside-in signal transduction. In neutrophils and myeloid K562 cells, ligand ICAM-1 or activating Ab binding promoted switchblade-like extension of the Mac-1 extracellular domain and separation of the αM and β2 subunit cytoplasmic tails, two structural hallmarks of integrin activation. These data suggest the primacy of global conformational changes in the generation of Mac-1 outside-in signals. PMID:19864611

  15. Mac OS X for Astronomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierfederici, F.; Pirzkal, N.; Hook, R. N.

    Mac OS X is the new Unix based version of the Macintosh operating system. It combines a high performance DisplayPDF user interface with a standard BSD UNIX subsystem and provides users with simultaneous access to a broad range of applications which were not previously available on a single system such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, as well as legacy X11-based scientific tools and packages like IRAF, SuperMongo, MIDAS, etc. The combination of a modern GUI layered on top of a familiar UNIX environment paves the way for new, more flexible and powerful astronomical tools to be developed while assuring compatibility with already existing, older programs. In this paper, we outline the strengths of the Mac OS X platform in a scientific environment, astronomy in particular, and point to the numerous astronomical software packages available for this platform; most notably the Scisoft collection which we have compiled.

  16. MacVEE - the intimate Macintosh-VME system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, B.G.

    1986-01-01

    The marriage of a mass-produced personal computer with the versatile VMEbus and CAMAC systems creates a cost-effective solution to many laboratory small system requirements. This paper describes MacVEE (Microcomputer Applied to the Control of VME Electronic Equipment), a novel system in which an Apple Macintosh computer is equipped with a special interface which allows it direct memory-mapped access to single or multiple VME and CAMAC crates interconnected by a ribbon cable bus. The bus is driven by an electronics plinth called MacPlinth, which attaches to the computer and becomes an integral part of it. (Auth.)

  17. Serum Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer predicts grade F4 liver fibrosis in patients with biliary atresia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Naoya; Sanada, Yukihiro; Tashiro, Masahisa; Hirata, Yuta; Okada, Noriki; Ihara, Yoshiyuki; Urahashi, Taizen; Mizuta, Koichi

    2017-02-01

    Mac-2 Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer (M2BPGi) is a novel fibrosis marker. We examined the ability of M2BPGi to predict liver fibrosis in patients with biliary atresia. Sixty-four patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) were included [median age, 1.1 years (range 0.4-16.0), male 16 patients (25.0 %)]. We examined M2BPGi levels in serum obtained the day before LDLT, and we compared the value of the preoperative M2BPGi levels with the histological evaluation of fibrosis using the METAVIR fibrosis score. Subsequently, we assessed the ability of M2BPGi levels to predict fibrosis. The median M2BPGi level in patients with BA was 6.02 (range, 0.36-20.0), and 0, 1, 1, 11, and 51 patients had METAVIR fibrosis scores of F0, F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively. In patients with F4 fibrosis, the median M2BPGi level was 6.88 (quartile; 5.235, 12.10), significantly higher than that in patients with F3 fibrosis who had a median level of 2.42 (quartile; 1.93, 2.895, p F4 fibrosis. M2BPGi is a novel fibrosis marker for evaluating the status of the liver in patients with BA, especially when predicting grade F4 fibrosis.

  18. A MacWilliams Identity for Convolutional Codes : The General Case

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gluesing-Luerssen, Heide; Schneider, Gert

    A MacWilliams Identity for convolutional codes will be established. It makes use of the weight adjacency matrices of the code and its dual, based on state space realizations (the controller canonical form) of the codes in question. The MacWilliams Identity applies to various notions of duality

  19. Quicksilver Power Mac G4

    CERN Document Server

    2001-01-01

    A new generation with a reworked motherboard is launched on 2001 with however the same Graphite box. It also included a processor speed-bump, and brought the DVD-R "SuperDrive" to the mid-level model. The Quicksilver PowerMac was available in three configurations: The 733 MHz model, with 128 MB of RAM, a 40 GB hard drive, and a CD-RW drive, was 1,699 dollars, the 867 MHz configuration, with 128 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive and a DVD-R drive, was 2,499 dollars, and the high-end dual-800 MHz model, with 256 MB of RAM, an 80 GB hard drive and a DVD-R drive, was 3,499 dollars. The 733 MHz model is the first personal computer to have a DVD burner, named SuperDrive at Apple. The design was updated on 2002 with 800 MHz, 933 MHz and dual 1 GHz configurations, becoming the first Mac to reach 1 GHz.

  20. Dolphin natures, human virtues: MacIntyre and ethical naturalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glackin, Shane Nicholas

    2008-09-01

    Can biological facts explain human morality? Aristotelian 'virtue' ethics has traditionally assumed so. In recent years Alasdair MacIntyre has reintroduced a form of Aristotle's 'metaphysical biology' into his ethics. He argues that the ethological study of dependence and rationality in other species--dolphins in particular--sheds light on how those same traits in the typical lives of humans give rise to the moral virtues. However, some goal-oriented dolphin behaviour appears both dependent and rational in the precise manner which impresses MacIntyre, yet anything but ethically 'virtuous'. More damningly, dolphin ethologists consistently refuse to evaluate such behaviour in the manner MacIntyre claims is appropriate to moral judgement. In light of this, I argue that virtues--insofar as they name a biological or ethological category--do not name a morally significant one.

  1. Efficient MAC Protocol for Hybrid Wireless Network with Heterogeneous Sensor Nodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Nasre Alam

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Although several Directional Medium Access Control (DMAC protocols have been designed for use with homogeneous networks, it can take a substantial amount of time to change sensor nodes that are equipped with an omnidirectional antenna for sensor nodes with a directional antenna. Thus, we require a novel MAC protocol for use with an intermediate wireless network that consists of heterogeneous sensor nodes equipped with either an omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna. The MAC protocols that have been designed for use in homogeneous networks are not suitable for use in a hybrid network due to deaf, hidden, and exposed nodes. Therefore, we propose a MAC protocol that exploits the characteristics of a directional antenna and can also work efficiently with omnidirectional nodes in a hybrid network. In order to address the deaf, hidden, and exposed node problems, we define RTS/CTS for the neighbor (RTSN/CTSN and Neighbor Information (NIP packets. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated through a numerical analysis using a Markov model. In addition, the analytical results of the MAC protocol are verified through an OPNET simulation.

  2. Interference Analysis Status and Plans for Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerczewski, Robert J.; Wilson, Jeffrey D.

    2010-01-01

    Interference issues related to the operation of an aeronautical mobile airport communications system (AeroMACS) in the C-Band (specifically 5091-5150 MHz) is being investigated. The issue of primary interest is co-channel interference from AeroMACS into mobile-satellite system (MSS) feeder uplinks. The effort is focusing on establishing practical limits on AeroMACS transmissions from airports so that the threshold of interference into MSS is not exceeded. The analyses are being performed with the software package Visualyse Professional, developed by Transfinite Systems Limited. Results with omni-directional antennas and plans to extend the models to represent AeroMACS more accurately will be presented. These models should enable realistic analyses of emerging AeroMACS designs to be developed from NASA Test Bed, RTCA 223, and European results.

  3. Mac OS X Snow Leopard pocket guide

    CERN Document Server

    Seiblod, Chris

    2009-01-01

    Whether you're new to the Mac or a longtime user, this handy book is the quickest way to get up to speed on Snow Leopard. Packed with concise information in an easy-to-read format, Mac OS X Snow Leopard Pocket Guide covers what you need to know and is an ideal resource for problem-solving on the fly. This book goes right to the heart of Snow Leopard, with details on system preferences, built-in applications, and utilities. You'll also find configuration tips, keyboard shortcuts, guides for troubleshooting, lots of step-by-step instructions, and more. Learn about new features and changes s

  4. Swyer- James -MacLeod syndrome presenting as hemoptysis in an adult

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santosh Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Swyer-James/MacLeod syndrome is an uncommon disease with characteristic radiological feature of unilateral hyperlucency due to loss of pulmonary vasculature and air trapping. Typically, this disorder is diagnosed in childhood during evaluations for recurrent respiratory infections. Here, we report a case in a 30-year-old adult female who presented with dyspnoea, cough with expectoration and recurrent hemoptysis due to associated bronchiectasis. This case highlights the importance of computed tomography in the diagnostic workup of recurrent hemoptysis in pulmonary tuberculosis epidemic countries like India

  5. Clinical efficacy of anti-glycopeptidolipid-core IgA test for diagnosing Mycobacterium avium complex infection in lung.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Numata, Takanori; Araya, Jun; Yoshii, Yutaka; Shimizu, Kenichiro; Hara, Hiromichi; Nakayama, Katsutoshi; Kuwano, Kazuyoshi

    2015-11-01

    It is difficult to verify the bacteriological diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. The anti-glycopeptidolipid (GPL)-core IgA antibody test was recently developed as a diagnostic method for MAC pulmonary disease. Only a few studies evaluate its clinical efficacy. We conducted retrospective evaluations of clinical characteristics of patients suspected of MAC infection to explore the usefulness of the anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test. We retrospectively evaluated 296 patients who were suspected to have MAC infection and underwent anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test between March 2013 and July 2014 in Jikei University hospital. A total of 29 patients were diagnosed with 'definite MAC' based on the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria with multiple identifications of MAC. On the other hand, 106 patients were diagnosed with other pulmonary diseases than MAC. The sensitivity and specificity of anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test for MAC diagnosis were 58.6% and 98.1%, respectively. The definite MAC group showed no significant differences in strains, treatment history or number of segments involved. The duration of MAC disease in the positive-antibody group was significantly longer than in the negative-antibody group (P = 0.046). A significant increase in the false-negative rate was observed in patients with malignant disease (P = 0.029). The anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MAC infection especially in patients without malignant diseases. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

  6. Dependence of AeroMACS Interference on Airport Radiation Pattern Characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jeffrey D.

    2012-01-01

    AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091 to 5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low earth orbit from AeroMACS transmitters at the 497 major airports in the contiguous United States was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on the number of antenna beams per airport, gain patterns, and beam direction orientations was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

  7. A MacWilliams Identity for Convolutional Codes: The General Case

    OpenAIRE

    Gluesing-Luerssen, Heide; Schneider, Gert

    2008-01-01

    A MacWilliams Identity for convolutional codes will be established. It makes use of the weight adjacency matrices of the code and its dual, based on state space realizations (the controller canonical form) of the codes in question. The MacWilliams Identity applies to various notions of duality appearing in the literature on convolutional coding theory.

  8. Recent advances on nontuberculous mycobacteria diseases in Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Po-Ren Hsueh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The isolation rate of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM species and the prevalence of NTM-associated diseases are on the rise worldwide; however, the species distribution of NTM isolates and the types of diseases caused by NTM species vary from region to region. Treatment of a NTM disease is complicated, and there is no comprehensive guideline regarding the in vitro susceptibility of each antimicrobial agent against NTM. Therefore, appropriate anti-NTM treatment can only be recommended based on individual NTM species and local surveillance studies of anti-NTM resistance. Previous studies on the in vitro susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC to clarithromycin in some Asian countries have revealed a low rate of resistance to that antimicrobial agent. Thus, a clarithromycin-based anti-MAC regimen should be effective for MAC infections. However, clarithromycin resistance due to the mutation of the 23S rRNA gene in MAC strains has been detected in many countries. Therefore, physicians should avoid monotherapy with clarithromycin and consider the possibility of clarithromycin resistance in patients who do not respond to clarithromycin-based regimens. Rifampicin is the critical component of successful management of Mycobacterium kansasii diseases. Although most M. kansasii isolates are susceptible to rifampicin in Western countries and in Japan, this agent may not work well in Taiwan. Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM is a prevalent NTM group worldwide, particularly in Asia; however, each NTM species in this group may have its own distinct antibiotic susceptibility pattern, and close monitoring of the antibiotic-resistance patterns of RGM is necessary. Most important of all, the in vitro susceptibility may not represent the in vivo activity until the confirmation of the clinical study. Therefore, further investigation of the clinical effectiveness of the anti-NTM agents is warranted.

  9. Evaluation of video transmission of MAC protocols in wireless sensor network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulidin, Mahmuddin, M.; Kamaruddin, L. M.; Elsaikh, Mohamed

    2016-08-01

    Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a wireless network which consists of sensor nodes scattered in a particular area which are used to monitor physical or environment condition. Each node in WSN is also scattered in sensor field, so an appropriate scheme of MAC protocol should have to develop communication link for data transferring. Video transmission is one of the important applications for the future that can be transmitted with low aspect in side of cost and also power consumption. In this paper, comparison of five different MAC WSN protocol for video transmission namely IEEE 802.11 standard, IEEE 802.15.4 standard, CSMA/CA, Berkeley-MAC, and Lightweight-MAC protocol are studied. Simulation experiment has been conducted in OMNeT++ with INET network simulator software to evaluate the performance. Obtained results indicate that IEEE 802.11 works better than other protocol in term of packet delivery, throughput, and latency.

  10. [Study protocol of a prevention of recurrent suicidal behaviour program based on case management (PSyMAC)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sáiz, Pilar A; Rodríguez-Revuelta, Julia; González-Blanco, Leticia; Burón, Patricia; Al-Halabí, Susana; Garrido, Marlen; García-Alvarez, Leticia; García-Portilla, Paz; Bobes, Julio

    2014-01-01

    Prevention of suicidal behaviour is a public health priority in the European Union. A previous suicide attempt is the best risk predictor for future attempts, as well as completed suicides. The primary aim of this article is to describe a controlled study protocol designed for prevention of recurrent suicidal behaviour that proposes case management, and includes a psychoeducation program, as compared with the standard intervention (PSyMAC). Patients admitted from January 2011 to June 2013 to the emergency room of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias were evaluated using a protocol including sociodemographic, psychiatric, and psychosocial assessment. Patients were randomly assigned to either a group receiving continuous case management including participation in a psychoeducation program (experimental group), or a control group receiving standard care. The primary objective is to examine whether or not the period of time until recurrent suicidal behaviour in the experimental group is significantly different from that of the control group. PSyMAC proposes low cost and easily adaptable interventions to the usual clinical setting that can help to compensate the shortcoming of specific action protocols and suicidal behaviour prevention programs in our country. The evaluation of PSyMAC results will determine their real effectivity as a case-magament program to reduce suicidal risk. Copyright © 2013 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  11. Visualization of integrin Mac-1 in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Kihong; Hyun, Young-Min; Lambert-Emo, Kris; Topham, David J; Kim, Minsoo

    2015-11-01

    β2 integrins play critical roles in migration of immune cells and in the interaction with other cells, pathogens, and the extracellular matrix. Among the β2 integrins, Mac-1 (Macrophage antigen-1), composed of CD11b and CD18, is mainly expressed in innate immune cells and plays a major role in cell migration and trafficking. In order to image Mac-1-expressing cells both in live cells and mouse, we generated a knock-in (KI) mouse strain expressing CD11b conjugated with monomeric yellow fluorescent protein (mYFP). Expression of CD11b-mYFP protein was confirmed by Western blot and silver staining of CD11b-immunoprecipitates and total cell lysates from the mouse splenocytes. Mac-1-mediated functions of the KI neutrophils were comparable with those in WT cells. The fluorescence intensity of CD11b-mYFP was sufficient to image CD11b expressing cells in live mice using intravital two-photon microscopy. In vitro, dynamic changes in the intracellular localization of CD11b molecules could be measured by epifluorescent microscopy. Finally, CD11b-expressing immune cells from tissue were easily detected by flow cytometry without anti-CD11b antibody staining. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. MAC Version 3.2, MBA Version 1.3 acceptance test summary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, V.K.

    1994-01-01

    The K Basins Materials Accounting (MAC) and Materials Balance (MBA) programs had the Paradox Conversion to 4.0 ATP run to check out the systems. This report describes the results of the test and provides the signoff sheets associated with the testing. The test primarily concentrated on verifying that MAC and MBA software would run properly in the Paradox 4.0 environment. Changes in the MAC and MBA programs were basically limited to superficial items needed to accommodate the enhanced method of execution

  13. Geochemistry and petrography of the MacAlpine Hills lunar meteorites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindstrom, Marilyn M.; Mckay, David S.; Wentworth, Susan J.; Martinez, Rene R.; Mittlefehldt, David W.; Wang, Ming-Sheng; Lipschutz, Michael E.

    1991-01-01

    MacAlpine Hills 88104 and 88105, anorthositic lunar meteorites recovered form the same area in Antartica, are characterized. Petrographic studies show that MAC88104/5 is a polymict breccia dominated by impact melt clasts. It is better classified as a fragmental breccia than a regolith breccia. The bulk composition is ferroan and highly aluminous (Al2O3-28 percent).

  14. Paradox applications integration ATP's for MAC and mass balance programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, V.K.; Mullaney, J.E.

    1994-01-01

    The K Basins Materials Accounting (MAC) and Material Balance (MBA) database system were set up to run under one common applications program. This Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) describes how the code was to be tested to verify its correctness. The scope of the tests is minimal, since both MAC and MBA have already been tested in detail as stand-alone programs

  15. Experimental Evaluation of Simulation Abstractions for Wireless Sensor Network MAC Protocols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. P. Halkes

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The evaluation of MAC protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs is often performed through simulation. These simulations necessarily abstract away from reality in many ways. However, the impact of these abstractions on the results of the simulations has received only limited attention. Moreover, many studies on the accuracy of simulation have studied either the physical layer and per link effects or routing protocol effects. To the best of our knowledge, no other work has focused on the study of the simulation abstractions with respect to MAC protocol performance. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study of two often used abstractions in the simulation of WSN MAC protocols. We show that a simple SNR-based reception model can provide quite accurate results for metrics commonly used to evaluate MAC protocols. Furthermore, we provide an analysis of what the main sources of deviation are and thereby how the simulations can be improved to provide even better results.

  16. MAC-layer protocol for TCP fairness in Wireless Mesh Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Nawab, Faisal

    2012-08-01

    In this paper we study the interactions of TCP and IEEE 802.11 MAC in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). We use a Markov chain to capture the behavior of TCP sessions, particularly the impact on network throughput performance due to the effect of queue utilization and packet relaying. A closed form solution is derived to numerically determine the throughput. Based on the developed model, we propose a distributed MAC protocol to alleviate the unfairness problem in WMNs. Our protocol uses the age of packet as a priority metric for packet scheduling. Simulation is conducted to validate our model and to illustrate the fairness characteristics of our proposed MAC protocol. We conclude that we can achieve fairness with only little impact on network capacity.

  17. Detomidine reduces isoflurane anesthetic requirement (MAC) in horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steffey, Eugene P; Pascoe, Peter J

    2002-10-01

    To quantitate the dose- and time-related magnitude of the anesthetic sparing effect of, and selected physiological responses to detomidine during isoflurane anesthesia in horses. Randomized cross-over study. Three, healthy, young adult horses weighing 485 ± 14 kg. Horses were anesthetized on two occasions to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in O 2 and then to measure the anesthetic sparing effect (time-related MAC reduction) following IV detomidine (0.03 and 0.06 mg kg -1 ). Selected common measures of cardiopulmonary function, blood glucose and urinary output were also recorded. Isoflurane MAC was 1.44 ± 0.07% (mean ± SEM). This was reduced by 42.8 ± 5.4% and 44.8 ± 3.0% at 83 ± 23 and 125 ± 36 minutes, respectively, following 0.03 and 0.06 mg kg -1 , detomidine. The MAC reduction was detomidine dose- and time-dependent. There was a tendency for mild cardiovascular and respiratory depression, especially following the higher detomidine dose. Detomidine increased both blood glucose and urine flow; the magnitude of these changes was time- and dose-dependent CONCLUSIONS: Detomidine reduces anesthetic requirement for isoflurane and increases blood glucose concentration and urine flow in horses. These changes were dose- and time-related. The results imply potent anesthetic sparing actions by detomidine. The detomidine-related increased urine flow should be considered in designing anesthetic protocols for individual horses. Copyright © 2002 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. An Interview with Peter MacDonald.

    Science.gov (United States)

    American Indian Journal, 1979

    1979-01-01

    Peter MacDonald, Chairman of the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the United States speaks to such issues as energy development/management, oil companies, Navajo-Hopi relocation legislation, traditionalism, and the role of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes. (RTS)

  19. Teaching a Classic for All Ages: Fairy Tales and Stories of George MacDonald.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadler, Glenn Edward

    1995-01-01

    Discusses the life and writings of George MacDonald (1824-1905). Suggests that the most striking feature of MacDonald's children's books is his sensitivity toward spiritual values and the power of change within the lives of his characters. Appends a list of questions to stimulate student response to MacDonald's writings. (RS)

  20. Are hamburgers harmless? : the Big Mac Index in the twenty-first century

    OpenAIRE

    Soo, Kwok Tong

    2016-01-01

    We make use of The Economist’s Big Mac Index (BMI) to investigate the Law of One Price (LOP) and whether the BMI can be used to predict future exchange rate and price changes. Deviations from Big Mac parity decay quickly, in approximately 1 year. The BMI is a better predictor of relative price changes than of exchange rate changes, and performs best when predicting a depreciation of a currency relative to the US dollar. Convergence to Big Mac parity occurs more rapidly for currencies with som...

  1. MacIntyre, Managerialism and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stolz, Steven A.

    2017-01-01

    MacIntyre's earlier work and concern with social science enquiry not only exposes its limits, but also provides an insight into how its knowledge claims have been put to ideological use. He maintains that the institutional embodiment of these ideological ideas is the bureaucratic manager who has had a negative role to play in social structures…

  2. Millisecond timing on PCs and Macs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacInnes, W J; Taylor, T L

    2001-05-01

    A real-time, object-oriented solution for displaying stimuli on Windows 95/98, MacOS and Linux platforms is presented. The program, written in C++, utilizes a special-purpose window class (GLWindow), OpenGL, and 32-bit graphics acceleration; it avoids display timing uncertainty by substituting the new window class for the default window code for each system. We report the outcome of tests for real-time capability across PC and Mac platforms running a variety of operating systems. The test program, which can be used as a shell for programming real-time experiments and testing specific processors, is available at http://www.cs.dal.ca/~macinnwj. We propose to provide researchers with a sense of the usefulness of our program, highlight the ability of many multitasking environments to achieve real time, as well as caution users about systems that may not achieve real time, even under optimal conditions.

  3. MAP, MAC, and vortex-rings configurations in the Weinberg-Salam model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teh, Rosy; Ng, Ban-Loong; Wong, Khai-Ming

    2015-11-01

    We report on the presence of new axially symmetric monopoles, antimonopoles and vortex-rings solutions of the SU(2)×U(1) Weinberg-Salam model of electromagnetic and weak interactions. When the ϕ-winding number n = 1, and 2, the configurations are monopole-antimonopole pair (MAP) and monopole-antimonopole chain (MAC) with poles of alternating sign magnetic charge arranged along the z-axis. Vortex-rings start to appear from the MAP and MAC configurations when the winding number n = 3. The MAP configurations possess zero net magnetic charge whereas the MAC configurations possess net magnetic charge of 4 πn / e. In the MAP configurations, the monopole-antimonopole pair is bounded by the Z0 field flux string and there is an electromagnetic current loop encircling it. The monopole and antimonopole possess magnetic charges ± 4πn/e sin2θW respectively. In the MAC configurations there is no string connecting the monopole and the adjacent antimonopole and they possess magnetic charges ± 4 πn/e respectively. The MAC configurations possess infinite total energy and zero magnetic dipole moment whereas the MAP configurations which are actually sphalerons possess finite total energy and magnetic dipole moment. The configurations were investigated for varying values of Higgs self-coupling constant 0 ≤ λ ≤ 40 at Weinberg angle θW = π/4.

  4. Behavioral Modeling of WSN MAC Layer Security Attacks: A Sequential UML Approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pawar, Pranav M.; Nielsen, Rasmus Hjorth; Prasad, Neeli R.

    2012-01-01

    is the vulnerability to security attacks/threats. The performance and behavior of a WSN are vastly affected by such attacks. In order to be able to better address the vulnerabilities of WSNs in terms of security, it is important to understand the behavior of the attacks. This paper addresses the behavioral modeling...... of medium access control (MAC) security attacks in WSNs. The MAC layer is responsible for energy consumption, delay and channel utilization of the network and attacks on this layer can introduce significant degradation of the individual sensor nodes due to energy drain and in performance due to delays....... The behavioral modeling of attacks will be beneficial for designing efficient and secure MAC layer protocols. The security attacks are modeled using a sequential diagram approach of Unified Modeling Language (UML). Further, a new attack definition, specific to hybrid MAC mechanisms, is proposed....

  5. Factors determining the style of adaptation to the disease in patients treated oncologically

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Smoleń

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Cancer diseases still have the strongest impact on the human psyche, leading to the overwhelming life crisis. Each person, depending on personality traits and well-developed defense mechanisms, reacts individually to the diagnosis of the disease. Attitude towards the disease affects the quality of life and the outcome of treatment. Aim. Determination of factors determining the style of adaptation to cancer in patients during oncological treatment. Materials and methods. The research was conducted in a group of 229 randomly selected patients in Fr.. B. Markiewicz Specialist Hospital of the Podkarpacki Oncological Center. in Brzozów. The method used was a diagnostic survey and a survey technique. Research tools were the author's questionnaire, „The scale of mental adaptation to cancer” - Mini-MAC (Mental Adjustment to Cancer in the adaptation of Z. Juczyński and the numerical scale of pain assessment NRS (Numeric Rating Scale. In the statistical analysis, the following tests were used: Kruskal Wallis and the symmetric measure V Kramer based on the chi-square test. The statistical significance level p≤0.05 was assumed. Results. The level of adaptation to the disease in the studied group of oncological patients was on an average level, which indicates good adaptation to cancer. The dominant style of struggling with cancer was the construction style with the intensity of a fighting spirit and positive re-evaluation. The destructive style had a low intensity in the studied group, especially for a low level strategy of helplessness / hopelessness. Better adaptation has been demonstrated in individuals who do not experience pain and assess their health well. Conclusions. Factors not related to the style of coping with cancer were sociodemographic variables. Feeling of pain, self-esteem of health and applied methods of treatment influenced the style of coping with cancer in oncologically treated patients. The constructive style

  6. After MacIntyre : Kaasaegsest vooruseetikast / Meego Remmel

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Remmel, Meego

    2006-01-01

    Alasdair MacIntyre panus 20. sajandi eetikasse. Tema käsitlus vooruseetikast ja vooruseetilisest perspektiivist, mida on võimalik näha komplekselt, vaadeldes voorust, praktikat, narratiivi ja traditsiooni mõisteid

  7. Windowsista Mac-maailmaan

    OpenAIRE

    Sirkiä, Noora-Maria

    2010-01-01

    Nykyään yhä useampi harkitsee erilaisista syistä käyttöjärjestelmän vaihtamista tutusta Windowsista johonkin muuhun käyttöjärjestelmään. Applen Macintosh-tietokoneiden mukana tuleva Mac OS X -käyttöjärjestelmä on hyvä vaihtoehto Windowsille. Ihmiset siirtyvät siihen mm. tietoturvaseikkojen, luotettavuuden, ohjelmiston sekä Applen koneiden ja käyttöjärjestelmän ulkomuodon takia. Microsoftin tuotteista ei myöskään tarvitse luopua kokonaan, sillä monista tutuista Microsoftin ohjelmista (esim. Mi...

  8. A hybrid path-oriented code assignment CDMA-based MAC protocol for underwater acoustic sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Huifang; Fan, Guangyu; Xie, Lei; Cui, Jun-Hong

    2013-11-04

    Due to the characteristics of underwater acoustic channel, media access control (MAC) protocols designed for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWASNs) are quite different from those for terrestrial wireless sensor networks. Moreover, in a sink-oriented network with event information generation in a sensor field and message forwarding to the sink hop-by-hop, the sensors near the sink have to transmit more packets than those far from the sink, and then a funneling effect occurs, which leads to packet congestion, collisions and losses, especially in UWASNs with long propagation delays. An improved CDMA-based MAC protocol, named path-oriented code assignment (POCA) CDMA MAC (POCA-CDMA-MAC), is proposed for UWASNs in this paper. In the proposed MAC protocol, both the round-robin method and CDMA technology are adopted to make the sink receive packets from multiple paths simultaneously. Since the number of paths for information gathering is much less than that of nodes, the length of the spreading code used in the POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol is shorter greatly than that used in the CDMA-based protocols with transmitter-oriented code assignment (TOCA) or receiver-oriented code assignment (ROCA). Simulation results show that the proposed POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol achieves a higher network throughput and a lower end-to-end delay compared to other CDMA-based MAC protocols.

  9. A Hybrid Path-Oriented Code Assignment CDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huifang Chen

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Due to the characteristics of underwater acoustic channel, media access control (MAC protocols designed for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWASNs are quite different from those for terrestrial wireless sensor networks. Moreover, in a sink-oriented network with event information generation in a sensor field and message forwarding to the sink hop-by-hop, the sensors near the sink have to transmit more packets than those far from the sink, and then a funneling effect occurs, which leads to packet congestion, collisions and losses, especially in UWASNs with long propagation delays. An improved CDMA-based MAC protocol, named path-oriented code assignment (POCA CDMA MAC (POCA-CDMA-MAC, is proposed for UWASNs in this paper. In the proposed MAC protocol, both the round-robin method and CDMA technology are adopted to make the sink receive packets from multiple paths simultaneously. Since the number of paths for information gathering is much less than that of nodes, the length of the spreading code used in the POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol is shorter greatly than that used in the CDMA-based protocols with transmitter-oriented code assignment (TOCA or receiver-oriented code assignment (ROCA. Simulation results show that the proposed POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol achieves a higher network throughput and a lower end-to-end delay compared to other CDMA-based MAC protocols.

  10. Reliable Multicast MAC Protocol for IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs with Extended Service Range

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Woo-Yong

    2011-11-01

    In this paper, we propose the efficient reliable multicast MAC protocol by which the AP (Access Point) can transmit reliably its multicast data frames to the recipients in the AP's one-hop or two-hop transmission range. The AP uses the STAs (Stations) that are directly associated with itself as the relays for the data delivery to the remote recipients that cannot be reached directly from itself. Based on the connectivity information among the recipients, the reliable multicast MAC protocol optimizes the number of the RAK (Request for ACK) frame transmissions in a reasonable computational time. Numerical examples show that our proposed MAC protocol significantly enhances the MAC performance compared with the BMMM (Batch Mode Multicast MAC) protocol that is extended to support the recipients that are in the AP's one-hop or two-hop transmission range in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs.

  11. Mapping of MAC Address with Moving WiFi Scanner

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arief Hidayat

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Recently, Wifi is one of the most useful technologies that can be used for detecting and counting MAC Address. This paper described using of WiFi scanner which carried out seven times circulated the bus. The method used WiFi and GPS are to counting MAC address as raw data from the pedestrian smartphone, bus passenger or WiFi devices near from the bus as long as the bus going around the route. There are seven processes to make map WiFi data.

  12. Outcomes of pediatric patients supported with continuous-flow ventricular assist devices: A report from the Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (PediMACS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossano, Joseph W; Lorts, Angela; VanderPluym, Christina J; Jeewa, Aamir; Guleserian, Kristine J; Bleiweis, Mark S; Reinhartz, Olaf; Blume, Elizabeth D; Rosenthal, David N; Naftel, David C; Cantor, Ryan S; Kirklin, James K

    2016-05-01

    Continuous-flow (CF) ventricular assist devices (VADs) have largely replaced pulsatile-flow VADs in adult patients. However, there are few data on CF VADs among pediatric patients. In this study we aimed to describe the overall use, patients' characteristics and outcomes of CF VADs in this population. The Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (PediMACS) is a national registry for U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA)-approved VADs in patients <19 years of age. Patients undergoing placement of durable CF VADs between September 2012 and June 2015 were included and outcomes were compared with those of adults from the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS). CF VADs were implanted in 109 patients at 35 hospitals. The median age at implantation was 15 years (2.8 to 18.9 years) and median weight was 62 kg (range 16 to 141 kg). The underlying disease was cardiomyopathy in 89 (82%) patients. The INTERMACS level at time of implant was Level 1 in 20 (19%), Level 2 in 64 (61%) and Levels 3 to 7 in 21 (20%) patients. Most were implanted as LVADs (n = 102, 94%). Median duration of support was 2.3 months (range <1 day to 28 months). Serious adverse event rates were low, including neurologic dysfunction (early event rate 4.1 per 100 patient-months with 2 late events). Competing outcomes analysis at 6 months post-implant indicated 61% transplanted, 31% alive with device in place and 8% death before transplant. These outcomes compared favorably with the 3,894 adults supported with CF VADs as a bridge to transplant. CF VADs are commonly utilized in older children and adolescents, with excellent survival rates. Further study is needed to understand impact of patient and device characteristics on outcomes in pediatric patients. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Antibiotic Resistance Mediated by the MacB ABC Transporter Family: A Structural and Functional Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas P. Greene

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The MacB ABC transporter forms a tripartite efflux pump with the MacA adaptor protein and TolC outer membrane exit duct to expel antibiotics and export virulence factors from Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we review recent structural and functional data on MacB and its homologs. MacB has a fold that is distinct from other structurally characterized ABC transporters and uses a unique molecular mechanism termed mechanotransmission. Unlike other bacterial ABC transporters, MacB does not transport substrates across the inner membrane in which it is based, but instead couples cytoplasmic ATP hydrolysis with transmembrane conformational changes that are used to perform work in the extra-cytoplasmic space. In the MacAB-TolC tripartite pump, mechanotransmission drives efflux of antibiotics and export of a protein toxin from the periplasmic space via the TolC exit duct. Homologous tripartite systems from pathogenic bacteria similarly export protein-like signaling molecules, virulence factors and siderophores. In addition, many MacB-like ABC transporters do not form tripartite pumps, but instead operate in diverse cellular processes including antibiotic sensing, cell division and lipoprotein trafficking.

  14. Antibiotic Resistance Mediated by the MacB ABC Transporter Family: A Structural and Functional Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greene, Nicholas P.; Kaplan, Elise; Crow, Allister; Koronakis, Vassilis

    2018-01-01

    The MacB ABC transporter forms a tripartite efflux pump with the MacA adaptor protein and TolC outer membrane exit duct to expel antibiotics and export virulence factors from Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we review recent structural and functional data on MacB and its homologs. MacB has a fold that is distinct from other structurally characterized ABC transporters and uses a unique molecular mechanism termed mechanotransmission. Unlike other bacterial ABC transporters, MacB does not transport substrates across the inner membrane in which it is based, but instead couples cytoplasmic ATP hydrolysis with transmembrane conformational changes that are used to perform work in the extra-cytoplasmic space. In the MacAB-TolC tripartite pump, mechanotransmission drives efflux of antibiotics and export of a protein toxin from the periplasmic space via the TolC exit duct. Homologous tripartite systems from pathogenic bacteria similarly export protein-like signaling molecules, virulence factors and siderophores. In addition, many MacB-like ABC transporters do not form tripartite pumps, but instead operate in diverse cellular processes including antibiotic sensing, cell division and lipoprotein trafficking. PMID:29892271

  15. MacWilliams Identity for M-Spotty Weight Enumerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Kazuyoshi; Fujiwara, Eiji

    M-spotty byte error control codes are very effective for correcting/detecting errors in semiconductor memory systems that employ recent high-density RAM chips with wide I/O data (e.g., 8, 16, or 32bits). In this case, the width of the I/O data is one byte. A spotty byte error is defined as random t-bit errors within a byte of length b bits, where 1 le t ≤ b. Then, an error is called an m-spotty byte error if at least one spotty byte error is present in a byte. M-spotty byte error control codes are characterized by the m-spotty distance, which includes the Hamming distance as a special case for t =1 or t = b. The MacWilliams identity provides the relationship between the weight distribution of a code and that of its dual code. The present paper presents the MacWilliams identity for the m-spotty weight enumerator of m-spotty byte error control codes. In addition, the present paper clarifies that the indicated identity includes the MacWilliams identity for the Hamming weight enumerator as a special case.

  16. An energy-efficient MAC protocol using dynamic queue management for delay-tolerant mobile sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jie; Li, Qiyue; Qu, Yugui; Zhao, Baohua

    2011-01-01

    Conventional MAC protocols for wireless sensor network perform poorly when faced with a delay-tolerant mobile network environment. Characterized by a highly dynamic and sparse topology, poor network connectivity as well as data delay-tolerance, delay-tolerant mobile sensor networks exacerbate the severe power constraints and memory limitations of nodes. This paper proposes an energy-efficient MAC protocol using dynamic queue management (EQ-MAC) for power saving and data queue management. Via data transfers initiated by the target sink and the use of a dynamic queue management strategy based on priority, EQ-MAC effectively avoids untargeted transfers, increases the chance of successful data transmission, and makes useful data reach the target terminal in a timely manner. Experimental results show that EQ-MAC has high energy efficiency in comparison with a conventional MAC protocol. It also achieves a 46% decrease in packet drop probability, 79% increase in system throughput, and 25% decrease in mean packet delay.

  17. An Energy-Efficient MAC Protocol Using Dynamic Queue Management for Delay-Tolerant Mobile Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yugui Qu

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Conventional MAC protocols for wireless sensor network perform poorly when faced with a delay-tolerant mobile network environment. Characterized by a highly dynamic and sparse topology, poor network connectivity as well as data delay-tolerance, delay-tolerant mobile sensor networks exacerbate the severe power constraints and memory limitations of nodes. This paper proposes an energy-efficient MAC protocol using dynamic queue management (EQ-MAC for power saving and data queue management. Via data transfers initiated by the target sink and the use of a dynamic queue management strategy based on priority, EQ-MAC effectively avoids untargeted transfers, increases the chance of successful data transmission, and makes useful data reach the target terminal in a timely manner. Experimental results show that EQ-MAC has high energy efficiency in comparison with a conventional MAC protocol. It also achieves a 46% decrease in packet drop probability, 79% increase in system throughput, and 25% decrease in mean packet delay.

  18. TR-MAC: an energy-efficient MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks exploiting noise-based transmitted reference modulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morshed, S.; Dimitrova, D.C.; Brogle, M.; Braun, T.; Heijenk, Gerhard J.

    Energy-constrained behavior of sensor nodes is one of the most important criteria for successful deployment of wireless sensor net- works. The medium access control (MAC) protocol determines the time a sensor node transceiver spends listening or transmitting, and hence the energy consumption of the

  19. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of MacA from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piao, Shunfu; Xu, Yongbin; Ha, Nam-Chul

    2008-01-01

    A periplasmic membrane-fusion protein MacA from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, an essential component of the multidrug efflux pump in Gram-negative bacteria, was crystallized. Periplasmic membrane-fusion proteins (MFPs) are an essential component of the multidrug efflux pump in Gram-negative bacteria. They play a crucial role in bridging the outer membrane porin TolC and two distinct types of inner membrane transporters. The MFP MacA bridges the inner membrane ABC-type multidrug transporter MacB and the outer membrane porin TolC. MacA from the pathogenic bacterium Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was expressed in Escherichia coli B834 (DE3) and the recombinant protein was purified using Ni–NTA affinity, Q anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The purified MacA protein was crystallized using the vapour-diffusion method. A MAD diffraction data set was collected to a resolution of 3.0 Å at 100 K. The crystal belongs to space group P622, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 109.2, c = 255.4 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°, and contains one molecule in the asymmetric unit

  20. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of MacA from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piao, Shunfu; Xu, Yongbin; Ha, Nam-Chul, E-mail: hnc@pusan.ac.kr [College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-05-01

    A periplasmic membrane-fusion protein MacA from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, an essential component of the multidrug efflux pump in Gram-negative bacteria, was crystallized. Periplasmic membrane-fusion proteins (MFPs) are an essential component of the multidrug efflux pump in Gram-negative bacteria. They play a crucial role in bridging the outer membrane porin TolC and two distinct types of inner membrane transporters. The MFP MacA bridges the inner membrane ABC-type multidrug transporter MacB and the outer membrane porin TolC. MacA from the pathogenic bacterium Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was expressed in Escherichia coli B834 (DE3) and the recombinant protein was purified using Ni–NTA affinity, Q anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The purified MacA protein was crystallized using the vapour-diffusion method. A MAD diffraction data set was collected to a resolution of 3.0 Å at 100 K. The crystal belongs to space group P622, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 109.2, c = 255.4 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°, and contains one molecule in the asymmetric unit.

  1. Public Relations as "Practice": Applying the Theory of Alasdair MacIntyre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeper, Roy V.; Leeper, Kathie A.

    2001-01-01

    Considers how public relation's search for a unifying theory may be fulfilled through application of Alasdair MacIntyre's concept of a "practice," a very specific and value-laden concept. Explores what it would mean to be a public relations practice in MacIntyre's concept of the term and argues that such an approach to public relations…

  2. Improved b lifetime measurement from MAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ford, W.T.

    1984-03-01

    Two recent publications, from the MAC and Mark II collaborations, have reported the somewhat surprising result that the lifetime of particles made up of b quarks is in the 1 to 2 picosecond range, or somewhat longer than the lifetimes of charm particles. Although the charm decays are favored transitions while those of b particles depend upon off-diagonal elements of the weak flavor mixing matrix, the smallness of the b decay rates in face of the large available phase space indicates that the off-diagonal elements are indeed very small. The possibility for complete determination of the mixing matrix was brought significantly nearer by the availability of the lifetime information; what is needed now is to reduce the uncertainty of the measurements, which was about 33% for both experiments. We describe here an extension of the b lifetime study with the MAC detector, incorporating some new data and improvements in the analysis. 12 references

  3. Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection during HIV disease. Persisting problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Manfredi

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Still in the era of combined antiretroviral therapy, late recognition of HIV disease or lack of sufficient immune recovery pose HIV-infected patients at risk to develop opportunistic infections by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM, which are environmental organisms commonly retrieved in soil and superficial waters.Among these microorganisms, the most frequent is represented by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC. Health care professionals who face HIV-infected patients should suspect disseminated mycobacterial disease when a deep immunodeficiency is present, (a CD4+ lymphocyte count below 50 cells/μL often associated with constitutional signs and symptoms, and non-specific laboratory abnormalities. Mycobacterial culture of peripheral blood is a reliable technique for diagnosing disseminated disease. Among drugs active against NTM, as well as some anti-tubercular compounds, the rifampin derivative rifabutin, and some novel fluoroquinolones, the availability of macrolides, has greatly contributed to improve both prophylaxis and treatment outcome of disseminated MAC infections. Although multiple questions remain about which regimens may be regarded as optimal, general recommendations can be expressed on the ground of existing evidences.Treatment should begin with associated clarithromycin (or azithromycin, plus ethambutol and rifabutin (with the rifabutin dose depending on other concomitant medications that might result in drug-drug interactions.A combined three-drug regimen is preferred for patients who cannot be prescribed an effective antiretroviral regimen immediately. Patients with a CD4+ lymphocyte count below 50 cells/μL, who do not have clinical evidence of active mycobacterial disease, should receive a primary prophylaxis with either clarithromycin or azithromycin, with or without rifabutin.

  4. Optimization and Verification of the TR-MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morshed, S.; Heijenk, Geert

    2015-01-01

    Energy-efficiency is an important requirement in the design of communication protocols for wireless sensor networks (WSN). TR-MAC is an energy-efficient medium access control (MAC) layer protocol for low power WSN that exploits transmitted-reference (TR) modulation in the physical layer. The

  5. Modeling MAC layer for powerline communications networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hrasnica, Halid; Haidine, Abdelfatteh

    2001-02-01

    The usage of electrical power distribution networks for voice and data transmission, called Powerline Communications, becomes nowadays more and more attractive, particularly in the telecommunication access area. The most important reasons for that are the deregulation of the telecommunication market and a fact that the access networks are still property of former monopolistic companies. In this work, first we analyze a PLC network and system structure as well as a disturbance scenario in powerline networks. After that, we define a logical structure of the powerline MAC layer and propose the reservation MAC protocols for the usage in the PLC network which provides collision free data transmission. This makes possible better network utilization and realization of QoS guarantees which can make PLC networks competitive to other access technologies.

  6. Essential Mac OS X panther server administration integrating Mac OS X server into heterogeneous networks

    CERN Document Server

    Bartosh, Michael

    2004-01-01

    If you've ever wondered how to safely manipulate Mac OS X Panther Server's many underlying configuration files or needed to explain AFP permission mapping--this book's for you. From the command line to Apple's graphical tools, the book provides insight into this powerful server software. Topics covered include installation, deployment, server management, web application services, data gathering, and more

  7. A Critique of MacIntyrean Morality From a Kantian Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Krishna Mani Pathak

    2014-01-01

    This article is a critical examination of MacIntyre’s notion of morality in reference to Kant’s deontological moral theory. The examination shows that MacIntyre (a) criticizes Kant’s moral theory to defend virtue ethics or neo-Aristotelian ethics with a weak notion of morality; (b) favors the idea of local morality, which does not leave any room for moral assessment and reciprocity in an intercultural domain; and (c) f...

  8. +Psychometric evaluation of the MacDQoL individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration on quality of life

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ffytche Timothy

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The MacDQoL is an individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration (MD on quality of life (QoL. There is preliminary evidence of its psychometric properties and sensitivity to severity of MD. The aim of this study was to carry out further psychometric evaluation with a larger sample and investigate the measure's sensitivity to MD severity. Methods Patients with MD (n = 156: 99 women, 57 men, mean age 79 ± 13 years, recruited from eye clinics (one NHS, one private completed the MacDQoL by telephone interview and later underwent a clinic vision assessment including near and distance visual acuity (VA, comfortable near VA, contrast sensitivity, colour recognition, recovery from glare and presence or absence of distortion or scotoma in the central 10° of the visual field. Results The completion rate for the MacDQoL items was 99.8%. Of the 26 items, three were dropped from the measure due to redundancy. A fourth was retained in the questionnaire but excluded when computing the scale score. Principal components analysis and Cronbach's alpha (0.944 supported combining the remaining 22 items in a single scale. Lower MacDQoL scores, indicating more negative impact of MD on QoL, were associated with poorer distance VA (better eye r = -0.431 p Conclusion The MacDQoL 22-item scale has excellent internal consistency reliability and a single-factor structure. The measure is acceptable to respondents and the generic QoL item, MD-specific QoL item and average weighted impact score are related to several measures of vision. The MacDQoL demonstrates that MD has considerable negative impact on many aspects of QoL, particularly independence, leisure activities, dealing with personal affairs and mobility. The measure may be valuable for use in clinical trials and routine clinical care.

  9. Identifying The Purchasing Power Parity of Indonesia Rupiah (IDR based on BIG MAC Index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tongam Sihol Nababan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to identify : (1 profile of exchange rate and purchasing power parity of IDR against US $ based on Big Mac Index compared to the exchange rate of other countries, and (2 the position of the Big Mac Affordability of  Indonesia compared to other ASEAN countries. The results showed that based on Big Mac index during the period April 1998 up to January 2015, IDR exchange rate tends to be undervalued against the USA dollar. The cause of the currency tends to be in a position of undervalued due to the components of non-tradable have not been included in Big Mac index. The index of Big Mac Affordability indicates that there is a great disparity of income between Singapore and five other ASEAN countries. The purchasing power of the real income of the people in Singapore is nearly five times the real income of the people in Indonesia.

  10. Results from the MAC Vertex chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, H.N.

    1987-05-01

    The design, construction, and performance characteristics of a high precision gaseous drift chamber made of thin walled proportional tubes are described. The device achieved an average spatial resolution of 45 μm in use for physics analysis with the MAC detector. The B-lifetime result obtained with this chamber is discussed

  11. Microcrystallography, high-pressure cryocooling and BioSAXS at MacCHESS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Englich, Ulrich, E-mail: ue22@cornell.edu; Kriksunov, Irina A. [MacCHESS (Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Cerione, Richard A. [MacCHESS (Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Cook, Michael J.; Gillilan, Richard [MacCHESS (Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Gruner, Sol M. [Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Physics Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Huang, Qingqui; Kim, Chae Un; Miller, William; Nielsen, Soren; Schuller, David; Smith, Scott; Szebenyi, Doletha M. E. [MacCHESS (Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Three research initiatives pursued by the Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (MacCHESS) are presented. The Macromolecular Diffraction Facility at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (MacCHESS) is a national research resource supported by the National Center for Research Resources of the US National Institutes of Health. MacCHESS is pursuing several research initiatives designed to benefit both CHESS users and the wider structural biology community. Three initiatives are presented in further detail: microcrystallography, which aims to improve the collection of diffraction data from crystals a few micrometers across, or small well diffracting regions of inhomogeneous crystals, so as to obtain high-resolution structures; pressure cryocooling, which can stabilize transient structures and reduce lattice damage during the cooling process; and BioSAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering on biological solutions), which can extract molecular shape and other structural information from macromolecules in solution.

  12. Activity Modelling and Comparative Evaluation of WSN MAC Security Attacks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pawar, Pranav M.; Nielsen, Rasmus Hjorth; Prasad, Neeli R.

    2012-01-01

    and initiate security attacks that disturb the normal functioning of the network in a severe manner. Such attacks affect the performance of the network by increasing the energy consumption, by reducing throughput and by inducing long delays. Of all existing WSN attacks, MAC layer attacks are considered...... the most harmful as they directly affect the available resources and thus the nodes’ energy consumption. The first endeavour of this paper is to model the activities of MAC layer security attacks to understand the flow of activities taking place when mounting the attack and when actually executing it....... The second aim of the paper is to simulate these attacks on hybrid MAC mechanisms, which shows the performance degradation of aWSN under the considered attacks. The modelling and implementation of the security attacks give an actual view of the network which can be useful in further investigating secure...

  13. MacMillan Pier Transportation Center Feasibility Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-06-01

    The MacMillan Pier Transportation Center Feasibility Study examines two potential sites (landside and waterside) for a transportation center that provides a range of tourist and traveler information. It would serve as a gateway for Provincetown and t...

  14. A memory and organizational aid improves Alzheimer disease research consent capacity: results of a randomized, controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubright, Jonathan; Sankar, Pamela; Casarett, David J; Gur, Ruben; Xie, Sharon X; Karlawish, Jason

    2010-12-01

    Early and progressive cognitive impairments of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) hinder their capacity to provide informed consent. Unfortunately, the limited research on techniques to improve capacity has shown mixed results. Therefore, the authors tested whether a memory and organizational aid improves the performance of patients with AD on measures of capacity and competency to give informed consent. Patients with AD randomly assigned to standard consent or standard plus a memory and organizational aid. Memory and organizational aid summarized the content of information mandated under the informed consent disclosure requirements of the Common Rule at a sixth grade reading level. Three psychiatrists without access to patient data independently reviewed MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) interview transcripts to judge whether the patient was capable of providing informed consent. The agreement of at least two of the three experts defined a participant as capable of providing informed consent. Secondary outcomes are MacCAT-CR measures of understanding, appreciation and reasoning, and comparison with cognitively normal older adult norms. AD intervention and control groups were similar in terms of age, education, and cognitive status. The intervention group was more likely to be judged competent than control group and had higher scores on MacCAT-CR measure of understanding. The intervention had no effect on the measures of appreciation or reasoning. A consent process that addresses the deficits in memory and attention of a patient with AD can improve capacity to give informed consent for early phase AD research. The results also validate the MacCAT-CR as an instrument to measure capacity, especially the understanding subscale. ClinicalTrials.Gov#NCT00105612, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00105612.

  15. What are the key drivers of MAC curves? A partial-equilibrium modelling approach for the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kesicki, Fabian

    2013-01-01

    Marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves are widely used for the assessment of costs related to CO 2 emissions reduction in environmental economics, as well as domestic and international climate policy. Several meta-analyses and model comparisons have previously been performed that aim to identify the causes for the wide range of MAC curves. Most of these concentrate on general equilibrium models with a focus on aspects such as specific model type and technology learning, while other important aspects remain almost unconsidered, including the availability of abatement technologies and level of discount rates. This paper addresses the influence of several key parameters on MAC curves for the United Kingdom and the year 2030. A technology-rich energy system model, UK MARKAL, is used to derive the MAC curves. The results of this study show that MAC curves are robust even to extreme fossil fuel price changes, while uncertainty around the choice of the discount rate, the availability of key abatement technologies and the demand level were singled out as the most important influencing factors. By using a different model type and studying a wider range of influencing factors, this paper contributes to the debate on the sensitivity of MAC curves. - Highlights: ► A partial-equilibrium model is employed to test key sensitivities of MAC curves. ► MAC curves are found to be robust to wide-ranging changes in fossil fuel prices. ► Most influencing factors are the discount rate, availability of key technologies. ► Further important uncertainty in MAC curves is related to demand changes

  16. A Power-Optimized Cooperative MAC Protocol for Lifetime Extension in Wireless Sensor Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kai; Wu, Shan; Huang, Bo; Liu, Feng; Xu, Zhen

    2016-10-01

    In wireless sensor networks, in order to satisfy the requirement of long working time of energy-limited nodes, we need to design an energy-efficient and lifetime-extended medium access control (MAC) protocol. In this paper, a node cooperation mechanism that one or multiple nodes with higher channel gain and sufficient residual energy help a sender relay its data packets to its recipient is employed to achieve this objective. We first propose a transmission power optimization algorithm to prolong network lifetime by optimizing the transmission powers of the sender and its cooperative nodes to maximize their minimum residual energy after their data packet transmissions. Based on it, we propose a corresponding power-optimized cooperative MAC protocol. A cooperative node contention mechanism is designed to ensure that the sender can effectively select a group of cooperative nodes with the lowest energy consumption and the best channel quality for cooperative transmissions, thus further improving the energy efficiency. Simulation results show that compared to typical MAC protocol with direct transmissions and energy-efficient cooperative MAC protocol, the proposed cooperative MAC protocol can efficiently improve the energy efficiency and extend the network lifetime.

  17. Scheduled MAC in Beacon Overlay Networks for Underwater Localization and Time-Synchronization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Kleunen, W.A.P.; Meratnia, Nirvana; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    2011-01-01

    In this article we introduce a MAC protocol designed for underwater localization and time-synchronisation. The MAC protocol assumes a network of static reference nodes and allows blind nodes to be localized by listening-only to the beacon messages. Such a system is known to be very scalable. We show

  18. Florence Jessie Mac Williams (1917-1990)

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 10; Issue 1. Florence Jessie Mac Williams (1917-1990). Featured Scientist Volume 10 Issue 1 January 2005 pp 98-98. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/010/01/0098-0098. Resonance ...

  19. Lifetime tests for MAC vertex chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, H.N.

    1986-07-01

    A vertex chamber for MAC was proposed to increase precision in the measurement of the B hadron and tau lepton lifetimes. Thin-walled aluminized mylar drift tubes were used for detector elements. A study of radiation hardness was conducted under the conditions of the proposed design using different gases and different operating conditions

  20. Impact of MAC Delay on AUV Localization: Underwater Localization Based on Hyperbolic Frequency Modulation Signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sungryul; Yoo, Younghwan

    2018-01-26

    Medium Access Control (MAC) delay which occurs between the anchor node's transmissions is one of the error sources in underwater localization. In particular, in AUV localization, the MAC delay significantly degrades the ranging accuracy. The Cramer-Rao Low Bound (CRLB) definition theoretically proves that the MAC delay significantly degrades the localization performance. This paper proposes underwater localization combined with multiple access technology to decouple the localization performance from the MAC delay. Towards this goal, we adopt hyperbolic frequency modulation (HFM) signal that provides multiplexing based on its good property, high-temporal correlation. Owing to the multiplexing ability of the HFM signal, the anchor nodes can transmit packets without MAC delay, i.e., simultaneous transmission is possible. In addition, the simulation results show that the simultaneous transmission is not an optional communication scheme, but essential for the localization of mobile object in underwater.

  1. Detection of constitutive heterodimerization of the integrin Mac-1 subunits by fluorescence resonance energy transfer in living cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Guo; Yang Huayan; Wang Chen; Zhang Feng; You Zhendong; Wang Guiying; He Cheng; Chen Yizhang; Xu Zhihan

    2006-01-01

    Macrophage differentiation antigen associated with complement three receptor function (Mac-1) belongs to β 2 subfamily of integrins that mediate important cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Biochemical studies have indicated that Mac-1 is a constitutive heterodimer in vitro. Here, we detected the heterodimerization of Mac-1 subunits in living cells by means of two fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques (fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy) and our results demonstrated that there is constitutive heterodimerization of the Mac-1 subunits and this constitutive heterodimerization of the Mac-1 subunits is cell-type independent. Through FRET imaging, we found that heterodimers of Mac-1 mainly localized in plasma membrane, perinuclear, and Golgi area in living cells. Furthermore, through analysis of the estimated physical distances between cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) fused to Mac-1 subunits, we suggested that the conformation of Mac-1 subunits is not affected by the fusion of CFP or YFP and inferred that Mac-1 subunits take different conformation when expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells, respectively

  2. A Cross-Layer Duty Cycle MAC Protocol Supporting a Pipeline Feature for Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Chon Kim

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Although the conventional duty cycle MAC protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs such as RMAC perform well in terms of saving energy and reducing end-to-end delivery latency, they were designed independently and require an extra routing protocol in the network layer to provide path information for the MAC layer. In this paper, we propose a new cross-layer duty cycle MAC protocol with data forwarding supporting a pipeline feature (P-MAC for WSNs. P-MAC first divides the whole network into many grades around the sink. Each node identifies its grade according to its logical hop distance to the sink and simultaneously establishes a sleep/wakeup schedule using the grade information. Those nodes in the same grade keep the same schedule, which is staggered with the schedule of the nodes in the adjacent grade. Then a variation of the RTS/CTS handshake mechanism is used to forward data continuously in a pipeline fashion from the higher grade to the lower grade nodes and finally to the sink. No extra routing overhead is needed, thus increasing the network scalability while maintaining the superiority of duty-cycling. The simulation results in OPNET show that P-MAC has better performance than S-MAC and RMAC in terms of packet delivery latency and energy efficiency.

  3. Installing Git under MacOS

    OpenAIRE

    Fitzpatrick, Benjamin

    2015-01-01

    Step by step guide to installing the version control software Git under the Macintosh Operating System MacOS X (and later). Includes a seqeunce of screenshots with hand drawn arrows ;-) These slides are part of the materials for an Introductory course on the R language and environment for statistial computing. Free and Open Source materials for this course hosted on GitHub: https://github.com/brfitzpatrick/Intro_to_R

  4. Burgernomics: a big MacT guide to purchasing power parity

    OpenAIRE

    Michael R. Pakko; Patricia S. Pollard

    2003-01-01

    The theory of purchasing power parity (PPP) has long been a staple of international economic analysis. Recent years have seen the rise in popularity of a tongue-in-cheek, fast-food version of PPP: The Big Mac™ index. In this article, Michael Pakko and Patricia Pollard describe how comparisons of Big Mac prices around the world contain the ingredients necessary to demonstrate the fundamental principles of PPP. They show that the Big Mac index does nearly as well as more comprehensive measures ...

  5. Inguinal hernia repair in day surgery: the role of MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) with remifentanil

    Science.gov (United States)

    USAI, S.; AMATUCCI, C.; PEROTTI, B.; RUGGERI, L.; ILLUMINATI, G.; TELLAN, G.

    2017-01-01

    Background The extension of indications for procedures in a Day Surgery (DS) setting has led to changes in the anesthetic and surgical treatment of Inguinal Hernias (IH). According to the recommendations of the European Hernia Society, the treatment of IH in DS units should be performed under Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC). Patients and methods 960 patients underwent IH repairs over a period of 24 months. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: R (remifentanil) and F (fentanyl); the group F was considered as a control group. The exclusion criteria in both group were: morbid obesity (BMI>40 or BMI>35 in association with high blood pressure or diabetes); coagulopathy; OSAS (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) with AHI >10; cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, hepatic or metabolic disease; history of substances abuse; GERD-related esophagitis (gastro-esophageal reflux disease); chronic analgesic use; allergy to local anesthetic and ASA>III. Patients reported their level of pain on a verbal numeric scale (VNS), with scores ranging from 0 to 10. For each patient systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) were recorded. The results are presented as the mean value ± standard deviations; statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test. Results Amongst the 960 procedures, complications or side effects related to the anesthetic techniques didn’t occur; no procedure-related complications requiring mechanical ventilation support were reported. Our research focused on evaluating remifentanil effectiveness in pain control and its impact on hemodynamic stability and respiratory function. There was a significant difference between the two groups with regard to the VNS. Conclusions Remifentanil, is an excellent drug for pain control during intra-operative procedures, that allows an optimal hemodynamic stability for IH repairs in a DS setting, due to its

  6. Performance analysis and improvement of WPAN MAC for home networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Saurabh; Kwak, Kyung Sup

    2010-01-01

    The wireless personal area network (WPAN) is an emerging wireless technology for future short range indoor and outdoor communication applications. The IEEE 802.15.3 medium access control (MAC) is proposed to coordinate the access to the wireless medium among the competing devices, especially for short range and high data rate applications in home networks. In this paper we use analytical modeling to study the performance analysis of WPAN (IEEE 802.15.3) MAC in terms of throughput, efficient bandwidth utilization, and delay with various ACK policies under error channel condition. This allows us to introduce a K-Dly-ACK-AGG policy, payload size adjustment mechanism, and Improved Backoff algorithm to improve the performance of the WPAN MAC. Performance evaluation results demonstrate the impact of our improvements on network capacity. Moreover, these results can be very useful to WPAN application designers and protocol architects to easily and correctly implement WPAN for home networking.

  7. Performance Analysis and Improvement of WPAN MAC for Home Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saurabh Mehta

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The wireless personal area network (WPAN is an emerging wireless technology for future short range indoor and outdoor communication applications. The IEEE 802.15.3 medium access control (MAC is proposed to coordinate the access to the wireless medium among the competing devices, especially for short range and high data rate applications in home networks. In this paper we use analytical modeling to study the performance analysis of WPAN (IEEE 802.15.3 MAC in terms of throughput, efficient bandwidth utilization, and delay with various ACK policies under error channel condition. This allows us to introduce a K-Dly-ACK-AGG policy, payload size adjustment mechanism, and Improved Backoff algorithm to improve the performance of the WPAN MAC. Performance evaluation results demonstrate the impact of our improvements on network capacity. Moreover, these results can be very useful to WPAN application designers and protocol architects to easily and correctly implement WPAN for home networking.

  8. Big Mac arvestab raha ostujõudu / Harli Uljas

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Uljas, Harli

    2005-01-01

    The Economist võrdleb maailma valuutade suhestamiseks Big Mac'i burgeri hindu 120 riigis, kuna see meetod võimaldab saada ülevaate riikide elanikkonna tegelikust ostujõust. Tabel: Hamburgeri standard

  9. Strategy, Operational Art and MacArthur in the Southwest Pacific 1944

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-26

    Guinea Campaign.11 It studies the campaign exclusively from the February 1944 through October 1944. The choice in dates argues that the campaign...the Pacific. King continued to maintain that MacArthur’s line of operation in SWPA, toward the Philippines to the exclusion of the central Pacific...with Nimitz allowed MacArthur the rare luxury of aircraft carriers providing a protective bubble over both the Morotai and Palaus operations. Escort

  10. Learn Objective-C on the Mac for OS X and iOS

    CERN Document Server

    Knaster, Scott; Malik, Waqar

    2012-01-01

    Learn to write apps for some of today's hottest technologies, including the iPhone and iPad (using iOS), as well as the Mac (using OS X). It starts with Objective-C, the base language on which the native iOS software development kit (SDK) and the OS X are based. Learn Objective-C on the Mac: For OS X and iOS, Second Edition updates a best selling book and is an extensive, newly updated guide to Objective-C. Objective-C is a powerful, object-oriented extension of C, making this update the perfect follow-up to Dave Mark's bestselling Learn C on the Mac. Whether you're an experienced C programmer

  11. THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE GROWTH OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX (MAC) ORGANISMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    MAC organisms are able to grow, persist, and colonize in water distribution systems and may amplify in hospital hot water systems. This study examined the response of MAC organisms (M. avium, M. intracellulare, and MX) to a range of temperatures commonly associated with drinking...

  12. Florence Jessie MacWilliams (1917-1990)

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    famous mathematician Oscar Zariski, well known for his work in algebraic geometry, at. Johns Hopkins University, following him to Harvard University to study with him for a year. There was a break in her studies for many years following her marriage in 1941 to. W al ter Mac Williams, an engineer, and the birth and raising of ...

  13. MAC-1 Glycoprotein Family mediates adherence of neutrophils to endothelial cells stimulated by leukotriene B/sub 4/ and platelet activating factor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tonnesen, M.G.; Anderson, D.C.; Springer, T.A.; Knedler, A.; Avdi, N.; Henson, P.M.

    1986-03-01

    The process of neutrophil (N) adhesion to and migration through endothelium (EC), an early event in the induction of the acute inflammatory response, has been attributed to the generation of extravascular chemoattractant peptides and lipids. Although both leukotriene B/sub 4/ (LTB/sub 4/) and platelet activating factor (PAF) enhance N adherence to EC, the mechanisms involved in this interaction are still not completely understood. Since the MAC-1 Glycoprotein (GP) Family has recently been shown to be required for a variety of adherence-dependent functions of stimulated N, the authors questioned whether these adherence-associated GP might be involved in N adherence to EC stimulated by LTB/sub 4/ or PAF. Using a microtiter adherence assay with /sup 111/In labeled N, they assessed the ability of N from patients with MAC-1, LFA-1 Deficiency to adhere to monolayers of human omental microvascular or umbilical vein EC as well as to serum-coated plastic. Patient N exhibited markedly diminished adherence in response to LTB/sub 4/ or PAF compared to normal controls. LTB/sub 4/ and PAF enhanced expression of the MAC-1 GP Family on the surface of normal N as determined by flow cytofluorimetry using a monoclonal antibody (TS1/18) to the GP common beta subunit. In addition TS1/18 (20 ..mu..g/ml) completely inhibited N adherence stimulated by either LTB/sub 4/ (10/sup -8/M) or PAF(10/sup -11/M). Thus, the MAC-1 GP Family appears to be important in chemotactic factor regulation of N adherence to EC.

  14. Matrix-assisted cocrystallization (MAC) simultaneous production and formulation of pharmaceutical cocrystals by hot-melt extrusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boksa, Kevin; Otte, Andrew; Pinal, Rodolfo

    2014-09-01

    A novel method for the simultaneous production and formulation of pharmaceutical cocrystals, matrix-assisted cocrystallization (MAC), is presented. Hot-melt extrusion (HME) is used to create cocrystals by coprocessing the drug and coformer in the presence of a matrix material. Carbamazepine (CBZ), nicotinamide (NCT), and Soluplus were used as a model drug, coformer, and matrix, respectively. The MAC product containing 80:20 (w/w) cocrystal:matrix was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. A partial least squares (PLS) regression model was developed for quantifying the efficiency of cocrystal formation. The MAC product was estimated to be 78% (w/w) cocrystal (theoretical 80%), with approximately 0.3% mixture of free (unreacted) CBZ and NCT, and 21.6% Soluplus (theoretical 20%) with the PLS model. A physical mixture (PM) of a reference cocrystal (RCC), prepared by precipitation from solution, and Soluplus resulted in faster dissolution relative to the pure RCC. However, the MAC product with the exact same composition resulted in considerably faster dissolution and higher maximum concentration (∼five-fold) than those of the PM. The MAC product consists of high-quality cocrystals embedded in a matrix. The processing aspect of MAC plays a major role on the faster dissolution observed. The MAC approach offers a scalable process, suitable for the continuous manufacturing and formulation of pharmaceutical cocrystals. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  15. A Survey of MAC Protocols for Cognitive Radio Body Area Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandari, Sabin; Moh, Sangman

    2015-04-20

    The advancement in electronics, wireless communications and integrated circuits has enabled the development of small low-power sensors and actuators that can be placed on, in or around the human body. A wireless body area network (WBAN) can be effectively used to deliver the sensory data to a central server, where it can be monitored, stored and analyzed. For more than a decade, cognitive radio (CR) technology has been widely adopted in wireless networks, as it utilizes the available spectra of licensed, as well as unlicensed bands. A cognitive radio body area network (CRBAN) is a CR-enabled WBAN. Unlike other wireless networks, CRBANs have specific requirements, such as being able to automatically sense their environments and to utilize unused, licensed spectra without interfering with licensed users, but existing protocols cannot fulfill them. In particular, the medium access control (MAC) layer plays a key role in cognitive radio functions, such as channel sensing, resource allocation, spectrum mobility and spectrum sharing. To address various application-specific requirements in CRBANs, several MAC protocols have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we survey MAC protocols for CRBANs. We then compare the different MAC protocols with one another and discuss challenging open issues in the relevant research.

  16. Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) is essential for Fc receptor-mediated neutrophil cytotoxicity and immunologic synapse formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Spriel, A B; Leusen, J H; van Egmond, M; Dijkman, H B; Assmann, K J; Mayadas, T N; van de Winkel, J G

    2001-04-15

    Receptors for human immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA initiate potent cytolysis of antibody (Ab)-coated targets by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Mac-1 (complement receptor type 3, CD11b/CD18) has previously been implicated in receptor cooperation with Fc receptors (FcRs). The role of Mac-1 in FcR-mediated lysis of tumor cells was characterized by studying normal human PMNs, Mac-1-deficient mouse PMNs, and mouse PMNs transgenic for human FcR. All PMNs efficiently phagocytosed Ab-coated particles. However, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was abrogated in Mac-1(-/-) PMNs and in human PMNs blocked with anti-Mac-1 monoclonal Ab (mAb). Mac-1(-/-) PMNs were unable to spread on Ab-opsonized target cells and other Ab-coated surfaces. Confocal laser scanning and electron microscopy revealed a striking difference in immunologic synapse formation between Mac-1(-/-) and wild-type PMNs. Also, respiratory burst activity could be measured outside membrane-enclosed compartments by using Mac-1(-/-) PMNs bound to Ab-coated tumor cells, in contrast to wild-type PMNs. In summary, these data document an absolute requirement of Mac-1 for FcR-mediated PMN cytotoxicity toward tumor targets. Mac-1(-/-) PMNs exhibit defective spreading on Ab-coated targets, impaired formation of immunologic synapses, and absent tumor cytolysis.

  17. High-contrast MacNeille-PBS-based LCOS projection systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jianmin; Robinson, Michael G.; Sharp, Gary D.

    2005-04-01

    Contrast limits are investigated for MacNeille PBS based LCOS projection systems that use retarder stack filters (RSF). The two contributing factors are considered separately; namely the color management system and the panel port. To enhance performance of the former, skew ray compensated RSFs are introduced. For the latter, a general methodology is presented to optimize contrast by compensating the LCOS panel. It is shown that the orientation of the LCOS panel and compensator, relative to the MacNeille PBS, is critical. The significant impact of AR coating performance on system contrast is also revealed. A high contrast architecture will be presented by way of example.

  18. Analysis of an Adaptive P-Persistent MAC Scheme for WLAN Providing Delay Fairness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yen, Chih-Ming; Chang, Chung-Ju; Chen, Yih-Shen; Huang, Ching Yao

    The paper proposes and analyzes an adaptive p-persistent-based (APP) medium access control (MAC) scheme for IEEE 802.11 WLAN. The APP MAC scheme intends to support delay fairness for every station in each access, denoting small delay variance. It differentiates permission probabilities of transmission for stations which are incurred with various packet delays. This permission probability is designed as a function of the numbers of retransmissions and re-backoffs so that stations with larger packet delay are endowed with higher permission probability. Also, the scheme is analyzed by a Markov-chain analysis, where the collision probability, the system throughput, and the average delay are successfully obtained. Numerical results show that the proposed APP MAC scheme can attain lower mean delay and higher mean throughput. In the mean time, simulation results are given to justify the validity of the analysis, and also show that the APP MAC scheme can achieve more delay fairness than conventional algorithms.

  19. The Mac'OS X command line Unix under the hood

    CERN Document Server

    McElhearn, Kirk

    2006-01-01

    The Mac command line offers a faster, easier way to accomplish many tasks. It''s also the medium for many commands that aren''t accessible using the GUI. The Mac OS X Command Line is a clear, concise, tutorial-style introduction to all the major functionality provided by the command line. It''s also packed with information the experienced users need, including little-known shortcuts and several chapters devoted to advanced topics. This is a book to get you started, but also a book you won't soon outgrow.

  20. A Critique of MacIntyrean Morality From a Kantian Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krishna Mani Pathak

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article is a critical examination of MacIntyre’s notion of morality in reference to Kant’s deontological moral theory. The examination shows that MacIntyre (a criticizes Kant’s moral theory to defend virtue ethics or neo-Aristotelian ethics with a weak notion of morality; (b favors the idea of local morality, which does not leave any room for moral assessment and reciprocity in an intercultural domain; and (c fails to provide good arguments for his moral historicism and against Kant’s moral universalism.

  1. MacDUST - a powder diffraction package developed for the ''ADONE'' high resolution diffraction station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burattini, E.; Cappuccio, G.; Maistrelli, P.; Simeoni, S.

    1993-01-01

    A High Resolution Powder Diffraction Station (PO.DI.STA.) was installed at the beginning of 1991 on the ADONE-Wiggler magnet beam line. The station and the first powder diffraction spectra, collected with synchrotron radiation, were presented at the EPDIC-1 Conference. More details can also be found in. For this station, a very sophisticated software package ''MacDUST'' has been developed on an Apple Macintosh computer, using the Microsoft QuickBASIC compiler. It allows very easy and comfortable operations by means of a graphical user interface environment, typical of the Macintosh system. The package consists of five major programs. The main program, MacDIFF, performs all the graphic operations on the experimental data, including zooming, overlapping, cursor scanning and editing of patterns, control of output operations to printers and HPGL plotters. It also includes several analysis routines for data smoothing, a first derivative peak search algorithm, two background subtraction routines and two profile fitting programs: one based on the simplex method and the other on the Marquardt modification of a least-square algorithm. MacPDF and MacRIC are both dedicated to phase identification. The first program is an archive manager for searching, displaying and printing phase records; MacRIC is a graphic aided search-match program based on the Hanawalt algorithm. Mac3-DIM is a plot program, useful, e.g., for representing kinetics three dimensionally. MacRIET is a Macintosh version of the well known Rietveld refinement program. This version, besides conventional structure refinements, also allows the determination of micro structural parameters, i.e. micro strain and crystallite size. The program can also be used to simulate a pattern, once the structure of the compound is known. Taking advantage of the very intuitive Macintosh graphic user interface, through dialog and alert boxes, the program allows straightforward introduction and modification of the structure

  2. Identifying The Purchasing Power Parity of Indonesia Rupiah (IDR) based on BIG MAC Index

    OpenAIRE

    Tongam Sihol Nababan

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to identify : (1) profile of exchange rate and purchasing power parity of IDR against US $ based on Big Mac Index compared to the exchange rate of other countries, and (2) the position of the Big Mac Affordability of Indonesia compared to other ASEAN countries. The results showed that based on Big Mac index during the period April 1998 up to January 2015, IDR exchange rate tends to be undervalued against the USA dollar. The cause of the currency tends to be in a posi...

  3. Learn AppleScript The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on MAC OS X

    CERN Document Server

    Rosenthal, Hanaan

    2009-01-01

    AppleScript is an English-like, easy-to-understand scripting language built into every Mac. AppleScript can automate hundreds of AppleScriptable applications, performing tasks both large and small, complex and simple. Learn AppleScript: The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X, Third Edition has been completely updated for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It's all here, with an emphasis on practical information that will help you solve any automation problem-from the most mundane repetitive tasks to highly integrated workflows of complex systems. * Friendly enough for beginners, d

  4. MacA is a second cytochrome c peroxidase of Geobacter sulfurreducens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seidel, Julian; Hoffmann, Maren; Ellis, Katie E; Seidel, Antonia; Spatzal, Thomas; Gerhardt, Stefan; Elliott, Sean J; Einsle, Oliver

    2012-04-03

    The metal-reducing δ-proteobacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens produces a large number of c-type cytochromes, many of which have been implicated in the transfer of electrons to insoluble metal oxides. Among these, the dihemic MacA was assigned a central role. Here we have produced G. sulfurreducens MacA by recombinant expression in Escherichia coli and have solved its three-dimensional structure in three different oxidation states. Sequence comparisons group MacA into the family of diheme cytochrome c peroxidases, and the protein indeed showed hydrogen peroxide reductase activity with ABTS(-2) as an electron donor. The observed K(M) was 38.5 ± 3.7 μM H(2)O(2) and v(max) was 0.78 ± 0.03 μmol of H(2)O(2)·min(-1)·mg(-1), resulting in a turnover number k(cat) = 0.46 · s(-1). In contrast, no Fe(III) reductase activity was observed. MacA was found to display electrochemical properties similar to other bacterial diheme peroxidases, in addition to the ability to electrochemically mediate electron transfer to the soluble cytochrome PpcA. Differences in activity between CcpA and MacA can be rationalized with structural variations in one of the three loop regions, loop 2, that undergoes conformational changes during reductive activation of the enzyme. This loop is adjacent to the active site heme and forms an open loop structure rather than a more rigid helix as in CcpA. For the activation of the protein, the loop has to displace the distal ligand to the active site heme, H93, in loop 1. A H93G variant showed an unexpected formation of a helix in loop 2 and disorder in loop 1, while a M297H variant that altered the properties of the electron transfer heme abolished reductive activation.

  5. Predictive factors for a one-year improvement in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: An 11-year retrospective and multicenter study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadelis, Gilbert; Ducrot, Rodolphe; Bourdin, Arnaud; Rastogi, Nalin

    2017-08-01

    Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has become an emerging infectious disease and is responsible for more deaths than tuberculosis in industrialized countries. NTM-PD mortality remains high in some series reportedly ranging from 25% to 40% at five years and often due to unfavorable evolution of NTM-PD despite established treatment. The purpose of our study was to search for early factors that could predict the favorable or unfavorable evolution of NTM-PD at the first year of treatment. In this retrospective and multicenter study, we selected 119 patients based on clinical, radiological and microbiological data from 2002 to 2012 from three French university hospitals (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montpellier) with definite (meeting the criteria of the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Disease Society of America in 2007; ATS/IDSA) or probable (one positive sputum culture) NTM-PD. We compared two patient groups: those who improved at one year (clinical symptoms, radiological lesions and microbiology data) and those who did not improve at one year. The data were analyzed for all patients as well as for subgroups by gender, HIV-positive patients, and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. The average patient age was 50 years ± 19.4; 58% had respiratory comorbidities, 24% were HIV positive and 19% had cystic fibrosis. Coughing concerned 66% of patients and bronchiectasis concerned 45%. The most frequently isolated NTM were MAC (46%). 57% (n = 68) of patients met the ATS criteria and improved status concerned 38.6% (n = 46). The improvement factors at one year of NTM-PD were associated with the duration of ethambutol treatment: (Odds ratio adjusted [ORa]: 2.24, 95% Confidence interval [CI]; 2.11-3.41), HIV-positive status: (ORa: 3.23, 95% CI; 1.27-8.45), and male gender: (ORa: 2.34, 95% CI; 1.26-8.16). For the group with NTM-PD due to MAC, improvement was associated with the duration of macrolide treatment (ORa: 3.27, 95% CI; 1

  6. Predictive factors for a one-year improvement in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: An 11-year retrospective and multicenter study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilbert Cadelis

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD has become an emerging infectious disease and is responsible for more deaths than tuberculosis in industrialized countries. NTM-PD mortality remains high in some series reportedly ranging from 25% to 40% at five years and often due to unfavorable evolution of NTM-PD despite established treatment. The purpose of our study was to search for early factors that could predict the favorable or unfavorable evolution of NTM-PD at the first year of treatment.In this retrospective and multicenter study, we selected 119 patients based on clinical, radiological and microbiological data from 2002 to 2012 from three French university hospitals (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montpellier with definite (meeting the criteria of the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Disease Society of America in 2007; ATS/IDSA or probable (one positive sputum culture NTM-PD. We compared two patient groups: those who improved at one year (clinical symptoms, radiological lesions and microbiology data and those who did not improve at one year. The data were analyzed for all patients as well as for subgroups by gender, HIV-positive patients, and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC infection.The average patient age was 50 years ± 19.4; 58% had respiratory comorbidities, 24% were HIV positive and 19% had cystic fibrosis. Coughing concerned 66% of patients and bronchiectasis concerned 45%. The most frequently isolated NTM were MAC (46%. 57% (n = 68 of patients met the ATS criteria and improved status concerned 38.6% (n = 46. The improvement factors at one year of NTM-PD were associated with the duration of ethambutol treatment: (Odds ratio adjusted [ORa]: 2.24, 95% Confidence interval [CI]; 2.11-3.41, HIV-positive status: (ORa: 3.23, 95% CI; 1.27-8.45, and male gender: (ORa: 2.34, 95% CI; 1.26-8.16. For the group with NTM-PD due to MAC, improvement was associated with the duration of macrolide treatment (ORa: 3.27, 95% CI; 1

  7. Link-layer Jamming Attacks on S-MAC

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Law, Y.W.; Hartel, Pieter H.; den Hartog, Jeremy; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    2004-01-01

    We argue that among denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, link-layer jamming is a more attractive option to attackers than radio jamming is. By exploiting the semantics of the link-layer protocol (aka MAC protocol), an attacker can achieve better efficiency than blindly jamming the radio signals alone.

  8. Link-layer jamming attacks on S-MAC

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Law, Y.W.; Hartel, Pieter H.; den Hartog, Jeremy; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    We argue that among denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, link-layer jamming is a more attractive option to attackers than radio jamming is. By exploiting the semantics of the link-layer protocol (aka MAC protocol), an attacker can achieve better efficiency than blindly jamming the radio signals alone.

  9. Short-term hydro generation scheduling of Three Gorges–Gezhouba cascaded hydropower plants using hybrid MACS-ADE approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mo, Li; Lu, Peng; Wang, Chao; Zhou, Jianzhong

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • MACS and ADE algorithms are hybridized as MACS-ADE method for solving STHGS problem. • An adaptive mutation is integrated into the proposed algorithm to avoid premature convergence. • MACS and ADE are run in parallel in search of better solution. • Several effective heuristic strategies are designed for dealing with various constraints of STHGS problem. - Abstract: Short-term hydro generation scheduling (STHGS) aims at determining optimal hydro generation scheduling to obtain minimum water consumption for one day or week while meeting various system constraints. In this paper, the STHGS problem is decomposed into two sub-problems: (i) unit commitment (UC) sub-problem; (ii) economic load dispatch (ELD) sub-problem. Then, we present a hybrid algorithm based on multi ant colony system (MACS) and differential evolution (DE) for solving the STHGS problem. First, MACS is used for dealing with UC sub-problem. A set of cooperating ant colonies cooperate to choose the unit state over the scheduled time horizon. Then, the adaptive differential evolution (ADE) is used to solve ELD sub-problem. MACS and ADE are run in parallel with adjusting their solutions in search of a better solution. Meanwhile, local and global pheromone updating rules in MACS and adaptive dynamic parameter adjusting strategy in DE are applied for enhancing the search ability of MACS-ADE. Finally, the proposed method is implemented to solve STHGS problem of Three Gorges–Gezhouba cascaded hydropower plants to verify the feasibility and effectiveness. Compared with other established methods, the simulation results reveal that the proposed MACS-ADE approach has the best convergence property, computational efficiency with less water consumption

  10. Poincaré-MacMillan Equations of Motion for a Nonlinear Nonholonomic Dynamical System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amjad, Hussain; Syed Tauseef, Mohyud-Din; Ahmet, Yildirim

    2012-03-01

    MacMillan's equations are extended to Poincaré's formalism, and MacMillan's equations for nonlinear nonholonomic systems are obtained in terms of Poincaré parameters. The equivalence of the results obtained here with other forms of equations of motion is demonstrated. An illustrative example of the theory is provided as well.

  11. Integrated, Kerberized Login on MacOS X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hotz, Henry B.

    2006-01-01

    Context for this information. MacOS X login process and available hooks. Authorization Services configuration. Authorization Services plug-in s. Kerberos plug-in s. Other bugs and recommendations. Authorization Services Called by loginwindow, screen saver and fast user switching. It calls Directory Services, Login Hook, and Login Items (System Preferences).

  12. Conformational stability analyses of alpha subunit I domain of LFA-1 and Mac-1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debin Mao

    Full Text Available β₂ integrin of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1 or macrophage-1 antigen (Mac-1 binds to their common ligand of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1 and mediates leukocyte-endothelial cell (EC adhesions in inflammation cascade. Although the two integrins are known to have distinct functions, the corresponding micro-structural bases remain unclear. Here (steered-molecular dynamics simulations were employed to elucidate the conformational stability of α subunit I domains of LFA-1 and Mac-1 in different affinity states and relevant I domain-ICAM-1 interaction features. Compared with low affinity (LA Mac-1, the LA LFA-1 I domain was unstable in the presence or absence of ICAM-1 ligand, stemming from diverse orientations of its α₇-helix with different motifs of zipper-like hydrophobic junction between α₁- and α₇-helices. Meanwhile, spontaneous transition of LFA-1 I domain from LA state to intermediate affinity (IA state was first visualized. All the LA, IA, and high affinity (HA states of LFA-1 I domain and HA Mac-1 I domain were able to bind to ICAM-1 ligand effectively, while LA Mac-1 I domain was unfavorable for binding ligand presumably due to the specific orientation of S144 side-chain that capped the MIDAS ion. These results furthered our understanding in correlating the structural bases with their functions of LFA-1 and Mac-1 integrins from the viewpoint of I domain conformational stability and of the characteristics of I domain-ICAM-1 interactions.

  13. Safe interruption of maintenance therapy against previous infection with four common HIV-associated opportunistic pathogens during potent antiretroviral therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirk, Ole; Reiss, Peter; Uberti-Foppa, Caterina

    2002-01-01

    maintenance therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) end-organ disease, disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection, cerebral toxoplasmosis, and extrapulmonary cryptococcosis in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Seven European HIV cohorts. PATIENTS: 358...... identified: 162 for CMV disease, 103 for MAC infection, 75 for toxoplasmosis, and 39 for cryptococcosis. During 781 person-years of follow-up, five patients had relapse. Two relapses (one of CMV disease and one of MAC infection) were diagnosed after maintenance therapy was interrupted when the CD4 lymphocyte....... One relapse (toxoplasmosis) was diagnosed after maintenance therapy interruption at a CD4 lymphocyte count greater than 200 x 10(6) cells/L for 15 months. The overall incidences of recurrent CMV disease, MAC infection, toxoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis were 0.54 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 0.07 to 1...

  14. Assessment of esophageal dynamics by radionuclide scintigraphy a potential method for early diagnosis of aperistalsis in patients with Chagas disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marioni Filho, H.; Martins, L.R.F.; Thom, A.F.; Boainain, E.; Goias Univ., Goiania

    1984-01-01

    The esophageal transit time of a sup(99m) Tc labelled test drink (swallow to arrival at the cardia) - TTE - and the time elapsed from swallow to opening of the cardia - TDAC - were assessed by scintigraphy in 40 healthy volunteers (Group I) and in 106 patients with Chagas disease. Sequential images of tracer esophageal transit were obtained by scintigraphy chamber. A time/activity curve in the region of the cardia was obtained by a multichannel analyzer, from which the 2 parameters were calculated. The assessment of TTE and TDAC by scintigraphic technique is proposed as a screening test for early recognition of esophageal motor disorders as well as for follow-up studies after treatment. (M.A.C.) [pt

  15. Manual Ability Classification System (MACS: reliability between therapists and parents in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela B. R. Silva

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Manual Ability Classification System (MACS has been widely used to describe the manual ability of children with cerebral palsy (CP; however its reliability has not been verified in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To establish the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Portuguese-Brazil version of the MACS by comparing the classifications given by therapists and parents of children with CP. METHOD: Data were obtained from 90 children with CP between the ages of 4 and 18 years, who were treated at the neurology and rehabilitation clinics of a Brazilian hospital. Therapists (an occupational therapist and a student classified manual ability (MACS through direct observation and information provided by parents. Therapists and parents used the Portuguese-Brazil version of the MACS. Intra- and inter-rater reliability was obtained using unweighted Kappa coefficient (k and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC. The Chi-square test was used to identify the predominance of disagreements in the classification of parents and therapists. RESULTS: An almost perfect agreement resulted among therapists [K=0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.97; ICC=0.97 (95%CI 0.96-0.98], as well as with intra-rater (therapists, with Kappa ranging between 0.83 and 0.95 and ICC between 0.96 and 0.99 for the evaluator with more and less experience in rehabilitation, respectively. The agreement between therapists and parents was fair [K=0.36 (95% CI 0.22-0.50; ICC=0.79 (95% CI 0.70-0.86]. CONCLUSIONS: The Portuguese version of the MACS is a reliable instrument to be used jointly by parents and therapists.

  16. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome due to Mycobacterium avium complex successfully followed up using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection: A case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Namkoong, Ho; Fujiwara, Hiroshi; Ishii, Makoto; Yagi, Kazuma; Haraguchi, Mizuha; Matsusaka, Masako; Suzuki, Shoji; Asakura, Takanori; Asami, Takahiro; Saito, Fumitake; Fukunaga, Koichi; Tasaka, Sadatomo; Betsuyaku, Tomoko; Hasegawa, Naoki

    2015-01-01

    In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection is one of the most difficult types of IRIS to manage. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) has been suggested as a useful tool for evaluating the inflammatory status of HIV-infected patients. We present the first case of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)-associated IRIS (MAC-IRIS) that was successfully followed up using 18 F-FDG PET/CT. A 44-year-old homosexual Japanese man was referred to our hospital with fever and dyspnea. He was diagnosed with Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and found to be HIV positive. After the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), the patient’s mediastinal and bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy gradually enlarged, and bilateral infiltrates appeared in the upper lung fields. 18 F-FDG PET/CT was performed five months after the initiation of cART and showed intense accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) corresponding to the lesions of infiltration as well as the mediastinal and bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. A bronchial wash culture and pathology findings led to a diagnosis of MAC-IRIS. Anti-mycobacterial chemotherapy with rifampicin, ethambutol, clarithromycin, and levofloxacin was started. One year after the chemotherapy was initiated, there was a significant reduction in FDG uptake in the area of the lesions except in the mediastinal lymph node. This implied incomplete resolution of the MAC-IRIS-related inflammation. Anti-mycobacterial chemotherapy was continued because of the residual lesion. To date, the patient has not experienced a recurrence of MAC-IRIS, a period of nine months. We present a case of MAC-IRIS in an HIV-infected patient whose disease activity was successfully followed up using 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Our data suggest that 18 F-FDG PET/CT is useful for evaluating the disease activity of NTM-IRIS and

  17. National study of microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma (MAC) in Scotland: investigation of genetic aetiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, D; FitzPatrick, D; Hanson, I; Williamson, K; van Heyningen, V; Fleck, B; Jones, I; Chalmers, J; Campbell, H

    2002-01-01

    We report an epidemiological and genetic study attempting complete ascertainment of subjects with microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma (MAC) born in Scotland during a 16 year period beginning on 1 January 1981. A total of 198 cases were confirmed giving a minimum live birth prevalence of 19 per 100 000. One hundred and twenty-two MAC cases (61.6%) from 115 different families were clinically examined and detailed pregnancy, medical, and family histories obtained. A simple, rational, and apparently robust classification of the eye phenotype was developed based on the presence or absence of a defect in closure of the optic (choroidal) fissure. A total of 85/122 (69.7%) of cases had optic fissure closure defects (OFCD), 12/122 (9.8%) had non-OFCD, and 25/122 (20.5%) had defects that were unclassifiable owing to the severity of the corneal or anterior chamber abnormality. Segregation analysis assuming single and multiple incomplete ascertainment, respectively, returned a sib recurrence risk of 6% and 10% in the whole group and 8.1% and 13.3% in the OFCD subgroup. Significant recurrence risks were found in both unilateral and bilateral disease. In four families, one parent had an OFCD, two of which were new diagnoses in asymptomatic subjects. All recurrences in first degree relatives occurred in the OFCD group with a single first cousin recurrence seen in the non-OFCD group. A total of 84/122 of the MAC cases were screened for mutations in the coding regions of PAX6, CHX10, and SIX3. No pathogenic mutations were identified in the OFCD cases. A single PAX6 homeodomain missense mutation was identified in a subject with partial aniridia that had been initially misclassified as coloboma. PMID:11826019

  18. MAC Version 3.3, MBA Version 1.3 acceptance test summary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, V.K.

    1994-01-01

    The K Basins Materials Accounting (MAC) and Materials Balance (MBA) programs had the Paradox Code Cleanup ATP run to check out the systems. This report describes the results of the test and provides the signoff sheets associated with the testing. The Acceptance Test results indicate that the MAC and MBA systems are ready for operation using the cleaned up code. The final codes were removed to the production space on the customer server on April 15th

  19. Causation of Crohn’s Disease by Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Hermon-Taylor

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP is a member of the M avium complex (MAC. It differs genetically from other MAC in having 14 to 18 copies of IS900 and a single cassette of DNA involved in the biosynthesis of surface carbohydrate. Unlike other MAC, MAP is a specific cause of chronic inflammation of the intestine in many animal species, including primates. The disease ranges from pluribacillary to paucimicrobial, with chronic granulomatous inflammation like leprosy in humans. MAP infection can persist for years without causing clinical disease. The herd prevalence of MAP infection in Western Europe and North America is reported in the range 21% to 54%. These subclinically infected animals shed MAP in their milk and onto pastures. MAP is more robust than tuberculosis, and the risk that is conveyed to human populations in retail milk and in domestic water supplies is high. MAP is harboured in the ileocolonic mucosa of a proportion of normal people and can be detected in a high proportion of full thickness samples of inflamed Crohn’s disease gut by improved culture systems and IS900 polymerase chain reaction if the correct methods are used. MAP in Crohn’s disease is present in a protease-resistant nonbacillary form, can evade immune recognition and probably causes an immune dysregulation. As with other MAC, MAP is resistant to most standard antituberculous drugs. Treatment of Crohn’s disease with combinations of drugs more active against MAC such as rifabutin and clarithromycin can bring about a profound improvement and, in a few cases, apparent disease eradication. New drugs as well as effective MAP vaccines for animals and humans are needed. The problems caused by MAP constitute a public health issue of tragic proportions for which a range of remedial measures are urgently needed.

  20. 76 FR 71797 - Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Investments and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-18

    ... diligence procedures that are required for investments, but we do not intend to change the fundamental... Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Investments and Liquidity... Mortgage Corporation Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Investments and Liquidity Management AGENCY...

  1. Mini-mac - escala de ajustamento mental para o câncer: estrutura fatorial Mini-mac - the mental adjustment to cancer scale: factorial structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita de Cássia Gandini

    2008-03-01

    psicométrica del instrumento. Las diferencias entre las estructuras factoriales del instrumento original y de este estudio pueden ser atribuidas a las diferencias cultural y educacional entre las muestras.The factorial validation of the Mini MAC - The Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, that measures mental adjustment to cancer, is investigated. After semantic validation, the scale was applied to a sample of 283 patients, average age 54 years old, suffering from cancer of different types and in various stages of the disease, and attended to at a university hospital. The factorability of the sample was appropriate (The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin was 0.88; data were submitted to principal components analysis, oblique rotation, due to interdependence of factors. Seven factors attained eigenvalue greater than 1.0. Two factors showed good reliability ("Anxious Preoccupation" with Cronbach's Alpha = 0.87 and "Helpless/Hopeless" with Cronbach's Alpha = 0.74, with 13 items with loadings 0.40 or more, which explained 30% of total variance. Results suggested good psychometric quality. Difference between the factor structure of the original scale and that in current study explains the cultural and educational differences among samples.

  2. ASAP: A MAC Protocol for Dense and Time-Constrained RFID Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyounghwan Lee

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available We introduce a novel medium access control (MAC protocol for radio frequency identification (RFID systems which exploits the statistical information collected at the reader. The protocol, termed adaptive slotted ALOHA protocol (ASAP, is motivated by the need to significantly improve the total read time performance of the currently suggested MAC protocols for RFID systems. In order to accomplish this task, ASAP estimates the dynamic tag population and adapts the frame size in the subsequent round via a simple policy that maximizes an appropriately defined efficiency function. We demonstrate that ASAP provides significant improvement in total read time performance over the current RFID MAC protocols. We next extend the design to accomplish reliable performance of ASAP in realistic scenarios such as the existence of constraints on frame size, and mobile RFID systems where tags move at constant velocity in the reader's field. We also consider the case where tags may fail to respond because of a physical breakdown or a temporary malfunction, and show the robustness in those scenarios as well.

  3. Microfabricated inserts for magic angle coil spinning (MACS wireless NMR spectroscopy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlad Badilita

    Full Text Available This article describes the development and testing of the first automatically microfabricated probes to be used in conjunction with the magic angle coil spinning (MACS NMR technique. NMR spectroscopy is a versatile technique for a large range of applications, but its intrinsically low sensitivity poses significant difficulties in analyzing mass- and volume-limited samples. The combination of microfabrication technology and MACS addresses several well-known NMR issues in a concerted manner for the first time: (i reproducible wafer-scale fabrication of the first-in-kind on-chip LC microresonator for inductive coupling of the NMR signal and reliable exploitation of MACS capabilities; (ii improving the sensitivity and the spectral resolution by simultaneous spinning the detection microcoil together with the sample at the "magic angle" of 54.74° with respect to the direction of the magnetic field (magic angle spinning - MAS, accompanied by the wireless signal transmission between the microcoil and the primary circuit of the NMR spectrometer; (iii given the high spinning rates (tens of kHz involved in the MAS methodology, the microfabricated inserts exhibit a clear kinematic advantage over their previously demonstrated counterparts due to the inherent capability to produce small radius cylindrical geometries, thus tremendously reducing the mechanical stress and tearing forces on the sample. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the microfabrication technology, we have designed MACS probes for various Larmor frequencies (194, 500 and 700 MHz testing several samples such as water, Drosophila pupae, adamantane solid and LiCl at different magic angle spinning speeds.

  4. CoCoMac 2.0 and the future of tract-tracing databases

    OpenAIRE

    Rembrandt eBakker; Rembrandt eBakker; Rembrandt eBakker; Thomas eWachtler; Markus eDiesmann; Markus eDiesmann; Markus eDiesmann

    2012-01-01

    The CoCoMac database contains the results of published axonal tract-tracing studies in the macaque brain. The combined data are used to construct the macaque macro-connectome. We discuss the redevelopment of CoCoMac and compare it to six connectome-related projects: two resources that provide online access to raw tracing data in rodents, a connectome viewer for advanced 3d graphics, a partial but highly detailed rat connectome, a brain data management system that generates custom connectivity...

  5. MacCormack's technique-based pressure reconstruction approach for PIV data in compressible flows with shocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shun; Xu, Jinglei; Yu, Kaikai

    2017-06-01

    This paper proposes an improved approach for extraction of pressure fields from velocity data, such as obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV), especially for steady compressible flows with strong shocks. The principle of this approach is derived from Navier-Stokes equations, assuming adiabatic condition and neglecting viscosity of flow field boundaries measured by PIV. The computing method is based on MacCormack's technique in computational fluid dynamics. Thus, this approach is called the MacCormack method. Moreover, the MacCormack method is compared with several approaches proposed in previous literature, including the isentropic method, the spatial integration and the Poisson method. The effects of velocity error level and PIV spatial resolution on these approaches are also quantified by using artificial velocity data containing shock waves. The results demonstrate that the MacCormack method has higher reconstruction accuracy than other approaches, and its advantages become more remarkable with shock strengthening. Furthermore, the performance of the MacCormack method is also validated by using synthetic PIV images with an oblique shock wave, confirming the feasibility and advantage of this approach in real PIV experiments. This work is highly significant for the studies on aerospace engineering, especially the outer flow fields of supersonic aircraft and the internal flow fields of ramjets.

  6. Linezolid as treatment for pulmonary Mycobacterium avium disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deshpande, Devyani; Srivastava, Shashikant; Pasipanodya, Jotam G; Gumbo, Tawanda

    2017-09-01

    To identify the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters and exposures of linezolid in the treatment of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease. Human-derived monocytes infected with MAC were inoculated into hollow-fibre systems for dose-effect and dose-scheduling studies. We mimicked linezolid concentration-time profiles achieved in adult human lungs treated for 28 days. Sampling to confirm that the intended linezolid pharmacokinetics had been achieved, and for enumeration of MAC colony-forming units, was performed based on repetitive sampling from each system over the 28 days. We then performed 10 000 patient Monte Carlo simulations to identify doses associated with optimal effect in the clinic. Linezolid achieved a hitherto unprecedented feat of at least 1.0 log10 cfu/mL reduction. Efficacy was most closely linked to the AUC0-24/MIC ratio. The AUC0-24/MIC ratio associated with no change in bacterial burden or bacteriostasis was 7.82, while that associated with 1.0 log10 cfu/mL kill was 42.06. The clinical dose of 600 mg/day achieved or exceeded the bacteriostasis exposure in 98.73% of patients. The proportion of 10 000 patients treated with the standard 1200 mg/day who achieved the exposure for 1.0 log10 cfu/mL kill was 70.64%, but was 90% for 1800 mg/day. The proposed MIC breakpoint for linezolid is 16 mg/L, with which 49%-80% of clinical isolates would be considered resistant. Linezolid is associated with a bactericidal effect in pulmonary MAC that is greater than that seen with other recommended drugs. However, because of the MIC distribution, doses that would optimize the bactericidal effect would be associated with a high adverse event rate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Global Mobile Satellite Service Interference Analysis for the AeroMACS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jeffrey D.; Apaza, Rafael D.; Hall, Ward; Phillips, Brent

    2013-01-01

    The AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based on the IEEE 802.16-2009 mobile wireless standard, is envisioned as the wireless network which will cover all areas of airport surfaces for next generation air transportation. It is expected to be implemented in the 5091-5150 MHz frequency band which is also occupied by mobile satellite service uplinks. Thus the AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. Simulations using Visualyse software were performed utilizing a global database of 6207 airports. Variations in base station and subscriber antenna distribution and gain pattern were examined. Based on these simulations, recommendations for global airport base station and subscriber antenna power transmission limitations are provided.

  8. Nora Tully MacAlvay--Her Life in the Theatre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Dorothy

    1996-01-01

    Recounts the life and times of a pioneer children's theater playwright and fiction author, Nora Tully MacAlvay (1900-86). Points out that her interest in children's theater and children's literature was lifelong and intense. (PA)

  9. Learn Xcode Tools for Mac OS X and iPhone Development

    CERN Document Server

    Piper, I

    2010-01-01

    This book will give you a thorough grounding in the principal and supporting tools and technologies that make up the Xcode Developer Tools suite. Apple has provided a comprehensive collection of developer tools, and this is the first book to examine the complete Apple programming environment for both Mac OS X and iPhone. * Comprehensive coverage of all the Xcode developer tools * Additional coverage of useful third-party development tools* Not just a survey of features, but a serious examination of the complete development process for Mac OS X and iPhone applications What you'll learn* The boo

  10. The Big Mac Standard: A statistical Illustration

    OpenAIRE

    Yukinobu Kitamura; Hiroshi Fujiki

    2004-01-01

    We demonstrate a statistical procedure for selecting the most suitable empirical model to test an economic theory, using the example of the test for purchasing power parity based on the Big Mac Index. Our results show that supporting evidence for purchasing power parity, conditional on the Balassa-Samuelson effect, depends crucially on the selection of models, sample periods and economies used for estimations.

  11. An Enhanced Reservation-Based MAC Protocol for IEEE 802.15.4 Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afonso, José A.; Silva, Helder D.; Macedo, Pedro; Rocha, Luis A.

    2011-01-01

    The IEEE 802.15.4 Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol is an enabling standard for wireless sensor networks. In order to support applications requiring dedicated bandwidth or bounded delay, it provides a reservation-based scheme named Guaranteed Time Slot (GTS). However, the GTS scheme presents some drawbacks, such as inefficient bandwidth utilization and support to a maximum of only seven devices. This paper presents eLPRT (enhanced Low Power Real Time), a new reservation-based MAC protocol that introduces several performance enhancing features in comparison to the GTS scheme. This MAC protocol builds on top of LPRT (Low Power Real Time) and includes various mechanisms designed to increase data transmission reliability against channel errors, improve bandwidth utilization and increase the number of supported devices. A motion capture system based on inertial and magnetic sensors has been used to validate the protocol. The effectiveness of the performance enhancements introduced by each of the new features is demonstrated through the provision of both simulation and experimental results. PMID:22163826

  12. Renal disease in patients with celiac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boonpheng, Boonphiphop; Cheungpasitporn, Wisit; Wijarnpreecha, Karn

    2018-04-01

    Celiac disease, an inflammatory disease of small bowel caused by sensitivity to dietary gluten and related protein, affects approximately 0.5-1% of the population in the Western world. Extra-intestinal symptoms and associated diseases are increasingly recognized including diabetes mellitus type 1, thyroid disease, dermatitis herpetiformis and ataxia. There have also been a number of reports of various types of renal involvement in patients with celiac disease including diabetes nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome related to malabsorption, oxalate nephropathy, and associations of celiac disease with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. This review aims to present the current literature on possible pathologic mechanisms underlying renal disease in patients with celiac disease.

  13. Detection of Spoofed MAC Addresses in 802.11 Wireless Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Kai; Li, Jing; Sampalli, Srinivas

    Medium Access Control (MAC) address spoofing is considered as an important first step in a hacker's attempt to launch a variety of attacks on 802.11 wireless networks. Unfortunately, MAC address spoofing is hard to detect. Most current spoofing detection systems mainly use the sequence number (SN) tracking technique, which has drawbacks. Firstly, it may lead to an increase in the number of false positives. Secondly, such techniques cannot be used in systems with wireless cards that do not follow standard 802.11 sequence number patterns. Thirdly, attackers can forge sequence numbers, thereby causing the attacks to go undetected. We present a new architecture called WISE GUARD (Wireless Security Guard) for detection of MAC address spoofing on 802.11 wireless LANs. It integrates three detection techniques - SN tracking, Operating System (OS) fingerprinting & tracking and Received Signal Strength (RSS) fingerprinting & tracking. It also includes the fingerprinting of Access Point (AP) parameters as an extension to the OS fingerprinting for detection of AP address spoofing. We have implemented WISE GUARD on a test bed using off-the-shelf wireless devices and open source drivers. Experimental results show that the new design enhances the detection effectiveness and reduces the number of false positives in comparison with current approaches.

  14. Dermatological diseases in patients with chronic kidney disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon1, Amy L; Desai, Tejas

    2013-04-01

    There are a variety of dermatological diseases that are more commonly seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal transplants than the general population. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science has been searched. Some cutaneous diseases are clearly unique to this population. Of them, Lindsay's Nails, xerosis cutis, dryness of the skin, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and acquired perforating dermatosis have been described in chronic kidney disease patients. The most common malignancy found in all transplant recipients is non-melanoma skin cancer. It is important for patients and physicians to recognize the manifestations of skin disease in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease to mitigate the morbidity associated with these conditions.

  15. Energy Efficient MAC Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks with High-Dimensional Data Aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seokhoon Kim

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel and sustainable medium access control (MAC scheme for wireless sensor network (WSN systems that process high-dimensional aggregated data. Based on a preamble signal and buffer threshold analysis, it maximizes the energy efficiency of the wireless sensor devices which have limited energy resources. The proposed group management MAC (GM-MAC approach not only sets the buffer threshold value of a sensor device to be reciprocal to the preamble signal but also sets a transmittable group value to each sensor device by using the preamble signal of the sink node. The primary difference between the previous and the proposed approach is that existing state-of-the-art schemes use duty cycle and sleep mode to save energy consumption of individual sensor devices, whereas the proposed scheme employs the group management MAC scheme for sensor devices to maximize the overall energy efficiency of the whole WSN systems by minimizing the energy consumption of sensor devices located near the sink node. Performance evaluations show that the proposed scheme outperforms the previous schemes in terms of active time of sensor devices, transmission delay, control overhead, and energy consumption. Therefore, the proposed scheme is suitable for sensor devices in a variety of wireless sensor networking environments with high-dimensional data aggregate.

  16. Mechatronical Aided Concept (MAC) in Intelligent Transport Vehicles Design

    OpenAIRE

    Pavel Pavlasek

    2003-01-01

    This article deals with the principles of synergy effect of mechatronical aided concept (MAC) to the design of intelligent transport vehicles products applying CA technologies and virtual reality design methods. Also includes presentation of intelligent railway vehicle development.

  17. MAC mini acceptance test procedure, software Version 3.0

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, V.K.

    1994-01-01

    The K Basins Materials Accounting (MAC) programs had some major improvements made to it to organize the main-tables by Location, Canister, and Material. This ATP describes how the code was to be tested to verify its correctness

  18. Annie Marion MacLean: “the mother of contemporary etnography” and pioneer in sociology distance learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia García Dauder

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available The article introduces Anne Marion MacLean into the United States' scientific sociology at its very origins (1892, when the Department of Sociology of the Chicago University was created. It also puts MacLean in a network called "Women's School of Chicago", and the forgotten contributions of these social sciences' pioneers, submitted to the American Journal of Sociology, are analyzed. Two MacLean's key contributions are highlighted: the correspondence courses in teaching sociology and her research by means of participant observation in workplaces focusing on women's work.

  19. 78 FR 5320 - Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Capital Planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-25

    ... the business planning period a required discussion of how factors might impact Farmer Mac's current... discussion of any expected changes to Farmer Mac's business plan that are likely to have a material impact on... conditions that cause increases in delinquency rates caused by any variety of factors (e.g., widespread...

  20. Mechatronical Aided Concept (MAC in Intelligent Transport Vehicles Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Pavlasek

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available This article deals with the principles of synergy effect of mechatronical aided concept (MAC to the design of intelligent transport vehicles products applying CA technologies and virtual reality design methods. Also includes presentation of intelligent railway vehicle development.

  1. Make your own video with QuickTime on the Mac

    CERN Document Server

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    A step-by-step video tutorial on how to do a screen recording using QuickTime player on a Mac. QuickTime is a multimedia framework, which is natively installed on most Mac computers. This tutorial explains how to do a screen recording using Quicktime and how to export the video. A pdf document on the subject is available as material from the indico event page. Tell us what you think via e-learning.support at cern.ch More tutorials in the e-learning collection of the CERN Document Server (CDS) http://cds.cern.ch/collection/E-learning%20modules?ln=en All info about the CERN rapid e-learning project is linked from http://twiki.cern.ch/ELearning  

  2. The MacGyver effect: alive and well in health services research?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moriarty Helen J

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In a manner similar to the television action hero MacGyver, health services researchers need to respond to the pressure of unpredictable demands and constrained time frames. The results are often both innovative and functional, with the creation of outputs that could not have been anticipated in the initial planning and design of the research. Discussion In the conduct of health services research many challenges to robust research processes are generated as a result of the interface between academic research, health policy and implementation agendas. Within a complex and rapidly evolving environment the task of the health services researcher is, therefore, to juggle sometimes contradictory pressures to produce valid results. Summary This paper identifies the MacGyver-type dilemmas which arise in health services research, wherein innovation may be called for, to maintain the intended scientific method and rigour. These 'MacGyver drivers' are framed as opposing issues from the perspective of both academic and public policy communities. The ideas expressed in this paper are illustrated by four examples from research projects positioned at the interface between public policy strategy and academia.

  3. La République de Macédoine dans la presse française

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toni Glamcevski

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Les médias français s'intéressent à la République de Macédoine quand la Grèce refuse de la reconnaître, mais souvent adoptent des positions progrecques.Malgré son nom illustre, la Macédoine est un pays très mal connu en France. Jusqu’en 1991, très peu de gens connaissaient l’existence de la République de Macédoine. Les médias français commencent à s’intéresser au pays lors du blocus de sa reconnaissance par la Grèce (1991. De nombreux articles, commentaires, interviews tentent alors d’éclaircir la situation du pays, mais il y a eu très peu d’interventions de la part des intellectuels et « experts ». Cette communication montre les grandes lignes des articles parus en France dans la période entre 1991 et 2009. Mais la presse française, en assimilant le peuple macédonien au terme « Slaves », voulait sans doute pendant le conflit du Kosovo et le conflit de 2001, éclaircir la situation, mais l’utilisation de ce terme est aussi comprise comme une tentative de négation de l’existence du peuple macédonien. Le nom de la République de Macédoine bloque le pays dans son passé, c'est aux Macédoniens de définir leur identité, pas à leurs voisins ni aux membres de l'UE.In spite of its famous name, Macedonia is not well-known in France. Till 1991, very few persons even knew the existence of a Republic of Macedonia. The French Medias began to get interested in it with the Greek blocus of Macedonia. A lot of papers, comments, interviews tried then to explain the main lines of the country's situation but with a very light participation of experts or intellectuals. One can find in this paper the main lines of the French press on Macedonia from spring 1999 to September 2001. The French papers, as a whole, assimilating the “Macedonian” people to “Slaves”, perhaps to make a clear difference when explaining the situation during the Kossovo crisis or later, during the crisis inside Macedonia, contributed

  4. Using The Economist’s Big Mac Index for Instruction

    OpenAIRE

    Stegelin, Forrest E.

    2012-01-01

    The Economist first launched the concept of the Big Mac Index in 1986 as a guide to whether currencies were at their correct exchange rate; it is not intended to be a precise predictor of currency movements around the globe, but simply a way to make exchange-rate theory and discussions a bit more digestible. First used as a humorous illustration, the term “burgernomics†was coined and the Big Mac index became an annual occurrence. It is based upon one of the oldest concepts in internationa...

  5. Dynamic Channel Slot Allocation Scheme and Performance Analysis of Cyclic Quorum Multichannel MAC Protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Hu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In high diversity node situation, multichannel MAC protocol can improve the frequency efficiency, owing to fewer collisions compared with single-channel MAC protocol. And the performance of cyclic quorum-based multichannel (CQM MAC protocol is outstanding. Based on cyclic quorum system and channel slot allocation, it can avoid the bottleneck that others suffered from and can be easily realized with only one transceiver. To obtain the accurate performance of CQM MAC protocol, a Markov chain model, which combines the channel-hopping strategy of CQM protocol and IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF, is proposed. The results of numerical analysis show that the optimal performance of CQM protocol can be obtained in saturation bound situation. And then we obtain the saturation bound of CQM system by bird swarm algorithm. In addition, to improve the performance of CQM protocol in unsaturation situation, a dynamic channel slot allocation of CQM (DCQM protocol is proposed, based on wavelet neural network. Finally, the performance of CQM protocol and DCQM protocol is simulated by Qualnet platform. And the simulation results show that the analytic and simulation results match very well; the DCQM performs better in unsaturation situation.

  6. God, Sport Philosophy, Kinesiology: A MacIntyrean Examination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twietmeyer, Gregg

    2015-01-01

    Sport philosophy is in crisis. This subdiscipline of kinesiology garners little to no respect and few tenure track lines in kinesiology departments. Why is this the case? Why isn't philosophy held in greater esteem? Is it possible that philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre's (2009) diagnosis found in "God, Philosophy, Universities" could…

  7. Mario Sironi nas chamadas Coleções Matarazzo do MAC USP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Ronqui

    Full Text Available O acervo de arte moderna italiana do MAC-USP pode ser considerado a maior coleção desse gênero fora da Itália e vem sendo objeto de estudo nos últimos anos. Das 71 obras italianas, seis são de autoria de Mario Sironi. Este artigo propõe uma apresentação do percurso do artista, com breve análise de sua evolução pictórica, a partir dos estudos já existentes, a fim de situar as obras sironianas do acervo do MAC no contexto de sua produção.

  8. Guideline compliance in chronic heart failure patients with multiple comorbid diseases: evaluation of an individualised multidisciplinary model of care.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tam H Ho

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of individualised, reconciled evidence-based recommendations (IRERs and multidisciplinary care in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF on clinical guideline compliance for CHF and common comorbid conditions. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective hospital clinical audit conducted between 1st July 2006 and February 2011. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 255 patients with a diagnosis of CHF who attended the Multidisciplinary Ambulatory Consulting Services (MACS clinics, at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Compliance with Australian clinical guideline recommendations for CHF, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus and ischaemic heart disease. RESULTS: Study participants had a median of eight medical conditions (IQR 6-10 and were on an average of 10 (±4 unique medications. Compliance with clinical guideline recommendations for pharmacological therapy for CHF, comorbid atrial fibrillation, diabetes or ischaemic heart disease was high, ranging from 86% for lipid lowering therapy to 98% anti-platelet agents. For all conditions, compliance with lifestyle recommendations was lower than pharmacological therapy, ranging from no podiatry reviews for CHF patients with comorbid diabetes to 75% for heart failure education. Concordance with many guideline recommendations was significantly associated if the patient had IRERs determined, a greater number of recommendations, more clinic visits or if patients participated in a heart failure program. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high number of comorbid conditions and resulting complexity of the management, high compliance to clinical guideline recommendations was associated with IRER determination in older patients with CHF. Importantly these recommendations need to be communicated to the patient's general practitioner, regularly monitored and adjusted at clinic visits.

  9. Heroic Measures for an American Hero: Attempting to Save the Life of General Douglas MacArthur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Theodore N

    2017-12-01

    General Douglas MacArthur was a towering public figure on an international stage for the first half of the 20th century. He was healthy throughout his life but developed a series of medical problems when he entered his 80s. This article reviews the General's medical care during two separate life-threatening medical crises that required surgical intervention. The first episode occurred in 1960 when MacArthur presented with renal failure due to an obstructed prostate. Four years later after his 84th birthday, MacArthur developed bile duct obstruction from common duct stones. He underwent an uncomplicated cholecystectomy and common duct exploration but developed variceal bleeding requiring an emergent splenorenal shunt. His terminal event was precipitated by strangulated bowel in long-ignored very large inguinal hernias. MacArthur died, despite state-of-the-art surgical intervention, due to renal failure and hepatic coma.

  10. Are Rural Costs of Living Lower? Evidence from a Big Mac Index Approach

    OpenAIRE

    Scott Loveridge; Dusan Paredes

    2015-01-01

    Rural leaders can point to low housing costs as a reason that their area should be competitive for business attraction. To what extent do rural housing costs offset transportation and other locational disadvantages in costs structures? The US lacks information to systematically answer the question. We adapt a strategy employed by The Economist in exploring purchasing power parity: the Big Mac Index. We gather information on Big Mac prices with a random sample of restaurants across the contigu...

  11. Evaluation of the MacDonald scabbler for highway use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1975-01-01

    The MacDonald Scabbler is a small, hand held machine suitable for use in cleaning and roughening concrete surfaces, It weighs 308 pounds (140 kg), has 11 cutting heads, and, as a power source, requires a compressor capable of delivering 365 cubic foo...

  12. MAC mini acceptance test procedures, software Version 3.3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, V.K.

    1994-01-01

    The K Basins Materials Accounting (MAC) programs had some improvements made to it to to change slightly the access authorized users had to the modification of critical data. This ATP describes how the code was to be tested to verify its correctness

  13. Soluble CD40 ligand stimulates CD40-dependent activation of the β2 integrin Mac-1 and protein kinase C zeda (PKCζ in neutrophils: implications for neutrophil-platelet interactions and neutrophil oxidative burst.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong Jin

    Full Text Available Recent work has revealed an essential involvement of soluble CD40L (sCD40L in inflammation and vascular disease. Activated platelets are the major source of sCD40L, which has been implicated in platelet and leukocyte activation, although its exact functional impact on leukocyte-platelet interactions and the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. We aimed to determine the impact and the mechanisms of sCD40L on neutrophils. We studied neutrophil interactions with activated, surface-adherent platelets as a model for leukocyte recruitment to the sites of injury. Our data show that CD40L contributes to neutrophil firm adhesion to and transmigration across activated surface-adherent platelets, possibly through two potential mechanisms. One involves the direct interaction of ligand-receptor (CD40L-CD40, i.e., platelet surface CD40L interaction with neutrophil CD40; another involves an indirect mechanism, i.e. soluble CD40L stimulates activation of the leukocyte-specific β2 integrin Mac-1 in neutrophils and thereby further promotes neutrophil adhesion and migration. Activation of the integrin Mac-1 is known to be critical for mediating neutrophil adhesion and migration. sCD40L activated Mac-1 in neutrophils and enhanced neutrophil-platelet interactions in wild-type neutrophils, but failed to elicit such responses in CD40-deficient neutrophils. Furthermore, our data show that the protein kinase C zeta (PKCζ is critically required for sCD40L-induced Mac-1 activation and neutrophil adhesive function. sCD40L strongly stimulated the focal clustering of Mac-1 (CD11b and the colocalization of Mac-1 with PKCζ in wild-type neutrophils, but had minimal effect in CD40-deficient neutrophils. Blocking PKCζ completely inhibited sCD40L-induced neutrophil firm adhesion. Moreover, sCD40L strongly stimulates neutrophil oxidative burst via CD40-dependent activation of PI3K/NF-KB, but independent of Mac-1 and PKCζ. These findings may contribute to a better

  14. disease patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Setareh Mamishi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD is an inherited disorder of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH oxidase complex. This disorder results in recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. Aspergillus species are the most common fungal infections in these patients. Case Report: Herein, we present a case of fungal infection in a girl with CGD. We confirmed aspergillosis through the positive microscopic and macroscopic examinations, as well as radiology results. Invasive aspergillosis in this patient with pneumonia, lung abscess, and osteomyelitis of the ribs was not initially treated with amphotericin B (Am B and recombinant interferon-gamma. Conclusion: Among infectious diseases, fungal infections, in particular aspergillosis, remain a serious problem in CGD patients. Considering poor clinical response and deficient immune system, rapid diagnosis of fungal infection and optimizing the treatment of these patients are recommended.

  15. A network architecture for precision formation flying using the IEEE 802.11 MAC Protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clare, Loren P.; Gao, Jay L.; Jennings, Esther H.; Okino, Clayton

    2005-01-01

    Precision Formation Flying missions involve the tracking and maintenance of spacecraft in a desired geometric formation. The strong coupling of spacecraft in formation flying control requires inter-spacecraft communication to exchange information. In this paper, we present a network architecture that supports PFF control, from the initial random deployment phase to the final formation. We show that a suitable MAC layer for the application protocol is IEEE's 802.11 MAC protocol. IEEE 802.11 MAC has two modes of operations: DCF and PCF. We show that DCF is suitable for the initial deployment phase while switching to PCF when the spacecraft are in formation improves jitter and throughput. We also consider the effect of routing on protocol performance and suggest when it is profitable to turn off route discovery to achieve better network performance.

  16. TMAC: Timestamp-Ordered MAC Protocol for Wireless Mesh Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Nawab, Faisal

    2011-05-01

    Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have emerged to meet a need for a self-organized and self-configured multi-hop wireless network infrastructure. Low cost infrastructure and ease of deployment have made WMNs an attractive technology for last mile access. However, 802.11 based WMNs are subject to serious fairness issues. With backlogged TCP traffic, nodes which are two or more hops away from the gateway are subject to starvation, while the one-hop away node saturates the channel with its own local traffic. We study the interactions of TCP and IEEE 802.11 MAC in WMNs to aid us in understanding and overcoming the unfairness problem. We propose a Markov chain to capture the behavior of TCP sessions, particularly the impact on network throughput performance due to the effect of queue utilization and packet relaying. A closed form solution is derived to numerically derive the throughput. Based on the developed model, we propose a distributed MAC protocol called Timestamp-ordered MAC (TMAC), aiming to alleviate the unfairness problem in WMNs via a manipulative per-node scheduling mechanism which takes advantage of the age of each packet as a priority metric. Simulation is conducted to validate our model and to illustrate the fairness characteristics of TMAC. Our results show that TMAC achieves excellent resource allocation fairness while maintaining above 90% of maximum link capacity in parking lot and large grid topologies. Our work illuminates the factors affecting TCP fairness in WMNs. Our theoretical and empirical findings can be used in future research to develop more fairness-aware protocols for WMNs.

  17. The Big Mac Index: A Shortcut To Inflation And Exchange Rate Dynamics? Price Tracking And Predictive Properties

    OpenAIRE

    Luis San Vicente Portes; Vidya Atal

    2014-01-01

    The Economist magazine has been publishing the Big Mac Index using it as a rule of thumb to determine the over- or under-valuation of international currencies based on the theory of Purchasing Power Parity since 1986. According to the theory, using the Big Mac as a tradable single-good basket, the Dollar-value of the hamburger should be equalized around the world due to arbitrage. The popularity and following of the Big Mac Index led the authors to the following two questions: 1) How effectiv...

  18. La question macédonienne pendant la guerre civile grecque

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Alexopoulos

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Le traitement de la question macédonienne durant la guerre civile grecque interroge la mémoire du conflit entre oubli, déni et instrumentalisation politique. Le Parti communiste grec essaya de concilier la politique nationale avec la géopolitique internationale, en tenant compte des revendications macédoniennes et de la stratégie de Tito. L’engagement des Macédoniens slavophones de Grèce à la résistance communiste et à la guerre civile exprima une lutte identitaire et sociale. La propagande gouvernementale transforma la question macédonienne en « preuve suprême » d’une   trahison nationale » des communistes devant « le danger slave » et occulta le collaborationnisme dont les milices nationalistes se rendirent coupables. Malgré la démocratisation du pays et le travail de l’historiographie contemporaine, le traitement actuel de la question dans les discours politiques et journalistiques montre la vivacité du nationalisme d’antan au sein de la société civile.Treating the Macedonian question during Greek civil war means dealing with the memory of the conflict, somewhere between oblivion, denial and political instrumentation. The Greek Communist Party tried to reconcile national politics with international geopolitics in its consideration of the Macedonian demands and Tito’s strategy. On the other hand the engagement of slavophone Macedonians of Greece, in the communist resistance and the civil war, expressed a social struggle and an identity conflict. The governmental propaganda transformed the Macedonian question into the “ultimate proof” of the communists committing “national treason” with regard to the “Slavic danger” and did its best to hide the collaborationism, of which, the nationalist militia was guilty of. Despite the return of Democracy in the country, the way the question is actually being treated in politics and by the media is revelatory of the nationalism reigning in the past and still

  19. Nutritional status predicts outcome in patients hospitalised with exacerbation of COPD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathew Jayant

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Nutritional status affects outcome in acute illnesses. Weight loss is associated with poor lung functions and outcome in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD. There is not much data on the effects of nutritional status on hospital outcome in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. This study was conducted to address this issue. Twenty five patients with COPD admitted with acute exacerbation in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Southern India were studied. Lung functions were as-sessed by spirometry. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric mea-sures {body mass index (BMI, mid-arm circumference (MAC, triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF and fat free mass (FFM}. Resting energy expenditure (REE was measured using indirect calorimetry. Hospital outcome was determined by mortal-ity, number of days to improve subjectively and number of days to discharge. Patients with a lower BMI, MAC and TSF took a longer time to recover. REE was found to be lower in patients with weight loss unlike the Western patients. On multivariate analysis, only a lower BMI was associated with a longer time to re-covery. Thus, nutritional status is an important predictor of hospital outcome in patients with COPD.

  20. Web Development with the Mac

    CERN Document Server

    Vegh, Aaron

    2010-01-01

    Learn Web development the Apple way and build a business. With a focus on both coding and creative development, this in-depth guide thoroughly covers what you need to know to build winning websites for clients — from what it takes to bring a business online to how to make your site interactive to how to run a freelance web business. In between, you'll master the technical tools of the trade — such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby on Rails — and learn how to create beautiful interfaces using Photoshop . This book covers everything a fledgling web developer working on a Mac needs to launc

  1. Teach yourself visually Mac Mini

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2012-01-01

    The perfect how-to guide for visual learners Apple?s Mac Mini packs a powerful punch is in a small package, including both HDMI and Thunderbolt ports plus the acclaimed OS X. But if you want to get the very most from all this power and versatility, be sure to get this practical visual guide. With full-color, step-by-step instructions as well as screenshots and illustrations on every page, it clearly shows you how to accomplish tasks rather than burying you in pages of text. Discover helpful visuals and how-tos on the OS, hardware specs, Launchpad, the App Store, multimedia capabilities (such

  2. Multiple lupus-associated ITGAM variants alter Mac-1 functions on neutrophils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yebin; Wu, Jianming; Kucik, Dennis F; White, Nathan B; Redden, David T; Szalai, Alexander J; Bullard, Daniel C; Edberg, Jeffrey C

    2013-11-01

    Multiple studies have demonstrated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ITGAM locus (including the nonsynonymous SNPs rs1143679, rs1143678, and rs1143683) are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). ITGAM encodes the protein CD11b, a subunit of the β2 integrin Mac-1. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ITGAM genetic variation on the biologic functions of neutrophil Mac-1. Neutrophils from ITGAM-genotyped and -sequenced healthy donors were isolated for functional studies. The phagocytic capacity of neutrophil ITGAM variants was probed with complement-coated erythrocytes, serum-treated zymosan, heat-treated zymosan, and IgG-coated erythrocytes. The adhesion capacity of ITGAM variants, in adhering to either purified intercellular adhesion molecule 1 or tumor necrosis factor α-stimulated endothelial cells, was assessed in a flow chamber. Expression levels of total CD11b and activation of CD11b were assessed by flow cytometry. Mac-1-mediated neutrophil phagocytosis, determined in cultures with 2 different complement-coated particles, was significantly reduced in individuals with nonsynonymous variant alleles of ITGAM. This reduction in phagocytosis was related to variation at either rs1143679 (in the β-propeller region) or rs1143678/rs1143683 (highly linked SNPs in the cytoplasmic/calf-1 regions). Phagocytosis mediated by Fcγ receptors was also significantly reduced in donors with variant ITGAM alleles. Similarly, firm adhesion of neutrophils was significantly reduced in individuals with variant ITGAM alleles. These functional alterations were not attributable to differences in total receptor expression or activation. The nonsynonymous ITGAM variants rs1143679 and rs1143678/rs113683 contribute to altered Mac-1 function on neutrophils. These results underscore the need to consider multiple nonsynonymous SNPs when assessing the functional consequences of ITGAM variation on immune cell processes and the risk of SLE

  3. Application of the MacCormack scheme to overland flow routing for high-spatial resolution distributed hydrological model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ling; Nan, Zhuotong; Liang, Xu; Xu, Yi; Hernández, Felipe; Li, Lianxia

    2018-03-01

    Although process-based distributed hydrological models (PDHMs) are evolving rapidly over the last few decades, their extensive applications are still challenged by the computational expenses. This study attempted, for the first time, to apply the numerically efficient MacCormack algorithm to overland flow routing in a representative high-spatial resolution PDHM, i.e., the distributed hydrology-soil-vegetation model (DHSVM), in order to improve its computational efficiency. The analytical verification indicates that both the semi and full versions of the MacCormack schemes exhibit robust numerical stability and are more computationally efficient than the conventional explicit linear scheme. The full-version outperforms the semi-version in terms of simulation accuracy when a same time step is adopted. The semi-MacCormack scheme was implemented into DHSVM (version 3.1.2) to solve the kinematic wave equations for overland flow routing. The performance and practicality of the enhanced DHSVM-MacCormack model was assessed by performing two groups of modeling experiments in the Mercer Creek watershed, a small urban catchment near Bellevue, Washington. The experiments show that DHSVM-MacCormack can considerably improve the computational efficiency without compromising the simulation accuracy of the original DHSVM model. More specifically, with the same computational environment and model settings, the computational time required by DHSVM-MacCormack can be reduced to several dozen minutes for a simulation period of three months (in contrast with one day and a half by the original DHSVM model) without noticeable sacrifice of the accuracy. The MacCormack scheme proves to be applicable to overland flow routing in DHSVM, which implies that it can be coupled into other PHDMs for watershed routing to either significantly improve their computational efficiency or to make the kinematic wave routing for high resolution modeling computational feasible.

  4. PaleoMac: A Macintosh™ application for treating paleomagnetic data and making plate reconstructions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cogné, J. P.

    2003-01-01

    This brief note provides an overview of a new Macintosh™ application, PaleoMac, (MacOS 8.0 or later, 15Mb RAM required) which permits rapid processing of paleomagnetic data, from the demagnetization data acquired in the laboratory, to the treatment of paleomagnetic poles, plate reconstructions, finite rotation computations on a sphere, and characterization of relative plate motions. Capabilities of PaleoMac include (1) high interactivity between the user and data displayed on screen which provides a fast and easy way to handle, add and remove data or contours, perform computations on subsets of points, change projections, sizes, etc.; (2) performance of all standard principal component analysis and statistical processing on a sphere [, 1953] etc.); (3) output of high quality plots, compatible with graphic programs such as Adobe Illustrator, and output of numerical results as ASCII files. Beyond its usefulness in treating paleomagnetic data, its ability to handle plate motion computations should be of large interest to the Earth science community.

  5. Increasing the permeability of Escherichia coli using MAC13243

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muheim, Claudio; Götzke, Hansjörg; Eriksson, Anna U.

    2017-01-01

    molecules that make the outer membrane of Escherichia coli more permeable. We identified MAC13243, an inhibitor of the periplasmic chaperone LolA that traffics lipoproteins from the inner to the outer membrane. We observed that cells were (1) more permeable to the fluorescent probe 1-N...

  6. Competition at the Wireless Sensor Network MAC Layer: Low Power Probing interfering with X-MAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zacharias, Sven; Newe, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) combine sensors with computer networks and enable very dense, in-situ and live measurements of data over a large area. Since this emerging technology has the potential to be embedded almost everywhere for numberless applications, interference between different networks can become a serious issue. For most WSNs, it is assumed today that the network medium access is non-competitive. On the basis of X-MAC interfered by Low Power Probing, this paper shows the danger and the effects of different sensor networks communicating on a single wireless channel of the 2.4 GHz band, which is used by the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

  7. Competition at the Wireless Sensor Network MAC Layer: Low Power Probing interfering with X-MAC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zacharias, Sven; Newe, Thomas, E-mail: Sven.Zacharias@ul.ie [University of Limerick (Ireland)

    2011-08-17

    Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) combine sensors with computer networks and enable very dense, in-situ and live measurements of data over a large area. Since this emerging technology has the potential to be embedded almost everywhere for numberless applications, interference between different networks can become a serious issue. For most WSNs, it is assumed today that the network medium access is non-competitive. On the basis of X-MAC interfered by Low Power Probing, this paper shows the danger and the effects of different sensor networks communicating on a single wireless channel of the 2.4 GHz band, which is used by the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

  8. Competition at the Wireless Sensor Network MAC Layer: Low Power Probing interfering with X-MAC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zacharias, Sven; Newe, Thomas

    2011-08-01

    Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) combine sensors with computer networks and enable very dense, in-situ and live measurements of data over a large area. Since this emerging technology has the potential to be embedded almost everywhere for numberless applications, interference between different networks can become a serious issue. For most WSNs, it is assumed today that the network medium access is non-competitive. On the basis of X-MAC interfered by Low Power Probing, this paper shows the danger and the effects of different sensor networks communicating on a single wireless channel of the 2.4 GHz band, which is used by the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

  9. C-MAC videolaryngoscope versus Macintosh laryngoscope for tracheal intubation: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoshijima, Hiroshi; Mihara, Takahiro; Maruyama, Koichi; Denawa, Yohei; Mizuta, Kentaro; Shiga, Toshiya; Nagasaka, Hiroshi

    2018-06-09

    The C-MAC laryngoscope (C-MAC) is a videolaryngoscope that uses a modified Macintosh blade. Although several anecdotal reports exist, it remains unclear whether the C-MAC is superior to the Macintosh laryngoscope for tracheal intubation in the adult population. Systematic review, meta-analysis. Operating room, intensive care unit. For inclusion in our analysis, studies had to be prospective randomised trials which compared the C-MAC with the Macintosh laryngoscope for tracheal intubation in the adult population. Data on success rates, intubation time, glottic visualisation and incidence of external laryngeal manipulations (ELM) during tracheal intubation were extracted from the identified studies. In subgroup analysis, we separated those parameters to assess the influence of the airway condition (normal or difficult) and laryngoscopists (novice or experienced). We conducted a trial sequential analysis (TSA). Sixteen articles with 18 trials met the inclusion criteria. The C-MAC provided better glottic visualisation compared to the Macintosh (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14). TSA corrected the CI to 1.01-1.19; thus, total sample size reached the required information size (RIS). Success rates and intubation time did not differ significantly between the laryngoscopes. TSA showed that total sample size reached the RIS for success rates. The TSA Z curve surpassed the futility boundary. The C-MAC required less ELM compared to the Macintosh (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96). TSA corrected the CI to 0.67-1.03; 52.3% of the RIS was achieved. In difficult airways, the C-MAC showed superior success rates, glottic visualisation, and less ELM compared to the Macintosh. Among experienced laryngoscopists, the C-MAC offered better glottic visualisation with less ELM than the Macintosh. The C-MAC provided better glottic visualisation and less ELM (GRADE: Very Low or Moderate), with improved success rates, glottic visualisation, and less ELM in difficult airways. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier

  10. Is Kyoto Fatally Flawed? An Analysis with MacGEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eyckmans, J.; Van Regemorter, D.; Van Steenberghe, V.

    2002-06-01

    In this paper we present some numerical simulations with the MacGEM model to evaluate the consequences of the recent Marrakesh agreements and the defection of the USA for the Kyoto Protocol. MacGEM is a global marginal abatement cost model for carbon emissions from fossil fuel use based on the GEM-E3-World general equilibrium. Nonparticipation of the USA causes the equilibrium carbon price in Annex B countries to fall by approximately 50% since an important share of permit demand falls out. Carbon sinks enhancement activities enable Parties to fulfil their reduction commitment at lower compliance costs and cause the equilibrium permit price to decrease by 40%. Finally, it is shown that the former Soviet Union and central European countries have substantial monopoly power in the Kyoto carbon permit market. We conclude that the recent accords have eroded completely the Kyoto Protocol's emission targets but that they have the merit to have saved the international climate change negotiation framework

  11. Afrontamiento del cáncer: adaptación al español y validación del Mini-MAC en población colombiana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Pablo Román Calderón

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Mini-MAC in a Colombian cancer sample. Methods: one hundred and twenty-six cancer patients completed the adapted Mini-MAC, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS and the Detection of Emotional Distress Scale (DED. Descriptive, correlational and internal consistency statistics were obtained. An Principal Component Analysis (PCA and a Path Analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM were performed. Results: A 4-factor solution was derived: Helplessness/Hopelessness (HH, Anxious Preoccupation (AP, Cognitive Avoidance (CA and Fighting Spirit (FS. PCA values indicated a factor solution explaining 58.9% of the variance. Significant correlations were found between HH and AP, and HH and FS. CA significantly correlated with AP and FS. Significant correlations between Mini-MAC, HADS and DED were found. Cronbach´s Alpha was superior to .6 in all cases. SEM analysis indicated that HH and AP have a positive effect on anxiety and a negative one on the emotional state, explaining 49% of the variance. CA had a negative effect on the emotional state. Altogether, HH, AP y CA explained 39% of the variance on emotional state. Conclusion: The Colombian version of the Mini-MAC is valid and reliable. It constitutes an adequate tool for assessment of coping in cancer.

  12. Comparison of the force applied on oral structures during intubation attempts by novice physicians between the Macintosh direct laryngoscope, Airway Scope and C-MAC PM: a high-fidelity simulator-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakanishi, Taizo; Shiga, Takashi; Homma, Yosuke; Koyama, Yasuaki; Goto, Tadahiro

    2016-05-23

    We examined whether the use of Airway Scope (AWS) and C-MAC PM (C-MAC) decreased the force applied on oral structures during intubation attempts as compared with the force applied with the use of Macintosh direct laryngoscope (DL). Prospective cross-over study. A total of 35 novice physicians participated. We used 6 simulation scenarios based on the difficulty of intubation and intubation devices. Our primary outcome measures were the maximum force applied on the maxillary incisors and tongue during intubation attempts, measured by a high-fidelity simulator. The maximum force applied on maxillary incisors was higher with the use of the C-MAC than with the DL and AWS in the normal airway scenario (DL, 26 Newton (N); AWS, 18 N; C-MAC, 52 N; p<0.01) and the difficult airway scenario (DL, 42 N; AWS, 24 N; C-MAC, 68 N; p<0.01). In contrast, the maximum force applied on the tongue was higher with the use of the DL than with the AWS and C-MAC in both airway scenarios (DL, 16 N; AWS, 1 N; C-MAC, 7 N; p<0.01 in the normal airway scenario; DL, 12 N; AWS, 4 N; C-MAC, 7 N; p<0.01 in the difficult airway scenario). The use of C-MAC, compared with the DL and AWS, was associated with the higher maximum force applied on maxillary incisors during intubation attempts. In contrast, the use of video laryngoscopes was associated with the lower force applied on the tongue in both airway scenarios, compared with the DL. Our study was a simulation-based study, and further research on living patients would be warranted. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  13. Deformation, Failure, and Fatigue Life of SiC/Ti-15-3 Laminates Accurately Predicted by MAC/GMC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

    2002-01-01

    NASA Glenn Research Center's Micromechanics Analysis Code with Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC) (ref.1) has been extended to enable fully coupled macro-micro deformation, failure, and fatigue life predictions for advanced metal matrix, ceramic matrix, and polymer matrix composites. Because of the multiaxial nature of the code's underlying micromechanics model, GMC--which allows the incorporation of complex local inelastic constitutive models--MAC/GMC finds its most important application in metal matrix composites, like the SiC/Ti-15-3 composite examined here. Furthermore, since GMC predicts the microscale fields within each constituent of the composite material, submodels for local effects such as fiber breakage, interfacial debonding, and matrix fatigue damage can and have been built into MAC/GMC. The present application of MAC/GMC highlights the combination of these features, which has enabled the accurate modeling of the deformation, failure, and life of titanium matrix composites.

  14. Breast manifestations of systemic diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dilaveri CA

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Christina A Dilaveri, Maire Brid Mac Bride, Nicole P Sandhu, Lonzetta Neal, Karthik Ghosh, Dietlind L Wahner-RoedlerDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USAAbstract: Although much emphasis has been placed on the primary presentations of breast cancer, little focus has been placed on how systemic illnesses may affect the breast. In this article, we discuss systemic illnesses that can manifest in the breast. We summarize the clinical features, imaging, histopathology, and treatment recommendations for endocrine, vascular, systemic inflammatory, infectious, and hematologic diseases, as well as for the extramammary malignancies that can present in the breast. Despite the rarity of these manifestations of systemic disease, knowledge of these conditions is critical to the appropriate evaluation and treatment of patients presenting with breast symptoms.Keywords: breast, endocrine, hematologic, infectious, vascular

  15. TMAC: Timestamp-Ordered MAC for CSMA/CA Wireless Mesh Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Nawab, Faisal Saud Yousef; Jamshaid, Kamran; Shihada, Basem; Ho, Pin-Han

    2011-01-01

    We propose TMAC, a timestamp-ordered MAC protocol for Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). TMAC extends CSMA/CA by scheduling data packets based on their age. Prior to transmitting a data packet, a transmitter broadcasts a request control message appended

  16. Medicinal, Aromatic and Cosmetic (MAC) plants for community health and bio-cultural diversity conservation in Bali, Indonesia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leurs, Liesbeth Nathalie

    2010-01-01

    The general aim of this ethno-botanical study is to document, describe and analyse the Balinese community members’ knowledge, belief and practices with regard to medicinal, aromatic and cosmetic (MAC) plants in relation to community health and bio-cultural diversity conservation of MAC plants. This

  17. An Application of MacLaury's Vantage Theory to Abstract Categories: Identity and the Process of Categorisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabiszak, Malgorzata

    2010-01-01

    This paper is an application of Robert E. MacLaury's Vantage Theory (VT) to the analysis of real life spoken discourse. It utilizes Dennis R. Preston's (1994) modification of MacLaury's VT. It elucidates how cognitive processes of coordinate selection and combination contribute to the on-line construction of category membership in the abstract…

  18. Assessment of Nutritional Status of Nepalese Hemodialysis Patients by Anthropometric Examinations and Modified Quantitative Subjective Global Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arun Sedhain

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective To assess the nutritional status of patients on maintenance hemodialysis by using modified quantitative subjective global assessment (MQSGA and anthropometric measurements. Method We Conducted a cross sectional descriptive analytical study to assess the nutritional status of fifty four patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis by using MQSGA and different anthropometric and laboratory measurements like body mass index (BMI, mid-arm circumference (MAC, mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC, triceps skin fold (TSF and biceps skin fold (BSF, serum albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP and lipid profile in a government tertiary hospital at Kathmandu, Nepal. Results Based on MQSGA criteria, 66.7% of the patients suffered from mild to moderate malnutrition and 33.3% were well nourished. None of the patients were severely malnourished. CRP was positive in 56.3% patients. Serum albumin, MAC and BMI were (mean + SD 4.0 + 0.3 mg/dl, 22 + 2.6 cm and 19.6 ± 3.2 kg/m 2 respectively. MQSGA showed negative correlation with MAC ( r = −0.563; P = < 0.001, BMI ( r = −0.448; P = < 0.001, MAMC ( r = −0.506; P = < .0001, TSF ( r = −0.483; P = < .0002, and BSF ( r = −0.508; P = < 0.0001. Negative correlation of MQSGA was also found with total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol without any statistical significance. Conclusion Mild to moderate malnutrition was found to be present in two thirds of the patients undergoing hemodialysis. Anthropometric measurements like BMI, MAC, MAMC, BSF and TSF were negatively correlated with MQSGA. Anthropometric and laboratory assessment tools could be used for nutritional assessment as they are relatively easier, cheaper and practical markers of nutritional status.

  19. Side channel analysis of some hash based MACs:A response to SHA-3 requirements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The forthcoming NIST's Advanced Hash Standard (AHS) competition to select SHA-3 hash function requires that each candidate hash function submission must have at least one construction to support FIPS 198 HMAC application. As part of its evaluation, NIST is aiming to select either a candidate hash...... function which is more resistant to known side channel attacks (SCA) when plugged into HMAC, or that has an alternative MAC mode which is more resistant to known SCA than the other submitted alternatives. In response to this, we perform differential power analysis (DPA) on the possible smart card...... implementations of some of the recently proposed MAC alternatives to NMAC (a fully analyzed variant of HMAC) and HMAC algorithms and NMAC/HMAC versions of some recently proposed hash and compression function modes. We show that the recently proposed BNMAC and KMDP MAC schemes are even weaker than NMAC...

  20. The Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes (MACS) decision rule: validation with a new automated assay for heart-type fatty acid binding protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Body, Richard; Burrows, Gillian; Carley, Simon; Lewis, Philip S

    2015-10-01

    The Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes (MACS) decision rule may enable acute coronary syndromes to be immediately 'ruled in' or 'ruled out' in the emergency department. The rule incorporates heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) and high sensitivity troponin T levels. The rule was previously validated using a semiautomated h-FABP assay that was not practical for clinical implementation. We aimed to validate the rule with an automated h-FABP assay that could be used clinically. In this prospective diagnostic cohort study we included patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected cardiac chest pain. Serum drawn on arrival was tested for h-FABP using an automated immunoturbidimetric assay (Randox) and high sensitivity troponin T (Roche). The primary outcome, a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), was adjudicated based on 12 h troponin testing. A secondary outcome, major adverse cardiac events (MACE; death, AMI, revascularisation or new coronary stenosis), was determined at 30 days. Of the 456 patients included, 78 (17.1%) had AMI and 97 (21.3%) developed MACE. Using the automated h-FABP assay, the MACS rule had the same C-statistic for MACE as the original rule (0.91; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.92). 18.9% of patients were identified as 'very low risk' and thus eligible for immediate discharge with no missed AMIs and a 2.3% incidence of MACE (n=2, both coronary stenoses). 11.1% of patients were classed as 'high-risk' and had a 92.0% incidence of MACE. Our findings validate the performance of a refined MACS rule incorporating an automated h-FABP assay, facilitating use in clinical settings. The effectiveness of this refined rule should be verified in an interventional trial prior to implementation. UK CRN 8376. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  1. Education for Personal Life: John MacMurray on Why Learning to Be Human Requires Emotional Discipline

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacAllister, James

    2014-01-01

    In this article I discuss the philosophy of John MacMurray, and in particular, his little-examined writings on discipline and emotion education. It is argued that discipline is a vital element in the emotion education MacMurray thought central to learning to be human, because for him it takes concerted effort to overcome the human tendency toward…

  2. Not the Sum of Its Parts: A Critical Review of the MacDonald Triad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parfitt, Charlotte Hannah; Alleyne, Emma

    2018-01-01

    The MacDonald triad posits that animal cruelty, fire setting, and bed wetting in childhood is indicative of later aggressive and violent behavior in adults. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as a precursor to later antisocial behaviors including serial and sexual murder; while practitioners cite the triad in clinical formulations and risk assessments. However, there is yet to be a critical review and consolidation of the literature that establishes whether there is empirical support. This article explores the validity of the triad. We conducted a narrative review of the relevant studies examining the MacDonald triad and its individual constituents. There is evidence that any one of the triad behaviors could predict future violent offending, but it is very rare to find all three behaviors together as predictors. Thus, the empirical research on the MacDonald triad does not fully substantiate its premise. Rather, it would appear that the triad, or its individual constituents, is better used as an indicator of dysfunctional home environments, or poor coping skills in children. Future research is needed with robust and rigorous methodologies (e.g., adequate control groups, longitudinal designs) to fully establish the MacDonald triad's validity. Finally, further consideration is needed as to whether the triad behaviors are more indicative of other problematic outcomes (e.g., maladaptive coping to life stressors).

  3. Multiple-Antenna Interference Cancellation for WLAN with MAC Interference Avoidance in Open Access Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandr M. Kuzminskiy

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available The potential of multiantenna interference cancellation receiver algorithms for increasing the uplink throughput in WLAN systems such as 802.11 is investigated. The medium access control (MAC in such systems is based on carrier sensing multiple-access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA, which itself is a powerful tool for the mitigation of intrasystem interference. However, due to the spatial dependence of received signal strengths, it is possible for the collision avoidance mechanism to fail, resulting in packet collisions at the receiver and a reduction in system throughput. The CSMA/CA MAC protocol can be complemented in such scenarios by interference cancellation (IC algorithms at the physical (PHY layer. The corresponding gains in throughput are a result of the complex interplay between the PHY and MAC layers. It is shown that semiblind interference cancellation techniques are essential for mitigating the impact of interference bursts, in particular since these are typically asynchronous with respect to the desired signal burst. Semiblind IC algorithms based on second- and higher-order statistics are compared to the conventional no-IC and training-based IC techniques in an open access network (OAN scenario involving home and visiting users. It is found that the semiblind IC algorithms significantly outperform the other techniques due to the bursty and asynchronous nature of the interference caused by the MAC interference avoidance scheme.

  4. Multiple-Antenna Interference Cancellation for WLAN with MAC Interference Avoidance in Open Access Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuzminskiy Alexandr M

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The potential of multiantenna interference cancellation receiver algorithms for increasing the uplink throughput in WLAN systems such as 802.11 is investigated. The medium access control (MAC in such systems is based on carrier sensing multiple-access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA, which itself is a powerful tool for the mitigation of intrasystem interference. However, due to the spatial dependence of received signal strengths, it is possible for the collision avoidance mechanism to fail, resulting in packet collisions at the receiver and a reduction in system throughput. The CSMA/CA MAC protocol can be complemented in such scenarios by interference cancellation (IC algorithms at the physical (PHY layer. The corresponding gains in throughput are a result of the complex interplay between the PHY and MAC layers. It is shown that semiblind interference cancellation techniques are essential for mitigating the impact of interference bursts, in particular since these are typically asynchronous with respect to the desired signal burst. Semiblind IC algorithms based on second- and higher-order statistics are compared to the conventional no-IC and training-based IC techniques in an open access network (OAN scenario involving home and visiting users. It is found that the semiblind IC algorithms significantly outperform the other techniques due to the bursty and asynchronous nature of the interference caused by the MAC interference avoidance scheme.

  5. « À la recherche des Macédoniens » : le regard des cartes, 1840-1918

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joëlle Dalègre

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Comment peu à peu les cartes ethnographiques découvrent et signalent, en Macédoine, à l’aube du XXe siècle, des « Macédoniens slaves »L’expression « péninsule balkanique » est employée pour la première fois en 1808 par August Zeune, en 1821, un autre Allemand, d’Oetzel, dessine la première carte des populations européennes. Les cartes se multiplient jusqu’en 1920. Peu à peu se précisent les techniques, la connaissance des régions et des populations ; les cartes deviennent une arme de propagande, attribuant, selon le concepteur, le territoire macédonien aux Grecs, aux Serbes et majoritairement aux Bulgares. Le Serbe Cvijic, en 1906, le premier, situe sur une carte, des « macédoslaves ». Cette communication présente les étapes principales de cette évolution cartographique qui aboutit à découvrir des « Macédoniens » en… Macédoine.The expression ’Balkan peninsula’ was first employed in 1808 by August Zeune. In 1821 another German, d’Oetzel, drew the first map of the European populations. The maps continued multiplying until 1920. Little by little the techniques as well as the knowledge of the various regions and populations became more precise. The maps became a propaganda tool, in as much as they attributed—depending on the cartographer—Macedonian territory to the Greeks, the Serbs or, most often, the Bulgarians. In 1906, the Serb Cvijic, the first, situated on a map, the “macédoslaves”. This communication outlines the principal stages of this cartographic evolution, which eventually situated the “Macedonians” in none other than… Macedonia.

  6. Lifetime tests for MAC vertex chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, H.

    1986-01-01

    A vertex chamber for MAC was proposed in fall 1983 to increase precision in the measurement of the B hadron and tau lepton lifetimes. The chamber had to be placed within the existing central drift chamber, making access for repairs difficult and costly. Therefore for detector elements thin-walled aluminized mylar drift tubes (straws) were used because of their simplicity and robustness. The diameter of the drift tubes was 6.9 mm. The radial extent of the proposed chamber was from 3 cm to 10 cm, the inner wall of the central drift. It was clear that radiation levels, from synchrotron x-rays and overfocussed electrons, were potentially high. Since the drift distance is short in the straws, it was desirable to operate them at the highest possible gas gain, to achieve the best spatial resolution. There was a likelihood of drawing large currents in the chamber and thus causing radiation damage. Therefore a study of radiation hardness under the conditions of their proposed design was undertaken. In tests, argon-hydrocarbon mixtures consistently became unusable at ∼0.05 C/cm collected charge, due to anode buildup. Argon-CO 2 mixtures, while underquenched, were operational to 0.25 C/cm, at which point loss of cathode material became intolerable. Argon-xenon-CO 2 proved to be quenched as well as argon-hydrocarbons, but was limited by cathode damage. The MAC vertex chamber has operated at a distance of 4.6 cm from the e + e - interaction point at PEP for two years and has shown no aging effects

  7. Cross Layer PHY-MAC Protocol for Wireless Static and Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Blondia

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Multihop mobile wireless networks have drawn a lot of attention in recent years thanks to their wide applicability in civil and military environments. Since the existing IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF standard does not provide satisfactory access to the wireless medium in multihop mobile networks, we have designed a cross-layer protocol, (CroSs-layer noise aware power driven MAC (SNAPdMac, which consists of two parts. The protocol first concentrates on the flexible adjustment of the upper and lower bounds of the contention window (CW to lower the number of collisions. In addition, it uses a power control scheme, triggered by the medium access control (MAC layer, to limit the waste of energy and also to decrease the number of collisions. Thanks to a noticeable energy conservation and decrease of the number of collisions, it prolongs significantly the lifetime of the network and delays the death of the first node while increasing both the throughput performance and the sending bit rate/throughput fairness among contending flows.

  8. LHC@home online tutorial for Mac users - recording

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    A step-by-step online tutorial about LHC@home for Mac users by Alexandre Racine. It contains detailed instructions on how-to-join this volunteer computing project.  There are 3 screen capture videos with the real installation process accelerated attached to the event page. This 5' video is linked from http://lhcathome.web.cern.ch/join-us Also from the CDS e-learning category.

  9. Prevalence of coeliac disease in Italian patients affected by Addison's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biagi, Federico; Campanella, Jonia; Soriani, Alessandra; Vailati, Alberto; Corazza, Gino R

    2006-03-01

    It is well known that coeliac disease is associated with autoimmune endocrine diseases, such as autoimmune thyroid disease and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Recently, coeliac disease has been shown in approximately 10% of patients with autoimmune Addison's disease. Addison's disease is the most common cause of primary adrenocortical insufficiency and it shares several clinical features with coeliac disease. Although hyperpigmentation and hypotension are the most specific signs, gastrointestinal symptoms are common and can be the first complaints of the patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of coeliac disease in Italian patients with Addison's disease. Seventeen consecutive patients affected by Addison's disease (14 F, mean age 53.9 years, range 26-79 years) were enrolled in the study. Eleven of them were affected by Addison's disease associated with autoimmune thyroid disease and/or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; the other 6 patients were suffering from isolated Addison's disease. Diagnosis had been performed at the age of 40.5 years (range 23-55). Steroid treatment had already been started in 16 of the patients. Endomysial antibodies were tested in all of them and a duodenal biopsy was taken in those found to be positive for antiendomysial antibody (EMA). One out of 17 patients was found to be EMA positive. Duodenal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of coeliac disease by showing subtotal villous atrophy. Although we studied only a small sample, our preliminary results confirmed that Addison's disease is associated with coeliac disease, being present in 5.9% of patients with Addison's disease. Since the symptoms can be similar and treatment of Addison's disease can mask coeliac disease, this association should always be actively investigated.

  10. A DUAL RESERVATION CDMA-BASED MAC PROTOCOL WITH POWER CONTROL FOR AD HOC NETWORKS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jia Min; Chen Huimin; Yuan Yuhua

    2007-01-01

    This paper proposes a new multi-channel Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol named as Dual Reservation Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based MAC protocol with Power Control (DRCPC). The code channel is divided into common channel, broadcast channel and several data channels. And dynamic power control mechanism is implemented to reduce near-far interference. Compared with IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) protocol, the results show that the proposed mechanism improves the average throughput and limits the transmission delay efficiently.

  11. One of the First Portable Macs

    CERN Multimedia

    1989-01-01

    It was one of the first portable macs released. The Portable had many new advances in mobile computing : The display was crispy clear, and looked beautiful when used in daylight ; The Portable came with a Lead-acid gel/cell battery that could run a anywhere from 6 -12 hours ; It supported to internal hard drives, and an external one. The reaction to the laptop was weak because it was slow, it had no capacity for expansion, it weighed heavily, its price was expensive. It has been stayed 1 year and half on the market.

  12. Coronary artery disease in patients with cerebrovascular disease: a prospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rokey, R.; Rolak, L.A.; Harati, Y.; Kutka, N.; Verani, M.S.

    1984-01-01

    Coronary artery disease is the cause of death in most patients who have transient ischemic attacks or stroke. Evaluation for this condition is not routinely performed in such patients, and no prospective studies have been reported. We prospectively examined 50 consecutive patients with transient ischemic attacks or mild stroke to determine the prevalence and importance of coronary artery disease. All patients were examined by a cardiologist and underwent both exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy and exercise radionuclide ventriculography. Sixteen patients were suspected to have coronary artery disease on the basis of clinical evaluation. In 15 of these the was confirmed by the nuclear scans. The remaining 34 patients had no clinical evidence of heart disease, yet 14 had abnormal cardiac scans. Twenty of 22 patients with abnormal scans who underwent cardiac catheterization had significant coronary artery disease or a cardiomyopathy. The discovery of heart disease altered clinical management in 13 patients. Overall, 29 of 50 patients had significant coronary artery disease, compared with a 7% prevalence of the condition in other patients of similar age at the same institution

  13. Survey is based on Synchronized and Asynchronized Approach of MAC Protocols in WSN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soni Chaurasia

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available A wireless network is made of spatially distributed autonomous devices. These devices are called sensors. The sensor is used for monitoring physical or environmental conditions. The potential application of wireless sensor network is environmental monitoring, healthcare applications and tactical systems. In this paper focus is on the MAC protocol for WSN. Wireless sensor network is deployed for wide range to send and receive data with the help of medium. Here literature survey of MAC protocol based on the synchronized and asynchronized approach is described which is used to meet different objective like access a medium, statistical channel allocation, spectrum utilization

  14. The benefits of a comprehensive rehabilitation program in patients diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogoveanu, O C; Tuțescu, N C; Kamal, D; Alexandru, D O; Kamal, C; Streba, C T; Trăistaru, M R

    2016-01-01

    Spastic quadriplegia has as an etiopathogenic substrate, a non-progressive brain lesion; however, the clinical manifestations of the disease evolve over time. Children diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia show a variety of symptoms in different areas: sensorimotor, emotional, cognitive, and social. The purpose of this study was to assess the functional status in patients diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia, who followed a complex medical rehabilitation program, during a year, and highlight the importance of using physical and kinetic techniques in improving their status. A total of 10 children diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia were included in the study and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and manual ability classification system (MACS) were used to evaluate the functionality status of each patient. Every patient was evaluated initially (T1), after six months of program (T2), and after they completed the study. All the children were originally monitored daily, for 5 days per week for a period of one month, then two times a week for a year. A statistically significant difference regarding the modification of the GMFCS and MACS stage was found, which occurred between the first and the third evaluation. The inverse correlation of the statistical significance between the ages of patients and the decrease in GMFCS or MACS stage was highlighted; the younger the patient, the more the scale decreased. A direct link between the gross motor function and the manual ability was noticed. Applying a complex rehabilitation program has proven efficient by improving both the gross motor functionality and the manual ability.

  15. Learning Microsoft Excel 2011 for Mac video training DVD

    CERN Document Server

    Vaccaro, Guy

    2011-01-01

    In this video tutorial for Microsoft Excel 2011 For Mac, expert author Guy Vaccaro teaches you to effectively utilize the features and functions of Excel through project based learning. You will complete various projects, and along they way learn to leverage the power of the most important features Excel 2011 has to offer the Mac user. Starting your training course with the creation of a spreadsheet to record and monitor sales data, you will learn the basics of what you can do with a spreadsheet. You will then move on to creating a Profit and Loss report, learning formulas along the way. Moving to score sheets for a sports day, you will discover conditional based formatting, lookups, and more. You then create a functional expense claim form, advancing your Excel expertise. Moving on to a sales contact management sheet, you will discover how you can manipulate text, and even create mail merges from Excel. Finally, you will utilize all your knowledge thus far to create a sales report, including charts, pivot ta...

  16. MAC-layer protocol for TCP fairness in Wireless Mesh Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Nawab, Faisal; Jamshaid, Kamran; Shihada, Basem; Ho, Pin-Han

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we study the interactions of TCP and IEEE 802.11 MAC in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). We use a Markov chain to capture the behavior of TCP sessions, particularly the impact on network throughput performance due to the effect of queue

  17. [Inpatients days in patients with respiratory diseases and periodontal disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Plata, Rosario; Olmedo-Torres, Daniel; Martínez-Briseño, David; González-Cruz, Herminia; Casa-Medina, Guillermo; García-Sancho, Cecilia

    2017-01-01

    Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory gingival process that has been associated with the severity of respiratory diseases. In Mexico a prevalence of 78% was found in population with social security and > 60 years old. The aim of this study is to establish the association between periodontal disease and respiratory diseases according to the inpatient days. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2011. We included hospitalized patients, ≥ 18 years of age, without sedation or intubated. A dentist classified patients into two groups according to the severity of the periodontal disease: mild-to-moderate and severe. We estimated medians of inpatient days by disease and severity. Negative binomial models were adjusted to estimate incidence rate ratios and predicted inpatient days. 3,059 patients were enrolled. The median of observed and predicted inpatient days was higher in the group of severe periodontal disease (p disease, tuberculosis, and influenza had the highest incidence rates ratios of periodontal disease (p periodontal disease is positively -associated with inpatient days of patients with respiratory diseases.

  18. Obtaining porous silicon suitable for sensor technology using MacEtch nonelectrolytic etching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iatsunskyi I. R.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The author suggests to use the etching method MacEtch (metal-assisted chemical etching for production of micro- and nanostructures of porous silicon. The paper presents research results on the morphology structures obtained at different parameters of deposition and etching processes. The research has shown that, depending on the parameters of deposition of silver particles and silicon wafers etching, the obtained surface morphology may be different. There may be both individual crater-like pores and developed porous or macroporous surface. These results indicate that the MacEtch etching is a promising method for obtaining micro-porous silicon nanostructures suitable for effective use in gas sensors and biological object sensors.

  19. Objective-C for Absolute Beginners iPhone and Mac Programming Made Easy

    CERN Document Server

    Bennett, Gary; Fisher, Mitchell

    2010-01-01

    It seems as if everyone is writing applications for Apple's iPhone and iPad, but how do they all do it? It's best to learn Objective-C, the native language of both the iOS and Mac OS X, but where to begin? Right here, even if you've never programmed before! Objective-C for Absolute Beginners will teach you how to write software for your Mac, iPhone,or iPad using Objective-C, an elegant and powerful language with a rich set of developer tools. Using a hands-on approach, you'll learn to think in programming terms, how to use Objective-C to build program logic, and how to write your own applicati

  20. Celiac Disease in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis-Related Bone Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa S. Putman

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Both cystic fibrosis (CF and celiac disease can cause low bone mineral density (BMD and fractures. Celiac disease may occur at a higher frequency in patients with CF than the general population, and symptoms of these conditions may overlap. We report on two patients presenting with CF-related bone disease in the past year who were subsequently found to have concurrent celiac disease. Because adherence to a gluten-free diet may improve BMD in patients with celiac disease, this could have important implications for treatment. Clinicians should consider screening for celiac disease in patients with CF who have low BMD, worsening BMD in the absence of other risk factors, and/or difficult to treat vitamin D deficiency.

  1. CoCoMac 2.0 and the future of tract-tracing databases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Rembrandt; Wachtler, Thomas; Diesmann, Markus

    2012-01-01

    The CoCoMac database contains the results of several hundred published axonal tract-tracing studies in the macaque monkey brain. The combined results are used for constructing the macaque macro-connectome. Here we discuss the redevelopment of CoCoMac and compare it to six connectome-related projects: two online resources that provide full access to raw tracing data in rodents, a connectome viewer for advanced 3D graphics, a partial but highly detailed rat connectome, a brain data management system that generates custom connectivity matrices, and a software package that covers the complete pipeline from connectivity data to large-scale brain simulations. The second edition of CoCoMac features many enhancements over the original. For example, a search wizard is provided for full access to all tables and their nested dependencies. Connectivity matrices can be computed on demand in a user-selected nomenclature. A new data entry system is available as a preview, and is to become a generic solution for community-driven data entry in manually collated databases. We conclude with the question whether neuronal tracing will remain the gold standard to uncover the wiring of brains, thereby highlighting developments in human connectome construction, tracer substances, polarized light imaging, and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. PMID:23293600

  2. CoCoMac 2.0 and the future of tract-tracing databases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rembrandt eBakker

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The CoCoMac database contains the results of published axonal tract-tracing studies in the macaque brain. The combined data are used to construct the macaque macro-connectome. We discuss the redevelopment of CoCoMac and compare it to six connectome-related projects: two resources that provide online access to raw tracing data in rodents, a connectome viewer for advanced 3d graphics, a partial but highly detailed rat connectome, a brain data management system that generates custom connectivity matrices, and a software package that covers the complete pipeline from connectivity data to large scale brain simulations.The 2nd edition of CoCoMac features many enhancements over the original. For example, a search wizard is provided for full access to all tables. Connectivity matrices are computed on demand in a user selected nomenclature. An online data entry system is available as a preview, and is to become a generic solution for community-driven manual data entry.We end with the question whether tract-tracing will remain the gold standard to uncover the wiring of brains, thereby mentioning developments in human connectome construction, tracer substances, polarized light imaging and serial block face scanning electron microscopy.

  3. CoCoMac 2.0 and the future of tract-tracing databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Rembrandt; Wachtler, Thomas; Diesmann, Markus

    2012-01-01

    The CoCoMac database contains the results of several hundred published axonal tract-tracing studies in the macaque monkey brain. The combined results are used for constructing the macaque macro-connectome. Here we discuss the redevelopment of CoCoMac and compare it to six connectome-related projects: two online resources that provide full access to raw tracing data in rodents, a connectome viewer for advanced 3D graphics, a partial but highly detailed rat connectome, a brain data management system that generates custom connectivity matrices, and a software package that covers the complete pipeline from connectivity data to large-scale brain simulations. The second edition of CoCoMac features many enhancements over the original. For example, a search wizard is provided for full access to all tables and their nested dependencies. Connectivity matrices can be computed on demand in a user-selected nomenclature. A new data entry system is available as a preview, and is to become a generic solution for community-driven data entry in manually collated databases. We conclude with the question whether neuronal tracing will remain the gold standard to uncover the wiring of brains, thereby highlighting developments in human connectome construction, tracer substances, polarized light imaging, and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy.

  4. Nutrition support and dietary interventions for patients with lung cancer: current insights

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiss N

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Nicole Kiss1,2 1Nutrition and Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 2Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia Abstract: Malnutrition and weight loss are prevalent in patients with lung cancer. The impact of malnutrition on patients with cancer, and specifically in patients with lung cancer, has been demonstrated in a large number of studies. Malnutrition has been shown to negatively affect treatment completion, survival, quality of life, physical function, and health care costs. Emerging evidence is providing some insight into which lung cancer patients are at higher nutritional risk. In lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy, stage III or more disease, treatment with concurrent chemotherapy and the extent of radiotherapy delivered to the esophagus appear to confer a higher risk of weight loss during and post-treatment. Studies investigating nutrition interventions for lung cancer patients have examined intensive dietary counseling, supplementation with fish oils, and interdisciplinary models of nutrition and exercise interventions and show promise for improved outcomes from these interventions. However, further research utilizing these interventions in large clinical trials is required to definitively establish effective interventions in this patient group. Keywords: lung cancer, nutrition, malnutrition

  5. Celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases in patients with collagenous colitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vigren, Lina; Tysk, Curt; Ström, Magnus; Kilander, Anders F; Hjortswang, Henrik; Bohr, Johan; Benoni, Cecilia; Larson, Lasse; Sjöberg, Klas

    2013-08-01

    Collagenous colitis (CC) is associated with autoimmune disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between CC and autoimmune disorders in a Swedish multicenter study. Patients with CC answered questionnaires about demographic data and disease activity. The patient's files were scrutinized for information about autoimmune diseases. A total number of 116 CC patients were included; 92 women, 24 men, median age 62 years (IQR 55-73). In total, 30.2% had one or more autoimmune disorder. Most common were celiac disease (CeD; 12.9%) and autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD, 10.3%), but they also had Sjögren's syndrome (3.4%), diabetes mellitus (1.7%) and conditions in skin and joints (6.0%). Patients with associated autoimmune disease had more often nocturnal stools. The majority of the patients with associated CeD or ATD got these diagnoses before the colitis diagnosis. Autoimmune disorders occurred in one-third of these patients, especially CeD. In classic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), liver disease is described in contrast to CC where no cases occurred. Instead, CeD was prevalent, a condition not reported in classic IBD. Patients with an associated autoimmune disease had more symptoms. Patients with CC and CeD had an earlier onset of their colitis. The majority of the patients with both CC and CeD were smokers. Associated autoimmune disease should be contemplated in the follow-up of these patients.

  6. The use of the MacCormack scheme in computational hydraulics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, R.; Zhang, H.; Kahawita, R.

    1985-01-01

    This manuscript describes the development of a numerical model that solves shallow water problems based upon an enhanced version of the MacCormack explicit scheme (MS). The MS has been successfully applied to solve numerous problems in gas dynamics. However, the standard application of the MS to solve the shallow water equations can cause in certain test cases non-linear instabilities and non-symmetrical results that eventually destroy the solution. By examining the calculation 'cell' one can show that the MS is not symmetric in space, which explains why it cannot be used directly in the treatment of hydraulic problems most of which possess irregular boundaries thereby resulting in a flow with no 'preferred direction'. This is contrary to what is usually encountered in aerodynamics. The enhanced MacCormack scheme is obtained by a simple modification to the original formulation resulting in a symmetric scheme. The scheme has been applied to the computation of the flowfield in a real life situation with satisfactory results. (author)

  7. A hybrid MAC protocol design for energy-efficient very-high-throughput millimeter wave, wireless sensor communication networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jian, Wei; Estevez, Claudio; Chowdhury, Arshad; Jia, Zhensheng; Wang, Jianxin; Yu, Jianguo; Chang, Gee-Kung

    2010-12-01

    This paper presents an energy-efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for very-high-throughput millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless sensor communication networks (VHT-MSCNs) based on hybrid multiple access techniques of frequency division multiplexing access (FDMA) and time division multiplexing access (TDMA). An energy-efficient Superframe for wireless sensor communication network employing directional mm-wave wireless access technologies is proposed for systems that require very high throughput, such as high definition video signals, for sensing, processing, transmitting, and actuating functions. Energy consumption modeling for each network element and comparisons among various multi-access technologies in term of power and MAC layer operations are investigated for evaluating the energy-efficient improvement of proposed MAC protocol.

  8. TLR4-mediated expression of Mac-1 in monocytes plays a pivotal role in monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung Jin Lee

    Full Text Available Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 is known to mediate monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, however, its role on the expression of monocyte adhesion molecules is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of TLR4 on the expression of monocyte adhesion molecules, and determined the functional role of TLR4-induced adhesion molecules on monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. When THP-1 monocytes were stimulated with Kdo2-Lipid A (KLA, a specific TLR4 agonist, Mac-1 expression was markedly increased in association with an increased adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells. These were attenuated by anti-Mac-1 antibody, suggesting a functional role of TLR4-induced Mac-1 on monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. In monocytes treated with MK886, a 5-lipoxygenase (LO inhibitor, both Mac-1 expression and monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells induced by KLA were markedly attenuated. Moreover, KLA increased the expression of mRNA and protein of 5-LO, suggesting a pivotal role of 5-LO on these processes. In in vivo studies, KLA increased monocyte adhesion to aortic endothelium of wild-type (WT mice, which was attenuated in WT mice treated with anti-Mac-1 antibody as well as in TLR4-deficient mice. Taken together, TLR4-mediated expression of Mac-1 in monocytes plays a pivotal role on monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium, leading to increased foam cell formation in the development of atherosclerosis.

  9. Performance Analysis of a Cluster-Based MAC Protocol for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús Alonso-Zárate

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available An analytical model to evaluate the non-saturated performance of the Distributed Queuing Medium Access Control Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks (DQMANs in single-hop networks is presented in this paper. DQMAN is comprised of a spontaneous, temporary, and dynamic clustering mechanism integrated with a near-optimum distributed queuing Medium Access Control (MAC protocol. Clustering is executed in a distributed manner using a mechanism inspired by the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF of the IEEE 802.11. Once a station seizes the channel, it becomes the temporary clusterhead of a spontaneous cluster and it coordinates the peer-to-peer communications between the clustermembers. Within each cluster, a near-optimum distributed queuing MAC protocol is executed. The theoretical performance analysis of DQMAN in single-hop networks under non-saturation conditions is presented in this paper. The approach integrates the analysis of the clustering mechanism into the MAC layer model. Up to the knowledge of the authors, this approach is novel in the literature. In addition, the performance of an ad hoc network using DQMAN is compared to that obtained when using the DCF of the IEEE 802.11, as a benchmark reference.

  10. Effect of a therapeutic maximum allowable cost (MAC) program on the cost and utilization of proton pump inhibitors in an employer-sponsored drug plan in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mabasa, Vincent H; Ma, Johnny

    2006-06-01

    Therapeutic maximum allowable cost (MAC) is a managed care intervention that uses reference pricing in a therapeutic class or category of drugs or an indication (e.g., heartburn). Therapeutic MAC has not been studied in Canada or the United States. The proton pump inhibitor (PPI) rabeprazole was used as the reference drug in this therapeutic MAC program based on prices for PPIs in the province of Ontario. No PPI is available over the counter in Canada. To evaluate the utilization and anticipated drug cost savings for PPIs in an employer-sponsored drug plan in Canada that implemented a therapeutic MAC program for PPIs. An employer group with an average of 6,300 covered members, which adopted the MAC program for PPIs in June 2003, was compared with a comparison group comprising the book of business throughout Canada (approximately 5 million lives) without a PPI MAC program (non-MAC group). Pharmacy claims for PPIs were identified using the first 6 characters of the generic product identifier (GPI 492700) for a 36-month period from June 1, 2002, through May 31, 2005. The primary comparison was the year prior to the intervention (from June 1, 2002, through May 31, 2003) and the first full year following the intervention (June 1, 2004, through May 31, 2005). Drug utilization was evaluated by comparing the market share of each of the PPIs for the 2 time periods and by the days of PPI therapy per patient per year (PPPY) and days of therapy per prescription (Rx). Drug cost was defined as the cost of the drug (ingredient cost), including allowable provincial pharmacy markup but excluding pharmacy dispense fee. Cost savings were calculated from the allowed drug cost per claim, allowed cost per day, and allowed cost PPPY. (All amounts are in Canadian dollars.) The MAC intervention group experienced an 11.7% reduction in the average cost per day of PPI drug therapy, from 2.14 US dollars in the preperiod to 1.89 US dollars in the postperiod, compared with a 3.7% reduction in

  11. Peripheral vascular disease in patients with coronary artery disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bashir, E. A.; Aslam, N.

    2001-01-01

    Objective: The prevalence of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has been investigated in many different ways. It depends on the diagnostic methods used and definition of atherosclerotic manifestations in the different vascular beds. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of PVD in the lower limbs in group of patients with CAD. Design: This is a prospective observational study. Place and duration of study: The study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital/Armed Forces institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi, over a period of one year (January 1998 to January 1999). Subjects and methods: A total number of 200 patient (171 male and 29 females) aged 55-77 years with CAD. Diagnosed by coronary angiography were included in the study. In all patients blood pressure was recorded in both arms by sphygmomanometer and ankle systolic pressure by Doppler ultrasound. Ankle branchial index was calculated. Demographic data were obtained from the patient's hospital files. Results: The prevalence of PVD was 22.5% in patients with CAD in agreement with the results of most previous investigation. There was tendency towards increasing prevalence of PVD with more advanced CAD. Thirty patients (27%) showed evidence of triple vessel disease as compared to 13 patient (18%) with double vessel and 2 patients (1%) with single vessel disease. Conclusion: A non-invasive investigation of peripheral arterial circulation should be included early in the clinical consideration of patients with chest pain or similar symptoms suggesting coronary artery disease. Ankle systolic pressure appears to be simple and cheap technique for evaluation of results. (author)

  12. An Efficient and QoS Supported Multichannel MAC Protocol for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Caixia; Tan, Guozhen; Yu, Chao

    2017-10-09

    Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety (transport efficiency and infotainment) applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. Different types of applications require different levels Quality-of-Service (QoS) support. Recently, transport efficiency and infotainment applications (e.g., electronic map download and Internet access) have received more and more attention, and this kind of applications is expected to become a big market driver in a near future. In this paper, we propose an Efficient and QoS supported Multichannel Medium Access Control (EQM-MAC) protocol for VANETs in a highway environment. The EQM-MAC protocol utilizes the service channel resources for non-safety message transmissions during the whole synchronization interval, and it dynamically adjusts minimum contention window size for different non-safety services according to the traffic conditions. Theoretical model analysis and extensive simulation results show that the EQM-MAC protocol can support QoS services, while ensuring the high saturation throughput and low transmission delay for non-safety applications.

  13. An Efficient and QoS Supported Multichannel MAC Protocol for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caixia Song

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety (transport efficiency and infotainment applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. Different types of applications require different levels Quality-of-Service (QoS support. Recently, transport efficiency and infotainment applications (e.g., electronic map download and Internet access have received more and more attention, and this kind of applications is expected to become a big market driver in a near future. In this paper, we propose an Efficient and QoS supported Multichannel Medium Access Control (EQM-MAC protocol for VANETs in a highway environment. The EQM-MAC protocol utilizes the service channel resources for non-safety message transmissions during the whole synchronization interval, and it dynamically adjusts minimum contention window size for different non-safety services according to the traffic conditions. Theoretical model analysis and extensive simulation results show that the EQM-MAC protocol can support QoS services, while ensuring the high saturation throughput and low transmission delay for non-safety applications.

  14. A Selective-Awakening MAC Protocol for Energy-Efficient Data Forwarding in Linear Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iclia Villordo-Jimenez

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available We introduce the Selective-Awakening MAC (SA-MAC protocol which is a synchronized duty-cycled protocol with pipelined scheduling for Linear Sensor Networks (LSNs. In the proposed protocol, nodes selectively awake depending on node density and traffic load conditions and on the state of the buffers of the receiving nodes. In order to characterize the performance of the proposed protocol, we present a Discrete-Time Markov Chain-based analysis that is validated through extensive discrete-event simulations. Our results show that SA-MAC significantly outperforms previous proposals in terms of energy consumption, throughput, and packet loss probability. This is particularly true under high node density and high traffic load conditions, which are expected to be common scenarios in the context of IoT applications. We also present an analysis by grade (i.e., the number of hops to the sink, which is located at one end of the LSN that reveals that LSNs exhibit heterogeneous performance depending on the nodes’ grade. Such results can be used as a design guideline for future LSN implementations.

  15. MacMS: A Mass Spectrometer Simulator: Abstract of Issue 9906M

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigger, Stephen W.; Craig, Robert A.

    1999-10-01

    MacMS is a program for Mac-OS compatible computers that simulates a magnetic sector mass spectrometer (1-4) designed to operate in the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio range of 1-200 amu. MacMS has two operational modules. The first module (see Figure 1) is called the "Path" module and enables the user to quantitatively examine the trajectory of an ion of given m/z ratio in the electric and magnetic fields of the simulated "instrument". By systematically measuring a series of trajectories of different ions under different electric and magnetic field conditions, the user can determine how the resolution of the "instrument" is affected by these experimentally variable parameters. The user can thus choose suitable instrumental conditions for scanning a given m/z ratio range with good separation between the peaks. The second module (see Figure 2) is called as the "Spectrometer" module and enables the user to record, under any chosen instrumental conditions, the mass spectrum of (i) the instrumental background, (ii) neon, (iii) methane, or (iv) the parent ion of carbon tetrachloride. Both voltage scanning and magnetic scanning are possible (5). A hard copy of any mass spectrum that has been recorded can also be obtained. MacMS can read ASCII data files containing mass spectral information of compounds other than those that are "built-in" to the simulator. The appropriate format for creating such data files is described in the program documentation. There are a number of instructional exercises that can be conducted using the mass spectral information contained within the simulator. These are included in the program documentation. For example, the intensities of the 20Ne+, 21Ne+, and 22Ne+ species can be determined from hard copies of mass spectra of neon that are obtained under different instrumental sensitivities. The relative abundances of the three isotopes of neon can thus be calculated and compared with the literature values (6). The simulator also includes adjustable

  16. Multi-attribute compositional voting advice applications (MacVAAs) : a methodology for educating and assisting voters and eliciting their preferences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korthals, R.A.; Levels, M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper introduces a technique to elicit voter preferences, by integrating multiattribute compositional analyses (Macs) with a voting advice application (VAA). The technique requires users to make trade-offs between different positions on a single issue, and between different issues. MacVAAs more

  17. GSR-TDMA: A Geometric Spatial Reuse-Time Division Multiple Access MAC Protocol for Multihop Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changho Yun

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The nonnegligible propagation delay of acoustic signals causes spatiotemporal uncertainty that occasionally enables simultaneous, collision-free packet transmission among underwater nodes (UNs. These transmissions can be handled by efficiently managing the channel access of the UNs in the data-link layer. To this end, Geometric Spatial Reuse-TDMA (GSR-TDMA, a new TDMA-based MAC protocol, is designed for use in centralized, multihop underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs, and in this case all UNs are periodically scheduled after determining a geometric map according to the information on their location. The scheduling strategy increases the number of UNs that send packets coincidentally via two subscheduling configurations (i.e., interhop and intrahop scheduling. Extensive simulations are used to investigate the reception success rate (RSR and the multihop delay (MHD of GSR-TDMA, and the results are compared to those of previous approaches, including C-MAC and HSR-TDMA. GSR-TDMA outperforms C-MAC; the RSR of GSR-TDMA is 15% higher than that of C-MAC, and the MHD of GSR-TDMA is 30% lower than that of C-MAC at the most. In addition, GSR-TDMA provides even better performance improvements over HSR-TDMA; the RSR of GSR-TDMA is 50% higher than that of HSR-TDMA, and the MHD of GSR-TDMA is an order of 102 lower than that of HSR-TDMA at the most.

  18. Assessing the Decision-Making Capacity of Terminally Ill Patients with Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolva, Elissa; Rosenfeld, Barry; Saracino, Rebecca

    2018-05-01

    Despite the clinical, ethical, and legal magnitude of end-of-life decision-making, the capacity of terminally ill patients to make the medical decisions they often face is largely unknown. In practice, clinicians are responsible for determining when their patients are no longer competent to make treatment decisions, yet the accuracy of these assessments is unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore decision-making capacity and its assessment in terminally ill cancer patients. Fifty-five patients with advanced cancer receiving inpatient palliative care and 50 healthy adults were administered the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) to evaluate decision-making capacity with regard to the four most commonly used legal standards: Choice, Understanding, Appreciation, and Reasoning. Participants made a hypothetical treatment decision about whether to accept artificial nutrition and hydration for treatment of cachexia. Participants' physicians independently rated their decision-making capacity. Terminally ill participants were significantly more impaired than healthy adults on all MacCAT-T subscales. Most terminally ill participants were able to express a treatment choice (85.7%), but impairment was common on the Understanding (44.2%), Appreciation (49.0%), and Reasoning (85.4%) subscales. Agreement between physician-rated capacity and performance on the MacCAT-T subscales was poor. The use of the MacCAT-T revealed high rates of decisional impairment in terminally ill participants. Participants' physicians infrequently detected impairment identified by the MacCAT-T. The findings from the present study reinforce the need for engagement in advance care planning for patients with advanced cancer. Copyright © 2018 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Hodgkin's disease: Analysis of 75 patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akram, M.; Cheema, M. H.; Sana, S.; Aziz, Z.

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate patients suffering from Hodgkin's disease to identify its epidemiological characteristics, modalities of treatment and features of survival. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted between July 1997 to June 1999 at the Oncology Department of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Subjects and Methods: A total 75 patient with Hodgkin's disease underwent Cotswold staging classification, complete hematological, renal and hepatic profile, LDH and uric acid. Chest radiograph abdominal and pelvic ultrasonography and CT scan/MRI bone marrow biopsies. All the patients received combination chemotherapy. Patients with bulky disease received field radiation. Results: Median age was eight ( 18 years). Male to female ratio was 3.5:1, advanced disease accounted for 68%, mixed cellularity was documented in 61% of patients. Eighty-two percent of patients belonged to lower socioeconomic strata. Forty-six patients (65.4%) achieved complete remission (CR) Major toxicities were hematological with febrile neutropenia in 14.6% patients. OS of patients achieving CR with good socioeconomic status was superior compared to patients with lower socioeconomic status (p<0.02). Treatment delays were due to economic constraints, illiteracy, malnutrition and co-morbid conditions. Conclusion: Advanced disease, mixed cellularity and male predominance was common. Socioeconomic status had a significant impact on the presentation of the disease. Poor tolerance to chemotherapy and enhanced toxicities are especially seen in the low socioeconomic group. (author)

  20. IDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Satellite Networks with Consideration on Channel Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gongliang Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to overcome the shortcomings of existing medium access control (MAC protocols based on TDMA or CDMA in satellite networks, interleave division multiple access (IDMA technique is introduced into satellite communication networks. Therefore, a novel wide-band IDMA MAC protocol based on channel quality is proposed in this paper, consisting of a dynamic power allocation algorithm, a rate adaptation algorithm, and a call admission control (CAC scheme. Firstly, the power allocation algorithm combining the technique of IDMA SINR-evolution and channel quality prediction is developed to guarantee high power efficiency even in terrible channel conditions. Secondly, the effective rate adaptation algorithm, based on accurate channel information per timeslot and by the means of rate degradation, can be realized. What is more, based on channel quality prediction, the CAC scheme, combining the new power allocation algorithm, rate scheduling, and buffering strategies together, is proposed for the emerging IDMA systems, which can support a variety of traffic types, and offering quality of service (QoS requirements corresponding to different priority levels. Simulation results show that the new wide-band IDMA MAC protocol can make accurate estimation of available resource considering the effect of multiuser detection (MUD and QoS requirements of multimedia traffic, leading to low outage probability as well as high overall system throughput.

  1. Pulsed electromagnetic field affects intrinsic and endoplasmatic reticulum apoptosis induction pathways in MonoMac6 cell line culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaszuba-Zwoinska, J; Chorobik, P; Juszczak, K; Zaraska, W; Thor, P J

    2012-10-01

    Current studies were aimed to elucidate influence of pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation on cell viability and apoptosis induction pathways. For the experimental model we have chosen monocytic cell line MonoMac6 and several apoptosis inducers with different mechanism of death induction like puromycin, colchicine, cyclophosphamide, minocycline and hydrogen peroxide. MonoMac6 cell line was grown at density 1x10(5) cells/well in 96-well culture plates. To induce cell death cell cultures were treated with different apoptosis inducers like puromycin, colchicine, cyclophosphamide, minocycline, hydrogen peroxide and at the same time with pulsed electromagnetic field 50 Hz, 45±5 mT (PEMF) for 4 hour per each stimulation, three times, in 24 hours intervals. Afterwards, cells were harvested for flow cytometry analysis of cell viability measured by annexin V-APC labeled and propidium iodide staining. Expression of apoptosis related genes was evaluated by semi quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay. NuPAGE Novex Western blot analysis was carried out for apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) abundance in cytosolic and nuclear extracts of MonoMac6 cells. Puromycin, colchicine and minocycline activated cells and simultaneously treated with PEMF have shown out diminished percentage of annexinV positive (AnV+) cells comparing to controls without PEMF stimulation. MonaMac6 cells puromycin/colchicyne and PEMF treated were to a higher extent double stained (AnV+,PI+), which means increased late apoptotic as well as necrotic (PI+) cells, than non-stimulated controls. On the other hand, minocycline activated cells prior to PEMF treatment showed diminished amount of apoptotic and necrotic (annexin V, annexin V and propidium iodide, propidium iodide positive staining) cells. The opposite effect of PEMF on the percentage of annexin V positively stained cells has been achieved after treatment of MonoMac6 culture with cyclophoshamide and hydrogen peroxide. PEMF enhanced early

  2. ITER management advisory committee (MAC) meeting in Naka

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshikawa, M.

    2000-01-01

    The ITER Management Advisory Committee (MAC) Meeting was held on 28 June 2000 in Moskow, Russia. The main topics were the consideration of the report by the director on the ITER EDA status, the review of the work program, the review of the joint fund, the review of a schedule of ITER meetings and initial discussion and consideration on the disposition of R and D hardware and facilities and other dispositions relating to the termination of the EDA

  3. MAC/FAC: A Model of Similarity-Based Retrieval

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-10-01

    Grapes (0.28) 327 Sour Grapes, analog The Taming of the Shrew (0.22), Merry Wives 251 (0.18), S[11 stories], Sour Grapes (-0.19) Sour Grapes, literal... The Institute for the 0 1 Learning Sciences Northwestern University CD• 00 MAC/FAC: A MODEL OF SIMILARITY-BASED RETRIEVAL Kenneth D. Forbus Dedre...Gentner Keith Law Technical Report #59 • October 1994 94-35188 wit Establisthed in 1989 with the support of Andersen Consulting Form Approved REPORT

  4. Le meurtre du prêtre comme violence inaugurale (Bulgarie 1872, Macédoine 1900)

    OpenAIRE

    Lory, Bernard

    2010-01-01

    Quand la violence révolutionnaire se retourne-t-elle contre la communauté qu'elle prétend promouvoir ? Enquêtant sur les premiers Bulgares exécutés par le Comité Central Révolutionnaire Bulgare et les premiers Macédoniens exécutés par l'Organisation Révolutionnaire Intérieure Macédonienne, cet article analyse deux épisodes qui présentent des analogies frappantes. En 1872, le diacre Paisij est assassiné à Orhanie dans des circonstances troublantes, puisque ce meurtre a été annoncé par deux rêv...

  5. Experimental Evaluation of Simulation Abstractions for Wireless Sensor Network MAC Protocols

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Halkes, G.P.; Langendoen, K.G.

    2010-01-01

    The evaluation ofMAC protocols forWireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is often performed through simulation. These simulations necessarily abstract away from reality inmany ways. However, the impact of these abstractions on the results of the simulations has received only limited attention. Moreover,

  6. The cognitive based approach of capacity assessment in psychiatry: a philosophical critique of the MacCAT-T.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breden, Torsten Marcus; Vollmann, Jochen

    2004-12-01

    This article gives a brief introduction to the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Treatment (MacCAT-T) and critically examines its theoretical presuppositions. On the basis of empirical, methodological and ethical critique it is emphasised that the cognitive bias that underlies the MacCAT-T assessment needs to be modified. On the one hand it has to be admitted that the operationalisation of competence in terms of value-free categories, e.g. rational decision abilities, guarantees objectivity to a great extent; but on the other hand it bears severe problems. Firstly, the cognitive focus is in itself a normative convention in the process of anthropological value-attribution. Secondly, it misses the complexity of the decision process in real life. It is therefore suggested that values, emotions and other biographic and context specific aspects should be considered when interpreting the cognitive standards according to the MacArthur model. To fill the gap between cognitive and non-cognitive approaches the phenomenological theory of personal constructs is briefly introduced. In conclusion some main demands for further research to develop a multi-step model of competence assessment are outlined.

  7. Quiebra de Fannie Mae y Freddie Mac desde la experiencia latinoamericana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wesley Marshall

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Conforme al deterioro de la posición financiera de los bancos semi públicos, Fannie Mae y Freddie Mac, durante los últimos meses, el debate sobre su viabilidad actual y su futuro en el sistema financiero estadounidense se ha intensificado. Si bien el debate ha abarcado diversas posiciones dentro de círculos financieros y académicos, en los Estados Unidos, no se han tomado en cuenta las experiencias históricas de la banca pública latinoamericana durante la crisis financiera, y que al parecer ambas compartan muchos elementos con la dinámica que está detrás del debate actual sobre Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. En América Latina, tales momentos han ofrecido la oportunidad para transferir activos financieros del sector privado de decreciente valor a la banca pública, y también para la reducción drástica de la actividad de la banca pública, permitiendo así la expansión de actores del sector privado a costa de la banca pública. Tales experiencias son de relevancia particular al futuro de Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dado que los mismos grupos que gestionaron estas crisis son los mismos que actualmente están administrando la crisis financiera de los Estados Unidos. Como se argumentará, las mismas estrategias usadas en América Latina para minimizar el papel del Estado en el sector financiero actualmente están siendo empleadas en los Estados Unidos.

  8. Determination of the optimal stylet strategy for the C-MAC videolaryngoscope.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McElwain, J

    2010-04-01

    The C-MAC videolaryngoscope is a novel intubation device that incorporates a camera system at the end of its blade, thereby facilitating obtaining a view of the glottis without alignment of the oral, pharyngeal and tracheal axes. It retains the traditional Macintosh blade shape and can be used as a direct or indirect laryngoscope. We wished to determine the optimal stylet strategy for use with the C-MAC. Ten anaesthetists were allowed up to three attempts to intubate the trachea in one easy and three progressively more difficult laryngoscopy scenarios in a SimMan manikin with four tracheal tube stylet strategies: no stylet; stylet; directional stylet (Parker Flex-It); and hockey-stick stylet. The use of a stylet conferred no advantage in the easy laryngoscopy scenario. In the difficult scenarios, the directional and hockey-stick stylets performed best. In the most difficult scenario, the median (IQR [range]) duration of the successful intubation attempt was lowest with the hockey-stick stylet; 18 s (15-22 [12-43]) s, highest with the unstyletted tracheal tube; 60 s (60-60 [60, 60]) s and styletted tracheal tube 60 s (29-60 [18-60]) s, and intermediate with the directional stylet 21 s (15-60 [8-60]) s. The use of a stylet alone does not confer benefit in the setting of easy laryngoscopy. However, in more difficult laryngoscopy scenarios, the C-MAC videolaryngoscope performs best when used with a stylet that angulates the distal tracheal tube. The hockey-stick stylet configuration performed best in the scenarios tested.

  9. Prevalence and overlap of Disease Management Program diseases in older hospitalized patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juul-Larsen, Helle Gybel; Petersen, Janne; Sivertsen, Ditte Maria

    2017-01-01

    Many countries, like Denmark, have tailored Disease Management Programs (DMPs) based on patients having single chronic diseases [defined institutionally as "program diseases" (PDs)], which can complicate treatment for those with multiple chronic diseases. The aims of this study were (a) to assess...... the prevalence and overlap among acutely hospitalized older medical patients of PDs defined by the DMPs, and (b) to examine transitions between different departments during hospitalization and mortality and readmission within two time intervals among patients with the different PDs. We conducted a registry study...... of 4649 acutely hospitalized medical patients ≥65 years admitted to Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark, in 2012, and divided patients into six PD groups (type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease, dementia and cancer), each...

  10. Preliminary Turkish study of psychiatric in-patients' competence to make treatment decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aydin Er, Rahime; Sehiralti, Mine; Aker, Ahmet Tamer

    2013-03-01

    Competence is a prerequisite for informed consent. Patients who are found to be competent are entitled to accept or refuse the proposed treatment. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in studies examining competence for treatment in psychiatric patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the decision-making competencies of inpatients with a range of psychiatric diseases. This study was carried out at the psychiatry clinic of Kocaeli University Hospital in Turkey from June 2007 to February 2008. Decision-making competence was assessed in 83 patients using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Treatment (MacCAT-T). The study groups consisted of patients with mood (39.8%), psychotic (27.7%) and anxiety disorders (18.1%), and alcohol/substance addiction (14.5%). There was a significant relation between decision-making competence and demographic and clinical characteristics. Appreciation of the given information was more impaired in psychotic disorder patients than in other patients, but understanding and reasoning of the given information was similar in all groups. These results reveal the importance of evaluating decision-making competencies of psychiatric patients before any treatment or intervention is carried out to ascertain their ability to give informed consent to treatment. Institutional and national policies need to be determined and put into practice relating to the assessment and management of competence in patients with psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  11. A Service Differentiated MAC Protocol for OFDM/TDMA Wireless Systems

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WANG Ying; ZHANG Ping

    2005-01-01

    This paper proposes a Service Differentiated-Dynamic Slotted Multiple Access (SD-DSMA) protocol with QoS guarantee. The Media Access Control (MAC) frame format is variable according to the traffic of uplink and downlink and the traffic of control and data. In addition, the services are divided into two categories, Guaranteed Bandwidth (GB) and Best Effort (BE). Uplink control message slots are designed for the GB users to reduce contention. Taking into consideration the techniques in physical layer, a two-Dimensional Radio Resource Allocation (2-D RRA) method is proposed. The 2-D RRA is an efficient way to allocate radio resources for multi-cell, multi-user OFDM/TDMA system as it takes into consideration both the channel condition and the co-channel interference. The piggyback mechanism and fair scheduling algorithm are adopted for GB services, and the max C/I scheduling algorithm is used for BE services. The simulation results show that the proposed MAC protocol has better performance in terms of delay, probability of successful access request.

  12. The use of the MacCormack scheme in computational hydraulics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, R. [Universidad Central de Venezuela, Inst. de Mecanica de Fluidos, Caracas (Venezuela); Zhang, H.; Kahawita, R. [Ecole Polytechnique, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

    1985-07-01

    This manuscript describes the development of a numerical model that solves shallow water problems based upon an enhanced version of the MacCormack explicit scheme (MS). The MS has been successfully applied to solve numerous problems in gas dynamics. However, the standard application of the MS to solve the shallow water equations can cause in certain test cases non-linear instabilities and non-symmetrical results that eventually destroy the solution. By examining the calculation 'cell' one can show that the MS is not symmetric in space, which explains why it cannot be used directly in the treatment of hydraulic problems most of which possess irregular boundaries thereby resulting in a flow with no 'preferred direction'. This is contrary to what is usually encountered in aerodynamics. The enhanced MacCormack scheme is obtained by a simple modification to the original formulation resulting in a symmetric scheme. The scheme has been applied to the computation of the flowfield in a real life situation with satisfactory results. (author)

  13. Autonomous Power Control MAC Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Battery energy limitation has become a performance bottleneck for mobile ad hoc networks. IEEE 802.11 has been adopted as the current standard MAC protocol for ad hoc networks. However, it was developed without considering energy efficiency. To solve this problem, many modifications on IEEE 802.11 to incorporate power control have been proposed in the literature. The main idea of these power control schemes is to use a maximum possible power level for transmitting RTS/CTS and the lowest acceptable power for sending DATA/ACK. However, these schemes may degrade network throughput and reduce the overall energy efficiency of the network. This paper proposes autonomous power control MAC protocol (APCMP, which allows mobile nodes dynamically adjusting power level for transmitting DATA/ACK according to the distances between the transmitter and its neighbors. In addition, the power level for transmitting RTS/CTS is also adjustable according to the power level for DATA/ACK packets. In this paper, the performance of APCMP protocol is evaluated by simulation and is compared with that of other protocols.

  14. Beyond MACS: A Snapshot Survey of the Most Massive Clusters of Galaxies at z>0.5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebeling, Harald

    2017-08-01

    Truly massive galaxy clusters play a pivotal role for a wealth of extragalactic and cosmological research topics, and SNAPshot observations of these systems are ideally suited to identify the most promising cluster targets for further, in-depth study. The power of this approach was demonstrated by ACS/WFC3 SNAPshots of X-ray selected MACS and eMACS clusters at z>0.3 obtained by us in previous Cycles (44 of them in all of F606W, F814W, F110W, and F140W). Based on these data, the CLASH MCT program selected 16 out of 25 of their targets to be MACS clusters. Similarly, all but one of the six most powerful cluster lenses selected for in-depth study by the HST Frontier Fields initiative are MACS detections, and so are 16 of the 29 z>0.3 clusters targeted by the RELICS legacy program.We propose to extend our spectacularly successful SNAPshot survey of the most X-ray luminous distant clusters to a redshift-mass regime that is poorly sampled by any other project. Targeting only extremely massive clusters at z>0.5 from the X-ray selected eMACS sample (median velocity dispersion: 1180 km/s), the proposed program will (a) identify the most powerful gravitational telescopes at yet higher redshift for the next generation of in-depth studies of the distant Universe with HST and JWST, (b) provide constraints on the mass distribution within these extreme systems, (c) help improve our understanding of the physical nature of galaxy-galaxy and galaxy-gas interactions in cluster cores, and (d) unveil Balmer Break Galaxies at z 2 and Lyman-break galaxies at z>6 as F814W dropouts.Acknowledging the broad community interest in our sample we waive our data rights for these observations.

  15. Rheumatic Disease Autoantibodies in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nisihara, Renato; Pigosso, Yasmine; Prado, Nathalia; Utiyama, Shirley R R; Carvalho, Gisah; Skare, Thelma

    2018-06-04

    Patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD) such as Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) may have non-organ specific autoantibodies such as ANA (antinuclear antibodies) and RF (rheumatoid factor). To study the prevalence of rheumatic autoantibodies in a group of ATD patients without known rheumatic diseases and to evaluate its association with the patients' epidemiological and treatment profile. To follow positive non-organ specific autoantibody-positive ATD individuals to investigate whether they will develop a rheumatic disorder. A sample of 154 ATD patients (70 HT and 84 GD; mean age 45.3 ± 14.2) had determination of ANA by immunofluorescence, using hep-2 cells as substrate, extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) profile by ELISA kits and RF by latex agglutination. Epidemiological and treatment profile were obtained through chart review. These patients were followed for the mean period of five years, between 2010 to 2015. Positive ANA was found in 17.5% (27/154) of the patients: anti-Ro/SS-A in 4/154 (2.5%); anti-RNP in 4/154 (2.5%) and anti-La/SS-B in 3/154 (1.9%). None had anti-Sm antibodies. RF was detected in 12/154 (7.7%) of ATD patients and was more common in older individuals (p = 0.007). There was a positive association between the presence of RF and ANA (p = 0.03; OR = 3.89; 95% CI = 1.1-13.3). None of the patients with positive autoantibodies developed clinical rheumatic diseases during the period of observation. We found rheumatic autoantibodies in 17.5% of ATD patients without rheumatic diseases. None of them were associated with the appearance of clinical rheumatic disorder during the period of five years. ©2018The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  16. Adjuvant interferon gamma in patients with pulmonary atypical Mycobacteriosis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sánchez-de la Osa Reinaldo B

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background High antibiotic resistance is described in atypical Mycobacteriosis, mainly by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in two hospitals to evaluate the effect of interferon (IFN gamma as immunoadjuvant to chemotherapy on patients with atypical mycobacteria lung disease. Patients received placebo or 1 × 106 IU recombinant human IFN gamma intramuscularly, daily for one month and then three times per week up to 6 months as adjuvant to daily oral azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ethambutol and rifampin. Sputum samples collection for direct smear observation and culture as well as clinical and thorax radiography assessments were done during treatment and one year after. Cytokines and oxidative stress determinations were carried out in peripheral blood before and after treatment. Results Eighteen patients were included in the IFN group and 14 received placebo. Groups were homogeneous at entry; average age was 60 years, 75% men, 84% white; MAC infection prevailed (94%. At the end of treatment, 72% of patients treated with IFN gamma were evaluated as complete responders, but only 36% in the placebo group. The difference was maintained during follow-up. A more rapid complete response was obtained in the IFN group (5 months before, with a significantly earlier improvement in respiratory symptoms and pulmonary lesions reduction. Disease-related deaths were 35.7% of the patients in the placebo group and only 11.1% in the IFN group. Three patients in the IFN group normalized their globular sedimentation rate values. Although differences in bacteriology were not significant during the treatment period, some patients in the placebo group converted again to positive during follow-up. Significant increments in serum TGF-beta and advanced oxidation protein products were observed in the placebo group but not among IFN receiving patients. Treatments were well tolerated

  17. An FEC Adaptive Multicast MAC Protocol for Providing Reliability in WLANs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basalamah, Anas; Sato, Takuro

    For wireless multicast applications like multimedia conferencing, voice over IP and video/audio streaming, a reliable transmission of packets within short delivery delay is needed. Moreover, reliability is crucial to the performance of error intolerant applications like file transfer, distributed computing, chat and whiteboard sharing. Forward Error Correction (FEC) is frequently used in wireless multicast to enhance Packet Error Rate (PER) performance, but cannot assure full reliability unless coupled with Automatic Repeat Request forming what is knows as Hybrid-ARQ. While reliable FEC can be deployed at different levels of the protocol stack, it cannot be deployed on the MAC layer of the unreliable IEEE802.11 WLAN due to its inability to exchange ACKs with multiple recipients. In this paper, we propose a Multicast MAC protocol that enhances WLAN reliability by using Adaptive FEC and study it's performance through mathematical analysis and simulation. Our results show that our protocol can deliver high reliability and throughput performance.

  18. Mitral annular calcification and incident ischemic stroke in treated hypertensive patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    De Marco, Marina; Gerdts, Eva; Casalnuovo, Giuseppina

    2013-01-01

    ) who did not have aortic or mitral valve stenosis or prosthesis. Results MAC was found in 458 patients (49%). Patients with MAC were older (68±7 vs. 65±7 years); were more often women (47% vs. 37%); had higher baseline systolic blood pressure (BP) (175±14 vs. 172±15mm Hg), left atrial diameter (4.0...

  19. Wireless Monitoring for Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases and Parkinson's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kefaliakos, Antonios; Pliakos, Ioannis; Charalampidou, Martha; Diomidous, Marianna

    2016-01-01

    The use of applications for mobile devices and wireless sensors is common for the sector of telemedicine. Recently various studies and systems were developed in order to help patients suffering from severe diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and Parkinson's disease. They present a challenge for the sector because such systems demand the flow of accurate data in real time and the use of specialized sensors. In this review will be presented some very interesting applications developed for patients with cardiovascular diseases and Parkinson's disease.

  20. Design and Implementation of an Enhanced 802.11 MAC Architecture for Single-Hop Wireless Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ralph Bernasconi

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to its extreme simplicity and flexibility, the IEEE 802.11 standard is the dominant technology to implement both infrastructure-based WLANs and single-hop ad hoc networks. In spite of its popularity, there is a vast literature demonstrating the shortcomings of using the 802.11 technology in such environments, such as dramatic degradation of network capacity as contention increases and vulnerability to external interferences. Therefore, the design of enhancements and optimizations for the original 802.11 MAC protocol has been a very active research area in the last years. However, all these modifications to the 802.11 MAC protocol were validated only through simulations and/or analytical investigations. In this paper, we present a very unique work as we have designed a flexible hardware/software platform, fully compatible with current implementations of the IEEE 802.11 technology, which we have used to concretely implement and test an enhanced 802.11 backoff algorithm. Our experimental results clearly show that the enhanced mechanism outperforms the standard 802.11 MAC protocol in real scenarios.

  1. The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship: Explorations on sustainable and innovative leadership

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brianda Hernandez Cavalcanti

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Higher education does not exist in a vacuum. Institutions of higher learning should serve as vibrant and dynamic anchors to their communities and to society. Civic engagement and community service should be inextricable from research, teaching and learning. The Talloires Network is an international coalition of higher education institutions founded on such a vision. It is because of this vision that the MacJannet Foundation approached the Talloires Network in 2009 to establish the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. Following in the footsteps of founders Donald and Charlotte MacJannet, the international Foundation is dedicated to providing pathways for individuals and institutions to use their skills for the good of their communities. The MacJannet Prize recognizes exceptional student community engagement initiatives at Talloires Network member universities and contributes financially to their ongoing public service efforts. This special edition journal of Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement features articles from five first-place MacJannet Prize winners and one second-place winner. The articles offer a glimpse of university civic engagement projects in six countries created to help marginalised and vulnerable communities. They highlight the complexity of civic engagement efforts in different institutional environments and regions of the world and provide insight into the pedagogy and practice of engagement. Further, the articles highlight the many challenges associated with this type of work, not only with scaling up the initiatives but with institutionalising them. Finally, these accounts serve as a reminder of the critical importance higher education institutions have in the success of these initiatives and the dedication of the individuals who lead them.

  2. Predictors of Lymph Node Metastasis and Prognosis in pT1 Colorectal Cancer Patients with Signet-Ring Cell and Mucinous Adenocarcinomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bao-Rong Song

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: The local excision of early colorectal cancer is limited by the presence of lymph node metastasis (LNM. Signet-ring cell carcinomas (SRC and mucinous adenocarcinomas (MAC are two relatively infrequent histological subtypes. However, little is known about the predictors of LNM and prognosis to support the feasibility of local excision in early-stage SRC and MAC. Methods: The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Database were used to identify all patients with pT1 adenocarcinomas, including conventional adenocarcinoma (AC, MAC, and SRC. The prevalence of LNM was assessed, and the long-term survival rate in the above three types of colorectal cancer was calculated. Results: SRC accounted for 0.3% and MAC accounted for 4.4% of the entire cohort of colorectal adenocarcinomas. Compared to AC, MRC and SRC were more often located in the proximal colon, and exhibited a higher grade. The incidence of LNM in AC, MAC, and SRC was 10.6%, 17.2%, and 33.3% for colon cancers and 14.8%, 25.9%, and 46.2% for rectal cancers, respectively. In patients with lymph nodes resected no less than 12, incidence of LNM in AC, MRC, and SRC was 12%, 21%, and 44% for colon tumors and 17%, 30%, and 14% for rectal tumors, respectively. Although, colon patients MAC showed an entirely worse survival rate than AC, rectum patients MAC showed a similar prognosis to AC. We found that in patients with rectal tumors, SRC had a worse 3 and 5-year prognosis than AC. However, for colon cancers, the prognosis of SRC was similar to that of AC. Histology was not found to be an independent prognostic factor in multivariate survival analysis. Conclusions: MAC and SRC are two distinct subtypes of colorectal cancer that require special attention despite their relatively rare prevalence. pT1 patients with SRC of the rectum and patients with MAC of the colon have higher incidences of LNM, and with these adverse outcomes, local excision is not recommended. AlthoughMAC of the

  3. Review of Sustainable Energy -- Without the Hot Air by David MacKay (2009

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kira Hamman

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available David MacKay. Sustainable Energy: Without the hot air. (Cambridge, England: UIT Cambridge Ltd., 2009. 384 pp. ISBN 978-0954452933 (also available as a free e-book. Physicist David MacKay transforms what has historically been a debate fraught with skepticism and hysteria into an informed conversation. He does this by providing clear, accurate quantitative information on energy production and consumption in a form that allows comparison and invites thoughtful analysis. By recalibrating power into kilowatt-hours per day per person, he makes the numbers meaningful on an individual level. He then meticulously estimates the productive capacity of various renewable energy sources, explores alternative energy solutions, and ends with an array of concrete plans to get the planet off fossil fuels for good.

  4. Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patients Experience Similar Symptoms of Disease Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cedars, Ari M; Stefanescu Schmidt, Ada; Broberg, Craig; Zaidi, Ali; Opotowsky, Alexander; Grewal, Jasmine; Kay, Joseph; Bhatt, Ami B; Novak, Eric; Spertus, John

    2016-03-01

    There is a lack of objective data on the symptoms characterizing disease activity among adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The purpose of this study was to elicit the most important symptoms from patients across the spectrum of ACHD and to examine whether reported symptoms were similar across the spectrum of ACHD as a foundation for creating a patient-reported outcome measure(s). We constructed a 39-item survey using input from physicians specializing in ACHD to assess the symptoms patients associate with disease activity. Patients (n=124) prospectively completed this survey, and the results were analyzed based on underlying anatomy and disease complexity. A confirmatory cohort of patients (n=40) was then recruited prospectively to confirm the validity of the initial data. When grouped based on underlying anatomy, significant differences in disease-related symptom rankings were found for only 6 of 39 symptoms. Six symptoms were identified which were of particular significance to patients, regardless of underlying anatomy. Patients with anatomy of great complexity experienced greater overall symptom severity than those with anatomy of low or moderate complexity, attributable exclusively to higher ranking of 5 symptoms. The second patient cohort had symptom experiences similar to those of the initial cohort, differing in only 5 of 39 symptoms. This study identified 6 symptoms relevant to patients across the spectrum of ACHD and remarkable homogeneity of patient experience, suggesting that a single disease-specific patient-reported outcome can be created for quality and outcome assessments. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  5. Latency-Optimized and Energy-Efficient MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: A Cross-Layer Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Xiuzhen

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Considering the energy constraint for fixed sensor nodes and the unacceptable long propagation delay, especially for latency sensitive applications of underwater acoustic sensor networks, we propose a MAC protocol that is latency-optimized and energy-efficient scheme and combines the physical layer and the MAC layer to shorten transmission delay. On physical layer, we apply convolution coding and interleaver for transmitted information. Moreover, dynamic code rate is exploited at the receiver side to accelerate data reception rate. On MAC layer, unfixed frame length scheme is applied to reduce transmission delay, and to ensure the data successful transmission rate at the same time. Furthermore, we propose a network topology: an underwater acoustic sensor network with mobile agent. Through fully utilizing the supper capabilities on computation and mobility of autonomous underwater vehicles, the energy consumption for fixed sensor nodes can be extremely reduced, so that the lifetime of networks is extended.

  6. Intelligent Cooperative MAC Protocol for Balancing Energy Consumption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, S.; Liu, K.; Huang, B.; Liu, F.

    To extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks, we proposed an intelligent balanced energy consumption cooperative MAC protocol (IBEC-CMAC) based on the multi-node cooperative transmission model. The protocol has priority to access high-quality channels for reducing energy consumption of each transmission. It can also balance the energy consumption among cooperative nodes by using high residual energy nodes instead of excessively consuming some node's energy. Simulation results show that IBEC-CMAC can obtain longer network lifetime and higher energy utilization than direct transmission.

  7. A new architecture and MAC protocol for fully flexible hybrid WDM/TDM PON

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Das, G.; Lannoo, B.; Jung, H.D.; Koonen, A.M.J.; Colle, D.; Pickavet, M.; Demeester, P.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we propose a novel architecture and MAC protocol for a scalable, cost effective WDM / TDM PON providing fully flexible dynamic bandwidth allocation for upstream and downstream data transmission.

  8. Fiverr MacGyver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hut, Rolf; van de Giesen, Nick; Larson, Martha

    2014-05-01

    Crowdsourcing has become popular over the past years, also for scientific endeavors. There are many Citizen Science projects and crowdfunding platforms, such as Kickstarter, that are make helpful contributions to moving environmental science forward. An interesting underused source of useful crowd-derived contributions to research is the website Fiverr.com. On this platform, thousands of people, acting as small-scale freelance contractors, offer their skills in the form of services. The platform offers a chance for people to take a hobby, skill, or pastime and make it something more by reaching out to a wider audience and by receiving a payment in return for services. As is typical of other crowdsourcing platforms, the tasks are small and usually self contained. As the name Fiverr suggests, offers start at US5 to provide a particular service. Services offered range from graphic design, to messages sung or spoken with various styles or accents, to complete apps for Android or iPhone. Skill providers on the platform can accept a range of variation of definition in the tasks, some can be described in general terms, for others it is more appropriate to provide examples. Fiverr provides a central location for those offering skills and those needing services to find each other, it makes it possible to communicate and exchange files, to make payments, and it provides support for resolving disputes. In all cases, it is important to keep expectations aligned with the nature of the platform: quality can and will vary. Ultimately, the critical contribution of Fiverr is not to replace professional services or otherwise save money, but rather to provide access to a large group of people with specialized skills who are able to make a contribution on short notice. In the context of this session, it can be considered a pool of people with MacGyver skills lying in wait of a MacGyyer task to attack. There are many ways in which Fiverr tasks, which are called 'gigs', can be useful in

  9. Stochastic simulation of climate change impacts on ice road operations, MacKenzie River, Northwest Territories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, Mingko; Lonergan, S.

    1990-01-01

    Winter roads constitute an important part of the transportation network in the MacKenzie Delta, the Yellowknife area, and between the MacKenzie Highway and the Canol Road. Climatic changes in the MacKenzie Valley will alter the probabilities of ice cover thickness and duration, impacting on the periods when ice road river crossings are viable. Stochastic models were developed to generate air temperature and precipitation data to analyze climate impacts on when ice road crossing of the MacKenzie River at Norman Wells is feasible. The data were employed to simulate river ice growth and decay. Several general circulation models were employed to determine the impacts of climatic change on the ice regime. For precipitation simulation, the occurrence of wet or dry days was determined from Markov chain transition probabilities. In general, the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) model predicted the largest increase in monthly precipitation and the Oregon State University (OSU) model predicted the least changes. The various scenarios indicated that the duration for vehicular traffic over ice will be significantly reduced, compared to present day Norman Wells ice crossing operation. For 20 tonne vehicles, the current duration for safe crossing averages 169±14.6 days per year, while for the OSU scenario it will be reduced to 148±14.7 days, is further reduced to 127±24.9 days for the GISS scenario, and drops to 122±21.7 days for the GFDL (General Fluid Dynamics Laboratory) scenario. 5 refs., 1 fig

  10. Kluyvera ascorbata infection in Cystic Fibrosis airway disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonietta Lambiase

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Bacilli belonged to genus Kluyvera are Gram negative non-fermentative microorganisms described in the Enterobacteriaceae family, generally considered as saprophytes of the digestive tract.Their role in pathogenesis of infectious disease is unclear, but recently, they are emerged as a cause of clinically significant disease in no-CFpopulation and several anatomic sites are involved as urinary, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In the present note, we describe the identification of Kluyvera ascorbata isolates, obtained from sputum samples of one CF patient (male, 10 years old. The note concerns a patient suffering from chronic obstructive bronchopulmonary disease and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Isolates showed a good growth on MacConkey agar and BCSA, after incubation at 37°C for 24-48 h and they were sensitive to several antibiotics, as cephalosporins, carbapenems, quinolones and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Clinical observation and the spirometric parameters early before and after isolation of microrganism did not show any worsening status in our patient. The selective pressure given by intensive use of antibiotics in CF patients increases susceptibility to infections by opportunistic microrganisms. Our report underlines the importance of careful bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility study in defining the potential role of new pathogen bacteria in CF lung and to address possible therapeutic strategies that may help to guide antibiotic therapy regimes in CF patients.

  11. [Hypothyroidism in patients with heart disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiskra, Jan

    Hypothyroidism is frequently found in patients with heart disease. It is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease and has a direct negative effect on both the left and right ventricular functions (hypothyroidism-induced cardiomyopathy). The confirmed manifest hypothyroidism is always a reason for replacement therapy with levothyroxine; regarding patients with heart disease, we always begin treatment with a small dose and increase it gradually. The treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism in patients with heart disease is disputable and its benefits probably depend on age. At a higher age, the therapy-related risks often outweigh its benefits, so we make do with the target levels of the thyroid stimulating hormone being within the upper band of the normal range, or even slightly above it, rather than overdosing the patient. To summarize in a simplified way, the treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism in patients with heart disease is the most effective in younger individuals, mainly those aged below 65, while at a higher age > 80 years the risk usually outweighs the benefit.Key words: cardiovascular risk - hypothyroidism - ischemic heart disease - left ventricular dysfunction - right ventricular dysfunction - subclinical hypothyroidism - thyroid peroxidase antibodies.

  12. Four Unknown Prison Poems by H. C. Bosman | MacKenzie ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Four Unknown Prison Poems by H. C. Bosman. C MacKenzie. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eia.v40i2.1 · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors ...

  13. C-Band Airport Surface Communications System Standards Development. Phase II Final Report. Volume 2: Test Bed Performance Evaluation and Final AeroMACS Recommendations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Edward; Magner, James

    2011-01-01

    This report is provided as part of ITT s NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: New ATM Requirements-Future Communications, C-Band and L-Band Communications Standard Development and was based on direction provided by FAA project-level agreements for New ATM Requirements-Future Communications. Task 7 included two subtasks. Subtask 7-1 addressed C-band (5091- to 5150-MHz) airport surface data communications standards development, systems engineering, test bed and prototype development, and tests and demonstrations to establish operational capability for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). Subtask 7-2 focused on systems engineering and development support of the L-band digital aeronautical communications system (L-DACS). Subtask 7-1 consisted of two phases. Phase I included development of AeroMACS concepts of use, requirements, architecture, and initial high-level safety risk assessment. Phase II builds on Phase I results and is presented in two volumes. Volume I is devoted to concepts of use, system requirements, and architecture, including AeroMACS design considerations. Volume II (this document) describes an AeroMACS prototype evaluation and presents final AeroMACS recommendations. This report also describes airport categorization and channelization methodologies. The purposes of the airport categorization task were (1) to facilitate initial AeroMACS architecture designs and enable budgetary projections by creating a set of airport categories based on common airport characteristics and design objectives, and (2) to offer high-level guidance to potential AeroMACS technology and policy development sponsors and service providers. A channelization plan methodology was developed because a common global methodology is needed to assure seamless interoperability among diverse AeroMACS services potentially supplied by multiple service providers.

  14. Modeling a content-aware LTE MAC downlink scheduler with heterogeneous traffic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Artuso, Matteo; Christiansen, Henrik Lehrmann

    2013-01-01

    The scheduling policy adopted in the LTE (Long Term Evolution) MAC layer is the most valuable degree of freedom left from the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) consortium to the industry and the research community . This paper presents an OPNET model of the downlink scheduling in a one...

  15. Facing and quality of life in patients with breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varela, B.; Caporale, B.; Galain, A.; Viera, M.; Delgado, L.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of coping strategies quality of life of women with breast cancer. patients faced a series of stressful events related to the disease and its treatment. We show some results of a longitudinal study. Patients and Methods: We interviewed and questionnaires applied to 51 patients with positive diagnosis of breast cancer. We apply the questionnaires at week following the surgery, and after completion of the treatments listed chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy. Scales used - the mental adjustment to cancer (Mac, mental adjustment was evaluated to cancer), anxiety and depression through the HADS, and quality of life and S F 36 POMS (profile of mood states). Results: The analysis of the results show this trend, to find the following negative correlations (Spearman r) between coping strategies (Mac) and the domains of the S F-36 Hopelessness with physical function (R.38) and social function (R.44); anxious concern physical role (R.36), general health (R.35) and mental health (R.62); avoidance with role physical (37 r.) and mental health (R.36); fatalism pain (R.37) and vitality (R.41). Hopelessness, anxious worry, anxiety and depression, are psychosocial factors that affect quality of life

  16. MACS, Lattice Vibrations Structure Factors for Thermal Neutron Scattering in Moderators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McMurry, H.L.; Suitt, W.J.; Worlton, T.G.; Martin, R.M.

    1974-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: This package of seven related codes is basically aimed at giving maximum capability for calculating slow-neutron scattering by moderators. MACS-C computes crystal vibrations when the potential energy is a sum of parts arising from short-range forces and long-range Coulomb interactions. It also obtains Jacobian matrices for determining adjustments in force constants and ionic charge which can lead to improved agreement with data. Structure factors for neutron inelastic scattering can also be calculated. MACS-J computes the dynamical matrix for the harmonic oscillations of a crystal, its eigenvalues and eigenvectors, the corresponding structure factors for coherent single-phonon scattering of neutrons, and Jacobian matrices for use in adjusting force constants to fit calculated to observed dispersion curves. REVISED-D calculates valance coordinates in terms of mass adjusted atom displacements, together with coordinates which define rigid group rotations. REVISED-MVFC constructs force constant matrices for use in valance force potential functions which are used in other programs dealing with molecular and crystal vibrations. ADJUSTER is a force adjuster program to obtain a least squares fit to observed frequencies of molecules and crystals. DIPOLE-SUM calculates dipole sums for an arbitrary crystal. MODEL-PI calculates crystal vibrations when the potential energy is a sum of short-range and long- or intermediate-range terms in the dipole coordinate approximation. It also obtains Jacobian matrices for use in adjusting input parameters. 2 - Method of solution: In MACS-C, ADJUSTER, and REVISED-D, matrix manipulations are applied to matrices which describe physical conditions. In MACS-J, first-order difference equations are substituted for partial differential equations for Jacobian elements. In MVFC the user employs a set of criteria for defining different types of interactions to prepare by hand the input to the program. For

  17. Mortality in patients with pituitary disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Sherlock, Mark

    2010-06-01

    Pituitary disease is associated with increased mortality predominantly due to vascular disease. Control of cortisol secretion and GH hypersecretion (and cardiovascular risk factor reduction) is key in the reduction of mortality in patients with Cushing\\'s disease and acromegaly, retrospectively. For patients with acromegaly, the role of IGF-I is less clear-cut. Confounding pituitary hormone deficiencies such as gonadotropins and particularly ACTH deficiency (with higher doses of hydrocortisone replacement) may have a detrimental effect on outcome in patients with pituitary disease. Pituitary radiotherapy is a further factor that has been associated with increased mortality (particularly cerebrovascular). Although standardized mortality ratios in pituitary disease are falling due to improved treatment, mortality for many conditions are still elevated above that of the general population, and therefore further measures are needed. Craniopharyngioma patients have a particularly increased risk of mortality as a result of the tumor itself and treatment to control tumor growth; this is a key area for future research in order to optimize the outcome for these patients.

  18. Prevalence of mucocutaneous findings in Celiac disease patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derya Yayla

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy which develops as a result of exposure to gluten in food products in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal clinical findings can be seen in these patients. An increased frequence of autoimmune diseases has been reported in patients with celiac disease. Some dermatological diseases, such as dermatitis herpetiformis, vitiligo, psoriasis, alopecia areata and recurrent aphthous stomatitis have been reported to be more common among patients with celiac disease. However, there are no controlled studies on this subject. The aim of this study was to identify the mucocutaneous symptoms seen in celiac patients and to compare these findings with a control group. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine celiac patients and 54 age-and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. In the patient group, celiac disease history, height and weight parameters, the medications of the patients, compliance to a gluten-free diet, concomitant skin disorders and additional illnesses were questioned; height and weight parameters, diagnosed illnesses, and medications were questioned in the control group. Dermatological analyses were performed in all participants. Results: Mucocutaneous findings were found to be present in 38 patients (77.6% in the celiac patient group and in 31 (57.4% individuals in the control group. The presence of mucocutaneous findings in celiac patients was significantly more common than in the control group. While immune-mediated mucocutaneous diseases were detected in 8 celiac patients (16.3%, none of the individuals in the control group had immune-mediated mucocutaneous diseases and a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups. Conclusion: In celiac patients, the frequency of immune-mediated mucocutaneous diseases and all mucocutaneous diseases were found to be increased. Therefore, we suggest

  19. Nutritional Assesment in Cystic Fibrosis Patients( Iran and Newzeland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V Moeeni

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Patients with Cystic Fibrosis have increased risk of malnutrition. Early detection of nutritional deterioration enables prompt intervention and correction. The aims of this project were to: - Define the nutritional status of CF patients in Iran and New Zealand -    Compare and contrast the MacDonald Nutritional Screening tool  with the Australasian guidelines for Nutrition in Cystic Fibrosis -    Validate these results in comparison with patient’s evaluation by their CF clinical team.   Materials and Methods: 69 CF patients (2-18 years were assessed during routine outpatient visits over one year. Anthropometric measurements were obtained. Both tools were applied for each patient and the results compared to their clinical evaluation (as gold standard with calculation of specificity and sensitivity. Results: Under-nutrition was more frequent in Iranian than NZ patients (39% versus 0%, p=0.0001, whereas over-nutrition was more prevalent in NZ children (9% versus 17%, p=0.05. At the first visit, MacDonald and Australasian guidelines were able to recognize 77% and 61% of under-nourished Iranian patients, respectively. The mean sensitivity and specificity for all visits for the MacDonald tool were 83% & 73% (Iran and 65% & 86% (NZ. Sensitivity and specificity for the Australasian guidelines were 79% & 79% (Iran and 70% & 90% (NZ. Conclusions: Both tools successfully recognised patients at risk of malnutrition. The MacDonald tool had comparable sensitivity and specificity to that described previously, especially in Iranian patients. This tool may be helpful in recognizing at risk CF patients, particularly in developing countries with fewer resources. Key words: Iran, Cystic Fibrosis Patient, Newzeland, Nutritional Assesment.

  20. The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Fitness to Plead: a preliminary evaluation of a research instrument for assessing fitness to plead in England and Wales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akinkunmi, Akintunde A

    2002-01-01

    This study concerns the preliminary evaluation of an instrument, the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Fitness to Plead (MacCAT-FP), for assessing competence to stand trial, according to the legal requirements in England and Wales. The purposes of the study were to ascertain whether the instrument can be administered practically to groups of prisoners, both those with mental illness and those without; to examine its internal consistency and interrater reliability; to determine whether it can distinguish between fit and unfit individuals, as judged by expert forensic psychiatrists; and to discover whether it is sensitive to changes over time. The instrument was administered to two groups of remanded prisoners: those transferred to psychiatric units for treatment and those without mental illness. In addition to the MacCAT-FP, scales measuring symptom severity and IQ were administered to all participants. Results suggest that the instrument is practical, with good internal consistency and interrater reliability. The correlation of scores with psychiatrists' opinions as to fitness was 0.77. Scores of unfit patients were significantly different from those of fit individuals. The instrument was able to detect significant differences in scores over time. It is suggested that once the instrument has been further validated for research purposes, it may be developed for clinical application.

  1. Planeamiento Estratégico para Rímac Seguros

    OpenAIRE

    Alvitez Muñoz, Julio César; Esquivel Porras, César Augusto; Slocovich Salcedo, Erick Rodolfo

    2005-01-01

    El presente trabajo desarrolla una propuesta de valor en el ámbito del mercado de seguros de vida para ser implementada en Rímac Seguros, permitiendo asegurar a la empresa la sostenibilidad de su liderazgo a través del incremento de su participación en el mercado y la fidelización de sus clientes. Las condiciones en las que se desarrolla la industria de seguros en el mundo y en el Perú en particular, como la séptima en volumen de primas a nivel latinoamericano ofrece un mercado reducido ba...

  2. Antibodies with high avidity to the gp120 envelope protein in protection from simian immunodeficiency virus SIV(mac251) acquisition in an immunization regimen that mimics the RV-144 Thai trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pegu, Poonam; Vaccari, Monica; Gordon, Shari; Keele, Brandon F; Doster, Melvin; Guan, Yongjun; Ferrari, Guido; Pal, Ranajit; Ferrari, Maria Grazia; Whitney, Stephen; Hudacik, Lauren; Billings, Erik; Rao, Mangala; Montefiori, David; Tomaras, Georgia; Alam, S Munir; Fenizia, Claudio; Lifson, Jeffrey D; Stablein, Donald; Tartaglia, Jim; Michael, Nelson; Kim, Jerome; Venzon, David; Franchini, Genoveffa

    2013-02-01

    The recombinant canarypox vector, ALVAC-HIV, together with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gp120 envelope glycoprotein, has protected 31.2% of Thai individuals from HIV acquisition in the RV144 HIV vaccine trial. This outcome was unexpected, given the limited ability of the vaccine components to induce CD8(+) T-cell responses or broadly neutralizing antibodies. We vaccinated macaques with an immunization regimen intended to mimic the RV144 trial and exposed them intrarectally to a dose of the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV(mac251) that transmits few virus variants, similar to HIV transmission to humans. Vaccination induced anti-envelope antibodies in all vaccinees and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses. Three of the 11 macaques vaccinated with ALVAC-SIV/gp120 were protected from SIV(mac251) acquisition, but the result was not significant. The remaining vaccinees were infected and progressed to disease. The magnitudes of vaccine-induced SIV(mac251)-specific T-cell responses and binding antibodies were not significantly different between protected and infected animals. However, sera from protected animals had higher avidity antibodies to gp120, recognized the variable envelope regions V1/V2, and reduced SIV(mac251) infectivity in cells that express high levels of α(4)β(7) integrins, suggesting a functional role of antibodies to V2. The current results emphasize the utility of determining the titer of repeated mucosal challenge in the preclinical evaluation of HIV vaccines.

  3. Asymptomatic Vaginal Disease In Pregnancy

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    1974-04-17

    Apr 17, 1974 ... Eight patients (1,4%) had asymptomatic gonorrhoea. Clinical features ... MacConkey's agar (for identification of Escherichia coli,. Proteus and other .... Another interesting observation was the error in the clinical diagnosis of ...

  4. The radiologic examination in rheumatic diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houli, J.

    1985-01-01

    The importance of the radiologic examination in rheumatic diseases is discussed. The value of correct execution (incidence and appropriate method) and posterior interpretation in the radiographic proceeding is broached aiming at a clinic-radiologic association. The necessity of an analitic radiographic examination is emphasized and basic principles of its interpretation are described. The expressives aspects of main rheumatic diseases are presented (M.A.C.) [pt

  5. A Unified NET-MAC-PHY Cross-layer Framework for Performance Evaluation of Multi-hop Ad hoc WLANs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachid El-Azouzi

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Most of the existing works have been evaluated the performance of 802.11 multihop networks by considering the MAC layer or network layer separately. Knowing the nature of the multi-hop ad hoc networks, many factors in different layers are crucial for study the performance of MANET. In this paper we present a new analytic model for evaluating average end-to-end throughput in IEEE 802.11e multihop wireless networks. In particular, we investigate an intricate interaction among PHY, MAC and Network layers. For instance, we incorporate carrier sense threshold, transmission power, contention window size, retransmissions retry limit, multi rates, routing protocols and network topology together. We build a general cross-layered framework to represent multi-hop ad hoc networks with asymmetric topology and asymmetric traffic. We develop an analytical model to predict throughput of each connection as well as stability of forwarding queues at intermediate nodes in saturated networks. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that our work is the first wherein general topology and asymmetric parameters setup are considered in PHY/MAC/Network layers. Performance of such a system is also evaluated through simulation. We show that performance measures of the MAC layer are affected by the traffic intensity of flows to be forwarded. More precisely, attempt rate and collision probability are dependent on traffic flows, topology and routing.

  6. Affordability of cataract surgery using the Big Mac prices

    OpenAIRE

    Van C. Lansingh; Marissa J. Carter; Kristen A. Eckert; Kevin L. Winthrop; João M. Furtado; Serge Resnikoff

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: One barrier to cataract surgery is its high price in some countries. This study aims to understand to what extent the price of cataract surgery is over- or undervalued and whether it varies in relation to GDP using The Economist newspaper Big Mac Index (BMcI) methodology, which measures the purchasing power parity between different currencies. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles containing information on cataract surgery prices were searched from 1993 to June 2012 in databases. Ophtha...

  7. Strategies for Optimal MAC Parameters Tuning in IEEE 802.15.6 Wearable Wireless Sensor Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Muhammad Mahtab; Ben Hamida, Elyes

    2015-09-01

    Wireless body area networks (WBAN) has penetrated immensely in revolutionizing the classical heath-care system. Recently, number of WBAN applications has emerged which introduce potential limits to existing solutions. In particular, IEEE 802.15.6 standard has provided great flexibility, provisions and capabilities to deal emerging applications. In this paper, we investigate the application-specific throughput analysis by fine-tuning the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) parameters of the IEEE 802.15.6 standard. Based on PHY characterizations in narrow band, at the MAC layer, carrier sense multiple access collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) and scheduled access protocols are extensively analyzed. It is concluded that, IEEE 802.15.6 standard can satisfy most of the WBANs applications throughput requirements by maximum achieving 680 Kbps. However, those emerging applications which require high quality audio or video transmissions, standard is not able to meet their constraints. Moreover, delay, energy efficiency and successful packet reception are considered as key performance metrics for comparing the MAC protocols. CSMA/CA protocol provides the best results to meet the delay constraints of medical and non-medical WBAN applications. Whereas, the scheduled access approach, performs very well both in energy efficiency and packet reception ratio.

  8. ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE ON MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. Aijaz Ahmed, Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Ahsan, Dr. Pooran Mal*, Dr. Hamid Nawaz Ali Memon, Dr. Samreen and Dr. Sajjad Ali

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To determine the frequency of ischemic heart disease in patients of chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis Patients and Methods: A total of 160 patients with diagnosis of CKD in department of Nephrology, Liaquat National Hospital Karachi were recruited in this six months cross sectional study. Demographic information was recorded. Then patients were underwent ECG. Reports were assessed and ischemic heart disease was labeled while all the data was collected using the pro...

  9. The baby has not come: obstructed labour | MacKeith | South Sudan ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The baby has not come: obstructed labour. Nancy MacKeith, Wal Bichiok Wur. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's ...

  10. MacSyFinder: a program to mine genomes for molecular systems with an application to CRISPR-Cas systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie S Abby

    Full Text Available Biologists often wish to use their knowledge on a few experimental models of a given molecular system to identify homologs in genomic data. We developed a generic tool for this purpose.Macromolecular System Finder (MacSyFinder provides a flexible framework to model the properties of molecular systems (cellular machinery or pathway including their components, evolutionary associations with other systems and genetic architecture. Modelled features also include functional analogs, and the multiple uses of a same component by different systems. Models are used to search for molecular systems in complete genomes or in unstructured data like metagenomes. The components of the systems are searched by sequence similarity using Hidden Markov model (HMM protein profiles. The assignment of hits to a given system is decided based on compliance with the content and organization of the system model. A graphical interface, MacSyView, facilitates the analysis of the results by showing overviews of component content and genomic context. To exemplify the use of MacSyFinder we built models to detect and class CRISPR-Cas systems following a previously established classification. We show that MacSyFinder allows to easily define an accurate "Cas-finder" using publicly available protein profiles.MacSyFinder is a standalone application implemented in Python. It requires Python 2.7, Hmmer and makeblastdb (version 2.2.28 or higher. It is freely available with its source code under a GPLv3 license at https://github.com/gem-pasteur/macsyfinder. It is compatible with all platforms supporting Python and Hmmer/makeblastdb. The "Cas-finder" (models and HMM profiles is distributed as a compressed tarball archive as Supporting Information.

  11. Body composition monitoring and nutrition in maintenance hemodialysis and CAPD patients--a multicenter longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathew, Sharon; Abraham, Georgi; Vijayan, Madhusudan; Thandavan, Thigarajan; Mathew, Milly; Veerappan, Ilangovan; Revathy, Laxmi; Alex, Merina E

    2015-02-01

    Hydration and nutritional status of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Body composition monitoring (BCM) by multi-frequency bioimpedance spectroscopy (MFBS) is considered to be a superior modality of fluid assessment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) dialysis. We did a longitudinal prospective study in South India on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients over 24 months and looked at impact of baseline nutritional parameters and body composition parameters on 24-month mortality. Ninety-nine patients stable on dialysis for at least 3 months were recruited (MHD 85, CAPD 14) at baseline and at 24 months, 41 were alive and 33 had expired, 12 had undergone renal transplant and 13 were lost to follow-up. BCM and nutritional assessment were done at baseline and at follow-up. Baseline overhydration (OH) differed significantly between surviving and dead patients (p < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve between OH and mortality showed that the best cut-off point to differentiate between survived and expired patients was 3.15 L. ROC curve for BMI showed lower than cut-off of 22.65 kg/m(2) to predict mortality with sensitivity 41.30% and specificity 81.81%. At follow-up, triceps skin fold thickness (TSF), biceps skin fold thickness (BSF) and mid arm circumference (MAC) increased significantly from baseline (p < 0.001, p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Overhydration and BMI are important predictors of mortality in dialysis patients. Improvement in anthropometric markers TSF, BSF and MAC in MHD patients was associated with survival.

  12. Two adolescent patients with coexistent Graves' disease and Moyamoya disease in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheon, Chong Kun; Kim, Su Yung; Yoo, Jae-Ho

    2014-06-01

    Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular condition that results in the narrowing of the vessels of the circle of Willis and collateral vessel formation at the base of the brain. Although relationships between Graves' disease and cerebrovascular accidents in Moyamoya disease are obscure, the coexistence of the two diseases is noteworthy. Moyamoya disease has been rarely reported in adolescent patients with thyrotoxicosis. Recently, we encountered two adolescent Korean patients with Moyamoya disease associated with Graves' disease who presented with episodic right-sided hemiparesis and syncope. These two girls who had Graves' disease had no history of other diseases or head trauma. A thyroid function test revealed a euthyroid state and a high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibody titer at that time. The patients were diagnosed with Moyamoya disease based on brain magnetic resonance angiography and cerebral four-vessel angiography. The patients underwent cranial revascularization by encephalo-duroarterio-synangiosis as soon as a diagnosis was made, which resulted in successful symptom resolution. They fared well and had no additional neurological symptoms as of their last follow-up visits. Here, we report these two cases of confirmed Moyamoya disease complicated by Graves' disease with a review of the literature, and discuss the possible association between the two diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first report in South Korea on Moyamoya disease associated with Graves' disease in adolescents with a euthyroid.

  13. Nutrition support and dietary interventions for patients with lung cancer: current insights

    OpenAIRE

    Kiss, Nicole

    2016-01-01

    Nicole Kiss1,2 1Nutrition and Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 2Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia Abstract: Malnutrition and weight loss are prevalent in patients with lung cancer. The impact of malnutrition on patients with cancer, and specifically in patients with lung cancer, has been demonstrated in a large number of studies. Malnutrition has been shown to neg...

  14. Patient mental adjustment to selected types of cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Religioni, Urszula; Czerw, Aleksandra; Deptała, Andrzej

    2018-02-28

    Physical symptoms related to cancer are associated with various mental conditions. An adopted attitude towards pain and disease affects the quality of life of patients and may even decide about the final outcome of therapy. The objective of the study was to assess the degree of mental adjustment of patients diagnosed with breast, lung, colorectal and prostate cancer. The analysis also covered the effect of socioeconomic factors on mental adjustment in patients in the above groups. The study included 902 patients treated on an outpatient basis at the Center of Oncology, the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Institute in Warsaw, in the year 2013. The study participants were patients diagnosed with breast, lung, colorectal and prostate carcinoma. The Paper and Pencil Interview (PAPI) technique was applied. The questionnaire interview included demographic-type questions (socioeconomic variables) and the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (mini-MAC) scale, which measures the degree of mental adjustment to disease. The highest scores in the anxious preoccupation and helplessness-hopelessness subclasses were those of the lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancer patients. In breast and lung cancer study participants, differences between individual categories distinguished due to socioeconomic features proved statistically insignificant. However, significant dependencies were observed between mental adjustment to disease and chemotherapy in the past year; though, the results differ with respect to the primary site. The primary site affects patient adjustment to disease. Socioeconomic factors in the area of mental adaptation differentiate colorectal carcinoma patients.

  15. A Reconfigurable Design and Architecture of the Ethernet and HomePNA3.0 MAC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalilydermany, M.; Hosseinghadiry, M.

    In this paper a reconfigurable architecture for Ethernet and HomePNA MAC is presented. By using this new architecture, Ethernet and HomePNA reconfigurable network card can be produced. This architecture has been implemented using VHDL language and after that synthesized on a chip. The differences between HomePNA (synchronized and unsynchronized mode) and Ethernet in collision detection mechanism and priority access to media have caused the need to separate architectures for Ethernet and HomePNA, but by using similarities of them, both the Ethernet and the HomePNA can be implemented in a single chip with a little extra hardware. The number of logical elements of the proposed architecture is increased by 19% in compare to when only an Ethernet MAC is implemented

  16. Radiotherapy in patients with connective tissue diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giaj-Levra, Niccolò; Sciascia, Savino; Fiorentino, Alba; Fersino, Sergio; Mazzola, Rosario; Ricchetti, Francesco; Roccatello, Dario; Alongi, Filippo

    2016-03-01

    The decision to offer radiotherapy in patients with connective tissue diseases continues to be challenging. Radiotherapy might trigger the onset of connective tissue diseases by increasing the expression of self-antigens, diminishing regulatory T-cell activity, and activating effectors of innate immunity (dendritic cells) through Toll-like receptor-dependent mechanisms, all of which could potentially lead to breaks of immune tolerance. This potential risk has raised some debate among radiation oncologists about whether patients with connective tissue diseases can tolerate radiation as well as people without connective tissue diseases. Because the number of patients with cancer and connective tissue diseases needing radiotherapy will probably increase due to improvements in medical treatment and longer life expectancy, the issue of interactions between radiotherapy and connective tissue diseases needs to be clearer. In this Review, we discuss available data and evidence for patients with connective tissue diseases treated with radiotherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Application of the implicit MacCormack scheme to the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, J. L.; Tannehill, J. C.; Chaussee, D. S.

    1984-01-01

    MacCormack's implicit finite-difference scheme was used to solve the two-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations. This method for solving the PNS equations does not require the inversion of block tridiagonal systems of algebraic equations and permits the original explicit MacCormack scheme to be employed in those regions where implicit treatment is not needed. The advantages and disadvantages of the present adaptation are discussed in relation to those of the conventional Beam-Warming scheme for a flat plate boundary layer test case. Comparisons are made for accuracy, stability, computer time, computer storage, and ease of implementation. The present method was also applied to a second test case of hypersonic laminar flow over a 15% compression corner. The computed results compare favorably with experiment and a numerical solution of the complete Navier-Stokes equations.

  18. A comparative study of upwind and MacCormack schemes for CAA benchmark problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanathan, K.; Sankar, L. N.

    1995-01-01

    In this study, upwind schemes and MacCormack schemes are evaluated as to their suitability for aeroacoustic applications. The governing equations are cast in a curvilinear coordinate system and discretized using finite volume concepts. A flux splitting procedure is used for the upwind schemes, where the signals crossing the cell faces are grouped into two categories: signals that bring information from outside into the cell, and signals that leave the cell. These signals may be computed in several ways, with the desired spatial and temporal accuracy achieved by choosing appropriate interpolating polynomials. The classical MacCormack schemes employed here are fourth order accurate in time and space. Results for categories 1, 4, and 6 of the workshop's benchmark problems are presented. Comparisons are also made with the exact solutions, where available. The main conclusions of this study are finally presented.

  19. The Virtues of Scientific Practice: MacIntyre,

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Daniel J; Stapleford, Thomas A

    2016-09-01

    “Practice” has become a ubiquitous term in the history of science, and yet historians have not always reflected on its philosophical import and in particular on its potential connections with ethics. This essay draws on the work of the virtue ethicist Alasdair MacIntyre to develop a theory of “communal practices” and explore how such an approach can inform the history of science, including allegations about the corruption of science by wealth or power, consideration of scientific ethics or “moral economies,” the role of values in science, the ethical distinctiveness (or not) of scientific vocations, and the relationship between history of science and the practice of science itself.

  20. MACS low-background doubly focusing neutron monochromator

    CERN Document Server

    Smee, S A; Scharfstein, G A; Qiu, Y; Brand, P C; Anand, D K; Broholm, C L

    2002-01-01

    A novel doubly focusing neutron monochromator has been developed as part of the Multi-Analyzer Crystal Spectrometer (MACS) at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The instrument utilizes a unique vertical focusing element that enables active vertical and horizontal focusing with a large, 357-crystal (1428 cm sup 2), array. The design significantly reduces the amount of structural material in the beam path as compared to similar instruments. Optical measurements verify the excellent focal performance of the device. Analytical and Monte Carlo simulations predict that, when mounted at the NIST cold-neutron source, the device should produce a monochromatic beam (DELTA E=0.2 meV) with flux phi>10 sup 8 n/cm sup 2 s. (orig.)

  1. Misdiagnosis of Addison's disease in a patient with end-stage renal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocyigit, Ismail; Unal, Aydin; Tanriverdi, Fatih; Hayri Sipahioglu, Murat; Tokgoz, Bulent; Oymak, Oktay; Utas, Cengiz

    2011-01-01

    Addison's disease is a rare disorder in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In patients, the diagnosis of Addison's disease is difficult in clinical practice because most of the clinical findings of this disease are similar to those of the renal failure. We present a 51-year-old male patient, who underwent hemodialysis therapy for 8 years, diagnosed with Addison's disease after having myalgia, skin hyperpigmentation, weight loss, sweating, and nausea for the past few weeks. The physical examination was completely normal except for muscle weakness, hyperpigmentation on labial mucosa and skin in a patient. The laboratory tests revealed anemia and hypoglycemia. Serum cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels, and ACTH stimulation test results were consistent with Addison's disease. Adrenal computerized tomography revealed bilateral atrophic glands. Additionally, it was found that elevated serum thyroid stimulating hormone levels and antithyroid peroxidase antibody titer were positive. Our purpose is to emphasize that physicians should be alert to the potential for additional different conditions particularly in terms of adrenal failure in patients with ESRD.

  2. [Serum glycosaminoglycans in Graves' disease patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winsz-Szczotka, Katarzyna B; Olczyk, Krystyna Z; Koźma, Ewa M; Komosińska-Vassev, Katarzyna B; Wisowski, Grzegorz R; Marcisz, Czesław

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the study was to determine the blood serum sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration of Graves' disease patients before treatment and after attainment of the euthyroid state. The study was carried out on the blood serum obtained from 17 patients with newly recognised Graves' disease and from the same patients after attainment of the euthyroid state. Graves' patients had not any clinical symptoms neither of ophthalmopathy nor pretibial myxedema. GAGs were isolated from the blood serum by the multistage extraction and purification using papaine hydrolysis, alkali elimination, as well as cetylpyridium chloride binding. Total amount of GAGs was quantified by the hexuronic acids assay. HA content in obtained GAGs sample was evaluated by the ELISA method. Increased serum concentration of sulfated GAGs in non-treated Graves' disease patients was found. Similarly, serum HA level in untreated patients was significantly elevated. The attainment of euthyroid state was accompanied by the decreased serum sulfated GAGs level and by normalization of serum HA concentration. In conclusion, the results obtained demonstrate that the alterations of GAGs metabolism connected with Graves' disease can lead to systemic changes of the extracellular matrix properties.

  3. Colorectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Vibeke; Halfvarson, Jonas; Vogel, Ulla Birgitte

    2012-01-01

    The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), may be complicated by colorectal cancer (CRC). In a recent population-based cohort study of 47 347 Danish patients with IBD by Tine Jess and colleagues 268 patients with UC and 70 patients with CD developed C...... preventive strategies in order to avoid CRC in IBD patients. The achieved knowledge may also be relevant for other inflammation-associated cancers.......The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), may be complicated by colorectal cancer (CRC). In a recent population-based cohort study of 47 347 Danish patients with IBD by Tine Jess and colleagues 268 patients with UC and 70 patients with CD developed CRC...... during 30 years of observation. The overall risk of CRC among patients with UC and CD was comparable with that of the general population. However, patients diagnosed with UC during childhood or as adolescents, patients with long duration of disease and those with concomitant primary sclerosing...

  4. [Thyroid cancer in patients with Grave's Disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mssrouri, R; Benamr, S; Essadel, A; Mdaghri, J; Mohammadine, El H; Lahlou, M-K; Taghy, A; Belmahi, A; Chad, B

    2008-01-01

    To evaluate the incidence of thyroid carcinoma in patients operated on for Graves' disease, to identify criteria which may predict malignancy, and to develop a practical approach to determine the extensiveness of thyroidectomy. Retrospective study of all patients who underwent thyroidectomy for Graves' disease between 1995 and 2005. 547 patients underwent subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease during this period. Post-operative pathology examination revealed six cases of thyroid cancer (1.1%). All six cases had differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary carcinoma in 3 cases, follicular carcinoma in 2 cases and papillo-follicular carcinoma in 1 case). The indication for initial thyroidectomy was a palpable thyroid nodule in 3 cases (50%), failure of medical treatment for Grave's disease in 2 cases (33%), and signs of goiter compression in 1 case (17%). Five patients underwent re-operative total thyroidectomy. This study shows that while malignancy in Grave's disease is uncommon, the presence of thyroid nodule(s) in patients with Grave's disease may be considered as an indication for radical surgery. The most adequate radical surgery in this situation is to perform a total thyroidectomy.

  5. Intelligent Local Avoided Collision (iLAC) MAC Protocol for Very High Speed Wireless Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hieu, Dinh Chi; Masuda, Akeo; Rabarijaona, Verotiana Hanitriniala; Shimamoto, Shigeru

    Future wireless communication systems aim at very high data rates. As the medium access control (MAC) protocol plays the central role in determining the overall performance of the wireless system, designing a suitable MAC protocol is critical to fully exploit the benefit of high speed transmission that the physical layer (PHY) offers. In the latest 802.11n standard [2], the problem of long overhead has been addressed adequately but the issue of excessive colliding transmissions, especially in congested situation, remains untouched. The procedure of setting the backoff value is the heart of the 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) to avoid collision in which each station makes its own decision on how to avoid collision in the next transmission. However, collision avoidance is a problem that can not be solved by a single station. In this paper, we introduce a new MAC protocol called Intelligent Local Avoided Collision (iLAC) that redefines individual rationality in choosing the backoff counter value to avoid a colliding transmission. The distinguishing feature of iLAC is that it fundamentally changes this decision making process from collision avoidance to collaborative collision prevention. As a result, stations can avoid colliding transmissions with much greater precision. Analytical solution confirms the validity of this proposal and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional algorithms by a large margin.

  6. Interaction between maropitant and carprofen on sparing of the minimum alveolar concentration for blunting adrenergic response (MAC-BAR) of sevoflurane in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukui, Sho; Ooyama, Norihiko; Tamura, Jun; Umar, Mohammed Ahmed; Ishizuka, Tomohito; Itami, Takaharu; Miyoshi, Kenjiro; Sano, Tadashi; Yamashita, Kazuto

    2017-03-18

    Maropitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, may provide analgesic effects by blocking pharmacological action of substance P. Carprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for pain control in dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combination of maropitant and carprofen on the minimum alveolar concentration for blunting adrenergic response (MAC-BAR) of sevoflurane in dogs. Six healthy adult beagle dogs were anesthetized with sevoflurane four times with a minimum of 7-day washout period. On each occasion, maropitant (1 mg/kg) alone, carprofen (4 mg/kg) alone, a combination of maropitant (1 mg/kg) and carprofen (4 mg/kg), or saline (0.1 ml/kg) was subcutaneously administered at 1 hr prior to the first electrical stimulation for the sevoflurane MAC-BAR determination. The sevoflurane MAC-BAR was significantly reduced by maropitant alone (2.88 ± 0.73%, P=0.010), carprofen alone (2.96 ± 0.38%, P=0.016) and the combination (2.81 ± 0.51%, P=0.0003), compared with saline (3.37 ± 0.56%). There was no significant difference in the percentage of MAC-BAR reductions between maropitant alone, carprofen alone and the combination. The administration of maropitant alone and carprofen alone produced clinically significant sparing effects on the sevoflurane MAC-BAR in dogs. However, the combination of maropitant and carprofen did not produce any additive effect on the sevoflurane MAC-BAR reduction. Anesthetic premedication with a combination of maropitant and carprofen may not provide any further sparing effect on anesthetic requirement in dogs.

  7. Lumbar Spine Surgery in Patients with Parkinson Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, Joshua E; Hughes, Alexander; Sama, Andrew; Weinstein, Joseph; Kaplan, Leon; Cammisa, Frank P; Girardi, Federico P

    2015-10-21

    Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative condition. The literature on patients with Parkinson disease and spine surgery is limited, but increased complications have been reported. All patients with Parkinson disease undergoing lumbar spine surgery between 2002 and 2012 were identified. Patients' charts, radiographs, and outcome questionnaires were reviewed. Parkinson disease severity was assessed with use of the modified Hoehn and Yahr staging scale. Complications and subsequent surgeries were analyzed. Risk for reoperation was assessed. Ninety-six patients underwent lumbar spine surgery. The mean patient age was 63.0 years. The mean follow-up duration was 30.1 months. The Parkinson disease severity stage was Parkinson disease severity stage of ≥3 (p Parkinson disease is good, with improvement of spine-related pain. A larger prospective study is warranted. Copyright © 2015 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

  8. Comparison of clinical outcomes with the utilization of monitored anesthesia care vs. general anesthesia in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kiramijyan, Sarkis; Ben-Dor, Itsik; Koifman, Edward; Didier, Romain; Magalhaes, Marco A.; Escarcega, Ricardo O.; Negi, Smita I.; Baker, Nevin C.; Gai, Jiaxiang; Torguson, Rebecca; Okubagzi, Petros; Asch, Federico M.; Wang, Zuyue; Gaglia, Michael A.; Satler, Lowell F.; Pichard, Augusto D.; Waksman, Ron, E-mail: ron.waksman@medstar.net

    2016-09-15

    Background: There is no clear consensus in regard to the optimal anesthesia utilization during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aim was to compare outcomes of transfemoral (TF) TAVR under monitored anesthesia care (MAC) vs. general anesthesia (GA) and evaluate the rates and causes of intra-procedural MAC failure. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent TF TAVR from April 2007 through March 2015 were retrospectively analyzed and dichotomized into two groups: TAVR under MAC vs. GA. The main endpoints of the study included 30-day and 1-year mortality, the rates and reasons for failure of MAC, in-hospital clinical safety outcomes, and post-procedural hospital and intensive care unit length-of-stays. Results: A total of 533 patients (51% male, mean-age 83 years) underwent TF TAVR under MAC (n = 467) or GA (n = 66). Fifty-six patients (12%) in the MAC group required conversion to GA. The MAC group had significantly shorter post-procedural hospital (6.0 vs. 7.9, p = 0.023) and numerically shorter ICU (2.4 vs. 2.8, p = 0.355) mean length-of-stays in days. The clinical safety outcomes were similar in both groups. Kaplan–Meier unadjusted cumulative in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were higher in the GA group but similar in both groups at 1-year. Conclusions: TF TAVR under MAC is feasible and safe, results in shorter hospital stays, can be performed in the majority of cases, and should be utilized as the default strategy. Trans-esophageal echocardiography utilization during TAVR with MAC is safe and feasible. The most common cause for conversion of MAC to GA is cardiac instability and hypotension. The complete heart team should be available at all times in case the need arises for a rapid conversion to GA.

  9. Frequency of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with coronary artery disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ullah, R.; Ghaffar, T.; Khan, I.; Muhammad, R.; Salman, S.

    2017-01-01

    Chronic obstructive airway disease (COPD) is considered as risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) along with other risk factors. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Pulmonology and Cardiology wards/OPD's of Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar. Patients more than 35 years of age, diagnosed with CAD of either gender were included. Patients already diagnosed with COPD, recent myocardial infarction (within 7 days), left ventricular impairment, pneumothorax, bronchiectasis, comatose patient, asthmatic and those with chest trauma were excluded. All the patients underwent spirometry examination before and after administration of salbutamol (5 mg for 5 minutes) via nebulizer. FEV1/FVC less than 70% confirmed the presence of COPD. Results: Out of 151 patients, 57 (37.7%) were found to have COPD. Among them, 39 (68.42%) were male and 18 (31.57%) were female. Among male patients with COPD, 82.05% (n=32) were smokers and 17.94% (n=7) were nonsmokers while in females with COPD no one was smoker. Conclusion: COPD is an under-diagnosed progressive disease in patients with high risk patients with coronary artery disease. (author)

  10. Diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal diseases in patients with severe liver diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZANG Hong

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs are an important factor affecting the prognosis of patients with severe liver diseases, and their early diagnosis remains a challenge for clinicians. The four most commonly seen IFDs are candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, and pneumocystis pneumonia. We should pay attention to the risk of developing IFDs in patients with severe liver diseases during clinical management. Particularly, early diagnosis and proper treatment of IFDs are important in high-risk patients. These are vital to improving the prognosis of patients with severe liver diseases.

  11. Mac configuration management at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marcus, Allan B [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2010-01-01

    The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) had a need for central configuration management of non-Windows computers. LANL has three to five thousand Macs and an equal number of Linux based systems. The primary goal was to be able to inventory all non-windows systems and patch Mc OS X systems. LANL examined a number of commercial and open source solutions and ultimately selected Puppet. This paper will discuss why we chose Puppet, how we implemented it, and some lessons we learned along the way.

  12. NF-κB is involved in the LPS-mediated proliferation and apoptosis of MAC-T epithelial cells as part of the subacute ruminal acidosis response in cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wen-Jie; Li, He-Ping; Zhu, He-Shui; Sui, Shi-Ping; Chen, Pei-Ge; Deng, Yue; Sui, Tong-Ming; Wang, Yue-Ying

    2016-11-01

    To determine the effect of NF-κB on cell proliferation and apoptosis, we investigate the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors in the bovine mammary epithelial cell line, MAC-T. MAC-T cells were cultured in vitro and MTT and LDH assays used to determine the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on proliferation and cytotoxicity respectively. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of LPS and NF-κB inhibition [pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) treatment] on the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors. LPS significantly inhibited MAC-T cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, LPS promoted apoptosis while the NF-кB inhibitor PDTC attenuated this effect. After LPS treatment, the NF-кB signaling pathway was activated, and the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors increased. When PDTC blocked NF-кB signaling, the expression of inflammation and apoptosis-related factors were decreased in MAC-T cells. LPS activates the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in MAC-T cells. NF-кB inhibition attenuates MAC-T cell apoptosis and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. NF-кB inhibitor alleviating MAC-T cell apoptosis is presumably modulated by NF-кB.

  13. Psychotropic medication use among patients with celiac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zylberberg, Haley M; Ludvigsson, Jonas F; Green, Peter H R; Lebwohl, Benjamin

    2018-03-27

    Celiac disease is a multi-system disorder with manifestations that may result in psychiatric disorders. We assessed the prevalence of medication use to treat psychiatric disorders in celiac disease patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy over 9-years at a celiac disease referral center. We compared the prevalence of psychotropic medication use among celiac disease patients (n = 1293) to a control group (n = 1401) with abdominal pain or reflux. Among all patients the mean age was 48.4 years, most were female (69.5%), and 22.7% used any psychotropic medication. There was no difference between overall psychotropic medication use among celiac disease patients and controls (23.9% vs 21.8%, OR 1.16; 95% CI 0.96-1.39, p = 0.12). However, those with celiac disease were more likely to use antidepressants on univariate (16.4% vs 13.4%, p = 0.03) and multivariate analysis (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.03-1.59; p = 0.03). Use of psychotropic medications was not associated with disease duration or mode of presentation of celiac disease. Celiac disease patients use psychotropic medications at similar rates as those with other gastrointestinal diseases, though subgroup analysis suggests they may use more antidepressants. Future studies should investigate whether celiac disease is associated with mood disorders that are not treated with medications.

  14. Detection of Legionella, L. pneumophila and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) along potable water distribution pipelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiley, Harriet; Keegan, Alexandra; Fallowfield, Howard; Bentham, Richard

    2014-07-18

    Inhalation of potable water presents a potential route of exposure to opportunistic pathogens and hence warrants significant public health concern. This study used qPCR to detect opportunistic pathogens Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC at multiple points along two potable water distribution pipelines. One used chlorine disinfection and the other chloramine disinfection. Samples were collected four times over the year to provide seasonal variation and the chlorine or chloramine residual was measured during collection. Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC were detected in both distribution systems throughout the year and were all detected at a maximum concentration of 103 copies/mL in the chlorine disinfected system and 106, 103 and 104 copies/mL respectively in the chloramine disinfected system. The concentrations of these opportunistic pathogens were primarily controlled throughout the distribution network through the maintenance of disinfection residuals. At a dead-end and when the disinfection residual was not maintained significant (p pipeline and sampling period. Total coliforms were not present in any water sample collected. This study demonstrates the ability of Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC to survive the potable water disinfection process and highlights the need for greater measures to control these organisms along the distribution pipeline and at point of use.

  15. Gallstones in Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available With prevalence of 10–20% in adults in developed countries, gallstone disease (GSD is one of the most prevalent and costly gastrointestinal tract disorders in the world. In addition to gallstone disease, chronic liver disease (CLD is also an important global public health problem. The reported frequency of gallstone in chronic liver disease tends to be higher. The prevalence of gallstone disease might be related to age, gender, etiology, and severity of liver disease in patients with chronic liver disease. In this review, the aim was to identify the epidemiology, mechanisms, and treatment strategies of gallstone disease in chronic liver disease patients.

  16. Performance of MAC protocols in beaconing Mobile Adhoc Multibroadcast Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Rico García, Cristina; Lehner, Andreas; Robertson, Patrick; Strang, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    The investigation of infrastructureless safety applications in dierent transportation systems is a hot research topic. The nodes in thevnetwork are designed to advertise to the rest of the nodes informationabout the current traffic situation by means of short beacon messages containing speed, direction, positions and other relevant safety information. The scheduling should be organized by the MAC layer so that the transmitted messages arrive successfully as soon as possible at the recei...

  17. The relationship between different information sources and disease-related patient knowledge and anxiety in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selinger, C P; Carbery, I; Warren, V; Rehman, A F; Williams, C J; Mumtaz, S; Bholah, H; Sood, R; Gracie, D J; Hamlin, P J; Ford, A C

    2017-01-01

    Patient education forms a cornerstone of management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Internet has opened new avenues for information gathering. To determine the relationship between different information sources and patient knowledge and anxiety in patients with IBD. The use of information sources in patients with IBD was examined via questionnaire. Anxiety was assessed with the hospital anxiety and depression scale and disease-related patient knowledge with the Crohn's and colitis knowledge score questionnaires. Associations between these outcomes and demographics, disease-related factors, and use of different information sources were analysed using linear regression analysis. Of 307 patients (165 Crohn's disease, 142 ulcerative colitis) 60.6% were female. Participants used the hospital IBD team (82.3%), official leaflets (59.5%), and official websites (53.5%) most frequently in contrast to alternative health websites (9%). University education (P sex (P = 0.004), clinically active disease (P sources are associated with better knowledge or worse anxiety levels. Face-to-face education and written information materials remain the first line of patient education. Patients should be guided towards official information websites and warned about the association between the use of alternative health websites or random links and anxiety. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and anxious preoccupation in early breast cancer patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schillani, Giulia; Era, Daniel; Cristante, Tania; Mustacchi, Giorgio; Richiardi, Martina; Grassi, Luigi; Giraldi, Tullio

    2012-01-01

    Difficulties in coping with cancer, and the accompanying anxious and depressive symptoms, have been shown to affect the mood and the quality of life in breast cancer patients. 5-Hydroxytryptamine Transporter Gene-linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR) functional polymorphism of serotonin transporter has been shown to influence the adaptation to stressful life events. The aim of this prospective study was therefore to examine the association of 5-HTTLPR with the mental adaptation to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Forty eight consecutive patients with early mammary carcinoma were evaluated at enrolment and at follow up after one and three months. The patients were characterized psychometrically using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC); 5-HTTLPR allelic variants were determined using PCR-based techniques. In women with early breast cancer, the mental adaptation to the disease was associated with high scores of avoidance and anxious preoccupation of Mini-MAC, which decreased with time at follow up. Anxious preoccupation decreased with time less in patients with the S/S and S/L genetic variant of 5-HTTLPR as compared with the L/L carriers (p=0.023), indicating gene - environment interactions. These results indicate that the characterization of 5-HTTLPR allows the identification of breast cancer patients in greater risk of mental suffering, for which specific intervention may be focused; in case of drug therapy, they provide indications for the choice of most appropriate agent in a pharmacogenetic perspective

  19. THE INFLUENCE OF MAC BUFFER ON THE CONTENTION-BASED ACCESS SCHEME WITH BURSTING OPTION FOR IEEE 802.11E WIRELESS NETWORKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. SELVAKENNEDY

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Wireless LANs are increasingly being used for inelastic applications. Currently, there is little support for quality of service in the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol, and IEEE task group E has defined the 802.11e MAC extension. Enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA is a contention-based scheme of the 802.11e standard. To allow a station to transmit more than one frame from a single contention, an optional feature known as controlled frame-bursting (CFB is introduced in the standard. In this paper, we initially performed an average analysis to determine a suitable burst duration limit. Then, a detailed evaluation and comparison of the EDCA protocol with the CFB option is carried out through simulation to quantify its performance gain. The impact of the MAC transmit buffer size is also incorporated. Accordingly, we have proposed a suitable approach to guide the configuration of the burst duration limit. It is demonstrated that an optimized CFB configuration allows the MAC protocol to achieve 30% more capacity than the basic EDCA scheme.

  20. A Novel Spectrally Efficient Asynchronous Multi-Channel MAC Using a Half-Duplex Transceiver for Wireless Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdullah Devendiran

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Multi-channel medium access control (MAC protocols maximize network performance by enabling concurrent wireless transmissions over non-interfering channels. Despite physical layer advancements, the underlying IEEE 802.11 MAC standard cannot fully exploit features and support high-performance applications. In this work, we propose the novel spectrally efficient asynchronous multi-channel MAC (SA-MMAC protocol for wireless networks using a single half-duplex transceiver. A full-duplex mode of operation on data channels reduces the signaling overhead and boosts the spectrum efficiency. A revamped contention mechanism of IEEE 802.11 addresses the multi-channel hidden terminal problem, and a jamming signal from the receiver addresses the collisions in control signals. Furthermore, the control channel is used for data transmissions to increase the bandwidth utilization but under a restricted half-duplex mode to avoid causing a bottleneck situation. The simulator is tested for correctness. The results suggest that the protocol can work well on 3, 4, or 12 concurrent channels with high node density, providing about 12.5 times more throughput than IEEE 802.11 and 18% to 95% more throughput than its multi-channel variants under saturated traffic conditions.

  1. Chronic kidney disease in congenital heart disease patients: a narrative review of evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Catherine; Al-Aklabi, Mohammed; Garcia Guerra, Gonzalo

    2015-01-01

    Patients with congenital heart disease have a number of risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is well known that CKD has a large negative impact on health outcomes. It is important therefore to consider that patients with congenital heart disease represent a population in whom long-term primary and secondary prevention strategies to reduce CKD occurrence and progression could be instituted and significantly change outcomes. There are currently no clear guidelines for clinicians in terms of renal assessment in the long-term follow up of patients with congenital heart disease. Consolidation of knowledge is critical for generating such guidelines, and hence is the purpose of this view. This review will summarize current knowledge related to CKD in patients with congenital heart disease, to highlight important work that has been done to date and set the stage for further investigation, development of prevention strategies, and re-evaluation of appropriate renal follow-up in patients with congenital heart disease. The literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar. Current epidemiological evidence suggests that CKD occurs in patients with congenital heart disease at a higher frequency than the general population and is detectable early in follow-up (i.e. during childhood). Best evidence suggests that approximately 30 to 50 % of adult patients with congenital heart disease have significantly impaired renal function. The risk of CKD is higher with cyanotic congenital heart disease but it is also present with non-cyanotic congenital heart disease. Although significant knowledge gaps exist, the sum of the data suggests that patients with congenital heart disease should be followed from an early age for the development of CKD. There is an opportunity to mitigate CKD progression and negative renal outcomes by instituting interventions such as stringent blood pressure control and reduction of proteinuria. There is a need to

  2. Noncooperative 802.11 MAC Layer Fingerprinting and Tracking of Mobile Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pieter Robyns

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We present two novel noncooperative MAC layer fingerprinting and tracking techniques for Wi-Fi (802.11 enabled mobile devices. Our first technique demonstrates how a per-bit entropy analysis of a single captured frame allows an adversary to construct a fingerprint of the transmitter that is 80.0 to 67.6 percent unique for 50 to 100 observed devices and 33.0 to 15.1 percent unique for 1,000 to 10,000 observed devices. We show how existing mitigation strategies such as MAC address randomization can be circumvented using only this fingerprint and temporal information. Our second technique leverages peer-to-peer 802.11u Generic Advertisement Service (GAS requests and 802.11e Block Acknowledgement (BA requests to instigate transmissions on demand from devices that support these protocols. We validate these techniques using two datasets, one of which was recorded at a music festival containing 28,048 unique devices and the other at our research lab containing 138 unique devices. Finally, we discuss a number of countermeasures that can be put in place by mobile device vendors in order to prevent noncooperative tracking through the discussed techniques.

  3. Plan maestro del proyecto de restauración del río Rímac: informe final

    OpenAIRE

    Autoridad Nacional del Agua; K-water. Korea Water Resources Corporation; Yooshin Engineering; Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants

    2015-01-01

    Presenta un documento elaborado en el marco de cooperación entre Corea del Sur y el Perú, en el cual se proponen diversas medidas y planes para recuperar el río Rímac utilizando como modelo las experiencias de la República de Corea en proyectos de recuperación de ríos y otras prácticas de gestión de los recursos hídricos. Este Plan Maestro para la recuperación del río Rímac tiene componentes sobre el mejoramiento de la calidad de agua, el desarrollo de los recursos hídricos de la zona y el me...

  4. Corrections to "Connectivity-Based Reliable Multicast MAC Protocol for IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choi Woo-Yong

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We have found the errors in the throughput formulae presented in our paper "Connectivity-based reliable multicast MAC protocol for IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs". We provide the corrected formulae and numerical results.

  5. 78 FR 26711 - Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Liquidity...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-08

    ... Funding and Fiscal Affairs; Farmer Mac Liquidity Management ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment... proposed rule that would amend its liquidity management regulations for the Federal Agricultural Mortgage... comment on the proposed liquidity regulations. [[Page 26712

  6. Procedural learning changes in patients with Wilson's disease

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yumei Jiang; Xiang Shen; Xiaoping Wang; Wenjie Li

    2011-01-01

    In the present study, we compared explicit memory performance, using the Wechsler Memory Scale, and implicit memory performance, using the Nissen software version of the serial reaction time task, in patients with Wilson's disease to normal controls. The Wilson's disease patients exhibited deficits in explicit memory tasks, such as figure recall and understanding memory. Moreover, the Wilson's disease patients exhibited deficits in implicit memory tasks, including significantly prolonged response times. These findings indicate that Wilson's disease patients have explicit and implicit partial memory impairments.

  7. Endotoxin testing of proteins for parenteral administration using the Mono Mac 6 assay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moesby, Lise; Hansen, E W; Christensen, J D

    2000-01-01

    Pharmaceutical products containing proteins cause problems in testing for endotoxin and pyrogens. Many proteins interfere with the LAL test and the proteins are immunogenic in rabbits. The monocytic cell line Mono Mac 6 is an alternative assay for detection of endotoxin and other pyrogens....

  8. Clinical features of morphea patients with the pansclerotic subtype: a cross-sectional study from the Morphea in Adults and Children (MAC cohort)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, A; Marinkovich, N; Vasquez, R; Jacobe, HT

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Pansclerotic morphea is a poorly described form of morphea with little information on prevalence, demographics, and clinical features. Classification criteria for this subtype varies and the distinction from other forms of morphea such as extensive generalized morphea and pansclerotic morphea is not always clear. The purpose of this study was to clarify classification criteria for pansclerotic morphea by identifying its prevalence in the morphea in adults and children (MAC) cohort and describing its demographic and clinical features as compared with generalized morphea. Methods Patients who met predefined criteria for generalized and pansclerotic morphea were identified using a modified Laxer and Zulian classification system. Baseline demographic and clinical features of the patients were compiled and then analyzed for traits characteristic of pansclerotic morphea versus those of generalized morphea. 113 met criteria for inclusion – 13 pansclerotic and 100 generalized morphea type. Results Pansclerotic patients were more frequently male (46.2% vs. 6%, p<0.0001); had a shorter time to diagnosis (mean difference of 10.4 months [95% CI: 0.8-19.9 months], p=0.0332); higher rates of functional impairment (61.5% vs. 16%, p=0.0046); higher rates of deep involvement (61.5% vs. 17%, p=0.004); and higher average mRSS (mean difference of 10.8 points [95% CI: 5-16.6], p=0.0018), LoSDI (mean difference 28.3 [95% CI: 9-47.6], p=0.009), and PGA-D scores (mean difference 25.1 [95% CI: 0.3-50], p=0.048). Conclusions Our results suggest demographic and clinical features are sufficient to define the pansclerotic subtype as they represent a distinct clinical phenotype with a more rapidly progressive and severe course commonly accompanied by disability. Presence of features of the pansclerotic phenotype should alert practitioners to the possibility of significant morbidity and the need for early aggressive treatment. PMID:24293577

  9. Dental profile of patients with Gaucher disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischman, Stuart L; Elstein, Deborah; Sgan-Cohen, Harold; Mann, Jonathan; Zimran, Ari

    2003-01-01

    Background This study was conducted to determine whether patients with Gaucher disease had significant dental pathology because of abnormal bone structure, pancytopenia, and coagulation abnormalities. Methods Each patient received a complete oral and periodontal examination in addition to a routine hematological evaluation. Results Gaucher patients had significantly fewer carious lesions than otherwise healthy carriers. Despite prevalence of anemia, there was no increase in gingival disease; despite the high incidence of thrombocytopenia, gingival bleeding was not noted; and despite radiological evidence of bone involvement, there was no greater incidence loss of teeth or clinical tooth mobility. Conclusions These data represent the first survey of the oral health of a large cohort of patients with Gaucher disease. It is a pilot study of a unique population and the results of the investigation are indications for further research. Based on our findings, we recommend regular oral examinations with appropriate dental treatment for patients with Gaucher disease as for other individuals. Consultation between the dentist and physician, preferably one with experience with Gaucher disease, should be considered when surgical procedures are planned. PMID:12875661

  10. Empowering Patients with Chronic Diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bestek, Mate; Meglič, Matic; Kurent, Blaž

    2012-01-01

    Background: Chronic diseases require most of the resources in todays healthcare systems. Healthcare systems, as such, are thus not sustainable in the long term. Solutions to this problem are needed and a lot of research is focused on finding new approaches to more sustainable healthcare systems...... himself to become empowered. The patient needs to see data about his health in order to start thinking about new decisions in life that can lead to change in his behaviour. Objective: We have approached the problem of empowering patients with chronic diseases from a biological, psychological, sociological....... We want to develop extensible technology to support even more new interventions for different chronic diseases. We want the technology to enable semantic interoperability with other systems. Methods: We have collaborated with doctors in order to model the care plans for different chronic diseases...

  11. Detecting DIF in Polytomous Items Using MACS, IRT and Ordinal Logistic Regression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elosua, Paula; Wells, Craig

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to compare the Type I error rate and power of two model-based procedures, the mean and covariance structure model (MACS) and the item response theory (IRT), and an observed-score based procedure, ordinal logistic regression, for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) in polytomous items. A simulation…

  12. Scalable Video Streaming Adaptive to Time-Varying IEEE 802.11 MAC Parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyung-Jun; Suh, Doug-Young; Park, Gwang-Hoon; Huh, Jae-Doo

    This letter proposes a QoS control method for video streaming service over wireless networks. Based on statistical analysis, the time-varying MAC parameters highly related to channel condition are selected to predict available bitrate. Adaptive bitrate control of scalably-encoded video guarantees continuity in streaming service even if the channel condition changes abruptly.

  13. Assessment of muscle mass and its association with protein intake in a multi-ethnic Asian population: relevance in chronic kidney disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Boon Wee; Toh, Qi Chun; Chan, Xue Wei; Xu, Hui; Li, Jia Liang; Lee, Evan Jc

    2014-01-01

    Clinical practice guidelines recommend objective nutritional assessments in managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients but were developed while referencing to a North-American population. Specific recommendations for assessing muscle mass were suggested (mid-arm circumference, MAC; corrected mid-arm muscle area, cAMA; mid-arm muscle circumference, MAMC). This study aimed to assess correlation and association of these assessments with dietary protein intake in a multi-ethnic Asian population of healthy and CKD patients. We analyzed 24-hour urine collections of selected participants to estimate total protein intake (TPI; g/day). Ideal body weight (IDW; kg) was calculated and muscle assessments conducted. Analyses involved correlation and linear regression, taking significance at ppatients and 103 healthy participants comprising of 51.0% male, 38.5% Chinese, 29.6% Malay, 23.6% Indian, and 8.4% others. The mean TPI was 58.9 ± 18.4 g/day in healthy participants and 53.6 ± 19.4 g/day in CKD patients. When normalized to ideal body weight, TPI-IDW (g/kg/day) was similar in healthy and CKD participants. Overall, TPI was associated with MAC (r=0.372, ppatients. Total protein intake was associated with muscle assessments in all participants. TPI normalized to IDW should only be used in CKD patients.

  14. Role of CT in patients with prostatic disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshizako, Takeshi; Sugimura, Kazuro; Kaji, Yasushi; Moriyama, Masahiro; Ishida, Tetsuya

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of CT in patients with and without prostatic disease. CT and MR findings were reviewed in 25 patients without known prostatic disease, 11 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 11 patients with prostatic cancer. Differential attenuation allowed for distinction of the peripheral zone and inner gland of the prostate by CT in 72% of normal patients. The distinction rate of prostatic zonal anatomy by CT decreased to 30% in the diseased group. When zonal anatomy of the prostate is not visualized on pelvic enhanced CT, the presence of prostatic disease might be considered. (author)

  15. The Long-Run Value of Currencies: A Big Mac Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Yihui Lan

    2001-01-01

    Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), the link between exchange rates and prices, is a fundamental building block of international finance, one which has been attracting increasing research interest during the past three decades. The Big Mac Index (BMI), invented by 'The Economist' magazine in 1986, has played a major role in popularising PPP and bringing its practical implications to the attention of financial markets. The aim of this paper is to derive long-run equilibrium values of currencies usi...

  16. Stochastic generation of MAC waves and implications for convection in Earth's core

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buffett, Bruce; Knezek, Nicholas

    2018-03-01

    Convection in Earth's core can sustain magnetic-Archemedes-Coriolis (MAC) waves through a variety of mechanisms. Buoyancy and Lorentz forces are viable sources for wave motion, together with the effects of magnetic induction. We develop a quantitative description for zonal MAC waves and assess the source mechanisms using a numerical dynamo model. The largest sources at conditions accessible to the dynamo model are due to buoyancy forces and magnetic induction. However, when these sources are extrapolated to conditions expected in Earth's core, the Lorentz force emerges as the dominant generation mechanism. This source is expected to produce wave velocities of roughly 2 km yr-1 when the internal magnetic field is characterized by a dimensionless Elsasser number of roughly Λ ≈ 10 and the root-mean-square convective velocity defines a magnetic Reynolds number of Rm ≈ 103. Our preferred model has a radially varying stratification and a constant (radial) background magnetic field. It predicts a broad power spectrum for the wave velocity with most power distributed across periods from 30 to 100 yr.

  17. Clinically Unsuspected Prion Disease Among Patients With Dementia Diagnoses in an Alzheimer's Disease Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddox, Ryan A; Blase, J L; Mercaldo, N D; Harvey, A R; Schonberger, L B; Kukull, W A; Belay, E D

    2015-12-01

    Brain tissue analysis is necessary to confirm prion diseases. Clinically unsuspected cases may be identified through neuropathologic testing. National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Minimum and Neuropathologic Data Set for 1984 to 2005 were reviewed. Eligible patients had dementia, underwent autopsy, had available neuropathologic data, belonged to a currently funded Alzheimer's Disease Center (ADC), and were coded as having an Alzheimer's disease clinical diagnosis or a nonprion disease etiology. For the eligible patients with neuropathology indicating prion disease, further clinical information, collected from the reporting ADC, determined whether prion disease was considered before autopsy. Of 6000 eligible patients in the NACC database, 7 (0.12%) were clinically unsuspected but autopsy-confirmed prion disease cases. The proportion of patients with dementia with clinically unrecognized but autopsy-confirmed prion disease was small. Besides confirming clinically suspected cases, neuropathology is useful to identify unsuspected clinically atypical cases of prion disease. © The Author(s) 2015.

  18. Celiac disease in patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mıhçı, Ercan; Nur, Banu Güzel; Berker-Karaüzüm, Sibel; Yılmaz, Aygen; Artan, Reha

    2015-01-01

    Celiac disease is an autoimmune, gastrointestinal disorder characterized by intolerance to the dietary grain protein gluten. An increased prevalence of celiac disease has been reported in Down syndrome and Turner syndrome, but there has been only few previous reports with respect to the association of celiac disease in Williams-Beuren syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of celiac disease in our 24 Williams-Beuren syndrome patients. Gastrointestinal problems and celiac disease symptoms of patients were noted. All patients were analyzed by the titer of tissue transglutaminases IgA and IgG. HLA genotyping and intestinal biopsy was performed to the patients with positive serology. We also performed gluten free diet in the presence of compatible symptoms, serology, HLA genotyping and intestinal biopsy. In our study, two patients had positive tTG antibodies, but only one had positive biopsy finding for celiac disease. The frequency of celiac disease in patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome was estimated as 1/24 (4.1%). Though the number of participants in this study was limited, the results show that the frequency of celiac disease is higher in Williams-Beuren syndrome compared to the general population. We suggest that a high suspicion and testing for celiac disease should be recommended at certain intervals in all cases with Williams-Beuren syndrome to detect the cause of growth retardation and gastrointestinal problems.

  19. C-Band Airport Surface Communications System Standards Development. Phase II Final Report. Volume 1: Concepts of Use, Initial System Requirements, Architecture, and AeroMACS Design Considerations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Edward; Isaacs, James; Henriksen, Steve; Zelkin, Natalie

    2011-01-01

    This report is provided as part of ITT s NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: New ATM Requirements-Future Communications, C-Band and L-Band Communications Standard Development and was based on direction provided by FAA project-level agreements for New ATM Requirements-Future Communications. Task 7 included two subtasks. Subtask 7-1 addressed C-band (5091- to 5150-MHz) airport surface data communications standards development, systems engineering, test bed and prototype development, and tests and demonstrations to establish operational capability for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). Subtask 7-2 focused on systems engineering and development support of the L-band digital aeronautical communications system (L-DACS). Subtask 7-1 consisted of two phases. Phase I included development of AeroMACS concepts of use, requirements, architecture, and initial high-level safety risk assessment. Phase II builds on Phase I results and is presented in two volumes. Volume I (this document) is devoted to concepts of use, system requirements, and architecture, including AeroMACS design considerations. Volume II describes an AeroMACS prototype evaluation and presents final AeroMACS recommendations. This report also describes airport categorization and channelization methodologies. The purposes of the airport categorization task were (1) to facilitate initial AeroMACS architecture designs and enable budgetary projections by creating a set of airport categories based on common airport characteristics and design objectives, and (2) to offer high-level guidance to potential AeroMACS technology and policy development sponsors and service providers. A channelization plan methodology was developed because a common global methodology is needed to assure seamless interoperability among diverse AeroMACS services potentially supplied by multiple service providers.

  20. Persistent RCSMA: A MAC Protocol for a Distributed Cooperative ARQ Scheme in Wireless Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Alonso-Zárate

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available The persistent relay carrier sensing multiple access (PRCSMA protocol is presented in this paper as a novel medium access control (MAC protocol that allows for the execution of a distributed cooperative automatic retransmission request (ARQ scheme in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. The underlying idea of the PRCSMA protocol is to modify the basic rules of the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol to execute a distributed cooperative ARQ scheme in wireless networks in order to enhance their performance and to extend coverage. A closed formulation of the distributed cooperative ARQ average packet transmission delay in a saturated network is derived in the paper. The analytical equations are then used to evaluate the performance of the protocol under different network configurations. Both the accuracy of the analysis and the performance evaluation of the protocol are supported and validated through computer simulations.

  1. The spectrum of bone disease in Jordanian hemodialysis patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Younes, Nidal A.; Al-Mansour, M.; Sroujieh, Ahmad S.; Wahbeh, A.; Ailabouni, W.; Hamzah, Y.; Mahafzah, W.

    2006-01-01

    To evaluate the spectrum of mineral abnormalities and bone disease (BD) in hemodialysis patients at Jordan University Hospital (JUH), Amman, Jordan. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 63 patients (38 males and 25 females), mean age 44.19 years (range 17-76 years), with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on regular hemodialysis at JUH between November 2004 and April 2005. All patients have undergone complete blood count, chemistry profile, alkaline phosphatase, serum albumin, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and plain x-rays. Bone disorders were identified in 45 patients on x-rays (70%). Osteopenia was found in 43 patients (68.3%), subperiosteal resorption in 24 patients (38.3%) and metastatic calcification in 22 patients (35%). Hypocalcemia was found in 28.6% and hypercalcemia in 7.9%. All patients were taking calcium carbonate, and 55.5% of patients were on vitamin D supplements. The calcium levels in 63.5% and the phosphorus levels in 50.8% of patients were within the recommended guidelines of the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). Serum i-PTH level was above 300 pg/ml high turnover bone disease in 24.6% of patients, 21.3% had iPTH of 150-300 pg/ml target, and 44.3% had i-PTH levels below 100 pg/mL suggesting a dynamic bone disease. Patients with severe bone disease had a statistically significant higher iPTH levels (p<0.005). Bone disease and mineral abnormalities are common in hemodialysis patients at JUH. Earlier detection of bone disease and better overall management strategy may reduce the frequency and severity of bone disease in CKD patients in Jordan. (author)

  2. Huachipa-Jicamarca: cronología y desarrollo sociopolítico en el Rímac

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available HUACHIPA-JICAMARCA : CHRONOLOGIE ET DÉVELOPPEMENT SOCIO-POLITIQUE DANS LA VALLÉE DU RÍMAC. Cet article analyse la période Formative (environ 1700-100 A.C. dans la vallée du Rímac à partir d’une fouille stratigraphique réalisée à Huachipa. Il présente deux intérêts liés entre eux. Le premier concerne la chronologie de la poterie à Huachipa. Une séquence culturelle est proposée, qui commence au Formatif Moyen (environ 1100 A.C. et prend fin au Formatif Récent (environ 100 A.C. avec le style “Blanc sur Rouge”. Selon cette séquence, les régions basses et moyennes du Rímac étaient en contact à preuve, dans les villages et les centres cérémoniels, la présence de poteries de styles similaires. En outre, l'apparition d'un style composé, dénommé Huachipa-Jicamarca C, est tout à fait remarquable en ce qu'il révèle l'existence de liens avec les traditions culturelles de Topará (Chincha et Ocucaje (Ica, probablement aux alentours de 200-100 A.C. De tels liens semblent indiquer que les relations entre la côte centrale et Ica ne furent pas nécessairement sporadiques. Le second intérêt de cet article concerne le type d'occupation humaine et les caractéristiques socio-politiques dans le moyen et le bas Rímac pendant cette période. Au cours de cette étape, me semble-t-il, se développe le village comme modèle d'installation, de même que se développe la construction d'édifices publics, signes, ces derniers, d'organisations socio-politiques similaires aux chefferies et dont le trait le plus remarquable est l'apparition d'une complexe structure sociale religieuse. D'autre part, l'existence d'un temple en U (San Antonio, proche du lieu de peuplement de Huachipa, suggère que village et lieu de culte constituaient un système politiquement intégré. Este artículo examina el período Formativo (circa 1700-100 A.C., en el valle del Rímac, a partir de una muestra estratigráfica excavada en Huachipa y comprende dos

  3. The Big Mac and Teaching about Japan. Footnotes. Volume 8, Number 5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellington, Lucien

    2003-01-01

    The Big Mac can be effective tool in helping students achieve a better understanding of Japan. It can defeat Orientalist stereotypes about the Japanese--and also challenge young people who might have oversimplified notions of what exactly occurs when U.S. fast food chains take root in another culture. Many deride McDonald's as a villain…

  4. Screening Fabry's disease in chronic kidney disease patients not on dialysis: a multicenter study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeniçerioğlu, Yavuz; Akdam, Hakan; Dursun, Belda; Alp, Alper; Sağlam Eyiler, Funda; Akın, Davut; Gün, Yelda; Hüddam, Bülent; Batmazoğlu, Mehmet; Gibyeli Genek, Dilek; Pirinççi, Serhat; Ersoy, İsmail Rıfkı; Üzüm, Atilla; Soypaçacı, Zeki; Tanrısev, Mehmet; Çolak, Hülya; Demiral Sezer, Sibel; Bozkurt, Gökay; Akyıldız, Utku Oğan; Akyüz Ünsal, Ayşe İpek; Ünübol, Mustafa; Uslu, Meltem; Eryılmaz, Ufuk; Günel, Ceren; Meteoğlu, İbrahim; Yavaşoğlu, İrfan; Ünsal, Alparslan; Akar, Harun; Okyay, Pınar

    2017-11-01

    Fabry's disease is an X-linked inherited, rare, progressive, lysosomal storage disorder, affecting multiple organs due to the deficient activity of α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) enzyme. The prevalence has been reported to be 0.15-1% in hemodialysis patients; however, the information on the prevalence in chronic kidney disease not on dialysis is lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Fabry's disease in chronic kidney disease. The patients older than 18 years, enclosing KDIGO 2012 chronic kidney disease definitions, not on dialysis, were enrolled. Dried blood spots on Guthrie papers were used to analyze α-Gal A enzyme and genetic analysis was performed in individuals with enzyme activity ≤1.2 μmol/L/h. A total of 1453 chronic kidney disease patients not on dialysis from seven clinics in Turkey were screened. The mean age of the study population was 59.3 ± 15.9 years. 45.6% of patients were female. The creatinine clearance of 77.3% of patients was below 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , 8.4% had proteinuria, and 2.5% had isolated microscopic hematuria. The mean value of patients' α-Gal A enzyme was detected as 2.93 ± 1.92 μmol/L/h. 152 patients had low levels of α-Gal A enzyme activity (≤1.2 μmol/L/h). In mutation analysis, A143T and D313Y variants were disclosed in three male patients. The prevalence of Fabry's disease in chronic kidney disease not on dialysis was found to be 0.2% (0.4% in male, 0.0% in female). Fabry's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic kidney disease with unknown etiology even in the absence of symptoms and signs suggestive of Fabry's disease.

  5. Prevalence of celiac disease among first-degree relatives of Indian celiac disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Asha; Prakash, Shyam; Kaur, Gurvinder; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla; Ahuja, Vineet; Gupta, Siddhartha Datta; Makharia, Govind K

    2016-03-01

    Celiac disease, once thought to be uncommon in Asia, is now recognized in Asian nations as well. We investigated the prevalence of celiac disease in first-degree relatives of celiac disease patients followed in our centre. First-degree relatives were screened prospectively for celiac disease using questionnaire-based interview and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody. Serology positive first-degree relatives underwent duodenal biopsies. Diagnosis of celiac disease was made based on positive serology and villous abnormality Marsh grade 2 or higher. Human leucocyte antigen DQ2/-DQ8 was also assessed in 127 first-degree relatives. 434 first-degree relatives of 176 celiac disease patients were prospectively recruited; 282 were symptomatic (64.9%), 58 were positive for serology (13.3%). Seroprevalence was higher in female than in males (19% vs 8.5%; p=0.001) and highest in siblings (16.9%) than parents (13.6%) and children (5.9%) of celiac patients (p=0.055); 87.4% first-degree relatives were human leucocyte antigen-DQ2/-DQ8 positive. Overall prevalence of celiac disease was 10.9% amongst first-degree relatives. The prevalence of celiac disease in first-degree relatives of celiac disease patients was 10.9% in our cohort, and 87% had human leucocyte antigen-DQ2 or -DQ8 haplotype. All first-degree relatives of celiac disease patients should be screen for celiac disease even if asymptomatic or with atypical manifestations. Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Detection of Legionella, L. pneumophila and Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) along Potable Water Distribution Pipelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiley, Harriet; Keegan, Alexandra; Fallowfield, Howard; Bentham, Richard

    2014-01-01

    Inhalation of potable water presents a potential route of exposure to opportunistic pathogens and hence warrants significant public health concern. This study used qPCR to detect opportunistic pathogens Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC at multiple points along two potable water distribution pipelines. One used chlorine disinfection and the other chloramine disinfection. Samples were collected four times over the year to provide seasonal variation and the chlorine or chloramine residual was measured during collection. Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC were detected in both distribution systems throughout the year and were all detected at a maximum concentration of 103 copies/mL in the chlorine disinfected system and 106, 103 and 104 copies/mL respectively in the chloramine disinfected system. The concentrations of these opportunistic pathogens were primarily controlled throughout the distribution network through the maintenance of disinfection residuals. At a dead-end and when the disinfection residual was not maintained significant (p < 0.05) increases in concentration were observed when compared to the concentration measured closest to the processing plant in the same pipeline and sampling period. Total coliforms were not present in any water sample collected. This study demonstrates the ability of Legionella spp., L. pneumophila and MAC to survive the potable water disinfection process and highlights the need for greater measures to control these organisms along the distribution pipeline and at point of use. PMID:25046636

  7. Debating Inclusion in Synecdoche, New York: A Response to Gresham and MacMillan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Dianne L.; Ferguson, Philip M.

    1997-01-01

    A comprehensive review of the debate over the inclusion of children with disabilities in educational programs needs to explore research and issues beyond those considered by F. Gresham and D. MacMillan. Some of those issues are reviewed, focusing on a shift away from the medical deficit model. (SLD)

  8. The Control Packet Collision Avoidance Algorithm for the Underwater Multichannel MAC Protocols via Time-Frequency Masking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Yu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Establishing high-speed and reliable underwater acoustic networks among multiunmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs is basic to realize cooperative and intelligent control among different UUVs. Nevertheless, different from terrestrial network, the propagation speed of the underwater acoustic network is 1500 m/s, which makes the design of the underwater acoustic network MAC protocols a big challenge. In accordance with multichannel MAC protocols, data packets and control packets are transferred through different channels, which lowers the adverse effect of acoustic network and gradually becomes the popular issues of underwater acoustic networks MAC protocol research. In this paper, we proposed a control packet collision avoidance algorithm utilizing time-frequency masking to deal with the control packets collision in the control channel. This algorithm is based on the scarcity of the noncoherent underwater acoustic communication signals, which regards collision avoiding as separation of the mixtures of communication signals from different nodes. We first measure the W-Disjoint Orthogonality of the MFSK signals and the simulation result demonstrates that there exists time-frequency mask which can separate the source signals from the mixture of the communication signals. Then we present a pairwise hydrophones separation system based on deep networks and the location information of the nodes. Consequently, the time-frequency mask can be estimated.

  9. Small bowel ultrasound in patients with celiac disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bartusek, D. [Department of Radiology, Masaryk University hospital Brno (Czech Republic)], E-mail: dbartusek@fnbrno.cz; Valek, V. [Department of Radiology, Masaryk University hospital Brno (Czech Republic)], E-mail: v.valek@fnbrno.cz; Husty, J. [Department of Radiology, Masaryk University hospital Brno (Czech Republic)], E-mail: jhusty@fnbrno.cz; Uteseny, J. [Department of Pediatric Internal Medicine, Masaryk University hospital Brno (Czech Republic)], E-mail: juteseny@fnbrno.cz

    2007-08-15

    Objective: Celiac disease (CD) is a common, lifelong disease with small bowel malabsorption based on genetically conditioned gluten intolerance. The clinical manifestation could be very heterogeneous. The proof of celiac disease is now based mainly on clinical and laboratory (antibodies and enterobiopsy) signs, which are in some cases problematic and inconvenient. Materials and methods: In our study we have examined 250 patients with suspection or with proven celiac disease and we evaluated specific ultrasound small bowel changes in this group. In the next step, we chose 59 patients with laboratory proved celiac disease and we statistically compared ultrasound, other laboratory and clinical findings in different forms and stages of the disease. Results: Specific small bowel pathologies in patients with celiac disease (like changes of intestinal villi in different parts of small bowel, abnormal peristalsis and mesenterial lymphadenopathy) can be well visualized by ultrasound and in combination with clinical and laboratory signs ultrasound examination could have an important role in screening, determination of diagnosis and monitoring of patients with different forms of celiac disease.

  10. Small bowel ultrasound in patients with celiac disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartusek, D.; Valek, V.; Husty, J.; Uteseny, J.

    2007-01-01

    Objective: Celiac disease (CD) is a common, lifelong disease with small bowel malabsorption based on genetically conditioned gluten intolerance. The clinical manifestation could be very heterogeneous. The proof of celiac disease is now based mainly on clinical and laboratory (antibodies and enterobiopsy) signs, which are in some cases problematic and inconvenient. Materials and methods: In our study we have examined 250 patients with suspection or with proven celiac disease and we evaluated specific ultrasound small bowel changes in this group. In the next step, we chose 59 patients with laboratory proved celiac disease and we statistically compared ultrasound, other laboratory and clinical findings in different forms and stages of the disease. Results: Specific small bowel pathologies in patients with celiac disease (like changes of intestinal villi in different parts of small bowel, abnormal peristalsis and mesenterial lymphadenopathy) can be well visualized by ultrasound and in combination with clinical and laboratory signs ultrasound examination could have an important role in screening, determination of diagnosis and monitoring of patients with different forms of celiac disease

  11. The Making Assessment Count (MAC consortium maximising assessment and feedback design by working together

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark JP Kerrigan

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The Making Assessment Count (MAC project started at the University of Westminster in 2008. It sought to align staff and student expectations of feedback and support greater use of feed-forward approaches. A baseline analysis of staff views in the School of Life Sciences suggested that students did not make strategic use of the feedback they received. A similar analysis of the student position revealed that as a group they felt that the feedback provided to them was often insufficiently helpful. To address this dichotomy, a MAC process was developed in the School of Life Sciences and trialled with a cohort of about 350 first year undergraduate students. The process was based on a student-centred, three-stage model of feedback: Subject specific, Operational, and Strategic (SOS model. The student uses the subject tutor's feedback on an assignment to complete an online self-review questionnaire delivered by a simple tool. The student answers are processed by a web application called e-Reflect to generate a further feedback report. Contained within this report are personalised graphical representations of performance, time management, satisfaction and other operational feedback designed to help the student reflect on their approach to preparation and completion of future work. The student then writes in an online learning journal, which is shared with their personal tutor to support the personal tutorial process and the student's own development plan (PDP. Since the initial development and implementation of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster, a consortium of universities has worked together to maximise the benefits of the project outcomes and collaboratively explore how the SOS model and e-Reflect can be exploited in different institutional and subject contexts. This paper presents and discusses an evaluation of the use of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster from both staff and student perspective. In addition, the

  12. Mobile Device Management horizons for CERN Managed iOS and Mac Self-Service

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva; MUSZKOWSKI, Maciek; BIPPUS, Vincent Nicolas

    2015-01-01

    Overview of the MDM (Mobile Device Mamagement) market in the context of the CERN needs and a discussion of technical capabilities of a range of MDM products, followed by a presentation of two new functionalities implemented using an MDM: Self-service Kiosk for Mac and delegated-management solution for professional tablets.

  13. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have increased risk of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halling, Morten L; Kjeldsen, Jens; Knudsen, Torben

    2017-01-01

    were significantly increased (P celiac disease, type 1 diabetes (T1D), sarcoidosis, asthma, iridocyclitis, psoriasis, pyoderma gangrenosum, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Restricted to UC (P ...AIM: To investigate whether immune mediated diseases (IMD) are more frequent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: In this population based registry study, a total of 47325 patients with IBD were alive and registered in the Danish National Patient Registry on December 16, 2013....... Controls were randomly selected from the Danish Civil Registration System (CRS) and matched for sex, age, and municipality. We used ICD 10 codes to identify the diagnoses of the included patients. The IBD population was divided into three subgroups: Ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) and Both...

  14. Nuclear power history calculation for subcritical systems using Euler-MacLaurin formula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henrice Junior, Edson; Goncalves, Alessandro da Cruz

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents an efficient method for calculating the reactivity using inverse point kinetic equation for subcritical systems by applying the Euler-MacLaurin summation formula to calculate the nuclear power history. In accordance with the accuracy of the numerical results, this method does not require a large number of points for calculation, providing accurate results with low computational cost. (author)

  15. Oral Anticoagulation in Patients With Liver Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qamar, Arman; Vaduganathan, Muthiah; Greenberger, Norton J; Giugliano, Robert P

    2018-05-15

    Patients with liver disease are at increased risks of both thrombotic and bleeding complications. Many have atrial fibrillation (AF) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) necessitating oral anticoagulant agents (OACs). Recent evidence has contradicted the assumption that patients with liver disease are "auto-anticoagulated" and thus protected from thrombotic events. Warfarin and non-vitamin K-antagonist OACs have been shown to reduce thrombotic events safely in patients with either AF or VTE. However, patients with liver disease have largely been excluded from trials of OACs. Because all currently approved OACs undergo metabolism in the liver, hepatic dysfunction may cause increased bleeding. Thus, the optimal anticoagulation strategy for patients with AF or VTE who have liver disease remains unclear. This review discusses pharmacokinetic and clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of OACs in patients with liver disease and provides a practical, clinically oriented approach to the management of OAC therapy in this population. Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Functional mental capacity, treatment as usual and time: magnitude of change in secure hospital patients with major mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dornan, Julieanne; Kennedy, Miriam; Garland, Jackie; Rutledge, Emer; Kennedy, Harry G

    2015-10-14

    Decision making ability can change with time, depending on mental or physical health. Little is known about the factors that determine this change and the relationship of capacity to time. As a pilot for studies using functional mental capacities as an outcome measure, we sought to quantify this relationship measuring change over time using competence assessment tools, and rating scales for symptoms and global function. We assessed 37 inpatients in a secure psychiatric hospital. All patients met the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-fourth edition and International classification of diseases, 10th edition criteria for an Axis 1 mental illness, all with psychosis. Patients were interviewed twice a mean of 323 days apart (median 176 days range 17-1221 days). The MacArthur competence assessment tools for consent to treatment (MacCAT-T) and fitness to plead (MacCAT-FP) were used to quantify functional capacity along with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and global assessment of function (GAF) scale. A comparison was also made between those patients prescribed clozapine in comparison to other antipsychotics. The number judged by treating psychiatrists to lack capacity either to make a treatment choice or to plead in court fell from 35 to 8%. Change was greatest for those admitted within the previous 9 months. The measures of capacity improved between time 1 and time 2 for both consent to treatment and fitness to plead. The measures of capacity improved with positive symptoms within the PANSS and with GAF scores. Those with shorter lengths of stay at baseline had the greatest improvements in the MacCAT-FP scores. Effect sizes were medium or large (0.3-0.7+). As expected, patients prescribed clozapine had larger changes in functional mental capacities and larger effect sizes than those prescribed other psychotropics. The results show a strong relationship between the clinicians' assessment of capacity and structured rating scales. We

  17. Color Discrimination in Patients with Gaucher Disease and Parkinson Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon-Tov, Shlomi; Dinur, Tama; Giladi, Nir; Bar-Shira, Anat; Zelis, Mayaan; Zimran, Ari; Elstein, Deborah

    2015-01-01

    Poor color discrimination among patients with Parkinson disease (PD) has long been recognized. It has been shown that carrying one or two mutations in the β-glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) for the autosomal disease Gaucher disease (GD), as based initially on clinical evidence, is a genetic risk factor for early-onset PD. The purpose of this study was to assess color discrimination in patients with one or two GBA mutations relative to healthy controls to ascertain whether this function is affected when persons with GD or even one GBA mutation develop PD. The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test (FMHT) was evaluated among patients with GD+PD compared to patients with GD only, obligate GBA carriers with and without PD, patients with PD only, and healthy controls. FMHT outcome include computer-generated TES (Total Error Score) and values recommended by Vingrys & King-Smith. Six groups of 10 persons were tested. Significant differences were seen for male GD+PD and for age in PD. The highest mean TES was in the PD only group, the lowest in the GD only group. There was a significant difference because of PD in groups with GD and GBA carriers. GD+PD means were between GD only and PD only mean scores. These findings confirm that PD impacts color discrimination, more in males with GD+PD but nonetheless, GD+PD patients (but not GBA carriers) had better scores than PD only patients.

  18. Elevated levels of homocysteine increase IL-6 production in monocytic Mono Mac 6 cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Aken, B. E.; Jansen, J.; van Deventer, S. J.; Reitsma, P. H.

    2000-01-01

    Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and thrombosis. The aim of this study was to analyze if exposure of monocytic cells to increased levels of homocysteine (HCY) induces the accumulation of inflammatory mediators. Interleukin (IL)-6 production by monocytic cell line Mono Mac 6

  19. Modeling C-Band Co-Channel Interference From AeroMACS Omni-Directional Antennas to Mobile Satellite Service Feeder Uplinks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jeffrey D.

    2011-01-01

    A new C-band (5091 to 5150 MHz) airport communications system designated as Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) is being planned under the Federal Aviation Administration s NextGen program. An interference analysis software program, Visualyse Professional (Transfinite Systems Ltd), is being utilized to provide guidelines on limitations for AeroMACS transmitters to avoid interference with other systems. A scenario consisting of a single omni-directional transmitting antenna at each of the major contiguous United States airports is modeled and the steps required to build the model are reported. The results are shown to agree very well with a previous study.

  20. Medications Used for Cognitive Enhancement in Patients With Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Alzheimer's Disease, and Parkinson's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Wen-Yu; Lane, Hsien-Yuan; Lin, Chieh-Hsin

    2018-01-01

    Cognitive impairment, which frequently occurs in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, has a significant impact on the daily lives of both patients and their family. Furthermore, since the medications used for cognitive enhancement have limited efficacy, the issue of cognitive enhancement still remains a clinically unsolved challenge. We reviewed the clinical studies (published between 2007 and 2017) that focused on the efficacy of medications used for enhancing cognition in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are the standard treatments for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Some studies have reported selective cognitive improvement in patients with schizophrenia following galantamine treatment. Newer antipsychotics, including paliperidone, lurasidone, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and BL-1020, have also been reported to exert cognitive benefits in patients with schizophrenia. Dopaminergic medications were found to improve language function in patients with Parkinson's disease. However, no beneficial effects on cognitive function were observed with dopamine agonists in patients with schizophrenia. The efficacies of nicotine and its receptor modulators in cognitive improvement remain controversial, with the majority of studies showing that varenicline significantly improved the cognitive function in schizophrenic patients. Several studies have reported that N -methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor (NMDAR) enhancers improved the cognitive function in patients with chronic schizophrenia. NMDAR enhancers might also have cognitive benefits in patients with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, has also been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on attention, processing speed, and memory in female patients with schizophrenia. Clinical trials with