When Love Meets Hate: The Relationship Between State Policies on Gay and Lesbian Rights and Hate Crime Incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Brian L.; Levy, Denise L.

2016-01-01

Do public policies on gay and lesbian rights affect the incidence of hate crimes based on sexual orientation? We propose that legal inequalities increase hate crimes because they provide discursive opportunities for bias, discrimination, and violence. Legal equality, however, will reduce violence. Using annual panel data from 2000 to 2012, a period of substantial policy change, we analyze how three state policies affect reported hate crimes: same-sex partnerships, employment non-discrimination, and hate crime laws. Hate crime and employment non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation reduce hate crime incidence. Partnership recognition increases reported hate crimes, though it may not increase actual crime incidence. Because incidence is spatially correlated, policy changes in one state yield spillover benefits in other states. These results provide some of the first quantitative evidence that public policies affect hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Findings confirm the roles of institutional heterosexism and discursive opportunities in producing hate crimes. PMID:27886725

When love meets hate: The relationship between state policies on gay and lesbian rights and hate crime incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Brian L; Levy, Denise L

2017-01-01

Do public policies on gay and lesbian rights affect the incidence of hate crimes based on sexual orientation? We propose that legal inequalities increase hate crimes because they provide discursive opportunities for bias, discrimination, and violence. Legal equality, however, will reduce violence. Using annual panel data from 2000 to 2012, a period of substantial policy change, we analyze how three state policies affect reported hate crimes: same-sex partnerships, employment non-discrimination, and hate crime laws. Hate crime and employment non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation reduce hate crime incidence. Partnership recognition increases reported hate crimes, though it may not increase actual crime incidence. Because incidence is spatially correlated, policy changes in one state yield spillover benefits in other states. These results provide some of the first quantitative evidence that public policies affect hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Findings confirm the roles of institutional heterosexism and discursive opportunities in producing hate crimes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rodenticide incidents of exposure and adverse effects on non-raptor birds

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, Nimish B.

2017-01-01

Interest in the adverse effects of rodenticides on birds has focused primarily on raptors. However, non-raptor birds are also poisoned (rodenticide exposure resulting in adverse effects including mortality) by rodenticides through consumption of the rodenticide bait and contaminated prey. A literature search for rodenticide incidents (evidence of exposure to a rodenticide, adverse effects, or exposure to placebo baits) involving non-raptor birds returned 641 records spanning the years 1931 to 2016. The incidents included 17 orders, 58 families, and 190 non-raptor bird species. Nineteen anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant rodenticide active ingredients were associated with the incidents. The number of incidents and species detected were compared by surveillance method. An incident was considered to have been reported through passive surveillance if it was voluntarily reported to the authorities whereas the report of an incident found through field work that was conducted with the objective of documenting adverse effects on birds was determined to be from active surveillance. More incidents were reported from passive surveillance than with active surveillance but a significantly greater number of species were detected in proportion to the number of incidents found through active surveillance than with passive surveillance (z = 7.61, p raptor bird poisonings from rodenticides may increase incident reportings and can strengthen the predictions of harm characterized by risk assessments.

Impact of increasing alanine aminotransferase levels within normal range on incident diabetes

OpenAIRE

Chong-Shan Wang; Ting-Tsung Chang; Wei-Jen Yao; Shan-Tair Wang; Pesus Chou

2012-01-01

Abnormal alanine aminotransferase level (ALT) levels might be associated with type 2 diabetes, but whether higher ALT levels within the normal range predict the risk is unknown. Methods: We followed a community-based cohort of 3446 individuals who were ≥35 years old without diabetes and hepatitis B or C in southern Taiwan for 8 years (1997–2004) to study the risk for type 2 diabetes with different normal ALT levels. Results: Among the 337 incident diabetes cases, 16.0% were from those w...

Estimated HIV incidence in the United States, 2006-2009.

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Joseph Prejean

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The estimated number of new HIV infections in the United States reflects the leading edge of the epidemic. Previously, CDC estimated HIV incidence in the United States in 2006 as 56,300 (95% CI: 48,200-64,500. We updated the 2006 estimate and calculated incidence for 2007-2009 using improved methodology. METHODOLOGY: We estimated incidence using incidence surveillance data from 16 states and 2 cities and a modification of our previously described stratified extrapolation method based on a sample survey approach with multiple imputation, stratification, and extrapolation to account for missing data and heterogeneity of HIV testing behavior among population groups. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Estimated HIV incidence among persons aged 13 years and older was 48,600 (95% CI: 42,400-54,700 in 2006, 56,000 (95% CI: 49,100-62,900 in 2007, 47,800 (95% CI: 41,800-53,800 in 2008 and 48,100 (95% CI: 42,200-54,000 in 2009. From 2006 to 2009 incidence did not change significantly overall or among specific race/ethnicity or risk groups. However, there was a 21% (95% CI:1.9%-39.8%; p = 0.017 increase in incidence for people aged 13-29 years, driven by a 34% (95% CI: 8.4%-60.4% increase in young men who have sex with men (MSM. There was a 48% increase among young black/African American MSM (12.3%-83.0%; p<0.001. Among people aged 13-29, only MSM experienced significant increases in incidence, and among 13-29 year-old MSM, incidence increased significantly among young, black/African American MSM. In 2009, MSM accounted for 61% of new infections, heterosexual contact 27%, injection drug use (IDU 9%, and MSM/IDU 3%. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, HIV incidence in the United States was relatively stable 2006-2009; however, among young MSM, particularly black/African American MSM, incidence increased. HIV continues to be a major public health burden, disproportionately affecting several populations in the United States, especially MSM and racial and

A high throughput 2 m normal incidence monochromator for SURF-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ederer, D.L.; Cole, B.E.; West, J.B.

1980-01-01

The high intrinsic brightness of the circulating electron beam at SURF-II is used as the entrance slit for a two-meter normal incidence monochromator. A typical beam size for the electron beam is 100 μm high by 2 mm wide yielding an obserbed resolution of 0.4 Angstroem with a 200 μm exit slit and a 2400 lines/mm grating. The instrument accepts a beam with a 65 mrad horizontal divergence and a 10 mrad vertical divergence. A plane pre-mirror used near normal incidence reflects the incoming radiation onto the 2 m grating; this combination provides a horizontal exit beam, and enables the experiment to be located three meters from the orbit tangent point. With magnesium fluoride coated aluminium optics a flux of 2 x 10'' photon/s x Angstroem at 1200 Angstroem is observed with a 10 mA circulating current. A flux of 5 x 10 10 photon/s x Angstroem at 600 Angstroem is obserbed with an osmium coated grating and a 10 mA circulating current. Sample spectra of the angle-resolved photoelectron spectrum of CO are presented. (orig.)

Reflection and transmission of normally incident full-vector X waves on planar interfaces

KAUST Repository

Salem, Mohamed; Bagci, Hakan

2011-01-01

The reflection and transmission of full-vector X waves normally incident on planar half-spaces and slabs are studied. For this purpose, X waves are expanded in terms of weighted vector Bessel beams; this new decomposition and reconstruction method

Studies on normal incidence backscattering in nodule areas using the multibeam-hydrosweep system

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Pathak, D.; Chakraborty, B.

The acoustic response from areas of varying nodule abundance and number densities in the Central Indian Ocean has been studied by using the echo peak amplitudes of the normal incidence beam in the Multibeam Hydrosweep system. It is observed...

Mean Recency Period for Estimation of HIV-1 Incidence with the BED-Capture EIA and Bio-Rad Avidity in Persons Diagnosed in the United States with Subtype B.

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Debra L Hanson

Full Text Available HIV incidence estimates are used to monitor HIV-1 infection in the United States. Use of laboratory biomarkers that distinguish recent from longstanding infection to quantify HIV incidence rely on having accurate knowledge of the average time that individuals spend in a transient state of recent infection between seroconversion and reaching a specified biomarker cutoff value. This paper describes five estimation procedures from two general statistical approaches, a survival time approach and an approach that fits binomial models of the probability of being classified as recently infected, as a function of time since seroconversion. We compare these procedures for estimating the mean duration of recent infection (MDRI for two biomarkers used by the U.S. National HIV Surveillance System for determination of HIV incidence, the Aware BED EIA HIV-1 incidence test (BED and the avidity-based, modified Bio-Rad HIV-1/HIV-2 plus O ELISA (BRAI assay. Collectively, 953 specimens from 220 HIV-1 subtype B seroconverters, taken from 5 cohorts, were tested with a biomarker assay. Estimates of MDRI using the non-parametric survival approach were 198.4 days (SD 13.0 for BED and 239.6 days (SD 13.9 for BRAI using cutoff values of 0.8 normalized optical density and 30%, respectively. The probability of remaining in the recent state as a function of time since seroconversion, based upon this revised statistical approach, can be applied in the calculation of annual incidence in the United States.

Mean Recency Period for Estimation of HIV-1 Incidence with the BED-Capture EIA and Bio-Rad Avidity in Persons Diagnosed in the United States with Subtype B.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Debra L; Song, Ruiguang; Masciotra, Silvina; Hernandez, Angela; Dobbs, Trudy L; Parekh, Bharat S; Owen, S Michele; Green, Timothy A

2016-01-01

HIV incidence estimates are used to monitor HIV-1 infection in the United States. Use of laboratory biomarkers that distinguish recent from longstanding infection to quantify HIV incidence rely on having accurate knowledge of the average time that individuals spend in a transient state of recent infection between seroconversion and reaching a specified biomarker cutoff value. This paper describes five estimation procedures from two general statistical approaches, a survival time approach and an approach that fits binomial models of the probability of being classified as recently infected, as a function of time since seroconversion. We compare these procedures for estimating the mean duration of recent infection (MDRI) for two biomarkers used by the U.S. National HIV Surveillance System for determination of HIV incidence, the Aware BED EIA HIV-1 incidence test (BED) and the avidity-based, modified Bio-Rad HIV-1/HIV-2 plus O ELISA (BRAI) assay. Collectively, 953 specimens from 220 HIV-1 subtype B seroconverters, taken from 5 cohorts, were tested with a biomarker assay. Estimates of MDRI using the non-parametric survival approach were 198.4 days (SD 13.0) for BED and 239.6 days (SD 13.9) for BRAI using cutoff values of 0.8 normalized optical density and 30%, respectively. The probability of remaining in the recent state as a function of time since seroconversion, based upon this revised statistical approach, can be applied in the calculation of annual incidence in the United States.

High-normal levels of hs-CRP predict the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver in healthy men.

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Jieun Lee

Full Text Available We performed a follow-up study to address whether high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP levels within the normal range can predict the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD in healthy male subjects. Among15347 male workers between 30 and 59 years old who received annual health check-ups in 2002, a NAFLD-free cohort of 4,138 was followed through December 2009. Alcohol consumption was assessed with a questionnaire. At each visit, abdominal ultrasonography was performed to identify fatty liver disease. The COX proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the relationship between hs-CRP and incident NAFLD. During the follow-up period, 28.8% (1191 of 4138 of participants developed NAFLD. The hazard ratios of NAFLD were increased by hs-CRP categories within the normal range in the non-adjusted model and age-adjusted model. After adjusting for age, exercise, smoking, BMI, systolic BP, triglyceride, and fasting glucose, these incidences were only increased between the lowest and the highest hs-CRP categories. The risk for NAFLD increased as the hs-CRP level increased (p< 0.001. As the hs-CRP level increased within the healthy cohort, the risk of developing NAFLD increased. This trend remained true even if the hs-CRP level remained within the normal range. hs-CRP can be used as a predictor of NAFLD, as well as other obesity-associated diseases. Therefore, individuals with higher hs-CRP levels (even within the normal range may require appropriate follow-up and management to prevent NAFLD development.

Demographic variation in incidence of adult glioma by subtype, United States, 1992-2007.

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Dubrow, Robert; Darefsky, Amy S

2011-07-29

We hypothesized that race/ethnic group, sex, age, and/or calendar period variation in adult glioma incidence differs between the two broad subtypes of glioblastoma (GBM) and non-GBM. Primary GBM, which constitute 90-95% of GBM, differ from non-GBM with respect to a number of molecular characteristics, providing a molecular rationale for these two broad glioma subtypes. We utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for 1992-2007, ages 30-69 years. We compared 15,088 GBM cases with 9,252 non-GBM cases. We used Poisson regression to calculate adjusted rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The GBM incidence rate increased proportionally with the 4th power of age, whereas the non-GBM rate increased proportionally with the square root of age. For each subtype, compared to non-Hispanic Whites, the incidence rate among Blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives was substantially lower (one-fourth to one-half for GBM; about two-fifths for non-GBM). Secondary to this primary effect, race/ethnic group variation in incidence was significantly less for non-GBM than for GBM. For each subtype, the incidence rate was higher for males than for females, with the male/female rate ratio being significantly higher for GBM (1.6) than for non-GBM (1.4). We observed significant calendar period trends of increasing incidence for GBM and decreasing incidence for non-GBM. For the two subtypes combined, we observed a 3% decrease in incidence between 1992-1995 and 2004-2007. The substantial difference in age effect between GBM and non-GBM suggests a fundamental difference in the genesis of primary GBM (the driver of GBM incidence) versus non-GBM. However, the commonalities between GBM and non-GBM with respect to race/ethnic group and sex variation, more notable than the somewhat subtle, albeit statistically significant, differences, suggest that within the context of a fundamental difference, some aspects of the complex process of

Energy dependence of ion-induced sputtering yields from monoatomic solids at normal incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamura, Yasunori; Tawara, Hiro.

1995-03-01

The yields of the ion-induced sputtering from monoatomic solids at normal incidence for various ion-target combinations are presented graphically as a function of the incident ion energy. In order to fill the lack of the experimental data, the sputtering yields are also calculated by the Monte Carlo simulation code ACAT for some ion-target combinations. Each graph shows available experimental data points and the ACAT data, together with the sputtering yields calculated by the present empirical formula, whose parameters are determined by the best-fit to available data. (author)

The non-technical skills used by anaesthetic technicians in critical incidents reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring System between 2002 and 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutherford, J S; Flin, R; Irwin, A

2015-07-01

The outcome of critical incidents in the operating theatre has been shown to be influenced by the behaviour of anaesthetic technicians (ATs) assisting anaesthetists, but the specific non-technical skills involved have not been described. We performed a review of critical incidents (n=1433) reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring System between 2002 and 2008 to identify which non-technical skills were used by ATs. The reports were assessed if they mentioned anaesthetic assistance or had the boxes ticked to identify "inadequate assistance" or "absent supervision or assistance". A total of 90 critical incidents involving ATs were retrieved, 69 of which described their use of non-technical skills. In 20 reports, the ATs ameliorated the critical incident, whilst in 46 they exacerbated the critical incident, and three cases had both positive and negative non-technical skills described. Situation awareness was identified in 39 reports, task management in 23, teamwork in 21 and decision-making in two, but there were no descriptions of issues related to leadership, stress or fatigue management. Situation awareness, task management and teamwork appear to be important non-technical skills for ATs in the development or management of critical incidents in the operating theatre. This analysis has been used to support the development of a non-technical skills taxonomy for anaesthetic assistants.

Demographic variation in incidence of adult glioma by subtype, United States, 1992-2007

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Darefsky Amy S

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We hypothesized that race/ethnic group, sex, age, and/or calendar period variation in adult glioma incidence differs between the two broad subtypes of glioblastoma (GBM and non-GBM. Primary GBM, which constitute 90-95% of GBM, differ from non-GBM with respect to a number of molecular characteristics, providing a molecular rationale for these two broad glioma subtypes. Methods We utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for 1992-2007, ages 30-69 years. We compared 15,088 GBM cases with 9,252 non-GBM cases. We used Poisson regression to calculate adjusted rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results The GBM incidence rate increased proportionally with the 4th power of age, whereas the non-GBM rate increased proportionally with the square root of age. For each subtype, compared to non-Hispanic Whites, the incidence rate among Blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives was substantially lower (one-fourth to one-half for GBM; about two-fifths for non-GBM. Secondary to this primary effect, race/ethnic group variation in incidence was significantly less for non-GBM than for GBM. For each subtype, the incidence rate was higher for males than for females, with the male/female rate ratio being significantly higher for GBM (1.6 than for non-GBM (1.4. We observed significant calendar period trends of increasing incidence for GBM and decreasing incidence for non-GBM. For the two subtypes combined, we observed a 3% decrease in incidence between 1992-1995 and 2004-2007. Conclusions The substantial difference in age effect between GBM and non-GBM suggests a fundamental difference in the genesis of primary GBM (the driver of GBM incidence versus non-GBM. However, the commonalities between GBM and non-GBM with respect to race/ethnic group and sex variation, more notable than the somewhat subtle, albeit statistically significant, differences, suggest that within the context of a

State Medicaid Coverage, ESRD Incidence, and Access to Care

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Benjamin A.; Hall, Yoshio N.; Mitani, Aya A.; Winkelmayer, Wolfgang C.

2014-01-01

The proportion of low-income nonelderly adults covered by Medicaid varies widely by state. We sought to determine whether broader state Medicaid coverage, defined as the proportion of each state’s low-income nonelderly adult population covered by Medicaid, associates with lower state-level incidence of ESRD and greater access to care. The main outcomes were incidence of ESRD and five indicators of access to care. We identified 408,535 adults aged 20–64 years, who developed ESRD between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2008. Medicaid coverage among low-income nonelderly adults ranged from 12.2% to 66.0% (median 32.5%). For each additional 10% of the low-income nonelderly population covered by Medicaid, there was a 1.8% (95% confidence interval, 1.0% to 2.6%) decrease in ESRD incidence. Among nonelderly adults with ESRD, gaps in access to care between those with private insurance and those with Medicaid were narrower in states with broader coverage. For a 50-year-old white woman, the access gap to the kidney transplant waiting list between Medicaid and private insurance decreased by 7.7 percentage points in high (>45%) versus low (Medicaid coverage states. Similarly, the access gap to transplantation decreased by 4.0 percentage points and the access gap to peritoneal dialysis decreased by 3.8 percentage points in high Medicaid coverage states. In conclusion, states with broader Medicaid coverage had a lower incidence of ESRD and smaller insurance-related access gaps. PMID:24652791

THE EFFECT OF WAIST CIRCUMFERENCES MORE THAN NORMAL ON THE INCIDENT OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE

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Pria Wahyu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Coronary heart disease is known as the most common disease that causes mortality in the world, one of the examination to identify the risks of coronary heart disease is measuring waist circumference. The purpose of this study was to identify correlation between large waist circumferences and the incident of coroner heart disease. Method: Design used in this study was analytic observational (retrospective with cross sectional approach. There were 63 respondents which sampling by simple random sampling. The independent variable was waist circumferences and the dependent variable was coronary heart disease. Data were collected by direct observation then analyzed by spearman correlation statistic test with significance level α≤0.05. Result: The result showed that waist circumferences more than normal had significant correlation with the incident of coronary heart disease (p=0.02. Analysis: It can be concluded that there was correlation between waist circumferences more than normal and the incident of coronary heart disease to the clients with coroner cardiac disease. Discussion: Earlier screening and detection is needed to prevent coronary heart disease.

Possibility of producing the event-ready two-photon polarization entangled state with normal photon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiangbin

2003-01-01

We propose a scheme to produce the maximally two-photon polarization entangled state with single-photon sources and the passive linear optics devices. In particular, our scheme only requires the normal photon detectors which distinguish the vacuum and non-vacuum Fock number states. A sophisticated photon detector distinguishing between one-photon state and two-photon state is unnecessary in the scheme

Environmental and state-level regulatory factors affect the incidence of autism and intellectual disability.

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Andrey Rzhetsky

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Many factors affect the risks for neurodevelopmental maladies such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD and intellectual disability (ID. To compare environmental, phenotypic, socioeconomic and state-policy factors in a unified geospatial framework, we analyzed the spatial incidence patterns of ASD and ID using an insurance claims dataset covering nearly one third of the US population. Following epidemiologic evidence, we used the rate of congenital malformations of the reproductive system as a surrogate for environmental exposure of parents to unmeasured developmental risk factors, including toxins. Adjusted for gender, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geopolitical factors, the ASD incidence rates were strongly linked to population-normalized rates of congenital malformations of the reproductive system in males (an increase in ASD incidence by 283% for every percent increase in incidence of malformations, 95% CI: [91%, 576%], p<6×10(-5. Such congenital malformations were barely significant for ID (94% increase, 95% CI: [1%, 250%], p = 0.0384. Other congenital malformations in males (excluding those affecting the reproductive system appeared to significantly affect both phenotypes: 31.8% ASD rate increase (CI: [12%, 52%], p<6×10(-5, and 43% ID rate increase (CI: [23%, 67%], p<6×10(-5. Furthermore, the state-mandated rigor of diagnosis of ASD by a pediatrician or clinician for consideration in the special education system was predictive of a considerable decrease in ASD and ID incidence rates (98.6%, CI: [28%, 99.99%], p = 0.02475 and 99% CI: [68%, 99.99%], p = 0.00637 respectively. Thus, the observed spatial variability of both ID and ASD rates is associated with environmental and state-level regulatory factors; the magnitude of influence of compound environmental predictors was approximately three times greater than that of state-level incentives. The estimated county-level random effects exhibited marked spatial clustering, strongly

Assessment of radiation doses due to normal operation, incidents and accidents of the final disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, J.; Raiko, H.; Suolanen, V.; Ilvonen, M.

1999-03-01

Radiation doses for workers of the encapsulation and disposal facility and for inhabitants in the environment caused by the facility during its operation were considered. The study covers both the normal operation of the plant and some hypothetical incidents and accidents. Occupational radiation doses inside the plant during normal operation are based on the design basis, assuming that highest permitted dose levels are prevailing in control rooms during fuel transfer and encapsulation processes. Release through the ventilation stack is assumed to be filtered both in normal operation and in hypothetical incident and accident cases. Calculation of the offsite doses from normal operation is based on the hypothesis that one fuel pin per 100 fuel bundles for all batches of spent fuel transported to the encapsulation facility is leaking. The release magnitude in incidents and accidents is based on the event chains, which lead to loss of fuel pin tightness followed by a discharge of radionuclides into the handling chamber and to some degree through the ventilation stack into atmosphere. The weather data measured at the Olkiluoto meteorological mast was employed for calculating of offsite doses. Therefore doses could be calculated in a large amount of different dispersion conditions, the statistical frequencies of which have, been measured. Finally doses were combined into cumulative distributions, from which a dose value representing the 99.5 % confidence level, is presented. The dose values represent the exposure of a critical group, which is assumed to live at the distance of 200 meters from the encapsulation and disposal plant and thus it will receive the largest doses in most dispersion conditions. Exposure pathways considered were: cloudsnine, inhalation, groundshine and nutrition (milk of cow, meat of cow, green vegetables, grain and root vegetables). Nordic seasonal variation is included in ingestion dose models. The results obtained indicate that offsite doses

Analytical evaluation for the sputtering yield of monoatomic solids at normal ion incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao Qiyun; Pan Zhengying

1994-01-01

A universal formula of sputtering yield for normal incidence of mono-energetic ions on single element targets is presented. The results based on this method are compared with the Monte Carlo simulation and the experimental data. By means of Wilcoxon two-sample paired signed rank test, the statistically significant difference of the above results is discussed

Dependence of extinction cross-section on incident polarization state and particle orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Ping; Wendisch, Manfred; Bi Lei; Kattawar, George; Mishchenko, Michael; Hu, Yongxiang

2011-01-01

This note reports on the effects of the polarization state of an incident quasi-monochromatic parallel beam of radiation and the orientation of a hexagonal ice particle with respect to the incident direction on the extinction process. When the incident beam is aligned with the six-fold rotational symmetry axis, the extinction is independent of the polarization state of the incident light. For other orientations, the extinction cross-section for linearly polarized light can be either larger or smaller than its counterpart for an unpolarized incident beam. Therefore, the attenuation of a quasi-monochromatic radiation beam by an ice cloud depends on the polarization state of the beam if ice crystals within the cloud are not randomly oriented. Furthermore, a case study of the extinction of light by a quartz particle is also presented to illustrate the dependence of the extinction cross-section on the polarization state of the incident light.

Topological resilience in non-normal networked systems

Science.gov (United States)

Asllani, Malbor; Carletti, Timoteo

2018-04-01

The network of interactions in complex systems strongly influences their resilience and the system capability to resist external perturbations or structural damages and to promptly recover thereafter. The phenomenon manifests itself in different domains, e.g., parasitic species invasion in ecosystems or cascade failures in human-made networks. Understanding the topological features of the networks that affect the resilience phenomenon remains a challenging goal for the design of robust complex systems. We hereby introduce the concept of non-normal networks, namely networks whose adjacency matrices are non-normal, propose a generating model, and show that such a feature can drastically change the global dynamics through an amplification of the system response to exogenous disturbances and eventually impact the system resilience. This early stage transient period can induce the formation of inhomogeneous patterns, even in systems involving a single diffusing agent, providing thus a new kind of dynamical instability complementary to the Turing one. We provide, first, an illustrative application of this result to ecology by proposing a mechanism to mute the Allee effect and, second, we propose a model of virus spreading in a population of commuters moving using a non-normal transport network, the London Tube.

NON-TRAUMATIC COMA- INCIDENCE, AETIOLOGY AND OUTCOME

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Mallikarjun R. Patil

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Acute non-traumatic coma is one of the most common paediatric emergencies, which arouses much anxiety and apprehension in both parents and physicians. Due to heterogeneity of causes in these patients, prediction of outcome is difficult and unfortunately no single clinical, laboratory or electrophysiological parameters singly predict their outcome. Aetiology of nontraumatic coma varies depending on different geographical area. We have attempted to find the incidence, aetiology and outcome and delineate neurological signs to predict the prognosis in this study. The aim of this study is to study the incidence, aetiology and outcome of non-traumatic coma in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS 100 consecutive cases of non-traumatic coma between 5months and 15 years of age were selected for the study. Clinical signs and findings were recorded at admission (‘0’ Hr and after ‘48’ Hrs. of hospital stay. Aetiology of coma is determined on the basis of clinical history, examination and relevant laboratory investigations by the treating physician. These children were followed up till the death in the hospital or discharged from the hospital. Discharged patients were asked for followup after 4 weeks. During this period, all of them were evaluated by formal neurological examination and for special sensory involvement. The neurological outcomes were categorised into 6 groups (I-VI based on the severity of neurological involvement. Chisquare test was applied to determine the predictors of outcome. RESULTS 1. The incidence of non-traumatic coma in our hospital based study was 8.02% of all paediatric admissions and 21.64% of all PICU admissions. 2. CNS infections contributed the majority (58% of cases. (Dengue encephalitis-28%, viral encephalitis-12%, TB meningitis-8%, pyogenic meningitis- 6%, Shigella encephalopathy-3% and cerebral malaria-1%. 3. Other non-infectious aetiologies were toxic and metabolic group- 21%, post status epilepticus- 9

Multiple imputation in the presence of non-normal data.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Katherine J; Carlin, John B

2017-02-20

Multiple imputation (MI) is becoming increasingly popular for handling missing data. Standard approaches for MI assume normality for continuous variables (conditionally on the other variables in the imputation model). However, it is unclear how to impute non-normally distributed continuous variables. Using simulation and a case study, we compared various transformations applied prior to imputation, including a novel non-parametric transformation, to imputation on the raw scale and using predictive mean matching (PMM) when imputing non-normal data. We generated data from a range of non-normal distributions, and set 50% to missing completely at random or missing at random. We then imputed missing values on the raw scale, following a zero-skewness log, Box-Cox or non-parametric transformation and using PMM with both type 1 and 2 matching. We compared inferences regarding the marginal mean of the incomplete variable and the association with a fully observed outcome. We also compared results from these approaches in the analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms in parents of very preterm compared with term-born infants. The results provide novel empirical evidence that the decision regarding how to impute a non-normal variable should be based on the nature of the relationship between the variables of interest. If the relationship is linear in the untransformed scale, transformation can introduce bias irrespective of the transformation used. However, if the relationship is non-linear, it may be important to transform the variable to accurately capture this relationship. A useful alternative is to impute the variable using PMM with type 1 matching. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Incidence of lymphoid neoplasms by subtype among six Asian ethnic groups in the United States, 1996-2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Carreon, J Daniel; Morton, Lindsay M; Devesa, Susan S; Clarke, Christina A; Gomez, Scarlett L; Glaser, Sally L; Sakoda, Lori C; Linet, Martha S; Wang, Sophia S

2008-12-01

To establish baseline data for lymphoid neoplasm incidence by subtype for six Asian-American ethnic groups. Incident rates were estimated by age and sex for six Asian ethnic groups--Asian Indian/Pakistani, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese--in five United States cancer registry areas during 1996-2004. For comparison, rates for non-Hispanic Whites were also estimated. During 1996-2004, Filipinos had the highest (24.0) and Koreans had the lowest incidence (12.7) of total lymphoid neoplasms. By subtype, Vietnamese and Filipinos had the highest incidence for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (8.0 and 7.2); Japanese had the highest incidence of follicular lymphoma (2.3). Although a general male predominance of lymphoid neoplasms was observed, this pattern varied by lymphoid neoplasm subtype. Whites generally had higher rates than all Asian ethnic groups for all lymphoid neoplasms and most lymphoma subtypes, although the magnitude of the difference varied by both ethnicity and lymphoma subtype. The observed variations in incidence patterns among Asian ethnic groups in the United States suggest that it may be fruitful to pursue studies that compare Asian populations for postulated environmental and genetic risk factors.

The impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in non-overweight individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, Takuya; Hamaguchi, Masahide; Kojima, Takao; Hashimoto, Yoshitaka; Ohbora, Akihiro; Kato, Takahiro; Nakamura, Naoto; Fukui, Michiaki

2016-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in non-overweight individuals with NAFLD. A population-based retrospective cohort study of 4629 participants who were enrolled in a health check-up programme for more than 10 years. A standardized questionnaire and abdominal ultrasonography were used to diagnose NAFLD. A cut-off point of BMI 23 kg/m(2) was used to define overweight (≥23.0 kg/m(2)) or non-overweight (<23.0 kg/m(2)). The primary outcome was incident T2DM. Over a mean follow-up of 12.8 years, 351 participants (7.6%) developed T2DM. The incidence rate of T2DM was 3.2% in the non-overweight without NAFLD group, 14.4% in the non-overweight with NAFLD group, 8.0% in the overweight without NAFLD group and 26.4% in the overweight with NAFLD group. The adjusted hazard ratios for incident T2DM compared with the non-overweight without NAFLD group were as follows: 3.59 (95% CI: 2.14-5.76) in the non-overweight with NAFLD group, 1.99 (95% CI: 1.47-2.69) in the overweight without NAFLD group and 6.77 (95% CI: 5.17-8.91) in the overweight with NAFLD group. The adjusted hazard ratio in the non-overweight with NAFLD group was significantly higher than that in the overweight without NAFLD group or that in the non-overweight without NAFLD group. Non-overweight individuals with NAFLD had a high risk of incident T2DM. Diagnosis of NAFLD is important in non-overweight individuals, and therefore it might be necessary to follow their health conditions on a long-term basis after detection of NAFLD. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Increased incidence of bowel cancer after non-surgical treatment of appendicitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Enblad, Malin; Birgisson, Helgi; Ekbom, Anders; Sandin, Fredrik; Graf, Wilhelm

2017-11-01

There is an ongoing debate on the use of antibiotics instead of appendectomy for treating appendicitis but diagnostic difficulties and longstanding inflammation might lead to increased incidence of bowel cancer in these patients. The aim of this population-based study was to investigate the incidence of bowel cancer after non-surgical treatment of appendicitis. Patients diagnosed with appendicitis but lacking the surgical procedure code for appendix removal were retrieved from the Swedish National Inpatient Register 1987-2013. The cohort was matched with the Swedish Cancer Registry and the standardised incidence ratios (SIR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for appendiceal, colorectal and small bowel cancers were calculated. Of 13 595 patients with non-surgical treatment of appendicitis, 352 (2.6%) were diagnosed with appendiceal, colorectal or small bowel cancer (SIR 4.1, 95% CI 3.7-4.6). The largest incidence increase was found for appendiceal (SIR 35, 95% CI 26-46) and right-sided colon cancer (SIR 7.5, 95% CI 6.6-8.6). SIR was still elevated when excluding patients with less than 12 months since appendicitis and the incidence of right-sided colon cancer was elevated five years after appendicitis (SIR 3.5, 95% CI 2.1-5.4). An increased incidence of bowel cancer was found after appendicitis with abscess (SIR 4.6, 95% CI 4.0-5.2), and without abscess (SIR 3.5, 95% CI 2.9-4.1). Patients with non-surgical treatment of appendicitis have an increased short and long-term incidence of bowel cancer. This should be considered in the discussion about optimal management of patients with appendicitis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Non-state actors in control of territory as 'actors of protection' in international refugee law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karavias, M.

2015-01-01

This article examines the concept of non-state ‘actors of protection’ in international refugee law. This concept breaks with traditional State-centric readings of international law, as it connotes that a non-state actor may offer ‘protection’ against persecution, comparable to that normally offered

State financial cover for nuclear incidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobsson, M.

1985-01-01

Some States have introduced systems of compensation out of public funds in case the compensation under the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention is insufficient to cover the damage caused by a nuclear incident. The systems are described in this paper as well as that in Switzerland, which is not Party to these Conventions. (NEA) [fr

Incidence and Trends of Six Types of Cancer in Populations Environmentally Exposed to Obsolete Pesticides in the Colombian State of Cesar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojas H, Martha P

2009-01-01

Objective: To determine incidence and trends related to the appearance of bladder, kidney, non melanoma skin (except head and neck),lung, liver and colon cancer in the State of Cesar and in the entirety of its municipalities from January 1, 1998-December 31, 2006. Methods: A descriptive, transverse epidemiologic study carried out in the municipalities of the State of Cesar where environmental exposure to obsolete or near obsolete pesticides had occurred. Census of secondary information sources was conducted at main geographical points where state residents sought medical care. Active data collection (at the source) was employed in accordance with Population Cancer Registry. Results: In the State of Cesar, between 1998-2006, average annual percentage and statistically significant changes occurred in the incidence of lung, colon, and rectal cancers for both sexes, and of non melanoma skin cancer for men. The municipalities of Agustin Codazzi and El Copey revealed age standard rates (ASR) above the state average for liver cancer in both sexes, and for bladder cancer in women. Gender related multiple ASR for the municipalities of Valledupar, Aguachica, Pailitas and La Paz stood out with respectively higher ASR than that for the entire State of Cesar. Conclusions: It is possible that there is a statistical and geospatial association between the incidence of the following cancers and the environmental exposure to PLADES: (a) bladder cancer in women, in Agustin Codazzi and El Copey; (b) bladder cancer in men, only in El Copey, and (c) non melanoma skin cancer in men, only in Agustin Codazzi.

Interface crack growth for anisotropic plasticity with non-normality effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Legarth, Brian Nyvang

2007-01-01

A plasticity model with a non-normality plastic flow rule is used to analyze crack growth along an interface between a solid with plastic anisotropy and an elastic substrate. The fracture process is represented in terms of a traction-separation law specified on the crack plane. A phenomenological...... an oscillating stress singularity, and with conditions of small scale yielding this solution is applied as boundary conditions on the outer edge of the region analyzed. Crack growth resistance curves are calculated numerically, and the effect of the near-tip mode mixity on the steady-state fracture toughness...

Cancer incidence profile in sub-Saharan African-born blacks in the United States: Similarities and differences with US-born non-Hispanic blacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Medhanie, Genet A; Fedewa, Stacey A; Adissu, Hibret; DeSantis, Carol E; Siegel, Rebecca L; Jemal, Ahmedin

2017-08-15

Sub-Saharan African-born blacks (ABs) are one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States. However, to the authors' knowledge, data regarding the cancer burden in this group are lacking, which would inform targeted cancer prevention and control. The authors calculated age-standardized proportional incidence ratios (PIRs) comparing the frequency of the top 15 cancers in ABs with that of US-born non-Hispanic blacks (USBs) by sex and region of birth using incidence data for 2000 through 2012 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER 17) program. Compared with USBs, ABs had significantly higher PIRs of infection-related cancers (liver, stomach, and Kaposi sarcoma), blood cancers (leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma), prostate cancer, and thyroid cancers (females only). For example, the PIR for Kaposi sarcoma in AB versus USB women was 12.06 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 5.23-18.90). In contrast, ABs had lower PIRs for smoking-related and colorectal cancers (eg, for lung cancer among men, the PIR was 0.30 [95% CI, 0.27-0.34]). Furthermore, cancer occurrence in ABs versus USBs varied by region of birth. For example, the higher PIRs for liver cancer noted among male ABs (PIR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.79-5.35) and for thyroid cancer in female ABs (PIR, 3.03; 95% CI, 2.03-4.02) were confined to Eastern African-born blacks, whereas the higher PIR for prostate cancer (PIR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.78, 2.02) was confined to Western African-born blacks. The cancer incidence profile of ABs is different from that of USBs and varies by region of birth, suggesting differences in environmental, cultural, social, and genetic factors. The findings of the current study could stimulate etiologic research and help to inform targeted interventions. Cancer 2017;123:3116-24. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Incident and Trafficking Database: New Systems for Reporting and Accessing State Information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimitrovski, D.; Kittley, S.

2015-01-01

The IAEA's Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) is the Agency's authoritative source for information on incidents in which nuclear and other radioactive material is out of national regulatory control. It was established in 1995 and, as of June 2014, 126 States participate in the ITDB programme. Currently, the database contains over 2500 confirmed incidents, out of which 21% involve nuclear material, 62% radioactive source and 17% radioactively contaminated material. In recent years, the system for States to report incidents to the ITDB has been evolving — moving from fax-based to secure email and most recently to secure on-line reporting. A Beta version of the on-line system was rolled out this June, offering a simple, yet secure, communication channel for member states to provide information. In addition the system serves as a central hub for information related to official communication of the IAEA with Member States so some communication that is traditionally shared by e-mail does not get lost when ITDB counterparts change. In addition the new reporting system incorporates optional features that allow multiple Member State users to collaboratively contribute toward an INF. States are also being given secure on-line access to a streamlined version of the ITDB. This improves States' capabilities to retrieve and analyze information for their own purposes. In addition, on-line access to ITDB statistical information on incidents is available to States through an ITDB Dashboard. The dashboard contains aggregate information on number and types of incidents, material involved, as well some other statistics related to the ITDB that is typically provided in the ITDB Quarterly reports. (author)

State Methods for a Cyber Incident

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

Glossary S905 - Incident Submission and Response Standard S910 - Data Breach Notification Standard E-5 Our state characterizes information system...Office of Management and Budget. (2011a). Legislative Language Data Breach Notification. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.whitehouse.gov...sites/default/files/omb/legislative/letters/ data - breach -notification.pdf Executive Office of the President. Office of Management and Budget

Non-local electron transport through normal and topological ladder-like atomic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kurzyna, Marcin; Kwapiński, Tomasz

2018-05-01

We propose a locally protected ladder-like atomic system (nanoconductor) on a substrate that is insensitive to external perturbations. The system corresponds to coupled atomic chains fabricated on different surfaces. Electron transport properties of such conductors are studied theoretically using the model tight-binding Su-Schriffer-Hegger (SSH) Hamiltonian and Green's function formalism. We have found that the conductance of the system is almost insensitive to single adatoms and oscillates as a function of the side chain length with very large periods. Non-local character of the electron transport was observed also for topological SSH chains where nontrivial end states survive in the presence of disturbances as well as for different substrates. We have found that the careful inspection of the density of states or charge waves can provide the information about the atom energy levels and hopping amplitudes. Moreover, the ladder-like geometry allows one to distinguish between normal and topological zero-energy states. It is important that topological chains do not reveal Friedel oscillations which are observed in non-topological chains.

Inheritance of Properties of Normal and Non-Normal Distributions after Transformation of Scores to Ranks

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Donald W.

2011-01-01

This study investigated how population parameters representing heterogeneity of variance, skewness, kurtosis, bimodality, and outlier-proneness, drawn from normal and eleven non-normal distributions, also characterized the ranks corresponding to independent samples of scores. When the parameters of population distributions from which samples were…

High-flux normal incidence monochromator for circularly polarized synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefers, F.; Peatman, W.; Eyers, A.; Heckenkamp, C.; Schoenhense, G.; Heinzmann, U.

1986-01-01

A 6.5-m normal incidence monochromator installed at the storage ring BESSY, which is optimized for a high throughput of circularly polarized off-plane radiation at moderate resolution is described. The monochromator employs two exit slits and is specially designed and used for low-signal experiments such as spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on solids, adsorbates, free atoms, and molecules. The Monk--Gillieson mounting (plane grating in a convergent light beam) allows for large apertures with relatively little astigmatism. With two gratings, a flux of more than 10 11 photons s -1 bandwidth -1 (0.2--0.5 nm) with a circular polarization of more than 90% in the wavelength range from 35 to 675 nm is achieved

Incidence and Speciation of Candida Species among Non-gravid ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the incidence and speciation of Candida species among non-gravid young females, using commercially available chromogenic Candida speciation media (CHROM agar) for the identification/speciation of medically important yeast and yeastlike organisms in a routine clinical mycology laboratory.

Amyloid burden and incident depressive symptoms in cognitively normal older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Karra D; Gould, Emma; Lim, Yen Ying; Ames, David; Pietrzak, Robert H; Rembach, Alan; Rainey-Smith, Stephanie; Martins, Ralph N; Salvado, Olivier; Villemagne, Victor L; Rowe, Christopher C; Masters, Colin L; Maruff, Paul

2017-04-01

Several studies have reported that non-demented older adults with clinical depression show changes in amyloid-β (Aβ) levels in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and on neuroimaging that are consistent with those observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that Aβ may be one of the mechanisms underlying the relation between the two conditions. We sought to determine the relation between elevated cerebral Aβ and the presence of depression across a 54-month prospective observation period. Cognitively normal older adults from the Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle study who were not depressed and had undergone a positron emission tomography scan to classify them as either high Aβ (n = 81) or low Aβ (n = 278) participated. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale - Short Form at 18-month intervals over 54 months. Whilst there was no difference in probable depression between groups at baseline, incidence was 4.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-16.4) times greater within the high Aβ group (9%) than the low Aβ group (2%) by the 54-month assessment. Results of this study suggest that elevated Aβ levels are associated with a 4.5-fold increased likelihood of developing clinically significant depressive symptoms on follow-up in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. This underscores the importance of assessing, monitoring and treating depressive symptoms in older adults with elevated Aβ. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Plasmonic Light Scattering in Textured Silicon Solar Cells with Indium Nanoparticles from Normal to Non-Normal Light Incidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Jeng Ho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this study, we sought to improve the light trapping of textured silicon solar cells using the plasmonic light scattering of indium nanoparticles (In NPs of various dimensions. The light trapping modes of textured-silicon surfaces with and without In NPs were investigated at an angle of incidence (AOI ranging from 0° to 75°. The optical reflectance, external quantum efficiency (EQE, and photovoltaic performance were first characterized under an AOI of 0°. We then compared the EQE and photovoltaic current density-voltage (J-V as a function of AOI in textured silicon solar cells with and without In NPs. We observed a reduction in optical reflectance and an increase in EQE when the cells textured with pyramidal structures were coated with In NPs. We also observed an impressive increase in the average weighted external quantum efficiency (∆EQEw and short-circuit current-density (∆Jsc in cells with In NPs when illuminated under a higher AOI. The ∆EQEw values of cells with In NPs were 0.37% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 3.48% higher under an AOI of 75°. The ∆Jsc values of cells with In NPs were 0.50% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 4.57% higher under an AOI of 75°. The application of In NPs clearly improved the light trapping effects. This can be attributed to the effects of plasmonic light-scattering over the entire wavelength range as well as an expanded angle of incident light.

Stage-specific incidence rates and trends of prostate cancer by age, race, and ethnicity, United States, 2004-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jun; Siegel, David A; King, Jessica B

2018-05-01

Current literature shows different findings on the contemporary trends of distant-stage prostate cancer incidence, in part, due to low study population coverage and wide age groupings. This study aimed to examine the stage-specific incidence rates and trends of prostate cancer by age (5-year grouping), race, and ethnicity using nationwide cancer registry data. Data on prostate cancer cases came from the 2004-2014 United States Cancer Statistics data set. We calculated stage-specific incidence and 95% confidence intervals by age (5-year age grouping), race, and ethnicity. To measure the changes in rates over time, we calculated annual percentage change (APC). We identified 2,137,054 incident prostate cancers diagnosed during 2004-2014, with an age-adjusted incidence rate of 453.8 per 100,000. Distant-stage prostate cancer incidence significantly decreased during 2004-2010 (APC = -1.2) and increased during 2010-2014 (APC = 3.3). Significant increases in distant prostate cancer incidence also occurred in men aged older than or equal to 50 years except men aged 65-74 and older than or equal to 85 years, in men with white race (APC = 3.9), and non-Hispanic ethnicity (APC = 3.5). Using data representing over 99% of U.S. population, we found that incidence rates of distant-stage prostate cancer significantly increased during 2010-2014 among men in certain ages, in white, and with non-Hispanic ethnicity. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Incidence and survival in non-hereditary amyloidosis in Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hemminki Kari

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous disease caused by deposition of amyloid fibrils in organs and thereby interfering with physiological functions. Hardly any incidence data are available and most survival data are limited to specialist clinics. Methods Amyloidosis patients were identified from the Swedish Hospital Discharge and Outpatients Registers from years 2001 through 2008. Results The incidence of non-hereditary amyloidosis in 949 patients was 8.29 per million person-years and the diagnostic age with the highest incidence was over 65 years. Secondary systemic amyloidosis showed an incidence of 1 per million and a female excess and the largest number of subsequent rheumatoid arthritis deaths; the median survival was 4 years. However, as rheumatoid arthritis deaths also occurred in other diagnostic subtypes, the incidence of secondary systemic amyloidosis was likely to be about 2.0 per million. The median survival of patients with organ-limited amyloidosis was 6 years. Most myeloma deaths occurred in patients diagnosed with unspecified or ‘other’ amyloidosis. These subtypes probably accounted for most of immunoglobulin light chain (AL amyloidosis cases; the median survival time was 3 years. Conclusions The present diagnostic categorization cannot single out AL amyloidosis in the Swedish discharge data but, by extrapolation from myeloma cases, an incidence of 3.2 per million could be ascribed to AL amyloidosis. Similarly, based on rheumatoid arthritis death rates, an incidence of 2.0 could be ascribed to secondary systemic amyloidosis.

Coupling effects of resonant and discretized non-resonant continuum states in 4He+6Li scattering at 10 MeV/A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, T.; Kanungo, R.; Samanta, C.; Ghosh, S.; Basu, P.; Rebel, H.

1996-01-01

Alpha- particle scattering from the resonant (3 + 1 ) and non-resonant continuum states of 6 Li is studied at incident energy 10 MeV/A. The α+d breakup continuum part within the excitation energy E ex = 1.475-2.475 MeV is discretized in two energy bins. Unlike the results at higher incident energies, here the coupled-channel calculations show significant breakup continuum coupling effects on the elastic and inelastic scattering. It is shown that even when the continuum-continuum coupling effects are strong, the experimental data of the ground state and the resonant as well as discretized non-resonant continuum states impose stringent constraint on the coupling strengths of the non-resonant continuum states. (orig.). With 2 figs., 1 tab

The consequences of non-normality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hip, I.; Lippert, Th.; Neff, H.; Schilling, K.; Schroers, W.

2002-01-01

The non-normality of Wilson-type lattice Dirac operators has important consequences - the application of the usual concepts from the textbook (hermitian) quantum mechanics should be reconsidered. This includes an appropriate definition of observables and the refinement of computational tools. We show that the truncated singular value expansion is the optimal approximation to the inverse operator D -1 and we prove that due to the γ 5 -hermiticity it is equivalent to γ 5 times the truncated eigenmode expansion of the hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator

Fungal invasion of normally non-phagocytic host cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott G Filler

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Many fungi that cause invasive disease invade host epithelial cells during mucosal and respiratory infection, and subsequently invade endothelial cells during hematogenous infection. Most fungi invade these normally non-phagocytic host cells by inducing their own uptake. Candida albicans hyphae interact with endothelial cells in vitro by binding to N-cadherin on the endothelial cell surface. This binding induces rearrangement of endothelial cell microfilaments, which results in the endocytosis of the organism. The capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans is composed of glucuronoxylomannan, which binds specifically to brain endothelial cells, and appears to mediate both adherence and induction of endocytosis. The mechanisms by which other fungal pathogens induce their own uptake are largely unknown. Some angioinvasive fungi, such as Aspergillus species and the Zygomycetes, invade endothelial cells from the abluminal surface during the initiation of invasive disease, and subsequently invade the luminal surface of endothelial cells during hematogenous dissemination. Invasion of normally non-phagocytic host cells has different consequences, depending on the type of invading fungus. Aspergillus fumigatus blocks apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells, whereas Paracoccidioides brasiliensis induces apoptosis of epithelial cells. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which diverse fungal pathogens invade normally non-phagocytic host cells and discusses gaps in our knowledge that provide opportunities for future research.

Aplanatic telescopes based on Schwarzschild optical configuration: from grazing incidence Wolter-like x-ray optics to Cherenkov two-mirror normal incidence telescopes

Science.gov (United States)

Sironi, Giorgia

2017-09-01

At the beginning of XX century Karl Schwarzschild defined a method to design large-field aplanatic telescopes based on the use of two aspheric mirrors. The approach was then refined by Couder (1926) who, in order to correct for the astigmatic aberration, introduced a curvature of the focal plane. By the way, the realization of normal-incidence telescopes implementing the Schwarzschild aplanatic configuration has been historically limited by the lack of technological solutions to manufacture and test aspheric mirrors. On the other hand, the Schwarzschild solution was recovered for the realization of coma-free X-ray grazing incidence optics. Wolter-like grazing incidence systems are indeed free of spherical aberration, but still suffer from coma and higher order aberrations degrading the imaging capability for off-axis sources. The application of the Schwarzschild's solution to X-ray optics allowed Wolter to define an optical system that exactly obeys the Abbe sine condition, eliminating coma completely. Therefore these systems are named Wolter-Schwarzschild telescopes and have been used to implement wide-field X-ray telescopes like the ROSAT WFC and the SOHO X-ray telescope. Starting from this approach, a new class of X-ray optical system was proposed by Burrows, Burg and Giacconi assuming polynomials numerically optimized to get a flat field of view response and applied by Conconi to the wide field x-ray telescope (WFXT) design. The Schwarzschild-Couder solution has been recently re-discovered for the application to normal-incidence Cherenkov telescopes, thanks to the suggestion by Vassiliev and collaborators. The Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) realized the first Cherenkov telescope based on the polynomial variation of the Schwarzschild configuration (the so-called ASTRI telescope). Its optical qualification was successfully completed in 2016, demonstrating the suitability of the Schwarzschild-like configuration for the Cherenkov astronomy requirements

Construction of classical and non-classical coherent photon states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honegger, Reinhard; Rieckers, Alfred

2001-01-01

It is well known that the diagonal matrix elements of all-order coherent states for the quantized electromagnetic field have to constitute a Poisson distribution with respect to the photon number. The present work gives first the summary of a constructive scheme, developed previously, which determines in terms of an auxiliary Hilbert space all possible off-diagonal elements for the all-order coherent density operators in Fock space and which identifies all extremal coherent states. In terms of this formalism it is then demonstrated that each pure classical coherent state is a uniformly phase locked (quantum) coherent superposition of number states. In a mixed classical coherent state the exponential of the locked phase is shown to be replaced by a rather arbitrary unitary operator in the auxiliary Hilbert space. On the other hand classes for density operators--and for their normally ordered characteristic functions--of non-classical coherent states are obtained, especially by rather weak perturbations of classical coherent states. These illustrate various forms of breaking the classical uniform phase locking and exhibit rather peculiar properties, such as asymmetric fluctuations for the quadrature phase operators. Several criteria for non-classicality are put forward and applied to the elaborated non-classical coherent states, providing counterexamples against too simple arguments for classicality. It is concluded that classicality is only a stable concept for coherent states with macroscopic intensity

Relationship Between State-Level Google Online Search Volume and Cancer Incidence in the United States: Retrospective Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Charles A; Barz Leahy, Allison; Li, Yimei; Schapira, Marilyn M; Bailey, L Charles; Merchant, Raina M

2018-01-08

In the United States, cancer is common, with high morbidity and mortality; cancer incidence varies between states. Online searches reflect public awareness, which could be driven by the underlying regional cancer epidemiology. The objective of our study was to characterize the relationship between cancer incidence and online Google search volumes in the United States for 6 common cancers. A secondary objective was to evaluate the association of search activity with cancer-related public events and celebrity news coverage. We performed a population-based, retrospective study of state-level cancer incidence from 2004 through 2013 reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for breast, prostate, colon, lung, and uterine cancers and leukemia compared to Google Trends (GT) relative search volume (RSV), a metric designed by Google to allow interest in search topics to be compared between regions. Participants included persons in the United States who searched for cancer terms on Google. The primary measures were the correlation between annual state-level cancer incidence and RSV as determined by Spearman correlation and linear regression with RSV and year as independent variables and cancer incidence as the dependent variable. Temporal associations between search activity and events raising public awareness such as cancer awareness months and cancer-related celebrity news were described. At the state level, RSV was significantly correlated to incidence for breast (r=.18, P=.001), prostate (r=-.27, P<.001), lung (r=.33, P<.001), and uterine cancers (r=.39, P<.001) and leukemia (r=.13, P=.003) but not colon cancer (r=-.02, P=.66). After adjusting for time, state-level RSV was positively correlated to cancer incidence for all cancers: breast (P<.001, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.19), prostate (P=.38, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.22), lung (P<.001, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.46), colon (P<.001, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.17), and uterine cancers (P<.001, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.12) and leukemia (P<.001, 95

Normalized Excited Squeezed Vacuum State and Its Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Xiangguo; Wang Jisuo; Liang Baolong

2007-01-01

By using the intermediate coordinate-momentum representation in quantum optics and generating function for the normalization of the excited squeezed vacuum state (ESVS), the normalized ESVS is obtained. We find that its normalization constants obtained via two new methods are uniform and a new form which is different from the result obtained by Zhang and Fan [Phys. Lett. A 165 (1992) 14]. By virtue of the normalization constant of the ESVS and the intermediate coordinate-momentum representation, the tomogram of the normalized ESVS and some useful formulae are derived.

Cancer incidence in Mormons and non-Mormons in Utah during 1967--75.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyon, J L; Gardner, J W; West, D W

1980-11-01

Data from the Utah Cancer Registry were used to compare cancer incidence in Mormons and non-Mormons in Utah for the period 1967--75. Church membership was identified for 97.8% of the 20,379 cases in Utah by a search of the central membership files of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or Mormon Church). Sites associated with smoking (lung, larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, esophagus, and urinary bladder) showed an incidence in Mormons at about one-half that of non-Mormons. Rates of cancers of the breast, cervix, and ovary were low in Mormon women; the rate for cervical cancer was about one-half of that observed in non-Mormons. Cancers of the stomach, colon-rectum, and pancreas were about one-third lower in Mormons than in others who are not members of this religious group. Most of the differences seen in cancer incidence can be explained by Mormon teachings regarding sexual activity and alcohol and tobacco use, but some differences (e.g., colon and stomach) remain unexplained.

The impact of sample non-normality on ANOVA and alternative methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lantz, Björn

2013-05-01

In this journal, Zimmerman (2004, 2011) has discussed preliminary tests that researchers often use to choose an appropriate method for comparing locations when the assumption of normality is doubtful. The conceptual problem with this approach is that such a two-stage process makes both the power and the significance of the entire procedure uncertain, as type I and type II errors are possible at both stages. A type I error at the first stage, for example, will obviously increase the probability of a type II error at the second stage. Based on the idea of Schmider et al. (2010), which proposes that simulated sets of sample data be ranked with respect to their degree of normality, this paper investigates the relationship between population non-normality and sample non-normality with respect to the performance of the ANOVA, Brown-Forsythe test, Welch test, and Kruskal-Wallis test when used with different distributions, sample sizes, and effect sizes. The overall conclusion is that the Kruskal-Wallis test is considerably less sensitive to the degree of sample normality when populations are distinctly non-normal and should therefore be the primary tool used to compare locations when it is known that populations are not at least approximately normal. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Orientation-dependent ion beam sputtering at normal incidence conditions in FeSiAl alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batic, Barbara Setina; Jenko, Monika

2010-01-01

The authors have performed Ar+ broad ion beam sputtering of a polycrystalline Fe-Si-Al alloy at normal incidence at energies varying from 6 to 10 keV. Sputtering results in the formation of etch pits, which can be classified in three shapes: triangular, rectangular, and square. As each grain of individual orientation exhibits a certain type of pattern, the etch pits were correlated with the crystal orientations by electron backscattered diffraction technique.

Study of the state of the plasma produced by oblique-incident laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng Jiatian; Zhang Guoping; Liu Wei; Ye Chunfu; Hu Shengyong

1997-01-01

The plasma state and the gain region produced by the oblique-incidence laser on Ge target are studied and are compared with that produced by the vertical one. As a result of study, the absorption efficiency of the pumping energy turns far smaller, the plasma state changes remarkable and the gain region becomes much narrower when incident angle is greater than 30 degree

PROCESS CAPABILITY ESTIMATION FOR NON-NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED DATA USING ROBUST METHODS - A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yerriswamy Wooluru

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Process capability indices are very important process quality assessment tools in automotive industries. The common process capability indices (PCIs Cp, Cpk, Cpm are widely used in practice. The use of these PCIs based on the assumption that process is in control and its output is normally distributed. In practice, normality is not always fulfilled. Indices developed based on normality assumption are very sensitive to non- normal processes. When distribution of a product quality characteristic is non-normal, Cp and Cpk indices calculated using conventional methods often lead to erroneous interpretation of process capability. In the literature, various methods have been proposed for surrogate process capability indices under non normality but few literature sources offer their comprehensive evaluation and comparison of their ability to capture true capability in non-normal situation. In this paper, five methods have been reviewed and capability evaluation is carried out for the data pertaining to resistivity of silicon wafer. The final results revealed that the Burr based percentile method is better than Clements method. Modelling of non-normal data and Box-Cox transformation method using statistical software (Minitab 14 provides reasonably good result as they are very promising methods for non - normal and moderately skewed data (Skewness <= 1.5.

Theory of emission spectra from metal films irradiated by low energy electrons near normal incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kretschmann, E.; Callcott, T.A.; Arakawa, E.T.

1980-01-01

The emission spectrum produced by low energy electrons incident on a rough metal surface has been calculated for a roughness auto-correlation function containing a prominent peak at a high wave vector. For low energy electrons near normal incidence, the high wavevector peak dominates the roughness coupled surface plasmon radiation (RCSPR) process. The calculation yields estimates of the ratio of RCSPR to transition radiation, the dependence of emission intensity on electron energy and the shape and position of the RCSPR peak. The most interesting result is that the high-wavevector roughness can split the RCSPR radiation into peaks lying above and below the asymptotic surface plasma frequency. The results are compared with data from Ag in the following paper. (orig.)

Spatial distribution of tuberculosis in indigenous and non-indigenous populations in the state of Pará, Brazil, 2005-2013

OpenAIRE

Paiva, Bárbara Lopes; Azeredo, Jéssica Quelé; Nogueira, Laura Maria Vidal; Santos, Bruno de Oliveira; Rodrigues, Ivaneide Leal Ataide; Santos, Marcandra Nogueira de Almeida

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective: To analyze the incidence of tuberculosis in indigenous and non-indigenous residents in the state of Pará from 2005-2013. Method: An ecological study was performed with data from SINAN, stratified for the 13 existing Regional Health Centers in Pará. The tuberculosis incidence rates were calculated for indigenous and non-indigenous populations in the 13 regions and maps were prepared to visualize the magnitude of the occurrence of tuberculosis. Results: Significant differ...

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in United States Veterans on Statin Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kokkinos, Peter; Faselis, Charles; Narayan, Puneet; Myers, Jonathan; Nylen, Eric; Sui, Xuemei; Zhang, Jiajia; Lavie, Carl J

2017-10-01

Impact of cardiorespiratory fitness on statin-related incidence of type 2 diabetes has not been assessed. We assessed the cardiorespiratory fitness and diabetes incidence association in dyslipidemic patients on statins. We identified dyslipidemic patients with a normal exercise test performed during 1986 and 2014 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Washington, DC or Palo Alto, Calif. The statin-treated patients (n = 4092; age = 58.8 ± 10.9 years) consisted of 2701 Blacks and 1391 Whites. None had evidence of type 2 diabetes prior to statin therapy. We formed 4 fitness categories based on age and peak metabolic equivalents achieved: Least-fit (n = 954), Low-fit (n = 1201), Moderate-fit (n = 1242), and High-fit (n = 695). The non-statin-treated cohort (n = 3001; age = 57.2 ± 11.2 years) with no evidence of type 2 diabetes prior to the exercise test served as controls. Diabetes incidence was 24% higher in statin-treated compared with non-statin-treated patients (P fit, adjusted risk decreased progressively with increasing fitness and was 34% lower for High-fit patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.82; P fit (HR 1.50; 95% CI, 1.30-1.73; P fit patients (HR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06-1.41; P = .006). Risk of diabetes in statin-treated dyslipidemic patients was inversely and independently associated with cardiorespiratory fitness. The increased risk was evident only in relatively low-fitness patients. Improving fitness may modulate the potential diabetogenic effects of statins. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Coupling of morphology to surface transport in ion-beam-irradiated surfaces: normal incidence and rotating targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munoz-Garcia, Javier; Cuerno, Rodolfo; Castro, Mario

2009-01-01

Continuum models have proved their applicability to describe nanopatterns produced by ion-beam sputtering of amorphous or amorphizable targets at low and medium energies. Here we pursue the recently introduced 'hydrodynamic approach' in the cases of bombardment at normal incidence, or of oblique incidence onto rotating targets, known to lead to self-organized arrangements of nanodots. Our approach stresses the dynamical roles of material (defect) transport at the target surface and of local redeposition. By applying results previously derived for arbitrary angles of incidence, we derive effective evolution equations for these geometries of incidence, which are then numerically studied. Moreover, we show that within our model these equations are identical (albeit with different coefficients) in both cases, provided surface tension is isotropic in the target. We thus account for the common dynamics for both types of incidence conditions, namely formation of dots with short-range order and long-wavelength disorder, and an intermediate coarsening of dot features that improves the local order of the patterns. We provide for the first time approximate analytical predictions for the dependence of stationary dot features (amplitude and wavelength) on phenomenological parameters, that improve upon previous linear estimates. Finally, our theoretical results are discussed in terms of experimental data.

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2011, Featuring Incidence of Breast Cancer Subtypes by Race/Ethnicity, Poverty, and State.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Betsy A; Sherman, Recinda L; Howlader, Nadia; Jemal, Ahmedin; Ryerson, A Blythe; Henry, Kevin A; Boscoe, Francis P; Cronin, Kathleen A; Lake, Andrew; Noone, Anne-Michelle; Henley, S Jane; Eheman, Christie R; Anderson, Robert N; Penberthy, Lynne

2015-06-01

The American Cancer Society (ACS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) collaborate annually to produce updated, national cancer statistics. This Annual Report includes a focus on breast cancer incidence by subtype using new, national-level data. Population-based cancer trends and breast cancer incidence by molecular subtype were calculated. Breast cancer subtypes were classified using tumor biomarkers for hormone receptor (HR) and human growth factor-neu receptor (HER2) expression. Overall cancer incidence decreased for men by 1.8% annually from 2007 to 2011 [corrected]. Rates for women were stable from 1998 to 2011. Within these trends there was racial/ethnic variation, and some sites have increasing rates. Among children, incidence rates continued to increase by 0.8% per year over the past decade while, like adults, mortality declined. HR+/HER2- breast cancers, the subtype with the best prognosis, were the most common for all races/ethnicities with highest rates among non-Hispanic white women, local stage cases, and low poverty areas (92.7, 63.51, and 98.69 per 100000 non-Hispanic white women, respectively). HR+/HER2- breast cancer incidence rates were strongly, positively correlated with mammography use, particularly for non-Hispanic white women (Pearson 0.57, two-sided P < .001). Triple-negative breast cancers, the subtype with the worst prognosis, were highest among non-Hispanic black women (27.2 per 100000 non-Hispanic black women), which is reflected in high rates in southeastern states. Progress continues in reducing the burden of cancer in the United States. There are unique racial/ethnic-specific incidence patterns for breast cancer subtypes; likely because of both biologic and social risk factors, including variation in mammography use. Breast cancer subtype analysis confirms the capacity of cancer registries to adjust national collection

Solar ultraviolet-B exposure and cancer incidence and mortality in the United States, 1993–2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boscoe, Francis P; Schymura, Maria J

2006-01-01

An inverse relationship between solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure and non-skin cancer mortality has long been reported. Vitamin D, acquired primarily through exposure to the sun via the skin, is believed to inhibit tumor development and growth and reduce mortality for certain cancers. We extend the analysis of this relationship to include cancer incidence as well as mortality, using higher quality and higher resolution data sets than have typically been available. Over three million incident cancer cases between 1998 and 2002 and three million cancer deaths between 1993 and 2002 in the continental United States were regressed against daily satellite-measured solar UV-B levels, adjusting for numerous confounders. Relative risks of reduced solar UV-B exposure were calculated for thirty-two different cancer sites. For non-Hispanic whites, an inverse relationship between solar UV-B exposure and cancer incidence and mortality was observed for ten sites: bladder, colon, Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, other biliary, prostate, rectum, stomach, uterus, and vulva. Weaker evidence of an inverse relationship was observed for six sites: breast, kidney, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreas, and small intestine. For three sites, inverse relationships were seen that varied markedly by sex: esophagus (stronger in males than females), gallbladder (stronger in females than males), and thyroid (only seen in females). No association was found for bone and joint, brain, larynx, liver, nasal cavity, ovary, soft tissue, male thyroid, and miscellaneous cancers. A positive association between solar UV-B exposure and cancer mortality and incidence was found for anus, cervix, oral cavity, melanoma, and other non-epithelial skin cancer. This paper adds to the mounting evidence for the influential role of solar UV-B exposure on cancer, particularly for some of the less-well studied digestive cancers. The relative risks for cancer incidence are similar to those for cancer mortality for most

Radiation effects in silicon and gallium arsenide solar cells using isotropic and normally incident radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Anspaugh, B. E.; Downing, R. G.

1984-01-01

Several types of silicon and gallium arsenide solar cells were irradiated with protons with energies between 50 keV and 10 MeV at both normal and isotropic incidence. Damage coefficients for maximum power relative to 10 MeV were derived for these cells for both cases of omni-directional and normal incidence. The damage coefficients for the silicon cells were found to be somewhat lower than those quoted in the Solar Cell Radiation Handbook. These values were used to compute omni-directional damage coefficients suitable for solar cells protected by coverglasses of practical thickness, which in turn were used to compute solar cell degradation in two proton-dominated orbits. In spite of the difference in the low energy proton damage coefficients, the difference between the handbook prediction and the prediction using the newly derived values was negligible. Damage coefficients for GaAs solar cells for short circuit current, open circuit voltage, and maximum power were also computed relative to 10 MeV protons. They were used to predict cell degradation in the same two orbits and in a 5600 nmi orbit. Results show the performance of the GaAs solar cells in these orbits to be superior to that of the Si cells.

Non-thyroid cancer incidence in Belarusian residents exposed to Chernobyl fallout in childhood and adolescence: Standardized Incidence Ratio analysis, 1997–2011

Science.gov (United States)

Ostroumova, Evgenia; Hatch, Maureen; Brenner, Alina; Nadyrov, Eldar; Veyalkin, Ilya; Polyanskaya, Olga; Yauseyenka, Vasilina; Polyakov, Semion; Levin, Leonid; Zablotska, Lydia; Rozhko, Alexander; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko

2016-01-01

Background While an increased risk of thyroid cancer from post-Chernobyl exposure to Iodine-131 (I-131) in children and adolescents has been well-documented, risks of other cancers or leukemia as a result of residence in radioactively contaminated areas remain uncertain. Methods We studied non-thyroid cancer incidence in a cohort of about 12,000 individuals from Belarus exposed under age of 18 years to Chernobyl fallout (median age at the time of Chernobyl accident of 7.9 years). During 15 years of follow-up from1997 through 2011, 54 incident cancers excluding thyroid were identified in the study cohort with 142,968 person-years at risk. We performed Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) analysis of all solid cancers excluding thyroid (n=42), of leukemia (n=6) and of lymphoma (n=6). Results We found no significant increase in the incidence of non-thyroid solid cancer (SIR=0.83, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.61; 1.11), lymphoma (SIR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.26; 1.33) or leukemia (SIR=1.78, 95% CI: 0.71; 3.61) in the study cohort as compared with the sex-, age- and calendar-time-specific national rates. These findings may in part reflect the relatively young age of study subjects (median attained age of 33.4years), and long latency for some radiation-related solid cancers. Conclusions We found no evidence of statistically significant increases in solid cancer, lymphoma and leukemia incidence 25 years after childhood exposure in the study cohort; however, it is important to continue follow-up non-thyroid cancers in individuals exposed to low-level radiation at radiosensitive ages. PMID:26851723

Solar ultraviolet-B exposure and cancer incidence and mortality in the United States, 1993–2002

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boscoe Francis P

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An inverse relationship between solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B exposure and non-skin cancer mortality has long been reported. Vitamin D, acquired primarily through exposure to the sun via the skin, is believed to inhibit tumor development and growth and reduce mortality for certain cancers. Methods We extend the analysis of this relationship to include cancer incidence as well as mortality, using higher quality and higher resolution data sets than have typically been available. Over three million incident cancer cases between 1998 and 2002 and three million cancer deaths between 1993 and 2002 in the continental United States were regressed against daily satellite-measured solar UV-B levels, adjusting for numerous confounders. Relative risks of reduced solar UV-B exposure were calculated for thirty-two different cancer sites. Results For non-Hispanic whites, an inverse relationship between solar UV-B exposure and cancer incidence and mortality was observed for ten sites: bladder, colon, Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, other biliary, prostate, rectum, stomach, uterus, and vulva. Weaker evidence of an inverse relationship was observed for six sites: breast, kidney, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreas, and small intestine. For three sites, inverse relationships were seen that varied markedly by sex: esophagus (stronger in males than females, gallbladder (stronger in females than males, and thyroid (only seen in females. No association was found for bone and joint, brain, larynx, liver, nasal cavity, ovary, soft tissue, male thyroid, and miscellaneous cancers. A positive association between solar UV-B exposure and cancer mortality and incidence was found for anus, cervix, oral cavity, melanoma, and other non-epithelial skin cancer. Conclusion This paper adds to the mounting evidence for the influential role of solar UV-B exposure on cancer, particularly for some of the less-well studied digestive cancers. The relative risks for cancer

Cervical cancer incidence after normal cytological sample in routine screening using SurePath, ThinPrep, and conventional cytology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rozemeijer, Kirsten; Naber, Steffie K; Penning, Corine

2017-01-01

of histo- and cytopathology in the Netherlands (PALGA), January 2000 to March 2013.Population Women with 5 924 474 normal screening samples (23 833 123 person years).Exposure Use of SurePath or ThinPrep versus conventional cytology as screening test.Main outcome measure 72 month cumulative incidence...

Continuum modeling of ion-beam eroded surfaces under normal incidence: Impact of stochastic fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreimann, Karsten; Linz, Stefan J.

2010-01-01

Graphical abstract: Deterministic surface pattern (left) and its stochastic counterpart (right) arising in a stochastic damped Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation that serves as a model equation for ion-beam eroded surfaces and is systematically investigated. - Abstract: Using a recently proposed field equation for the surface evolution of ion-beam eroded semiconductor target materials under normal incidence, we systematically explore the impact of additive stochastic fluctuations that are permanently present during the erosion process. Specifically, we investigate the dependence of the surface roughness, the underlying pattern forming properties and the bifurcation behavior on the strength of the fluctuations.

The Normal-incidence Vacuum-ultraviolet Spectrometer for the TJ-II and First Experimental Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCarthy, K.J.; Zurro, B.; Baciero, A.

2002-07-01

A normal-incidence spectrometer, operating in the extreme-ultraviolet and ultraviolet wavelength regions, has been commissioned for the TJ-II stellarator. The instrument has been custom built by McPherson, Chelmsford, MA, and has several unique features and accessories that are described here. The instrument and CCD detector has been tested and calibrated, and its performance evaluated, using spectral lines from glow discharges and a RF excited flow lamp. Finally, the first spectra collected with the instrument of TJ-II plasmas are presented and a preliminary estimation of an oxygen ion temperature is made. (Author) 23 refs.

The Normal-incidence Vacuum-ultraviolet Spectrometer for the TJ-II and First Experimental Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, K. J.; Zurro, B.; Baciero, A.

2002-01-01

A normal-incidence spectrometer, operating in the extreme-ultraviolet and ultraviolet wavelength regions, has been commissioned for the TJ-II stellarator. The instrument has been custom built by McPherson, Chelmsford, MA, and has several unique features and accessories that are described here. The instrument and CCD detector has been tested and calibrated, and its performance evaluated, using spectral lines from glow discharges and a RF excited flow lamp. Finally, the first spectra collected with the instrument of TJ-II plasmas are presented and a preliminary estimation of an oxygen ion temperature is made. (Author) 23 refs

Volatility Components, Affine Restrictions and Non-Normal Innovations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Peter; Jacobs, Kris; Dorian, Christian

Recent work by Engle and Lee (1999) shows that allowing for long-run and short-run components greatly enhances a GARCH model's ability fit daily equity return dynamics. Using the risk-neutralization in Duan (1995), we assess the option valuation performance of the Engle-Lee model and compare...... models to four conditionally non-normal versions. As in Hsieh and Ritchken (2005), we find that non-affine models dominate affine models both in terms of fitting return and in terms of option valuation. For the affine models we find strong evidence in favor of the component structure for both returns...

Trajectory effects in the negative charge-state fraction of 3He and 4He reflected from a sodium target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, P.J.; Eckstein, W.; Verbeek, H.

1984-01-01

Measurement of the positive and negative charge-state fractions of He reflected from a sodium target with incident energies in the range of 1.75 keV/nucleon to 5 keV/nucleon are presented. The exit angle of the particles was held constant at 75 0 from the surface normal, while the incident angle was varied from 0 0 (normal incidence) to 75 0 . The positive charge-state fractions exhibited no incident-angle or incident-energy dependence and dependend only upon the exit energy. For normal incidence, the negative charge-state fractions were also only dependent upon the exit energy. However, for glancing incidence, the negative charge-state fractions were incident- and exit-energy dependent. These results are compared to previous results for D [1] and are discussed in terms of the trajectory-dependent formation probability of the negative ions. (orig.)

Natural Killer/T-cell Neoplasms: Analysis of Incidence, Patient Characteristics, and Survival Outcomes in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Kommalapati, Anuhya; Tella, Sri Harsha; Ganti, Apar Kishore; Armitage, James O

2018-05-04

Limited data are available regarding the incidence, survival patterns, and long-term outcomes of natural killer (NK)/T-cell neoplasms in the United States. We performed a retrospective study of patients with NK/T-cell neoplasms diagnosed from 2001 to 2014 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program database. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the overall survival difference among the subgroups. Multivariate analyses were used to determine the factors affecting survival. For the 797 patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, the median age at diagnosis was 53 years, and males tended to be younger at diagnosis (P < .0001). The incidence of the disease increased from 0.4 in 2001 to 0.8 in 2014 per 1,000,000 individuals. The incidence was significantly greater in Hispanic patients compared with that in non-Hispanic patients (rate ratio, 3.03; P = .0001). The median overall survival was 20 months (range, 2-73 months) and varied significantly according to the primary site (P < .0001) and the disease stage at diagnosis (P < .0001). NK/T-cell lymphoma patients had an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (standardized incidence ratio, 18.77; 95% confidence interval, 2.27-67.81). For the 105 NK/T-cell leukemia patients, the median age at diagnosis was 58 years (range, 4-95 years). The overall incidence of the disease was 0.09 per 1,000,000 individuals and was significantly greater in males (rate ratio, 0.41; P < .0001). Unlike NK/T-cell lymphoma, no racial disparities were found in the incidence. The median overall survival was 17 months (range, 0-36 months). The incidence of NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, in the United States has at least doubled in the past decade, with the greatest predilection among Hispanics. Patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma might have an increased risk of the subsequent development of acute myeloid leukemia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The incidence, clearance and persistence of non-cervical human papillomavirus infections: a systematic review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Sylvia; Bunge, Eveline; Bakker, Marina; Castellsagué, Xavier

2016-06-14

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were designed to prevent cervical cancer in women and their provision remains a major public health need. However, HPV is also a major cause of non-cervical anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers and the potential benefit of vaccination likely extends beyond cervical cancer. A systematic literature search of PubMed (1995-2014) identified publications assessing the incidence, persistence, and clearance of non-cervical anogenital/oral HPV infections. Comparability with cervical HPV was assessed by identifying articles assessing the same or similar populations. Available data suggest high incidence rates of non-cervical HPV infection in men and women, with HPV-16 predominating in all sites. The incidence of high risk HPV per 100 person-years ranged from 11.4 to 72.9 for penile infections, 6.7-47.9 at other male genital sites, and 4.4-36.7 and 5.3-23.4 for anal infections in men and women, respectively. The incidence per 100 person-years of oral infection with any HPV type ranged from 5.7 to 6.7 in men and 6.8-39.6 in women. Within the limitations of the data, there was a general pattern of higher incidence and clearance of non-cervical genital HPV infections, compared to cervical infections. HIV status, circumcision, number of sex partners and partner HPV status significantly influenced high-risk HPV incidence/clearance at male anogenital sites. Few studies assessed risk factors for oral HPV. Parallels appear to exist between the epidemiology of cervical and non-cervical HPV infections in terms of incidence, HPV-type distribution, and risk factors for infection. Available data suggest that non-cervical genital HPV infections may occur more frequently, with higher clearance rates, than cervical infections. More extensive studies could provide useful information for estimating vaccine impact, the wider cost-benefit of HPV vaccination, and guiding vaccination policy. Not applicable, as systematic review of the literature.

Sup(13)C NMR studies of glucose disposal in normal and non-insulin-dependent diabetic humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shulman, G.I.; Rothman, D.L.; Shulman, R.G.

1990-01-01

To examine the extent to which the defect in insulin action in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) can be accounted for by impairment of muscle glycogen synthesis, we performed combined hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp studies with [ 13 C]glucose in five subjects with NIDDM and in six age- and weight-matched healthy subjects. The rate of incorporation of intravenously infused [1- 13 C]glucose into muscle glycogen was measured directly in the gastrocnemius muscle by means of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer with a 15.5 min time resolution and a 13 C surface coil. The steady-state plasma concentrations of insulin and glucose were similar in both study groups. The mean (±SE) rate of glycogen synthesis, as determined by 13 C NMR, was 78±28 and 183±39 μmol-glucosyl units (kg muscle tissue (wet mass)) -1 min -1 in the diabetic and normal subjects, respectively. The mean glucose uptake was markedly reduced in the diabetic as compared with the normal subjects. The mean rate of non-oxidative glucose metabolism was 22±4 μmol kg -1 min -1 in the diabetic subjects and 42±4 μmol kg -1 min -1 in the normal subjects. When these rates are extrapolated to apply to the whole body, the synthesis of muscle glycogen would account for most of the total-body glucose uptake and all of the non-oxidative glucose metabolism in both normal and diabetic subjects. We conclude that muscle glycogen synthesis is the principal pathway of glucose disposal in both normal and diabetic subjects and that defects in muscle glycogen synthesis have a dominant role in the insulin resistance that occurs in persons with NIDDM. (author)

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee [St Mary' s Hospital Catholic Medical College, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1972-09-15

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides.

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee

1972-01-01

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides

Observation of behavioural markers of non-technical skills in the operating room and their relationship to intra-operative incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Siu, Joey; Maran, Nikki; Paterson-Brown, Simon

2016-06-01

The importance of non-technical skills in improving surgical safety and performance is now well recognised. Better understanding is needed of the impact that non-technical skills of the multi-disciplinary theatre team have on intra-operative incidents in the operating room (OR) using structured theatre-based assessment. The interaction of non-technical skills that influence surgical safety of the OR team will be explored and made more transparent. Between May-August 2013, a range of procedures in general and vascular surgery in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh were performed. Non-technical skills behavioural markers and associated intra-operative incidents were recorded using established behavioural marking systems (NOTSS, ANTS and SPLINTS). Adherence to the surgical safety checklist was also observed. A total of 51 procedures were observed, with 90 recorded incidents - 57 of which were considered avoidable. Poor situational awareness was a common area for surgeons and anaesthetists leading to most intra-operative incidents. Poor communication and teamwork across the whole OR team had a generally large impact on intra-operative incidents. Leadership was shown to be an essential set of skills for the surgeons as demonstrated by the high correlation of poor leadership with intra-operative incidents. Team-working and management skills appeared to be especially important for anaesthetists in the recovery from an intra-operative incident. A significant number of avoidable incidents occur during operative procedures. These can all be linked to failures in non-technical skills. Better training of both individual and team in non-technical skills is needed in order to improve patient safety in the operating room. Copyright © 2014 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ionisation differential cross section measurements for N2 at low incident energy in coplanar and non-coplanar geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakaamini, Ahmad; Murray, Andrew James; Amami, Sadek; Madison, Don; Ning, Chuangang

2016-01-01

Ionisation triple differential cross sections have been determined experimentally and theoretically for the neutral molecule N 2 over a range of geometries from coplanar to the perpendicular plane. Data were obtained at incident electron energies ∼10 and ∼20 eV above the ionisation potential of the 3 σ g , 1 π u and 2 σ g states, using both equal and non-equal outgoing electron energies. The data were taken with the incident electron beam in the scattering plane ( ψ = 0°), at 45° to this plane and orthogonal to the plane ( ψ = 90°). The set of nine measured differential cross sections at a given energy were then inter-normalised to each other. The data are compared to new calculations using various distorted wave methods, and differences between theory and experiment are discussed. (paper)

Incidence and Treatment Patterns in Hospitalizations for Malignant Spinal Cord Compression in the United States, 1998-2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mak, Kimberley S.; Lee, Leslie K.; Mak, Raymond H.; Wang, Shuang; Pile-Spellman, John; Abrahm, Janet L.; Prigerson, Holly G.; Balboni, Tracy A.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To characterize patterns in incidence, management, and costs of malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) hospitalizations in the United States, using population-based data. Methods and Materials: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, an all-payer healthcare database representative of all U.S. hospitalizations, MSCC-related hospitalizations were identified for the period 1998-2006. Cases were combined with age-adjusted Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer death data to estimate annual incidence. Linear regression characterized trends in patient, treatment, and hospital characteristics, costs, and outcomes. Logistic regression was used to examine inpatient treatment (radiotherapy [RT], surgery, or neither) by hospital characteristics and year, adjusting for confounding. Results: We identified 15,367 MSCC-related cases, representing 75,876 hospitalizations. Lung cancer (24.9%), prostate cancer (16.2%), and multiple myeloma (11.1%) were the most prevalent underlying cancer diagnoses. The annual incidence of MSCC hospitalization among patients dying of cancer was 3.4%; multiple myeloma (15.0%), Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (13.9%), and prostate cancer (5.5%) exhibited the highest cancer-specific incidence. Over the study period, inpatient RT for MSCC decreased (odds ratio [OR] 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.81), whereas surgery increased (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.17-1.84). Hospitalization costs for MSCC increased (5.3% per year, p < 0.001). Odds of inpatient RT were greater at teaching hospitals (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.19-1.67), whereas odds of surgery were greater at urban institutions (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.29-2.58). Conclusions: In the United States, patients dying of cancer have an estimated 3.4% annual incidence of MSCC requiring hospitalization. Inpatient management of MSCC varied over time and by hospital characteristics, with hospitalization costs increasing. Future studies are required to determine the impact of treatment patterns on MSCC

Digital PIV Measurements of Acoustic Particle Displacements in a Normal Incidence Impedance Tube

Science.gov (United States)

Humphreys, William M., Jr.; Bartram, Scott M.; Parrott, Tony L.; Jones, Michael G.

1998-01-01

Acoustic particle displacements and velocities inside a normal incidence impedance tube have been successfully measured for a variety of pure tone sound fields using Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). The DPIV system utilized two 600-mj Nd:YAG lasers to generate a double-pulsed light sheet synchronized with the sound field and used to illuminate a portion of the oscillatory flow inside the tube. A high resolution (1320 x 1035 pixel), 8-bit camera was used to capture double-exposed images of 2.7-micron hollow silicon dioxide tracer particles inside the tube. Classical spatial autocorrelation analysis techniques were used to ascertain the acoustic particle displacements and associated velocities for various sound field intensities and frequencies. The results show that particle displacements spanning a range of 1-60 microns can be measured for incident sound pressure levels of 100-130 dB and for frequencies spanning 500-1000 Hz. The ability to resolve 1 micron particle displacements at sound pressure levels in the 100 dB range allows the use of DPIV systems for measurement of sound fields at much lower sound pressure levels than had been previously possible. Representative impedance tube data as well as an uncertainty analysis for the measurements are presented.

Non-Native Language Use and Risk of Incident Dementia in the Elderly

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Amy E.; Hall, Charles B.; Katz, Mindy J.; Lipton, Richard B.

2012-01-01

Cognitive reserve is invoked to explain the protective effects of education and cognitively-stimulating activities against all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For non-native English speakers (n-NES), speaking English may be a cognitive activity associated with lower dementia risk. We hypothesized that n-NES have lower risk of incident dementia/AD and that educational level might modify this relationship. Participants took part in the Einstein Aging Study (Bronx, NY), a longitudinal study of aging and dementia. All (n = 1779) spoke fluent English and self-reported birthplace and whether English was their first language. n-NES additionally reported mother tongue, age of English acquisition, and current percentile-use of a non-English language. Nested Cox proportional hazards models progressively adjusted for gender, race, education, and immigrant and marital status estimated hazard ratios (HR) for incident dementia/AD as a function of n-NES status. 390 (22%) participants were n-NES. 126 incident dementia cases occurred during 4174 person-years of follow-up (median 1.44; range 0–16); 101 individuals met criteria for probable/possible AD. There was no statistically-significant association between n-NES status and incident dementia in the fully-adjusted model (HR 1.26; 95% CI 0.76–2.09; p = 0.36). Results were similar for AD. Stratification of education into three groups revealed increased risk of dementia for n-NES with ≥16 years of education (HR 3.97; 95% CI 1.62–9.75; p = 0.003). We conclude that n-NES status does not appear to have an independent protective effect against incident dementia/AD, and that n-NES status may contribute to risk of dementia in an education-dependent manner. PMID:22232011

Excitation of non-normal parity states by inelastic proton scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emery, G. T. [Indiana Univ. (USA). Cyclotron Facility; Ikegami, Hidetsugu; Muraoka, Mitsuo [eds.; Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan). Research Center for Nuclear Physics

1980-01-01

This is a review of the works done at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility. The purposes of works are to find excitations that should have especially simple particle-hole structure in proton inelastic scattering, to use the data on these excitations to try to understand the mechanism and the effective interaction for the (p, p') reaction in this energy range, and to go on to study the nuclear structure involved in less simple excitation. As an example, the single-nucleon level diagram for the region of Si-28 is presented. A high spin state was made, and its spin-parity was 6/sup -/. It was tried to interpret the data in terms of a on-step distorted-wave impulse approximation. The optical model parameters derived from the extensive and precise elastic scattering results were used. The cross sections for the excitation of the 6/sup -/ states found in various reactions were not large. The T = 1 state is mainly excited by the direct tensor interaction, while the T = 0 state gets its strength mainly from the knock-on exchange contribution of both the tensor and spin-orbit interactions. Experiments on Pb-208 and Fe-54 are being performed.

Cumulative increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus with increasing triglyceride glucose index in normal-weight people: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ming; Wang, Bingyuan; Liu, Yu; Sun, Xizhuo; Luo, Xinping; Wang, Chongjian; Li, Linlin; Zhang, Lu; Ren, Yongcheng; Zhao, Yang; Zhou, Junmei; Han, Chengyi; Zhao, Jingzhi; Hu, Dongsheng

2017-03-01

Risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increased in metabolically obese but normal-weight people. However, we have limited knowledge of how to prevent T2DM in normal-weight people. We aimed to evaluate the association between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and incident T2DM among normal-weight people in rural China. We included data from 5706 people with normal body mass index (BMI) (18.5-23.9 kg/m 2 ) without baseline T2DM in a rural Chinese cohort followed for a median of 6.0 years. A Cox proportional-hazard model was used to assess the risk of incident T2DM by quartiles of TyG index and difference in TyG index between follow-up and baseline (TyG-D), estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A generalized additive plot was used to show the nonparametric smoothed exposure-response association between risk of T2DM and TyG index as a continuous variable. TyG was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride level (mg/dl) × fasting plasma glucose level (mg/dl)/2]. Risk of incident T2DM was increased with quartiles 2, 3 and 4 versus quartile 1 of TyG index (adjusted HR [aHR] 2.48 [95% CI 1.20-5.11], 3.77 [1.83-7.79], and 5.30 [2.21-12.71], P trend  index). Risk of incident T2DM was increased with quartile 4 versus quartile 1 of TyG-D (aHR 3.91 [2.22-6.87]). The results were consistent when analyses were restricted to participants without baseline metabolic syndrome and impaired fasting glucose level. The generalized additive plot showed cumulative increased risk of T2DM with increasing TyG index. Risk of incident T2DM is increased with increasing TyG index among rural Chinese people, so the index might be an important indicator for identifying people at high risk of T2DM.

New operator-ordering identities and associative integration formulas of two-variable Hermite polynomials for constructing non-Gaussian states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Hong-Yi; Wang Zhen

2014-01-01

For directly normalizing the photon non-Gaussian states (e.g., photon added and subtracted squeezed states), we use the method of integration within an ordered product (IWOP) of operators to derive some new bosonic operator-ordering identities. We also derive some new integration transformation formulas about one- and two-variable Hermite polynomials in complex function space. These operator identities and associative integration formulas provide much convenience for constructing non-Gaussian states in quantum engineering. (general)

Effect of non-normality on test statistics for one-way independent groups designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cribbie, Robert A; Fiksenbaum, Lisa; Keselman, H J; Wilcox, Rand R

2012-02-01

The data obtained from one-way independent groups designs is typically non-normal in form and rarely equally variable across treatment populations (i.e., population variances are heterogeneous). Consequently, the classical test statistic that is used to assess statistical significance (i.e., the analysis of variance F test) typically provides invalid results (e.g., too many Type I errors, reduced power). For this reason, there has been considerable interest in finding a test statistic that is appropriate under conditions of non-normality and variance heterogeneity. Previously recommended procedures for analysing such data include the James test, the Welch test applied either to the usual least squares estimators of central tendency and variability, or the Welch test with robust estimators (i.e., trimmed means and Winsorized variances). A new statistic proposed by Krishnamoorthy, Lu, and Mathew, intended to deal with heterogeneous variances, though not non-normality, uses a parametric bootstrap procedure. In their investigation of the parametric bootstrap test, the authors examined its operating characteristics under limited conditions and did not compare it to the Welch test based on robust estimators. Thus, we investigated how the parametric bootstrap procedure and a modified parametric bootstrap procedure based on trimmed means perform relative to previously recommended procedures when data are non-normal and heterogeneous. The results indicated that the tests based on trimmed means offer the best Type I error control and power when variances are unequal and at least some of the distribution shapes are non-normal. © 2011 The British Psychological Society.

Non normal and non quadratic anisotropic plasticity coupled with ductile damage in sheet metal forming: Application to the hydro bulging test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badreddine, Houssem; Saanouni, Khemaies; Dogui, Abdelwaheb

2007-01-01

In this work an improved material model is proposed that shows good agreement with experimental data for both hardening curves and plastic strain ratios in uniaxial and equibiaxial proportional loading paths for steel metal until the final fracture. This model is based on non associative and non normal flow rule using two different orthotropic equivalent stresses in both yield criterion and plastic potential functions. For the plastic potential the classical Hill 1948 quadratic equivalent stress is considered while for the yield criterion the Karafillis and Boyce 1993 non quadratic equivalent stress is used taking into account the non linear mixed (kinematic and isotropic) hardening. Applications are made to hydro bulging tests using both circular and elliptical dies. The results obtained with different particular cases of the model such as the normal quadratic and the non normal non quadratic cases are compared and discussed with respect to the experimental results

Incidence angle normalization of radar backscatter data

Science.gov (United States)

NASA’s Soil Moisture Passive Active (SMAP) satellite (~2014) will include a radar system that will provide L-band multi-polarization backscatter at a constant incidence angle of 40º. During the pre-launch phase of the project there is a need for observations that will support the radar-based soil mo...

Dependence of the solar absorptance of selective absorber coatings on the angle of incidence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, K A

1977-01-01

The directional solar absorptances ..cap alpha../sub s/(theta) of samples of a number of selective absorber coatings have been determined. The spectral directional hemispherical reflectances plambda(theta;2..pi..) of each sample was measured over the wavelength range 0.3..mu.. to 2.5..mu.. at angles of incidence theta between 10/sup 0/ and 80/sup 0/. The quantity (1-plambda(theta;2..pi..)) was convoluted over an AM2 solar spectrum to obtain ..cap alpha../sub s/(theta) at each angle of incidence. The solar absorptance at near normal incidence varied from sample to sample and from coating to coating, as expected, given the present state of the art. All the absorptances show similar angular dependences, however. When normalized to unity at normal incidence, the data nearly describe a single curve, for which a power series in theta was found. For comparison, the solar absorptance was also determined for freshly prepared lamp black.

The Tricastin incident; L'incident du Tricastin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nifenecker, H.

2008-07-01

The author comments the incident which occurred on the Tricastin site in July 2008: the release of 30 cubic meters of a uranium-containing solution. First, he recalls the international nuclear event scale, outlines that the Tricastin is not a nuclear power plant, that uranium is more a chemical toxic product than a radiological toxic product. After having briefly recalled some dose threshold values, he discusses the presence of uranium in the environment, and states that the event is actually a non-event which has been in fact magnified by the media

Non-thyroid cancer incidence in Belarusian residents exposed to Chernobyl fallout in childhood and adolescence: Standardized Incidence Ratio analysis, 1997–2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostroumova, Evgenia; Hatch, Maureen; Brenner, Alina; Nadyrov, Eldar; Veyalkin, Ilya; Polyanskaya, Olga; Yauseyenka, Vasilina; Polyakov, Semion; Levin, Leonid

2016-01-01

Background: While an increased risk of thyroid cancer from post-Chernobyl exposure to Iodine-131 (I-131) in children and adolescents has been well-documented, risks of other cancers or leukemia as a result of residence in radioactively contaminated areas remain uncertain. Methods: We studied non-thyroid cancer incidence in a cohort of about 12,000 individuals from Belarus exposed under age of 18 years to Chernobyl fallout (median age at the time of Chernobyl accident of 7.9 years). During 15 years of follow-up from1997 through 2011, 54 incident cancers excluding thyroid were identified in the study cohort with 142,968 person-years at risk. We performed Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) analysis of all solid cancers excluding thyroid (n=42), of leukemia (n=6) and of lymphoma (n=6). Results: We found no significant increase in the incidence of non-thyroid solid cancer (SIR=0.83, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.61; 1.11), lymphoma (SIR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.26; 1.33) or leukemia (SIR=1.78, 95% CI: 0.71; 3.61) in the study cohort as compared with the sex-, age- and calendar-time-specific national rates. These findings may in part reflect the relatively young age of study subjects (median attained age of 33.4 years), and long latency for some radiation-related solid cancers. Conclusions: We found no evidence of statistically significant increases in solid cancer, lymphoma and leukemia incidence 25 years after childhood exposure in the study cohort; however, it is important to continue follow-up non-thyroid cancers in individuals exposed to low-level radiation at radiosensitive ages. - Highlights: • We monitor cancers in a Belarusian cohort of exposed as children due to Chernobyl. • No increase in solid cancer rates was found as compared to the national rates. • An elevation of leukemia rates was detected, although statistically insignificant. • Results are consistent with those in a cohort of exposed as children in Ukraine. • Further monitoring of cancer situation

Non-thyroid cancer incidence in Belarusian residents exposed to Chernobyl fallout in childhood and adolescence: Standardized Incidence Ratio analysis, 1997–2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ostroumova, Evgenia, E-mail: ostroumovae@iarc.fr [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, 20892 MD (United States); Hatch, Maureen, E-mail: hatchm@mail.nih.gov [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, 20892 MD (United States); Brenner, Alina, E-mail: brennera@mail.nih.gov [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9776, Bethesda, 20892 MD (United States); Nadyrov, Eldar, E-mail: nadyrov2006@rambler.ru [The Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, 290 Ilyicha Street, Gomel 246040 (Belarus); Veyalkin, Ilya, E-mail: veyalkin@mail.ru [The Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, 290 Ilyicha Street, Gomel 246040 (Belarus); Polyanskaya, Olga, E-mail: polyanskaya@tut.by [The Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, 290 Ilyicha Street, Gomel 246040 (Belarus); Yauseyenka, Vasilina, E-mail: yaus@mail.ru [The Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, 290 Ilyicha Street, Gomel 246040 (Belarus); Polyakov, Semion, E-mail: spolyakov@belcmt.by [State Institution “Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Technologies, Informatization, Administration and Management of Health”, 7-a Petrus Brovka Street, Minsk 220600 (Belarus); Levin, Leonid, E-mail: llevin@omr.med.by [Cancer Registry, State Establishment “N.N.Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus for Oncology and Medical Radiology”, P.O., Lesnoy 223040 (Belarus); and others

2016-05-15

Background: While an increased risk of thyroid cancer from post-Chernobyl exposure to Iodine-131 (I-131) in children and adolescents has been well-documented, risks of other cancers or leukemia as a result of residence in radioactively contaminated areas remain uncertain. Methods: We studied non-thyroid cancer incidence in a cohort of about 12,000 individuals from Belarus exposed under age of 18 years to Chernobyl fallout (median age at the time of Chernobyl accident of 7.9 years). During 15 years of follow-up from1997 through 2011, 54 incident cancers excluding thyroid were identified in the study cohort with 142,968 person-years at risk. We performed Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) analysis of all solid cancers excluding thyroid (n=42), of leukemia (n=6) and of lymphoma (n=6). Results: We found no significant increase in the incidence of non-thyroid solid cancer (SIR=0.83, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.61; 1.11), lymphoma (SIR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.26; 1.33) or leukemia (SIR=1.78, 95% CI: 0.71; 3.61) in the study cohort as compared with the sex-, age- and calendar-time-specific national rates. These findings may in part reflect the relatively young age of study subjects (median attained age of 33.4 years), and long latency for some radiation-related solid cancers. Conclusions: We found no evidence of statistically significant increases in solid cancer, lymphoma and leukemia incidence 25 years after childhood exposure in the study cohort; however, it is important to continue follow-up non-thyroid cancers in individuals exposed to low-level radiation at radiosensitive ages. - Highlights: • We monitor cancers in a Belarusian cohort of exposed as children due to Chernobyl. • No increase in solid cancer rates was found as compared to the national rates. • An elevation of leukemia rates was detected, although statistically insignificant. • Results are consistent with those in a cohort of exposed as children in Ukraine. • Further monitoring of cancer situation

Soft X-ray images of the solar corona using normal incidence optics

Science.gov (United States)

Bruner, M. E.; Haisch, B. M.; Brown, W. A.; Acton, L. W.; Underwood, J. H.

1988-01-01

A solar coronal loop system has been photographed in soft X-rays using a normal incidence telescope based on multilayer mirror technology. The telescope consisted of a spherical objective mirror of 4 cm aperture and 1 m focal length, a film cassette, and a focal plane shutter. A metallized thin plastic film filter was used to exclude visible light. The objective mirror was covered with a multilayer coating consisting of alternating layers of tungsten and carbon whose combined thicknesses satisfied the Bragg diffraction condition for 44 A radiation. The image was recorded during a rocket flight on October 25, 1985 and was dominated by emission lines arising from the Si XII spectrum. The rocket also carried a high resolution soft X-ray spectrograph that confirmed the presence of Si XII line radiation in the source. This image represents the first successful use of multilayer technology for astrophysical observations.

Non normal modal analysis of oscillations in boiling water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suarez-Antola, Roberto, E-mail: roberto.suarez@miem.gub.uy [Ministerio de Industria, Energia y Mineria (MIEM), Montevideo (Uruguay); Flores-Godoy, Jose-Job, E-mail: job.flores@ibero.mx [Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA), Mexico, DF (Mexico). Dept. de Fisica Y Matematicas

2013-07-01

The first objective of the present work is to construct a simple reduced order model for BWR stability analysis, combining a two nodes nodal model of the thermal hydraulics with a two modes modal model of the neutronics. Two coupled non-linear integral-differential equations are obtained, in terms of one global (in phase) and one local (out of phase) power amplitude, with direct and cross feedback reactivities given as functions of thermal hydraulics core variables (void fractions and temperatures). The second objective is to apply the effective life time approximation to further simplify the nonlinear equations. Linear approximations for the equations of the amplitudes of the global and regional modes are derived. The linearized equation for the amplitude of the global mode corresponds to a decoupled and damped harmonic oscillator. An analytical closed form formula for the damping coefficient, as a function of the parameters space of the BWR, is obtained. The coefficient changes its sign (with the corresponding modification in the decay ratio) when a stability boundary is crossed. This produces a supercritical Hopf bifurcation, with the steady state power of the reactor as the bifurcation parameter. However, the linearized equation for the amplitude of the regional mode corresponds always to an over-damped and always coupled (with the amplitude of the global mode) harmonic oscillator, for every set of possible values of core parameters (including the steady state power of the reactor) in the framework of the present mathematical model. The equation for the above mentioned over damped linear oscillator is closely connected with a non-normal operator. Due to this connection, there could be a significant transient growth of some solutions of the linear equation. This behavior allows a significant shrinking of the basin of attraction of the equilibrium state. The third objective is to apply the above approach to partially study the stability of the regional mode and

X-ray photographs of a solar active region with a multilayer telescope at normal incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Underwood, J. H.; Bruner, M. E.; Haisch, B. M.; Brown, W. A.; Acton, L. W.

1987-01-01

An astronomical photograph was obtained with a multilayer X-ray telescope. A 4-cm tungsten-carbon multilayer mirror was flown as part of an experimental solar rocket payload, and successful images were taken of the sun at normal incidence at a wavelength of 44 A. Coronal Si XII emission from an active region was recorded on film; as expected, the structure is very similar to that observed at O VIII wavelengths by the Solar Maximum Mission flat-crystal spectrometer at the same time. The small, simple optical system used in this experiment appears to have achieved a resolution of 5 to 10 arcsec.

A finite element propagation model for extracting normal incidence impedance in nonprogressive acoustic wave fields

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Willie R.; Jones, Michael G.; Tanner, Sharon E.; Parrott, Tony L.

1995-01-01

A propagation model method for extracting the normal incidence impedance of an acoustic material installed as a finite length segment in a wall of a duct carrying a nonprogressive wave field is presented. The method recasts the determination of the unknown impedance as the minimization of the normalized wall pressure error function. A finite element propagation model is combined with a coarse/fine grid impedance plane search technique to extract the impedance of the material. Results are presented for three different materials for which the impedance is known. For each material, the input data required for the prediction scheme was computed from modal theory and then contaminated by random error. The finite element method reproduces the known impedance of each material almost exactly for random errors typical of those found in many measurement environments. Thus, the method developed here provides a means for determining the impedance of materials in a nonprogressirve wave environment such as that usually encountered in a commercial aircraft engine and most laboratory settings.

Psychiatric boarding incidence, duration, and associated factors in United States emergency departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Jason M; Fee, Christopher; Cooper, Bruce A; Rankin, Sally H; Blegen, Mary A

2015-01-01

Boarding, especially among psychiatric patients, has been characterized as a significant cause of ED crowding, but no quantitative analysis has described boarding nationally. This study determines the incidence, duration, and factors associated with ED boarding in the United States. 2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ED data were stratified by visit type (psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric), boarding status, and patient and hospital characteristics. Boarding was defined as a visit with an ED length of stay >6 hours, and boarding time as ED length of stay minus 6 hours. Pearson's chi-square tests describe hospital and patient characteristics stratified by boarding status. Multilevel multivariable logistic and linear regressions determine associations with boarding and boarding time. While 11% of all ED patients boarded, 21.5% of all psychiatric ED patients boarded. Boarding was also more prolonged for psychiatric ED patients. Controlling for confounders, odds of boarding for psychiatric patients were 4.78 (2.63-8.66) times higher than non-psychiatric, and psychiatric patients boarded 2.78 (1.91-3.64) hours longer than non-psychiatric. US EDs experienced high proportions and durations of boarding with psychiatric patients disproportionately affected. Additional research concerning mental health care services and legislation may be required to address ED psychiatric patient boarding. Copyright © 2015 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Very high coronary artery calcium score with normal myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging is associated with a moderate incidence of severe coronary artery disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuoness, Salem A.; Goha, Ahmed M.; Romsa, Jonathan G.; Akincioglu, Cigdem; Warrington, James C.; Datta, Sudip; Gambhir, Sanjay; Urbain, Jean-Luc C.; Vezina, William C. [London Health Sciences Centre, Department of Nuclear Medicine, London, ON (Canada); Massel, David R. [London Health Sciences Centre, Division of Cardiology, London, ON (Canada); Martell, Rafael [Private Practice, London, ON (Canada)

2015-09-15

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has limitations in the presence of balanced multivessel disease (MVD) and left main (LM) coronary artery disease, occasionally resulting in false-normal results despite the high cardiovascular risk associated with this condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of severe coronary artery disease (CAD) in the presence of a very high Agatston coronary artery calcium (CAC) score (>1,000) in stable symptomatic patients without known CAD but with normal MPI results. A total of 2,659 prospectively acquired consecutive patients were referred for MPI and evaluation of CAC score by CT. Of this patient population, 8 % (222/2,659) had ischemia without myocardial infarction (MI) on MPI and 11 % (298/2,659) had abnormal MPI (MI and/or ischemia). On presentation 1 % of the patients (26/2,659) were symptomatic, had a CAC score >1,000 and normal MPI results. The definition of normal MPI was strict and included a normal hemodynamic response without ischemic ECG changes and normal imaging, particularly absence of transient ischemic dilation. All of these 26 patients with a CAC score >1,000 and normal MPI findings underwent cardiac catheterization. Of these 26 patients, 58 % (15/26) had severe disease (≥70 % stenosis) leading to revascularization. Of this group, 47 % (7/15) underwent percutaneous intervention, and 53 % (8/15) underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. All of these 15 patients had either MVD (14/15) or LM coronary artery disease (1/15), and represented 0.6 % (15/2,659) of all referred patients (95 % CI 0.3 - 0.9 %). The majority, 90 % (8/9), had severe CAD with typical chest pain. A very high CAC score (>1,000) with normal MPI in a small subset of symptomatically stable patients was associated with a moderate incidence of severe CAD (95 % CI 37 - 77 %). Larger studies and/or a meta-analysis of small studies are needed to more precisely estimate the incidence of CAD in this population. This study also supports

SOUND TRANSMISSION LOSS OF A DOUBLE-LEAF SOLID-MICROPERFORATED PARTITION UNDER NORMAL INCIDENCE OF ACOUSTIC LOADING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Yusuf Ismail

2011-12-01

Full Text Available 0 0 1 332 1894 International Islamic University 15 4 2222 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} The micro-perforated panel (MPP is recently well-known as an alternative ‘green‘ sound absorber replacing the conventional porous materials. Constructed from a solid panel which provides a non-abrassive structure and also an optically attractive surface, there gives a feasibility to implement such a panel inside a vehicle cabin. This paper is the preliminary study to investigate the sound transmission loss (TL of a solid panel coupled with a micro-perforated panel to form a doube-leaf partition which is already known as a lightweigth stucture for noise insulation in vehicles and buildings. The mathematical model for the TL subjected to normal incidence of acoustic excitation is derived. The results show that its performance substantially improves at the troublesome frequency of mass-air-mass resonance which occurs in the conventional double-leaf solid partition. This is important particularly for the noise source predominant at low frequencies. This can also be controlled by tuning the hole size and number as well as the air gap between the panels.  ABSTRAK: Panel bertebuk mikro (micro-perforated panel (MPP kebelakangan ini dikenali sebagai alternatif penyerap bunyi yang mesra alam menggantikan bahan berliang lazim. Dibina daripada satu panel padu yang memberikan satu struktur tak lelas dan juga satu permukaan yang menarik, ia memberikan kemungkinan penggunaan panel tersebut di dalam kabin kenderaan. Tesis ini merupakan kajian permulaan dalam mengkaji hilang pancaran bunyi

Stochastic linearization of turbulent dynamics of dispersive waves in equilibrium and non-equilibrium state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Shixiao W; Lu, Haihao; Zhou, Douglas; Cai, David

2016-01-01

Characterizing dispersive wave turbulence in the long time dynamics is central to understanding of many natural phenomena, e.g., in atmosphere ocean dynamics, nonlinear optics, and plasma physics. Using the β -Fermi–Pasta–Ulam nonlinear system as a prototypical example, we show that in thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium steady state the turbulent state even in the strongly nonlinear regime possesses an effective linear stochastic structure in renormalized normal variables. In this framework, we can well characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics, which are dominated by long-wavelength renormalized waves. We further demonstrate that the energy flux is nearly saturated by the long-wavelength renormalized waves in non-equilibrium steady state. The scenario of such effective linear stochastic dynamics can be extended to study turbulent states in other nonlinear wave systems. (paper)

Comparing non-safety with safety device sharps injury incidence data from two different occupational surveillance systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, A H; Parker, G B; Kanamori, H; Rutala, W A; Weber, D J

2017-06-01

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard as amended by the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act requiring the use of safety-engineered medical devices to prevent needlesticks and sharps injuries has been in place since 2001. Injury changes over time include differences between those from non-safety compared with safety-engineered medical devices. This research compares two US occupational incident surveillance systems to determine whether these data can be generalized to other facilities and other countries either with legislation in place or considering developing national policies for the prevention of sharps injuries among healthcare personnel. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term changes in fusiform rust incidence in the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

KaDonna C. Randolph; Ellis B. Cowling; Dale A. Starkey

2015-01-01

Fusiform rust is the most devastating disease of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in the southeastern United States. Since the 1970s, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has assessed fusiform rust incidence on its network of ground plots in 13 states across the...

Estimating Non-Normal Latent Trait Distributions within Item Response Theory Using True and Estimated Item Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Sass, D. A.; Schmitt, T. A.; Walker, C. M.

2008-01-01

Item response theory (IRT) procedures have been used extensively to study normal latent trait distributions and have been shown to perform well; however, less is known concerning the performance of IRT with non-normal latent trait distributions. This study investigated the degree of latent trait estimation error under normal and non-normal…

HIV Trends in the United States: Diagnoses and Estimated Incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, H Irene; Song, Ruiguang; Tang, Tian; An, Qian; Prejean, Joseph; Dietz, Patricia; Hernandez, Angela L; Green, Timothy; Harris, Norma; McCray, Eugene; Mermin, Jonathan

2017-02-03

The best indicator of the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention programs is the incidence of infection; however, HIV is a chronic infection and HIV diagnoses may include infections that occurred years before diagnosis. Alternative methods to estimate incidence use diagnoses, stage of disease, and laboratory assays of infection recency. Using a consistent, accurate method would allow for timely interpretation of HIV trends. The objective of our study was to assess the recent progress toward reducing HIV infections in the United States overall and among selected population segments with available incidence estimation methods. Data on cases of HIV infection reported to national surveillance for 2008-2013 were used to compare trends in HIV diagnoses, unadjusted and adjusted for reporting delay, and model-based incidence for the US population aged ≥13 years. Incidence was estimated using a biomarker for recency of infection (stratified extrapolation approach) and 2 back-calculation models (CD4 and Bayesian hierarchical models). HIV testing trends were determined from behavioral surveys for persons aged ≥18 years. Analyses were stratified by sex, race or ethnicity (black, Hispanic or Latino, and white), and transmission category (men who have sex with men, MSM). On average, HIV diagnoses decreased 4.0% per year from 48,309 in 2008 to 39,270 in 2013 (Pyear (Pyears, overall, the percentage of persons who ever had received an HIV test or had had a test within the past year remained stable; among MSM testing increased. For women, all 3 incidence models corroborated the decreasing trend in HIV diagnoses, and HIV diagnoses and 2 incidence models indicated decreases among blacks and whites. The CD4 and Bayesian hierarchical models, but not the stratified extrapolation approach, indicated decreases in incidence among MSM. HIV diagnoses and CD4 and Bayesian hierarchical model estimates indicated decreases in HIV incidence overall, among both sexes and all

Non-steady state modelling of wheel-rail contact problem

Science.gov (United States)

Guiral, A.; Alonso, A.; Baeza, L.; Giménez, J. G.

2013-01-01

Among all the algorithms to solve the wheel-rail contact problem, Kalker's FastSim has become the most useful computation tool since it combines a low computational cost and enough precision for most of the typical railway dynamics problems. However, some types of dynamic problems require the use of a non-steady state analysis. Alonso and Giménez developed a non-stationary method based on FastSim, which provides both, sufficiently accurate results and a low computational cost. However, it presents some limitations; the method is developed for one time-dependent creepage and its accuracy for varying normal forces has not been checked. This article presents the required changes in order to deal with both problems and compares its results with those given by Kalker's Variational Method for rolling contact.

A Numerical Theory for Impedance Education in Three-Dimensional Normal Incidence Tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Willie R.; Jones, Michael G.

2016-01-01

A method for educing the locally-reacting acoustic impedance of a test sample mounted in a 3-D normal incidence impedance tube is presented and validated. The unique feature of the method is that the excitation frequency (or duct geometry) may be such that high-order duct modes may exist. The method educes the impedance, iteratively, by minimizing an objective function consisting of the difference between the measured and numerically computed acoustic pressure at preselected measurement points in the duct. The method is validated on planar and high-order mode sources with data synthesized from exact mode theory. These data are then subjected to random jitter to simulate the effects of measurement uncertainties on the educed impedance spectrum. The primary conclusions of the study are 1) Without random jitter the method is in excellent agreement with that for known impedance samples, and 2) Random jitter that is compatible to that found in a typical experiment has minimal impact on the accuracy of the educed impedance.

Evolution of porous network in GaSb under normally incident 60 keV Ar{sup +}-ion irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Datta, D.P. [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Kanjilal, A. [Department of Physics, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Budh Nagar 203 207, Uttar Pradesh (India); Garg, S.K. [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Sahoo, P.K. [School of Physical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Satpati, B. [Surface Physics and Material Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064 (India); Kanjilal, D. [Inter-University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India); Som, T., E-mail: tsom@iopb.res.in [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India)

2014-08-15

Highlights: • We show the evolution of a nanoporous layer in GaSb under Ar{sup +}-ion bombardment at normal incidence in the hitherto unexplored high fluence regime, namely 7 × 10{sup 16}–3 × 10{sup 18} ions cm{sup −2}. • Fluence dependent formation and growth of patches on top of the nanoporous layer is demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. • We also show high amount of oxidation of such ion-beam-generated nanoporous structures, with formation of Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Our study reveals the presence of nanocrystallites within the porous layer even at the highest fluence used in the experiment. • We interpret the experimental observations through a qualitative model where we take into account the effect of re-deposition of atoms sputtered from the nanoporous layer during Ar{sup +}-ion irradiation of GaSb. - Abstract: GaSb(1 0 0) samples were irradiated with 60 keV Ar{sup +}-ions at normal incidence for fluences in the range of 7 × 10{sup 16} to 3 × 10{sup 18} ions cm{sup −2} at room temperature, showing gradual evolution of a porous surface layer containing interconnected nanofibers. In particular, fluence dependent formation of patches on the nanoporous layer is observed by scanning electron microscopy. Combined results of grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of nanocrystallites in the porous structures. Compositional analysis by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the development of oxide phases, mainly Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} where the former increases with fluence. We have proposed a model addressing a competition between ion-induced-defect driven growth of the nanoporous layer and redeposition of sputtered target atoms on the growing layer.

Force Transmission Modes of Non-Cohesive and Cohesive Materials at the Critical State.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ji-Peng

2017-08-31

This paper investigates the force transmission modes, mainly described by probability density distributions, in non-cohesive dry and cohesive wet granular materials by discrete element modeling. The critical state force transmission patterns are focused on with the contact model effect being analyzed. By shearing relatively dense and loose dry specimens to the critical state in the conventional triaxial loading path, it is observed that there is a unique critical state force transmission mode. There is a universe critical state force distribution pattern for both the normal contact forces and tangential contact forces. Furthermore, it is found that using either the linear Hooke or the non-linear Hertz model does not affect the universe force transmission mode, and it is only related to the grain size distribution. Wet granular materials are also simulated by incorporating a water bridge model. Dense and loose wet granular materials are tested, and the critical state behavior for the wet material is also observed. The critical state strength and void ratio of wet granular materials are higher than those of a non-cohesive material. The critical state inter-particle distribution is altered from that of a non-cohesive material with higher probability in relatively weak forces. Grains in non-cohesive materials are under compressive stresses, and their principal directions are mainly in the axial loading direction. However, for cohesive wet granular materials, some particles are in tension, and the tensile stresses are in the horizontal direction on which the confinement is applied. The additional confinement by the tensile stress explains the macro strength and dilatancy increase in wet samples.

Survey of state and tribal emergency response capabilities for radiological transportation incidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vilardo, F J; Mitter, E L; Palmer, J A; Briggs, H C; Fesenmaier, J [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (USA). School of Public and Environmental Affairs

1990-05-01

This publication is the final report of a project to survey the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and selected Indian Tribal jurisdictions to ascertain their emergency-preparedness planning and capabilities for responding to transportation incidents involving radioactive materials. The survey was conducted to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other federal agencies with information concerning the current level of emergency-response preparedness of the states and selected tribes and an assessment of the changes that have occurred since 1980. There have been no major changes in the states' emergency-response planning strategies and field tactics. The changes noted included an increased availability of dedicated emergency-response vehicles, wider availability of specialized radiation-detection instruments, and higher proportions of police and fire personnel with training in the handling of suspected radiation threats. Most Indian tribes have no capability to evaluate suspected radiation threats and have no formal relations with emergency-response personnel in adjacent states. For the nation as a whole, the incidence of suspected radiation threats declined substantially from 1980 to 1988. 58 tabs.

Association of arsenic exposure with lung cancer incidence rates in the United States.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph J Putila

Full Text Available Although strong exposure to arsenic has been shown to be carcinogenic, its contribution to lung cancer incidence in the United States is not well characterized. We sought to determine if the low-level exposures to arsenic seen in the U.S. are associated with lung cancer incidence after controlling for possible confounders, and to assess the interaction with smoking behavior.Measurements of arsenic stream sediment and soil concentration obtained from the USGS National Geochemical Survey were combined, respectively, with 2008 BRFSS estimates on smoking prevalence and 2000 U.S. Census county level income to determine the effects of these factors on lung cancer incidence, as estimated from respective state-wide cancer registries and the SEER database. Poisson regression was used to determine the association between each variable and age-adjusted county-level lung cancer incidence. ANOVA was used to assess interaction effects between covariates.Sediment levels of arsenic were significantly associated with an increase in incident cases of lung cancer (P<0.0001. These effects persisted after controlling for smoking and income (P<0.0001. Across the U.S., exposure to arsenic may contribute to up to 5,297 lung cancer cases per year. There was also a significant interaction between arsenic exposure levels and smoking prevalence (P<0.05.Arsenic was significantly associated with lung cancer incidence rates in the U.S. after controlling for smoking and income, indicating that low-level exposure to arsenic is responsible for excess cancer cases in many parts of the U.S. Elevated county smoking prevalence strengthened the association between arsenic exposure and lung cancer incidence rate, an effect previously unseen on a population level.

Reflection and transmission of full-vector X-waves normally incident on dielectric half spaces

KAUST Repository

Salem, Mohamed

2011-08-01

The reflection and transmission of full-vector X-Waves incident normally on a planar interface between two lossless dielectric half-spaces are investigated. Full-vector X-Waves are obtained by superimposing transverse electric and magnetic polarization components, which are derived from the scalar X-Wave solution. The analysis of transmission and reflection is carried out via a straightforward but yet effective method: First, the X-Wave is decomposed into vector Bessel beams via the Bessel-Fourier transform. Then, the reflection and transmission coefficients of the beams are obtained in the spectral domain. Finally, the transmitted and reflected X-Waves are obtained via the inverse Bessel-Fourier transform carried out on the X-wave spectrum weighted with the corresponding coefficient. © 2011 IEEE.

Lifestyle Factors and Incident Mobility Limitation in Obese and Non-obese Older Adults.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koster, A.; Penninx, B.W.J.H.; Newman, A.B.; Visser, M.; van Gool, C.H.; Harris, T.B.; van Eijk, J.T.; Kempen, G.I.; Brach, J.S.; Simonsick, E.M.; Houston, D.K.; Tylavsky, F.A.; Rubin, S.M.; Kritchevsky, S.B.

2007-01-01

Objective: This study examines the association between incident mobility limitation and 4 lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and diet in well-functioning obese (n = 667) and non-obese (n = 2027) older adults. Research Methods and Procedures: Data were from men and women,

Unit Root Testing and Estimation in Nonlinear ESTAR Models with Normal and Non-Normal Errors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umair Khalil

Full Text Available Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive (ESTAR models can capture non-linear adjustment of the deviations from equilibrium conditions which may explain the economic behavior of many variables that appear non stationary from a linear viewpoint. Many researchers employ the Kapetanios test which has a unit root as the null and a stationary nonlinear model as the alternative. However this test statistics is based on the assumption of normally distributed errors in the DGP. Cook has analyzed the size of the nonlinear unit root of this test in the presence of heavy-tailed innovation process and obtained the critical values for both finite variance and infinite variance cases. However the test statistics of Cook are oversized. It has been found by researchers that using conventional tests is dangerous though the best performance among these is a HCCME. The over sizing for LM tests can be reduced by employing fixed design wild bootstrap remedies which provide a valuable alternative to the conventional tests. In this paper the size of the Kapetanios test statistic employing hetroscedastic consistent covariance matrices has been derived and the results are reported for various sample sizes in which size distortion is reduced. The properties for estimates of ESTAR models have been investigated when errors are assumed non-normal. We compare the results obtained through the fitting of nonlinear least square with that of the quantile regression fitting in the presence of outliers and the error distribution was considered to be from t-distribution for various sample sizes.

A heteroscedastic generalized linear model with a non-normal speed factor for responses and response times.

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Dylan; Bolsinova, Maria

2017-05-01

In generalized linear modelling of responses and response times, the observed response time variables are commonly transformed to make their distribution approximately normal. A normal distribution for the transformed response times is desirable as it justifies the linearity and homoscedasticity assumptions in the underlying linear model. Past research has, however, shown that the transformed response times are not always normal. Models have been developed to accommodate this violation. In the present study, we propose a modelling approach for responses and response times to test and model non-normality in the transformed response times. Most importantly, we distinguish between non-normality due to heteroscedastic residual variances, and non-normality due to a skewed speed factor. In a simulation study, we establish parameter recovery and the power to separate both effects. In addition, we apply the model to a real data set. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Non-Abelian states of matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Ady

2010-03-11

Quantum mechanics classifies all elementary particles as either fermions or bosons, and this classification is crucial to the understanding of a variety of physical systems, such as lasers, metals and superconductors. In certain two-dimensional systems, interactions between electrons or atoms lead to the formation of quasiparticles that break the fermion-boson dichotomy. A particularly interesting alternative is offered by 'non-Abelian' states of matter, in which the presence of quasiparticles makes the ground state degenerate, and interchanges of identical quasiparticles shift the system between different ground states. Present experimental studies attempt to identify non-Abelian states in systems that manifest the fractional quantum Hall effect. If such states can be identified, they may become useful for quantum computation.

Incident ion charge state dependence of electron emission during slow multicharged ion-surface interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, I.G.; Zeijlmans van Emmichoven, P.A.; Havener, C.C.; Overbury, S.H.; Robinson, M.T.; Zehner, D.M.; Meyer, F.W.

1992-01-01

Characteristic variations in the total electron yield γ as a function of crystal azimuthal orientation are reported for slow N 2+ , N 5+ and N 6+ ions incident on a Au(011) single crystal, together with measurements of γ as a function of incident ion velocity. Kinetic electron emission is shown to arise predominantly in close collisions between incident ions and target atoms, and potential electron emission is found to be essentially constant within our present velocity range. The incident ion charge state is shown to play no role in kinetic electron emission. Extremely fast neutralization times of the order of 10 - 15 secs are needed to explain the observations

The Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease in the Diabetic (Compared to the Non-Diabetic) Population: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Narres, Maria; Claessen, Heiner; Droste, Sigrid; Kvitkina, Tatjana; Koch, Michael; Kuss, Oliver; Icks, Andrea

2016-01-01

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetes is a life threatening complication resulting in a poor prognosis for patients as well as high medical costs. The aims of this systematic review were (1) to evaluate the incidence of ESRD due to all causes and due to diabetic nephropathy in the diabetic population and differences between incidences of ESRD with respect to sex, ethnicity, age and regions, (2) to compare incidence rates in the diabetic and non-diabetic population, and (3) to investigate time trends. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA group guidelines by performing systematic literature searches in the biomedical databases until January 3rd 2015; thirty-two studies were included. Among patients with incident type 1 diabetes the 30-year cumulative incidence ranged from 3.3% to 7.8%. Among patients with prevalent diabetes, incidence rates of ESRD due to all causes ranged from 132.0 to 167.0 per 100,000 person-years, whereas incidence rates of ESRD due to diabetic nephropathy varied from 38.4 to 804.0 per 100,000 person-years. The incidence of ESRD in the diabetic population was higher compared to the non-diabetic population, and relative risks varied from 6.2 in the white population to 62.0 among Native Americans. The results regarding time trends were inconsistent. The review conducted demonstrates the considerable variation of incidences of ESRD among the diabetic population. Consistent findings included an excess risk when comparing the diabetic to the non-diabetic population and ethnic differences. We recommend that newly designed studies should use standardized methods for the determination of ESRD and population at risk. PMID:26812415

Energy dependence of angular distributions of sputtered particles by ion-beam bombardment at normal incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Yoshinobu; Ueda, Yasutoshi; Uchino, Kiichiro; Muraoka, Katsunori; Maeda, Mitsuo; Akazaki, Masanori; Yamamura, Yasunori.

1986-01-01

The angular distributions of sputtered Fe-atoms were measured using the laser fluorescence technique during Ar-ion bombardment for energies of 0.6, 1, 2 and 3 keV at normal incidence. The measured cosine distribution at 0.6 keV progressively deviated to an over-cosine distribution at higher energies, and at 3 keV the angular distribution was an overcosine distribution of about 20 %. The experimental results agree qualitatively with calculations by a recent computer simulation code, ACAT. The results are explained by the competition between surface scattering and the effects of primary knock-on atoms, which tend to make the angular distributions over-cosine and under-cosine, respectively. (author)

Normal ground state of dense relativistic matter in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbar, E. V.; Miransky, V. A.; Shovkovy, I. A.

2011-01-01

The properties of the ground state of relativistic matter in a magnetic field are examined within the framework of a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. The main emphasis of this study is the normal ground state, which is realized at sufficiently high temperatures and/or sufficiently large chemical potentials. In contrast to the vacuum state, which is characterized by the magnetic catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking, the normal state is accompanied by the dynamical generation of the chiral shift parameter Δ. In the chiral limit, the value of Δ determines a relative shift of the longitudinal momenta (along the direction of the magnetic field) in the dispersion relations of opposite chirality fermions. We argue that the chirality remains a good approximate quantum number even for massive fermions in the vicinity of the Fermi surface and, therefore, the chiral shift is expected to play an important role in many types of cold dense relativistic matter, relevant for applications in compact stars. The qualitative implications of the revealed structure of the normal ground state on the physics of protoneutron stars are discussed. A noticeable feature of the Δ parameter is that it is insensitive to temperature when T 0 , where μ 0 is the chemical potential, and increases with temperature for T>μ 0 . The latter implies that the chiral shift parameter is also generated in the regime relevant for heavy ion collisions.

[Is cancer incidence different between type 2 diabetes patients compared to non-diabetics in hemodialysis? A study from the REIN registry].

Science.gov (United States)

Le Guillou, Aurélie; Pladys, Adelaide; Kihal, Wahida; Siebert, Muriel; Haddj-Elmrabet, Atman; Cernon, Charlotte; Bernard, Anne; Charasse, Christophe; Mandart, Lise; Hamel, Didier; Tanquerel, Tugdual; Strullu, Bernard; Richer, Christine; Siohan, Pascale; Sawadogo, Théophile; Baleynaud, Juliette; Baluta, Simona; Bayat, Sahar; Vigneau, Cécile

2018-05-01

In France, diabetes mellitus is now the second cause of end stage renal disease. In a large previous French national study, we observed that dialyzed diabetics have a significant lower risk of death by cancer. This first study was focused on cancer death but did not investigate cancer incidence. In this context, the aim of this second study was to compare the incidence of cancer in diabetic dialyzed patients compared to non-diabetic dialyzed patients in a French region. This epidemiologic multicentric study included 588 diabetic and non-diabetic patients starting hemodialysis between 2002 and 2007 in Bretagne. Data were issued from REIN registry and cancer incidence were individually collected from medical records. Diabetics and non-diabetics were matched one by one on age, sex and year of dialysis initiation. During the follow-up, we observed 28 cancers (9.4%) in diabetic patients and 26 cancers (8.9%) in non-diabetics patients. The cumulative incidence to develop a cancer 2 years after the dialysis start was approximately 6% in both diabetics and non-diabetics patients. In univariate Fine and Gray analysis, BMI, hemoglobin, statin use had P-value<0.2. However, in the adjusted model, these variables were not significantly associated with cancer incidence. This study lead on a little number of dialyzed patients did not show any significant difference on cancer incidence between diabetic and non-diabetic patients after hemodialysis start. Copyright © 2017 Société francophone de néphrologie, dialyse et transplantation. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Anatomic distribution of culprit lesions in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and normal ECG.

Science.gov (United States)

Moustafa, Abdelmoniem; Abi-Saleh, Bernard; El-Baba, Mohammad; Hamoui, Omar; AlJaroudi, Wael

2016-02-01

In patients presenting with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and three-vessel disease are the most commonly encountered culprit lesions in the presence of ST depression, while one third of patients with left circumflex (LCX) artery related infarction have normal ECG. We sought to determine the predictors of presence of culprit lesion in NSTEMI patients based on ECG, echocardiographic, and clinical characteristics. Patients admitted to the coronary care unit with the diagnosis of NSTEMI between June 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively identified. Admission ECG was interpreted by an electrophysiologist that was blinded to the result of the coronary angiogram. Patients were dichotomized into either normal or abnormal ECG group. The primary endpoint was presence of culprit lesion. Secondary endpoints included length of stay, re-hospitalization within 60 days, and in-hospital mortality. A total of 118 patients that were identified; 47 with normal and 71 with abnormal ECG. At least one culprit lesion was identified in 101 patients (86%), and significantly more among those with abnormal ECG (91.5% vs. 76.6%, P=0.041).The LAD was the most frequently detected culprit lesion in both groups. There was a higher incidence of two and three-vessel disease in the abnormal ECG group (P=0.041).On the other hand, there was a trend of higher LCX involvement (25% vs. 13.8%, P=0.18) and more normal coronary arteries in the normal ECG group (23.4% vs. 8.5%, P=0.041). On multivariate analysis, prior history of coronary artery disease (CAD) [odds ratio (OR) 6.4 (0.8-52)], male gender [OR 5.0 (1.5-17)], and abnormal admission ECG [OR 3.6 (1.12-12)], were independent predictors of a culprit lesion. There was no difference in secondary endpoints between those with normal and abnormal ECG. Among patients presenting with NSTEMI, prior history of CAD, male gender and abnormal admission ECG were independent predictors of a

Operational behaviour of a reactor normal operation and disturbances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geyer, K.H.

1982-01-01

During normal operation, the following topics are dealt with: primary and secondary coolant circuits - full load operation - start-up and shutdown - steady state part load diagramm. During disturbances and incidents, the following procedures are discussed: identification and detection of the events - automatic actions - manual actions of the operator - provided indications - explanation of actuated systems - basic information of reactor protection system. (RW)

Light trapping for emission from a photovoltaic cell under normally incident monochromatic illumination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeda, Yasuhiko, E-mail: takeda@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Iizuka, Hideo; Mizuno, Shintaro; Hasegawa, Kazuo; Ichikawa, Tadashi; Ito, Hiroshi; Kajino, Tsutomu [Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1, Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan); Ichiki, Akihisa; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi [Green Mobility Collaborative Research Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan)

2014-09-28

We have theoretically demonstrated a new light-trapping mechanism to reduce emission from a photovoltaic (PV) cell used for a monochromatic light source, which improves limiting conversion efficiency determined by the detailed balance. A multilayered bandpass filter formed on the surface of a PV cell has been found to prevent the light generated inside by radiative recombination from escaping the cell, resulting in a remarkable decrease of the effective solid angle for the emission. We have clarified a guide to design a suitable configuration of the bandpass filter and achieved significant reduction of the emission. The resultant gain in monochromatic conversion efficiency in the radiative limit due to the optimally designed 18-layerd bandpass filters is as high as 6% under normally incident 1064 nm illumination of 10 mW/cm²~ 1 kW/cm², compared with the efficiency for the perfect anti-reflection treatment to the surface of a conventional solar cell.

Income inequality among American states and the incidence of major depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Pabayo, Roman; Kawachi, Ichiro; Gilman, Stephen E

2014-02-01

Although cross-sectional and ecological studies have shown that higher area-level income inequality is related to increased risk for depression, few longitudinal studies have been conducted. This investigation examines the relationship between state-level income inequality and major depression among adults participating in a population-based, representative longitudinal study. We used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (n=34 653). Respondents completed structured diagnostic interviews at baseline (2001-2002) and follow-up (2004-2005). Weighted multilevel modelling was used to determine if U.S. state-level income inequality (measured by the Gini coefficient) was a significant predictor of depression at baseline and at follow-up, while controlling for individual-level and state-level covariates. We also repeated the longitudinal analyses, excluding those who had a history of depression or at baseline, in order to test whether income inequality was related to incident depression. State-level inequality was associated with increased incidence of depression among women but not men. In comparison to women residing in states belonging to the lowest quintile of income inequality, women were at increased risk for depression in the second (OR=1.18, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.62), third (OR=1.22, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.62), fourth (OR=1.37, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.82) and fifth (OR=1.50, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.96) quintiles at follow-up (pincome inequality increases the risk for the development of depression among women.

Incidence and risk factors of HIV-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy: a European multicohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bohlius, Julia; Schmidlin, Kurt; Costagliola, Dominique

2009-01-01

Incidence and risk factors of HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are not well defined in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).......Incidence and risk factors of HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are not well defined in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)....

Bistable states of TM polarized non-linear waves guided by symmetric layered structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalache, D.

1985-04-01

Dispersion relations for TM polarized non-linear waves propagating in a symmetric single film optical waveguide are derived. The system consists of a layer of thickness d with dielectric constant epsilon 1 bounded at two sides by a non-linear medium characterized by the diagonal dielectric tensor epsilon 11 =epsilon 22 =epsilon 0 , epsilon 33 =epsilon 0 +α|E 3 | 2 , where E 3 is the normal electric field component. For sufficiently large d/lambda (lambda is the wavelength) we predict bistable states of both symmetric and antisymmetric modes provided that the power flow is the control parameter. (author)

The impact of normal saline on the incidence of exposure keratopathy in patients hospitalized in intensive care units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohreh Davoodabady

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU have impaired ocular protective mechanisms that lead to an increased risk of ocular surface diseases including exposure keratopathy (EK. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of normal saline (NS on the incidence and severity of EK in critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: This single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 50 patients admitted to ICUs. The participants were selected through purposive sampling. One eye of each patient, randomly was allocated to intervention group (standard care with NS and the other eye to control group (standard care. In each patient, one eye (control group randomly received standard care and the other eye (intervention group received NS every 6 h in addition to standard care. The presence and severity of keratopathy was assessed daily until day 7 of hospitalization using fluorescein and an ophthalmoscope with cobalt blue filter. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis in SPSS software. Results: Before the study ( first day there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence and severity of EK between groups. Although, the incidence and severity of EK after the study (7th day was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group, their differences were not statistically significant. Although, the incidence and severity of EK, from the 1st day until the 7th, increased within both groups, this increase was statistically significant only in the intervention (NS group. Conclusions: The use of NS as eye care in patients hospitalized in ICUs can increase the incidence and severity of EK and is not recommended.

Estimating structural equation models with non-normal variables by using transformations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montfort, van K.; Mooijaart, A.; Meijerink, F.

2009-01-01

We discuss structural equation models for non-normal variables. In this situation the maximum likelihood and the generalized least-squares estimates of the model parameters can give incorrect estimates of the standard errors and the associated goodness-of-fit chi-squared statistics. If the sample

Incidence Trend for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in the North Tunisian Population, 1998-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Benhassine, Adel; Khadhra, Hajer Ben; Khiari, Houyem; Hsairi, Mohamed; Elgaaied, Amel Benammar

2016-01-01

In 2008, non-Hodgkin lymphoma ranked tenth among other malignancies worldwide with an incidence of around 5 cases per 100,000 in both genders. The latest available rates in Tunisia are from 2006. This study aimed to provide an update about NHL incidence for 2009 and its trend between 1998 and 2009 as well as a projection until 2024, using data from the Salah Azaiz Institute hospital registry and the Noth Tunisia cancer registry. In 2009, the NHL incidence in the north of Tunisia was 4.03 cases per 100,000, 4.97 for men and 3.10 for women. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) accounted for 63.2% of all NHL subtypes. Between 1998 and 2009, the overall trend showed no significant change. When we compared the trend between two periods (1998-2005 and 2005-2009), joinpoint regression showed a significant decrease of NHL incidence in the first period with an annual percentage change (APC) of -6.7% (95% CI:[-11.2%;-2%]), then the incidence significantly increased from 2005 to 2009 with an APC of 30.5% (95% CI: [16.1%; 46.6%]. The analyses of the different subtype trends showed a significant decrease in DLBCL incidence between 1998 and 2000 (APC:-21.5; 95% CI: [-31.4%;-10.2%]) then the incidence significantly increased between 2004 and 2007 (APC: 18.5; 95% CI: [3,6%;35.5%]). Joint point analysis of the age-period-cohort model projection showed a significant increase between 2002 and 2024 with an APC of 4.5% (%95 CI: [1.5%; 7.5%]). The estimated ASR for 2024 was 4.55/100 000 (95% CI: [3.37; 6.15]). This study revealed an overall steady trend in the incidence of NHL in northern Tunisia between 1998 and 2009. Projection showed an increase in the incidence in NHL in both genders which draw the attention to the national and worldwide burden of this malignancy.

Language Patterns Discriminate Mild Depression From Normal Sadness and Euthymic State.

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnova, Daria; Cumming, Paul; Sloeva, Elena; Kuvshinova, Natalia; Romanov, Dmitry; Nosachev, Gennadii

2018-01-01

Deviations from typical word use have been previously reported in clinical depression, but language patterns of mild depression (MD), as distinct from normal sadness (NS) and euthymic state, are unknown. In this study, we aimed to apply the linguistic approach as an additional diagnostic key for understanding clinical variability along the continuum of affective states. We studied 402 written reports from 124 Russian-speaking patients and 77 healthy controls (HC), including 35 cases of NS, using hand-coding procedures. The focus of our psycholinguistic methods was on lexico-semantic [e.g., rhetorical figures (metaphors, similes)], syntactic [e.g., predominant sentence type (single-clause and multi-clause)], and lexico-grammatical [e.g., pronouns (indefinite, personal)] variables. Statistical evaluations included Cohen's kappa for inter-rater reliability measures, a non-parametric approach (Mann-Whitney U -test and Pearson chi-square test), one-way ANOVA for between-group differences, Spearman's and point-biserial correlations to analyze relationships between linguistic and gender variables, discriminant analysis (Wilks' λ) of linguistic variables in relation to the affective diagnostic types, all using SPSS-22 (significant, p  language, single-clause sentences domination over multi-clause, atypical word order, increased use of personal and indefinite pronouns, and verb use in continuous/imperfective and past tenses. In NS, as compared with HC, we found greater use of lexical repetitions, omission of words, and verbs in continuous and present tenses. MD was significantly differentiated from NS and euthymic state by linguistic variables [98.6%; Wilks' λ(40) = 0.009; p  language use distinguishing depression from NS and euthymic state, which points to a potential role of linguistic indicators in diagnosing affective states.

Tumor and normal tissue responses to fractioned non-uniform dose delivery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaellman, P; Aegren, A; Brahme, A [Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Radiation Physics

1996-08-01

The volume dependence of the radiation response of a tumor is straight forward to quantify because it depends primarily on the eradication of all its clonogenic cells. A tumor therefore has a parallel organization as any surviving clonogen in principle can repopulate the tumor. The difficulty with the response of the tumor is instead to know the density and sensitivity distribution of the most resistant clonogenic cells. The increase in the 50% tumor control dose and the decrease in the maximum normalized slope of the dose response relation, {gamma}, in presence of small compartments of resistant tumor cells have therefore been quantified to describe their influence on the dose response relation. Injury to normal tissue is a much more complex and gradual process. It depends on earlier effects induced long before depletion of the differentiated and clonogenic cells that in addition may have a complex structural and functional organization. The volume dependence of the dose response relation of normal tissues is therefore described here by the relative seriality, s, of the infrastructure of the organ. The model can also be generalized to describe the response of heterogeneous tissues to non uniform dose distributions. The new model is compared with clinical and experimental data on normal tissue response, and shows good agreement both with regard to the shape of dose response relation and the volume dependence of the isoeffect dose. The response of tumors and normal tissues are quantified for arbitrary dose fractionations using the linear quadratic cell survival parameters {alpha} and {beta}. The parameters of the dose response relation are derived both for a constant dose per fraction and a constant number of dose fractions, thus in the latter case accounting also for non uniform dose delivery. (author). 26 refs, 4 figs.

Rural-Urban Differences in Cancer Incidence and Trends in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahnd, Whitney E; James, Aimee S; Jenkins, Wiley D; Izadi, Sonya R; Fogleman, Amanda J; Steward, David E; Colditz, Graham A; Brard, Laurent

2017-07-27

Cancer incidence and mortality rates in the US are declining, but this decrease may not be observed in rural areas where residents are more likely to live in poverty, smoke, and forego cancer screening. However, there is limited research exploring national rural-urban differences in cancer incidence and trends. We analyzed data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries' public use dataset, which includes population-based cancer incidence data from 46 states. We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates, rate ratios, and annual percentage change (APC) for: all cancers combined; selected individual cancers; and cancers associated with tobacco use and human papillomavirus (HPV). Rural-urban comparisons were made by demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic characteristics for 2009 to 2013. Trends were analyzed for 1995 to 2013. Combined cancers incidence rates were generally higher in urban populations, except for the South, though the urban decline in incidence rate was greater than in rural populations (10.2% vs. 4.8%, respectively). Rural cancer disparities included higher rates of tobacco associated, HPV associated, lung and bronchus, cervical , and colorectal cancers across most population groups. Further, HPV-associated cancer incidence rates increased in rural areas (APC=0.724, purban areas. Cancer rates associated with modifiable risks - tobacco, HPV, and some preventive screening modalities (e.g. colorectal and cervical cancers) - were higher in rural compared to urban populations. Population-based, clinical, and/or policy strategies and interventions that address these modifiable risk factors could help reduce cancer disparities experienced in rural populations. Copyright ©2017, American Association for Cancer Research.

Comparison between photon annihilation-then-creation and photon creation-then-annihilation thermal states: Non-classical and non-Gaussian properties

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xue-Xiang; Yuan, Hong-Chun; Wang, Yan

2014-07-01

We investigate the nonclassical properties of arbitrary number photon annihilation-then-creation operation (AC) and creation-then-annihilation operation (CA) to the thermal state (TS), whose normalization factors are related to the polylogarithm function. Then we compare their quantum characters, such as photon number distribution, average photon number, Mandel Q-parameter, purity and the Wigner function. Because of the noncommutativity between the annihilation operator and the creation operator, the ACTS and the CATS have different nonclassical properties. It is found that nonclassical properties are exhibited more strongly after AC than after CA. In addition we also examine their non-Gaussianity. The result shows that the ACTS can present a slightly bigger non-Gaussianity than the CATS.

Comparison between photon annihilation-then-creation and photon creation-then-annihilation thermal states: Non-classical and non-Gaussian properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Xue-Xiang; Wang Yan; Yuan Hong-Chun

2014-01-01

We investigate the nonclassical properties of arbitrary number photon annihilation-then-creation operation (AC) and creation-then-annihilation operation (CA) to the thermal state (TS), whose normalization factors are related to the polylogarithm function. Then we compare their quantum characters, such as photon number distribution, average photon number, Mandel Q-parameter, purity and the Wigner function. Because of the noncommutativity between the annihilation operator and the creation operator, the ACTS and the CATS have different nonclassical properties. It is found that nonclassical properties are exhibited more strongly after AC than after CA. In addition we also examine their non-Gaussianity. The result shows that the ACTS can present a slightly bigger non-Gaussianity than the CATS. (general)

Natures and incidences of each normal variations on I.V.P. series of 1000 Korean females

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Ok Ja; Chin, Soo Yil

1980-01-01

Each organ of body has many normal variation and/or abnormal developments from fetus to adult, especially urogenital system is very complex and markedly abnormal. The authors attempt to analyze the natures, incidences and differences of each normal variations based on I.V.P. series of 1000 Korean females and the review of literatures were carried out. The results are as follows: 1. The normal variations of urinary tracts are about 30 kinds as follows; Aphasia 0/1000 (0%), Hypoplasia 4/1000 (0.4%), Atrophic kidney 0/1000 (0%), Hyperplasia 0/1000 (0%), Hypertrophied kidney 0/1000 (0%), Supernumerary kidney 0/1000 (0%), Pelvic kidney 0/1000 (0%), Wandering kidney 7/1000 (7%), Horseshoe kidney 2/1000 (2%), Nephroptosis 6/1000 (0.6%), Malroated kidney 0/1000 (0%), Crossed ecotopic kidney 0/1000 (0%), Ureteral kingking 440/1000 (44.0%), Short ureter 3/1000 (0.3%), Long ureter 49/1000 (4.9%), Retrocaval ureter 0/1000 (0%), Retroiliac ureter 0/1000 (0%), Mega-ureter 0/1000 (0%), Aberrant vessel in ureter 79/1000 (7.9%), Congenital ureteral valves 0/1000 (0%), Anomalous ureteral orifices 0/1000 (0%), Double ureter 22/1000 (2.2%), Ureteral diverticulum 0/1000 (0%), Extrarenal pelvis 170/1000 (17.0%), Intrarenal pelvis 830/1000 (83.0%), Supernumerary pelvis 55/1000 (55%), Renal backflow 2/1000 0.2%), Multiple calyces 0/1000 (0.1%), Calyceal diverticulum 2/1000 (0.2%), Unilateral fused kidney 0/1000 (0%), Polar enlarged kidney 0/1000 (0%). 2. The order of incidence of common variations in Korean females are as follows: 1. Intrarenal pelvis 2. Ureteral kingking 3. Extrarenal pelvis 4. Aberrant vessel in ureter 5. Double pelvis 6. Long ureter 7. Double ureter 8. Wandering Kidney 9. Nephrotosis 10. Hypoplasia 11. Short ureter 12. Horseshoe kidney 13. Renal backflow 14. Calyceal diverticulum 15. Supernumerary calyces. 3. The most common variations in Korean females are intrarenal pelvis, extrarenal pelvis, aberrant vessel in ureters and most of them are acquired origin. Contrary

Trends in Incidence and Factors Affecting Survival of Patients With Cholangiocarcinoma in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukkamalla, Shiva Kumar R; Naseri, Hussain M; Kim, Byung M; Katz, Steven C; Armenio, Vincent A

2018-04-01

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) includes cancers arising from the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. The etiology and pathogenesis of CCA remain poorly understood. This is the first study investigating both incidence patterns of CCA from 1973 through 2012 and demographic, clinical, and treatment variables affecting survival of patients with CCA. Patients and Methods: Using the SEER database, age-adjusted incidence rates were evaluated from 1973-2012 using SEER*Stat software. A retrospective cohort of 26,994 patients diagnosed with CCA from 1973-2008 was identified for survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to perform multivariate survival analysis. Results: Overall incidence of CCA increased by 65% from 1973-2012. Extrahepatic CCA (ECC) remained more common than intrahepatic CCA (ICC), whereas the incidence rates for ICC increased by 350% compared with a 20% increase seen with ECC. Men belonging to non-African American and non-Caucasian ethnicities had the highest incidence rates of CCA. This trend persisted throughout the study period, although African Americans and Caucasians saw 50% and 59% increases in incidence rates, respectively, compared with a 9% increase among other races. Median overall survival (OS) was 8 months in patients with ECC compared with 4 months in those with ICC. Our survival analysis found Hispanic women to have the best 5-year survival outcome ( P better survival outcomes compared with ICC ( P better survival outcomes compared with others ( P <.0001). Conclusions: This is the most up-to-date study of CCA from the SEER registry that shows temporal patterns of increasing incidence of CCA across different races, sexes, and ethnicities. We identified age, sex, race, marital status, income, smoking status, anatomic location of CCA, tumor grade, tumor stage, radiation, and surgery as independent prognostic factors for OS in patients with CCA. Copyright © 2018 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

The impact of state fire safe cigarette policies on fire fatalities, injuries, and incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Folz, David H; Shults, Chris

Cigarettes are a leading cause of civilian deaths in home fires. Over the last decade, state fire service leaders and allied interest groups succeeded in persuading state lawmakers to require manufacturers to sell only low-ignition strength or "fire safe" cigarettes as a strategy to reduce these fatalities and the injuries and losses that stem from them. This article examines whether the states' fire safe cigarette laws actually helped to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the incidence of home fires ignited by cigarettes left unattended by smokers. Controlling for the effects of key demographic, social, economic, and housing variables, this study finds that the states' fire-safe cigarette policies had significant impacts on reducing the rate of smoking-related civilian fire deaths and the incidence of fires started by tobacco products. The findings also suggest that the states' fire safe cigarette policies may have helped to reduce the rate of smoking-related fire injuries. The study shows that collective actions by leaders in the fire service across the states can result in meaningful policy change that protects lives and advances public safety even when a political consensus for action is absent at the national level.

Visual Impairment and Blindness Avoided with Ranibizumab in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Whites with Diabetic Macular Edema in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Varma, Rohit; Bressler, Neil M; Doan, Quan V; Danese, Mark; Dolan, Chantal M; Lee, Abraham; Turpcu, Adam

2015-05-01

To estimate visual impairment (VI) and blindness avoided with intravitreal ranibizumab 0.3 mg treatment for central-involved diabetic macular edema (DME) among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white individuals in the United States. Population-based model simulating visual acuity (VA) outcomes over 2 years after diagnosis and treatment of DME. Visual acuity changes with and without ranibizumab were based on data from the RISE, RIDE, and DRCR Network trials. For the better-seeing eye, VA outcomes included VI, defined as worse than 20/40 in the better-seeing eye, and blindness, defined as VA of 20/200 or worse in the better-seeing eye. Incidence of 1 or both eyes with central-involved DME in 2010 were estimated based on the 2010 United States population, prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and 1-year central-involved DME incidence rate. Sixty-one percent of incident individuals had bilateral DME and 39% had unilateral DME, but DME could develop in the fellow eye. Cases of VI and blindness avoided with ranibizumab treatment. Among approximately 102 million Hispanic and non-Hispanic white individuals in the United States 45 years of age and older in 2010, an estimated 37 274 had central-involved DME and VI eligible for ranibizumab treatment. Compared with no ranibizumab treatment, the model predicted that ranibizumab 0.3 mg every 4 weeks would reduce the number of individuals with VI from 11 438 (95% simulation interval [SI], 7249-16 077) to 6304 (95% SI, 3921-8981), a 45% (95% SI, 36%-53%) reduction at 2 years. Ranibizumab would reduce the number of incident eyes with VA worse than 20/40 from 16 910 (95% SI, 10 729-23 577) to 9361 (95% SI, 5839-13 245), a 45% (95% SI, 38%-51%) reduction. Ranibizumab was estimated to reduce the number of individuals with legal blindness by 75% (95% SI, 58%-88%) and the number of incident eyes with VA of 20/200 or worse by 76% (95% SI, 63%-87%). This model suggests that ranibizumab 0.3 mg every 4 weeks substantially reduces prevalence of VI and

Calculation of the spectrum of {gamma} rays connecting superdeformed and normally deformed nuclear states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dossing, T.; Khoo, T.L.; Lauritsen, T. [and others

1995-08-01

The decay out of superdeformed states occurs by coupling to compound nuclear states of normal deformation. The coupling is very weak, resulting in mixing of the SD state with one or two normal compound states. With a high energy available for decay, a statistical spectrum ensues. The shape of this statistical spectrum contains information on the level densities of the excited states below the SD level. The level densities are sensitively affected by the pair correlations. Thus decay-out of a SD state (which presents us with a means to start a statistical cascade from a highly-excited sharp state) provides a method for investigating the reduction of pairing with increasing thermal excitation energy.

Effects of Consolidation Stress State on Normally Consolidated Clay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lade, Poul V.

2000-01-01

The effect of consolidation stress state on the stress-strain and strength characteristics has been studied from experiments on undisturbed block samples of a natural, normally consolidated clay known as San Francisco Bay Mud. The results of experiments on K0-consolidated, hollow cylinder specimens...... and on isotropically consolidated, cubical specimens, both tested in triaxial compression and extension, clearly showed the influence of the undisturbed fabric as well as the effect of the initial consolidation stress states. While the K0-consolidated specimens appeared to retain their original fabric and exhibit...

Non-existence of Normal Tokamak Equilibria with Negative Central Current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammett, G.W.; Jardin, S.C.; Stratton, B.C.

2003-01-01

Recent tokamak experiments employing off-axis, non-inductive current drive have found that a large central current hole can be produced. The current density is measured to be approximately zero in this region, though in principle there was sufficient current-drive power for the central current density to have gone significantly negative. Recent papers have used a large aspect-ratio expansion to show that normal MHD equilibria (with axisymmetric nested flux surfaces, non-singular fields, and monotonic peaked pressure profiles) can not exist with negative central current. We extend that proof here to arbitrary aspect ratio, using a variant of the virial theorem to derive a relatively simple integral constraint on the equilibrium. However, this constraint does not, by itself, exclude equilibria with non-nested flux surfaces, or equilibria with singular fields and/or hollow pressure profiles that may be spontaneously generated

Spectrum of {gamma} rays connecting superdeformed and normal states in {sup 192}Hg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henry, R.G.; Lauritsen, T.; Khoo, T.L. [and others

1995-08-01

Almost a hundred superdeformed bands were found in the mass 150 and 190 regions. Nevertheless, the energies and spins of the SD levels are still not measured (with one possible exception). Many attempts were made to decipher the highly-fragmented pathways connecting SD and normal states, but with hitherto no success. We adopted a new approach that consists of characterizing the overall spectral shape of the {gamma} rays linking SD and normal states.

Determination of plasma adrenomedullin in normal pregnant women and pregnancy-induced hypertension patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruan Lihong; Li Jingbo; Zhu Fengquan; Pan Yu; Yuan Aijun; He Kai

2004-01-01

Objective: To study the relationships between plasma adrenomedullin (ADM) and normal pregnancy and pathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Methods: ADM concentrations in the plasma from 10 normal non-pregnant women, 36 normal pregnant women (12 first, 12 second, 12 third trimester, respectively) and 30 cases of PIH (10 mild, 10 moderate, 10 severe, respectively) were determined by radioimmunoassay, and data were analyzed statistically. Results: ADM concentrations in the first, second and third trimester of normal pregnancy increased significantly than that of normal non-pregnant women (P<0.05). ADM concentration in the plasma of patients with PIH was higher than that of third trimester pregnancy (P<0.01). There were significant differences between mild, moderate, and severe PIH groups (P<0.05). In the PIH groups, significant positive correlation was found between plasma ADM concentration and mean arterial pressure (r=0.822, P<0.05). Incidence of low birth weight infants was related to serious degree of PIH. Conclusion: ADM may involve in maintaining normal human pregnancy. ADM may increase compensatorily in the pathogenesis of PIH

Supersymmetric Extension of Non-Hermitian su(2 Hamiltonian and Supercoherent States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Cherbal

2010-12-01

Full Text Available A new class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with real spectrum, which are written as a real linear combination of su(2 generators in the form H=ωJ_3+αJ_−+βJ_+, α≠β, is analyzed. The metrics which allows the transition to the equivalent Hermitian Hamiltonian is established. A pseudo-Hermitian supersymmetic extension of such Hamiltonians is performed. They correspond to the pseudo-Hermitian supersymmetric systems of the boson-phermion oscillators. We extend the supercoherent states formalism to such supersymmetic systems via the pseudo-unitary supersymmetric displacement operator method. The constructed family of these supercoherent states consists of two dual subfamilies that form a bi-overcomplete and bi-normal system in the boson-phermion Fock space. The states of each subfamily are eigenvectors of the boson annihilation operator and of one of the two phermion lowering operators.

Prostate cancer incidence in Australia correlates inversely with solar radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loke, Tim W; Seyfi, Doruk; Sevfi, Doruk; Khadra, Mohamed

2011-11-01

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Increased sun exposure and blood levels of vitamin D have been postulated to be protective against prostate cancer. This is controversial. We investigated the relationship between prostate cancer incidence and solar radiation in non-urban Australia, and found a lower incidence in regions receiving more sunlight. In landmark ecological studies, prostate cancer mortality rates have been shown to be inversely related to ultraviolet radiation exposure. Investigators have hypothesised that ultraviolet radiation acts by increasing production of vitamin D, which inhibits prostate cancer cells in vitro. However, analyses of serum levels of vitamin D in men with prostate cancer have failed to support this hypothesis. This study has found an inverse correlation between solar radiation and prostate cancer incidence in Australia. Our population (previously unstudied) represents the third group to exhibit this correlation. Significantly, the demographics and climate of Australia differ markedly from those of previous studies conducted on men in the United Kingdom and the United States. • To ascertain if prostate cancer incidence rates correlate with solar radiation among non-urban populations of men in Australia. • Local government areas from each state and territory were selected using explicit criteria. Urban areas were excluded from analysis. • For each local government area, prostate cancer incidence rates and averaged long-term solar radiation were obtained. • The strength of the association between prostate cancer incidence and solar radiation was determined. • Among 70 local government areas of Australia, age-standardized prostate cancer incidence rates for the period 1998-2007 correlated inversely with daily solar radiation averaged over the last two decades. •  There exists an association between less solar radiation and higher prostate cancer incidence in Australia. © 2011 THE AUTHORS. BJU

Reflection and transmission of normally incident full-vector X waves on planar interfaces

KAUST Repository

Salem, Mohamed

2011-12-23

The reflection and transmission of full-vector X waves normally incident on planar half-spaces and slabs are studied. For this purpose, X waves are expanded in terms of weighted vector Bessel beams; this new decomposition and reconstruction method offers a more lucid and intuitive interpretation of the physical phenomena observed upon the reflection or transmission of X waves when compared to the conventional plane-wave decomposition technique. Using the Bessel beam expansion approach, we have characterized changes in the field shape and the intensity distribution of the transmitted and reflected full-vector X waves. We have also identified a novel longitudinal shift, which is observed when a full-vector X wave is transmitted through a dielectric slab under frustrated total reflection condition. The results of our studies presented here are valuable in understanding the behavior of full-vector X waves when they are utilized in practical applications in electromagnetics, optics, and photonics, such as trap and tweezer setups, optical lithography, and immaterial probing. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Manifestly non-Gaussian fluctuations in superconductor-normal metal tunnel nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laakso, Matti [Institut fuer Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (Germany); Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Heikkilae, Tero [Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Nazarov, Yuli [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands)

2013-07-01

Recently, temperature fluctuation statistics has been studied in non-interacting islands and overheated single-electron transistors. We propose a mesoscopic setup which exhibits strong and manifestly non-Gaussian fluctuations of energy and temperature when suitably driven out of equilibrium. The setup consists of a normal metal island (N) coupled by tunnel junctions (I) to two superconducting leads (S), forming a SINIS structure, and is biased near the threshold voltage for quasiparticle tunneling, eV ∼ 2Δ. The fluctuations can be measured by monitoring the time-dependent electric current through the system, which makes the setup suitable for the realization of feedback schemes which allow to stabilize the temperature to the desired value.

Estimates of Incidence and Prevalence of Visual Impairment, Low Vision, and Blindness in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Tiffany; Friedman, David S; Bradley, Chris; Massof, Robert

2018-01-01

Updated estimates of the prevalence and incidence rates of low vision and blindness are needed to inform policy makers and develop plans to meet the future demands for low vision rehabilitation services. To provide updated estimates of the incidence and prevalence of low vision and blindness in the United States. Visual acuity measurements as a function of age from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with representation of racial and ethnic groups, were used to estimate the prevalence and incidence of visual impairments. Data from 6016 survey participants, ranging in age from younger than 18 years to older than 45 years, were obtained to estimate prevalence rates for different age groups. Incidence and prevalence rates of low vision (best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA] in the better-seeing eye of United States were estimated, using the 2010 US census data by age, from the rate models applied to the census projections for 2017, 2030, and 2050. Data were collected from November 1, 2007, to October 31, 2008. Data analysis took place from March 31, 2016, to March 19, 2017. Prevalence and incidence rates of low vision and blindness in the United States. Of the 6016 people in the study, 1714 (28.4%) were younger than 18 years of age, 2358 (39.1%) were 18 to 44 years of age, and 1944 (32.3%) were 45 years of age or older. There were 2888 male (48%) and 3128 female (52%) participants. The prevalence of low vision and blindness for older adults (≥45 years) in the United States in 2017 is estimated to be 3 894 406 persons (95% CI, 3 034 442-4 862 549 persons) with a BCVA less than 20/40, 1 483 703 persons (95% CI, 968 656-2 370 513 persons) with a BCVA less than 20/60, and 1 082 790 persons (95% CI, 637 771-1 741 864 persons) with a BCVA of 20/200 or less. The estimated 2017 annual incidence (projected from 2010 census data) of low vision and blindness among older adults (≥45 years) in the United States is 481�

Incidence of and case fatality following acute myocardial infarction in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians (2000-2004): a linked data study.

Science.gov (United States)

Katzenellenbogen, Judith M; Sanfilippo, Frank M; Hobbs, Michael S T; Briffa, Tom G; Ridout, Steve C; Knuiman, Matthew W; Dimer, Lyn; Taylor, Kate P; Thompson, Peter L; Thompson, Sandra C

2010-12-01

Despite Coronary Heart Disease exacting a heavy toll among Aboriginal Australians, accurate estimates of its epidemiology are limited. This study compared the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 28-day case fatality (CF) among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians aged 25-74 years from 2000-2004. Incident (AMI hospital admission-free for 15 years) AMI events and 28-day CF were estimated using person-based linked hospital and mortality data. Age-standardised incidence rates and case fatality percentages were calculated by Aboriginality and sex. Of 740 Aboriginal and 6933 non-Aboriginal incident events, 208 and 2352 died within 28 days, respectively. The Aboriginal age-specific incidence rates were 27 (males) and 35 (females) times higher than non-Aboriginal rates in the 25-29 year age group, decreasing to 2-3 at 70-74 years. The male:female age-standardised incidence rate ratio was 2.2 in Aboriginal people 25-54 years compared with 4.5 in non-Aboriginal people. Aboriginal age-standardised CF percentages were 1.4 (males) and 1.1 (females) times higher at age 25-54 years and 1.5 times higher at age 55-74 years. These data suggest higher CF and, more importantly, AMI incidence contribute to the excess ischaemic heart disease mortality in Aboriginal Western Australians. The poorer cardiovascular health in Aboriginal women, particularly in younger age groups, should be investigated. Copyright © 2010 Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of current trends in United States mesothelioma incidence; Analyse des tendances actuelles de l'incidence du mesotheliome aux Etats-Unis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Price, B.

1998-03-01

The objectives of this study are to analyze the mesotheliomas incidence in the United States and to estimate the risk of mesothelioma on the whole life by generation, as also the annual number of cases expected for the next seventy years. (N.C.)

Smoothing of the bivariate LOD score for non-normal quantitative traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Buil, Alfonso; Dyer, Thomas D; Almasy, Laura; Blangero, John

2005-12-30

Variance component analysis provides an efficient method for performing linkage analysis for quantitative traits. However, type I error of variance components-based likelihood ratio testing may be affected when phenotypic data are non-normally distributed (especially with high values of kurtosis). This results in inflated LOD scores when the normality assumption does not hold. Even though different solutions have been proposed to deal with this problem with univariate phenotypes, little work has been done in the multivariate case. We present an empirical approach to adjust the inflated LOD scores obtained from a bivariate phenotype that violates the assumption of normality. Using the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data available for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14, we show how bivariate linkage analysis with leptokurtotic traits gives an inflated type I error. We perform a novel correction that achieves acceptable levels of type I error.

The Changing Face of Noncardia Gastric Cancer Incidence Among US Non-Hispanic Whites.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, William F; Rabkin, Charles S; Turner, Natalie; Fraumeni, Joseph F; Rosenberg, Philip S; Camargo, M Constanza

2018-01-19

The initial step for noncardia gastric carcinogenesis is atrophic gastritis, driven by either Helicobacter pylori infection or autoimmunity. In recent decades, the prevalence rates of these two major causes declined and increased, respectively, with changes in Western lifestyles. We therefore assessed gastric cancer incidence trends for US race/ethnic groups, 1995-2013. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) from 45 North American Association of Central Cancer Tumor Registries were summarized by estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Age period cohort models supplemented standard descriptive techniques and projected future trends. There were 137 447 noncardia cancers in 4.4 billion person-years of observation. Among non-Hispanic whites, the ASR was 2.2 per 100 000 person-years, with an EAPC of -2.3% (95% CI = -2.0% to -2.6%). Notwithstanding this overall decline, EAPCs rose 1.3% (95% CI = 0.6% to 2.1%) for persons younger than age 50 years and fell -2.6% (95% CI = -2.4% to -2.9%) for older individuals. These converging trends manifested a birth cohort effect more pronounced among women than men, with incidence among women born in 1983 twofold (95% CI = 1.1-fold to 3.6-fold) greater than those born in 1951. Age interaction was also statistically significant among Hispanic whites, with slightly increasing vs decreasing EAPCs for younger and older individuals, respectively. Incidence declined regardless of age for other races. Current trends foreshadow expected reversals in both falling incidence and male predominance among non-Hispanic whites. Dysbiosis of the gastric microbiome associated with modern living conditions may be increasing risk of autoimmune gastritis and consequent noncardia cancer. The changing face by age and sex of gastric cancer warrants analytical studies to identify potential causal mechanisms. Published by Oxford University Press 2018. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public

A pseudospectra-based approach to non-normal stability of embedded boundary methods

Science.gov (United States)

Rapaka, Narsimha; Samtaney, Ravi

2017-11-01

We present non-normal linear stability of embedded boundary (EB) methods employing pseudospectra and resolvent norms. Stability of the discrete linear wave equation is characterized in terms of the normalized distance of the EB to the nearest ghost node (α) in one and two dimensions. An important objective is that the CFL condition based on the Cartesian grid spacing remains unaffected by the EB. We consider various discretization methods including both central and upwind-biased schemes. Stability is guaranteed when α Funds under Award No. URF/1/1394-01.

Incident wave, infragravity wave, and non-linear low-frequency bore evolution across fringing coral reefs

Science.gov (United States)

Storlazzi, C. D.; Griffioen, D.; Cheriton, O. M.

2016-12-01

Coral reefs have been shown to significantly attenuate incident wave energy and thus provide protection for 100s of millions of people globally. To better constrain wave dynamics and wave-driven water levels over fringing coral reefs, a 4-month deployment of wave and tide gauges was conducted across two shore-normal transects on Roi-Namur Island and two transects on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At all locations, although incident wave (periods 250 s) heights on the outer reef flat just inshore of the zone of wave breaking, the infragravity wave heights generally equaled the incident wave heights by the middle of the reef flat and exceeded the incident wave heights on the inner reef flat by the shoreline. The infragravity waves generally were asymmetric, positively skewed, bore-like forms with incident-band waves riding the infragravity wave crest at the head of the bore; these wave packets have similar structure to high-frequency internal waves on an internal wave bore. Bore height was shown to scale with water depth, offshore wave height, and offshore wave period. For a given tidal elevation, with increasing offshore wave heights, such bores occurred more frequently on the middle reef flat, whereas they occurred less frequently on the inner reef flat. Skewed, asymmetric waves are known to drive large gradients in velocity and shear stress that can transport material onshore. Thus, a better understanding of these low-frequency, energetic bores on reef flats is critical to forecasting how coral reef-lined coasts may respond to sea-level rise and climate change.

Comparison of the procedures of Fleishman and Ramberg et al. for generating non-normal data in simulation studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca Bendayan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Simulation techniques must be able to generate the types of distributions most commonly encountered in real data, for example, non-normal distributions. Two recognized procedures for generating non-normal data are Fleishman's linear transformation method and the method proposed by Ramberg et al. that is based on generalization of the Tukey lambda distribution. This study compares tríese procedures in terms of the extent to which the distributions they generate fit their respective theoretical models, and it also examines the number of simulations needed to achieve this fit. To this end, the paper considers, in addition to the normal distribution, a series of non-normal distributions that are commonly found in real data, and then analyses fit according to the extent to which normality is violated and the number of simulations performed. The results show that the two data generation procedures behave similarly. As the degree of contamination of the theoretical distribution increases, so does the number of simulations required to ensure a good fit to the generated data. The two procedures generate more accurate normal and non-normal distributions when at least 7000 simulations are performed, although when the degree of contamination is severe (with values of skewness and kurtosis of 2 and 6, respectively it is advisable to perform 15000 simulations.

The Incidence and Management of Conflicts in Secular and Non-Secular Tertiary Institutions in South West Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Ayodele, Joseph Babatola; Adewumi, Joseph Olukayode

2007-01-01

This paper compared the incidence and management of conflicts in secular and non-secular tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The sample of this study was made of sixty staff, and two hundred and forty students randomly selected each from two secular and two non-secular tertiary institutions in south western Nigeria. A validated questionnaire was…

Mini-Mental State Examination score trajectories and incident disabling dementia among community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Yu; Kitamura, Akihiko; Murayama, Hiroshi; Amano, Hidenori; Shinozaki, Tomohiro; Yokota, Isao; Seino, Satoshi; Nofuji, Yu; Nishi, Mariko; Yokoyama, Yuri; Matsuyama, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Yoshinori; Shinkai, Shoji

2017-11-01

The present prospective study used repeated measures analysis to identify potential Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score trajectories and determine whether MMSE trajectory was associated with incident disabling dementia among community-dwelling older Japanese adults. A total of 1724 non-demented adults (mean age 71.4 years [SD 5.7]; 56.7% women) aged 65-90 years participated in annual geriatric health assessments during the period from June 2002 through July 2014. The total number of observations was 6755, and the average number of follow-up assessments was 3.9. A review of municipal databases in the Japanese public long-term care insurance system showed that 205 (11.9%) participants developed disabling dementia through December 2014. We identified three distinct MMSE score trajectory patterns (high, middle and low) in adults aged 65-90 years. After adjusting for important confounders, participants with middle (42.8%) and low (5.1%) MMSE trajectories had hazard ratios of 2.46 (95% confidence interval 1.64-3.68) and 10.73 (95% confidence interval 4.91-23.45), respectively, for incident disabling dementia, as compared with those in the high (52.1%) trajectory group. Approximately half of the participants were classified as having a high MMSE trajectory, whereas 43% and 5% had middle and low MMSE trajectories, respectively, in this population. Individuals with middle and low MMSE trajectories had a higher risk for incident disabling dementia, which suggests that a high-risk approach to dementia prevention should target people with mild and more rapid cognitive decline. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1928-1935. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Incidence and Antimicrobial Sensitivity Profiles of Normal Conjunctiva Bacterial Flora in the Central Area of China: A Hospital-Based Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Tao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the distribution and patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents of normal conjunctival bacteria.Materials and Methods: Conjunctival specimens were collected from 8,224 patients and then cultured, which underwent antimicrobial susceptibility test following standard methods. Patients with infectious symptoms such as erythema or oedema and those using systemic or topical antibiotics within 1 month were excluded.Results: In this study, the incidence of isolated bacteria was 24.2%. The middle aged group of 41–65 years presented the lowest rate of bacterial isolation which was 19.4%, while the highest isolation rate (83.1% was found in patients in the age range of 0–6 years. In every age group, the incidence of bacterial isolation in men was higher than that in women. The top 3 most commonly isolated micro-organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis (39.7%, Streptococcus pneumoniae (4.5%, and Staphylococcus aureus (2.7%, of which about 83.1% S. aureus were isolated in the group of 0-6 years. We found that coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CONS were more resistant to penicillin, macrolides, clindamycin and sulfonamides with the rate ranging from 57.9 to 90.8%, which were highly susceptible to vancomycin, linezolid, rifampin, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. Contrasting to CONS, the general resistance rate of S. aureus was significantly lower. Additionally, Streptococcus was susceptible well to the majority of antimicrobial agents, while highly resistant to macrolides and tetracyclines with the rate >80%.Conclusions: In conclusion, our study revealed the incidence and antimicrobial sensitivity profiles of normal conjunctiva bacterial flora in the central area of China, which could be useful in the prevention of ocular infections. Importantly, our data could be used to guide the selection of appropriate prophylactic agents.

Incidence of post-operative pain following single visit endodontics in vital and non-vital teeth: An in vivo study

Science.gov (United States)

Bhagwat, Sumita; Mehta, Deepil

2013-01-01

This clinical study was conducted to compare the post-operative pain following single visit endodontics in vital and non-vital teeth, with and without periapical radiolucency. A total of 60 adult patients requiring root canal therapy in anterior and premolar teeth were selected for this study. Single sitting root canal treatment was carried out and the subjects were recalled after 2 weeks and instructed to fill out a series of self-report questionnaires for responses about pain in the interim after 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 1 week and 2 weeks. In vital teeth (Group I) 60% of the treated cases had pain, of which 36% had mild pain (non-significant) and 24% had moderate pain (significant). In non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency (Group II) 64% of cases had pain, of which 48% had mild pain (non-significant) and 16% had moderate pain (significant). In non-vital teeth with periapical radiolucency (Group III) 32% of the cases had pain of which 24% had mild pain (non-significant) and 8% had moderate pain (significant). None of the teeth in any of the groups had severe pain. There was no statistical difference between incidence of pain in vital and non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency. Non-vital teeth with periapical radiolucency exhibited relatively less pain as compared with non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency, but the pain continued in a significant percent of teeth even after 2 weeks. Pain incidence dropped significantly within a period of 1 day to 2 weeks in vital teeth and non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency. There was a tendency for less incidence of significant pain after a single visit root canal treatment in these groups. Results obtained were comparable with those obtained by several investigators. PMID:24124293

STUDY OF AGE INCIDENCE AND SYMMETRY IN NON - TRAUMATIC AVASCULAR NECROSIS OF FEMORAL HEAD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harinath

2015-10-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCION: Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is an increasingly common cause of musculoskeletal disability, and it poses a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The aim of diagnostic imaging procedures in avascular femoral head necrosis is to provide the patient with a stage - adapted therapy. The aim of this paper is to present the age incidence and symmetricity of involvement of the non - traumatic avascular necrosis of femoral head. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective observational study done durin g January 2013 to June 2013.The study included a total 30 patients referred to the Department of Radiology, Kurnool medical college, Kurnool, for X ray pelvis with both hips. 10 patients out of them were further investigated with MRI pelvis. RESULTS: More than half of the patients (72.6 % were within the age groups 30 - 50 years with male to female ratio of about 4:1. 60% of patients showed bilateral involvement, 20 % showed right femoral head and 20 % showed left femoral head involvement. CONCLUSION: We con clude that disease affects mostly adults within their 3rd and 5th decade and majority of the patients are being men with bilateral involvement. Our study results are comparable with previous studies. Hence we recommend MRI both hips for early identificatio n of AVN changes in asymptomatic contra-lateral hip or normal appearing hip on X-Ray.

The non-proliferation policies of non-nuclear-weapon states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marwah, Onkar

1987-01-01

Eight countries are considered to be capable of producing nuclear weapons and highly suspect in their intentions to actually produce them. These are Argentina, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Israel, South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. The policies of these suspect Non-nuclear-weapon States (NNWS) are considered in this paper. The first part assesses the non-proliferation (or proliferation) policies of the eight suspect NNWS, the second part evaluates their differences in approach from the policies urged upon them by the nuclear-weapon states (NWS) and the third and final part attempts to understand the future evolution of NNWS policies in the nuclear military field. (U.K.)

Late effects of selected immunosuppressants on immunocompetence, disease incidence, and mean life-span. III. Disease incidence and life expectancy. [Mice, x radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peter, C P; Perkins, E H; Peterson, W J; Walburg, H E; Makinodan, T

1975-01-01

The effect of various immunosuppressive treatments on mean life-span and disease incidence have been studied. Significant life shortening was seen only in mice which received X-irradiation early in life and can be ascribed primarily to an increased incidence of certain malignancies. Marginal life shortening was seen in cyclophosphamide-treated animals, however, survival patterns between those and control animals did not differ until 30 months of age and the magnitude of life-shortening never approached that seen in X-irradiated animals. Thymectomy, splenectomy or cortisone treatment did not alter survival. All immunosuppressive treatments enhanced mortality due to non-neoplastic diseases, however, only a small percentage of animals die with these disease entities. With the exception of cortisone all immunosuppressive treatments increased the incidence of neoplastic disease. However, their effects on various neoplastic processes were variable and unpredictable. Four primary patterns in terms of relative immune competence, disease incidence and life expectancy were seen. Thus, immunodepression may or may not correlate with increased disease incidence, which in turn may or may not have a life-shortening effect. These findings are discussed in terms of the marked reduction of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity normally seen in aged mice and the significance of postulated immune surveillance mechanisms to survival.

State-to-state modeling of non-equilibrium air nozzle flows

Science.gov (United States)

Nagnibeda, E.; Papina, K.; Kunova, O.

2018-05-01

One-dimensional non-equilibrium air flows in nozzles are studied on the basis of the state-to-state description of vibrational-chemical kinetics. Five-component mixture N2/O2/NO/N/O is considered taking into account Zeldovich exchange reactions of NO formation, dissociation, recombination and vibrational energy transitions. The equations for vibrational and chem-ical kinetics in a flow are coupled to the conservation equations of momentum and total energy and solved numerically for different conditions in a nozzle throat. The vibrational distributions of nitrogen and oxygen molecules, number densities of species as well as the gas temperature and flow velocity along a nozzle axis are analysed using the detailed state-to-state flow description and in the frame of the simplified one-temperature thermal equilibrium kinetic model. The comparison of the results showed the influence of non-equilibrium kinetics on macroscopic nozzle flow parameters. In the state-to-state approach, non-Boltzmann vibrational dis-tributions of N2 and O2 molecules with a plateau part at intermediate levels are found. The results are found with the use of the complete and simplified schemes of reactions and the impact of exchange reactions, dissociation and recombination on variation of vibrational level populations, mixture composition, gas velocity and temperature along a nozzle axis is shown.

A Bayesian approach for estimating under-reported dengue incidence with a focus on non-linear associations between climate and dengue in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharmin, Sifat; Glass, Kathryn; Viennet, Elvina; Harley, David

2018-04-01

Determining the relation between climate and dengue incidence is challenging due to under-reporting of disease and consequent biased incidence estimates. Non-linear associations between climate and incidence compound this. Here, we introduce a modelling framework to estimate dengue incidence from passive surveillance data while incorporating non-linear climate effects. We estimated the true number of cases per month using a Bayesian generalised linear model, developed in stages to adjust for under-reporting. A semi-parametric thin-plate spline approach was used to quantify non-linear climate effects. The approach was applied to data collected from the national dengue surveillance system of Bangladesh. The model estimated that only 2.8% (95% credible interval 2.7-2.8) of all cases in the capital Dhaka were reported through passive case reporting. The optimal mean monthly temperature for dengue transmission is 29℃ and average monthly rainfall above 15 mm decreases transmission. Our approach provides an estimate of true incidence and an understanding of the effects of temperature and rainfall on dengue transmission in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Study of heavy metals in Lake Abbaya, Ethiopia, and the incidence of non-parasitic elephantiasis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, A.E.

1977-01-01

Samples of surface water from Lake Abbaya, Ethiopia, and from nearby hot springs, have been analysed for heavy metals and other consituents. Significant levels of mercury and arsenic were observed. These findings may be relevant to the high incidence of non-parasitic elephantiasis in the immediate vicinity of the lake.

Asymmetric valley-resolved beam splitting and incident modes in slanted graphene junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, S. H.; Chu, C. S.

2016-01-01

Electron injection into a graphene sheet through a slanted armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) is investigated. An incident mode, or subband, in the AGNR is valley-unpolarized. Our attention is on the valley-resolved nature of the injected electron beams and its connection to the incident mode. It is known for a normal injection that an incident mode will split symmetrically into two valley-resolved beams of equal intensity. We show, in contrast, that slanted injections result in asymmetric valley-resolved beam splitting. The most asymmetric beam splitting cases, when one of the valley-resolved beams has basically disappeared, are found and the condition derived. This is shown not due to trigonal warping because it holds even in the low incident energy regime, as long as collimation allows. These most asymmetric beam splitting cases occur at energies within an energy interval near and include the subband edge of an incident mode. The physical picture is best illustrated by a projection of the slanted AGNR subband states onto that of the 2D graphene sheet. It follows that the disappearing of a valley-resolved beam coincides with the situation that the group velocities of the projected states in the corresponding valley are in backward directions

Incidence and characteristics of snakebite envenomations in the New York state between 2000 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Joslin, Jeremy D; Marraffa, Jeanna M; Singh, Harinder; Mularella, Joshua

2014-09-01

We sought to evaluate the incidence of reported venomous snakebites in the state of New York between 2000 and 2010. Data were collected retrospectively from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) and then reviewed for species identification and clinical outcome while using proxy measures to determine incidence of envenomation. From 2000 to 2010 there were 473 snakebites reported to the 5 Poison Control Centers in the state of New York. Venomous snakes accounted for 14.2% (67 of 473) of these bites. Only 35 bites (7%) required antivenom. The median age of those bitten by a venomous snake was 33. Most victims were male. Although not rare, venomous snakebites do not occur commonly in New York State, with a mean of just 7 bites per year; fortunately most snakebites reported are from nonvenomous snakes. Yet even nonvenomous bites have the potential to cause moderately severe outcomes. Medical providers in the state should be aware of their management. Copyright © 2014 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Teaching non-technical skills for critical incidents: Crisis resource management training for medical students].

Science.gov (United States)

Krüger, A; Gillmann, B; Hardt, C; Döring, R; Beckers, S K; Rossaint, R

2009-06-01

Physicians have to demonstrate non-technical skills, such as communication and team leading skills, while coping with critical incidents. These skills are not taught during medical education. A crisis resource management (CRM) training was established for 4th to 6th year medical students using a full-scale simulator mannikin (Emergency Care Simulator, ECS, METI). The learning objectives of the course were defined according to the key points of Gaba's CRM concept. The training consisted of theoretical and practical parts (3 simulation scenarios with debriefing). Students' self-assessment before and after the training provided the data for evaluation of the training outcome. A total of 65 students took part in the training. The course was well received in terms of overall course quality, debriefings and didactic presentation, the mean overall mark being 1.4 (1: best, 6: worst). After the course students felt significantly more confident when facing incidents in clinical practice. The main learning objectives were achieved. The effectiveness of applying the widely used ECS full-scale simulator in interdisciplinary teaching has been demonstrated. The training exposes students to crisis resource management issues and motivates them to develop non-technical skills.

Sputtering yields of YBa2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 by 100 keV Ar+ impact at normal incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsunami, N.

1998-01-01

The thickness change of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10-δ (Bi-2223) films by 100 keV Ar + impact at normal incidence has been measured using 1.8 MeV He Rutherford backscattering method. The sputtering yields of YBCO and Bi-2223 films are determined as 2.5 and 1.7 atoms per ion, respectively. A considerable segregation of Y is observed for YBCO by ion impact. Comparing the experimental sputtering yields with those of a computer simulation, the effective surface binding energies for the films of non-superconducting phase are obtained as 3.0 and 4.5 eV for YBCO and Bi-2223, respectively. These surface binding energies are compared with those of thermodynamics. (orig.)

Perturbation approach to the self-energy of non-S hydrogenic states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Bigot, Eric-Olivier; Jentschura, Ulrich D.; Mohr, Peter J.; Indelicato, Paul; Soff, Gerhard

2003-01-01

We present results on the self-energy correction to the energy levels of hydrogen and hydrogenlike ions. The self-energy represents the largest QED correction to the relativistic (Dirac-Coulomb) energy of a bound electron. We focus on the perturbation expansion of the self-energy of non-S states, and provide estimates of the so-called A 60 perturbation coefficient, which can be viewed as a relativistic Bethe logarithm. Precise values of A 60 are given for many P, D, F, and G states, while estimates are given for other states. These results can be used in high-precision spectroscopy experiments in hydrogen and hydrogenlike ions. They yield the best available estimate of the self-energy correction of many atomic states

Metabolic syndrome in the non-pregnant state is associated with the development of preeclampsia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Geum Joon; Park, Jong Heon; Shin, Soon-Ae; Oh, Min-Jeong; Seo, Hong Seog

2016-01-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome in the non-pregnant state and the development of preeclampsia. We enrolled 212,463 Korean women who had their first delivery between January, 2011 and December, 2012 and had undergone a national health screening examination through the National Health Insurance during the 1-2 years before their first delivery. Women who had hypertension in the non-pregnant state were excluded. The presence of metabolic syndrome was defined using the modified criteria published in National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in non-pregnant state was 1.2%. Preeclampsia developed in 3.1% and its prevalence among women with and without metabolic syndrome was 7.3% and 3.0%, respectively. The pre-pregnancy prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher in women who developed preeclampsia compared to that in those who had a normal pregnancy (1.1% vs. 2.8%; ppreeclampsia (odds ratio: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.74) compared to that in those without metabolic syndrome, after adjusting for age, family history of hypertension, smoking status, and pre-pregnancy body mass index. The risk of preeclampsia increased with a rise in the number of components of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome in the non-pregnant state was associated with the development of preeclampsia. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether early intervention for metabolic syndrome before pregnancy can decrease the risk of developing preeclampsia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development in incidence of breast cancer in non-screened Danish women, 1973-2002--a population-based study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuglede, Niels; Langballe, Oline; Svendsen, Anne Louise

2006-01-01

The authors report on the incidence rates of breast cancer overall and by histology in a population of unscreened women constituting approximately 80% of the total population of women in Denmark from 1973-2002, utilizing the files of the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry. The age-specific incidence...... no disproportionate changes by histology in any age group from 1988-2002. Thus, previous reports of a disproportionate increase in lobular breast cancer could not be confirmed in a non-screened population, whereas important changes over the past decade in the age-specific incidence pattern of breast cancer particular...... rates of breast cancer increased throughout the period, and further, marked changes in the age-specific incidence pattern were observed, where the plateau and change of slope around the age of 46-48 in 1973-1981 shifted to around age 64-66 years in 1994-2002. Age-period-cohort modeling indicated...

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma incidence and mortality trends in the United States, 1973-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Megwalu, Uchechukwu C; Sirjani, Davud; Devine, Erin E

2017-10-31

To analyze oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma incidence and mortality trends in the United States for the years 1973 through 2013. Cross-sectional study using a large population-based cancer database. Data on incidence and mortality rates were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 9 Database. Annual percentage change in rates was calculated using Joinpoint regression analysis (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD). Incidence rates increased (annual percent change [APC]; 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17 to 2.88) from 1973 to 1983, remained stable (APC -0.52, 95% CI -1.30 to 0.26) from 1983 to 1997, and increased (APC 1.32, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.81) from 1997 to 2013. Overall, incidence rates increased for males (APC 0.73, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.25) but not females (APC -0.77, 95% CI -0.68 to 0.82). Incidence rates increased in the white population (APC 0.79, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.25) but decreased in the black population (APC -0.72, 95% CI -1.41 to -0.02). The incidence rates increased for tongue-base tumors (APC 1.17, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.92) and tonsil tumors (APC 0.47, 95% CI 1.10 to 4.96) but decreased for other sites. Incidence-based mortality decreased (APC -0.78, 95% CI -1.13 to -0.42) from 1993 to 2013. Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma incidence rates increased in a nonlinear fashion from 1973 to 2013, whereas mortality rates declined. This, along with variation in trends by demographic and tumor factors, suggest that human papilloma virus is the main driver of the recent rise in incidence. 2b. Laryngoscope, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Non-linear wave packet dynamics of coherent states

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In recent years, the non-linear quantum dynamics of these states have revealed some striking features. It was found that under the action of a Hamil- tonian which is a non-linear function of the photon operator(s) only, an initial coherent state loses its coherent structure quickly due to quantum dephasing induced by the non-.

Brain cancer incidence trends in relation to cellular telephone use in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Inskip, Peter D; Hoover, Robert N; Devesa, Susan S

2010-11-01

The use of cellular telephones has grown explosively during the past two decades, and there are now more than 279 million wireless subscribers in the United States. If cellular phone use causes brain cancer, as some suggest, the potential public health implications could be considerable. One might expect the effects of such a prevalent exposure to be reflected in general population incidence rates, unless the induction period is very long or confined to very long-term users. To address this issue, we examined temporal trends in brain cancer incidence rates in the United States, using data collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Log-linear models were used to estimate the annual percent change in rates among whites. With the exception of the 20-29-year age group, the trends for 1992-2006 were downward or flat. Among those aged 20-29 years, there was a statistically significant increasing trend between 1992 and 2006 among females but not among males. The recent trend in 20-29-year-old women was driven by a rising incidence of frontal lobe cancers. No increases were apparent for temporal or parietal lobe cancers, or cancers of the cerebellum, which involve the parts of the brain that would be more highly exposed to radiofrequency radiation from cellular phones. Frontal lobe cancer rates also rose among 20-29-year-old males, but the increase began earlier than among females and before cell phone use was highly prevalent. Overall, these incidence data do not provide support to the view that cellular phone use causes brain cancer.

Evaluation of moving-coil loudspeaker and passive radiator parameters using normal-incidence sound transmission measurements: theoretical developments.

Science.gov (United States)

Leishman, Timothy W; Anderson, Brian E

2013-07-01

The parameters of moving-coil loudspeaker drivers are typically determined using direct electrical excitation and measurement. However, as electro-mechano-acoustical devices, their parameters should also follow from suitable mechanical or acoustical evaluations. This paper presents the theory of an acoustical method of excitation and measurement using normal-incidence sound transmission through a baffled driver as a plane-wave tube partition. Analogous circuits enable key parameters to be extracted from measurement results in terms of open and closed-circuit driver conditions. Associated tools are presented that facilitate adjacent field decompositions and derivations of sound transmission coefficients (in terms of driver parameters) directly from the circuits. The paper also clarifies the impact of nonanechoic receiving tube terminations and the specific benefits of downstream field decompositions.

Incidence of non-lung solid cancers in Czech uranium miners: A case-cohort study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulich, M.; Rericha, V.; Rericha, R.; Shore, D.L.; Sandler, D.P.

2011-01-01

Objectives: Uranium miners are chronically exposed to radon and its progeny, which are known to cause lung cancer and may be associated with leukemia. This study was undertaken to evaluate risk of non-lung solid cancers among uranium miners in Pribram region, Czech Republic. Methods: A retrospective stratified case-cohort study in a cohort of 22,816 underground miners who were employed between 1949 and 1975. All incident non-lung solid cancers were ascertained among miners who worked underground for at least 12 months (n=1020). A subcohort of 1707 subjects was randomly drawn from the same population by random sampling stratified on age. The follow-up period lasted from 1977 to 1996. Results: Relative risks comparing 180 WLM (90th percentile) of cumulative lifetime radon exposure to 3 WLM (10th percentile) were 0.88 for all non-lung solid cancers combined (95% CI 0.73-1.04, n=1020), 0.87 for all digestive cancers (95% CI 0.69-1.09, n=561), 2.39 for gallbladder cancer (95% CI 0.52-10.98, n=13), 0.79 for larynx cancer (95% CI 0.38-1.64, n=62), 2.92 for malignant melanoma (95% CI 0.91-9.42, n=23), 0.84 for bladder cancer (95% CI 0.43-1.65, n=73), and 1.13 for kidney cancer (95% CI 0.62-2.04, n=66). No cancer type was significantly associated with radon exposure; only malignant melanoma and gallbladder cancer showed elevated but non-significant association with radon. Conclusions: Radon was not significantly associated with incidence of any cancer of interest, although a positive association of radon with malignant melanoma and gallbladder cancer cannot be entirely ruled out. - Research highlights: → Uranium miners are chronically exposed to radon. → We evaluate risk of non-lung solid cancers among uranium miners. → No cancer type was significantly associated with radon exposure. → Malignant melanoma and gallbladder cancer showed non-significant elevated risk.

Associations of Census-Tract Poverty with Subsite-Specific Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates and Stage of Disease at Diagnosis in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin A. Henry

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. It remains unclear whether neighborhood poverty contributes to differences in subsite-specific colorectal cancer (CRC incidence. We examined associations between census-tract poverty and CRC incidence and stage by anatomic subsite and race/ethnicity. Methods. CRC cases diagnosed between 2005 and 2009 from 15 states and Los Angeles County (N=278,097 were assigned to 1 of 4 groups based on census-tract poverty. Age-adjusted and stage-specific CRC incidence rates (IRs and incidence rate ratios (IRRs were calculated. Analyses were stratified by subsite (proximal, distal, and rectum, sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty. Results. Compared to the lowest poverty areas, CRC IRs were significantly higher in the most impoverished areas for men (IRR = 1.14 95% CI 1.12–1.17 and women (IRR = 1.06 95% CI 1.05–1.08. Rate differences between high and low poverty were strongest for distal colon (male IRR = 1.24 95% CI 1.20–1.28; female IRR = 1.14 95% CI 1.10–1.18 and weakest for proximal colon. These rate differences were significant for non-Hispanic whites and blacks and for Asian/Pacific Islander men. Inverse associations between poverty and IRs of all CRC and proximal colon were found for Hispanics. Late-to-early stage CRC IRRs increased monotonically with increasing poverty for all race/ethnicity groups. Conclusion. There are differences in subsite-specific CRC incidence by poverty, but associations were moderated by race/ethnicity.

Normal state magnetic behavior of (U/sub 1-x/RE/sub x/)Be13 pseudobinaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zirngiebl, E.; Thompson, J.D.; Smith, J.L.; Fisk, Z.

1987-01-01

Any impurity doping seems to modify the low temperature properties of UBe 13 in a way rather unusual compared to normal superconductors. So far, however, little attention has been paid to the modification of the normal state properties of impurity doped UB 13 . We have investigated the normal state magnetic behavior of impurity doped (U/sub 1-x/RE/sub x/)Be 13 pseudobinaries (RE = Th, Y, La, Lu, Sc) in the temperature range between 2 K and 380 K for impurity concentrations x ≤ 0.05 to see if there are correlations with T/sub c/(x)

[Reference ranges of gestational weight gain in Chinese population on the incidence of macrosomia: a multi-center cross-sectional survey].

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, H; Zhang, W Y; Li, X T

2017-03-25

Objective: To investigate the influence of gestational weight gain (GWG) on the incidence of macrosomia, and to establish the reference ranges of GWG based on the incidence of macrosomia. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted. Totally, 112 485 women were recruited from 39 hospitals in 14 provinces in China. Totally, 61 149 cases were eligible with singleton pregnancies and non-premature deliveries. The associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), GWG, newborn gender and gestational diabetes with macrosomia were analyzed with logistic regression. The normal GWG ranges were calculated in all maternal BMI subgroups, based on the normal incidence of macrosomia was set as the range of 5.0% to 10.0%. Results: In this study, the incidence of macrosomia was 7.46% (4 563/611 149). The macrosociam was positive related with maternal height, delivery week, pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG, gestational diabetes, primipara, and male babies significantly ( P< 0.05), based on unadjusted and adjusted logestic regression. The normal range of GWG 20.0-25.0, 10.0-20.0, 0-10.0 and 0-5.0 kg in subgroups of underweight (pre-pregnancy BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (≥30.0 kg/m(2)), respectively. Conclusion: The reference range of GWG in China based on the incidence of macrosomia is established.

Detailed spectroscopy of the normally deformed states in 132Ce

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, E.S.; Gizon, A.; Gizon, J.; Santos, D.; Nyako, B.M.; O'Brien, N.J.; Parry, C.M.; Wadsworth, R.

1997-01-01

High-spin states have been studied in 132 Ce produced in the 100 Mo( 36 S,4nγ) reaction using the EUROGAM II spectrometer. The structure of the normally deformed states (β 2 ∝0.2) has been investigated. Eight ΔI=2 bands and three ΔI=1 bands have been identified and the level scheme extended up to spin and parity (40 + ) at an excitation energy 19.79 MeV. The results are interpreted with the aid of Woods-Saxon cranking calculations, which suggest a variety of triaxial (γ) shapes in this nucleus stabilised by specific active quasiparticle orbitals. (orig.)

The change in color matches with retinal angle of incidence of the colorimeter beams.

Science.gov (United States)

Alpern, M; Kitahara, H; Fielder, G H

1987-01-01

Differences between W.D.W. chromaticities of monochromatic lights obtained with all colorimeter beams incident on the retina "off-axis" and those found for lights striking the retina normally have been studied throughout the visible spectrum on 4 normal trichromats. The results are inconsistent with: (i) the assumption in Weale's theories of the Stiles-Crawford hue shift that the sets of absorption spectra of the visual pigments catching normally and obliquely incident photons are identical, and (ii) "self-screening" explanations for the change in color with angle of incidence on the retina. The color matching functions of a protanomalous trichromat are inconsistent with the hypothesis that the absorption spectra of the visual pigments catching normally incident photons in his retina are those catching obliquely incident photons in the normal retina.

Incidence of Acneform Lesions in Previously Chemically Damaged Persons-2004

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N Dabiri

2008-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Chemical gas weapons especially nitrogen mustard which was used in Iraq-Iran war against Iranian troops have several harmful effects on skin. Some other chemical agents also can cause acne form lesions on skin. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of acneform in previously chemically damaged soldiers and non chemically damaged persons. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, 180 chemically damaged soldiers, who have been referred to dermatology clinic between 2000 – 2004, and forty non-chemically damaged people, were chosen randomly and examined for acneform lesions. SPSS software was used for statistic analysis of the data. Results: The mean age of the experimental group was 37.5 ± 5.2 and that of the control group was 38.7 ± 5.9 years. The mean percentage of chemical damage in cases was 31 percent and the time after the chemical damage was 15.2 ± 1.1 years. Ninety seven cases (53.9 percent of the subjects and 19 people (47.5 percent of the control group had some degree of acne. No significant correlation was found in incidence, degree of lesions, site of lesions and age of subjects between two groups. No significant correlation was noted between percentage of chemical damage and incidence and degree of lesions in case group. Conclusion: Incidence of acneform lesions among previously chemically injured peoples was not higher than the normal cases.

Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease Attributed to Diabetes Among Persons with Diagnosed Diabetes - United States and Puerto Rico, 2000-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Burrows, Nilka Rios; Hora, Israel; Geiss, Linda S; Gregg, Edward W; Albright, Ann

2017-11-03

During 2014, 120,000 persons in the United States and Puerto Rico began treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (i.e., kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation) (1). Among these persons, 44% (approximately 53,000 persons) had diabetes listed as the primary cause of ESRD (ESRD-D) (1). Although the number of persons initiating ESRD-D treatment each year has increased since 1980 (1,2), the ESRD-D incidence rate among persons with diagnosed diabetes has declined since the mid-1990s (2,3). To determine whether ESRD-D incidence has continued to decline in the United States overall and in each state, the District of Columbia (DC), and Puerto Rico, CDC analyzed 2000-2014 data from the U.S. Renal Data System and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. During that period, the age-standardized ESRD-D incidence among persons with diagnosed diabetes declined from 260.2 to 173.9 per 100,000 diabetic population (33%), and declined significantly in most states, DC, and Puerto Rico. No state experienced an increase in ESRD-D incidence rates. Continued awareness of risk factors for kidney failure and interventions to improve diabetes care might sustain and improve these trends.

Mining the bitter melon (momordica charantia l.) seed transcriptome by 454 analysis of non-normalized and normalized cDNA populations for conjugated fatty acid metabolism-related genes

Science.gov (United States)

Seeds of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) produce high levels of eleostearic acid, an unusual conjugated fatty acid with industrial value. Deep sequencing of non-normalized and normalized cDNAs from developing bitter melon seeds was conducted to uncover key genes required for biotechnological tran...

Kansas Non-State Road System

Data.gov (United States)

Kansas Data Access and Support Center — This dataset is a single centerline road network representation of 120,000 miles of the Kansas non-state highway system with limited attribution. It includes rural...

Measurement of non-steady-state free fatty acid turnover

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, M.D.; Heiling, V.; Miles, J.M.

1990-01-01

The accuracy of non-steady-state equations for measuring changes in free fatty acid rate of appearance (Ra) is unknown. In the present study, endogenous lipolysis (traced with [ 14 C]-linoleate) was pharmacologically suppressed in six conscious mongrel dogs. A computer-responsive infusion pump was then used to deliver an intravenous oleic acid emulsion in both constant and linear gradient infusion modes. Both non-steady-state equations with various effective volumes of distribution (V) and steady-state equations were used to measure oleate Ra [( 14 C]oleate). Endogenous lipolysis did not change during the experiment. When oleate Ra increased in a linear gradient fashion, only non-steady-state equations with a large (150 ml/kg) V resulted in erroneous values (9% overestimate, P less than 0.05). In contrast, when oleate Ra decreased in a similar fashion, steady-state and standard non-steady-state equations (V = plasma volume = 50 ml/kg) overestimated total oleate Ra (18 and 7%, P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.05, respectively). Overall, non-steady-state equations with an effective V of 90 ml/kg (1.8 x plasma volume) allowed the most accurate estimates of oleate Ra

Incidence of non-lung solid cancers in Czech uranium miners: a case-cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulich, M; Reřicha, V; Reřicha, R; Shore, D L; Sandler, D P

2011-04-01

Uranium miners are chronically exposed to radon and its progeny, which are known to cause lung cancer and may be associated with leukemia. This study was undertaken to evaluate risk of non-lung solid cancers among uranium miners in Příbram region, Czech Republic. A retrospective stratified case-cohort study in a cohort of 22,816 underground miners who were employed between 1949 and 1975. All incident non-lung solid cancers were ascertained among miners who worked underground for at least 12 months (n=1020). A subcohort of 1707 subjects was randomly drawn from the same population by random sampling stratified on age. The follow-up period lasted from 1977 to 1996. Relative risks comparing 180 WLM (90th percentile) of cumulative lifetime radon exposure to 3 WLM (10th percentile) were 0.88 for all non-lung solid cancers combined (95% CI 0.73-1.04, n=1020), 0.87 for all digestive cancers (95% CI 0.69-1.09, n=561), 2.39 for gallbladder cancer (95% CI 0.52-10.98, n=13), 0.79 for larynx cancer (95% CI 0.38-1.64, n=62), 2.92 for malignant melanoma (95% CI 0.91-9.42, n=23), 0.84 for bladder cancer (95% CI 0.43-1.65, n=73), and 1.13 for kidney cancer (95% CI 0.62-2.04, n=66). No cancer type was significantly associated with radon exposure; only malignant melanoma and gallbladder cancer showed elevated but non-significant association with radon. Radon was not significantly associated with incidence of any cancer of interest, although a positive association of radon with malignant melanoma and gallbladder cancer cannot be entirely ruled out. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neuropsychological profile in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease and normal global cognition according to Mini-Mental State Examination Score.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Jin; Zheng, Xiyuan; Wang, Xiaoyan; Lu, Wenhui; Cao, Hongmei; Qin, Xing

2015-01-01

Cognitive impairments have been reported to be more common in non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and education levels play an important role in intelligence. The studies on cognitive impairments in Chinese PD patients with higher education levels and normal global cognition according to Mini-Mental State Examination Score (MMSE) have not been reported. We enrolled 69 consecutive PD patients with over 6 years education levels and a MMSE score above 24 (of 30) and performed a battery of neuropsychological scales. There are extensive cognitive domain impairments in PD patients with "normal" global cognitive according to MMSE. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a highly sensitive scale to screen cognitive impairments in PD. The cutoff score of 28 on the MMSE screening for cognitive impairment in Chinese PD patients with high education levels may be more appropriate.

Influence of radiation and non-radiation factors on pancreatic cancer incidence among Mayak PA workers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhuntova, G.V.; Tokarskaya, Z.B.; Belyaeva, Z.D. [Southern Ural Biophysics Institute (SUBI), Ozyorsk (Russian Federation); Syrchikov, V.A.; Grigoryeva, E.S. [Mayak Production Association (Mayak PA), Ozyorsk (Russian Federation)

2006-07-01

The finding of this nested case-control study suggests that high levels of 239 Pu incorporation (239 Pu body burden > 3.7), alcohol abuse and smoking were associated with increasing the risk of pancreatic cancer among Mayak PA workers chronically exposed to ionizing radiation. The contribution of non radiation factors (alcohol abuse and smoking) to pancreatic tumor incidence is greater (AR=51%) than 239 Pu incorporation kBq; AR = 7%). No significant effect of external gamma rays ({<=} 6.8 Gy), prior exposure to chemical agents, or chronic digestive diseases was found on the incidence of pancreatic tumor. Evaluation of the absorbed alpha-radiation pancreatic dose will permit to make more exact the 239 Pu risk estimation in the further extended study.

Influence of radiation and non-radiation factors on pancreatic cancer incidence among Mayak PA workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuntova, G.V.; Tokarskaya, Z.B.; Belyaeva, Z.D.; Syrchikov, V.A.; Grigoryeva, E.S.

2006-01-01

The finding of this nested case-control study suggests that high levels of 239 Pu incorporation (239 Pu body burden > 3.7), alcohol abuse and smoking were associated with increasing the risk of pancreatic cancer among Mayak PA workers chronically exposed to ionizing radiation. The contribution of non radiation factors (alcohol abuse and smoking) to pancreatic tumor incidence is greater (AR=51%) than 239 Pu incorporation kBq; AR = 7%). No significant effect of external gamma rays (≤ 6.8 Gy), prior exposure to chemical agents, or chronic digestive diseases was found on the incidence of pancreatic tumor. Evaluation of the absorbed alpha-radiation pancreatic dose will permit to make more exact the 239 Pu risk estimation in the further extended study

Incidence and epidemiology of spinal cord injury within a closed American population: the United States military (2000-2009).

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenfeld, A J; McCriskin, B; Hsiao, M; Burks, R

2011-08-01

Cohort study. The objective of this study was to characterize the incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) within the population of the United States military from 2000-2009. This investigation also sought to define potential risk factors for the development of SCI. The population of the United States military from 2000-2009. The Defense Medical Epidemiology Database was queried for the years 2000-2009 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for SCI (806.0, 806.1, 806.2, 806.3, 806.4, 806.5, 806.8, 806.9, 952.0, 952.1, 952.2, 952.8, 952.9). The raw incidence of SCI was calculated and unadjusted incidence rates were generated for the risk factors of age, sex, race, military rank and branch of service. Adjusted incidence rate ratios were subsequently determined via multivariate Poisson regression analysis that controlled for other factors in the model and identified significant independent risk factors for SCI. Between 2000 and 2009, there were 5928 cases of SCI among a population at-risk of 13,813,333. The raw incidence of SCI within the population was 429 per million person-years. Male sex, white race, enlisted personnel and service in the Army, Navy or Marine Corps were found to be significant independent risk factors for SCI. The age groups 20-24, 25-29 and >40 were also found to be at significantly greater risk of developing the condition. This study is one of the few investigations to characterize the incidence, epidemiology and risk factors for SCI within the United States. Results presented here may represent the best-available evidence for risk factors of SCI in a large and diverse American cohort.

Software Application Profile: RVPedigree: a suite of family-based rare variant association tests for normally and non-normally distributed quantitative traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Oualkacha, Karim; Lakhal-Chaieb, Lajmi; Greenwood, Celia Mt

2016-04-01

RVPedigree (Rare Variant association tests in Pedigrees) implements a suite of programs facilitating genome-wide analysis of association between a quantitative trait and autosomal region-based genetic variation. The main features here are the ability to appropriately test for association of rare variants with non-normally distributed quantitative traits, and also to appropriately adjust for related individuals, either from families or from population structure and cryptic relatedness. RVPedigree is available as an R package. The package includes calculation of kinship matrices, various options for coping with non-normality, three different ways of estimating statistical significance incorporating triaging to enable efficient use of the most computationally-intensive calculations, and a parallelization option for genome-wide analysis. The software is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network [CRAN.R-project.org] under the name 'RVPedigree' and at [https://github.com/GreenwoodLab]. It has been published under General Public License (GPL) version 3 or newer. © The Author 2016; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Normal Incidence of Sound Transmission Loss of a Double-Leaf Partition Inserted with a Microperforated Panel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Putra

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A double-leaf partition in engineering structures has been widely applied for its advantages, that is, in terms of its mechanical strength as well as its lightweight property. In noise control, the double-leaf also serves as an effective noise barrier. Unfortunately at low frequency, the sound transmission loss reduces significantly due to the coupling between the panels and the air between them. This paper studies the effect of a microperforated panel (MPP inserted inside a double-leaf partition on the sound transmission loss performance of the system. The MPP insertion is proposed to provide a hygienic double-leaf noise insulator replacing the classical abrasive porous materials between the panels. It is found that the transmission loss improves at the troublesome mass-air-mass resonant frequency if the MPP is located closer to the solid panel. The mathematical model is derived for normal incidence of acoustic loading.

[Incidence of non-fatal work-related accidents in Southeast Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Cordeiro, Ricardo; Prestes, Simone Cristina Chiodi; Clemente, Ana Paula Grotti; Diniz, Cíntia Ségre; Sakate, Mirian; Donalisio, Maria Rita

2006-02-01

Incidence of work-related accidents in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil, was estimated according to gender, age, employment status, occupation, and type of work. A household survey was conducted by systematic random group sampling (195 census tracts). Information was collected from all residents 10 years or older in each household. Of those who had worked during the 90 days prior to the interview, we obtained information on occupation, job position, and employment contract. The study included 9,626 households (sample fraction 0.26). The proportion of non-fatal work accidents in the municipal area was 3.3% (95%CI: 2.7-3.9), higher for men 4.5% (95%CI: 3.6-5.5) and varying with type of employment contract and occupation. Compared to results from previous studies, we observed a decline in work-related accident risk.

Associations of Census-Tract Poverty with Sub site-Specific Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates and Stage of Disease at Diagnosis in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, K. A.; Stroup, A. M.; Sherman, R. L.

2014-01-01

It remains unclear whether neighborhood poverty contributes to differences in subsite-specific colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. We examined associations between census-tract poverty and CRC incidence and stage by anatomic sub site and race/ethnicity. Methods. CRC cases diagnosed between 2005 and 2009 from 15 states and Los Angeles County (N = 278,097) were assigned to 1 of 4 groups based on census-tract poverty. Age-adjusted and stage-specific CRC incidence rates (IRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. Analyses were stratified by sub site (proximal, distal, and rectum), sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty. Results. Compared to the lowest poverty areas, CRC IRs were significantly higher in the most impoverished areas for men (IRR = 1.14 95% CI 1.12-1.17) and women (IRR = 1.06 95% CI 1.05-1.08). Rate differences between high and low poverty were strongest for distal colon (male IRR = 1.24 95% CI 1.20-1.28; female IRR = 1.14 95% CI 1.10-1.18) and weakest for proximal colon. These rate differences were significant for non-Hispanic whites and blacks and for Asian/Pacific Islander men. Inverse associations between poverty and IRs of all CRC and proximal colon were found for Hispanics. Late-to-early stage CRC IRRs increased monotonically with increasing poverty for all race/ethnicity groups. Conclusion. There are differences in sub site-specific CRC incidence by poverty, but associations were moderated by race/ethnicity.

Identification of Raman peaks of high-Tc cuprates in normal state through density of states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2007-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P 1 -P 4 ) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained

Semi-analytical quasi-normal mode theory for the local density of states in coupled photonic crystal cavity-waveguide structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Lasson, Jakob Rosenkrantz; Kristensen, Philip Trøst; Mørk, Jesper

2015-01-01

We present and validate a semi-analytical quasi-normal mode (QNM) theory for the local density of states (LDOS) in coupled photonic crystal (PhC) cavity-waveguide structures. By means of an expansion of the Green's function on one or a few QNMs, a closed-form expression for the LDOS is obtained, ......-trivial spectrum with a peak and a dip is found, which is reproduced only when including both the two relevant QNMs in the theory. In both cases, we find relative errors below 1% in the bandwidth of interest.......We present and validate a semi-analytical quasi-normal mode (QNM) theory for the local density of states (LDOS) in coupled photonic crystal (PhC) cavity-waveguide structures. By means of an expansion of the Green's function on one or a few QNMs, a closed-form expression for the LDOS is obtained......, and for two types of two-dimensional PhCs, with one and two cavities side-coupled to an extended waveguide, the theory is validated against numerically exact computations. For the single cavity, a slightly asymmetric spectrum is found, which the QNM theory reproduces, and for two cavities a non...

A parameter quantifying radiation damping of bay oscillations excited by incident tsunamis

Science.gov (United States)

Endoh, Takahiro; Inazu, Daisuke; Waseda, Takuji; Hibiya, Toshiyuki

2018-04-01

The transient response of a bay with a narrow mouth to incident tsunamis is interpreted as the convolution of the input signal with the impulse response obtained by an inverse Fourier transform of the response curve of the oscillatory system with one degree of freedom. The rate of radiation damping associated with energy escaping seaward through the bay mouth is expressed in terms of the quality factor Q, which determines the decaying envelope of the impulse response. The value of Q of the resonant peak is approximated by the ratio of the resonant frequency ω0 to the bandwidth between frequencies at which the power spectral density of sea level within the bay drops to half of the peak value. Since the shape of the frequency power spectrum during the tsunami event is almost similar to that in the normal state in the neighborhood of ω0, Q can be estimated from sea level datasets in the normal state. Although the amplitude and phase of the impulse response need to be adjusted using the first crest or trough of the observed leading wave, this approach proves to work well in examining the transient responses of Miyako Bay and Kushimoto Bay on the Japanese Pacific coast to incident tsunamis.

Are the rules for the right to self-defense outdated to address current conflicts like attacks from non-state actors and cyber-attacks?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonzalo J. Arias

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The latest US-led coalition’s attacks against ISIS in Syria raised the question whether states can use defensive force against non-state actors. Two critical incidents had previously triggered the discussion on the importance and consequences of cyber-attacks as a new form armed attacks. The first one occurred in Estonia in 2007, when the country experienced extensive computer hacking attacks that lasted several weeks. The second incident happened in 2008, during the Georgia–Russia conflict over South Ossetia, when Georgia experienced cyber-attacks similar to those suffered by Estonia in the previous year. Furthermore, on June 21, 2016, the central banks of Indonesia and South Korea were hit by cyber-attacks on their public websites since activist hacking group Anonymous pledged last month to target banks across the world. The previous incidents have created, once again, public questioning if the rules on the use of force and the right of self-defense established in the United Nations Charter are sufficient and efficient to address these new forms of attacks.

The Tricastin incident: another French psychodrama; L'incident du Tricastin: Un nouveau psychodrame francais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-15

The author comments the level 1 incident which occurred on the Tricastin site in July 2008 with the release of 30 cubic meters of a uranium-containing solution in the Rhone river. First, he outlines that the Tricastin is not a nuclear power plant, that uranium if more a chemical toxic product than a radiological toxic product. He briefly discusses the presence of uranium in the environment, and states that the event is actually a non-event which has been in fact magnified by the media, and that the action of anti-nuclear organization on this matter was inadequate

Formation and characterization of non-growth states in Clostridium thermocellum: spores and L-forms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mearls Elizabeth B

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Clostridium thermocellum is an anaerobic thermophilic bacterium that exhibits high levels of cellulose solublization and produces ethanol as an end product of its metabolism. Using cellulosic biomass as a feedstock for fuel production is an attractive prospect, however, growth arrest can negatively impact ethanol production by fermentative microorganisms such as C. thermocellum. Understanding conditions that lead to non-growth states in C. thermocellum can positively influence process design and culturing conditions in order to optimize ethanol production in an industrial setting. Results We report here that Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 enters non-growth states in response to specific growth conditions. Non-growth states include the formation of spores and a L-form-like state in which the cells cease to grow or produce the normal end products of metabolism. Unlike other sporulating organisms, we did not observe sporulation of C. thermocellum in low carbon or nitrogen environments. However, sporulation did occur in response to transfers between soluble and insoluble substrates, resulting in approximately 7% mature spores. Exposure to oxygen caused a similar sporulation response. Starvation conditions during continuous culture did not result in spore formation, but caused the majority of cells to transition to a L-form state. Both spores and L-forms were determined to be viable. Spores exhibited enhanced survival in response to high temperature and prolonged storage compared to L-forms and vegetative cells. However, L-forms exhibited faster recovery compared to both spores and stationary phase cells when cultured in rich media. Conclusions Both spores and L-forms cease to produce ethanol, but provide other advantages for C. thermocellum including enhanced survival for spores and faster recovery for L-forms. Understanding the conditions that give rise to these two different non-growth states, and the implications that

Superconducting and Normal State Properties of OsB2*

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Yogesh; Niazi, A.; Zong, X.; Suh, B. J.; Vannette, M. W.; Prozorov, R.; Johnston, D. C.

2007-03-01

OsB2 is a layered superhard metallic material that was found to superconduct below Tc= 2.1 K.^1 We report the first detailed measurements of the static and dynamic magnetic susceptibilities χ, electrical resistivity, heat capacity Cp, penetration depth, and ^11B NMR on OsB2 to characterize its superconducting and normal state properties. The results confirm that OsB2 is a bulk superconductor below Tc= 2.1 K@. Its properties can be described by a close to weak-coupling s-wave BCS model with an electron-phonon coupling constant λ= 0.4--0.5, δ(0)/(kBTc) 1.9, a small Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ of order 5 or less, and a small zero-temperature critical magnetic field of roughly 500 Oe. The ^11B NMR measurements in the normal state show a nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time T1= 2.1 s at room temperature and a Korringa law with T1T = 610 s.K at lower T, and a correspondingly small T-independent Knight shift. These results indicate a small s character of the conduction electron wave function at the B site at the Fermi level. Our results will be compared to corresponding data for MgB2.1. J. K. Vandenberg et al., Mater. Res. Bull. 10, 889 (1975).^*Supported by the USDOE under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-82. Permanent address: Dept. Phys., The Catholic Univ. Korea.

Incidence and 12-month outcome of non-transient childhood conversion disorder in the U.K. and Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

Ani, Cornelius; Reading, Richard; Lynn, Richard; Forlee, Simone; Garralda, Elena

2013-06-01

Little is known about conversion disorder in childhood. To document clinical incidence, features, management and 12-month outcome of non-transient conversion disorder in under 16-year-olds in the U.K. and Ireland. Surveillance through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System. In total, 204 cases (age range 7-15 years) were reported, giving a 12-month incidence of 1.30/100 000 (95% CI 1.11-1.52). The most common symptoms were motor weakness and abnormal movements. Presentation with multiple symptoms was the norm. Antecedent stressors were reported for 80.8%, most commonly bullying in school. Most children required in-patient admission with frequent medical investigations. Follow-up at 12 months was available for 147 children, when all conversion disorder symptoms were reported as improved. Most families (91%) accepted a non-medical explanation of the symptoms either fully or partially. Childhood conversion disorder represents an infrequent but significant clinical burden in the UK and Ireland.

The quiet Sun extreme ultraviolet spectrum observed in normal incidence by the SOHO Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer

CERN Document Server

Brooks, D H; Fludra, A; Harrison, R A; Innes, D E; Landi, E; Landini, M; Lang, J; Lanzafame, A C; Loch, S D; McWhirter, R W P; Summers, H P; Thompson, W T

1999-01-01

The extreme ultraviolet quiet Sun spectrum, observed at normal incidence by the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer on the SOHO spacecraft, is presented. The spectrum covers the wavelength ranges 308-381 AA and 513-633 AA and is based $9 on data recorded at various positions on the solar disk between October 1996 and February 1997. Datasets at twelve of these `positions' were judged to be free from active regions and data faults and selected for detailed study. A $9 constrained maximum likelihood spectral line fitting code was used to analyse the spectral features. In all over 200 spectrum lines have been measured and about 50 186584dentified. The line identification process consisted of a $9 number of steps. Firstly assignment of well known lines was made and used to obtain the primary wavelength calibration. Variations of wavelengths with position were used to assess the precision of calibration achievable. Then, an $9 analysis method first used in studies with the CHASE experiment, was applied to the new obser...

Regional homogeneity changes between heroin relapse and non-relapse patients under methadone maintenance treatment: a resting-state fMRI study

OpenAIRE

Chang, Haifeng; Li, Wei; Li, Qiang; Chen, Jiajie; Zhu, Jia; Ye, Jianjun; Liu, Jierong; Li, Zhe; Li, Yongbin; Shi, Ming; Wang, Yarong; Wang, Wei

2016-01-01

Background Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is recognized as one of the most effective treatments for heroin addiction but its effect is dimmed by the high incidence of heroin relapse. However, underlying neurobiology mechanism of heroin relapse under MMT is still largely unknown. Here, we took advantage of a resting-state fMRI technique by analysis of regional homogeneity (ReHo), and tried to explore the difference of brain function between heroin relapsers and non-relapsers in MMT. Met...

Asymptotic normalization coefficients for 10B→9Be+p

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhamedzhanov, A.M.; Clark, H.L.; Gagliardi, C.A.; Lui, Y.; Trache, L.; Tribble, R.E.; Xu, H.M.; Zhou, X.G.; Burjan, V.; Cejpek, J.; Kroha, V.; Carstoiu, F.

1997-01-01

The differential cross sections for the reactions 9 Be( 10 B, 10 B) 9 Be and 9 Be( 10 B, 9 Be) 10 B have been measured at an incident energy of 100 MeV. The elastic scattering data have been used to determine the optical model parameters for the 9 Be+ 10 B system at this energy. These parameters are then used in distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) calculations to predict the cross sections of the 9 Be( 10 B, 9 Be) 10 B proton exchange reaction, populating the ground and low-lying states in 10 B. By normalizing the theoretical DWBA proton exchange cross sections to the experimental ones, the asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANC's), defining the normalization of the tail of the 10 B bound state wave functions in the two-particle channel 9 Be+p, have been found. The ANC for the virtual decay 10 B(g.s.)→ 9 Be+p will be used in an analysis of the 10 B( 7 Be, 8 B) 9 Be reaction to extract the ANC's for 8 B→ 7 Be +p. These ANC's determine the normalization of the 7 Be(p,γ) 8 B radiative capture cross section at very low energies, which is crucially important for nuclear astrophysics. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Effect of annealing treatments on normal state resistivity of YBa 2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Samples of YBa2(Cu1-xTix)3Oy superconductor with x=0.00 , 0.01, 0.03 have been prepared by solide state reaction method. The effect of annealing treatments on normal electrical resistivity has been done using the bipolaron model. The results of this study show the increase of localized charge when the dopant content ...

Normal state Raman spectra of high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2003-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain Raman spectra of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. Parameter dependence of Raman active phonon frequencies are studied by varying model parameters of the system i.e. the position of f-level (ε f ), the effective electron-phonon coupling strength (g), the staggered magnetic field (h 1 ), and the hybridization parameter (v). The four Raman active peaks (P 1 to P 4 ) represent the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate systems. They show up as phonon excitations due to the coupling of the phonon to the electrons and the anti-ferromagnetic gap. (author)

Associations between active shooter incidents and gun ownership and storage among families with young children in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrissey, Taryn W

2017-07-01

The presence of firearms and their unsafe storage in the home can increase risk of firearm-related death and injury, but public opinion suggests that firearm ownership is a protective factor against gun violence. This study examined the effects of a recent nearby active shooter incident on gun ownership and storage practices among families with young children. A series of regression models, with data from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort merged with the FBI's Active Shooter Incidents data collected in 2003-2006, were used to examine whether household gun ownership and storage practices differed in the months prior to and following an active shooter incident that occurred anywhere in the United States or within the same state. Approximately one-fifth of young children lived in households with one or more guns; of these children, only two-thirds lived in homes that stored all guns in locked cabinets. Results suggest that the experience of a recent active shooter incident was associated with an increased likelihood of storing all guns locked, with the magnitude dependent on the temporal and geographic proximity of the incident. The severity of the incident, defined as the number of fatalities, predicted an increase in storing guns locked. Findings suggest that public shootings change behaviors related to firearm storage among families with young children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a fire incident database for the United States nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilks, G.

1998-01-01

The Nuclear Power Industry in the United States has identified a need to develop and maintain a comprehensive fire events database to support anticipated performance-based or risk-based fire protection programs and regulations. These new programs will require accurate information on the frequency, severity and consequences of fire events. Previous attempts to collect fire incident data had been made over the years for other purposes, but it was recognized that the detail and form of the data collected would be insufficient to support the new initiatives. Weaknesses in the earlier efforts included the inability in some cases to obtain fire incidents reports, inconsistent of incomplete information reported, and the inability to easily retrieve, sort, analyze and trend the data. The critical elements identified for the new data collection efforts included a standardized fire incident report from to assure consistent and accurate information, some mechanism to assure that all fire events are reported, and the ability to easily access the data for trending and analysis. In addition, the database would need to be unbiased and viewed as such by outside agencies. A new database is currently being developed that should meet all of these identified need. (author)

A generalized estimating equations approach to quantitative trait locus detection of non-normal traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomson Peter C

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract To date, most statistical developments in QTL detection methodology have been directed at continuous traits with an underlying normal distribution. This paper presents a method for QTL analysis of non-normal traits using a generalized linear mixed model approach. Development of this method has been motivated by a backcross experiment involving two inbred lines of mice that was conducted in order to locate a QTL for litter size. A Poisson regression form is used to model litter size, with allowances made for under- as well as over-dispersion, as suggested by the experimental data. In addition to fixed parity effects, random animal effects have also been included in the model. However, the method is not fully parametric as the model is specified only in terms of means, variances and covariances, and not as a full probability model. Consequently, a generalized estimating equations (GEE approach is used to fit the model. For statistical inferences, permutation tests and bootstrap procedures are used. This method is illustrated with simulated as well as experimental mouse data. Overall, the method is found to be quite reliable, and with modification, can be used for QTL detection for a range of other non-normally distributed traits.

Emergence of acoustic waves from vorticity fluctuations: impact of non-normality.

Science.gov (United States)

George, Joseph; Sujith, R I

2009-10-01

Chagelishvili et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 3178 (1997)] discovered a linear mechanism of acoustic wave emergence from vorticity fluctuations in shear flows. This paper illustrates how this "nonresonant" phenomenon is related to the non-normality of the operator governing the linear dynamics of disturbances in shear flows. The non-self-adjoint nature of the governing operator causes the emergent acoustic wave to interact strongly with the vorticity disturbance. Analytical expressions are obtained for the nondivergent vorticity perturbation. A discontinuity in the x component of the velocity field corresponding to the vorticity disturbance was originally identified to be the cause of acoustic wave emergence. However, a different mechanism is proposed in this paper. The correct "acoustic source" is identified and the reason for the abrupt nature of wave emergence is explained. The impact of viscous damping is also discussed.

The entropy concept for non-equilibrium states.

Science.gov (United States)

Lieb, Elliott H; Yngvason, Jakob

2013-10-08

In earlier work, we presented a foundation for the second law of classical thermodynamics in terms of the entropy principle. More precisely, we provided an empirically accessible axiomatic derivation of an entropy function defined on all equilibrium states of all systems that has the appropriate additivity and scaling properties, and whose increase is a necessary and sufficient condition for an adiabatic process between two states to be possible. Here, after a brief review of this approach, we address the question of defining entropy for non-equilibrium states. Our conclusion is that it is generally not possible to find a unique entropy that has all relevant physical properties. We do show, however, that one can define two entropy functions, called S - and S + , which, taken together, delimit the range of adiabatic processes that can occur between non-equilibrium states. The concept of comparability of states with respect to adiabatic changes plays an important role in our reasoning.

The composition and stability of the vaginal microbiota of normal pregnant women is different from that of non-pregnant women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Romero, Roberto; Hassan, Sonia S; Gajer, Pawel

2014-01-01

was higher than that of non-pregnant women; however, during normal pregnancy, bacterial communities shift almost exclusively from one CST dominated by Lactobacillus spp. to another CST dominated by Lactobacillus spp. CONCLUSION: We report the first longitudinal study of the vaginal microbiota in normal......BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to characterize the vaginal microbiota throughout normal human pregnancy using sequence-based techniques. We compared the vaginal microbial composition of non-pregnant patients with a group of pregnant women who delivered at term. RESULTS: A retrospective case......-control longitudinal study was designed and included non-pregnant women (n = 32) and pregnant women who delivered at term (38 to 42 weeks) without complications (n = 22). Serial samples of vaginal fluid were collected from both non-pregnant and pregnant patients. A 16S rRNA gene sequence-based survey was conducted...

Human toxocariasis: incidence among residents in the outskirts of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anaruma Filho Francisco

2003-01-01

Full Text Available With the aim of estimating the incidence of infection by Toxocara among residents in the outskirts of Campinas (State of São Paulo, Brazil two serological surveys, using ELISA anti-Toxocara tests, were performed in January 1999 and January 2000, involving, respectively, 138 and 115 individuals, 75 of which examined in both occasions. Among this group 67 individuals did not show the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in 1999, and 12 presented seroconversion in the second survey, revealing an annual incidence rate of 17.9%.

Increased Incidence of Spinal Abscess and Substance Abuse after Implementation of State Mandated Prescription Drug Legislation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagar, Vittal R; Springer, Joe E; Salles, Sara

2015-10-01

To investigate the incidence of spinal abscess and substance abuse in a tertiary care hospital after state legislation titled "House Bill 1" (HB1) mandated stricter regulation of prescription drugs of abuse in Kentucky in 2012. A retrospective case series study design was used to review the incidence of spinal abscess and drug abuse diagnoses admissions from 2010 to 2014. Variances in the incidence of spinal abscess and substance abuse were plotted across this time frame. The incidence of intraspinal abscess increased 1.56-fold in 2011 (n = 26) and 2012 (n = 25) relative to 2010 (n = 16). However, in 2013, the year following implementation of HB1 legislation, the incidence of intraspinal abscess increased 2.38-fold (n = 38) and then 4.19-fold (n = 67) in 2014. The incidence of intraspinal abscess in subjects with drug abuse diagnosis remained constant between 2010 (n = 3) and 2012 (n = 3). However, it increased twofold (n = 7) in 2013 and then ninefold (n = 27) in 2014. A correlation coefficient (rSAD ) of 0.775 revealed a strong association between the increase incidence of intraspinal abscess and diagnosis of drug abuse. The results of this retrospective study demonstrate an increased incidence of intraspinal abscess associated with drug abuse after passage of HB1 legislation regulating prescriptions of controlled medications in Kentucky. This increased incidence may be related to individuals relying on nonprescription drugs of abuse due to more highly regulated access to controlled prescription medications. However, additional factors unrelated to HB1 legislation must be taken into account. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparison of incidences of normal tissue complications with tumor response in a phase III trial comparing heat plus radiation to radiation alone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewhirst, M.W.; Sim, D.A.; Grochowski, K.J.

1984-01-01

The success of hyperthermia (/sup Δ/) as an adjuvant to radiation (XRT) will depend on whether the increase in tumor control is greater than that for normal tissue reactions. One hundred and thirty dogs and cats were stratified by histology and randomized to receive XRT (460 rads per fraction, two fractions per week, for eight fractions) or /sup Δ/ + XRT (30 min. at 44 +-2 0 C; one fraction per week, four fractions; immediately prior to XRT). Heat induced changes in tumor and normal tissue responses were made by comparing ratios of incidence for /sup Δ/ + XRT and XRT alone (TRR; Thermal Relative Risk). Change in tumor response duration was calculated from statistical analysis of response duration curves (RRR; Relative Relapse Rate). Heat increased early normal tissue reactions (moist desquamation and mucositis by a factor of 1.08. Tumor complete response, by comparison, was significantly improved (TRR = 2.12, p < .001). Late skin fibrosis was also increased (TRR = 1.51), but the prolongation in tumor response was greater (RRR 1.85). The degree of thermal enhancement for all tissues was dependent on the minimum temperature achieved on the first treatment, but the values for tumor were consistently greater than those achieved for normal tissues

Language Patterns Discriminate Mild Depression From Normal Sadness and Euthymic State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daria Smirnova

2018-04-01

Full Text Available ObjectivesDeviations from typical word use have been previously reported in clinical depression, but language patterns of mild depression (MD, as distinct from normal sadness (NS and euthymic state, are unknown. In this study, we aimed to apply the linguistic approach as an additional diagnostic key for understanding clinical variability along the continuum of affective states.MethodsWe studied 402 written reports from 124 Russian-speaking patients and 77 healthy controls (HC, including 35 cases of NS, using hand-coding procedures. The focus of our psycholinguistic methods was on lexico-semantic [e.g., rhetorical figures (metaphors, similes], syntactic [e.g., predominant sentence type (single-clause and multi-clause], and lexico-grammatical [e.g., pronouns (indefinite, personal] variables. Statistical evaluations included Cohen’s kappa for inter-rater reliability measures, a non-parametric approach (Mann–Whitney U-test and Pearson chi-square test, one-way ANOVA for between-group differences, Spearman’s and point-biserial correlations to analyze relationships between linguistic and gender variables, discriminant analysis (Wilks’ λ of linguistic variables in relation to the affective diagnostic types, all using SPSS-22 (significant, p < 0.05.ResultsIn MD, as compared with healthy individuals, written responses were longer, demonstrated descriptive rather than analytic style, showed signs of spoken and figurative language, single-clause sentences domination over multi-clause, atypical word order, increased use of personal and indefinite pronouns, and verb use in continuous/imperfective and past tenses. In NS, as compared with HC, we found greater use of lexical repetitions, omission of words, and verbs in continuous and present tenses. MD was significantly differentiated from NS and euthymic state by linguistic variables [98.6%; Wilks’ λ(40 = 0.009; p < 0.001; r = 0.992]. The highest predictors in discrimination between

Pelvic incidence variation among individuals: functional influence versus genetic determinism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong-Fang; Zhao, Chang-Qing

2018-03-20

Pelvic incidence has become one of the most important sagittal parameters in spinal surgery. Despite its great importance, pelvic incidence can vary from 33° to 85° in the normal population. The reasons for this great variability in pelvic incidence remain unexplored. The objective of this article is to present some possible interpretations for the great variability in pelvic incidence under both normal and pathological conditions and to further understand the determinants of pelvic incidence from the perspective of the functional requirements for bipedalism and genetic backgrounds via a literature review. We postulate that both pelvic incidence and pelvic morphology may be genetically predetermined, and a great variability in pelvic incidence may already exist even before birth. This great variability may also serve as a further reminder that the sagittal profile, bipedal locomotion mode, and genetic background of every individual are unique and specific, and clinicians should avoid making universally applying broad generalizations of pelvic incidence. Although PI is an important parameter and there are many theories behind its variability, we still do not have clear mechanistic answers.

Expecting the unexpected [The IAEA's Incident and Emergency Centre helps prepare States to face radiological emergencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, W.; Buglova, E.

2007-01-01

The IAEA works with its partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The IAEA's Statute assigns functions to the Secretariat in relation to radiation emergencies, including fostering international cooperation in the area of emergency preparedness and response. The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (often called the 'Emergency Conventions') place specific legal obligations on the IAEA with regard to emergency preparedness and response. In 2005, the IAEA established a fully integrated Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) which acts as the global focal point for international preparedness, communication and response to nuclear and radiological incidents or emergencies irrespective of their cause. In this role, the IEC stands at the centre of coordinating effective and efficient activities worldwide. While emergency response capabilities have existed within the IAEA since concluding the Emergency Conventions in the 1980s, the decision to create an integrated Centre within the IAEA became more pressing with the growing use of nuclear applications worldwide as well as increasing concern over malicious use of nuclear or radioactive materials. Today, the IEC provides around-the-clock assistance to States dealing with nuclear and radiological events. Under the Emergency Conventions, the IEC coordinates actions of global experts and efforts within the IAEA. It also helps coordinate the responses of States as well as other international organizations, such as the WHO (World Health Organization), FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) or WMO (World Meteorological Organization) in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency. Response to incidents and emergencies can involve exchange of information, provision of advice and/or coordination of field response. The IEC ensures that the IAEA's incident and emergency arrangements are fully

Answering the request for emergency assistance worldwide. The Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

In 2005, the IAEA announced the establishment of a fully integrated Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC). The functions of the IEC include coordinating prompt assistance to requesting States in the case of a nuclear security incident. As the global focal point for international preparedness, communication and response to nuclear and radiological incidents or emergencies irrespective of their cause, the IEC stands at the centre of coordinating effective and efficient activities worldwide. The IEC's work includes the evaluation of emergency plans and assistance in their development. The Centre also develops accident classifications based on plant conditions and supports effective communication between neighbouring countries. In addition, it develops various response procedures and facilitates national exercises on response to reactor emergencies. This includes training a broad range of IAEA staff to respond to emergencies as well as training of external experts. Response to incidents and emergencies can involve the exchange of information, provision of advice and/or the coordination of field response. In order to coordinate a global response, the IEC hosts a Response Assistance Network (RANET) under which Member States, Parties to the Emergency Conventions and relevant international organizations are able to register their response capabilities. This network aims to facilitate assistance in case of a nuclear or radiological incident or emergency in a timely and effective manner. An important component of the global emergency response system is the notification and reporting arrangements and systems operated by the IEC. The IEC operates systems that are reliable and secure. Member States, Non-Member States and international organizations have historically reported events and requests for assistance to the IAEA through the ENATOM arrangements using the ENAC web site, phone or fax. Under these arrangements, States have nominated Competent Authorities and National Warning

Potentials for calculating both parity states in p-shell nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Resler, D.A.

1989-01-01

A Hamiltonian employing a ''physical'' central two-body potential has been used for simultaneous calculation of both normal and non-normal parity states of p-shell nuclei. Normal parity states have been calculated in a full 0/h bar/ω space and non-normal parity states in a full 1/h bar/ω space with the effects of spurious center-of-mass states completely removed. No explicit core is used in any of the shell model calculations. Results are compared with experimental data and previous shell model calculations for the following nuclei: 4 He, /sup 5,6,7,8/Li, 8 Be, /sup 13,14/C, and 13 N. 34 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs

The influence of several changes in atmospheric states over semi-arid areas on the incidence of mental health disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Yackerson, Naomy S.; Zilberman, Arkadi; Todder, Doron; Kaplan, Zeev

2011-05-01

The incidence of suicide attempts [Deliberate Self Harm (DSH); ICD-10: X60-X84] and psychotic attacks (PsA; ICD-10, F20-F29) in association with atmospheric states, typical for areas close to big deserts, was analyzed. A retrospective study is based on the 4,325 cases of DSH and PsA registered in the Mental Health Center (MHC) of Ben-Gurion University (Be'er-Sheva, Israel) during 2001-2003. Pearson and Spearman test correlations were used; the statistical significance was tested at p 0.1). Correlation coefficients between N SU and N PS and speed WS of westerly wind reaches 0.3 ( p 0.09). Variations in easterly wind direction WD influence N SU and N PS values ( p 0.3). Obviously ,in transition areas located between different regions ,the main role of air streams in meteorological-biological impact can scarcely be exaggerated. An unstable balance in the internal state of a weather-sensitive person is disturbed when the atmospheric state is changed by specific desert winds, which can provoke significant perturbations in meteorological parameters. Results indicate the importance of wind direction, defining mainly the atmospheric situation in semi-arid areas: changes in direction of the easterly wind influence N SU and N PS , while changes in WS are important for mental health under westerly air streams. Obviously, N SU and N PS are more affected by the disturbance of weather from its normal state, for a given season, to which the local population is accustomed, than by absolute values of meteorological parameters.

Laser Incident Lessons Learned and Action List

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarotski, Dmitry Anatolievitch [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-02-29

On Thursday November 19, 2015, LANL postdoc received an eye injury from a reflected, nonvisible laser beam (Class 4, pulsed, wavelength 800 nanometer). The setup is configured to split the laser output into two work areas in which qualified operators conduct research experiments. During this incident, the laser output beam was being projected to both experimental work areas, although only one experimental area was actively being used. The second laser beam directed to the second work area was blocked by an inappropriate device (Plexiglas, reflective, non-normal incidence) that reflected substantial portion of the beam toward the first setup. In preparation for the measurements, worker stepped on the stepstool and decided to remove the laser goggles to better see the micrometer readings which were difficult to see due to insufficient lighting. Immediately, he noticed a flash of light in his eye. The operator quickly replaced the laser eye-wear and then, using an infrared viewer, located a stray laser beam being reflected from the plexiglas beam block. The operator did not think he had sustained any injury and continued working. Later that day, however, he noticed a blurry spot in the vision of his left eye. He notified his supervisor on Friday morning, November 20, 2015, and was taken by CINT management to Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) medical facility for evaluation. SNL Medical did not find any abnormalities, but referred the operator to a local ophthalmologist for further evaluation. Further evaluations by the ophthalmologist on November 21 and November 23 identified a small spot of inflammation near the fovea on the retina in his left eye. The ophthalmologist stated that this spot would most likely heal on its own and that the blurry spot on the operator's vision would go away. A follow-up visit was scheduled. The employee was released back to work without restrictions.

Do pregnancy characteristics contribute to rising childhood cancer incidence rates in the United States?

Science.gov (United States)

Kehm, Rebecca D; Osypuk, Theresa L; Poynter, Jenny N; Vock, David M; Spector, Logan G

2018-03-01

Since 1975, childhood cancer incidence rates have gradually increased in the United States; however, few studies have conducted analyses across time to unpack this temporal rise. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that increasing cancer incidence rates are due to secular trends in pregnancy characteristics that are established risk factors for childhood cancer incidence including older maternal age, higher birthweight, and lower birth order. We also considered temporal trends in sociodemographic characteristics including race/ethnicity and poverty. We conducted a time series county-level ecologic analysis using linked population-based data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries (1975-2013), birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics (1970-2013), and sociodemographic data from the US Census (1970-2010). We estimated unadjusted and adjusted average annual percent changes (AAPCs) in incidence of combined (all diagnoses) and individual types of cancer among children, ages 0-4 years, from Poisson mixed models. There was a statistically significant unadjusted temporal rise in incidence of combined childhood cancers (AAPC = 0.71%; 95% CI = 0.55-0.86), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (0.78%; 0.49-1.07), acute myeloid leukemia (1.86%; 1.13-2.59), central nervous system tumors (1.31%; 0.94-1.67), and hepatoblastoma (2.70%; 1.68-3.72). Adjustment for county-level maternal age reduced estimated AAPCs between 8% (hepatoblastoma) and 55% (combined). However, adjustment for other county characteristics did not attenuate AAPCs, and AAPCs remained significantly above 0% in models fully adjusted for county-level characteristics. Although rising maternal age may account for some of the increase in childhood cancer incidence over time, other factors, not considered in this analysis, may also contribute to temporal trends. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Infectious endophthalmitis in Boston keratoprosthesis: incidence and prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Behlau, Irmgard; Martin, Kathryn V; Martin, Jacqueline N; Naumova, Elena N; Cadorette, James J; Sforza, J Tammy; Pineda, Roberto; Dohlman, Claes H

2014-11-01

To determine the cumulative worldwide incidence of infectious endophthalmitis and associated vision loss after Boston keratoprosthesis (B-KPro) Type I/II implantation and to propose both safe and inexpensive prophylactic antibiotic regimens. Two retrospective methods were used to determine the incidence, visual outcomes and aetiologies of infectious endophthalmitis associated with the B-KPro divided per decade: (i) systematic review of the literature from 1990 through January 2013 and (ii) a surveillance survey sent to all surgeons who implanted B-KPros through 2010 with 1-year minimum follow-up. In addition, a single-Boston surgeon 20-year experience was examined. From 1990 through 2010, there were 4729 B-KPros implanted worldwide by 209 U.S. surgeons and 159 international surgeons. The endophthalmitis cumulative mean incidence declined from 12% during its first decade of use to about 3% during its second decade in the Unites States and about 5% internationally during the second decade. There remains a large incidence range both in the United States (1-12.5%) and internationally (up to 17%). Poor compliance with daily topical antibiotics is an important risk factor. While Gram-positive organisms remained dominant, fungal infections emerged during the second decade. Daily prophylactic topical antibiotics have dramatically reduced the endophthalmitis incidence. Although Gram-positive organisms are the most common aetiology, antimicrobials must be inclusive of Gram-negative organisms. Selection of prophylactic regimens should be tailored to local antibiotic susceptibility patterns, be cost-effective, and should not promote the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. An example of a broad-spectrum, low-cost prophylactic option for non-autoimmune patients includes trimethoprim/polymyxinB once daily. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Linear polarization-discriminatory state inverter fabricated by oblique angle deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yong Jun; Sobahan, K M A; Kim, Jin Joo; Hwangbo, Chang Kwon

2009-06-22

In this paper, we report a linear polarization-discriminatory state inverter made of three-layer sculpture thin film fabricated by oblique angle deposition technique. The first and third layers are quarter-wave plates of zigzag structure and the middle of them is a circular Bragg reflector of left-handed helical structure. It is found that the normal incidence of P-polarized light on this polarization-discriminatory state inverter becomes the S-polarized light at output, while the incident S-polarized light of wavelength lying in the Bragg regime is reflected. The microstructure of the linear polarization-discriminatory state inverter is also investigated by using a scanning electron microscope.

Infective endocarditis involving an apparently structurally normal valve: new epidemiological trend?

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jae-Kwan

2015-07-01

Infective endocarditis (IE) has been increasingly diagnosed in patients without previously detected predisposing heart disease, but its clinical features have yet to be fully determined. A recent single-center study including echocardiographic images and surgical findings investigated the incidence of undiagnosed, clinically silent valvular or congenital heart diseases and healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HAIE). The study confirmed that a large proportion of patients with IE have no previous history of heart disease. Analysis of underlying disease in these patients showed that undetected mitral valve prolapse was the most common disease, followed by an apparently structurally normal valve. The patients who developed IE of apparently structurally normal valves had different clinical characteristics and worse outcomes. IE involving a structurally normal valve was associated with both nosocomial and non-nosocomial HAIE, whereas community-acquired IE was more frequent than HAIE. The pathophysiologic mechanism involving the development of non-HAIE or community-acquired IE due to predominantly staphylococcal infection in an apparently structurally normal valve is not yet clearly understood. Structurally normal valves are not necessarily free of regurgitation or abnormal turbulence and, given the dynamic nature and fluctuating hemodynamic effects of conditions such as poorly controlled hypertension, end-stage renal disease, and sleep apnea, further investigation is necessary to evaluate the potential role of these diseases in the development of IE. An apparently normal-looking valve is associated with IE development in patients without previously recognized predisposing heart disease, warranting repartition of at-risk groups to achieve better clinical outcomes.

Rocky mountain spotted fever in the United States, 2000-2007: interpreting contemporary increases in incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Openshaw, John J; Swerdlow, David L; Krebs, John W; Holman, Robert C; Mandel, Eric; Harvey, Alexis; Haberling, Dana; Massung, Robert F; McQuiston, Jennifer H

2010-07-01

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a potentially fatal tick-borne infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is considered a notifiable condition in the United States. During 2000 to 2007, the annual reported incidence of RMSF increased from 1.7 to 7 cases per million persons from 2000 to 2007, the highest rate ever recorded. American Indians had a significantly higher incidence than other race groups. Children 5-9 years of age appeared at highest risk for fatal outcome. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays became more widely available beginning in 2004 and were used to diagnose 38% of cases during 2005-2007. The proportion of cases classified as confirmed RMSF decreased from 15% in 2000 to 4% in 2007. Concomitantly, case fatality decreased from 2.2% to 0.3%. The decreasing proportion of confirmed cases and cases with fatal outcome suggests that changes in diagnostic and surveillance practices may be influencing the observed increase in reported incidence rates.

Monte Carlo calculations of ligth-ion sputtering as a function of the incident angle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haggmark, L.G.; Biersack, J.P.

1980-01-01

The sputtering of metal surfaces by light ions has been studied as a function of the incident angle using an extension of the TRIM Monte Carlo computer program. Sputtering yields were calculated at both normal and oblique angles of incidence for H, D, T, and 4 He impinging on Ni, Mo, and Au targets with energies <= 10 keV. Direct comparisons are made with the most recent experimental and theoretical results. There is generally good agreement with the experimental data although our calculated maximum in the yield usually occurs at a smaller incident angle, measured from the surface normal. The enhancement of the yield at large incident angles over that at normal incidence is observed to be a complex function of the incident ion's energy and mass and the target's atomic weight and surface binding energy. (orig.)

A 15O-H2O PET study of meditation and the resting state of normal consciousness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lou, H C; Kjaer, T W; Friberg, L

1999-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine whether the neural structures subserving meditation can be reproducibly measured, and, if so, whether they are different from those supporting the resting state of normal consciousness. Cerebral blood flow distribution was investigated with the 15O-H20...... PET technique in nine young adults, who were highly experienced yoga teachers, during the relaxation meditation (Yoga Nidra), and during the resting state of normal consciousness. In addition, global CBF was measured in two of the subjects. Spectral EEG analysis was performed throughout...... the investigations. In meditation, differential activity was seen, with the noticeable exception of V1, in the posterior sensory and associative cortices known to participate in imagery tasks. In the resting state of normal consciousness (compared with meditation as a baseline), differential activity was found...

The Tricastin incident: another French psychodrama

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-07-01

The author comments the level 1 incident which occurred on the Tricastin site in July 2008 with the release of 30 cubic meters of a uranium-containing solution in the Rhone river. First, he outlines that the Tricastin is not a nuclear power plant, that uranium if more a chemical toxic product than a radiological toxic product. He briefly discusses the presence of uranium in the environment, and states that the event is actually a non-event which has been in fact magnified by the media, and that the action of anti-nuclear organization on this matter was inadequate

Estimated incidence of pertussis in people aged <50 years in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chi-Chang; Balderston McGuiness, Catherine; Krishnarajah, Girishanthy; Blanchette, Christopher M.; Wang, Yuanyuan; Sun, Kainan; Buck, Philip O.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The introduction of pertussis vaccination in the United States (US) in the 1940s has greatly reduced its burden. However, the incidence of pertussis is difficult to quantify, as many cases are not laboratory-confirmed or reported, particularly in adults. This study estimated pertussis incidence in a commercially insured US population aged pertussis or cough illness using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes, a commercial outpatient laboratory database for patients with a pertussis laboratory test, and the Centers for Disease Control influenza surveillance database. US national pertussis incidence was projected using 3 methods: (1) diagnosed pertussis, defined as a claim for pertussis (ICD-9 033.0, 033.9, 484.3) during 2008–2013; (2) based on proxy pertussis predictive logistic regression models; (3) using the fraction of cough illness (ICD-9 033.0, 033.9, 484.3, 786.2, 466.0, 466.1, 487.1) attributed to laboratory-confirmed pertussis, estimated by time series linear regression models. Method 1 gave a projected annual incidence of diagnosed pertussis of 9/100,000, which was highest in those aged pertussis of 649/100,000, approximately 58–93 times higher than method 1 depending on the year. These estimations, which are consistent with considerable underreporting of pertussis in people aged pertussis burden. PMID:27246119

Compensating for non-response in a study estimating the incidence of mental disorders in long-term sickness absence by a two-phased design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søgaard, Hans Jørgen; Bech, Per

2010-01-01

at 48% by a two-phase design and weighted logistic regression. The total non-response rate was 53.6%. This motivated the present study to compensate for non-response by applying adjustment of the weights and by multiple imputation of missing data in the estimation of the frequencies of mental disorders....... METHODS: The study took place in a Danish population of 120,000 inhabitants. During one year, all 2,414 incident individuals on LSA were identified. By a two-phase design 1,121 individuals were screened in Phase 1. In Phase 2, which was a subsample of Phase 1, 337 individuals participated in a psychiatric...... diagnostic examination applying Present State Examination as gold standard. The weighted analyses were based on scores of the screening instrument SCL-8AD compiled of SCL-8, SCL-ANX4, and SCL-DEP6 from the Common Mental Disorders Screening Questionnaire. In the present study, the variables sex, age...

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT PECULIARITIES OF NON-STATE PENSION FUNDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan LUCHIAN

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Non-state pension fund is a institution of social security, the primary purpose of which is the payment of pensions to members of the system of private pension provision. The insurance and pension funds in Republic of Moldova is just beginning. In this regard, a study was conducted in different countries on experience with non-state pension insurance. The results, being generalized, can be used in Republic of Moldova. Non-state pension fund has a multiple core: financial institution, fund, social institution, insurer and institutional investor. Non-governmental pension funds were highly integrated in public policy in most countries around the world aimed at expanding the supplementary pension insurance. Therefore, it becomes very important to solve the issue of formation and investment portfolio management in these financial institutions.

Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Incidence Trends in the United States (2000–2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin E. Ansa

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Colorectal cancer (CRC incidence rates have declined in recent years for people of all races/ethnicities; however, the extent to which the decrease varies annually by demographic and disease-related characteristics is largely unknown. This study examines trends and annual percent change (APC in the incidence among persons diagnosed with CRC in the United States of America from 2000–2014. The data obtained from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER Program were analyzed, and all persons (N = 577,708 with malignant CRC recorded in the SEER 18 database from 2000 to 2014 were characterized according to sex, race, age at diagnosis, disease site and stage. Incidence rates and APC were calculated for the entire study period. Overall, the incidence rate of CRC decreased from 54.5 in 2000 to 38.6 per 100,000 in 2014, with APC = −2.66 (p < 0.0001. Decline in rates was most profound between 2008 and 2011 from 46.0 to 40.7 per 100,000 (APC = −4.04; p < 0.0001. Rates were higher for males (vs. females; rate ratio (RR = 1.33 and for blacks (vs. whites; RR = 1.23. Proximal colon cancers at the localized stage were the predominant cancers. An increase in rate was observed among people younger than 50 years (6.6 per 100,000, APC= 1.5. The annual rate of CRC has decreased over time. However, the development and implementation of interventions that further reduce the disparities among demographic and disease-related subgroups are warranted.

The management of radiation treatment error through incident learning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Brenda G.; Brown, Robert J.; Ploquin, Jodi L.; Kind, Anneke L.; Grimard, Laval

2010-01-01

Purpose: To assess efficacy of an incident learning system in the management of error in radiation treatment. Materials and methods: We report an incident learning system implementation customized for radiation therapy where any 'unwanted or unexpected change from normal system behaviour that causes or has the potential to cause an adverse effect to persons or equipment' is reported, investigated and learned from. This system thus captures near-miss (potential) and actual events. Incidents are categorized according to severity, type and origin. Results: Our analysis spans a period of 3 years with an average accrual of 11.6 incidents per week. We found a significant reduction in actual incidents of 28% and 47% in the second and third year when compared to the first year (p < 0.001), which we attribute to the many interventions prompted by the analysis of incidents reported. We also saw a similar significant reduction in incidents generated at the treatment unit correlating with the introduction of direct treatment parameter transfer and electronic imaging (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Implementation of an incident learning system has helped us to establish a just environment where all staff members report deviations from normal system behaviour and thus generate evidence to initiate safety improvements.

A New Quantitative Method for the Non-Invasive Documentation of Morphological Damage in Paintings Using RTI Surface Normals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcello Manfredi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper we propose a reliable surface imaging method for the non-invasive detection of morphological changes in paintings. Usually, the evaluation and quantification of changes and defects results mostly from an optical and subjective assessment, through the comparison of the previous and subsequent state of conservation and by means of condition reports. Using quantitative Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI we obtain detailed information on the geometry and morphology of the painting surface with a fast, precise and non-invasive method. Accurate and quantitative measurements of deterioration were acquired after the painting experienced artificial damage. Morphological changes were documented using normal vector images while the intensity map succeeded in highlighting, quantifying and describing the physical changes. We estimate that the technique can detect a morphological damage slightly smaller than 0.3 mm, which would be difficult to detect with the eye, considering the painting size. This non-invasive tool could be very useful, for example, to examine paintings and artwork before they travel on loan or during a restoration. The method lends itself to automated analysis of large images and datasets. Quantitative RTI thus eases the transition of extending human vision into the realm of measuring change over time.

The discourses of incidents: Cougars on Mt. Elden and in Sabino Canyon, Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Mattson, David J.; Clark, Susan G.

2012-01-01

Incidents are relatively short periods of intensified discourse that arise from public responses to symbolically important actions by public officials, and an important part of the conflict that increasingly surrounds state wildlife management in the West. In an effort to better understand incidents as a facet of this conflict, we analyzed the discourses of two incidents in Arizona that were precipitated by the intended removal of cougars by managers in response to public safety concerns. We used newspaper content, 1999–2007, to elucidate seminal patterns of public discourses and discourse coalitions as well as differences in discursive focus between incident periods and background periods. Cougars were mentioned in newspaper articles 13–33 times more often during incidents compared with background periods. State wildlife agency commissioners and hunters were part of a discourse coalition that advocated killing cougars to solve problems, blamed cougars and those who promoted the animals’ intrinsic value and sought to retain power to define and solve cougar-related problems. Personnel from affected state and federal agencies expressed a similar discourse. Environmentalists, animal protection activists, and some elected officials were of a coalition that defined “the problem” primarily in terms of people’s behaviors, including behaviors associated with current institutional arrangements. This discourse advocated decentralizing power over cougar management. The discourses reflected different preferences for the allocations of power and use of lethal versus non-lethal methods, which aligned with apparent core beliefs and participants’ enfranchisement or disenfranchisement by current state-level management power arrangements.

Transfer of non-Gaussian quantum states of mechanical oscillator to light

Science.gov (United States)

Filip, Radim; Rakhubovsky, Andrey A.

2015-11-01

Non-Gaussian quantum states are key resources for quantum optics with continuous-variable oscillators. The non-Gaussian states can be deterministically prepared by a continuous evolution of the mechanical oscillator isolated in a nonlinear potential. We propose feasible and deterministic transfer of non-Gaussian quantum states of mechanical oscillators to a traveling light beam, using purely all-optical methods. The method relies on only basic feasible and high-quality elements of quantum optics: squeezed states of light, linear optics, homodyne detection, and electro-optical feedforward control of light. By this method, a wide range of novel non-Gaussian states of light can be produced in the future from the mechanical states of levitating particles in optical tweezers, including states necessary for the implementation of an important cubic phase gate.

In-vivo diagnosis and non-inasive monitoring of Imiquimod 5% cream for non-melanoma skin cancer using confocal laser scanning microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietterle, S; Lademann, J; Röwert-Huber, H-J; Stockfleth, E; Astner, S; Antoniou, C; Sterry, W

2008-01-01

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cutaneous malignancy with increasing incidence rates worldwide. A number of established treatments are available, including surgical excision. The emergence of new non-invasive treatment modalities has prompted the development of non-invasive optical devices for therapeutic monitoring and evaluating treatment efficacy. This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical applicability of a fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscope (CFLSM) for non-invasive therapeutic monitoring of basal cell carcinoma treated with Imiquimod (Aldara®) as topical immune-response modifier. Eight participants with a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were enrolled in this investigation. Sequential evaluation during treatment with Imiquimod showed progressive normalization of the confocal histomorphologic parameters in correlation with normal skin. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was able to identify characteristic features of BCC and allowed the visualization of therapeutic effects over time. Thus our results indicate the clinical applicability of CFLSM imaging to evaluate treatment efficacy in vivo and non-invasively

Non-classical state engineering for quantum networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vollmer, Christina E.

2014-01-01

The wide field of quantum information processing and quantum networks has developed very fast in the last two decades. Besides the regime of discrete variables, which was developed first, the regime of continuous variables represents an alternative approach to realize many quantum applications. Non-classical states of light, like squeezed or entangled states, are a fundamental resource for quantum applications like quantum repeaters, quantum memories, quantum key distribution, quantum spectroscopy, and quantum metrology. These states can be generated successfully in the infrared wavelength regime. However, for some tasks other wavelengths, especially in the visible wavelength regime, are desirable. To generate non-classical states of light in this wavelength regime frequency up-conversion can be used, since all quantum properties are maintained in this process. The first part of this thesis deals with the experimental frequency up-conversion of quantum states. Squeezed vacuum states of light at 1550 nm were up-converted to 532 nm and a noise reduction of -1.5 dB at 532 nm was achieved. These states can be used for increasing the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors or spectroscopic measurements. Furthermore, one part of an entangled state at 1550 nm was up-converted to 532 nm and, thus, entanglement between these two wavelengths was generated and characterized to -1.4 dB following Duan et al. With such a quantum link it is possible to establish a quantum network, which takes advantage of the low optical loss at 1550 nm for information transmission and of atomic transitions around 532 nm for a quantum memory in a quantum repeater. For quantum networks the distribution of entanglement and especially of a quantum key is essential. In the second part of this thesis the experimental distribution of entanglement by separable states is demonstrated. The underlying protocol requires a special three-mode state, which is separable in two of the three splittings. With

Non-classical state engineering for quantum networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vollmer, Christina E.

2014-01-24

The wide field of quantum information processing and quantum networks has developed very fast in the last two decades. Besides the regime of discrete variables, which was developed first, the regime of continuous variables represents an alternative approach to realize many quantum applications. Non-classical states of light, like squeezed or entangled states, are a fundamental resource for quantum applications like quantum repeaters, quantum memories, quantum key distribution, quantum spectroscopy, and quantum metrology. These states can be generated successfully in the infrared wavelength regime. However, for some tasks other wavelengths, especially in the visible wavelength regime, are desirable. To generate non-classical states of light in this wavelength regime frequency up-conversion can be used, since all quantum properties are maintained in this process. The first part of this thesis deals with the experimental frequency up-conversion of quantum states. Squeezed vacuum states of light at 1550 nm were up-converted to 532 nm and a noise reduction of -1.5 dB at 532 nm was achieved. These states can be used for increasing the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors or spectroscopic measurements. Furthermore, one part of an entangled state at 1550 nm was up-converted to 532 nm and, thus, entanglement between these two wavelengths was generated and characterized to -1.4 dB following Duan et al. With such a quantum link it is possible to establish a quantum network, which takes advantage of the low optical loss at 1550 nm for information transmission and of atomic transitions around 532 nm for a quantum memory in a quantum repeater. For quantum networks the distribution of entanglement and especially of a quantum key is essential. In the second part of this thesis the experimental distribution of entanglement by separable states is demonstrated. The underlying protocol requires a special three-mode state, which is separable in two of the three splittings. With

Annual incidence and standardized incidence ratio of cerebrovascular accidents in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Mok, C C; Ho, L Y; To, C H

2009-01-01

To study the annual incidence and standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The annual incidence of CVA from 1999 to 2007 in a longitudinal cohort of SLE patients was calculated each year and compared with that of the regional population within the same study period. Age-specific SIRs and outcome of CVA in SLE patients were also studied. In 2007, there were 490 SLE patients in our cohort. The mean annual incidence of CVA between 1999 and 2007 was 6.45/1000 patients and no obvious trend over time was observed. Of the 20 CVAs in patients with SLE, 18 (90%) were ischaemic stroke whereas two (10%) were haemorrhagic stroke. The mean SIR of all types of CVA in SLE patients was 2.02 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-3.81; p = 0.002]. The SIR of ischaemic stroke decreased with age and the stroke incidence was no longer significantly higher than that of the population in patients aged >or= 60 years. Haemorrhagic stroke occurred mainly in younger SLE patients. The duration of hospitalization and the mortality rate for CVA was non-significantly higher in SLE than in non-SLE patients. The incidence of CVA in SLE remained constant over the 8 years between 1999 and 2007. Younger SLE patients are at substantially increased risk of CVA compared to age-matched population. The duration of hospitalization and the mortality rate for CVA are similar in SLE and non-SLE patients.

The influence of normal fault on initial state of stress in rock mass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tajduś Antoni

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Determination of original state of stress in rock mass is a very difficult task for rock mechanics. Yet, original state of stress in rock mass has fundamental influence on secondary state of stress, which occurs in the vicinity of mining headings. This, in turn, is the cause of the occurrence of a number of mining hazards, i.e., seismic events, rock bursts, gas and rock outbursts, falls of roof. From experience, it is known that original state of stress depends a lot on tectonic disturbances, i.e., faults and folds. In the area of faults, a great number of seismic events occur, often of high energies. These seismic events, in many cases, are the cause of rock bursts and damage to the constructions located inside the rock mass and on the surface of the ground. To estimate the influence of fault existence on the disturbance of original state of stress in rock mass, numerical calculations were done by means of Finite Element Method. In the calculations, it was tried to determine the influence of different factors on state of stress, which occurs in the vicinity of a normal fault, i.e., the influence of normal fault inclination, deformability of rock mass, values of friction coefficient on the fault contact. Critical value of friction coefficient was also determined, when mutual dislocation of rock mass part separated by a fault is impossible. The obtained results enabled formulation of a number of conclusions, which are important in the context of seismic events and rock bursts in the area of faults.

The influence of normal fault on initial state of stress in rock mass

Science.gov (United States)

Tajduś, Antoni; Cała, Marek; Tajduś, Krzysztof

2016-03-01

Determination of original state of stress in rock mass is a very difficult task for rock mechanics. Yet, original state of stress in rock mass has fundamental influence on secondary state of stress, which occurs in the vicinity of mining headings. This, in turn, is the cause of the occurrence of a number of mining hazards, i.e., seismic events, rock bursts, gas and rock outbursts, falls of roof. From experience, it is known that original state of stress depends a lot on tectonic disturbances, i.e., faults and folds. In the area of faults, a great number of seismic events occur, often of high energies. These seismic events, in many cases, are the cause of rock bursts and damage to the constructions located inside the rock mass and on the surface of the ground. To estimate the influence of fault existence on the disturbance of original state of stress in rock mass, numerical calculations were done by means of Finite Element Method. In the calculations, it was tried to determine the influence of different factors on state of stress, which occurs in the vicinity of a normal fault, i.e., the influence of normal fault inclination, deformability of rock mass, values of friction coefficient on the fault contact. Critical value of friction coefficient was also determined, when mutual dislocation of rock mass part separated by a fault is impossible. The obtained results enabled formulation of a number of conclusions, which are important in the context of seismic events and rock bursts in the area of faults.

Memory Binding Test Predicts Incident Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mowrey, Wenzhu B; Lipton, Richard B; Katz, Mindy J; Ramratan, Wendy S; Loewenstein, David A; Zimmerman, Molly E; Buschke, Herman

2016-07-14

The Memory Binding Test (MBT), previously known as Memory Capacity Test, has demonstrated discriminative validity for distinguishing persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and dementia from cognitively normal elderly. We aimed to assess the predictive validity of the MBT for incident aMCI. In a longitudinal, community-based study of adults aged 70+, we administered the MBT to 246 cognitively normal elderly adults at baseline and followed them annually. Based on previous work, a subtle reduction in memory binding at baseline was defined by a Total Items in the Paired (TIP) condition score of ≤22 on the MBT. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the predictive validity of the MBT for incident aMCI accounting for the effects of covariates. The hazard ratio of incident aMCI was also assessed for different prediction time windows ranging from 4 to 7 years of follow-up, separately. Among 246 controls who were cognitively normal at baseline, 48 developed incident aMCI during follow-up. A baseline MBT reduction was associated with an increased risk for developing incident aMCI (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.30-4.56, p = 0.005). When varying the prediction window from 4-7 years, the MBT reduction remained significant for predicting incident aMCI (HR range: 2.33-3.12, p: 0.0007-0.04). Persons with poor performance on the MBT are at significantly greater risk for developing incident aMCI. High hazard ratios up to seven years of follow-up suggest that the MBT is sensitive to early disease.

Pressure effect on the superconducting and the normal state of β -B i2Pd

Science.gov (United States)

Pristáš, G.; Orendáč, Mat.; Gabáni, S.; Kačmarčík, J.; Gažo, E.; Pribulová, Z.; Correa-Orellana, A.; Herrera, E.; Suderow, H.; Samuely, P.

2018-04-01

The pressure effect up to 24.0 kbar on superconducting and normal-state properties of β -B i2Pd single crystal (Tc≈4.98 K at ambient pressure) has been investigated by measurements of the electrical resistivity. In addition, we have performed the heat capacity measurements in the temperature range 0.7-300 K at ambient pressure. The recent calculations of electronic density of states, electron-phonon interaction spectral function, and phonon density of states of β -B i2Pd [Zheng and Margine, Phys. Rev. B 95, 014512 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevB.95.014512], are used to fit the resistivity and the heat capacity data. In the superconducting state we have focused on the influence of pressure on the superconducting transition temperature Tc and upper critical field Hc 2 and a negative effect with d Tc/d p =-0.025 K /kbar and d Hc 2/d p =-8 mT /kbar is found. A simplified Bloch-Grüneisen model was used to analyze the pressure effect on the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity. The obtained results point to a decrease of the electron-phonon coupling parameter λ and to a shift of phonon frequencies to higher values with pressure. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity follows a T2 dependence above Tc up to about 25 K. Together with the enhanced value of Sommerfeld coefficient γ =13.23 mJ mo l-1K-2 these results point to a certain role of the electron-electron interaction in the superconducting pairing mechanism in β -B i2Pd .

Non-diluted seawater enhances nasal ciliary beat frequency and wound repair speed compared to diluted seawater and normal saline.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnomet, Arnaud; Luczka, Emilie; Coraux, Christelle; de Gabory, Ludovic

2016-10-01

The regulation of mucociliary clearance is a key part of the defense mechanisms developed by the airway epithelium. If a high aggregate quality of evidence shows the clinical effectiveness of nasal irrigation, there is a lack of studies showing the intrinsic role of the different irrigation solutions allowing such results. This study investigated the impact of solutions with different pH and ionic compositions, eg, normal saline, non-diluted seawater and diluted seawater, on nasal mucosa functional parameters. For this randomized, controlled, blinded, in vitro study, we used airway epithelial cells obtained from 13 nasal polyps explants to measure ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and epithelial wound repair speed (WRS) in response to 3 isotonic nasal irrigation solutions: (1) normal saline 0.9%; (2) non-diluted seawater (Physiomer®); and (3) 30% diluted seawater (Stérimar). The results were compared to control (cell culture medium). Non-diluted seawater enhanced the CBF and the WRS when compared to diluted seawater and to normal saline. When compared to the control, it significantly enhanced CBF and slightly, though nonsignificantly, improved the WRS. Interestingly, normal saline markedly reduced the number of epithelial cells and ciliated cells when compared to the control condition. Our results suggest that the physicochemical features of the nasal wash solution is important because it determines the optimal conditions to enhance CBF and epithelial WRS thus preserving the respiratory mucosa in pathological conditions. Non-diluted seawater obtains the best results on CBF and WRS vs normal saline showing a deleterious effect on epithelial cell function. © 2016 The Authors International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, published by ARSAAOA, LLC.

Pondermotive absorption of a short intense laser pulse in a non-uniform plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreev, A A; Platonov, K Yu [Inst. for Laser Physics, SC ` Vavilov State Optical Inst.` 12, Birzhevaya line, St Petersburg (Russian Federation); Tanaka, K A

1998-03-01

An analytical description of the pondermotive absorption mechanism at a short high intense laser pulse interaction with a strong inhomogeneous plasma is presented. The optimal conditions for the maximum of resonance absorption of laser pulse interaction with non-uniform plasma at normal incidence are founded. (author)

Higher Levels of Albuminuria within the Normal Range Predict Incident Hypertension

OpenAIRE

Forman, John P.; Fisher, Naomi D.L.; Schopick, Emily L.; Curhan, Gary C.

2008-01-01

Higher levels of albumin excretion within the normal range are associated with cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals. Whether incremental increases in urinary albumin excretion, even within the normal range, are associated with the development of hypertension in low-risk individuals is unknown. This study included 1065 postmenopausal women from the first Nurses’ Health Study and 1114 premenopausal women from the second Nurses’ Health Study who had an albumin/creatinine ratio

The Compositional Rule of Inference and Zadeh’s Extension Principle for Non-normal Fuzzy Sets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Broek, P.M.; Noppen, J.A.R.; Castillo, Oscar

2007-01-01

Defining the standard Boolean operations on fuzzy Booleans with the compositional rule of inference (CRI) or Zadeh's extension principle gives counter-intuitive results. We introduce and motivate a slight adaptation of the CRI, which only effects the results for non-normal fuzzy sets. It is shown

Prognostic value of normal stress-only myocardial perfusion imaging: a comparison between conventional and CZT-based SPECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokota, Shu; Ottervanger, Jan Paul; Timmer, Jorik R. [Isala Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Zwolle (Netherlands); Mouden, Mohamed; Engbers, Elsemiek [Isala Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Zwolle (Netherlands); Isala Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zwolle (Netherlands); Knollema, Siert; Jager, Pieter L. [Isala Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zwolle (Netherlands)

2016-02-15

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging has proven to have prognostic importance in patients with suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The recently introduced ultrafast cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based gamma cameras have been associated with less equivocal findings and more normal interpretations, allowing stress-only imaging to be performed more often. However, it is yet unclear whether normal stress-only CZT SPECT has comparable prognostic value as normally interpreted stress-only conventional SPECT. The study population consisted of 1,650 consecutive patients without known CAD with normal stress-only myocardial perfusion results with either conventional (n = 362) or CZT SPECT (n = 1,288). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE, all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and/or coronary revascularization) was compared between the conventional SPECT and CZT SPECT groups. Multivariable analyses using the Cox model were used to adjust for differences in baseline variables. Patients scanned with CZT were less often male (33 vs 39 %), had less often hypercholesterolaemia (41 vs 50 %) and had more often a family history of CAD (57 vs 49 %). At a median follow-up time of 37 months (interquartile range 28-45 months) MACE occurred in 68 patients. The incidence of MACE was 1.5 %/year in the CZT group, compared to 2.0 %/year in the conventional group (p = 0.08). After multivariate analyses, there was a trend to a lower incidence of MACE in the CZT SPECT group (hazard ratio 0.61, 95 % confidence interval 0.35-1.04, p = 0.07). The prognostic value of normal stress-only CZT SPECT is at least comparable and may be even better than that of normal conventional stress SPECT. (orig.)

Prophylactic fenbendazole therapy does not affect the incidence and onset of type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Franke, Deanna D H; Shirwan, Haval

2006-03-01

Fenbendazole (FBZ) is a common, highly efficacious broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat and limit rodent pinworm infections. However, the effect of its prophylactic use on the immune response of rodents is largely undefined. The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse is a model commonly used to study type 1 diabetes (T1D). Parasitic infections will inhibit diabetes development in NOD mice; thus, in the presence of contamination, prophylactic treatment with anthelmintics must be considered to maintain experimental research. Herein, we investigated the prophylactic use of FBZ in NOD mice to determine its effect on the incidence and onset of diabetes, lymphocyte sub-populations and T cell proliferative responses. NOD mice were separated into control and treatment groups. The treatment group received a diet containing FBZ. Animals were monitored for the incidence and onset of T1D. At matched time points, diabetic and non-diabetic mice were killed and splenic lymphocytes analyzed for various cell sub-populations and mitogen-induced proliferative responses using flow cytometry. Treated and control mice were monitored >23 weeks with no detectable effects on the incidence or onset of diabetes. Moreover, no significant differences were detected in lymphocyte sub-populations and mitogen-induced CD4(+) and CD8(+) proliferative responses between control and treatment groups. These results suggest that prophylactic FBZ treatment does not significantly alter the incidence or onset of diabetes in NOD mice. The prophylactic use of FBZ, therefore, presents a viable approach for the prevention of pinworm infection in precious experimental animals with substantial scientific and economic benefits.

Coronary heart disease incidence among non-Western immigrants compared to Danish-born people: effect of country of birth, migrant status, and income.

Science.gov (United States)

Bo, Anne; Zinckernagel, Line; Krasnik, Allan; Petersen, Jorgen H; Norredam, Marie

2015-10-01

Increasing global migration has made immigrants' health an important topic worldwide. We examined the effect of country of birth, migrant status (refugee/family-reunified) and income on coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence. This was a historical prospective register-based cohort study. The study cohort consisted of immigrants above 18 years from non-Western countries who had obtained a residence permit in Denmark as a refugee (n = 29,045) or as a family-reunified immigrant (n = 28,435) from 1 January 1993-31 December 1999 and a Danish-born reference population (n = 229,918). First-time CHD incidence was identified from 1 January 1993-31 December 2007. Incidence ratios for 11 immigrant groups were estimated using Cox regression analysis. Immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, the Former Yugoslavia, and the Middle East and North Africa had significantly higher incidences of CHD (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.75 to HR = 2.86; 95% CI: 2.01-4.08) compared with Danish-born people. Immigrants from Somalia, South and Middle America, Sub-Saharan Africa and women from East Asia and the Pacific did not differ significantly from Danish-born people, whereas immigrant men from East Asia and the Pacific had a significantly lower incidence (HR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17-0.62). When also including migrant status, the higher incidences were reduced. Refugee men (HR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.11-1.65) and women (HR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08-1.65) had a significantly higher incidence of CHD than family-reunified immigrants. When migrant status and income were included simultaneously, the incidences decreased to an insignificant level for most immigrant groups. Most non-Western immigrant groups had a higher incidence of CHD than Danish-born people. The study revealed that migrant status and income are important underlying mechanisms of the effect of country of birth on CHD. © The European

Unusually large magnetic moments in the normal state and superconducting state of Sn nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hung, Chi-Hang; Lee, Chi-Hung; Hsu, Chien-Kang; Li, Chi-Yen; Karna, Sunil K.; Wang, Chin-Wei; Wu, Chun-Ming; Li, Wen-Hsien, E-mail: whli@phy.ncu.edu.tw [National Central University, Department of Physics and Center for Neutron Beam Applications (China)

2013-09-15

We report on the observations of spontaneous magnetic moments in the normal as well as in the superconducting states of a 9 nm Sn nanoparticle assembly, through X-ray diffraction, magnetization, ac magnetic susceptibility, and neutron diffraction measurements. The saturation magnetization reaches an unexpectedly large value of 1.04 emu/g at 5 K, with a temperature profile that can be described by Bloch's law with an exponent of b = 1.8. A magnetic moment of Left-Pointing-Angle-Bracket {mu}{sub Z} Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket = 0.38 {mu}{sub B} develops after cooling from 260 to 4 K. Superconductivity develops below T{sub C} = 3.98 K, which is 7 % higher than the T{sub C} = 3.72 K of bulk Sn. Surprisingly, an addition magnetic moment of Left-Pointing-Angle-Bracket {mu}{sub Z} Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket = 0.05 {mu}{sub B} develops upon entering the superconducting state.

Variable effects of prevalence correction of population denominators on differentials in myocardial infarction incidence: a record linkage study in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians.

Science.gov (United States)

Katzenellenbogen, Judith M; Sanfilippo, Frank M; Hobbs, Michael S T; Briffa, Tom G; Ridout, Steve C; Knuiman, Matthew W; Dimer, Lyn; Taylor, Kate P; Thompson, Peter L; Thompson, Sandra C

2011-06-01

To investigate the impact of prevalence correction of population denominators on myocardial infarction (MI) incidence rates, rate ratios, and rate differences in Aboriginal vs. non-Aboriginal Western Australians aged 25-74 years during the study period 2000-2004. Person-based linked hospital and mortality data sets were used to estimate the number of prevalent and first-ever MI cases each year from 2000 to 2004 using a 15-year look-back period. Age-specific and -standardized MI incidence rates were calculated using both prevalence-corrected and -uncorrected population denominators, by sex and Aboriginality. The impact of prevalence correction on rates increased with age, was higher for men than women, and substantially greater for Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal people. Despite the systematic underestimation of incidence, prevalence correction had little impact on the Aboriginal to non-Aboriginal age-standardized rate ratios (6% and 4% underestimate in men and women, respectively), although the impact on rate differences was more marked (12% and 6%, respectively). The percentage underestimate of differentials was greater at older ages. Prevalence correction of denominators, while more accurate, is difficult to apply and may add modestly to the quantification of relative disparities in MI incidence between populations. Absolute incidence disparities using uncorrected denominators may have an error >10%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ten years incidence of natural rubber latex sensitization and symptoms in a prospective cohort of health care workers using non-powdered latex gloves 2000-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Larese Filon, Francesca; Bochdanovits, Letizia; Capuzzo, Chiara; Cerchi, Roberto; Rui, Francesca

2014-07-01

To assess the incidence of sensitization and gloves-related symptoms in 10-year follow-up in a group of health care workers (9,660 person-years) using non-powdered latex gloves from 2000 to 2009 and to examine related factors. We studied 2,053 health care workers in Trieste Hospitals by means of skin prick test for latex extract, patch tests and medical examinations. We report the incidence of latex sensitization among workers using non-powdered latex gloves. The incidence of latex sensitization, rhinitis, asthma, urticaria, irritant and allergic contact dermatitis were 1.0; 0.12; 0.21; 0.72; 2.39 and 2.50 cases per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Respiratory symptoms and urticaria were positively related with latex sensitization (OR = 8.0; 95 % CL 1.27-48.6), with common allergic respiratory symptoms (OR = 4.19; 95 % CL 1.04-16.8) and with familial atopy (OR = 4.47; 95 % CL 1.1-17.9). The incidence of latex sensitization and latex-related symptoms were very low but subjects with allergic symptoms related to common allergens are at higher risk. The use of non-latex gloves is suggested for them.

Primordial non-Gaussianities in single field inflationary models with non-trivial initial states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bahrami, Sina; Flanagan, Éanna É., E-mail: sb933@cornell.edu, E-mail: eef3@cornell.edu [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

2014-10-01

We compute the non-Gaussianities that arise in single field, slow roll inflationary models arising from arbitrary homogeneous initial states, as well as subleading contributions to the power spectrum. Non Bunch-Davies vacuum initial states can arise if the transition to the single field, slow roll inflation phase occurs only shortly before observable modes left the horizon. They can also arise from new physics at high energies that has been integrated out. Our general result for the bispectrum exhibits several features that were previously seen in special cases.

Exploring spatial patterns in the associations between local AIDS incidence and socioeconomic and demographic variables in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, André T J; Nobre, Flavio F; Waller, Lance A

2016-05-01

Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), universally provided in Brazil since 1996, resulted in a reduction in overall morbidity and mortality due to AIDS or AIDS-related complications, but in some municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, AIDS incidence remains high. Public health surveillance remains an invaluable tool for understanding current AIDS epidemiologic patterns and local socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with increased incidence. Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression (GWPR) explores spatial varying impacts of these factors across the study area focusing attention on local variations in ecological associations. The set of sociodemographic variables under consideration revealed significant associations with local AIDS incidence and these associations varied geographically across the study area. We find the effects of predictors on AIDS incidence are not constant across the state, contrary to assumptions in the global models. We observe and quantify different local factors driving AIDS incidence in different parts of the state. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Contaminated Mexican steel incident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

This report documents the circumstances contributing to the inadvertent melting of cobalt 60 (Co-60) contaminated scrap metal in two Mexican steel foundries and the subsequent distribution of contaminated steel products into the United States. The report addresses mainly those actions taken by US Federal and state agencies to protect the US population from radiation risks associated with the incident. Mexico had much more serious radiation exposure and contamination problems to manage. The United States Government maintained a standing offer to provide technical and medical assistance to the Mexican Government. The report covers the tracing of the source to its origin, response actions to recover radioactive steel in the United States, and return of the contaminated materials to Mexico. The incident resulted in significant radiation exposures within Mexico, but no known significant exposure within the United States. Response to the incident required the combined efforts of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of State, and US Customs Service (Department of Treasury) personnel at the Federal level and representatives of all 50 State Radiation Control Programs and, in some instances, local and county government personnel. The response also required a diplomatic interface with the Mexican Government and cooperation of numerous commercial establishments and members of the general public. The report describes the factual information associated with the event and may serve as information for subsequent recommendations and actions by the NRC. 8 figures

Nonlinear coherent loss for generating non-classical states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikhalychev, A; Mogilevtsev, D; Kilin, S

2011-01-01

Here, we discuss a generation of non-classical states of bosonic mode with the help of artificially designed loss, namely the nonlinear coherent loss. We show how to generate superpositions of Fock states, and how it is possible to 'comb' the initial states leaving only states with certain properties in the resulting superposition (for example, a generation of a superposition of Fock states with odd number of particles). We discuss purity of generated states and estimate maximal achievable generation fidelity.

Improving freight crash incident management.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

The objective of this study was to determine the most effective way to mitigate the effect of freight : crash incidents on Louisiana freeways. Candidate incident management strategies were reviewed from : practice in other states and from those publi...

Operating states of PFBR-primary sodium pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sreedharan, K.V.; Rao, A.S.L.K.; Raju, C.; Kale, R.D.

1994-01-01

The proposed 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), the design of which is in progress at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam will be equipped with four centrifugal sodium pumps each in its primary and secondary circuits. This paper discusses the various operating states of the primary pumps viz. (i) normal steady state (ii) transient state operation. The paper also discusses the safe limits on the pump operating speed and a few design basis incidents. (author). 1 ref., 2 figs., 3 tabs

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the United States, 2000–2007: Interpreting Contemporary Increases in Incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Openshaw, John J.; Swerdlow, David L.; Krebs, John W.; Holman, Robert C.; Mandel, Eric; Harvey, Alexis; Haberling, Dana; Massung, Robert F.; McQuiston, Jennifer H.

2010-01-01

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a potentially fatal tick-borne infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is considered a notifiable condition in the United States. During 2000 to 2007, the annual reported incidence of RMSF increased from 1.7 to 7 cases per million persons from 2000 to 2007, the highest rate ever recorded. American Indians had a significantly higher incidence than other race groups. Children 5–9 years of age appeared at highest risk for fatal outcome. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays became more widely available beginning in 2004 and were used to diagnose 38% of cases during 2005–2007. The proportion of cases classified as confirmed RMSF decreased from 15% in 2000 to 4% in 2007. Concomitantly, case fatality decreased from 2.2% to 0.3%. The decreasing proportion of confirmed cases and cases with fatal outcome suggests that changes in diagnostic and surveillance practices may be influencing the observed increase in reported incidence rates. PMID:20595498

Solar cell angle of incidence corrections

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Dale R.; Mueller, Robert L.

1995-01-01

Literature on solar array angle of incidence corrections was found to be sparse and contained no tabular data for support. This lack along with recent data on 27 GaAs/Ge 4 cm by 4 cm cells initiated the analysis presented in this paper. The literature cites seven possible contributors to angle of incidence effects: cosine, optical front surface, edge, shadowing, UV degradation, particulate soiling, and background color. Only the first three are covered in this paper due to lack of sufficient data. The cosine correction is commonly used but is not sufficient when the incident angle is large. Fresnel reflection calculations require knowledge of the index of refraction of the coverglass front surface. The absolute index of refraction for the coverglass front surface was not known nor was it measured due to lack of funds. However, a value for the index of refraction was obtained by examining how the prediction errors varied with different assumed indices and selecting the best fit to the set of measured values. Corrections using front surface Fresnel reflection along with the cosine correction give very good predictive results when compared to measured data, except there is a definite trend away from predicted values at the larger incident angles. This trend could be related to edge effects and is illustrated by a use of a box plot of the errors and by plotting the deviation of the mean against incidence angle. The trend is for larger deviations at larger incidence angles and there may be a fourth order effect involved in the trend. A chi-squared test was used to determine if the measurement errors were normally distributed. At 10 degrees the chi-squared test failed, probably due to the very small numbers involved or a bias from the measurement procedure. All other angles showed a good fit to the normal distribution with increasing goodness-of-fit as the angles increased which reinforces the very small numbers hypothesis. The contributed data only went to 65 degrees

Embodied Appraisals and Non-emotional States

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hvorecký, Juraj

2010-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 3 (2010), s. 215-223 ISSN 1210-3055 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB900090802 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z90090514 Keywords : embodied appraisal * non-emotional mental states * valence * emotion Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion

Doctrinal Lessons from Non-State Actors

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Forte, Robert

2001-01-01

.... A phenomenon known as Gray Area War is on the rise. Gray Area War is defined as a conflict where at least one of the antagonists is a non-state entity and the method is combining elements of traditional war fighting with organized crime...

Breast Cancer Incidence and Risk Reduction in the Hispanic Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, Eric J; Chin, Megan L; Haq, Mohamed M

2018-02-26

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer amongst women worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality overall. It is also the foremost reason for cancer-related mortality in Hispanic females in the United States (US). Although the current incidence of breast cancer is significantly lower in Hispanics compared to that of non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Blacks, (91.9, 128.1, and 124.3 per 100,000, respectively, annually), this may increase if Hispanics develop similar lifestyle behaviors to other American women, in categories such as weight management, age at first birth, number of children, and breastfeeding habits. Stage-for-stage mortality for Hispanics is similar to NHWs, but the mortality rate is not declining as rapidly in this ethnic group. Hispanic women share many of the same risk factors for developing breast cancer as NHWs and Blacks. This suggests that many of the risk reduction strategies used in other racial populations may also benefit this group. Providing education about breast cancer and implementing risk reduction strategies in culturally-aware environments could help keep incidence low and reduce cancer-related mortality. Since Hispanics are the largest minority group in the US, this could have a significant impact on the incidence and mortality nationally.

International consensus and States non-Parties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kellman, B.

1996-01-01

It is significant to recognize the contribution that international law can make to the promotion of consensus for arms control. Issues surface with a constancy that demand consistent, codified responses. International law should be more powerful, especially in addressing non-members and non-complying states. Successful negotiation of a multilateral treaty is not an end but a means to establish a law enforcement system capable of promoting important global interests. Accordingly arms control should generate the development of authoritative legal doctrines and institutions that can meet the challenge

Paediatric slow-speed non-traffic fatalities: Victoria, Australia, 1985-1995.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, P; Nolan, T

1997-11-01

An important group of fatal incidents are slow-speed pedestrian non-traffic incidents to children, which account for 14% of accidental deaths from all causes in Victorian children under 5 years of age between 1985 and 1995, and 12% of pedestrian deaths of all ages. In Victoria, Australia, the database of the state Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality was utilised to identify paediatric slow-speed pedestrian non-traffic-accident deaths in the local population. Additional data relating to the car and its driver, the child, and the circumstances of the incident were abstracted from records kept by the State Coroner and the Victorian compulsory third party traffic injury insurance organisation. Twenty eight Victorian children were identified who had died in one of three types of incident (driverless cars, child interacting with the vehicle and driver, and drivers who were unaware of the child's proximity). These incidents were more common in rural areas compared with urban, usually occurring at the child's home. The child was with or near an adult on all occasions. The vehicle was usually being driven by a relative, and was reversing in a higher proportion of 'unaware' incidents compared with the 'interactive' type. The association of 'off-road' family vehicles and trucks with these incidents appears to be increasing, especially in recent years. These findings suggest some countermeasures, including the separation of vehicle driveways from children's play areas, and object vicinity ultrasonic warning devices for vehicles.

Identification of Raman peaks of high-T{sub c} cuprates in normal state through density of states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bishoyi, K.C. [P.G. Department of Physics, F.M. College (Auto.), Balasore 756 001 (India)]. E-mail: bishoyi@iopb.res.in; Rout, G.C. [Condensed Matter Physics Group, Govt. Science College, Chatrapur 761 020, Orissa (India); Behera, S.N. [Physics Enclave, H.I.G.-23/1, Housing Board Phase-I, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 7510016 (India)

2007-05-31

We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T{sub c} cuprates R{sub 2-x}M{sub x}CuO{sub 4} in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P{sub 1}-P{sub 4}) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained.

Incidence of non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer by amount of emphysema and airway wall thickness: a community-based cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Aamli Gagnat, Ane; Gjerdevik, Miriam; Gallefoss, Frode; Coxson, Harvey O; Gulsvik, Amund; Bakke, Per

2017-05-01

There is limited knowledge about the prognostic value of quantitative computed tomography (CT) measures of emphysema and airway wall thickness in cancer.The aim of this study was to investigate if using CT to quantitatively assess the amount of emphysema and airway wall thickness independently predicts the subsequent incidence of non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer.In the GenKOLS study of 2003-2005, 947 ever-smokers performed spirometry and underwent CT examination. The main predictors were the amount of emphysema measured by the percentage of low attenuation areas (%LAA) on CT and standardised measures of airway wall thickness (AWT-PI10). Cancer data from 2003-2013 were obtained from the Norwegian Cancer Register. The hazard ratio associated with emphysema and airway wall thickness was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression for cancer diagnoses.During 10 years of follow-up, non-pulmonary cancer was diagnosed in 11% of the subjects with LAA emphysema remained a significant predictor of the incidence of non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer. Airway wall thickness did not predict cancer independently.This study offers a strong argument that emphysema is an independent risk factor for both non-pulmonary cancer and lung cancer. Copyright ©ERS 2017.

Non-Normality and Testing that a Correlation Equals Zero

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Kenneth J.

1977-01-01

The importance of the assumption of normality for testing that a bivariate normal correlation equals zero is examined. Both empirical and theoretical evidence suggest that such tests are robust with respect to violation of the normality assumption. (Author/JKS)

Incidence and phylogenetic analyses of Armillaria spp. associated with root disease in peach orchards in the State of Mexico, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

R. D. Elias-Roman; R. A. Guzman-Plazola; N. B. Klopfenstein; D. Alvarado-Rosales; G. Calderon-Zavala; J. A. Mora-Aguilera; M.-S. Kim; R. Garcia-Espinosa

2013-01-01

Incidence of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] tree mortality attributed to Armillaria root disease was assessed from 2009 to 2011 in 15 orchards in the State of Mexico, Mexico. Incidence increased gradually every year of assessment, reaching average values of 9.7, 15.3 and 20.3% tree mortality and 23.2, 24.7 and 28.3% disease-impacted area of the orchards during 2009...

Incidence and significance of FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations in patients with normal karyotype acute myeloid leukaemia.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Haslam, K

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous clonal disorder of haematopoietic progenitor cells. Approximately half of all adult AML patients have a normal karyotype (NK-AML) and an intermediate risk prognosis. AIMS: To determine the incidence and prognostic significance of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD mutations in a population of patients with NK-AML. METHODS: FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutation status was retrospectively sought in presentation samples from 44 NK-AML patients. RESULTS: FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations were detected in 45.5 and 54.5% of patients, respectively, allowing stratification according to genotype. CONCLUSIONS: FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutation status can be defined in NK-AML. Prospective screening for these mutations is advocated in all NK-AML patients, as the genotype is of clinical importance when considering treatment options including stem cell transplantation.

Leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: incidence in children and young adults resident in the Dounreay area of Caithness, Scotland in 1968-91

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, R.J.; Sharp, L.; Harkness, E.F.; McKinney, P.A.; Leeds Univ.

1994-01-01

The study objective was to review the incidence of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children and young adults in the area less than 25 km from the Dounreay nuclear installation and the remainder of the Kirkwall postcode area in the full time period for which data are now available (1968-91), and to determine whether the excess incidence reported in the period up to 1984 has continued in subsequent years. (author)

Reference Priors For Non-Normal Two-Sample Problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernández, C.; Steel, M.F.J.

1997-01-01

The reference prior algorithm (Berger and Bernardo, 1992) is applied to locationscale models with any regular sampling density. A number of two-sample problems is analyzed in this general context, extending the dierence, ratio and product of Normal means problems outside Normality, while explicitly

Counter-terrorism and the protection of civilians: Armed non-state actors

OpenAIRE

Munive, Jairo; Somer, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Recent events in the Middle East present the latest and undoubtedly not the last challenge to international engagement with armed non-state actors. Over the last many years international humanitarian law has increasingly regulated the behaviour of armed non-state actors with regard to the protection of civilians. At the same time, counter-terror measures have increasingly addressed such conduct, as well as controlled the extent to which other actors may interact with armed non-state actors. Y...

Revisiting vocal perception in non-human animals: a review of vowel discrimination, speaker voice recognition, and speaker normalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buddhamas eKriengwatana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The extent to which human speech perception evolved by taking advantage of predispositions and pre-existing features of vertebrate auditory and cognitive systems remains a central question in the evolution of speech. This paper reviews asymmetries in vowel perception, speaker voice recognition, and speaker normalization in non-human animals – topics that have not been thoroughly discussed in relation to the abilities of non-human animals, but are nonetheless important aspects of vocal perception. Throughout this paper we demonstrate that addressing these issues in non-human animals is relevant and worthwhile because many non-human animals must deal with similar issues in their natural environment. That is, they must also discriminate between similar-sounding vocalizations, determine signaler identity from vocalizations, and resolve signaler-dependent variation in vocalizations from conspecifics. Overall, we find that, although plausible, the current evidence is insufficiently strong to conclude that directional asymmetries in vowel perception are specific to humans, or that non-human animals can use voice characteristics to recognize human individuals. However, we do find some indication that non-human animals can normalize speaker differences. Accordingly, we identify avenues for future research that would greatly improve and advance our understanding of these topics.

Quantum key distribution using continuous-variable non-Gaussian states

Science.gov (United States)

Borelli, L. F. M.; Aguiar, L. S.; Roversi, J. A.; Vidiella-Barranco, A.

2016-02-01

In this work, we present a quantum key distribution protocol using continuous-variable non-Gaussian states, homodyne detection and post-selection. The employed signal states are the photon added then subtracted coherent states (PASCS) in which one photon is added and subsequently one photon is subtracted from the field. We analyze the performance of our protocol, compared with a coherent state-based protocol, for two different attacks that could be carried out by the eavesdropper (Eve). We calculate the secret key rate transmission in a lossy line for a superior channel (beam-splitter) attack, and we show that we may increase the secret key generation rate by using the non-Gaussian PASCS rather than coherent states. We also consider the simultaneous quadrature measurement (intercept-resend) attack, and we show that the efficiency of Eve's attack is substantially reduced if PASCS are used as signal states.

Evaluating the impact of DREAMS on HIV incidence among young women who sell sex: protocol for a non-randomised study in Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Hensen, Bernadette; Hargreaves, James R; Chiyaka, Tarisai; Chabata, Sungai; Mushati, Phillis; Floyd, Sian; Birdthistle, Isolde; Busza, Joanna; Cowan, Frances

2018-01-31

"Determined, Resilient, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe" (DREAMS) is a package of biomedical, social and economic interventions offered to adolescent girls and young women aged 10-24 years with the aim of reducing HIV incidence. In four of the six DREAMS districts in Zimbabwe, DREAMS includes an offer of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (DREAMS+PrEP), alongside interventions to support demand and adherence, to women aged 18-24 who are at highest risk of HIV infection, including young women who sell sex (YWSS). This evaluation study addresses the question: does the delivery of DREAMS+PrEP through various providers reduce HIV incidence among YWSS Zimbabwe? We describe our approach to designing a rigorous study to assess whether DREAMS+PrEP had an impact on HIV incidence. The study design needed to account for the fact that: 1) DREAMS+PrEP was non-randomly allocated; 2) there is no sampling frame for the target population for the evaluation; 3) there are a small number of DREAMS districts (N = 6), and 4) DREAMS+PrEP is being implemented by various providers. The study will use a cohort analysis approach to compare HIV incidence among YWSS in two DREAMS+PrEP districts to HIV incidence among YWSS in non-DREAMS comparison sites. YWSS will be referred to services and recruited into the cohort through a network-based (respondent-driven) recruitment strategy, and followed-up 12- and 24-months after enrolment. Women will be asked to complete a questionnaire and offered HIV testing. Additional complications of this study include identifying comparable populations of YWSS in the DREAMS+PrEP and non-DREAMS comparison sites, and retention of YWSS over the 24-month period. The primary outcome is HIV incidence among YWSS HIV-negative at study enrolment measured by repeat, rapid HIV testing over 24-months. Inference will be based on plausibility that DREAMS+PrEP had an impact on HIV incidence. A process evaluation will be conducted to understand intervention implementation, and

Robustness to non-normality of common tests for the many-sample location problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azmeri Khan

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the effect of deviating from the normal distribution assumption when considering the power of two many-sample location test procedures: ANOVA (parametric and Kruskal-Wallis (non-parametric. Power functions for these tests under various conditions are produced using simulation, where the simulated data are produced using MacGillivray and Cannon's [10] recently suggested g-and-k distribution. This distribution can provide data with selected amounts of skewness and kurtosis by varying two nearly independent parameters.

Serum cytokine levels in autoimmune and non-autoimmune hyperthyroid states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.S. Ward

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Although the role of interleukin-2 (IL-2 and interferon gamma (gIFN is still poorly understood in hyperthyroid diseases, it is reasonable to assume that these cytokines may be present at higher levels in Graves' disease (GD than in other primarily non-autoimmune thyroid diseases. In order to look for an easy method to distinguish GD from primarily non-autoimmune causes of hyperthyroidism, we compared 13 healthy individuals with 21 treated and untreated hyperthyroid GD patients and with 19 patients with hyperthyroidism due to other etiologies: 7 cases of multinodular goiter, 5 cases of excessive hormone replacement and 7 cases of amiodarone-associated hyperthyroidism. All patients presented low TSH levels and a dubious clinical thyroid state. We found a good correlation between TSH and serum IL-2 levels (r = 0.56; PgIFN (P<0.01 levels were lower in the hyperthyroid group of patients than in control subjects, suggesting a depressed TH1 pattern in the T-cell subset of hyperthyroid patients. GD had normal IL-2 levels, while patients with other forms of thyrotoxicosis presented decreased IL-2 levels (P<0.05. There was no difference between treated and untreated GD patients. We suggest that the direct measurement of serum IL-2 level may help to confirm hyperthyroidism caused by GD.

Incidence of pediatric acute mastoiditis: 1997-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Pritchett, Cedric V; Thorne, Marc C

2012-05-01

To evaluate the incidence of acute mastoiditis in children in the United States over the years 1997 through 2006 and to explore possible explanations for the conflicting conclusions of recent studies of this topic. Comparison of periodic incidence over a decade. Academic and community, general, and pediatric specialty hospitals in the United States. Children younger than 18 years in the United States treated and discharged with a diagnosis of acute mastoiditis during the years 1997 through 2006. To compare true incidence of acute mastoiditis in the pediatric population of the United States, data from Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project-Kids' Inpatient Database (HCUP-KID) was examined for nationally weighted estimates of hospital discharges, demographics (age and sex), hospital characteristics, and insurance characteristics. No significant change was found in the incidence of acute mastoiditis over the study period (from 1.88 to 1.62 per 100,000 person-years) (regression coefficient -0.024 [95% CI, -0.110 to 0.024]) (P = .37). Children admitted with acute mastoiditis had an increased odds of presenting to a teaching hospital (odds ratio [OR], 1.38 [95% CI, 1.31-1.45]) (P < .001), a children's hospital (OR, 1.08 [95% CI, 1.03-1.14]) (P = .001), and to a metropolitan location (OR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.02-1.18]) (P = .016) over calendar time. The incidence of acute mastoiditis in the United States is not increasing. The changes in hospital factors identified over the course of this study may explain the perception of increased incidence identified in studies that have not used population-level data.

STABLE STATIONARY STATES OF NON-LOCAL INTERACTION EQUATIONS

KAUST Repository

FELLNER, KLEMENS

2010-12-01

In this paper, we are interested in the large-time behaviour of a solution to a non-local interaction equation, where a density of particles/individuals evolves subject to an interaction potential and an external potential. It is known that for regular interaction potentials, stable stationary states of these equations are generically finite sums of Dirac masses. For a finite sum of Dirac masses, we give (i) a condition to be a stationary state, (ii) two necessary conditions of linear stability w.r.t. shifts and reallocations of individual Dirac masses, and (iii) show that these linear stability conditions imply local non-linear stability. Finally, we show that for regular repulsive interaction potential Wε converging to a singular repulsive interaction potential W, the Dirac-type stationary states ρ̄ ε approximate weakly a unique stationary state ρ̄ ∈ L∞. We illustrate our results with numerical examples. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Racial and ethnic variations in incidence and survival of cutaneous melanoma in the United States, 1999-2006.

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Wu, Xiao-Cheng; Eide, Melody J; King, Jessica; Saraiya, Mona; Huang, Youjie; Wiggins, Charles; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill S; Martin, Nicolle; Cokkinides, Vilma; Miller, Jacqueline; Patel, Pragna; Ekwueme, Donatus U; Kim, Julian

2011-11-01

Most melanoma studies use data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program or individual cancer registries. Small numbers of melanoma cases have limited in-depth analyses for all racial and ethnic groups. We sought to describe racial and ethnic variations in melanoma incidence and survival. Incidence for invasive melanoma and 5-year melanoma-specific survival were calculated for whites, blacks, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Asians/Pacific Islanders (API), and Hispanics using data from 38 population-based cancer registries. Incidence rates of melanoma were significantly higher for females than males among whites and Hispanics under 50 years of age and APIs under 40 years of age. White and black patients were older (median age: 59-63 years) compared with Hispanics, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and API (median age: 52-56 years). The most common histologic type was acral lentiginous melanoma among blacks and superficial spreading melanoma among all other racial and ethnic groups. Hispanics had the highest incidence rate of acral lentiginous melanoma, significantly higher than whites and API. Nonwhites were more likely to have advanced and thicker melanomas at diagnosis and lower melanoma-specific survival compared with whites. Over 50% of melanoma cases did not have specified histology. The numbers of nonwhite patients were still relatively small despite broad population coverage (67% of United States). Racial and ethnic differences in age at melanoma diagnosis, anatomic sites, and histologic types suggest variations in etiologic pathways. The high percentages of advanced and thicker melanomas among nonwhites highlight the need to improve melanoma awareness for all race and ethnicity in the United States. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Combining counts and incidence data: an efficient approach for estimating the log-normal species abundance distribution and diversity indices.

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Bellier, Edwige; Grøtan, Vidar; Engen, Steinar; Schartau, Ann Kristin; Diserud, Ola H; Finstad, Anders G

2012-10-01

Obtaining accurate estimates of diversity indices is difficult because the number of species encountered in a sample increases with sampling intensity. We introduce a novel method that requires that the presence of species in a sample to be assessed while the counts of the number of individuals per species are only required for just a small part of the sample. To account for species included as incidence data in the species abundance distribution, we modify the likelihood function of the classical Poisson log-normal distribution. Using simulated community assemblages, we contrast diversity estimates based on a community sample, a subsample randomly extracted from the community sample, and a mixture sample where incidence data are added to a subsample. We show that the mixture sampling approach provides more accurate estimates than the subsample and at little extra cost. Diversity indices estimated from a freshwater zooplankton community sampled using the mixture approach show the same pattern of results as the simulation study. Our method efficiently increases the accuracy of diversity estimates and comprehension of the left tail of the species abundance distribution. We show how to choose the scale of sample size needed for a compromise between information gained, accuracy of the estimates and cost expended when assessing biological diversity. The sample size estimates are obtained from key community characteristics, such as the expected number of species in the community, the expected number of individuals in a sample and the evenness of the community.

Thermal self-focusing at oblique incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craxton, R.S.; McCrory, R.L.

1984-03-01

Thermal self-focusing at oblique incidence has been investigated in two-dimensional line-focus geometry using the Eulerian hydrodynamics simulation code SAGE. The laser beam interacts with a long-scale-length preformed plasma with an expontial density profiele. Questions to be addressed include: (1) What happens when a self-focusing channel reaches the turning point of the incident rays, and (2) Does the unabsorbed light return in the specular direction or back along the channel. A comparison is also made between thermal self-focusing at normal incidence in cylindrical and line-focus geometries: in cylindrical geometry the self-focusing mechanism is enhanced by the relative ease with which plasma may be expelled from a small cylindrical channel

Non-Fatal Injury in Thailand From 2005 to 2013: Incidence Trends and Links to Alcohol Consumption Patterns in the Thai Cohort Study

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Mami Wakabayashi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: We analyzed population-based injury trends and the association between injury and alcohol consumption patterns in Thailand, a middle-income country undergoing rapid social change. Methods: A nationwide cohort of 42 785 Thai adult Open University students, who were aged 15 to 87 years at enrolment, participated in cross-sectional assessments at baseline (2005 and 8 years later (2013. Incident non-fatal traffic and non-traffic injuries were recorded. Alcohol consumption patterns were categorized as follows: nondrinkers, occasional light drinkers, occasional heavy drinkers, regular drinkers, and ex-drinkers. Logistic regression was used to assess associations in 2005 and 2013 between injuries and alcohol consumption. We adjusted odds ratios (ORs for socio-demographic factors, stress, health behaviors, and risk-taking behaviors. Results: Incidence estimates in 2013 were standardized to the age structure of 2005: the standardized rates were 10% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.32–9.89 for participants with at least one non-traffic injury and 5% (95% CI, 4.86–5.29 for those with at least one traffic injury. Both standardized incidences for non-traffic and traffic injuries were significantly lower than corresponding rates in 2005 (20% and 6%, respectively. Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with non-traffic injury in 2005, but the association disappeared in 2013. For example, nontraffic injury was associated with regular drinking (adjusted OR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01–1.40 in 2005, but not in 2013 (adjusted OR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.73–1.10. In both survey years, traffic injury was not associated with occasional heavy drinking when adjusted for health and risk-taking behavior. Conclusions: We examined non-fatal injury and the health-risk transition in Thailand in 2005 and 2013. Our data revealed decreases in alcohol consumption and non-fatal injury in the Thai Cohort between 2005 and 2013. Alcoholrelated injury in Thailand today

Extended incident-angle dependence formula of sputter yield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, T.; Shibata, K.; Muramoto, T.; Kenmotsu, T.; Li Z.; Kawamura, T.

2006-06-01

We extend a new semi-empirical formula for incident-angle dependence of normalized sputter yield that includes the contribution to sputter yield from the direct knock-out process that was not considered in the previously proposed one. Three parameters included in the new one are estimated for data calculated with ACAT code for D + ions incident obliquely on C, Fe and W materials in incident-energy regions from several tens of eV to 10 keV. Then, the parameters are expressed with functions of incident energy. The formula with the functions derived well reproduces that using the ACAT data in the whole energy range. (author)

Pre-operative Spermatic Cord Ultrasonography Helps to Reduce the Incidence of Metachronous Inguinal Hernia in Boys

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Shoujiang Huang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Background/purpose: Thickening of the spermatic cord is a clinical sign of an inguinal hernia. We therefore tested whether pre-operative spermatic cord ultrasonography could reduce the incidence of metachronous inguinal hernia (MIH.Methods: Boys under 2 years old with an initial unilateral inguinal hernia were enrolled in this study. In whom the width of the asymptomatic-sided spermatic cord was ≥0.5 cm, these patients underwent contralateral groin exploration. Age at initial operation, weight, initial operation side, the sonographic width of the spermatic cord, the operative findings and presence of MIH were recorded, and the relationship among them was studied. Boys in the US group underwent an open herniorrhaphy with pre-operative ultrasound examination; the non-US group included boys who did not undergo a pre-operative ultrasound examination. A receiver operator curve (ROC analysis was performed to evaluated predictive value of the sonographic width of the spermatic cord for contralateral hernia.Results: A total of 24 months' follow-up data were obtained from 1,793 boys (US group 1,162, non-US group 631. In the US group, the width of the hernia-sided spermatic cord (0.75 ± 0.18 cm was larger than the normal side (0.37 ± 0.05 cm, P < 0.001. And the width of normal side spermatic cord had no significant difference between the groups regarding other factors such as age and weight. In whom the width of the asymptomatic-sided spermatic cord was ≥0.5 cm, the corresponding incidence of CIH was 86.4% (57/66. The width of the spermatic cord predicted the presence of contralateral hernia with ROC area under the curve = 0.943 (95% CI = 0.919–0.966. The total incidence of MIH was 4.1% (74/1793. The incidence of MIH in the US group was 2.2% (25/1162 much lower than 7.8% (49/631 in the non-US group (P < 0.001. If the width of the asymptomatic-sided spermatic cord was 0.5 cm and 0.54 cm, the corresponding sensitivity was 0.682 and 0

Brain cancer incidence trends in relation to cellular telephone use in the United States

OpenAIRE

Inskip, Peter D.; Hoover, Robert N.; Devesa, Susan S.

2010-01-01

The use of cellular telephones has grown explosively during the past two decades, and there are now more than 279 million wireless subscribers in the United States. If cellular phone use causes brain cancer, as some suggest, the potential public health implications could be considerable. One might expect the effects of such a prevalent exposure to be reflected in general population incidence rates, unless the induction period is very long or confined to very long-term users. To address this i...

Quasi-normal modes from non-commutative matrix dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Aprile, Francesco; Sanfilippo, Francesco

2017-09-01

We explore similarities between the process of relaxation in the BMN matrix model and the physics of black holes in AdS/CFT. Focusing on Dyson-fluid solutions of the matrix model, we perform numerical simulations of the real time dynamics of the system. By quenching the equilibrium distribution we study quasi-normal oscillations of scalar single trace observables, we isolate the lowest quasi-normal mode, and we determine its frequencies as function of the energy. Considering the BMN matrix model as a truncation of N=4 SYM, we also compute the frequencies of the quasi-normal modes of the dual scalar fields in the AdS5-Schwarzschild background. We compare the results, and we finda surprising similarity.

On the definition of equilibrium and non-equilibrium states in dynamical systems

OpenAIRE

Akimoto, Takuma

2008-01-01

We propose a definition of equilibrium and non-equilibrium states in dynamical systems on the basis of the time average. We show numerically that there exists a non-equilibrium non-stationary state in the coupled modified Bernoulli map lattice.

Low Density Lipoprotein and Non-Newtonian Oscillating Flow Biomechanical Parameters for Normal Human Aorta.

Science.gov (United States)

Soulis, Johannes V; Fytanidis, Dimitrios K; Lampri, Olga P; Giannoglou, George D

2016-04-01

The temporal variation of the hemodynamic mechanical parameters during cardiac pulse wave is considered as an important atherogenic factor. Applying non-Newtonian blood molecular viscosity simulation is crucial for hemodynamic analysis. Understanding low density lipoprotein (LDL) distribution in relation to flow parameters will possibly spot the prone to atherosclerosis aorta regions. The biomechanical parameters tested were averaged wall shear stress (AWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI) and relative residence time (RRT) in relation to the LDL concentration. Four non-Newtonian molecular viscosity models and the Newtonian one were tested for the normal human aorta under oscillating flow. The analysis was performed via computational fluid dynamic. Tested viscosity blood flow models for the biomechanical parameters yield a consistent aorta pattern. High OSI and low AWSS develop at the concave aorta regions. This is most noticeable in downstream flow region of the left subclavian artery and at concave ascending aorta. Concave aorta regions exhibit high RRT and elevated LDL. For the concave aorta site, the peak LDL value is 35.0% higher than its entrance value. For the convex site, it is 18.0%. High LDL endothelium regions located at the aorta concave site are well predicted with high RRT. We are in favor of using the non-Newtonian power law model for analysis. It satisfactorily approximates the molecular viscosity, WSS, OSI, RRT and LDL distribution. Concave regions are mostly prone to atherosclerosis. The flow biomechanical factor RRT is a relatively useful tool for identifying the localization of the atheromatic plaques of the normal human aorta.

Black-Litterman model on non-normal stock return (Case study four banks at LQ-45 stock index)

Science.gov (United States)

Mahrivandi, Rizki; Noviyanti, Lienda; Setyanto, Gatot Riwi

2017-03-01

The formation of the optimal portfolio is a method that can help investors to minimize risks and optimize profitability. One model for the optimal portfolio is a Black-Litterman (BL) model. BL model can incorporate an element of historical data and the views of investors to form a new prediction about the return of the portfolio as a basis for preparing the asset weighting models. BL model has two fundamental problems, the assumption of normality and estimation parameters on the market Bayesian prior framework that does not from a normal distribution. This study provides an alternative solution where the modelling of the BL model stock returns and investor views from non-normal distribution.

An evaluation of the effect of natural background radiation on cancer incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, Jerry J.

1978-01-01

Previous studies on the relationship between levels of natural background radiation and cancer incidence indicate no significant correlation. This observation is shown to be consistent with certain predicted effect levels of ionizing radiation on malignancy production (BEIR, ICRP). Other theoretical predictions on the effects of ionizing radiation indicate induction rates to be as high as 8 x 10 -3 cancers/person-rem. Assuming this factor were correct, then roughly one-half of the cancer incidence in the USA could be attributed to exposure to natural background radiation. By statistically testing various hypothetically assigned cancer induction rates against observed data, it is possible to develop a probabilistic perspective on the cause-effect relationship. Tests have been performed using normalized (by age, death rate, etc.) cancer incidence by state against levels of background radiation. This evaluation allows for the determination of the probability of observing the actual data given that the hypotheses were correct. Graphic relationships between hypothetically assigned radiation induced cancer rates vs. the probability of observing the actual incidence are developed and presented. It is shown that if the cancer induction rate were in excess of ∼10 -3 cancers/person-rem, it would be highly improbable that there would, in fact, be a lack of correlation between the rates of natural background radiation and cancer incidence. (author)

Insomnia and incident depression: role of objective sleep duration and natural history.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio; Shea, Sarah; Vgontzas, Alexandros N; Calhoun, Susan L; Liao, Duanping; Bixler, Edward O

2015-08-01

Longitudinal studies that have examined the association of insomnia with incident depression using objective sleep measures are very limited. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive role of the severity of insomnia for incident depression in a general population sample using psychometric and polysomnographic data. From a random, general population sample of 1741 individuals of the Penn State Adult Cohort, 1137 adults without depression were followed up with a structured telephone interview after 7.5 years. All subjects completed a full medical evaluation, 1-night polysomnogram and Multiphasic Minnesota Personality Inventory at baseline. The incidence of depression was 15%. Poor sleep (odds ratio = 1.5, P = 0.001) and insomnia (odds ratio = 1.9, P = 0.031) were significantly associated with incident depression. The odds of incident depression were highest (odds ratio = 2.2, P = 0.019) in insomnia with objective short sleep duration and independent of Multiphasic Minnesota Personality Inventory Ego Strength scores, an index of poor coping resources. The persistence of insomnia and worsening of poor sleep into insomnia significantly increased the odds of incident depression (odds ratios ranged from 1.8 to 6.3), whereas their full remission did not (odds ratio ranged from 1.2 to 1.8). Insomnia with short sleep duration is associated with incident depression independent of poor coping resources, whereas the association of insomnia with normal sleep duration with incident depression was mediated by poor coping resources. Persistence and worsening of poor sleep or insomnia, but not their full remission, are significant predictors of incident depression. These data suggest that there is a significant relationship between the severity of insomnia and incident depression. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Incidence of paediatric fatal and non-fatal low speed vehicle run over events in Queensland, Australia: eleven year analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of fatal and non-fatal Low Speed Vehicle Run Over (LSVRO) events among children aged 0–15 years in Queensland, Australia, at a population level. Methods Fatal and non-fatal LSVRO events that occurred in children resident in Queensland over eleven calendar years (1999-2009) were identified using ICD codes, text description, word searches and medical notes clarification, obtained from five health related data bases across the continuum of care (pre-hospital to fatality). Data were manually linked. Population data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics were used to calculate crude incidence rates for fatal and non-fatal LSVRO events. Results There were 1611 LSVROs between 1999–2009 (IR = 16.87/100,000/annum). Incidence of non-fatal events (IR = 16.60/100,000/annum) was 61.5 times higher than fatal events (IR = 0.27/100,000/annum). LSVRO events were more common in boys (IR = 20.97/100,000/annum) than girls (IR = 12.55/100,000/annum), and among younger children aged 0–4 years (IR = 21.45/100000/annum; 39% or all events) than older children (5–9 years: IR = 16.47/100,000/annum; 10–15 years IR = 13.59/100,000/annum). A total of 896 (56.8%) children were admitted to hospital for 24 hours of more following an LSVRO event (IR = 9.38/100,000/annum). Total LSVROs increased from 1999 (IR = 14.79/100,000) to 2009 (IR = 18.56/100,000), but not significantly. Over the 11 year period, there was a slight (non –significant) increase in fatalities (IR = 0.37-0.42/100,000/annum); a significant decrease in admissions (IR = 12.39–5.36/100,000/annum), and significant increase in non-admissions (IR = 2.02-12.77/100,000/annum). Trends over time differed by age, gender and severity. Conclusion This is the most comprehensive, population-based epidemiological study on fatal and non-fatal LSVRO events to date. Results from this study indicate

Inferring network structure in non-normal and mixed discrete-continuous genomic data.

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Bhadra, Anindya; Rao, Arvind; Baladandayuthapani, Veerabhadran

2018-03-01

Inferring dependence structure through undirected graphs is crucial for uncovering the major modes of multivariate interaction among high-dimensional genomic markers that are potentially associated with cancer. Traditionally, conditional independence has been studied using sparse Gaussian graphical models for continuous data and sparse Ising models for discrete data. However, there are two clear situations when these approaches are inadequate. The first occurs when the data are continuous but display non-normal marginal behavior such as heavy tails or skewness, rendering an assumption of normality inappropriate. The second occurs when a part of the data is ordinal or discrete (e.g., presence or absence of a mutation) and the other part is continuous (e.g., expression levels of genes or proteins). In this case, the existing Bayesian approaches typically employ a latent variable framework for the discrete part that precludes inferring conditional independence among the data that are actually observed. The current article overcomes these two challenges in a unified framework using Gaussian scale mixtures. Our framework is able to handle continuous data that are not normal and data that are of mixed continuous and discrete nature, while still being able to infer a sparse conditional sign independence structure among the observed data. Extensive performance comparison in simulations with alternative techniques and an analysis of a real cancer genomics data set demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

Regional homogeneity changes between heroin relapse and non-relapse patients under methadone maintenance treatment: a resting-state fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Haifeng; Li, Wei; Li, Qiang; Chen, Jiajie; Zhu, Jia; Ye, Jianjun; Liu, Jierong; Li, Zhe; Li, Yongbin; Shi, Ming; Wang, Yarong; Wang, Wei

2016-08-18

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is recognized as one of the most effective treatments for heroin addiction but its effect is dimmed by the high incidence of heroin relapse. However, underlying neurobiology mechanism of heroin relapse under MMT is still largely unknown. Here, we took advantage of a resting-state fMRI technique by analysis of regional homogeneity (ReHo), and tried to explore the difference of brain function between heroin relapsers and non-relapsers in MMT. Forty MMT patients were included and received a 12-month follow-up. All patients were given baseline resting-state fMRI scans by using a 3.0 T GE Signa Excite HD whole-body MRI system. Monthly self-report and urine test were used to assess heroin relapse or non-relapse. Subjective craving was measured with visual analog scale. The correlation between ReHo and the degree of heroin relapse was analyzed. Compared with the non-relapsers, ReHo values were increased in the bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortex, right caudate, and right cerebellum of the heroin relapsers while those in the left parahippocampal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, and precuneus were decreased in heroin relapsers. Importantly, altered ReHo in the right caudate were positively correlated with heroin relapse rates or subjective craving response. Using the resting-state fMRI technique by analysis of ReHo, we provided the first resting-state fMRI evidence that right caudate may serve as a potential biomarker for heroin relapse prediction and also as a promising target for reducing relapse risk.

Steroid hormones as regulators of the proliferative activity of normal and neoplastic intestinal epithelial cells (review).

Science.gov (United States)

Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

1988-01-01

Glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors are present in normal epithelial cells of both the small and large intestine and there have also been contentious reports of androgen, oestrogen and progesterone receptors in the epithelium of the normal large intestine. The majority of reports suggest that stimulation of the intestinal glucocorticoid receptors results in increased proliferation of epithelial cells in the small bowel, as does stimulation of androgen receptors and possibly mineralocorticoid receptors. The proliferative response of the normal intestine to oestrogens is difficult to evaluate and that to progestigens appears not to have been reported. Epidemiological studies reveal a higher incidence of bowel cancer in premenopausal women than in men of the same age and yet there is a lower incidence of these tumors in women of higher parity. These findings have been atributted to a variety of non-epithelial gender characteristic such as differences in bile metabolism, colonic bacterial and fecal transit times. In experimental animals, androgens have also been shown to influence carcinogenesis and this could well be attributed to changes in food intake etc. However, many studies have now revealed steroid hormone receptors on colorectal tumor cells and thus a direct effect of the steroid hormones on the epithelium during and after malignant transformation must now be considered.

Non-separable pairing interaction kernels applied to superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haley, Stephen B.; Fink, Herman J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Non-separable interaction kernels with weak interactions produces HTS. • A probabilistic approach is used in filling the electronic states in the unit cell. • A set of coupled equations is derived which describes the energy gap. • SC properties of separable with non-separable interactions are compared. • There is agreement with measured properties of the SC and normal states. - Abstract: A pairing Hamiltonian H(Γ) with a non-separable interaction kernel Γ produces HTS for relatively weak interactions. The doping and temperature dependence of Γ(x,T) and the chemical potential μ(x) is determined by a probabilistic filling of the electronic states in the cuprate unit cell. A diverse set of HTS and normal state properties is examined, including the SC phase transition boundary T C (x), SC gap Δ(x,T), entropy S(x,T), specific heat C(x,T), and spin susceptibility χ s (x,T). Detailed x,T agreement with cuprate experiment is obtained for all properties

Oblique incidence of electron beams - comparisons between calculated and measured dose distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karcher, J.; Paulsen, F.; Christ, G.

2005-01-01

Clinical applications of high-energy electron beams, for example for the irradiation of internal mammary lymph nodes, can lead to oblique incidence of the beams. It is well known that oblique incidence of electron beams can alter the depth dose distribution as well as the specific dose per monitor unit. The dose per monitor unit is the absorbed dose in a point of interest of a beam, which is reached with a specific dose monitor value (DIN 6814-8[5]). Dose distribution and dose per monitor unit at oblique incidence were measured with a small-volume thimble chamber in a water phantom, and compared to both normal incidence and calculations of the Helax TMS 6.1 treatment planning system. At 4 MeV and 60 degrees, the maximum measured dose per monitor unit at oblique incidence was decreased up to 11%, whereas at 18MeV and 60 degrees this was increased up to 15% compared to normal incidence. Comparisons of measured and calculated dose distributions showed that the predicted dose at shallow depths is usually higher than the measured one, whereas it is smaller at depths beyond the depth of maximum dose. On the basis of the results of these comparisons, normalization depths and correction factors for the dose monitor value were suggested to correct the calculations of the dose per monitor unit. (orig.)

Effect of front and rear incident proton irradiation on silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Anspaugh, Bruce; Kachare, Ram

1987-01-01

Four solar cell types of current manufacture were irradiated through the front and rear surfaces with protons in the energy range between 1 and 10 MeV. The solar cell parameters varied for this study were cell thickness and back surface field (BSF) vs. no BSF. Some cells were irradiated at normal incidence and an equal number were irradiated with simulated isotropic fluences. The solar cell electrical characteristics were measured under simulated AM0 illumination after each fluence. Using the normal incidence data, proton damage coefficients were computed for all four types of cells for both normal and omnidirectional radiation fields. These were found to compare well with the omnidirectional damage coefficients derived directly from the rear-incidence radiation data. Similarly, the rear-incidence omnidirectional radiation data were used to compute appropriate damage coefficients. A method for calculating the effect of a spectrum of energies is derived from these calculations. It is suitable for calculating the degradation of cells in space when they have minimal rear-surface shielding.

An isodose shift technique for obliquely incident electron beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulin, K.; Sternick, E.S.

1989-01-01

It is well known that when an electron beam is incident obliquely on the surface of a phantom, the depth dose curve measured normal to the surface is shifted toward the surface. Based on geometrical arguments alone, the depth of the nth isodose line for an electron beam incident at an angle θ should be equal to the product of cos θ and the depth of the nth isodose line at normal incidence. This method, however, ignores the effects of scatter and can lead to significant errors in isodose placement for beams at large angles of incidence. A semi-empirical functional relationship and a table of isodose shift factors have been developed with which one may easily calculate the depth of any isodose line for beams at incident angles of 0 degree to 60 degree. The isodose shift factors are tabulated in terms of beam energy (6--22 MeV) and isodose line (10%--90%) and are shown to be relatively independent of beam size and incident angle for angles <60 degree. Extensive measurements have been made on a Varian Clinac 2500 linear accelerator with a parallel-plate chamber and polystyrene phantom. The dependence of the chamber response on beam angulation has been checked, and the scaling factor of the polystyrene phantom has been determined to be equal to 1.00

Entanglement and Wigner Function Negativity of Multimode Non-Gaussian States

Science.gov (United States)

Walschaers, Mattia; Fabre, Claude; Parigi, Valentina; Treps, Nicolas

2017-11-01

Non-Gaussian operations are essential to exploit the quantum advantages in optical continuous variable quantum information protocols. We focus on mode-selective photon addition and subtraction as experimentally promising processes to create multimode non-Gaussian states. Our approach is based on correlation functions, as is common in quantum statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics, mixed with quantum optics tools. We formulate an analytical expression of the Wigner function after the subtraction or addition of a single photon, for arbitrarily many modes. It is used to demonstrate entanglement properties specific to non-Gaussian states and also leads to a practical and elegant condition for Wigner function negativity. Finally, we analyze the potential of photon addition and subtraction for an experimentally generated multimode Gaussian state.

Transformation of bipartite non-maximally entangled states into a ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We present two schemes for transforming bipartite non-maximally entangled states into a W state in cavity QED system, by using highly detuned interactions and the resonant interactions between two-level atoms and a single-mode cavity field. A tri-atom W state can be generated by adjusting the interaction times between ...

Toward a better understanding of the comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates in Utah.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Ray M; Hilton, Sterling C; Wiggins, Charles L; Sturgeon, Jared D

2003-04-29

This study assesses whether comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates among white men in Utah represent higher rates among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who comprise about 70% of the state's male population, and considers the potential influence screening has on these rates. Analyses are based on 14,693 histologically confirmed invasive prostate cancer cases among men aged 50 years and older identified through the Utah Cancer Registry between 1985 and 1999. Cancer records were linked to LDS Church membership records to determine LDS status. Poisson regression was used to derive rate ratios of LDS to nonLDS prostate cancer incidence, adjusted for age, disease stage, calendar time, and incidental detection. LDS men had a 31% (95% confidence interval, 26%-36%) higher incidence rate of prostate cancer than nonLDS men during the study period. Rates were consistently higher among LDS men over time (118% in 1985-88, 20% in 1989-92, 15% in 1993-1996, and 13% in 1997-99); age (13% in ages 50-59, 48% in ages 60-69, 28% in ages 70-79, and 16% in ages 80 and older); and stage (36% in local/regional and 17% in unstaged). An age- and stage-shift was observed for both LDS and nonLDS men, although more pronounced among LDS men. Comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates among LDS men in Utah are explained, at least in part, by more aggressive screening among these men.

Topological surface states scattering in antimony

KAUST Repository

Narayan, Awadhesh

2012-11-05

In this work we study the topologically protected states of the Sb(111) surface by using ab initio transport theory. In the presence of a strong surface perturbation we obtain standing-wave states resulting from the superposition of spin-polarized surface states. By Fourier analysis, we identify the underlying two dimensional scattering processes and the spin texture. We find evidence of resonant transmission across surface barriers at quantum well state energies and evaluate their lifetimes. Our results are in excellent agreement with experimental findings. We also show that despite the presence of a step edge along a different high-symmetry direction, the surface states exhibit unperturbed transmission around the Fermi energy for states with near to normal incidence. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Topological surface states scattering in antimony

KAUST Repository

Narayan, Awadhesh; Rungger, Ivan; Sanvito, Stefano

2012-01-01

In this work we study the topologically protected states of the Sb(111) surface by using ab initio transport theory. In the presence of a strong surface perturbation we obtain standing-wave states resulting from the superposition of spin-polarized surface states. By Fourier analysis, we identify the underlying two dimensional scattering processes and the spin texture. We find evidence of resonant transmission across surface barriers at quantum well state energies and evaluate their lifetimes. Our results are in excellent agreement with experimental findings. We also show that despite the presence of a step edge along a different high-symmetry direction, the surface states exhibit unperturbed transmission around the Fermi energy for states with near to normal incidence. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Normalization of satellite imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hongsuk H.; Elman, Gregory C.

1990-01-01

Sets of Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery taken over the Washington, DC metropolitan area during the months of November, March and May were converted into a form of ground reflectance imagery. This conversion was accomplished by adjusting the incident sunlight and view angles and by applying a pixel-by-pixel correction for atmospheric effects. Seasonal color changes of the area can be better observed when such normalization is applied to space imagery taken in time series. In normalized imagery, the grey scale depicts variations in surface reflectance and tonal signature of multi-band color imagery can be directly interpreted for quantitative information of the target.

Magnetoresistive properties of non-uniform state of antiferromagnetic semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivoruchko, V.N.

1996-01-01

The phenomenological model of magnetoresistive properties of magneto-non-single-phase state of alloyed magnetic semiconductors is considered using the concept derived for a description of magnetoresistive effects in layered and granular magnetic metals. By assuming that there exists a magneto-non-single state in the manganites having the perovskite structure, it is possible to describe, in the framework of above approach, large magnetoresistive effects of manganite phases with antiferromagnetic order and semiconductor-type conductivity as well as those with antiferromagnetic properties and metallic-type conductivity

Out-of-range INR values and outcomes among new warfarin patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Winnie W; Wang, Li; Baser, Onur; Damaraju, Chandrasekharrao V; Schein, Jeffrey R

2015-02-01

Although efficacious in stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, many warfarin patients are sub-optimally managed. To evaluate the association of international normalized ratio control and clinical outcomes among new warfarin patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Adult non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients (≥18 years) initiating warfarin treatment were selected from the US Veterans Health Administration dataset between 10/2007 and 9/2012. Valid international normalized ratio values were examined from the warfarin initiation date through the earlier of the first clinical outcome, end of warfarin exposure or death. Each patient contributed multiple in-range and out-of-range time periods. The relative risk ratios of clinical outcomes associated with international normalized ratio control were estimated. 34,346 patients were included for analysis. During the warfarin exposure period, the incidence of events per 100 person-years was highest when patients had international normalized ratio 3, patients had significantly increased risk of major bleeding (relative risk ratio: 1.5; 95 % confidence interval 1.2-2.0). In a Veterans Health Administration non-valvular atrial fibrillation population, exposure to out-of-range international normalized ratio values was associated with significantly increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes.

Incidence and prevalence of systemic sclerosis in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Horimoto, Alex Magno Coelho; Matos, Erica Naomi Naka; Costa, Márcio Reis da; Takahashi, Fernanda; Rezende, Marcelo Cruz; Kanomata, Letícia Barrios; Locatelli, Elisangela Possebon Pradebon; Finotti, Leandro Tavares; Maegawa, Flávia Kamy Maciel; Rondon, Rosa Maria Ribeiro; Machado, Natália Pereira; Couto, Flávia Midori Arakaki Ayres Tavares do; Figueiredo, Túlia Peixoto Alves de; Ovidio, Raphael Antonio; Costa, Izaias Pereira da

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease which shows extreme heterogeneity in its clinical presentation and that follows a variable and unpredictable course. Although some discrepancies in the incidence and prevalence rates between geographical regions may reflect methodological differences in the definition and verification of cases, they may also reflect true local differences. To determine the prevalence and incidence of systemic sclerosis in the city of Campo Grande, state capital of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, during the period from January to December 2014. All health care services of the city of Campo Grande - MS with attending in the specialty of Rheumatology were invited to participate in the study through a standardized form of clinical and socio-demographic assessment. Physicians of any specialty could report a suspected case of systemic sclerosis, but necessarily the definitive diagnosis should be established by a rheumatologist, in order to warrant the standardization of diagnostic criteria and exclusion of other diseases resembling systemic sclerosis. At the end of the study, 15 rheumatologists reported that they attended patients with systemic sclerosis and sent the completed forms containing epidemiological data of patients. The incidence rate of systemic sclerosis in Campo Grande for the year 2014 was 11.9 per million inhabitants and the prevalence rate was 105.6 per million inhabitants. Systemic sclerosis patients were mostly women, white, with a mean age of 50.58 years, showing the limited form of the disease with a mean duration of the disease of 8.19 years. Regarding laboratory tests, 94.4% were positive for antinuclear antibody, 41.6% for anti-centromere antibody and 19.1% for anti-Scl70; anti-RNA Polymerase III was performed in 37 patients, with 16.2% positive. The city of Campo Grande, the state capital of MS, presented a lower incidence/prevalence of systemic sclerosis in comparison with those numbers found in US studies and close

Normal mode splitting and ground state cooling in a Fabry—Perot optical cavity and transmission line resonator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Hua-Jun; Mi Xian-Wu

2011-01-01

Optomechanical dynamics in two systems which are a transmission line resonator and Fabrya—Perot optical cavity via radiation—pressure are investigated by linearized quantum Langevin equation. We work in the resolved sideband regime where the oscillator resonance frequency exceeds the cavity linewidth. Normal mode splittings of the mechanical resonator as a pure result of the coupling interaction in the two optomechanical systems is studied, and we make a comparison of normal mode splitting of mechanical resonator between the two systems. In the optical cavity, the normal mode splitting of the movable mirror approaches the latest experiment very well. In addition, an approximation scheme is introduced to demonstrate the ground state cooling, and we make a comparison of cooling between the two systems dominated by two key factors, which are the initial bath temperature and the mechanical quality factor. Since both the normal mode splitting and cooling require working in the resolved sideband regime, whether the normal mode splitting influences the cooling of the mirror is considered. Considering the size of the mechanical resonator and precooling the system, the mechanical resonator in the transmission line resonator system is easier to achieve the ground state cooling than in optical cavity. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Pre-Trained Neural Networks used for Non-Linear State Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bayramoglu, Enis; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

2011-01-01

of the paramters in the distribution. This transformation is approximated by a neural network using offline training, which is based on monte carlo sampling. In the paper, there will also be presented a method to construct a flexible distributions well suited for covering the effect of the non-linearities......The paper focuses on nonlinear state estimation assuming non-Gaussian distributions of the states and the disturbances. The posterior distribution and the aposteriori distribution is described by a chosen family of paramtric distributions. The state transformation then results in a transformation...

Quantitative survey radiographic evaluation of the lumbosacral spine of normal dogs and dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattoon, J.S.; Koblik, P.D.

1993-01-01

Survey radiographic studies of the lumbosacral region for 93 normal dogs and for 26 dogs with confirmed degenerative lumbosacral stenosis were reviewed. Normal dogs were divided into 9 groups based on age and body weight. For normal dogs, increasing age and body weight were associated with a decreased ability to extend the lumbosacral joint and with increased incidence and severity of spondylosis. Transitional lumbosacral vertebrae and evidence of lumbosacral disc space collapse were very infrequent findings, and the pivot point for lumbosacral motion was consistently centered over the lumbosacral disc space. Relative to an age/weight matched sub-population of normal dogs, dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis had similar mean normalized lumbosacral vertebral canal height, larger mean neutral lumbosacral angle, decreased extension of the lumbosacral joint, increased flexion of the lumbosacral joint, reduced lumbosacral range of motion, increased lumbosacral dynamic malalignment, higher incidence and severity of spondylosis, higher incidence of transitional vertebrae, and higher incidence of lumbosacral disc space collapse. A logistic model based strictly on radiographic parameters was able to discriminate normal from affected dogs with an overall accuracy rate of 86%

Incidence of cleft Lip and palate in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reddy Srinivas

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the incidence of cleft lip and palate defects in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Design Setting: The study was conducted in 2001 in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The state has a population of 76 million. Three districts, Cuddapah, Medak and Krishna, were identified for this study owing to their diversity. They were urban, semi-urban and rural, respectively. Literacy rates and consanguinity of the parents was elicited and was compared to national averages to find correlations to cleft births. Type and side of cleft were recorded to compare with other studies around the world and other parts of India. Results: The birth rate of clefts was found to be 1.09 for every 1000 live births. This study found that 65% of the children born with clefts were males. The distribution of the type of cleft showed 33% had CL, 64% had CLP, 2% had CP and 1% had rare craniofacial clefts. Unilateral cleft lips were found in 79% of the patients. Of the unilateral cleft lips 64% were left sided. There was a significant correlation of children with clefts being born to parents who shared a consanguineous relationship and those who were illiterate with the odds ratio between 5.25 and 7.21 for consanguinity and between 1.55 and 5.85 for illiteracy, respectively. Conclusion: The birth rate of clefts was found to be comparable with other Asian studies, but lower than found in other studies in Caucasian populations and higher than in African populations. The incidence was found to be similar to other studies done in other parts of India. The distribution over the various types of cleft was comparable to that found in other studies.

Incidence of cleft Lip and palate in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Srinivas Gosla; Reddy, Rajgopal R.; Bronkhorst, Ewald M.; Prasad, Rajendra; Ettema, Anke M.; Sailer, Hermann F.; Bergé, Stefaan J.

2010-01-01

Objective: To assess the incidence of cleft lip and palate defects in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Design Setting: The study was conducted in 2001 in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The state has a population of 76 million. Three districts, Cuddapah, Medak and Krishna, were identified for this study owing to their diversity. They were urban, semi-urban and rural, respectively. Literacy rates and consanguinity of the parents was elicited and was compared to national averages to find correlations to cleft births. Type and side of cleft were recorded to compare with other studies around the world and other parts of India. Results: The birth rate of clefts was found to be 1.09 for every 1000 live births. This study found that 65% of the children born with clefts were males. The distribution of the type of cleft showed 33% had CL, 64% had CLP, 2% had CP and 1% had rare craniofacial clefts. Unilateral cleft lips were found in 79% of the patients. Of the unilateral cleft lips 64% were left sided. There was a significant correlation of children with clefts being born to parents who shared a consanguineous relationship and those who were illiterate with the odds ratio between 5.25 and 7.21 for consanguinity and between 1.55 and 5.85 for illiteracy, respectively. Conclusion: The birth rate of clefts was found to be comparable with other Asian studies, but lower than found in other studies in Caucasian populations and higher than in African populations. The incidence was found to be similar to other studies done in other parts of India. The distribution over the various types of cleft was comparable to that found in other studies. PMID:21217978

The incidence of urea cycle disorders

OpenAIRE

Summar, Marshall L.; Koelker, Stefan; Freedenberg, Debra; Le Mons, Cynthia; Haberle, Johannes; Lee, Hye-Seung; Kirmse, Brian

2013-01-01

A key question for urea cycle disorders is their incidence. In the United States two UCDs argininosuccinic synthetase and lyase deficiency are currently detected by newborn screening. We used newborn screening data on over 6. million births and data from the large US and European longitudinal registries to determine how common these conditions are. The incidence for the United States is predicted to be 1 urea cycle disorder patient for every 35000 births presenting about 113 new patients per ...

Representations of coherent states in non-orthogonal bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, S Twareque; Roknizadeh, R; Tavassoly, M K

2004-01-01

Starting with the canonical coherent states, we demonstrate that all the so-called nonlinear coherent states, used in the physical literature, as well as large classes of other generalized coherent states, can be obtained by changes of bases in the underlying Hilbert space. This observation leads to an interesting duality between pairs of generalized coherent states, bringing into play a Gelfand triple of (rigged) Hilbert spaces. Moreover, it is shown that in each dual pair of families of nonlinear coherent states, at least one family is related to a (generally) non-unitary projective representation of the Weyl-Heisenberg group, which can then be thought of as characterizing the dual pair

Normalized Mini-Mental State Examination for assessing cognitive change in population-based brain aging studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Philipps, Viviane; Amieva, Hélène; Andrieu, Sandrine; Dufouil, Carole; Berr, Claudine; Dartigues, Jean-François; Jacqmin-Gadda, Hélène; Proust-Lima, Cécile

2014-01-01

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is widely used in population-based longitudinal studies to quantify cognitive change. However, its poor metrological properties, mainly ceiling/floor effects and varying sensitivity to change, have largely restricted its usefulness. We propose a normalizing transformation that corrects these properties, and makes possible the use of standard statistical methods to analyze change in MMSE scores. The normalizing transformation designed to correct at best the metrological properties of MMSE was estimated and validated on two population-based studies (n = 4,889, 20-year follow-up) by cross-validation. The transformation was also validated on two external studies with heterogeneous samples mixing normal and pathological aging, and samples including only demented subjects. The normalizing transformation provided correct inference in contrast with models analyzing the change in crude MMSE that most often lead to biased estimates of risk factors and incorrect conclusions. Cognitive change can be easily and properly assessed with the normalized MMSE using standard statistical methods such as linear (mixed) models. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Fermion number non-conservation and cold neutral fermionic matter in (V-A) gauge theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matveev, V.A.; Rubakov, V.A.; Tavkhelidze, A.N.; Tokarev, V.F.

1987-01-01

It is shown that in four-dimensional abelian (V-A) theories, the ground state of cold neutral fermionic matter is an anomalous state containing domains of abnormal phase surrounded by the normal vacuum. Inside these domains, there exists a gauge field condensate which makes real fermions disappear both inside and outside the domains. In non-abelian theories, the abnormal matter is unstable in its turn, and the system rolls back down into the normal state with a small number of fermions above the topologically non-trivial vacuum. Thus, in several non-abelian gauge theories, the fermion number density of cold neutral matter cannot exceed some critical value. (orig.)

Non-equilibrium transport in the quantum dot: quench dynamics and non-equilibrium steady state

Science.gov (United States)

Culver, Adrian; Andrei, Natan

We present an exact method of calculating the non-equilibrium current driven by a voltage drop across a quantum dot. The system is described by the two lead Anderson model at zero temperature with on-site Coulomb repulsion and non-interacting, linearized leads. We prepare the system in an initial state consisting of a free Fermi sea in each lead with the voltage drop given as the difference between the two Fermi levels. We quench the system by coupling the dot to the leads at t = 0 and following the time evolution of the wavefunction. In the long time limit a new type of Bethe Ansatz wavefunction emerges, which satisfies the Lippmann-Schwinger equation with the two Fermi seas serving as the boundary conditions. This exact, non-perturbative solution describes the non-equilibrium steady state of the system. We describe how to use this solution to compute the infinite time limit of the expectation value of the current operator at a given voltage, which would yield the I-V characteristic of the dot. Research supported by NSF Grant DMR 1410583.

A spatiotemporal mixed model to assess the influence of environmental and socioeconomic factors on the incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lianfa Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As a common infectious disease, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD is affected by multiple environmental and socioeconomic factors, and its pathogenesis is complex. Furthermore, the transmission of HFMD is characterized by strong spatial clustering and autocorrelation, and the classical statistical approach may be biased without consideration of spatial autocorrelation. In this paper, we propose to embed spatial characteristics into a spatiotemporal additive model to improve HFMD incidence assessment. Methods Using incidence data (6439 samples from 137 monitoring district for Shandong Province, China, along with meteorological, environmental and socioeconomic spatial and spatiotemporal covariate data, we proposed a spatiotemporal mixed model to estimate HFMD incidence. Geo-additive regression was used to model the non-linear effects of the covariates on the incidence risk of HFMD in univariate and multivariate models. Furthermore, the spatial effect was constructed to capture spatial autocorrelation at the sub-regional scale, and clusters (hotspots of high risk were generated using spatiotemporal scanning statistics as a predictor. Linear and non-linear effects were compared to illustrate the usefulness of non-linear associations. Patterns of spatial effects and clusters were explored to illustrate the variation of the HFMD incidence across geographical sub-regions. To validate our approach, 10-fold cross-validation was conducted. Results The results showed that there were significant non-linear associations of the temporal index, spatiotemporal meteorological factors and spatial environmental and socioeconomic factors with HFMD incidence. Furthermore, there were strong spatial autocorrelation and clusters for the HFMD incidence. Spatiotemporal meteorological parameters, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, the temporal index, spatiotemporal clustering and spatial effects played important roles as predictors in

A non-linear state space approach to model groundwater fluctuations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berendrecht, W.L.; Heemink, A.W.; Geer, F.C. van; Gehrels, J.C.

2006-01-01

A non-linear state space model is developed for describing groundwater fluctuations. Non-linearity is introduced by modeling the (unobserved) degree of water saturation of the root zone. The non-linear relations are based on physical concepts describing the dependence of both the actual

Normal-state conductance used to probe superconducting tunnel junctions for quantum computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaparro, Carlos; Bavier, Richard; Kim, Yong-Seung; Kim, Eunyoung; Oh, Seongshik [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States); Kline, Jeffrey S; Pappas, David P, E-mail: carlosch@physics.rutgers.ed, E-mail: ohsean@physics.rutgers.ed [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305 (United States)

2010-04-15

Here we report normal-state conductance measurements of three different types of superconducting tunnel junctions that are being used or proposed for quantum computing applications: p-Al/a-AlO/p-Al, e-Re/e-AlO/p-Al, and e-V/e-MgO/p-V, where p stands for polycrystalline, e for epitaxial, and a for amorphous. All three junctions exhibited significant deviations from the parabolic behavior predicted by the WKB approximation models. In the p-Al/a-AlO/p-Al junction, we observed enhancement of tunneling conductances at voltages matching harmonics of Al-O stretching modes. On the other hand, such Al-O vibration modes were missing in the epitaxial e-Re/e-AlO/p-Al junction. This suggests that absence or existence of the Al-O stretching mode might be related to the crystallinity of the AlO tunnel barrier and the interface between the electrode and the barrier. In the e-V/e-MgO/p-V junction, which is one of the candidate systems for future superconducting qubits, we observed suppression of the density of states at zero bias. This implies that the interface is electronically disordered, presumably due to oxidation of the vanadium surface underneath the MgO barrier, even if the interface was structurally well ordered, suggesting that the e-V/e-MgO/p-V junction will not be suitable for qubit applications in its present form. This also demonstrates that the normal-state conductance measurement can be effectively used to screen out low quality samples in the search for better superconducting tunnel junctions.

Cancer incidence of A-bomb survivors in Nagasaki City, 1973 - 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Takayoshi; Shimokawa, Isao; Iwasaki, Keisuke; Matsuo, Takeshi; Mori, Hiroyuki; Mine, Mariko

1988-01-01

Subjects were residents older than 30 years ascertained through the population-based cancer registry in Nagasaki City during a ten-year period from 1973 to 1982. The total number of cancer patients was 6,243 (3,456 men and 2,787 women), 2,626 of whom were A-bomb survivors. Stomach cancer was the most common, irrespective of sex, in both exposed and non-exposed groups. Crude incidence of cancer of any organ was higher in the exposed group, especially the group of people entering the city early after the bombing, than the non-exposed group. In the groups exposed at <2,000 m and at 2,000 - 10,000 m from the hypocenter, the incidence of stomach, lung, and thyroid cancers and malignant lymphoma; and the incidence of stomach, breast, and thyroid cancers were radiation-dose dependent in men and women, respectively. Age-adjusted relative risks of breast and thyroid cancers were significantly higher in the exposed group of women than the non-exposed group. Comparing cancer incidence during the first and latter five years, the incidence of thyroid cancer and malignant lymphoma tended to decrease or remain unchanged in both men and women. The incidence of colorectal cancer showed a tendency to increase. An increased incidence of stomach and lung cancers was restricted to the exposed group of women. As for breast cancer, the exposed group of women had a tendency for decrease, as opposed to the non-exposed group with the increased incidence. There was no significant difference in histologic types between the exposed and non-exposed groups. (Namekawa, K.)

Autonomic modulations of heart rate variability are associated with sports injury incidence in sprint swimmers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima-Borges, Dayanne S; Martinez, Paula F; Vanderlei, Luiz Carlos M; Barbosa, Fernando S S; Oliveira-Junior, Silvio A

2018-03-28

Young athletes' participation in competitive sports is becoming increasingly common, and this increased involvement raises concerns about the occurrence of overtraining and sports injuries. Since these issues are poorly understood, this study analyzed heart rate variability, stress/recovery relationship, and sports injury incidence during a training macrocycle of young sprint and endurance swimmers. Thirty teenage swimmers (aged 12 to 17 years) were divided into two groups as follows: Sprint (n = 17) and Endurance (n = 13). Subjects were evaluated over 20 weeks, based on the following three schedules: general, specific, and competitive. In addition to heart rate variability and sports injury incidence, the Recovery-Stress-Questionnaire of Athletes was used to analyse stress/recovery states in athletes. All procedures were developed at the initial moment and at the end of each periodization step. The Sprint group presented a reduced standard deviation of normal-normal beats (73.0 ± 6.6 vs. 54.1 ± 3.5 ms; p sports injury than the Endurance group (0.0214 ± 0.0068 vs. 0.0136 ± 0.0050 cases/1000 hours). Sprint training was associated with progressive activation of the sympathetic nervous system as well as a higher incidence of sports injury in comparison to endurance swimming during a training macrocycle.

Incidence and epidemiology of spinal cord injury within a closed American population: the United States military (2000–2009)

OpenAIRE

Schoenfeld, AJ; McCriskin, B.; Hsiao, M.; Burks, R.

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) within the population of the United States military from 2000–2009. This investigation also sought to define potential risk factors for the development of SCI.

Transformation of bipartite non-maximally entangled states into a ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We present two schemes for transforming bipartite non-maximally entangled states into a W state in cavity QED system, by using highly detuned interactions and the resonant interactions between ... Proceedings of the International Workshop/Conference on Computational Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science

Residential Radon Exposure and Incidence of Childhood Lymphoma in Texas, 1995–2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin C. Peckham

2015-09-01

Full Text Available There is warranted interest in assessing the association between residential radon exposure and the risk of childhood cancer. We sought to evaluate the association between residential radon exposure and the incidence of childhood lymphoma in Texas. The Texas Cancer Registry (n = 2147 provided case information for the period 1995–2011. Denominator data were obtained from the United States Census. Regional arithmetic mean radon concentrations were obtained from the Texas Indoor Radon Survey and linked to residence at diagnosis. Exposure was assessed categorically: ≤25th percentile (reference, >25th to ≤50th percentile, >50th to ≤75th percentile, and >75th percentile. Negative binomial regression generated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR and 95% confidence intervals (CI. We evaluated lymphoma overall and by subtype: Hodgkin (HL; n = 1248, Non-Hodgkin excluding Burkitt (non-BL NHL; n = 658, Burkitt (BL; n = 241, and Diffuse Large B-cell (DLBCL; n = 315. There was no evidence that residential radon exposure was positively associated with lymphoma overall, HL, or BL. Areas with radon concentrations >75th percentile had a marginal increase in DLBCL incidence (aIRR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.03–2.91. In one of the largest studies of residential radon exposure and the incidence of childhood lymphoma, we found little evidence to suggest a positive or negative association; an observation consistent with previous studies.

Development of Physical Techniques for the Non-Destructive Evaluation of Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

1986-09-30

extracted. However, this demands careful interpretation since the plane of polarisation is altered upon reflection at non -normal angles of incidence, due...an .. ’ -j M1 beam splitter collimating 0 12 4 F- M mirror transmitter specimen receiver 4 imaging mirror A Figure 20 Twyman-Green interferometer...00 fEVPli) PmEN;’i OF PHIYS ICAL n.CIIN I (JES FOR THlE NON - 1W STRI(MUf LE VALIJA’r ION OF P~OLYMER(S Final Report K 11 G Ashhcc, P A Gass, .J 1

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is not Related to the Incidence of Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes

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Chun-Shan Bi

2012-11-01

Full Text Available To analyze the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD and the incidence of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes, the incidence of diabetic nephropathy was assessed in 413 type 2 diabetic patients, by testing the 24 h urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER. The NAFLD was diagnosed based on patient’s medical history and liver ultrasound. The difference in diabetic nephropathy incidence between patients with and without NAFLD was tested by χ2. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the factors associated with diabetic nephropathy among type 2 diabetic patients. Total 363 out of 413 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled in this study. The incidences of NAFLD and diabetic nephropathy in participants were approximately 56% (202/363 and 38% (137/363 respectively, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy between patients with and without NAFLD (37.1% vs. 38.5%, p = 0.787. The duration of diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.065, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.014–1.120, p = 0.012, waist circumference (OR 1.077, 95% CI 1.040–1.116, p = 0.000, and fasting blood glucose (FBG; OR 1.136, 95% CI 1.023–1.1262, p = 0.017 were significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy, whereas sex, high blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC, triglyceride (TG, and ankle brachial pressure index (ABI were not significantly associated with the disorder. The present results suggest that NAFLD is not related to the incidence of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes, but the duration of diabetes, waist circumference, and FBG are important factors for diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes.

Association between late-onset depression and incident dementia in Chinese older persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, C W C; Lam, L C W

2013-12-01

OBJECTIVE. Previous studies have shown that depression is a precursor / prodrome or susceptible state for the development of dementia. This study aimed to examine the relationship between late-onset depression and subsequent cognitive and functional decline in a cohort of non-demented older Chinese persons at their 2-year follow-up and investigate for possible predictors of cognitive decline. METHODS. A total of 81 depressed subjects and 468 non-depressed community controls were recruited. RESULTS. Subjects with late-onset depression showed significantly more incident Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale decline (odds ratio = 3.87, 95% confidence interval = 2.23-6.70) and dementia (odds ratio = 3.44, 95% confidence interval = 1.75-6.77) than those without depression. A higher proportion of depressed CDR 0 subjects had CDR and functional decline than their non-depressed counterparts. Depressed CDR 0.5 subjects had significantly higher rates of functional decline and lower rates of improvement in CDR than their non-depressed counterparts. CONCLUSION. Diagnosis of depression was a robust predictor of incident very mild dementia (i.e. CDR of 0.5) and depression severity was a predictor of progression to dementia from CDR of 0.5. The association between depression and the risk of CDR decline and dementia was observed in non-demented Chinese subjects. Depression was also associated with persistent mild cognitive deficits in CDR 0.5 subjects.

Level of implementation of best practice policies for creating healthy food environments: assessment by state and non-state actors in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Phulkerd, Sirinya; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Lawrence, Mark; Tangcharoensathien, Viroj; Sacks, Gary

2017-02-01

To determine and compare the level of implementation of policies for healthy food environments in Thailand with reference to international best practice by state and non-state actors. Data on the current level of implementation of food environment policies were assessed independently using the adapted Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) by two groups of actors. Concrete actions were proposed for Thai Government. A joint meeting between both groups was subsequently held to reach consensus on priority actions. Thailand. Thirty state actors and twenty-seven non-state actors. Level of policy implementation varied across different domains and actor groups. State actors rated implementation levels higher than non-state actors. Both state and non-state actors rated level of implementation of monitoring of BMI highest. Level of implementation of policies promoting in-store availability of healthy foods and policies increasing tax on unhealthy foods were rated lowest by state and non-state actors, respectively. Both groups reached consensus on eleven priority actions for implementation, focusing on food provision in public-sector settings, food composition, food promotion, leadership, monitoring and intelligence, and food trade. Although the implementation gaps identified and priority actions proposed varied between state and non-state actors, both groups achieved consensus on a comprehensive food policy package to be implemented by the Thai Government to improve the healthiness of food environments. This consensus is a platform for continued policy dialogue towards cross-sectoral policy coherence and effective actions to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and obesity in Thailand.

Incident reporting: Its role in aviation safety and the acquisition of human error data

Science.gov (United States)

Reynard, W. D.

1983-01-01

The rationale for aviation incident reporting systems is presented and contrasted to some of the shortcomings of accident investigation procedures. The history of the United State's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is outlined and the program's character explained. The planning elements that resulted in the ASRS program's voluntary, confidential, and non-punitive design are discussed. Immunity, from enforcement action and misuse of the volunteered data, is explained and evaluated. Report generation techniques and the ASRS data analysis process are described; in addition, examples of the ASRS program's output and accomplishments are detailed. Finally, the value of incident reporting for the acquisition of safety information, particularly human error data, is explored.

Incidence of tuberculous meningitis in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cíntia Helena de Souza

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of tuberculous meningitis in the State of Santa Catarina (SC, Brazil, during the period from 2001 to 2010. Methods Ecological, temporal, and descriptive methods were employed using data obtained from the Information System on Disease Notification (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação. Results One hundred sixteen reported cases of tuberculous meningitis occurred from 2001 to 2010, corresponding to 1.2% (0.2 cases/100,000 inhabitants of all meningitis cases reported in SC. There was a predominance of new cases in males, corresponding to 56.9% of new cases (0.2 cases/100,000 inhabitants; males vs. females; p=0.374, in patients aged 20-39 years, corresponding to 52.6% of new cases (0.5 cases/100,000 inhabitants; 20-39 years versus others; p<0.001, and in urban areas, corresponding to 91.4% of new cases (0.2 cases/100,000 inhabitants; urban vs. rural; p=0.003. In 48.3% of cases, the outcome was death. Conclusions The incidence rate of tuberculous meningitis in SC has increased within the last decade, with the most affected population comprising young adult white males with an average education. Thus, tuberculous meningitis remains a serious disease, emphasizing the need for disease prevention with vaccination campaigns against tuberculosis, the development of faster and more accurate diagnostic methods, and the use of current epidemiological knowledge regarding the disease to facilitate the establishment of early treatment.

Computational Modelling and Optimal Control of Ebola Virus Disease with non-Linear Incidence Rate

Science.gov (United States)

Takaidza, I.; Makinde, O. D.; Okosun, O. K.

2017-03-01

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has exposed the need to connect modellers and those with relevant data as pivotal to better understanding of how the disease spreads and quantifying the effects of possible interventions. In this paper, we model and analyse the Ebola virus disease with non-linear incidence rate. The epidemic model created is used to describe how the Ebola virus could potentially evolve in a population. We perform an uncertainty analysis of the basic reproductive number R 0 to quantify its sensitivity to other disease-related parameters. We also analyse the sensitivity of the final epidemic size to the time control interventions (education, vaccination, quarantine and safe handling) and provide the cost effective combination of the interventions.

Incident Duration Modeling Using Flexible Parametric Hazard-Based Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruimin Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Assessing and prioritizing the duration time and effects of traffic incidents on major roads present significant challenges for road network managers. This study examines the effect of numerous factors associated with various types of incidents on their duration and proposes an incident duration prediction model. Several parametric accelerated failure time hazard-based models were examined, including Weibull, log-logistic, log-normal, and generalized gamma, as well as all models with gamma heterogeneity and flexible parametric hazard-based models with freedom ranging from one to ten, by analyzing a traffic incident dataset obtained from the Incident Reporting and Dispatching System in Beijing in 2008. Results show that different factors significantly affect different incident time phases, whose best distributions were diverse. Given the best hazard-based models of each incident time phase, the prediction result can be reasonable for most incidents. The results of this study can aid traffic incident management agencies not only in implementing strategies that would reduce incident duration, and thus reduce congestion, secondary incidents, and the associated human and economic losses, but also in effectively predicting incident duration time.

Incidence of inguinal hernia in children with congenital cerebral palsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reimers, J I; Latocha, J E

1990-01-01

The incidence of inguinal hernia among 247 children with cerebral palsy was ascertained. During the first year of life, 20 of the 153 boys developed hernia, as did one of the 94 girls. Among boys with birthweights of 1000 to 2000g the incidence was 31 per cent, which is twice the rate for normal...

Transcriptomic analysis on the formation of the viable putative non-culturable state of beer-spoilage Lactobacillus acetotolerans.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Junyan; Deng, Yang; Peters, Brian M; Li, Lin; Li, Bing; Chen, Lequn; Xu, Zhenbo; Shirtliff, Mark E

2016-11-07

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most common beer-spoilage bacteria regardless of beer type, and thus pose significant problems for the brewery industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic mechanisms involved in the ability of the hard-to-culture beer-spoilage bacterium Lactobacillus acetotolerans to enter into the viable putative non-culturable (VPNC) state. A genome-wide transcriptional analysis of beer-spoilage L. acetotolerans strains BM-LA14526, BM-LA14527, and BM-LA14528 under normal, mid-term and VPNC states were performed using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and further bioinformatics analyses. GO function, COG category, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to investigate functional and related metabolic pathways of the differentially expressed genes. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that heightened stress response and reduction in genes associated with transport, metabolic process, and enzyme activity might play important roles in the formation of the VPNC state. This is the first transcriptomic analysis on the formation of the VPNC state of beer spoilage L. acetotolerans.

Chemical reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure of reacting gas mixtures in the state-to-state approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kustova, Elena V.; Kremer, Gilberto M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • State-to-state approach for coupled vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions. • Self-consistent model for rates of non-equilibrium reactions and energy transitions. • In viscous flows mass action law is violated. • Cross coupling between reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure in viscous flow. • Results allow implementing the state-to-state approach for viscous flow simulations. - Abstract: Viscous gas flows with vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions in the state-to-state approach are analyzed. A modified Chapman–Enskog method is used for the determination of chemical reaction and vibrational transition rates and non-equilibrium pressure. Constitutive equations depend on the thermodynamic forces: velocity divergence and chemical reaction/transition affinity. As an application, N 2 flow with vibrational relaxation across a shock wave is investigated. Two distinct processes occur behind the shock: for small values of the distance the affinity is large and vibrational relaxation is in its initial stage; for large distances the affinity is small and the chemical reaction is in its final stage. The affinity contributes more to the transition rate than the velocity divergence and the effect of these two contributions are more important for small distances from the shock front. For the non-equilibrium pressure, the term associated with the bulk viscosity increases by a small amount the hydrostatic pressure

Chemical reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure of reacting gas mixtures in the state-to-state approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kustova, Elena V., E-mail: e.kustova@spbu.ru [Department of Mathematics and Mechanics, Saint Petersburg State University, 198504 Universitetskiy pr. 28, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kremer, Gilberto M., E-mail: kremer@fisica.ufpr.br [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19044, 81531-980 Curitiba (Brazil)

2014-12-05

Highlights: • State-to-state approach for coupled vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions. • Self-consistent model for rates of non-equilibrium reactions and energy transitions. • In viscous flows mass action law is violated. • Cross coupling between reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure in viscous flow. • Results allow implementing the state-to-state approach for viscous flow simulations. - Abstract: Viscous gas flows with vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions in the state-to-state approach are analyzed. A modified Chapman–Enskog method is used for the determination of chemical reaction and vibrational transition rates and non-equilibrium pressure. Constitutive equations depend on the thermodynamic forces: velocity divergence and chemical reaction/transition affinity. As an application, N{sub 2} flow with vibrational relaxation across a shock wave is investigated. Two distinct processes occur behind the shock: for small values of the distance the affinity is large and vibrational relaxation is in its initial stage; for large distances the affinity is small and the chemical reaction is in its final stage. The affinity contributes more to the transition rate than the velocity divergence and the effect of these two contributions are more important for small distances from the shock front. For the non-equilibrium pressure, the term associated with the bulk viscosity increases by a small amount the hydrostatic pressure.

Predicting hepatitis B monthly incidence rates using weighted Markov chains and time series methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahdoust, Maryam; Sadeghifar, Majid; Poorolajal, Jalal; Javanrooh, Niloofar; Amini, Payam

2015-01-01

Hepatitis B (HB) is a major global mortality. Accurately predicting the trend of the disease can provide an appropriate view to make health policy disease prevention. This paper aimed to apply three different to predict monthly incidence rates of HB. This historical cohort study was conducted on the HB incidence data of Hamadan Province, the west of Iran, from 2004 to 2012. Weighted Markov Chain (WMC) method based on Markov chain theory and two time series models including Holt Exponential Smoothing (HES) and SARIMA were applied on the data. The results of different applied methods were compared to correct percentages of predicted incidence rates. The monthly incidence rates were clustered into two clusters as state of Markov chain. The correct predicted percentage of the first and second clusters for WMC, HES and SARIMA methods was (100, 0), (84, 67) and (79, 47) respectively. The overall incidence rate of HBV is estimated to decrease over time. The comparison of results of the three models indicated that in respect to existing seasonality trend and non-stationarity, the HES had the most accurate prediction of the incidence rates.

Distribution Log Normal of 222 Rn in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, M.L.; Mireles, F.; Quirino, L.; Davila, I.; Rios, C.; Pinedo, J.L.

2006-01-01

In this work the evaluation of the concentration of 222 Rn in air for Zacatecas is shown. The Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors were used as the technique for the realization of the measurements in large scale with cellulose nitrate LR-115, type 2, in open chambers of 222 Rn. The measurements were carried out during three months in different times of the year. In the results it is presented the log normal distribution, arithmetic mean and geometric media for the concentration at indoor and outdoor of residence constructions, the concentration at indoor of occupational constructions and in the 57 municipal heads of the state of Zacatecas. The statistics of the values in the concentration showed variation according to the time of the year, obtaining high quantities in winter seasons for both cases. The distribution of the concentration of 222 Rn is presented in the state map for each one of the municipalities, representing the measurement places in the entire state of Zacatecas. Finally the places where the values in the concentration of 222 Rn in air are near to the one limit settled down by the EPA of 148 Bq/m 3 are presented. (Author)

Trends in Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Among Non-Hispanic White Youth in the U.S., 2002–2009

Science.gov (United States)

Imperatore, Giuseppina; Dabelea, Dana; Mayer-Davis, Elizabeth J.; Linder, Barbara; Saydah, Sharon; Klingensmith, Georgeanna J.; Dolan, Lawrence; Standiford, Debra A.; Pihoker, Catherine; Pettitt, David J.; Talton, Jennifer W.; Thomas, Joan; Bell, Ronny A.; D’Agostino, Ralph B.

2014-01-01

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study prospectively identified youth aged <20 years with physician-diagnosed diabetes. Annual type 1 diabetes (T1D) incidence per 100,000 person-years (95% CI) overall, by age-group, and by sex were calculated for at-risk non-Hispanic white (NHW) youth from 2002 through 2009. Joinpoint and Poisson regression models were used to test for temporal trends. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of T1D increased from 24.4/100,000 (95% CI 23.9–24.8) in 2002 to 27.4/100,000 (26.9–27.9) in 2009 (P for trend = 0.0008). The relative annual increase in T1D incidence was 2.72% (1.18–4.28) per year; 2.84% (1.12–4.58) per year for males and 2.57% (0.68–4.51) per year for females. After adjustment for sex, significant increases were found for youth aged 5–9 years (P = 0.0023), 10–14 years (P = 0.0008), and 15–19 years (P = 0.004) but not among 0–4-year-olds (P = 0.1862). Mean age at diagnosis did not change. The SEARCH study demonstrated a significant increase in the incidence of T1D among NHW youth from 2002 through 2009 overall and in all but the youngest age-group. Continued surveillance of T1D in U.S. youth to identify future trends in T1D incidence and to plan for health care delivery is warranted. PMID:24898146

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging: a non-invasive method to evaluate significant differences between malignant and normal tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudisch, Ansgar; Kremser, Christian; Judmaier, Werner; Zunterer, Hildegard; DeVries, Alexander F.

2005-01-01

Purpose: An ever recurring challenge in diagnostic radiology is the differentiation between non-malignant and malignant tissue. Based on evidence that microcirculation of normal, non-malignant tissue differs from that of malignant tissue, the goal of this study was to assess the reliability of dynamic contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dcMRI) for differentiating these two entities. Materials and methods: DcMRI data of rectum carcinoma and gluteus maximus muscles were acquired in 41 patients. Using an fast T1-mapping sequence on a 1.5-T whole body scanner, T1-maps were dynamically retrieved before, during and after constant rate i.v. infusion of a contrast medium (CM). On the basis of the acquired data sets, PI-values were calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The relevance of spatial heterogeneities of microcirculation was investigated by relative frequency histograms of the PI-values. Results: A statistically significant difference between malignant and normal tissue was found for the mean PI-value (P < 0.001; 8.95 ml/min/100 g ± 2.45 versus 3.56 ml/min/100 g ± 1.20). Additionally relative frequency distributions of PI-values with equal class intervals of 2.5 ml/min/100 g revealed significant differences between the histograms of muscles and rectum carcinoma. Conclusion: We could show that microcirculation differences between malignant and normal, non-malignant tissue can be reliably assessed by non-invasive dcMRI. Therefore, dcMRI holds great promise in the aid of cancer assessment, especially in patients where biopsy is contraindicated

Nakedly singular non-vacuum gravitating equilibrium states

Science.gov (United States)

Woszczyna, Andrzej; Kutschera, Marek; Kubis, Sebastian; Czaja, Wojciech; Plaszczyk, Piotr; Golda, Zdzisław A.

2016-01-01

Non-vacuum static spherically symmetric spacetimes with central point-like repulsive gravity sources are investigated. Both the symmetries of spacetime and the degree of irregularity of curvature invariants, are the same as for the Schwarzschild case. The equilibrium configurations are modelled using the neutron star polytrope equation of state.

Pump induced normal mode splittings in phase conjugation in a Kerr ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Phase conjugation in a Kerr nonlinear waveguide is studied with counter-propagating normally incident pumps and a probe beam at an arbitrary angle of incidence. Detailed numerical results for the specular and phase conjugated reflectivities are obtained with full account of pump depletion. For sufficient ...

Non-Bloch decay of Rabi oscillations in liquid state NMR

Science.gov (United States)

Chakrabarti, Arnab; Bhattacharyya, Rangeet

2018-03-01

Rabi oscillations are known to exhibit non-Bloch behaviour in anisotropic media. In this letter, we report an experimental observation of non-Bloch decay of Rabi oscillations in isotropic liquid state NMR. To avoid the dephasing due to the radio-frequency inhomogeneities, we develop a modified version of the rotary echo protocol and use it to determine the decay rates of Rabi oscillations. We find that the measured decay rates are proportional to the square of the Rabi frequencies and the proportionality constant is of the order of tens of picoseconds. Further, we show that this non-Bloch nature of the decay rates becomes less prominent with increasing temperature. The implications of the presence of non-Bloch decay rates in liquid state NMR in the context of ensemble quantum computing are also discussed.

The incidence of urea cycle disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Summar, Marshall L; Koelker, Stefan; Freedenberg, Debra; Le Mons, Cynthia; Haberle, Johannes; Lee, Hye-Seung; Kirmse, Brian

2013-01-01

A key question for urea cycle disorders is their incidence. In the United States two UCDs, argininosuccinic synthetase and lyase deficiency, are currently detected by newborn screening. We used newborn screening data on over 6million births and data from the large US and European longitudinal registries to determine how common these conditions are. The incidence for the United States is predicted to be 1 urea cycle disorder patient for every 35,000 births presenting about 113 new patients per year across all age groups. © 2013.

Automated impedance-manometry analysis detects esophageal motor dysfunction in patients who have non-obstructive dysphagia with normal manometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, N. Q.; Holloway, R. H.; Smout, A. J.; Omari, T. I.

2013-01-01

Background  Automated integrated analysis of impedance and pressure signals has been reported to identify patients at risk of developing dysphagia post fundoplication. This study aimed to investigate this analysis in the evaluation of patients with non-obstructive dysphagia (NOD) and normal

Dependence on incident angle of solid state detector response to gamma-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanishi, Hirokuni; Yamaguchi, Satarou; Yamaguchi, Takayuki; Ueki, Kohtaro

2002-01-01

The shape and size of a NaI(Tl) scintillator that should maximize response variation with γ-ray incident angle was estimated by analytical model calculation. It proved that, even for gamma rays of energy exceeding 1 MeV, a slab detector measuring 50 cm x 50 cm x 5 cm thick should present a ratio of at least 4 between maximum and minimum responses against incidence at different angles. For a sample case of 60 keV gamma rays, estimation of the incident angle dependence by means of Monte Carlo simulation agreed well with experiment using a CZT detector. The counts from photo-electric peak varied with incident angle roughly along a sine curve. The foregoing finding served as basis for proposing a practical direction finder for γ-ray source operating on the principle of determining the source direction from variations in count with incident angle. (author)

Quantum resource theory of non-stabilizer states in the one-shot regime

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi, Mehdi; Dang, Hoan; Gour, Gilad; Sanders, Barry

Universal quantum computing is known to be impossible using only stabilizer states and stabilizer operations. However, addition of non-stabilizer states (also known as magic states) to quantum circuits enables us to achieve universality. The resource theory of non-stablizer states aims at quantifying the usefulness of non-stabilizer states. Here, we focus on a fundamental question in this resource theory in the so called single-shot regime: Given two resource states, is there a free quantum channel that will (approximately or exactly) convert one to the other?. To provide an answer, we phrase the question as a semidefinite program with constraints on the Choi matrix of the corresponding channel. Then, we use the semidefinite version of the Farkas lemma to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the conversion between two arbitrary resource states via a free quantum channel. BCS appreciates financial support from Alberta Innovates, NSERC, China's 1000 Talent Plan and the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter.

Risk of amphetamine use disorder and mortality among incident users of prescribed stimulant medications in the Veterans Administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Westover, Arthur N; Nakonezny, Paul A; Halm, Ethan A; Adinoff, Bryon

2018-05-01

Non-medical use of prescribed stimulant medications is a growing concern. This study's aims were to ascertain the demographics of stimulant medication users compared with non-users, examine temporal trends of stimulant medication use and estimate risk factors for development of amphetamine use disorder (AUD) and mortality among new users of stimulant medications. Cox proportional hazards regression in a retrospective cohort adjusted by baseline covariates. United States, national administrative database of the Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care system. Adult incident users of stimulant medications (n = 78 829) from fiscal years (FY) 2001 to 2012. Primary outcomes were time-to-event: (1) occurrence of AUD diagnosis and (2) death. Baseline covariates included demographic information, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications for stimulant use, substance use disorders (SUD) and depression. Stimulant users compared with non-users were younger, more likely to be non-Hispanic white and female. Incident stimulant medication users increased threefold from FY2001-FY2012 and eightfold among adults aged 18-44 years. Nearly one in 10 incident users in FY2012 had a comorbid baseline SUD. Off-label use was common-nearly three of every five incident users in FY2012. Comorbid SUDs among incident stimulant medication users were risk factors for occurrence of AUD during follow-up, with adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) estimates ranging from 1.54 to 2.83 (Ps users in the Veterans Affairs health-care system, measured from fiscal years 2001 to 2012, comorbid substance use disorders were common and were risk factors for development of an amphetamine use disorder (AUD). Increased mortality risk among incident users of stimulant medications was observed among both those who developed an AUD later and those whose use was defined as off-label. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Teleportation of an unknown bipartite state via non-maximally entangled two-particle state

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Cao Hai-Jing; Guo Yan-Qing; Song He-Shan

2006-01-01

In this paper a new scheme for teleporting an unknown entangled state of two particles is proposed. To weaken the requirement for the quantum channel, without loss of generality, two communicators only share a non-maximally entangled two-particle state. Teleportation can be probabilistically realized if sender performs Bell-state measurements and Hadamard transformation and receiver introduces two auxiliary particles, operates G-not operation, single-qubit measurements and appropriate unitary transformations. The probability of successful teleportation is determined by the smaller one among the coefficients' absolute values of the quantum channel.

[The influence of the pre-hospital application of non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin in the practice of emergency medical services in multiple and mass casualty incidents (MCI)--a case report].

Science.gov (United States)

Gałazkowski, Robert; Wejnarski, Arkadiusz; Baumberg, Ignacy; Świeżewski, Stanisław; Timler, Dariusz

2014-01-01

In 2013 a fire broke out in the Nursing Home (NH) in the Henryszew village 5 km away from the district hospital in Zyrardów. At the time of the incident 52 residents and 16 staff members were present in the building. Due to a large number of casualties, the occurrence was classified as a potentially mass casualty incident (MCI). Troops of the State Fire Brigade, Paramedic Rescue Squads, choppers of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, the Police, and the NH staff took part in the rescue operation. The priority was given to the evacuation of the NH residents carried out by the NH staff and firefighters, extinguishing the fire, as well as to primary and secondary survey triage. Due to the pre-accident health state of the victims, the latter posed a considerable difficulty. A decisive role was played by the need to conduct non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin in all the casualties, which then made it possible to adequately diagnose the patients and implement proper procedures. The rescue operation was correctly followed although it proved to be a serious logistical and technical undertaking for the participating emergency services. The residents were not found to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, therefore 46 of the residents safely returned to the building. The fact that all the Paramedic Rescue Squads were equipped with medical triage sets and were able to conduct non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin made it possible to introduce effective procedures in the cases of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and abandon costly and complicated organisational procedures when they proved to be unnecessary.

Annealing Effects on the Normal-State Resistive Properties of Underdoped Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Vovk, R. V.; Khadzhai, G. Ya.; Nazyrov, Z. F.; Kamchatnaya, S. N.; Feher, A.; Dobrovolskiy, O. V.

2018-05-01

The influence of room-temperature annealing on the parameters of the basal-plane electrical resistance of underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ } and HoBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ } single crystals in the normal and superconducting states is investigated. The form of the derivatives dρ (T)/dT makes it possible to determine the onset temperature of the fluctuation conductivity and indicates a nonuniform distribution of the labile oxygen. Annealing has been revealed to lead to a monotonic decrease in the oxygen deficiency, that primarily manifests itself as a decrease in the residual resistance, an increase of T_c, and a decrease in the Debye temperature.

Hydrogen-enriched non-premixed jet flames : analysis of the flame surface, flame normal, flame index and Wobbe index

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ranga Dinesh, K.K.J.; Jiang, X.; Oijen, van J.A.

2014-01-01

A non-premixed impinging jet flame is studied using three-dimensional direct numerical simulation with detailed chemical kinetics in order to investigate the influence of fuel variability on flame surface, flame normal, flame index and Wobbe index for hydrogen-enriched combustion. Analyses indicate

Group normalization for genomic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghandi, Mahmoud; Beer, Michael A

2012-01-01

Data normalization is a crucial preliminary step in analyzing genomic datasets. The goal of normalization is to remove global variation to make readings across different experiments comparable. In addition, most genomic loci have non-uniform sensitivity to any given assay because of variation in local sequence properties. In microarray experiments, this non-uniform sensitivity is due to different DNA hybridization and cross-hybridization efficiencies, known as the probe effect. In this paper we introduce a new scheme, called Group Normalization (GN), to remove both global and local biases in one integrated step, whereby we determine the normalized probe signal by finding a set of reference probes with similar responses. Compared to conventional normalization methods such as Quantile normalization and physically motivated probe effect models, our proposed method is general in the sense that it does not require the assumption that the underlying signal distribution be identical for the treatment and control, and is flexible enough to correct for nonlinear and higher order probe effects. The Group Normalization algorithm is computationally efficient and easy to implement. We also describe a variant of the Group Normalization algorithm, called Cross Normalization, which efficiently amplifies biologically relevant differences between any two genomic datasets.

Normal state resistivity of single crystalline V3Si as a function of neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caton, R.; Viswanathan, R.

1978-01-01

Analysis of the normal state resistivity of a neutron damaged single crystal of V 3 Si shows two different regions of behavior: one for T/sub c/ equal to or greater than 10 0 K and another for T/sub c/ equal to or less than 10 0 K

Bases, Stages and 'Working Your Way Up': Young People's Talk About Non-Coital Practices and 'Normal' Sexual Trajectories

OpenAIRE

Ruth Lewis; Cicely Marston; Kaye Wellings

2013-01-01

While the symbolic importance of 'losing your virginity' has been described in many settings, meanings of non-coital sexual experiences, such as oral sex and hand-genital contact, are often missing from theorisation of sexual transitions. Drawing on data from a qualitative mixed methods study with young people aged 16-18 in England (the 'sixteen18 project'), we explore normative expectations about non-coital sex and sexual trajectories. Our study demonstrates how gendered talk about a 'normal...

Equilibrium and non-equilibrium charge-state distributions of 2.0 MeV/u carbon ions passing through carbon foils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imai, M.; Sataka, M.; Matsuda, M.; Okayasu, S.; Kawatsura, K.; Takahiro, K.; Komaki, K.; Shibata, H.; Nishio, K.

2015-01-01

Both equilibrium and non-equilibrium charge-state distributions were studied experimentally for 2.0 MeV/u carbon ions after passing through carbon foils. Measured charge-state distribution established the equilibrium at a target thickness of 10 μg/cm 2 and this remained unchanged until a maximum target thickness of 98 μg/cm 2 . The equilibrium charge-state distribution, the equilibrium mean charge-state, and the width and skewness of the equilibrium distribution were compared with predictions using existing semi-empirical formulae as well as simulation results, including the ETACHA code. It was found that charge-state distributions, mean charge states, and distribution widths for C 2+ , C 3+ , and C 4+ incident ions merged into quasi-equilibrium values at a target thickness of 5.7 μg/cm 2 in the pre-equilibrium region and evolved simultaneously to the ‘real equilibrium’ values for all of the initial charge states, including C 5+ and C 6+ ions, as previously demonstrated for sulfur projectile ions at the same velocity (Imai et al., 2009). Two kinds of simulation, ETACHA and solution of rate equations taking only single electron transfers into account, were used, and both of them reproduced the measured charge evolution qualitatively. The quasi-equilibrium behavior could be reproduced with the ETACHA code, but not with solution of elementary rate equations

Effects of Different LiDAR Intensity Normalization Methods on Scotch Pine Forest Leaf Area Index Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YOU Haotian

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The intensity data of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR are affected by many factors during the acquisition process. It is of great significance for the normalization and application of LiDAR intensity data to study the effective quantification and normalization of the effect from each factor. In this paper, the LiDAR data were normalized with range, angel of incidence, range and angle of incidence based on radar equation, respectively. Then two metrics, including canopy intensity sum and ratio of intensity, were extracted and used to estimate forest LAI, which was aimed at quantifying the effects of intensity normalization on forest LAI estimation. It was found that the range intensity normalization could improve the accuracy of forest LAI estimation. While the angle of incidence intensity normalization did not improve the accuracy and made the results worse. Although the range and incidence angle normalized intensity data could improve the accuracy, the improvement was less than the result of range intensity normalization. Meanwhile, the differences between the results of forest LAI estimation from raw intensity data and normalized intensity data were relatively big for canopy intensity sum metrics. However, the differences were relatively small for the ratio of intensity metrics. The results demonstrated that the effects of intensity normalization on forest LAI estimation were depended on the choice of affecting factor, and the influential level is closely related to the characteristics of metrics used. Therefore, the appropriate method of intensity normalization should be chosen according to the characteristics of metrics used in the future research, which could avoid the waste of cost and the reduction of estimation accuracy caused by the introduction of inappropriate affecting factors into intensity normalization.

Preparedness for and response to a radiological or nuclear incident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman Coleman, C.

2014-01-01

Public health and medical planning for a nuclear or radiological incident requires a complex, multi-faceted systematic approach involving federal, state and local governments, private sector organizations, academia, industry, international partners and individual experts and volunteers. The approach developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with other U.S. Departments is the result of efforts from government and non-government experts that connect the available capabilities, resources, guidance tools, underlying concepts and science into the Nuclear Incident Medical Enterprise (NlME). It is a systems approach that can be used to support planning for, response to, and recovery from the effects of a nuclear incident. Experience is gained in exercises specific to radiation but also from other mass casualty incidents as there are many principles and components in common. Resilience and the ability to mitigate the consequences of a nuclear incident are enhanced by effective planning, preparation and training, timely response, clear communication, and continuous improvements based on new science, technology, experience and ideas. Recognizing that preparation for a radiological or nuclear incident will be a lower priority for healthcare workers and responders due to other demands, the Radiation Emergency Medical Management website has been developed with the National Library of Medicine. This includes tools for education and training, just-in-time medical management and triage among others. Most of the components of NIME are published in the peer review medical and disaster medicine literature to help ensure high quality and accessibility. While NIME is a continuous work-in-progress, the current status of the public health and medical preparedness and response for a nuclear incident is presented. (author)

The Effects of Non-Contingent Feedback on the Incidence of Plateau at V̇O2max

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Gordon, Marie Gernigon, James Baker, Viviane Merzbach, Adrian Scruton

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of non-contingent feedback in the form of heart rate (HR on the incidence of plateau at V̇O2max. Ten physically active males (age 24.8 yrs ± 4.2; mass 81.4 ± 9.0 kg; stature 1.80 ± 0.11 m, V̇O2max 53.2 ± 5.8 ml·kg-1.min-1 who were V̇O2max testing naïve but were cognisant as to the heart rate responses to exercise completed four incremental tests to volitional exhaustion, separated by ~72 h for the determination of V̇O2max and gas exchange threshold. The first trial served as a familiarisation with the remaining three being experimental conditions where HR was presented in a screen projection as either the actual response (HR-A or 10 b·min-1 higher than recorded (HR-H or 10 b·min-1 lower (HR-L. Throughout all trials V̇O2 was recorded on a breath-by-breath basis with plateau criteria of ≤ 50 ml·min-1. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed for Δ V̇O2 over the final two consecutive 30s sampling periods between HR-A, both HR-L and HR-H (p = 0.049 and for the incidence of plateau response between condition (p = 0.021. An additional significant difference was observed for sub-maximal Δ V̇O2 responses between HR-A and HR-H (p = 0.049 and HR-A and HR-L (p = 0.006. Non-significant differences were observed for all other criteria. These data indicate that when presented with non-contingent feedback in the form of HR, that the perceptually orientated pacing schema becomes disrupted promoting a sparing of the finite anaerobic capacity to compensate for the imbalance between the afferent signal and perception of effort.

Incidence rates of surgically treated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment among manual workers, non-manual workers and housewives in Tuscany, Italy

OpenAIRE

Curti, Stefania; Coggon, David; Baldasseroni, Alberto; Cooke, Robin M. T.; Fresina, Michela; Campos, Emilio C.; Semeraro, Francesco; Zanardi, Francesca; Farioli, Andrea; Violante, Francesco S.; Mattioli, Stefano

2013-01-01

Purpose Candidate risk factors for idiopathic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) include heavy manual handling (requiring Valsalva’s maneuver). We assessed incidence rates of surgically treated idiopathic RRD among manual workers, non-manual workers and housewives resident in Tuscany, Italy. Methods We retrieved all hospital discharge records bearing a principal diagnosis corresponding to RRD coupled with retinal surgery for any resident of Tuscany during 1997–2009. After elimination of ...

Driver heterogeneity in rubbernecking behaviour at an incident site (poster)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rhasbudin Shah, S.M.; Knoop, V.L.; Hoogendoorn, S.P.

2013-01-01

Incidents can affect the flow in non?incident direction due to rubbernecking. To this date, only homogeneous rubbernecking behaviour has been assessed. This study provides insights into inter?driver heterogeneity in rubbernecking behaviour while passing an incident site. We use empirical trajectory

Driver heterogeneity in rubbernecking behaviour at an incident site (abstract)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rhasbudin Shah, S.M.; Knoop, V.L.; Hoogendoorn, S.P.

2013-01-01

Incidents can affect the flow in non?incident direction due to rubbernecking. To this date, only homogeneous rubbernecking behaviour has been assessed. This study provides insights into inter?driver heterogeneity in rubbernecking behaviour while passing an incident site. We use empirical trajectory

Maximum coherent superposition state achievement using a non-resonant pulse train in non-degenerate three-level atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Li; Niu, Yueping; Jin, Luling; Gong, Shangqing

2010-01-01

The coherent superposition state of the lower two levels in non-degenerate three-level Λ atoms is investigated using the accumulative effects of non-resonant pulse trains when the repetition period is smaller than the decay time of the upper level. First, using a rectangular pulse train, the accumulative effects are re-examined in the non-resonant two-level atoms and the modified constructive accumulation equation is analytically given. The equation shows that the relative phase and the repetition period are important in the accumulative effect. Next, under the modified equation in the non-degenerate three-level Λ atoms, we show that besides the constructive accumulation effect, the use of the partial constructive accumulation effect can also achieve the steady state of the maximum coherent superposition state of the lower two levels and the latter condition is relatively easier to manipulate. The analysis is verified by numerical calculations. The influence of the external levels in such a case is also considered and we find that it can be avoided effectively. The above analysis is also applicable to pulse trains with arbitrary envelopes.

Structure and Dissipation Characteristics of an Electron Diffusion Region Observed by MMS During a Rapid, Normal-Incidence Magnetopause Crossing

Science.gov (United States)

Torbert, R. B.; Burch, J. L.; Argall, M. R.; Alm, L.; Farrugia, C. J.; Forbes, T. G.; Giles, B. L.; Rager, A.; Dorelli, J.; Strangeway, R. J.; Ergun, R. E.; Wilder, F. D.; Ahmadi, N.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Khotyaintsev, Y.

2017-12-01

On 22 October 2016, the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft encountered the electron diffusion region (EDR) when the magnetosheath field was southward, and there were signatures of fast reconnection, including flow jets, Hall fields, and large power dissipation. One rapid, normal-incidence crossing, during which the EDR structure was almost stationary in the boundary frame, provided an opportunity to observe the spatial structure for the zero guide field case of magnetic reconnection. The reconnection electric field was determined unambiguously to be 2-3 mV/m. There were clear signals of fluctuating parallel electric fields, up to 6 mV/m on the magnetosphere side of the diffusion region, associated with a Hall-like parallel current feature on the electron scale. The width of the main EDR structure was determined to be 2 km (1.8 de). Although the MMS spacecraft were in their closest tetrahedral separation of 8 km, the divergences and curls for these thin current structures could therefore not be computed in the usual manner. A method is developed to determine these quantities on a much smaller scale and applied to compute the normal component of terms in the generalized Ohm's law for the positions of each individual spacecraft (not a barocentric average). Although the gradient pressure term has a qualitative dependence that follows the observed variation of E + Ve × B, the quantitative magnitude of these terms differs by more than a factor of 2, which is shown to be greater than the respective errors. Thus, future research is required to find the manner in which Ohm's law is balanced.

The incidence and characteristics of supraventricular tachycardia in left atrial isomerism: a high incidence of atrial fibrillation in young patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazaki, Aya; Sakaguchi, Heima; Ohuchi, Hideo; Yamamoto, Tetsuya; Igarashi, Takehiro; Negishi, Jun; Toyota, Naoki; Kagisaki, Koji; Yagihara, Toshikatsu; Yamada, Osamu

2013-06-20

In left atrial isomerism (LAI), both atria show left atrial morphology. Although bradyarrhythmias are frequent and highly complex in LAI patients, previous studies have reported a low incidence of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of SVT in LAI, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics of SVTs in 83 patients with LAI (age at last follow-up, 15.3±10.5 years). There were 27 SVTs in 19 patients (23%), including nine episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) and eight non-reentrant SVTs. Sixteen of the 19 patients with SVT had histories of atriotomy, but the three patients with AF or non-reentrant tachycardia had no history of atriotomy. The rates of freedom from SVT were 66% and 59% at ages of 20 and 30 years, respectively; the corresponding rates for freedom from AF were 89% and 74%. In multivariate analysis, the predictors of SVT were age (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26; p=0.003) and sinus node dysfunction (SND) (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.57-13.34; p=0.01). In patients with LAI, SVTs are common, and AF and non-reentrant SVTs are the major type of SVTs. The incidence of AF was high in young patients with LAI. The lack of anatomical barriers in the atria that allow the formation of macro-reentrant circuits may account for the higher incidence of AF and non-reentrant SVT than macro-reentrant tachycardia. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of SND with age should contribute to a higher incidence of SVT. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population Group Abortion Rates and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion: United States, 2008-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Rachel K; Jerman, Jenna

2017-12-01

To assess the prevalence of abortion among population groups and changes in rates between 2008 and 2014. We used secondary data from the Abortion Patient Survey, the American Community Survey, and the National Survey of Family Growth to estimate abortion rates. We used information from the Abortion Patient Survey to estimate the lifetime incidence of abortion. Between 2008 and 2014, the abortion rate declined 25%, from 19.4 to 14.6 per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 years. The abortion rate for adolescents aged 15 to 19 years declined 46%, the largest of any group. Abortion rates declined for all racial and ethnic groups but were larger for non-White women than for non-Hispanic White women. Although the abortion rate decreased 26% for women with incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level, this population had the highest abortion rate of all the groups examined: 36.6. If the 2014 age-specific abortion rates prevail, 24% of women aged 15 to 44 years in that year will have an abortion by age 45 years. The decline in abortion was not uniform across all population groups.

Ground state solutions for non-local fractional Schrodinger equations

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Yang Pu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In this article, we study a time-independent fractional Schrodinger equation with non-local (regional diffusion $$ (-\\Delta^{\\alpha}_{\\rho}u + V(xu = f(x,u \\quad \\text{in }\\mathbb{R}^{N}, $$ where $\\alpha \\in (0,1$, $N > 2\\alpha$. We establish the existence of a non-negative ground state solution by variational methods.

Crippling Violence: Conflict and Incident Polio in Afghanistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Alison; Hachey, Kevin; Curtis, Andrew; Bourdeaux, Margaret

2016-01-01

Designing effective public health campaigns in areas of armed conflict requires a nuanced understanding of how violence impacts the epidemiology of the disease in question. We examine the geographical relationship between violence (represented by the location of detonated Improvised Explosive Devices) and polio incidence by generating maps of IEDs and polio incidence during 2010, and by comparing the mean number of IED detonations in polio high-risk districts with non polio high-risk districts during 2004-2009. We demonstrate a geographic relationship between IED violence and incident polio. Districts that have high-risk for polio have highly statistically significantly greater mean numbers of IEDs than non polio high-risk districts (p-values 0.0010-0.0404). The geographic relationship between armed conflict and polio incidence provides valuable insights as to how to plan a vaccination campaign in violent contexts, and allows us to anticipate incident polio in the regions of armed conflict. Such information permits vaccination planners to engage interested armed combatants to co-develop strategies to mitigate the effects of violence on polio.

Crippling Violence: Conflict and Incident Polio in Afghanistan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Norris

Full Text Available Designing effective public health campaigns in areas of armed conflict requires a nuanced understanding of how violence impacts the epidemiology of the disease in question.We examine the geographical relationship between violence (represented by the location of detonated Improvised Explosive Devices and polio incidence by generating maps of IEDs and polio incidence during 2010, and by comparing the mean number of IED detonations in polio high-risk districts with non polio high-risk districts during 2004-2009.We demonstrate a geographic relationship between IED violence and incident polio. Districts that have high-risk for polio have highly statistically significantly greater mean numbers of IEDs than non polio high-risk districts (p-values 0.0010-0.0404.The geographic relationship between armed conflict and polio incidence provides valuable insights as to how to plan a vaccination campaign in violent contexts, and allows us to anticipate incident polio in the regions of armed conflict. Such information permits vaccination planners to engage interested armed combatants to co-develop strategies to mitigate the effects of violence on polio.

Sufficient condition for a quantum state to be genuinely quantum non-Gaussian

Science.gov (United States)

Happ, L.; Efremov, M. A.; Nha, H.; Schleich, W. P.

2018-02-01

We show that the expectation value of the operator \\hat{{ \\mathcal O }}\\equiv \\exp (-c{\\hat{x}}2)+\\exp (-c{\\hat{p}}2) defined by the position and momentum operators \\hat{x} and \\hat{p} with a positive parameter c can serve as a tool to identify quantum non-Gaussian states, that is states that cannot be represented as a mixture of Gaussian states. Our condition can be readily tested employing a highly efficient homodyne detection which unlike quantum-state tomography requires the measurements of only two orthogonal quadratures. We demonstrate that our method is even able to detect quantum non-Gaussian states with positive–definite Wigner functions. This situation cannot be addressed in terms of the negativity of the phase-space distribution. Moreover, we demonstrate that our condition can characterize quantum non-Gaussianity for the class of superposition states consisting of a vacuum and integer multiples of four photons under more than 50 % signal attenuation.

Normal incidence spectrophotometer using high density transmission grating technology and highly efficiency silicon photodiodes for absolute solar EUV irradiance measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, H. S.; Mcmullin, D.; Judge, D. L.; Korde, R.

1992-01-01

New developments in transmission grating and photodiode technology now make it possible to realize spectrometers in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral region (wavelengths less than 1000 A) which are expected to be virtually constant in their diffraction and detector properties. Time dependent effects associated with reflection gratings are eliminated through the use of free standing transmission gratings. These gratings together with recently developed and highly stable EUV photodiodes have been utilized to construct a highly stable normal incidence spectrophotometer to monitor the variability and absolute intensity of the solar 304 A line. Owing to its low weight and compactness, such a spectrometer will be a valuable tool for providing absolute solar irradiance throughout the EUV. This novel instrument will also be useful for cross-calibrating other EUV flight instruments and will be flown on a series of Hitchhiker Shuttle Flights and on SOHO. A preliminary version of this instrument has been fabricated and characterized, and the results are described.

Heavy-to-light form factors for non-relativistic bound states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, G.; Feldmann, Th.

2007-01-01

We investigate transition form factors between non-relativistic QCD bound states at large recoil energy. Assuming the decaying quark to be much heavier than its decay product, the relativistic dynamics can be treated according to the factorization formula for heavy-to-light form factors obtained from the heavy-quark expansion in QCD. The non-relativistic expansion determines the bound-state wave functions to be Coulomb-like. As a consequence, one can explicitly calculate the so-called 'soft-overlap' contribution to the transition form factor

Risk factors for first time incidence sciatica: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Chad E; Taylor, Jeffrey; Wright, Alexis; Milosavljevic, Steven; Goode, Adam; Whitford, Maureen

2014-06-01

Characteristically, sciatica involves radiating leg pain that follows a dermatomal pattern along the distribution of the sciatic nerve. To our knowledge, there are no studies that have investigated risk factors associated with first time incidence sciatica. The purpose of the systematic review was to identify the longitudinal risk factors associated with first time incidence sciatica and to report incidence rates for the condition. For the purposes of this review, first time incidence sciatica was defined as either of the following: 1) no prior history of sciatica or 2) transition from a pain-free state to sciatica. Studies included subjects of any age from longitudinal, observational, cohort designs. The study was a systematic review. Eight of the 239 articles identified by electronic search strategies met the inclusion criteria. Risk factors and their respective effect estimates were reported using descriptive analysis and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. Modifiable risk factors included smoking, obesity, occupational factors and health status. Non-modifiable factors included age, gender and social class. Incidence rates varied among the included studies, in part reflecting the variability in the operationalized definition of sciatica but ranged from sciatica are modifiable, suggesting the potential benefits of primary prevention. In addition, those risk factors are also associated with unhealthy lifestyles, which may function concomitantly toward the development of sciatica. Sciatica as a diagnosis is inconsistently defined among studies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Non-Vacuum Initial States for Cosmological Perturbations of Quantum-Mechanical Origin

CERN Document Server

Martín, J; Sakellariadou, M; Martin, Jerome; Riazuelo, Alain; Sakellariadou, Mairi

2000-01-01

In the context of inflation, non-vacuum initial states for cosmological perturbations that possess a built in scale are studied. It is demonstrated that this assumption leads to a falsifiable class of models. The question of whether they lead to conflicts with the available observations is addressed. For this purpose, the power spectrum of the Bardeen potential operator is calculated and compared with the CMBR anisotropies measurements and the redshift surveys of galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Generic predictions of the model are: a high first acoustic peak, the presence of a bump in the matter power spectrum and non-Gaussian statistics. The details are controlled by the number of quanta in the non-vacuum initial state. Comparisons with observations show that there exists a window for the free parameters such that good agreement between the data and the theoretical predictions is possible. However, in the case where the initial state is a state with a fixed number of quanta, it is shown that this number c...

Chimera states and the interplay between initial conditions and non-local coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Kalle, Peter; Sawicki, Jakub; Zakharova, Anna; Schöll, Eckehard

2017-03-01

Chimera states are complex spatio-temporal patterns that consist of coexisting domains of coherent and incoherent dynamics. We study chimera states in a network of non-locally coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators. We investigate the impact of initial conditions in combination with non-local coupling. Based on an analytical argument, we show how the coupling phase and the coupling strength are linked to the occurrence of chimera states, flipped profiles of the mean phase velocity, and the transition from a phase- to an amplitude-mediated chimera state.

The impact of non-dipper circadian rhythm of blood pressure on left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Xiajing; Mou, Shan; Zhang, Weiming; Zhang, Minfang; Gu, Leyi; Yan, Yucheng; Ying, Hua; Hu, Chunhua; Qian, Jiaqi; Ni, Zhaohui

2017-04-01

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between non-dipper circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods and results All 257 patients with stage 1 to 5 CKD were enrolled in the study and classified into a CKD1-3 group and a CKD4-5 group according to renal function. The parameters and circadian rhythm of BP were measured by a GE Marquette Tonoport V Eng dynamic sphygmomanometer, and cardiac structure was examined by echocardiography. The incidence of abnormal circadian BP rhythm (non-dipper rhythm) was quite high (75.4% in all enrolled patients and 71.3% in the patients with normal BP levels) in CKD patients and increased with the deterioration of renal function. Changes of cardiac structure such as LVH in patients with non-dipper BP were more distinct than in patients with dipper BP. The development of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) correlated positively with the incidence of non-dipper BP rhythm. Multiple regression analysis showed that 24-h systolic BP (β = 0.417, P circadian rhythm of blood pressure was quite high in CKD patients and increased with the deterioration of renal function. Non-dipper circadian rhythm of BP is closely related with LVMI.

Incidence of cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer in women living with HIV in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsteinsson, Kristina; Ladelund, Steen; Jensen-Fangel, Søren

2014-01-01

and hazard ratios (HRs) for time from inclusion to first cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)/ICC and time from first normal cervical cytology to first CIN/ICC were estimated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to include prior screening outcome, screening intensity and treatment of CIN......INTRODUCTION: Women living with HIV (WLWH) are reportedly at increased risk of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). WLWH in Denmark attend the National ICC screening program less often than women in the general population. We aimed to estimate the incidence of cervical dysplasia and ICC in WLWH...... with normal baseline cytology, incidences of CIN1+ and CIN2+ were higher in WLWH. However, incidences were comparable between WLWH and controls adherent to the National ICC screening program. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, WLWH develop more cervical disease than controls. However, incidences of CIN are comparable...

Local and non-local Schroedinger cat states in cavity QED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haroche, S.

2005-01-01

Full text: I will review recent experiments performed on mesoscopic state superpositions of field states in cavity QED. Proposals to extend these studies to Schroedinger cat states delocalized in two cavities will be discussed. New versions of Bell's inequality tests will probe the non-local behavior of these cats and study their sensitivity to decoherence. (author)

Complexified coherent states and quantum evolution with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graefe, Eva-Maria; Schubert, Roman

2012-01-01

The complex geometry underlying the Schrödinger dynamics of coherent states for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians is investigated. In particular, two seemingly contradictory approaches are compared: (i) a complex WKB formalism, for which the centres of coherent states naturally evolve along complex trajectories, which leads to a class of complexified coherent states; (ii) the investigation of the dynamical equations for the real expectation values of position and momentum, for which an Ehrenfest theorem has been derived in a previous paper, yielding real but non-Hamiltonian classical dynamics on phase space for the real centres of coherent states. Both approaches become exact for quadratic Hamiltonians. The apparent contradiction is resolved building on an observation by Huber, Heller and Littlejohn, that complexified coherent states are equivalent if their centres lie on a specific complex Lagrangian manifold. A rich underlying complex symplectic geometry is unravelled. In particular, a natural complex structure is identified that defines a projection from complex to real phase space, mapping complexified coherent states to their real equivalents. This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical devoted to ‘Coherent states: mathematical and physical aspects’. (paper)

Comparison of optic disc topography in non-glaucomatous eyes of children with juvenile diabetes mellitus and normal children.

Science.gov (United States)

Elgin, Ufuk; Cankaya, Bülent; Simsek, Tulay; Batman, Aygen

2010-01-01

To compare the optic disc topography parameters of children with juvenile diabetes mellitus and normal children using the Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph (HRT III) (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The topographic optic disc parameters (cup volume, cup area, rim volume, rim area, disc area, mean cup-to-disc ratio, and mean cup depth) of 28 non-glaucomatous eyes of 28 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 28 eyes of 28 age-matched healthy children were compared using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. No statistically significant differences were found between cup volume (P = .782), cup area (P = .878), rim volume (P = .853), disc area (P = .452), mean cup-to-disc ratio (P = .852), and mean cup depth (P = .711) of eyes of cases with diabetes mellitus and normal subjects. This result suggests that non-glaucomatous eyes of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and healthy subjects have similar topographic optic disc characteristics. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

EEG Oscillatory States: Universality, Uniqueness and Specificity across Healthy-Normal, Altered and Pathological Brain Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Fingelkurts, Alexander A.; Fingelkurts, Andrew A.

2014-01-01

For the first time the dynamic repertoires and oscillatory types of local EEG states in 13 diverse conditions (examined over 9 studies) that covered healthy-normal, altered and pathological brain states were quantified within the same methodological and conceptual framework. EEG oscillatory states were assessed by the probability-classification analysis of short-term EEG spectral patterns. The results demonstrated that brain activity consists of a limited repertoire of local EEG states in any of the examined conditions. The size of the state repertoires was associated with changes in cognition and vigilance or neuropsychopathologic conditions. Additionally universal, optional and unique EEG states across 13 diverse conditions were observed. It was demonstrated also that EEG oscillations which constituted EEG states were characteristic for different groups of conditions in accordance to oscillations’ functional significance. The results suggested that (a) there is a limit in the number of local states available to the cortex and many ways in which these local states can rearrange themselves and still produce the same global state and (b) EEG individuality is determined by varying proportions of universal, optional and unique oscillatory states. The results enriched our understanding about dynamic microstructure of EEG-signal. PMID:24505292

A Profile of Criminal Incidents at School: Results from the 2003-05 National Crime Victimization Survey Crime Incident Report NCES 2010-318

Science.gov (United States)

Ruddy, Sally A.; Bauer, Lynn; Neiman, Samantha

2010-01-01

This report provides estimates of criminal incidents that occur at school. Incident-level data were obtained from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the nation's primary source of information on criminal victimization and criminal incidents in the United States. The NCVS collects demographic information on respondents in the NCVS…

The influence of the pre-hospital application of non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin in the practice of emergency medical services in multiple and mass casualty incidents (MCI – A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Gałązkowski

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In 2013 a fire broke out in the Nursing Home (NH in the Henryszew village 5 km away from the district hospital in Żyrardów. At the time of the incident 52 residents and 16 staff members were present in the building. Due to a large number of casualties, the occurrence was classified as a potentially mass casualty incident (MCI. Troops of the State Fire Brigade, Paramedic Rescue Squads, choppers of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, the Police, and the NH staff took part in the rescue operation. The priority was given to the evacuation of the NH residents carried out by the NH staff and firefighters, extinguishing the fire, as well as to primary and secondary survey triage. Due to the pre-accident health state of the victims, the latter posed a considerable difficulty. A decisive role was played by the need to conduct non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin in all the casualties, which then made it possible to adequately diagnose the patients and implement proper procedures. The rescue operation was correctly followed although it proved to be a serious logistical and technical undertaking for the participating emergency services. The residents were not found to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, therefore 46 of the residents safely returned to the building. The fact that all the Paramedic Rescue Squads were equipped with medical triage sets and were able to conduct non-invasive measurements of carboxyhemoglobin made it possible to introduce effective procedures in the cases of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and abandon costly and complicated organisational procedures when they proved to be unnecessary. Med Pr 2014;65(2:289–295

77 FR 32006 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-31

... Special Conditions No. 25-423-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence... pertaining to a high incidence protection system that replaces the stall warning system during normal... the condition existing in the test or performance standard in which V SR is being used. (3) The weight...

2011 Japanese Nuclear Incident

Science.gov (United States)

EPA’s RadNet system monitored the environmental radiation levels in the United States and parts of the Pacific following the Japanese Nuclear Incident. Learn about EPA’s response and view historical laboratory data and news releases.

Group normalization for genomic data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmoud Ghandi

Full Text Available Data normalization is a crucial preliminary step in analyzing genomic datasets. The goal of normalization is to remove global variation to make readings across different experiments comparable. In addition, most genomic loci have non-uniform sensitivity to any given assay because of variation in local sequence properties. In microarray experiments, this non-uniform sensitivity is due to different DNA hybridization and cross-hybridization efficiencies, known as the probe effect. In this paper we introduce a new scheme, called Group Normalization (GN, to remove both global and local biases in one integrated step, whereby we determine the normalized probe signal by finding a set of reference probes with similar responses. Compared to conventional normalization methods such as Quantile normalization and physically motivated probe effect models, our proposed method is general in the sense that it does not require the assumption that the underlying signal distribution be identical for the treatment and control, and is flexible enough to correct for nonlinear and higher order probe effects. The Group Normalization algorithm is computationally efficient and easy to implement. We also describe a variant of the Group Normalization algorithm, called Cross Normalization, which efficiently amplifies biologically relevant differences between any two genomic datasets.

Comparison of oxidative stress in preeclampsia, normal pregnancy and non-pregnant women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Ghazavi

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific condition characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Preeclampsia remains a disease of theories as its real etiology has remained elusive. Endothelial cell dysfunction may play a role in the pathobiology of preeclampsia. There is some evidence to suggest that endothelial cell damage result from oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to measure oxidative stress markers in preeclampsia. Material and Methods: Total antioxidant capacity (TAC, lipid peroxidation (LPO and thiol groups was measured in 20 women with preeclampsia, 20 normal pregnant women and 20 nonpregnant women. All three women groups were matched with respect to age, BMI, parity and gestational age. Oxidative stress markers were measured by spectrophotometer methods. Results: Serum concentration of LPO was significantly higher in preeclampsia (17.7 + 3.8 nmol/ml as compared with nonpregnant women (10.4 + 0.48 nmol/ml, p< 0.0001. TAC in preeclamptic women was lower than those in normal pregnant and non-pregnant women, but not statistically significantly. There was no significant difference between the mean concentrations of thiol groups in the women groups. Conclusion: Increased levels of LPO products may cause peroxidative damage of vascular endothelium and result in clinical symptoms of preeclampsia. However, further experimental and clinical studies are necessary to clarify the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

State and non-state mental health service collaboration in a South African district: a mixed methods study.

Science.gov (United States)

Janse van Rensburg, André; Petersen, Inge; Wouters, Edwin; Engelbrecht, Michelle; Kigozi, Gladys; Fourie, Pieter; van Rensburg, Dingie; Bracke, Piet

2018-05-01

The Life Esidimeni tragedy in South Africa showed that, despite significant global gains in recognizing the salience of integrated public mental health care during the past decade, crucial gaps remain. State and non-state mental health service collaboration is a recognized strategy to increase access to care and optimal use of community resources, but little evidence exist about how it unfolds in low- to middle-income countries. South Africa's Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2013-20 (MHPF) underlines the importance of collaborative public mental health care, though it is unclear how and to what extent this happens. The aim of the study was to explore the extent and nature of state and non-state mental health service collaboration in the Mangaung Metropolitan District, Free State, South Africa. The research involved an equal status, sequential mixed methods design, comprised of social network analysis (SNA) and semi-structured interviews. SNA-structured interviews were conducted with collaborating state and non-state mental health service providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with collaborating partners and key stake holders. Descriptive network analyses of the SNA data were performed with Gephi, and thematic analysis of the semi-structured interview data were performed in NVivo. SNA results suggested a fragmented, hospital centric network, with low average density and clustering, and high authority and influence of a specialist psychiatric hospital. Several different types of collaborative interactions emerged, of which housing and treatment adherence a key point of collaboration. Proportional interactions between state and non-state services were low. Qualitative data expanded on these findings, highlighting the range of available mental health services, and pointed to power dynamics as an important consideration in the mental health service network. The fostering of a well-integrated system of care as proposed in the MHPF requires

'Incidence Of Dry Socket\\' In Benin City: Analysis Of 21 Cases ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Zinc oxide/Eugenol dressing was the mainstay of treatment after irrigation of the socket with normal saline. The low incidence of dry socket in this review shows that it is not a common complication of tooth extraction in our hospital. Keywords: Dry socket, incidence. Annals of Biomedical Science Vol. 2 (2) 2003: pp. 82-87 ...

Incidence and prevalence of uveitis in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rim, Tyler Hyungtaek; Kim, Sung Soo; Ham, Don-Il; Yu, Seung-Young; Chung, Eun Jee; Lee, Sung Chul

2018-01-01

To evaluate the incidence and prevalence of uveitis and associated risk factors in South Korea. For this retrospective national cohort study, approximately 1 000 000 Korean residents were randomly selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Uveitis was defined according to the Korean Classification of Diseases. The uveitis incidence and prevalence were calculated. Sociodemographic factors and comorbidities associated with uveitis were evaluated via Cox proportional regression models. A total of 1 094 440 subjects were evaluated over 7 051 346 person-years (mean follow-up: 6.44 years). Overall, 7447 newly developed uveitis cases were identified during the period of 2007-2013; the average incidence of uveitis was 10.6 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI 10.3 to 10.8). The average incidences of anterior and non-anterior uveitis were 9.0 and 1.5 per 10 000 person-years, respectively. The prevalence rates of uveitis, anterior uveitis and non-anterior uveitis were 17.3, 15.0 and 2.3 per 10 000 persons, respectively, during the period of 2007-2013. Increasing age, male sex, residing in a relatively rural area and high income were associated with uveitis, along with Behçet's disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematous, ulcerative colitis and tuberculosis. The overall incidence of uveitis in Korea was similar to those reported in Taiwan and the USA. Despite a potentially inaccurate disease definition, claims data may be useful for monitoring the substantial uveitis burden in South Korea. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Non-identical multiplexing promotes chimera states

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Saptarshi; Zakharova, Anna; Jalan, Sarika

2018-01-01

We present the emergence of chimeras, a state referring to coexistence of partly coherent, partly incoherent dynamics in networks of identical oscillators, in a multiplex network consisting of two non-identical layers which are interconnected. We demonstrate that the parameter range displaying the chimera state in the homogeneous first layer of the multiplex networks can be tuned by changing the link density or connection architecture of the same nodes in the second layer. We focus on the impact of the interconnected second layer on the enlargement or shrinking of the coupling regime for which chimeras are displayed in the homogeneous first layer. We find that a denser homogeneous second layer promotes chimera in a sparse first layer, where chimeras do not occur in isolation. Furthermore, while a dense connection density is required for the second layer if it is homogeneous, this is not true if the second layer is inhomogeneous. We demonstrate that a sparse inhomogeneous second layer which is common in real-world complex systems can promote chimera states in a sparse homogeneous first layer.

Effect of chloroquine on insulin and glucose homoeostasis in normal subjects and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.