Safety Culture to Prevent Infection in Normal Birth Care by Village Midwives Ateast Lombok Nusa Tenggara Barat

OpenAIRE

Bartini, Istri

2015-01-01

Background: Normal birth care is one of midwife's competence within the most of risks to both women and midwife. Limited of health facilities and social culture are major problem of midwifery care. In fact, infection cases have been occurring and become a significant cause in maternal death. At East Lombok most of 93,33% birth was provided by midwife. It was a tricky to explain that midwife does not work as well.Aim: to describe safety culture to prevent infection during normal birth care at ...

Use of the Internet as a prevention tool against cognitive decline in normal aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimova B

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Blanka Klimova Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Abstract: Recent demographic trends indicate that older people appear to be one of the fastest growing population groups worldwide. In the year 2000, people older than 65 years represented 12.4% of the population. This number is expected to rise to 19% by 2030, particularly in developed countries. Therefore, there is sustained effort at both national and international levels to prolong the active life of these people as long as possible. Since the present older generation at the age of 55 years is already digitally literate, the use of technologies is one of the solutions. The purpose of this study is to discuss the role of the Internet in the prevention of cognitive decline in normal aging. The author examines clinical studies that exploit the use of the Internet, including online training programs, in the prevention of cognitive decline in healthy older individuals. The findings of the clinical studies indicate that the use of the Internet, especially online cognitive training programs, may have a positive effect on the improvement of cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Nevertheless, larger sample longitudinal randomized controlled clinical trials aimed at the prevention of cognitive decline among healthy older adults are needed. Keywords: healthy older individuals, Internet, prevention, cognitive functions, training

Use of the Internet as a prevention tool against cognitive decline in normal aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Klimova, Blanka

Recent demographic trends indicate that older people appear to be one of the fastest growing population groups worldwide. In the year 2000, people older than 65 years represented 12.4% of the population. This number is expected to rise to 19% by 2030, particularly in developed countries. Therefore, there is sustained effort at both national and international levels to prolong the active life of these people as long as possible. Since the present older generation at the age of 55 years is already digitally literate, the use of technologies is one of the solutions. The purpose of this study is to discuss the role of the Internet in the prevention of cognitive decline in normal aging. The author examines clinical studies that exploit the use of the Internet, including online training programs, in the prevention of cognitive decline in healthy older individuals. The findings of the clinical studies indicate that the use of the Internet, especially online cognitive training programs, may have a positive effect on the improvement of cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Nevertheless, larger sample longitudinal randomized controlled clinical trials aimed at the prevention of cognitive decline among healthy older adults are needed.

Normal probability plots with confidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Chantarangsi, Wanpen; Liu, Wei; Bretz, Frank; Kiatsupaibul, Seksan; Hayter, Anthony J; Wan, Fang

2015-01-01

Normal probability plots are widely used as a statistical tool for assessing whether an observed simple random sample is drawn from a normally distributed population. The users, however, have to judge subjectively, if no objective rule is provided, whether the plotted points fall close to a straight line. In this paper, we focus on how a normal probability plot can be augmented by intervals for all the points so that, if the population distribution is normal, then all the points should fall into the corresponding intervals simultaneously with probability 1-α. These simultaneous 1-α probability intervals provide therefore an objective mean to judge whether the plotted points fall close to the straight line: the plotted points fall close to the straight line if and only if all the points fall into the corresponding intervals. The powers of several normal probability plot based (graphical) tests and the most popular nongraphical Anderson-Darling and Shapiro-Wilk tests are compared by simulation. Based on this comparison, recommendations are given in Section 3 on which graphical tests should be used in what circumstances. An example is provided to illustrate the methods. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication and characterization of diamond-like carbon/Ni bimorph normally closed microcages

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, J. K.; He, J. H.; Fu, Y. Q.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Fleck, N. A.; Milne, W. I.

2005-08-01

Normally closed microcages based on highly compressively stressed diamond-like carbon (DLC) and electroplated Ni bimorph structures have been simulated, fabricated and characterized. Finite-element and analytical models were used to simulate the device performance. It was found that the radius of curvature of the bimorph layer can be adjusted by varying the DLC film stress, the total layer thickness and the thickness ratio of the DLC to Ni layers. The angular deflection of the bimorph structures can also be adjusted by varying the finger length. The radius of curvature of the microcage was in the range of 18-50 µm, suitable for capturing and confining micro-objects with sizes of 20-100 µm. The operation of this type of device is very efficient due to the large difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the DLC and the Ni layers. Electrical tests have shown that these microcages can be opened by ~90° utilizing a power smaller than 20 mW. The operating temperatures of the devices under various pulsed currents were extracted through the change in electrical resistance of the devices. The results showed that an average temperature in the range of 400-450 °C is needed to open this type of microcage by ~90°, consistent with the results from analytical simulation and finite-element modelling.

Effectiveness of single dose rifampicin in preventing leprosy in close contacts of patients with newly diagnosed leprosy: cluster randomised controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moet, F. Johannes; Pahan, David; Oskam, Linda; Richardus, Jan H.; van Brakel, Wim H.; Klatser, Paul R.; Saunderson, Paul R.; Smith, W. Cairns S.; Withington, Steve G.; Richardus, Jan Hendrik; Schuring, Ron P.; Faber, Roel; Borsboom, Gerard J. J. M.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of chemoprophylaxis using a single dose of rifampicin to prevent leprosy in close contacts. DESIGN: Single centre, double blind, cluster randomised, placebo controlled trial. SETTING: Leprosy control programme in two districts of northwest Bangladesh with a

Closing the gap: a research agenda to accelerate the adoption and effective use of proven older adult fall prevention strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Noonan, Rita K; Sleet, David A; Stevens, Judy A

2011-12-01

To make an impact on the public's health, evidence-based interventions must be disseminated broadly, supported by training and technical assistance, adopted widely, and implemented as designed. Many effective older adult fall prevention interventions have been identified, but too few have gained wide community acceptance and little is known about the best ways to encourage their broader use. Therefore, as in many other fields, fall prevention suffers from a wide gap between scientific discoveries and their everyday use. This article articulates the key activities embedded in Step 4 of the public health model-specifically translation and dissemination to ensure widespread adoption and use-in order to illuminate critical research needs in older adult fall prevention. These needs, if addressed, will help close the gap between research and practice. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Closed recirculation-Water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamza, Hamza B.; Ben Ali, Salah; Saad, Mohamed A.; Traish, Massud R.

2005-01-01

This water treatment is a practical work applied in the center, for a closed recirculation-water system. The system had experienced a serious corrosion problem, due to the use of inadequate water. This work includes chemical preparation for the system. Water treatment, special additives, and follow-up, which resulted in the stability of the case. This work can be applied specially for closed recirculation warm, normal, and chilled water. (author)

Advection-diffusion model for normal grain growth and the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou, C.

2002-01-01

An advection-diffusion model has been set up to describe normal grain growth. In this model grains are divided into different groups according to their topological classes (number of sides of a grain). Topological transformations are modelled by advective and diffusive flows governed by advective and diffusive coefficients respectively, which are assumed to be proportional to topological classes. The ordinary differential equations governing self-similar time-independent grain size distribution can be derived analytically from continuity equations. It is proved that the time-independent distributions obtained by solving the ordinary differential equations have the same form as the time-dependent distributions obtained by solving the continuity equations. The advection-diffusion model is extended to describe the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films. Grain boundary grooving prevents grain boundaries from moving, and the correlation between neighbouring grains accelerates the stagnation of normal grain growth. After introducing grain boundary grooving and the correlation between neighbouring grains into the model, the grain size distribution is close to a lognormal distribution, which is usually found in experiments. A vertex computer simulation of normal grain growth has also been carried out to make a cross comparison with the advection-diffusion model. The result from the simulation did not verify the assumption that the advective and diffusive coefficients are proportional to topological classes. Instead, we have observed that topological transformations usually occur on certain topological classes. This suggests that the advection-diffusion model can be improved by making a more realistic assumption on topological transformations. (author)

Ghrelin modulates testicular germ cells apoptosis and proliferation in adult normal rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kheradmand, Arash; Dezfoulian, Omid; Alirezaei, Masoud; Rasoulian, Bahram

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Spermatogenesis is closely associated with the balance between germ cells proliferation and apoptosis. ► Numerous studies have documented the direct action of ghrelin in the modulation of apoptosis in different cell types. ► Ghrelin may be considered as a modulator of spermatogenesis in normal adult rats. ► Ghrelin may be potentially implicated for abnormal spermatogenesis in some testicular germ cell tumors. -- Abstract: Under normal condition in the most mammals, spermatogenesis is closely associated with the balance between germ cells proliferation and apoptosis. The present study was designed to determine the effects of ghrelin treatment on in vivo quality and quantity expression of apoptosis and proliferation specific indices in rat testicular germ cells. Twenty eight adult normal rats were subdivided into equal control and treatment groups. Treatment group received 3 nmol of ghrelin as subcutaneous injection for 30 consecutive days or vehicle to the control animals. The rats from each group (n = 7) were killed on days 10 and 30 and their testes were taken for immunocytochemical evaluation and caspase-3 assay. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the accumulations of Bax and PCNA peptides are generally more prominent in spermatocytes and spermatogonia of both groups. Likewise, the mean percentage of immunoreactive spermatocytes against Bax increased (P 0.05). Upstream of Bax substance parallel to down-regulation of PCNA demonstrate that ghrelin may prevent massive accumulation of germ cells during normal spermatogenesis. These observations also indicate that ghrelin may be considered as a modulator of spermatogenesis in normal adult rats and could be potentially implicated for abnormal spermatogenesis in some testicular germ cell tumors.

49 CFR 236.786 - Principle, closed circuit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Principle, closed circuit. 236.786 Section 236.786 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Principle, closed circuit. The principle of circuit design where a normally energized electric circuit which...

Increased heart rate caused by atrial pacing with the closed-loop stimulation function prevented micturition syncope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatsuo Haraki, MD,PhD

2013-10-01

Full Text Available A 70-year-old man had been experiencing syncope several times a year. We implanted a DDD pacemaker with closed-loop stimulation (CLS function. When he urinated early in the morning, his increased atrial pacing rates elevated his heart rate (HR during and after micturition. After implantation of the DDD-CLS mode, he did not experience symptoms. In contrast, in the DDD-R mode, his intrinsic HR changed to atrial pacing after micturition but decreased to the basal rate within 2 min, and he experienced a sense of cold perspiration and presyncope. Increased HRs caused by atrial pacing with the CLS function were useful in the prevention of micturition syncope.

Final vegetative cover for closed waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, J.R.; Salvo, S.K.

1993-01-01

Low-level, hazardous, and mixed waste disposal sites normally require some form of plant material to prevent erosion of the final closure cap. Waste disposal sites are closed and capped in a complex scientific manner to minimize water infiltration and percolation into and through the waste material. Turf type grasses are currently being used as an interim vegetative cover for most sites. This coverage allows for required monitoring of the closure cap for settlement and maintenance activities. The purpose of this five year study was to evaluate plant materials for use on wastes sites after the post-closure care period that are quickly and easily established and economically maintained, retard water infiltration, provide maximum year-round evapotranspiration, are ecologically acceptable and do not harm the closure cap. The results of the study suggest that two species of bamboo (Phyllostachys (P.) bissetii and P. rubromarginata) can be utilized to provide long lived, low maintenance, climax vegetation for the waste sites after surveillance and maintenance requirements have ceased

Systematic review of clinical trials on dietary interventions to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy among normal weight, overweight and obese women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanentsapf, Ida; Heitmann, Berit L; Adegboye, Amanda R A

2011-01-01

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy and subsequent postpartum weight retention may contribute to the epidemic of obesity among women of childbearing age. Preventing excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) to optimize maternal, fetal and infant wellbeing is therefore of great importance. A number...... of dietary interventions in this area has been conducted with inconsistent results, which has made it difficult to identify effective strategies to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy among normal weight, overweight and obese women. The primary objective of this review was to evaluate the effect...

Most Children With Epilepsy Experience Postictal Phenomena, Often Preventing a Return to Normal Activities of Childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

MacEachern, Sarah J; D'Alfonso, Sabrina; McDonald, Roman J; Thornton, Nancy; Forkert, Nils D; Buchhalter, Jeffrey R

2017-07-01

After a seizure, individuals with epilepsy have reported diverse symptoms in the postictal period, especially motor and cognitive dysfunction. However, these phenomena have not been well characterized in children, and their impact on patient well-being is not understood. We hypothesized that in a subset of epilepsy patients, postictal symptoms would affect their ability to return to normal childhood activities. To test our hypothesis, a survey-based approach was used to characterize the type, frequency, and duration, as well as the impact of these symptoms on the ability of these children to return to their normal activities. In this prospective study, data were analyzed from 208 patients seen in the pediatric neurology outpatient clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital. We found that 86% (179 out of 208) of respondents reported postictal symptoms, with the most common symptom category being fatigue, sleepiness, and/or tiredness (90%; 161 of 179). The greatest impact resulted from weakness or being unable to move normally, which prevented 78% of those affected (71 of 91) from returning to normal activities after a seizure. Children who had focal seizures were more likely to experience postictal fatigue, sleepiness, or tiredness (P = 0.01; Bonferroni corrected), but no other postictal symptoms were significantly associated with a specific seizure type or epilepsy syndrome. The results of this study further our understanding of the frequency, type, and duration of symptoms experienced in the postictal period and how these symptoms impact children with epilepsy. It is clear that postictal phenomena often occur after epileptic seizures and have a significant impact on the lives of children with epilepsy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive decline in normal aging and its prevention: a review on non-pharmacological lifestyle strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimova B

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Blanka Klimova,1,2 Martin Valis,2 Kamil Kuca3,4 1Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, 2Department of Neurology, 3Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, 4Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the selected non-pharmacological lifestyle activities on the delay of cognitive decline in normal aging. This was done by conducting a literature review in the four acknowledged databases Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Springer, and consequently by evaluating the findings of the relevant studies. The findings show that physical activities, such as walking and aerobic exercises, music therapy, adherence to Mediterranean diet, or solving crosswords, seem to be very promising lifestyle intervention tools. The results indicate that non-pharmacological lifestyle intervention activities should be intense and possibly done simultaneously in order to be effective in the prevention of cognitive decline. In addition, more longitudinal randomized controlled trials are needed in order to discover the most effective types and the duration of these intervention activities in the prevention of cognitive decline, typical of aging population groups. Keywords: cognitive impairment, healthy older individuals, intervention, benefits

Measuring Visual Closeness of 3-D Models

KAUST Repository

Gollaz Morales, Jose Alejandro

2012-09-01

Measuring visual closeness of 3-D models is an important issue for different problems and there is still no standardized metric or algorithm to do it. The normal of a surface plays a vital role in the shading of a 3-D object. Motivated by this, we developed two applications to measure visualcloseness, introducing normal difference as a parameter in a weighted metric in Metro’s sampling approach to obtain the maximum and mean distance between 3-D models using 3-D and 6-D correspondence search structures. A visual closeness metric should provide accurate information on what the human observers would perceive as visually close objects. We performed a validation study with a group of people to evaluate the correlation of our metrics with subjective perception. The results were positive since the metrics predicted the subjective rankings more accurately than the Hausdorff distance.

Differences between the chewing and non-chewing sides of the mandibular first molars and condyles in the closing phase during chewing in normal subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomonari, Hiroshi; Kwon, Sangho; Kuninori, Takaharu; Miyawaki, Shouichi

2017-09-01

This study aimed to assess differences between the closing paths of the chewing and non-chewing sides of mandibular first molars and condyles during natural mastication, using standardized model food in healthy subjects. Thirty-two healthy young adults (age: 19-25 years; 22 men, 10 women) with normal occlusion and function chewed on standardized gummy jelly. Using an optoelectric jaw-tracking system with six degrees of freedom, we recorded the path of the mandibular first molars and condyles on both sides for 10 strokes during unilateral chewing. Variables were compared between the chewing side and the non-chewing side of first molars and condyles on frontal, sagittal, and horizontal views during the early-, middle- and late-closing phases. On superior/inferior displacements, the chewing side first molar and condyle were positioned superior to those on the non-chewing side during the early- and middle-closing phases. Conversely, the first molar and condyle on the non-chewing side were positioned significantly superior to those on the chewing side during the late-closing phase. On anterior/posterior displacements, the chewing side mandibular first molar and condyle were positioned significantly posterior to those on the non-chewing side throughout all closing phases. Our results showed the differences between the mandibular first molars and condyles on both sides with respect to masticatory path during natural chewing of a model food. These differences can be useful for informing initial diagnostic tests for impaired masticatory function in the clinical environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Normal human serum (HS) prevents oxidant-induced lysis of cultured endothelial cells (ECs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callahan, K.S.; Harlan, J.M.

1986-01-01

Most studies demonstrating oxidant lysis of cultured ECs are performed in serum-free media or media containing low concentrations of bovine serum. The authors found that HS protects human and bovine ECs from lysis caused by reagent H 2 O 2 or glucose/glucose oxidase (GO)-generated H 2 O 2 . EC injury was assessed by 51 Cr release, cell detachment, or trypan blue dye exclusion. Protective HS activity was dose-dependent with concentrations greater than or equal to 25% preventing lethal injury. Cytotoxicity at 24 hrs, induced by 20 mU/ml GO, was 90.1 +/- 5.2% without HS vs 1.7 +/- 4.6% with 25% HS present (20 exp). Similar protection was observed with heparinized plasma. Of note, comparable concentrations of bovine serum were devoid of protective activity. Addition of fatty acid-free albumin to the media was also without protective effect. Preliminary characterization showed HS activity was stable to 60 0 C for 30 min, non-dialyzable at 25,000 MW cutoff, and retained in delipidated serum. The HS protection was not merely due to scavenging of exogenous H 2 O 2 as A23187-induced EC lysis was also prevented by HS. Protective activity was not reproduced by purified cerruloplasmin or transferrin. In conclusion, unidentified factor(s) present in HS protect cultured ECs from oxidant-induced lysis. Since endothelium is normally exposed to 100% plasma, the authors suggest that in vitro studies of oxidant-mediated injury be performed in the presence of HS. Factor(s) in HS may play an important role in modulating oxidant-induced vascular injury in vivo

Gas migration from closed coal mines to the surface. Risk assessment methodology and prevention means

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokryszka, Z.; Tauziede, Ch.; Lagny, C.; Guise, Y.; Gobillot, R.; Planchenault, J.M.; Lagarde, R.

2005-01-01

French law as regards renunciation to mining concessions calls for the mining operator to first undertake analyses of the risks represented by their underground mining works. The problem of gas migration to the surface is especially significant in the context of coal mines. This is because mine gas can migrate to the earth's surface, then present significant risks: explosion, suffocation or gas poisoning risks. As part of the scheduled closure of all coal mining operations in France, INERIS has drawn up, at the request of national mining operator Charbonnages de France, a general methodology for assessing the risk linked to gas in the context of closed coal mines. This article presents the principles of this methodology. An application example based on a true case study is then described. This is completed by a presentation of the preventive and monitoring resources recommended and usually applied in order to manage the risk linked to gaseous emissions. (authors)

On some Closed Magnetic Curves on a 3-torus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munteanu, Marian Ioan, E-mail: marian.ioan.munteanu@gmail.com [Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Faculty of Mathematics (Romania); Nistor, Ana Irina, E-mail: ana.irina.nistor@gmail.com [Gh. Asachi Technical University of Iaşi, Department of Mathematics and Informatics (Romania)

2017-06-15

We consider two magnetic fields on the 3-torus obtained from two different contact forms on the Euclidean 3-space and we study when their corresponding normal magnetic curves are closed. We obtain periodicity conditions analogues to those for the closed geodesics on the torus.

Getting behind closed doors : Reflections on legislation to prevent domestic violence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Römkens, R.; Lünnemann, K.

2008-01-01

The call for preventive interventions to curb domestic violence is becoming stronger. The barring order has been launched as an innovative approach to preventing domestic violence. It allows the police to temporarily bar the perpetrator of domestic violence from entering his or her home, as a way to

Food intake during the normal activity phase prevents obesity and circadian desynchrony in a rat model of night work.

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado-Delgado, Roberto; Angeles-Castellanos, Manuel; Saderi, Nadia; Buijs, Ruud M; Escobar, Carolina

2010-03-01

Shift work or night work is associated with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and other diseases. The cause for these pathologies is proposed to be the dissociation between the temporal signals from the biological clock and the sleep/activity schedule of the night worker. We investigated the mechanisms promoting metabolic desynchrony in a model for night work in rats, based on daily 8-h activity schedules during the resting phase. We demonstrate that the major alterations leading to internal desynchrony induced by this working protocol, flattened glucose and locomotor rhythms and the development of abdominal obesity, were caused by food intake during the rest phase. Shifting food intake to the normal activity phase prevented body weight increase and reverted metabolic and rhythmic disturbances of the shift work animals to control ranges. These observations demonstrate that feeding habits may prevent or induce internal desynchrony and obesity.

A Comparison of Adaptive Behaviors among Mentally Retarded and Normal Individuals: A guide to Prevention and Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leyla Sadros

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Because of the importance of adaptive behaviors in socialand domestic lives, this study aimed at a comparison of various domainsof adaptive behaviors, between mentally retarded and normalindividuals.Methods: A number of 246 normal and 74 mentally retarded individuals(7-18 years of age, mean: 12±3.5 years, participated this study inTehran, Iran. Their adaptive behaviors scores, were obtained using"Adaptive Behavioral Scale, Residential & Community" (ABS-RC: 2,consisting of 18 domains of behavior. The scale was first translatedinto Persian by the professionals and then retranslated into English byanother translator, to ensure content non-distortion.Results: The following domains were significantly lower in mentallyretarded than in normal individuals: independent functioning, economicactivity, language development, number & time, prevocational/vocational activity, self direction, responsibility, socialization,disturbing interpersonal behavior, domestic activity, social engagement,conformity and trustworthiness. No significant difference was documentedin the physical development, stereotype & hyperactive behaviors,sexual behavior as well as self abuse behavior domains, betweenthe two groups.Conclusions: As mentally deficient subjects did worse than normalones in terms of many adaptive behavioral domains, it implies that theadaptive behavioral issues in such people might need a great deal ofattention and intervention. For these retarded people to function betterin their social and residential environment, it would be necessary todevelop their adaptive behaviors. This study may shed light on theimportance of attention to the adaptive behavioral domains of mentallyretarded people and also indicates the necessity of preventive measures,even for normal individuals.

Malware Normalization

OpenAIRE

Christodorescu, Mihai; Kinder, Johannes; Jha, Somesh; Katzenbeisser, Stefan; Veith, Helmut

2005-01-01

Malware is code designed for a malicious purpose, such as obtaining root privilege on a host. A malware detector identifies malware and thus prevents it from adversely affecting a host. In order to evade detection by malware detectors, malware writers use various obfuscation techniques to transform their malware. There is strong evidence that commercial malware detectors are susceptible to these evasion tactics. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a malware normalizer ...

Retinopathy of prematurity: the need for prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Liegl, Raffael; Hellström, Ann; Smith, Lois EH

2016-01-01

More than 450,000 babies are born prematurely in the USA every year. The improved survival of even the most vulnerable low body weight preterm infants has, despite improving health outcomes, led to the resurgence in preterm complications including one of the major causes for blindness in children, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The current mainstay in ROP therapy is laser photocoagulation and the injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies in the late stages of the disease after the onset of neovascularization. Both are proven options for ophthalmologists to treat the severe forms of late ROP. However, laser photocoagulation destroys major parts of the retina, and the injection of VEGF antibodies, although rather simple to administer, may cause a systemic suppression of normal vascularization, which has not been studied in sufficient depth. However, the use of neither VEGF antibody nor laser treatment prevents ROP, which should be the long-term goal. It should be possible to prevent ROP by more closely mimicking the intrauterine environment after preterm birth. Such preventive measures include preventing the toxic postbirth influences (eg, oxygen excess) as well as providing the missing intrauterine factors (eg, insulin growth factor 1) and are likely to also reduce other complications of premature birth as well as ROP. This review is meant to summarize the current knowledge on the prevention of ROP with a particular emphasize on the use of insulin growth factor 1 supplementation. PMID:28539804

Preventing mental illness: closing the evidence-practice gap through workforce and services planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Furber, Gareth; Segal, Leonie; Leach, Matthew; Turnbull, Catherine; Procter, Nicholas; Diamond, Mark; Miller, Stephanie; McGorry, Patrick

2015-07-24

Mental illness is prevalent across the globe and affects multiple aspects of life. Despite advances in treatment, there is little evidence that prevalence rates of mental illness are falling. While the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancers are common in the policy dialogue and in service delivery, the prevention of mental illness remains a neglected area. There is accumulating evidence that mental illness is at least partially preventable, with increasing recognition that its antecedents are often found in infancy, childhood, adolescence and youth, creating multiple opportunities into young adulthood for prevention. Developing valid and reproducible methods for translating the evidence base in mental illness prevention into actionable policy recommendations is a crucial step in taking the prevention agenda forward. Building on an aetiological model of adult mental illness that emphasizes the importance of intervening during infancy, childhood, adolescence and youth, we adapted a workforce and service planning framework, originally applied to diabetes care, to the analysis of the workforce and service structures required for best-practice prevention of mental illness. The resulting framework consists of 6 steps that include identifying priority risk factors, profiling the population in terms of these risk factors to identify at-risk groups, matching these at-risk groups to best-practice interventions, translation of these interventions to competencies, translation of competencies to workforce and service estimates, and finally, exploring the policy implications of these workforce and services estimates. The framework outlines the specific tasks involved in translating the evidence-base in prevention, to clearly actionable workforce, service delivery and funding recommendations. The framework describes the means to deliver mental illness prevention that the literature indicates is achievable, and is the basis of an ongoing project to model the workforce

High serum bicarbonate level within the normal range prevents the progression of chronic kidney disease in elderly chronic kidney disease patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanda Eiichiro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Metabolic acidosis leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD progression. The guidelines recommend a lower limit of serum bicarbonate level, but no upper limit. For serum bicarbonate level to be clinically useful as a therapeutic target marker, it is necessary to investigate the target serum bicarbonate level within the normal range to prevent CKD progression. Methods One hundred and thirteen elderly CKD patients, whose serum bicarbonate level was controlled within the normal range, were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study in Ibaraki, Japan. Outcome was defined as a decrease of 25% or more in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR or starting dialysis. We used Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for patients’ characteristics to examine the association between serum bicarbonate level and the outcome. Results Female patients were 36.3%: average age (SD, 70.4 (6.6 years; eGFR, 25.7 (13.6 ml/min/1.73 m2; serum bicarbonate level, 27.4 (3.2 mEq/l. Patients with the lowest quartile of serum bicarbonate levels [23.4 (1.8 mEq/l] showed a high risk of CKD progression compared with patients with high serum bicarbonate levels [28.8 (2.3 mEq/l]: adjusted hazard ratio (HR, 3.511 (95% CI, 1.342-9.186. A 1 mEq/l increase in serum bicarbonate level was associated with a low risk of CKD progression: adjusted HR, 0.791 [95% confidence interval (CI, 0.684-0.914]. Conclusions In elderly CKD patients, our findings suggest that serum bicarbonate level is independently associated with CKD progression, and that a high serum bicarbonate level is associated with a low risk of CKD progression. A high target serum bicarbonate level within the normal range may be effective for preventing CKD progression.

On the approximative normal values of multivalued operators in topological vector space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Minh Chuong; Khuat van Ninh

1989-09-01

In this paper the problem of approximation of normal values of multivalued linear closed operators from topological vector Mackey space into E-space is considered. Existence of normal value and convergence of approximative values to normal value are proved. (author). 4 refs

Primary prevention of food allergy in children and adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Silva, D; Geromi, M; Halken, S

2014-01-01

or breastfeeding women should change their diet or take supplements to prevent allergies in infants at high or normal risk. There were mixed findings about the preventive benefits of breastfeeding for infants at high or normal risk, but there was evidence to recommend avoiding cow's milk and substituting...... with extensively or partially hydrolyzed whey or casein formulas for infants at high risk for the first 4 months. Soy milk and delaying the introduction of solid foods beyond 4 months did not have preventive benefits in those at high or normal risk. There was very little evidence about strategies for preventing...

a Recursive Approach to Compute Normal Forms

Science.gov (United States)

HSU, L.; MIN, L. J.; FAVRETTO, L.

2001-06-01

Normal forms are instrumental in the analysis of dynamical systems described by ordinary differential equations, particularly when singularities close to a bifurcation are to be characterized. However, the computation of a normal form up to an arbitrary order is numerically hard. This paper focuses on the computer programming of some recursive formulas developed earlier to compute higher order normal forms. A computer program to reduce the system to its normal form on a center manifold is developed using the Maple symbolic language. However, it should be stressed that the program relies essentially on recursive numerical computations, while symbolic calculations are used only for minor tasks. Some strategies are proposed to save computation time. Examples are presented to illustrate the application of the program to obtain high order normalization or to handle systems with large dimension.

On toroidal Green close-quote s functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bates, J.W.

1997-01-01

Green close-quote s functions are valuable analytical tools for solving a myriad of boundary-value problems in mathematical physics. Here, Green close-quote s functions of the Laplacian and biharmonic operators are derived for a three-dimensional toroidal domain. In some sense, the former result may be regarded as open-quotes standard,close quotes but the latter is most certainly not. It is shown that both functions can be constructed to have zero value on a specified toroidal surface with a circular cross section. Additionally, the Green close-quote s function of the biharmonic operator may be chosen to have the property that its normal derivative also vanishes there. A open-quotes torsionalclose quotes Green close-quote s function is derived for each operator which is useful in solving some boundary-value problems involving axisymmetric vector equations. Using this approach, the magnetic vector potential of a wire loop is computed as a simple example. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Quantum arrival times and operator normalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegerfeldt, Gerhard C.; Seidel, Dirk; Gonzalo Muga, J.

2003-01-01

A recent approach to arrival times used the fluorescence of an atom entering a laser illuminated region, and the resulting arrival-time distribution was close to the axiomatic distribution of Kijowski, but not exactly equal, neither in limiting cases nor after compensation of reflection losses by normalization on the level of expectation values. In this paper we employ a normalization on the level of operators, recently proposed in a slightly different context. We show that in this case the axiomatic arrival-time distribution of Kijowski is recovered as a limiting case. In addition, it is shown that Allcock's complex potential model is also a limit of the physically motivated fluorescence approach and connected to Kijowski's distribution through operator normalization

Indicated prevention of adult obesity: reference data for weight normalization in overweight children

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Pediatric obesity is a major risk factor for adult obesity. Indicated prevention--that is, helping overweight or obese youth attain non-overweight status--has been suggested to prevent adult obesity. This study aimed to support the notion of indicated prevention by demonstrating that rel...

Evaluation of Occupational Closed Globe Eye Injuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berna Akova-Budak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: To evaluate closed glob injuries related to occupational accidents of patients who had official occupational accident records. Material and Method: The medical records of patients with ocular injuries who referred to Department of Ophthalmology or emergency of Uludag University, School of Medicine between January 2010 and December 2013 with official occupational accident report were retrospectively reviewed. The patients with closed globe injuries following trauma were included. Age, sex, the injured eye, the cause of the trauma, whether the precautions were taken or not by the patient, the damage due to trauma were recorded. Results: According to the official records, 108 patients referred to our clinic with closed globe injury related to occupational accident. One hundred twenty eyes of 108 patients ( 2 females, 106 males were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 33±8.6 years. The most frequent cause of injury was foreign bodies on the ocular surface followed by blunt trauma. The mean age of the patients injured with foreign bodies was found to be significantly lower than the patients injured with blunt objects (p=0.039. Thirteen patients reported that they had used preventive equipment. Discussion: It is of utmost importance that the awareness of the workers should be raised and they should be educated about the use of preventive equipment to prevent the occupational eye injuries. The education of particularly the younger patients about the occupational injuries when they begin to work may decrease the rate of occupational accident related eye injuries.

CLOSED TALAR DISLOCATION – A CASE REPORT

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Igor Dolenc

2001-11-01

Full Text Available Background. A case report of closed complete talardislocation and its treatment is presented. At the operative reductionof the talus some connective tissue was observed bridgingthe talar caput with the surrounding structures. Talar bonescan at that time revealed irregular accumulation of theisotope. Six months post injury x-ray of the previously injuriedtalus showed normal spongious bone structure, and repeatedbone scan revealed normal vascularisation.Conclusions. The injuried lower extremity was immobilizedfor five and a half months and weight-bearing was restrictedfor nine and a half months altogether. Five years later the patientis asymptomatic. The range of motion of the previouslyinjuried ankle is normal. X-ray control reveals initial signs ofosteoarthritis at the talocalcanear joints.

Deficit in figure-ground segmentation following closed head injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Baylis, G C; Baylis, L L

1997-08-01

Patient CB showed a severe impairment in figure-ground segmentation following a closed head injury. Unlike normal subjects, CB was unable to parse smaller and brighter parts of stimuli as figure. Moreover, she did not show the normal effect that symmetrical regions are seen as figure, although she was able to make overt judgments of symmetry. Since she was able to attend normally to isolated objects, CB demonstrates a dissociation between figure ground segmentation and subsequent processes of attention. Despite her severe impairment in figure-ground segmentation, CB showed normal 'parallel' single feature visual search. This suggests that figure-ground segmentation is dissociable from 'preattentive' processes such as visual search.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator is correlated closely with sperm progressive motility and normal morphology in healthy and fertile men with normal sperm parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, L-Y; Shan, J-J; Tong, X-M; Zhu, H-Y; Yang, L-Y; Zheng, Q; Luo, Y; Shi, Q-X; Zhang, S-Y

2014-10-01

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has been demonstrated to be expressed in mature spermatozoa and correlated with sperm quality. Sperm CFTR expression in fertile men is higher than that in infertile men suffering from teratospermia, asthenoteratospermia, asthenospermia and oligospermia, but it is unknown whether CFTR is correlated with sperm parameters when sperm parameters are normal. In this study, 282 healthy and fertile men with normal semen parameters were classified into three age groups, group (I): age group of 20-29 years (98 cases, 27.1 ± 6.2), group (II): age group of 30-39 years (142 cases, 33.7 ± 2.6) and group (III): age group of more than or equal to 40 years (42 cases, 44.1 ± 4.6). Sperm concentration, total count and progressive motility were analysed by computer-assisted sperm analysis. Sperm morphology was analysed by modified Papanicolaou staining. Sperm CFTR expression was conducted by indirect immunofluorescence staining. There was a significant positive correlation (P sperm progressive motility (r = 0.221) and normal morphology (r = 0.202), but there were no correlations between sperm CFTR expression and semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm total count as well as male age (P > 0.05). Our findings show that CFTR expression is associated with sperm progressive motility and normal morphology in healthy and fertile men with normal sperm parameters, but not associated with the number of spermatozoa and male age. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Prevention of Nosocomial Respiratory Infections

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N. A. Karpun

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: to evaluate the efficiency of an extended package of preventive measures on the incidence of nosocomial respiratory infections in surgical patients at an intensive care unit (ICU. Subjects and methods. The study included 809 patients aged 35 to 80 years. A study group comprised 494 patients in whom an extended package of preventive measures was implemented during 7 months (March-September. A control group consisted of 315 patients treated in 2004 in the same period of time (March-September. The groups were stratified by age, gender, underlying diseases, and APACHE-2 and SOFA scores. The extended package of anti-infectious measures involved a high air purification in ICUs («Flow-M» technology, routine use of ventilatory filters, closed aspiration systems with a built-in antibacterial filter under artificial ventilation for over 2 days. Results. The proposed technologies could reduce the frequency of tracheobronchitis and ventilator-associated pneumonias in the groups of patients at high risk for nosocomial infections substantially (by more than twice. Conclusion. The findings have led to the conclusion that the extended package of preventive measures is effective in preventing respiratory infections in ICU patients. Of special note is the proper prevention of upper airway contamination with pathogenic microorganisms, by employing the closed aspiration systems with a built-in antibacterial filter. The routine use of high-tech consumables in the intensive care of surgical patients causes a considerable decrease in the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and purulent tracheobronchitis and a reduction in the number of microbiological studies. Key words: ventilator-associated pneumonia, prevention of nosocomial infections, closed aspiration system.

Data Collision Prevention with Overflow Hashing Technique in Closed Hash Searching Process

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, Robbi; Nurjamiyah; Rafika Dewi, Arie

2017-12-01

Hash search is a method that can be used for various search processes such as search engines, sorting, machine learning, neural network and so on, in the search process the possibility of collision data can happen and to prevent the occurrence of collision can be done in several ways one of them is to use Overflow technique, the use of this technique perform with varying length of data and this technique can prevent the occurrence of data collisions.

Novel preventive treatment options

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Longbottom, C; Ekstrand, K; Zero, D

2009-01-01

A number of novel preventive treatment options which, as with traditional methods, can be differentiated into 3 categories of prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary), have been and are being currently investigated. Those reviewed are either commercially available or appear relatively close...... of these techniques show considerable promise and dentists should be aware of these developments and follow their progress, the evidence for each of these novel preventive treatment options is currently insufficient to make widespread recommendations. Changes in dental practice should be explored to see how oral...

A novel generalized normal distribution for human longevity and other negatively skewed data.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Henry T; Allison, David B

2012-01-01

Negatively skewed data arise occasionally in statistical practice; perhaps the most familiar example is the distribution of human longevity. Although other generalizations of the normal distribution exist, we demonstrate a new alternative that apparently fits human longevity data better. We propose an alternative approach of a normal distribution whose scale parameter is conditioned on attained age. This approach is consistent with previous findings that longevity conditioned on survival to the modal age behaves like a normal distribution. We derive such a distribution and demonstrate its accuracy in modeling human longevity data from life tables. The new distribution is characterized by 1. An intuitively straightforward genesis; 2. Closed forms for the pdf, cdf, mode, quantile, and hazard functions; and 3. Accessibility to non-statisticians, based on its close relationship to the normal distribution.

The Impact of Pre-closing Implementation to Price Efficiency in Indonesia Stock Exchange

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Gilang Praditiyo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE 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-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Indonesia Stock Exchange has really concerned about improving stock market quality these days. One of the effort is pre-closing trading session implementation. It refers to Decision of the Board of Directors of The Indonesia Stock Exchange Number Kep-00399/BEI/11-2012, regarding Amendment to Rule Number II-A concerning Equity-Type Securities Trading. The rule is effective on 2nd Januar, 2013 and Indonesia Stock Exchange has implemented it since that date. The purposes of pre-closing implementation are to mitigate marking the close, which is the practice of buying security at the very end of the trading day at a significantly higher price than the current price of the security, and to improve market quality. This paper attempts to veryfy whether the impact of pre-closing implementation to price efficiency is positive or not. The result shows that the pre-closing implementation has the positive impact to price efficiency. It reduces the return volatility and market manipulation at  the closing time which also means that the pre-closing implementation has effectively improved market quality in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Keywords:Pre-closing, price manipulation, marking the close, volatility, price efficiency.

Closed suction drainage using Lichtenstein technique in preventing wound complications following inguinal hernioplasty: brief report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Reza Hemmati

2015-03-01

Results: No adverse event including hematoma, seroma or wound infection occurred in either group with or without closed suction drainage in the first 10 days after surgery. Only one patient carried wound infection during days 10 to 15 following operation who was in the group with closed drainage (P=1.00. Conclusion: In this study, Seroma and hematoma was not observed in patients with and without closed suction drainage. To avoid drains' complications, indiscriminate use of antibiotics, prolonged hospital stay, we do not recommend the use of drains in this type of surgery.

Diabetes Insipidus after normal vaginal delivery: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farideh Keypour

2014-07-01

Treatment was continuing, when the symptoms of central diabetes insipidus resolve and urinary concentrating ability was preferred. Maximum urinary osmolality over the next 11 hours was assessed, 730 mosm/kg was considered normal. Conclusion: Close attention to electrolyte and fluid balance is important in the postpartum period. The symptoms of transient vasopressin-resistant diabetes insipidus resolve in few days to a few weeks after vaginal delivery or when hepatic function returns to normal.

Closed reduction of displaced or dislocated mandibular condyle fractures in children using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber traction.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, J H; Nam, D H

2015-10-01

Most surgeons agree that closed treatment provides the best results for condylar fractures in children. Nevertheless, treatment of the paediatric mandibular condyle fracture that is severely displaced or dislocated is controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes following the treatment of displaced or dislocated condylar fractures in children using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber traction. This procedure can strengthen the advantage of closed reduction and make up for the shortcomings of open reduction. From March 1, 2005 to December 25, 2011, 11 children aged between 4 and 12 years with displaced or dislocated mandibular condyle fractures were treated using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber traction under portable C-arm fluoroscopy. All patients had unilateral displaced or dislocated condylar fractures. The follow-up period ranged from 24 to 42 months (mean 29.3 months). Normal occlusion and pain-free function of the temporomandibular joint, without deviation or limitation of jaw opening, was achieved in all patients. This closed reduction technique in displaced or dislocated condylar fractures in children offers a reliable solution in preventing the unfavourable sequelae of closed treatment and the open technique, such as altered morphology, functional disturbances, and facial nerve damage. Copyright © 2015 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Syntactic Comprehension Deficits Following Closed Head Injury versus Left Cerebrovascular Accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler-Hinz, Susan; And Others

1990-01-01

Two studies examined the ability to assign thematic roles and to coindex referentially dependent noun phrases in closed head injured adults (N=20), adult stroke patients (N=20), and normal adults (N=20). Results suggested that syntactic comprehension disturbances are similar following left cerebral hemisphere infarction and closed head injury.…

Crate counter for normal operating loss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harlan, R.A.

A lithium-loaded zinc sulfide scintillation counter to closely assay plutonium in waste packaged in 1.3 by 1.3 by 2.13m crates was built. In addition to assays for normal operating loss accounting, the counter will allow safeguards verification immediately before shipment of the crates for burial. The counter should detect approximately 10 g of plutonium in 1000 kg of waste

Should we use closed or open infusion containers for prevention of bloodstream infections?

Science.gov (United States)

Rangel-Frausto, Manuel S; Higuera-Ramirez, Francisco; Martinez-Soto, Jose; Rosenthal, Victor D

2010-02-02

Hospitalized patients in critical care settings are at risk for bloodstream infections (BSI). Most BSIs originate from a central line (CL), and they increase length of stay, cost, and mortality. Open infusion containers may increase the risk of contamination and administration-related (CLAB) because they allow the entry of air into the system, thereby also providing an opportunity for microbial entry. Closed infusion containers were designed to overcome this flaw. However, open infusion containers are still widely used throughout the world.The objective of the study was to determine the effect of switching from open (glass, burettes, and semi-rigid) infusion containers to closed, fully collapsible, plastic infusion containers (Viaflex) on the rate and time to onset of central line-associated bloodstream infections CLABs. An open label, prospective cohort, active healthcare-associated infection surveillance, sequential study was conducted in four ICUs in Mexico. Centers for Disease Control National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance Systems definitions were used to define device-associated infections. A total of 1,096 adult patients who had a central line in place for >24 hours were enrolled. The CLAB rate was significantly higher during the open versus the closed container period (16.1 versus 3.2 CLAB/1000 central line days; RR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.11-0.36, P container period (1.4% Days 2-4 to 0.5% Days 8-10), but increased in the open container period (4.9% Days 2-4 to 5.4% Days 8-10). The chance of acquiring a CLAB was significantly decreased (81%) in the closed container period (Cox proportional hazard ratio 0.19, P container period (23.4% versus 16.1%; RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.54-0.88, P containers significantly reduced CLAB rate, the probability of acquiring CLAB, and mortality.

Normalized knee-extension strength or leg-press power after fast-track total knee arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aalund, Peter K; Larsen, Kristian; Hansen, Torben Bæk

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: (s): To investigate which of the two muscle-impairment measures for the operated leg, normalized knee extension strength or leg press power, is more closely associated to performance-based and self-reported measures of function shortly following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). DESIGN...... and dynamic leg presses to determine their body-mass normalized knee extension strength and leg press power, respectively. The 10-m fast speed walking and 30-s chair stand tests were used to determine performance-based function, while the Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC......) and Oxford Knee scores were used to determine self-reported function. RESULTS: Normalized leg press power was more closely associated to both performance-based (r=.82, P...

Pulse splitting of self-focusing-beams in normally dispersive media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergé, L.; Juul Rasmussen, J.

1996-01-01

The influence of the normal group-velocity dispersion on anisotropic self-focusing beams in nonlinear Kerr media is studied analytically. It is shown that a light pulse self-focusing in the presence of normal dispersion is split up into several small-scale cells preventing a catastrophic collapse....... The theoretical explanation of this splitting process is revealed....

On a type of generalized closed sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhananjoy Mandal

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to introduce and study a new class ofgeneralized closed sets in a topological space X, defined in terms of a grill G on X. Explicit characterization of such sets along with certain other properties of them are obtained. As applications, some characterizations of regular and normal spaces are achieved by use of the introduced class of sets.

Ghrelin modulates testicular germ cells apoptosis and proliferation in adult normal rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kheradmand, Arash, E-mail: arashkheradmand@yahoo.com [Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lorestan University, P.O. Box: 465, Khorram Abad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Dezfoulian, Omid [Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lorestan University, Khorram Abad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Alirezaei, Masoud [Division of Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lorestan University, P.O. Box: 465, Khorram Abad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rasoulian, Bahram [Razi Herbal Medicine Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorram Abad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2012-03-09

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spermatogenesis is closely associated with the balance between germ cells proliferation and apoptosis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Numerous studies have documented the direct action of ghrelin in the modulation of apoptosis in different cell types. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ghrelin may be considered as a modulator of spermatogenesis in normal adult rats. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ghrelin may be potentially implicated for abnormal spermatogenesis in some testicular germ cell tumors. -- Abstract: Under normal condition in the most mammals, spermatogenesis is closely associated with the balance between germ cells proliferation and apoptosis. The present study was designed to determine the effects of ghrelin treatment on in vivo quality and quantity expression of apoptosis and proliferation specific indices in rat testicular germ cells. Twenty eight adult normal rats were subdivided into equal control and treatment groups. Treatment group received 3 nmol of ghrelin as subcutaneous injection for 30 consecutive days or vehicle to the control animals. The rats from each group (n = 7) were killed on days 10 and 30 and their testes were taken for immunocytochemical evaluation and caspase-3 assay. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the accumulations of Bax and PCNA peptides are generally more prominent in spermatocytes and spermatogonia of both groups. Likewise, the mean percentage of immunoreactive spermatocytes against Bax increased (P < 0.01) in the ghrelin-treated group on day 10, while despite of 30% increment in the Bax level of spermatocytes in the treated rats on day 30, however, it was not statistically significant. During the experimental period, only a few spermatogonia represented Bax expression and the changes of Bax immunolabling cells were negligible upon ghrelin treatment. Likewise, there were immunostaining cells against Bcl-2 in each germ cell neither in the control nor in the treated animals. In fact

Ecological Challenges for Closed Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Mark; Dempster, William; Allen, John P.

2012-07-01

Closed ecological systems are desirable for a number of purposes. In space life support systems, material closure allows precious life-supporting resources to be kept inside and recycled. Closure in small biospheric systems facilitates detailed measurement of global ecological processes and biogeochemical cycles. Closed testbeds facilitate research topics which require isolation from the outside (e.g. genetically modified organisms; radioisotopes) so their ecological interactions and fluxes can be studied separate from interactions with the outside environment. But to achieve and maintain closure entails solving complex ecological challenges. These challenges include being able to handle faster cycling rates and accentuated daily and seasonal fluxes of critical life elements such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, macro- and mico-nutrients. The problems of achieving sustainability in closed systems for life support include how to handle atmospheric dynamics including trace gases, producing a complete human diet and recycling nutrients and maintaining soil fertility, the sustaining of healthy air and water and preventing the loss of crucial elements from active circulation. In biospheric facilities the challenge is also to produce analogues to natural biomes and ecosystems, studying processes of self-organization and adaptation in systems that allow specification or determination of state variables and cycles which may be followed through all interactions from atmosphere to soils. Other challenges include the dynamics and genetics of small populations, the psychological challenges for small isolated human groups and measures and options which may be necessary to ensure long-term operation of closed ecological systems.

Control rod excess withdrawal prevention device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takayama, Yoshihito.

1992-01-01

Excess withdrawal of a control rod of a BWR type reactor is prevented. That is, the device comprises (1) a speed detector for detecting the driving speed of a control rod, (2) a judging circuit for outputting an abnormal signal if the driving speed is greater than a predetermined level and (3) a direction control valve compulsory closing circuit for controlling the driving direction of inserting and withdrawing a control rod based on an abnormal signal. With such a constitution, when the with drawing speed of a control rod is greater than a predetermined level, it is detected by the speed detector and the judging circuit. Then, all of the direction control valve are closed by way of the direction control valve compulsory closing circuit. As a result, the operation of the control rod is stopped compulsorily and the withdrawing speed of the control rod can be lowered to a speed corresponding to that upon gravitational withdrawal. Accordingly, excess withdrawal can be prevented. (I.S)

Treating and Preventing Sports Hernias

Science.gov (United States)

... Close ‹ Back to Healthy Living Treating and Preventing Sports Hernias If you play ice hockey, tennis or ... for the most commonly misdiagnosed groin pain—a sports hernia. A sports hernia often results from overuse ...

Supertube domain walls and elimination of closed timelike curves in string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drukker, Nadav

2004-01-01

We show that some novel physics of supertubes removes closed timelike curves from many supersymmetric spaces which naively suffer from this problem. The main claim is that supertubes naturally form domain walls, so while analytical continuation of the metric would lead to closed timelike curves, across the domain wall the metric is nondifferentiable, and the closed timelike curves are eliminated. In the examples we study, the metric inside the domain wall is always of the Goedel type, while outside the shell it looks like a localized rotating object, often a rotating black hole. Thus this mechanism prevents the appearance of closed timelike curves behind the horizons of certain rotating black holes

SOCIAL REABILITATION MODEL FOR TEENAGERS WITH DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IN CLOSED-TYPE INSTITUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. V. Moskvina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper considers educational practices in the closed-type institutions for teenagers with deviations in legal, intellectual and psychoemotional behavior, and reveals a social rehabilitation model for this category of teenagers. The model is based on A. V. Petrovsky’s concept of the three phases of personality development in adolescence – adaptation, individualization and integration. The author presumes that any deviation in a teenager’s behavior increases as the result of negative experience, developed and retained in asocial surroundings. The goal of teaching staff in closed-type institutions is to transform the trend of deviant behavior into the normal attitude of social adaptation. The author emphasizes a need for positive experience of passing the above phases in friendly atmosphere with adequate behavior patterns. Preventive work implies the priority changes – i.e. the prevalence of the future over the past, self-determination (revision of goals, meanings, and attitudes to a free choice, reorientation from ≪I don’t want, I can’t, I don’t have to≫ to the positive connotations of ≪I have to, I can, I want≫. The paper denotes the methods and ways of pedagogical facilitation, relating to different phases of educational process, and provides a technique for regular monitoring of personal behavior changes, including the key evaluation positions and scales. The paper is addressed to the teaching staff involved in rehabilitation of teenagers with deviant behavior.

Closed cervical spine trauma associated with bilateral vertebral artery injuries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kloen, P.; Patterson, J. D.; Wintman, B. I.; Ozuna, R. M.; Brick, G. W.

1999-01-01

Bilateral vertebral artery injuries in closed cervical spine injuries are uncommon, but early recognition and treatment are important to prevent neurological deterioration. A case of bilateral vertebral injuries in a 35-year-old motor vehicle accident victim is presented, and the current literature

Cranial MR imaging and cerebral 99mTc HM-PAO-SPECT in patients with subacute or chronic severe closed head injury and normal CT examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prayer, L.; Wimberger, D.; Oder, W.; Kramer, J.; Schindler, E.; Podreka, I.; Imhof, H.

1993-01-01

Eighteen patients in the subacute or chronic state following severe closed head injury with normal cranial CT scans were examined by MR and 99m Tc HM-PAO SPECT. Correlations were sought between these 2 imaging modalities and the clinical outcome, as defined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOX) score. Both MR and SPECT revealed cerebral damage in all patients examined but structural and functional alterations did not coincide topographically in 64.9% of lesions. Nevertheless, complementary injury patterns suggesting poor recovery were found; cortical contusions and diffuse axonal injury (MR) in conjunction with cortical and thalamic hypoperfusion (SPECT) were noticed in 8 out of 12 patients with unfavorable outcome (GOS = III and IV). The synthesis of MR and SPECT information clearly enhanced the ability both to accurately assess posttraumatic brain damage and to improve patients' outcome prediction. (au) (18 refs.)

Cranial MR imaging and cerebral 99mTc HM-PAO-SPECT in patients with subacute or chronic severe closed head injury and normal CT examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prayer, L.; Wimberger, D.; Oder, W.; Kramer, J.; Schindler, E.; Podreka, I.; Imhof, H.

1993-01-01

Eighteen patients in the subacute or chronic state following severe closed head injury with normal cranial CT scans were examined by MR and 99m Tc HM-PAO SPECT. Correlations were sought between these 2 imaging modalities and the clinical outcome, as defined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score. Both MR and SPECT revealed cerebral damage in all patients examined but structural and functional alterations did not coincide topographically in 64.9% of lesions. Nevertheless, complementary injury patterns suggesting poor recovery were found; cortical contusions and diffuse axonal injury (MR) in conjunction with cortical and thalamic hypoperfusion (SPECT) were noticed in 8 out of 12 patients with unfavorable outcome (GOS=III and IV). The synthesis of MR and SPECT information clearly enhanced the ability both to accurately assess posttraumatic brain damage and to improve patients' outcome prediction. (orig.)

Promoting health workers' ownership of infection prevention and control: using Normalization Process Theory as an interpretive framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, D J; Hale, R; Waters, E; Allen, D

2016-12-01

All health workers should take responsibility for infection prevention and control (IPC). Recent reduction in key reported healthcare-associated infections in the UK is impressive, but the determinants of success are unknown. It is imperative to understand how IPC strategies operate as new challenges arise and threats of antimicrobial resistance increase. The authors undertook a retrospective, independent evaluation of an action plan to enhance IPC and 'ownership' (individual accountability) for IPC introduced throughout a healthcare organization. Twenty purposively selected informants were interviewed. Data were analysed inductively. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) was applied to interpret the findings and explain how the action plan was operating. Six themes emerged through inductive analysis. Theme 1: 'Ability to make sense of ownership' provided evidence of the first element of NPT (coherence). Regardless of occupational group or seniority, informants understood the importance of IPC ownership and described what it entailed. They identified three prerequisites: 'Always being vigilant' (Theme 2), 'Importance of access to information' (Theme 3) and 'Being able to learn together in a no-blame culture' (Theme 4). Data relating to each theme provided evidence of the other elements of NPT that are required to embed change: planning implementation (cognitive participation), undertaking the work necessary to achieve change (collective action), and reflection on what else is needed to promote change as part of continuous quality improvement (reflexive monitoring). Informants identified barriers (e.g. workload) and facilitators (clear lines of communication and expectations for IPC). Eighteen months after implementing the action plan incorporating IPC ownership, there was evidence of continuous service improvement and significant reduction in infection rates. Applying a theory that identifies factors that promote/inhibit routine incorporation ('normalization') of IPC

Valproic acid prevents retinal degeneration in a murine model of normal tension glaucoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Atsuko; Guo, Xiaoli; Noro, Takahiko; Harada, Chikako; Tanaka, Kohichi; Namekata, Kazuhiko; Harada, Takayuki

2015-02-19

Valproic acid (VPA) is widely used for treatment of epilepsy, mood disorders, migraines and neuropathic pain. It exerts its therapeutic benefits through modulation of multiple mechanisms including regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate neurotransmissions, activation of pro-survival protein kinases and inhibition of histone deacetylase. The evidence for neuroprotective properties associated with VPA is emerging. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic potential of VPA in a mouse model of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). Mice with glutamate/aspartate transporter gene deletion (GLAST KO mice) demonstrate progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and optic nerve degeneration without elevated intraocular pressure, and exhibit glaucomatous pathology including glutamate neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in the retina. VPA (300mg/kg) or vehicle (PBS) was administered via intraperitoneal injection in GLAST KO mice daily for 2 weeks from the age of 3 weeks, which coincides with the onset of glaucomatous retinal degeneration. Following completion of the treatment period, the vehicle-treated GLAST KO mouse retina showed significant RGC death. Meanwhile, VPA treatment prevented RGC death and thinning of the inner retinal layer in GLAST KO mice. In addition, in vivo electrophysiological analyses demonstrated that visual impairment observed in vehicle-treated GLAST KO mice was ameliorated with VPA treatment, clearly establishing that VPA beneficially affects both histological and functional aspects of the glaucomatous retina. We found that VPA reduces oxidative stress induced in the GLAST KO retina and stimulates the cell survival signalling pathway associated with extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK). This is the first study to report the neuroprotective effects of VPA in an animal model of NTG. Our findings raise intriguing possibilities that the widely prescribed drug VPA may be a novel candidate for treatment of glaucoma. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier

Temperature distribution induced by electron beam in a closed cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molhem, A.G.; Soulayman, S.Sh.

2004-01-01

In order to investigate heat transfer phenomena induced by EB in a closed cavity an experimental arrangement, which allows generating and focusing an electron beam in to closed cavity within 1 mm in diameter and measuring temperature all over any perpendicular section to the EB, is used for this purpose. Experimental data show that the radial distribution of current density and temperature is normal with pressure and location dependent parameters. Moreover, there is two distinguishable regions in the EB: one is central while the other surrounds the first one. (orig.)

Zero cosmological constant from normalized general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, Aharon; Rubin, Shimon

2009-01-01

Normalizing the Einstein-Hilbert action by the volume functional makes the theory invariant under constant shifts in the Lagrangian. The associated field equations then resemble unimodular gravity whose otherwise arbitrary cosmological constant is now determined as a Machian universal average. We prove that an empty space-time is necessarily Ricci tensor flat, and demonstrate the vanishing of the cosmological constant within the scalar field paradigm. The cosmological analysis, carried out at the mini-superspace level, reveals a vanishing cosmological constant for a universe which cannot be closed as long as gravity is attractive. Finally, we give an example of a normalized theory of gravity which does give rise to a non-zero cosmological constant.

Normal-Mode Splitting in a Weakly Coupled Optomechanical System

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Massimiliano; Kralj, Nenad; Zippilli, Stefano; Natali, Riccardo; Borrielli, Antonio; Pandraud, Gregory; Serra, Enrico; Di Giuseppe, Giovanni; Vitali, David

2018-02-01

Normal-mode splitting is the most evident signature of strong coupling between two interacting subsystems. It occurs when two subsystems exchange energy between themselves faster than they dissipate it to the environment. Here we experimentally show that a weakly coupled optomechanical system at room temperature can manifest normal-mode splitting when the pump field fluctuations are antisquashed by a phase-sensitive feedback loop operating close to its instability threshold. Under these conditions the optical cavity exhibits an effectively reduced decay rate, so that the system is effectively promoted to the strong coupling regime.

Short periods of high temperature during meiosis prevent normal meiotic progression and reduce grain number in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Draeger, Tracie; Moore, Graham

2017-09-01

Exposure of wheat to high temperatures during male meiosis prevents normal meiotic progression and reduces grain number. We define a temperature-sensitive period and link heat tolerance to chromosome 5D. This study assesses the effects of heat on meiotic progression and grain number in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. Chinese Spring), defines a heat-sensitive stage and evaluates the role of chromosome 5D in heat tolerance. Plants were exposed to high temperatures (30 or 35 °C) in a controlled environment room for 20-h periods during meiosis and the premeiotic interphase just prior to meiosis. Examination of pollen mother cells (PMCs) from immature anthers immediately before and after heat treatment enabled precise identification of the developmental phases being exposed to heat. A temperature-sensitive period was defined, lasting from premeiotic interphase to late leptotene, during which heat can prevent PMCs from progressing through meiosis. PMCs exposed to 35 °C were less likely to progress than those exposed to 30 °C. Grain number per spike was reduced at 30 °C, and reduced even further at 35 °C. Chinese Spring nullisomic 5D-tetrasomic 5B (N5DT5B) plants, which lack chromosome 5D, were more susceptible to heat during premeiosis-leptotene than Chinese Spring plants with the normal (euploid) chromosome complement. The proportion of plants with PMCs progressing through meiosis after heat treatment was lower for N5DT5B plants than for euploids, but the difference was not significant. However, following exposure to 30 °C, in euploid plants grain number was reduced (though not significantly), whereas in N5DT5B plants the reduction was highly significant. After exposure to 35 °C, the reduction in grain number was highly significant for both genotypes. Implications of these findings for the breeding of thermotolerant wheat are discussed.

The comparison of exit-site care with normal saline and povidone-iodine in preventing exit-site infection and peritonitis in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Onder Yavascan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Peritonitis and catheter exit- site infections (ESI are important causes of hospitalization and catheter loss in patients undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD. The frequency of infection can be reduced by scrupulous exit- site care with or without topical antiseptics. There are no studies showing any benefit in the use of povidone-iodine or normal saline for care of exit- sites in long- term CPD patients. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential effectiveness of the application of povidone-iodine or normal saline at the catheter exit- site in preventing ESI and peritonitis in children on CPD. A total of 98 patients treated with either povidone-iodine or normal saline were included in this study. Group I (34 patients used povidone-iodine and group II (64 patients simply cleansed the exit- site with normal saline (0.9% NaCl. Dressings were changed 2 to 3 times in a week. The total cumulative follow- up time was 3233 patient- months. ESIs occurred in 10 (29.4% of 34 patients using povidone-iodine and in 10 (15.6% of 64 patients using normal saline. The frequency of ESI was significantly high in group I (povidone-iodine patients. The mean rate of ESI was 1 episode/60.8 patient- months for group I versus 1 episode/144 patient- months for group II (P 0.05. In conclusion, exit- site care with normal saline is an effective strategy in reducing the incidence of ESI in children on CPD. It can thus significantly reduce morbidity, catheter loss, and the need to transfer patients on peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis.

Generalized Polar Decompositions for Closed Operators in Hilbert Spaces and Some Applications

OpenAIRE

Gesztesy, Fritz; Malamud, Mark; Mitrea, Marius; Naboko, Serguei

2008-01-01

We study generalized polar decompositions of densely defined, closed linear operators in Hilbert spaces and provide some applications to relatively (form) bounded and relatively (form) compact perturbations of self-adjoint, normal, and m-sectorial operators.

Closed-loop, open-source electrophysiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John D Rolston

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Multiple extracellular microelectrodes (multi-electrode arrays, or MEAs effectively record rapidly varying neural signals, and can also be used for electrical stimulation. Multi-electrode recording can serve as artificial output (efferents from a neural system, while complex spatially and temporally targeted stimulation can serve as artificial input (afferents to the neuronal network. Multi-unit or local field potential recordings can not only be used to control real world artifacts, such as prostheses, computers or robots, but can also trigger or alter subsequent stimulation. Real-time feedback stimulation may serve to modulate or normalize aberrant neural activity, to induce plasticity, or to serve as artificial sensory input. Despite promising closed-loop applications, commercial electrophysiology systems do not yet take advantage of the bidirectional capabilities of multi-electrodes, especially for use in freely moving animals. We addressed this lack of tools for closing the loop with NeuroRighter, an open-source system including recording hardware, stimulation hardware, and control software with a graphical user interface. The integrated system is capable of multi-electrode recording and simultaneous patterned microstimulation triggered by recordings with minimal stimulation artifact. The potential applications of closed-loop systems as research tools and clinical treatments are broad; we provide one example where epileptic activity recorded by a multi-electrode probe is used to trigger targeted stimulation, via that probe, to freely moving rodents.

Normal myogenic cells from newborn mice restore normal histology to degenerating muscles of the mdx mouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, J.E.; Hoffman, E.P.; Partridge, T.A.

1990-01-01

Dystrophin deficiency in skeletal muscle of the x-linked dystrophic (mdx) mouse can be partially remedied by implantation of normal muscle precursor cells (mpc). However, it is difficult to determine whether this biochemical rescue results in any improvement in the structure or function of the treated muscle, because the vigorous regeneration of mdx muscle more than compensates for the degeneration. By using x-ray irradiation to prevent mpc proliferation, it is possible to study loss of mdx muscle fibers without the complicating effect of simultaneous fiber regeneration. Thus, improvements in fiber survival resulting from any potential therapy can be detected easily. Here, we have implanted normal mpc, obtained from newborn mice, into such preirradiated mdx muscles, finding that it is far more extensively permeated and replaced by implanted mpc than is nonirradiated mdx muscle; this is evident both from analysis of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase isoenzyme markers and from immunoblots and immunostaining of dystrophin in the treated muscles. Incorporation of normal mpc markedly reduces the loss of muscle fibers and the deterioration of muscle structure which otherwise occurs in irradiated mdx muscles. Surprisingly, the regenerated fibers are largely peripherally nucleated, whereas regenerated mouse skeletal muscle fibers are normally centrally nucleated. We attribute this regeneration of apparently normal muscle to the tendency of newborn mouse mpc to recapitulate their neonatal ontogeny, even when grafted into 3-wk-old degenerating muscle

Heart rate variability in normal-weight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

OpenAIRE

Kilit, Celal; Kilit, T?rkan Pa?al?

2017-01-01

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease closely related to several risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Obese women with PCOS show altered autonomic modulation. The results of studies investigating cardiac autonomic functions of normal-weight women with PCOS are conflicting. The aim of the study was to assess the reactivity of cardiac sympathovagal balance in normal-weight women with PCOS by heart rate variability analysis. Methods: We examined the heart rate va...

Repair of closely opposed cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers in UV-sensitive human diploid fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, L.H.; Reynolds, R.J.

1986-01-01

An enzyme-sensitive site assay has been used to examine the fate of closely opposed pyrimidine dimers in fibroblasts from individuals afflicted with various genetic disorders that confer increased cellular sensitivity to UV radiation. The disappearance of bifilar enzyme-sensitive sites was found to be normal in cells from individuals with Fanconi's anemia, Cockayne's syndrome, dyskeratosis congenita and the variant form of xeroderma pigmentosum. The rate of bifilar enzyme-sensitive site removal in XP cells assigned to complementation group C was reduced by an amount similar to that observed for the repair of isolated dimers. Our results indicate that the initiation of repair at closely opposed dimers is slow in XP-C cells but normal in all other cells examined. (Auth.)

Normal and Special Models of Neutrino Masses and Mixings

CERN Document Server

Altarelli, Guido

2005-01-01

One can make a distinction between "normal" and "special" models. For normal models $\\theta_{23}$ is not too close to maximal and $\\theta_{13}$ is not too small, typically a small power of the self-suggesting order parameter $\\sqrt{r}$, with $r=\\Delta m_{sol}^2/\\Delta m_{atm}^2 \\sim 1/35$. Special models are those where some symmetry or dynamical feature assures in a natural way the near vanishing of $\\theta_{13}$ and/or of $\\theta_{23}- \\pi/4$. Normal models are conceptually more economical and much simpler to construct. Here we focus on special models, in particular a recent one based on A4 discrete symmetry and extra dimensions that leads in a natural way to a Harrison-Perkins-Scott mixing matrix.

Experimental Investigation of Closed Porosity of Inorganic Solidified Foam Designed to Prevent Coal Fires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Lu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to overcome the deficiency of the existing fire control technology and control coal spontaneous combustion by sealing air leakages in coal mines, inorganic solidified foam (ISF with high closed porosity was developed. The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS concentration on the porosity of the foams was investigated. The results showed that the optimized closed porosity of the solidified foam was 38.65 wt.% for an SDS concentration of approximately 7.4×10-3 mol/L. Based on observations of the microstructure of the pore walls after solidification, it was inferred that an equilibrium between the hydration process and the drainage process existed. Therefore, the ISF was improved using three different systems. Gelatin can increase the viscosity of the continuous phase to form a viscoelastic film around the air cells, and the SDS + gelatin system can create a mixed surfactant layer at gas/liquid interfaces. The accelerator (AC accelerates the hydration process and coagulation of the pore walls before the end of drainage. The mixed SDS + gelatin + AC systems produced an ISF with a total porosity of 79.89% and a closed porosity of 66.89%, which verified the proposed stabilization mechanism.

The experience of weight management in normal weight adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Cheri Ann; Hernandez, David A; Wellington, Christine M; Kidd, Art

2016-11-01

No prior research has been done with normal weight persons specific to their experience of weight management. The purpose of this research was to discover the experience of weight management in normal weight individuals. Glaserian grounded theory was used. Qualitative data (focus group) and quantitative data (food diary, study questionnaire, and anthropometric measures) were collected. Weight management was an ongoing process of trying to focus on living (family, work, and social), while maintaining their normal weight targets through five consciously and unconsciously used strategies. Despite maintaining normal weights, the nutritional composition of foods eaten was grossly inadequate. These five strategies can be used to develop new weight management strategies that could be integrated into existing weight management programs, or could be developed into novel weight management interventions. Surprisingly, normal weight individuals require dietary assessment and nutrition education to prevent future negative health consequences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cranial MR imaging and cerebral [sup 99m]Tc HM-PAO-SPECT in patients with subacute or chronic severe closed head injury and normal CT examinations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prayer, L.; Wimberger, D.; Oder, W.; Kramer, J.; Schindler, E.; Podreka, I.; Imhof, H.

1993-11-01

Eighteen patients in the subacute or chronic state following severe closed head injury with normal cranial CT scans were examined by MR and [sup 99m]Tc HM-PAO SPECT. Correlations were sought between these 2 imaging modalities and the clinical outcome, as defined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOX) score. Both MR and SPECT revealed cerebral damage in all patients examined but structural and functional alterations did not coincide topographically in 64.9% of lesions. Nevertheless, complementary injury patterns suggesting poor recovery were found; cortical contusions and diffuse axonal injury (MR) in conjunction with cortical and thalamic hypoperfusion (SPECT) were noticed in 8 out of 12 patients with unfavorable outcome (GOS = III and IV). The synthesis of MR and SPECT information clearly enhanced the ability both to accurately assess posttraumatic brain damage and to improve patients' outcome prediction. (au) (18 refs.).

Recognizing and Preventing Whooping Cough

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-22

This podcast provides information about the symptoms of whooping cough and how vaccines can help prevent this serious disease for people of all ages. It is especially important for those who will have close contact with a baby to be up to date with their whooping cough vaccine.  Created: 1/22/2015 by National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD), Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch (MVPDB).   Date Released: 1/22/2015.

Strong normalization by type-directed partial evaluation and run-time code generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balat, Vincent; Danvy, Olivier

1998-01-01

We investigate the synergy between type-directed partial evaluation and run-time code generation for the Caml dialect of ML. Type-directed partial evaluation maps simply typed, closed Caml values to a representation of their long βη-normal form. Caml uses a virtual machine and has the capability...... to load byte code at run time. Representing the long βη-normal forms as byte code gives us the ability to strongly normalize higher-order values (i.e., weak head normal forms in ML), to compile the resulting strong normal forms into byte code, and to load this byte code all in one go, at run time. We...... conclude this note with a preview of our current work on scaling up strong normalization by run-time code generation to the Caml module language....

Strong Normalization by Type-Directed Partial Evaluation and Run-Time Code Generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balat, Vincent; Danvy, Olivier

1997-01-01

We investigate the synergy between type-directed partial evaluation and run-time code generation for the Caml dialect of ML. Type-directed partial evaluation maps simply typed, closed Caml values to a representation of their long βη-normal form. Caml uses a virtual machine and has the capability...... to load byte code at run time. Representing the long βη-normal forms as byte code gives us the ability to strongly normalize higher-order values (i.e., weak head normal forms in ML), to compile the resulting strong normal forms into byte code, and to load this byte code all in one go, at run time. We...... conclude this note with a preview of our current work on scaling up strong normalization by run-time code generation to the Caml module language....

Impetigo: Tips for Treatment and Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

... DO Videos Contact Close ‹ Back to Healthy Living Impetigo: Tips for Treatment and Prevention The symptoms of ... to other parts of their bodies. Causes of Impetigo Impetigo usually affects preschool and school-aged children, ...

Memory as social glue: Close interpersonal relationships in amnesic patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick S.R. Davidson

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Memory may be crucial for establishing and/or maintaining social bonds. Using the National Social life, Health, and Aging Project questionnaire, we examined close interpersonal relationships in three amnesic people: K.C. and D.A. (who are adult-onset cases and H.C. (who has developmental amnesia. All three patients were less involved than demographically-matched controls with neighbors and religious and community groups. A higher-than-normal percentage of the adult-onset (K.C. and D.A. cases’ close relationships were with family members, and they had made few new close friends in the decades since the onset of their amnesia. On the other hand, the patient with developmental amnesia (H.C. had forged a couple of close relationships, including one with her fiancé. Social networks appear to be winnowed, but not obliterated, by amnesia. The obvious explanation for the patients’ reduced social functioning stems from their memory impairment, but we discuss other potentially important factors for future study.

Obstetric Fistula: A Narrative Review of the Literature on Preventive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AJRH Managing Editor

, especially ... fistula, Prevention, Intervention, Sub-Saharan Africa, Maternal health ... related mental health issues, with these women .... there are misconceptions as to the ‗normal' length ..... component of obstetric fistula prevention programs.

Interventions for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection during pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneeberger, Caroline; Geerlings, Suzanne E; Middleton, Philippa; Crowther, Caroline A

2012-11-14

Recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTI) are common in women who are pregnant and may cause serious adverse pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child including preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age babies. Interventions used to prevent RUTI in women who are pregnant can be pharmacological (antibiotics) or non-pharmacological (cranberry products, acupuncture, probiotics and behavioural modifications). So far little is known about the best way to prevent RUTI in pregnant women. To assess the effects of interventions for preventing recurrent urinary tract infections in pregnant women.The primary maternal outcomes were RUTI before birth (variously defined) and preterm birth (before 37 weeks). The primary infant outcomes were small-for-gestational age and total mortality. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (8 June 2012) and reference lists of retrieved articles. Published, unpublished and ongoing randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, clustered-randomised trials and abstracts of any intervention (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) for preventing RUTI during pregnancy (compared with another intervention, placebo or with usual care). Two review authors independently evaluated the one identified trial for inclusion and assessed trial quality. Two review authors extracted data. Data were checked for accuracy. The review included one trial involving 200 women. The trial compared a daily dose of nitrofurantoin and close surveillance (regular clinic visit, urine cultures and antibiotics when a positive culture was found) with close surveillance only. No significant differences were found for the primary outcomes: recurrent pyelonephritis (risk ratio (RR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31 to 2.53, one study, 167 women), recurrent urinary tract infection before birth (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.38; one study 167 women) and preterm birth (before 37 weeks) (RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.42 to 3.35; one study 147 women). The

Static and dynamic postural control in low-vision and normal-vision adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomomitsu, Mônica S V; Alonso, Angelica Castilho; Morimoto, Eurica; Bobbio, Tatiana G; Greve, Julia M D

2013-04-01

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of reduced visual information on postural control by comparing low-vision and normal-vision adults in static and dynamic conditions. Twenty-five low-vision subjects and twenty-five normal sighted adults were evaluated for static and dynamic balance using four protocols: 1) the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance on firm and foam surfaces with eyes opened and closed; 2) Unilateral Stance with eyes opened and closed; 3) Tandem Walk; and 4) Step Up/Over. The results showed that the low-vision group presented greater body sway compared with the normal vision during balance on a foam surface (p≤0.001), the Unilateral Stance test for both limbs (p≤0.001), and the Tandem Walk test. The low-vision group showed greater step width (p≤0.001) and slower gait speed (p≤0.004). In the Step Up/Over task, low-vision participants were more cautious in stepping up (right p≤0.005 and left p≤0.009) and in executing the movement (p≤0.001). These findings suggest that visual feedback is crucial for determining balance, especially for dynamic tasks and on foam surfaces. Low-vision individuals had worse postural stability than normal-vision adults in terms of dynamic tests and balance on foam surfaces.

Adaptive nonlinear control using input normalized neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeghim, Henzeh; Seo, In Ho; Bang, Hyo Choong

2008-01-01

An adaptive feedback linearization technique combined with the neural network is addressed to control uncertain nonlinear systems. The neural network-based adaptive control theory has been widely studied. However, the stability analysis of the closed-loop system with the neural network is rather complicated and difficult to understand, and sometimes unnecessary assumptions are involved. As a result, unnecessary assumptions for stability analysis are avoided by using the neural network with input normalization technique. The ultimate boundedness of the tracking error is simply proved by the Lyapunov stability theory. A new simple update law as an adaptive nonlinear control is derived by the simplification of the input normalized neural network assuming the variation of the uncertain term is sufficiently small

Testable, fault-tolerant power interface circuit for normally de-energized loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hager, R.E.

1987-01-01

A power interface circuit is described for supplying power from a power line to a normally de-energized process control apparatus in a pressurized light water nuclear power system in dependence upon three input signals, comprising: voter means for supplying power to the normally de-energized load when at least two of the three input signals indicate that the normally de-energized load should be activated; a normally closed switch, operatively connected to the power line and the voter means, for supplying power to the voter means during ordinary operation; a first resistor operatively connected to the power line; a current detector operatively connected to the first resistor and the voter means; a second resistor operatively connected to the current detector and ground; and current sensor means, operatively connected between the voter means and the normally de-energized load, for detecting the power supplied to the normally de-energized load by the voter means

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T R

2010-01-01

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

Recognizing and Preventing Whooping Cough

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast provides information about the symptoms of whooping cough and how vaccines can help prevent this serious disease for people of all ages. It is especially important for those who will have close contact with a baby to be up to date with their whooping cough vaccine.

On the Ergodic Capacity of Dual-Branch Correlated Log-Normal Fading Channels with Applications

KAUST Repository

Al-Quwaiee, Hessa

2015-05-01

Closed-form expressions of the ergodic capacity of independent or correlated diversity branches over Log-Normal fading channels are not available in the literature. Thus, it is become of an interest to investigate the behavior of such metric at high signal-to-noise (SNR). In this work, we propose simple closed-form asymptotic expressions of the ergodic capacity of dual-branch correlated Log- Normal corresponding to selection combining, and switch-and-stay combining. Furthermore, we capitalize on these new results to find new asymptotic ergodic capacity of correlated dual- branch free-space optical communication system under the impact of pointing error with both heterodyne and intensity modulation/direct detection. © 2015 IEEE.

Development of Overflow-Prevention Valve with Trigger Mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishino, Yuji; Mizuno, Takeshi; Takasaki, Masaya

2016-09-01

A new overflow-prevention valve for combustible fluid is developed which uses a trigger mechanism. Loading arms for combustible fluid are used for transferring oil from a tanker to tanks and vice versa. The loading arm has a valve for preventing overflow. Overflow- prevention valves cannot use any electric component to avoid combustion. Therefore, the valve must be constructed only by mechanical parts. The conventional overflow-prevention valve uses fluid and pneumatic forces. It consists of a sensor probe, a cylinder, a main valve for shutting off the fluid and a locking mechanism for holding an open state of the main valve. The proposed overflow-prevention valve uses the pressure due to the height difference between the fluid level of the tank and the sensor probe. However, the force of the cylinder produced by the pressure is too small to release the locking mechanism. Therefore, a trigger mechanism is introduced between the cylinder and the locking mechanism. The trigger mechanism produces sufficient force to release the locking mechanism and close the main valve when the height of fluid exceeds a threshold value. A trigger mechanism is designed and fabricated. The operation necessary for closing the main valve is conformed experimentally.

Risk for banker’s connected to closing a customer’s account

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thibedi Majake

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Financial institutions (banks and building societies from time to time request customers to close their accounts and make alternative arrangements. This occurs most often if the financial institution is unhappy with the way in which the customer is using the account or it feels that its relationship with the customer has broken down irretrievably. Banks sometimes close a customer’s account without the customer’s agreement. Most other commercial organisations, banks and building societies included, are under no obligation to continue doing business with someone if they do not consider it appropriate to do so. However when financial institutions decide to close accounts of customers, this should not be on based on an improper reason – for instance, because of unfair bias or unlawful discrimination. And it is an implied term of the contract between the bank and its customer that the bank will not normally close the customer’s account without giving reasonable notice. This article seeks to analyse instances where banks have closed their customers’ accounts and factors that were considered, if any, for such a decision

Update on normal tension glaucoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jyotiranjan Mallick

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Normal tension glaucoma (NTG is labelled when typical glaucomatous disc changes, visual field defects and open anterior chamber angles are associated with intraocular pressure (IOP constantly below 21 mmHg. Chronic low vascular perfusion, Raynaud's phenomenon, migraine, nocturnal systemic hypotension and over-treated systemic hypertension are the main causes of normal tension glaucoma. Goldmann applanation tonometry, gonioscopy, slit lamp biomicroscopy, optical coherence tomography and visual field analysis are the main tools of investigation for the diagnosis of NTG. Management follows the same principles of treatment for other chronic glaucomas: To reduce IOP by a substantial amount, sufficient to prevent disabling visual loss. Treatment is generally aimed to lower IOP by 30% from pre-existing levels to 12-14 mmHg. Betaxolol, brimonidine, prostaglandin analogues, trabeculectomy (in refractory cases, systemic calcium channel blockers (such as nifedipine and 24-hour monitoring of blood pressure are considered in the management of NTG. The present review summarises risk factors, causes, pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of NTG.

Association Between Number of Preventive Care Guidelines and Preventive Care Utilization by Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Taksler, Glen B; Pfoh, Elizabeth R; Stange, Kurt C; Rothberg, Michael B

2018-05-08

The number of preventive care guidelines is rapidly increasing. It is unknown whether the number of guideline-recommended preventive services is associated with utilization. The authors used Poisson regression of 390,778 person-years of electronic medical records data from 2008 to 2015, in 80,773 individuals aged 50-75 years. Analyses considered eligibility for 11 preventive services most closely associated with guidelines: tobacco cessation; control of obesity, hypertension, lipids, or blood glucose; influenza vaccination; and screening for breast, cervical, or colorectal cancers, abdominal aortic aneurysm, or osteoporosis. The outcome was the rate of preventive care utilization over the following year. Results were adjusted for demographics and stratified by the number of disease risk factors (smoking, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes). Data were collected in 2016 and analyzed in 2017. Preventive care utilization was lower when the number of guideline-recommended preventive services was higher. The adjusted rate of preventive care utilization decreased from 38.67 per 100 (95% CI=38.16, 39.18) in patients eligible for one guideline-recommended service to 31.59 per 100 (95% CI=31.29, 31.89) in patients eligible for two services and 25.43 per 100 (95% CI=24.68, 26.18) in patients eligible for six or more services (p-trendvalue services. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intimate Partner Violence. Prevention Update

Science.gov (United States)

Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2011

2011-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines intimate partner violence (IPV) as violence between two people in a close relationship, including current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV occurs on a continuum from a single episode to ongoing battering and can include physical violence, sexual violence, threats, emotional…

A normalized model for the half-bridge series resonant converter

Science.gov (United States)

King, R.; Stuart, T. A.

1981-01-01

Closed-form steady-state equations are derived for the half-bridge series resonant converter with a rectified (dc) load. Normalized curves for various currents and voltages are then plotted as a function of the circuit parameters. Experimental results based on a 10-kHz converter are presented for comparison with the calculations.

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF CLOSED GLOBE INJURIES WITH HYPHAEMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Philip

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Eye injuries still remain one of the most common causes of unilateral blindness worldwide. In addition to the physical and psychological trauma to the patient, the direct and indirect costs to the society are enormous. Blunt eye injuries commonly result in traumatic hyphaema and are not an infrequent cause of presentation to the emergency units of many eye clinics. Aims of this study were- 1. To study the cause, clinical presentation, complications and visual outcome of closed globe injury with hyphaema. 2. To know the association between mode of injuries and associated lesions and visual outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study Design and Statistical Analysis- A descriptive case series study was conducted at Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Thiruvananthapuram for a period of one year, from October 2010 to September 2011, in all patients coming to the institute with hyphaema due to closed globe injury and willing to participate in the study. Patients with pre-existing ocular diseases were excluded. Data were analysed using computer software, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 10. Data are expressed in its frequency and percentage. To elucidate the associations and comparisons between different parameters, Chi square ( 2 test was used as a nonparametric test. For all statistical evaluations, a two-tailed probability of value, 6/60 either maintained that vision or improved. Only 10% of the study population had corneal blood staining. Majority of those who had initial hyphaema <1/3 rd , had normal initial intraocular pressure. Of the total 36 patients who had initial hyphaema less than 1/3 rd , 29 (80.6% had normal intraocular pressure on presentation. Of the 36 patients with initial hyphaema <1/3 rd , 28 (77.8% had normal intraocular pressure at 3 rd day. Those who had lenticular and posterior segment injury had poor visual outcome. In our study, initially only 15% had vision better than 6/12, but at the end of 180

Univariate normalization of bispectrum using Hölder's inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahbazi, Forooz; Ewald, Arne; Nolte, Guido

2014-08-15

Considering that many biological systems including the brain are complex non-linear systems, suitable methods capable of detecting these non-linearities are required to study the dynamical properties of these systems. One of these tools is the third order cummulant or cross-bispectrum, which is a measure of interfrequency interactions between three signals. For convenient interpretation, interaction measures are most commonly normalized to be independent of constant scales of the signals such that its absolute values are bounded by one, with this limit reflecting perfect coupling. Although many different normalization factors for cross-bispectra were suggested in the literature these either do not lead to bounded measures or are themselves dependent on the coupling and not only on the scale of the signals. In this paper we suggest a normalization factor which is univariate, i.e., dependent only on the amplitude of each signal and not on the interactions between signals. Using a generalization of Hölder's inequality it is proven that the absolute value of this univariate bicoherence is bounded by zero and one. We compared three widely used normalizations to the univariate normalization concerning the significance of bicoherence values gained from resampling tests. Bicoherence values are calculated from real EEG data recorded in an eyes closed experiment from 10 subjects. The results show slightly more significant values for the univariate normalization but in general, the differences are very small or even vanishing in some subjects. Therefore, we conclude that the normalization factor does not play an important role in the bicoherence values with regard to statistical power, although a univariate normalization is the only normalization factor which fulfills all the required conditions of a proper normalization. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research on Normal Human Plantar Pressure Test

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Liu Xi Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available FSR400 pressure sensor, nRF905 wireless transceiver and MSP40 SCM are used to design the insole pressure collection system, LabVIEW is used to make HMI of data acquisition, collecting a certain amount of normal human foot pressure data, statistical analysis of pressure distribution relations about five stages of swing phase during walking, using the grid closeness degree to identify plantar pressure distribution pattern recognition, and the algorithm simulation, experimental results demonstrated this method feasible.

Diabetic subjects diagnosed through the Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) are often asymptomatic with normal A1C at diabetes onset.

Science.gov (United States)

Triolo, Taylor M; Chase, H Peter; Barker, Jennifer M

2009-05-01

Upon diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, patients are usually symptomatic, and many have ketoacidosis. Screening for islet autoantibodies (IAs) has been shown to decrease A1C level and rate of hospitalization at diabetes onset. Metabolic tests and the presence of symptoms were described at diabetes onset during the Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1). The DPT-1 screened relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes for islet cell autoantiobodies (ICAs). Those with positive ICAs had intravenous and oral glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs and OGTTs) and were randomized into one of two prevention trials. Throughout the DPT-1 parenteral and oral insulin study, 246 people were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Of the 246 subjects diagnosed with diabetes, 218 had data regarding the presence of symptoms, and 138 (63.3%) reported no symptoms suggestive of diabetes. Eight subjects (3.67%) presented with ketosis. Subjects presented with a mean +/- SD A1C of 6.41 +/- 1.15%. At diagnosis, 90 subjects (50.8%) had A1C in the normal range (IA followed by OGTT) may allow diagnosis of diabetes before severe metabolic decompensation. Screening with A1C will miss identifying many of the subjects with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in this cohort.

Key ecological challenges for closed systems facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Mark; Dempster, William F.; Allen, John P.

2013-07-01

Closed ecological systems are desirable for a number of purposes. In space life support systems, material closure allows precious life-supporting resources to be kept inside and recycled. Closure in small biospheric systems facilitates detailed measurement of global ecological processes and biogeochemical cycles. Closed testbeds facilitate research topics which require isolation from the outside (e.g. genetically modified organisms; radioisotopes) so their ecological interactions and fluxes can be studied separate from interactions with the outside environment. But to achieve and maintain closure entails solving complex ecological challenges. These challenges include being able to handle faster cycling rates and accentuated daily and seasonal fluxes of critical life elements such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, macro- and mico-nutrients. The problems of achieving sustainability in closed systems for life support include how to handle atmospheric dynamics including trace gases, producing a complete human diet, recycling nutrients and maintaining soil fertility, the maintenance of healthy air and water and preventing the loss of critical elements from active circulation. In biospheric facilities, the challenge is also to produce analogues to natural biomes and ecosystems, studying processes of self-organization and adaptation in systems that allow specification or determination of state variables and cycles which may be followed through all interactions from atmosphere to soils. Other challenges include the dynamics and genetics of small populations, the psychological challenges for small isolated human groups and backup technologies and strategic options which may be necessary to ensure long-term operation of closed ecological systems.

TRADITIONAL CANISTER-BASED OPEN WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM VERSUS CLOSED SYSTEM: HAZARDOUS EXPOSURE PREVENTION AND OPERATING THEATRE STAFF SATISFACTION.

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, M; Patel, N; MacLellan, D M; Millard, N

2016-06-01

Exposure to blood and body fluids is a major concern to health care professionals working in operating rooms (ORs). Thus, it is essential that hospitals use fluid waste management systems that minimise risk to staff, while maximising efficiency. The current study compared the utility of a 'closed' system with a traditional canister-based 'open' system in the OR in a private hospital setting. A total of 30 arthroscopy, urology, and orthopaedic cases were observed. The closed system was used in five, four, and six cases, respectively and the open system was used in nine, two, and four cases, respectively. The average number of opportunities for staff to be exposed to hazardous fluids were fewer for the closed system when compared to the open during arthroscopy and urology procedures. The open system required nearly 3.5 times as much staff time for set-up, maintenance during procedures, and post-procedure disposal of waste. Theatre staff expressed greater satisfaction with the closed system than with the open. In conclusion, compared with the open system, the closed system offers a less hazardous and more efficient method of disposing of fluid waste generated in the OR.

A closed unventilated chamber for the measurement of transepidermal water loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuutinen, Jouni; Alanen, Esko; Autio, Pekka; Lahtinen, Marjo-Riitta; Harvima, Ilkka; Lahtinen, Tapani

2003-05-01

Open chamber systems for measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL) have limitations related to ambient and body-induced airflows near the probe, probe size, measurement sites and angles, and measurement range. The aim of the present investigation was to develop a closed chamber system for the TEWL measurement without significant blocking of normal evaporation through the skin. Additionally, in order to use the evaporimeter to measure evaporation rates through other biological and non-biological specimens and in the field applications, a small portable, battery-operated device was a design criteria. A closed unventilated chamber (inner volume 2.0 cm(3) was constructed. For the skin measurement, the chamber with one side open (open surface area 1.0 cm(2) is placed on the skin. The skin application time was investigated at low and high evaporation rates in order to assess the blocking effect of the chamber on normal evaporation. From the rising linear part of the relative humidity (RH) in the chamber the slope was registered. The slope was calibrated into a TEWL value by evaporating water at different temperatures and measuring the water loss of heated samples with a laboratory scale. The closed chamber evaporation technique was compared with a conventional evaporimeter based on an open chamber method (DermaLab), Cortex Technology, Hadsund, Denmark). The reproducibility of the closed chamber method was measured with the water samples and with volar forearm and palm of the hand in 10 healthy volunteers. The skin application time varied between 7 and 9 s and the linear slope region between 3 and 5 s at the evaporation rates of 3-220 g/m(2) h. A correlation coefficient between the TEWL value from the closed chamber measurements and the readings of the laboratory scale was 0.99 (P measurements with the water samples was 4.0% at the evaporation rate of 40 g/m(2) h. A correlation coefficient of the TEWL values between the closed chamber and open chamber measurements was 0

On H-closed and U-closed functions | Cammaroto | Quaestiones ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this article, we extend the work on H-closed functions started by Cammaroto, Fedorchuk and Porter in 1998. Also, U-closed functions are introduced and characterized in terms of filters and adherence. The hereditary and productivity properties are examined and developed for both H-closed and U-closed functions.

Analysis of normal anatomy of oral cavity in open-mouth view with CT and MRI; comparison with closed-mouth view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chan Ho; Kim, Seong Min; Cheon, Bont Jin; Huh, Jin Do; Joh, Young Duk

2001-01-01

When MRI and CT of the oral cavity utilize the traditional closed-mouth approach, direct contact between the tongue and surrounding structures may give rise to difficulty in recognizing the anatomy involved and demonstrating the possible presence of pathologic features. We describe a more appropriate scan technique, involving open-mouthed imaging, which may be used to demonstrate the anatomy of the oral cavity in detail. Axial and coronal MR imaging and axial CT scanning were performed in 14 healthy volunteers, using both the closed and open-mouth approach. For the latter, a mouth-piece was put in place prior to examination. In all volunteers, open-mouth MR and CT examinations involved the same parameters as the corresponding closed-mouth procedures. The CT and MR images obtained by each method were compared, particular attention being paid to the presence and symmetry of motion artifact of the tongue and the extent of air space in the oral cavity. Comparative imaging analysis was based on the recognition of 13 structures around the boundaries of the mouth. For statistical analysis, student's test was used and a p value<0.05 was considered significant. Due to symmetry of the tongue, a less severe motion artifact, and increased air space in the oral cavity, the open-mouth method produced excellent images. The axial and coronal MR images thus obtained were superior in terms of demarcation of the inferior surface and dortsum of the tongue, gingiva, buccal surface and buccal vestivule to those obtained with the mouth closed (p<0.05). In addition, axial MR images obtained with the mouth open showed better demarcation of structures at the lingual margin and anterior belly of the digastric muscle (p<0.05), while coronal MR images of the base of the tongue, surface of the hard palate, soft palate, and uvula, were also superior (p<0.05). Open-mouth CT provided better images at the lingual margin, dorsum of the tongue and buccal surface than the closed-mouth approach (p<0

Comparison of Static Balance among Blind, Deaf and Normal Children in Different Conditions

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Aidin Vali-Zadeh

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Sensory systems including proprioceptive, vestibular and visual network play an important role in motor control. Loss of information from each sensory channel can cause body sway on static positions. Materials & Methods: Seventeen blind children (9 girls, 8 boys and 30 deaf children (14 girls, 16 boys participated as the sample groups in Ardabil city. Sixteen normal children (30 girls and 30 boys also selected as the control group. One leg standing and tandem stance tests (reliability=0.87-0.99 in two condition (eyes open and closed was used for static balance evaluation. One-Way ANOVA and LSD post hoc test was used to compare groups, and independent t-test was used for comparing sexes in each group by using SPSS (16 version software. Results: results showed there is no significant difference between blind, deaf and normal girls in any of the balance tasks (p>0.05. While the balance function of deaf and normal boys was better than blind boys in all balance tasks except for tandem stance with eyes closed (p=0.507. Blind girls were better than blind boys in all balance tasks (p=0.05, p=0.02, p=0.02. Deaf boys were better than girls with deafness in one leg stance and tandem stance (eyes open tasks (p=0.04, p=0.02, p=0.04 but there was no significant different between deaf boys and girls in any other tasks (p=0.63, p=0.29, p=0.89. Normal boys have better performance than girls and only in tandem stance (eyes closed (p=0.21 and one leg stance (left foot eyes open (p=0.99 there was no significant difference between normal boys and girls. Conclusion: findings showed that static balance in deaf and normal children were better than the blinds. Since persons with blindness are not able to compensate the visual loss for postural stability, they show decreased postural stability in static conditions. Inclusive identifying effective factors on balance and its weakness and problems in appropriate time, attention to this factors in training

Vaginal lactobacilli profile in pregnant women with normal & abnormal vaginal flora

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Thirupathaiah Yeruva

2017-01-01

Interpretation & conclusions: L. crispatus, L. jensinii and L. helveticus were predominant species in women with normal flora. L. crispatus alone or in combination with L. jensinii and L. helveticus may be evaluated for probiotic properties for the prevention and treatment of BV.

Operating room fires: a closed claims analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Sonya P; Bhananker, Sanjay M; Posner, Karen L; Domino, Karen B

2013-05-01

To assess patterns of injury and liability associated with operating room (OR) fires, closed malpractice claims in the American Society of Anesthesiologists Closed Claims Database since 1985 were reviewed. All claims related to fires in the OR were compared with nonfire-related surgical anesthesia claims. An analysis of fire-related claims was performed to identify causative factors. There were 103 OR fire claims (1.9% of 5,297 surgical claims). Electrocautery was the ignition source in 90% of fire claims. OR fire claims more frequently involved older outpatients compared with other surgical anesthesia claims (P fire claims (P fires (n = 93) increased over time (P fires occurred during head, neck, or upper chest procedures (high-fire-risk procedures). Oxygen served as the oxidizer in 95% of electrocautery-induced OR fires (84% with open delivery system). Most electrocautery-induced fires (n = 75, 81%) occurred during monitored anesthesia care. Oxygen was administered via an open delivery system in all high-risk procedures during monitored anesthesia care. In contrast, alcohol-containing prep solutions and volatile compounds were present in only 15% of OR fires during monitored anesthesia care. Electrocautery-induced fires during monitored anesthesia care were the most common cause of OR fires claims. Recognition of the fire triad (oxidizer, fuel, and ignition source), particularly the critical role of supplemental oxygen by an open delivery system during use of the electrocautery, is crucial to prevent OR fires. Continuing education and communication among OR personnel along with fire prevention protocols in high-fire-risk procedures may reduce the occurrence of OR fires.

The clinical significance of normal mammograms and normal sonograms in patients with palpable abnormalities of the breast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jin Hwa; Yoon, Seong Kuk; Choi, Sun Seob; Nam, Kyung Jin; Cho, Se Heon; Kim, Dae Cheol; Kim, Jung Il; Kim, Eun Kyung

2006-01-01

We wanted to evaluate the clinical significance of normal mammograms and normal sonograms in patients with palpable abnormalities of the breast. From Apr 2003 to Feb 2005, 107 patients with 113 palpable abnormalities who had combined normal sonographic and normal mammographic findings were retrospectively studied. The evaluated parameters included age of the patients, the clinical referrals, the distribution of the locations of the palpable abnormalities, whether there was a past surgical history, the mammographic densities and the sonographic echo patterns (purely hyperechoic fibrous tissue, mixed fibroglandular breast tissue, predominantly isoechoic glandular tissue and isoechoic subcutaneous fat tissue) at the sites of clinical concern, whether there was a change in imaging and/or the physical examination results at follow-up, and whether there were biopsy results. This study period was chosen to allow a follow-up period of at least 12 months. The patients' ages ranged from 22 to 66 years (mean age: 48.8 years) and 62 (58%) of the 107 patients were between 41 and 50 years old (58%). The most common location of the palpable abnormalities was the upper outer portion of the breast (45%) and most of the mammographic densities were dense patterns (BI-RADS Type 3 or 4: 91%). Our cases showed similar distribution for all the types of sonographic echo patterns. 23 patients underwent biopsy; all the biopsy specimens were benign. For the 84 patients with 90 palpable abnormalities who were followed, there was no interval development of breast cancer in the areas of clinical concern. Our results suggest that we can follow up and prevent unnecessary biopsies in women with palpable abnormalities when both the mammography and ultrasonography show normal tissue, but this study was limited by its small sample size. Therefore, a larger study will be needed to better define the negative predictive value of combined normal sonographic and mammographic findings

Close friends', parents', and older siblings' smoking: reevaluating their influence on children's smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Bricker, Jonathan B; Peterson, Arthur V; Robyn Andersen, M; Leroux, Brian G; Bharat Rajan, K; Sarason, Irwin G

2006-04-01

A number of longitudinal studies have explored the role of friends', parents', and older siblings' smoking in children's smoking acquisition. A reasonable implication of this previous research is that intervention efforts could be beneficially directed toward countering the potential influence of friends' and possibly older siblings' smoking but not parents' smoking. However, methodological limitations of this previous research motivated our reevaluation of the role of friends', parents', and older siblings' smoking in children's smoking. Close friends' smoking status was assessed when children were in 5th grade, whereas parents' and older siblings' smoking status was assessed when children were in 3rd grade. The outcome, children's daily smoking status, was assessed in 12th grade. The setting was 40 Washington state school districts that participated in the long-term Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project. Participants were the 4,576 families for whom close friends', parents', and older siblings' smoking status as well as children's smoking status were available. The probability that each close friend's smoking influenced the child to smoke daily was 9% (95% CI = 6%-12%), the probability that each parent's smoking influenced the child to smoke daily was 11% (95% CI = 9%-14%), and the probability that each older sibling's smoking influenced the child to smoke daily was 7% (95% CI = 1%-13%). These results suggest that close friends', parents', and siblings' smoking were similarly important influences on children's smoking. Family-focused interventions could be a valuable future direction of prevention research.

Perception and practice of malaria prevention and treatment among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

McRoy

and practices related to its prevention and treatment among the women of. Kuje Area ... five in Kuje had poor knowledge of the cause of malaria and its prevention method, and ... serious that every 30 seconds, an under- five child ... Zα = percentage point of normal distribution .... Up to 60 - 70% of the population had either.

Normal mode-guided transition pathway generation in proteins.

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Byung Ho Lee

Full Text Available The biological function of proteins is closely related to its structural motion. For instance, structurally misfolded proteins do not function properly. Although we are able to experimentally obtain structural information on proteins, it is still challenging to capture their dynamics, such as transition processes. Therefore, we need a simulation method to predict the transition pathways of a protein in order to understand and study large functional deformations. Here, we present a new simulation method called normal mode-guided elastic network interpolation (NGENI that performs normal modes analysis iteratively to predict transition pathways of proteins. To be more specific, NGENI obtains displacement vectors that determine intermediate structures by interpolating the distance between two end-point conformations, similar to a morphing method called elastic network interpolation. However, the displacement vector is regarded as a linear combination of the normal mode vectors of each intermediate structure, in order to enhance the physical sense of the proposed pathways. As a result, we can generate more reasonable transition pathways geometrically and thermodynamically. By using not only all normal modes, but also in part using only the lowest normal modes, NGENI can still generate reasonable pathways for large deformations in proteins. This study shows that global protein transitions are dominated by collective motion, which means that a few lowest normal modes play an important role in this process. NGENI has considerable merit in terms of computational cost because it is possible to generate transition pathways by partial degrees of freedom, while conventional methods are not capable of this.

Spatial normalization of array-CGH data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brennetot Caroline

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH is a recently developed technique for analyzing changes in DNA copy number. As in all microarray analyses, normalization is required to correct for experimental artifacts while preserving the true biological signal. We investigated various sources of systematic variation in array-CGH data and identified two distinct types of spatial effect of no biological relevance as the predominant experimental artifacts: continuous spatial gradients and local spatial bias. Local spatial bias affects a large proportion of arrays, and has not previously been considered in array-CGH experiments. Results We show that existing normalization techniques do not correct these spatial effects properly. We therefore developed an automatic method for the spatial normalization of array-CGH data. This method makes it possible to delineate and to eliminate and/or correct areas affected by spatial bias. It is based on the combination of a spatial segmentation algorithm called NEM (Neighborhood Expectation Maximization and spatial trend estimation. We defined quality criteria for array-CGH data, demonstrating significant improvements in data quality with our method for three data sets coming from two different platforms (198, 175 and 26 BAC-arrays. Conclusion We have designed an automatic algorithm for the spatial normalization of BAC CGH-array data, preventing the misinterpretation of experimental artifacts as biologically relevant outliers in the genomic profile. This algorithm is implemented in the R package MANOR (Micro-Array NORmalization, which is described at http://bioinfo.curie.fr/projects/manor and available from the Bioconductor site http://www.bioconductor.org. It can also be tested on the CAPweb bioinformatics platform at http://bioinfo.curie.fr/CAPweb.

Meeting Students' Needs on the Titanic: Lessons Learned While Closing a Campus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanna, Kathryn L.

In March 1991, the Regents of the University of Minnesota voted to close the two-year campus at Waseca (UMW) campus effective June 1992. Student needs were the overriding factor in administrative decision making during the final year. It was necessary to continue current services in a "normal," if modified, fashion, while at the same…

75 FR 10291 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-05

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism, Initial Review Group, Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Abuse and Alcoholism, Office of Extramural Activities, Extramural Project Review Branch, 5635 Fishers...

75 FR 42450 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-21

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group; Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Office of Extramural Activities, Extramural Project Review Branch, 5635...

Implementation of the Preventive Radiation Protection Act; here: Regulation governing ambient radioactivity monitoring subject to the Preventive Radiation Protection Act. Pt. 1. Measuring programme for specified normal operation monitoring (routine measuring programme). BMU circular letter dated 28.07.94 -RS II 6 - 15 603/3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The regulation addresses the competent Federal and Land authorities responsible for implementation of the Preventive Radiation Protection Act, and the competent highest Land authorities. The regulation defines the scope of obligatory measurement of ambient radioactivity during normal operation of installations and determines the measuring techniques to be applied for this purpose. The programme determines compulsory instructions to be observed in the performance of the routine measuring programme by the competent Federal and Land authorities and thus ensures nationwide application of standard procedures

New closed tube loop mediated isothermal amplification assay for prevention of product cross-contamination.

Science.gov (United States)

Karthik, K; Rathore, Rajesh; Thomas, Prasad; Arun, T R; Viswas, K N; Dhama, Kuldeep; Agarwal, R K

2014-01-01

Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, a promising diagnostic test, has been developed for detection of different pathogens of human as well as animals. Various positive points support its use as a field level test but the major problem is product cross contamination leading to false positive results. Different methods were adopted by various researchers to control this false positive amplification due to cross contamination but all have their own advantages and disadvantages. A new closed tube LAMP assay based on agar dye capsule was developed in the present study and this technique has some advantages over the other closed tube technique.•Agar at the concentration of 1.5% was used to sandwich SYBR green dye I with the aid of intradermal syringe. This agar dye capsule was placed over the LAMP reaction mixture before it was amplified.•To eliminate the hazardous nature of Ultra Violet (UV) light during result visualization of LAMP products, the present study demonstrates the use of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights for result visualization.•LAMP was carried out for Brucella species detection using this modified techniques yielding good results without any cross contamination and LED showed similar fluorescence compared to UV.

CURED I - LENT. Late effects of cancer treatment on normal tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubin, P.; Okunieff, P.; Constine, L.S.; Rochester Univ. School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY; Marks, L.B.

2008-01-01

The search for the most favorable therapeutic ratio - at which ablation of cancer is achieved while normal tissues are conserved - has been modern radiation oncology's equivalent of the quest for the Holy Grail. Our awareness of the late effects of radiation grew during the past century as new modalities were introduced. Heightened normal tissue reactions accompanied the higher rates of cancer ablation achieved by escalation of radiation doses, accelerated fractionated radiotherapy, and aggressive concurrent chemotherapy and radiation regimens. This volume is based on the LENT V NCI-sponsored meeting held in May 2004 and the CURED I conference held in 2006. Written by experts in the field, it addresses a number of critical topics relating to late effects, such as mechanisms of injury, the role of screening, options for interventions, second malignancies, and prevention. It is hoped that it will assist the reader in understanding how to prevent and treat the long-term side-effects of irradiation. (orig.)

Childhood obesity prevention and improved nutrition through farm-to ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Childhood obesity prevention and improved nutrition through farm-to-school food ... Increased demand for healthy foods will be evaluated by comparing dietary ... International Water Resources Association, in close collaboration with IDRC, ...

78 FR 42529 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-16

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group; Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Abuse & Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 5635 Fishers Lane, Rm. 3037, Rockville, MD 20852, 301...

78 FR 37835 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Special Emphasis Panel; NIAAA Member Conflict applications--Epidemiology, Prevention (1...

76 FR 78014 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-15

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group, Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Abuse & Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 5635 Fishers Lane, Rm. 3037, Rockville, MD 20852...

76 FR 26308 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-06

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group, Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Institutes On Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism National, Institutes Of Health, 5635 Fishers Lane, Rm. 3037...

Preventing Violence against Women: Engaging the Fathers of Today and Tomorrow

Science.gov (United States)

Crooks, Claire V.; Goodall, George R.; Baker, Linda L.; Hughes, Ray

2006-01-01

Although fathers play a key role in helping their children develop ideas about gender relations and close relationships, they have been largely overlooked as a resource to help prevent violence against women. This paper explores some of the reasons why fathers have not been successfully engaged in violence prevention. Engaging fathers to promote…

Selection and cultivation of final vegetative cover for closed waste sites at the Savannah River Site, SC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, J.R.; Salvo, S.K.

1992-01-01

Low-level, hazardous, and mixed waste disposal sites normally require some form of plant material to prevent erosion of the final closure cap. Waste disposal sites are closed and capped in a complex scientific manner to minimize water infiltration and percolation into and through the waste material. Turf type grasses are currently being used as a vegetative cover for most sites. Consequently, the sites require periodic mowing and other expensive annual maintenance practices. The purpose of this five year study was to evaluate alternative plant material for use on wastes sites that is quickly and easily established and economically maintained, retards water infiltration, provides maximum year-round evapotranspiration, is ecologically acceptable and does not harm the closure cap. The results of the study are described in this report and suggest that two species of bamboo (Phyllostachys bissetii and P. rubromarainata) can be utilized to provide long lived, low maintenance, climax vegetation for the waste sites. These large species of bamboo will also reduce the probability of intrusion by humans, animals and deeply rooted plant species

Closed Circuit TV Surveillance Systems in Educational Buildings: Crime Prevention in Schools. Building Bulletin 75.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitehouse, B.; Patel, M.; Gofton, K.

Recent years have shown an increase in arson, theft, and vandalism committed in educational facilities resulting in a need for managers to formulate security policies. This document provides technical advice and guidance on policy for the design, specification, installation, maintenance, operation, and management of closed circuit TV (CCTV)…

ORIGINAL ARTICLES Calcium supplementation to prevent pre ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

During early pregnancy BP normally falls, climbing slowly ... Resource Centre for Randomised Trials, Institute of Health Sciences, Old Road. Headington, Oxford, UK ... Subgroup analyses were used to test whether these effects ..... Prevention of pregnancy-induced hypertension by calcium supplementation in angiotensin.

On the Ergodic Capacity of Dual-Branch Correlated Log-Normal Fading Channels with Applications

KAUST Repository

Al-Quwaiee, Hessa; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

Closed-form expressions of the ergodic capacity of independent or correlated diversity branches over Log-Normal fading channels are not available in the literature. Thus, it is become of an interest to investigate the behavior of such metric at high

77 FR 22794 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

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2012-04-17

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review Subcommittee... & Alcoholism National Institutes of Health, 5635 Fishers Lane, RM. 3037, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-443-3037...

76 FR 2128 - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-12

... Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... and Alcoholism Initial Review Group. Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review... Alcoholism, Extramural Project Review Branch, 5635 Fishers Lane, Room 2085, Bethesda, MD 20892. 301-451-2067...

75 FR 65021 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-21

... Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Mechanisms and Prevention of Sexual Transmission of HIV/SIV. Date... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal...

Closing the Aboriginal child injury gap: targets for injury prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Möller, Holger; Falster, Kathleen; Ivers, Rebecca; Falster, Michael O; Clapham, Kathleen; Jorm, Louisa

2017-02-01

To describe the leading mechanisms of hospitalised unintentional injury in Australian Aboriginal children and identify the injury mechanisms with the largest inequalities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. We used linked hospital and mortality data to construct a whole of population birth cohort including 1,124,717 children (1,088,645 non-Aboriginal and 35,749 Aboriginal) born in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 1 July 2000 and 31 December 2012. Injury hospitalisation rates were calculated per person years at risk for injury mechanisms coded according to the ICD10-AM classification. The leading injury mechanisms in both groups of children were falls from playground equipment. For 66 of the 69 injury mechanisms studied, Aboriginal children had a higher rate of hospitalisation compared with non-Aboriginal children. The largest relative inequalities were observed for injuries due to exposure to fire and flame, and the largest absolute inequalities for injuries due to falls from playground equipment. Aboriginal children in NSW experience a significant higher burden of unintentional injury compared with their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Implications for Public Health: We suggest the implementation of targeted injury prevention measures aimed at injury mechanism and age groups identified in this study. © 2016 The Authors.

Fractionation in normal tissues: the (α/β)eff concept can account for dose heterogeneity and volume effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Aswin L; Nahum, Alan E

2013-10-07

The simple Linear-Quadratic (LQ)-based Withers iso-effect formula (WIF) is widely used in external-beam radiotherapy to derive a new tumour dose prescription such that there is normal-tissue (NT) iso-effect when changing the fraction size and/or number. However, as conventionally applied, the WIF is invalid unless the normal-tissue response is solely determined by the tumour dose. We propose a generalized WIF (gWIF) which retains the tumour prescription dose, but replaces the intrinsic fractionation sensitivity measure (α/β) by a new concept, the normal-tissue effective fractionation sensitivity, [Formula: see text], which takes into account both the dose heterogeneity in, and the volume effect of, the late-responding normal-tissue in question. Closed-form analytical expressions for [Formula: see text] ensuring exact normal-tissue iso-effect are derived for: (i) uniform dose, and (ii) arbitrary dose distributions with volume-effect parameter n = 1 from the normal-tissue dose-volume histogram. For arbitrary dose distributions and arbitrary n, a numerical solution for [Formula: see text] exhibits a weak dependence on the number of fractions. As n is increased, [Formula: see text] increases from its intrinsic value at n = 0 (100% serial normal-tissue) to values close to or even exceeding the tumour (α/β) at n = 1 (100% parallel normal-tissue), with the highest values of [Formula: see text] corresponding to the most conformal dose distributions. Applications of this new concept to inverse planning and to highly conformal modalities are discussed, as is the effect of possible deviations from LQ behaviour at large fraction sizes.

[Problems of dental services in closed administrative units assessed by a survey of dentists].

Science.gov (United States)

Ujba, V V; Olesova, V N; Khavkina, E Yu; Novozemtseva, T N; Shmakov, A N; Chuyanova, E Yu

2015-01-01

The article presents the results of the survey of 150 dentists from 10 closed administrative units of FMBA health care system of Russia in connection with the dynamics of dental staff withdrawal and reduce of volume of preventive work in schools and factories. These problems were found to be associated with the lack of regulations on mandatory preventive dental examinations of workers with occupational hazards, low tariffs for dental services in obligatory medical insurance program, poor wages an lack of apartments for young dentists.

Memory as Social Glue: Close Interpersonal Relationships in Amnesic Patients

OpenAIRE

Davidson, Patrick S. R.; Drouin, Héloïse; Kwan, Donna; Moscovitch, Morris; Rosenbaum, R. Shayna

2012-01-01

Memory may be crucial for establishing and/or maintaining social bonds. Using the National Social life, Health, and Aging Project questionnaire, we examined close interpersonal relationships in three amnesic people: K.C. and D.A. (who are adult-onset cases) and H.C. (who has developmental amnesia). All three patients were less involved than demographically matched controls with neighbors and religious and community groups. A higher-than-normal percentage of the adult-onset (K.C. and D.A.) cas...

On the Efficient Simulation of Outage Probability in a Log-normal Fading Environment

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2017-02-15

The outage probability (OP) of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is an important metric that is used to evaluate the performance of wireless systems. One difficulty toward assessing the OP is that, in realistic scenarios, closed-form expressions cannot be derived. This is for instance the case of the Log-normal environment, in which evaluating the OP of the SINR amounts to computing the probability that a sum of correlated Log-normal variates exceeds a given threshold. Since such a probability does not admit a closed-form expression, it has thus far been evaluated by several approximation techniques, the accuracies of which are not guaranteed in the region of small OPs. For these regions, simulation techniques based on variance reduction algorithms is a good alternative, being quick and highly accurate for estimating rare event probabilities. This constitutes the major motivation behind our work. More specifically, we propose a generalized hybrid importance sampling scheme, based on a combination of a mean shifting and a covariance matrix scaling, to evaluate the OP of the SINR in a Log-normal environment. We further our analysis by providing a detailed study of two particular cases. Finally, the performance of these techniques is performed both theoretically and through various simulation results.

On the Efficient Simulation of Outage Probability in a Log-normal Fading Environment

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.; Kammoun, Abla; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Tempone, Raul

2017-01-01

The outage probability (OP) of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is an important metric that is used to evaluate the performance of wireless systems. One difficulty toward assessing the OP is that, in realistic scenarios, closed-form expressions cannot be derived. This is for instance the case of the Log-normal environment, in which evaluating the OP of the SINR amounts to computing the probability that a sum of correlated Log-normal variates exceeds a given threshold. Since such a probability does not admit a closed-form expression, it has thus far been evaluated by several approximation techniques, the accuracies of which are not guaranteed in the region of small OPs. For these regions, simulation techniques based on variance reduction algorithms is a good alternative, being quick and highly accurate for estimating rare event probabilities. This constitutes the major motivation behind our work. More specifically, we propose a generalized hybrid importance sampling scheme, based on a combination of a mean shifting and a covariance matrix scaling, to evaluate the OP of the SINR in a Log-normal environment. We further our analysis by providing a detailed study of two particular cases. Finally, the performance of these techniques is performed both theoretically and through various simulation results.

Can post-sternotomy mediastinitis be prevented by a closed incision management system?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dohmen, Pascal M.

2014-09-01

Full Text Available [english] Post-sternotomy mediastinitis is a serious complication after cardiothoracic surgery and contribute significantly to post-operative morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Negative pressure wound therapy is today’s golden standard for post-sternotomy mediastinitis treatment. A systematic literature search was conducted at PubMed until October 2012 to analyse whether vacuum-assisted closure technique prevents mediastinitis after clean surgical incisions closure. Today’s studies showed reduction of post-sternotomy mediastinitis including a beneficial socio-economic impact. Current studies, however included only high-risk patients, hence furthermore, larger randomised controlled trials are warranted to clarify the benefit for using surgical incision vacuum management systems in the general patient population undergoing sternotomy and clarify risk factor interaction.

Preventive vaccines for cervical cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WHEELER COSETTE M

1997-01-01

Full Text Available The potential use of vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer is a possibility in the near future. Close to 20 genotypes of HPV, of the 75 that have been identified, infect the femine genital tract, but four subtypes (16, 18, 31 and 45 have been associated in close to 80% of cervical cancers. this article proposes that in order to design an effective prophylactic vaccine against HPV infection, an adequate immune response should be guaranteed through four goals; a activation of antigens present in the cell; b overcoming the host response and viral genetic variability in the T cell response; c generation of high levels of T and B memory cells; and d persistence of antigens.

Obesity Revised. Chapter at "Periodontal Disease: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cinar, Ayse Basak

2011-01-01

Abstract: Obesity, diabetes and oral diseases (dental cariesand periodontal diseases), largely preventable chronic diseases, are described as global pandemic due their distribution and severe consequences. WHO has called for a global action for prevention and promotion of these diseases as a vital...... the likelihood of periodontitis which is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, described as pandemic, and closely related to DM2. Promoting good oral health is significantly essential for prevention and reducing the negative consequences of periodontal diseases, DM2 and obesity, and to maintain good...

Flexural fatigue life prediction of closed hat-section using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Razzaq, Zia

1989-01-01

Straight or curved hat-section members are often used as structural stiffeners in aircraft. For instance, they are employed as stiffeners for the dorsal skin as well as in the aerial refueling adjacent area structure in F-106 aircraft. The flanges of the hat-section are connected to the aircraft skin. Thus, the portion of the skin closing the hat-section interacts with the section itself when resisting the stresses due to service loads. The flexural fatigue life of such a closed section is estimated using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics. It should be recognized that when a structural shape is subjected to bending, the fatigue life at the neutral axis is infinity since the normal stresses are zero at that location. Conversely, the fatigue life at the extreme fibers where the normal bending stresses are maximum can be expected to be finite. Thus, different fatigue life estimates can be visualized at various distances from the neural axis. The problem becomes compounded further when significant portions away from the neutral axis are stressed into plastic range. A theoretical analysis of the closed hat-section subjected to flexural cyclic loading is first conducted. The axial fatigue characteristics together with the related axial fatigue life formula and its inverted form given by Manson and Muralidharan are adopted for an aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction. A closed-form expression for predicting the flexural fatigue life is then derived for the closed hat-section including materially nonlinear action. A computer program is written to conduct a study of the variables such as the thicknesses of the hat-section and the skin, and the type of alloy used. The study has provided a fundamental understanding of the flexural fatigue life characteristics of a practical structural component used in aircraft when materially nonlinear action is present.

Sodium bicarbonate-based hydration prevents contrast-induced nephropathy: a meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamhane Umesh

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Contrast-induced nephropathy is the leading cause of in-hospital acute renal failure. This side effect of contrast agents leads to increased morbidity, mortality, and health costs. Ensuring adequate hydration prior to contrast exposure is highly effective at preventing this complication, although the optimal hydration strategy to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy still remains an unresolved issue. Former meta-analyses and several recent studies have shown conflicting results regarding the protective effect of sodium bicarbonate. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of normal saline versus sodium bicarbonate for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy. Methods The study searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts database, ISI Web of Science (until 15 December 2008, and conference proceedings for randomized controlled trials that compared normal saline with sodium bicarbonate-based hydration regimen regarding contrast-induced nephropathy. Random-effects models were used to calculate summary odds ratios. Results A total of 17 trials including 2,633 subjects were pooled. Pre-procedural hydration with sodium bicarbonate was associated with a significant decrease in the rate of contrast-induced nephropathy (odds ratios 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.80, P = 0.003. Number needed to treat to prevent one case of contrast-induced nephropathy was 16 (95% confidence interval 10–34. No significant differences in the rates of post-procedure hemodialysis (P = 0.20 or death (P = 0.53 was observed. Conclusion Sodium bicarbonate-based hydration was found to be superior to normal saline in prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy in this updated meta-analysis.

False positive indium-111 white blood cell scan in a closed clavicle fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, R.J.; Gordon, L.

1988-01-01

Aggressive treatment of the multiply injured patient often requires early fixation of many fractures, some of which may be open. Often, patients develop postoperative fevers requiring a thorough workup to rule out infection. Recently, indium-111 white blood cell (WBC) imaging has become a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis of acute infection. The patient described had a simple, closed clavicle fracture with markedly increased activity on an indium-111 WBC scan obtained for fever workup. This subsequently proved to be a normal, healing, noninfected fracture by other diagnostic techniques. Noninfected, simple closed fractures should be added to the list of causes for a false-positive indium-111 WBC scan

Rhythm-based heartbeat duration normalization for atrial fibrillation detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Saiful; Ammour, Nassim; Alajlan, Naif; Aboalsamh, Hatim

2016-05-01

Screening of atrial fibrillation (AF) for high-risk patients including all patients aged 65 years and older is important for prevention of risk of stroke. Different technologies such as modified blood pressure monitor, single lead ECG-based finger-probe, and smart phone using plethysmogram signal have been emerging for this purpose. All these technologies use irregularity of heartbeat duration as a feature for AF detection. We have investigated a normalization method of heartbeat duration for improved AF detection. AF is an arrhythmia in which heartbeat duration generally becomes irregularly irregular. From a window of heartbeat duration, we estimate the possible rhythm of the majority of heartbeats and normalize duration of all heartbeats in the window based on the rhythm so that we can measure the irregularity of heartbeats for both AF and non-AF rhythms in the same scale. Irregularity is measured by the entropy of distribution of the normalized duration. Then we classify a window of heartbeats as AF or non-AF by thresholding the measured irregularity. The effect of this normalization is evaluated by comparing AF detection performances using duration with the normalization, without normalization, and with other existing normalizations. Sensitivity and specificity of AF detection using normalized heartbeat duration were tested on two landmark databases available online and compared with results of other methods (with/without normalization) by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. ROC analysis showed that the normalization was able to improve the performance of AF detection and it was consistent for a wide range of sensitivity and specificity for use of different thresholds. Detection accuracy was also computed for equal rates of sensitivity and specificity for different methods. Using normalized heartbeat duration, we obtained 96.38% accuracy which is more than 4% improvement compared to AF detection without normalization. The proposed normalization

Flora Normal, Probióticos y Salud Humana Flora Normal, Probióticos y Salud Humana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Anaya-Velázquez

2012-02-01

bacteria seems encouraging because of their potential use to restore and maintain the normal flora, which could be beneficial on nutrition, in disease prevention and in the future as part of integral treatment.

Normal development and growth of the human neurocranium and cranial base.

Science.gov (United States)

Friede, H

1981-01-01

The literature on normal development and growth of certain areas of the human head is reviewed, starting with the early induction of the desmal neurocranium. the development of the brain capsule with its dural reinforcement bands and their connection with the basicranium is discussed, as is the primordial chondrocranium, including its bone replacement. Growth of the calvaria and the three cranial fossae is also analysed. Special interest is focused on the anterior fossa, as knowledge of the growth in this area is very important for an understanding of pathogenesis and possibilities of treating premature craniosynostosis. Finally it is stressed that close observation of the effects of treatment on this pathology may increase our knowledge of normal growth.

On the low SNR capacity of log-normal turbulence channels with full CSI

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma; Tall, Abdoulaye; Rezki, Zouheir; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

In this paper, we characterize the low signal-To-noise ratio (SNR) capacity of wireless links undergoing the log-normal turbulence when the channel state information (CSI) is perfectly known at both the transmitter and the receiver. We derive a closed form asymptotic expression of the capacity and we show that it scales essentially as λ SNR where λ is the water-filling level satisfying the power constraint. An asymptotically closed-form expression of λ is also provided. Using this framework, we also propose an on-off power control scheme which is capacity-achieving in the low SNR regime.

On the low SNR capacity of log-normal turbulence channels with full CSI

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma

2014-09-01

In this paper, we characterize the low signal-To-noise ratio (SNR) capacity of wireless links undergoing the log-normal turbulence when the channel state information (CSI) is perfectly known at both the transmitter and the receiver. We derive a closed form asymptotic expression of the capacity and we show that it scales essentially as λ SNR where λ is the water-filling level satisfying the power constraint. An asymptotically closed-form expression of λ is also provided. Using this framework, we also propose an on-off power control scheme which is capacity-achieving in the low SNR regime.

Risk factors for treatment default in close contacts with latent tuberculous infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiske, C T; Yan, F-X; Hirsch-Moverman, Y; Sterling, T R; Reichler, M R

2014-04-01

1) To characterize risk factors for non-completion of latent tuberculous infection treatment (LTBIT), and 2) to assess the impact of LTBIT regimens on subsequent risk of tuberculosis (TB). Close contacts of adults aged ⩾15 years with pulmonary TB were prospectively enrolled in a multi-center study in the United States and Canada from January 2002 to December 2006. Close contacts of TB patients were screened and cross-matched with TB registries to identify those who developed active TB. Of 3238 contacts screened, 1714 (53%) were diagnosed with LTBI. Preventive treatment was recommended in 1371 (80%); 1147 (84%) initiated treatment, of whom 723 (63%) completed it. In multivariate analysis, study site, initial interview sites other than a home or health care setting and isoniazid preventive treatment (IPT) were significantly associated with non-completion of LTBIT. Fourteen TB cases were identified in contacts, all of whom initiated IPT: two TB cases among persons who received ⩾6 months of IPT (66 cases/100 000 person-years [py]), and nine among those who received 0-5 months (median 2 months) of IPT (792 cases/100 000 py, P risk of active TB.

Study and field verification of the effects of removing closing resistors from 500 kV circuit breakers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selin, D.A.; Agrawal, B.L.; Farmer, R.G.; Demcko, J.A.

1992-01-01

Closing resistors in EHV circuit breakers are frequently used to reduce switching transients on lines thus preventing flashovers during line energization. Maintenance and failures of such closing resistors can be costly and reduce transmission system reliability. For these reasons, APS conducted an investigation into the technical feasibility of operating its 500 kV without closing resistors. This paper describes study results of removing closing resistors from 500 kV breakers in a system which employs older technology silicon carbide type surge arresters. The paper also describes results of field tests of the expected flashover rates calculated in the study. These field tests involve repeatedly energizing a 258 mile 500 kV line using a breaker in which the closing resistors are disabled. Transient overvoltages captured during the tests are compared with predicted overvoltages. The study concludes that closing resistors may be removed from the subject system without unacceptable consequences

Normal aging and decision making: The role of motivation

OpenAIRE

Depping, Miriam K; Freund, Alexandra M

2011-01-01

The main argument of this review is that motivational development associated with normal aging affects decision making. With increasing age, the ratio of gains to losses becomes more and more unfavorable. Reflecting the increasing losses in resources, goal orientation changes from a predominant orientation towards gains in young adulthood to an increasingly stronger orientation towards the prevention of loss in older adulthood. As goals serve as reference points for the evaluation of decision...

Prediabetes and Lifestyle Modification: Time to Prevent a Preventable Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Tuso, Phillip

2014-01-01

More than 100 million Americans have prediabetes or diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. An estimated 34% of adults have prediabetes. Prediabetes is now recognized as a reversible condition that increases an individual’s risk for development of diabetes. Lifestyle risk factors for prediabetes include overweight and physical inactivity. Increasing awareness and risk stratification of individuals with prediabetes may help physicians understand potential interventions that may help decrease the percentage of patients in their panels in whom diabetes develops. If untreated, 37% of the individuals with prediabetes may have diabetes in 4 years. Lifestyle intervention may decrease the percentage of prediabetic patients in whom diabetes develops to 20%. Long-term data also suggest that lifestyle intervention may decrease the risk of prediabetes progressing to diabetes for as long as 10 years. To prevent 1 case of diabetes during a 3-year period, 6.9 persons would have to participate in the lifestyle intervention program. In addition, recent data suggest that the difference in direct and indirect costs to care for a patient with prediabetes vs a patient with diabetes may be as much as $7000 per year. Investment in a diabetes prevention program now may have a substantial return on investment in the future and help prevent a preventable disease. PMID:25102521

Osteoradionecrosis prevention myths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahl, Michael J.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To critically analyze controversial osteoradionecrosis (ORN) prevention techniques, including preradiation extractions of healthy or restorable teeth and the use of prophylactic antibiotics or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments for preradiation and postradiation extractions. Methods: The author reviewed ORN studies found on PubMed and in other article references, including studies on overall ORN incidence and pre- and postradiation incidence, with and without prophylactic HBO or antibiotics. Results: Owing in part to more efficient radiation techniques, the incidence of ORN has been declining in radiation patients over the last 2 decades, but the prevention of ORN remains controversial. A review of the available literature does not support the preradiation extraction of restorable or healthy teeth. There is also insufficient evidence to support the use of prophylactic HBO treatments or prophylactic antibiotics before extractions or other oral surgical procedures in radiation patients. Conclusions: To prevent ORN, irradiated dental patients should maintain a high level of oral health. A preradiation referral for a dental evaluation and close collaboration by a multidisciplinary team can be invaluable for radiation patients. As with most other dental patients, restorable and healthy teeth should be retained in irradiated patients. The use of prophylactic HBO or antibiotics should be reconsidered for preradiation and postradiation extractions

Medical Services: Preventive Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

1990-10-15

those at risk. Isoniazid (INH)administered orally is normally used for preventive therapy (300 mg daily for adults and 10 to 14 mg/kg body weight not to...netting, and insecticide aerosols; by taking approved chemoprophylaxis; and by wearing the uniform properly. d. Enteric disease by using iodine tablets ...National stock number: 6850–00–985–7166 Description: Water purification tablet , iodine, 50’s Unit/Issue: BT Allowance: 400 Authority: CTA 8–100 Notes: 1

Blink patterns and lid-contact times in dry-eye and normal subjects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ousler GW 3rd

2014-05-01

minute with their eyes closed, while normal subjects spent 0.7% of a minute with their eyes closed. Contact time might play a role in the visual function decay associated with increased blink rates.Keywords: keratoconjunctivitis sicca, dysfunctional tear syndrome, interblink interval, blink rate, visual function, visual tasks, diagnostic model, eyelid closures, microsleeps

Device for preventing coolant outflow in a reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemoto, Kiyomitsu; Mochizuki, Keiichi.

1975-01-01

Object: To prevent outflow of coolant from a reactor vessel even in an occurrence of leaking trouble at a low position in a primary cooling system or the like in the reactor vessel. Structure: An inlet at the foremost end of a coolant inlet pipe inserted into a reactor vessel is arranged at a level lower than a core, and a check valve is positioned at a level higher than the core in a rising portion of the inlet. In normal condition, the check valve is pushed up by discharge pressure of a main circulating pump and remains closed, and hence, producing no flow loss of coolant, sodium. However, when a trouble such as rupture occurs at the lower position in the primary cooling system, the attractive force for allowing the coolant to back-flow outside the reactor vessel and the load force of the coolant within the reactor vessel cause the check valve to actuate, as a consequence of which a liquid level of the coolant downwardly moves to the position of the check valve to intake the cover gases into a gas intake, thereby cutting off a flow passage of the coolant to stop outflow thereof. (Kamimura, M.)

Role of endothelium in radiation-induced normal tissue damages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milliat, F.

2007-05-01

More than half of cancers are treated with radiation therapy alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. The goal of radiation therapy is to deliver enough ionising radiation to destroy cancer cells without exceeding the level that the surrounding healthy cells can tolerate. Unfortunately, radiation-induced normal tissue injury is still a dose limiting factor in the treatment of cancer with radiotherapy. The knowledge of normal tissue radiobiology is needed to determine molecular mechanisms involved in normal tissue pathogenic pathways in order to identify therapeutic targets and develop strategies to prevent and /or reduce side effects of radiation therapy. The endothelium is known to play a critical role in radiation-induced injury. Our work shows that endothelial cells promote vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration and fibro-genic phenotype after irradiation. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time the importance of PAI-1 in radiation-induced normal tissue damage suggesting that PAI-1 may represent a molecular target to limit injury following radiotherapy. We describe a new role for the TGF-b/Smad pathway in the pathogenesis of radiation-induced damages. TGF-b/Smad pathway is involved in the fibro-genic phenotype of VSMC induced by irradiated EC as well as in the radiation-induced PAI-1 expression in endothelial cells. (author)

Log-normal distribution from a process that is not multiplicative but is additive.

Science.gov (United States)

Mouri, Hideaki

2013-10-01

The central limit theorem ensures that a sum of random variables tends to a Gaussian distribution as their total number tends to infinity. However, for a class of positive random variables, we find that the sum tends faster to a log-normal distribution. Although the sum tends eventually to a Gaussian distribution, the distribution of the sum is always close to a log-normal distribution rather than to any Gaussian distribution if the summands are numerous enough. This is in contrast to the current consensus that any log-normal distribution is due to a product of random variables, i.e., a multiplicative process, or equivalently to nonlinearity of the system. In fact, the log-normal distribution is also observable for a sum, i.e., an additive process that is typical of linear systems. We show conditions for such a sum, an analytical example, and an application to random scalar fields such as those of turbulence.

The Norwegian police and victims of elder abuse in close and familial relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Aas, Geir

2018-01-01

Over recent decades, domestic violence or family violence, violence against women and child abuse has received much attention in the media, in political discourse and in social research. However, abuse of older adults arouses limited interest. In government action against domestic violence and in police guidance manuals, the elderly receive little attention. The aim of this article is primarily to demonstrate how the police attempt to prevent elder abuse in close relationships, especially in parent-child relationships. This article highlights some contradictions between the need of the police to produce criminal cases (often contrary to the interests of the victims) on the one hand, and the police's duty to prevent further abuse on the other. Research has documented that help and prevention measures in question make the situation even worse for the victims they are meant to help.

Development and evaluation of an automated prototype for the fertigation management in a closed system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brajeul, E.; Maillard, E.; Marcelis, L.F.M.; Visser, de P.H.B.; Elings, A.; Lecomte, A.; Tchamitchian, M.

2006-01-01

In France, in order to prevent imbalances and accumulation of nutrients in the plant root zone, most of the soilless crops in glasshouses are cultivated in open drainage systems, which leads to water and fertilizer losses. The goal of the EU project CLOSYS (CLOsed SYStem for water and nutrient

Closed Loop Sawtooth Period Control Using Variable Eccd Injection Angles on Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lennholm, M.; Eriksson, L.G.; Turco, F.; Bouquey, F.; Darbos, C.; Dumont, R.; Giruzzi, G.; Jung, M.; Lambert, R.; Magne, R.; Molina, D.; Moreau, P.; Rimini, F.; Segui, J.L.; Song, S.; Traisnel, E.

2009-01-01

Closed loop control of the period of fast ion stabilized sawtooth has been demonstrated for the first time on Tore Supra by varying the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) injection angles in real time. Fast ions generated by up to 4 MW of central ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) increased the sawtooth period from the ohmic value of 25 ms to 60 to 100 ms. This sawtooth period was reduced to 30 ms by the addition of only 300 kW of ECCD. In ICRH heated shots where the normalized minor radius of the ECCD absorption location was swept from 0.4 to 0.05 in 4 s, the sawtooth period showed an abrupt change from 70 to 30 ms when the ECCD deposition normalized minor radius reached ∼ 0.2. This short period was then maintained until the absorption location moved well inside the sawtooth inversion radius at which point it abruptly returned to 70 ins. A closed loop controller was implemented that allowed the sawtooth period to be switched in real time between short and long sawteeth with a response time of the order of 1 s. (authors)

Normal or abnormal?, That is the question. Anatomical Osteomuscular Variants in Pediatric Radiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, Hugo H; Garcia, Carlos A

2009-01-01

The objective is to describe some normal radiological variants that can cause diagnostic errors being interpreted as abnormal. Method: Its present some radiologic cases from San Ignacio Hospital and Reina Sofia Clinic of some patients with different clinical scenarios, in whom a simple radiograph was obtained. The radiologic findings are described. Results: Radiologic findings observed in these patients are normal anatomic variants, there were confirmed by a literature review. Conclusion: There are innumerable radiologic variants in the human body anatomy. It is important to know them, in order to prevent diagnostic errors and unnecessary studies.

Prevention, The Beginning of the Rehabilitation Process: A View from New Zealand. Monograph #46.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Ian B.

The monograph argues that prevention should be considered the first step in the rehabilitation process, and examines preventive efforts in the areas of occupational safety, road safety, home safety, and sporting and recreational safety. Following an introductory chapter, other chapters discuss: (1) the close relationship between compensation,…

Implicit and Explicit Memory Bias in Opiate Dependent, Abstinent and Normal Individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jafar Hasani

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of current research was to assess implicit and explicit memory bias to drug related stimuli in opiate Dependent, abstinent and normal Individuals. Method: Three groups including opiate Dependent, abstinent and normal Individuals (n=25 were selected by available sampling method. After matching on the base of age, education level and type of substance use all participants assessed by recognition task (explicit memory bias and stem completion task (implicit memory bias. Results: The analysis of data showed that opiate dependent and abstinent groups in comparison with normal individual had implicit memory bias, whereas in explicit memory only opiate dependent individuals showed bias. Conclusion: The identification of explicit and implicit memory governing addiction may have practical implications in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of substance abuse.

Relation between Protein Intrinsic Normal Mode Weights and Pre-Existing Conformer Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozgur, Beytullah; Ozdemir, E Sila; Gursoy, Attila; Keskin, Ozlem

2017-04-20

Intrinsic fluctuations of a protein enable it to sample a large repertoire of conformers including the open and closed forms. These distinct forms of the protein called conformational substates pre-exist together in equilibrium as an ensemble independent from its ligands. The role of ligand might be simply to alter the equilibrium toward the most appropriate form for binding. Normal mode analysis is proved to be useful in identifying the directions of conformational changes between substates. In this study, we demonstrate that the ratios of normalized weights of a few normal modes driving the protein between its substates can give insights about the ratios of kinetic conversion rates of the substates, although a direct relation between the eigenvalues and kinetic conversion rates or populations of each substate could not be observed. The correlation between the normalized mode weight ratios and the kinetic rate ratios is around 83% on a set of 11 non-enzyme proteins and around 59% on a set of 17 enzymes. The results are suggestive that mode motions carry intrinsic relations with thermodynamics and kinetics of the proteins.

Mechanism and preclinical prevention of increased breast cancer risk caused by pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Haricharan, Svasti; Dong, Jie; Hein, Sarah; Reddy, Jay P; Du, Zhijun; Toneff, Michael; Holloway, Kimberly; Hilsenbeck, Susan G; Huang, Shixia; Atkinson, Rachel; Woodward, Wendy; Jindal, Sonali; Borges, Virginia F; Gutierrez, Carolina; Zhang, Hong; Schedin, Pepper J; Osborne, C Kent; Tweardy, David J; Li, Yi

2013-12-31

While a first pregnancy before age 22 lowers breast cancer risk, a pregnancy after age 35 significantly increases life-long breast cancer risk. Pregnancy causes several changes to the normal breast that raise barriers to transformation, but how pregnancy can also increase cancer risk remains unclear. We show in mice that pregnancy has different effects on the few early lesions that have already developed in the otherwise normal breast-it causes apoptosis evasion and accelerated progression to cancer. The apoptosis evasion is due to the normally tightly controlled STAT5 signaling going astray-these precancerous cells activate STAT5 in response to pregnancy/lactation hormones and maintain STAT5 activation even during involution, thus preventing the apoptosis normally initiated by oncoprotein and involution. Short-term anti-STAT5 treatment of lactation-completed mice bearing early lesions eliminates the increased risk after a pregnancy. This chemoprevention strategy has important implications for preventing increased human breast cancer risk caused by pregnancy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00996.001.

Local government`s pollution prevention program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swanson, D. [Boulder Country Pollution Prevention Program, Boulder, CO (United States)

1996-12-31

The pollution prevention program operated by the Health Department of Boulder County is called Business Partners for a Clean Environment (Business Partners). It is a cooperative effort among local businesses, the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. This nonregulatory, incentive-based program provides industry with pollution prevention information and technical assistance necessary to reduce and/or eliminate environmental waste. This paper provides an overview of the program development, creation of partnerships and trust, and some of the results from implementation of the program. Following the first 18 months of the program, 35 businesses were recognized as Business Partners. The Business Partners program has also received an achievement award from the National Association of Counties for promoting {open_quotes}responsible, responsive, and effective government{close_quotes} and two governor`s awards from the State of Colorado. Participating businesses have demonstrated that a pollution prevention program can reduce environmental waste, increase employee safety, and decrease costs. 4 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.

Normal gravity field in relativistic geodesy

Science.gov (United States)

Kopeikin, Sergei; Vlasov, Igor; Han, Wen-Biao

2018-02-01

intrinsically connected to the existence of the residual gauge freedom, and derive the post-Newtonian normal gravity field of the rotating spheroid both inside and outside of the rotating fluid body. The normal gravity field is given, similarly to the Newtonian gravity, in a closed form by a finite number of the ellipsoidal harmonics. We employ transformation from the ellipsoidal to spherical coordinates to deduce a more conventional post-Newtonian multipolar expansion of scalar and vector gravitational potentials of the rotating spheroid. We compare these expansions with that of the normal gravity field generated by the Kerr metric and demonstrate that the Kerr metric has a fairly limited application in relativistic geodesy as it does not match the normal gravity field of the Maclaurin ellipsoid already in the Newtonian limit. We derive the post-Newtonian generalization of the Somigliana formula for the normal gravity field measured on the surface of the rotating spheroid and employed in practical work for measuring Earth's gravitational field anomalies. Finally, we discuss the possible choice of the gauge-dependent parameters of the normal gravity field model for practical applications and compare it with the existing EGM2008 model of a gravitational field.

Preventing Noise-Induced Extinction in Discrete Population Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina Bashkirtseva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A problem of the analysis and prevention of noise-induced extinction in nonlinear population models is considered. For the solution of this problem, we suggest a general approach based on the stochastic sensitivity analysis. To prevent the noise-induced extinction, we construct feedback regulators which provide a low stochastic sensitivity and keep the system close to the safe equilibrium regime. For the demonstration of this approach, we apply our mathematical technique to the conceptual but quite representative Ricker-type models. A variant of the Ricker model with delay is studied along with the classic widely used one-dimensional system.

A New Closed Form Approximation for BER for Optical Wireless Systems in Weak Atmospheric Turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Kaushik, Rahul; Khandelwal, Vineet; Jain, R. C.

2018-04-01

Weak atmospheric turbulence condition in an optical wireless communication (OWC) is captured by log-normal distribution. The analytical evaluation of average bit error rate (BER) of an OWC system under weak turbulence is intractable as it involves the statistical averaging of Gaussian Q-function over log-normal distribution. In this paper, a simple closed form approximation for BER of OWC system under weak turbulence is given. Computation of BER for various modulation schemes is carried out using proposed expression. The results obtained using proposed expression compare favorably with those obtained using Gauss-Hermite quadrature approximation and Monte Carlo Simulations.

THE PREVENTION PROGRAMS OF PHYSICAL REHABILITATION FOR CHERNOBYL DISASTER SURVIVORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.V. Korobeynikov

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study: approbation of the prevention program of physical rehabilitation for Chernobyl disaster survivors in lifestyle aspects. Sixty persons who were disaster survivors and workers of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant aged 32-60 have rehabilitation during 21 days. The complex of training prevention programs of physical and psycho-emotional rehabilitation methods was elaborated. The study of efficacy of training prevention programs among Chernobyl disaster survivors. The results showed the improvement of psycho-emotional status and normalization of cardiovascular vegetative regulation after training prevention programs in Chernobyl disasters survivors. The studies show that the preventive programs for Chernobyl disaster survivors in lifestyle aspects had the high effect. This displays the decrease of tempo of aging and the improving of physical and psychological health status of Chernobyl disaster survivors during preventive course.

Preventing urinary incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wesnes, Stian Langeland; Lose, Gunnar

2013-01-01

focus is on pelvic floor muscle training to prevent UI. However, several other modifiable risk factors are likely to contribute to prevention of UI during pregnancy and postpartum. This review investigated modifiable risk factors for UI during pregnancy and postpartum and also reviewed randomized...... (grade B) and postpartum (grade C). Women should be advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and postpartum (grade A) and to use perineal warm packs during delivery (grade B). Cesarean section to prevent UI cannot be recommended (grade D). If lifestyle recommendations......: women should be advised not to smoke before or during pregnancy (grade B), aim at normal weight before pregnancy (grade B), and aim at regaining prepregnancy weight postpartum (grade B). Occasional low-intensity training should be advocated (grade B), and constipation should be avoided during pregnancy...

Developing the strategic plan for pollution prevention in defense programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, John A.; Betschart, James F.; Suffern, J. Samuel

1992-01-01

In order to provide effective leadership and to ensure a consistent pollution prevention effort in all of its production facilities and laboratories, Defense Programs (DP) Headquarters, in close cooperation with the Field, has developed a strategic plan for its Pollution Prevention Program. The strategic plan is built upon the history of waste minimization, waste reduction, and pollution prevention activity to date, and articulates both long- and short-term strategies to ensure program initiation, growth, and stability. The organization of the program, including Headquarters staffing and linkages to the Geld, is described. Life-cycle analysis of program barriers and bottlenecks, along with associated initiatives and action plans are discussed. (author)

Normalized modes at selected points without normalization

Science.gov (United States)

Kausel, Eduardo

2018-04-01

As every textbook on linear algebra demonstrates, the eigenvectors for the general eigenvalue problem | K - λM | = 0 involving two real, symmetric, positive definite matrices K , M satisfy some well-defined orthogonality conditions. Equally well-known is the fact that those eigenvectors can be normalized so that their modal mass μ =ϕT Mϕ is unity: it suffices to divide each unscaled mode by the square root of the modal mass. Thus, the normalization is the result of an explicit calculation applied to the modes after they were obtained by some means. However, we show herein that the normalized modes are not merely convenient forms of scaling, but that they are actually intrinsic properties of the pair of matrices K , M, that is, the matrices already "know" about normalization even before the modes have been obtained. This means that we can obtain individual components of the normalized modes directly from the eigenvalue problem, and without needing to obtain either all of the modes or for that matter, any one complete mode. These results are achieved by means of the residue theorem of operational calculus, a finding that is rather remarkable inasmuch as the residues themselves do not make use of any orthogonality conditions or normalization in the first place. It appears that this obscure property connecting the general eigenvalue problem of modal analysis with the residue theorem of operational calculus may have been overlooked up until now, but which has in turn interesting theoretical implications.Á

Closed-eye orbital prosthesis: a clinical report.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatamleh, Muhanad M; Watson, Jason; Srinivasan, Dilip

2015-03-01

One of the most challenging prostheses to fabricate is an acceptable orbital prosthesis. Successful reconstruction of the complex missing tissues, the globe, muscle, skin, and bony elements requires time and high levels of practical skill. A good match to the contralateral nondefect side will help mask the underlying defect and give the patient confidence to return to normal, routine life. The contralateral eye opening will commonly dictate the eye opening of such a prosthesis, but because of the expressive nature of the eye and its high levels of mobility, this can be difficult to achieve. This clinical report presents a patient who had an extended orbital exenteration and right maxillectomy to remove a maxillary squamous cell carcinoma. An alternative approach to constructing an orbital prosthesis was undertaken with the eye closed. Compared to the normal method of fabrication, this process was less complex and quicker, made the prosthesis less "staring," camouflaged the defect, and reduced the detection of the prosthesis because of movements in the remaining eye. The patient engaged in his routine daily life, which reinforced his self-esteem, confidence, and reintegration into the community. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preventive maintenance instrumentation results in Spanish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palomo Anaya, M. Jose; Verdu Martin, Gumersindo; Arnaldos Gonzalvez, Adoracion; Nieva, Marcelino Curiel

2011-01-01

This paper is a recompilation of the most significant results in relation to the researching in Preventive and Predictive Maintenance in critical nuclear instrumentation for power plant operation, which it is being developed by Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales and The Isirym Institute of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Instrumentation verification and test, it is a priority of the Power Plants Control and Instrumentation Department technicians. These procedures are necessary information for the daily power plant work. It is performed according to different procedures and in different moments of the fuel cycle depending on the instrumentation critical state and the monitoring process. Normally, this study is developed taking into account the instantaneous values of the instrumentation measures and, after their conversion to physical magnitude, they are analyzed according to the power plant operation point. Moreover, redundant sensors measurements are taken into consideration to the equipment and/or power plant monitoring. This work goes forward and it is in advanced to the instrument analysis as it is, independently of the operation point, using specific signal analysis techniques for preventive and predictive maintenance, with the aim to obtain not only information about possible malfunctions, but the degradation scale presented in the instrument or in the system measured. We present seven real case studies of Spanish Nuclear Power Plants each of them shall give a significant contribution to problem resolution and power plant performance: Fluctuations in sensor lines (case 1), Air presence in feed water lines (case 2), Root valve partially closed (case 3), Sensor malfunctions (case 4), Electrical source malfunctions (case 5), RTD malfunctions (case 6) and LPRM malfunctions (case 7). (author)

Preventive maintenance instrumentation results in Spanish nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palomo Anaya, M. Jose; Verdu Martin, Gumersindo, E-mail: mpalomo@iqn.upv.es, E-mail: gverdu@iqn.upv.es [ISIRYM Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia (Spain); Arnaldos Gonzalvez, Adoracion, E-mail: a.arnaldos@titaniast.com [TITANIA Servicios Tecnologicos SL, Valencia (Spain); Nieva, Marcelino Curiel, E-mail: m.curiel@lainsa.com [Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales SAU (LAINSA), Valencia (Spain)

2011-07-01

This paper is a recompilation of the most significant results in relation to the researching in Preventive and Predictive Maintenance in critical nuclear instrumentation for power plant operation, which it is being developed by Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales and The Isirym Institute of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Instrumentation verification and test, it is a priority of the Power Plants Control and Instrumentation Department technicians. These procedures are necessary information for the daily power plant work. It is performed according to different procedures and in different moments of the fuel cycle depending on the instrumentation critical state and the monitoring process. Normally, this study is developed taking into account the instantaneous values of the instrumentation measures and, after their conversion to physical magnitude, they are analyzed according to the power plant operation point. Moreover, redundant sensors measurements are taken into consideration to the equipment and/or power plant monitoring. This work goes forward and it is in advanced to the instrument analysis as it is, independently of the operation point, using specific signal analysis techniques for preventive and predictive maintenance, with the aim to obtain not only information about possible malfunctions, but the degradation scale presented in the instrument or in the system measured. We present seven real case studies of Spanish Nuclear Power Plants each of them shall give a significant contribution to problem resolution and power plant performance: Fluctuations in sensor lines (case 1), Air presence in feed water lines (case 2), Root valve partially closed (case 3), Sensor malfunctions (case 4), Electrical source malfunctions (case 5), RTD malfunctions (case 6) and LPRM malfunctions (case 7). (author)

Preventive fraction of physical fitness on risk factors in cardiac patients: Retrospective epidemiological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Caru, Maxime; Kern, Laurence; Bousquet, Marc; Curnier, Daniel

2018-04-26

To quantify the preventive fraction of physical fitness on the risk factors in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). A total of 249 subjects (205 men and 44 women) suffering from CVD were categorized into four groups, according to their percentage of physical fitness. We calculated the odds ratio to obtain the preventive fraction in order to evaluate the impact of the physical fitness level on the risk factors ( i.e ., abdominal obesity, depression, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, overweight and smoking). It is observed that a normal physical fitness level is sufficient to induce a preventive action on abdominal obesity (38%), diabetes (12%), hypertension (33%), obesity (12%) and overweight (11%). Also, the preventive fraction increases with the level of physical fitness, in particular for hypertension (36%) and overweight (16%). A high physical fitness level does not necessarily induce a preventive action in most risk factors, excluding depression. This is the first study which demonstrates that reaching a normal physical fitness level is enough to induce a protection for some risk factors, despite having a CVD.

Physical self-concept of normal-weight and overweight adolescents: Gender specificities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lazarević Dušanka

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Previous researchers have described the relation between physical self-concept and body mass in adolescents, but those relationships have not been clearly specified by gender. The purpose of this study is to explore physical self-concepts of normal-weight and over-weight Serbian adolescents with respect to gender. The sample consisted of 417 primary school students (229 boys and 188 girls with the average age 13.6 (SD=0.73 years who were divided into normal-weight and overweight groups according to body mass index. To assess the multidimensional physical self-concept, Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ was administered. Results showed that overweight adolescents had significantly lower scores than normal-weight on all PSDQ scales except Health and Strength. Differences were greater among girls than boys. Discriminant analysis showed that the scales Body Fat, Endurance and Sports Competence best differentiated normal-weight boys from other students. Also, discriminant analysis showed that, besides the scale Body Fat, scales Flexibility, Self-Esteem, and Coordination best differentiated normal-weight girls from other students. Results indicate that for better understanding of the relationship between adolescent’s physical self-concept and body mass one must take gender into account. Results are potentially valuable for preventing overweight through physical education.

Carotid Artery Stenting Successfully Prevents Progressive Stroke Due to Mobile Plaque

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masahiro Oomura

2015-05-01

Full Text Available We report a case of progressive ischemic stroke due to a mobile plaque, in which carotid artery stenting successfully prevented further infarctions. A 78-year-old man developed acute multiple infarcts in the right hemisphere, and a duplex ultrasound showed a mobile plaque involving the bifurcation of the left common carotid artery. Maximal medical therapy failed to prevent further infarcts, and the number of infarcts increased with his neurological deterioration. Our present case suggests that the deployment of a closed-cell stent is effective to prevent the progression of the ischemic stroke due to the mobile plaque.

The Closing of the Insolvency Procedure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Lefter

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The achievment of the balance between the offer and the demand in a market economy makes that some merchants win and others lose. Losing in business is a normal risk, usually assumed by any merchant. But when the merchant record losses, the issue is of engaging his responsibility before all those that may be damaged due to his negative results. Faced to this reality, the commercial legislation, by way of the collective procedure, has tried to found the most adequate means to reduce up to the maximum the negative influences that the losses beared by a merchant may have on his creditors. According to this, from the new law of the collective procedure (Law no. 85/2006 there have been analized those cases of closing the procedure and their effects which raised already problems in practice and aroused interesting doctrinal controversies.

Clarifying Normalization

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Donald A.

2008-01-01

Confusion exists among database textbooks as to the goal of normalization as well as to which normal form a designer should aspire. This article discusses such discrepancies with the intention of simplifying normalization for both teacher and student. This author's industry and classroom experiences indicate such simplification yields quicker…

Challenges and Recent Progress in the Development of a Closed-loop Artificial Pancreas.

Science.gov (United States)

Bequette, B Wayne

2012-12-01

Pursuit of a closed-loop artificial pancreas that automatically controls the blood glucose of individuals with type 1 diabetes has intensified during the past six years. Here we discuss the recent progress and challenges in the major steps towards a closed-loop system. Continuous insulin infusion pumps have been widely available for over two decades, but "smart pump" technology has made the devices easier to use and more powerful. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology has improved and the devices are more widely available. A number of approaches are currently under study for fully closed-loop systems; most manipulate only insulin, while others manipulate insulin and glucagon. Algorithms include on-off (for prevention of overnight hypoglycemia), proportional-integral-derivative (PID), model predictive control (MPC) and fuzzy logic based learning control. Meals cause a major "disturbance" to blood glucose, and we discuss techniques that our group has developed to predict when a meal is likely to be consumed and its effect. We further examine both physiology and device-related challenges, including insulin infusion set failure and sensor signal attenuation. Finally, we discuss the next steps required to make a closed-loop artificial pancreas a commercial reality.

Preventive Effects of Epigallocatechin-3-O-Gallate against Replicative Senescence Associated with p53 Acetylation in Human Dermal Fibroblasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Wook Han

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Considering the various pharmacological activities of epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG including anticancer, and anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and so forth, relatively less attention has been paid to the antiaging effect of EGCG on primary cells. In this study, the preventive effects of EGCG against serial passage-induced senescence were investigated in primary cells including rat vascular smooth muscle cells (RVSMCs, human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs, and human articular chondrocytes (HACs. The involvement of Sirt1 and acetylated p53 was examined as an underlying mechanism for the senescence preventive activity of EGCG in HDFs. All cells were employed with the initial passage number (PN between 3 and 7. For inducing senescence, the cells were serially passaged at the predetermined times and intervals in the absence or presence of EGCG (50 or 100 μM. Serial passage-induced senescence in RVSMCs and HACs was able to be significantly prevented at 50 μM EGCG, while in HDFs, 100 μM EGCG could significantly prevent senescence and recover their cell cycle progression close to the normal level. Furthermore, EGCG was found to prevent serial passage- and H2O2-induced senescence in HDFs by suppressing p53 acetylation, but the Sirt1 activity was unaffected. In addition, proliferating HDFs showed similar cellular uptake of FITC-conjugated EGCG into the cytoplasm with their senescent counterparts but different nuclear translocation of it from them, which would partly account for the differential responses to EGCG in proliferating versus senescent cells. Taking these results into consideration, it is suggested that EGCG may be exploited to craft strategies for the development of an antiaging or age-delaying agent.

Workplace bullying prevention: a critical discourse analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Susan L

2015-10-01

The aim of this study was to analyse the discourses of workplace bullying prevention of hospital nursing unit managers and in the official documents of the organizations where they worked. Workplace bullying can be a self-perpetuating problem in nursing units. As such, efforts to prevent this behaviour may be more effective than efforts to stop ongoing bullying. There is limited research on how healthcare organizations characterize their efforts to prevent workplace bullying. This was a qualitative study. Critical discourse analysis and Foucault's writings on governmentality and discipline were used to analyse data from interviews with hospital nursing unit managers (n = 15) and organizational documents (n = 22). Data were collected in 2012. The discourse of workplace bullying prevention centred around three themes: prevention of workplace bullying through managerial presence, normalizing behaviours and controlling behaviours. All three are individual level discourses of workplace bullying prevention. Current research indicates that workplace bullying is a complex issue with antecedents at the individual, departmental and organizational level. However, the discourse of the participants in this study only focused on prevention of bullying by moulding the behaviours of individuals. The effective prevention of workplace bullying will require departmental and organizational initiatives. Leaders in all types of organizations can use the results of this study to examine their organizations' discourses of workplace bullying prevention to determine where change is needed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis normal to the reflector

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2010-05-01

The computational tools for imaging in transversely isotropic media with tilted axes of symmetry (TTI) are complex and in most cases do not have an explicit closed-form representation. Developing such tools for a TTI medium with tilt constrained to be normal to the reflector dip (DTI) reduces their complexity and allows for closed-form representations. The homogeneous-case zero-offset migration in such a medium can be performed using an isotropic operator scaled by the velocity of the medium in the tilt direction. For the nonzero-offset case, the reflection angle is always equal to the incidence angle, and thus, the velocities for the source and receiver waves at the reflection point are equal and explicitly dependent on the reflection angle. This fact allows for the development of explicit representations for angle decomposition as well as moveout formulas for analysis of extended images obtained by wave-equation migration. Although setting the tilt normal to the reflector dip may not be valid everywhere (i.e., on salt flanks), it can be used in the process of velocity model building, in which such constrains are useful and typically are used. © 2010 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

A transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis normal to the reflector

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali; Sava, Paul C.

2010-01-01

The computational tools for imaging in transversely isotropic media with tilted axes of symmetry (TTI) are complex and in most cases do not have an explicit closed-form representation. Developing such tools for a TTI medium with tilt constrained to be normal to the reflector dip (DTI) reduces their complexity and allows for closed-form representations. The homogeneous-case zero-offset migration in such a medium can be performed using an isotropic operator scaled by the velocity of the medium in the tilt direction. For the nonzero-offset case, the reflection angle is always equal to the incidence angle, and thus, the velocities for the source and receiver waves at the reflection point are equal and explicitly dependent on the reflection angle. This fact allows for the development of explicit representations for angle decomposition as well as moveout formulas for analysis of extended images obtained by wave-equation migration. Although setting the tilt normal to the reflector dip may not be valid everywhere (i.e., on salt flanks), it can be used in the process of velocity model building, in which such constrains are useful and typically are used. © 2010 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Metabolomic analysis of urine samples by UHPLC-QTOF-MS: Impact of normalization strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnebin, Yoric; Tonoli, David; Lescuyer, Pierre; Ponte, Belen; de Seigneux, Sophie; Martin, Pierre-Yves; Schappler, Julie; Boccard, Julien; Rudaz, Serge

2017-02-22

Among the various biological matrices used in metabolomics, urine is a biofluid of major interest because of its non-invasive collection and its availability in large quantities. However, significant sources of variability in urine metabolomics based on UHPLC-MS are related to the analytical drift and variation of the sample concentration, thus requiring normalization. A sequential normalization strategy was developed to remove these detrimental effects, including: (i) pre-acquisition sample normalization by individual dilution factors to narrow the concentration range and to standardize the analytical conditions, (ii) post-acquisition data normalization by quality control-based robust LOESS signal correction (QC-RLSC) to correct for potential analytical drift, and (iii) post-acquisition data normalization by MS total useful signal (MSTUS) or probabilistic quotient normalization (PQN) to prevent the impact of concentration variability. This generic strategy was performed with urine samples from healthy individuals and was further implemented in the context of a clinical study to detect alterations in urine metabolomic profiles due to kidney failure. In the case of kidney failure, the relation between creatinine/osmolality and the sample concentration is modified, and relying only on these measurements for normalization could be highly detrimental. The sequential normalization strategy was demonstrated to significantly improve patient stratification by decreasing the unwanted variability and thus enhancing data quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Normal-weight obesity syndrome: diagnosis, prevalence, and clinical implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Franco, Lana P; Morais, Carla C; Cominetti, Cristiane

2016-09-01

The growing concern about the impact of overweight on health has led to studies that shed light on types of obesity other than the classic model based on body mass index. Normal-weight obesity syndrome is characterized by excess body fat in individuals with adequate body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)). This condition increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and other conditions associated with chronic diseases, such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The aims of this review are to define the diagnostic criteria for normal-weight obesity syndrome and to examine the risks associated with this condition in order to promote preventive measures and early treatment for affected individuals. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Closed system for bovine oocyte vitrification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Ševelová

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of our study was to develop a vitrification carrier for bovine oocyte cryopreservation. The carrier was to be cheap enough, elementary in its construction and meet contemporary requirements for a safe closed system. In a closed system, a cell is prevented from direct exposure to liquid nitrogen, thus minimizing the risk of cross-contamination. Furthermore, two questions regarding the proper vitrification technique were resolved: if it is necessary to partially denude the oocytes before the vitrification process or whether intact cumulus oocyte complexes should be frozen; and if it is more advantageous to preheat the vitrification solutions to female body temperature (39 °C or to keep them at room temperature. Our results show that it is better to partially denude the oocytes prior to vitrification because cryopreserved intact cumulus oocyte complexes often proved dark, non-homogeneous or fragmented cytoplasm after warming, with many of them having visibly widened perivitelline spaces or fractured zonae pellucidae as a result of extensive damage during vitrification. Consequently, intact cumulus oocyte complexes showed significantly lower numbers of cleavage stage embryos on Day 3 compared to partially denuded oocytes (7.4% and 26%, respectively. On the other hand, the survival rate and following development of fertilized oocytes in preheated vitrification solution were equal to results reached at room temperature conditions. In conclusion, results achieved with the newly developed carrier were comparable to previously published studies and therefore they could be recommended for common use.

[The features in preventing recurrent lower urinary tract infection].

Science.gov (United States)

Gadzhieva, Z K; Kazilov, Yu B

2016-08-01

This review outlines characteristics of medications most commonly used for preventing recurrent lower urinary tract infection (UTI). It shows that the treatment and prophylaxis of UTI should be comprehensive and include the restoration of the normal urogenital tract anatomy and use in addition to antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs, agents, normalizing the function of the lower urinary tract, as well as drugs for local and systemic immunoprophylaxis, protection of the urothelium from recurrent infection, local hormone replacement therapy in menopause, and dietary supplements to acidify the urine.

Correlated random sampling for multivariate normal and log-normal distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Žerovnik, Gašper; Trkov, Andrej; Kodeli, Ivan A.

2012-01-01

A method for correlated random sampling is presented. Representative samples for multivariate normal or log-normal distribution can be produced. Furthermore, any combination of normally and log-normally distributed correlated variables may be sampled to any requested accuracy. Possible applications of the method include sampling of resonance parameters which are used for reactor calculations.

78 FR 28221 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review The meeting... aforementioned SEP: Time and Date: 12:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2013 (Closed). Place: Teleconference...

78 FR 57391 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review The meeting... aforementioned SEP: Times and Dates: 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., November 12-15, 2013 (Closed). Place: Teleconference...

PA03.05. Masha taila as a preventive measure in gulpha marma injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhaded, Rajani; Kulkarni, BG

2013-01-01

Purpose: In Basketball game Gulpha Marma injuries are common. Wrong landing causes inflammation & tearing of ligament resulting into sprain. Prevention can be carried out by protective wears like Ankelet,crape bandge which gives temporary recovery. Assessment and evaluation of the application of Masha Taila as a Snehana and Avagaha Sweda as a preventive measure for Gulpha Marma injuries. Method: 30 players with Normal ankle joint (Group A) & 30 players with Ankle sprain (1st degree) of Basketball players (Group B) were taken with age group 13 to 25 yrs. Goniometer to measure Range of motion (R.O.M.), pain analog scale for pain gradation. Result: Group A and B were compared with their control groups. The statistical result for normal dorsiflexion was 0.0007 degree, plantar flexion 0.001 degree, dorsi flexion of ankle sprain players 0.002 degree, plantar flexion 0.03 degree. The measurement of ROM of all players increased by 510 times indicating increased joint flexibility, based on ROM Mash taila proved to be a preventive measure. Pain analog scale for group B players indicated moderate pain at 0 day,reduced by 50% on 15th day and completely reduced on 30th day. Conclusion: “Prevention is better than cure”. As a preventive aspect the application of Masha Taila in normal ankle joint as Snehan & Swedan with warm water increases flexibility of joint and muscle strength. In sprained joint the same Taila application relives pain and regains its movements, this recovery and strength of joints happens because of reduce adhesion & influence the direction of new collage fibres in the healing process. It eliminates toxic accumulation from secondary muscle spasm. These Marma being the vital points must be prevented by applying Snehan & Swedan before starting the game just as warm up.

Relationship between the electronic structure and the glide in the hexagonal close packed metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legrand, B.; Le Hazif, R.

1983-06-01

In all hexagonal close-packed metals (HCP), deformation is performed by slip on a mean glide system (MGS) and on several secondary systems. There are no reliable predictions of the MGS choice. In this paper is shown the role played by the electronic structure on the choice of glide system in HCP metals. MGS is basal for all normal metals and is a function of the electron number in HCP transition metals. The different SFE's were calculated using appropriate total energy models, for different metals. Thus pseudopotentials were used (or empirical pair potentials) for normal metals, and a tight-binding model for transition metals. The most important results are the following: prismatic SFE (PSFE) is smaller than basal SFE (BSFE) for Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ru and Os; BSFE is smaller than PSFE for Co and all normal metals; BSFE and PSFe and about the same for RE and Tc

Strategic closed-loop facility location problem with carbon market trading

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diabat, A.; Abdallah, T.; Al-Refaie, A.

2013-01-01

and recovery of products in a closed-loop configuration. Remanufacturing is the basis of profit-oriented reverse logistics in which recovered products are restored to a marketable condition in order to be resold to the primary or secondary market. In this paper, we introduce a multiechelon multicommodity...... facility location problem with a trading price of carbon emissions and a cost of procurement. The company might either incur costs if the carbon cap, normally assigned by regulatory agencies, is lower than the total emissions, or gain profit if the carbon cap is higher than the total emissions. A numerical...

Methods of Preventives to keep Birth Control in the Quran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Yunus Mohd Noor

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This research is mainly concerned about the methods set by the Quran for preserving the human breeding, which is regarded the main pillar not only for the future survival of the humankind, but also for assuring its permanence and continuity. Taking this into consideration, the Quran has addressed this issue by setting solid preventive tools that ensure the continuity and prosperity of the human offspring in a normal manner. The objective of the research is to shed light on the importance of protecting the human offspring in the Quran, since neglecting its importance could lead to the corruption of the whole society and its members. The research attempts also to tackle the various preventive tools that the Quran has adopted for protecting the normal continuity and prosperity of the human offspring. The research proposes to study the Quranic verses that address the protection of the human offspring and the various preventive tools that should be adopted, along with the accredited analysis and statements of purpose of the Quranic verses, with reference to the approved sources of interpretation. Apart of the findings are that the Quran has set two main methods for protecting the human offspring that is; the preventive tools for protecting the amount of birth control, and the preventive tools for maintaining the quality of birth control. The preventive tools for protecting the amount of birth control include the forbidding of being monastic, the prohibiting of killing children for fear of poverty, and the forbidding of falling into immorality, either outwardly or inwardly. They also include the establishment of prayer, giving charity, reciting Dhikr (remembrance and asking of forgiveness. The preventive tools for maintaining the quality of birth control, however, include not approaching adultery, prohibiting adoption, and forbidding incest, the people of shirk and immorality and blasphemy.

Prevention of health care-associated infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Vincent

2014-09-15

Health care-associated infections cause approximately 75,000 deaths annually, in addition to increasing morbidity and costs. Over the past decade, a downward trend in health care-associated infections has occurred nationwide. Basic prevention measures include administrative support, educating health care personnel, and hand hygiene and isolation precautions. Prevention of central line- or catheter-associated infections begins with avoidance of unnecessary insertion, adherence to aseptic technique when inserting, and device removal when no longer necessary. Specific recommendations for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections include use of chlorhexidine for skin preparation, as a component of dressings, and for daily bathing of patients in intensive care units. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are the most common device-related health care-associated infection. Maintaining a closed drainage system below the patient reduces the risk of infection. To prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, which is associated with high mortality, mechanically ventilated patients should be placed in the semirecumbent position and receive antiseptic oral care. Prevention of surgical site infections includes hair removal using clippers, glucose control, and preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Reducing transmission of Clostridium difficile and multidrug-resistant organisms in the hospital setting begins with hand hygiene and contact precautions. Institutional efforts to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing are also strongly recommended. Reducing rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection can be achieved through active surveillance cultures and decolonization therapy with mupirocin.

Radiation oxidative stress in cancer induction and prevention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meher, Prabodha Kumar; Mishra, Kaushala Prasad

2017-01-01

Exposure of cells to ionizing radiation causes generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are implicated in the mechanism of carcinogenesis. Molecular steps involved in the transformation of normal cells to cancer cells have been enigmatic but generally believed to arise from aberration in cellular redox homeostasis. In normal cell function, a delicate balance is maintained between ROS generated in the metabolic process and level of endogenous antioxidant defense. ROS are known to regulate various cellular functions, such as cell division, signal transduction, and apoptosis. Cells experience oxidative stress when excess production of ROS occurs inside a cell upon exposure to external stress or agents. This redox imbalance affects the cellular functions due to DNA strand breaks, chromosomal aberrations, gene mutations, alteration in signal transduction, and inhibition of apoptosis leading to induction of cancer and other diseases. Radiation-induced ROS are involved in initiation and promotion of carcinogenesis. Therefore, detoxification of ROS by exogenous antioxidants including dietary polyphenols offers an important strategy for cancer prevention. Recent research results have shown that resistance of cancer stem cells to therapies is linked to low level of ROS. Interestingly, in vitro and in vivo experiments have reported that radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-induced ROS in cytosol sensitize the tumor cells to death, resulting in tumor growth retardation. This review is an attempt to delineate mechanisms of ROS in carcinogenesis and prevention by dietary compounds. Natural polyphenols and dietary antioxidants hold potential to prevent cancer. Interventions in ROS-mediated signal alteration, apoptosis activation, and modulation of epigenetic processes may offer effective cancer prevention strategy. (author)

Association between fundus autofluorescence and visual outcome in surgically closed macular holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young Seob; Yu, Seung-Young; Cho, Nam Suk; Kim, Moo Sang; Kim, Young Gyun; Kim, Eung Suk; Kwak, Hyung Woo

2013-06-01

To investigate the association between fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and visual acuity, recovery of foveal microstructure, and FAF in surgically closed macular holes. Twenty-six eyes with surgically closed macular hole were classified into two groups based on foveal FAF: normal autofluorescence (NAF) or increased autofluorescence (IAF). The association between foveal FAF and visual acuity was analyzed. In addition, we examined the relationship between recovery of the foveal microstructure assessed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography and FAF after macular hole surgery. At 1 month and 6 months after surgery, there were 9 NAF eyes and 17 IAF eyes. There were no differences between NAF and IAF eyes at 1 month and 6 months after surgery. Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) did not differ between groups. Best-corrected visual acuity was significantly higher in the NAF group than in the IAF group at 1 month postoperatively (0.59 ± 0.34 vs. 0.91 ± 0.36, P = 0.044) and tended to be higher at 6 months (0.37 ± 0.38 vs. 0.69 ± 0.53, P = 0.126). Restoration of photoreceptor external limiting membrane differed significantly in 8 NAF eyes (89%) and 4 IAF eyes (24%) at postoperation 1 month (P = 0.001). After 6 months, external limiting membrane was restored in all 9 NAF eyes (100%) and in only 11 IAF eyes (65%) (P = 0.042). Fundus autofluorescence findings observed in surgically closed macular holes correlated with visual improvement and photoreceptor status. Eyes with visual improvement had restoration of normal foveal autofluorescence and retinal microstructure, whereas eyes with persistent foveal hyperautofluorescence did not achieve complete restoration of the retinal microstructure, and visual improvement was not as significant.

Environmental policies and the pollution prevention principle. Das Vorsorgeprinzip in der Umweltpolitik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beyer, H M

1992-01-01

The pollution prevention principle has become the dominant environmental-policy guideline in the Federal Republic of Germany and in the European Communities. The compatibility of the pollution prevention principle with the dominating ecological-economics theory is analyzed, and the differences between the pollution prevention and the polluter principle as a significant, economically founded guideline are defined on the basis of the results obtained. The implementation of the pollution prevention principle, which is understood as an extensive ecologization of the socio-economic structures, is discussed evaluating the contribution of normative and empirical ethics and investigating three closely related aspects, i.e. the development of a pollution prevention target system, the suitability of environmental-policy instruments with regard to different levels of prevention, and the national and democratic institutional prerequisites. The prospects of the pollution prevention principle within the European Communities are discussed on the basis of these findings. (orig.).

Rotating preventers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangedahl, M.J.; Stone, C.R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that recent changes in the oil and gas industry and ongoing developments in horizontal and underbalanced drilling necessitated development of a better rotating head. A new device called the rotating blowout preventer (RBOP) was developed by Seal-Tech. It is designed to replace the conventional rotating control head on top of BOP stacks and allows drilling operations to continue even on live (underbalanced) wells. Its low wear characteristics and high working pressure (1,500 psi) allow drilling rig crews to drill safely in slightly underbalanced conditions or handle severe well control problems during the time required to actuate other BOPs in the stack. Drilling with a RBOP allows wellbores to be completely closed in tat the drill floor rather than open as with conventional BOPs

Intrinsic-normal-ordered vertex operators from the multiloop N-tachyon amplitude

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldazabal, G.; Nunez, C.; Bonini, M.; Iengo, R.

1987-09-01

We construct vertex operators for arbitrary mass level states of the closed bosonic string. Starting from a generalization of the Koba-Nielsen amplitude which is suitable for an arbitrary genus Riemann surface, we read the vertex operators from the residues of the poles for the intermediate states. Since the original expression is metric independent and normal ordered without the need of inventing any regularization scheme, our vertex operators also possess these properties. We discuss their general features. (author). 17 refs

Prevention of the Musculoskeletal Complications of Hemophilia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. C. Rodriguez-Merchan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hemophilia is an inherited disorder of clotting factor deficiencies resulting in musculoskeletal bleeding, including hemarthroses, leading to musculoskeletal complications. The articular problems of hemophiliac patients begin in infancy. These include: recurrent hemarthroses, chronic synovitis, flexion deformities, hypertrophy of the growth epiphyses, damage to the articular cartilage, and hemophilic arthropathy. The most commonly affected joints are the ankle, the knee, and the elbow. Hematologic prophylactic treatment from ages 2 to 18 years could avoid the development of hemophilic arthropathy if the concentration of the patient's deficient factor is prevented from falling below 1% of normal. Hemarthroses can be prevented by the administration of clotting factor concentrates (prophylaxis. However, high costs and the need for venous access devices in younger children continue to complicate recommendations for universal prophylaxis. Prevention of joint arthropathy needs to focus on prevention of hemarthroses through prophylaxis, identifying early joint disease through the optimal use of cost-effective imaging modalities and the validation of serological markers of joint arthropathy. Screening for effects on bone health and optimal management of pain to improve quality of life are, likewise, important issues. Major hemarthrosis and chronic hemophilic synovitis should be treated aggressively to prevent hemophilic arthropathy.

78 FR 20319 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-04

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review. The meeting... aforementioned SEP: Time and Date: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., May 15-16, 2013 (Closed). Place: Georgian Terrace, 659...

Is phonology bypassed in normal or dyslexic development?

Science.gov (United States)

Pennington, B F; Lefly, D L; Van Orden, G C; Bookman, M O; Smith, S D

1987-01-01

A pervasive assumption in most accounts of normal reading and spelling development is that phonological coding is important early in development but is subsequently superseded by faster, orthographic coding which bypasses phonology. We call this assumption, which derives from dual process theory, the developmental bypass hypothesis. The present study tests four specific predictions of the developmental bypass hypothesis by comparing dyslexics and nondyslexics from the same families in a cross-sectional design. The four predictions are: 1) That phonological coding skill develops early in normal readers and soon reaches asymptote, whereas orthographic coding skill has a protracted course of development; 2) that the correlation of adult reading or spelling performance with phonological coding skill is considerably less than the correlation with orthographic coding skill; 3) that dyslexics who are mainly deficient in phonological coding skill should be able to bypass this deficit and eventually close the gap in reading and spelling performance; and 4) that the greatest differences between dyslexics and developmental controls on measures of phonological coding skill should be observed early rather than late in development.None of the four predictions of the developmental bypass hypothesis were upheld. Phonological coding skill continued to develop in nondyslexics until adulthood. It accounted for a substantial (32-53 percent) portion of the variance in reading and spelling performance in adult nondyslexics, whereas orthographic coding skill did not account for a statistically reliable portion of this variance. The dyslexics differed little across age in phonological coding skill, but made linear progress in orthographic coding skill, surpassing spelling-age (SA) controls by adulthood. Nonetheless, they didnot close the gap in reading and spelling performance. Finally, dyslexics were significantly worse than SA (and Reading Age [RA]) controls in phonological coding skill

Behaviour and design considerations for continuous flow closed-open-closed liquid microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Melin, Jessica; van der Wijngaart, Wouter; Stemme, Göran

2005-06-01

This paper introduces a method of combining open and closed microchannels in a single component in a novel way which couples the benefits of both open and closed microfluidic systems and introduces interesting on-chip microfluidic behaviour. Fluid behaviour in such a component, based on continuous pressure driven flow and surface tension, is discussed in terms of cross sectional flow behaviour, robustness, flow-pressure performance, and its application to microfluidic interfacing. The closed-open-closed microchannel possesses the versatility of upstream and downstream closed microfluidics along with open fluidic direct access. The device has the advantage of eliminating gas bubbles present upstream when these enter the open channel section. The unique behaviour of this device opens the door to applications including direct liquid sample interfacing without the need for additional and bulky sample tubing.

TIDAL EVOLUTION OF CLOSE-IN PLANETS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumura, Soko; Rasio, Frederic A.; Peale, Stanton J.

2010-01-01

Recent discoveries of several transiting planets with clearly non-zero eccentricities and some large obliquities started changing the simple picture of close-in planets having circular and well-aligned orbits. The two major scenarios that form such close-in planets are planet migration in a disk and planet-planet interactions combined with tidal dissipation. The former scenario can naturally produce a circular and low-obliquity orbit, while the latter implicitly assumes an initially highly eccentric and possibly high-obliquity orbit, which are then circularized and aligned via tidal dissipation. Most of these close-in planets experience orbital decay all the way to the Roche limit as previous studies showed. We investigate the tidal evolution of transiting planets on eccentric orbits, and find that there are two characteristic evolution paths for them, depending on the relative efficiency of tidal dissipation inside the star and the planet. Our study shows that each of these paths may correspond to migration and scattering scenarios. We further point out that the current observations may be consistent with the scattering scenario, where the circularization of an initially eccentric orbit occurs before the orbital decay primarily due to tidal dissipation in the planet, while the alignment of the stellar spin and orbit normal occurs on a similar timescale to the orbital decay largely due to dissipation in the star. We also find that even when the stellar spin-orbit misalignment is observed to be small at present, some systems could have had a highly misaligned orbit in the past, if their evolution is dominated by tidal dissipation in the star. Finally, we also re-examine the recent claim by Levrard et al. that all orbital and spin parameters, including eccentricity and stellar obliquity, evolve on a similar timescale to orbital decay. This counterintuitive result turns out to have been caused by a typo in their numerical code. Solving the correct set of tidal

The preventive effect of Rofecoxib in postoperative intraperitoneal adhesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Aldemir, M; Oztürk, H; Erten, C; Büyükbayram, H

2004-02-01

Previous studies showed that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAI) drugs suppressed prostaglandin synthesis and were able to prevent adhesion formation following surgical trauma to the peritoneum. The selective suppression inflammatory cascade may prevent adhesion formation. Therefore, we planned this study to experimentally evaluate the effects of Rofecoxib, the selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor, in postoperative intraperitoneal adhesions in an animal model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups of 10. All rats underwent midline laparotomy under ketamine anaesthesia (25 mg/kg im). In group 1 (n = 10), the sham operation group (SG); abdominal walls were closed without any process after 2 minutes. In Group 2 (n = 10), the control group (CG); standard serosal damage was constituted and the abdominal wall was closed. In group 3 (n = 10), the COX-2 group (COXG), after serosal damage, the abdominal wall was closed. A 12 mg/kg/day dose of was given orally to the rats during one week. On the 7th postoperative day, all rats were sacrificed and intra-abdominal adhesions were evaluated both macroscopically and microscopically. Macroscopically, no serious adhesion formations were seen in the SG. Multiple adhesion formations of the CG were significantly more than those of the SG (p < 0.0001). It was determined that adhesions of the COXG diminished (p < 0.0001) when macromorphological adhesion scale results of the COXG were compared with those of the CG. The adhesion scores of the CG were compared microscopically with those of the COXG and granulation tissue formation and fibrosis in the COXG were found to be significantly less than those of the CG (respectively p = 0.002, p < 0.0001). We were of the opinion that Rofecoxib, the selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, was effective in the prevention of postoperative peritoneal adhesions.

Heart rate variability in normal-weight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilit, Celal; Paşalı Kilit, Türkan

2017-05-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease closely related to several risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Obese women with PCOS show altered autonomic modulation. The results of studies investigating cardiac autonomic functions of normal-weight women with PCOS are conflicting. The aim of the study was to assess the reactivity of cardiac sympathovagal balance in normal-weight women with PCOS by heart rate variability analysis. We examined the heart rate variability in 60 normal-weight women with PCOS and compared them with that in 60 age-matched healthy women having a similar metabolic profile. Time and frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability were analyzed based on 5-min-long continuous electrocardiography recordings for the following 3 periods: (1) during rest in supine position, (2) during controlled breathing, and (3) during isometric handgrip exercise. Time and frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability for the 3 periods assessed were similar in the two groups. Although modified Ferriman-Gallwey score and serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was not different the between the PCOS and control groups. There were no significant correlations between serum testosterone levels and heart rate variability parameters among the study population. The findings of this study suggest that the reactivity of cardiac sympathovagal balance is not altered in normal-weight women with PCOS having a normal HOMA-IR.

Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection Prevention bundle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Zarkotou

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI are among the most common healthcare-associated infections, and potentially lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Multifaceted infection control strategies implemented as bundles can prevent nosocomial infections associated with invasive devices such as CAUTIs. The components of the CAUTI bundle proposed herein, include appropriate indications for catheterization and recommendations for the procedures of catheter insertion and catheter maintenance and care. Avoiding unnecessary urinary catheter use is the most effective measure for their prevention. To minimize the risk of CAUTI, urinary catheters should be placed only when a clinical valid indication is documented and they should be removed as soon as possible; alternatives to catheterization should also be considered. Aseptic insertion technique, maintenance of closed drainage system and strict adherence to hand hygiene are essential for preventing CAUTI. The successful implementation of the bundle requires education and training for all healthcare professionals and evaluation of surveillance data.

Selecting between-sample RNA-Seq normalization methods from the perspective of their assumptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Ciaran; Hardin, Johanna; Stoebel, Daniel M

2017-02-27

RNA-Seq is a widely used method for studying the behavior of genes under different biological conditions. An essential step in an RNA-Seq study is normalization, in which raw data are adjusted to account for factors that prevent direct comparison of expression measures. Errors in normalization can have a significant impact on downstream analysis, such as inflated false positives in differential expression analysis. An underemphasized feature of normalization is the assumptions on which the methods rely and how the validity of these assumptions can have a substantial impact on the performance of the methods. In this article, we explain how assumptions provide the link between raw RNA-Seq read counts and meaningful measures of gene expression. We examine normalization methods from the perspective of their assumptions, as an understanding of methodological assumptions is necessary for choosing methods appropriate for the data at hand. Furthermore, we discuss why normalization methods perform poorly when their assumptions are violated and how this causes problems in subsequent analysis. To analyze a biological experiment, researchers must select a normalization method with assumptions that are met and that produces a meaningful measure of expression for the given experiment. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Strategies for preventing respiratory syncytial virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, Michael

2008-12-01

Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection-crucial for decreasing the burden associated with this disease-is discussed. Predictable outbreaks of RSV occur annually throughout the U.S. During these outbreaks, RSV infection spreads readily among children through close contact with infected individuals or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalization and is associated with life-changing and life-threatening complications. Prevention is important for reducing the associated morbidity and mortality. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has outlined ways to prevent RSV transmission. According to the AAP, frequent hand washing is the most important strategy for reducing the burden of RSV disease. Other methods for controlling nosocomial spread of RSV include the use of gloves, frequent glove changes, and isolating or cohorting patients. General prevention measures that can be undertaken by family members include smoking cessation, breastfeeding, and avoiding situations, whenever possible, where exposure to RSV cannot be controlled. Passive immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab, the only agent approved by the FDA, reduces hospitalization in high-risk children. Palivizumab is currently the only agent approved by the FDA for the prevention of RSV infections in high-risk children. Not every child is equally at risk for serious RSV disease, and immunoprophylaxis is indicated only for certain high-risk children. The AAP has issued specific guidelines for RSV immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab. Other therapies are emerging for the prevention of RSV, including a new, enhanced-potency, humanized RSV monoclonal antibody and several different types of vaccines. RSV causes an annual, predictable epidemic. Treatment remains exclusively supportive. Prevention remains the cornerstone of disease management. The AAP has issued guidelines to protect those at high risk.

Normal CT characteristics of the thymus in adults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simanovsky, Natalia, E-mail: natalias@hadassah.org.il [Department of Medical Imaging, Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem (Israel); Hiller, Nurith; Loubashevsky, Natali; Rozovsky, Katya [Department of Medical Imaging, Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem (Israel)

2012-11-15

Background: The thymus changes with age. Its shape and the proportion of solid tissue and fat vary between individuals, yet there is no comprehensive work describing the size and morphology of the normal thymus on CT. As a result, many adults with some preserved soft tissue in the thymus may undergo extensive work-up to exclude mediastinal tumor. Our aim was to quantify CT characteristics of the normal thymus in an adult population. Methods: CT chest scans of 194 trauma patients aged 14-78 years (mean 52.6 years), were retrospectively reviewed. The density, volume, shape and predominant side of the thymus were recorded for 56 patients in whom some solid tissue was preserved. Statistical analysis of these characteristics according to the patient age and gender was performed. Results: Thymic density and volume decreased progressively with age. No solid tissue component was seen in the thymus in patients older than 54 years. In the majority of patients, the thymus had an arrowhead shape, with middle position. However, great variability in thymic shape and border were noted. There was a highly significant relationship between density and patient age (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: We hope that our work will help in the definition of normal thymic CT parameters in adults, help to prevent unnecessary and expensive imaging procedures, and reduce patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

Normal CT characteristics of the thymus in adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simanovsky, Natalia; Hiller, Nurith; Loubashevsky, Natali; Rozovsky, Katya

2012-01-01

Background: The thymus changes with age. Its shape and the proportion of solid tissue and fat vary between individuals, yet there is no comprehensive work describing the size and morphology of the normal thymus on CT. As a result, many adults with some preserved soft tissue in the thymus may undergo extensive work-up to exclude mediastinal tumor. Our aim was to quantify CT characteristics of the normal thymus in an adult population. Methods: CT chest scans of 194 trauma patients aged 14–78 years (mean 52.6 years), were retrospectively reviewed. The density, volume, shape and predominant side of the thymus were recorded for 56 patients in whom some solid tissue was preserved. Statistical analysis of these characteristics according to the patient age and gender was performed. Results: Thymic density and volume decreased progressively with age. No solid tissue component was seen in the thymus in patients older than 54 years. In the majority of patients, the thymus had an arrowhead shape, with middle position. However, great variability in thymic shape and border were noted. There was a highly significant relationship between density and patient age (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: We hope that our work will help in the definition of normal thymic CT parameters in adults, help to prevent unnecessary and expensive imaging procedures, and reduce patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

View and practices of dermatologists regarding preventable skin diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raza, N.; Seir, F.; Qadir, S.N.R.

2014-01-01

To find out views and practice of dermatologists regarding prevention of preventable skin diseases. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was set up in Apr-May 2010 at PAF Hospital Faisal, Karachi, Pakistan. Material and Methods: A close-ended questionnaire was sent to 100 dermatologists through resource persons at different places throughout the country. It included basic information about them, their views and practice regarding prevention of these diseases. Data was managed and analyzed using SPSS-17. Results: Fifty dermatologists thought that frequency of preventable skin diseases in their clinical practice is 26-50%. Fifty-six observed educated community as the most important link for prevention, 46 held governments responsible and 42 consider busy schedule as barrier to educate community. Thirty dermatologists delivered talk to general public, 11 at schools, colleges and factories, 07 appeared on mass media and 08 prepared leaflets, pamphlets and brochures regarding preventive aspects of skin diseases at least once during last one year. Conclusion: Dermatologists in Pakistan are aware of magnitude of the problem and understand importance of public education; however only a few dermatologists have endeavored to take up this task. (author)

Pipe closing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klahn, F.C.; Nolan, J.H.; Wills, C.

1979-01-01

The closing device closes the upper end of a support tube for monitoring samples. It meshes with the upper connecting piece of the monitorung sample capsule, and loads the capsule within the bore of the support tube, so that it is fixed but can be released. The closing device consists of an interlocking component with a chamber and several ratchets which hang down. The interlocking component surrounds the actuating component for positioning the ratchets. The interlocking and actuating components are movable axially relative to each other. (DG) [de

Normal standards for kidney length as measured with US in premature infants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlesinger, A.E.; Hedlund, G.L.; Pierson, W.P.; Null, D.M.

1986-01-01

In order to develop normal standards for kidney length in premature infants, the authors measured kidney length by US imaging in 39 (to date) premature infants less than 72 hours old and without known renal disease. Kidney length was compared with four different parameters of body size, including gestational age, birth weight, birth length, and body surface area. Similar standards have been generated previously for normal renal length as measured by US imaging in full-term infants and older children. These standards have proven utility in cases of congenital and acquired disorders that abnormally increase or decrease renal size. Scatter plots of kidney length versus body weight and kidney length versus body surface area conformed well to a logarithmic distribution, with a high correlation coefficient and close-fitting 95% confidence limits (SEE = 2.05)

Transport and magnetic resonance in normal and superfluid Fermi liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, H.

1976-10-01

This thesis provides a framework for a series of 19 papers published by the author in a study of transport and magnetic resonance in normal and superfluid Fermi liquids. The Boltzmann equation and methods for its solution are discussed. Electron-electron scattering in metals, with particular emphasis on alkali metals, is considered. Transport in a normal uncharged Fermi liquid such as pure 3 He at temperatures well below its degeneracy temperature of approximately 1 K or mixtures of 3 He in 4 He with degeneracy temperatures ranging typically from 100 to 200 mk is discussed with emphasis on comparison with experiments with the aim of testing models of the particle-particle scattering amplitude. Transport and magnetic resonance in superfluid 3 He is considered. The phenomenological treatment of relaxation is reviewed and the magnitude of the phenomenlogical relaxation time close to Tsub(c) is derived for the case of longitudinal resonance. Comments are made on non-linear magnetic resonance and textures and spin waves. (B.R.H.)

Insulin and leptin levels in overweight and normal-weight Iranian adolescents: The CASPIAN-III study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Bahrami

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: In this study, we aim to compare insulin and leptin levels in adolescents with or without excess weight and in those with or without abdominal obesity. Materials and Methods : This case-control study was conducted among 486 samples. We randomly selected 243 overweight and an equal number of normal-weight adolescents from among participants of the third survey of a national surveillance program entitled "Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and PreventIon of Adult Non-communicable diseases study." Serum insulin and leptin were compared between two groups and their correlation was determined with other variables. Results: The mean age and body mass index (BMI of participants were 14.10 ± 2.82 years and 22.12 ± 6.49 kg/m 2 , respectively. Leptin and insulin levels were higher in overweight than in normal-weight adolescents (P < 0.05. Leptin level was higher in children with abdominal obesity than in their other counterparts (P < 0.001. Leptin level was correlated with age, fasting blood glucose, BMI, and insulin level. Conclusion: Insulin and leptin levels were higher among overweight and obese children, which may reflect insulin and leptin-resistance. Given the complications of excess weight from early life, prevention and controlling childhood obesity should be considered as a health priority.

Oesophageal Injury During AF Ablation: Techniques for Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, Jorge; Avendano, Ricardo; Grushko, Michael; Diaz, Juan Carlos; Du, Xianfeng; Gianni, Carola; Natale, Andrea

2018-01-01

Atrial fibrillation remains the most common arrhythmia worldwide, with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) being an essential component in the treatment of this arrhythmia. In view of the close proximity of the oesophagus with the posterior wall of the left atrium, oesophageal injury prevention has become a major concern during PVI procedures. Oesophageal changes varying from erythema to fistulas have been reported, with atrio-oesophageal fistulas being the most feared as they are associated with major morbidity and mortality. This review article provides a detailed description of the risk factors associated with oesophageal injury during ablation, along with an overview of the currently available techniques to prevent oesophageal injury. We expect that this state of the art review will deliver the tools to help electrophysiologists prevent potential oesophageal injuries, as well as increase the focus on research areas in which evidence is lacking. PMID:29636969

Prevention of Hamstring Injuries in Collegiate Sprinters

Science.gov (United States)

Sugiura, Yusaku; Sakuma, Kazuhiko; Sakuraba, Keishoku; Sato, Yamato

2017-01-01

Background: No studies have been reported on how strength, agility, and flexibility training reduce the occurrence of hamstring injuries in sprinters. Therefore, a program for preventing hamstring injury in these athletes has not been established. Purpose: To document the incidence of hamstring injuries during times when different prevention strategies were employed to see whether a particular prevention program reduced their occurrence. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The study subjects were a total of 613 collegiate male sprinters trained by the same coach over 24 seasons. Tow training was used throughout the research period as a normal sprint training method. The hamstring injury prevention program evolved over time. From 1988 to 1991 (period 1), prevention focused on strength training alone; from 1992 to 1999 (period 2), a combination of strength and agility training was used; and from 2000 to 2011 (period 3), the program incorporated strength, agility, and flexibility training. The incidence of hamstring injuries was compared for each of the 3 prevention strategies. Results: The incidence of hamstring injuries per athlete-seasons was 137.9 for period 1, 60.6 for period 2, and 6.7 for period 3. A significant difference was observed in the incidence of hamstring injury according to the different prevention programs (χ2(2) = 31.78, P hamstring injuries for period 1 was significantly greater than the expected value (P hamstring injuries in sprinters decreased as agility and flexibility were added to strength training. PMID:28210652

Prevention messages and AIDS risk behavior in Kampala, Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Hearst, Norman; Kajubi, Phoebe; Hudes, Esther Sid; Maganda, Albert K; Green, Edward C

2012-01-01

Uganda was one of the first countries to substantially reduce HIV rates through behavior change, but these gains have not continued in recent years. Little is known about what messages Ugandans are currently hearing about AIDS prevention, what they themselves believe to be important prevention strategies, and how these beliefs are associated with behavior. We interviewed men and women aged between 20 and 39 in two poor peri-urban areas of Kampala, using a random sample, cross-sectional household survey design. Respondents provided detailed reports of sexual behavior over the past six months, the main prevention message they are currently hearing about AIDS, and their own ranking of the importance of prevention strategies. Condom use was the main AIDS prevention message that respondents reported hearing, followed by getting tested. These were also what respondents themselves considered most important, followed closely by faithfulness. Abstinence was the lowest ranked strategy, but a higher ranking for this prevention strategy was the only one consistently associated with less risky behavior. A higher ranking for condoms was associated with higher levels of risk behavior, while the ranking of testing made no difference in any behavior. These results present challenges for AIDS prevention strategies that rely primarily on promoting condoms and testing. HIV prevention programs need to assess their impact on behavior.

A normalized PID controller in networked control systems with varying time delays.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Hoang-Dung; Guan, Zhi-Hong; Dang, Xuan-Kien; Cheng, Xin-Ming; Yuan, Fu-Shun

2013-09-01

It requires not only simplicity and flexibility but also high specified stability and robustness of system to design a PI/PID controller in such complicated networked control systems (NCSs) with delays. By gain and phase margins approach, this paper proposes a novel normalized PI/PID controller for NCSs based on analyzing the stability and robustness of system under the effect of network-induced delays. Specifically, We take into account the total measured network delays to formulate the gain and phase margins of the closed-loop system in the form of a set of equations. With pre-specified values of gain and phase margins, this set of equations is then solved for calculating the closed forms of control parameters which enable us to propose the normalized PI/PID controller simultaneously satisfying the following two requirements: (1) simplicity without re-solving the optimization problem for a new process, (2) high flexibility to cope with large scale of random delays and deal with many different processes in different conditions of network. Furthermore, in our method, the upper bound of random delay can be estimated to indicate the operating domain of proposed PI/PID controller. Finally, simulation results are shown to demonstrate the advantages of our proposed controller in many situations of network-induced delays. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2-regularity and 2-normality conditions for systems with impulsive controls

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Pavlova Natal'ya

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper a controlled system with impulsive controls in the neighborhood of an abnormal point is investigated. The set of pairs (u,μ is considered as a class of admissible controls, where u is a measurable essentially bounded function and μ is a finite-dimensional Borel measure, such that for any Borel set B, μ(B is a subset of the given convex closed pointed cone. In this article the concepts of 2-regularity and 2-normality for the abstract mapping Ф, operating from the given Banach space into a finite-dimensional space, are introduced. The concepts of 2-regularity and 2-normality play a great role in the course of derivation of the first and the second order necessary conditions for the optimal control problem, consisting of the minimization of a certain functional on the set of the admissible processes. These concepts are also important for obtaining the sufficient conditions for the local controllability of the nonlinear systems. The convenient criterion for 2-regularity along the prescribed direction and necessary conditions for 2-normality of systems, linear in control, are introduced in this article as well.

N-Acetylcysteine Normalizes Glutamate Levels in Cocaine-Dependent Patients: A Randomized Crossover Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmaal, Lianne; Veltman, Dick J.; Nederveen, Aart; van den Brink, Wim; Goudriaan, Anna E.

2012-01-01

Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) normalizes glutamate (Glu) homeostasis and prevents relapse in drug-dependent animals. However, the effect of NAC on brain Glu levels in substance-dependent humans has not yet been investigated. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1 MRS) was used to

N-Acetylcysteine Normalizes Glutamate Levels in Cocaine-Dependent Patients: A Randomized Crossover Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmaal, L.; Veltman, D.J.; Nederveen, A.; van den Brink, W.; Goudriaan, A.E.

2012-01-01

Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) normalizes glutamate (Glu) homeostasis and prevents relapse in drug-dependent animals. However, the effect of NAC on brain Glu levels in substance-dependent humans has not yet been investigated. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H MRS) was used to

Imaging of Post-Traumatic Cardiac Rhabdomyolysis with Normal Coronary Arteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippo, M. de; Blasi, M. de; Paoli, G.; Sverzellati, N.; Beghi, C.; Ardissino, D.; Zompatori, M.

2006-01-01

Numerous cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been reported in the literature following closed chest injuries, due to post-traumatic dissection or thrombosis of a coronary artery. In the follow-up of AMI, wall thickness during diastole and systole provides important information on heart viability. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is currently the only noninvasive instrumental investigation which provides an appreciable assessment of the coronary arteries, as well as heart wall thickness measurements. We describe and discuss the clinical and imaging findings, especially of MDCT, in a case of post-traumatic regional myocardial necrosis with normal coronary arteries

Imaging of Post-Traumatic Cardiac Rhabdomyolysis with Normal Coronary Arteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filippo, M. de; Blasi, M. de; Paoli, G.; Sverzellati, N.; Beghi, C.; Ardissino, D.; Zompatori, M. [Univ. of Parma, Parma Hospital, Parma (Italy). Dept. of Clinical Sciences, Section of Radiological Sciences

2006-11-15

Numerous cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been reported in the literature following closed chest injuries, due to post-traumatic dissection or thrombosis of a coronary artery. In the follow-up of AMI, wall thickness during diastole and systole provides important information on heart viability. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is currently the only noninvasive instrumental investigation which provides an appreciable assessment of the coronary arteries, as well as heart wall thickness measurements. We describe and discuss the clinical and imaging findings, especially of MDCT, in a case of post-traumatic regional myocardial necrosis with normal coronary arteries.

A longitudinal observation of a patient with normal tension glaucoma

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Hlupheka L. Sithole

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Normal tension glaucoma (NTG is a disease associated with normal intraocular pressure (10 mmHg – 21 mmHg that may lead to irreversible blindness if misdiagnosed or left untreated over a period of time. The author observed a patient with NTG over a period of 5 years (from 2013 to 2017. The initial visual field analysis results (2014 showed mild visual field defects because of NTG at the start of the 5-year period. Although the patient was also diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition associated with optic nerve head damage, following years of noncompliance to treatment of NTG and follow-up eye examination schedules, the patient’s visual field defects were found to have progressed by the year 2017. It is therefore important for optometrists to apply due diligence when examining patients with NTG in order to expedite intervention and prevention of visual impairment and blindness.

School Closings in Philadelphia

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, James; Sludden, John

2013-01-01

In 2012, the School District of Philadelphia closed six schools. In 2013, it closed 24. The closure of 30 schools has occurred amid a financial crisis, headlined by the district's $1.35 billion deficit. School closures are one piece of the district's plan to cut expenditures and close its budget gap. The closures are also intended to make…

The toxicity of saffron (Crocus sativus L. and its constituents against normal and cancer cells

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Alireza Milajerdi

2016-03-01

Conclusion: In conclusion, emerging evidence suggests that saffron extract and its crocin, crocetin and safranal have a selective toxicity effects against cancer cells and also may have cancer preventive functions. However, Saffron and its constituent's toxicity against normal cells is negligible and they are even non-toxic in oral administration.

Occipital Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) Reveals Normal Metabolite Concentrations in Retinal Visual Field Defects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boucard, Christine C.; Hoogduin, Johannes M.; van der Grond, Jeroen; Cornelissen, Frans W.

2007-01-01

Background. Progressive visual field defects, such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, prevent normal stimulation of visual cortex. We investigated whether in the case of visual field defects, concentrations of metabolites such as N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker for degenerative

[As opposed to normal subjects, eyelid position doesn't interfere with postural behavior in blind subjects].

Science.gov (United States)

Olin, C; Rougier, P

2009-12-01

A previous study has shown some behavioral differences in normal subjects depending on the position of the eyelids: the postural behavior was varying if the subject had the eyes open in darkness or the eyes closed. In this study, we explore the possible role of vision on this behavior. The postural behavior of 12 blind and nine visually impaired participants was studied during undisturbed upright stance. In this sample, no difference was found in the conditions eyes open in the dark and eyes closed: the observed behavior in blind and visually impaired subjects is different compared to normal sighted subjects who show a visual preference even in total darkness when the eyes are open. Our two groups (blind and visually impaired) actually show a difference on the median frequency of the centre of gravity displacements. Our results suggest an adaptive mechanism of the central nervous system in healthy individuals to predominantly weigh visual cues when the eyelids remain open. Good visual acuity and time seem to be necessary for this process.

Derivation of three closed loop kinematic velocity models using normalized quaternion feedback for an autonomous redundant manipulator with application to inverse kinematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unseren, M.A.

1993-04-01

The report discusses the orientation tracking control problem for a kinematically redundant, autonomous manipulator moving in a three dimensional workspace. The orientation error is derived using the normalized quaternion error method of Ickes, the Luh, Walker, and Paul error method, and a method suggested here utilizing the Rodrigues parameters, all of which are expressed in terms of normalized quaternions. The analytical time derivatives of the orientation errors are determined. The latter, along with the translational velocity error, form a dosed loop kinematic velocity model of the manipulator using normalized quaternion and translational position feedback. An analysis of the singularities associated with expressing the models in a form suitable for solving the inverse kinematics problem is given. Two redundancy resolution algorithms originally developed using an open loop kinematic velocity model of the manipulator are extended to properly take into account the orientation tracking control problem. This report furnishes the necessary mathematical framework required prior to experimental implementation of the orientation tracking control schemes on the seven axis CESARm research manipulator or on the seven-axis Robotics Research K1207i dexterous manipulator, the latter of which is to be delivered to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1993.

Derivation of three closed loop kinematic velocity models using normalized quaternion feedback for an autonomous redundant manipulator with application to inverse kinematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unseren, M.A.

1993-04-01

The report discusses the orientation tracking control problem for a kinematically redundant, autonomous manipulator moving in a three dimensional workspace. The orientation error is derived using the normalized quaternion error method of Ickes, the Luh, Walker, and Paul error method, and a method suggested here utilizing the Rodrigues parameters, all of which are expressed in terms of normalized quaternions. The analytical time derivatives of the orientation errors are determined. The latter, along with the translational velocity error, form a dosed loop kinematic velocity model of the manipulator using normalized quaternion and translational position feedback. An analysis of the singularities associated with expressing the models in a form suitable for solving the inverse kinematics problem is given. Two redundancy resolution algorithms originally developed using an open loop kinematic velocity model of the manipulator are extended to properly take into account the orientation tracking control problem. This report furnishes the necessary mathematical framework required prior to experimental implementation of the orientation tracking control schemes on the seven axis CESARm research manipulator or on the seven-axis Robotics Research K1207i dexterous manipulator, the latter of which is to be delivered to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1993

Efeito da atividade física no osso normal e na prevenção e tratamento da osteoporose Efectos de la actividad física en huesos normales y en la prevención y tratamiento de osteoporosis Effect of the physical activity on normal bone and on the osteoporosis prevention and treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natália de Melo Ocarino

2006-06-01

effect via mechanical force, or indirect effect through hormonal factors. However, the mechanism through which physical activity improves the bone mass is not completely known. Sports practice has been increasingly recommended for prevention and even treatment of osteoporosis based on the results that have demonstrated the beneficial effects of physical activity on the bone tissue. The goal of this review is to describe the effects of physical activity in the normal bone tissue and on the osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

Normalization: A Preprocessing Stage

OpenAIRE

Patro, S. Gopal Krishna; Sahu, Kishore Kumar

2015-01-01

As we know that the normalization is a pre-processing stage of any type problem statement. Especially normalization takes important role in the field of soft computing, cloud computing etc. for manipulation of data like scale down or scale up the range of data before it becomes used for further stage. There are so many normalization techniques are there namely Min-Max normalization, Z-score normalization and Decimal scaling normalization. So by referring these normalization techniques we are ...

Hanford Site pollution prevention progress report 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BETSCH, M.D.

1999-01-01

The Richland Operations Office (RL) and Office of River Protection (ORP) are pleased to issue the attached Pollution Prevention Progress Report. We have just met the most aggressive waste reduction and A recycling goals to date and are publishing this report to recognize A the site's progress, and to ensure it will sustain success beyond 1 Fiscal Year 2000. This report was designed to inform the been made by RL and ORP in Waste Minimization (WMin) and Pollution Prevention (P2). RL, ORP and their contractors are committed to protecting the environment, and we reiterate pollution prevention should continue to be at the forefront of the environmental cleanup and research efforts. As you read the attached report, we believe you will see a clear demonstration of RL and ORP's outstanding performance as it has been responsible and accountable to the nation, its employees, and the community in which we live and work. commitment that all employees have for environmental stewardship. The report provides useful information about the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE'S) environmental policy and programs, and contains countless examples of waste minimization projects. This year was the first year our site received the White House Closing the Circle in the category of Affirmative Procurement. This Award recognizes our site for designing a comprehensive strategy for achieving 100 percent purchases of the U.S.Environmenta1 Protection Agency designated recycled items. DOE-Headquarters also acknowledged the site in 1999 for its public outreach efforts in communicating pollution prevention to Hanford Site employees and the community. Our site is truly a recognized leader in outreach as it has kept this title for two consecutive years. In previous years, we received the White House Closing the Circle Honorable Mention in Affirmative Procurement and several other National DOE Awards. Through partnership with the local community and stakeholders, the site and its contractors have a clear

Hanford Site pollution prevention progress report; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BETSCH, M.D.

1999-01-01

The Richland Operations Office (RL) and Office of River Protection (ORP) are pleased to issue the attached Pollution Prevention Progress Report. We have just met the most aggressive waste reduction and A recycling goals to date and are publishing this report to recognize A the site's progress, and to ensure it will sustain success beyond 1 Fiscal Year 2000. This report was designed to inform the been made by RL and ORP in Waste Minimization (WMin) and Pollution Prevention (P2). RL, ORP and their contractors are committed to protecting the environment, and we reiterate pollution prevention should continue to be at the forefront of the environmental cleanup and research efforts. As you read the attached report, we believe you will see a clear demonstration of RL and ORP's outstanding performance as it has been responsible and accountable to the nation, its employees, and the community in which we live and work. commitment that all employees have for environmental stewardship. The report provides useful information about the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE'S) environmental policy and programs, and contains countless examples of waste minimization projects. This year was the first year our site received the White House Closing the Circle in the category of Affirmative Procurement. This Award recognizes our site for designing a comprehensive strategy for achieving 100 percent purchases of the U.S.Environmenta1 Protection Agency designated recycled items. DOE-Headquarters also acknowledged the site in 1999 for its public outreach efforts in communicating pollution prevention to Hanford Site employees and the community. Our site is truly a recognized leader in outreach as it has kept this title for two consecutive years. In previous years, we received the White House Closing the Circle Honorable Mention in Affirmative Procurement and several other National DOE Awards. Through partnership with the local community and stakeholders, the site and its contractors have a clear

Principle and opening-closing character analysis of DC check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Xu; Zhou Yu

2006-01-01

When the behaviour of main pump in PWR power plant change, as a result of arresting fluid countercurrent current by check valve, water hammer phenomena met occur more or less in loop. Serious water hammer not only met brought incident of over pressure, imperil pressure boundary, but also may engender check valve lapse. DC check valve is a kind of new theory check valve, is designed to avoid serious water hammer phenomena at tradition check valve closing, the analyses and experiment indicate that DC check valve can availably solve water hammer problem in the loop, and be able to reliably prevent fluid countercurrent. (authors)

Prevention of criticality accidents in a fuel cycle plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatti, A.M.; Canavese, S.I.; Capadona, N.M.

1990-01-01

This work reports the basic considerations on criticality accidents applied to an uranium dioxide fuel cycle production plant. The different fabrication stages are briefly described, with the identification of the neutronically isolated areas. Once the areas have been defined, an evaluation is made, setting up the control parameters to be used in each of them and their variation ranges; normal operation limitations based on experimental data or validating calculations, applied specifically to 5% enriched uranium, are established. Afterwards, defined parameters deviations are analyzed due to incidental conditions in order to prevent criticality accidents under normal conditions and maintenance operations. (Author) [es

'Alzheimer's Progression Score': Development of a Biomarker Summary Outcome for AD Prevention Trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Leoutsakos, J-M; Gross, A L; Jones, R N; Albert, M S; Breitner, J C S

2016-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention research requires methods for measurement of disease progression not yet revealed by symptoms. Preferably, such measurement should encompass multiple disease markers. Evaluate an item response theory (IRT) model-based latent variable Alzheimer Progression Score (APS) that uses multi-modal disease markers to estimate pre-clinical disease progression. Estimate APS scores in the BIOCARD observational study, and in the parallel PREVENT-AD Cohort and its sister INTREPAD placebo-controlled prevention trial. Use BIOCARD data to evaluate whether baseline and early APS trajectory predict later progression to MCI/dementia. Similarly, use longitudinal PREVENT-AD data to assess test measurement invariance over time. Further, assess portability of the PREVENT-AD IRT model to baseline INTREPAD data, and explore model changes when CSF markers are added or withdrawn. BIOCARD was established in 1995 and participants were followed up to 20 years in Baltimore, USA. The PREVENT-AD and INTREPAD trial cohorts were established between 2011-2015 in Montreal, Canada, using nearly identical entry criteria to enroll high-risk cognitively normal persons aged 60+ then followed for several years. 349 cognitively normal, primarily middle-aged participants in BIOCARD, 125 high-risk participants aged 60+ in PREVENT-AD, and 217 similar subjects in INTREPAD. 106 INTREPAD participants donated up to four serial CSF samples. Global cognitive assessment and multiple structural, functional, and diffusion MRI metrics, sensori-neural tests, and CSF concentrations of tau, Aβ42 and their ratio. Both baseline values and early slope of APS scores in BIOCARD predicted later progression to MCI or AD. Presence of CSF variables strongly improved such prediction. A similarly derived APS in PREVENT-AD showed measurement invariance over time and portability to the parallel INTREPAD sample. An IRT-based APS can summarize multimodal information to provide a longitudinal measure of

Semantic and phonological coding in poor and normal readers.

Science.gov (United States)

Vellutino, F R; Scanlon, D M; Spearing, D

1995-02-01

Three studies were conducted evaluating semantic and phonological coding deficits as alternative explanations of reading disability. In the first study, poor and normal readers in second and sixth grade were compared on various tests evaluating semantic development as well as on tests evaluating rapid naming and pseudoword decoding as independent measures of phonological coding ability. In a second study, the same subjects were given verbal memory and visual-verbal learning tasks using high and low meaning words as verbal stimuli and Chinese ideographs as visual stimuli. On the semantic tasks, poor readers performed below the level of the normal readers only at the sixth grade level, but, on the rapid naming and pseudoword learning tasks, they performed below the normal readers at the second as well as at the sixth grade level. On both the verbal memory and visual-verbal learning tasks, performance in poor readers approximated that of normal readers when the word stimuli were high in meaning but not when they were low in meaning. These patterns were essentially replicated in a third study that used some of the same semantic and phonological measures used in the first experiment, and verbal memory and visual-verbal learning tasks that employed word lists and visual stimuli (novel alphabetic characters) that more closely approximated those used in learning to read. It was concluded that semantic coding deficits are an unlikely cause of reading difficulties in most poor readers at the beginning stages of reading skills acquisition, but accrue as a consequence of prolonged reading difficulties in older readers. It was also concluded that phonological coding deficits are a probable cause of reading difficulties in most poor readers.

On the construction of the Kolmogorov normal form for the Trojan asteroids

CERN Document Server

Gabern, F; Locatelli, U

2004-01-01

In this paper we focus on the stability of the Trojan asteroids for the planar Restricted Three-Body Problem (RTBP), by extending the usual techniques for the neighbourhood of an elliptic point to derive results in a larger vicinity. Our approach is based on the numerical determination of the frequencies of the asteroid and the effective computation of the Kolmogorov normal form for the corresponding torus. This procedure has been applied to the first 34 Trojan asteroids of the IAU Asteroid Catalog, and it has worked successfully for 23 of them. The construction of this normal form allows for computer-assisted proofs of stability. To show it, we have implemented a proof of existence of families of invariant tori close to a given asteroid, for a high order expansion of the Hamiltonian. This proof has been successfully applied to three Trojan asteroids.

Making nuclear 'normal'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haehlen, Peter; Elmiger, Bruno

2000-01-01

The mechanics of the Swiss NPPs' 'come and see' programme 1995-1999 were illustrated in our contributions to all PIME workshops since 1996. Now, after four annual 'waves', all the country has been covered by the NPPs' invitation to dialogue. This makes PIME 2000 the right time to shed some light on one particular objective of this initiative: making nuclear 'normal'. The principal aim of the 'come and see' programme, namely to give the Swiss NPPs 'a voice of their own' by the end of the nuclear moratorium 1990-2000, has clearly been attained and was commented on during earlier PIMEs. It is, however, equally important that Swiss nuclear energy not only made progress in terms of public 'presence', but also in terms of being perceived as a normal part of industry, as a normal branch of the economy. The message that Swiss nuclear energy is nothing but a normal business involving normal people, was stressed by several components of the multi-prong campaign: - The speakers in the TV ads were real - 'normal' - visitors' guides and not actors; - The testimonials in the print ads were all real NPP visitors - 'normal' people - and not models; - The mailings inviting a very large number of associations to 'come and see' activated a typical channel of 'normal' Swiss social life; - Spending money on ads (a new activity for Swiss NPPs) appears to have resulted in being perceived by the media as a normal branch of the economy. Today we feel that the 'normality' message has well been received by the media. In the controversy dealing with antinuclear arguments brought forward by environmental organisations journalists nowadays as a rule give nuclear energy a voice - a normal right to be heard. As in a 'normal' controversy, the media again actively ask themselves questions about specific antinuclear claims, much more than before 1990 when the moratorium started. The result is that in many cases such arguments are discarded by journalists, because they are, e.g., found to be

Heme oxygenase and the immune system in normal and pathological pregnancies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maide eOzen

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Normal pregnancy is an immunotolerant state. Many factors, including environmental, socioeconomic, genetic, and immunologic changes by infection and/or other causes of inflammation, may contribute to inter-individual differences resulting in a normal or pathologic pregnancy. In particular, imbalances in the immune system can cause many pregnancy-related diseases, such as infertility, abortions, pre-eclampsia, and preterm labor, which result in maternal/fetal death, prematurity, or small-for-gestational age newborns. New findings imply that myeloid regulatory cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs may mediate immunotolerance during normal pregnancy. Effector T cells (Teffs have, in contrast, been implicated to cause adverse pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, feto-maternal tolerance affects the developing fetus. It has been shown that the Treg/Teff balance affects litter size and adoptive transfer of pregnancy-induced Tregs can prevent fetal rejection in the mouse. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1 has a protective role in many conditions through its anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidative, and anti-proliferative actions. HO-1 is highly expressed in the placenta and plays a role in angiogenesis and placental vascular development and in regulating vascular tone in pregnancy. In addition, HO-1 is a major regulator of immune homeostasis by mediating crosstalk between innate and adaptive immune systems. Moreover, HO-1 can inhibit inflammation-induced phenotypic maturation of immune effector cells and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and promote anti-inflammatory cytokine production. HO-1 may also be associated with T-cell activation and can limit immune-based tissue injury by promoting Treg suppression of effector responses. Thus, HO-1 and its byproducts may protect against pregnancy complications by its immunomodulatory effects, and the regulation of HO-1 or its downstream effects has the potential to prevent or treat pregnancy complications and

Diffevential Diagnosis of Frimary Stuttering and Normal Nonfluency in Children Referring to Saba Clinic

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Fariba Yadegari

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: Early Diagnosis and intervention of primary stuttering is the key for prevention of chronic developmental stuttering. Normal nonfluency of children under 5 years old is an important differential diagnosis of primary stuttering. The goals of this research are finding accuracy of diagnoses on children referred to Saba speech therapy Clinic labeled as normal nonfluency and introducing move precise methods of differential diagnosis.  Materials & Methods: The research method is case series study in which through simple sampling procedure stuttering children referring to SabA Clinic during 1382 & 83 were studied. 10. Research tools and data collection consist of: questionnair, spontaneous speech sample recording and determining VOT using laryngograph processor. It should be noted that because normative date of stutteres VOT the lack of the normal subjects VOT are analysed and comared with stutterers. Results: Based on numerical criteria, our findings indicate that only one of stutterers was normal nonfluent and the others were stutteres. VOT data of stutteres also were compared to that of normal matched children. The results revealed that all of stutterers had significantly (P<0.05 longer VOT than normal subjects . Conclusion: This study provides a good numeric and clinical index for speech language pathologists for diagnosis of primary stuttering and normal nonfluency. Morover,. using VOT would help accurate diagnosis.

Emphysema in heavy smokers with normal chest radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sashidhar, K.; Monga, S.; Suri, S.; Gulati, M.; Gupta, D.

2002-01-01

Purpose: To determine the severity and extent of emphysema in heavy smokers by high-resolution CT (HRCT) and to correlate the findings with spirometric tests (STs) and symptomatology. Material and Methods: Fifty adult smokers with a mean age of 53 years with a smoking history of more than 30 pack years and normal chest radiographs underwent HRCT of the chest and ST (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR). Among these, 22 had symptoms of pulmonary disease and 28 were asymptomatic. Quantification of emphysema was done using a density mask program and the visual scoring method. The results were correlated with ST and symptomatology. Results: 58% (29 out of 50) of the subjects had significant emphysema on HRCT. Eleven out of 15 with normal ST showed emphysema on HRCT while 2 with airflow obstruction on ST showed normal CT scores. 14% (4 out of 28) asymptomatic subjects had severe emphysema compared to 64% of symptomatic subjects. Emphysematous changes were predominantly seen in upper lung zones in 48% of the patients while in 52% it was distributed equally in both upper and lower zones. The number of pack years of smoking showed a positive correlation with CT scores. The correlation between HRCT scores and ST was statistically significant. Conclusion: A significant number of asymptomatic and clinically undiagnosed smokers tend to have significant emphysema. HRCT helps in early detection of disease and thus helps implementation of preventive measures

Mediterranean Diet: Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Micah G.; Selmin, Ornella I.; Doetschman, Tom C.; Romagnolo, Donato F.

2017-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosis and the second and third leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women, respectively. However, the majority of CRC cases are the result of sporadic tumorigenesis via the adenoma–carcinoma sequence. This process can take up to 20 years, suggesting an important window of opportunity exists for prevention such as switching toward healthier dietary patterns. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern associated with various health benefits including protection against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various cancers. In this article, we review publications available in the PubMed database within the last 10 years that report on the impact of a MD eating pattern on prevention of CRC. To assist the reader with interpretation of the results and discussion, we first introduce indexes and scoring systems commonly used to experimentally determine adherence to a MD, followed by a brief introduction of the influence of the MD pattern on inflammatory bowel disease, which predisposes to CRC. Finally, we discuss key biological mechanisms through which specific bioactive food components commonly present in the MD are proposed to prevent or delay the development of CRC. We close with a discussion of future research frontiers in CRC prevention with particular reference to the role of epigenetic mechanisms and microbiome related to the MD eating pattern. PMID:29259973

Mediterranean Diet: Prevention of Colorectal Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Micah G; Selmin, Ornella I; Doetschman, Tom C; Romagnolo, Donato F

2017-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosis and the second and third leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women, respectively. However, the majority of CRC cases are the result of sporadic tumorigenesis via the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. This process can take up to 20 years, suggesting an important window of opportunity exists for prevention such as switching toward healthier dietary patterns. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern associated with various health benefits including protection against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various cancers. In this article, we review publications available in the PubMed database within the last 10 years that report on the impact of a MD eating pattern on prevention of CRC. To assist the reader with interpretation of the results and discussion, we first introduce indexes and scoring systems commonly used to experimentally determine adherence to a MD, followed by a brief introduction of the influence of the MD pattern on inflammatory bowel disease, which predisposes to CRC. Finally, we discuss key biological mechanisms through which specific bioactive food components commonly present in the MD are proposed to prevent or delay the development of CRC. We close with a discussion of future research frontiers in CRC prevention with particular reference to the role of epigenetic mechanisms and microbiome related to the MD eating pattern.

Mediterranean Diet: Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micah G. Donovan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Colorectal cancer (CRC is the third most common cancer diagnosis and the second and third leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women, respectively. However, the majority of CRC cases are the result of sporadic tumorigenesis via the adenoma–carcinoma sequence. This process can take up to 20 years, suggesting an important window of opportunity exists for prevention such as switching toward healthier dietary patterns. The Mediterranean diet (MD is a dietary pattern associated with various health benefits including protection against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various cancers. In this article, we review publications available in the PubMed database within the last 10 years that report on the impact of a MD eating pattern on prevention of CRC. To assist the reader with interpretation of the results and discussion, we first introduce indexes and scoring systems commonly used to experimentally determine adherence to a MD, followed by a brief introduction of the influence of the MD pattern on inflammatory bowel disease, which predisposes to CRC. Finally, we discuss key biological mechanisms through which specific bioactive food components commonly present in the MD are proposed to prevent or delay the development of CRC. We close with a discussion of future research frontiers in CRC prevention with particular reference to the role of epigenetic mechanisms and microbiome related to the MD eating pattern.

[New trends in the treatment and prevention of addictive disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Nespor, K

2004-01-01

Some trends in the treatment and prevention of diseases related to alcohol, drugs and gambling are reviewed. Brief intervention is crucially important, considering high prevalence of addictive diseases. Motivation enhancement according to the stage of motivation is used in brief intervention and also during more comprehensive therapy. Psychological and pharmacological management of craving is used more than before. Close and systematic co-operation between professional services and Alcoholics Anonymous and/or other self-helping groups is common and useful. Prevention of addictive diseases includes measures such as taxation, restriction of availability, age limits, restrictions of advertisements, and prevention of drinking under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Effective school based prevention utilises interactive programmes and training of relevant skills (e.g. refusal skills, relaxation and decision making). Prevention on family level includes appropriate family monitoring and rules, moderate and consistent family discipline and family conflict resolution. Special attention should be paid to the children whose parents are alcohol or drug dependent. These children should, even as adults, abstain from alcohol and other addictive substances.

[Prevention and treatment of obesity in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Togashi, Kenji; Iguchi, Kosei; Masuda, Hidenari

2013-02-01

The prevalence of childhood obesity and its comorbidities is high in Japan. Increasing prevalence of obesity among children emphasizes the importance of focusing on primary prevention to avoid health complications later in life. We emphasize the prevention of obesity by recommending breast-feeding of infants for at least 6 months and advocating that schools provide for 60 min of moderate to vigorous daily exercise in all grades. Treatment interventions include behavioral therapy, reduction in sedentary behavior, and dietary and exercise education. After dietary treatment combined with exercise treatment, the areas of subcutaneous and visceral fat decreased significantly. These data suggest that dietary treatment combined with exercise treatment in obese children normalizes the distribution of abdominal fat and reduces the risk factors for chronic disease.

Statistical analysis on failure-to-open/close probability of motor-operated valve in sodium system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurisaka, Kenichi

1998-08-01

The objective of this work is to develop basic data for examination on efficiency of preventive maintenance and actuation test from the standpoint of failure probability. This work consists of a statistical trend analysis of valve failure probability in a failure-to-open/close mode on time since installation and time since last open/close action, based on the field data of operating- and failure-experience. In this work, the terms both dependent and independent on time were considered in the failure probability. The linear aging model was modified and applied to the first term. In this model there are two terms with both failure rates in proportion to time since installation and to time since last open/close-demand. Because of sufficient statistical population, motor-operated valves (MOV's) in sodium system were selected to be analyzed from the CORDS database which contains operating data and failure data of components in the fast reactors and sodium test facilities. According to these data, the functional parameters were statistically estimated to quantify the valve failure probability in a failure-to-open/close mode, with consideration of uncertainty. (J.P.N.)

Closing the loop of the medication use process using electronic medication administration registration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenderink, Bertil W; Egberts, Toine C G

2004-08-01

Recent reports and studies of errors in the medication process have raised the awareness of the threat to public health. An essential step in this multi-stage process is the actual administration of a medicine to the patient. The closed loop system is thought to be a way of preventing medication errors. Current information technology can facilitate this process. This article describes the way barcode technology is being used to facilitate medication administration registration on several wards in our hospital and nursing home.

Close binary stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson-Leander, G.

1979-01-01

Studies of close binary stars are being persued more vigorously than ever, with about 3000 research papers and notes pertaining to the field being published during the triennium 1976-1978. Many major advances and spectacular discoveries were made, mostly due to increased observational efficiency and precision, especially in the X-ray, radio, and ultraviolet domains. Progress reports are presented in the following areas: observational techniques, methods of analyzing light curves, observational data, physical data, structure and models of close binaries, statistical investigations, and origin and evolution of close binaries. Reports from the Coordinates Programs Committee, the Committee for Extra-Terrestrial Observations and the Working Group on RS CVn binaries are included. (Auth./C.F.)

75 FR 7370 - Closed Captioning of Video Programming; Closed Captioning Requirements for Digital Television...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-19

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 79 [CG Docket No. 05-231; ET Docket No. 99-254; FCC 08-255] Closed Captioning of Video Programming; Closed Captioning Requirements for Digital Television... Captioning of Video Programming; Closed Captioning Requirements for Digital Television Receivers, Declaratory...

TRASYS form factor matrix normalization

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuyuki, Glenn T.

1992-01-01

A method has been developed for adjusting a TRASYS enclosure form factor matrix to unity. This approach is not limited to closed geometries, and in fact, it is primarily intended for use with open geometries. The purpose of this approach is to prevent optimistic form factors to space. In this method, nodal form factor sums are calculated within 0.05 of unity using TRASYS, although deviations as large as 0.10 may be acceptable, and then, a process is employed to distribute the difference amongst the nodes. A specific example has been analyzed with this method, and a comparison was performed with a standard approach for calculating radiation conductors. In this comparison, hot and cold case temperatures were determined. Exterior nodes exhibited temperature differences as large as 7 C and 3 C for the hot and cold cases, respectively when compared with the standard approach, while interior nodes demonstrated temperature differences from 0 C to 5 C. These results indicate that temperature predictions can be artificially biased if the form factor computation error is lumped into the individual form factors to space.

Measurement of opening and closing angles of aortic valve prostheses in vivo using dual-source computed tomography: Comparison with those of manufacturers' in 10 different types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, Young Joo; Kim, Young Jin; Hong, Yoo Jin; Lee, Hye Jeong; Hur, Jin; Im, Dong Jin; Kim, Yun Jung; Choi, Byoung Wook

2015-01-01

The aims of this study were to compare opening and closing angles of normally functioning mechanical aortic valves measured on dual-source computed tomography (CT) with the manufacturers' values and to compare CT-measured opening angles according to valve function. A total of 140 patients with 10 different types of mechanical aortic valves, who underwent dual-source cardiac CT, were included. Opening and closing angles were measured on CT images. Agreement between angles in normally functioning valves and the manufacturer values was assessed using the interclass coefficient and the Bland-Altman method. CT-measured opening angles were compared between normal functioning valves and suspected dysfunctioning valves. The CT-measured opening angles of normally functioning valves and manufacturers' values showed excellent agreement for seven valve types (intraclass coefficient [ICC], 0.977; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.962-0.987). The mean differences in opening angles between the CT measurements and the manufacturers' values were 1.2° in seven types of valves, 11.0° in On-X valves, and 15.5° in ATS valves. The manufacturers' closing angles and those measured by CT showed excellent agreement for all valve types (ICC, 0.953; 95% CI, 0.920-0.972). Among valves with suspected dysfunction, those with limitation of motion (LOM) and an increased pressure gradient (PG) had smaller opening angles than those with LOM only (p < 0.05). Dual-source cardiac CT accurately measures opening and closing angles in most types of mechanical aortic valves, compared with the manufacturers' values. Opening angles on CT differ according to the type of valve dysfunction and a decreased opening angle may suggest an elevated PG

Closed ecological life-support systems and their applications

Science.gov (United States)

Gitelson, Josef I.

The advent of man-made closed ecosystems (CES) is a solution of the fundamental problem-egress of humans beyond the Earth's biosphere, providing biological basis for exploitation of Space and celestial bodies. Yet, before proceeding to these ambitious project elements of closed life-support biotechnologies, there can be found diverse applications on Earth in human settlements providing for high quality of life under extreme environment conditions: high latitudes, deserts, mountains and industrially polluted areas. This presentation considers these variations of terrestrial applications of CELSS technologies. The version of CES under development is based on making direct use of the light energy in plant photosynthesis. In this case life support of one man on the Earth orbit requires solar light collected from 5-10m2. Among terrestrial applications of prime importance is the development of an ecohome designed to provide people with a high quality of life in Arctic and Antarctic territories. The developed technology of cascade employment of energy makes possible (expending 10-15 kw of installed power per a house-3-5 member family) to provide for: permanent supply of fresh vitamin-full vegetables, absorption and processing oaf excreta, purification of water and air in the living quarters, habitual colour and light conditions in the premises in winter making up to sensorial deprivation and, finally, psychological comfort of close contact with the plants during the long polar night. Ecohabitat based on the technology described in realistic today and depends only on the energy available and the resolution and readiness (sagacity) of the decision-makers to be committed with ecohome assigning. The ecological and economical significance of construction of ecohabitats for the northern territories of Canada, Alaska and Russia is apparent. This principle can be used (with considerable economy of energy and construction costs) to maintain normal partial pressure of oxygen inside

Prevention of ligneous conjunctivitis by topical and subconjunctival fresh frozen plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabbara, Khalid F

2004-08-01

To present a case of ligneous conjunctivitis where the recurrence of membranous conjunctivitis was prevented by subconjunctival and topical instillation of fresh frozen plasma. Interventional case report. A case of ligneous conjunctivitis with multiple recurrences since the age of 3 years developed recurrent membranous conjunctivitis after transconjunctival levator recession. Blood plasminogen activity was determined. The membrane was excised, and the membrane reappeared 4 days later. The patient was treated with excision of the membrane and subconjunctival injection of fresh frozen plasma and topical fresh frozen plasma. Plasminogen activity of the fresh frozen plasma was normal. Plasminogen blood functional activity was 52% (normal is 80%-120%). The patient had complete remission with no recurrences of membranous conjunctivitis after topical and subconjunctival fresh frozen plasma. Prophylactic use of topical and subconjunctival fresh frozen plasma may help in the prevention of membranes in susceptible patients with plasminogen deficiency.

Birkhoff normalization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broer, H.; Hoveijn, I.; Lunter, G.; Vegter, G.

2003-01-01

The Birkhoff normal form procedure is a widely used tool for approximating a Hamiltonian systems by a simpler one. This chapter starts out with an introduction to Hamiltonian mechanics, followed by an explanation of the Birkhoff normal form procedure. Finally we discuss several algorithms for

Optimum parameters in a model for tumour control probability, including interpatient heterogeneity: evaluation of the log-normal distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keall, P J; Webb, S

2007-01-01

The heterogeneity of human tumour radiation response is well known. Researchers have used the normal distribution to describe interpatient tumour radiosensitivity. However, many natural phenomena show a log-normal distribution. Log-normal distributions are common when mean values are low, variances are large and values cannot be negative. These conditions apply to radiosensitivity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the log-normal distribution to predict clinical tumour control probability (TCP) data and to compare the results with the homogeneous (δ-function with single α-value) and normal distributions. The clinically derived TCP data for four tumour types-melanoma, breast, squamous cell carcinoma and nodes-were used to fit the TCP models. Three forms of interpatient tumour radiosensitivity were considered: the log-normal, normal and δ-function. The free parameters in the models were the radiosensitivity mean, standard deviation and clonogenic cell density. The evaluation metric was the deviance of the maximum likelihood estimation of the fit of the TCP calculated using the predicted parameters to the clinical data. We conclude that (1) the log-normal and normal distributions of interpatient tumour radiosensitivity heterogeneity more closely describe clinical TCP data than a single radiosensitivity value and (2) the log-normal distribution has some theoretical and practical advantages over the normal distribution. Further work is needed to test these models on higher quality clinical outcome datasets

PROBABILISTIC MODEL OF LASER RANGE FINDER FOR THREE DIMENSIONAL GRID CELL IN CLOSE RANGE ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hafiz b Iman

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The probabilistic model of a laser scanner presents an important aspect for simultaneous localization and map-building (SLAM. However, the characteristic of the beam of the laser range finder under extreme incident angles approaching 900 has not been thoroughly investigated. This research paper reports the characteristic of the density of the range value coming from a laser range finder under close range circumstances where the laser is imposed with a high incident angle. The laser was placed in a controlled environment consisting of walls at a close range and 1000 iteration of scans was collected. The assumption of normal density of the metrical data collapses when the beam traverses across sharp edges in this environment. The data collected also shows multimodal density at instances where the range has discontinuity. The standard deviation of the laser range finder is reported to average at 10.54 mm, with 0.96 of accuracy. This significance suggests that under extreme incident angles, a laser range finder reading behaves differently compared to normal distribution. The use of this information is crucial for SLAM activity in enclosed environments such as inside piping grid or other cluttered environments.KEYWORDS:   Hokuyo UTM-30LX; kernel density estimation; probabilistic model  

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)

Science.gov (United States)

... local chapter Join our online community Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a brain disorder ... Symptoms Diagnosis Causes & risks Treatments About Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Normal pressure hydrocephalus occurs when excess cerebrospinal fluid ...

Closed Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) Test Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Macelroy, Robert D.

1992-01-01

The CELSS Test Facility (CTF) is being developed for installation on Space Station Freedom (SSF) in August 1999. It is designed to conduct experiments that will determine the effects of microgravity on the productivity of higher (crop) plants. The CTF will occupy two standard SSF racks and will accommodate approximately one square meter of growing area and a canopy height of 80 cm. The growth volume will be isolated from the external environment, allowing stringent control of environmental conditions. Temperature, humidity, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and light levels will all be closely controlled to prescribed set points and monitored. This level of environmental control is needed to prevent stress and allow accurate assessment of microgravity effect (10-3 to 10-6 x g). Photosynthetic rates and respiration rates, calculated through continuous recording of gas concentrations, transpiration, and total and edible biomass produced will be measured. Toxic byproducts will be monitored and scrubbed. Transpiration water will be collected within the chamber and recycled into the nutrient solution. A wide variety of crop plants, e.g., wheat, soy beans, lettuce, potatoes, can be accommodated and various nutrient delivery systems and light delivery systems will be available. In the course of its development, the CTF will exploit fully, and contribute importantly, to the state-of-art in closed system technology and plant physiology.

Balloon expandable intraluminal grafting of normal and abnormal renal arteries: Experimental study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmaz, J.C.; Hayashi, H.; Schatz, R.; Hunter, G.; Tio, F.O.; Garcia, O.

1986-01-01

Balloon expandable intraluminal grafts were placed in renal arteries of eight adult dogs and 11 minipigs. The renal arteries were normal in the dogs before graft placement. Two grafts were placed in primary division branches and the rest in the main renal artery. Experimental renal artery stenosis was created in the minipigs by subocclusive ligature of the renal artery with absorbable suture material. Six months later significant renal artery stenoses developed in six pigs and were corrected by graft placement. In the remaining pigs grafts were placed in the opposite normal renal artery because the stenosis caused a small, shrunken kidney in two, and severe spasm or anatomic variations prevented graft placement in three. All grafts remained patent on angiographic and pathologic examinations to a maximum follow-up to 24 weeks

Effects of hyperthermia and ionizing radiation in normal and ataxia telangiectasia human fibroblast lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchel, R.E.J.; Chan, A.; Smith, B.P.; Child, S.D.; Paterson, M.C.

1984-01-01

The effects of 45 0 C hyperthermia and γ radiation have been studied in three normal human fibroblast lines (GM38, GM730, WI38) and compared to the effects in two lines derived from patients with the hereditary disease ataxia telangiectasia (AR3BI, AT5BI). All lines, both normal and γ-sensitive AT, showed a similar resistance to killing by heat alone, suggesting that the defect responsible for the increased radiation sensitivity in AT lines does not confer increased heat sensitivity. Shouldered survival curves were obtained in each case indicating the ability to accumulate sublethal heat damage. All normal and AT cell lines exhibited increased resistance to the lethal effects of heat in response to a thermal stress, indicating that the defect that causes radiosensitivity in AT cell lines does not prevent the induction of thermotolerance. It was hypothesized that in normal cells, this heat treatment inactivates the process which is already defective in AT lines, and that this process may be required for the proper rejoining of double-strand breaks produced during the repair of other radiation-induced lesions

The triangular density to approximate the normal density: decision rules-of-thumb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scherer, William T.; Pomroy, Thomas A.; Fuller, Douglas N.

2003-01-01

In this paper we explore the approximation of the normal density function with the triangular density function, a density function that has extensive use in risk analysis. Such an approximation generates a simple piecewise-linear density function and a piecewise-quadratic distribution function that can be easily manipulated mathematically and that produces surprisingly accurate performance under many instances. This mathematical tractability proves useful when it enables closed-form solutions not otherwise possible, as with problems involving the embedded use of the normal density. For benchmarking purposes we compare the basic triangular approximation with two flared triangular distributions and with two simple uniform approximations; however, throughout the paper our focus is on using the triangular density to approximate the normal for reasons of parsimony. We also investigate the logical extensions of using a non-symmetric triangular density to approximate a lognormal density. Several issues associated with using a triangular density as a substitute for the normal and lognormal densities are discussed, and we explore the resulting numerical approximation errors for the normal case. Finally, we present several examples that highlight simple decision rules-of-thumb that the use of the approximation generates. Such rules-of-thumb, which are useful in risk and reliability analysis and general business analysis, can be difficult or impossible to extract without the use of approximations. These examples include uses of the approximation in generating random deviates, uses in mixture models for risk analysis, and an illustrative decision analysis problem. It is our belief that this exploratory look at the triangular approximation to the normal will provoke other practitioners to explore its possible use in various domains and applications

Vaginal lactobacilli profile in pregnant women with normal & abnormal vaginal flora.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeruva, Thirupathaiah; Rajkumar, Hemalatha; Donugama, Vasundhara

2017-10-01

Lactobacilli species that are better adapted to vaginal environment of women may colonize better and offer protection against vaginal pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the distribution of common Lactobacillus species was investigated in pregnant women. Sixty seven pregnant women were included in the study and vaginal samples were collected for Gram staining. Women were classified as normal vaginal flora, intermediate flora and bacterial vaginosis (BV) based on Nugent's score. Vaginal samples were also collected for the identification of Lactobacillus spp. by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) profiling of 16S rDNA amplification method. Lactobacillus crispatus (100%) was the most predominant Lactobacillus spp. present in pregnant women with normal flora, followed by L. iners (77%), L. jensenii (74%) and L. helveticus (60%). While, L. iners was commonly present across groups in women with normal, intermediate or BV flora, L. crispatus, L. jensenii and L. helveticus decreased significantly as the vaginal flora changed to intermediate and BV. In women with BV, except L. iners other species of lactobacilli was less frequently prevalent. Species such as L. rhamnosus, L. fermentum, L. paracasei and L. casei were not detected in any vaginal sample. L. crispatus, L. jensinii and L. helveticus were predominant species in women with normal flora. L. crispatus alone or in combination with L. jensinii and L. helveticus may be evaluated for probiotic properties for the prevention and treatment of BV.

Faktor-Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Perilaku Bidan dalam Pencegahan Risiko Penularan HIV/AIDS pada Pertolongan Persalinan Normal di Kota Tanjungpinang Tahun 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmadona .

2014-09-01

Full Text Available AbstrakKasus HIV/AIDS di Kota Tanjungpinang lebih banyak dialami perempuan usia reproduksi. Dari 925 kasus HIV/AIDS hingga tahun 2013, 502 kasus diderita perempuan sementara laki-laki hanya 423 kasus. Perempuan usia reproduksi tersebut dapat saja hamil dan melahirkan ke bidan. Bidan berisiko tinggi tertular HIV/AIDS pada saat menolong persalinan. Pencegahan risiko penularan HIV/AIDS dalam pertolongan persalinan normal tercermin dari perilaku bidan dalam menerapkan kewaspadaan standar. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor yang berhubungan dengan perilaku bidan dalam pencegahan risiko penularan HIV/AIDS pada pertolongan persalinan normal di Kota Tanjungpinang tahun 2014. Penelitian ini merupakan analitik observasional dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Dilakukan terhadap 39 orang bidan dengan menggunakan kuisioner dan pedoman observasi. Data dianalisis dengan uji Chi Square dan regresi logistik ganda. Faktor yang berhubungan dengan perilaku bidan adalah pengetahuan (p=0,027, sikap (p=0,004, motivasi (p= 0,047, supervisi (p=0,001 dan ketersediaan sarana (p=0,002. Faktor paling dominan yang berhubungan adalah supervisi (p=0,000. Kesimpulan penelitian adalah bidan akan berperilaku baik dalam pencegahan risiko penularan HIV/AIDS pada pertolongan persalinan normal apabila berpengetahuan baik, bersikap positif, memiliki motivasi tinggi, dilakukan supervisi serta didukung dengan sarana yang lengkap.Kata Kunci: Perilaku, pencegahan HIV/AIDS, pertolongan persalinan normal, pengetahuan, sikap, motivasi, supervisi, ketersediaan sarana.AbstractHIV/AIDS cases in Tanjungpinang city were suffered by women at reproductive ages. 925 HIV/AIDS cases trough 2013, 502 cases were suffered by women while 423 cases were men. This women may become pregnant and deliver their babies at midwives assistance. Midwives are at high risk of HIV/AIDS tramsmission while assisting delivery. Prevention risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in normal delivery assistance

Prevention of epilepsy: Should we be avoiding clinical trials?

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Pavel; Tyrlikova, Ivana

2017-07-01

Epilepsy prevention is one of the great unmet needs in epilepsy. Approximately 15% of all epilepsy is caused by an acute acquired CNS insult such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke or encephalitis. There is a latent period between the insult and epilepsy onset that presents an opportunity to intervene with preventive treatment that is unique in neurology. Yet no phase 3 epilepsy prevention studies, and only 2 phase 2 studies have been initiated in the last 16years. Current prevailing opinion is that the research community is not ready for clinical preventive epilepsy studies, and that animal models should first be refined and biomarkers of epileptogenesis and of epilepsy discovered before clinical studies are embarked upon. We review data to suggest that there is basis to do epilepsy prevention studies now with the current knowledge and available drugs, and that those studies are feasible with currently available tools. We suggest that a different approach is needed from the past in order to maximize chances of success, minimize the cost, and set up platform for future preventive treatment development. That approach should include close coordination of preclinical and clinical development programs in a combined PTE prevention strategy, consideration of polytherapy, and simultaneous, combined clinical development of preventive treatment and of biomarker discovery. We argue that the currently favored approach of eschewing clinical studies until biomarkers are available will delay the discovery of epilepsy prevention treatment by at least 10 years and significantly increase the cost of such discovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accident prevention in SME using ORM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Kirsten; Duijm, Nijs Jan; Troen, Hanne

2008-01-01

Risk perception in SMEs is normally low, and this is closely related to the fact that the chance of a mall enterprise experiencing a serious accident is very small compared to companies that employ a large workforce. This is a fact even though the SMEs together have a higher accident frequency...... compared with large enterprises. To reach the SMEs we must find a way of supporting them, because they normally have neither the time nor the resources to acquire the knowledge and awareness necessary for working with their own safety. The Occupational Risk Model (ORM) developed by the Dutch Workgroup...... Occupational Risk Model WORM has been transferred to a Danish context, with the aim of creating a more simple system particularly for SMEs. The ORM identifies the activities in a person’s daily work that contribute most to the person’s risk and also identifies what conditions need to be changed in order...

Earth's Outer Core Properties Estimated Using Bayesian Inversion of Normal Mode Eigenfrequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Irving, J. C. E.; Cottaar, S.; Lekic, V.

2016-12-01

The outer core is arguably Earth's most dynamic region, and consists of an iron-nickel liquid with an unknown combination of lighter alloying elements. Frequencies of Earth's normal modes provide the strongest constraints on the radial profiles of compressional wavespeed, VΦ, and density, ρ, in the outer core. Recent great earthquakes have yielded new normal mode measurements; however, mineral physics experiments and calculations are often compared to the Preliminary reference Earth model (PREM), which is 35 years old and does not provide uncertainties. Here we investigate the thermo-elastic properties of the outer core using Earth's free oscillations and a Bayesian framework. To estimate radial structure of the outer core and its uncertainties, we choose to exploit recent datasets of normal mode centre frequencies. Under the self-coupling approximation, centre frequencies are unaffected by lateral heterogeneities in the Earth, for example in the mantle. Normal modes are sensitive to both VΦ and ρ in the outer core, with each mode's specific sensitivity depending on its eigenfunctions. We include a priori bounds on outer core models that ensure compatibility with measurements of mass and moment of inertia. We use Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov Chain techniques to explore different choices in parameterizing the outer core, each of which represents different a priori constraints. We test how results vary (1) assuming a smooth polynomial parametrization, (2) allowing for structure close to the outer core's boundaries, (3) assuming an Equation-of-State and adiabaticity and inverting directly for thermo-elastic parameters. In the second approach we recognize that the outer core may have distinct regions close to the core-mantle and inner core boundaries and investigate models which parameterize the well mixed outer core separately from these two layers. In the last approach we seek to map the uncertainties directly into thermo-elastic parameters including the bulk

Pneumococcal disease: Closing the gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashfaq Hasan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available oday, India is home to 99 million elderly people. By 2050, the number of elderly in this country will have gone up to 300 million1. With an increase in life expectancy from 32 years at the time of independence to 67.14 years in 20121, 10% of the population finds itself labeled as ‘senior citizen’. Inevitably, age brings with it comorbidities, immune senescence and pneumococcal disease. Pneumonia, in deference to its considerable morbidity and mortality, was exalted by Sir William Osler to its dubious pedestal of “Captain of all these Men of Death”. Unsurprisingly, immune debility and in several regions of the planet increasing antibiotic resistance, have ensured that pneumococcal pneumonia continues to take a large toll of senior citizens. Death rates have hardly budged over the last three decades. In India, pneumonia accounts for 25-30% deaths in the elderly3, a fatality rate almost unrivalled by most other terminal diseases. Among 15 high-burden countries, India has the dubious distinction of ranking third from last in the Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD4. During the World Immunization Week 2015 (April 24th to 30th, the ‘Close the Immunization Gap’ campaign gains crucial importance. Immunization, long vaunted as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions there is, prevent 2 to 3 million deaths every year, and saves enor-mous hospitalization costs and prevents loss of productivity. The recently published CAPiTA study (Community Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults, evaluated the efficacy of a novel 13-valent conju-gate vaccine for Pneumococcal pneumonia a vac-cine proven for its efficacy in children for the first time in older adults over 85,000 of them. Childhood vaccination with ‘PCV-13’, of course, was instrumental in reducing nasopharyngeal carriage of Strep pneumonia and decreasing the prevalence of Pneumococcal disease in the community at large. Altogether, the idea

Secondary benefit of maintaining normal transcranial Doppler velocities when using hydroxyurea for prevention of severe sickle cell anemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghafuri, Djamila Labib; Chaturvedi, Shruti; Rodeghier, Mark; Stimpson, Sarah-Jo; McClain, Brandi; Byrd, Jeannie; DeBaun, Michael R

2017-07-01

In a retrospective cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that when prescribing hydroxyurea (HU) to children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) to prevent vaso-occlusive events, there will be a secondary benefit of maintaining low transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocity, measured by imaging technique (TCDi). HU was prescribed for 90.9% (110 of 120) of children with SCA ≥5 years of age and followed for a median of 4.4 years, with 70% (n = 77) receiving at least one TCDi evaluation after starting HU. No child prescribed HU had a conditional or abnormal TCDi measurement. HU initiation for disease severity prevention decreases the prevalence of abnormal TCDi velocities. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Green's functions for a graphene sheet and quantum dot in a normal magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horing, Norman J Morgenstern; Liu, S Y

2009-01-01

This paper is concerned with the derivation of the retarded Green's function for a two-dimensional graphene layer in a perpendicular magnetic field in two explicit, analytic forms, which we employ in obtaining a closed-form solution for the Green's function of a tightly confined magnetized graphene quantum dot. The dot is represented by a δ (2) (r)-potential well and the system is subject to Landau quantization in the normal magnetic field

Prevention of strong earthquakes: Goal or utopia?

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhamediev, Sh. A.

2010-11-01

In the present paper, we consider ideas suggesting various kinds of industrial impact on the close-to-failure block of the Earth’s crust in order to break a pending strong earthquake (PSE) into a number of smaller quakes or aseismic slips. Among the published proposals on the prevention of a forthcoming strong earthquake, methods based on water injection and vibro influence merit greater attention as they are based on field observations and the results of laboratory tests. In spite of this, the cited proofs are, for various reasons, insufficient to acknowledge the proposed techniques as highly substantiated; in addition, the physical essence of these methods has still not been fully understood. First, the key concept of the methods, namely, the release of the accumulated stresses (or excessive elastic energy) in the source region of a forthcoming strong earthquake, is open to objection. If we treat an earthquake as a phenomenon of a loss in stability, then, the heterogeneities of the physicomechanical properties and stresses along the existing fault or its future trajectory, rather than the absolute values of stresses, play the most important role. In the present paper, this statement is illustrated by the classical examples of stable and unstable fractures and by the examples of the calculated stress fields, which were realized in the source regions of the tsunamigenic earthquakes of December 26, 2004 near the Sumatra Island and of September 29, 2009 near the Samoa Island. Here, just before the earthquakes, there were no excessive stresses in the source regions. Quite the opposite, the maximum shear stresses τmax were close to their minimum value, compared to τmax in the adjacent territory. In the present paper, we provide quantitative examples that falsify the theory of the prevention of PSE in its current form. It is shown that the measures for the prevention of PSE, even when successful for an already existing fault, can trigger or accelerate a catastrophic

Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation for Refractory Chronic Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasad Shirvalkar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Pain is a subjective experience that alerts an individual to actual or potential tissue damage. Through mechanisms that are still unclear, normal physiological pain can lose its adaptive value and evolve into pathological chronic neuropathic pain. Chronic pain is a multifaceted experience that can be understood in terms of somatosensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions, each with associated symptoms and neural signals. While there have been many attempts to treat chronic pain, in this article we will argue that feedback-controlled ‘closed-loop’ deep brain stimulation (DBS offers an urgent and promising route for treatment. Contemporary DBS trials for chronic pain use “open-loop” approaches in which tonic stimulation is delivered with fixed parameters to a single brain region. The impact of key variables such as the target brain region and the stimulation waveform is unclear, and long-term efficacy has mixed results. We hypothesize that chronic pain is due to abnormal synchronization between brain networks encoding the somatosensory, affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, and that multisite, closed-loop DBS provides an intuitive mechanism for disrupting that synchrony. By (1 identifying biomarkers of the subjective pain experience and (2 integrating these signals into a state-space representation of pain, we can create a predictive model of each patient's pain experience. Then, by establishing how stimulation in different brain regions influences individual neural signals, we can design real-time, closed-loop therapies tailored to each patient. While chronic pain is a complex disorder that has eluded modern therapies, rich historical data and state-of-the-art technology can now be used to develop a promising treatment.

Motion Normalized Proportional Control for Improved Pattern Recognition-Based Myoelectric Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheme, Erik; Lock, Blair; Hargrove, Levi; Hill, Wendy; Kuruganti, Usha; Englehart, Kevin

2014-01-01

This paper describes two novel proportional control algorithms for use with pattern recognition-based myoelectric control. The systems were designed to provide automatic configuration of motion-specific gains and to normalize the control space to the user's usable dynamic range. Class-specific normalization parameters were calculated using data collected during classifier training and require no additional user action or configuration. The new control schemes were compared to the standard method of deriving proportional control using a one degree of freedom Fitts' law test for each of the wrist flexion/extension, wrist pronation/supination and hand close/open degrees of freedom. Performance was evaluated using the Fitts' law throughput value as well as more descriptive metrics including path efficiency, overshoot, stopping distance and completion rate. The proposed normalization methods significantly outperformed the incumbent method in every performance category for able bodied subjects (p < 0.001) and nearly every category for amputee subjects. Furthermore, one proposed method significantly outperformed both other methods in throughput (p < 0.0001), yielding 21% and 40% improvement over the incumbent method for amputee and able bodied subjects, respectively. The proposed control schemes represent a computationally simple method of fundamentally improving myoelectric control users' ability to elicit robust, and controlled, proportional velocity commands.

Closed cervix is associated with more severe illness in dogs with pyometra.

Science.gov (United States)

Jitpean, Supranee; Ambrosen, Aime; Emanuelson, Ulf; Hagman, Ragnvi

2017-01-05

Pyometra, a life-threatening bacterial infection of the uterus, is classified as open or closed depending on the functional patency of the cervix i.e. presence or absence of vaginal discharge. In closed cervix pyometra, pus and bacterial products accumulate in the uterus, which is thought to induce a more severe illness. The aim of this study was to investigate whether disease severity or outcome differed in dogs with open or closed cervix pyometra. Prospectively collected data from 111 female dogs diagnosed with pyometra at the University Animal Hospital, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, intermittently during 2005-2012 was analyzed. Seventy-two dogs (65%) had open cervix, whereas 39 dogs (35%) had closed cervix. Differences between the two groups were explored by Wilcoxon Two Sample Test for continuous variables and Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. P cervix the median age was 9.0 years and the median weight 26.0 kg. In dogs with closed cervix the median age was 9.6 years and the median weight 25.0 kg, with no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.69 and 0.24, respectively). Five dogs (4.5%) died, all with open cervix, and 16 dogs (14%) had complications. The general physical condition was moderately or severely depressed in 30% (21/71) of dogs with open cervix (severely depressed in 4 dogs, moderately depressed in 17 dogs) and in 56% (22/39) of dogs with closed cervix (severely depressed in 3 dogs, moderately depressed in 19 dogs). The general physical condition was mildly depressed in 41 dogs with open cervix and 16 dogs with closed cervix, whereas it was normal in nine dogs with open cervix and one dog with closed cervix. None of the included dogs had very severely depressed general physical condition or were non-responsive. Leukocytosis, neutrophilia, monocytosis and moderately to severely depressed general condition was more commonly found in dogs with closed cervix (p = 0.003, p�

WINCS Harmoni: Closed-loop dynamic neurochemical control of therapeutic interventions

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Lee, Kendall H.; Lujan, J. Luis; Trevathan, James K.; Ross, Erika K.; Bartoletta, John J.; Park, Hyung Ook; Paek, Seungleal Brian; Nicolai, Evan N.; Lee, Jannifer H.; Min, Hoon-Ki; Kimble, Christopher J.; Blaha, Charles D.; Bennet, Kevin E.

2017-04-01

There has been significant progress in understanding the role of neurotransmitters in normal and pathologic brain function. However, preclinical trials aimed at improving therapeutic interventions do not take advantage of real-time in vivo neurochemical changes in dynamic brain processes such as disease progression and response to pharmacologic, cognitive, behavioral, and neuromodulation therapies. This is due in part to a lack of flexible research tools that allow in vivo measurement of the dynamic changes in brain chemistry. Here, we present a research platform, WINCS Harmoni, which can measure in vivo neurochemical activity simultaneously across multiple anatomical targets to study normal and pathologic brain function. In addition, WINCS Harmoni can provide real-time neurochemical feedback for closed-loop control of neurochemical levels via its synchronized stimulation and neurochemical sensing capabilities. We demonstrate these and other key features of this platform in non-human primate, swine, and rodent models of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Ultimately, systems like the one described here will improve our understanding of the dynamics of brain physiology in the context of neurologic disease and therapeutic interventions, which may lead to the development of precision medicine and personalized therapies for optimal therapeutic efficacy.

[Prevention and management of postresectional bronchopleural fistula].

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Shigemi

2008-07-01

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is still a life-threatening complication after pulmonary resection. Several factors were identified to contribute BPF. Meticulous surgical technique and the liberal use of prophylactic, pedicled flaps are important for prevention. Although these patients often present compromised and moribund, evaluation and management should proceed in a logical, stepwise fashion. In high-risk surgical patients, bronchoscopic procedures using different glues and sealants may serve as a temporary bridge until the patient's recovery or as a permanent resolution. However persistent conservative therapy may deteriorate patient's condition. Immediate creation of open window thoracotomy has been shown to be a significant predictor of wound closure afterwards. Pedicled muscle or omental flaps are useful to close bronchial stump and to fill the residual space in the thorax after pulmonary resection. Once fistula closed, the pleural space is filled with an antibiotic solution and then the open window thoracotomy closed in layers as Clagett procedure. The transternal transpericardial approach to recalcitrant postpneumonectomy BPF can be considered when patients have failed prior closure attempt. To conclude, survival and excellent result of BPF depends on early diagnosis, and aggressive surgical intervention.

IMPROVING QUALITY OF STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL BY DEALING WITH NON‐NORMAL DATA IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuzana ANDRÁSSYOVÁ

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Study deals with an analysis of data to the effect that it improves the quality of statistical tools in processes of assembly of automobile seats. Normal distribution of variables is one of inevitable conditions for the analysis, examination, and improvement of the manufacturing processes (f. e.: manufacturing process capability although, there are constantly more approaches to non‐normal data handling. An appropriate probability distribution of measured data is firstly tested by the goodness of fit of empirical distribution with theoretical normal distribution on the basis of hypothesis testing using programme StatGraphics Centurion XV.II. Data are collected from the assembly process of 1st row automobile seats for each characteristic of quality (Safety Regulation ‐S/R individually. Study closely processes the measured data of an airbag´s assembly and it aims to accomplish the normal distributed data and apply it the statistical process control. Results of the contribution conclude in a statement of rejection of the null hypothesis (measured variables do not follow the normal distribution therefore it is necessary to begin to work on data transformation supported by Minitab15. Even this approach does not reach a normal distributed data and so should be proposed a procedure that leads to the quality output of whole statistical control of manufacturing processes.

HPV Vaccination: Preventing More with Less

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas Lowy is acting director of the National Cancer Institute and Chief of the intramural Laboratory of Cellular Oncology in the Center for Cancer Research at the NCI. He received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, and trained in internal medicine at Stanford University and dermatology at Yale University. His research includes papillomaviruses and the regulation of normal and neoplastic growth. The papillomavirus research is carried out in close collaboration with John Schiller, with whom he has co-authored more than 100 papers over the past 25 years. In the 1980s, he studied the genetic organization of papillomaviruses and identified the oncogenes encoded by the virus. More recently, he has worked on papillomavirus vaccines and the papillomavirus life cycle. Their laboratory was involved in the initial development, characterization, and clinical testing of the preventive virus-like particle-based HPV vaccines that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and many other countries. It is for this body of work that Drs. Lowy and Schiller received the 2007 Federal Employee of the Year Award from the Partnership for Public Service, the 2007 Dorothy P. Landon-American Association for Cancer Research Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the Sabin Gold Medal in 2011, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama in 2014. Dr. Lowy also received the 2007 Medal of Honor for basic research from the American Cancer Society. He is listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as one of the most highly cited authors in microbiology, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine of the NAS.

Use of a Mathematical Model as a Countermeasure to Prevent Spaceflight Anemia

Science.gov (United States)

Seth, R.; Coletta, E.; Trudel, G.

2012-01-01

Spaceflight results in the decrease of blood volume in astronauts, which then leads to a destruction of red blood cells causing space flight anemia upon return to a 1g environment. The mechanism for this destruction has not been clearly defined and measures to prevent red blood cell destruction do not currently exist. In this study, we investigate the possibility of using a mathematical model to determine the number of red blood cells destroyed as a result of being in a microgravity environment. We have developed a model using a linear piece wise function that incorporates normal red blood cell death and reticulocyte production. An astronaut, using this model, would be able compare their predicted earth normal (1g) red blood cell count with the actual 0g count and determine the number of red blood cells that have been destroyed as a result of being in a microgravity environment. This could then lead to the administration of erythropoietin to boost red blood cell production and restore the level to earth normal on the final leg of the trip back to earth to prevent space flight anemia.

The venous manifestations of pulse wave encephalopathy: windkessel dysfunction in normal aging and senile dementia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bateman, Grant A. [Locked Bag 1, Newcastle Region Mail Center, Department of Medical Imaging, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle (Australia); Levi, Christopher R.; Wang, Yang; Lovett, Elizabeth C. [Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Neurosciences Program, Newcastle (Australia); Schofield, Peter [James Fletcher Hospital, Neuropsychiatry Unit, Newcastle (Australia)

2008-06-15

Cerebral arterial, venous and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pulsations are closely coupled and this produces pulsation dampening or the windkessel effect. Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a manifestation of the breakdown of this windkessel effect with altered CSF and venous pulsations being noted. The aim of this study was to show that dysfunction of the windkessel mechanism is also a component of normal aging and senile dementia. The study group comprised 24 patients classified as either early senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT) or vascular dementia (VaD). The patients with dementia were compared with 12 age-matched non-cognitively impaired subjects, and 12 normal young individuals were compared with the normal aging group. MRI flow quantification was used to measure the nonpulsatile and pulsatile components of blood flow as well as the pulsation at the tentorial incisura. With normal aging blood flow decreased but arterial pulsations increased in volume by 49% (P = 0.003). The CSF vented via the tentorial incisura does not change significantly with age and therefore increased venous pulsation is necessary. In patients with VaD the arterial pulse volume was higher by 24% and the straight sinus pulsation was higher by 57% than in normal aging subjects (P = 0.05 and P = 0.03, respectively). In patients with SDAT the total venous pulsation volumes were similar to those in normal aging subjects but there was less basal sinus pulsation. Normal aging, SDAT and VaD are associated with alterations in venous pulsation due to a breakdown of the windkessel effect. (orig.)

Radiographic heart-volume estimation in normal cats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahlberg, N.E.; Hansson, K.; Svensson, L.; Iwarsson, K.

1989-01-01

Heart volume mensuration was evaluated on conventional radiographs from eight normal cats in different body positions using computed tomography (CT). Heart volumes were calculated from orthogonal thoracic radiographs in ventral and dorsal recumbency and from radiographs exposed with a vertical X-ray beam in dorsal and lateral recumbency using the formula for an ellipsoid body. Heart volumes were also estimated with CT in ventral, dorsal, right lateral and left lateral recumbency. No differences between heart volumes from CT in ventral recumbency and those from CT in right and left lateral recumbency were seen. In dorsal recumbency, however, significantly lower heart volumes were obtained. Heart volumes from CT in ventral recumbency were similar to those from radiographs in ventral and dorsal recumbency and dorsal/left lateral recumbency. Close correlation was also demonstrated between heart volumes from radiographs in dorsal/ left lateral recumbency and body weights of the eight cats

Bandwidth Optimization of Normal Equation Matrix in Bundle Block Adjustment in Multi-baseline Rotational Photography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WANG Xiang

2016-02-01

Full Text Available A new bandwidth optimization method of normal equation matrix in bundle block adjustment in multi-baseline rotational close range photography by image index re-sorting is proposed. The equivalent exposure station of each image is calculated by its object space coverage and the relationship with other adjacent images. Then, according to the coordinate relations between equivalent exposure stations, new logical indices of all images are computed, based on which, the optimized bandwidth value can be obtained. Experimental results show that the bandwidth determined by our proposed method is significantly better than its original value, thus the operational efficiency, as well as the memory consumption of multi-baseline rotational close range photography in real-data applications, is optimized to a certain extent.

27 CFR 44.146 - Closing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... PAYMENT OF TAX, OR WITH DRAWBACK OF TAX Operations by Export Warehouse Proprietors Inventories § 44.146 Closing. A closing inventory shall be made by the export warehouse proprietor when he transfers ownership or concludes business. Where the proprietor transfers ownership the closing inventory shall be made...

Prevention of suicide among adolescents and young people: reflecting on the experience of Western models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.B. Bovina

2013-07-01

Full Text Available We analyze various preventive and proactive suicide programs, which operate in a number of Western countries. We consider various measures implemented under the auspices of the WHO, as well as in the framework of the European Alliance Against Depression. Following J. Henden, wediscuss three types of suicide prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary prevention covers the population as a whole – suicide prevention is to promote the value of health and life. This type of prevention is addressed to a wide audience, including teenagers and young adults groups. Secondary prevention is aimed at those who have attempted to commit suicide, because the presence of attempts is a significant feature that allows to predict next attempts. Tertiary prevention is addressed to suicider’s close circle, it aims at help the suicider’s relatives to survive this event, use the appropriate ways of coping with the tragic situation.

A study to assess the domestic violence in mental illness & normal married women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jyoti Srivastava, Indira Sharma, Anuradha Khanna

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Domestic violence against women is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world today. According to UNiTE to End Violence against Women (2009 by UN Women, In the United States, one-third of women murdered each year are killed by intimate partners. In South Africa, a woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner. The Objective: To assess the magnitude and causes of domestic violence with mental illness & normal women. Material & Methods: The sample of study comprised of 50 women with mental illness and 50 normal women. Mental illness patients diagnosed according to with Axis one psychiatric Disorder DSM IV-TR, who were selected from the Psychiatry OPD and ward of the S.S. Hospital, BHU and normal women were be selected from the accompany with patients of Sir Sunder Lal Hospital. The patients were assessed on the structured questionnaire on Domestic Violence. Results – The domestic violence present in married women with mental illness was 72% and normal women were 36%. Perceived causes of domestic violence in married women with mental illness were more compared to those with normal women. The health care personnel should be given an opportunity to update their knowledge regarding domestic violence and there is need education for domestic violence and cessation, so that they can help the women to protect/prevent domestic violence.

Comparison of Outcomes for Normal Saline and an Antiseptic Solution for Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Paul J; Attinger, Christopher E; Oliver, Noah; Garwood, Caitlin; Evans, Karen K; Steinberg, John S; Lavery, Larry A

2015-11-01

Negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation is an adjunctive treatment that uses periodic instillation of a solution and negative pressure for a wide diversity of wounds. A variety of solutions have been reported, with topical antiseptics as the most frequently chosen option. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of normal saline versus an antiseptic solution for negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive treatment of infected wounds. This was a prospective, randomized, effectiveness study comparing 0.9% normal saline versus 0.1% polyhexanide plus 0.1% betaine for the adjunctive treatment of infected wounds that required hospital admission and operative débridement. One hundred twenty-three patients were eligible, with 100 patients randomized for the intention-to-treat analysis and 83 patients for the per-protocol analysis. The surrogate outcomes measured were number of operative visits, length of hospital stay, time to final surgical procedure, proportion of closed or covered wounds, and proportion of wounds that remained closed or covered at the 30-day follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic profiles in the two cohorts except for a larger proportion of male patients (p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant difference in the surrogate outcomes with the exception of the time to final surgical procedure favoring normal saline (p = 0.038). The authors' results suggest that 0.9% normal saline may be as effective as an antiseptic (0.1% polyhexanide plus 0.1% betaine) for negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive inpatient management of infected wounds. Therapeutic, II.

Soyamilk fermented with riboflavin-producing Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 2130 reverts and prevents ariboflavinosis in murine models.

Science.gov (United States)

Juarez Del Valle, M; Laiño, J E; de Moreno de LeBlanc, A; Savoy de Giori, G; LeBlanc, J G

2016-10-01

It has been previously shown that Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 2130 is able to produce riboflavin in soyamilk. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of this riboflavin-bio-enriched soyamilk to revert and/or prevent the nutritional deficiency of riboflavin using different animal models. When used to supplement the diets of previously depleted animals, it was shown that the growth, riboflavin status and morphology of the small intestines reverted to normal parameters and were similar to animals supplemented with commercial riboflavin. In the prevention model, the same tendency was observed, where animals that received soyamilk fermented with L. plantarum CRL 2130 did not show signs of riboflavin deficiency. This new bio-fortified soya-based product could be used as part of normal diets to provide a more natural alternative to mandatory fortification with riboflavin for the prevention of its deficiency.

27 CFR 40.426 - Closing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... TOBACCO Manufacture of Cigarette Papers and Tubes Operations by Manufacturers § 40.426 Closing. A closing report, covering the period from the first of the month to the date of the closing inventory, shall be made with such inventory. (72 Stat. 1422; 26 U.S.C. 5722) Inventories ...

Bicervical normal uterus with normal vagina | Okeke | Annals of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To the best of our knowledge, only few cases of bicervical normal uterus with normal vagina exist in the literature; one of the cases had an anterior‑posterior disposition. This form of uterine abnormality is not explicable by the existing classical theory of mullerian anomalies and suggests that a complex interplay of events ...

7 CFR 1927.56 - Scheduling loan closing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS TITLE CLEARANCE AND LOAN CLOSING Real Estate Title Clearance and Loan Closing § 1927.56 Scheduling loan closing. The agency, in coordination with the closing agent, will arrange a loan closing and send loan closing instructions, on an agency form to the closing agent when the agency determines that the...

The possibility of aromorphosis in further development of closed human life support systems using genetically modified organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Gitelson, Josef

Creation of closed systems that would be able to support human life outside the biosphere for extended periods of time (CES) was started after humans went into outer space. The last fifty years have seen the construction of experimental variants of the CES in Russia, USA, and Japan. The "MELISSA" project of the European Space Agency is being prepared to be launched. Much success has been achieved in closing material loops in the CES. An obstacle to constructing a fully closed ecosystem is significant imbalance in material exchange between the producing components and the decomposing ones in the CES. The spectrum of metabolites released by humans does not fully correspond to the requirements of the main producer of the CES -plants. However, this imbalance can be corrected by rather simple physicochemical processes that can be used in the CES without unclosing the system. The major disagreement that prevents further improvement of human life support systems (LSS) is that the spectrum of products of photosynthesis in the CES does not correspond to human food requirements qual-itatively, quantitatively, or in terms of diversity. In the normal, physiologically sound, human diet, this discrepancy is resolved by adding animal products. However, there are technical, technological, and hygienic obstacles to including animals in the closed human life support systems, and if higher animals are considered, there are also ethical arguments. If between the photoautotrophic link, plants, and the heterotrophic link, the human, there were one more heterotrophic link, farm animals, the energy requirements of the system would be increased by nearly an order of magnitude, decreasing its efficiency and making it heavier and bulkier. Is there another way to close loops in human life support systems? In biology, such "findings" of evolution, which open up new perspectives and offer ample opportunities for possible adapta-tions, are termed aromorphoses (Schmalhausen, 1948). In further

Recovery and biological oxidation of dissolved methane in effluent from UASB treatment of municipal sewage using a two-stage closed downflow hanging sponge system.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuura, Norihisa; Hatamoto, Masashi; Sumino, Haruhiko; Syutsubo, Kazuaki; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

2015-03-15

A two-stage closed downflow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor was used as a post-treatment to prevent methane being emitted from upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) effluents containing unrecovered dissolved methane. The performance of the closed DHS reactor was evaluated using real municipal sewage at ambient temperatures (10-28 °C) for one year. The first stage of the closed DHS reactor was intended to recover dissolved methane from the UASB effluent and produce a burnable gas with a methane concentration greater than 30%, and its recovery efficiency was 57-88%, although the amount of dissolved methane in the UASB effluent fluctuated in the range of 46-68 % of methane production greatly depending on the temperature. The residual methane was oxidized and the remaining organic carbon was removed in the second closed DHS reactor, and this reactor performed very well, removing more than 99% of the dissolved methane during the experimental period. The rate at which air was supplied to the DHS reactor was found to be one of the most important operating parameters. Microbial community analysis revealed that seasonal changes in the methane-oxidizing bacteria were key to preventing methane emissions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Different LiDAR Intensity Normalization Methods on Scotch Pine Forest Leaf Area Index Estimation

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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.

ALERT. Adverse late effects of cancer treatment. Vol. 2. Normal tissue specific sites and systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubin, Philip; Constine, Louis S. [Univ. Rochester Medical Center, NY (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Marks, Lawrence B. (ed.) [Univ. North Carolina and Lineberger, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

2014-09-01

Comprehensively documents potential late effects in all the normal tissue sites in the human body. Considers in detail the detection, diagnosis, management and prevention of effects and discusses prognostic outcomes. Clearly presents radiation risk factors and interactions with chemotherapy effects. Provides the most current evidence-based medicine for cancer care survivorship guidelines. The literature on the late effects of cancer treatment is widely scattered in different journals since all major organ systems are affected and management is based on a variety of medical and surgical treatments. The aim of ALERT - Adverse Late Effects of Cancer Treatment is to offer a coherent multidisciplinary approach to the care of cancer survivors. The central paradigm is that cytotoxic multimodal therapy results in a perpetual cascade of events that affects each major organ system differently and is expressed continually over time. Essentially, radiation and chemotherapy are intense biologic modifiers that allow for cancer cure and cancer survivorship but accelerate senescence of normal tissues and increase the incidence of age-related diseases and second malignant tumors. Volume 2 of this two-volume work comprehensively documents potential late effects in all the normal tissue anatomic sites in the human body. The detection, diagnosis, management and prevention of effects are all considered in detail, and prognostic outcomes are discussed. Radiation risk factors and interactions with chemotherapy effects are clearly presented. The text is accompanied by numerous supportive illustrations and tables.

Uncovering effective strategies for hearing loss prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Morata, Thais C.; Meinke, Deanna

2016-01-01

Occupational health agencies, researchers and policy makers have recognized the need for evidence on the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce or prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. While many workplaces comply with legal or obligatory requirements and implement recommended interventions, few publications exist documenting the effectiveness of these actions. Additionally, some workplaces have discovered through their own processes, novel ways to reduce the risk of injury. Peer-reviewed information on the effectiveness of the many strategies and approaches currently in use could help correct weaknesses, or further encourage their adoption and expansion. The evaluation of intervention effectiveness would certainly contribute to improved worker health and safety. This need is particularly relevant regarding noise exposure in the workplace and hearing loss prevention interventions. In a 2006 review of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Hearing Loss Research Program, the independent National Academies of Sciences recommended that NIOSH place greater emphasis on identifying the effectiveness of hearing loss prevention measures on the basis of outcomes that are as closely related as possible to reducing noise exposure and work related hearing loss (http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11721). NIOSH used two different approaches to address that recommendation: the first one was to conduct research, including broad systematic reviews on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss. The second was to create an award program, the Safe-In-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™, to identify and honor excellent real-world examples of noise control and other hearing loss prevention practices and innovations. PMID:27397968

Prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region: success or failure?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludmila Aleksandrovna Suplotova

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of regional programs for the prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region and explore the awareness and behaviors of different groups of the population in matters of iodine prophylaxis in the conditions absence of federal law on universal salt iodization. Materials and methods. The results are presented of the realization of regional programs for the prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region for the period 1994–2014 years. As part of the medical monitoring examined 18,906 prepubertal children 8–12 years with the use of a unified system of identification of iodine deficiency. The results of sociological research are presented, as part of a public health monitoring conducted by surveying students (n = 744 and their parents (n = 677 on a representative sample. Results. Iodine nutrition use was normalization through 3 years against the background of the realization regional program of iodine prophylaxis since 1997 in the Tyumen region, as evidenced by normalization of urinary iodine excretion in prepubertal children. The median urinary iodine in prepubertal children significantly increased from baseline 71.4 mg/l to 142 mg/l in 2009, and as a result decreased the frequency of goiter in children 8–10 years from 87% to 8%, which corresponds to mild endemic goiter region. It noted a lack of awareness of parents of iodine deficiency in the area of residence (54.8% informed their parents of schoolchildren; indicator is linked to gender, age (p < 0.01, education (p < 0.001, and where do you live respondents (p < 0.001. Knowledge of the existence and availability of prevention of iodine deficiency showed 75% of parents and 46.6% of students. Regular use of iodized salt in the home diet (“always used” and “often iodized salt than non-iodised” 57.4% of parents say. To identify various models of preventive behaviors of parents of schoolchildren in the prevention of iodine deficiency

President's Commission and the normal accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perrow, C.

1982-01-01

This chapter incorporates the major points of an analysis of the accident at Three Mile Island that I prepared in September 1979. In contrast to the findings of the President's Commission (1979), I did not view the accident as the result of operator error, an inept utility, or a negligent Nuclear Regulatory Commission but as a consequence of the complexity and interdependence that characterize the system itself. I argued that the accident was inevitable-that is, that it could not have been prevented, foreseen, or quickly terminated, because it was incomprehensible. It resembled other accidents in nuclear plants and in other high risk, complex and highly interdependent operator-machine systems; none of the accidents were caused by management or operator ineptness or by poor government regulation, though these characteristics existed and should have been expected. I maintained that the accident was normal, because in complex systems there are bound to be multiple faults that cannot be avoided by planning and that operators cannot immediately comprehend

[Prevention groups for school-age children of mentally ill parents ("Auryn Groups")].

Science.gov (United States)

Dierks, H

2001-09-01

Children of psychiatrically ill parents have a high risk themselves to develop a psychiatric illness in adulthood. Prevention aims at strengthening the resilience of these children and reducing psychosocial risk factors. This article found and describes a theoretical concept of prevention groups for children in schoolage (7-16 years) whose parents are psychiatrically ill. First practical experiences are depicted. The Hamburgian model of prevention works with closed and temporary limited groups of children as well as with the parents. It is based on supporting the children's existing coping strategies and the children are encouraged to exchange their individual experiences of the relationships within their families. One conclusion was, that the main thematic emphasis varied considerably depending on the age of the children.

Restaurants closed over Christmas

CERN Multimedia

2011-01-01

The restaurants will be closed during the Christmas holiday period : please note that all three CERN Restaurants will be closed from 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 21 December until Wednesday, 4 January inclusive. The Restaurants will reopen on Thursday, 5 January 2012.

Smooth quantile normalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Stephanie C; Okrah, Kwame; Paulson, Joseph N; Quackenbush, John; Irizarry, Rafael A; Bravo, Héctor Corrada

2018-04-01

Between-sample normalization is a critical step in genomic data analysis to remove systematic bias and unwanted technical variation in high-throughput data. Global normalization methods are based on the assumption that observed variability in global properties is due to technical reasons and are unrelated to the biology of interest. For example, some methods correct for differences in sequencing read counts by scaling features to have similar median values across samples, but these fail to reduce other forms of unwanted technical variation. Methods such as quantile normalization transform the statistical distributions across samples to be the same and assume global differences in the distribution are induced by only technical variation. However, it remains unclear how to proceed with normalization if these assumptions are violated, for example, if there are global differences in the statistical distributions between biological conditions or groups, and external information, such as negative or control features, is not available. Here, we introduce a generalization of quantile normalization, referred to as smooth quantile normalization (qsmooth), which is based on the assumption that the statistical distribution of each sample should be the same (or have the same distributional shape) within biological groups or conditions, but allowing that they may differ between groups. We illustrate the advantages of our method on several high-throughput datasets with global differences in distributions corresponding to different biological conditions. We also perform a Monte Carlo simulation study to illustrate the bias-variance tradeoff and root mean squared error of qsmooth compared to other global normalization methods. A software implementation is available from https://github.com/stephaniehicks/qsmooth.

Can Chronic Ankle Instability be Prevented? Rethinking Management of Lateral Ankle Sprains.

Science.gov (United States)

Denegar, Craig R.; Miller, Sayers J., III

2002-01-01

Investigates whether chronic ankle instability can be prevented, discussing: the relationship between mechanical and functional instability; normal ankle mechanics, sequelae to lateral ankle sprains, and abnormal ankle mechanics; and tissue healing, joint dysfunction, and acute lateral ankle sprain management. The paper describes a treatment model…

Quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) Spectrum Analysis of Patients with Schizoaffective Disorder Compared to Normal Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Moeini, Mahdi; Khaleghi, Ali; Amiri, Nasrin; Niknam, Zahra

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to achieve a better understanding of schizoaffective disorder. Therefore, we obtained electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from patients with schizoaffective disorder and analyzed them in comparison to normal subjects. Forty patients with schizoaffective disorder and 40 normal subjects were selected randomly and their electroencephalogram signals were recorded based on 10-20 international system by 23 electrodes in open- and closed-eyes while they were sitting on a chair comfortably. After preprocessing for noise removal and artifact reduction, we took 60- second segments from each recorded signals. Then, the absolute and relative powers of these segments were evaluated in all channels and in 4 frequency bands (i.e., delta, theta, alpha and beta waves). Finally, Data were analyzed by independent t-test using SPSS software. A significant decrease in relative power in the alpha band, a significant decrease in power spectra in the alpha band and a significant increase in power spectra in the beta band were found in patients compared to normal subjects (P schizoaffective patients, it can be concluded that schizoaffective disorder can be seen in schizophrenia spectrum.

Gen2 RFID-Based System Framework for Resource Circulation in Closed-Loop Supply Chains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-woo Kim

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Product recycling has become a mandatory activity under extended producer responsibility. Therefore, it is important to operate a closed-loop supply chain that integrates sourcing, production, delivery, and recycling to achieve not only environmental sustainability, but also economic benefits. However, this goal is affected by chronic problems caused by uncertainties relating to the return timing, quantity, and quality of returned items. Many studies proved that information visibility could solve these problems. In this context, a system framework for closed-loop supply chain management is proposed that gathers real-time information within a supply chain and product lifecycle by using the Internet-of-Things, including radio frequency identification (RFID. Specifically, the most recent Gen2 RFID protocol, which provides new features to create new positive effects, is considered. Additionally, an information system is designed, including RFID tag encoding, which supports the operation of the proposed system. Finally, the lifecycle benefits are examined, such as counterfeit prevention, real-time monitoring and maintenance in the middle-of-life phase, and reverse process streamlining. The ultimate aim is to design a system that facilitates the profitable and environmentally friendly operation of the closed-loop supply chain.

Radiation health consequences for astronauts: mechanisms, monitoring and prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Neyfakh, E.

During space flights crews are exposed chronically to uneven irradiation of enhanced bioefficiency following with significant elevation for chromosomal aberrations as minimum. To protect in space rationally monitoring and preventing of health radiogenic individual primary consequences for astronauts are of high importance. Majority of Chernobyl-touched population has some common etiologic radiogenic mechanisms and radioloads with astronauts ones during long-term missions and former is able to be used well as the close ground-level model. Primary radiogenic deviations. Two radiogenic pathologies as lipoperoxic ( LP ) stress with coupled deficits for essential bioantioxidants ( BAO ) were typical for chronic low-dose Chernobyl-touched contingents. When BAO expenditure had led to their subnormal levels, radiogenic free radical chain -b ranched LP processes occurred in vivo hyperbolically. Catabolites and their free radicals of the abnormal LP cascade are known to be toxic, mutagenic / carcinogenic and teratogenic factors as such, as they are for retinol and tocopherol deficiencies. Both coupled pathogenic factors interrelated synergistically. Simultaneous dysbalances for LP and / or BAO systems were evaluated as the cause and markers for metabolic disregulations. Human LP stress was proved to be the most radiosensible known marker to mo nitor least invasively of blood microsamples in a ground lab via the developed PC Program. But for capsule conditions the best approach is assumed to be LP monitoring via skin ultraweak green-blue chemiluminescence ( CL ) caused by recombination of peroxyl radicals. CL from surfaces of organs was embedded first ( E. Neyfakh, 1964 - 71 ) to reflect their internal LP velocities in vivo and it is the non-invasive on-line simple method of the highest sensitivity, supplying with data transmissible to the ground directly. Related deviations. a) Radiogenic hypermutagenesis: LP catabolites and their free radicals are responsible for direct DNA

Primary prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Schinke, S P; Blythe, B J; Gilchrist, L D; Burt, G A

1981-01-01

Teenage pregnancy is associated with many health, emotional and socioeconomic problems including higher rates of anemia, labor complications, mortality, legal and social struggles and hhigher divorce rates. Professional social workers need strategies to help teenagers avoid early, unwanted pregnancy. This paper offers promising experential and research backing for a primary prevention group work strategy for all adolescents. Social and health programs overlook educational, cognitive anc interpersonal factors biasing youths' ability to comprehend and regulate contraception. Primary prevention to assist adolescents in thinking analytically about their sexual behavior must stress problem solving and decision-making as well as facts about human reproduction and birth control. To implement decisions, youths also need interpersonal communication skills. Small groups are ideal for delivering cognitive-behavioral primary prevention. This approach is based on the premise that youths become pregnant not because of a lack of relevant information, but because they lack cognitive and behavioral skills necessary to use information. Group work involving role-playing helps develop communication skills. Results from 2 field studies describe short-term and longitudinal benefits of the prevention strategy. Professionals can reach significant numbers of youth in this way. By treating sexual issues and the risk of pregnancy as normal in adolescence, social workers can introduce information and pertinent skills to all teenagers. No one is singled out as deviant and the group format enables young people to discuss taboo topics, discovering what the norms are and gradually learning how to deal with peers, family members, techers and others. Adolescents in primary prevention groups gained knowledge, cognitive skills and communication acumen. Improved attitudes toward family planning, increased regular contraception and less unsafe sex resulted from this cognitive-behavioral approach

Removal of CO2 in closed loop off-gas treatment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemens, M.K.; Nelson, P.A.; Swift, W.M.

1994-01-01

A closed loop test system has been installed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to demonstrate off-gas treatment, absorption, and purification systems to be used for incineration and vitrification of hazardous and mixed waste. Closed loop systems can virtually eliminate the potential for release of hazardous or toxic materials to the atmosphere during both normal and upset conditions. In initial tests, a 250,000 Btu/h (75 kW thermal) combustor was operated in an open loop to produce a combustion product gas. The CO 2 in these tests was removed by reaction with a fluidized bed of time to produce CaCO 3 . Subsequently, recirculation system was installed to allow closed loop operation with the addition of oxygen to the recycle stream to support combustion. Commercially marketed technologies for removal of CO 2 can be adapted for use on closed loop incineration systems. The paper also describes the Absorbent Solution Treatment (AST) process, based on modifications to commercially demonstrated gas purification technologies. In this process, a side loop system is added to the main loop for removing CO 2 in scrubbing towers using aqueous-based CO 2 absorbents. The remaining gas is returned to the incinerator with oxygen addition. The absorbent is regenerated by driving off the CO 2 and water vapor, which are released to the atmosphere. Contaminants are either recycled for further treatment or form precipitates which are removed during the purification and regeneration process. There are no direct releases of gases or particulates to the environment. The CO 2 and water vapor go through two changes of state before release, effectively separating these combustion products from contaminants released during incineration. The AST process can accept a wide range of waste streams. The system may be retrofitted to existing Facilities or included in the designs for new installations

Minding the close relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, J H; Omarzu, J

1997-01-01

In this theoretical analysis, we argue that a process referred to as minding is essential for a couple to feel mutually close and satisfied in a close relationship over a long period Minding represents a package of mutual self-disclosure, other forms of goal-oriented behavior aimed at facilitating the relationship, and attributions about self's and other's motivations, intentions, and Mort in the relationship. Self-disclosure and attribution activities in minding are aimed at getting to know the other, trying to understand the other's motivations and deeper disposition as they pertain to the relationship, and showing respect and acceptance for knowledge gained about other. We link the concept of minding to other major ideas and literatures about how couples achieve closeness: self-disclosure and social penetration, intimacy, empathy and empathic accuracy, and love and self-expansion. We argue that the minding process articulated here has not previously been delineated and that it is a useful composite notion about essential steps in bonding among humans. We also argue that the minding concept stretches our understanding of the interface of attribution and close relationships. We present research possibilities and implications and consider possible alternative positions and counter arguments about the merits of the minding idea for close relationship satisfaction.

Normal foot and ankle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissman, S.D.

1989-01-01

The foot may be thought of as a bag of bones tied tightly together and functioning as a unit. The bones re expected to maintain their alignment without causing symptomatology to the patient. The author discusses a normal radiograph. The bones must have normal shape and normal alignment. The density of the soft tissues should be normal and there should be no fractures, tumors, or foreign bodies

Retrospective Cost Adaptive Control with Concurrent Closed-Loop Identification

Science.gov (United States)

Sobolic, Frantisek M.

Retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC) is a discrete-time direct adaptive control algorithm for stabilization, command following, and disturbance rejection. RCAC is known to work on systems given minimal modeling information which is the leading numerator coefficient and any nonminimum-phase (NMP) zeros of the plant transfer function. This information is normally needed a priori and is key in the development of the filter, also known as the target model, within the retrospective performance variable. A novel approach to alleviate the need for prior modeling of both the leading coefficient of the plant transfer function as well as any NMP zeros is developed. The extension to the RCAC algorithm is the use of concurrent optimization of both the target model and the controller coefficients. Concurrent optimization of the target model and controller coefficients is a quadratic optimization problem in the target model and controller coefficients separately. However, this optimization problem is not convex as a joint function of both variables, and therefore nonconvex optimization methods are needed. Finally, insights within RCAC that include intercalated injection between the controller numerator and the denominator, unveil the workings of RCAC fitting a specific closed-loop transfer function to the target model. We exploit this interpretation by investigating several closed-loop identification architectures in order to extract this information for use in the target model.

Cortical Thinning in Network-Associated Regions in Cognitively Normal and Below-Normal Range Schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Walter Heinrichs

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study assessed whether cortical thickness across the brain and regionally in terms of the default mode, salience, and central executive networks differentiates schizophrenia patients and healthy controls with normal range or below-normal range cognitive performance. Cognitive normality was defined using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB composite score (T=50 ± 10 and structural magnetic resonance imaging was used to generate cortical thickness data. Whole brain analysis revealed that cognitively normal range controls (n=39 had greater cortical thickness than both cognitively normal (n=17 and below-normal range (n=49 patients. Cognitively normal controls also demonstrated greater thickness than patients in regions associated with the default mode and salience, but not central executive networks. No differences on any thickness measure were found between cognitively normal range and below-normal range controls (n=24 or between cognitively normal and below-normal range patients. In addition, structural covariance between network regions was high and similar across subgroups. Positive and negative symptom severity did not correlate with thickness values. Cortical thinning across the brain and regionally in relation to the default and salience networks may index shared aspects of the psychotic psychopathology that defines schizophrenia with no relation to cognitive impairment.

Staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Patricia W; Dick, Andrew; Pogorzelska, Monika; Horan, Teresa C; Furuya, E Yoko; Larson, Elaine

2009-06-01

The nature of infection prevention and control is changing; however, little is known about current staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs. Our objectives were to provide a snapshot of the staffing and structure of hospital-based infection prevention and control programs in the United States. A Web-based survey was sent to 441 hospitals that participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network. The response rate was 66% (n = 289); data were examined on 821 professionals. Infection preventionist (IP) staffing was significantly negatively related to bed size, with higher staffing in smaller hospitals (P hospital epidemiologists were reported to have authority to close beds for outbreaks always or most of the time (n = 225, 78%). Only 32% (n = 92) reported using an electronic surveillance system to track infections. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive description of current infection prevention and control staffing, organization, and support in a select group of hospitals across the nation. Further research is needed to identify effective staffing levels for various hospital types as well as examine how the IP role is changing over time.

7 CFR 764.402 - Loan closing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... SPECIAL PROGRAMS DIRECT LOAN MAKING Loan Decision and Closing § 764.402 Loan closing. (a) Signature... information for the Agency to reconfirm approval and proceed with loan closing. (3) The Agency or closing... account will be used according to subpart B of part 761 of this chapter when these processes are not...

A novel closed system bubble column photobioreactor for detailed characterisation of micro and macroalgal growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holdt, Susan Løvstad; Christensen, L.; Iversen, J. J.L.

produced oxygen was catalytically removed from the closed system by addition of hydrogen over a palladium catalyst to avoid photorespiration and to quantify oxygen production. In addition, the bubble column photobioreactor was well suited for cultivation of algae due to fast gas to liquid mass transfer (k...... in the different batch cultures of both micro and macroalgae. The algal SGR is normally considered to be constant. The maximum SGRs found by on-line determination were 0.13 hr-1 for T. striata and 0.12 d-1 for C. crispus. During batch cultivation growth stoichiometry was determined and photosynthetic quotients......Growth of the marine microalgae Tetraselmis striata Butcher and macroalgae Chondrus crispus Stackhouse was investigated in batch cultures in a closed system bubble column photobioreactor. A laboratory cultivation system was constructed that allowed on-line monitoring of temperature, p...

Anxiety and beta-adrenergic receptor function in a normal population.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Eun-Ho; Yu, Bum-Hee

2005-06-01

Many studies have shown a close relationship between anxiety and beta-adrenergic receptor function in patients with anxiety disorders. This study examined the relationship between beta-adrenergic receptor function and anxiety levels in a normal population. Subjects for this study included 36 men and 44 women between the ages of 20 and 40 years whose Body Mass Index (BMI) was between 18 and 26. All of them were healthy subjects who had no previous history of medical or psychiatric illnesses. The authors measured the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Chronotropic 25 Dose (CD25) of isoproterenol, previously developed to assess in vivo beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity. We also examined correlations between log normalized CD25 and mood states. The mean of CD25 was 2.64+/-1.37 mug and the mean of CD25 in men was significantly higher (i.e., lower beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity) than that of women (3.26+/-1.35 vs. 2.14+/-1.17 microg; t = 3.99, p anxiety (r = -0.344, p = 0.002), trait anxiety (r = -0.331, p = 0.003), and BDI (r = -0.283, p = 0.011). CD25 was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.423, p anxiety, and BMI. The sensitivity of beta-adrenergic receptors increased as anxiety levels became higher in a normal population. Thus, the relationship between anxiety and beta-adrenergic receptor function in healthy subjects may be different from that of patients with anxiety disorders.

Impact of unbalanced charge transport on the efficiency of normal and inverted solar cells (Applied Physics Letters 100 (013306))

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kotlarski, J.D.; Blom, P.W.M.

2012-01-01

In a normal solar cell, most charge carriers are generated close to the anode, such that electrons have to travel a longer distance as compared to the holes. In an inverted solar cell, holes have to travel a longer distance. We use a combined optical and electronic model to simulate the effect of

Prevention and management of maternal obesity in pregnancy

OpenAIRE

E. Alexopoulou; N. Giannousi; I. K. Thanasas

2017-01-01

Nowadays obesity is one of the most important nutritional problems with features contemporary epidemic which concerns not only the developed but also the developing countries. Obesity during pregnancy associate with maternal and perinatal risks that make the management of obesity, before and during pregnancy imperative. The best and most effective treatment of obesity in pregnancy is prevention. A healthy diet and regular exercise of pregnant woman is crucial for the normal dev...

Optimization of superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor Josephson junctions for high critical-current density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golub, A.; Horovitz, B.

1994-01-01

The application of superconducting Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 wires or tapes to electronic devices requires the optimization of the transport properties in Ohmic contacts between the superconductor and the normal metal in the circuit. This paper presents results of tunneling theory in superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor (SNS) junctions, in both pure and dirty limits. We derive expressions for the critical-current density as a function of the normal-metal resistivity in the dirty limit or of the ratio of Fermi velocities and effective masses in the clean limit. In the latter case the critical current increases when the ratio γ of the Fermi velocity in the superconductor to that of the weak link becomes much less than 1 and it also has a local maximum if γ is close to 1. This local maximum is more pronounced if the ratio of effective masses is large. For temperatures well below the critical temperature of the superconductors the model with abrupt pair potential on the SN interfaces is considered and its applicability near the critical temperature is examined

Growth monitoring in children with low and normal birth weight up to two years: A retrospective cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Danaei

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study was conducted aimed to compare the growth indices in 2 years old children with a history of low birth weight with normal birth weight children.Methods: Current retrospective cohort study on all two-year children with low birth weight and three times the normal weight children covered by health centers of Kahnooj, was conducted in 2015. Cares at birth, 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 24 months of age were studied and, child growth indices (weight, height, head circumference, along with some demographic variables were studied. Information were entered SPSS version 20 and the analysis was performed.Results: There were significant differences in children's growth of both groups in all periods of care. Despite the same slope, growth pattern in children showed a significant difference. Young mother, girl sex of baby and preterm birth are predictor factors of low birth weight.Conclusion: Trends and growth patterns of weight, height and head circumference in underweight children have significant difference with normal children and, despite the same slope, these children can not compensate for the backwardness of its growth to the age of two. So you need to plot separate growth curves for these children and, possible preventive measures should be taken to prevent bearing underweight baby.

Magnetization transfer ratio relates to cognitive impairment in normal elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephan eSeiler

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Magnetization transfer imaging (MTI can detect microstructural brain tissue changes and may be helpful in determining age-related cerebral damage. We investigated the association between the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR in gray and white matter and cognitive functioning in 355 participants of the Austrian Stroke Prevention Family Study (ASPS-Fam aged 38 to 86 years. MTR maps were generated for the neocortex, deep gray matter structures, white matter hyperintensities, and normal appearing white matter. Adjusted mixed models determined whole brain and lobar cortical MTR to be directly and significantly related to performance on tests of memory, executive function and motor skills. There existed an almost linear dose-effect relationship. MTR of deep gray matter structures and normal appearing white matter correlated to executive functioning. All associations were independent of demographics, vascular risk factors, focal brain lesions and cortex volume.Further research is needed to understand the basis of this association at the tissue level, and to determine the role of MTR in predicting cognitive decline and dementia.

Mechanism of insulin resistance in normal pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodson, K; Man, C Dalla; Smith, F E; Thelwall, P E; Cobelli, C; Robson, S C; Taylor, R

2013-08-01

Normal pregnancy is associated with insulin resistance although the mechanism is not understood. Increased intramyocellular lipid is closely associated with the insulin resistance of type 2 diabetes and obesity, and the aim of this study was to determine whether this was so for the physiological insulin resistance of pregnancy. Eleven primiparous healthy pregnant women (age: 27-39 years, body mass index 24.0±3.1 kg/m2) and no personal or family history of diabetes underwent magnetic resonance studies to quantify intramyocellular lipid, plasma lipid fractions, and insulin sensitivity. The meal-related insulin sensitivity index was considerably lower in pregnancy (45.6±9.9 vs. 193.0±26.1; 10(-4) dl/kg/min per pmol/l, p=0.0002). Fasting plasma triglyceride levels were elevated 3-fold during pregnancy (2.3±0.2 vs. 0.8±0.1 mmol/l, pinsulin resistance is distinct from that underlying type 2 diabetes. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

visnormsc: A Graphical User Interface to Normalize Single-cell RNA Sequencing Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Lijun; Zhou, Nan

2017-12-26

Single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) allows the analysis of gene expression with high resolution. The intrinsic defects of this promising technology imports technical noise into the single-cell RNA-seq data, increasing the difficulty of accurate downstream inference. Normalization is a crucial step in single-cell RNA-seq data pre-processing. SCnorm is an accurate and efficient method that can be used for this purpose. An R implementation of this method is currently available. On one hand, the R package possesses many excellent features from R. On the other hand, R programming ability is required, which prevents the biologists who lack the skills from learning to use it quickly. To make this method more user-friendly, we developed a graphical user interface, visnormsc, for normalization of single-cell RNA-seq data. It is implemented in Python and is freely available at https://github.com/solo7773/visnormsc . Although visnormsc is based on the existing method, it contributes to this field by offering a user-friendly alternative. The out-of-the-box and cross-platform features make visnormsc easy to learn and to use. It is expected to serve biologists by simplifying single-cell RNA-seq normalization.

Unidentified Factors in Jojoba Meal Prevent Oviduct Development in Broiler Breeder Females.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermaut; Onagbesan; Bruggeman; Verhoeven; Berghman; Flo; Cokelaere; Decuypere

1998-01-19

Supplementation of feed with jojoba meal, as a means for autonomous feed restriction, was successful in depressing feed intake and controlling body weight of broiler breeder pullets to the extent recommended by the breeder company. However, these broiler breeders never produced eggs. At the level of ovary, normal follicle development and maturation did occur. A considerable number of ovulations occurred which were not followed by oviposition. After ovulation, the ova could not be captured by the oviduct, because of the small size of the oviduct, resulting in "internal laying". The virtual absence of oviduct development cannot be explained presently but it must be due to some yet unidentified factor(s) in jojoba meal which prevent(s) the normal development of the oviduct. These factors may be acting by abnormally increasing plasma progesterone or triiodothyronin levels and/or directly by themselves interfering with oviduct development. The nature of these factors requires further investigations.

Closed string field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strominger, A.

1987-01-01

A gauge invariant cubic action describing bosonic closed string field theory is constructed. The gauge symmetries include local spacetime diffeomorphisms. The conventional closed string spectrum and trilinear couplings are reproduced after spontaneous symmetry breaking. The action S is constructed from the usual ''open string'' field of ghost number minus one half. It is given by the associator of the string field product which is non-vanishing because of associativity anomalies. S does not describe open string propagation because open string states associate and can thereby be shifted away. A field theory of closed and open strings can be obtained by adding to S the cubic open string action. (orig.)

Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Current Canadian Efforts and Analysis of Gaps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nancy Poole

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Effective prevention of risky alcohol use in pregnancy involves much more than providing information about the risk of potential birth defects and developmental disabilities in children. To categorize the breadth of possible initiatives, Canadian experts have identified a four-part framework for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD prevention: Level 1, public awareness and broad health promotion; Level 2, conversations about alcohol with women of childbearing age and their partners; Level 3, specialized support for pregnant women; and Level 4, postpartum support for new mothers. In order to describe the level of services across Canada, 50 Canadian service providers, civil servants, and researchers working in the area of FASD prevention were involved in an online Delphi survey process to create a snapshot of current FASD prevention efforts, identify gaps, and provide ideas on how to close these gaps to improve FASD prevention. Promising Canadian practices and key areas for future action are described. Overall, Canadian FASD prevention programming reflects evidence-based practices; however, there are many opportunities to improve scope and availability of these initiatives.

Normal or abnormal? 'Normative uncertainty' in psychiatric practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassett, Andrew M; Baker, Charley

2015-06-01

The 'multicultural clinical interaction' presents itself as a dilemma for the mental health practitioner. Literature describes two problematic areas where this issues emerges--how to make an adequate distinction between religious rituals and the rituals that may be symptomatic of 'obsessive compulsive disorder' (OCD), and how to differentiate 'normative' religious or spiritual beliefs, behaviours, and experiences from 'psychotic' illnesses. When it comes to understanding service user's 'idioms of distress', beliefs about how culture influences behaviour can create considerable confusion and 'normative uncertainty' for mental health practitioners. In the absence of clear diagnostic and assessment criteria on distinguishing between 'culture' and 'psychopathology', practitioners have had to rely on their own intuition and seek out possible 'strategies' or 'procedures' from a contradictory and cross-disciplinary evidence base. Decontextualisation of service users' experiences may result in the pathologisation of culturally 'normative' phenomenon, 'category fallacy' errors, and poor health care experiences and outcomes for service users.This paper situates this dilemma within a wider debate that has concerned both the biomedical and social sciences, namely, the unresolved question of 'normality' or 'abnormality'. Indeed, issues that arise from dilemmas surrounding the question of 'culture' or 'psychopathology' are intimately tied to wider cultural ideas about what is considered 'normal'. The disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, and medical anthropology have struggled to establish workable criteria against which to judge behaviour as 'normal', 'abnormal', or 'pathological'. Three models for understanding mental 'abnormality' are evident in 'transcultural psychiatry' (what is now commonly known as 'cultural psychiatry'), and these models have corresponded closely to the interpretive models used by anthropologists attempting to make sense of the apparent diversity of

Chronic insulin treatment of diabetes does not fully normalize alterations in the retinal transcriptome

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Kimball Scot R

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR is a leading cause of blindness in working age adults. Approximately 95% of patients with Type 1 diabetes develop some degree of retinopathy within 25 years of diagnosis despite normalization of blood glucose by insulin therapy. The goal of this study was to identify molecular changes in the rodent retina induced by diabetes that are not normalized by insulin replacement and restoration of euglycemia. Methods The retina transcriptome (22,523 genes and transcript variants was examined after three months of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in male Sprague Dawley rats with and without insulin replacement for the later one and a half months of diabetes. Selected gene expression changes were confirmed by qPCR, and also examined in independent control and diabetic rats at a one month time-point. Results Transcriptomic alterations in response to diabetes (1376 probes were clustered according to insulin responsiveness. More than half (57% of diabetes-induced mRNA changes (789 probes observed at three months were fully normalized to control levels with insulin therapy, while 37% of probes (514 were only partially normalized. A small set of genes (5%, 65 probes was significantly dysregulated in the insulin-treated diabetic rats. qPCR confirmation of findings and examination of a one month time point allowed genes to be further categorized as prevented or rescued with insulin therapy. A subset of genes (Ccr5, Jak3, Litaf was confirmed at the level of protein expression, with protein levels recapitulating changes in mRNA expression. Conclusions These results provide the first genome-wide examination of the effects of insulin therapy on retinal gene expression changes with diabetes. While insulin clearly normalizes the majority of genes dysregulated in response to diabetes, a number of genes related to inflammatory processes, microvascular integrity, and neuronal function are still altered in expression in

Rectal compliance as a routine measurement: extreme volumes have direct clinical impact and normal volumes exclude rectum as a problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Felt-Bersma, R J; Sloots, C E; Poen, A C; Cuesta, M A; Meuwissen, S G

2000-12-01

The clinical impact of rectal compliance and sensitivity measurement is not clear. The aim of this study was to measure the rectal compliance in different patient groups compared with controls and to establish the clinical effect of rectal compliance. Anorectal function tests were performed in 974 consecutive patients (284 men). Normal values were obtained from 24 controls. Rectal compliance measurement was performed by filling a latex rectal balloon with water at a rate of 60 ml per minute. Volume and intraballoon pressure were measured. Volume and pressure at three sensitivity thresholds were recorded for analysis: first sensation, urge, and maximal toleration. At maximal toleration, the rectal compliance (volume/pressure) was calculated. Proctoscopy, anal manometry, anal mucosal sensitivity, and anal endosonography were also performed as part of our anorectal function tests. No effect of age or gender was observed in either controls or patients. Patients with fecal incontinence had a higher volume at first sensation and a higher pressure at maximal toleration (P = 0.03), the presence of a sphincter defect or low or normal anal pressures made no difference. Patients with constipation had a larger volume at first sensation and urge (P 500 ml had complaints of constipation. No correlation between rectal and anal mucosal sensitivity was found. Rectal compliance measurement with a latex balloon is easily feasible. In this series of 974 patients, some patient groups showed an abnormal rectal visceral sensitivity and compliance, but there was an overlap with controls. Rectal compliance measurement gave a good clinical impression about the contribution of the rectum to the anorectal problem. Patients with proctitis and pouchitis had the smallest rectal compliance. A maximal toleration volume 500 ml was only seen in constipated patients, and therapy should be given to prevent further damage to the pelvic floor. Values close to or within the normal range rule out the

Perbedaan Kadar HSP90 pada Preeklamsi Berat dengan Kehamilan Normal

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Soetrisno

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Severe pre-eclampsia is the second highest cause of maternal mortality. Free radicals that stimulate heat shock protein 90 (HSP 90 are believed to determine severe pre-eclampsia. HSP90 is an important protein that helps the establishment and maintenance of other proteins. It also increases the life time of cells after various pathological conditions (chaperone function. The chaperone function is the adaptation key factor to endogenous stress in tissues. By recognizing HSP90 level in early detection of severe pre-eclampsia, prevention and management can be started early. This study aimed to prove that the HSP90 level in pregnancy with severe pre-eclampsia is higher than normal pregnancy. This was a quantitative study using cross sectional approach by testing the HSP90 level. The study was conducted during the period of September to November 2013, at the Obstetrics and Gynecological Unit, Moewardi Hospital Surakarta and Prodia Laboratory Jakarta. The number of subjects was 30 patients, consisting of 15 normal pregnant mothers and 15 pregnant mothers with pre-eclampsia . The calculation of serum HSP90 level was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Data were analyzed using t-test using SPSS for Windows version 17 for Windows. The mean of HSP90 in the severe pre-eclampsia group was 131.91±26.66 while the mean in the normal pregnancy group was 80.28±13.39 with p=0.00 (p<0.05. Level of HSP90 serum in severe pre-eclampsia is higher than in normal pregnancy, due to the occurrence of oxidative stress in severe pre-eclampsia

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is not increased in normal-weight women with PCOS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pelanis, Rasa; Mellembakken, Jan Roar; Sundström-Poromaa, Inger

2017-01-01

of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) which is closely linked to obesity and possibly age, ethnicity and PCOS phenotype. Several guidelines recommend OGTT upon diagnosis of PCOS and during follow-up. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A Nordic cross-sectional study including 876 women. PARTICIPANTS....../MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The 876 Nordic women with PCOS, aged 14-57 years, were examined for T2D and prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance [IGT] or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) by OGTT. MAIN RESULT AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Of all study subjects 3% (23/876) had T2D, 23% (204/876) prediabetes and 74% (649....../876) had normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Increased BMI and waist circumference were significantly (P prediabetes and T2D. No normal-weight woman (BMI

DISCOVERY OF A BRIGHT, EXTREMELY LOW MASS WHITE DWARF IN A CLOSE DOUBLE DEGENERATE SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vennes, S.; Kawka, A.; Nemeth, P.; Thorstensen, J. R.; Skinner, J. N.; Pigulski, A.; Steslicki, M.; Kolaczkowski, Z.; Srodka, P.

2011-01-01

We report the discovery of a bright (V ∼ 13.7), extremely low mass white dwarf in a close double degenerate system. We originally selected GALEX J171708.5+675712 for spectroscopic follow-up among a group of white dwarf candidates in an ultraviolet-optical reduced proper-motion diagram. The new white dwarf has a mass of 0.18 M sun and is the primary component of a close double degenerate system (P = 0.246137 days, K 1 = 288 km s -1 ) comprising a fainter white dwarf secondary with M 2 ∼ 0.9 M sun . Light curves phased with the orbital ephemeris show evidence of relativistic beaming and weaker ellipsoidal variations. The light curves also reveal secondary eclipses (depth ∼8 mmag) while the primary eclipses appear partially compensated by the secondary gravitational deflection and are below detection limits. Photospheric abundance measurements show a nearly solar composition of Si, Ca, and Fe (0.1-1 sun), while the normal kinematics suggest a relatively recent formation history. Close binary evolutionary scenarios suggest that extremely low mass white dwarfs form via a common-envelope phase and possible Roche lobe overflow.

ISO 3171 production hydrocarbons allocation sampling for challenging ''tie-ins''with pressures close to RVP breakout

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiskoot, Mark

2005-07-01

There are an increasing number of applications where sampling is required for crude oils and condensates at close to vapour breakout in production environments. These are typified where the quality measurement must be extracted/made in the ''oil'' leg of a separator. The exertion of back pressure (pressure loss) on the liquid leg to expand the operating envelope is generally not acceptable due to the effect that this will have on the separator efficiency and this frequently precludes the use of normal metering technologies. These conditions represent some of the hardest for quality determination. In conventional separators, velocities are low to promote separation of the gas and liquids and the therefore the gas pressure within the liquid phase is close to breakout. Frequently there is an envelope of less than 0.5 bar below the operating pressure at which the fluid will start to cavitate. Concurrent with the low velocity is the expectation of some free water that would require mixing to ensure representativity. There are frequently also severe restrictions on space and the piping arrangement in which to achieve a representative off-take. The ''rules'' that are applied to representative sampling are equally applicable to the use of water monitors (water cut, OWD) and to densitometers. An integrated quality measurement system that prevents any impact on the process and also provides the required mixing to allow extraction of a representative off take that can be used for physical samplers as well as process instrumentation such as densitometers, viscometers and water cut monitors can be achieved by careful design. Jiskoot has adapted its CoJetix technology to meet these goals. (author) (tk)

Effect of Emotional Closeness in Mother-Child Relationship on the Child’s Relationships with Peers at Preschool Age

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Bulygina M.V.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents outcomes of an empirical study that aimed to explore the correlation between mother-child relationships and the child’s relationships with peers at preschool age. The hypothesis was that the character and degree of emotional closeness between the mother and the child affects the quality of the child’s interactions with peers. The study involved 166 subjects: 83 children aged 4—5 years from Moscow kindergartens and their mothers. As it was found, different types of emotional relationships between the mother and the child (distant, emotionally close, normal are associated with certain features of peer interactions. Interacting with peers was most problematic in the children whose mothers are emotionally distant from them. Those children who were in very close emotional relationships with their mothers had much more conflicts with peers as well. The mothers in this group were also less adequate and more permissive when evaluating their child’s proneness to conflict.

Acceptance of Addiction Prevention Exiting Methods and Presentation of Appropriate Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Asghar Savad-Kouhi

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study is assessment of acceptance of addiction prevention existing methods and design and present of appropriate model. Materials & Methods: This research has done by survey and desariptive method by using questionnaire we assessed knowledge and belief of people about suggesting and existing methods of addiction prevention and their acceptence and finally design new and appropriate model of addiction prevention. For designing questionnaire, first exports and professors were openly interviewed and according their views final questionnaire was planned. We used questionnaire with 2 open ended and 61 close-ended tests for gathering data. The subjects of research were 2500 persons 13-35 years old that were selected by randomized sampling from 15 provinces. Results: The findings showed that according to people who were studied, they have positive beliefs about prevention methods and their effectiveness. According to findings a good model is inclusive model that able to do in four level: knowledge, change believe and attitude, control and change behavior. Conclusion: The people of study belive that acceptance of suggesting and existing methods of addiction prevention are effective direct and indirect to others, and appropriate model is inclusive model.

Old and new oral anticoagulants for secondary stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

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Tommaso Sacquegna

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, used in oral anticoagulation therapy currently represent the standard drugs for the primary and secondary prevention of stroke in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF, with a relative risk reduction close to 70%. Newer oral anticoagulants, such as direct thrombin inhibitors (i.e., dabigatran and direct factor Xa inhibitors (i.e., apixaban and rivaroxaban have been recently compared with warfarin in large randomized trials for stroke prevention in AF. The new oral anticoagulants showed, compared with warfarin, no statistically significant difference in the rate of stroke or systemic embolism in secondary prevention (patients with previous transient ischemic attack or stroke subgroups. With regard to safety, the risk of intracranial bleeding was reduced with new anticoagulants compared with warfarin. Indirect treatment comparisons of clinical trials on secondary prevention cohorts showed no significant difference in efficacy among apixaban, rivaroxaban, and dabigatran; but dabigatran 110 mg was associated with less intracranial bleedings than rivaroxaban.

Moderating Effects of Prevention-Focus on the Paths from Two Insecure Attachment Dimensions to Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong-Gwi; Park, Jae Joon; Bae, Byeong Hoon; Lim, Hyun-Woo

2018-04-03

The present study investigated the moderating effects of prevention-focus on the paths from the dimensions of insecure attachment (attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety) to depression. Two hundred twenty eight Korean college students completed the Experience in Close Relationship - Revised Scale; the Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale; and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results revealed a significant moderating effect for prevention-focus on the path from attachment avoidance to depression, but not on the path from attachment anxiety to depression. They further suggest that different interventions are needed for different combinations of persons' insecure attachment dimensions and levels of prevention-focus. Counseling implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Guidelines for safety related telecommunications systems on normally unattended fixed offshore installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-01

Guidance is given on the design of telecommunications systems required for safety purposes on normally unattended offshore installations associated with oil and gas production on the United Kingdom continental shelf. The guidelines are mainly concerned with ensuring that: while the installation is unattended, its operation can be remotely monitored and controlled effectively to prevent the escalation of any abnormal situation; the installation can be safely approached when it is necessary to transfer personnel on board; persons on board, for example for inspection or maintenance activities, are safe. (UK)

Social impact bonds and their application to preventive health.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, John L

2013-05-01

Although preventive health in Australia has been acknowledged as central to national health and wellbeing, efforts to reform the delivery of preventive health have to date produced limited results. The financing of preventive health at a national level is based on outcome- or performance-based funding mechanisms; however, delivery of interventions and activities at a state level have not been subjected to outcome-based funding processes. A new financing tool being applied in the area of social services (social impact bonds) has emerged as a possible model for application in the prevention arena. This paper explores key issues in the consideration of this funding model in the prevention arena. When preventive health is conceptualised as a merit good, the role of government is clarified and outcome measures fully articulated, social impact bonds may be a viable funding option to supplement core public health activities. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? The complexities of outcome monitoring in preventive health are well understood.Likewise, the problem of linking funding to outcomes from preventive health practice has also been debated at length in health policy. However, not much is known about the application of social impact bonds into the preventive health arena.WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper discusses the limitations and opportunities facing the application of the social impact bond financing model in the preventive health arena. This has not been undertaken previously.WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? Social impact bonds have received significant recent attention from federal and state government treasury departments as potential financing tools for government. Health policy practitioners are watching this space very closely to see the outcomes of a New South Wales trial. Health promotion practitioners and primary care practitioners who deliver preventive services will need to keep abreast of this issue as it will have significant impact on their

Unraveling the microenvironmental influences on the normal mammary gland and induction and progression of breast cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weigelt, Britta; Bissell, Mina J.

2008-06-26

The normal mammary gland and invasive breast cancer are both complex 'organs' composed of multiple cell types as well as extracellular matrix (ECM) in three-dimensional (3D) space. Conventionally, both normal and malignant breast cells are studied in vitro as two-dimensional (2D) monolayers of epithelial cells, which results in the loss of structure and tissue function. Many laboratories are now investigating regulation of signaling function in normal mammary gland using 3D cultures. However, it is important also to assay malignant breast cells ex vivo in a physiologically relevant environment to more closely mimic tumor architecture, signal transduction regulation and tumor behavior in vivo. Here we present the potential of these 3D models for drug testing, target validation and guidance of patient selection for clinical trials. We argue also that in order to get full insight into the biology of the normal and malignant breast, and to create in vivo-like models for therapeutic approaches in humans, we need to continue to create more complex heterotypic models to approach the full context the cells encounter in the human body.

Detecting Horizontal Gene Transfer between Closely Related Taxa.

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Orit Adato

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Horizontal gene transfer (HGT, the transfer of genetic material between organisms, is crucial for genetic innovation and the evolution of genome architecture. Existing HGT detection algorithms rely on a strong phylogenetic signal distinguishing the transferred sequence from ancestral (vertically derived genes in its recipient genome. Detecting HGT between closely related species or strains is challenging, as the phylogenetic signal is usually weak and the nucleotide composition is normally nearly identical. Nevertheless, there is a great importance in detecting HGT between congeneric species or strains, especially in clinical microbiology, where understanding the emergence of new virulent and drug-resistant strains is crucial, and often time-sensitive. We developed a novel, self-contained technique named Near HGT, based on the synteny index, to measure the divergence of a gene from its native genomic environment and used it to identify candidate HGT events between closely related strains. The method confirms candidate transferred genes based on the constant relative mutability (CRM. Using CRM, the algorithm assigns a confidence score based on "unusual" sequence divergence. A gene exhibiting exceptional deviations according to both synteny and mutability criteria, is considered a validated HGT product. We first employed the technique to a set of three E. coli strains and detected several highly probable horizontally acquired genes. We then compared the method to existing HGT detection tools using a larger strain data set. When combined with additional approaches our new algorithm provides richer picture and brings us closer to the goal of detecting all newly acquired genes in a particular strain.

High and Low LET Radiation Differentially Induce Normal Tissue Damage Signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemantsverdriet, Maarten; Goethem, Marc-Jan van; Bron, Reinier; Hogewerf, Wytse; Brandenburg, Sytze; Langendijk, Johannes A.; Luijk, Peter van; Coppes, Robert P.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Radiotherapy using high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation is aimed at efficiently killing tumor cells while minimizing dose (biological effective) to normal tissues to prevent toxicity. It is well established that high LET radiation results in lower cell survival per absorbed dose than low LET radiation. However, whether various mechanisms involved in the development of normal tissue damage may be regulated differentially is not known. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate whether two actions related to normal tissue toxicity, p53-induced apoptosis and expression of the profibrotic gene PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1), are differentially induced by high and low LET radiation. Methods and Materials: Cells were irradiated with high LET carbon ions or low LET photons. Cell survival assays were performed, profibrotic PAI-1 expression was monitored by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and apoptosis was assayed by annexin V staining. Activation of p53 by phosphorylation at serine 315 and serine 37 was monitored by Western blotting. Transfections of plasmids expressing p53 mutated at serines 315 and 37 were used to test the requirement of these residues for apoptosis and expression of PAI-1. Results: As expected, cell survival was lower and induction of apoptosis was higher in high -LET irradiated cells. Interestingly, induction of the profibrotic PAI-1 gene was similar with high and low LET radiation. In agreement with this finding, phosphorylation of p53 at serine 315 involved in PAI-1 expression was similar with high and low LET radiation, whereas phosphorylation of p53 at serine 37, involved in apoptosis induction, was much higher after high LET irradiation. Conclusions: Our results indicate that diverse mechanisms involved in the development of normal tissue damage may be differentially affected by high and low LET radiation. This may have consequences for the development and manifestation of normal tissue damage.

Trigeminal neuralgia: how often are trigeminal nerve-vessel contacts found by MRI in normal volunteers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, B.; Schindler, M.; Haehnel, S.; Sartor, K.; Rasche, D.; Tronnier, V.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To assess prospectively how often contacts are found between the trigeminal nerve and arteries or veins in the perimesencephalic cistern via MRI in normal volunteers. Materials and methods: 48 volunteers without a history of trigeminal neuralgia were examined prospectively (MRI at 1.5T; T2-CISS sequence, coronal orientation, 0.9 mm slice thickness). Two radiologists decided by consensus whether there was a nerve-vessel contact in the perimesencephalic cistern. Results: In 27% of the volunteers, no contact was found between the trigeminal nerve and regional vessels, while in 73%, such a contact was present. In 61% of the cases, the offending vessel was an artery, in 39%, it was a vein. In 2 volunteers, a deformation of the nerve was noted. Conclusion: Contrary to what has been suggested by retrospective studies, the majority of normal volunteers, if studied prospectively, do show a contact between the trigeminal nerve and local vessels. A close proximity between the nerve and regional vessels is thus normal and is not necessarily proof of a pathological nerve-vessel conflict. (orig.)

5kW phase-shifted full-bridge converter with current doubler using normally-off SiC JFETs designed for 98% efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Török, Lajos; Beczkowski, Szymon; Munk-Nielsen, Stig

2013-01-01

In this paper a 5kW step-down converter for low-voltage high-current application is presented using normally-off SiC JFETs as high voltage power switches, operating with efficiency close to 98%. Different low voltage side rectification solutions and loss estimations are also presented. As results...

The relationships between OHS prevention costs, safety performance, employee satisfaction and accident costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayram, Metin; Ünğan, Mustafa C; Ardıç, Kadir

2017-06-01

Little is known about the costs of safety. A literature review conducted for this study indicates there is a lack of survey-based research dealing with the effects of occupational health and safety (OHS) prevention costs. To close this gap in the literature, this study investigates the interwoven relationships between OHS prevention costs, employee satisfaction, OHS performance and accident costs. Data were collected from 159 OHS management system 18001-certified firms operating in Turkey and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that OHS prevention costs have a significant positive effect on safety performance, employee satisfaction and accident costs savings; employee satisfaction has a significant positive effect on accident costs savings; and occupational safety performance has a significant positive effect on employee satisfaction and accident costs savings. Also, the results indicate that safety performance and employee satisfaction leverage the relationship between prevention costs and accident costs.

ON NANO Λg-CLOSED SETS

OpenAIRE

Rajasekaran, Ilangovan; Nethaji, Ochanan

2017-01-01

Abstaract−In this paper, we introduce nano ∧g-closed sets in nano topological spaces. Some properties of nano ∧g-closed sets and nano ∧g-open sets are weaker forms of nano closed sets and nano open sets

Prevention of biliary complication in radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma-Cooling effect by endoscopic nasobiliary drainage tube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogawa, Tsuneyoshi [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558 (Japan); Kawamoto, Hirofumi [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558 (Japan)], E-mail: h-kawamo@md.okayama-u.ac.jp; Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki; Nakamura, Shinichiro; Miyatake, Hirokazu; Harada, Ryo; Tsutsumi, Koichiro; Fujii, Masakuni; Kurihara, Naoko; Kato, Hironari; Hirao, Ken; Mizuno, Osamu; Ishida, Etsuji; Okada, Hiroyuki; Yamamoto, Kazuhide [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558 (Japan)

2010-02-15

Background and study aims: Biliary stricture after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) close to major bile ducts sometimes causes septic complications and liver failure. Therefore, it may require interventional drainage for decompression during the follow-up period. The purpose of this study is to clarify the feasibility and safety of bile duct cooling using an endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) tube in RFA for HCC close to major bile ducts. Patients and methods: Between August 2003 and July 2007, 14 consecutive patients (14 nodules) undergoing RFA with cooling by an ENBD tube for HCCs close to major bile ducts were enrolled in this study. We infused chilled saline solution via the ENBD tube at 1 ml/s to prevent heat damage during RFA. As controls, 11 patients (13 nodules) undergoing RFA without cooling close to major bile ducts between April 2001 and August 2003 were reviewed. The major outcomes for evaluation were biliary complications and the secondary outcome was local tumor recurrence. Results: There were no significant differences in tumor recurrence between the two groups. However, the rate of biliary complications was significantly lower in the cooling group than in the non-cooling group (0% vs. 39%, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Cooling of bile ducts via an ENBD tube can prevent biliary complications induced by RFA of HCC close to major bile ducts without increasing local recurrence. This technique increases indication of RFA in difficult cases.

The quotient of normal random variables and application to asset price fat tails

Science.gov (United States)

Caginalp, Carey; Caginalp, Gunduz

2018-06-01

The quotient of random variables with normal distributions is examined and proven to have power law decay, with density f(x) ≃f0x-2, with the coefficient depending on the means and variances of the numerator and denominator and their correlation. We also obtain the conditional probability densities for each of the four quadrants given by the signs of the numerator and denominator for arbitrary correlation ρ ∈ [ - 1 , 1) . For ρ = - 1 we obtain a particularly simple closed form solution for all x ∈ R. The results are applied to a basic issue in economics and finance, namely the density of relative price changes. Classical finance stipulates a normal distribution of relative price changes, though empirical studies suggest a power law at the tail end. By considering the supply and demand in a basic price change model, we prove that the relative price change has density that decays with an x-2 power law. Various parameter limits are established.

Device for preventing coolant in a reactor from being lost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Hiromi; Matsumoto, Tomoyuki.

1975-01-01

Object: To prevent all of coolant from being lost from the core at the time of failure in rupture of pipe in a recirculation system to cool the core with the coolant remained within the reactor. Structure: A valve, which will be closed when a water level of the coolant within the core is in a level less than a predetermined level, is provided on a recirculating water outlet nozzle in a pressure vessel to thereby prevent the coolant from being lost when the pipe is broken, thus cooling the core by means of reduced-pressure boiling of coolant remained within the core and boiling due to heat, and restraining core reactivity by means of void produced at that time. (Kamimura, M.)

National programme for prevention of burn injuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta J

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The estimated annual burn incidence in India is approximately 6-7 million per year. The high incidence is attributed to illiteracy, poverty and low level safety consciousness in the population. The situation becomes further grim due to the absence of organized burn care at primary and secondary health care level. But the silver lining is that 90% of burn injuries are preventable. An initiative at national level is need of the hour to reduce incidence so as to galvanize the available resources for more effective and standardized treatment delivery. The National Programme for Prevention of Burn Injuries is the endeavor in this line. The goal of National programme for prevention of burn injuries (NPPBI would be to ensure prevention and capacity building of infrastructure and manpower at all levels of health care delivery system in order to reduce incidence, provide timely and adequate treatment to burn patients to reduce mortality, complications and provide effective rehabilitation to the survivors. Another objective of the programme will be to establish a central burn registry. The programme will be launched in the current Five Year Plan in Medical colleges and their adjoining district hospitals in few states. Subsequently, in the next five year plan it will be rolled out in all the medical colleges and districts hospitals of the country so that burn care is provided as close to the site of accident as possible and patients need not to travel to big cities for burn care. The programme would essentially have three components i.e. Preventive programme, Burn injury management programme and Burn injury rehabilitation programme.

B vitamins in stroke prevention: time to reconsider.

Science.gov (United States)

Spence, J David; Yi, Qilong; Hankey, Graeme J

2017-09-01

B vitamin therapy lowers plasma total homocysteine concentrations, and might be a beneficial intervention for stroke prevention; however, cyanocobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) can accelerate decline in renal function and increase the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with impaired renal function. Although early trials did not show benefit in reduction of stroke, these results might have been due to harm in participants with impaired renal function. In patients with diabetic nephropathy, cyanocobalamin is harmful, whereas B vitamins appear to reduce cardiovascular events in study participants with normal renal function. Our meta-analysis of individual patient data from two large trials of B vitamin therapy (VISP and VITATOPS) indicates that patients with impaired renal function who are exposed to high-dose cyanocobalamin do not benefit from therapy with B vitamins for the prevention of stroke (risk ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·84-1·27), however, patients with normal renal function who are not exposed to high-dose cyanocobalamin benefit significantly from this treatment (0.78, 0·67-0·90; interaction p=0·03). The potential benefits of B vitamin therapy with folic acid and methylcobalamin or hydroxycobalamin, instead of cyanocobalamin, to lower homocysteine concentrations in people at high risk of stroke warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the antioxidant property of bioflavonoid quercetin in preventing DNA glycation: A calorimetric and spectroscopic study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, Bidisa; Uematsu, Takashi; Jacobsson, Per; Swenson, Jan

2006-01-01

Reducing sugars for example glucose, fructose, etc., and their phosphate derivatives non-enzymatically glycate biological macromolecules (e.g., proteins, DNA and lipids) and is related to the production of free radicals. Here we present a novel study, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) along with UV/Vis absorption and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), on normal and glycated human placenta DNA and have explored the antioxidant property of the naturally occurring polyhydroxy flavone quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) in preventing the glycation. The decrease in the absorption intensity of DNA in presence of sugars clearly indicates the existence of sugar molecules between the two bases of a base pair in the duplex DNA molecule. Variations were perceptible in the PCS relaxation profiles of normal and glycated DNA. The melting temperature of placenta DNA was decreased when glycated suggesting a decrease in the structural stability of the double-stranded glycated DNA. Our DSC and PCS data showed, for the first time, that the dramatic changes in the structural properties of glycated DNA can be prevented to a significant extent by adding quercetin. This study provides valuable insights regarding the structure, function, and dynamics of normal and glycated DNA molecules, underlying the manifestation of free radical mediated diseases, and their prevention using therapeutically active naturally occurring flavonoid quercetin

Decentralized Sliding Mode Observer Based Dual Closed-Loop Fault Tolerant Control for Reconfigurable Manipulator against Actuator Failure

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Zhao, Bo; Li, Yuanchun

2015-01-01

This paper considers a decentralized fault tolerant control (DFTC) scheme for reconfigurable manipulators. With the appearance of norm-bounded failure, a dual closed-loop trajectory tracking control algorithm is proposed on the basis of the Lyapunov stability theory. Characterized by the modularization property, the actuator failure is estimated by the proposed decentralized sliding mode observer (DSMO). Moreover, the actuator failure can be treated in view of the local joint information, so its control performance degradation is independent of other normal joints. In addition, the presented DFTC scheme is significantly simplified in terms of the structure of the controller due to its dual closed-loop architecture, and its feasibility is highly reflected in the control of reconfigurable manipulators. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed DFTC scheme is demonstrated using simulations. PMID:26181826

Decentralized Sliding Mode Observer Based Dual Closed-Loop Fault Tolerant Control for Reconfigurable Manipulator against Actuator Failure.

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Bo Zhao

Full Text Available This paper considers a decentralized fault tolerant control (DFTC scheme for reconfigurable manipulators. With the appearance of norm-bounded failure, a dual closed-loop trajectory tracking control algorithm is proposed on the basis of the Lyapunov stability theory. Characterized by the modularization property, the actuator failure is estimated by the proposed decentralized sliding mode observer (DSMO. Moreover, the actuator failure can be treated in view of the local joint information, so its control performance degradation is independent of other normal joints. In addition, the presented DFTC scheme is significantly simplified in terms of the structure of the controller due to its dual closed-loop architecture, and its feasibility is highly reflected in the control of reconfigurable manipulators. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed DFTC scheme is demonstrated using simulations.

Creep behaviour and creep mechanisms of normal and healing ligaments

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Thornton, Gail Marilyn

Patients with knee ligament injuries often undergo ligament reconstructions to restore joint stability and, potentially, abate osteoarthritis. Careful literature review suggests that in 10% to 40% of these patients the graft tissue "stretches out". Some graft elongation is likely due to creep (increased elongation of tissue under repeated or sustained load). Quantifying creep behaviour and identifying creep mechanisms in both normal and healing ligaments is important for finding clinically relevant means to prevent creep. Ligament creep was accurately predicted using a novel yet simple structural model that incorporated both collagen fibre recruitment and fibre creep. Using the inverse stress relaxation function to model fibre creep in conjunction with fibre recruitment produced a superior prediction of ligament creep than that obtained from the inverse stress relaxation function alone. This implied mechanistic role of fibre recruitment during creep was supported using a new approach to quantify crimp patterns at stresses in the toe region (increasing stiffness) and linear region (constant stiffness) of the stress-strain curve. Ligament creep was relatively insensitive to increases in stress in the toe region; however, creep strain increased significantly when tested at the linear region stress. Concomitantly, fibre recruitment was evident at the toe region stresses; however, recruitment was limited at the linear region stress. Elevating the water content of normal ligament using phosphate buffered saline increased the creep response. Therefore, both water content and fibre recruitment are important mechanistic factors involved in creep of normal ligaments. Ligament scars had inferior creep behaviour compared to normal ligaments even after 14 weeks. In addition to inferior collagen properties affecting fibre recruitment and increased water content, increased glycosaminoglycan content and flaws in scar tissue were implicated as potential mechanisms of scar creep

Albumin infusion after reperfusion prevents gut ischemia-reperfusion-induced gut-associated lymphoid tissue atrophy.

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Ikezawa, Fumie; Fukatsu, Kazuhiko; Moriya, Tomoyuki; Maeshima, Yoshinori; Okamoto, Koichi; Hara, Etsuko; Hiraide, Hoshio; Compher, Charlene W

2006-01-01

Our recent study clarified that gut ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) causes gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) mass atrophy, a possible mechanism for increased morbidity of infectious complications after severe surgical insults. Because albumin administration reportedly reduces hemorrhagic shock-induced lung injury, we hypothesized that albumin treatment prevents GALT atrophy due to gut I/R. Male mice (n = 37) were randomized to albumin, normal saline, and sham groups. All groups underwent jugular vein catheter insertion. The albumin and normal saline groups underwent 75-minute occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. During gut ischemia, all mice received normal saline infusions at 1.0 mL/h. The albumin group was given 5% bovine serum albumin in normal saline at 1.0 mL/h for 60 minutes after reperfusion, whereas the normal saline group received 0.9% sodium chloride at 1.0 mL/h. The sham group underwent laparotomy only. Mice were killed on day 1 or 7, and the entire small intestine was harvested. GALT lymphocytes were isolated and counted. Their phenotypes (alphabetaTCR, gammadeltaTCR, CD4, CD8, B220) were determined by flow cytometry. On day 1, the gut I/R groups showed significantly lower total lymphocyte and B cell numbers in Peyer's patches and the lamina propria than the sham group. However, the albumin infusion partially but significantly restored these cell numbers. On day 7, there were no significant differences in any of the parameters measured among the 3 groups. Albumin infusion after a gut ischemic insult may maintain gut immunity by preventing GALT atrophy.

Outbreaks of Invasive Kingella kingae Infections in Closed Communities.

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Yagupsky, Pablo; Ben-Ami, Yael; Trefler, Ronit; Porat, Nurith

2016-02-01

To describe the results of the epidemiologic investigation of outbreaks of invasive Kingella kingae infections among attendees at daycare facilities located in 4 closed communities in Israel. The preschool-aged population of communities with clusters of Kingella cases had oropharyngeal cultures performed. K kingae isolates from infected patients and healthy contacts were genotyped by pulsed field gel electrophoresis to determine the spread of outbreak strains. The affected closed communities (3 military bases and 1 "kibbutz" commune) were characterized by tight social and family networks and intensive mingling. The outbreaks affected 9 of 51 attendees (attack rate: 17.6%) age 8-19 months (median: 12 months), within a 21-day period. Cases included skeletal system infections (n = 8) and bacteremia (n = 1); K kingae isolates were confirmed by the use of blood culture vials and selective media. Clinical presentation was mild and acute-phase reactants were usually normal or only moderately elevated. Thirty out of 55 (54.5%) asymptomatic children carried the outbreak strains. Analysis of the 3 clusters in which the entire preschool-aged population was cultured revealed that 31 of 71 (43.7%) children younger than 24 months of age were colonized with K kingae organisms compared with 8 of 105 (7.6%) older children (P presentation of invasive K kingae infections and the fastidious nature of the organism, a high index of suspicion and use of sensitive detection methods are recommended. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel mean-centering method for normalizing microRNA expression from high-throughput RT-qPCR data

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Wylie Dennis

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Normalization is critical for accurate gene expression analysis. A significant challenge in the quantitation of gene expression from biofluids samples is the inability to quantify RNA concentration prior to analysis, underscoring the need for robust normalization tools for this sample type. In this investigation, we evaluated various methods of normalization to determine the optimal approach for quantifying microRNA (miRNA expression from biofluids and tissue samples when using the TaqMan® Megaplex™ high-throughput RT-qPCR platform with low RNA inputs. Findings We compared seven normalization methods in the analysis of variation of miRNA expression from biofluid and tissue samples. We developed a novel variant of the common mean-centering normalization strategy, herein referred to as mean-centering restricted (MCR normalization, which is adapted to the TaqMan Megaplex RT-qPCR platform, but is likely applicable to other high-throughput RT-qPCR-based platforms. Our results indicate that MCR normalization performs comparable to or better than both standard mean-centering and other normalization methods. We also propose an extension of this method to be used when migrating biomarker signatures from Megaplex to singleplex RT-qPCR platforms, based on the identification of a small number of normalizer miRNAs that closely track the mean of expressed miRNAs. Conclusions We developed the MCR method for normalizing miRNA expression from biofluids samples when using the TaqMan Megaplex RT-qPCR platform. Our results suggest that normalization based on the mean of all fully observed (fully detected miRNAs minimizes technical variance in normalized expression values, and that a small number of normalizer miRNAs can be selected when migrating from Megaplex to singleplex assays. In our study, we find that normalization methods that focus on a restricted set of miRNAs tend to perform better than methods that focus on all miRNAs, including

Preventing urinary incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum: a review.

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Wesnes, Stian Langeland; Lose, Gunnar

2013-06-01

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition in association with pregnancy. Incident UI in pregnancy or postpartum are significant risk factors for UI later in life. Epidemiological studies on UI during pregnancy and postpartum list numerous variables associated with UI. For women, the main focus is on pelvic floor muscle training to prevent UI. However, several other modifiable risk factors are likely to contribute to prevention of UI during pregnancy and postpartum. This review investigated modifiable risk factors for UI during pregnancy and postpartum and also reviewed randomized controlled trials on prevention of UI in association with pregnancy. Systematic searches for publications until September 2012 on prevention of UI during pregnancy and postpartum were performed. Based on available evidence, the following recommendations to prevent UI during pregnancy and postpartum were made: women should be advised not to smoke before or during pregnancy (grade B), aim at normal weight before pregnancy (grade B), and aim at regaining prepregnancy weight postpartum (grade B). Occasional low-intensity training should be advocated (grade B), and constipation should be avoided during pregnancy (grade B) and postpartum (grade C). Women should be advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and postpartum (grade A) and to use perineal warm packs during delivery (grade B). Cesarean section to prevent UI cannot be recommended (grade D). If lifestyle recommendations are addressed in association with pregnancy, incidence of UI during pregnancy and postpartum is likely to decrease.

Visual Memories Bypass Normalization.

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Bloem, Ilona M; Watanabe, Yurika L; Kibbe, Melissa M; Ling, Sam

2018-05-01

How distinct are visual memory representations from visual perception? Although evidence suggests that briefly remembered stimuli are represented within early visual cortices, the degree to which these memory traces resemble true visual representations remains something of a mystery. Here, we tested whether both visual memory and perception succumb to a seemingly ubiquitous neural computation: normalization. Observers were asked to remember the contrast of visual stimuli, which were pitted against each other to promote normalization either in perception or in visual memory. Our results revealed robust normalization between visual representations in perception, yet no signature of normalization occurring between working memory stores-neither between representations in memory nor between memory representations and visual inputs. These results provide unique insight into the nature of visual memory representations, illustrating that visual memory representations follow a different set of computational rules, bypassing normalization, a canonical visual computation.

[AIDS prevention in Germany].

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Pott, E

2007-04-01

In 1987 the national AIDS prevention campaign "Gib AIDS keine Chance" (Don't give AIDS a chance) was started in Germany. After a very difficult and controversial political debate about a probably successful response to AIDS, in the end a political decision was made in favour of the implementation of a long term "social learning strategy". Thus, since then the Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA) has been running the campaign on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health. The result of this prevention program is a low rate of infections. In Germany there were 2600 newly diagnosed infections in 2005: 59 % in homosexual men, 16 % by heterosexual contacts, 17 % in people from high prevalence countries and 7 % in i.v. drug users. In comparison to the international situation Germany has a relatively low HIV-prevalence even nowadays. However, Germany has also been confronted with an increasing number of newly diagnosed infections in the last few years. When the prevention program was started it was very important to build new structures for a successful implementation of the campaign. That meant for instance to build up an effective infrastructure for cooperation between the governmental and the nongovernmental sector, including organising the coordinated action among the partners at the federal, regional and local levels. Likewise, international networking was of great importance. A key element, relevant for the success of the campaign was the close cooperation at the federal level between the BZgA and the Deutsche AIDS Hilfe (German AIDS Help, DAH), to combine the highreach intervention in low-prevalence populations with intensive interventions for high prevalence groups. An effective national AIDS prevention campaign must reach the whole population; inform the public about the main risks of infection, about methods of protection and about what is not infectious. Moreover groups with a higher level of risk of

Oriented open-closed string theory revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwiebach, B.

1998-01-01

String theory on D-brane backgrounds is open-closed string theory. Given the relevance of this fact, we give details and elaborate upon our earlier construction of oriented open-closed string field theory. In order to incorporate explicitly closed strings, the classical sector of this theory is open strings with a homotopy associative A ∞ algebraic structure. We build a suitable Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra on moduli spaces of bordered Ricmann surfaces, the construction of which involves a few subtleties arising from the open string punctures and cyclicity conditions. All vertices coupling open and closed strings through disks are described explicitly. Subalgebras of the algebra of surfaces with boundaries are used to discuss symmetries of classical open string theory induced by the closed string sector, and to write classical open string field theory on general closed string backgrounds. We give a preliminary analysis of the ghost-dilaton theorem. copyright 1998 Academic Press, Inc

Group normalization for genomic data.

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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.

Modelling Stochastic Route Choice Behaviours with a Closed-Form Mixed Logit Model

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Xinjun Lai

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A closed-form mixed Logit approach is proposed to model the stochastic route choice behaviours. It combines both the advantages of Probit and Logit to provide a flexible form in alternatives correlation and a tractable form in expression; besides, the heterogeneity in alternative variance can also be addressed. Paths are compared by pairs where the superiority of the binary Probit can be fully used. The Probit-based aggregation is also used for a nested Logit structure. Case studies on both numerical and empirical examples demonstrate that the new method is valid and practical. This paper thus provides an operational solution to incorporate the normal distribution in route choice with an analytical expression.

‘Alzheimer’s Progression Score’: Development of a Biomarker Summary Outcome for AD Prevention Trials

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Leoutsakos, J.-M.; Gross, A.L.; Jones, R.N.; Albert, M.S.; Breitner, J.C.S.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention research requires methods for measurement of disease progression not yet revealed by symptoms. Preferably, such measurement should encompass multiple disease markers. OBJECTIVES Evaluate an item response theory (IRT) model-based latent variable Alzheimer Progression Score (APS) that uses multi-modal disease markers to estimate pre-clinical disease progression. DESIGN Estimate APS scores in the BIOCARD observational study, and in the parallel PREVENT-AD Cohort and its sister INTREPAD placebo-controlled prevention trial. Use BIOCARD data to evaluate whether baseline and early APS trajectory predict later progression to MCI/dementia. Similarly, use longitudinal PREVENT-AD data to assess test measurement invariance over time. Further, assess portability of the PREVENT-AD IRT model to baseline INTREPAD data, and explore model changes when CSF markers are added or withdrawn. SETTING BIOCARD was established in 1995 and participants were followed up to 20 years in Baltimore, USA. The PREVENT-AD and INTREPAD trial cohorts were established between 2011–2015 in Montreal, Canada, using nearly identical entry criteria to enroll high-risk cognitively normal persons aged 60+ then followed for several years. PARTICIPANTS 349 cognitively normal, primarily middle-aged participants in BIOCARD, 125 high-risk participants aged 60+ in PREVENT-AD, and 217 similar subjects in INTREPAD. 106 INTREPAD participants donated up to four serial CSF samples. MEASUREMENTS Global cognitive assessment and multiple structural, functional, and diffusion MRI metrics, sensori-neural tests, and CSF concentrations of tau, Aβ42 and their ratio. RESULTS Both baseline values and early slope of APS scores in BIOCARD predicted later progression to MCI or AD. Presence of CSF variables strongly improved such prediction. A similarly derived APS in PREVENT-AD showed measurement invariance over time and portability to the parallel INTREPAD sample. CONCLUSIONS An

Age and visual impairment decrease driving performance as measured on a closed-road circuit.

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Wood, Joanne M

2002-01-01

In this study the effects of visual impairment and age on driving were investigated and related to visual function. Participants were 139 licensed drivers (young, middle-aged, and older participants with normal vision, and older participants with ocular disease). Driving performance was assessed during the daytime on a closed-road driving circuit. Visual performance was assessed using a vision testing battery. Age and visual impairment had a significant detrimental effect on recognition tasks (detection and recognition of signs and hazards), time to complete driving tasks (overall course time, reversing, and maneuvering), maneuvering ability, divided attention, and an overall driving performance index. All vision measures were significantly affected by group membership. A combination of motion sensitivity, useful field of view (UFOV), Pelli-Robson letter contrast sensitivity, and dynamic acuity could predict 50% of the variance in overall driving scores. These results indicate that older drivers with either normal vision or visual impairment had poorer driving performance compared with younger or middle-aged drivers with normal vision. The inclusion of tests such as motion sensitivity and the UFOV significantly improve the predictive power of vision tests for driving performance. Although such measures may not be practical for widespread screening, their application in selected cases should be considered.

Normal form of particle motion under the influence of an ac dipole

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R. Tomás

2002-05-01

Full Text Available ac dipoles in accelerators are used to excite coherent betatron oscillations at a drive frequency close to the tune. These beam oscillations may last arbitrarily long and, in principle, there is no significant emittance growth if the ac dipole is adiabatically turned on and off. Therefore the ac dipole seems to be an adequate tool for nonlinear diagnostics provided the particle motion is well described in the presence of the ac dipole and nonlinearities. Normal forms and Lie algebra are powerful tools to study the nonlinear content of an accelerator lattice. In this article a way to obtain the normal form of the Hamiltonian of an accelerator with an ac dipole is described. The particle motion to first order in the nonlinearities is derived using Lie algebra techniques. The dependence of the Hamiltonian terms on the longitudinal coordinate is studied showing that they vary differently depending on the ac dipole parameters. The relation is given between the lines of the Fourier spectrum of the turn-by-turn motion and the Hamiltonian terms.

Esophageal Clearance Patterns in Normal Older Adults as Documented with Videofluoroscopic Esophagram

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Janice Jou

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Normal esophageal bolus transport in asymptomatic healthy older adults has not been well defined, potentially leading to ambiguity in differentiating esophageal swallowing patterns of dysphagic and healthy individuals. This pilot study of 24 young (45–64 years and old (65+years men and women was designed to assess radiographic esophageal bolus movement patterns in healthy adults using videofluoroscopic recording. Healthy, asymptomatic adults underwent videofluoroscopic esophagram to evaluate for the presence of ineffective esophageal clearance, namely, intraesophageal stasis and intraesophageal reflux. Intraesophageal stasis and intraesophageal reflux were visualized radiographically in these normal subjects. Intraesophageal stasis occurred significantly more frequently with semisolid (96% compared with liquid (16% barium, suggesting that a variety of barium consistencies, as opposed to only the traditional fluids, would better define the spectrum of esophageal transport. Intraesophageal reflux was observed more frequently in older males than in their younger counterparts. The rates of intraesophageal stasis and intraesophageal reflux were potentially high given that successive bolus presentations were spaced 10 seconds apart. These findings suggest a need for a more comprehensive definition regarding the range of normal esophageal bolus transport to (a prevent misdiagnosis of dysphagia and (b to enhance generalization to functional eating, which involves solid foods in addition to liquids.

Prevention of nosocomial infection in the ICU setting.

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Corona, A; Raimondi, F

2004-05-01

The aim of this review is to focus the epidemiology and preventing measures of nosocomial infections that affect the critically ill patients. Most of them (over 80%) are related to the device utilization needed for patient life support but responsible for such complications as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI), surgical site infections (SSI) and urinary tract infections (UTI). General recommendations include staff education and use of a surveillance program with a restrictive antibiotic policy. Adequate time must be allowed for hand washing and barrier precautions must always be used during device manipulation. The routine changing of central catheters is not necessary and increases costs; it is necessary to decrease the handling of administration sets, to use a more careful insertion technique and less frequent set replacement. Specific measures for VAP prevention are: 1). use of multi-use, closed-system suction catheters; 2). no routine change of the breathing circuit; 3). lubrication of the the endotracheal tube cuff with a water-soluble gel; 4). maintenance of patient in semi-recumbent position to improve chest physiotherapy. Specific measures for UTI prevention include: 1). use of a catheter-valve instead of a standard drainage system; 2). use of a silver-alloy, hydro gel-coated latex urinary catheter instead of uncoated catheters. By implementing effective preventive measures and maintaining strict surveillance of ICU infections, we hope to affect the associated morbidity, mortality, and cost that our patients and society bare. More clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy of prevention measures of ICU infections.

Quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG Spectrum Analysis of Patients with Schizoaffective Disorder Compared to Normal Subjects.

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Mahdi Moeini

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to achieve a better understanding of schizoaffective disorder. Therefore, we obtained electroencephalogram (EEG signals from patients with schizoaffective disorder and analyzed them in comparison to normal subjects.Forty patients with schizoaffective disorder and 40 normal subjects were selected randomly and their electroencephalogram signals were recorded based on 10-20 international system by 23 electrodes in open- and closed-eyes while they were sitting on a chair comfortably. After preprocessing for noise removal and artifact reduction, we took 60- second segments from each recorded signals. Then, the absolute and relative powers of these segments were evaluated in all channels and in 4 frequency bands (i.e., delta, theta, alpha and beta waves. Finally, Data were analyzed by independent t-test using SPSS software.A significant decrease in relative power in the alpha band, a significant decrease in power spectra in the alpha band and a significant increase in power spectra in the beta band were found in patients compared to normal subjects (P < 0.05. The predominant wave in the centro-parietal region was the beta wave in patients, but it was the alpha band in normal subjects (P = 0.048. Also, the predominant wave of the occipital region in patients was the delta wave, while it was the alpha wave in normal subjects (P = 0.038.Considering the findings, particularly based on the significant decrease of the alpha waves in schizoaffective patients, it can be concluded that schizoaffective disorder can be seen in schizophrenia spectrum.

The smoking habit of a close friend or family member--how deep is the impact? A cross-sectional study.

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Saari, Antti J; Kentala, Jukka; Mattila, Kari J

2014-02-18

To assess the risk of becoming a smoker in adulthood associated with parental smoking as well as the smoking of siblings and close friends. A cross-sectional study. 4 oral healthcare centres in Finland and a follow-up. An age cohort born in 1979 (n=2586) and living in four Finnish towns. Of those reached by the 2008 follow-up, 46.9% (n=1020) responded. Smoking behaviour at the age of 29. Smoking behaviour at the age of 13 and smoking behaviour of family members and close friends. Smoking of a current close friend was strongly associated with participants' own smoking (OR 5.6, 95% CI 3.6 to 8.8). The smoking of a close friend during schooldays was similarly associated (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.8 to 4.5). Smoking among men was associated with the smoking behaviour of mothers and siblings while that among females was not. The impact of a smoker as a close friend is greater than that of a smoking parent or sibling in school age when it comes to smoking behaviour in adulthood. This should be taken into consideration when attempting to prevent smoking initiation or continuation. At clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01348646).

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation

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Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-01-01

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment. PMID:24391555

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-12-20

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment.

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romain eCARRON

2013-12-01

Full Text Available High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfils these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment.

Pelvimetry and patient acceptability compared between open 0.5-T and closed 1.5-T MR systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michel, Sven C.A.; Treiber, Karl; Marincek, Borut; Kubik-Huch, Rahel A.; Rake, Annett; Chaoui, Rabih; Keller, Thomas M.; Goetzmann, Lutz; Seifert, Burkhardt; Ferrazzini, Mattia

2002-01-01

Our objective was to compare maternal pelvimetry and patient acceptability between open low-field (0.5-T) and closed 1.5-T MR systems. Thirty women referred for pelvimetry (pregnant: n=15) were scanned twice in the supine position, once in the vertical open system and once in the closed system. Each patient completed a comfort and acceptability questionnaire. Pelvimetric and questionnaire data were compared between systems. Total scan time was double in the open system (7:52±1:47 vs 3:12±1:20 min). Poor image quality in the open system prevented assessment of interspinous and intertuberous diameters in one woman and all measurements in another, both pregnant, with abdominal circumferences >120 cm. The open system was much more acceptable in terms of claustrophobia and confinement (both p<0.01). Claustrophobia interrupted one closed examination. Thirty-three percent of pregnant women in both systems reported fear of fetal harm. Sixty percent of all women preferred the open system, 7% the closed system, and 33% had no preference. Limits of agreement of 3-5% from the mean for all diameters confirmed good pelvimetric reproducibility. Women's preference for open-system MR pelvimetry is feasible with abdominal circumferences ≤120 cm. (orig.)

Pelvimetry and patient acceptability compared between open 0.5-T and closed 1.5-T MR systems

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Michel, Sven C.A.; Treiber, Karl; Marincek, Borut; Kubik-Huch, Rahel A. [Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Rake, Annett; Chaoui, Rabih; Keller, Thomas M. [Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Goetzmann, Lutz [Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Seifert, Burkhardt [Department of Biostatistics, University Hospital Zurich, Sumatrastrasse 30, 8006 Zurich (Switzerland); Department of Biostatistics, University Hospital Zurich, Sumatrastrasse 30, 8006 Zurich (Switzerland); Ferrazzini, Mattia [Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich (Switzerland)

2002-12-01

Our objective was to compare maternal pelvimetry and patient acceptability between open low-field (0.5-T) and closed 1.5-T MR systems. Thirty women referred for pelvimetry (pregnant: n=15) were scanned twice in the supine position, once in the vertical open system and once in the closed system. Each patient completed a comfort and acceptability questionnaire. Pelvimetric and questionnaire data were compared between systems. Total scan time was double in the open system (7:52{+-}1:47 vs 3:12{+-}1:20 min). Poor image quality in the open system prevented assessment of interspinous and intertuberous diameters in one woman and all measurements in another, both pregnant, with abdominal circumferences >120 cm. The open system was much more acceptable in terms of claustrophobia and confinement (both p<0.01). Claustrophobia interrupted one closed examination. Thirty-three percent of pregnant women in both systems reported fear of fetal harm. Sixty percent of all women preferred the open system, 7% the closed system, and 33% had no preference. Limits of agreement of 3-5% from the mean for all diameters confirmed good pelvimetric reproducibility. Women's preference for open-system MR pelvimetry is feasible with abdominal circumferences {<=}120 cm. (orig.)

Perception of preventive care and readiness for lifestyle change in rural and urban patients in Poland: a questionnaire study

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Maciek Godycki-Cwirko

2017-12-01

Patient importance scores for prevention were associated with residence and gender. The villagers attached less importance to prevention. They also declared less willingness to change their lifestyle. Women had higher scores regarding prevention than men. More rural respondents would like to receive individual counselling from their GP regarding eating habits, physical activity, body weight, giving up smoking and safe alcohol use. Urban respondents were more likely to expect leaflets from their GPs on normalizing body weight.

High current vacuum closing switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolgachev, G.I.; Maslennikov, D.D.; Romanov, A.S.; Ushakov, A.G.

2005-01-01

The paper proposes a powerful pulsed closing vacuum switch for high current commutation consisting of series of the vacuum diodes with near 1 mm gaps having closing time determined by the gaps shortening with the near-electrode plasmas [ru

Awareness on causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity among urban married women in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Praween; Gupta, Kamla; Mishra, Vinod; Agrawal, Sutapa

2013-10-01

In spite of the numerous chronic diseases that have been linked to obesity, studies focusing on the awareness regarding causes, consequences and strategies to prevent and control of obesity among women are lacking in the literature, especially in developing countries such as India, where obesity is culturally accepted and nurtured and women bearded the highest weight gain in the recent decade. We explored the awareness regarding causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity among 325 ever-married aged 20-54 years women with different levels of body mass index (BMI) in the national capital territory of Delhi representing urban India. A population based follow-up survey of women systematically selected from the second round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2, 1998-99) samples who were re-interviewed after four years in 2003. As a part of qualitative data collection, the respondents were asked to free list open-ended questions on causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity. Responses were analyzed through Anthropac software package. Over eating was reported as the most important cause of obesity by normal and overweight women whereas obese women reported fried food consumption as the most important cause of weight gain. A few women from each group reported changing lifestyle as a cause of obesity. Also, there were lots of misconceptions about the cause of obesity among women (such as no tension in life, more tension, happiness, constipation, problem in Delhi's water etc.). In terms of the consequences of obesity, the participants were well aware of the common physical consequences. Normal and obese women reported breathlessness as the most important consequence whereas overweight women reported problem in standing and sitting. Regarding preventive measures, overweight and obese women reported 'walking' as most important preventive measure of obesity whereas normal women reported 'doing exercise'. In addition, 'dieting' was reported as the

Eplerenone prevents salt-induced vascular stiffness in Zucker diabetic fatty rats: a preliminary report

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Brunner Sabine

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Aldosterone levels are elevated in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus, the Zucker Diabetic fatty rat (ZDF. Moreover blood pressure in ZDF rats is salt-sensitive. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the aldosterone antagonist eplerenone on structural and mechanical properties of resistance arteries of ZDF-rats on normal and high-salt diet. Methods After the development of diabetes, ZDF animals were fed either a normal salt diet (0.28% or a high-salt diet (5.5% starting at an age of 15 weeks. ZDF rats on high-salt diet were randomly assigned to eplerenone (100 mg/kg per day, in food (ZDF+S+E, hydralazine (25 mg/kg per day (ZDF+S+H, or no treatment (ZDF+S. Rats on normal salt-diet were assigned to eplerenone (ZDF+E or no treatment (ZDF. Normoglycemic Zucker lean rats were also divided into two groups receiving normal (ZL or high-salt diet (ZL+S serving as controls. Systolic blood pressure was measured by tail cuff method. The experiment was terminated at an age of 25 weeks. Mesenteric resistance arteries were studied on a pressurized myograph. Specifically, vascular hypertrophy (media-to-lumen ratio and vascular stiffness (strain and stress were analyzed. After pressurized fixation histological analysis of collagen and elastin content was performed. Results Blood pressure was significantly higher in salt-loaded ZDF compared to ZDF. Eplerenone and hydralazine prevented this rise similarily, however, significance niveau was missed. Media-to-lumen ratio of mesenteric resistance arteries was significantly increased in ZDF+S when compared to ZDF and ZL. Both, eplerenone and hydralazine prevented salt-induced vascular hypertrophy. The strain curve of arteries of salt-loaded ZDF rats was significantly lower when compared to ZL and when compared to ZDF+S+E, but was not different compared to ZDF+S+H. Eplerenone, but not hydralazine shifted the strain-stress curve to the right indicating a vascular wall composition

Group normalization for genomic data.

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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.

The health profile of professional soccer players: future opportunities for injury prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Volpi, Piero; Taioli, Emanuela

2012-12-01

Injuries are a major adverse event during a soccer player's career; they require medical and surgical treatment and rehabilitation and thus may interrupt the player's activity, often with severe physical and psychological sequel. Specialists have tried to identify the risk factors for injuries, in an attempt to discover predictors that could be prevented and or eliminated before the injury occurs, but the results are scarce. This article reviews the epidemiology of the frequency and occurrence of injuries in Italian soccer players, reports a list of preventable risk factors that are associated with injuries, and identifies preventable risk factors. We have identified personal factors (age, previous traumatic events, physical and biological characteristics of the player, life style habits such as smoking, alcohol, and diet, changes in physical-athletic aspects of the players, such as increased muscle strength, and use of medications) as possible risk factors for injuries. However, environmental factors such as changes in training techniques, field composition, and shoes structure may also have a major influence. This summary indicates that appropriate preventive measures can be undertaken to prevent injuries in professional soccer players. Professionals who are in close contacts with the players should be informed of the predictors of injuries and should be trained to intervene and plan appropriate preventive measures.

A virtual closed loop method for closed loop identification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agüero, J.C.; Goodwin, G.C.; Hof, Van den P.M.J.

2011-01-01

Indirect methods for the identification of linear plant models on the basis of closed loop data are based on the use of (reconstructed) input signals that are uncorrelated with the noise. This generally requires exact (linear) controller knowledge. On the other hand, direct identification requires

Is this the right normalization? A diagnostic tool for ChIP-seq normalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelini, Claudia; Heller, Ruth; Volkinshtein, Rita; Yekutieli, Daniel

2015-05-09

Chip-seq experiments are becoming a standard approach for genome-wide profiling protein-DNA interactions, such as detecting transcription factor binding sites, histone modification marks and RNA Polymerase II occupancy. However, when comparing a ChIP sample versus a control sample, such as Input DNA, normalization procedures have to be applied in order to remove experimental source of biases. Despite the substantial impact that the choice of the normalization method can have on the results of a ChIP-seq data analysis, their assessment is not fully explored in the literature. In particular, there are no diagnostic tools that show whether the applied normalization is indeed appropriate for the data being analyzed. In this work we propose a novel diagnostic tool to examine the appropriateness of the estimated normalization procedure. By plotting the empirical densities of log relative risks in bins of equal read count, along with the estimated normalization constant, after logarithmic transformation, the researcher is able to assess the appropriateness of the estimated normalization constant. We use the diagnostic plot to evaluate the appropriateness of the estimates obtained by CisGenome, NCIS and CCAT on several real data examples. Moreover, we show the impact that the choice of the normalization constant can have on standard tools for peak calling such as MACS or SICER. Finally, we propose a novel procedure for controlling the FDR using sample swapping. This procedure makes use of the estimated normalization constant in order to gain power over the naive choice of constant (used in MACS and SICER), which is the ratio of the total number of reads in the ChIP and Input samples. Linear normalization approaches aim to estimate a scale factor, r, to adjust for different sequencing depths when comparing ChIP versus Input samples. The estimated scaling factor can easily be incorporated in many peak caller algorithms to improve the accuracy of the peak identification. The

Lactic Acid Bacteria Protects Caenorhabditis elegans from Toxicity of Graphene Oxide by Maintaining Normal Intestinal Permeability under different Genetic Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yunli; Yu, Xiaoming; Jia, Ruhan; Yang, Ruilong; Rui, Qi; Wang, Dayong

2015-11-01

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is safe and useful for food and feed fermentation. We employed Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the possible beneficial effect of LAB (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) pretreatment against toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) and the underlying mechanisms. LAB prevented GO toxicity on the functions of both primary and secondary targeted organs in wild-type nematodes. LAB blocked translocation of GO into secondary targeted organs through intestinal barrier by maintaining normal intestinal permeability in wild-type nematodes. Moreover, LAB prevented GO damage on the functions of both primary and secondary targeted organs in exposed nematodes with mutations of susceptible genes (sod-2, sod-3, gas-1, and aak-2) to GO toxicity by sustaining normal intestinal permeability. LAB also sustained the normal defecation behavior in both wild-type nematodes and nematodes with mutations of susceptible genes. Therefore, the beneficial role of LAB against GO toxicity under different genetic backgrounds may be due to the combinational effects on intestinal permeability and defecation behavior. Moreover, the beneficial effects of LAB against GO toxicity was dependent on the function of ACS-22, homologous to mammalian FATP4 to mammalian FATP4. Our study provides highlight on establishment of pharmacological strategy to protect intestinal barrier from toxicity of GO.

7 CFR 1927.58 - Closing the transaction.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS TITLE CLEARANCE AND LOAN CLOSING Real Estate Title Clearance and Loan Closing § 1927.58 Closing the transaction. The closing agent will cooperate with the approval official, borrower, seller, and... when a loan is being made to a borrower who already owns the real estate to be mortgaged. This...

On some properties of conjugacy closed loops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adeniran, John Olusola

2002-07-01

It is shown that central loops are not conjugacy closed loops but instead are loops of units in their loop algebras that are conjugacy closed. It is also shown that certain inner mappings of a conjugacy closed loop are nuclear. Some invariants of left conjugacy closed loops are obtained. (author)

Usefulness of normal saline for sealing the needle track after CT-guided lung biopsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Du, Y.; Luo, T.Y.; Yang, H.F.; Yu, J.H.; Xu, X.X.; Zheng, H.J.; Li, B.

2015-01-01

Aim: To determine whether the use of normal saline for sealing the needle track can reduce the incidence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement after computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy. Materials and methods: A prospective, randomised, controlled trial enrolling 322 patients was conducted. All patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those in whom the needle track was not sealed with normal saline (n=161, Group A) and those who did receive normal saline (n=161, Group B). CT-guided biopsy was performed with coaxial technique. Normal saline, which ranged from 1–3 ml, was injected while the trocar needle was being withdrawn. Patient characteristics, lesion, and procedure variables were analysed as potential risk variables for occurrence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement. Results: The incidence of pneumothorax was 26.1% in Group A and 6.2% in Group B (p<0.001). Nine patients in Group A and one patient in Group B required chest tube placement (p=0.010). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, smaller lesion size, greater needle–pleural angle, longer lesion–pleural distance, presence of emphysema, and no sealing the needle track with normal saline were significantly associated with an increased risk of pneumothorax, and that the latter three factors were also associated with an increased risk of pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement. Conlusion: Normal saline for sealing the needle track significantly reduces the incidence of pneumothorax and prevents subsequent chest tube placement after CT-guided lung biopsy. - Highlights: • Normal saline is an effective sealant for use in lung biopsy. • This technique reduced the incidence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement. • This technique should be recommended for CT-guided lung biopsy.

Diagnostic value of blood lipids testing in patients with high-normal and subclinical levels of TSH in prevention and treatment of dislipoproteinemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O D Rymar

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study is to evaluate character of lipid profile changes in Novosibirsk populational sample of men and women (45–69 years with subclinical and high-normal TSH levels. Current study was performed within the HAPIEE project “Determinants of cardiovascular diseases in Eastern Europe” of the Welcome Trust fond. Populational subsample of 280 subjects (125 men (44.6% and 155 women (55.4% was analyzed. Received data showed that high-normal TSH levels within 1.71–4.05 mIU/l have been associated with higher levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, compared with low-normal TSH levels 0.17–0.47 mIU/l (р<0.05. Women with subclinical hypothyroidism had significantly higher average levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol compared with women without thyroid disorders.

Cutaneous Scar Prevention and Management; Overview of current therapies

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Sultan Al-Shaqsi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Cutaneous scarring is common after trauma, surgery and infection and occurs when normal skin tissue is replaced by fibroblastic tissue during the healing process. The pathophysiology of scar formation is not yet fully understood, although the degree of tension across the wound edges and the speed of cell growth are believed to play central roles. Prevention of scars is essential and can be achieved by attention to surgical techniques and the use of measures to reduce cell growth. Grading and classifying scars is important to determine available treatment strategies. This article presents an overview of the current therapies available for the prevention and treatment of scars. It is intended to be a practical guide for surgeons and other health professionals involved with and interested in scar management.

A fast simulation method for the Log-normal sum distribution using a hazard rate twisting technique

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2015-06-08

The probability density function of the sum of Log-normally distributed random variables (RVs) is a well-known challenging problem. For instance, an analytical closed-form expression of the Log-normal sum distribution does not exist and is still an open problem. A crude Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is of course an alternative approach. However, this technique is computationally expensive especially when dealing with rare events (i.e. events with very small probabilities). Importance Sampling (IS) is a method that improves the computational efficiency of MC simulations. In this paper, we develop an efficient IS method for the estimation of the Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) of the sum of independent and not identically distributed Log-normal RVs. This technique is based on constructing a sampling distribution via twisting the hazard rate of the original probability measure. Our main result is that the estimation of the CCDF is asymptotically optimal using the proposed IS hazard rate twisting technique. We also offer some selected simulation results illustrating the considerable computational gain of the IS method compared to the naive MC simulation approach.

A fast simulation method for the Log-normal sum distribution using a hazard rate twisting technique

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.; Benkhelifa, Fatma; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Tempone, Raul

2015-01-01

The probability density function of the sum of Log-normally distributed random variables (RVs) is a well-known challenging problem. For instance, an analytical closed-form expression of the Log-normal sum distribution does not exist and is still an open problem. A crude Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is of course an alternative approach. However, this technique is computationally expensive especially when dealing with rare events (i.e. events with very small probabilities). Importance Sampling (IS) is a method that improves the computational efficiency of MC simulations. In this paper, we develop an efficient IS method for the estimation of the Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) of the sum of independent and not identically distributed Log-normal RVs. This technique is based on constructing a sampling distribution via twisting the hazard rate of the original probability measure. Our main result is that the estimation of the CCDF is asymptotically optimal using the proposed IS hazard rate twisting technique. We also offer some selected simulation results illustrating the considerable computational gain of the IS method compared to the naive MC simulation approach.

Logic models as a tool for sexual violence prevention program development.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Stephanie R; Clinton-Sherrod, A Monique; Irvin, Neil; Hart, Laurie; Russell, Sarah Jane

2009-01-01

Sexual violence is a growing public health problem, and there is an urgent need to develop sexual violence prevention programs. Logic models have emerged as a vital tool in program development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded an empowerment evaluation designed to work with programs focused on the prevention of first-time male perpetration of sexual violence, and it included as one of its goals, the development of program logic models. Two case studies are presented that describe how significant positive changes can be made to programs as a result of their developing logic models that accurately describe desired outcomes. The first case study describes how the logic model development process made an organization aware of the importance of a program's environmental context for program success; the second case study demonstrates how developing a program logic model can elucidate gaps in organizational programming and suggest ways to close those gaps.

Probiotics prophylaxis in pyelonephritis infants with normal urinary tracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung Joo; Cha, Jihae; Lee, Jung Won

2016-11-01

Pyelonephritis in infants is considered as a major factor for the formation of renal scar. To prevent recurrent pyelonephritis and renal damage, prophylaxis is extremely important. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of probiotic and antibiotic prophylaxis or no-prophylaxis in infants with pyelonephritis and normal urinary tract. Altogether 191 infants, who were diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis, proven to have normal urinary tracts and followed up for 6 months on prophylaxis, were retrospectively evaluated. According to the types of prophylaxis, the infants were divided into three groups [probiotics (Lactobacillus species), antibiotics (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, TMP/SMX), and noprophylaxis]. The incidence of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) during 6 months after the development of pyelonephritis, main causative uropathogens, and its antimicrobial sensitivities were compared. The incidence of recurrent UTI in the probiotic group was 8.2%, which was significantly lower than 20.6% in the no-prophylaxis group (P=0.035) and was not significantly different from 10.0% of the antibiotic group (P=0.532). The significant difference between the probiotic and no-prophylaxis groups was seen only in male infants (P=0.032). The main causative organism of recurrent UTI was Escherichia coli (E.coli), which was not different among the three groups (P=0.305). The resistance rate of E. coli to TMP/SMX was 100% in the antibiotic group, which was significantly higher than 25.0% in the probiotic group and 41.7% in the no-prophylaxis group (P=0.008). Probiotic prophylaxis was more effective in infants with pyelonephritis and normal urinary tract than in those with no-prophylaxis. It could be used as a natural alternative to antibiotic prophylaxis.

The disappearing momentum of the supercurrent in the superconductor-to-normal phase transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, J. E.

2016-06-01

A superconductor in a magnetic field has surface currents that prevent the magnetic field from penetrating its interior. These currents carry kinetic energy and mechanical momentum. When the temperature is raised and the system becomes normal the currents disappear. Where do the kinetic energy and mechanical momentum of the currents go, and how? Here we propose that the answer to this question reveals a key necessary condition for materials to be superconductors, that is not part of conventional BCS-London theory: superconducting materials need to have hole carriers.

Quantitative thallium-201 myocardial exercise scintigraphy in normal subjects and patients with normal coronary arteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemeyer, M.G.; St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein; Laarman, G.J.; Lelbach, S.; Cramer, M.J.; Ascoop, C.A.P.L.; Verzijlbergen, J.F.; Wall, E.E. van der; Zwinderman, A.H.; Pauwels, E.K.J.

1990-01-01

Quantitative thallium-201 myocardial exercise scintigraphy was tested in two patient populations representing alternative standards for cardiac normality: group I comprised 18 male uncatherized patients with a low likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD); group II contained 41 patients with normal coronary arteriograms. Group I patients were younger, they achieved a higher rate-pressure product than group II patients; all had normal findings by phisical examination and electrocardiography at rest and exercise. Group II patients comprised 21 females, 11 patients showed abnormal electrocardiography at rest, and five patients showed ischemic ST depression during exercise. Twelve patients had sign of minimal CAD. Twelve patients revealed abnormal visual and quantitative thallium findings, three of these patients had minimal CAD. Profiles of uptake and washout of thallium-201 were derived from both patient groups, and compared with normal limits developed by Maddahi et al. Furthermore, low likelihood and angiographically normal patients may differ substantially, and both sets of normal patients should be considered when establishing criteria of abnormality in exercise thallium imaging. When commercial software containing normal limits for quantitative analysis of exercise thallium-201 imaging is used in clinical practice, it is mandatory to compare these with normal limits of uptake and washout of thallium-201, derived from the less heterogeneous group of low-likelihood subjects, which should be used in selecting a normal population to define normality. (author). 37 refs.; 3 figs; 1 tab

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...

Thyroid storm with multiple organ failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and stroke with a normal serum FT3 level.

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Yuko; Akiyama, Hisanao; Yoshimoto, Tatsuji; Urao, Yasuko; Ryuzaki, Munekazu; Handa, Michiko

2012-01-01

Thyroid storm is a rare disorder with a sudden onset, rapid progression and high mortality. We experienced a case of thyroid storm which had a devastating course, including multiple organ failure (MOF), severe hypoglycemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and stroke. It was difficult to make a diagnosis of thyroid storm in the present patient, because she did not have a history of thyroid disease and her serum FT3 level was normal. Clinicians should be aware that thyroid storm can occur even when there is an almost normal level of thyroid hormones, and that intensive anticoagulation is required for patients with atrial fibrillation to prevent stroke after thyroid storm.

Simulating closed- and open-loop voluntary movement: a nonlinear control-systems approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Paul R; Jones, Richard D; Andreae, John H; Sirisena, Harsha R

2002-11-01

In many recent human motor control models, including feedback-error learning and adaptive model theory (AMT), feedback control is used to correct errors while an inverse model is simultaneously tuned to provide accurate feedforward control. This popular and appealing hypothesis, based on a combination of psychophysical observations and engineering considerations, predicts that once the tuning of the inverse model is complete the role of feedback control is limited to the correction of disturbances. This hypothesis was tested by looking at the open-loop behavior of the human motor system during adaptation. An experiment was carried out involving 20 normal adult subjects who learned a novel visuomotor relationship on a pursuit tracking task with a steering wheel for input. During learning, the response cursor was periodically blanked, removing all feedback about the external system (i.e., about the relationship between hand motion and response cursor motion). Open-loop behavior was not consistent with a progressive transfer from closed- to open-loop control. Our recently developed computational model of the brain--a novel nonlinear implementation of AMT--was able to reproduce the observed closed- and open-loop results. In contrast, other control-systems models exhibited only minimal feedback control following adaptation, leading to incorrect open-loop behavior. This is because our model continues to use feedback to control slow movements after adaptation is complete. This behavior enhances the internal stability of the inverse model. In summary, our computational model is currently the only motor control model able to accurately simulate the closed- and open-loop characteristics of the experimental response trajectories.

Ethylene production by plants in a closed environment

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, R. M.; Peterson, B. V.; Sager, J. C.; Knott, W. M.

Ethylene production by 20-m^2 stands of wheat, soybean, lettuce and potato was monitored throughout growth and development in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Biomass Production Chamber. Chamber ethylene concentrations rose during periods of rapid growth for all four species, reaching 120 parts per billion (ppb) for wheat, 60 ppb for soybean, and 40 to 50 ppb for lettuce and potato. Following this, ethylene concentrations declined during seed fill and maturation (wheat and soybean), or remained relatively constant (potato). Lettuce plants were harvested during rapid growth and peak ethylene production. The highest ethylene production rates (unadjusted for chamber leakage) ranged from 0.04 to 0.06 ml m^-2 day^-1 during rapid growth of lettuce and wheat stands, or approximately 0.8 to 1.1 nl g^-1 fresh weight h^-1 Results suggest that ethylene production by plants is a normal event coupled to periods of rapid metabolic activity, and that ethylene removal or control measures should be considered for growing crops in a tightly closed CELSS.

Search for open-quote open-quote polarized close-quote close-quote instantons in the vacuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchiev, M.Y.

1996-01-01

The new phase of a gauge theory in which the instantons are open-quote open-quote polarized,close-quote close-quote i.e., have the preferred orientation, is discussed. A class of gauge theories with the specific condensates of the scalar fields is considered. In these models there exists an interaction between instantons resulting from one-fermion loop corrections. The interaction makes the identical orientation of instantons the most probable, permitting one to expect the system to undergo a phase transition into the state with polarized instantons. The existence of this phase is confirmed in the mean-field approximation in which there is a first-order phase transition separating the open-quote open-quote polarized phase close-quote close-quote from the usual nonpolarized one. The considered phase can be important for the description of gravity in the framework of the gauge field theory. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Current Redistribution around the Superconducting-to-normal Transition in Superconducting Nb-Ti Rutherford Cables

CERN Document Server

Willering, G P; ten Kate, H H J

2008-01-01

Sufficient thermal-electromagnetic stability against external heat sources is an essential design criterion for superconducting Rutherford cables, especially if operated close to the critical current. Due to the complex phenomena contributing to stability such as helium cooling, inter-strand current and heat transfer, its level is difficult to quantify. In order to improve our understanding, many stability tests were performed on different cable samples, each incorporating several point-like heaters. The current redistribution around the heat front is measured after inducing a local normal zone in one strand of the cable. By using voltage taps, expansion of the normal zone is monitored in the initially quenched strand as well as in adjacent strands. An array of Hall probes positioned at the cable edge is used to scan the selffield generated by the cable by which it becomes possible to estimate the inter-strand current transfer. In this paper it is demonstrated that two different stability regimes can be disti...

Autonomous monitoring of control hardware to predict off-normal conditions using NIF automatic alignment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awwal, Abdul A.S.; Wilhelmsen, Karl; Leach, Richard R.; Miller-Kamm, Vicki; Burkhart, Scott; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Cohen, Simon

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► An automatic alignment system was developed to process images of the laser beams. ► System uses processing to adjust a series of control loops until alignment criteria are satisfied. ► Monitored conditions are compared against nominal values with an off-normal alert. ► Automated health monitoring system trends off-normals with a large image history. - Abstract: The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a high power laser system capable of supporting high-energy-density experimentation as a user facility for the next 30 years. In order to maximize the facility availability, preventive maintenance enhancements are being introduced into the system. An example of such an enhancement is a camera-based health monitoring system, integrated into the automated alignment system, which provides an opportunity to monitor trends in measurements such as average beam intensity, size of the beam, and pixel saturation. The monitoring system will generate alerts based on observed trends in measurements to allow scheduled pro-active maintenance before routine off-normal detection stops system operations requiring unscheduled intervention.

Autonomous monitoring of control hardware to predict off-normal conditions using NIF automatic alignment systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Awwal, Abdul A.S., E-mail: awwal1@llnl.gov [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Wilhelmsen, Karl; Leach, Richard R.; Miller-Kamm, Vicki; Burkhart, Scott; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Cohen, Simon [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An automatic alignment system was developed to process images of the laser beams. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer System uses processing to adjust a series of control loops until alignment criteria are satisfied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Monitored conditions are compared against nominal values with an off-normal alert. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Automated health monitoring system trends off-normals with a large image history. - Abstract: The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a high power laser system capable of supporting high-energy-density experimentation as a user facility for the next 30 years. In order to maximize the facility availability, preventive maintenance enhancements are being introduced into the system. An example of such an enhancement is a camera-based health monitoring system, integrated into the automated alignment system, which provides an opportunity to monitor trends in measurements such as average beam intensity, size of the beam, and pixel saturation. The monitoring system will generate alerts based on observed trends in measurements to allow scheduled pro-active maintenance before routine off-normal detection stops system operations requiring unscheduled intervention.

"Ser diferente é normal?"/"Being different: is it normal?"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viviane Veras

2007-01-01

Full Text Available A pergunta título deste trabalho retoma o slogan “Ser diferente é normal”, que é parte da campanha criada para uma organização não-governamental que atende portadores de Síndrome de Down. O objetivo é a inclusão social da pessoa com deficiência e o primeiro passo foi propor a inclusão de um grupo de diferentes no grupo dito normal. No vídeo de lançamento da campanha, o diferente, identificado como normal, é mostrado por meio de exemplos – um negro com cabelo black-power, um skin-head, um corpo tatuado, um corpo feminino halterofílico, uma família hippie, uma garota com síndrome de Down. A visão da adolescente dançando reduz, de certo modo, o efeito imaginário que vai além da síndrome, uma vez que apenas o corpo com seus olhinhos puxados se destacam, e não se interrogam questões cognitivas. Minha proposta é refletir sobre o estatuto paradoxal do exemplo, tal como é trabalhado nesse vídeo: se, por definição, um exemplo mostra de fato seu pertencimento a uma classe, pode-se concluir que é exatamente por ser exemplar que ele se encontra fora dela, no exato momento em que a exibe e define. The question in the title of this paper refers to the slogan "ser diferente é normal" ("It´s normal to be different", which is part of a campaign created for a NGO that supports people with Down syndrome. The objective of the campaign is to promote the social inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome, and the first step was to propose the inclusion of a group of "differents" in the so-called normal group. The film launching the campaign shows the different identified as normal by means of examples: a black man exhibiting blackpower haircut, a skin-head, a tattooed body, an over-athletic female body, a hippie family and a girl with Down syndrome. The vision of the dancing teenager lessens the imaginary effect that surpasses the syndrome, since only her body and her little oriental eyes stand out and no cognitive issues are

Using a new device to prevent pulmonary embolisms during pharmacomechanical thrombectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Calleja, E; Ciampi, J J; Puche, J J; Lanciego, C

2018-04-20

We have used a new device to prevent pulmonary embolism during pharmacomechanical thrombectomy in a 25-year-old postpartum woman. The Angel® catheter (BiO2 Medical Inc., Golden, CO, USA) is a temporary device that combines the functions of a vena cava filter (VCF) with those of a triple-lumen central venous catheter. Normally, a VCF is implanted to prevent pulmonary embolism during pharmacomechanical thrombectomy. However, the complications associated with VCFs increase with time, not all of the filter can always be retrieved, and there can be iatrogenic effects both during implantation and retrieval. In our experience, this new device is much simpler to deploy and to retrieve. As is shown in this case, this temporary device can be an interesting alternative to a VCF for preventing pulmonary embolisms during pharmacomechanical thrombectomy. Copyright © 2018 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Opening the Door to Zero New HIV Infections in Closed Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Torriente, Anna; Tadion, Alexander; Hsu, Lee-Nah

2016-06-01

Prisons and other closed settings are high-risk environments for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) transmission. Prisoners often experience overcrowded living conditions and violence-including sexual assault-increasing their vulnerability to HIV and TB. However, high infection rates in prisons affect both prisoners and prison employees. Both groups, in interacting with their families and their communities, represent a potential risk of HIV transmission outside the prison setting. National HIV and TB strategies should therefore include measures to prevent transmission and increase access to HIV-related services in prisons. Courts have progressively recognized the human rights of prisoners, including the right to health and access to HIV-related services. A number of national and regional court decisions have affirmed that prison authorities have a duty of care to prisoners and an obligation to ensure that prisoners have access to HIV prevention measures and treatment. Policies and programs on HIV, AIDS, and TB for prison workplaces that are aligned with the ILO's international labor standards can benefit both prisoners and prison employees. In particular, the ILO's HIV and AIDS Recommendation, 2010 (No. 200) affirms the principle of universal access to HIV services and provides guidance for the HIV/TB response in prison settings.

Anteriorization of the Normally Acting Inferior Oblique Muscles to Treat Dissociated Vertical Deviation Associated With Juvenile Glaucoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Rehab Rashad

2017-10-09

A case of dissociated vertical deviation, ptosis, and juvenile glaucoma is described. J deformity anteriorization of the normally acting inferior oblique muscles was chosen to preserve the superior fornix for glaucoma surgeries by avoiding superior rectus recession and to prevent narrowing of the palpebral fissure by avoiding an inferior rectus tuck. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2017;54:e63-e66.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Toxic effect of C60 fullerene-doxorubicin complex towards tumor and normal cells in vitro

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Prylutska S. V.

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Creation of new nanostructures possessing high antitumor activity is an important problem of modern biotechnology. Aim. To evaluate cytotoxicity of created complex of pristine C60 fullerene with the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (Dox, as well as of free C60 fullerene and Dox, towards different cell types – tumor, normal immunocompetent and hepatocytes. Methods. Measurement of size distribution for particles in C60 + Dox mixture was performed by a dynamic light scattering (DLS technique. Toxic effect of C60 + Dox complex in vitro towards tumor and normal cells was studied using the MTT assay. Results. DLS experiment demonstrated that the main fraction of the particles in C60 + Dox mixture had a diameter in the range of about 132 nm. The toxic effect of C60 + Dox complex towards normal (lymphocytes, macrophages, hepatocytes and tumor (Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, leukemia L1210, Lewis lung carcinoma cells was decreased by ~10–16 % and ~7–9 %, accordingly, compared with the same effect of free Dox. Conclusions. The created C60 + Dox composite may be considered as a new pharmacological agent that kills effectively tumor cells in vitro and simultaneously prevents a toxic effect of the free form of Dox on normal cells.

Copenhagen's single system premise prevents a unified view of integer and fractional quantum hall effect

Science.gov (United States)

Post, Evert Jan

1999-05-01

This essay presents conclusive evidence of the impermissibility of Copenhagen's single system interpretation of the Schroedinger process. The latter needs to be viewed as a tool exclusively describing phase and orientation randomized ensembles and is not be used for isolated single systems. Asymptotic closeness of single system and ensemble behavior and the rare nature of true single system manifestations have prevented a definitive identification of this Copenhagen deficiency over the past three quarter century. Quantum uncertainty so becomes a basic trade mark of phase and orientation disordered ensembles. The ensuing void of usable single system tools opens a new inquiry for tools without statistical connotations. Three, in part already known, period integrals here identified as flux, charge and action counters emerge as diffeo-4 invariant tools fully compatible with the demands of the general theory of relativity. The discovery of the quantum Hall effect has been instrumental in forcing a distinction between ensemble disorder as in the normal Hall effect versus ensemble order in the plateau states. Since the order of the latter permits a view of the plateau states as a macro- or meso-scopic single system, the period integral description applies, yielding a straightforward unified description of integer and fractional quantum Hall effects.

Synuclein gamma predicts poor clinical outcome in colon cancer with normal levels of carcinoembryonic antigen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Xiaofang

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Synuclein gamma (SNCG, initially identified as a breast cancer specific gene, is aberrantly expressed in many different malignant tumors but rarely expressed in matched nonneoplastic adjacent tissues. In this study, we investigated the prognostic potential of SNCG in colon cancer particularly in the patients with normal carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA levels. Methods SNCG levels were assessed immunohistochemically in cancer tissues from 229 colon adenocarcinoma patients with a mean follow-up of 44 months. Correlations between SNCG levels and clinicopathologic features, preoperative serum CEA level, and clinical outcome were analyzed statistically using SPSS. Results SNCG levels in colon adenocarcinoma were closely associated with intravascular embolus and tumor recurrence but independent of preoperative serum CEA levels. SNCG expression was an independent prognostic factor of a shorter disease-free survival (DFS and overall survival (OS (P P = 0.001, P = 0.001, 0.002 for 97 patients with normal preoperative serum CEA level. Conclusions Our results suggest for the first time that SNCG is a new independent predicator for poor prognosis in patients with colon adenocarcinoma, including those with normal CEA levels. Combination of CEA with SNCG improves prognostic evaluation for patients with colon adenocarcinoma.

Preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Prevention or prediction?

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Ricardo Nitrini

Full Text Available Abstract The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD for cases with dementia may be too late to allow effective treatment. Criteria for diagnosis of preclinical AD suggested by the Alzheimer's Association include the use of molecular and structural biomarkers. Preclinical diagnosis will enable testing of new drugs and forms of treatment toward achieving successful preventive treatment. But what are the advantages for the individual? To know that someone who is cognitively normal is probably going to develop AD's dementia when there is no effective preventive treatment is definitely not good news. A research method whereby volunteers are assigned to receive treatment or placebo without knowing whether they are in the control or at-risk arm of a trial would overcome this potential problem. If these new criteria are used wisely they may represent a relevant milestone in the search for a definitive treatment for AD.

Lateralized speech perception with small interaural time differences in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Locsei, Gusztav; Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2017-01-01

and two-talker babble in terms of SRTs, HI listeners could utilize ITDs to a similar degree as NH listeners to facilitate the binaural unmasking of speech. A slight difference was observed between the group means when target and maskers were separated from each other by large ITDs, but not when separated...... SRMs are elicited by small ITDs. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) and SRM due to ITDs were measured over headphones for 10 young NH and 10 older HI listeners, who had normal or close-to-normal hearing below 1.5 kHz. Diotic target sentences were presented in diotic or dichotic speech-shaped noise...... or two-talker babble maskers. In the dichotic conditions, maskers were lateralized by delaying the masker waveforms in the left headphone channel. Multiple magnitudes of masker ITDs were tested in both noise conditions. Although deficits were observed in speech perception abilities in speechshaped noise...

40 CFR 112.11 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan requirements for offshore oil drilling...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... POLLUTION PREVENTION Requirements for Petroleum Oils and Non-Petroleum Oils, Except Animal Fats and Oils and Greases, and Fish and Marine Mammal Oils; and Vegetable Oils (Including Oils from Seeds, Nuts, Fruits, and... equipped with dump valves which predominantly fail in the closed position and where pollution risk is high...

Close-In Substellar Companions and the Formation of sdB-Type Close Binary Stars

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L. Y. Zhu

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The sdB-type close binaries are believed to have experienced a common-envelope phase and may evolve into cataclysmic binaries (CVs. About 10% of all known sdB binaries are eclipsing binaries consisting of very hot subdwarf primaries and low-mass companions with short orbital periods. The eclipse profiles of these systems are very narrow and deep, which benefits the determination of high precise eclipsing times and makes the detection of small and close-in tertiary bodies possible. Since 2006 we have monitored some sdB-type eclipsing binaries to search for the close-in substellar companions by analyzing the light travel time effect. Here some progresses of the program are reviewed and the formation of sdB-type binary is discussed.

Closed-loop response properties of a visual interneuron involved in fly optomotor control

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Naveed eEjaz

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Due to methodological limitations neural function is mostly studied under open-loop conditions. Normally, however, nervous systems operate in closed-loop where sensory input is processed to generate behavioural outputs, which again change the sensory input. Here, we investigate the closed-loop responses of an identified visual interneuron, the blowfly H1-cell, that is part of a neural circuit involved in optomotor flight and gaze control. Those behaviours may be triggered by attitude changes during flight in turbulent air. The fly analyses the resulting retinal image shifts and performs compensatory body and head rotations to regain its default attitude. We developed a fly-robot interface to study H1-cell responses in a 1 degree-of-freedom image stabilization task. Image shifts, induced by externally forced rotations, modulate the cell’s spike rate that controls counter rotations of a mobile robot to minimize relative motion between the robot and its visual surroundings. A feedback controller closed the loop between neural activity and the rotation of the robot. Under these conditions we found the following H1-cell response properties: (i the peak spike rate decreases when the mean image velocity is increased, (ii the relationship between spike rate and image velocity depends on the standard deviation of the image velocities suggesting adaptive scaling of the cell’s signalling range, and (iii the cell’s gain decreases linearly with increasing image accelerations.Our results reveal a remarkable qualitative similarity between the response dynamics of the H1-cell under closed-loop conditions with those obtained in previous open-loop experiments. Finally, we show that the adaptive scaling of the H1-cell’s responses, while maximizing information on image velocity, decreases the cell’s sensitivity to image accelerations. Understanding such trade-offs in biological vision systems may advance the design of smart vision sensors for autonomous

Patients' Awareness Of The Prevention And Treatment Of Colorectal Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Dziki, Łukasz; Puła, Anna; Stawiski, Konrad; Mudza, Barbara; Włodarczyk, Marcin; Dziki, Adam

2015-09-01

The aim of the study was to assess patients' awareness of the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, hospitalised at the Department of General and Colorectal Surgery of the Medical University in Łódź during the period from January 2015 to April 2015, were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their families' medical case record, factors predisposing them to the development of colorectal cancer, the tests applied in diagnostics, and the treatment process. The questionnaire comprised 42 closed-ended questions with one correct answer. A statistical analysis of all answers was carried out. The study group consisted of 30 men and 20 women aged 27-94 years old. A strong, statistically significant negative correlation between a patient's age and his/her awareness of the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer was noted (pcancer (p=0.008), and the awareness of the prevention programme. The women's group was characterised by statistically significantly greater awareness of colonoscopy as a screening examination (p=0.004). Patients need more information on colorectal cancer, its risk factors, prevention, the treatment process, and postoperative care. Lack of awareness of the colorectal cancer issue can be one of the major factors contributing to the high incidence of this disease.

Observing the Progressive Decoherence of the open-quote open-quote Meter close-quote close-quote in a Quantum Measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brune, M.; Hagley, E.; Dreyer, J.; Maitre, X.; Maali, A.; Wunderlich, C.; Raimond, J.M.; Haroche, S.

1996-01-01

A mesoscopic superposition of quantum states involving radiation fields with classically distinct phases was created and its progressive decoherence observed. The experiment involved Rydberg atoms interacting one at a time with a few photon coherent fields trapped in a high Q microwave cavity. The mesoscopic superposition was the equivalent of an open-quote open-quote atom+measuringapparatus close-quote close-quote system in which the open-quote open-quote meter close-quote close-quote was pointing simultaneously towards two different directions emdash a open-quote open-quote Schroedinger cat.close-quote close-quote The decoherence phenomenon transforming this superposition into a statistical mixture was observed while it unfolded, providing a direct insight into a process at the heart of quantum measurement. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Open-closed homotopy algebra in mathematical physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajiura, Hiroshige; Stasheff, Jim

2006-01-01

In this paper we discuss various aspects of open-closed homotopy algebras (OCHAs) presented in our previous paper, inspired by Zwiebach's open-closed string field theory, but that first paper concentrated on the mathematical aspects. Here we show how an OCHA is obtained by extracting the tree part of Zwiebach's quantum open-closed string field theory. We clarify the explicit relation of an OCHA with Kontsevich's deformation quantization and with the B-models of homological mirror symmetry. An explicit form of the minimal model for an OCHA is given as well as its relation to the perturbative expansion of open-closed string field theory. We show that our open-closed homotopy algebra gives us a general scheme for deformation of open string structures (A ∞ algebras) by closed strings (L ∞ algebras)

Evolving issues in the prevention of surgical site infections.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Quinn, A

2009-06-01

Surgical site infection is one of the more common causes of post-operative morbidity. Such infections contribute to prolonged recovery, delayed discharge and increasing costs to both patients and the health service. In the current climate increased emphasis is being placed on minimising the risks of acquiring or transmitting these nosocomial infections. This article reviews the current literature obtained from a Pubmed database search in relation to three specific aspects of surgical site infection: compliance with prophylactic antibiotics, post-discharge surveillance and novel methods for preventing surgical site infections. These topics represent areas where many institutions will find room for improvement in the prevention of surgical site infections. Tight adherence to prophylactic antibiotic guidelines, close followup of surgical wounds during and after hospital discharge, and attention to oxygenation status and the body temperature of patients may all prove to be useful adjuncts in significantly decreasing surgical site infections.

[Preventive effects of sound insulation windows on the indoor noise levels in a street residential building in Beijing].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Bin; Huang, Jing; Guo, Xin-biao

2015-06-18

To evaluate the preventive effects of sound insulation windows on traffic noise. Indoor noise levels of the residential rooms (on both the North 4th ring road side and the campus side) with closed sound insulation windows were measured using the sound level meter, and comparisons with the simultaneously measured outdoor noise levels were made. In addition, differences of indoor noise levels between rooms with closed sound insulation windows and open sound insulation windows were also compared. The average outdoor noise levels of the North 4th ring road was higher than 70 dB(A), which exceeded the limitation stated in the "Environmental Quality Standard for Noise" (GB 3096-2008) in our country. However, with the sound insulation windows closed, the indoor noise levels reduced significantly to the level under 35 dB(A) (Pwindows had significant influence on the indoor noise levels (Pwindow, when the sound insulation windows were closed, the indoor noise levels reduced 18.8 dB(A) and 8.3 dB(A) in residential rooms facing North 4th ring road side and campus side, respectively. The results indicated that installation of insulation windows had significant noise reduction effects on street residential buildings especially on the rooms facing major traffic roads. Installation of the sound insulation windows has significant preventive effects on indoor noise in the street residential building.

Preventive psychosocial parental and school programmes in a general population

OpenAIRE

Löfgren, Hans O.

2017-01-01

Introduction Numerous preventive programmes have emerged, and need to be investigated to determine their effects on the normal population. Earlier studies have shown a decrease in depressive symptoms, positive effects on children’s disruptive behaviour problems, and an improvement in parental competence. About a fifth of the parents in previous studies had problem-oriented (targeted) reasons for enrolment, whereas the rest of the parents had general (universal) reasons. The results of those s...

Use of the Amplatzer ASD Occluder for Closing a Persistent Left Vertical Vein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zanchetta, Mario; Zennaro, Marco; Zecchel, Roberto; Mancuso, Daniela; Pedon, Luigi

2009-01-01

We report the case of a very large anomalous connection of the veins draining the upper lobe of the left lung to both the left-sided vertical vein and the left atrium, associated with mild rheumatic mitral valve stenosis, in which the atrial septum was intact and the remaining venous system, including the coronary sinus, was otherwise normal (a variant of Lutembacher's syndrome). In order to abolish the left-to-right shunting, a transcatheter approach to close this venous structure was successfully attempted using an Amplatzer ASD Occluder device. The technical aspects and the alternative options of performing a procedure with a device for a purpose outside the scope of its approved label are discussed.

Advanced ECCD based NTM control in closed-loop operation at ASDEX Upgrade (AUG)

Science.gov (United States)

Reich, Matthias; Barrera-Orte, Laura; Behler, Karl; Bock, Alexander; Giannone, Louis; Maraschek, Marc; Poli, Emanuele; Rapson, Chris; Stober, Jörg; Treutterer, Wolfgang

2012-10-01

In high performance plasmas, Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTMs) are regularly observed at reactor-grade beta-values. They limit the achievable normalized beta, which is undesirable because fusion performance scales as beta squared. The method of choice for controlling and avoiding NTMs at AUG is the deposition of ECCD inside the magnetic island for stabilization in real-time (rt). Our approach to tackling such complex control problems using real-time diagnostics allows rigorous optimization of all subsystems. Recent progress in rt-equilibrium reconstruction (< 3.5 ms), rt-localization of NTMs (< 8 ms) and rt beam tracing (< 25 ms) allows closed-loop feedback operation using multiple movable mirrors as the ECCD deposition actuator. The rt-equilibrium uses function parametrization or a fast Grad-Shafranov solver with an option to include rt-MSE measurements. The island localization is based on a correlation of ECE and filtered Mirnov signals. The rt beam-tracing module provides deposition locations and their derivative versus actuator position of multiple gyrotrons. The ``MHD controller'' finally drives the actuators. Results utilizing closed-loop operation with multiple gyrotrons and their effect on NTMs are shown.

Maximal thickness of the normal human pericardium assessed by electron-beam computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delille, J.P.; Hernigou, A.; Sene, V.; Chatellier, G.; Boudeville, J.C.; Challande, P.; Plainfosse, M.C.

1999-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the maximal value of normal pericardial thickness with an electron-beam computed tomography unit allowing fast scan times of 100 ms to reduce cardiac motion artifacts. Electron-beam computed tomography was performed in 260 patients with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertension, as these pathologies have no effect on pericardial thickness. The pixel size was 0.5 mm. Measurements could be performed in front of the right ventricle, the right atrioventricular groove, the right atrium, the left ventricle, and the interventricular groove. Maximal thickness of normal pericardium was defined at the 95th percentile. Inter-observer and intra-observer reproducibility studies were assessed from additional CT scans by the Bland and Altman method [24]. The maximal thickness of the normal pericardium was 2 mm for 95 % of cases. For the reproducibility studies, there was no significant relationship between the inter-observer and intra-observer measurements, but all pericardial thickness measurements were ≤ 1.6 mm. Using electron-beam computed tomography, which assists in decreasing substantially cardiac motion artifacts, the threshold of detection of thickened pericardium is statistically established as being 2 mm for 95 % of the patients with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertension. However, the spatial resolution available prevents a reproducible measure of the real thickness of thin pericardium. (orig.)

Elemental concentration analysis in PCa, BPH and normal prostate tissues using SR-TXRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitao, Roberta G.; Anjos, Marcelino J.; Canellas, Catarine G.L.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

2009-01-01

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the main causes of illness and death all over the world. In Brazil, prostate cancer currently represents the second most prevalent malignant neoplasia in men, representing 21% of all cancer cases. Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is an illness prevailing in men above the age of 50, close to 90% after the age of 80. The prostate presents a high zinc concentration, about 10-fold higher than any other body tissue. In this work, samples of human prostate tissues with cancer (PCa), BPH and normal tissue were analyzed utilizing the total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation technique (SRTXRF) to investigate the differences in the elemental concentrations in these tissues. SR-TXRF analyses were performed at the X-Ray fluorescence beamline at Brazilian National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), in Campinas, Sao Paulo. It was possible to determine the concentrations of the following elements: P, S, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Rb. By using Mann-Whitney U test it was observed that almost all elements presented concentrations with significant differences α = 0.05) between the groups studied. The elements and groups were: S, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Br and Rb (PCa X Normal); S, Fe, Zn and Br (PCa X BPH); K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Br and Rb (BPH X Normal). (author)

Gender-Based Violence Prevention. Issues in Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2012

2012-01-01

This issue of "Issues in Prevention" focuses on gender-based violence prevention. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Preventing Gender-Based Violence: An Overview (Linda Langford); (2) Q&A With Amelia Cobb; (3) Denim Day at HBCUs; (4) Dear Colleague Letter; (5) ED Grants for Violence Prevention; and (6) Higher Education Center…

nth roots of normal contractions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggal, B.P.

1992-07-01

Given a complex separable Hilbert space H and a contraction A on H such that A n , n≥2 some integer, is normal it is shown that if the defect operator D A = (1 - A * A) 1/2 is of the Hilbert-Schmidt class, then A is similar to a normal contraction, either A or A 2 is normal, and if A 2 is normal (but A is not) then there is a normal contraction N and a positive definite contraction P of trace class such that parallel to A - N parallel to 1 = 1/2 parallel to P + P parallel to 1 (where parallel to · parallel to 1 denotes the trace norm). If T is a compact contraction such that its characteristics function admits a scalar factor, if T = A n for some integer n≥2 and contraction A with simple eigen-values, and if both T and A satisfy a ''reductive property'', then A is a compact normal contraction. (author). 16 refs

Hosotani model in closed string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiraishi, Kiyoshi.

1988-11-01

Hosotani mechanism in the closed string theory with current algebra symmetry is described by the (old covariant) operator method. We compare the gauge symmetry breaking mechanism in a string theory which has SU(2) symmetry with the one in an equivalent compactified closed string theory. We also investigate the difference between Hosotani mechanism and Higgs mechanism in closed string theories by calculation of a fourpoint amplitude of 'Higgs' bosons at tree level. (author)

Prevention of Pazopanib-Induced Prolonged Cardiac Repolarization and Proarrhythmic Effects

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Tulay Akman

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Pazopanib (PZP may induce prolonged cardiac repolarization and proarrhythmic effects, similarly to other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Objectives: To demonstrate PZP-induced prolonged cardiac repolarization and proarrhythmic electrophysiological effects and to investigate possible preventive effects of metoprolol and diltiazem on ECG changes (prolonged QT in an experimental rat model. Methods: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 6. The first group (normal group received 4 mL of tap water and the other groups received 100 mg/kg of PZP (Votrient® tablet perorally, via orogastric tubes. After 3 hours, the following solutions were intraperitoneally administered to the animals: physiological saline solution (SP, to the normal group and to the second group (control-PZP+SP group; 1 mg/kg metoprolol (Beloc, Ampule, AstraZeneca, to the third group (PZP+metoprolol group; and 1mg/kg diltiazem (Diltiazem, Mustafa Nevzat, to the fourth group (PZP+diltiazem group. One hour after, and under anesthesia, QTc was calculated by recording ECG on lead I. Results: The mean QTc interval values were as follows: normal group, 99.93 ± 3.62 ms; control-PZP+SP group, 131.23 ± 12.21 ms; PZP+metoprolol group, 89.36 ± 3.61 ms; and PZP+diltiazem group, 88.86 ± 4.04 ms. Both PZP+metoprolol and PZP+diltiazem groups had significantly shorter QTc intervals compared to the control-PZP+SP group (p < 0.001. Conclusion: Both metoprolol and diltiazem prevented PZP-induced QT interval prolongation. These drugs may provide a promising prophylactic strategy for the prolonged QTc interval associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor use.

Super-delta: a new differential gene expression analysis procedure with robust data normalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuhang; Zhang, Jinfeng; Qiu, Xing

2017-12-21

Normalization is an important data preparation step in gene expression analyses, designed to remove various systematic noise. Sample variance is greatly reduced after normalization, hence the power of subsequent statistical analyses is likely to increase. On the other hand, variance reduction is made possible by borrowing information across all genes, including differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and outliers, which will inevitably introduce some bias. This bias typically inflates type I error; and can reduce statistical power in certain situations. In this study we propose a new differential expression analysis pipeline, dubbed as super-delta, that consists of a multivariate extension of the global normalization and a modified t-test. A robust procedure is designed to minimize the bias introduced by DEGs in the normalization step. The modified t-test is derived based on asymptotic theory for hypothesis testing that suitably pairs with the proposed robust normalization. We first compared super-delta with four commonly used normalization methods: global, median-IQR, quantile, and cyclic loess normalization in simulation studies. Super-delta was shown to have better statistical power with tighter control of type I error rate than its competitors. In many cases, the performance of super-delta is close to that of an oracle test in which datasets without technical noise were used. We then applied all methods to a collection of gene expression datasets on breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. While there is a substantial overlap of the DEGs identified by all of them, super-delta were able to identify comparatively more DEGs than its competitors. Downstream gene set enrichment analysis confirmed that all these methods selected largely consistent pathways. Detailed investigations on the relatively small differences showed that pathways identified by super-delta have better connections to breast cancer than other methods. As a new pipeline, super

Scuba diving, acute left anterior descending artery occlusion and normal ECG

Science.gov (United States)

Doll, Sébastien Xavier; Rigamonti, Fabio; Roffi, Marco; Noble, Stéphane

2013-01-01

We report the case of an acute proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) artery following a scuba diving decompression accident and associated with normal ECG. Following uneventful thromboaspiration and coronary stenting, the patient was discharged on day  4 with secondary preventative therapies. A transthoracic echocardiography performed at this point showed a complete recovery compared with an initial localised akinesia involving the anterior and apical portion of the left ventricle upon admission. This case highlights that significant acute coronary lesions involving the LAD can occur without any ECG anomaly. The presence of acute and persistent angina associated with troponin elevation should prompt physicians to consider coronary angiography without delay, independently of the ECG results. PMID:23376677

Mass Atrocities Prevention: The Role and Performance of the United States Army

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-12

advertise the progress made toward our national atrocity prevention strategy, highlights achievements made by the various departments within the...Atrocities, stated specifically “The faculty from the service academies will meet at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at the end of May 2012 to discuss how...a close working relationship with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., and provides educational opportunities for many Cadets to

When Doing Wrong Feels So Right: Normalization of Deviance.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Mary R; Williams, Teresa C

2018-03-01

Normalization of deviance is a term first coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan when reviewing the Challenger disaster. Vaughan noted that the root cause of the Challenger disaster was related to the repeated choice of NASA officials to fly the space shuttle despite a dangerous design flaw with the O-rings. Vaughan describes this phenomenon as occurring when people within an organization become so insensitive to deviant practice that it no longer feels wrong. Insensitivity occurs insidiously and sometimes over years because disaster does not happen until other critical factors line up. In clinical practice, failing to do time outs before procedures, shutting off alarms, and breaches of infection control are deviances from evidence-based practice. As in other industries, health care workers do not make these choices intending to set into motion a cascade toward disaster and harm. Deviation occurs because of barriers to using the correct process or drivers such as time, cost, and peer pressure. As in other industries, operators will often adamantly defend their actions as necessary and justified. Although many other high-risk industries have embraced the normalization of deviance concept, it is relatively new to health care. It is urgent that we explore the impact of this concept on patient harm. We can borrow this concept from other industries and also the steps these other high-risk organizations have found to prevent it.

Baby Poop: What's Normal?

Science.gov (United States)

... I'm breast-feeding my newborn and her bowel movements are yellow and mushy. Is this normal for baby poop? Answers from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. Yellow, mushy bowel movements are perfectly normal for breast-fed babies. Still, ...

Normal people working in normal organizations with normal equipment: system safety and cognition in a mid-air collision.

Science.gov (United States)

de Carvalho, Paulo Victor Rodrigues; Gomes, José Orlando; Huber, Gilbert Jacob; Vidal, Mario Cesar

2009-05-01

A fundamental challenge in improving the safety of complex systems is to understand how accidents emerge in normal working situations, with equipment functioning normally in normally structured organizations. We present a field study of the en route mid-air collision between a commercial carrier and an executive jet, in the clear afternoon Amazon sky in which 154 people lost their lives, that illustrates one response to this challenge. Our focus was on how and why the several safety barriers of a well structured air traffic system melted down enabling the occurrence of this tragedy, without any catastrophic component failure, and in a situation where everything was functioning normally. We identify strong consistencies and feedbacks regarding factors of system day-to-day functioning that made monitoring and awareness difficult, and the cognitive strategies that operators have developed to deal with overall system behavior. These findings emphasize the active problem-solving behavior needed in air traffic control work, and highlight how the day-to-day functioning of the system can jeopardize such behavior. An immediate consequence is that safety managers and engineers should review their traditional safety approach and accident models based on equipment failure probability, linear combinations of failures, rules and procedures, and human errors, to deal with complex patterns of coincidence possibilities, unexpected links, resonance among system functions and activities, and system cognition.

Closing the loop.

Science.gov (United States)

Dassau, E; Atlas, E; Phillip, M

2010-02-01

The dream of closing the loop is actually the dream of creating an artificial pancreas and freeing the patients from being involved with the care of their own diabetes. Insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1) is a chronic incurable disease which requires constant therapy without the possibility of any 'holidays' or insulin-free days. It means that patients have to inject insulin every day of their life, several times per day, and in order to do it safely they also have to measure their blood glucose levels several times per day. Patients need to plan their meals, their physical activities and their insulin regime - there is only very small room for spontaneous activities. This is why the desire for an artificial pancreas is so strong despite the fact that it will not cure the diabetic patients. Attempts to develop a closed-loop system started in the 1960s but never got to a clinical practical stage of development. In recent years the availability of continuous glucose sensors revived those efforts and stimulated the clinician and researchers to believe that closing the loop might be possible nowadays. Many papers have been published over the years describing several different ideas on how to close the loop. Most of the suggested systems have a sensing arm that measures the blood glucose repeatedly or continuously, an insulin delivery arm that injects insulin upon command and a computer that makes the decisions of when and how much insulin to deliver. The differences between the various published systems in the literature are mainly in their control algorithms. However, there are also differences related to the method and site of glucose measurement and insulin delivery. SC glucose measurements and insulin delivery are the most studied option but other combinations of insulin measurements and glucose delivery including intravascular and intraperitoneal (IP) are explored. We tried to select recent publications that we believe had influenced and inspired people interested

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.

27 CFR 70.485 - Closing agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Relating to Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Administrative Remedies § 70.485 Closing agreements... disadvantage through consummation of such an agreement. (b) Scope of closing agreement—(1) In general. A...

Study on preventive and therapeutic function of compound white peony root oral liquids in treating radiation-induced esophagitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Li; Shan Baoen; Zhang Li; Li Wei; Gong Yanjun; Gao Haixiang

2007-01-01

Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: the normal group, the irradiated group, the preventive group treated with the normal dose of compound white peony root oral liquids (cWPROL) (immediately administered on the day after rats were irradiated), the preventive group treated with the high dose of cWPROL (immediately administered on the day after rats were irradiated), the group treated with normal dose of cWPROL (administered on the 7th day after rats were irradiated), the group treated with high dose of cWPROL (administered on the 7th day after rats were irradiated), the group treated with Western medicine administered from the seventh day after irradiation. The radiation esophagitis of rats was induced by single irradiation of 43 Gy gamma ray locally. Then the rats with radiation esophagitis were treated in different ways. The food weight, water volume intaked by the rats and its body weight change were observed; The rats were killed on the 14th day after irradiation and the leucocyte count and DIFF were analyzed and the esophageal pathological sections were made. The pathological change of rats' esophageal mucosa and ultrastructure change of cells were observed for different groups. The results showed all the cWPROL and Western medicine have therapeutic function of treating radiation-induced esophagitis of rats. The ultrastructure of cells of rats in the group treated with normal dose of cWPROL recovered. The food weight and water volume intaked by the rats had increased in the group infused with cWPROL compared with purely irradiated groups, especially in the preventive group treated with high dose of cWPROL. The weight of food, the WBC count, the lymphocyte differential count in the group which was treated with Western medicine decreased compared with the purely irradiated group. Lymphocyte differential count increased in the groups administered cWPROL compared with the purely irradiated group. The compound white peony root oral liquids serves the function

Sensation seeking in opium abusers compared to normal people

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Recent research shows that it is possible to identify people at risk of substance abuse using some personality variables. Identification of these people might help social planners to deal with these people specifically in their prevention attempts. The aim of this study was to compare the sensation seeking of opium addicted and non-addicted people using the sensation seeking scale. Such a comparison might help to identify personality variables that are effective in turning toward substance abuse. In order to measure the sensation seeking of subjects “Sensation Seeking Scale” (SSS were used. 31 opium abusers were matched to 31 normal controls according to the following variables: age, education, father and mother education. Results showed that opium abusers obtain higher scores on the total sensation seeking score ,“variety seeking” and “experience seeking” subscales.

Short proofs of strong normalization

OpenAIRE

Wojdyga, Aleksander

2008-01-01

This paper presents simple, syntactic strong normalization proofs for the simply-typed lambda-calculus and the polymorphic lambda-calculus (system F) with the full set of logical connectives, and all the permutative reductions. The normalization proofs use translations of terms and types to systems, for which strong normalization property is known.

Indications for chest CT. Retrospective study of cases with normal chest CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obata, Shiro

1995-01-01

The usefulness of computed tomography (CT) in thoracic radiology is now well appreciated, and the number of chest CTs has greatly increased. There are, however, many chest CT cases that are completely or almost completely normal. Indications for chest CT should be re-evaluated considering the cost and radiation exposure associated with the examination. Reviewing the reports of 4930 chest CT examinations performed in three hospitals during the period of two years, the author found 620 (12.6%) negative CT examinations. In 312 of the 620, the CT was requested because of 'abnormal shadow' on chest radiograph. When the same chest radiographs were re-evaluated by two radiologists, no abnormality was noted in 257 cases (82.4%). CT examinations were considered justified in only 55 cases (17.6%). There was a significant difference in the frequency of normal chest CT examinations between the university hospital and two other hospitals. The causes of false positive interpretation of chest radiographs were analyzed, and it was felt that fundamental knowledge necessary to interpret chest radiographs was lacking. The importance of close cooperation between clinicians and radiologists should be emphasized. (author)

Radioprotection of normal tissues in tumor-bearing mice by troxerutin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurya, D.K.; Salvi, V.P.; Krishnan Nair, C.K.

2004-01-01

The flavanoid derivative troxerutin, used clinically for treating venous disorders, protected biomembranes and cellular DNA against the deleterious effects of γ-radiation. The peroxidation of lipids (measured as thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances, or TBARS) in rat liver microsomal and mitochondrial membranes resulting from γ-irradiation up to doses of 500 Gy in vitro was prevented by 0.2 mM troxerutin. The administration of troxerutin (175 mg/kg body weight) to tumor-bearing mice by intraperitoneal (ip) one hour prior to 4 Gy whole-body γ-irradiation significantly decreased the radiation-induced peroxidation of lipids in tissues such as liver and spleen, but there was no reduction of lipid peroxidation in tumor. The effect of troxerutin in γ-radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in different tissues of tumor-bearing mice was studied by comet assay. The administration of troxerutin to tumor-bearing animals protected cellular DNA against radiation-induced strand breaks. This was evidenced from decreases in comet tail length, tail moment, and percent of DNA in the tails in cells of normal tissues such as blood leukocytes and bone marrow, and these parameters were not altered in cells of fibrosarcoma tumor. The results revealed that troxerutin could preferentially protect normal tissues against radiation-induced damages in tumor-bearing animals. (author)

Personnel decontamination and preventive skin care

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henning, Klaus; Gojowczyk, Peter

2010-01-01

Skin contamination arises from contact with contaminated aqueous solutions and from transmission of radioactively contaminated dirt particles. As long as the surface of the skin is neither inflamed nor showing any lesions, normally only a limited part of the top layer (epidermis), i.e. the upper layers of the stratum corneum, is contaminated. The intact horny layer has a barrier function protecting against the penetration of chemicals and dirt particles. The horny layer can be damaged by water, solvents, alkaline substances, and acids. In general, it is safe to say that the horny layer acts as a natural barrier to the penetration of liquid and particulate impurities into lower layers of the skin. As long as the horny layer is intact and free from lesions, the risk of incorporation can be considered low. When decontaminating and cleansing the skin, also in daily skin cleansing, care must be taken to prevent the acid protective layer and the horny layer from being compromised. Daily cleansing and cleansing for decontamination must be carried out with a mild, weakly acidic detergent. In addition, prevention should be achieved daily by applying a non-greasy skin lotion to protect the skin. Following a systematic regular regimen in skin cleansing and preventive skin care as well as a specific approach in skin decontamination and cleansing will avoid damage to the skin and remove any contamination incurred. This approach comprises a three-pronged concept, namely skin protection, cleansing and care. (orig.)

Inflation in a closed universe

Science.gov (United States)

Ratra, Bharat

2017-11-01

To derive a power spectrum for energy density inhomogeneities in a closed universe, we study a spatially-closed inflation-modified hot big bang model whose evolutionary history is divided into three epochs: an early slowly-rolling scalar field inflation epoch and the usual radiation and nonrelativistic matter epochs. (For our purposes it is not necessary to consider a final dark energy dominated epoch.) We derive general solutions of the relativistic linear perturbation equations in each epoch. The constants of integration in the inflation epoch solutions are determined from de Sitter invariant quantum-mechanical initial conditions in the Lorentzian section of the inflating closed de Sitter space derived from Hawking's prescription that the quantum state of the universe only include field configurations that are regular on the Euclidean (de Sitter) sphere section. The constants of integration in the radiation and matter epoch solutions are determined from joining conditions derived by requiring that the linear perturbation equations remain nonsingular at the transitions between epochs. The matter epoch power spectrum of gauge-invariant energy density inhomogeneities is not a power law, and depends on spatial wave number in the way expected for a generalization to the closed model of the standard flat-space scale-invariant power spectrum. The power spectrum we derive appears to differ from a number of other closed inflation model power spectra derived assuming different (presumably non de Sitter invariant) initial conditions.

Awareness on causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity among urban married women in India

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Praween; Gupta, Kamla; Mishra, Vinod; Agrawal, Sutapa

2017-01-01

Background In spite of the numerous chronic diseases that have been linked to obesity, studies focusing on the awareness regarding causes, consequences and strategies to prevent and control of obesity among women are lacking in the literature, especially in developing countries such as India, where obesity is culturally accepted and nurtured and women bearded the highest weight gain in the recent decade. Objective We explored the awareness regarding causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity among 325 ever-married aged 20-54 years women with different levels of body mass index (BMI) in the national capital territory of Delhi representing urban India. Materials and Methods A population based follow-up survey of women systematically selected from the second round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2, 1998-99) samples who were re-interviewed after four years in 2003. As a part of qualitative data collection, the respondents were asked to free list open-ended questions on causes, consequences and preventive measures of obesity. Responses were analyzed through Anthropac software package. Results Over eating was reported as the most important cause of obesity by normal and overweight women whereas obese women reported fried food consumption as the most important cause of weight gain. A few women from each group reported changing lifestyle as a cause of obesity. Also, there were lots of misconceptions about the cause of obesity among women (such as no tension in life, more tension, happiness, constipation, problem in Delhi’s water etc.). In terms of the consequences of obesity, the participants were well aware of the common physical consequences. Normal and obese women reported breathlessness as the most important consequence whereas overweight women reported problem in standing and sitting. Regarding preventive measures, overweight and obese women reported ‘walking’ as most important preventive measure of obesity whereas normal women reported �

Normal thyroid function values in Ethiopians

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wassie, Emnetu; Abdulkadir, Jemal

1990-01-01

Thyroid function values were determined in 56 healthy nongoitrous adult Ethiopians. The mean triiodothyronine (T3) values for 20 males and 36 females were 1.42+-0.32 nmol/L and 1.51+-0.25 nmol/L, and thyroxine (T4) values were 119 22 nmol/L and 116+21 nmol/L respectively. The mean thyrotropin (TSH) values for males and females were identical at 1.86+-0.94 mu/L. Radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) at 2 hours was 8.6+-4.4% in males and 11.3+-4.3% in females, and at 24 hours 31.7+-11.7% and 38.9+-11.1% respectively. The difference between males and females were significant at both 2 and 24 hours (P<0.05). The ranges for the 3 hormones derived from the mean 2SD values are close to these supplied with the kits but the Ethiopian RAIU values are higher than the values currently applicable in developed countries, probably indicative of the lower level of dietary iodine available to the population here. The values obtained in this study are offered to serve as normal reference for the interpretation of thyroid function results in Ethiopian patients. A strategy for the rational utilization of the available in vitro tests is suggested

A and B Theories of Closed Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phill Dowe

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Closed time is possible in several senses of ‘possible’. One might like to know, therefore, whether closed time is possible in the sense that it is compatible with standard metaphysical theories of time. In this paper I am concerned with whether closed time is compatible with A and/or B theories of time. A common enough view amongst philosophers is that B theories do but A theories do not allow closed time. However, I show that prima-facie neither approach allows closed time, but that with a little work standard versions of both approaches do. This shows that there’s no special problem with the notion of eternal return.

The development and validation of the Closed-set Mandarin Sentence (CMS) test.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Duo-Duo; Fu, Qian-Jie; Galvin, John J; Yu, Ya-Feng

2017-09-01

Matrix-styled sentence tests offer a closed-set paradigm that may be useful when evaluating speech intelligibility. Ideally, sentence test materials should reflect the distribution of phonemes within the target language. We developed and validated the Closed-set Mandarin Sentence (CMS) test to assess Mandarin speech intelligibility in noise. CMS test materials were selected to be familiar words and to represent the natural distribution of vowels, consonants, and lexical tones found in Mandarin Chinese. Ten key words in each of five categories (Name, Verb, Number, Color, and Fruit) were produced by a native Mandarin talker, resulting in a total of 50 words that could be combined to produce 100,000 unique sentences. Normative data were collected in 10 normal-hearing, adult Mandarin-speaking Chinese listeners using a closed-set test paradigm. Two test runs were conducted for each subject, and 20 sentences per run were randomly generated while ensuring that each word was presented only twice in each run. First, the level of the words in each category were adjusted to produce equal intelligibility in noise. Test-retest reliability for word-in-sentence recognition was excellent according to Cronbach's alpha (0.952). After the category level adjustments, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for sentences in noise, defined as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that produced 50% correct whole sentence recognition, were adaptively measured by adjusting the SNR according to the correctness of response. The mean SRT was -7.9 (SE=0.41) and -8.1 (SE=0.34) dB for runs 1 and 2, respectively. The mean standard deviation across runs was 0.93 dB, and paired t-tests showed no significant difference between runs 1 and 2 (p=0.74) despite random sentences being generated for each run and each subject. The results suggest that the CMS provides large stimulus set with which to repeatedly and reliably measure Mandarin-speaking listeners' speech understanding in noise using a closed-set paradigm.

76 FR 76449 - Post Office Closing

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-07

... the closing of the Spring Dale, West Virginia post office has been filed. It identifies preliminary... Postal Service's determination to close the Spring Dale post office in Spring Dale, West Virginia. The...

Judge upholds closing of theater that was site of high-risk sex.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-05-05

New York City's decision to close a gay movie theater where inspectors found male patrons engaging in unsafe sexual activity with other men was upheld by Justice Marilyn G. Diamond of the Supreme Court in Manhattan. She rejected the theater owner's argument that the city's March 31, 1995 closure of the New David Cinema on West 54th Street violated the Constitution's guarantee of freedom of speech. The city based its action on a provision in the state health code which prohibits oral, anal or vaginal sex in commercial establishments. Despite several warnings from the city, the movie house did not follow the demands that it move forcefully to prevent high-risk sexual activity among patrons. The New David was one of two theaters and one sex club shut down by the Health Department in recent weeks, but the only one still closed at press time. Some gay activists contend the action was unjustified, since most of the sex that occurs in those establishments in consensual and involves solo or mutual masturbation. Others point out that a good deal of unsafe sex does occur. Because men often have several sexual liaisons during a single night at a theater or club, the risk of HIV transmission is magnified many-fold.

Normalization to specific gravity prior to analysis improves information recovery from high resolution mass spectrometry metabolomic profiles of human urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmands, William M B; Ferrari, Pietro; Scalbert, Augustin

2014-11-04

Extraction of meaningful biological information from urinary metabolomic profiles obtained by liquid-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) necessitates the control of unwanted sources of variability associated with large differences in urine sample concentrations. Different methods of normalization either before analysis (preacquisition normalization) through dilution of urine samples to the lowest specific gravity measured by refractometry, or after analysis (postacquisition normalization) to urine volume, specific gravity and median fold change are compared for their capacity to recover lead metabolites for a potential future use as dietary biomarkers. Twenty-four urine samples of 19 subjects from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) cohort were selected based on their high and low/nonconsumption of six polyphenol-rich foods as assessed with a 24 h dietary recall. MS features selected on the basis of minimum discriminant selection criteria were related to each dietary item by means of orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis models. Normalization methods ranked in the following decreasing order when comparing the number of total discriminant MS features recovered to that obtained in the absence of normalization: preacquisition normalization to specific gravity (4.2-fold), postacquisition normalization to specific gravity (2.3-fold), postacquisition median fold change normalization (1.8-fold increase), postacquisition normalization to urinary volume (0.79-fold). A preventative preacquisition normalization based on urine specific gravity was found to be superior to all curative postacquisition normalization methods tested for discovery of MS features discriminant of dietary intake in these urinary metabolomic datasets.

Is lithostatic loading important for the slip behavior and evolution of normal faults in the Earth's crust?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Pollard, David D.

1999-01-01

Normal faults growing in the Earth's crust are subject to the effects of an increasing frictional resistance to slip caused by the increasing lithostatic load with depth. We use three-dimensional (3-D) boundary element method numerical models to evaluate these effects on planar normal faults with variable elliptical tip line shapes in an elastic solid. As a result of increasing friction with depth, normal fault slip maxima for a single slip event are skewed away from the fault center toward the upper fault tip. There is a correspondingly greater propagation tendency at the upper tip. However, the tall faults that would result from such a propagation tendency are generally not observed in nature. We show how mechanical interaction between laterally stepping fault segments significantly competes with the lithostatic loading effect in the evolution of a normal fault system, promoting lateral propagation and possibly segment linkage. Resultant composite faults are wider than they are tall, resembling both 3-D seismic data interpretations and previously documented characteristics of normal fault systems. However, this effect may be greatly complemented by the influence of a heterogeneous stratigraphy, which can control fault nucleation depth and inhibit fault propagation across the mechanical layering. Our models demonstrate that although lithostatic loading may be an important control on fault evolution in relatively homogeneous rocks, the contribution of lithologic influences and mechanical interaction between closely spaced, laterally stepping faults may predominate in determining the slip behavior and propagation tendency of normal faults in the Earth's crust. (c) 1999 American Geophysical Union

Cavitation preventing device in a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Masao.

1983-01-01

Purpose: To prevent the generation of cavitation upon loss of feedwater flow rate in BWR nuclear power plant by reliably and rapidly tripping a recycling pump. Constitution: Two phase streams from a nuclear reactor are divided into main steams and saturated water in a steam drum. The deviation between the corresponding flow rate of the main steams and the feedwater flow rate of the feedwater pump sending condensates to the steam drum, as well as the continuing period of the deviation are monitored. Then, if it is detected that both of the deviation and the continuing period thereof exceed specified levels, the recycling pump feeding the saturated water to the reactor is tripped. In this way, the recycling pump can be tripped rapidly and reliably upon loss of feedwater flow rate, whereby the generation of the cavitation can be prevented and the normal operation of the nuclear power plant can be insured. (Moriyama, K.)

Age-related hearing loss: prevention of threshold declines, cell loss and apoptosis in spiral ganglion neurons