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Sample records for system activation correlates

  1. Correlation between the Modified Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 and the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, J O; Corrente, J E; Saad-Magalhães, C

    2016-11-01

    Objective The objective of this study was to assess Modified Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM) disease activity correlation in addition to their respective correlation to Pediatric Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index (Ped-SDI), in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE). Methods The activity indices were scored retrospectively and summarized by adjusted means during follow-up. The Ped-SDI was scored during the last visit for those with more than six months follow-up. Pearson correlation between the Modified SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM, as well as Spearman correlations between the Modified SLEDAI-2K, ECLAM, and Ped-SDI were calculated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated for both activity indices discriminating damage measured by Ped-SDI. Results Thirty-seven patients with mean age at diagnosis 11 ± 2.9 years and mean follow-up time 3.2 ± 2.4 years were studied. The Modified SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM adjusted means were highly correlated ( r = 0.78, p  0.7, p < 0.001), but Modified SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM correlation with Ped-SDI was only moderate. ROC analysis discriminant performance for both activity indices resulted in area under curve (AUC) of 0.74 and 0.73 for Modified SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM, respectively. Conclusion The high correlation found between the Modified SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM adjusted means indicated that both tools can be equally useful for longitudinal estimates of JSLE activity.

  2. Seasonal distribution of active systemic lupus erythematosus and its correlation with meteorological factors

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    Zhang Hua-Li

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics of seasonal distribution of active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE and the influences of meteorological factors including temperature and humidity on active systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS: The characteristics of seasonal distribution of active SLE and its correlation with meteorological factors were retrospectively analyzed in 640 patients living in the city of Zhanjiang, China and had active SLE between January 1997 and December 2006. RESULTS: In winter, when there are weaker ultraviolet (UV rays, the ratio of patients with active SLE to total inpatients was 3.89 %o, which is significantly higher than in other seasons with stronger UV rays, including 2.17 %o in spring, 1.87 0 in summer and 2.12 0 in autumn. The number of patients with active SLE had significant negative correlation with mean temperature and was not significantly related to mean humidity. CONCLUSION: Active SLE has the characteristics of seasonal distribution and is associated with temperature. The mechanism remains to be further studied.

  3. Analysis of correlations between selected endothelial cell activation markers, disease activity, and nailfold capillaroscopy microvascular changes in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

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    Ciołkiewicz, Mariusz; Kuryliszyn-Moskal, Anna; Klimiuk, Piotr Adrian

    2010-02-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between selected serum endothelial cell activation markers such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelin-1 (ET-1), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), disease activity, and microvascular changes determined by nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum levels of VEGF, ET-1, sTM, and sE-selectin were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 80 SLE patients. The disease activity was measured with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index score. Nailfold capillaroscopy was performed in all patients. Positive correlation was found between VEGF and both ET-1 (r = 0.294, p nailfold capillaroscopy (r = 0.458, p nailfold capillaroscopy. The relationship between changes in nailfold capillaroscopy, endothelial cell activation markers, and the clinical activity of SLE points to an important role of microvascular abnormalities in the clinical manifestation of the disease.

  4. Correlates of physical activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bauman, Adrian E; Reis, Rodrigo S; Sallis, James F

    2012-01-01

    that age, sex, health status, self-efficacy, and motivation are associated with physical activity. Ecological models take a broad view of health behaviour causation, with the social and physical environment included as contributors to physical inactivity, particularly those outside the health sector...... effective programmes will target factors known to cause inactivity. Research into correlates (factors associated with activity) or determinants (those with a causal relationship) has burgeoned in the past two decades, but has mostly focused on individual-level factors in high-income countries. It has shown......, such as urban planning, transportation systems, and parks and trails. New areas of determinants research have identified genetic factors contributing to the propensity to be physically active, and evolutionary factors and obesity that might predispose to inactivity, and have explored the longitudinal tracking...

  5. Correlation between viscous-flow activation energy and phase diagram in four systems of Cu-based alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ning Shuang [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Bian Xiufang, E-mail: xfbian@sdu.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Ren Zhenfeng [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)

    2010-09-01

    Activation energy is obtained from temperature dependence of viscosities by means of a fitting to the Arrhenius equation for liquid alloys of Cu-Sb, Cu-Te, Cu-Sn and Cu-Ag systems. We found that the changing trend of activation energy curves with concentration is similar to that of liquidus in the phase diagrams. Moreover, a maximum value of activation energy is in the composition range of the intermetallic phases and a minimum value of activation energy is located at the eutectic point. The correlation between the activation energy and the phase diagrams has been further discussed.

  6. Vascular endothelial growth factor in systemic lupus erythematosus - correlations with disease activity and nailfold capillaroscopy changes.

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    Bărbulescu, Andreea Lili; Vreju, Ananu Florentin; Bugă, Ana Maria; Sandu, Raluca Elena; Criveanu, Cristina; Tudoraşcu, Diana Rodica; Gheonea, Ioana Andreea; Ciurea, Paulina Lucia

    2015-01-01

    Our study aimed to quantify serum VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and its inter-relation with the severity of microvascular damage, assessed by nailfold capillaroscopy (NC), and to establish the possible relationship with disease activity score. We included 18 patients, diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 17 gender and age-matched control subjects. For determining serum VEGF, we used a Human VEGF Assay kit-IBL. NC was performed, according to the standard method, using a video-capillaroscope Videocap 3.0, DS Medica, by the same examiner, blinded to clinical and laboratory data. Serum VEGF registered a mean value of 68.99±71.06 pg/mL for SLE patients and 31.84±11.74 pg/mL for controls, differences statistically significant; depending on disease activity, we found a mean value of 60.11±57.74 pg/mL, for patients with moderate disease activity vs. 30.96±11.51 pg/mL for the ones with a low activity (p=0.014). We found a moderately positive correlation, statistically significant (p=0.015), between serum level of VEGF and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Performing NC, we found changes in 88.88% of the patients; the most frequent were increased tortuosity, dilated capillaries, an increased length and a prominent subpapillary plexus. The presence of nailfold capillaroscopy changes and serum level of VEGF, correlated moderately, positive. Since serum levels of VEGF are higher in SLE patients, compared to controls, significantly different according to disease activity degree, and directly inter-related to abnormal NC patterns and a more active disease, we can include these accessible parameters in the routine evaluation, in order to better quantify the systemic damage, individualize the treatment, improve the outcome and life quality for these patients.

  7. The Tie2 receptor antagonist angiopoietin-2 in systemic lupus erythematosus: its correlation with various disease activity parameters.

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    Salama, Maysa K; Taha, Fatma M; Safwat, Miriam; Darweesh, Hanan E A; Basel, Mohamed El

    2012-01-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus is one of the autoimmune diseases characterized by multisystem involvement associated with autoantibody and immune complex vasculitis along with endothelial cell damage. to study the possible role of Angiopoietin- 2 (Ang-2) as a recently highlighted inflammatory and angiogenic mediator in the pathogenesis of SLE and its correlation with the state of another inflammatory marker, P-Selectin, as well as with various markers of the disease activity. The present study included 3 main groups: active SLE patients (group I), inactive SLE patients (group II) and healthy normal control subjects (group III). Groups I and II were subjected to disease activity assessment using the SLEDAI scoring system and measurement of plasma Ang-2 and P-Selectin by ELISA in addition to various laboratory investigations to assess disease activity as: Complete blood count, ESR, serum creatinine, C3, C4 and 24-h urinary proteins. The mean level of Plasma Ang-2 and P-selectin showed a high significant increase in active group compared to inactive SLE patients and control subjects (p < 0.001).There was a significant positive correlation between Ang-2, P-Selectin, and each of SLEDAI score and 24-h urinary proteins in all SLE patients as well as in the active group, and Ang-2 was a significant independent marker for proteinuria. A significant negative correlation was found between Ang-2, P-Selectin and each of C3, C4. Ang-2 and P-Selectin showed a high sensitivity and specificity in the patients with SLE. Our study suggests that Ang-2 may be a more useful marker than P-Selectin, C3 and C4 in the assessment of disease activity.

  8. Circulating prolactin level in systemic lupus erythematosus and its correlation with disease activity: a meta-analysis.

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    Song, G G; Lee, Y H

    2017-10-01

    Objective This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between circulating prolactin level and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to establish a correlation between plasma/serum prolactin levels and SLE activity. Methods We performed a meta-analysis comparing the plasma/serum prolactin levels in patients with SLE to controls, and examined correlation coefficients between circulating prolactin level and SLE disease activity. Results Twenty-five studies with a total of 1056 SLE patients and 426 controls were included. Prolactin levels were significantly higher overall in the SLE group than in the control group (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.987, 95% CI = 0.512-1.463, p = 4.7 × 10 -5 ). Stratification by ethnicity showed significantly elevated prolactin levels in the SLE group in Asian, Latin American, and mixed populations (SMD = 0.813, 95% CI = 0.137-1.490, p = 0.018; SMD = 0.981, 95% CI = 0.307-1.655, p = 0.004; SMD = 1.469, 95% CI = 0.443-2.495, p = 0.005, respectively), but not in the European population. Subgroup analysis by sample size showed significantly higher prolactin levels in the SLE group by small ( n  30). Meta-analysis of correlation coefficients showed a significantly positive correlation between circulating prolactin level and SLE activity (correlation coefficient = 0.379, 95% CI = 0.026-0.487, p = 4.0 × 10 -9 ). Circulating prolactin levels were positively associated with SLE activity in European, Asian, and mixed populations (SMD = 0.532, 95% CI = 0.443-0.609  p < 1.0 × 10 -8 ; SMD = 0.427, 95% CI = 0.240-0.583, p = 2.4 × 10 -5 ; SMD = 0.433, 95% CI = 0.212-0.591, p = 2.7 × 10 -5 , respectively). Conclusions Our meta-analysis demonstrated that circulating prolactin levels are higher in patients with SLE, and that a significantly positive correlation exists between prolactin levels and SLE activity.

  9. Echoes in correlated neural systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helias, M; Tetzlaff, T; Diesmann, M

    2013-01-01

    Correlations are employed in modern physics to explain microscopic and macroscopic phenomena, like the fractional quantum Hall effect and the Mott insulator state in high temperature superconductors and ultracold atoms. Simultaneously probed neurons in the intact brain reveal correlations between their activity, an important measure to study information processing in the brain that also influences the macroscopic signals of neural activity, like the electroencephalogram (EEG). Networks of spiking neurons differ from most physical systems: the interaction between elements is directed, time delayed, mediated by short pulses and each neuron receives events from thousands of neurons. Even the stationary state of the network cannot be described by equilibrium statistical mechanics. Here we develop a quantitative theory of pairwise correlations in finite-sized random networks of spiking neurons. We derive explicit analytic expressions for the population-averaged cross correlation functions. Our theory explains why the intuitive mean field description fails, how the echo of single action potentials causes an apparent lag of inhibition with respect to excitation and how the size of the network can be scaled while maintaining its dynamical state. Finally, we derive a new criterion for the emergence of collective oscillations from the spectrum of the time-evolution propagator. (paper)

  10. Pooling and correlated neural activity

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    Robert Rosenbaum

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Correlations between spike trains can strongly modulate neuronal activity and affect the ability of neurons to encode information. Neurons integrate inputs from thousands of afferents. Similarly, a number of experimental techniques are designed to record pooled cell activity. We review and generalize a number of previous results that show how correlations between cells in a population can be amplified and distorted in signals that reflect their collective activity. The structure of the underlying neuronal response can significantly impact correlations between such pooled signals. Therefore care needs to be taken when interpreting pooled recordings, or modeling networks of cells that receive inputs from large presynaptic populations. We also show that the frequently observed runaway synchrony in feedforward chains is primarily due to the pooling of correlated inputs.

  11. Correlations in small systems with ALICE

    CERN Document Server

    Lakomov, Igor

    2016-01-01

    ALICE is dedicated to the study of the strongly interacting matter, the so-called Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), formed in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. In addition, ALICE also actively participated in the pp and p–Pb collision programs. In particular, the measurements of the twoparticle azimuthal correlations in pp collisions at √ s = 7 TeV and in p–Pb collisions at √ sNN = 5.02 TeV have been performed by the ALICE Collaboration during Run I of the LHC. Similar long-range correlations in p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions have been observed on the near and away side — also known as the double ridge. Further investigations showed the importance of the Multi-Parton Interactions (MPI) in high-multiplicity collisions in small systems. In this work the ALICE results on the correlations in small systems are presented including MPI measurements in pp collisions.

  12. Correlations decrease with propagation of spiking activity in the mouse barrel cortex

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    Gayathri Nattar Ranganathan

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Propagation of suprathreshold spiking activity through neuronal populations is important for the function of the central nervous system. Neural correlations have an impact on cortical function particularly on the signaling of information and propagation of spiking activity. Therefore we measured the change in correlations as suprathreshold spiking activity propagated between recurrent neuronal networks of the mammalian cerebral cortex. Using optical methods we recorded spiking activity from large samples of neurons from two neural populations simultaneously. The results indicate that correlations decreased as spiking activity propagated from layer 4 to layer 2/3 in the rodent barrel cortex.

  13. Vision drives correlated activity without patterned spontaneous activity in developing Xenopus retina.

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    Demas, James A; Payne, Hannah; Cline, Hollis T

    2012-04-01

    Developing amphibians need vision to avoid predators and locate food before visual system circuits fully mature. Xenopus tadpoles can respond to visual stimuli as soon as retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) innervate the brain, however, in mammals, chicks and turtles, RGCs reach their central targets many days, or even weeks, before their retinas are capable of vision. In the absence of vision, activity-dependent refinement in these amniote species is mediated by waves of spontaneous activity that periodically spread across the retina, correlating the firing of action potentials in neighboring RGCs. Theory suggests that retinorecipient neurons in the brain use patterned RGC activity to sharpen the retinotopy first established by genetic cues. We find that in both wild type and albino Xenopus tadpoles, RGCs are spontaneously active at all stages of tadpole development studied, but their population activity never coalesces into waves. Even at the earliest stages recorded, visual stimulation dominates over spontaneous activity and can generate patterns of RGC activity similar to the locally correlated spontaneous activity observed in amniotes. In addition, we show that blocking AMPA and NMDA type glutamate receptors significantly decreases spontaneous activity in young Xenopus retina, but that blocking GABA(A) receptor blockers does not. Our findings indicate that vision drives correlated activity required for topographic map formation. They further suggest that developing retinal circuits in the two major subdivisions of tetrapods, amphibians and amniotes, evolved different strategies to supply appropriately patterned RGC activity to drive visual circuit refinement. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Clinical significance of nailfold capillaroscopy in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with endothelial cell activation markers and disease activity.

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    Kuryliszyn-Moskal, A; Ciolkiewicz, M; Klimiuk, P A; Sierakowski, S

    2009-01-01

    To evaluate whether nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) changes are associated with the main serum endothelial cell activation markers and the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelin-1 (ET-1), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), and soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 80 SLE patients and 33 healthy controls. Nailfold capillary abnormalities were seen in 74 out of 80 (92.5%) SLE patients. A normal capillaroscopic pattern or mild changes were found in 33 (41.25%) and moderate/severe abnormalities in 47 (58.75%) of all SLE patients. In SLE patients a capillaroscopic score >1 was more frequently associated with the presence of internal organ involvement (p 1 and controls. SLE patients with severe/moderate capillaroscopic abnormalities showed significantly higher VEGF serum levels than patients with mild changes (p < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the severity of capillaroscopic changes and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) (p < 0.005) as well as between capillaroscopic score and VEGF serum levels (p < 0.001). Our findings confirm the usefulness of NC as a non-invasive technique for the evaluation of microvascular involvement in SLE patients. A relationship between changes in NC, endothelial cell activation markers and clinical features of SLE suggest an important role for microvascular abnormalities in clinical manifestation of the disease.

  15. Spatial Correlation Characterization of a Full Dimension Massive MIMO System

    KAUST Repository

    Nadeem, Qurrat-Ul-Ain

    2017-02-07

    Elevation beamforming and Full Dimension MIMO (FD-MIMO) are currently active areas of research and standardization in 3GPP LTE-Advanced. FD-MIMO utilizes an active antenna array system (AAS), that provides the ability of adaptive electronic beam control over the elevation dimension, resulting in a better system performance as compared to the conventional 2D MIMO systems. FD-MIMO is more advantageous when amalgamated with massive MIMO systems, in that it exploits the additional degrees of freedom offered by a large number of antennas in the elevation. To facilitate the evaluation of these systems, a large effort in 3D channel modeling is needed. This paper aims at providing a summary of the recent 3GPP activity around 3D channel modeling. The 3GPP proposed approach to model antenna radiation pattern is compared with the ITU approach. A closed-form expression is then worked out for the spatial correlation function (SCF) for channels constituted by individual antenna elements in the array by exploiting results on spherical harmonics and Legendre polynomials. The proposed expression can be used to obtain correlation coefficients for any arbitrary 3D propagation environment. Simulation results corroborate and study the derived spatial correlation expression. The results are directly applicable to the analysis of future 5G 3D massive MIMO systems.

  16. Regulatory T cells (CD4(+)CD25(bright)FoxP3(+)) expansion in systemic sclerosis correlates with disease activity and severity.

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    Slobodin, Gleb; Ahmad, Mohammad Sheikh; Rosner, Itzhak; Peri, Regina; Rozenbaum, Michael; Kessel, Aharon; Toubi, Elias; Odeh, Majed

    2010-01-01

    The role and function of T regulatory (Treg) cells have not been fully investigated in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Ten patients with SSc donated 20ml of peripheral blood. Activity (Valentini) and severity (Medsger) scores for SSc were calculated for all patients. Healthy volunteers (controls) were matched to each patient by gender and age. CD4(+) cells were separated using the MACS system. The numbers of Treg cells were estimated by flow cytometry after staining for CD4, CD25, and FoxP3 and calculated as patient-to-control ratio separately for each experiment. Correlations with activity and severity indices of the disease were performed. Twenty-four-hour production of TGF-beta and IL-10 by activated CD4(+) cells was measured by ELISA in culture supernatants. The numbers of Treg cells, expressed as patient-to-control ratio, correlated significantly with both activity and severity indices (r=0.71, p=0.034 and r=0.67, p=0.044, respectively). ELISA-measured production of TGF-beta and IL-10 by CD4(+) cells was similar in patients and controls. Increased numbers of Treg cells are present in patients with SSc, correlating with activity and severity of the disease. This expansion of Treg cells was not accompanied, however, by heightened TGF-beta or IL-10 production. Further studies to elaborate the causes and functional significance of Treg cell expansion in SSc are needed. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Correlation between sonography and antibody activity in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willms, Arnulf; Bieler, Dan; Wieler, Helmut; Willms, Diana; Kaiser, Klaus P; Schwab, Robert

    2013-11-01

    Patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis show structural changes of the thyroid that can be identified by a variety of sonographic criteria. We conducted this study to investigate whether there is a correlation between sonography and antibody activity and to assess the role of sonography in the diagnosis and follow-up of Hashimoto thyroiditis. In addition, we present a new classification system (termed the VESINC system [volume, echogenicity, sonographic texture, pseudonodular hypoechoic infiltration, nodules, and cysts]), which helps improve the clarity of sonographic findings. The study included 223 consecutive patients with previously diagnosed Hashimoto autoimmune thyroiditis who attended the thyroid clinic of the German Armed Forces Central Hospital in Koblenz for follow-up examinations between 2006 and 2008. Laboratory tests were performed to measure the levels of free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyrotropin, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs), and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs). Sonography was performed according to a strict protocol. We then assessed whether a correlation existed between antibody activity and the 6 sonographic variables of the VESINC system. Hypoechogenicity, heterogeneity, and pseudonodular hypoechoic infiltration were associated with significantly higher TPOAb activity (P Hashimoto thyroiditis.

  18. Correlation of anti C1Q antibodies with disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riaz, M.O.; Ahmed, T.A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To study the correlation of anti C1q antibodies with disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Study Design: Cross sectional, observational study. Place and Duration of study: The Department of Immunology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi in collaboration with Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad and Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Jan 2012 to Dec 2013. Material and Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of SLE were included in the study on fulfilling revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria (1997). Main outcome measures were SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score and anti C1q antibody levels in serum. SLEDAI scores were calculated for each patient on the basis of physical examination, patient interviews and previous clinical records. Anti C1q antibody levels in the serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and correlated with the SLEDAI scores by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient 'r'. The cutoff value for anti C1q antibody positivity in the serum was determined by evaluating the serum levels of anti C1q antibodies in 25 healthy subjects and was 12 U/ml. Results: Six male and forty nine female SLE patients with an age range of 16-47 years (mean 34.5 years) and 8-70 years (mean 31.7 years) respectively were studied. The correlation between anti C1q levels and SLEDAI scores in all patients was demonstrated by calculating the correlation coefficient and was not significant (r=0.19, p=0.14). However, there was an inverse correlation between anti C1q levels and SLEDAI scores in patients with severe disease and this was statistically significant (r=-0.448, p=0.037). The difference in anti C1q antibody positivity between patients with and without nephritis was not significant. The anti C1q antibody levels correlated poorly with anti double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) antibody positivity. A

  19. Correlation of systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity with classical complement (CH50 function and related protein levels

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    Salesi M

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available "nBackground: The components of the classical complement pathway play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE and are reportedly useful biomarkers of disease activity. In this study, we evaluate disease activity, complement function (total hemolytic complement, CH50 and complement protein levels (C3, C4, C3d, C4d, SC5b-9, comparing the results of patients with active disease versus those with inactive disease."n"nMethods: This cross-sectional study included 78 hospitalized women with SLE, 24 of whom were in the active group, with SLE disease activity indexes (SLEDAI.2K of >6, and 54 in the inactive group, with SLEDAI.2K of ≤6. Serum CH50 was measured using a red blood cell hemolytic assay. C3 and C4 levels were determined by nephlometry and plasma levels of C3d, C4d, SC5b-9 by ELISA. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS."n"nResults: The mean (±standard error C4d levels of the inactive group were significantly higher than those of the active group (23.39±1.1µg/ml and 16.9±1.6µg/ml, respectively; p=0.003. There was also a significant correlation between C3 and C4 levels (p=0.807. The mean values of the other proteins (C3, C4, CH50, SC5b-9, and C3d circulating immune complex concentrations were not significantly different between the inactive group vs. the active group: 89.35±6.8 vs. 85.54±7.6mg/dl, 18.33±2.3 vs. 20.45±2.4mg/dl, 149.03±4.3 vs. 157±4.3U, 1414.4±114.94 vs. 1471.1±216.9ng/ml, 9.43±0.96 vs. 13.31±3.16µgEq/ml, respectively (p>0.05."n"nConclusions: According to our results, C4d levels may be used as a biomarker of disease activity. The significant correlation between C3 and C4 may confirm the activity of the classical pathway in SLE patients."n"nKeywords: Systemic lupus erythematosus, CH50, C3, C4, C3d, C4d, SC5b-9, inactive, flare.

  20. Parent-offspring correlations in pedometer-assessed physical activity.

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    David Jacobi

    Full Text Available Physical activity is a major component of a healthy lifestyle in youth and adults. To identify determinants of this complex behavior is an important research objective in the process of designing interventions to promote physical activity at population level. In addition to individual determinants, there is evidence documenting familial influences on physical activity. However, the few studies that have addressed this issue with objective measures did not provide data on parent-offspring physical activity relationships throughout childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this study was to assess familial correlations in pedometer-assessed physical activity.We measured ambulatory activity in 286 French nuclear families (283 mothers, 237 fathers, and 631 children aged 8-18 years by pedometer recordings (Yamax Digiwalker DW 450 over a week. Correlations were computed with their 95% confidence intervals (CI for spouse pairs, siblings, mother-offspring, and father-offspring. Data were expressed as steps per day and computed both for the full recording period and separately for weekdays and weekends.The correlations were the highest between siblings (r=0.28, 95%CI: 0.17-0.38. Parent-offspring correlations were significant in mothers (r=0.21, 95%CI: 0.12-0.30, especially between mothers and daughters (r=0.24, 95%CI: 0.12-0.36 vs. r=0.18, 95%CI: 0.05-0.31 for sons, but were almost nonexistent in fathers. Correlations were generally higher on weekend days compared to weekdays. Mother-offspring correlations did not decrease with increasing age of children (r=0.17, 95%CI: 0.00-0.34 in 8-11-year-olds, r=0.20, 95%CI: 0.07-0.33 in 12-15-year-olds, and r=0.25, 95%CI: 0.07-0.39 in ≥16-year-olds. Finally, between-spouse correlations were significant only during weekend days (r=0.14, 95%CI: 0.01-0.27.Ambulatory activity correlated within families, with a possible mother effect. Mother-offspring correlations remained significant through the transition from

  1. Serum Renalase Levels Correlate with Disease Activity in Lupus Nephritis.

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    Chaojun Qi

    Full Text Available Lupus nephritis (LN is among the most serious complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, which causes significant morbidity and mortality. Renalase is a novel, kidney-secreted cytokine-like protein that promotes cell survival. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship of serum renalase levels with LN and its role in the disease progression of LN.For this cross-sectional study, 67 LN patients and 35 healthy controls were enrolled. Seventeen active LN patients who received standard therapies were followed up for six months. Disease activity was determined by the SLE Disease Activity-2000 (SLEDAI-2K scoring system and serum renalase amounts were determined by ELISA. Predictive value of renalase for disease activity was assessed. Furthermore, the expression of renalase in the kidneys of patients and macrophage infiltration was assessed by immunohistochemistry.Serum renalase amounts were significantly higher in LN patients than in healthy controls. Moreover, patients with proliferative LN had more elevated serum renalase levels than Class V LN patients. In proliferative LN patients, serum renalase levels were significantly higher in patients with active LN than those with inactive LN. Serum renalase levels were positively correlated with SLEDAI-2K, 24-h urine protein excretion, ds-DNA and ESR but inversely correlated with serum albumin and C3. Renalase amounts decreased significantly after six-months of standard therapy. The performance of renalase as a marker for diagnosis of active LN was 0.906 with a cutoff value of 66.67 μg/ml. We also observed that the amount of renalase was significantly higher in glomerular of proliferative LN along with the co-expression of macrophages.Serum renalase levels were correlated with disease activity in LN. Serum renalase might serve as a potential indicator for disease activity in LN. The marked increase of glomerular renalase and its association with macrophages suggest that it might play an

  2. CORRELATION BETWEEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY

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    Nataliia Shust

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The article is dedicated to the analysis of legal nature and peculiarities of optimal correlation between the notions of intellectual property and scientific activity. Nowadays intellectual property as institution goes through the period of establishment in Ukraine. As the Soviet system of civil law was based on recognition and regulation of authors’ rights for the authors of scientific works, discoveries, inventions and innovation proposals as the ones having mainly relative, i.e. legally mandatory, but not absolute character.  Getting started to define the notion of intellectual property and intellectual property right in the system of interaction with scientific activity, it is important to say that such notion as “intellectual property” still needs enhancement. Its imperfection is due to the fact that this kind of property implies being formed by intellectual efforts of the author of scientific work, but legally it is processed with the help of documents that guarantee property right. Methods. General scientific method, philosophical method, specially-legal method of scientific research, system analysis method. Results: It is important to emphasize that not every result of scientific or creative work can become the object of intellectual property right, but the one that corresponds with law. Any scientific work falls within the purview of law if it corresponds with law demands. Scientific and technical results obtain legal protection only in case of appropriate qualification established by specific agency of State administration and issuement of law-enforcement document being limited by the territory of Ukraine. Protection of rights on the territory of other countries is realized only on the basis of correspondent international conventions and treaties. Discussion: Advanced modern countries realized the meaning and importance of usage and proper protection of creative and scientific work results known as

  3. PREFACE: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Siddharth S.; Littlewood, P. B.

    2012-07-01

    This special section is dedicated to the Strongly Correlated Electron Systems Conference (SCES) 2011, which was held from 29 August-3 September 2011, in Cambridge, UK. SCES'2011 is dedicated to 100 years of superconductivity and covers a range of topics in the area of strongly correlated systems. The correlated electronic and magnetic materials featured include f-electron based heavy fermion intermetallics and d-electron based transition metal compounds. The selected papers derived from invited presentations seek to deepen our understanding of the rich physical phenomena that arise from correlation effects. The focus is on quantum phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid phenomena, quantum magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and metal-insulator transitions. Both experimental and theoretical work is presented. Based on fundamental advances in the understanding of electronic materials, much of 20th century materials physics was driven by miniaturisation and integration in the electronics industry to the current generation of nanometre scale devices. The achievements of this industry have brought unprecedented advances to society and well-being, and no doubt there is much further to go—note that this progress is founded on investments and studies in the fundamentals of condensed matter physics from more than 50 years ago. Nevertheless, the defining challenges for the 21st century will lie in the discovery in science, and deployment through engineering, of technologies that can deliver the scale needed to have an impact on the sustainability agenda. Thus the big developments in nanotechnology may lie not in the pursuit of yet smaller transistors, but in the design of new structures that can revolutionise the performance of solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, light-weight structural materials, refrigeration, water purification, etc. The science presented in the papers of this special section also highlights the underlying interest in energy-dense materials, which

  4. Correlations in charged bosons systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida Caparica, A. de.

    1985-02-01

    The two and three-dimensional charge Bose gas have been studied. In the bidimensional case two different types of interaction were considered: l/r and l n(r). The method of self-consistent-field was applied to these systems, which takes into account the short range correlations between the bosons through a local-field correction. By using self-consistent numerical calculations, the structure factor S(k → ) was determined. The pair-correlation function, the ground-state energy, the pressure of the gas and the spectrum of elementary excitations were obtained from S (k → ). The screening density induced by a fixed charged impurity was calculated. In the high-density limit our calculations reproduce the results given by Bogoliubov's perturbation theory. In the intermediate-density region, corresponding to the strongly coupled systems, the results are in very good agreement with calculations based on HNC approximation as well as Monte Carlo method. The results are compared in several situations with RPA results showing that the self-consistent method is much more accurate. The two-dimensional systems showed to be more correlated than the three-dimensional systems showed to be more correlated than the three-dimensional one; the gas with interaction l/r is also more correlated than the logarithmic one at high densities, but it begins to be less correlated than this one in the low-density region. The thermodynamic functions of the two and three-dimensional systems at finite temperatures near absolute zero are calculated based upon the gas excitation spectra at zero temperature. (author)

  5. Monocyte activation in HIV/HCV coinfection correlates with cognitive impairment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans Rempel

    Full Text Available Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV challenges the immune system with two viruses that elicit distinct immune responses. Chronic immune activation is a hallmark of HIV infection and an accurate indicator of disease progression. Suppressing HIV viremia by antiretroviral therapy (ART effectively prolongs life and significantly improves immune function. HIV/HCV coinfected individuals have peripheral immune activation despite effective ART control of HIV viral load. Here we examined freshly isolated CD14 monocytes for gene expression using high-density cDNA microarrays and analyzed T cell subsets, CD4 and CD8, by flow cytometry to characterize immune activation in monoinfected HCV and HIV, and HIV-suppressed coinfected subjects. To determine the impact of coinfection on cognition, subjects were evaluated in 7 domains for neuropsychological performance, which were summarized as a global deficit score (GDS. Monocyte gene expression analysis in HIV-suppressed coinfected subjects identified 43 genes that were elevated greater than 2.5 fold. Correlative analysis of subjects' GDS and gene expression found eight genes with significance after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Correlative expression of six genes was confirmed by qPCR, five of which were categorized as type 1 IFN response genes. Global deficit scores were not related to plasma lipopolysaccharide levels. In the T cell compartment, coinfection significantly increased expression of activation markers CD38 and HLADR on both CD4 and CD8 T cells but did not correlate with GDS. These findings indicate that coinfection is associated with a type 1 IFN monocyte activation profile which was further found to correlate with cognitive impairment, even in subjects with controlled HIV infection. HIV-suppressed coinfected subjects with controlled HIV viral load experiencing immune activation could benefit significantly from successful anti-HCV therapy and may be

  6. Quantum correlations in multipartite quantum systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafarizadeh, M. A.; Heshmati, A.; Karimi, N.; Yahyavi, M.

    2018-03-01

    Quantum entanglement is the most famous type of quantum correlation between elements of a quantum system that has a basic role in quantum communication protocols like quantum cryptography, teleportation and Bell inequality detection. However, it has already been shown that various applications in quantum information theory do not require entanglement. Quantum discord as a new kind of quantum correlations beyond entanglement, is the most popular candidate for general quantum correlations. In this paper, first we find the entanglement witness in a particular multipartite quantum system which consists of a N-partite system in 2 n -dimensional space. Then we give an exact analytical formula for the quantum discord of this system. At the end of the paper, we investigate the additivity relation of the quantum correlation and show that this relation is satisfied for a N-partite system with 2 n -dimensional space.

  7. Petascale Many Body Methods for Complex Correlated Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruschke, Thomas

    2012-02-01

    Correlated systems constitute an important class of materials in modern condensed matter physics. Correlation among electrons are at the heart of all ordering phenomena and many intriguing novel aspects, such as quantum phase transitions or topological insulators, observed in a variety of compounds. Yet, theoretically describing these phenomena is still a formidable task, even if one restricts the models used to the smallest possible set of degrees of freedom. Here, modern computer architectures play an essential role, and the joint effort to devise efficient algorithms and implement them on state-of-the art hardware has become an extremely active field in condensed-matter research. To tackle this task single-handed is quite obviously not possible. The NSF-OISE funded PIRE collaboration ``Graduate Education and Research in Petascale Many Body Methods for Complex Correlated Systems'' is a successful initiative to bring together leading experts around the world to form a virtual international organization for addressing these emerging challenges and educate the next generation of computational condensed matter physicists. The collaboration includes research groups developing novel theoretical tools to reliably and systematically study correlated solids, experts in efficient computational algorithms needed to solve the emerging equations, and those able to use modern heterogeneous computer architectures to make then working tools for the growing community.

  8. Cathelicidin (LL-37) and its correlation with pro-oxidant, antioxidant balance and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional human study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahebari, M; Roshandel, G; Saadati, N; Saghafi, M; Abdolahi, N; Rezaieyazdi, Z

    2017-08-01

    Background Cathelicidin (LL-37), an endogenous antimicrobial peptide, has recently been involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. To assess whether LL-37 reflects disease activity, we measured serum levels of it in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active and inactive disease compared to healthy controls. LL-37 was also compared between new and old cases. Moreover, the correlation of LL-37 and pro-oxidant, antioxidant balance (PAB) was measured. Methods The study population consisted of 50 SLE patients and 28 healthy controls. Of those, 39 patients had active and 11 patients had inactive disease. Serum levels of LL-37 were measured by ELISA and PAB values by a special method. Results There was no difference in levels of LL-37 between patients and healthy controls (50.9 ± 20.8 vs. 67.7 ± 43.3 ng/ml, P = 0.31). LL-37 did not correlate with SLEDAI and its items in total patients. LL-37 had a positive correlation with SLEDAI in active patients ( P = 0.01, r = 0.4). In active patients (78% of patients), multivariate regression analysis showed significant negative correlation between LL-37 and C3 ( P = 0.01, standardized beta -0.50). No difference was found in levels of PAB between patients and controls (90.4 ± 34.1 vs. 86.9 ± 25.6 HK, P = 0.4).There was no difference in the levels of PAB between patients with active and inactive disease (93.2 ± 34.1 vs. 80.2 ± 33.7 HK, P = 0.27). No correlation was found between levels of PAB and SLEDAI items and total score. However, a positive correlation between the levels of LL-37 and PAB in SLE patients was found ( r = 0.3, P lupus compared with healthy individuals. LL-37 serum values rose in parallel with SLEDAI in active disease. Positive correlation between serum PAB and LL-37 could be a great achievement of this study that may suggest the role of antioxidants in controlling NETosis.

  9. Correlation between serum E-selectin levels and panoramic nailfold capillaroscopy in systemic sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valim, V; Assis, L S S; Simões, M F J; Trevisani, V F M; Pucinelli, M L C; Andrade, L E C

    2004-09-01

    E-selectin is expressed by the activated endothelium and its plasma levels are increased in patients with systemic sclerosis. Eighteen patients fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association criteria for systemic sclerosis, 15 females and 3 males, 42-70 years old, 9 with diffuse and 9 with limited forms, were sequentially recruited for this study. Serum E-selectin levels were determined by commercially available ELISA and their association with nailfold capillaroscopic abnormalities was investigated. Nailfold capillaries were analyzed by 16X magnification wide-field capillaroscopy. Two parameters on capillaroscopy were used to correlate to serum E-selectin: deletion and ectasia. Data were analyzed statistically by the Student t-test and Spearman correlation. Two-tailed P values below 0.05 were considered significant. E-selectin range was 38 to 200 ng/ml (80 +/- 39.94). There was a correlation between serum E-selectin levels and the deletion capillaroscopic score (r = 0.50, P capillaroscopy. The stronger correlation of deletion score in capillaroscopy in early disease suggests that serum E-selectin levels might be a useful biochemical marker of disease activity in systemic sclerosis.

  10. Contact system activation and high thrombin generation in hyperthyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Namhee; Gu, Ja-Yoon; Yoo, Hyun Ju; Han, Se Eun; Kim, Young Il; Nam-Goong, Il Sung; Kim, Eun Sook; Kim, Hyun Kyung

    2017-05-01

    Hyperthyroidism is associated with increased thrombotic risk. As contact system activation through formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) has emerged as an important trigger of thrombosis, we hypothesized that the contact system is activated along with active NET formation in hyperthyroidism and that their markers correlate with disease severity. In 61 patients with hyperthyroidism and 40 normal controls, the levels of coagulation factors (fibrinogen, and factor VII, VIII, IX, XI and XII), D-dimer, thrombin generation assay (TGA) markers, NET formation markers (histone-DNA complex, double-stranded DNA and neutrophil elastase) and contact system markers (activated factor XII (XIIa), high-molecular-weight kininogen (HMWK), prekallikrein and bradykinin) were measured. Patients with hyperthyroidism showed higher levels of fibrinogen (median (interquartile range), 315 (280-344) vs 262 (223-300), P  = 0.001), D-dimer (103.8 (64.8-151.5) vs 50.7 (37.4-76.0), P  hyperthyroidism's contribution to coagulation and contact system activation. Free T4 was significantly correlated with factors VIII and IX, D-dimer, double-stranded DNA and bradykinin. This study demonstrated that contact system activation and abundant NET formation occurred in the high thrombin generation state in hyperthyroidism and were correlated with free T4 level. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology.

  11. EDITORIAL: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronning, Filip; Batista, Cristian

    2011-03-01

    Strongly correlated electrons is an exciting and diverse field in condensed matter physics. This special issue aims to capture some of that excitement and recent developments in the field. Given that this issue was inspired by the 2010 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES 2010), we briefly give some history in order to place this issue in context. The 2010 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a reunion of sorts from the 1989 International Conference on the Physics of Highly Correlated Electron Systems that also convened in Santa Fe. SCES 2010—co-chaired by John Sarrao and Joe Thompson—followed the tradition of earlier conferences, in this century, hosted by Buzios (2008), Houston (2007), Vienna (2005), Karlsruhe (2004), Krakow (2002) and Ann Arbor (2001). Every three years since 1997, SCES has joined the International Conference on Magnetism (ICM), held in Recife (2000), Rome (2003), Kyoto (2006) and Karlsruhe (2009). Like its predecessors, SCES 2010 topics included strongly correlated f- and d-electron systems, heavy-fermion behaviors, quantum-phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid phenomena, unconventional superconductivity, and emergent states that arise from electronic correlations. Recent developments from studies of quantum magnetism and cold atoms complemented the traditional subjects and were included in SCES 2010. 2010 celebrated the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe as well as the birth of astronomy. So what's the connection to SCES? The Dutch invention of the first practical telescope and its use by Galileo in 1610 and subsequent years overturned dogma that the sun revolved about the earth. This revolutionary, and at the time heretical, conclusion required innovative combinations of new instrumentation, observation and mathematics. These same combinations are just as important 400 years later and are the foundation of scientific discoveries that were discussed

  12. Three-body correlations and conditional forces in suspensions of active hard disks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Härtel, Andreas; Richard, David; Speck, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Self-propelled Brownian particles show rich out-of-equilibrium physics, for instance, the motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). While decades of studying the structure of liquids have established a deep understanding of passive systems, not much is known about correlations in active suspensions. In this work we derive an approximate analytic theory for three-body correlations and forces in systems of active Brownian disks starting from the many-body Smoluchowski equation. We use our theory to predict the conditional forces that act on a tagged particle and their dependence on the propulsion speed of self-propelled disks. We identify preferred directions of these forces in relation to the direction of propulsion and the positions of the surrounding particles. We further relate our theory to the effective swimming speed of the active disks, which is relevant for the physics of MIPS. To test and validate our theory, we additionally run particle-resolved computer simulations, for which we explicitly calculate the three-body forces. In this context, we discuss the modeling of active Brownian swimmers with nearly hard interaction potentials. We find very good agreement between our simulations and numerical solutions of our theory, especially for the nonequilibrium pair-distribution function. For our analytical results, we carefully discuss their range of validity in the context of the different levels of approximation we applied. This discussion allows us to study the individual contribution of particles to three-body forces and to the emerging structure. Thus, our work sheds light on the collective behavior, provides the basis for further studies of correlations in active suspensions, and makes a step towards an emerging liquid state theory.

  13. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1 activity correlates with immune system abnormalities in multiple myeloma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bonanno Giuseppina

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiple myeloma (MM is a plasma cell malignancy with a multifaceted immune dysfunction. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1 degrades tryptophan into kynurenine (KYN, which inhibits effector T cells and promote regulatory T-cell (Treg differentiation. It is presently unknown whether MM cells express IDO1 and whether IDO1 activity correlates with immune system impairment. Methods We investigated IDO1 expression in 25 consecutive patients with symptomatic MM and in 7 patients with either monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS; n=3 or smoldering MM (SMM; n=4. IDO1-driven tryptophan breakdown was correlated with the release of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF and with the frequency of Treg cells and NY-ESO-1-specific CD8+ T cells. Results KYN was increased in 75% of patients with symptomatic MM and correlated with the expansion of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells and the contraction of NY-ESO-1-specific CD8+ T cells. In vitro, primary MM cells promoted the differentiation of allogeneic CD4+ T cells into bona fide CD4+CD25hiFoxP3hi Treg cells and suppressed IFN-γ/IL-2 secretion, while preserving IL-4 and IL-10 production. Both Treg expansion and inhibition of Th1 differentiation by MM cells were reverted, at least in part, by d,l-1-methyl-tryptophan, a chemical inhibitor of IDO. Notably, HGF levels were higher within the BM microenvironment of patients with IDO+ myeloma disease compared with patients having IDO- MM. Mechanistically, the antagonism of MET receptor for HGF with SU11274, a MET inhibitor, prevented HGF-induced AKT phosphorylation in MM cells and translated into reduced IDO protein levels and functional activity. Conclusions These data suggest that IDO1 expression may contribute to immune suppression in patients with MM and possibly other HGF-producing cancers.

  14. Identifying crucial parameter correlations maintaining bursting activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anca Doloc-Mihu

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent experimental and computational studies suggest that linearly correlated sets of parameters (intrinsic and synaptic properties of neurons allow central pattern-generating networks to produce and maintain their rhythmic activity regardless of changing internal and external conditions. To determine the role of correlated conductances in the robust maintenance of functional bursting activity, we used our existing database of half-center oscillator (HCO model instances of the leech heartbeat CPG. From the database, we identified functional activity groups of burster (isolated neuron and half-center oscillator model instances and realistic subgroups of each that showed burst characteristics (principally period and spike frequency similar to the animal. To find linear correlations among the conductance parameters maintaining functional leech bursting activity, we applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA to each of these four groups. PCA identified a set of three maximal conductances (leak current, [Formula: see text]Leak; a persistent K current, [Formula: see text]K2; and of a persistent Na+ current, [Formula: see text]P that correlate linearly for the two groups of burster instances but not for the HCO groups. Visualizations of HCO instances in a reduced space suggested that there might be non-linear relationships between these parameters for these instances. Experimental studies have shown that period is a key attribute influenced by modulatory inputs and temperature variations in heart interneurons. Thus, we explored the sensitivity of period to changes in maximal conductances of [Formula: see text]Leak, [Formula: see text]K2, and [Formula: see text]P, and we found that for our realistic bursters the effect of these parameters on period could not be assessed because when varied individually bursting activity was not maintained.

  15. High Avidity dsDNA Autoantibodies in Brazilian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Correlation with Active Disease and Renal Dysfunction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo C. Oliveira

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigated in Brazilian women with SLE the prevalence and levels of high avidity (HA dsDNA antibodies and tested their correlation with lupus activity and biomarkers of renal disease. We also compared these correlations to those observed with total dsDNA antibodies and antibodies against nucleosome (ANuA. Autoantibodies were detected by ELISA, while C3 and C4 levels were determined by nephelometry. Urine protein/creatinine ratio was determined, and lupus activity was measured by SLEDAI-2K. The prevalence of total and HA dsDNA antibodies was similar to but lower than that verified for ANuA. The levels of the three types of antibodies were correlated, but the correlation was more significant between HA dsDNA antibodies and ANuA. High avidity dsDNA antibodies correlated positively with ESR and SLEDAI and inversely with C3 and C4. Similar correlations were observed for ANuA levels, whereas total dsDNA antibodies only correlated with SLEDAI and C3. The levels of HA dsDNA antibodies were higher in patients with proteinuria, but their levels of total dsDNA antibodies and ANuA were unaltered. High avidity dsDNA antibodies can be found in high prevalence in Brazilian women with SLE and are important biomarkers of active disease and kidney dysfunction.

  16. Correlates and geographic patterns of knowledge that physical activity decreases cancer risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez, A Susana; Finney Rutten, Lila J; Vanderpool, Robin C; Moser, Richard P; Hesse, Bradford W

    2013-04-01

    While many lifestyle-related cancer risk factors including tobacco use, poor diet, and sun exposure are well recognized by the general public, the role of physical activity in decreasing cancer risk is less recognized. Studies have demonstrated gender-, race/ethnicity-, and age-based disparities in cancer risk factor knowledge; however, beliefs and geographic factors that may be related to knowledge are under-examined. In this study, we analyzed data from the 2008 Health Information National Trends Survey to determine correlates of knowledge of the relationship between physical activity and reduced cancer risk in the adult US population. We generated geographic information system maps to examine the geographic distribution of this knowledge. Results revealed that there is confusion among US adults about the relationship between physical activity and cancer risk: Respondents who believed that cancer is not preventable had significantly lower odds of knowing that physical activity reduces cancer risk (p physical activity reduces cancer risk (p physical activity guidelines were also significantly more likely to know that physical activity reduces cancer risk (p physical inactivity. Correlates of cancer risk factor knowledge point to opportunities for targeted interventions.

  17. Leptin levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus inversely correlate with regulatory T cell frequency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, X; Qiao, Y; Yang, L; Song, S; Han, Y; Tian, Y; Ding, M; Jin, H; Shao, F; Liu, A

    2017-11-01

    Leptin levels are increased in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but little is known on how this correlates with several disease characteristics including the frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here we compared serum leptin levels with frequency of circulating Tregs in 47 lupus patients vs. 25 healthy matched controls. Correlations with lupus disease activity were also analyzed, as well as Treg proliferation potential. It was found that leptin was remarkably increased in SLE patients as compared to controls, particularly in SLE patients with moderate and severe active SLE, and the increase correlated with disease activity. Importantly, increased leptin in lupus patients inversely correlated with the frequency of Tregs but not in controls, and leptin neutralization resulted in the expansion of Tregs ex vivo. Thus, hyperleptinemia in lupus patients correlates directly with disease activity and inversely with Treg frequency. The finding that leptin inhibition expands Tregs in SLE suggests possible inhibition of this molecule for an enhanced Treg function in the disease.

  18. Correlates of physical activity among young children with moderate acute malnutrition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yaméogo, Charles W; Cichon, Bernardette; Fabiansen, Christian

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the levels of physical activity among young children with moderate acute malnutrition and to identify clinical, biochemical, anthropometric, and sociodemographic correlates of physical activity. STUDY DESIGN: In a cross-sectional study, 1609 children aged 6-23 months wore......) cpm lower activity, respectively. Elevated serum C-reactive protein and α1-acid glycoprotein were both negative correlates of physical activity, and hemoglobin was a positive correlate. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity declines with age in children with moderate acute malnutrition and is also inversely...

  19. Quantum Transport in Strongly Correlated Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bohr, Dan

    2007-01-01

    the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. We present two DMRG setups for calculating the linear conductance of strongly correlated nanostructures in the infinitesimal source-drain voltage regime. The first setup describes the leads by modified real-space tight-binding chains, whereas the second....... Thus both coherence and correlation effects are important in this model, and the methods applied should be able to handle both these effects rigorously. We present the DMRG setup for this model and benchmark against existing Greens function results for the model. Then we present initial DMRG results...... screening plays a much less significant role than in bulk systems due to the reduced size of the objects, therefore making it necessary to consider the importance of correlations between electrons. The work presented in this thesis deals with quantum transport through strongly correlated systems using...

  20. Fast electronic structure methods for strongly correlated molecular systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Head-Gordon, Martin; Beran, Gregory J O; Sodt, Alex; Jung, Yousung

    2005-01-01

    A short review is given of newly developed fast electronic structure methods that are designed to treat molecular systems with strong electron correlations, such as diradicaloid molecules, for which standard electronic structure methods such as density functional theory are inadequate. These new local correlation methods are based on coupled cluster theory within a perfect pairing active space, containing either a linear or quadratic number of pair correlation amplitudes, to yield the perfect pairing (PP) and imperfect pairing (IP) models. This reduces the scaling of the coupled cluster iterations to no worse than cubic, relative to the sixth power dependence of the usual (untruncated) coupled cluster doubles model. A second order perturbation correction, PP(2), to treat the neglected (weaker) correlations is formulated for the PP model. To ensure minimal prefactors, in addition to favorable size-scaling, highly efficient implementations of PP, IP and PP(2) have been completed, using auxiliary basis expansions. This yields speedups of almost an order of magnitude over the best alternatives using 4-center 2-electron integrals. A short discussion of the scope of accessible chemical applications is given

  1. Sensory memory for odors is encoded in spontaneous correlated activity between olfactory glomeruli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galán, Roberto F; Weidert, Marcel; Menzel, Randolf; Herz, Andreas V M; Galizia, C Giovanni

    2006-01-01

    Sensory memory is a short-lived persistence of a sensory stimulus in the nervous system, such as iconic memory in the visual system. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying olfactory sensory memory. We have therefore analyzed the effect of odor stimuli on the first odor-processing network in the honeybee brain, the antennal lobe, which corresponds to the vertebrate olfactory bulb. We stained output neurons with a calcium-sensitive dye and measured across-glomerular patterns of spontaneous activity before and after a stimulus. Such a single-odor presentation changed the relative timing of spontaneous activity across glomeruli in accordance with Hebb's theory of learning. Moreover, during the first few minutes after odor presentation, correlations between the spontaneous activity fluctuations suffice to reconstruct the stimulus. As spontaneous activity is ubiquitous in the brain, modifiable fluctuations could provide an ideal substrate for Hebbian reverberations and sensory memory in other neural systems.

  2. Local correlations for flap gap oscillatory blowing active flow control technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cătălin NAE

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Active technology for oscillatory blowing in the flap gap has been tested at INCAS subsonic wind tunnel in order to evaluate this technology for usage in high lift systems with active flow control. The main goal for this investigation was to validate TRL level 4 for this technology and to extend towards flight testing. CFD analysis was performed in order to identify local correlations with experimental data and to better formulate a design criteria so that a maximum increase in lift is possible under given geometrical constraints. Reference to a proposed metric for noise evaluation is also given. This includes basic 2D flow cases and also 2.5D configurations. In 2.5D test cases this work has been extended so that the proposed system may be selected as a mature technology in the JTI Clean Sky, Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft ITD. Complex post-processing of the experimental and CFD data was mainly oriented towards system efficiency and TRL evaluation for this active technology.

  3. Reliability of Structural Systems with Correlated Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thoft-Christensen, Palle; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    1982-01-01

    Calculation of the probability of failure of a system with correlation members is usually a difficult and time-consuming numerical problem. However, for some types of systems with equally correlated elements this calculation can be performed in a simple way. This has suggested two new methods bas...... on so-called average and equivalent correlation coefficients. By using these methods approximate values for the probability of failure can easily be calculated. The accuracy of these methods is illustrated with examples....

  4. Pair correlation of particles in strongly nonideal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaulina, O. S.

    2012-01-01

    A new semiempirical model is proposed for describing the spatial correlation between interacting particles in nonideal systems. The developed model describes the main features in the behavior of the pair correlation function for crystalline structures and can also be used for qualitative and quantitative description of the spatial correlation of particles in strongly nonideal liquid systems. The proposed model is compared with the results of simulation of the pair correlation function.

  5. Correlation between serum E-selectin levels and panoramic nailfold capillaroscopy in systemic sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valim V.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available E-selectin is expressed by the activated endothelium and its plasma levels are increased in patients with systemic sclerosis. Eighteen patients fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association criteria for systemic sclerosis, 15 females and 3 males, 42-70 years old, 9 with diffuse and 9 with limited forms, were sequentially recruited for this study. Serum E-selectin levels were determined by commercially available ELISA and their association with nailfold capillaroscopic abnormalities was investigated. Nailfold capillaries were analyzed by 16X magnification wide-field capillaroscopy. Two parameters on capillaroscopy were used to correlate to serum E-selectin: deletion and ectasia. Data were analyzed statistically by the Student t-test and Spearman correlation. Two-tailed P values below 0.05 were considered significant. E-selectin range was 38 to 200 ng/ml (80 ± 39.94. There was a correlation between serum E-selectin levels and the deletion capillaroscopic score (r = 0.50, P < 0.035. This correlation was even stronger within the first 48 months of diagnosis (r = 0.63, P < 0.048. On the other hand, no association was observed between selectin and ectasia. Patients with diffuse disease presented higher serum E-selectin levels than patients with limited disease, although the difference was not statistically significant (96.44 ± 48.04 vs 63.56 ± 21.77 ng/dl; P = 0.08. The present study is the first showing a correlation between soluble serum E-selectin levels and alterations in capillaroscopy. The stronger correlation of deletion score in capillaroscopy in early disease suggests that serum E-selectin levels might be a useful biochemical marker of disease activity in systemic sclerosis.

  6. Correlation between serum E-selectin levels and panoramic nailfold capillaroscopy in systemic sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Valim

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available E-selectin is expressed by the activated endothelium and its plasma levels are increased in patients with systemic sclerosis. Eighteen patients fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association criteria for systemic sclerosis, 15 females and 3 males, 42-70 years old, 9 with diffuse and 9 with limited forms, were sequentially recruited for this study. Serum E-selectin levels were determined by commercially available ELISA and their association with nailfold capillaroscopic abnormalities was investigated. Nailfold capillaries were analyzed by 16X magnification wide-field capillaroscopy. Two parameters on capillaroscopy were used to correlate to serum E-selectin: deletion and ectasia. Data were analyzed statistically by the Student t-test and Spearman correlation. Two-tailed P values below 0.05 were considered significant. E-selectin range was 38 to 200 ng/ml (80 ± 39.94. There was a correlation between serum E-selectin levels and the deletion capillaroscopic score (r = 0.50, P < 0.035. This correlation was even stronger within the first 48 months of diagnosis (r = 0.63, P < 0.048. On the other hand, no association was observed between selectin and ectasia. Patients with diffuse disease presented higher serum E-selectin levels than patients with limited disease, although the difference was not statistically significant (96.44 ± 48.04 vs 63.56 ± 21.77 ng/dl; P = 0.08. The present study is the first showing a correlation between soluble serum E-selectin levels and alterations in capillaroscopy. The stronger correlation of deletion score in capillaroscopy in early disease suggests that serum E-selectin levels might be a useful biochemical marker of disease activity in systemic sclerosis.

  7. Correlation of beam loss to residual activation in the AGS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, K.A.

    1991-01-01

    Studies of beam loss and activation at the AGS have provided a better understanding of measurements of beam loss and how they may be used to predict activation. Studies have been done in which first order correlations have been made between measured beam losses on the distributed ionization chamber system in the AGS and the health physics recorded residual activation. These studies have provided important insight into the ionization chamber system, its limitations, and its usefulness in the prediction of activation based on monitored beam loss. In recent years the AGS has run high intensity protons primarily for rare kaon decay experiments. In this mode of running the AGS typically accelerates beam from an injection momentum of 0.644 GeV/c up to a slow extracted beam (SEB) momentum of 24.2 GeV/c. The beam intensities are on the order of 4.5 x 10 13 protons per AGS cycle at injection to as high as 1.9 x 10 13 protons per AGS cycle at extraction. Residual activation varies around the AGS ring from the order of 5 mR/hour to levels of the order at 5 R/hour. The highest levels occur around the AGS beam catcher and the extraction equipment

  8. Strongly correlated systems experimental techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Mancini, Ferdinando

    2015-01-01

    The continuous evolution and development of experimental techniques is at the basis of any fundamental achievement in modern physics. Strongly correlated systems (SCS), more than any other, need to be investigated through the greatest variety of experimental techniques in order to unveil and crosscheck the numerous and puzzling anomalous behaviors characterizing them. The study of SCS fostered the improvement of many old experimental techniques, but also the advent of many new ones just invented in order to analyze the complex behaviors of these systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. The volume presents a representative collection of the modern experimental techniques specifically tailored for the analysis of strongly correlated systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognize...

  9. Distributing Correlation Coefficients of Linear Structure-Activity/Property Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sorana D. BOLBOACA

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Quantitative structure-activity/property relationships are mathematical relationships linking chemical structure and activity/property in a quantitative manner. These in silico approaches are frequently used to reduce animal testing and risk-assessment, as well as to increase time- and cost-effectiveness in characterization and identification of active compounds. The aim of our study was to investigate the pattern of correlation coefficients distribution associated to simple linear relationships linking the compounds structure with their activities. A set of the most common ordnance compounds found at naval facilities with a limited data set with a range of toxicities on aquatic ecosystem and a set of seven properties was studied. Statistically significant models were selected and investigated. The probability density function of the correlation coefficients was investigated using a series of possible continuous distribution laws. Almost 48% of the correlation coefficients proved fit Beta distribution, 40% fit Generalized Pareto distribution, and 12% fit Pert distribution.

  10. Nuclear factor-kappaB activation correlates with better prognosis and Akt activation in human gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Byung Lan; Lee, Hye Seung; Jung, Jieun; Cho, Sung Jin; Chung, Hee-Yong; Kim, Woo Ho; Jin, Young-Woo; Kim, Chong Soon; Nam, Seon Young

    2005-04-01

    Because the biological significance of constitutive nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in human gastric cancer is unclear, we undertook this study to clarify the regulatory mechanism of NF-kappaB activation and its clinical significance. Immunohistochemistry for NF-kappaB/RelA was done on 290 human gastric carcinoma specimens placed on tissue array slides. The correlations between NF-kappaB activation and clinicopathologic features, prognosis, Akt activation, tumor suppressor gene expression, or Bcl-2 expression were analyzed. We also did luciferase reporter assay, Western blot analysis, and reverse transcription-PCR using the SNU-216 human gastric cancer cell line transduced with retroviral vectors containing constitutively active Akt or the NF-kappaB repressor mutant of IkappaBalpha. Nuclear expression of RelA was found in 18% of the gastric carcinomas and was higher in early-stage pathologic tumor-node-metastasis (P = 0.019). A negative correlation was observed between NF-kappaB activation and lymphatic invasion (P = 0.034) and a positive correlation between NF-kappaB activation and overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients (P = 0.0228). In addition, NF-kappaB activation was positively correlated with pAkt (P = 0.047), p16 (P = 0.004), adenomatous polyposis coli (P Smad4 (P = 0.002), and kangai 1 (P Akt. NF-kappaB activation was frequently observed in early-stage gastric carcinoma and was significantly correlated with better prognosis and Akt activation. These findings suggest that NF-kappaB activation is a valuable prognostic variable in gastric carcinoma.

  11. Stochastic systems with cross-correlated Gaussian white noises

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Cheng-Yu; Song Yu-Min; Zhou Peng; Yang Hai; Gao Yun

    2010-01-01

    This paper theoretically investigates three stochastic systems with cross-correlation Gaussian white noises. Both steady state properties of the stochastic nonlinear systems and the nonequilibrium transitions induced by the cross-correlated noises are studied. The stationary solutions of the Fokker—Planck equation for three specific examples are analysed. It is shown explicitly that the cross-correlation of white noises can induce nonequilibrium transitions

  12. A Systems-Theoretical Generalization of Non-Local Correlations

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Stillfried, Nikolaus

    Non-local correlations between quantum events are not due to a causal interaction in the sense of one being the cause for the other. In principle, the correlated events can thus occur simultaneously. Generalized Quantum Theory (GQT) formalizes the idea that non-local phenomena are not exclusive to quantum mechanics, e.g. due to some specific properties of (sub)atomic particles, but that they instead arise as a consequence of the way such particles are arranged into systems. Non-local phenomena should hence occur in any system which fulfils the necessary systems-theoretical parameters. The two most important parameters with respect to non-local correlations seem to be a conserved global property of the system as a whole and sufficient degrees of freedom of the corresponding property of its subsystems. Both factors place severe limitations on experimental observability of the phenomena, especially in terms of replicability. It has been suggested that reported phenomena of a so-called synchronistic, parapsychological or paranormal kind could be understood as instances of systems-inherent non-local correlations. From a systems-theoretical perspective, their phenomenology (including the favorable conditions for their occurrence and their lack of replicability) displays substantial similarities to non-local correlations in quantum systems and matches well with systems-theoretical parameters, thus providing circumstantial evidence for this hypothesis.

  13. Correlation Functions in Open Quantum-Classical Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang-Yu Hsieh

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Quantum time correlation functions are often the principal objects of interest in experimental investigations of the dynamics of quantum systems. For instance, transport properties, such as diffusion and reaction rate coefficients, can be obtained by integrating these functions. The evaluation of such correlation functions entails sampling from quantum equilibrium density operators and quantum time evolution of operators. For condensed phase and complex systems, where quantum dynamics is difficult to carry out, approximations must often be made to compute these functions. We present a general scheme for the computation of correlation functions, which preserves the full quantum equilibrium structure of the system and approximates the time evolution with quantum-classical Liouville dynamics. Several aspects of the scheme are discussed, including a practical and general approach to sample the quantum equilibrium density, the properties of the quantum-classical Liouville equation in the context of correlation function computations, simulation schemes for the approximate dynamics and their interpretation and connections to other approximate quantum dynamical methods.

  14. Electron correlation energy in confined two-electron systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, C.L. [Chemistry Program, Centre College, 600 West Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422 (United States); Montgomery, H.E., E-mail: ed.montgomery@centre.ed [Chemistry Program, Centre College, 600 West Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422 (United States); Sen, K.D. [School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500 046 (India); Thompson, D.C. [Chemistry Systems and High Performance Computing, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharamaceuticals Inc., 900 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877 (United States)

    2010-09-27

    Radial, angular and total correlation energies are calculated for four two-electron systems with atomic numbers Z=0-3 confined within an impenetrable sphere of radius R. We report accurate results for the non-relativistic, restricted Hartree-Fock and radial limit energies over a range of confinement radii from 0.05-10a{sub 0}. At small R, the correlation energies approach limiting values that are independent of Z while at intermediate R, systems with Z{>=}1 exhibit a characteristic maximum in the correlation energy resulting from an increase in the angular correlation energy which is offset by a decrease in the radial correlation energy.

  15. Strongly Correlated Systems Theoretical Methods

    CERN Document Server

    Avella, Adolfo

    2012-01-01

    The volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern theoretical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciates consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as po...

  16. Strongly correlated systems numerical methods

    CERN Document Server

    Mancini, Ferdinando

    2013-01-01

    This volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern numerical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and material science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciate consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as possi...

  17. Dyslipidemia Pattern in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Correlation of Disease Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prakash Joshi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Rheumatoid arthritis (RA is a multi-factorial disease which affects the immune system and ultimately various tissues in the body that typically affects middle-aged individuals. Our objectives were to evaluate prevalence of dyslipidemias and its pattern in RA patients in Central India and correlate dyslipidemia with disease activity. This cross-sectional study was conducted on RA patients at Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences and Post Graduate Institute, Indore (M.P. between January 2014 and December 2015. Lipid profiles were determined following 12-hour overnight fasting, and the association of lipid profiles with and disease activity was determined. The maximum number of cases presented in the age group was 41-50(36%. Disease is more prevalent in female population. Maximum number of pateints (34 patients had duration of illness ranged between 1 to 10 years. Most of the patients presented with high disease activity (90%. Total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in female cases as compared to controls. Similar to total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol was significantly higher in female cases as compared to controls. There was no significant difference of HDL, VLDL and TG between cases and controls. Mean lipid profile values were similar in male cases and controls. Positive correlation of DAS-28 (ESR was observed with total cholesterol and LDL levels in female patients only. No correlation of HDL, LDL and triglyceride were observed with DAS- 28 (ESR in both male and female patients. Lipid profiles were similar in both treatment naive and on treatment patients. No significant difference in mean lipid profile values expect HDL was observed in two groups created on the basis of RA factor. A lipid profile value has no positive or negative correlation with duration of illness. [J Contemp Med 2017; 7(2.000: 132-137

  18. Neural network classifications and correlation analysis of EEG and MEG activity accompanying spontaneous reversals of the Necker cube.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaetz, M; Weinberg, H; Rzempoluck, E; Jantzen, K J

    1998-04-01

    It has recently been suggested that reentrant connections are essential in systems that process complex information [A. Damasio, H. Damasio, Cortical systems for the retrieval of concrete knowledge: the convergence zone framework, in: C. Koch, J.L. Davis (Eds.), Large Scale Neuronal Theories of the Brain, The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1995, pp. 61-74; G. Edelman, The Remembered Present, Basic Books, New York, 1989; M.I. Posner, M. Rothbart, Constructing neuronal theories of mind, in: C. Koch, J.L. Davis (Eds.), Large Scale Neuronal Theories of the Brain, The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1995, pp. 183-199; C. von der Malsburg, W. Schneider, A neuronal cocktail party processor, Biol. Cybem., 54 (1986) 29-40]. Reentry is not feedback, but parallel signalling in the time domain between spatially distributed maps, similar to a process of correlation between distributed systems. Accordingly, it was expected that during spontaneous reversals of the Necker cube, complex patterns of correlations between distributed systems would be present in the cortex. The present study included EEG (n=4) and MEG recordings (n=5). Two experimental questions were posed: (1) Can distributed cortical patterns present during perceptual reversals be classified differently using a generalised regression neural network (GRNN) compared to processing of a two-dimensional figure? (2) Does correlated cortical activity increase significantly during perception of a Necker cube reversal? One-second duration single trials of EEG and MEG data were analysed using the GRNN. Electrode/sensor pairings based on cortico-cortical connections were selected to assess correlated activity in each condition. The GRNN significantly classified single trials recorded during Necker cube reversals as different from single trials recorded during perception of a two-dimensional figure for both EEG and MEG. In addition, correlated cortical activity increased significantly in the Necker cube reversal condition for EEG and MEG compared

  19. Universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaginyan, Vasilii R [B.P. Konstantinov St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gatchina, Leningrad region, Rusian Federation (Russian Federation); Amusia, M Ya [A.F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Popov, Konstantin G [Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar (Russian Federation)

    2007-06-30

    This review discusses the construction of a theory and the analysis of phenomena occurring in strongly correlated Fermi systems such as high-T{sub c} superconductors, heavy-fermion metals, and quasi-two-dimensional Fermi systems. It is shown that the basic properties and the universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems can be described in the framework of the Fermi-condensate quantum phase transition and the well-known Landau paradigm of quasiparticles and the order parameter. The concept of fermion condensation may be fruitful in studying neutron stars, finite Fermi systems, ultra-cold gases in traps, and quark plasma. (reviews of topical problems)

  20. Universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaginyan, Vasilii R; Amusia, M Ya; Popov, Konstantin G

    2007-01-01

    This review discusses the construction of a theory and the analysis of phenomena occurring in strongly correlated Fermi systems such as high-T c superconductors, heavy-fermion metals, and quasi-two-dimensional Fermi systems. It is shown that the basic properties and the universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems can be described in the framework of the Fermi-condensate quantum phase transition and the well-known Landau paradigm of quasiparticles and the order parameter. The concept of fermion condensation may be fruitful in studying neutron stars, finite Fermi systems, ultra-cold gases in traps, and quark plasma. (reviews of topical problems)

  1. Associated relaxation time and the correlation function for a tumor cell growth system subjected to color noises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Can-Jun; Wei, Qun; Mei, Dong-Cheng

    2008-03-01

    The associated relaxation time T and the normalized correlation function C(s) for a tumor cell growth system subjected to color noises are investigated. Using the Novikov theorem and Fox approach, the steady probability distribution is obtained. Based on them, the expressions of T and C(s) are derived by means of projection operator method, in which the effects of the memory kernels of the correlation function are taken into account. Performing the numerical computations, it is found: (1) With the cross-correlation intensity |λ|, the additive noise intensity α and the multiplicative noise self-correlation time τ increasing, the tumor cell numbers can be restrained; And the cross-correlation time τ, the multiplicative noise intensity D can induce the tumor cell numbers increasing; However, the additive noise self-correlation time τ cannot affect the tumor cell numbers; The relaxation time T is a stochastic resonant phenomenon, and the distribution curves exhibit a single-maximum structure with D increasing. (2) The cross-correlation strength λ weakens the related activity between two states of the tumor cell numbers at different time, and enhances the stability of the tumor cell growth system in the steady state; On the contrast, τ and τ enhance the related activity between two states at different time; However, τ has no effect on the related activity between two states at different time.

  2. Correlation Functions in Open Quantum-Classical Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Hsieh, Chang-Yu; Kapral, Raymond

    2013-01-01

    Quantum time correlation functions are often the principal objects of interest in experimental investigations of the dynamics of quantum systems. For instance, transport properties, such as diffusion and reaction rate coefficients, can be obtained by integrating these functions. The evaluation of such correlation functions entails sampling from quantum equilibrium density operators and quantum time evolution of operators. For condensed phase and complex systems, where quantum dynamics is diff...

  3. Orthodontic Force Application in Correlation with Salivary Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Husin

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Orthodontic tooth movement generate mechanical forces to periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. The forces correlate with initial responses of periodontal tissues and involving many metabolic changes. One of the metabolic changes detected in saliva is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH activity. Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between orthodontic interrupted force application, lactate dehydrogenase activity and the distance of tooth movement. Methods: upper premolar, pre-retraction of upper canine and 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-retraction of upper canine with 100g interrupted orthodontic force. Results: duration of force (F=11.926 p 14 and 28 days post-retraction of canine. The region of retraction correlated with the distance of tooth movement (F=7.377 p=0.007. The duration of force correlated with the distance of tooth movement (F=66.554 p=0.000. retraction of canine. Conclusion: This study concluded that orthodontic interrupted force application on canine could increase the distance of tooth movement and LDH activity in saliva.

  4. Multi-particle correlations in quaternionic quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumby, S.P.; Joshi, G.C.

    1994-01-01

    The authors investigated the outcomes of measurements on correlated, few-body quantum systems described by a quaternionic quantum mechanics that allows for regions of quaternionic curvature. It was found that a multi particles interferometry experiment using a correlated system of four nonrelativistic, spin-half particles has the potential to detect the presence of quaternionic curvature. Two-body systems, however, are shown to give predictions identical to those of standard quantum mechanics when relative angles are used in the construction of the operators corresponding to measurements of particle spin components. 15 refs

  5. Vitamin K-dependent proteins GAS6 and Protein S and TAM receptors in patients of systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with common genetic variants and disease activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Recarte-Pelz, Pedro; Tàssies, Dolors; Espinosa, Gerard; Hurtado, Begoña; Sala, Núria; Cervera, Ricard; Reverter, Joan Carles; de Frutos, Pablo García

    2013-03-12

    Growth arrest-specific gene 6 protein (GAS6) and protein S (ProS) are vitamin K-dependent proteins present in plasma with important regulatory functions in systems of response and repair to damage. They interact with receptor tyrosine kinases of the Tyro3, Axl and MerTK receptor tyrosine kinase (TAM) family, involved in apoptotic cell clearance (efferocytosis) and regulation of the innate immunity. TAM-deficient mice show spontaneous lupus-like symptoms. Here we tested the genetic profile and plasma levels of components of the system in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and compare them with a control healthy population. Fifty SLE patients and 50 healthy controls with matched age, gender and from the same geographic area were compared. Genetic analysis was performed in GAS6 and the TAM receptor genes on SNPs previously identified. The concentrations of GAS6, total and free ProS, and the soluble forms of the three TAM receptors (sAxl, sMerTK and sTyro3) were measured in plasma from these samples. Plasma concentrations of GAS6 were higher and, total and free ProS were lower in the SLE patients compared to controls, even when patients on oral anticoagulant treatment were discarded. Those parameters correlated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score, GAS6 being higher in the most severe cases, while free and total ProS were lower. All 3 soluble receptors increased its concentration in plasma of lupus patients. The present study highlights that the GAS6/ProS-TAM system correlates in several ways with disease activity in SLE. We show here that this correlation is affected by common polymorphisms in the genes of the system. These findings underscore the importance of mechanism of regulatory control of innate immunity in the pathology of SLE.

  6. Strong correlations in few-fermion systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergschneider, Andrea

    2017-07-26

    In this thesis, I report on the deterministic preparation and the observation of strongly correlated few-fermion systems in single and double-well potentials. In a first experiment, we studied a system of one impurity interacting with a number of majority atoms which we prepared in a single potential well in the one-dimensional limit. With increasing number of majority particles, we observed a decrease in the quasi-particle residue which is in agreement with expectations from the Anderson orthogonality catastrophe. In a second experiment, we prepared two fermions in a double-well potential which represents the fundamental building block of the Fermi-Hubbard model. By increasing the repulsion between the two fermions, we observed the crossover into the antiferromagnetic Mott-insulator regime. Furthermore, I describe a new imaging technique, which allows spin-resolved single-atom detection both in in-situ and in time-of-flight. We use this technique to investigate the emergence of momentum correlations of two repulsive fermions in the ground state of the double well. With the methods developed in this thesis, we have established a framework for quantum simulation of strongly correlated many-body systems in tunable potentials.

  7. Electron Correlation Models for Optical Activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Höhn, E. G.; O. E. Weigang, Jr.

    1968-01-01

    A two-system no-overlap model for rotatory strength is developed for electric-dipole forbidden as well as allowed transitions. General equations which allow for full utilization of symmetry in the chromophore and in the environment are obtained. The electron correlation terms are developed in full...

  8. Associated relaxation time and the correlation function for a tumor cell growth system subjected to color noises

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Canjun; Wei Qun; Mei Dongcheng

    2008-01-01

    The associated relaxation time T c and the normalized correlation function C(s) for a tumor cell growth system subjected to color noises are investigated. Using the Novikov theorem and Fox approach, the steady probability distribution is obtained. Based on them, the expressions of T c and C(s) are derived by means of projection operator method, in which the effects of the memory kernels of the correlation function are taken into account. Performing the numerical computations, it is found: (1) With the cross-correlation intensity |λ|, the additive noise intensity α and the multiplicative noise self-correlation time τ 1 increasing, the tumor cell numbers can be restrained; And the cross-correlation time τ 3 , the multiplicative noise intensity D can induce the tumor cell numbers increasing; However, the additive noise self-correlation time τ 2 cannot affect the tumor cell numbers; The relaxation time T c is a stochastic resonant phenomenon, and the distribution curves exhibit a single-maximum structure with D increasing. (2) The cross-correlation strength λ weakens the related activity between two states of the tumor cell numbers at different time, and enhances the stability of the tumor cell growth system in the steady state; On the contrast, τ 1 and τ 3 enhance the related activity between two states at different time; However, τ 2 has no effect on the related activity between two states at different time

  9. Effect of spatially correlated noise on stochastic synchronization in globally coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo neuron systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yange Shao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon of stochastic synchronization in globally coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN neuron system subjected to spatially correlated Gaussian noise is investigated based on dynamical mean-field approximation (DMA and direct simulation (DS. Results from DMA are in good quantitative or qualitative agreement with those from DS for weak noise intensity and larger system size. Whether the consisting single FHN neuron is staying at the resting state, subthreshold oscillatory regime, or the spiking state, our investigation shows that the synchronization ratio of the globally coupled system becomes higher as the noise correlation coefficient increases, and thus we conclude that spatial correlation has an active effect on stochastic synchronization, and the neurons can achieve complete synchronization in the sense of statistics when the noise correlation coefficient tends to one. Our investigation also discloses that the noise spatial correlation plays the same beneficial role as the global coupling strength in enhancing stochastic synchronization in the ensemble. The result might be useful in understanding the information coding mechanism in neural systems.

  10. Socio-demographic correlates of leisure time physical activity among Portuguese adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adilson Marques

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to identify socio-demographic correlates of leisure time physical activity among Portuguese adults. Subjects aged 31-60 years (1,076 males, 1,383 females were categorized into two groups according to recommended physical activities ranging from ≥ 10 or < 10 MET.hours.week-1. Leisure time physical activity data was self-reported, including activities, duration of each session and frequency. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were applied to the results. Among men, having a high socioeconomic status (OR = 1.89; 95%CI: 1.30-2.76; p = 0.001 was associated with attaining the recommended level of physical activity. For women, middle education levels were associated with physical activity (OR = 1.36; 95%CI: 1.01-1.85. Moreover, middle socioeconomic status (OR = 1.45; 95%CI: 0.80-1.91; p = 0.009 was also positively associated with meeting physical activities recommendations in the unadjusted analysis. Men and women had different patterns of socio-demographic correlates. An intervention designed to improve the levels of physical activity among Portuguese adults may take these correlates into account.

  11. Does erythrocyte sedimentation rate reflect and discriminate flare from infection in systemic lupus erythematosus? Correlation with clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäfer, Valentin Sebastian; Weiß, Katharina; Krause, Andreas; Schmidt, Wolfgang Andreas

    2018-07-01

    To examine disease activity parameters in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experiencing flare, infection, both, or neither condition, focusing on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This study is a retrospective analysis of 371 consecutive inpatient SLE cases from 2006 to 2015. Cases were classified as flare (n = 147), infection (n = 48), both (n = 23), or neither (n = 135). ESR levels were correlated to C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, anti-dsDNA antibodies, complement C3 reduction, serositis, and erythrocyturia with proteinuria (Pearson's correlation). ESR levels were related to an age- and gender-adapted cut-off value (ESRp). We analyzed mean values of age, ESR, ESRp, CRP, ferritin and distribution of anti-dsDNA antibodies, C3 reduction, serositis, and erythrocyturia with proteinuria. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated via receiver operating characteristic or two-by-two table. Association of parameters with disease activity and infection was tested via two-sided chi square test. ESR correlated moderately with CRP in cases with flare and/or infection (r = 0.505-0.586). While ESR and CRP were normal in remission, mean values overlapped in cases with flare, infection, or both. ESRp was higher in flare than in infection (p = 0.048). ESR lost association to activity in infected cases, CRP to infection in flaring cases. ESRp, serositis, and anti-dsDNA antibodies were related to disease activity regardless of infections. Anti-dsDNA antibodies were most sensitive for detecting flares (74%), while serositis, proteinuria with erythrocyturia, anti-dsDNA antibodies, C3 reduction, and ESRp values ≥ 2 were most specific. ESR levels were raised by flares, infections, and age; adapting them to age and gender increased their diagnostic value. Obtaining several parameters remains necessary to differentiate flare from infection.

  12. Cerebral activation is correlated to regional atrophy of the spinal cord and functional motor disability in spinal cord injured individuals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundell, Henrik; Christensen, Mark Schram; Barthélemy, Dorothy

    2011-01-01

    Recovery of function following lesions in the nervous system requires adaptive changes in surviving circuitries. Here we investigate whether changes in cerebral activation are correlated to spinal cord atrophy and recovery of functionality in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). 19...... hand and the functional ability of the SCI participants measured by the clinical motor score on the other. There was no significant correlation between activation in any other cerebral area and the motor score. Activation in ipsilateral somatosensory cortex (S1), M1 and PMC was negatively correlated...... to the width of the spinal cord in the left-right direction, where the corticospinal tract is located, but not in the antero-posterior direction. There was a tendency for a negative correlation between cerebral activation in ipsilateral S1, M1 and PMC and the amplitude of motor evoked potentials...

  13. On defense strategies for system of systems using aggregated correlations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao, Nageswara S. [ORNL; Imam, Neena [ORNL; Ma, Chris Y. T. [Hang Seng Management College, Hon Kong; Hausken, Kjell [University of Stavanger, Norway; He, Fei [Texas A& M University, Kingsville, TX, USA; Zhuang, Jun [University at Buffalo (SUNY)

    2017-04-01

    We consider a System of Systems (SoS) wherein each system Si, i = 1; 2; ... ;N, is composed of discrete cyber and physical components which can be attacked and reinforced. We characterize the disruptions using aggregate failure correlation functions given by the conditional failure probability of SoS given the failure of an individual system. We formulate the problem of ensuring the survival of SoS as a game between an attacker and a provider, each with a utility function composed of asurvival probability term and a cost term, both expressed in terms of the number of components attacked and reinforced. The survival probabilities of systems satisfy simple product-form, first-order differential conditions, which simplify the Nash Equilibrium (NE) conditions. We derive the sensitivity functions that highlight the dependence of SoS survival probability at NE on cost terms, correlation functions, and individual system survival probabilities.We apply these results to a simplified model of distributed cloud computing infrastructure.

  14. Activity in part of the neural correlates of consciousness reflects integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eriksson, Johan

    2017-10-01

    Integration is commonly viewed as a key process for generating conscious experiences. Accordingly, there should be increased activity within the neural correlates of consciousness when demands on integration increase. We used fMRI and "informational masking" to isolate the neural correlates of consciousness and measured how the associated brain activity changed as a function of required integration. Integration was manipulated by comparing the experience of hearing simple reoccurring tones to hearing harmonic tone triplets. The neural correlates of auditory consciousness included superior temporal gyrus, lateral and medial frontal regions, cerebellum, and also parietal cortex. Critically, only activity in left parietal cortex increased significantly as a function of increasing demands on integration. We conclude that integration can explain part of the neural activity associated with the generation conscious experiences, but that much of associated brain activity apparently reflects other processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Equine endometrial fibrosis correlates with 11beta-HSD2, TGF-beta1 and ACE activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganjam, V K; Evans, T J

    2006-03-27

    Endometrial periglandular fibrosis (EPF) contributes to embryonic and fetal loss in mares. Equine EPF correlates inversely with conception and successful gestation. In the modified Kenney endometrial biopsy classification system, EPF categories I, IIA, IIB, and III correspond to minimal, mild, moderate, and severe fibrosis (+/-inflammation), respectively. Paraffin sections of biopsy specimens were stained with H&E, and picrosirius red (specific for fibrillar collagens types I and III), to determine %EPCVF. Endometrial ACE-binding activity, TGF-beta1 and 11beta-HSD2 activities were also measured. Ultrastructural changes in EPF categories IIB and III endometria strongly suggested myofibroblastic transformation. ACE-binding activity was highest in EPF category IIB; however, endometrial TGF-beta1 and 11beta-HSD2 activities were significantly correlated to the severity of EPF (P<0.05). We conclude that, locally generated angiotensin II initiates the expression of TGF-beta1 resulting in myofibroblastic transformation. 11Beta-HSD2 in concert appears to modulate the severity of endometrial fibrosis.

  16. Phytotoxicity of pesticides mancozeb and chlorpyrifos: correlation with the antioxidative defence system in Allium cepa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatma, Firdos; Verma, Sonam; Kamal, Aisha; Srivastava, Alka

    2018-02-01

    Pesticides are a group of chemical substances which are widely used to improve agricultural production. However, these substances could be persistent in soil and water, accumulative in sediment or bio-accumulative in biota depending on their solubility, leading to different types of environmental pollution. The present study was done to assess the impact of pesticides-mancozeb and chlorpyrifos, via morphological and physiological parameters using Allium cepa test system. Phytotoxic effects of pesticides were examined via germination percentage, survival percentage, root and shoot length, root shoot length ratio, seedling vigor index, percentage of phytotoxicity and tolerance index. Oxidative stress on Allium seedlings caused by pesticides was also assessed by investigating the activity of antioxidative enzymes viz. catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. Correlation was worked out between morphological parameters and antioxidative enzymes to bring out the alliance between them. Mancozeb and chlorpyrifos concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with the activity of antioxidative enzymes and negatively correlated with morphological parameters. Significant positive correlation between various morphological parameters showed their interdependency. However, negative correlation was obtained between activity of antioxidative enzymes and morphological parameters. The enzymes however, showed positive correlation with each other. Based on our result we can conclude that all morphological parameters were adversely affected by the two pesticides as reflected by phytotoxicity in Allium . Their negative correlation with activity of antioxidative enzymes indicates that upregulation of antioxidative enzymes is not sufficient to overcome the toxic effect, thereby signifying the threat being caused by the regular use of these pesticides.

  17. System Reliability Analysis Considering Correlation of Performances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Saekyeol; Lee, Tae Hee [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Woochul [Mando Corporation, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Reliability analysis of a mechanical system has been developed in order to consider the uncertainties in the product design that may occur from the tolerance of design variables, uncertainties of noise, environmental factors, and material properties. In most of the previous studies, the reliability was calculated independently for each performance of the system. However, the conventional methods cannot consider the correlation between the performances of the system that may lead to a difference between the reliability of the entire system and the reliability of the individual performance. In this paper, the joint probability density function (PDF) of the performances is modeled using a copula which takes into account the correlation between performances of the system. The system reliability is proposed as the integral of joint PDF of performances and is compared with the individual reliability of each performance by mathematical examples and two-bar truss example.

  18. System Reliability Analysis Considering Correlation of Performances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Saekyeol; Lee, Tae Hee; Lim, Woochul

    2017-01-01

    Reliability analysis of a mechanical system has been developed in order to consider the uncertainties in the product design that may occur from the tolerance of design variables, uncertainties of noise, environmental factors, and material properties. In most of the previous studies, the reliability was calculated independently for each performance of the system. However, the conventional methods cannot consider the correlation between the performances of the system that may lead to a difference between the reliability of the entire system and the reliability of the individual performance. In this paper, the joint probability density function (PDF) of the performances is modeled using a copula which takes into account the correlation between performances of the system. The system reliability is proposed as the integral of joint PDF of performances and is compared with the individual reliability of each performance by mathematical examples and two-bar truss example.

  19. Quantum correlations for bipartite continuous-variable systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Ruifen; Hou, Jinchuan; Qi, Xiaofei; Wang, Yangyang

    2018-04-01

    Two quantum correlations Q and Q_P for (m+n)-mode continuous-variable systems are introduced in terms of average distance between the reduced states under the local Gaussian positive operator-valued measurements, and analytical formulas of these quantum correlations for bipartite Gaussian states are provided. It is shown that the product states do not contain these quantum correlations, and conversely, all (m+n)-mode Gaussian states with zero quantum correlations are product states. Generally, Q≥ Q_{P}, but for the symmetric two-mode squeezed thermal states, these quantum correlations are the same and a computable formula is given. In addition, Q is compared with Gaussian geometric discord for symmetric squeezed thermal states.

  20. Superconductivity in Correlated Fermions System | Babalola ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We have studied the Hubbard model which is a model that is used to describe the physics of strongly correlated Fermions systems. Using the Hubbard model, we worked on some systems in one dimension (1-D) at half fillings. We employed the numerical exact diagonalization technique and found out that there was a ...

  1. Correlation between Cognitive Functions and Activity of Daily Living among Post-Stroke Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kurniawan Prakoso

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the most common post-stroke complications; however, neither patients nor health professionals are often aware of this complication. The impact of cognitive impairment on quality of life is reflected through basic activity daily living (bADL and instrumental activity daily living (IADL. Prior studies concerning the correlation between cognitive impairment and activity daily living has shown contradictive results. This study was conducted in order to analyze the correlation between the cognitive functions and activity daily living in post stroke patients at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out to 23 post-stroke patients from September–November 2015. Samples were collected through consecutive sampling at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE was used to assess the cognitive functions and Lawton and Brody Scale to assess both bADL and IADL. Spearman correlation was selected to analyze the existing correlation between each cognitive domain and activity daily living. Results: Spearman statistical correlation showed an insignificant correlation between the cognitive functions and bADL (r2=0.181, p=0.408 and a significant correlation with IADL was obtained (r2=0.517, p=0.03. The only cognitive domain positively correlated with IADL was orientation to time and verbal recall. Conclusions: There is a correlation between cognitive functions and IADL among post-stroke patients at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital.

  2. Two-particle correlations in reactor systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mika, J.

    1975-01-01

    A study is made of the relationship between the general transport equation and the correlation matrix equation, in reactor systems. How some of the results obtained so far for the generalized transport equation can be simply translated to the correlation matrix equation is indicated. In particular, the semigroup formalism developed for the generalized transport equation is used to prove the existence and uniqueness of solution to the correlation matrix equation. The generalized transport equation is rigorously formulated in a Hilbert space of square integrable functions. The semigroup formalism for that equation is introduced and the solution expressed in terms of the semigroup. The correlation matrix equation is then formulated. It is shown how the semigroup formalism developed for the generalized transport equation can be applied to the correlation matrix equation and used to prove the existence theorem. Some applications of the semigroup formalism are then indicated. Firstly, the simple one point model obtained from the general equations is introduced. Secondly, the well known phenomenon of the linear increase with time of the components of the correlation matrix in a critical reactor is analyzed. Finally, it is shown how the singular perturbation method developed recently for the generalized transport equation can be applied to the correlation matrix equation. (U.K.)

  3. Correlation of neural activity with behavioral kinematics reveals distinct sensory encoding and evidence accumulation processes during active tactile sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delis, Ioannis; Dmochowski, Jacek P; Sajda, Paul; Wang, Qi

    2018-03-23

    Many real-world decisions rely on active sensing, a dynamic process for directing our sensors (e.g. eyes or fingers) across a stimulus to maximize information gain. Though ecologically pervasive, limited work has focused on identifying neural correlates of the active sensing process. In tactile perception, we often make decisions about an object/surface by actively exploring its shape/texture. Here we investigate the neural correlates of active tactile decision-making by simultaneously measuring electroencephalography (EEG) and finger kinematics while subjects interrogated a haptic surface to make perceptual judgments. Since sensorimotor behavior underlies decision formation in active sensing tasks, we hypothesized that the neural correlates of decision-related processes would be detectable by relating active sensing to neural activity. Novel brain-behavior correlation analysis revealed that three distinct EEG components, localizing to right-lateralized occipital cortex (LOC), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and supplementary motor area (SMA), respectively, were coupled with active sensing as their activity significantly correlated with finger kinematics. To probe the functional role of these components, we fit their single-trial-couplings to decision-making performance using a hierarchical-drift-diffusion-model (HDDM), revealing that the LOC modulated the encoding of the tactile stimulus whereas the MFG predicted the rate of information integration towards a choice. Interestingly, the MFG disappeared from components uncovered from control subjects performing active sensing but not required to make perceptual decisions. By uncovering the neural correlates of distinct stimulus encoding and evidence accumulation processes, this study delineated, for the first time, the functional role of cortical areas in active tactile decision-making. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Giant Suppression of the Activation Rate in Dynamical Systems Exhibiting Chaotic Transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gac, J. M.; Xafebrowski, J. J.

    2008-05-01

    The phenomenon of giant suppression of activation, when two or more correlated noise signals act on the system, was found a few years ago in dynamical bistable or metastable systems. When the correlation between these noise signals is strong enough and the amplitudes of the noise are chosen correctly --- the life time of the metastable state may be longer than in the case of the application of only a single noise even by many orders of magnitude. In this paper, we investigate similar phenomena in systems exhibiting several chaotic transitions: Pomeau--Manneville intermittency, boundary crisis and interior crisis induced intermittency. Our goal is to show that, in these systems the application of two noise components with the proper choice of the parameters in the case of intermittency can also lengthen the mean laminar phase length or, in the case of boundary crisis, lengthen the time the trajectory spends on the pre-crisis attractor. In systems with crisis induced intermittency, we introduce a new phenomenon we called quasi-deterministic giant suppression of activation in which the lengthening of the laminar phase lengths is caused not by the action of two correlated noise signals but by a single noise term which is correlated with one of the chaotic variables of the system.

  5. The n-level spectral correlations for chaotic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagao, Taro; Mueller, Sebastian

    2009-01-01

    We study the n-level spectral correlation functions of classically chaotic quantum systems without time-reversal symmetry. According to Bohigas, Giannoni and Schmit's universality conjecture, it is expected that the correlation functions are in agreement with the prediction of the circular unitary ensemble (CUE) of random matrices. A semiclassical resummation formalism allows us to express the correlation functions as sums over pseudo-orbits. Using an extended version of the diagonal approximation on the pseudo-orbit sums, we derive the n-level correlation functions identical to the n x n determinantal correlation functions of the CUE.

  6. Synaptic input correlations leading to membrane potential decorrelation of spontaneous activity in cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graupner, Michael; Reyes, Alex D

    2013-09-18

    Correlations in the spiking activity of neurons have been found in many regions of the cortex under multiple experimental conditions and are postulated to have important consequences for neural population coding. While there is a large body of extracellular data reporting correlations of various strengths, the subthreshold events underlying the origin and magnitude of signal-independent correlations (called noise or spike count correlations) are unknown. Here we investigate, using intracellular recordings, how synaptic input correlations from shared presynaptic neurons translate into membrane potential and spike-output correlations. Using a pharmacologically activated thalamocortical slice preparation, we perform simultaneous recordings from pairs of layer IV neurons in the auditory cortex of mice and measure synaptic potentials/currents, membrane potentials, and spiking outputs. We calculate cross-correlations between excitatory and inhibitory inputs to investigate correlations emerging from the network. We furthermore evaluate membrane potential correlations near resting potential to study how excitation and inhibition combine and affect spike-output correlations. We demonstrate directly that excitation is correlated with inhibition thereby partially canceling each other and resulting in weak membrane potential and spiking correlations between neurons. Our data suggest that cortical networks are set up to partially cancel correlations emerging from the connections between neurons. This active decorrelation is achieved because excitation and inhibition closely track each other. Our results suggest that the numerous shared presynaptic inputs do not automatically lead to increased spiking correlations.

  7. Social Cognitive Correlates of Physical Activity in Inactive Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dlugonski, Deirdre; Wojcicki, Thomas R.; McAuley, Edward; Motl, Robert W.

    2011-01-01

    Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often physically inactive. This observation has prompted the search for modifiable constructs derived from established theories that act as correlates of physical activity. This study investigated self efficacy, outcome expectations, impediments, and goal setting as correlates of physical activity in…

  8. Non-orthogonal internally contracted multi-configurational perturbation theory (NICPT): Dynamic electron correlation for large, compact active spaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kähler, Sven; Olsen, Jeppe

    2017-11-01

    A computational method is presented for systems that require high-level treatments of static and dynamic electron correlation but cannot be treated using conventional complete active space self-consistent field-based methods due to the required size of the active space. Our method introduces an efficient algorithm for perturbative dynamic correlation corrections for compact non-orthogonal MCSCF calculations. In the algorithm, biorthonormal expansions of orbitals and CI-wave functions are used to reduce the scaling of the performance determining step from quadratic to linear in the number of configurations. We describe a hierarchy of configuration spaces that can be chosen for the active space. Potential curves for the nitrogen molecule and the chromium dimer are compared for different configuration spaces. Already the most compact spaces yield qualitatively correct potentials that with increasing size of configuration spaces systematically approach complete active space results.

  9. Quantum correlation of high dimensional system in a dephasing environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Yinghua; Ke, Qiang; Hu, Juju

    2018-05-01

    For a high dimensional spin-S system embedded in a dephasing environment, we theoretically analyze the time evolutions of quantum correlation and entanglement via Frobenius norm and negativity. The quantum correlation dynamics can be considered as a function of the decoherence parameters, including the ratio between the system oscillator frequency ω0 and the reservoir cutoff frequency ωc , and the different environment temperature. It is shown that the quantum correlation can not only measure nonclassical correlation of the considered system, but also perform a better robustness against the dissipation. In addition, the decoherence presents the non-Markovian features and the quantum correlation freeze phenomenon. The former is much weaker than that in the sub-Ohmic or Ohmic thermal reservoir environment.

  10. Identifying compromised systems through correlation of suspicious traffic from malware behavioral analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilo, Ana E. F.; Grégio, André; Santos, Rafael D. C.

    2016-05-01

    Malware detection may be accomplished through the analysis of their infection behavior. To do so, dynamic analysis systems run malware samples and extract their operating system activities and network traffic. This traffic may represent malware accessing external systems, either to steal sensitive data from victims or to fetch other malicious artifacts (configuration files, additional modules, commands). In this work, we propose the use of visualization as a tool to identify compromised systems based on correlating malware communications in the form of graphs and finding isomorphisms between them. We produced graphs from over 6 thousand distinct network traffic files captured during malware execution and analyzed the existing relationships among malware samples and IP addresses.

  11. Closed hierarchy of correlations in Markovian open quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Žunkovič, Bojan

    2014-01-01

    We study the Lindblad master equation in the space of operators and provide simple criteria for closeness of the hierarchy of equations for correlations. We separately consider the time evolution of closed and open systems and show that open systems satisfying the closeness conditions are not necessarily of Gaussian type. In addition, we show that dissipation can induce the closeness of the hierarchy of correlations in interacting quantum systems. As an example we study an interacting optomechanical model, the Fermi–Hubbard model, and the Rabi model, all coupled to a fine-tuned Markovian environment and obtain exact analytic expressions for the time evolution of two-point correlations. (paper)

  12. Propagating wave correlations in complex systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Creagh, Stephen C; Gradoni, Gabriele; Hartmann, Timo; Tanner, Gregor

    2017-01-01

    We describe a novel approach for computing wave correlation functions inside finite spatial domains driven by complex and statistical sources. By exploiting semiclassical approximations, we provide explicit algorithms to calculate the local mean of these correlation functions in terms of the underlying classical dynamics. By defining appropriate ensemble averages, we show that fluctuations about the mean can be characterised in terms of classical correlations. We give in particular an explicit expression relating fluctuations of diagonal contributions to those of the full wave correlation function. The methods have a wide range of applications both in quantum mechanics and for classical wave problems such as in vibro-acoustics and electromagnetism. We apply the methods here to simple quantum systems, so-called quantum maps, which model the behaviour of generic problems on Poincaré sections. Although low-dimensional, these models exhibit a chaotic classical limit and share common characteristics with wave propagation in complex structures. (paper)

  13. Correlates of highly active antiretroviral therapy adherence among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Correlates of highly active antiretroviral therapy adherence among urban Ethiopian clients. ... clients' self-reported adherence to HAART medication, a descriptive, comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among adults receiving HAART medication at the Zewditu Memorial Hospital ART clinic in Addis Ababa.

  14. Dispositional Mindfulness and Depressive Symptomatology: Correlations with Limbic and Self-Referential Neural Activity during Rest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Way, Baldwin M.; Creswell, J. David; Eisenberger, Naomi I.; Lieberman, Matthew D.

    2010-01-01

    To better understand the relationship between mindfulness and depression, we studied normal young adults (n=27) who completed measures of dispositional mindfulness and depressive symptomatology, which were then correlated with: a) Rest: resting neural activity during passive viewing of a fixation cross, relative to a simple goal-directed task (shape-matching); and b) Reactivity: neural reactivity during viewing of negative emotional faces, relative to the same shape-matching task. Dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with resting activity in self-referential processing areas, while depressive symptomatology was positively correlated with resting activity in similar areas. In addition, dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with resting activity in the amygdala, bilaterally, while depressive symptomatology was positively correlated with activity in the right amygdala. Similarly, when viewing emotional faces, amygdala reactivity was positively correlated with depressive symptomatology and negatively correlated with dispositional mindfulness, an effect that was largely attributable to differences in resting activity. These findings indicate that mindfulness is associated with intrinsic neural activity and that changes in resting amygdala activity could be a potential mechanism by which mindfulness-based depression treatments elicit therapeutic improvement. PMID:20141298

  15. Correlation between physical activity measured by accelerometry and BMI in adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Stabelini Neto

    2013-03-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between physical activity measured by accelerometry and excess weight in schoolchildren. Three hundred and ninety one school-age adolescents (10 to 18 years old participated in the study. The cut-off points used to estimate time spent in physical activity were: moderate ≥3.0 METs and vigorous ≥6.0 METs. Student’s t-test and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient were used to verify statistical differences and correlations between physical activity and body mass index (BMI. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Male schoolchildren spent more time in moderate (96.1 ± 39.6 min.day-1 and vigorous (9.7 ± 8.8 min.day-1 physical activity than their female peers (moderate: 73.7 ± 37.7 min.day-1; vigorous: 6.1 ± 6.8 min.day-1. For both sexes, younger schoolchildren (10 to 14 years old were more physically active than older ones (14 to 18 years old. Time spent in moderate-vigorous physical activity was inversely related to BMI. These findings suggest that regular physical activity (RPA is related to body weight reduction in schoolchildren. Therefore, RPA can be used as an obesity prevention strategy in elementary school.

  16. Neprilysin-Like Activity Correlates with CSF-Tau and Phospho-Tau in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sorensen, Katrine Christa Nordskov; Simonsen, Anja Hviid; Holmetoft, Ulla Bachmann

    2013-01-01

    the level and enzyme activity of NEP in serum and CSF, using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, respectively, in patients with AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and depression. Results were correlated...... activity was seen. However, NEP concentration was lower and the specific activity was higher in FTD compared to AD. Aβ42 levels in CSF did not correlate with NEP concentration or activity in the AD, CJD, or depression groups, but NEP-like activity and Aβ42 levels correlated significantly in the FTD group....... In AD and depression, the NEP-like activity in CSF correlated with levels of p-tau, and, in the AD group, it also was correlated with t-tau levels. Our results suggest that the relation between the specific activity of NEP and t-tau and p-tau is a characteristic trait of AD. The correlation between NEP...

  17. Measurement-Based Spatial Correlation and Capacity of Indoor Distributed MIMO System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Zhang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Distributed MIMO (D-MIMO system is one of the candidates for future wireless access networks. In this study, the spatial correlation and capacity in indoor D-MIMO system are presented. All results are from the actual channel measurements in typical indoor scenarios, including office and corridor. Based on measured data, spatial correlation coefficients between distributed transmitting antennas are analyzed. Although the literature about D-MIMO system assumes the small scale fading between distributed antennas is independent, we find that spatial correlation may still exist in specific propagation scenario. This correlation can also degrade the performance of D-MIMO system. To mitigate the impact of spatial correlation, one efficient method is to use transmitting antenna selection technique.

  18. Adhesion molecules levels in blood correlate with MRI activity and clinical activity in multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Millers, A.; Enina, G.; Platkajis, A.; Metra, M.; Kukaine, R.

    2002-01-01

    Research into pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has prompted efforts to identify immunological markers associated with disease activity. Adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are associated with inflammatory mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. In this study investigates the correlation between blood level of circulating ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in different clinical phases of patients with MS. We show that RRMS and SPMS patients in clinically active phase with Gd-enhancing lesions in CNS had higher blood levels of cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 compared these parameters levers of RRMS patients in remission stage. These results suggest that cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 is a sensitive indicator of disease activity associated with BBB inflammatory dysfunction. Elevated blood level of cICAM-1 more strongly correlated with clinical activity and BBB damage, than cVCAM-1 and that could be used as biological marker of disease activity. Circulating VCAM-1 as an early indicator of BBB disturbance, may also serve as marker of beneficial activity in relapses phase of MS course. (authors)

  19. Finding Biomass Degrading Enzymes Through an Activity-Correlated Quantitative Proteomics Platform (ACPP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Hongyan; Delafield, Daniel G.; Wang, Zhe; You, Jianlan; Wu, Si

    2017-04-01

    The microbial secretome, known as a pool of biomass (i.e., plant-based materials) degrading enzymes, can be utilized to discover industrial enzyme candidates for biofuel production. Proteomics approaches have been applied to discover novel enzyme candidates through comparing protein expression profiles with enzyme activity of the whole secretome under different growth conditions. However, the activity measurement of each enzyme candidate is needed for confident "active" enzyme assignments, which remains to be elucidated. To address this challenge, we have developed an Activity-Correlated Quantitative Proteomics Platform (ACPP) that systematically correlates protein-level enzymatic activity patterns and protein elution profiles using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach. The ACPP optimized a high performance anion exchange separation for efficiently fractionating complex protein samples while preserving enzymatic activities. The detected enzymatic activity patterns in sequential fractions using microplate-based assays were cross-correlated with protein elution profiles using a customized pattern-matching algorithm with a correlation R-score. The ACPP has been successfully applied to the identification of two types of "active" biomass-degrading enzymes (i.e., starch hydrolysis enzymes and cellulose hydrolysis enzymes) from Aspergillus niger secretome in a multiplexed fashion. By determining protein elution profiles of 156 proteins in A. niger secretome, we confidently identified the 1,4-α-glucosidase as the major "active" starch hydrolysis enzyme (R = 0.96) and the endoglucanase as the major "active" cellulose hydrolysis enzyme (R = 0.97). The results demonstrated that the ACPP facilitated the discovery of bioactive enzymes from complex protein samples in a high-throughput, multiplexing, and untargeted fashion.

  20. Habitual physical activity levels are positively correlated with CD4 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Habitual physical activity levels are positively correlated with CD4 counts in an ... per month) and functional independence as assessed from the responses to the ... and between CD4 cell counts and total habitual physical activity levels (p ...

  1. A multimodal stress monitoring system with canonical correlation analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unsoo Ha; Changhyeon Kim; Yongsu Lee; Hyunki Kim; Taehwan Roh; Hoi-Jun Yoo

    2015-08-01

    The multimodal stress monitoring headband is proposed for mobile stress management system. It is composed of headband and earplugs. Electroencephalography (EEG), hemoencephalography (HEG) and heart-rate variability (HRV) can be achieved simultaneously in the proposed system for user status estimation. With canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and temporal-kernel CCA (tkCCA) algorithm, those different signals can be combined for maximum correlation. Thanks to the proposed combination algorithm, the accuracy of the proposed system increased up to 19 percentage points than unimodal monitoring system in n-back task.

  2. ACTIVITY-BRIGHTNESS CORRELATIONS FOR THE SUN AND SUN-LIKE STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preminger, D. G.; Chapman, G. A.; Cookson, A. M.

    2011-01-01

    We analyze the effect of solar features on the variability of the solar irradiance in three different spectral ranges. Our study is based on two solar-cycles' worth of full-disk photometric images from the San Fernando Observatory, obtained with red, blue, and Ca II K-line filters. For each image we measure the photometric sum, Σ, which is the relative contribution of solar features to the disk-integrated intensity of the image. The photometric sums in the red and blue continuum, Σ r and Σ b , exhibit similar temporal patterns: they are negatively correlated with solar activity, with strong short-term variability, and weak solar-cycle variability. However, the Ca II K-line photometric sum, Σ K , is positively correlated with solar activity and has strong variations on solar-cycle timescales. We show that we can model the variability of the Sun's bolometric flux as a linear combination of Σ r and Σ K . We infer that, over solar-cycle timescales, the variability of the Sun's bolometric irradiance is directly correlated with spectral line variability, but inversely correlated with continuum variability. Our blue and red continuum filters are quite similar to the Stroemgren b and y filters used to measure stellar photometric variability. We conclude that active stars whose visible continuum brightness varies inversely with activity, as measured by the Ca HK index, are displaying a pattern that is similar to that of the Sun, i.e., radiative variability in the visible continuum that is spot-dominated.

  3. Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Active Transportation Patterns in French Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perchoux, Camille; Enaux, Christophe; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Menai, Mehdi; Charreire, Hélène; Salze, Paul; Weber, Christiane; Hercberg, Serge; Feuillet, Thierry; Hess, Franck; Roda, Célina; Simon, Chantal; Nazare, Julie-Anne

    2017-01-01

    The objectives were (1) to define physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) patterns in daily life contexts (work, leisure, and transportation) in French working women from NutriNet-Santé web-cohort and (2) to identify pattern(s) of active transportation and their individual, social, and environmental correlates. 23,432 participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PA and SB in daily life contexts and individual representations of residential neighborhood and transportation modes. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed which identified 6 distinct movement behavior patterns: (i) active occupation, high sedentary leisure, (ii) sedentary occupation, low leisure, (iii) sedentary transportation, (iv) sedentary occupation and leisure, (v) active transportation, and (vi) active leisure. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify correlates of the "active transportation" cluster. The perceived environmental characteristics positively associated with "active transportation" included "high availability of destinations around home," "presence of bicycle paths," and "low traffic." A "positive image of walking/cycling," the "individual feeling of being physically active," and a "high use of active transport modes by relatives/friends" were positively related to "active transportation," identified as a unique pattern regarding individual and environmental correlates. Identification of PA and SB context-specific patterns will help to understand movement behaviors' complexity and to design interventions to promote active transportation in specific subgroups.

  4. On-Chip Correlator for Passive Wireless SAW Multisensor Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liqiang Xie

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available For decoding the asynchronous superposition of response signals from different sensors, it is a challenge to achieve correlation in a code division multiplexing (CDM based passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW multisensor system. Therefore, an on-chip correlator scheme is developed in this paper. In contrast to conventional CDM-based systems, this novel scheme enables the correlations to be operated at the SAW sensors, instead of the reader. Thus, the response signals arriving at the reader are the result of cross-correlation on the chips. It is then easy for the reader to distinguish the sensor that is matched with the interrogating signal. The operation principle, signal analysis, and simulation of the novel scheme are described in the paper. The simulation results show the response signals from the correlations of the sensors. A clear spike pulse is presented in the response signals, when a sensor code is matched with the interrogating code. Simulations verify the feasibility of the on-chip correlator concept.

  5. Superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems: successes and open questions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shastry, B. Sriram

    2000-01-01

    Correlated electronic systems and superconductivity is a field which has unique track record of producing exciting new phases of matter. The article gives an overview of trends in solving the problems of superconductivity and correlated electronic systems

  6. [Correlation Between Functional Groups and Radical Scavenging Activities of Acidic Polysaccharides from Dendrobium].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Ying; Yuan, Wen-yu; Zheng, Wen-ke; Luo, Ao-xue; Fan, Yi-jun

    2015-11-01

    To compare the radical scavenging activity of five different acidic polysaccharides, and to find the correlation with the functional groups. Alkali extraction method and Stepwise ethanol precipitation method were used to extract and concentrate the five Dendrobium polysaccharides, and to determine the contents of sulfuric acid and uronic acid of each kind of acidic polysaccharides, and the scavenging activity to ABTS+ radical and hydroxyl radical. Functional group structures were examined by FTIR Spectrometer. Five kinds of Dendrobium polysaccharides had different ability of scavenging ABTS+ free radical and hydroxyl free radical. Moreover, the study had shown that five kinds of antioxidant activity of acidic polysaccharides had obvious correlation withuronic acid and sulfuric acid. The antioxidant activity of each sample was positively correlated with the content of uronic acid, and negatively correlated with the content of sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can inhibit the antioxidant activity of acidic polysaccharide but uronic acid can enhance the free radical scavenging activity. By analyzing the structure characteristics of five acidic polysaccharides, all samples have similar structures, however, Dendrobium denneanum, Dendrobium devonianum and Dendrobium officinale which had β configuration have higher antioxidant activity than Dendrobium nobile and Dendrobium fimbriatum which had a configuration.

  7. Correlation matrices of two-mode bosonic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pirandola, Stefano; Serafini, Alessio; Lloyd, Seth

    2009-01-01

    We present a detailed analysis of all the algebraic conditions an arbitrary 4x4 symmetric matrix must satisfy in order to represent the correlation matrix of a two-mode bosonic system. Then, we completely clarify when this arbitrary matrix can represent the correlation matrix of a separable or entangled Gaussian state. In this analysis, we introduce alternative sets of conditions, which are expressed in terms of local symplectic invariants.

  8. Quantum Monte Carlo approaches for correlated systems

    CERN Document Server

    Becca, Federico

    2017-01-01

    Over the past several decades, computational approaches to studying strongly-interacting systems have become increasingly varied and sophisticated. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to state-of-the-art quantum Monte Carlo techniques relevant for applications in correlated systems. Providing a clear overview of variational wave functions, and featuring a detailed presentation of stochastic samplings including Markov chains and Langevin dynamics, which are developed into a discussion of Monte Carlo methods. The variational technique is described, from foundations to a detailed description of its algorithms. Further topics discussed include optimisation techniques, real-time dynamics and projection methods, including Green's function, reptation and auxiliary-field Monte Carlo, from basic definitions to advanced algorithms for efficient codes, and the book concludes with recent developments on the continuum space. Quantum Monte Carlo Approaches for Correlated Systems provides an extensive reference ...

  9. Scattering from correlations in colloidal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayter, J.B.

    1984-01-01

    Colloidal suspensions typically exhibit spatial correlations over distances of order 10-10 4 A, corresponding either to the size of individual particles (e.g., polymer chains, surfactant micelles) or to the range of interaction between particles (e.g., charged polymer lattices at low ionic strength). Apart from having fundamental intrinsic interest, such systems are also extremely useful as model systems with which to study, for example, non-Newtonian hydrodynamics, since temporal correlations are generally much longer lived (10 -8 -10 -3 sec) than those found in simple atomic or small molecular systems (10 -13 -10 -10 sec). Colloids have long been the subject of macroscopic phenomenological research (on rheological properties, for example), but it is only recently that microscopic light, x-ray and neutron scattering techniques have been applied to their study, in large part because of theoretical difficulties in understanding the scattering from dense liquid-like systems of interacting particles. For spherical colloids, such theoretical problems have now been largely overcome, and for anisotropic colloids experimental techniques are being developed which circumvent the intractable theoretical areas. This paper will first review some static light and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) results on colloidal suspensions, both at equilibrium and in steady-state non-equilibrium situations, and will then discuss some dynamic measurements on polymer solutions and melts made using the neutron spin-echo (NSE) technique. Emphasis is placed on experiments which have a possible counterpart in synchrotron radiation studies. In particular, NSE extends the results of photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) to larger momentum transfers and shorter time-scales than are available with visible light, and the extension of PCS to short wavelength on a synchrotron source would be of similar fundamental interest

  10. Markovian Limit of a Spatio-Temporal Correlated Open Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monnai, T.

    Large fluctuation of Brownian particles is affected by the finiteness of the correlation length of the background noise field. Indeed a Fokker—Planck equation is derived in a Markovian limit of a spatio-temporal short correlated noise. Corresponding kinetic quantities are renormalized due to the spatio-temporal memory. We also investigate the case of open system by connecting a thermostat to the system.

  11. Serum interleukin-18 and interleukin-10 levels in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with SLEDAI score and disease activity parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sahar Abou El-Fetouh

    2014-01-01

    Conclusion The circulating IL-18 and IL-10 concentrations were significantly elevated in SLE patients and correlated with the SLEDAI score. The study emphasized that there exists an upregulated proinflammatory as well as anti-inflammatory responses in patients with active SLE; however, the anti-inflammatory response is not enough to suppress the active disease. Identifying the exact contribution of the currently studied cytokines might provide future insights for targeted therapeutic strategies in SLE.

  12. Feature-based alert correlation in security systems using self organizing maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Munesh; Siddique, Shoaib; Noor, Humera

    2009-04-01

    The security of the networks has been an important concern for any organization. This is especially important for the defense sector as to get unauthorized access to the sensitive information of an organization has been the prime desire for cyber criminals. Many network security techniques like Firewall, VPN Concentrator etc. are deployed at the perimeter of network to deal with attack(s) that occur(s) from exterior of network. But any vulnerability that causes to penetrate the network's perimeter of defense, can exploit the entire network. To deal with such vulnerabilities a system has been evolved with the purpose of generating an alert for any malicious activity triggered against the network and its resources, termed as Intrusion Detection System (IDS). The traditional IDS have still some deficiencies like generating large number of alerts, containing both true and false one etc. By automatically classifying (correlating) various alerts, the high-level analysis of the security status of network can be identified and the job of network security administrator becomes much easier. In this paper we propose to utilize Self Organizing Maps (SOM); an Artificial Neural Network for correlating large amount of logged intrusion alerts based on generic features such as Source/Destination IP Addresses, Port No, Signature ID etc. The different ways in which alerts can be correlated by Artificial Intelligence techniques are also discussed. . We've shown that the strategy described in the paper improves the efficiency of IDS by better correlating the alerts, leading to reduced false positives and increased competence of network administrator.

  13. Physical and Social-Motivational Contextual Correlates of Youth Physical Activity in Underresourced Afterschool Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarrett, Nicole; Sorensen, Carl; Cook, Brittany Skiles

    2015-08-01

    Afterschool programs (ASPs) have become increasingly recognized as a key context to support youth daily physical activity (PA) accrual. The purpose of the present study was to assess the physical and social-motivational climate characteristics of ASPs associated with youth PA, and variations in contextual correlates of PA by youth sex. Systematic observations of 7 ASPs serving underserved youth (minority, low income) was conducted using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth and a social-motivational climate observation tool founded on self-determination theory. For five program days at each site, teams of two coders conducted continuous observations of youth PA (sedentary, moderate, vigorous), five physical features (e.g., equipment availability), eight staff interactions (e.g., encourage PA), and seven motivational climate components (e.g., inclusive). Aligned with previous research, regressions controlling for variations by site indicated that organized PA, provision of portable equipment, and staff PA participation and supervision are key correlates of youth PA. Moreover, as the first study to systematically observe motivational-context characteristics of ASPs, we identified several key modifiable motivational features that are necessary to address in order to increase youth engagement in PA during the out-of-school hours. Among motivational features assessed, "relatedness" components (positive peer relations, inclusive/cooperative activities) were primary correlates of girls' PA. In contrast, all three motivational features specified by self-determination theory (support for autonomy, mastery/competence, and inclusion/relatedness) were correlated with boys' PA. Findings are discussed in terms of policy and practice for understanding strengths and needs of ASPs to effectively engage youth in PA. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

  14. Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Active Transportation Patterns in French Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Perchoux

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The objectives were (1 to define physical activity (PA and sedentary behaviors (SB patterns in daily life contexts (work, leisure, and transportation in French working women from NutriNet-Santé web-cohort and (2 to identify pattern(s of active transportation and their individual, social, and environmental correlates. 23,432 participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PA and SB in daily life contexts and individual representations of residential neighborhood and transportation modes. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed which identified 6 distinct movement behavior patterns: (i active occupation, high sedentary leisure, (ii sedentary occupation, low leisure, (iii sedentary transportation, (iv sedentary occupation and leisure, (v active transportation, and (vi active leisure. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify correlates of the “active transportation” cluster. The perceived environmental characteristics positively associated with “active transportation” included “high availability of destinations around home,” “presence of bicycle paths,” and “low traffic.” A “positive image of walking/cycling,” the “individual feeling of being physically active,” and a “high use of active transport modes by relatives/friends” were positively related to “active transportation,” identified as a unique pattern regarding individual and environmental correlates. Identification of PA and SB context-specific patterns will help to understand movement behaviors’ complexity and to design interventions to promote active transportation in specific subgroups.

  15. Correlates of habitual physical activity and organized sports in German primary school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobel, S; Kettner, S; Kesztyüs, D; Erkelenz, N; Drenowatz, C; Steinacker, J M

    2015-03-01

    The increased prevalence of childhood obesity has also been attributed to low physical activity (PA) levels. Understanding factors affecting child PA levels is especially important considering the benefits PA offers to youth. This study therefore examined different correlates affecting habitual PA and sports participation in primary school children. Height and weight were measured during a school visit in 1714 children (7.1 ± .6 years). PA and behavioural correlates were assessed by parental questionnaire. The effect of various correlates on PA as well as participation in organized sports was assessed using logistic regression analysis. Significant correlates of PA and sports participation were engagement in sporting activities outside of clubs and children's weight status. Playing outdoors for more than 60 min/day was significant for PA, having well educated parents and being male. Participation in sports was influenced by children's media consumption, active travel to school and having active parents. No influence was found for migration, income, parental weight status and health consciousness. In this study, a multiplicity of independent correlates of PA and sports participation, which require a broad approach to promote an active lifestyle, have been considered. Understanding these factors might support the development of effective health-promoting interventions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  16. Comparison of Brain Activity Correlating with Self-Report versus Narrative Attachment Measures during Conscious Appraisal of an Attachment Figure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaseen, Zimri S.; Zhang, Xian; Muran, J. Christopher; Winston, Arnold; Galynker, Igor I.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) has been the gold standard of attachment assessment, but requires special training. The Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) is a widely used self-report measure. We investigate how each correlates with brain activity during appraisal of subjects’ mothers. Methods: Twenty-eight women were scored on the AAI, RSQ, and mood measures. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, subjects viewed their mothers in neutral-, valence-, and salience-rating conditions. We identified regions where contrasts in brain activity between appraisal and neutral viewing conditions correlated with each measure of attachment after covarying for mood. AAI and RSQ measures were then compared in terms of the extent to which regions of correlating brain activity overlapped with “default mode network” (DMN) vs. executive frontal network (EFN) masks and cortical vs. subcortical masks. Additionally, interactions with mood were examined. Results: Salience and valence processing associated with increased thalamo-striatal, posterior cingulate, and visual cortex activity. Salience processing decreased PFC activity, whereas valence processing increased left insula activity. Activity correlating with AAI vs. RSQ measures demonstrated significantly more DMN and subcortical involvement. Interactions with mood were observed in the middle temporal gyrus and precuneus for both measures. Conclusion: The AAI appears to disproportionately correlate with conscious appraisal associated activity in DMN and subcortical structures, while the RSQ appears to tap EFN structures more extensively. Thus, the AAI may assess more interoceptive, ‘core-self’-related processes, while the RSQ captures higher-order cognitions involved in attachment. Shared interaction effects between mood and AAI and RSQ-measures may suggest that processes tapped by each belong to a common system. PMID:27014022

  17. Correlations between patient satisfaction and ability to perform daily activities after total knee arthroplasty: why aren't patients satisfied?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakahara, Hiroyuki; Okazaki, Ken; Mizu-Uchi, Hideki; Hamai, Satoshi; Tashiro, Yasutaka; Matsuda, Shuichi; Iwamoto, Yukihide

    2015-01-01

    Patient satisfaction has become an important parameter for assessing overall outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The level of difficulty in performing activities of daily life that affects overall patient satisfaction is unknown. We therefore evaluated the influence of difficulty in performing activities of daily life on patient satisfaction and expectations. The 2011 Knee Society Knee Scoring System Questionnaire was mailed to patients who had undergone TKA with 375 patients completing and returning it. We evaluated the relationship between the ability to perform daily activities, as assessed via the questionnaire, and patient satisfaction and expectations of the same score in each patient using linear regression analysis. We also determined which activities affected patient satisfaction and expectations using multivariate linear regression analyses. All patient-derived functional activities correlated significantly with the patient satisfaction score. In particular, "climbing up or down a flight of stairs" followed by "getting into or out of a car," "moving laterally (stepping to the side)" and "walking and standing" correlated strongly with patient satisfaction by linear regression analysis and were revealed to have significant contributions to patient satisfaction by multivariate linear regression analysis. Regarding expectations, all patient-derived functional activities correlated significantly with the patient expectation score, although none of the correlation coefficients was very high. "Squatting," followed by "walking and standing," contributed to the patient expectation score by multivariate linear regression analysis. Activities related to walking and standing are some of the most basic movements and basic demands for patients. In addition, "climbing up or down a flight of stairs," "getting into and out of a car" and "squatting" are very important and distressing activities that significantly correlate with patient satisfaction after TKA.

  18. Correlates of Agreement between Accelerometry and Self-reported Physical Activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cerin, Ester; Cain, Kelli L; Oyeyemi, Adewale L

    2016-01-01

    PURPOSE: Understanding factors that influence accurate assessment of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is important to measurement development, epidemiologic studies, and interventions. This study examined agreement between self-reported (International Physical Activity Questionn......PURPOSE: Understanding factors that influence accurate assessment of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is important to measurement development, epidemiologic studies, and interventions. This study examined agreement between self-reported (International Physical Activity...... Questionnaire - Long Form, IPAQ-LF) and accelerometry-based estimates of PA and SB across six countries, and identified correlates of between-method agreement. METHODS: Self-report and objective (accelerometry-based) PA and SB data were collected in 2002-2011 from 3,865 adult participants in eight cities from......-demographic characteristics and PA patterns were examined as correlates of between-method agreement. RESULTS: Observed relative agreement (relationships of IPAQ-LF with accelerometry-based PA and SB variables) was small to moderate (r=0.05-0.37) and was moderated by socio-demographic (age, sex, weight status, education...

  19. Correlation control theory of chaotic laser systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Fuli.

    1986-04-01

    A novel control theory of chaotic systems is studied. The correlation functions are calculated and used as feedback signals of the chaotic lasers. Computer experiments have shown that in this way the chaotic systems can be controlled to have time-independent output when the external control parameters are in chaotic domain. (author)

  20. Year in school and physical activity stage of change as discriminators of variation in the physical activity correlate profile of adolescent females.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Con; Murphy, John J; MacDonncha, Ciaran

    2014-05-01

    Knowledge of the physical activity correlate profile of adolescent females will provide insight into decreasing physical activity patterns among adolescent females. Correlates of physical activity and physical activity stage of change were assessed during 2007-2008 among 871 Irish adolescent females in years 1-6 in secondary schools (15.28 ± 1.8 years). Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to identify whether differences in correlates of physical activity could be detected across year in school and physical activity stages of change. Significant differences (P physically active (partial eta range (ηp2) .21-.25) to be the most important predictors of physical activity stage of change. Females in more senior years in school and in earlier physical activity stages of change reported a significantly less positive physical activity correlate profile than females in junior years and in later physical activity stages of change. This finding supports the construct validity of the physical activity stages of change.

  1. Circulating ACE2 activity correlates with cardiovascular disease development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katalin Úri

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available It was shown recently that angiotensin-converting enzyme activity is limited by endogenous inhibition in vivo, highlighting the importance of angiotensin II (ACE2 elimination. The potential contribution of the ACE2 to cardiovascular disease progression was addressed. Serum ACE2 activities were measured in different clinical states (healthy, n=45; hypertensive, n=239; heart failure (HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF n=141 and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF n=47. ACE2 activity was significantly higher in hypertensive patients (24.8±0.8 U/ml than that in healthy volunteers (16.2±0.8 U/ml, p=0.01. ACE2 activity further increased in HFrEF patients (43.9±2.1 U/ml, p=0.001 but not in HFpEF patients (24.6±1.9 U/ml when compared with hypertensive patients. Serum ACE2 activity negatively correlated with left ventricular systolic function in HFrEF, but not in hypertensive, HFpEF or healthy populations. Serum ACE2 activity had a fair diagnostic value to differentiate HFpEF from HFrEF patients in this study. Serum ACE2 activity correlates with cardiovascular disease development: it increases when hypertension develops and further increases when the cardiovascular disease further progresses to systolic dysfunction, suggesting that ACE2 metabolism plays a role in these processes. In contrast, serum ACE2 activity does not change when hypertension progresses to HFpEF, suggesting a different pathomechanism for HFpEF, and proposing a biomarker-based identification of these HF forms.

  2. Schizotypal perceptual aberrations of time: correlation between score, behavior and brain activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahar Arzy

    Full Text Available A fundamental trait of the human self is its continuum experience of space and time. Perceptual aberrations of this spatial and temporal continuity is a major characteristic of schizophrenia spectrum disturbances--including schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder and schizotypy. We have previously found the classical Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS scores, related to body and space, to be positively correlated with both behavior and temporo-parietal activation in healthy participants performing a task involving self-projection in space. However, not much is known about the relationship between temporal perceptual aberration, behavior and brain activity. To this aim, we composed a temporal Perceptual Aberration Scale (tPAS similar to the traditional PAS. Testing on 170 participants suggested similar performance for PAS and tPAS. We then correlated tPAS and PAS scores to participants' performance and neural activity in a task of self-projection in time. tPAS scores correlated positively with reaction times across task conditions, as did PAS scores. Evoked potential mapping and electrical neuroimaging showed self-projection in time to recruit a network of brain regions at the left anterior temporal cortex, right temporo-parietal junction, and occipito-temporal cortex, and duration of activation in this network positively correlated with tPAS and PAS scores. These data demonstrate that schizotypal perceptual aberrations of both time and space, as reflected by tPAS and PAS scores, are positively correlated with performance and brain activation during self-projection in time in healthy individuals along the schizophrenia spectrum.

  3. Unobtrusive measurement of indoor energy expenditure using an infrared sensor-based activity monitoring system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Bosun; Han, Jonghee; Choi, Jong Min; Park, Kwang Suk

    2008-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop an unobtrusive energy expenditure (EE) measurement system using an infrared (IR) sensor-based activity monitoring system to measure indoor activities and to estimate individual quantitative EE. IR-sensor activation counts were measured with a Bluetooth-based monitoring system and the standard EE was calculated using an established regression equation. Ten male subjects participated in the experiment and three different EE measurement systems (gas analyzer, accelerometer, IR sensor) were used simultaneously in order to determine the regression equation and evaluate the performance. As a standard measurement, oxygen consumption was simultaneously measured by a portable metabolic system (Metamax 3X, Cortex, Germany). A single room experiment was performed to develop a regression model of the standard EE measurement from the proposed IR sensor-based measurement system. In addition, correlation and regression analyses were done to compare the performance of the IR system with that of the Actigraph system. We determined that our proposed IR-based EE measurement system shows a similar correlation to the Actigraph system with the standard measurement system.

  4. Resonant X-ray scattering in correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murakami, Youichi [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Materials Structure Science; Ishihara, Sumio (ed.) [Tohoku Univ., Sendai, Miyagi (Japan). Dept. of Physics

    2017-03-01

    The research and its outcomes presented here is devoted to the use of X-ray scattering to study correlated electron systems and magnetism. Different X-ray based methods are provided to analyze three dimensional electron systems and the structure of transition-metal oxides. Finally the observation of multipole orderings with X-ray diffraction is shown.

  5. Resonant x-ray scattering in correlated systems

    CERN Document Server

    Ishihara, Sumio

    2017-01-01

    The research and its outcomes presented here is devoted to the use of x-ray scattering to study correlated electron systems and magnetism. Different x-ray based methods are provided to analyze three dimensional electron systems and the structure of transition-metal oxides. Finally the observation of multipole orderings with x-ray diffraction is shown.

  6. Cannabis cue-induced brain activation correlates with drug craving in limbic and visual salience regions: Preliminary results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charboneau, Evonne J.; Dietrich, Mary S.; Park, Sohee; Cao, Aize; Watkins, Tristan J; Blackford, Jennifer U; Benningfield, Margaret M.; Martin, Peter R.; Buchowski, Maciej S.; Cowan, Ronald L.

    2013-01-01

    Craving is a major motivator underlying drug use and relapse but the neural correlates of cannabis craving are not well understood. This study sought to determine whether visual cannabis cues increase cannabis craving and whether cue-induced craving is associated with regional brain activation in cannabis-dependent individuals. Cannabis craving was assessed in 16 cannabis-dependent adult volunteers while they viewed cannabis cues during a functional MRI (fMRI) scan. The Marijuana Craving Questionnaire was administered immediately before and after each of three cannabis cue-exposure fMRI runs. FMRI blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal intensity was determined in regions activated by cannabis cues to examine the relationship of regional brain activation to cannabis craving. Craving scores increased significantly following exposure to visual cannabis cues. Visual cues activated multiple brain regions, including inferior orbital frontal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala, superior temporal pole, and occipital cortex. Craving scores at baseline and at the end of all three runs were significantly correlated with brain activation during the first fMRI run only, in the limbic system (including amygdala and hippocampus) and paralimbic system (superior temporal pole), and visual regions (occipital cortex). Cannabis cues increased craving in cannabis-dependent individuals and this increase was associated with activation in the limbic, paralimbic, and visual systems during the first fMRI run, but not subsequent fMRI runs. These results suggest that these regions may mediate visually cued aspects of drug craving. This study provides preliminary evidence for the neural basis of cue-induced cannabis craving and suggests possible neural targets for interventions targeted at treating cannabis dependence. PMID:24035535

  7. Social Cognitive Correlates of Physical Activity in Black Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinnett-Hopkins, Dominique; Motl, Robert W

    2016-04-01

    To examine variables from social cognitive theory as correlates of physical activity in black and white individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Cross-sectional. National survey. Black (n=151) and white (n=185) individuals with MS were recruited through the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis Registry. Not applicable. The battery of questionnaires included information on demographic and clinical characteristics, physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, function, social support, exercise outcome expectations, and exercise goal setting and planning. Black individuals with MS reported significantly lower levels of physical activity compared with white individuals with MS. Physical activity levels were significantly correlated with self-efficacy, outcome expectations, functional limitations as impediments, and goal setting in black participants with MS. The pattern and magnitude of correlations were comparable with those observed in white participants based on Fisher z tests. Researchers should consider applying behavioral interventions that target social cognitive theory variables for increasing physical activity levels among black individuals with MS. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Electron-phonon interactions in correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wysokinski, K.I.

    1996-01-01

    There exist attempts to describe the superconducting mechanism operating in HTS as based on antiferromagnetic fluctuations. It is not our intention to dwell on the superconducting mechanism, even though this is very a important issue. The main aim is to discuss the problem of interplay between electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions in correlated systems. We believe such analysis can be of importance for various materials and not only HTS'S. We shall however mainly refer to experiments on this last class of superconductors. Severe complications are to be expected by studying the problem. As is well known electron correlations are very important in narrow band systems, where the relevant electronic scale E F is quite small. In those circumstances, the phonon energy scale ω D is of comparable magnitude, with the ratio ω D /E F of order 1 signalling a possible break down of the Migdal - Eliashberg description of the electron-phonon interaction in metals. Here we shall assume the validity of the Migdal-Eliashberg approximation and concentrate on the mutual influence of electron and phonon subsystems. In the next section we shall discuss experimental motivation for and theoretical work related to the present problem. Section 3 contains a brief discussion of our theory. It is a self-consistent theory a la Migdal with strong correlations treated with an auxiliary boson technique. We conclude with results and their discussion. (orig.)

  9. Correlation of glucosinolate content to myrosinase activity in horseradish (Armoracia rusticana).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xian; Kushad, Mosbah M

    2004-11-17

    Fully developed horseradish (Armoracia rusticana Gaertn., Mey., & Scherb.) roots from 27 accessions and leaves from a subset of 9 accessions were evaluated for glucosinolates and myrosinase enzyme activity. Eight different glucosinolates were detected (based on HPLC retention times as desulfoglucosinolates) in both root and leaf tissues. The sum of these glucosinolates, referred to as total, ranged from 2 to 296 micromol g(-1) of dry weight (DW) in both tissues. Four glucosinolates (sinigrin, glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and gluconasturtiin) were detected in major quantities. In fully developed roots, sinigrin concentration represented approximately 83%, gluconasturtiin approximately 11%, and glucobrassicin approximately 1% of the total glucosinolates. Approximately the same proportions of individual glucosinolates appeared in fully developed leaves, except that glucobrassicin was substituted by neoglucobrassicin and gluconasturtiin concentration was significantly lower (<1%). At least four other glucosinolates were detected in very small quantities (<1%) in both roots and leaves. Myrosinase (beta-thioglucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.3.1) is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of the parent glucosinolates into biologically active products. Very little is known about myrosinase activity and the correlation of its activity to total and individual glucosinolates in plant tissues. Significant differences in myrosinase activity were detected between the roots and leaves, ranging from 1.2 to 57.1 units g(-1) of DW. Data showed no correlation between myrosinase activity and total and/or individual glucosinolates in the roots. However, in the leaves, significant correlations were found between myrosinase activity and total glucosinolates (0.78 at P = 0.01) and between myrosinase activity and sinigrin (0.80 at P = 0.01). Glucosinolates content and myrosinase activity were also correlated in young and fully developed roots and leaves and during tissue crushing

  10. Correlation functions for Hermitian many-body systems: Necessary conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, E.B.

    1994-01-01

    Lee [Phys. Rev. B 47, 8293 (1993)] has shown that the odd-numbered derivatives of the Kubo autocorrelation function vanish at t=0. We show that this condition is based on a more general property of nondiagonal Kubo correlation functions. This general property provides that certain functional forms (e.g., simple exponential decay) are not admissible for any symmetric or antisymmetric Kubo correlation function in a Hermitian many-body system. Lee's result emerges as a special case of this result. Applications to translationally invariant systems and systems with rotational symmetries are also demonstrated

  11. Bell Correlations in a Many-Body System with Finite Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Sebastian; Schmied, Roman; Fadel, Matteo; Treutlein, Philipp; Sangouard, Nicolas; Bancal, Jean-Daniel

    2017-10-01

    A recent experiment reported the first violation of a Bell correlation witness in a many-body system [Science 352, 441 (2016)]. Following discussions in this Letter, we address here the question of the statistics required to witness Bell correlated states, i.e., states violating a Bell inequality, in such experiments. We start by deriving multipartite Bell inequalities involving an arbitrary number of measurement settings, two outcomes per party and one- and two-body correlators only. Based on these inequalities, we then build up improved witnesses able to detect Bell correlated states in many-body systems using two collective measurements only. These witnesses can potentially detect Bell correlations in states with an arbitrarily low amount of spin squeezing. We then establish an upper bound on the statistics needed to convincingly conclude that a measured state is Bell correlated.

  12. Magnetic correlations in a classic Mott system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bao, W.; Broholm, C.; Aeppli, G.; Carter, S.A.; Dai, D.; Frost, C.D.

    1997-07-01

    The metal-insulator transition in V 2 O 3 causes a fundamental change in its magnetism. While the antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI) is a Heisenberg localized spin system, the antiferromagnetism in the strongly correlated metal is determined by a Fermi surface instability. Paramagnetic fluctuations in the metal and insulator represent similar spatial spin correlations, but are unrelated to the long range order in the AFI. The phase transition to the AFI induces an abrupt switching of magnetic correlations to a different magnetic wave vector. The AFI transition, therefore, is not a conventional spin order-disorder transition. Instead it is accounted for by an ordering in the occupation of the two degenerate d-orbitals at the Fermi level

  13. Race and Sex Differences in College Student Physical Activity Correlates

    Science.gov (United States)

    McArthur, Laura H.; Raedeke, Thomas D.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives: To assess sex/race differences on psychosocial correlates of physical activity among college students. Methods: Survey research protocol. Results: Students (n = 636) exercised an average of 3.5 days per week, with black females being the least active. Across subgroups, health/fitness was rated as the most important motive for exercise,…

  14. Correlates of Physical Activity in Asian Adolescents: a Literature Review

    OpenAIRE

    Hidayati, Husna; Hatthakit, Urai; Isaramalai, Sang-Arun

    2012-01-01

    Background: Physical activity is important to prevent several chronic diseases in adulthood. Nowadays, young people do not regularly perform physical activity. Several factors may influence their decision. Most of studies were conducted in western countries. However the findings might not be generalized regarding the differences in culture and social condition. Therefore, reviewing the correlates of physical activity among adolescents in Asian countries is essential. Purpose: To update the st...

  15. Validation of Web-Based Physical Activity Measurement Systems Using Doubly Labeled Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Yukio; Yamada, Yosuke; Tokushima, Satoru; Hatamoto, Yoichi; Sagayama, Hiroyuki; Kimura, Misaka; Higaki, Yasuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

    2012-01-01

    Background Online or Web-based measurement systems have been proposed as convenient methods for collecting physical activity data. We developed two Web-based physical activity systems—the 24-hour Physical Activity Record Web (24hPAR WEB) and 7 days Recall Web (7daysRecall WEB). Objective To examine the validity of two Web-based physical activity measurement systems using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. Methods We assessed the validity of the 24hPAR WEB and 7daysRecall WEB in 20 individuals, aged 25 to 61 years. The order of email distribution and subsequent completion of the two Web-based measurements systems was randomized. Each measurement tool was used for a week. The participants’ activity energy expenditure (AEE) and total energy expenditure (TEE) were assessed over each week using the DLW method and compared with the respective energy expenditures estimated using the Web-based systems. Results The mean AEE was 3.90 (SD 1.43) MJ estimated using the 24hPAR WEB and 3.67 (SD 1.48) MJ measured by the DLW method. The Pearson correlation for AEE between the two methods was r = .679 (P WEB and 3.80 (SD 1.36) MJ by the DLW method. The Pearson correlation for AEE between the two methods was r = .144 (P = .54). The Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement ranged from –3.83 to 4.81 MJ between the two methods. The Pearson correlation for TEE between the two methods was r = .590 (P = .006). The average input times using terminal devices were 8 minutes and 10 seconds for the 24hPAR WEB and 6 minutes and 38 seconds for the 7daysRecall WEB. Conclusions Both Web-based systems were found to be effective methods for collecting physical activity data and are appropriate for use in epidemiological studies. Because the measurement accuracy of the 24hPAR WEB was moderate to high, it could be suitable for evaluating the effect of interventions on individuals as well as for examining physical activity behavior. PMID:23010345

  16. Neighborhood Stress and Autonomic Nervous System Activity during Sleep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellman, Thomas Alan; Bell, Kimberly Ann; Abu-Bader, Soleman Hassan; Kobayashi, Ihori

    2018-04-04

    Stressful neighborhood environments are known to adversely impact health and contribute to health disparities but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Healthy sleep can provide a respite from sustained sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Our objective was to evaluate relationships between neighborhood stress and nocturnal and daytime SNS and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. Eighty five urban-residing African Americans (56.5% female; mean age of 23.0) participated. Evaluation included surveys of neighborhood stress and sleep-related vigilance; and continuous ECG and actigraphic recording in participants' homes from which heart rate variability (HRV) analysis for low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio and normalized high frequency (nHF), as indicators of SNS and PNS activity, respectively, and total sleep time (TST), and wake after sleep onset were derived. All significant relationships with HRV measures were from the sleep period. Neighborhood disorder correlated negatively with nHF (r = -.24, p = .035). There were also significant correlations of HRV indices with sleep duration and sleep fears. Among females, LF/HF correlated with exposure to violence, r = .39, p = .008 and nHF with census tract rates for violent crime (r = -.35, p = .035). In a stepwise regression, TST accounted for the variance contributed by violent crime to nHF in the female participants. Further investigation of relationships between neighborhood environments and SNS/PNS balance during sleep and their consequences, and strategies for mitigating such effects would have implications for health disparities.

  17. Activation of high and low affinity dopamine receptors generates a closed loop that maintains a conductance ratio and its activity correlate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wulf-Dieter Christian Krenz

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Neuromodulators alter network output and have the potential to destabilize a circuit. The mechanisms maintaining stability in the face of neuromodulation are not well described. Using the pyloric network in the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system, we show that dopamine (DA does not simply alter circuit output, but activates a closed loop in which DA-induced alterations in circuit output consequently drive a change in an ionic conductance to preserve a conductance ratio and its activity correlate. DA acted at low affinity type 1 receptors (D1Rs to induce an immediate modulatory decrease in the transient potassium current (IA of a pyloric neuron. This, in turn, advanced the activity phase of that component neuron, which disrupted its network function and thereby destabilized the circuit. DA simultaneously acted at high affinity D1Rs on the same neuron to confer activity-dependence upon the hyperpolarization activated current (Ih such that the DA-induced changes in activity subsequently reduced Ih. This DA-enabled, activity-dependent, intrinsic plasticity exactly compensated for the modulatory decrease in IA to restore the IA:Ih ratio and neuronal activity phase, thereby closing an open loop created by the modulator. Activation of closed loops to preserve conductance ratios may represent a fundamental operating principle neuromodulatory systems use to ensure stability in their target networks.

  18. Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement System (ECOR) Handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cook, DR

    2011-01-31

    The eddy correlation (ECOR) flux measurement system provides in situ, half-hour measurements of the surface turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide (CO2) (and methane at one Southern Great Plains extended facility (SGP EF) and the North Slope of Alaska Central Facility (NSA CF). The fluxes are obtained with the eddy covariance technique, which involves correlation of the vertical wind component with the horizontal wind component, the air temperature, the water vapor density, and the CO2 concentration.

  19. Correlation between telomerase activity and matrix metalloproteinases 2 expression in gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Gang; Wang, Wenling; Zhou, Jianjiang; Yang, Xiaofeng

    2013-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between telomerase activity (TA) and matrix metallo proteinases 2 (MMP-2) on malignant behavior and prognosis predictable value in gastric cancer. Telomerase activity and MMP-2 protein expressions were tested in 40 gastric surgical resected cancer samples and the clinicopathological data of enrolled patients were obtained to get correlation analysis results. The expression of telomerase was up-regulated with infiltrating depth, lymph node metastasis and stage (P correlated with infiltrating depth (P < 0.05). Combined detections of telomerase activity and MMP2 protein could identify patients at high risk in disease recurrence and prognosis more efficiently.

  20. Correlations in background activity control persistent state stability and allow execution of working memory tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dipoppa, Mario; Gutkin, Boris S

    2013-01-01

    Working memory (WM) requires selective information gating, active information maintenance, and rapid active updating. Hence performing a WM task needs rapid and controlled transitions between neural persistent activity and the resting state. We propose that changes in correlations in neural activity provides a mechanism for the required WM operations. As a proof of principle, we implement sustained activity and WM in recurrently coupled spiking networks with neurons receiving excitatory random background activity where background correlations are induced by a common noise source. We first characterize how the level of background correlations controls the stability of the persistent state. With sufficiently high correlations, the sustained state becomes practically unstable, so it cannot be initiated by a transient stimulus. We exploit this in WM models implementing the delay match to sample task by modulating flexibly in time the correlation level at different phases of the task. The modulation sets the network in different working regimes: more prompt to gate in a signal or clear the memory. We examine how the correlations affect the ability of the network to perform the task when distractors are present. We show that in a winner-take-all version of the model, where two populations cross-inhibit, correlations make the distractor blocking robust. In a version of the mode where no cross inhibition is present, we show that appropriate modulation of correlation levels is sufficient to also block the distractor access while leaving the relevant memory trace in tact. The findings presented in this manuscript can form the basis for a new paradigm about how correlations are flexibly controlled by the cortical circuits to execute WM operations.

  1. Activation of the serotonergic system by pedaling exercise changes anterior cingulate cortex activity and improves negative emotion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohmatsu, Satoko; Nakano, Hideki; Tominaga, Takanori; Terakawa, Yuzo; Murata, Takaho; Morioka, Shu

    2014-08-15

    Pedaling exercise (PE) of moderate intensity has been shown to ease anxiety and discomfort; however, little is known of the changes that occur in brain activities and in the serotonergic (5-HT) system after PE. Therefore, this study was conducted for the following reasons: (1) to localize the changes in the brain activities induced by PE using a distributed source localization algorithm, (2) to examine the changes in frontal asymmetry, as used in the Davidson model, with electroencephalography (EEG) activity, and (3) to examine the effect of PE on the 5-HT system. A 32-channel EEG was used to record before and after PE. Profile of Mood States tests indicated that there was a significant decrease in tension-anxiety and a significant increase in vigor after PE. A standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography analysis showed a significant decrease in brain activities after PE in the alpha-2 band (10-12.5 Hz) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Moreover, a significant increase in frontal EEG asymmetry was observed after PE in the alpha-1 band (7.5-10 Hz). Urine 5-HT levels significantly increased after PE. Urine 5-HT levels positively correlated with the degree of frontal EEG asymmetry in the alpha-1 band and negatively correlated with brain activity in ACC. Our results suggested that PE activates the 5-HT system and consequently induces increases in frontal EEG asymmetry in the alpha-1 band and reductions of brain activity in the alpha-2 band in the ACC region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Correlations in background activity control persistent state stability and allow execution of working memory tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario eDipoppa

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Working memory (WM is tightly capacity limited, it requires selective information gating, active information maintenance, and rapid active updating. Hence performing a WM task needs rapid and controlled transitions between neural persistent activity and the resting state. We propose that changes in spike-time correlations in neural activity provides a mechanism for the required working memory operations. As a proof of principle, we implement sustained activity and working memory in a recurrently-coupled spiking network with neurons receiving excitatory random background activity where background correlations are induced by a common noise source. We first characterize how the level of background correlations controls the stability of the persistent state. With sufficiently high correlations, the sustained state becomes practically unstable, so it cannot be initiated by a transient stimulus. We exploit this in a working memory model implementing the delay match to sample task by modulating flexibly in time the correlation level at different phases of the task. The modulation sets the network in different working regimes: more prompt to gate in a signal or clear the memory. The findings presented in this manuscript can form the basis for a new paradigm about how correlations are flexibly controlled by the cortical circuits to execute WM operations.

  3. High-speed holographic correlation system for video identification on the internet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Eriko; Ikeda, Kanami; Kodate, Kashiko

    2013-12-01

    Automatic video identification is important for indexing, search purposes, and removing illegal material on the Internet. By combining a high-speed correlation engine and web-scanning technology, we developed the Fast Recognition Correlation system (FReCs), a video identification system for the Internet. FReCs is an application thatsearches through a number of websites with user-generated content (UGC) and detects video content that violates copyright law. In this paper, we describe the FReCs configuration and an approach to investigating UGC websites using FReCs. The paper also illustrates the combination of FReCs with an optical correlation system, which is capable of easily replacing a digital authorization sever in FReCs with optical correlation.

  4. Results of correlation of values of individual behaviour of rats with liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tikal, K; Kunz, K

    1976-01-01

    A significant negative correlation was found between the individual animal's horizontal activity in an open field and liver tryptophan pyrrolase (LTP) activity. On the other hand, the duration of immobility in an open field correlated postively and significantly with liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity.

  5. Correlation function behavior in quantum systems which are classically chaotic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berman, G.P.; Kolovsky, A.R.

    1983-01-01

    The time behavior of a phase correlation function for dynamical quantum systems which are classically chaotic is considered. It is shown that under certain conditions there are three time regions of the quantum correlations behavior; the region of classical stochasticity (exponential decay of quantum correlations); the region of the correlations decay with a power law; the region of the constant level of the quantum correlations. The boundaries of these time regions are presented. The estimation of a remaining level of the quantum correlations is given. (orig.)

  6. Solar activity and terrestrial climate: an analysis of some purported correlations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laut, Peter

    2003-01-01

    claimed to support solar hypotheses. My analyses show that the apparent strong correlations displayed on these graphs have been obtained by an incorrect handling of the physical data. Since the graphs are still widely referred to in the literature and their misleading character has not yet been generally......The last decade has seen a revival of various hypotheses claiming a strong correlation between solar activity and a number of terrestrial climate parameters: Links between cosmic rays and cloud cover, first total cloud cover and then only low clouds, and between solar cycle lengths and Northern...... the existence of important links between solar activity and terrestrial climate. Such links have over the years been demonstrated by many authors. The sole objective of the present analysis is to draw attention to the fact that some of the widely publicized, apparent correlations do not properly reflect...

  7. Modern devices of optimum filtration for the active radar system

    OpenAIRE

    V. E. Bychkov; O. D. Mrachkovskiy; V. I. Pravda

    2006-01-01

    The principle of construction the matched filter and correlator, for the active radar system operating with a broadband noise signal is esteemed. The example of construction a сhan-nel of processing on the basis of microcircuits of a programmed logic (PLD) is shown

  8. Impact of an After-School Physical Activity Program on Youth's Physical Activity Correlates and Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chaoqun; Gao, Zan; Hannon, James C.; Schultz, Barry; Newton, Maria; Jenson, William

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of a sports-based, after-school physical activity (PA) program on youth's physical activity PA levels and PA correlates. After the pretest, 130 youth were assigned to the intervention group (i.e., after-school PA group) or the comparison (i.e., no after-school PA group) group.…

  9. Crohn’s disease Activity: Abdominal Computed Tomography Histopathology Correlation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Paquet

    2016-01-01

    Conclusion: CT-based biomarkers including wall thickness, mesenteric fat stranding, mesenteric lymphadenopathy and mesenteric abscess positively correlated with the histological inflammatory activity score and therefore provided additional information for therapy stratification in symptomatic patients with CD, particularly as most of these biomarkers are hidden from endoscopy.

  10. Correlation between physical activity and self-efficacy in Chinese university students

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Hao

    2017-01-01

    Physical inactivity is becoming increasingly prevalent in Chinese university students. This study aims to assess the leisure-time physical activity level of the Chinese university students and to examine the correlation between the physical activity level and the self-efficacy to overcome barriers to physical activity. Five hundred and thirty Chinese university students participated in the study voluntarily. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ, Chinese Short version) and t...

  11. The correlation between motor proficiency and physical activity in Senior Phase learners in the Potchefstroom area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lizl-Louise van Niekerk

    2016-10-01

    Objectives: To determine the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity levels in adolescent Senior Phase learners in Potchefstroom, South Africa. No literature exists on the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity levels among South African adolescents. Method: A total of 239 13- to 14-year-old learners were assessed using the Bruininkse Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 (BOT-2 for motor proficiency, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ for physical activity levels. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation coefficients and effect sizes. Results: Statistically and practically significant correlations were found between the total BOT-2 score and the physical activity levels of the total group, as well as the boys and the girls respectively. Fine motor coordination correlated with physical activity levels in the girls, while manipulation coordination correlated with the physical activity levels of the total group and the boys. The body coordination skill of jumping in place and the strength test items showed strong correlations with physical activity in all the groups. Conclusion: The motor skills of Senior Phase learners, especially coordination and strength skills, should be developed and maintained in the Physical Education curriculum to enhance physical activity levels.

  12. CORRELATION BETWEEN HUMAN NEEDS SYSTEM - PERSONALITY - HUMAN MOTIVATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirela MINICA

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The article highlights the main attributes of an economic approach of needs and preferences, with detailed focus on the correlation between meta-needs and personality, by correlating the principle of hierarchy established by Maslow with the balance theory. Adopting an integrated system of human capital motivation, which takes into account the complex aspects involved in the knowledge society, represents a managerial requirement for any organisation.

  13. Circulating fibroblast activation protein activity and antigen levels correlate strongly when measured in liver disease and coronary heart disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S.U. de Willige; Keane, F.M. (Fiona M.); Bowen, D.G. (David G.); J.J.M.C. Malfliet (Joyce); Zhang, H.E. (H. Emma); Maneck, B. (Bharvi); G. McCaughan (Geoff); F.W.G. Leebeek (Frank); D.C. Rijken (Dingeman); Gorrell, M.D. (Mark D.)

    2017-01-01

    textabstractBackground and aim: Circulating fibroblast activation protein (cFAP) is a constitutively active enzyme expressed by activated fibroblasts that has both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities. We aimed to assess the correlation between cFAP activity and antigen levels and to

  14. Physical activity and its correlation to diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Praidou, Anna; Harris, Martin; Niakas, Dimitrios; Labiris, Georgios

    2017-02-01

    The lack of physical activity, along with obesity, smoking, hypertension and hyperglycaemia are considered as risk factors for the occurrence of diseases such as diabetes. Primary objective of the study was to investigate potential correlation between physical activity and diabetic retinopathy. Three hundred and twenty patients were included in the study: 240 patients with diabetes type 2 (80 patients with mild to moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 80 patients with severe to very severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 80 ones with proliferative diabetic retinopathy) were compared with 80 non-diabetic patients (control group). Physical activity of patients was assessed by the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ, 2002). HbA1c and BMI were also measured in diabetic patients. Group comparisons were attempted for levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Total physical activity was decreased in patients with severe to very severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and proliferative diabetic retinopathy as compared to patients with mild to moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and to the control group (pdiabetic retinopathy and physical activity has been demonstrated (pdiabetic retinopathy, independent of the effects of HbA1c and BMI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. QUANTUM AND CLASSICAL CORRELATIONS IN GAUSSIAN OPEN QUANTUM SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurelian ISAR

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the framework of the theory of open systems based on completely positive quantum dynamical semigroups, we give a description of the continuous-variable quantum correlations (quantum entanglement and quantum discord for a system consisting of two noninteracting bosonic modes embedded in a thermal environment. We solve the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation for the time evolution of the considered system and describe the entanglement and discord in terms of the covariance matrix for Gaussian input states. For all values of the temperature of the thermal reservoir, an initial separable Gaussian state remains separable for all times. We study the time evolution of logarithmic negativity, which characterizes the degree of entanglement, and show that in the case of an entangled initial squeezed thermal state, entanglement suppression takes place for all temperatures of the environment, including zero temperature. We analyze the time evolution of the Gaussian quantum discord, which is a measure of all quantum correlations in the bipartite state, including entanglement, and show that it decays asymptotically in time under the effect of the thermal bath. This is in contrast with the sudden death of entanglement. Before the suppression of the entanglement, the qualitative evolution of quantum discord is very similar to that of the entanglement. We describe also the time evolution of the degree of classical correlations and of quantum mutual information, which measures the total correlations of the quantum system.

  16. Correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human ex vivo hepatic tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hang; You, Fusheng; Fu, Feng; Dong, Xiuzhen; Shi, Xuetao; He, Yong; Yang, Min; Yan, Qingguo

    2015-01-01

    Dielectric properties are vital biophysical features of biological tissues, and biological activity is an index to ascertain the active state of tissues. This study investigated the potential correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human hepatic tissue with prolonged ex vivo time through correlation and regression analyses. The dielectric properties of 26 cases of normal human hepatic tissue at 10 Hz to 100 MHz were measured from 15 min after isolation to 24 h at 37 °C with 90% humidity. Cell morphologies, including nucleus area (NA) and alteration rate of intercellular area (ICAR), were analyzed as indicators of biological activities. Conductivity, complex resistivity, and NA exhibited opposing changes 1 h after isolation. Relative permittivity and ex vivo time were not closely correlated (p > 0.05). The dielectric properties measured at low frequencies (i.e. <1 MHz) were more sensitive than those measured at high frequencies in reflecting the biological activity of ex vivo tissue. Highly significant correlations were found between conductivity, resistivity and the ex vivo time (p < 0.05) as well as conductivity and the cell morphology (p < 0.05). The findings indicated that establishing the correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human hepatic tissue is of great significance for promoting the role of dielectric properties in biological science, particularly in human biology. (paper)

  17. Biomagnetic and bioelectric detection of gastric slow wave activity in normal human subjects—a correlation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Somarajan, S; Muszynski, N D; Obioha, C; Bradshaw, L A; Richards, W O

    2012-01-01

    We measured gastric slow wave activity simultaneously with a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer, mucosal electrodes and cutaneous electrodes in 18 normal human subjects (11 women and 7 men). We processed signals with Fourier spectral analysis and SOBI blind-source separation techniques. We observed a high waveform correlation between the mucosal electromyogram (EMG) and multichannel SQUID magnetogastrogram (MGG). There was a lower waveform correlation between the mucosal EMG and cutaneous electrogastrogram (EGG), but the correlation improved with the application of SOBI. There was also a high correlation between the frequency of the electrical activity recorded in the MGG and in mucosal electrodes (r = 0.97). We concluded that SQUID magnetometers noninvasively record gastric slow wave activity that is highly correlated with the activity recorded by invasive mucosal electrodes. (paper)

  18. Quantum frustrated and correlated electron systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P Thalmeier

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available  Quantum phases and fluctuations in correlated electron systems with frustration and competing interactions are reviewed. In the localized moment case the S=1/2 J1 - J2 - model on a square lattice exhibits a rich phase diagram with magnetic as well as exotic hidden order phases due to the interplay of frustration and quantum fluctuations. Their signature in magnetocaloric quantities and the high field magnetization are surveyed. The possible quantum phase transitions are discussed and applied to layered vanadium oxides. In itinerant electron systems frustration is an emergent property caused by electron correlations. It leads to enhanced spin fluctuations in a very large region of momentum space and therefore may cause heavy fermion type low temperature anomalies as in the 3d spinel compound LiV2O4 . Competing on-site and inter-site electronic interactions in Kondo compounds are responsible for the quantum phase transition between nonmagnetic Kondo singlet phase and magnetic phase such as observed in many 4f compounds. They may be described by Kondo lattice and simplified Kondo necklace type models. Their quantum phase transitions are investigated by numerical exact diagonalization and analytical bond operator methods respectively.

  19. BRAIN NETWORKS. Correlated gene expression supports synchronous activity in brain networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richiardi, Jonas; Altmann, Andre; Milazzo, Anna-Clare; Chang, Catie; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barker, Gareth J; Bokde, Arun L W; Bromberg, Uli; Büchel, Christian; Conrod, Patricia; Fauth-Bühler, Mira; Flor, Herta; Frouin, Vincent; Gallinat, Jürgen; Garavan, Hugh; Gowland, Penny; Heinz, Andreas; Lemaître, Hervé; Mann, Karl F; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Nees, Frauke; Paus, Tomáš; Pausova, Zdenka; Rietschel, Marcella; Robbins, Trevor W; Smolka, Michael N; Spanagel, Rainer; Ströhle, Andreas; Schumann, Gunter; Hawrylycz, Mike; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Greicius, Michael D

    2015-06-12

    During rest, brain activity is synchronized between different regions widely distributed throughout the brain, forming functional networks. However, the molecular mechanisms supporting functional connectivity remain undefined. We show that functional brain networks defined with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging can be recapitulated by using measures of correlated gene expression in a post mortem brain tissue data set. The set of 136 genes we identify is significantly enriched for ion channels. Polymorphisms in this set of genes significantly affect resting-state functional connectivity in a large sample of healthy adolescents. Expression levels of these genes are also significantly associated with axonal connectivity in the mouse. The results provide convergent, multimodal evidence that resting-state functional networks correlate with the orchestrated activity of dozens of genes linked to ion channel activity and synaptic function. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  20. Patterns and correlates of physical activity: a cross-sectional study in urban Chinese women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Hong-Lan

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for many diseases. Rapid economic development in China has been associated with changes in lifestyle, including physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns and correlates of physical activity in middle-aged and elderly women from urban Shanghai. Methods Study population consisted of 74,942 Chinese women, 40–70 years of age, participating in the baseline survey of the Shanghai Women's Health Study (1997–2000, an ongoing population-based cohort study. A validated, interviewer-administered physical activity questionnaire was used to collect information about several physical activity domains (exercise/sports, walking and cycling for transportation, housework. Correlations between physical activity domains were evaluated by Spearman rank-correlation coefficients. Associations between physical activity and socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were evaluated by odds ratios derived from logistic regression. Results While more than a third of study participants engaged in regular exercise, this form of activity contributed only about 10% to daily non-occupational energy expenditure. About two-thirds of women met current recommendations for lifestyle activity. Age was positively associated with participation in exercise/sports and housework. Dietary energy intake was positively associated with all physical activity domains. High socioeconomic status, unemployment (including retirement, history of chronic disease, small household, non-smoking status, alcohol and tea consumption, and ginseng intake were all positively associated with exercise participation. High socioeconomic status and small household were inversely associated with non-exercise activities. Conclusion This study demonstrates that physical activity domains other than sports and exercise are important contributors to total energy expenditure in women. Correlates of physical activity are domain

  1. Blood coagulation parameters and activity indices in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Arshinov

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To assess coagulation parameters and activity indices in pts with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE. Material and methods . 86 pts with SLE (83 female and 3 male were examined. 12 of them had antiphospholipid syndrome. Mean age was 35,9±1,5 years (from 18 to 58 years, mean disease duration was 9,8+1,4 years. Control group consisted of 60 healthy volunteers with mean age 37,1+4,1 years. SLE activity assessment was performed with SLAM, SLEDAI and ECLAM indices. Results. SLE pts showed 5-fold (p<0,01 increase of spontaneous platelets aggregation and more than 3-fold increase of factor von Willebrand antigen (FWA concentration. Platelet activation in pts was accompanied by decrease of platelet aggregation with collagen (on 27%, p<0,01. Characteristic sign of coagulation hemostasis activation was significant increase of soluble fibrin-monomer complexes (SFMC concentration on 81 % (p<0,01 so as increase D-dimers level in 53,3% of pts. Fibrinogen concentration was increased on 29%, spontaneous fibrinolysis parameters were decreased on 20%, antithrombin (AT 111 - on 21% in comparison with control. Direct correlation between activity indiccs and SFMC(ECLAM, r=0,5, fibrinogen concentration (SLAM, r=0,34, D- dimers level (ECLAM, r=0,5, spontaneous platelet aggregation (ECLAM, r=0,5 so as inverse correlation with AT III activity (SLEDAI, r-0,73 was revealed. Conclusion. Changes of hemostasis parameters in SLE may serve as predictors of thrombotic disorders development and indication to drug correction of blood coagulation disorders. Direct correlation between blood coagulation system activity and indices of SLE activity.

  2. TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF THE STRONGLY CORRELATED SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.Domanski

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The transport properties of various systems are studied here in the context of three different models. These are: - the disordered Hubbard model applicable to correlated binary alloys with a general disorder, - the Anderson model used in describing the Kondo physics of a quantum dot connected to the external superconducting leads, and - the Ranninger-Robaszkiewicz model applied to the study of optical properties of the system with preformed electron pairs above the temperature of transition to the superconducting state. We calculate the density of states, specific heat, the Wilson ratio and conductivity of the correlated binary alloy with off-diagonal disorder. We investigate the conditions under which the Kondo peak appears in the density of states and in the conductance of a dot coupled to the external superconducting leads. We analyze the effect of the pseudogap on the optical spectra in the high temperature superconductors described by the boson-fermion model.

  3. Serum Leptin levels do not correlate with disease activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sibel Yilmaz Oner

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives Leptin, is a fat tissue hormone which effects energy expenditure , food intake , hematopoiesis, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, reproductive and immune systems. We aimed to determine serum leptin levels and investigate the association between disease activity and other parameters in RA patients. Methods Patients with RA (n=106 as the study group, healthy controls (n=52 and osteoarthritis (OA patients (n=37 as a control group were enrolled to the study. RA patients were categorized in four different groups according to DAS28 scores: remission ,low (LDA, moderate (MDA or high (HDA disease activity . Results No differences were present between the body mass indices of the three groups. Mean leptin levels in RA patients, OA group and healthy individuals were 25,60±13,41, 23,03±11,51 and 23,81±12,85 ng/ml, respectively and no significant difference was present between the groups. Nine of (8,5% RA patients were in remission, 16 (15,1% were in LDA, 40 (37,7% in MDA and 41 (38,7% were in HDA. Leptin levels did not correlate with DAS28 scores of RA patients (r=-0,12, p=0,11. Mean leptin levels in RA patients with remission was 32,65±7, 28 in LDA 23,94±10,94 in MDA 26,73±14,92 and in HDA 23,59±13,50 ng/ml (p=NS. No associations were observed between leptin levels and CRP, ESR, RF positivity and disease duration. Conclusions Our study revealed no correlation of disease activity and serum leptin levels. Therefore leptin does not seem to be an appropriate biomarker to monitorize inflammation in RA.

  4. Assessing the Macro-Level Correlates of Malware Infections Using a Routine Activities Framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holt, Thomas J; Burruss, George W; Bossler, Adam M

    2018-05-01

    The ability to gain unauthorized access to computer systems to engage in espionage and data theft poses a massive threat to individuals worldwide. There has been minimal focus, however, on the role of malicious software, or malware, which can automate this process. This study examined the macro-correlates of malware infection at the national level by using an open repository of known malware infections and utilizing a routine activities framework. Negative inflated binomial models for counts indicated that nations with greater technological infrastructure, more political freedoms, and with less organized crime financial impact were more likely to report malware infections. The number of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in a nation was not significantly related with reported malware infection. The implications of the study for the understanding of malware infection, routine activity theory, and target-hardening strategies are discussed.

  5. Personal, social and game-related correlates of active and non-active video gaming among Dutch gaming adolescents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Simons, M.; Vet, de E.W.M.L.; Chinapaw, M.; Boer, de M.R.; Seidell, J.C.; Brug, J.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games—active games—seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of

  6. Inter-subject Functional Correlation Reveal a Hierarchical Organization of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Systems in the Brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Yudan; Nguyen, Vinh Thai; Guo, Lei; Guo, Christine Cong

    2017-09-07

    The brain is constantly monitoring and integrating both cues from the external world and signals generated intrinsically. These extrinsically and intrinsically-driven neural processes are thought to engage anatomically distinct regions, which are thought to constitute the extrinsic and intrinsic systems of the brain. While the specialization of extrinsic and intrinsic system is evident in primary and secondary sensory cortices, a systematic mapping of the whole brain remains elusive. Here, we characterized the extrinsic and intrinsic functional activities in the brain during naturalistic movie-viewing. Using a novel inter-subject functional correlation (ISFC) analysis, we found that the strength of ISFC shifts along the hierarchical organization of the brain. Primary sensory cortices appear to have strong inter-subject functional correlation, consistent with their role in processing exogenous information, while heteromodal regions that attend to endogenous processes have low inter-subject functional correlation. Those brain systems with higher intrinsic tendency show greater inter-individual variability, likely reflecting the aspects of brain connectivity architecture unique to individuals. Our study presents a novel framework for dissecting extrinsically- and intrinsically-driven processes, as well as examining individual differences in brain function during naturalistic stimulation.

  7. Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement System Handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cook, D. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2016-01-01

    The eddy correlation (ECOR) flux measurement system provides in situ, half-hour measurements of the surface turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide (CO2) (and methane at one Southern Great Plains extended facility (SGP EF) and the North Slope of Alaska Central Facility (NSA CF). The fluxes are obtained with the eddy covariance technique, which involves correlation of the vertical wind component with the horizontal wind component, the air temperature, the water vapor density, and the CO2 concentration. The instruments used are: • a fast-response, three-dimensional (3D) wind sensor (sonic anemometer) to obtain the orthogonal wind components and the speed of sound (SOS) (used to derive the air temperature) • an open-path infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) to obtain the water vapor density and the CO2 concentration, and • an open-path infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) to obtain methane density and methane flux at one SGP EF and at the NSA CF. The ECOR systems are deployed at the locations where other methods for surface flux measurements (e.g., energy balance Bowen ratio [EBBR] systems) are difficult to employ, primarily at the north edge of a field of crops. A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) has been installed collocated with each deployed ECOR system in SGP, NSA, Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), ARM Mobile Facility 1 (AMF1), and ARM Mobile Facility 2 (AMF2). The surface energy balance system consists of upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiometers within one net radiometer, a wetness sensor, and soil measurements. The SEBS measurements allow the comparison of ECOR sensible and latent heat fluxes with the energy balance determined from the SEBS and provide information on wetting of the sensors for data quality purposes. The SEBS at one SGP and one NSA site also support upwelling and downwelling PAR measurements to qualify those two locations as Ameriflux sites.

  8. Monte carlo feasibility study of an active neutron assay technique for full-volume UF{sub 6} cylinder assay using a correlated interrogation source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Karen A., E-mail: kamiller@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, P.O. Box 1663 MS E540, NM 87545 (United States); Menlove, Howard O.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Marlow, Johnna B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, P.O. Box 1663 MS E540, NM 87545 (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Uranium cylinder assay plays an important role in the nuclear material accounting at gas centrifuge enrichment plants. The Passive Neutron Enrichment Meter (PNEM) was designed to determine uranium mass and enrichment in 30B and 48Y cylinders using total neutron and coincidence counting in the passive mode. 30B and 48Y cylinders are used to hold bulk UF{sub 6} feed, product, and tails at enrichment plants. In this paper, we report the results of a Monte-Carlo-based feasibility study for an active uranium cylinder assay system based on the PNEM design. There are many advantages of the active technique such as a shortened count time and a more direct measure of {sup 235}U content. The active system is based on a modified PNEM design and uses a {sup 252}Cf source as the correlated, active interrogation source. We show through comparison with a random AmLi source of equal strength how the use of a correlated driver significantly boosts the active signal and reduces the statistical uncertainty. We also discuss ways in which an active uranium cylinder assay system can be optimized to minimize background from {sup 238}U fast-neutron induced fission and direct counts from the interrogation source.

  9. Analysis of occipital lobe activation during functional MRI in patients with open-angle glaucoma and correlation with clinical results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Hui; Liu Yunlian; Hu Chunhong; Li Yonggang; Guo Liang; Qi Jianpin; Xia Liming

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the activation of the visual cortex in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and to explore whether the neuronal activity corresponds with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and cup-to-disc (C/D) values. Methods: Twenty-five patients and 25 gender-and age matched healthy volunteers were studied. Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) and three-dimensional brain volume imaging (3D BRAVO) sequences were obtained using 3 T MR imaging system. A full-screen black-white shift checkerboard was used for visual stimulus during the fMRI experiment and was performed on each eye of all subjects using a visual-acoustical system. All acquired data were postprocessed and analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM). After analysis, individual activated mapping, intra-group mean activated mapping, and inter-group variant mapping were observed. The voxel number, intensity, and Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinate of the activated clusters were recorded. The Xjviewer software was utilized to obtain activated voxel numbers in occipital lobe. A Pearson correlated test was performed to test the correlation between the number of activated voxels and RNFL, C/D and Hodapp-Anderson-Parrish (HAP) clinical stage. Results: Intra-group mean activated mappings of both patients and volunteers showed obvious activation in bilateral occipital lobes. As compared with healthy volunteers, the POAG patients exhibited statistically significantly decreased activation in bilateral occipital lobes, left hippocampus, and left cerebellum, along with lower mean RNFL [(71.56 ± 21.54) μm versus (111.88 ± 9.96) μm] and higher C/D values (0.71 ± 0.18 versus 0.36 ± 0.08 ; t value was respectively -10.901 and 11.643, P 0.05). Conclusions: fMRI demonstrated differences in visual cortex activation in POAG patients relative to healthy volunteers, suggesting it might be a promising complementary method for diagnosing

  10. Two Point Correlation Functions for a Periodic Box-Ball System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Mada

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available We investigate correlation functions in a periodic box-ball system. For the second and the third nearest neighbor correlation functions, we give explicit formulae obtained by combinatorial methods. A recursion formula for a specific N-point functions is also presented.

  11. Psychological characteristics of systemic sclerosis patients and their correlation with major organ involvement and disease activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golemati, Christina V; Moutsopoulos, Haralampos M; Vlachoyiannopoulos, Panayiotis G

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to assess the psychological characteristics of personality, depression, anxiety, social support and coping strategies of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, their inter-correlations and their association with clinical symptoms. Patients with SSc (n=85) were interviewed and compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (n=120) and healthy controls (HCs [n=125]). Psychological characteristics were assessed by the following psychometric scales: centre of epidemiological studies of depression (CES-D), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD), Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ), short form of social support (SSq), life experiences survey (LES) and ways of coping (WoC). Clinical data were collected at the same time of the interview. Both control groups were matched to SSc patients in terms of gender, age and educational status. Data were analysed with SPSS software. Compared to control groups, SSc patients expressed more symptoms of depression and anxiety, showed less extraversion and reported more negative life events. They coped less often with positive reappraisal, problem solving, seeking of support and assertiveness, while they sought more often divine help, and they expressed wishing and denial. Inactive disease was associated with a lower probability of reporting depressive symptoms and negative life events and with a higher probability of positively reevaluating a problem. Lung dysfunction, skin involvement, esophageal problems and oral aperture correlated with psychological features. Complications in psychological well-being characterise patients with SSc. This finding, as well as that of psychological characteristics correlating with organic factors, is an indication for designing supportive psycho-educational programmes as complementary therapies.

  12. [Measurement of physical activity in older adults. Correlation between the PRISCUS-PAQ and accelerometry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trampisch, U S; Platen, P; Moschny, A; Wilm, S; Thiem, U; Hinrichs, T

    2012-04-01

    The German questionnaire PRISCUS-PAQ was developed to measure actual physical activity of older adults in a telephone interview. PRISCUS-PAQ consists of ten main questions to assess the time spend in domestic activities (e.g., housework, gardening), sporting activities (e.g., riding a bicycle), and inactivity (e.g., sedentary activity, sleeping during the day) during the prior week. By assessing the number of days for each activity and the mean duration of performing this activity, a total score can be calculated. The total score corresponds to the energy consumption for 1 week. The aim of this study is to estimate the correlation of the PRISCUS-PAQ total score and accelerometry as an objective measurement method for the assessment of physical activity. A total of 114 participants (58% women) with a mean age of 76 years participated in the study. PRISCUS-PAQ was initially analyzed descriptively. To assess the validity of PRISCUS-PAQ, the correlation (correlation coefficient of Spearman) was calculated between the total score of the questionnaire PRISCUS-PAQ and the 95% trimmed sum of an accelerometer with a measurement period of 1 week. The correlation coefficient for the association of the PRISCUS-PAQ total score and the 95% trimmed sum of the acceleration values was r = 0.28 (95% confidence interval 0.10–0.44). Activities of daily life like cleaning and other domestic activities highly contributed to the weekly energy consumption of the participants. The association between the PRISCUS-PAQ questionnaire and accelerometry measured physical activity is comparable to other validated and established international questionnaires. The PRISCUS-PAQ is the first German questionnaire that allows the measurement of physical activity of older adults in a telephone interview.

  13. Entropic Nonsignaling Correlations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaves, Rafael; Budroni, Costantino

    2016-06-17

    We introduce the concept of entropic nonsignaling correlations, i.e., entropies arising from probabilistic theories that are compatible with the fact that we cannot transmit information instantaneously. We characterize and show the relevance of these entropic correlations in a variety of different scenarios, ranging from typical Bell experiments to more refined descriptions such as bilocality and information causality. In particular, we apply the framework to derive the first entropic inequality testing genuine tripartite nonlocality in quantum systems of arbitrary dimension and also prove the first known monogamy relation for entropic Bell inequalities. Further, within the context of complex Bell networks, we show that entropic nonlocal correlations can be activated.

  14. A brief review on correlates of physical activity and sedentariness in youth.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Horst, K.; Paw, M.J.; Twisk, J.W.R.; van Mechelen, W.

    2007-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Better understanding of the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in youth will support the development of effective interventions that promote a physically active lifestyle and prevent a sedentary lifestyle. The main goal of this systematic review is to summarize and

  15. Correlation of Respiratory Activity of Contralateral Diaphragm Muscles for Evaluation of Recovery Following Hemiparesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dow, Douglas E.; Zhan, Wen-Zhi; Sieck, Gary C.; Mantilla, Carlos B.

    2014-01-01

    Respiration is impaired by disruption of the central drive for inspiration to the diaphragm muscle (DIAm). Some function may recover involving nerve regeneration, reinnervation or neuroplasticity. A research animal model involves inducing hemiparesis of the DIAm and monitoring any recovery under different conditions. Methods to accurately track the level of functional recovery are needed. In this study, an algorithm was developed and tested to quantify the relative amount of electromyogram (EMG) activity that temporally correlated for an experimental (EXP) hemi-DIAm with its intact contralateral hemi-DIAm. An average rectified value (ARV) trace was calculated. A template was formed of the ARV trace of the intact hemi-DIAm, with higher positive values corresponding with periods of inspirations and lower negative values corresponding with quiet periods. This template was multiplied by the EXP ARV trace to reward (more positive) periods of correlating activity, and punish (more negative) periods of high activity on the EXP side that corresponded with quiet periods on the intact side. The average integrated value was the index of correlating contralateral activity (ICCA). A negative ICCA value indicated no net correlation of activity, and a positive value indicated a net correlation of activity. The algorithm was tested on rats having the conditions of control or hemi-paresis induced by denervatation (DNV), tetrodotoxin administration (TTX) or cervical spinal hemi-section (SH). Control had high positive ICCA values, and DNV had negative values. TTX maintained negative ICCA values at 3, 7 and 14 days, indicating a lack of functional recovery. SH maintained negative values at 3 and 7 days, but a subset had positive values at 14 days indicating some functional recovery. PMID:19965125

  16. Physical activity, sedentary behavior and their correlates in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Downing, Katherine; Rinehart, Nicole J.; Barnett, Lisa M.; May, Tamara; McGillivray, Jane A.; Papadopoulos, Nicole V.; Skouteris, Helen; Timperio, Anna

    2017-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder affects up to 2.5% of children and is associated with harmful health outcomes (e.g. obesity). Low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behaviors may contribute to harmful health outcomes. To systematically review the prevalence and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, electronic databases (PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE, Medline) were searched from inception to November 2015. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42014013849). Peer-reviewed, English language studies were included. Two reviewers screened potentially relevant articles. Outcomes of interest were physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels and their potential correlates. Data were collected and analysed in 2015. Of 35 included studies, 15 reported physical activity prevalence, 10 reported physical activity correlates, 18 reported sedentary behavior prevalence, and 10 reported sedentary behavior correlates. Estimates of children’s physical activity (34–166 mins/day, average 86 mins/day) and sedentary behavior (126–558 mins/day in screen time, average 271 mins/day; 428–750 mins/day in total sedentary behavior, average 479 mins/day) varied across studies. Age was consistently inversely associated, and sex inconsistently associated with physical activity. Age and sex were inconsistently associated with sedentary behavior. Sample sizes were small. All but one of the studies were classified as having high risk of bias. Few correlates have been reported in sufficient studies to provide overall estimates of associations. Potential correlates in the physical environment remain largely unexamined. This review highlights varying levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research is needed to consistently identify the correlates of these behaviors. There is a critical need for interventions to support healthy levels of these behaviors. PMID

  17. Correlation of pharmacological activity and receptor binding of guanabenz during development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zoltoski, R.K.

    1989-01-01

    Many studies to elucidate the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and molecular pharmacological profile of guanabenz, an α 2 -adrenergic receptor agonist, have been reported; however, the effects of this drug on the developing fetus have been largely ignored. The ability of a drug to alter fetal cardiovascular activity is dependent upon both the penetration of the drug across the placenta and upon maturation of the system(s) through which the drug exerts its effects. Consequently, it is hypothesized that the pharmacological activity of guanabenz on the fetus is influenced both by placenta actions on drug transfer and the time course of development of the central and/or peripheral α 2 adrenergic receptor system(s) through which the drug exerts its effects. Guanabenz (GB) when administered to the maternal sheep elicited a cardiovascular response similar to that observed in rats, dogs, and humans. An initial, transient increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) was followed by a sustained decrease in MAP. This decrease in MAP was accompanied by a prolonged decrease in heart rate (HR). No cardiovascular response to maternally administered GB was observed in the fetal lamb. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that GB is widely distributed in the pregnant ewe; however, the placenta appears to act as a relative barrier to the transfer of GB into the fetal compartment. In order to ascertain if the mature fetal lamb had developed functional α 2 -adrenergic receptors, GB was administered directly to the fetus. A transient increase in MAP was elicited; however, no prolonged decrease in either MAP or HR occurred. Following validation of [ 3 H]guanabenz ([ 3 H]GB) binding assay in rat cerebral cortex, studies to correlate [ 3 H]GB binding in sheep cortex with pharmacodynamic response was conducted

  18. Automated method and system for the alignment and correlation of images from two different modalities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giger, Maryellen L.; Chen, Chin-Tu; Armato, Samuel; Doi, Kunio

    1999-10-26

    A method and system for the computerized registration of radionuclide images with radiographic images, including generating image data from radiographic and radionuclide images of the thorax. Techniques include contouring the lung regions in each type of chest image, scaling and registration of the contours based on location of lung apices, and superimposition after appropriate shifting of the images. Specific applications are given for the automated registration of radionuclide lungs scans with chest radiographs. The method in the example given yields a system that spatially registers and correlates digitized chest radiographs with V/Q scans in order to correlate V/Q functional information with the greater structural detail of chest radiographs. Final output could be the computer-determined contours from each type of image superimposed on any of the original images, or superimposition of the radionuclide image data, which contains high activity, onto the radiographic chest image.

  19. Tunable two-photon correlation in a double-cavity optomechanical system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi-Bo Feng

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Correlated photons are essential sources for quantum information processing. We propose a practical scheme to generate pairs of correlated photons in a controllable fashion from a double-cavity optomechanical system, where the variable optomechanical coupling strength makes it possible to tune the photon correlation at our will. The key operation is based on the repulsive or attractive interaction between the two photons intermediated by the mechanical resonator. The present protocol could provide a potential approach to coherent control of the photon correlation using the optomechanical cavity.

  20. Correlation Between Information Technology And Management Information Systems Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annisa Fitri Anggraeni

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research is to find out the correlation between Information Technology and Management Information System Quality. This research applies literature review from various theories and previously conducted research where controversies between Information Technology and Management Information Systems. The result of this research shows that Information Technology is a part of Management Information System and supports the performance of Management Information Systems.

  1. Exact exchange-correlation potentials of singlet two-electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryabinkin, Ilya G.; Ospadov, Egor; Staroverov, Viktor N.

    2017-10-01

    We suggest a non-iterative analytic method for constructing the exchange-correlation potential, v XC ( r ) , of any singlet ground-state two-electron system. The method is based on a convenient formula for v XC ( r ) in terms of quantities determined only by the system's electronic wave function, exact or approximate, and is essentially different from the Kohn-Sham inversion technique. When applied to Gaussian-basis-set wave functions, the method yields finite-basis-set approximations to the corresponding basis-set-limit v XC ( r ) , whereas the Kohn-Sham inversion produces physically inappropriate (oscillatory and divergent) potentials. The effectiveness of the procedure is demonstrated by computing accurate exchange-correlation potentials of several two-electron systems (helium isoelectronic series, H2, H3 + ) using common ab initio methods and Gaussian basis sets.

  2. Systemic complement activation in age-related macular degeneration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendrik P N Scholl

    Full Text Available Dysregulation of the alternative pathway (AP of complement cascade has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. To further test the hypothesis that defective control of complement activation underlies AMD, parameters of complement activation in blood plasma were determined together with disease-associated genetic markers in AMD patients. Plasma concentrations of activation products C3d, Ba, C3a, C5a, SC5b-9, substrate proteins C3, C4, factor B and regulators factor H and factor D were quantified in patients (n = 112 and controls (n = 67. Subjects were analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms in factor H (CFH, factor B-C2 (BF-C2 and complement C3 (C3 genes which were previously found to be associated with AMD. All activation products, especially markers of chronic complement activation Ba and C3d (p<0.001, were significantly elevated in AMD patients compared to controls. Similar alterations were observed in factor D, but not in C3, C4 or factor H. Logistic regression analysis revealed better discriminative accuracy of a model that is based only on complement activation markers Ba, C3d and factor D compared to a model based on genetic markers of the complement system within our study population. In both the controls' and AMD patients' group, the protein markers of complement activation were correlated with CFH haplotypes.This study is the first to show systemic complement activation in AMD patients. This suggests that AMD is a systemic disease with local disease manifestation at the ageing macula. Furthermore, the data provide evidence for an association of systemic activation of the alternative complement pathway with genetic variants of CFH that were previously linked to AMD susceptibility.

  3. Correlation between insula activation and self-reported quality of orgasm in women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortigue, Stephanie; Grafton, Scott T; Bianchi-Demicheli, Francesco

    2007-08-15

    Current multidimensional models of women's sexual function acknowledge the implicit impact of psychosocial factors on women's sexual function. Interaction between human sexual function and intensity of love has been also assumed, even if love is not an absolute condition. Yet, whereas great insights have been made in understanding the central mechanisms of the peripheral manifestations of women's sexual response, including orgasm, the cerebral correlates sustaining the interaction between women's sexual satisfaction and the unconscious role of the partner in this interpersonal experience remain unknown. Using functional imaging, we assessed brain activity elicited when 29 healthy female volunteers were unconsciously exposed to the subliminal presentation of their significant partner's name (a task known to elicit a partner-related neural network) and correlated it with individual scores obtained from different sexual dimensions: self-reported partnered orgasm quality (ease, satisfaction, frequency), love intensity and emotional closeness with that partner. Behavioral results identified a correlation between love and self-reported partnered orgasm quality. The more women were in love/emotionally close to their partner, the more they tended to report being satisfied with the quality of their partnered orgasm. However, no relationship was found between intensity of love and partnered orgasm frequency. Neuroimaging data expanded these behavioral results by demonstrating the involvement of a specific left-lateralized insula focus of neural activity correlating with orgasm scores, irrespective of dimension (frequency, ease, satisfaction). In contrast, intensity of being in love was correlated with a network involving the angular gyrus. These findings strongly suggest that intimate and sexual relationships are sustained by partly different mechanisms, even if they share some emotional-related mechanisms. The critical correlation between self-reports of orgasm quality and

  4. Theory of corticothalamic brain activity in a spherical geometry: Spectra, coherence, and correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukta, K. N.; MacLaurin, J. N.; Robinson, P. A.

    2017-11-01

    Corticothalamic neural field theory is applied to a spherical geometry to better model neural activity in the human brain and is also compared with planar approximations. The frequency power spectrum, correlation, and coherence functions are computed analytically and numerically. The effects of cortical boundary conditions and resulting modal aspects of spherical corticothalamic dynamics are explored, showing that the results of spherical and finite planar geometries converge to those for the infinite planar geometry in the limit of large brain size. Estimates are made of the point at which modal series can be truncated and it is found that for physiologically plausible parameters only the lowest few spatial eigenmodes are needed for an accurate representation of macroscopic brain activity. A difference between the geometries is that there is a low-frequency 1 /f spectrum in the infinite planar geometry, whereas in the spherical geometry it is 1 /f2 . Another difference is that the alpha peak in the spherical geometry is sharper and stronger than in the planar geometry. Cortical modal effects can lead to a double alpha peak structure in the power spectrum, although the main determinant of the alpha peak is corticothalamic feedback. In the spherical geometry, the cross spectrum between two points is found to only depend on their relative distance apart. At small spatial separations the low-frequency cross spectrum is stronger than for an infinite planar geometry and the alpha peak is sharper and stronger due to the partitioning of the energy into discrete modes. In the spherical geometry, the coherence function between points decays monotonically as their separation increases at a fixed frequency, but persists further at resonant frequencies. The correlation between two points is found to be positive, regardless of the time lag and spatial separation, but decays monotonically as the separation increases at fixed time lag. At fixed distance the correlation has peaks

  5. Negative Correlation between the Diffusion Coefficient and Transcriptional Activity of the Glucocorticoid Receptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikuni, Shintaro; Yamamoto, Johtaro; Horio, Takashi; Kinjo, Masataka

    2017-08-25

    The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a transcription factor, which interacts with DNA and other cofactors to regulate gene transcription. Binding to other partners in the cell nucleus alters the diffusion properties of GR. Raster image correlation spectroscopy (RICS) was applied to quantitatively characterize the diffusion properties of EGFP labeled human GR (EGFP-hGR) and its mutants in the cell nucleus. RICS is an image correlation technique that evaluates the spatial distribution of the diffusion coefficient as a diffusion map. Interestingly, we observed that the averaged diffusion coefficient of EGFP-hGR strongly and negatively correlated with its transcriptional activities in comparison to that of EGFP-hGR wild type and mutants with various transcriptional activities. This result suggests that the decreasing of the diffusion coefficient of hGR was reflected in the high-affinity binding to DNA. Moreover, the hyper-phosphorylation of hGR can enhance the transcriptional activity by reduction of the interaction between the hGR and the nuclear corepressors.

  6. A Generalized Correlation Plot Package for the CEBAF Control System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D. Wu; W. Akers; S. Schaffner; H. Shoaee; W. A. Watson; D. Wetherholt

    1996-01-01

    The Correlation Package is a general facility for data acquisition and analysis serving as an online environment for performing a wide variety of machine physics experiments and engineering diagnostics. Typical correlation experiments consist of an initial set of actions followed by stepping one or two accelerator parameters while measuring up to several hundred control system parameters. The package utilizes the CDEV [1] device API to access accelerator systems. A variety of analysis and graphics tools are included through integration with the Matlab math modeling package. A post- acquisition script capability is available to automate the data reduction process. A callable interface allows this facility to serve as the data acquisition and analysis engine for high level applications. A planned interface to archived accelerator data will allow the same analysis and graphics tools to be used for viewing and correlating history data. The object oriented design and C++ implementation details as well as the current status of the Correlation Package will be presented

  7. Enhancement of Iris Recognition System Based on Phase Only Correlation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuriza Pramita

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Iris recognition system is one of biometric based recognition/identification systems. Numerous techniques have been implemented to achieve a good recognition rate, including the ones based on Phase Only Correlation (POC. Significant and higher correlation peaks suggest that the system recognizes iris images of the same subject (person, while lower and unsignificant peaks correspond to recognition of those of difference subjects. Current POC methods have not investigated minimum iris point that can be used to achieve higher correlation peaks. This paper proposed a method that used only one-fourth of full normalized iris size to achieve higher (or at least the same recognition rate. Simulation on CASIA version 1.0 iris image database showed that averaged recognition rate of the proposed method achieved 67%, higher than that of using one-half (56% and full (53% iris point. Furthermore, all (100% POC peak values of the proposed method was higher than that of the method with full iris points.

  8. A semiclassical treatment of correlation energy for nuclear systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nielsen, M.

    1988-01-01

    Starting with the separation of the many-body density operator in two parts, one describing the one-body aspects of the full density and the other containing all dynamic correlations information, the semiclassical approximation for the system correlation energy, was calculated. It is showm that, in this case, the Gaussian Wave Packets Phase Space Representation is more convenient than the Wely-Wigner Rrepresentation for the analysis of the semiclassical correlation energy. Using a phenomenological interaction, the correlation energy to the nuclear matter and some simmetric finite nucleus was calculated. The Fermi Surface Diffusivity, was also calculated. Finally, from the relation between this theory and the pertubation theory, we have done some considerations about the viability on the local densities expansion for energy functionals. (author) [pt

  9. Relative phase asynchrony and long-range correlation of long-term solar magnetic activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Linhua

    2017-07-01

    Statistical signal processing is one of the most important tasks in a large amount of areas of scientific studies, such as astrophysics, geophysics, and space physics. Phase recurrence analysis and long-range persistence are the two dynamical structures of the underlying processes for the given natural phenomenon. Linear and nonlinear time series analysis approaches (cross-correlation analysis, cross-recurrence plot, wavelet coherent transform, and Hurst analysis) are combined to investigate the relative phase interconnection and long-range correlation between solar activity and geomagnetic activity for the time interval from 1932 January to 2017 January. The following prominent results are found: (1) geomagnetic activity lags behind sunspot numbers with a phase shift of 21 months, and they have a high level of asynchronous behavior; (2) their relative phase interconnections are in phase for the periodic scales during 8-16 years, but have a mixing behavior for the periodic belts below 8 years; (3) both sunspot numbers and geomagnetic activity can not be regarded as a stochastic phenomenon because their dynamical behaviors display a long-term correlation and a fractal nature. We believe that the presented conclusions could provide further information on understanding the dynamical coupling of solar dynamo process with geomagnetic activity variation, and the crucial role of solar and geomagnetic activity in the long-term climate change.

  10. Self-Regulatory Strategies as Correlates of Physical Activity Behavior in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cederberg, Katie L; Balto, Julia M; Motl, Robert W

    2018-05-01

    To examine self-regulation strategies as correlates of physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Cross-sectional, or survey, study. University-based research laboratory. Convenience sample of persons with MS (N=68). Not applicable. Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (EXSE), 12-item Physical Activity Self-Regulation Scale (PASR-12), and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ). Correlation analyses indicated that GLTEQ scores were positively and significantly associated with overall self-regulation (r=.43), self-monitoring (r=.45), goal-setting (r=.27), reinforcement (r=.30), time management (r=.41), and relapse prevention (r=.53) PASR-12 scores. Regression analyses indicated that relapse prevention (B=5.01; SE B=1.74; β=.51) and self-monitoring (B=3.65; SE B=1.71; β=.33) were unique predictors of physical activity behavior, and relapse prevention demonstrated a significant association with physical activity behavior that was accounted for by EXSE. Our results indicate that self-regulatory strategies, particularly relapse prevention, may be important correlates of physical activity behavior that can inform the design of future behavioral interventions in MS. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. Visualizing complex (hydrological) systems with correlation matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, J. C.

    2016-12-01

    When trying to understand or visualize the connections of different aspects of a complex system, this often requires deeper understanding to start with, or - in the case of geo data - complicated GIS software. To our knowledge, correlation matrices have rarely been used in hydrology (e.g. Stoll et al., 2011; van Loon and Laaha, 2015), yet they do provide an interesting option for data visualization and analysis. We present a simple, python based way - using a river catchment as an example - to visualize correlations and similarities in an easy and colorful way. We apply existing and easy to use python packages from various disciplines not necessarily linked to the Earth sciences and can thus quickly show how different aquifers work or react, and identify outliers, enabling this system to also be used for quality control of large datasets. Going beyond earlier work, we add a temporal and spatial element, enabling us to visualize how a system reacts to local phenomena such as for example a river, or changes over time, by visualizing the passing of time in an animated movie. References: van Loon, A.F., Laaha, G.: Hydrological drought severity explained by climate and catchment characteristics, Journal of Hydrology 526, 3-14, 2015, Drought processes, modeling, and mitigation Stoll, S., Hendricks Franssen, H. J., Barthel, R., Kinzelbach, W.: What can we learn from long-term groundwater data to improve climate change impact studies?, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 15(12), 3861-3875, 2011

  12. Psychological Correlates of Self-Reported and Objectively Measured Physical Activity among Chinese Children—Psychological Correlates of PA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing-Jing Wang

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to explore the associations among psychological correlates and physical activity (PA in Chinese children and to further examine whether these associations varied by different PA measures. PA self-efficacy, motivation, and preference were reported in 449 8–13-year-old Chinese children (252 males. Moderate- to vigorous- intensity PA (MVPA was measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C and with an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were performed to explore their associations. The study psychological variables were all positively related to PAQ-C and objective MVPA (r: 0.22–0.63. The associations with PAQ-C were all substantially stronger than those with accelerometry. Beyond the explained variance accounted for by demographics and social desirability, the addition of the psychological correlates accounted for 45% of the variance of the PAQ-C score, while only 13% for accelerometry-based MVPA. The associations of specific variables with the PAQ-C score (age, PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation and preference were somewhat different from those associated with objective MVPA (PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and negatively associated with female gender. This study demonstrated the importance of self-efficacy and autonomous motivation in association with PA and indicated the difference in level of their associations with different PA measures.

  13. Psychological Correlates of Self-Reported and Objectively Measured Physical Activity among Chinese Children—Psychological Correlates of PA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing-Jing; Baranowski, Tom; Lau, Patrick W. C.; Chen, Tzu-An; Zhang, Shu-Ge

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to explore the associations among psychological correlates and physical activity (PA) in Chinese children and to further examine whether these associations varied by different PA measures. PA self-efficacy, motivation, and preference were reported in 449 8–13-year-old Chinese children (252 males). Moderate- to vigorous- intensity PA (MVPA) was measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and with an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were performed to explore their associations. The study psychological variables were all positively related to PAQ-C and objective MVPA (r: 0.22–0.63). The associations with PAQ-C were all substantially stronger than those with accelerometry. Beyond the explained variance accounted for by demographics and social desirability, the addition of the psychological correlates accounted for 45% of the variance of the PAQ-C score, while only 13% for accelerometry-based MVPA. The associations of specific variables with the PAQ-C score (age, PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation and preference) were somewhat different from those associated with objective MVPA (PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and negatively associated with female gender). This study demonstrated the importance of self-efficacy and autonomous motivation in association with PA and indicated the difference in level of their associations with different PA measures. PMID:27754396

  14. Psychological Correlates of Self-Reported and Objectively Measured Physical Activity among Chinese Children-Psychological Correlates of PA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing-Jing; Baranowski, Tom; Lau, Patrick W C; Chen, Tzu-An; Zhang, Shu-Ge

    2016-10-13

    This study aimed to explore the associations among psychological correlates and physical activity (PA) in Chinese children and to further examine whether these associations varied by different PA measures. PA self-efficacy, motivation, and preference were reported in 449 8-13-year-old Chinese children (252 males). Moderate- to vigorous- intensity PA (MVPA) was measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and with an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were performed to explore their associations. The study psychological variables were all positively related to PAQ-C and objective MVPA ( r : 0.22-0.63). The associations with PAQ-C were all substantially stronger than those with accelerometry. Beyond the explained variance accounted for by demographics and social desirability, the addition of the psychological correlates accounted for 45% of the variance of the PAQ-C score, while only 13% for accelerometry-based MVPA. The associations of specific variables with the PAQ-C score (age, PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation and preference) were somewhat different from those associated with objective MVPA (PA self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and negatively associated with female gender). This study demonstrated the importance of self-efficacy and autonomous motivation in association with PA and indicated the difference in level of their associations with different PA measures.

  15. Physical Activity Patterns and Psychological Correlates of Physical Activity among Singaporean Primary, Secondary, and Junior College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, C. K. John; Koh, K. T.; Biddle, Stuart J. H.; Liu, W. C.; Chye, Stefanie

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to examine physical activity patterns and psychological correlates of physical activity among primary, secondary, and junior college students in Singapore. A sample of 3,333 school students aged 10 to 18 years took part in the study. Results showed that the younger students had significantly higher physical…

  16. A new digital correlation flaw detection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, B.B.; Furgason, E.S.

    1981-01-01

    A new portable digital random signal flaw detection system is described which uses a digital delay line to replace the acoustic delay line of the original random signal system. Using this new system, a comparison was made between the two types of transmit signals which have been used in previous systems--m-sequences and random signals. This comparison has not been possible with these previous correlation flaw detection systems. Results indicated that for high-speed short code operation, the m-sequences produced slightly lower range sidelobes than typical samples of a clipped random signal. For normal long code operation, results indicated that system performance is essentially equivalent in resolution and signal-to-noise ratio using either m-sequences or clipped and sampled random signals. Further results also showed that for normal long code operation, the system produces outputs equivalent in resolution to pulse-echo systems, but with the added benefit of signal-to-noise ratio enhancement

  17. Tests of a robust eddy correlation system for sensible heat flux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanford, J. H.; Gay, L. W.

    1992-03-01

    Sensible heat flux estimates from a simple, one-propeller eddy correlation system (OPEC) were compared with those from a sonic anemometer eddy correlation system (SEC). In accordance with similarity theory, the performance of the OPEC system improved with increasing height of the sensor above the surface. Flux totals from the two systems at sites with adequate fetch were in excellent agreement after frequency response corrections were applied. The propeller system appears suitable for long periods of unattended measurement. The sensible heat flux measurements can be combined with net radiation and soil heat flux measurements to estimate latent heat as a residual in the surface energy balance.

  18. Systems with N correlated fermions. Mean-field models for nuclear structures and other N-body systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grasso, M.

    2009-10-01

    This document is a summary of the author's research activities whose common topic is the N-body problem. The first chapter introduces the N-body issue through models based on the mean-field theory and on the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov equations. The second chapter presents the understanding of exotic nuclei features within the mean-field approach. Exotic phenomena like nuclear bubble structure, pairing correlations and pairing violations, giant neutron halos, non-standard terms in the Skyrme interactions are reviewed. The chapter 3 is dedicated to some extensions of the RPA (random phase approximation). For instance the computation of the shell structure far from the stability valley requires a more accurate assessment of the energy of the individual states through the introduction of a particle-vibration coupling. Different RPA extensions are described: first the self-consistent extension enlarged beyond particle-hole configurations, then the boson-mapping-based extension in a 3-level Lipkin model and also the second random-phase approximation. The chapter 4 gathers some studies concerning ultra-cold gases of trapped atoms. These systems are the only structures that allow the study of the correlations associated to superfluidity in terms of interaction intensity, temperature or system size. The mean-field approach is adequate for these studies. The last chapter draws a perspective for the mean-field-based models, their limits are assessed and ways of improvement are proposed. (A.C.)

  19. The correlation of serum bilirubin levels with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, You-Fan; Wang, Jun-Li; Pan, Guo-Gang

    2017-06-01

    We investigated the relationship between serum bilirubin and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We included a total of 173 consecutive RA patients without steroid treatment and 346 healthy subjects; the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) was used to assess disease activity in patients with RA. Serum bilirubin concentrations were significantly lower in RA patients than in controls. Serum bilirubin was found to be negatively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r=-0.165, P=0.030; r=-192, P=0.012) in patients with RA. There was a negative correlation between the serum bilirubin and DAS28 score (r=-0.331, Pbilirubin was independently associated with the DAS28 score (b=-0.225, P=0.001) in the multiple linear regression analysis. Serum bilirubin concentrations are lower in patients with RA compared to controls and correlate with disease activity in patients with RA. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Phase diagram of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zverev, M.V.; Khodel', V.A.; Baldo, M.

    2000-01-01

    Phase transitions in uniform Fermi systems with repulsive forces between the particles caused by restructuring of quasiparticle filling n(p) are analyzed. It is found that in terms of variables, i.e. density ρ, nondimensional binding constant η, phase diagram of a strongly correlated Fermi system for rather a wide class of interactions reminds of a puff-pastry pie. Its upper part is filled with fermion condensate, the lower one - with normal Fermi-liquid. They are separated by a narrow interlayer - the Lifshits phase, characterized by the Fermi multibound surface [ru

  1. Behavioral correlates between daily activity and sociality in wild and captive origin African lions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunston, Emma J; Abell, Jackie; Freire, Rafael

    2016-01-01

    Study of behavioral correlations within and across populations has long been of interest to ethologists. An exploration of behavioral correlations between sociality and behavior of African lions ( Panthera leo ) was undertaken to examine if this approach is better able to reveal important aspects of lion behavior not easily discernible by looking at these behaviors separately. Resting behavior and received play interactions were correlated in 2 captive-origin prides and one wild pride, attributable to the involvement of cubs and sub-adults. Direct and exploratory movement was negatively correlated with groom centrality in 2 of the 3 prides, due to adults engaging in high levels of both of these activities. Exploration of these behavioral correlations highlighted the differences between age-groups in activity and sociality, facilitating the understanding of the complex behavior and interactions of lions. In addition, the finding of similar behavioral correlations between captive-origin and the wild prides provides confidence in the suitability if captive-origin candidates for ex-situ release. This is imperative to ensure the success of sub-groups and prides under an ex-situ reintroduction program.

  2. Personal, social, and game-related correlates of active and non-active gaming among dutch gaming adolescents: survey-based multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simons, Monique; de Vet, Emely; Chinapaw, Mai Jm; de Boer, Michiel; Seidell, Jacob C; Brug, Johannes

    2014-04-04

    Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games-active games-seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of active and non-active gaming among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine potential personal, social, and game-related correlates of both active and non-active gaming in adolescents. A survey assessing game behavior and potential personal, social, and game-related correlates was conducted among adolescents (12-16 years, N=353) recruited via schools. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses, adjusted for demographics (age, sex and educational level of adolescents), were conducted to examine personal, social, and game-related correlates of active gaming ≥1 hour per week (h/wk) and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Active gaming ≥1 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward active gaming (OR 5.3, CI 2.4-11.8; Pgames (OR 0.30, CI 0.1-0.6; P=.002), a higher score on habit strength regarding gaming (OR 1.9, CI 1.2-3.2; P=.008) and having brothers/sisters (OR 6.7, CI 2.6-17.1; Pgame engagement (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.997; P=.04). Non-active gaming >7 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward non-active gaming (OR 2.6, CI 1.1-6.3; P=.035), a stronger habit regarding gaming (OR 3.0, CI 1.7-5.3; P7 h/wk. Active gaming is most strongly (negatively) associated with attitude with respect to non-active games, followed by observed active game behavior of brothers and sisters and attitude with respect to active gaming (positive associations). On the other hand, non-active gaming is most strongly associated with observed non-active game behavior of friends, habit strength regarding gaming and attitude toward non-active gaming (positive associations). Habit strength was a correlate of both active and non-active gaming

  3. Personal, Social, and Game-Related Correlates of Active and Non-Active Gaming Among Dutch Gaming Adolescents: Survey-Based Multivariable, Multilevel Logistic Regression Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vet, Emely; Chinapaw, Mai JM; de Boer, Michiel; Seidell, Jacob C; Brug, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Background Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games—active games—seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of active and non-active gaming among adolescents. Objective The objective of this study was to examine potential personal, social, and game-related correlates of both active and non-active gaming in adolescents. Methods A survey assessing game behavior and potential personal, social, and game-related correlates was conducted among adolescents (12-16 years, N=353) recruited via schools. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses, adjusted for demographics (age, sex and educational level of adolescents), were conducted to examine personal, social, and game-related correlates of active gaming ≥1 hour per week (h/wk) and non-active gaming >7 h/wk. Results Active gaming ≥1 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward active gaming (OR 5.3, CI 2.4-11.8; Pgames (OR 0.30, CI 0.1-0.6; P=.002), a higher score on habit strength regarding gaming (OR 1.9, CI 1.2-3.2; P=.008) and having brothers/sisters (OR 6.7, CI 2.6-17.1; Pgame engagement (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.997; P=.04). Non-active gaming >7 h/wk was significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward non-active gaming (OR 2.6, CI 1.1-6.3; P=.035), a stronger habit regarding gaming (OR 3.0, CI 1.7-5.3; P7 h/wk. Active gaming is most strongly (negatively) associated with attitude with respect to non-active games, followed by observed active game behavior of brothers and sisters and attitude with respect to active gaming (positive associations). On the other hand, non-active gaming is most strongly associated with observed non-active game behavior of friends, habit strength regarding gaming and attitude toward non-active gaming (positive associations). Habit strength was a

  4. Enhanced sympathetic arousal in response to FMRI scanning correlates with task induced activations and deactivations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Muehlhan

    Full Text Available It has been repeatedly shown that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI triggers distress and neuroendocrine response systems. Prior studies have revealed that sympathetic arousal increases, particularly at the beginning of the examination. Against this background it appears likely that those stress reactions during the scanning procedure may influence task performance and neural correlates. However, the question how sympathetic arousal elicited by the scanning procedure itself may act as a potential confounder of fMRI data remains unresolved today. Thirty-seven scanner naive healthy subjects performed a simple cued target detection task. Levels of salivary alpha amylase (sAA, as a biomarker for sympathetic activity, were assessed in samples obtained at several time points during the lab visit. SAA increased two times, immediately prior to scanning and at the end of the scanning procedure. Neural activation related to motor preparation and timing as well as task performance was positively correlated with the first increase. Furthermore, the first sAA increase was associated with task induced deactivation (TID in frontal and parietal regions. However, these effects were restricted to the first part of the experiment. Consequently, this bias of scanner related sympathetic activation should be considered in future fMRI investigations. It is of particular importance for pharmacological investigations studying adrenergic agents and the comparison of groups with different stress vulnerabilities like patients and controls or adolescents and adults.

  5. Correlations between Antioxidant Activity and Alkaloids and Phenols of Maca (Lepidium meyenii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Gan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The antioxidant capacity of maca has been considered to be the basis for other bioactivities, and revealing the active antioxidant compounds would help to elucidate a variety of bioactive compounds. In this study, the correlation between the antioxidant activity of maca and secondary metabolites, including ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP, hydroxyl radical scavenging ability (HRSA, lipid peroxidation inhibition ability (LPIA, total phenolic contents (TPCs, total alkaloid contents (TACs, and total sterol contents (TSCs, was investigated by measuring. Chloroform was selected to be an efficient extraction solvent for antioxidant compounds in maca by polarity fractions test. The results showed that TPC exhibited significant linear correlations (P<0.05 to FRAP and LPIA, while TAC had significant linear correlations (P<0.05 to FRAP, HRSA, and LPIA. These results suggested that alkaloids and phenols were the most important substances for the antioxidation of maca, of which the antioxidant effect of alkaloids seemed to be higher than that of phenols.

  6. Correlates of Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Reviews

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sterdt, Elena; Liersch, Sebastian; Walter, Ulla

    2014-01-01

    Objective: The aim of this study was to identify promoting and inhibiting correlates associated with the physical activity (PA) of children and adolescents (aged 3-18). The intention was to demonstrate the complexity of correlates of PA and to determine possible influencing factors. Design: A systematic review of reviews. Methods: Systematic…

  7. How structure determines correlations in neuronal networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Volker Pernice

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Networks are becoming a ubiquitous metaphor for the understanding of complex biological systems, spanning the range between molecular signalling pathways, neural networks in the brain, and interacting species in a food web. In many models, we face an intricate interplay between the topology of the network and the dynamics of the system, which is generally very hard to disentangle. A dynamical feature that has been subject of intense research in various fields are correlations between the noisy activity of nodes in a network. We consider a class of systems, where discrete signals are sent along the links of the network. Such systems are of particular relevance in neuroscience, because they provide models for networks of neurons that use action potentials for communication. We study correlations in dynamic networks with arbitrary topology, assuming linear pulse coupling. With our novel approach, we are able to understand in detail how specific structural motifs affect pairwise correlations. Based on a power series decomposition of the covariance matrix, we describe the conditions under which very indirect interactions will have a pronounced effect on correlations and population dynamics. In random networks, we find that indirect interactions may lead to a broad distribution of activation levels with low average but highly variable correlations. This phenomenon is even more pronounced in networks with distance dependent connectivity. In contrast, networks with highly connected hubs or patchy connections often exhibit strong average correlations. Our results are particularly relevant in view of new experimental techniques that enable the parallel recording of spiking activity from a large number of neurons, an appropriate interpretation of which is hampered by the currently limited understanding of structure-dynamics relations in complex networks.

  8. Atomic physics of strongly correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, C.D.

    1986-01-01

    This abstract summarizes the progress made in the last year and the future plans of our research in the study of strongly correlated atomic systems. In atomic structure and atomic spectroscopy we are investigating the classification and supermultiplet structure of doubly excited states. We are also beginning the systematic study of triply excited states. In ion-atom collisions, we are exploring an AO-MO matching method for treating multi-electron collision systems to extract detailed information such as subshell cross sections, alignment and orientation parameters, etc. We are also beginning ab initio calculations on the angular distributions for electron transfer processes in low-energy (about 10-100eV/amu) ion-atom collisions in a full quantum mechanical treatment of the motion of heavy particles

  9. Ferromagnetic instabilities in disordered systems in the limit of strong correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magalhaes, A.N.; Troper, A.; Gomes, A.A.

    1976-05-01

    One derives the criterion for ferromagnetic instabilities in hybridized disordered systems, e.g. transition metal like systems and actinides, within the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA), the electron-electron correlations being described by Hubbard' approximation. In the case of actinides, one treats approximately the motion of d electrons while the diagonal disorder within the f band is fully taken into account. In the case of a trnsition metal like system, except for Hubbard's approximation in dealing with d-d electron correlations, our procedure is exact within the spirit of CPA

  10. Correlation of Level of Trauma Activation With Emergency Department Intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Michael C; Srivastava, Geetanjali

    2018-06-01

    In-hospital trauma team activation criteria are formulated to identify severely injured patients requiring specialized multidisciplinary care. Efficacy of trauma activation (TA) criteria is commonly measured by emergency department (ED) disposition, injury severity score, and mortality. Necessity of critical ED interventions is another measure that has been proposed to evaluate the appropriateness of TA criteria. Two-year retrospective cohort study of 1715 patients from our trauma registry at a Level 1 pediatric trauma center. We abstracted data on acute interventions, level and criterion of TA, ED disposition, and mortality. We report odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), positive predictive value, and frequency of acute interventions. Trauma activation was initiated for 947 (55%) of the 1715 patients. There were 426 ED interventions performed on 235 patients (14%); 67.8% were in level 1 activations; 17.6% in level 2, and 14.6% in level 3. Highest-level activations were highly associated with need for ED interventions (OR, 16.1; 95% CI, 11.5-22.4). The ORs for requiring an ED intervention were low for lower level activations (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.3-0.5), trauma service consults (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.4), and certain mechanism-based criteria. The ORs for ED intervention for isolated motor vehicle collision (0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.7), isolated all-terrain vehicle rollover (0.4; 95% CI, 0.1-1.7), and suspected spinal cord injury (0.5; 95% CI, 0.1-3.7) were significantly lower than 1. Highest-level activation criteria correlate with high utilization of ED resources and interventions. Lower level activation criteria and trauma service consult criteria are not highly correlated with need for ED interventions. Downgrading isolated motor vehicle collision and all-terrain vehicle rollovers and suspected spinal cord injury to lower level activations could decrease the overtriage rate, and adding age-specific bradycardia as a physiologic criterion could improve our

  11. Gaussian random-matrix process and universal parametric correlations in complex systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Attias, H.; Alhassid, Y.

    1995-01-01

    We introduce the framework of the Gaussian random-matrix process as an extension of Dyson's Gaussian ensembles and use it to discuss the statistical properties of complex quantum systems that depend on an external parameter. We classify the Gaussian processes according to the short-distance diffusive behavior of their energy levels and demonstrate that all parametric correlation functions become universal upon the appropriate scaling of the parameter. The class of differentiable Gaussian processes is identified as the relevant one for most physical systems. We reproduce the known spectral correlators and compute eigenfunction correlators in their universal form. Numerical evidence from both a chaotic model and weakly disordered model confirms our predictions

  12. Correlation between Pesticide Resistance and Enzyme Activity in the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Ya-Jun; Wang, Ze-Hua; Shi, Bao-Cai; Kang, Zong-Jiang; Zhu, Liang; Jin, Gui-Hua; Weig, Shu-Jun

    2013-01-01

    The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is one of the most important pests that has developed high pesticide resistance. The resistances of five Chinese populations of this moth, four resistant strains (from Beijing, Henan, Fujian, and Guangdong) and one susceptible strain, to five pesticides were determined, and the activities of carboxylesterase, glutathione S-transferase, and acetylcholine esterase were tested in all five populations. The correlations between pesticide resistance and enzyme activity were analyzed. The results showed that the resistance status to the five pesticides was different among the five populations. The resistance ratios of the Beijing and Henan populations to spinosad were 5.84 and 8.22, respectively, and those to beta-cypermethrin were 4.91 and 4.98, respectively. These ratios were higher than those for the Fujian and Guangdong populations. The Fujian population was more sensitive to abamectin and chlorpyrifos than the susceptible population (the resistance ratios were 0.14 and 0.91, respectively); in fact, the median lethal concentration for P. xylostella was significantly higher for chlorpyrifos than that for any of the other four pesticides. The carboxylesterase activity in P. xylostella showed positive correlations with the resistance to spinosad, beta-cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, and abamectin, but no correlation was observed between the carboxylesterase activity and resistance to emamectin benzoate, between glutathione S-transferase activity and resistance to any of the five pesticides tested, or between acetylcholine esterase activity and any of the pesticides except for emamectin benzoate. PMID:24766444

  13. Nonlocality in many-body quantum systems detected with two-body correlators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tura, J., E-mail: jordi.tura@icfo.es [ICFO—Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) (Spain); Augusiak, R.; Sainz, A.B. [ICFO—Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) (Spain); Lücke, B.; Klempt, C. [Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover (Germany); Lewenstein, M.; Acín, A. [ICFO—Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) (Spain); ICREA—Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Lluis Campanys 3, 08010 Barcelona (Spain)

    2015-11-15

    Contemporary understanding of correlations in quantum many-body systems and in quantum phase transitions is based to a large extent on the recent intensive studies of entanglement in many-body systems. In contrast, much less is known about the role of quantum nonlocality in these systems, mostly because the available multipartite Bell inequalities involve high-order correlations among many particles, which are hard to access theoretically, and even harder experimentally. Standard, “theorist- and experimentalist-friendly” many-body observables involve correlations among only few (one, two, rarely three...) particles. Typically, there is no multipartite Bell inequality for this scenario based on such low-order correlations. Recently, however, we have succeeded in constructing multipartite Bell inequalities that involve two- and one-body correlations only, and showed how they revealed the nonlocality in many-body systems relevant for nuclear and atomic physics [Tura et al., Science 344 (2014) 1256]. With the present contribution we continue our work on this problem. On the one hand, we present a detailed derivation of the above Bell inequalities, pertaining to permutation symmetry among the involved parties. On the other hand, we present a couple of new results concerning such Bell inequalities. First, we characterize their tightness. We then discuss maximal quantum violations of these inequalities in the general case, and their scaling with the number of parties. Moreover, we provide new classes of two-body Bell inequalities which reveal nonlocality of the Dicke states—ground states of physically relevant and experimentally realizable Hamiltonians. Finally, we shortly discuss various scenarios for nonlocality detection in mesoscopic systems of trapped ions or atoms, and by atoms trapped in the vicinity of designed nanostructures.

  14. Anti-correlation and subsector structure in financial systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, X. F.; Zheng, B.

    2012-02-01

    With the random matrix theory, we study the spatial structure of the Chinese stock market, the American stock market and global market indices. After taking into account the signs of the components in the eigenvectors of the cross-correlation matrix, we detect the subsector structure of the financial systems. The positive and negative subsectors are anti-correlated with respect to each other in the corresponding eigenmode. The subsector structure is strong in the Chinese stock market, while somewhat weaker in the American stock market and global market indices. Characteristics of the subsector structures in different markets are revealed.

  15. Noncoherent Spectral Optical CDMA System Using 1D Active Weight Two-Code Keying Codes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bih-Chyun Yeh

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a new family of one-dimensional (1D active weight two-code keying (TCK in spectral amplitude coding (SAC optical code division multiple access (OCDMA networks. We use encoding and decoding transfer functions to operate the 1D active weight TCK. The proposed structure includes an optical line terminal (OLT and optical network units (ONUs to produce the encoding and decoding codes of the proposed OLT and ONUs, respectively. The proposed ONU uses the modified cross-correlation to remove interferences from other simultaneous users, that is, the multiuser interference (MUI. When the phase-induced intensity noise (PIIN is the most important noise, the modified cross-correlation suppresses the PIIN. In the numerical results, we find that the bit error rate (BER for the proposed system using the 1D active weight TCK codes outperforms that for two other systems using the 1D M-Seq codes and 1D balanced incomplete block design (BIBD codes. The effective source power for the proposed system can achieve −10 dBm, which has less power than that for the other systems.

  16. Virtual-site correlation mean field approach to criticality in spin systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sen, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

    2013-01-01

    We propose a virtual-site correlation mean field theory for dealing with interacting many-body systems. It involves a coarse-graining technique that terminates a step before the mean field theory: While mean field theory deals with only single-body physical parameters, the virtual-site correlation mean field theory deals with single- as well as two-body ones, and involves a virtual site for every interaction term in the Hamiltonian. We generalize the theory to a cluster virtual-site correlation mean field, that works with a fundamental unit of the lattice of the many-body system. We apply these methods to interacting Ising spin systems in several lattice geometries and dimensions, and show that the predictions of the onset of criticality of these models are generally much better in the proposed theories as compared to the corresponding ones in mean field theories

  17. Active node determination for correlated data gathering in wireless sensor networks

    OpenAIRE

    Karasabun, Efe

    2009-01-01

    Ankara : The Department of Computer Engineering and the Institute of Engineering and Science of Bilkent University, 2009. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2009. Includes bibliographical references leaves 53-55. In wireless sensor network applications where data gathered by different sensor nodes is correlated, not all sensor nodes need to be active for the wireless sensor network to be functional. However, the sensor nodes that are selected as active should form a co...

  18. Correlates of urban children's leisure-time physical activity and sedentary behaviors during school days.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marques, Adilson; Sallis, James F; Martins, João; Diniz, José; Carreiro Da Costa, Francisco

    2014-01-01

    Understanding correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors may contribute to fostering active lifestyles. This study aimed to identify correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in leisure-time among Portuguese urban children, during school days. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 802 students (416 boys), aged 10-12 years. A questionnaire was used to collect data of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, psychological and behavioral variables related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Analyses were run separately for boys and girls. Television viewing occupied the most leisure-time of boys and girls, followed by computer usage, and video game playing. These behaviors occupied 259.7 min/day for boys and 208.6 for girls (P = 0.002). Reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was 23.7 min for boys and 12.8 min for girls (P time with joint physical activity time. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. MCP-1 in urine as biomarker of disease activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbado, Julia; Martin, Debora; Vega, Luisa; Almansa, Raquel; Gonçalves, Lisbeth; Nocito, Mercedes; Jimeno, Antonio; Ortiz de Lejarazu, Raúl; Bermejo-Martin, Jesus F

    2012-11-01

    Conventional clinical parameters are not sensitive or specific enough for detecting ongoing disease activity in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Measurement of cytokines in urine is an encouraging approach to detection of early flares in this disease. Here we have profiled 27 different cytokines, chemokines and celular growth factors in the urine of 48 patients previously diagnosed of SLE as potential biomarkers of disease activity. Correlation analysis with Bonferroni correction showed that MCP-1 was the only immune mediator which levels in urine correlated directly with the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score (correlation coefficient, p): MCP-1 (0.45,0.003). MCP-1 correlated inversely with levels of C3 complement protein in serum (-0.50,0.001). MCP-1 showed significant higher levels in patients with severe disease activity in comparison with those exhibiting mild activity. Levels of this chemokine were also higher in patients with severe disease activity in comparison with patients with inactive disease and healthy controls. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) for detection of severe disease (SLEDAI⩾8) was as follows for MCP-1: [AUROC, (IC95%), p]: [0.81 (0.65-0.96) 0.003]. In addition, MCP-1 showed a good result in the AUROC analysis for detecting renal involvement [0.70 (0.52-0.87) 0.050]. When correlation analysis were repeated excluding those patients with active renal disease (n=14), levels of MCP-1 in urine kept on showing a significant positive association with SLEDAI-2K score. In conclusion, multiplex-based cytokine profiling in urine demonstrated the superiority of MCP-1 over a wide range of cytokines as biomarker of disease activity in SLE. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. [An automatic system for anatomophysiological correlation in three planes simultaneously during functional neurosurgery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teijeiro, E J; Macías, R J; Morales, J M; Guerra, E; López, G; Alvarez, L M; Fernández, F; Maragoto, C; Seijo, F; Alvarez, E

    The Neurosurgical Deep Recording System (NDRS) using a personal computer takes the place of complex electronic equipment for recording and processing deep cerebral electrical activity, as a guide in stereotaxic functional neurosurgery. It also permits increased possibilities of presenting information in direct graphic form with automatic management and sufficient flexibility to implement different analyses. This paper describes the possibilities of automatic simultaneous graphic representation in three almost orthogonal planes, available with the new 5.1 version of NDRS so as to facilitate the analysis of anatomophysiological correlation in the localization of deep structures of the brain during minimal access surgery. This new version can automatically show the spatial behaviour of signals registered throughout the path of the electrode inside the brain, superimposed simultaneously on sagittal, coronal and axial sections of an anatomical atlas of the brain, after adjusting the scale automatically according to the dimensions of the brain of each individual patient. This may also be shown in a tridimensional representation of the different planes themselves intercepting. The NDRS system has been successfully used in Spain and Cuba in over 300 functional neurosurgery operations. The new version further facilitates analysis of spatial anatomophysiological correlation for the localization of brain structures. This system has contributed to increase the precision and safety in selecting surgical targets in the control of Parkinson s disease and other disorders of movement.

  1. Disentangling multi-level systems: averaging, correlations and memory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wouters, Jeroen; Lucarini, Valerio

    2012-01-01

    We consider two weakly coupled systems and adopt a perturbative approach based on the Ruelle response theory to study their interaction. We propose a systematic way of parameterizing the effect of the coupling as a function of only the variables of a system of interest. Our focus is on describing the impacts of the coupling on the long term statistics rather than on the finite-time behavior. By direct calculation, we find that, at first order, the coupling can be surrogated by adding a deterministic perturbation to the autonomous dynamics of the system of interest. At second order, there are additionally two separate and very different contributions. One is a term taking into account the second-order contributions of the fluctuations in the coupling, which can be parameterized as a stochastic forcing with given spectral properties. The other one is a memory term, coupling the system of interest to its previous history, through the correlations of the second system. If these correlations are known, this effect can be implemented as a perturbation with memory on the single system. In order to treat this case, we present an extension to Ruelle's response theory able to deal with integral operators. We discuss our results in the context of other methods previously proposed for disentangling the dynamics of two coupled systems. We emphasize that our results do not rely on assuming a time scale separation, and, if such a separation exists, can be used equally well to study the statistics of the slow variables and that of the fast variables. By recursively applying the technique proposed here, we can treat the general case of multi-level systems

  2. СREATION OF CORRELATION FUNCTIONS OF LINEAR CONTINUOUS SYSTEMS BASED ON THEIR FUNDAMENTAL MATRICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. A. Vunder

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a method of creating correlation matrices and functions of the state vectors and outputs of the linear continuous systems functioning under the conditions of stochastic stationary, in a broad sense, effects. Fundamental matrices form the basis of the method. We have shown that for the linear continuous systems with single dimensional input and single dimensional output the correlation output function of such system can be found as the free movement of this system generated by its initial state. This state is constructed from the variance matrix of the state vector and the transposed output matrix. We have elucidated that when a continuous system belongs to a class of multi-dimensional input – multi-dimensional output systems, the following options are available for solving the problem of creation of the correlation function of a linear system. The first option is to partition the system into separate channels. Then the approach developed for systems with onedimensional input and one-dimensional output is applied to each of the separate channels. The second option is used to preserve the vector nature of the stochastic external influence. It consists in partition of output vector to scalar components by separating output matrix into separate rows with subsequent formation of the correlation function according to the scheme for single dimensional input and single dimensional output type systems. The third option is based on the scalarization of matrix correlation output function by applying the singular value decomposition to it. That gives the possibility to form scalar majorant and minorant of correlation output functions. We have established that a key component of a computational procedure of creating the correlation function of continuous linear system is a variance matrix of the system state vector. In the case of functioning under an exogenous stochastic effect like "white noise" the variance matrix is calculated by

  3. Individual and School Correlates of Adolescent Leisure Time Physical Activity in Quebec, Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Massougbodji

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Leisure time physical activity (LTPA correlates have been mostly studied in relation to adolescents’ home neighbourhoods, but not so much in relation to the environment of their schools’ neighbourhoods. We sought to investigate how objective environmental measures of the schools’ vicinity are related to adolescents’ self-reported LTPA. Methods: Individual data from the Quebec High School Students Health Survey (QHSSHS were matched with schools’ socioeconomic indicators, as well as geographic information system-based indicators of their built environments. Self-reported levels of LTPA during the school year were assessed according to intensity, frequency and index of energy expenditure. Associations per gender between covariates and LTPA were estimated using ordinal multilevel regression with multiple imputations. Results: Boys (21% of which were highly active were more active than girls (16% of which were highly active (p ≤ 0.01. The incremental variance between schools explained by the contextual variables in the final models was higher among girls (7.8% than boys (2.8%. The number of parks or green spaces within 750 m around their schools was positively associated with student LTPA in both genders. Conclusions: The promotion of parks around schools seems to be an avenue to be strengthened.

  4. Genuine quantum correlations in quantum many-body systems: a review of recent progress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Chiara, Gabriele; Sanpera, Anna

    2018-04-19

    Quantum information theory has considerably helped in the understanding of quantum many-body systems. The role of quantum correlations and in particular, bipartite entanglement, has become crucial to characterise, classify and simulate quantum many body systems. Furthermore, the scaling of entanglement has inspired modifications to numerical techniques for the simulation of many-body systems leading to the, now established, area of tensor networks. However, the notions and methods brought by quantum information do not end with bipartite entanglement. There are other forms of correlations embedded in the ground, excited and thermal states of quantum many-body systems that also need to be explored and might be utilised as potential resources for quantum technologies. The aim of this work is to review the most recent developments regarding correlations in quantum many-body systems focussing on multipartite entanglement, quantum nonlocality, quantum discord, mutual information but also other non classical measures of correlations based on quantum coherence. Moreover, we also discuss applications of quantum metrology in quantum many-body systems. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  5. Neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among Latino adults in Massachusetts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silfee, Valerie J; Rosal, Milagros C; Sreedhara, Meera; Lora, Vilma; Lemon, Stephenie C

    2016-09-13

    U.S. Latinos experience high rates of cardio-metabolic diseases and have high rates of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Understanding the environmental factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Latinos could inform future interventions. The purpose of this study is to explore the neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in a sample of U.S. Latino adults. Cross-sectional study of 602 Latino adults in Lawrence, MA. Survey assessments of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and neighborhood environment were verbally administered. The neighborhood environment scale assessed violence, safety, aesthetic quality, walkability, availability of healthy foods, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors. After controlling forage, gender, education, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status, two variables were associated with the outcomes of interest. Living in more walkable neighborhoods was associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in adequate levels of physical activity (>150 min per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)) (OR = 1.403, p = .018); and greater frequency of activities with neighbors was associated with greater sedentary behavior (β = .072, p = .05). There were different neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in this Latino community. Focusing on a greater understanding of the distinct social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior may provide important insights for reducing CVD risk and health disparities among Latinos.

  6. Neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among Latino adults in Massachusetts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valerie J. Silfee

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background U.S. Latinos experience high rates of cardio-metabolic diseases and have high rates of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Understanding the environmental factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Latinos could inform future interventions. The purpose of this study is to explore the neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in a sample of U.S. Latino adults. Methods Cross-sectional study of 602 Latino adults in Lawrence, MA. Survey assessments of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and neighborhood environment were verbally administered. The neighborhood environment scale assessed violence, safety, aesthetic quality, walkability, availability of healthy foods, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors. Results After controlling forage, gender, education, body mass index (BMI, and smoking status, two variables were associated with the outcomes of interest. Living in more walkable neighborhoods was associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in adequate levels of physical activity (>150 min per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM (OR = 1.403, p = .018; and greater frequency of activities with neighbors was associated with greater sedentary behavior (β = .072, p = .05. Conclusions There were different neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in this Latino community. Focusing on a greater understanding of the distinct social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior may provide important insights for reducing CVD risk and health disparities among Latinos.

  7. The elimination of singularities in pair correlation functions of a multicomponent liquid system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasil'jev, O.M.; Chalij, O.V.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper we propose a method that allows to find nonsingular expressions for pair correlation functions of a multicomponent liquid system. The nature of the method deals with using integral and differential Ornstein-Zernike equations for finding asymptotic expressions for pair correlation functions and their subsequent precision. The obtained results are analyzed taking into account their possible applicability for studying the correlative behaviour of multicomponent liquid systems

  8. Reward System Activation in Response to Alcohol Advertisements Predicts College Drinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courtney, Andrea L; Rapuano, Kristina M; Sargent, James D; Heatherton, Todd F; Kelley, William M

    2018-01-01

    In this study, we assess whether activation of the brain's reward system in response to alcohol advertisements is associated with college drinking. Previous research has established a relationship between exposure to alcohol marketing and underage drinking. Within other appetitive domains, the relationship between cue exposure and behavioral enactment is known to rely on activation of the brain's reward system. However, the relationship between neural activation to alcohol advertisements and alcohol consumption has not been studied in a nondisordered population. In this cross-sectional study, 53 college students (32 women) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan while viewing alcohol, food, and control (car and technology) advertisements. Afterward, they completed a survey about their alcohol consumption (including frequency of drinking, typical number of drinks consumed, and frequency of binge drinking) over the previous month. In 43 participants (24 women) meeting inclusion criteria, viewing alcohol advertisements elicited activation in the left orbitofrontal cortex and bilateral ventral striatum-regions of the reward system that typically activate to other appetitive rewards and relate to consumption behaviors. Moreover, the level of self-reported drinking correlated with the magnitude of activation in the left orbitofrontal cortex. Results suggest that alcohol cues are processed within the reward system in a way that may motivate drinking behavior.

  9. Pair correlations in an expanding universe for a multicomponent system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kandrup, H.E.

    1983-01-01

    Fall and Saslaw have derived an equation for the growth of pair correlations in an expanding universe of identical self-gravitating point masses which is correlation-free at some initial time. Their equation is rigorously true for the earliest stages of growth, assuming only that the system is spatially homogeneous and isotropic, and that it is characterized in the ''comoving frame'' by a Maxwellian distribution of velocities. This paper generalizes their analysis to the case of a multicomponent system of particles with different masses, each species of which is characterized by a Maxwellian distribution at the same temperature. Here there are two types of pair correlations to consider, namely among members of the same species and among members of different species. The general behavior may be understood most readily by considering the covariance functions, which assume very simple forms. Thus one finds that the ''strength'' of the covariance scales, for sufficiently small radial separations, as the product of the masses, whereas the ''range'' of the covariance varies inversely as the square root of the reduced mass of the two constituents. This implies that, for two very different masses, the ''range'' will be set by the lighter constituent. Knowledge of the covariances also permits the calculation of such objects as the correlational energy densities of the various interactions. Consider, for example, a two-component system. Here one finds that even a very small contamination of heavy masses, which would have a negligible effect upon the total mass or kinetic energy densities, can increase the total correlational energy density, and hence decrease the time scale for the evolution of interesting structure, by orders of magnitude

  10. Patterns and correlates of physical activity among middle-aged employees: a population-based, cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurakic, Danijel; Golubić, Antonija; Pedisic, Zeljko; Pori, Maja

    2014-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the level, pattern and correlates (socio-demographic, lifestyle and work-related) of physical activity among middle-aged employees in Croatia. In this cross-sectional study the data were collected using a household interview on a random sample of 766 middle-aged employees (52% female) living in Croatia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long) was used to assess physical activity. An additional questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, lifestyle and work-related correlates. The median (95% CI) total physical activity for the whole sample was 78.7 (69.1-88.3) MET-hours/week. Most physical activity was accumulated in the domain of work (26.4 (20.3-32.5) MET-hours/week) or in domestic activities (19.2(17.8-20.7) MET-hours/week), whilst a significantly lower physical activity was found in the transport (3.3 (2.9-3.7) MET-hours/week) and leisure-time domains (6.5 (5.7-7.3) MET-hours/week). The multiple regression analysis showed an inverse relationship between educational level and the size of settlements with the domestic-related and total physical activity (β range: -0.11 to -0.22; p physical activity (β = 0.12; p physical activity (β = -0.10; p employees in Croatia accumulate most of their daily physical activity in the work and domestic domains. Analysis of the relationship between physical activity and potential socio-demographic, lifestyle, and work-related correlates indicated that physical activity promotional activities should be primarily focused on males, employees living in smaller settlements and those with higher educational levels. The correlates of physical activity among middle-aged employees seem to be domain-specific. Therefore, future studies in this area should consider assessing physical activity in each domain separately.

  11. Electron correlations in narrow band systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishore, R.

    1983-01-01

    The effect of the electron correlations in narrow bands, such as d(f) bands in the transition (rare earth) metals and their compounds and the impurity bands in doped semiconductors is studied. The narrow band systems is described, by the Hubbard Hamiltonian. By proposing a local self-energy for the interacting electron, it is found that the results are exact in both atomic and band limits and reduce to the Hartree Fock results for U/Δ → 0, where U is the intra-atomic Coulomb interaction and Δ is the bandwidth of the noninteracting electrons. For the Lorentzian form of the density of states of the noninteracting electrons, this approximation turns out to be equivalent to the third Hubbard approximation. A simple argument, based on the mean free path obtained from the imaginary part of the self energy, shows how the electron correlations can give rise to a discontinous metal-nonmetal transition as proposed by Mott. The band narrowing and the existence of the satellite below the Fermi energy in Ni, found in photoemission experiments, can also be understood. (Author) [pt

  12. Data mining in forecasting PVT correlations of crude oil systems based on Type1 fuzzy logic inference systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Sebakhy, Emad A.

    2009-09-01

    Pressure-volume-temperature properties are very important in the reservoir engineering computations. There are many empirical approaches for predicting various PVT properties based on empirical correlations and statistical regression models. Last decade, researchers utilized neural networks to develop more accurate PVT correlations. These achievements of neural networks open the door to data mining techniques to play a major role in oil and gas industry. Unfortunately, the developed neural networks correlations are often limited, and global correlations are usually less accurate compared to local correlations. Recently, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems have been proposed as a new intelligence framework for both prediction and classification based on fuzzy clustering optimization criterion and ranking. This paper proposes neuro-fuzzy inference systems for estimating PVT properties of crude oil systems. This new framework is an efficient hybrid intelligence machine learning scheme for modeling the kind of uncertainty associated with vagueness and imprecision. We briefly describe the learning steps and the use of the Takagi Sugeno and Kang model and Gustafson-Kessel clustering algorithm with K-detected clusters from the given database. It has featured in a wide range of medical, power control system, and business journals, often with promising results. A comparative study will be carried out to compare their performance of this new framework with the most popular modeling techniques, such as neural networks, nonlinear regression, and the empirical correlations algorithms. The results show that the performance of neuro-fuzzy systems is accurate, reliable, and outperform most of the existing forecasting techniques. Future work can be achieved by using neuro-fuzzy systems for clustering the 3D seismic data, identification of lithofacies types, and other reservoir characterization.

  13. Active method of neutron time correlation coincidence measurement to authenticate mass and enrichment of uranium metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Songbai; Wu Jun; Zhu Jianyu; Tian Dongfeng; Xie Dong

    2011-01-01

    The active methodology of time correlation coincidence measurement of neutron is an effective verification means to authenticate uranium metal. A collimated 252 Cf neutron source was used to investigate mass and enrichment of uranium metal through the neutron transport simulation for different enrichments and different masses of uranium metal, then time correlation coincidence counts of them were obtained. By analyzing the characteristic of time correlation coincidence counts, the monotone relationships were founded between FWTH of time correlation coincidence and multiplication factor, between the total coincidence counts in FWTH for time correlation coincidence and mass of 235 U multiplied by multiplication factor, and between the ratio of neutron source penetration and mass of uranium metal. Thus the methodology to authenticate mass and enrichment of uranium metal was established with time correlation coincidence by active neutron investigation. (authors)

  14. Probing correlated quantum many-body systems at the single-particle level

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Endres, Manuel

    2013-02-27

    The detection of correlation and response functions plays a crucial role in the experimental characterization of quantum many-body systems. In this thesis, we present novel techniques for the measurement of such functions at the single-particle level. Specifically, we show the single-atom- and single-site-resolved detection of an ultracold quantum gas in an optical lattice. The quantum gas is described by the Bose-Hubbard model, which features a zero temperature phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott-insulating state, a paradigm example of a quantum phase transition. We used the aforementioned detection techniques to study correlation and response properties across the superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. The single-atom sensitivity of our method is achieved by fluorescence detection of individual atoms with a high signal-to-noise ratio. A high-resolution objective collects the fluorescence light and yields in situ 'snapshots' of the quantum gas that allow for a single-site-resolved reconstruction of the atomic distribution. This allowed us to measure two-site and non-local correlation-functions across the superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. Non-local correlation functions are based on the information of an extended region of the system and play an important role for the characterization of low-dimensional quantum phases. While non-local correlation functions were so far only theoretical tools, our results show that they are actually experimentally accessible. Furthermore, we used a new thermometry scheme, based on the counting of individual thermal excitations, to measure the response of the system to lattice modulation. Using this method, we studied the excitation spectrum of the system across the two-dimensional superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. In particular, we detected a 'Higgs' amplitude mode in the strongly-interacting superfluid close to the transition point where the system is described by an effectively Lorentz

  15. Probing correlated quantum many-body systems at the single-particle level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endres, Manuel

    2013-01-01

    The detection of correlation and response functions plays a crucial role in the experimental characterization of quantum many-body systems. In this thesis, we present novel techniques for the measurement of such functions at the single-particle level. Specifically, we show the single-atom- and single-site-resolved detection of an ultracold quantum gas in an optical lattice. The quantum gas is described by the Bose-Hubbard model, which features a zero temperature phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott-insulating state, a paradigm example of a quantum phase transition. We used the aforementioned detection techniques to study correlation and response properties across the superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. The single-atom sensitivity of our method is achieved by fluorescence detection of individual atoms with a high signal-to-noise ratio. A high-resolution objective collects the fluorescence light and yields in situ 'snapshots' of the quantum gas that allow for a single-site-resolved reconstruction of the atomic distribution. This allowed us to measure two-site and non-local correlation-functions across the superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. Non-local correlation functions are based on the information of an extended region of the system and play an important role for the characterization of low-dimensional quantum phases. While non-local correlation functions were so far only theoretical tools, our results show that they are actually experimentally accessible. Furthermore, we used a new thermometry scheme, based on the counting of individual thermal excitations, to measure the response of the system to lattice modulation. Using this method, we studied the excitation spectrum of the system across the two-dimensional superfluid-Mott-insulator transition. In particular, we detected a 'Higgs' amplitude mode in the strongly-interacting superfluid close to the transition point where the system is described by an effectively Lorentz-invariant low-energy theory

  16. Quantitative Characterization of Major Hepatic UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Enzymes in Human Liver Microsomes: Comparison of Two Proteomic Methods and Correlation with Catalytic Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Achour, Brahim; Dantonio, Alyssa; Niosi, Mark; Novak, Jonathan J; Fallon, John K; Barber, Jill; Smith, Philip C; Rostami-Hodjegan, Amin; Goosen, Theunis C

    2017-10-01

    Quantitative characterization of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes is valuable in glucuronidation reaction phenotyping, predicting metabolic clearance and drug-drug interactions using extrapolation exercises based on pharmacokinetic modeling. Different quantitative proteomic workflows have been employed to quantify UGT enzymes in various systems, with reports indicating large variability in expression, which cannot be explained by interindividual variability alone. To evaluate the effect of methodological differences on end-point UGT abundance quantification, eight UGT enzymes were quantified in 24 matched liver microsomal samples by two laboratories using stable isotope-labeled (SIL) peptides or quantitative concatemer (QconCAT) standard, and measurements were assessed against catalytic activity in seven enzymes ( n = 59). There was little agreement between individual abundance levels reported by the two methods; only UGT1A1 showed strong correlation [Spearman rank order correlation (Rs) = 0.73, P quantitative proteomic data should be validated against catalytic activity whenever possible. In addition, metabolic reaction phenotyping exercises should consider spurious abundance-activity correlations to avoid misleading conclusions. Copyright © 2017 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

  17. Tracking molecular dynamics without tracking: image correlation of photo-activation microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandžić, Elvis; Rossy, Jérémie; Gaus, Katharina

    2015-01-01

    Measuring protein dynamics in the plasma membrane can provide insights into the mechanisms of receptor signaling and other cellular functions. To quantify protein dynamics on the single molecule level over the entire cell surface, sophisticated approaches such as single particle tracking (SPT), photo-activation localization microscopy (PALM) and fluctuation-based analysis have been developed. However, analyzing molecular dynamics of fluorescent particles with intermittent excitation and low signal-to-noise ratio present at high densities has remained a challenge. We overcame this problem by applying spatio-temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) analysis to photo-activated (PA) microscopy time series. In order to determine under which imaging conditions this approach is valid, we simulated PA images of diffusing particles in a homogeneous environment and varied photo-activation, reversible blinking and irreversible photo-bleaching rates. Further, we simulated data with high particle densities that populated mobile objects (such as adhesions and vesicles) that often interfere with STICS and fluctuation-based analysis. We demonstrated in experimental measurements that the diffusion coefficient of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) fused to PAGFP in live COS-7 cells can be determined in the plasma membrane and revealed differences in the time-dependent diffusion maps between wild-type and mutant Lck in activated T cells. In summary, we have developed a new analysis approach for live cell photo-activation microscopy data based on image correlation spectroscopy to quantify the spatio-temporal dynamics of single proteins. (paper)

  18. Tracking molecular dynamics without tracking: image correlation of photo-activation microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandžić, Elvis; Rossy, Jérémie; Gaus, Katharina

    2015-03-01

    Measuring protein dynamics in the plasma membrane can provide insights into the mechanisms of receptor signaling and other cellular functions. To quantify protein dynamics on the single molecule level over the entire cell surface, sophisticated approaches such as single particle tracking (SPT), photo-activation localization microscopy (PALM) and fluctuation-based analysis have been developed. However, analyzing molecular dynamics of fluorescent particles with intermittent excitation and low signal-to-noise ratio present at high densities has remained a challenge. We overcame this problem by applying spatio-temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) analysis to photo-activated (PA) microscopy time series. In order to determine under which imaging conditions this approach is valid, we simulated PA images of diffusing particles in a homogeneous environment and varied photo-activation, reversible blinking and irreversible photo-bleaching rates. Further, we simulated data with high particle densities that populated mobile objects (such as adhesions and vesicles) that often interfere with STICS and fluctuation-based analysis. We demonstrated in experimental measurements that the diffusion coefficient of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) fused to PAGFP in live COS-7 cells can be determined in the plasma membrane and revealed differences in the time-dependent diffusion maps between wild-type and mutant Lck in activated T cells. In summary, we have developed a new analysis approach for live cell photo-activation microscopy data based on image correlation spectroscopy to quantify the spatio-temporal dynamics of single proteins.

  19. Behavioral inhibition and activation systems in traumatic brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Christina G; Rapport, Lisa J; Meachen, Sarah-Jane; Hanks, Robin A; Lumley, Mark A

    2016-11-01

    Personality has been linked to cognitive appraisal and health outcomes; however, research specific to traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been sparse. Gray's theory of behavioral inhibition system and behavioral activation system (BIS/BAS) offers a neurobiologic view of personality that may be especially relevant to neurobehavioral change associated with TBI. The present study examined theoretical and psychometric issues of using the BIS/BAS scale among adults with TBI as well as BIS/BAS personality correlates of TBI. Research Method/Design: Eighty-one adults with complicated-mild to severe TBI and 76 of their significant others (SOs) participated. Measures included the BIS/BAS scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and Awareness Questionnaire. Among adults with TBI, BIS/BAS internal consistency reliabilities were similar to those found in normative samples of adults without TBI. The TBI group endorsed significantly higher BAS than did the SO group, and injury severity was positively correlated to BAS. The SO group showed expected patterns of correlation between personality and affect; positive affect was associated with BAS, and negative affect with BIS. In contrast, in the TBI group, BAS was positively correlated to both positive and negative affect. Impaired awareness of abilities moderated the intensity of relationships between BIS/BAS and affect. TBI was associated with relatively intensified BAS (approach behavior) but not BIS (avoidance behavior). The observed pattern is consistent with the neurobiology of TBI-related personality change and with theory regarding the independence of the BIS and BAS systems. The BIS/BAS scale shows promise as a personality measure in TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Neighbourhood Environment Correlates of Physical Activity: A Study of Eight Czech Regional Towns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dagmar Sigmundová

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available An adequate amount of physical activity (PA is a key factor that is associated with good health. This study assessed socio-environmental factors associated with meeting the health recommendations for PA (achieving 10,000 steps per day. In total, 1,653 respondents randomly selected from across eight regional towns (each >90,000 inhabitants in the Czech Republic participated in the study. The ANEWS questionnaire assessed the environment in neighbourhoods, and participants’ weekly PA was objectively monitored (Yamax Digiwalker SW-700 pedometer. About 24% of participants were sufficiently active, 27% were highly active; 28% participants were overweight and 5% were obese. Although BMI was significantly inversely associated with the daily step counts achieved only in females, for both genders, BMI was generally not significantly associated with the criterion of achieving 10,000 steps per day during the week. Increased BMI in both genders was accompanied with a decline in participation in organized PA and with increasing age. As regards to the demographic/lifestyle factors, for females, more participation in organized PA was significantly positively correlated with the achieved daily step counts. In contrast, older age and higher BMI (for females and smoking (for males were significantly negatively correlated with the achieved daily step counts. In terms of the environmental aspects, pleasant environments were significantly positively correlated to daily step counts for both genders. Additionally, for males, better residencies (more family homes rather than apartment blocks in the neighbourhood were significantly positively correlated with their daily step counts. For females, less accessibility of shops and non-sport facilities (depending on walking distance in minutes were significantly negatively correlated to the achieved daily step counts. Individuals who lived in pleasant neighbourhoods, with better access to shops and who participated in

  1. Heat flux and quantum correlations in dissipative cascaded systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzo, Salvatore; Farace, Alessandro; Ciccarello, Francesco; Palma, G. Massimo; Giovannetti, Vittorio

    2015-02-01

    We study the dynamics of heat flux in the thermalization process of a pair of identical quantum systems that interact dissipatively with a reservoir in a cascaded fashion. Despite that the open dynamics of the bipartite system S is globally Lindbladian, one of the subsystems "sees" the reservoir in a state modified by the interaction with the other subsystem and hence it undergoes a non-Markovian dynamics. As a consequence, the heat flow exhibits a nonexponential time behavior which can greatly deviate from the case where each party is independently coupled to the reservoir. We investigate both thermal and correlated initial states of S and show that the presence of correlations at the beginning can considerably affect the heat-flux rate. We carry out our study in two paradigmatic cases—a pair of harmonic oscillators with a reservoir of bosonic modes and two qubits with a reservoir of fermionic modes—and compare the corresponding behaviors. In the case of qubits and for initial thermal states, we find that the trace distance discord is at any time interpretable as the correlated contribution to the total heat flux.

  2. Perceiving active listening activates the reward system and improves the impression of relevant experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawamichi, Hiroaki; Yoshihara, Kazufumi; Sasaki, Akihiro T; Sugawara, Sho K; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Shinohara, Ryoji; Sugisawa, Yuka; Tokutake, Kentaro; Mochizuki, Yukiko; Anme, Tokie; Sadato, Norihiro

    2015-01-01

    Although active listening is an influential behavior, which can affect the social responses of others, the neural correlates underlying its perception have remained unclear. Sensing active listening in social interactions is accompanied by an improvement in the recollected impressions of relevant experiences and is thought to arouse positive feelings. We therefore hypothesized that the recognition of active listening activates the reward system, and that the emotional appraisal of experiences that had been subject to active listening would be improved. To test these hypotheses, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on participants viewing assessments of their own personal experiences made by evaluators with or without active listening attitude. Subjects rated evaluators who showed active listening more positively. Furthermore, they rated episodes more positively when they were evaluated by individuals showing active listening. Neural activation in the ventral striatum was enhanced by perceiving active listening, suggesting that this was processed as rewarding. It also activated the right anterior insula, representing positive emotional reappraisal processes. Furthermore, the mentalizing network was activated when participants were being evaluated, irrespective of active listening behavior. Therefore, perceiving active listening appeared to result in positive emotional appraisal and to invoke mental state attribution to the active listener.

  3. Spontaneous locomotor activity correlates with the degranulation of mast cells in the meninges rather than in the thalamus: disruptive effect of cocaine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Alice A; Thomas, Mark J; McElhose, Alex; Kovács, Katalin J

    2011-06-13

    Mast cells are located in the central nervous system (CNS) of many mammals and stress induces their degranulation. We postulated that mast cells are associated with wakefulness and stimulatory tone in the CNS, as reflected by spontaneous motor activity. Because stress also precipitates drug-seeking behavior in cocaine addicts, we also postulated that cocaine manifests its effects through this relationship. We investigated the influence of single and repeated injections of cocaine on circulating corticosterone, motor activity and degranulation of mast cells in both the thalamus and meninges of mice. Mice were subjected to 5 consecutive days of cocaine or saline followed by a single injection of cocaine or saline 11 days later. Spontaneous locomotor activity was measure for 1h after the final injection before death. Neither a single injection nor prior treatment with cocaine increased motor activity compared to saline-injected controls, however, repeated administration of cocaine induced a significant sensitization to its behavioral effect when delivered 11 days later. In mice that received only saline, motor activity correlated positively with mast cell degranulation in the meninges but not in the thalamus. Cocaine, regardless of the treatment schedule, disrupted this correlation. The concentration of corticosterone did not differ amongst groups and did not correlate with either behavior or mast cell parameters in any group. The correlation between behavioral activity and the mast cell degranulation in the meninges suggests that these parameters are linked. The disruptive effect of cocaine on this relationship indicates a role downstream from mast cells in the regulation of motor activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Theoretical development and first-principles analysis of strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Chen [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2016-12-17

    A variety of quantum many-body methods have been developed for studying the strongly correlated electron systems. We have also proposed a computationally efficient and accurate approach, named the correlation matrix renormalization (CMR) method, to address the challenges. The initial implementation of the CMR method is designed for molecules which have theoretical advantages, including small size of system, manifest mechanism and strongly correlation effect such as bond breaking process. The theoretic development and benchmark tests of the CMR method are included in this thesis. Meanwhile, ground state total energy is the most important property of electronic calculations. We also investigated an alternative approach to calculate the total energy, and extended this method for magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of ferromagnetic materials. In addition, another theoretical tool, dynamical mean- field theory (DMFT) on top of the DFT , has also been used in electronic structure calculations for an Iridium oxide to study the phase transition, which results from an interplay of the d electrons' internal degrees of freedom.

  5. Monoaminergic tone supports conductance correlations and stabilizes activity features in pattern generating neurons of the lobster, Panulirus interruptus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wulf-Dieter C. Krenz

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Experimental and computational studies demonstrate that different sets of intrinsic and synaptic conductances can give rise to equivalent activity patterns. This is because the balance of conductances, not their absolute values, defines a given activity feature. Activity-dependent feedback mechanisms maintain neuronal conductance correlations and their corresponding activity features. This study demonstrates that tonic nM concentrations of monoamines enable slow, activity-dependent processes that can maintain a correlation between the transient potassium current (IA and the hyperpolarization activated current (Ih over the long-term (i.e., regulatory change persists for hours after removal of modulator. Tonic 5nM DA acted through an RNA interference silencing complex (RISC- and RNA polymerase II-dependent mechanism to maintain a long-term positive correlation between IA and Ih in the lateral pyloric neuron (LP but not in the pyloric dilator neuron (PD. In contrast, tonic 5nM 5HT maintained a RISC-dependent positive correlation between IA and Ih in PD but not LP over the long-term. Tonic 5nM OCT maintained a long-term negative correlation between IA and Ih in PD but not LP; however, it was only revealed when RISC was inhibited. This study also demonstrated that monoaminergic tone can also preserve activity features over the long-term: The timing of LP activity, LP duty cycle and LP spike number per burst were maintained by tonic 5nM DA. The data suggest that low-level monoaminergic tone acts through multiple slow processes to permit cell-specific, activity-dependent regulation of ionic conductances to maintain conductance correlations and their corresponding activity features over the long-term.

  6. Decreased salivary sulphotransferase activity correlated with inflammation and autoimmunity parameters in Sjogren's syndrome patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Castro, Isabel; Aguilera, Sergio; Brockhausen, Inka

    2012-01-01

    To determine the expression and enzymatic activities of sulphotransferases involved in mucin hyposulphation in labial salivary glands (LSGs) from SS patients and to correlate sulphotransferase activity with clinical parameters such as secretion, inflammation and serology....

  7. Correlation of antioxidant activity of dried berry infusions with the polyphenols and selected microelements contents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Bratu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Antioxidant activity was measured by ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP assay in seven types of infusions prepared from commercial dried berry fruit products: Rosa canina, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Hiphophae rhamnoides, Hibiscus sabdariffa and three fruit mixtures. Total polyphenols (TP, total anthocyanins and the polyphenolic compounds were determined by HPLC equipped with diode array detector. To estimate the amount of elements released from fruits into the water extracts, levels of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in dried samples and in infusions were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The correlation between polyphenols content and the antioxidant activities and the microelements in the infusions and the antioxidant activities were estimated using the Pearson’s correlation test. The results showed a high, positive and significant correlation (r = 0.9465 between the FRAP values and TP content, meaning that the concentration of phenolic compounds may be a good indicator of the reducing capacity in the infusions. Correlations varied (positive, negative and weak between antioxidant and mineral extractability of berry infusions. Among the polyphenolic compounds, gallic acid contributed particularly to the antioxidant capacity of the studied samples (r = 0.563. The correlation of antioxidants, total polyphenols with mineral extractability showed the influence of antioxidant compound on mineral bioavailability.

  8. Correlated alpha activity with the facial expression processing network in a simultaneous EEG-fMRI experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoes, Marco; Direito, Bruno; Lima, Joao; Castelhano, Joao; Ferreira, Carlos; Couceiro, Ricardo; Carvalho, Paulo; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

    2017-07-01

    The relationship between EEG and fMRI data is poorly covered in the literature. Extensive work has been conducted in resting-state and epileptic activity, highlighting a negative correlation between the alpha power band of the EEG and the BOLD activity in the default-mode-network. The identification of an appropriate task-specific relationship between fMRI and EEG data for predefined regions-of-interest, would allow the transfer of interventional paradigms (such as BOLD-based neurofeedback sessions) from fMRI to EEG, enhancing its application range by lowering its costs and improving its flexibility. In this study, we present an analysis of the correlation between task-specific alpha band fluctuations and BOLD activity in the facial expressions processing network. We characterized the network ROIs through a stringent localizer and identified two clusters on the scalp (one frontal, one parietal-occipital) with marked alpha fluctuations, related to the task. We then check whether such power variations throughout the time correlate with the BOLD activity in the network. Our results show statistically significant negative correlations between the alpha power in both clusters and for all the ROIs of the network. The correlation levels have still not met the requirements for transferring the protocol to an EEG setup, but they pave the way towards a better understand on how frontal and parietal-occipital alpha relates to the activity of the facial expressions processing network.

  9. Physical Activity and Psychological Correlates during an After-School Running Club

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahan, David; McKenzie, Thomas L.

    2018-01-01

    Background: After-school programs (ASPs) have the potential to contribute to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but there is limited empirical evidence to guide their development and implementation. Purpose: This study assessed the replication of an elementary school running program and identified psychological correlates of children's…

  10. Fundamental Data Standards for Science Data System Interoperability and Data Correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, J. Steven; Gopala Krishna, Barla; Rye, Elizabeth; Crichton, Daniel

    The advent of the Web and languages such as XML have brought an explosion of online science data repositories and the promises of correlated data and interoperable systems. However there have been relatively few successes in meeting the expectations of science users in the internet age. For example a Google-like search for images of Mars will return many highly-derived and appropriately tagged images but largely ignore the majority of images in most online image repositories. Once retrieved, users are further frustrated by poor data descriptions, arcane formats, and badly organized ancillary information. A wealth of research indicates that shared information models are needed to enable system interoperability and data correlation. However, at a more fundamental level, data correlation and system interoperability are dependant on a relatively few shared data standards. A com-mon data dictionary standard, for example, allows the controlled vocabulary used in a science repository to be shared with potential collaborators. Common data registry and product iden-tification standards enable systems to efficiently find, locate, and retrieve data products and their metadata from remote repositories. Information content standards define categories of descriptive data that help make the data products scientifically useful to users who were not part of the original team that produced the data. The Planetary Data System (PDS) has a plan to move the PDS to a fully online, federated system. This plan addresses new demands on the system including increasing data volume, numbers of missions, and complexity of missions. A key component of this plan is the upgrade of the PDS Data Standards. The adoption of the core PDS data standards by the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) adds the element of international cooperation to the plan. This presentation will provide an overview of the fundamental data standards being adopted by the PDS that transcend science domains and that

  11. Research and Design on Trigger System Based on Acoustic Delay Correlation Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiyong Lei

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the exterior trajectory test, there usually needs a muzzle or a gun muzzle trigger system to be used as start signal for other measuring device, the customary trigger systems include off- target, infrared and acoustic detection system. But inherent echo reflection of the acoustic detection system makes the original signal of sound trigger submerged in various echo interference for bursts and shooting in a closed room, so that it can’t produce accurate trigger. In order to solve this defect, this paper analyzed the mathematical model based on acoustic delay correlation filtering in detail, then put forward the constraint condition with minimum path for delay correlation filtering. In this constraint condition, delay correlation filtering can do de-noising operation accurately. In order to verify accuracy and actual performance of the model, a MEMS sound sensor was used to implement mathematical model onto project, experimental results show that this system can filter out the every path sound bounce echoes of muzzle shock wave signal and produce the desired trigger signal accurately.

  12. 2012 CORRELATED ELECTRON SYSTEMS GRC AND GRS, JUNE 23-29, 2012

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kivelson, Steven

    2012-06-29

    The 2012 Gordon Conference on Correlated Electron Systems will present cutting-edge research on emergent properties arising from strong electronic correlations. While we expect the discussion at the meeting to be wide-ranging, given the breadth of the title subject matter, we have chosen several topics to be the particular focus of the talks. These are New Developments in Single and Bilayer Graphene, Topological States of Matter, including Topological Insulators and Spin Liquids, the Interplay Between Magnetism and Unconventional Superconductivity, and Quantum Critical Phenomena in Metallic Systems. We also plan to have shorter sessions on Systems Far From Equilibrium, Low Dimensional Electron Fluids, and New Directions (which will primarily focus on new experimental methodologies and their interpretation).

  13. Performance of active feedforward control systems in non-ideal, synthesized diffuse sound fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misol, Malte; Bloch, Christian; Monner, Hans Peter; Sinapius, Michael

    2014-04-01

    The acoustic performance of passive or active panel structures is usually tested in sound transmission loss facilities. A reverberant sending room, equipped with one or a number of independent sound sources, is used to generate a diffuse sound field excitation which acts as a disturbance source on the structure under investigation. The spatial correlation and coherence of such a synthesized non-ideal diffuse-sound-field excitation, however, might deviate significantly from the ideal case. This has consequences for the operation of an active feedforward control system which heavily relies on the acquisition of coherent disturbance source information. This work, therefore, evaluates the spatial correlation and coherence of ideal and non-ideal diffuse sound fields and considers the implications on the performance of a feedforward control system. The system under consideration is an aircraft-typical double panel system, equipped with an active sidewall panel (lining), which is realized in a transmission loss facility. Experimental results for different numbers of sound sources in the reverberation room are compared to simulation results of a comparable generic double panel system excited by an ideal diffuse sound field. It is shown that the number of statistically independent noise sources acting on the primary structure of the double panel system depends not only on the type of diffuse sound field but also on the sample lengths of the processed signals. The experimental results show that the number of reference sensors required for a defined control performance exhibits an inverse relationship to control filter length.

  14. Statistical fluctuations and correlations in hadronic equilibrium systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauer, Michael

    2010-01-01

    This thesis is dedicated to the study of fluctuation and correlation observables of hadronic equilibrium systems. The statistical hadronization model of high energy physics, in its ideal, i.e. non-interacting, gas approximation is investigated in different ensemble formulations. The hypothesis of thermal and chemical equilibrium in high energy interaction is tested against qualitative and quantitative predictions. (orig.)

  15. Statistical fluctuations and correlations in hadronic equilibrium systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauer, Michael

    2010-06-17

    This thesis is dedicated to the study of fluctuation and correlation observables of hadronic equilibrium systems. The statistical hadronization model of high energy physics, in its ideal, i.e. non-interacting, gas approximation is investigated in different ensemble formulations. The hypothesis of thermal and chemical equilibrium in high energy interaction is tested against qualitative and quantitative predictions. (orig.)

  16. Correlations between physical activity and neurocognitive domain functions in patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurebayashi, Yusuke; Otaki, Junichi

    2017-01-05

    Neurocognitive dysfunction is a critical target symptom of schizophrenia treatment. A positive correlation between physical activity level and neurocognitive function has been reported in healthy individuals, but it is unclear whether such a correlation exists in patients with schizophrenia and whether the relationship is different according to inpatients or outpatients. This study aimed to examine the differences in the correlations between physical activity and multiple neurocognitive domains in inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia and obtain suggestions for further study to facilitate this field. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia were examined (16 inpatients and 13 outpatients, 56.0 ± 11.4 years of age). Current symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale and neurocognitive functions using Cognitrax, which yields a composite neurocognitive index (NCI) and 11 domain scores. After testing, participants wore an HJA-750C accelerometer for one week to measure physical activity levels and durations. Partial correlation analyses were performed between exercise and cognitive parameters. In the outpatient group, higher physical activity was associated with faster Motor and Psychomotor Speeds in outpatients. However, higher physical activity was associated with lower overall NCI, Attention score, and Memory scores in inpatients. Although higher physical activity was associated with better neurocognitive functions of outpatients, in inpatients with non-remitted schizophrenia, higher physical activity was associated with worsening of several cognitive domains. In a future study examining the relationship between physical activity and neurocognitive function for facilitating this research field, separation between inpatients and outpatients are needed because the relationship is different between inpatients and outpatients.

  17. Role of nonlocal exchange correlation in activated adsorption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hammer, Bjørk; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel; Nørskov, Jens Kehlet

    1993-01-01

    The barrier for dissociative adsorption of H-2 on Al(110) has been calculated within the generalized gradient approximation. A pronounced increase of the barrier height is found compared with what is calculated in the local density approximation (LDA). The apparent LDA underestimation...... of the barrier height is shown to be intimately linked with the LDA underbinding of core electrons and we suggest it to be a general phenomenon not limited to the particular nonlocal exchange-correlation approximation used or the particular system studied....

  18. Perceived correlates of domain-specific physical activity in rural adults in the Midwest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrisman, Matthew; Nothwehr, Faryle; Yang, Jingzen; Oleson, Jacob

    2014-01-01

    In response to calls for more specificity when measuring physical activity, this study examined perceived correlates of this behavior in rural adults separately by the domain in which this behavior occurs (ie, home care, work, active living, and sport). A cross-sectional survey was completed by 407 adults from 2 rural towns in the Midwest. The questionnaire assessed the perceived social and physical environment, including neighborhood characteristics, as well as barriers to being active. The Kaiser Physical Activity Survey captured domain-specific activity levels. The response rate was 25%. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between social and physical environment factors and domain-specific physical activity. Having a favorable attitude toward using government funds for exercise and activity-friendly neighborhood characteristic were positively associated with active living. Friends encouraging exercise was positively associated with participation in sport. Barriers were inversely associated with active living and sport. Total physical activity was positively associated with workplace incentives for exercise, favorable policy attitudes toward supporting physical education in schools and supporting the use of government funds for biking trails, and it was inversely associated with barriers. There were no factors associated with physical activity in the domains of work or home care. Correlates of physical activity are unique to the domain in which this behavior occurs. Programs to increase physical activity in rural adults should target policy attitudes, neighborhood characteristics, and social support from friends while also working to decrease personal barriers to exercise. © 2014 National Rural Health Association.

  19. Tissue factor activated thromboelastography correlates to clinical signs of bleeding in dogs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiinberg, Bo; Jensen, Asger Lundorff; Rozanski, Elizabeth

    2009-01-01

    The ability of a laboratory assay to correlate to clinical phenotype is crucial for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of haemostasis and is therefore challenging with currently used routine haemostasis assays. Thromboelastography (TEG) is increasingly used to evaluate haemostasis in humans...... and may well be of value in the workup of dogs suspected of having a haemostatic disorder. This study was undertaken to evaluate prospectively how tissue factor (TF) activated TEG correlated to clinical signs of bleeding in dogs, compared to a routine coagulation profile. A prospective case-control study...... was performed over a 2 year period from 2004-2006. Eligible dogs were those where the primary clinician requested a coagulation profile to evaluate haemostasis. The dogs were simultaneously evaluated with a TF-activated TEG assay. Twenty-seven dogs, characterised as hypo-coagulable based on the TEG parameter G...

  20. Program system for processing of spectra obtained on the multidetector correlation device (MUK)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venos, D.; Adam, J.; Hnatowicz, V.; Honusek, M.

    1988-01-01

    A program system used by evaluation of multidimensional coincidence spectra is described. The spectra recorded on magnetic tapes are obtained by means of multidetector correlation device (MUK). The angular correlation coefficients A 22 and A 44 for the given cascades of gamma transitions are the final result of the calculations. The system operates in DOS/ES system of the EC-1040 computer with the 1024 Kbyte memeory. All the codes are written in fortran language

  1. Activity System Theory Approach to Healthcare Information System

    OpenAIRE

    Bai, Guohua

    2004-01-01

    Healthcare information system is a very complex system and has to be approached from systematic perspectives. This paper presents an Activity System Theory (ATS) approach by integrating system thinking and social psychology. First part of the paper, the activity system theory is presented, especially a recursive model of human activity system is introduced. A project ‘Integrated Mobile Information System for Diabetic Healthcare (IMIS)’ is then used to demonstrate a practical application of th...

  2. Quantum correlations of coupled superconducting two-qubit system in various cavity environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Yanxia; Fu, Guolan; Guo, L.P.; Pan, Hui; Wang, Z.S.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •We investigate dynamic evolutions of quantum and classical correlations for coupled superconducting system with various cavity environments. •We show that the quantum discord continues to reflect quantum information. •A transition of quantum discord is founded between classical loss and quantum increasing of correlations for a purely dephasing mode. •We show that the environment-dependent models can delay the loss of quantum discord. •We find that the results depend strongly on the initial angle. -- Abstract: Dynamic evolutions of quantum discord, concurrence, and classical correlation are investigated in coupled superconducting system with various cavity environments, focusing on the two-qubit system at an initially entangling X-state and Y-state. We find that for a smaller photon number, the quantum discord, concurrence and classical correlation show damped oscillations for all different decay modes. Differently from the sudden death or the dark and bright periods emerging in evolving processing of the concurrence and classical correlation, however, the quantum discord decreases gradually to zero. The results reveal that the quantum entanglement and classical correlation are lost, but the quantum discord continues to reflect quantum information in the same evolving period. For a larger photon number, the oscillations disappear. It is surprised that there exists a transition of quantum discord between classical loss and quantum increasing of correlations for a purely dephasing mode. For a larger photon number in the Y-state, the transition disappears. Moreover, we show that the environment-dependent models can delay the loss of quantum discord. The results depend strongly on the initial angle, which provide a clue to control the quantum gate of superconducting circuit

  3. The Relationship of Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems (BAS/BIS, Difficulty of Emotional Regulation, Metacognition with Worry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Soltan Mohammadlou

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Worry is a popular phenomenon and a common feature of many disorders, especially anxiety disorders. The objective of the study was to predict worry by using three predictive factors related to biological, emotional and cognition areas. In this study, behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation system, difficulties in emotion regulation and metacognition were examined as predictive variables. In a correlation cross-sectional design, 234 Medical Group students [BA and MA] of Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated in this study by using cluster sampling. The students completed these scales: Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Systems (BAS/BIS, Difficulty of Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS, Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30 and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ. Behavioral inhibition system, difficulty of emotion rgulation and metacognition variables were significantly positively correlated with worry (P<0/0 1(. Behavioral activation system variable was not significantly associated with worry. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated a predictive model for worry in which behavioral inhibition system, difficulty of emotional regulation and metacognition were its components respectively. Behavioral activation system was not included in the model. The findings of this study that worry should be studied in different biological, emotional, and metacognitive aspects. The results also emphasize the role of behavioral inhibition system as a temperamental and biological factor in psychopathology of worry in adult population.

  4. Superconductivity, Antiferromagnetism, and Kinetic Correlation in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takashi Yanagisawa

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the ground state of two-dimensional Hubbard model on the basis of the variational Monte Carlo method. We use wave functions that include kinetic correlation and doublon-holon correlation beyond the Gutzwiller ansatz. It is still not clear whether the Hubbard model accounts for high-temperature superconductivity. The antiferromagnetic correlation plays a key role in the study of pairing mechanism because the superconductive phase exists usually close to the antiferromagnetic phase. We investigate the stability of the antiferromagnetic state when holes are doped as a function of the Coulomb repulsion U. We show that the antiferromagnetic correlation is suppressed as U is increased exceeding the bandwidth. High-temperature superconductivity is possible in this region with enhanced antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation and pairing interaction.

  5. Helichrysum gymnocephalum essential oil: chemical composition and cytotoxic, antimalarial and antioxidant activities, attribution of the activity origin by correlations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afoulous, Samia; Ferhout, Hicham; Raoelison, Emmanuel Guy; Valentin, Alexis; Moukarzel, Béatrice; Couderc, François; Bouajila, Jalloul

    2011-09-29

    Helichrysum gymnocephalum essential oil (EO) was prepared by hydrodistillation of its leaves and characterized by GC-MS and quantified by GC-FID. Twenty three compounds were identified. 1,8-Cineole (47.4%), bicyclosesquiphellandrene (5.6%), γ-curcumene (5.6%), α-amorphene (5.1%) and bicyclogermacrene (5%) were the main components. Our results confirmed the important chemical variability of H. gymnocephalum. The essential oil was tested in vitro for cytotoxic (on human breast cancer cells MCF-7), antimalarial (Plasmodium falciparum: FcB1-Columbia strain, chloroquine-resistant) and antioxidant (ABTS and DPPH assays) activities. H. gymnocephalum EO was found to be active against MCF-7 cells, with an IC(50) of 16 ± 2 mg/L. The essential oil was active against P. falciparum (IC(50) = 25 ± 1 mg/L). However, the essential oil exhibited a poor antioxidant activity in the DPPH (IC(50) value > 1,000 mg/L) and ABTS (IC(50) value = 1,487.67 ± 47.70 mg/L) assays. We have reviewed the existing results on the anticancer activity of essential oils on MCF-7 cell line and on their antiplasmodial activity against the P. falciparum. The aim was to establish correlations between the identified compounds and their biological activities (antiplasmodial and anticancer). β-Selinene (R² = 0.76), α-terpinolene (R² = 0.88) and aromadendrene (R² = 0.90) presented a higher relationship with the anti-cancer activity. However, only calamenene (R² = 0.70) showed a significant correlation for the antiplasmodial activity.

  6. Correlation functions of Sp(2n) invariant higher-spin systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skvortsov, Evgeny [Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich,Theresienstr. 37, D-80333 Munich (Germany); ebedev Institute of Physics,Leninsky ave 53, 119991, Moscow (Russian Federation); Sorokin, Dmitri [INFN - Sezione di Padova,via F. Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova (Italy); Tsulaia, Mirian [School of Physics M013, The University of Western Australia,35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA 6009 (Australia)

    2016-07-26

    We study the general structure of correlation functions in an Sp(2n)-invariant formulation of systems of an infinite number of higher-spin fields. For n=4,8 and 16 these systems comprise the conformal higher-spin fields in space-time dimensions D=4,6 and 10, respectively, while when n=2, one deals with conventional D=3 conformal field theories of scalars and spinors. We show that for n>2 the Sp(2n) symmetry and current conservation makes the 3-point correlators of two (rank-one or rank-two) conserved currents with a scalar operator be that of free theory. This situation is analogous to the one in conventional conformal field theories, where conservation of higher-spin currents implies that the theories are free.

  7. The correlates of leisure time physical activity among an adults population from southern Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Ju; Huang, Ying-Hsiang; Lu, Feng-Hwa; Wu, Jin-Shang; Lin, Linda L; Chang, Chih-Jen; Yang, Yi-Ching

    2011-06-03

    Assessing the correlates of practicing physical activity during leisure time is important with regard to planning and designing public health strategies to increase beneficial behaviors among adult populations. Although the importance of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is highlighted in many Western countries, there are not many publications on physical activity patterns, and even less on their correlates, in non-Western societies. The goal of this study was thus to explore the determinants influencing adults' leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in a city in southern Taiwan. A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in 2007, using a standardized questionnaire. Energy expenditure was dichotomized into two groups based on the recommended levels of moderate physical activity from LTPA: ≥10 or benefits of exercise (OR = 1.85;95%CI = 1.25-2.74), more sports media consumption (OR = 1.94;95%CI = 1.26-2.98), and higher self-efficacy (OR = 3.99;95%CI = 2.67-5.97) were more likely to engage in LTPA. Further analysis comparing different sources of social support showed only social support from friends had a significant positive association (OR = 1.73;95%CI = 1.14-2.63) with increased LTPA. LTPA in southern city of Taiwan showed some unique associations with age, socioeconomic status and media consumption that are not commonly reported in the Western World and similar associations with regards to psychosocial correlates of LTPA participation. Further studies from developing countries are warranted to highlight culture-specific differences in physical activity participation.

  8. System reliability with correlated components: Accuracy of the Equivalent Planes method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roscoe, K.; Diermanse, F.; Vrouwenvelder, A.C.W.M.

    2015-01-01

    Computing system reliability when system components are correlated presents a challenge because it usually requires solving multi-fold integrals numerically, which is generally infeasible due to the computational cost. In Dutch flood defense reliability modeling, an efficient method for computing

  9. System reliability with correlated components : Accuracy of the Equivalent Planes method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roscoe, K.; Diermanse, F.; Vrouwenvelder, T.

    2015-01-01

    Computing system reliability when system components are correlated presents a challenge because it usually requires solving multi-fold integrals numerically, which is generally infeasible due to the computational cost. In Dutch flood defense reliability modeling, an efficient method for computing

  10. A DAQ-Device-Based Continuous Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy System for Measuring Human Functional Brain Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gang Xu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the last two decades, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS is getting more and more popular as a neuroimaging technique. The fNIRS instrument can be used to measure local hemodynamic response, which indirectly reflects the functional neural activities in human brain. In this study, an easily implemented way to establish DAQ-device-based fNIRS system was proposed. Basic instrumentation components (light sources driving, signal conditioning, sensors, and optical fiber of the fNIRS system were described. The digital in-phase and quadrature demodulation method was applied in LabVIEW software to distinguish light sources from different emitters. The effectiveness of the custom-made system was verified by simultaneous measurement with a commercial instrument ETG-4000 during Valsalva maneuver experiment. The light intensity data acquired from two systems were highly correlated for lower wavelength (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.92, P < 0.01 and higher wavelength (r = 0.84, P < 0.01. Further, another mental arithmetic experiment was implemented to detect neural activation in the prefrontal cortex. For 9 participants, significant cerebral activation was detected in 6 subjects (P < 0.05 for oxyhemoglobin and in 8 subjects (P < 0.01 for deoxyhemoglobin.

  11. NMR spectroscopy, Hammett correlations and biological activity of some Schiff bases derived from piperonal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Echevarria, Aurea; Giesbrecht, Astrea

    1999-01-01

    A series of eleven Schiff Bases have been synthesized. They were obtained by condensation of piperonal (3,4-methylenedioxybenzaldehyde) with the corresponding aromatic primary amines. Their 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectra have been obtained and the Hammett correlations including chemical shifts and the substituent constants (σ p , σR e σI) were studied. Linear and bilinear significant correlations were observed for iminic carbon (C-α) and C-1 ' , showing a more significant resonance effect on chemical shifts. The chemical shifts for C-4 ' were highly affected by substituent effects, especially for halogens in the expected direction. Their biological activity against microorganisms has also been measured and significant activity was showed against Epidermophyton floccosum. The biological activity did not give a reasonable relationship with electronic effects. (author)

  12. A distributed timing system for sychronizing control and data correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stettler, M.; Thout, M.; Dalesio, L.R.; Cole, R.; Fite, C.; Slentz, G.; Warren, D.

    1992-01-01

    Synchronization is necessary in experimental physics machines to provide positive control over related events. The Ground Test Accelerator (GTA) timing system provides this function through a distributed control system, known as the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). The EPICS timing system was designed to take advantage of a distributed architecture, and provides time stamping for synchronous data correlation as well as event control. The system has been successfully demonstrated on over a dozen controller nodes for operation and data analysis. The design of the hardware, software, and operational results are discussed

  13. Correlations between social-emotional feelings and anterior insula activity are independent from visceral states but influenced by culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Helen eImmordino-Yang

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The anterior insula (AI maps visceral states and is active during emotional experiences, a functional confluence that is central to neurobiological accounts of feelings. Yet, it is unclear how AI activity correlates with feelings during social emotions, and whether this correlation may be influenced by culture, as studies correlating real-time AI activity with visceral states and feelings have focused on Western subjects feeling physical pain or basic disgust. Given psychological evidence that social-emotional feelings are cognitively constructed within cultural frames, we asked Chinese and American participants to report their feeling strength to admiration and compassion-inducing narratives during fMRI with simultaneous electrocardiogram recording. Trial-by-trial, cardiac arousal and feeling strength correlated with ventral and dorsal AI activity bilaterally but predicted different variance, suggesting that interoception and social-emotional feeling construction are concurrent but dissociable AI functions. Further, although the variance that correlated with cardiac arousal did not show cultural effects, the variance that correlated with feelings did. Feeling strength was especially associated with ventral AI activity (the autonomic modulatory sector in the Chinese group but with dorsal AI activity (the visceral-somatosensory/cognitive sector in an American group not of Asian descent. This cultural group difference held after controlling for posterior insula activity and was replicated. A bi-cultural East-Asian American group showed intermediate results. The findings help elucidate how the AI supports feelings and suggest that previous reports that dorsal AI activation reflects feeling strength are culture related. More broadly, the results suggest that the brain’s ability to construct conscious experiences of social emotion is less closely tied to visceral processes than neurobiological models predict and at least partly open to cultural

  14. Correlation Decay in Fermionic Lattice Systems with Power-Law Interactions at Nonzero Temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Santana, Senaida; Gogolin, Christian; Cirac, J. Ignacio; Acín, Antonio

    2017-09-01

    We study correlations in fermionic lattice systems with long-range interactions in thermal equilibrium. We prove a bound on the correlation decay between anticommuting operators and generalize a long-range Lieb-Robinson-type bound. Our results show that in these systems of spatial dimension D with, not necessarily translation invariant, two-site interactions decaying algebraically with the distance with an exponent α ≥2 D , correlations between such operators decay at least algebraically to 0 with an exponent arbitrarily close to α at any nonzero temperature. Our bound is asymptotically tight, which we demonstrate by a high temperature expansion and by numerically analyzing density-density correlations in the one-dimensional quadratic (free, exactly solvable) Kitaev chain with long-range pairing.

  15. Research of diagnosis sensors fault based on correlation analysis of the bridge structural health monitoring system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shunren; Chen, Weimin; Liu, Lin; Gao, Xiaoxia

    2010-03-01

    Bridge structural health monitoring system is a typical multi-sensor measurement system due to the multi-parameters of bridge structure collected from the monitoring sites on the river-spanning bridges. Bridge structure monitored by multi-sensors is an entity, when subjected to external action; there will be different performances to different bridge structure parameters. Therefore, the data acquired by each sensor should exist countless correlation relation. However, complexity of the correlation relation is decided by complexity of bridge structure. Traditionally correlation analysis among monitoring sites is mainly considered from physical locations. unfortunately, this method is so simple that it cannot describe the correlation in detail. The paper analyzes the correlation among the bridge monitoring sites according to the bridge structural data, defines the correlation of bridge monitoring sites and describes its several forms, then integrating the correlative theory of data mining and signal system to establish the correlation model to describe the correlation among the bridge monitoring sites quantificationally. Finally, The Chongqing Mashangxi Yangtze river bridge health measurement system is regards as research object to diagnosis sensors fault, and simulation results verify the effectiveness of the designed method and theoretical discussions.

  16. Physical activity during work, transport and leisure in Germany--prevalence and socio-demographic correlates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallmann-Sperlich, Birgit; Froboese, Ingo

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed 1) to provide data estimates concerning overall moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) as well as MVPA during work, transport and leisure in Germany and 2) to investigate MVPA and possible associations with socio-demographic correlates. A cross-sectional telephone survey interviewed 2248 representative participants in the age of 18-65 years (1077 men; 42.4 ± 13.4 years; body mass index: 25.3 ± 4.5 kg • m(-2)) regarding their self-reported physical activity across Germany. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was applied to investigate MVPA during work, transport and leisure and questions were answered concerning their demographics. MVPA was stratified by gender, age, body mass index, residential setting, educational and income level. To identify socio-demographic correlates of overall MVPA as well as in the domains, we used a series of linear regressions. 52.8% of the sample achieved physical activity recommendations (53.7% men/52.1% women). Overall MVPA was highest in the age group 18-29 years (p importance of a comprehensive view on physical activity engagement according to the different physical activity domains and discloses a need for future physical activity interventions that consider socio-demographic variables, residential setting as well as the physical activity domain in Germany.

  17. Vicarious motor activation during action perception: beyond correlational evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessio eAvenanti

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Neurophysiological and imaging studies have shown that seeing the actions of other individuals brings about the vicarious activation of motor regions involved in performing the same actions. While this suggests a simulative mechanism mediating the perception of others’ actions, one cannot use such evidence to make inferences about the functional significance of vicarious activations. Indeed, a central aim in social neuroscience is to comprehend how vicarious activations allow the understanding of other people’s behavior, and this requires to use stimulation or lesion methods to establish causal links from brain activity to cognitive functions. In the present work we review studies investigating the effects of transient manipulations of brain activity or stable lesions in the motor system on individuals’ ability to perceive and understand the actions of others. We conclude there is now compelling evidence that neural activity in the motor system is critical for such cognitive ability. More research using causal methods, however, is needed in order to disclose the limits and the conditions under which vicarious activations are required to perceive and understand actions of others as well as their emotions and somatic feelings.

  18. [Correlation and conversion of plasma cholinesterase activity values using three techniques].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmona-Fonseca, Jaime

    2007-07-01

    To determine mathematical correlations of three quantitative techniques to measure plasma cholinesterase, using reference values already established for two populations in the department of Antioquia, Colombia. In this descriptive, cross-sectional, prospective study, two independent, representative samples of working adults (18 to 65 years old) were examined. In both samples the adults worked for businesses associated with Colombia's Social Security system. Adults in the two samples had not been exposed to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides. The samples were from two neighboring regions of the department of Antioquia: one sample (415 adults) was from the Aburrá Valley, and the other (412 adults) was from Oriente Antioqueño (Eastern Antioquia). Plasma cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) was measured using three quantitative methods: Michel, EQM, and Monotest. Linear regression equations were developed to correlate results of these three techniques. Six simple linear regression equations were defined to show the relationship of three measurement techniques for plasma cholinesterase. There was a moderate correlation of the three techniques (r = 0.686 to 0.771), but it increased (r = 0.744 to 0.811) when 12 (1.5%) outliers were eliminated. Associations among the three techniques were highly significant (P EQM (U/mL) = 0.40773 + 1.8757 (Michel [delta pH/h]); Michel (delta pH/h) = 0.25799 + 0.33871 (EQM [U/mL]); Monotest (U/L) = 462.0 + 4 565.0 (Michel [delta pH/h]); Michel (delta pH/h) = 0.42956 + 0.00012125 (Monotest [U/L]); EQM (U/mL) = 0.75333 + 0.00031056 (Monotest [U/L]); and Monotest (U/L) = 262.0 + 2 118.0 (EQM [U/mL]). The proposed mathematical models allow conversion of cholinesterase activity values using the Michel, EQM, and Monotest techniques. These models can be of assistance in Colombia and other countries where a variety of measurement techniques are used, and where it becomes difficult to compare the results of different studies. Having mathematical models

  19. The Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: correlation and evolution of tectonic units

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schmid, S.M.; Bernoulli, D.; Fügenschuh, B.; Matenco, L.C.; Schefer, S.; Schuster, R.; Tischler, M.; Ustaszewski, K.

    2008-01-01

    A correlation of tectonic units of the Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic system of orogens, including the substrate of the Pannonian and Transylvanian basins, is presented in the form of a map. Combined with a series of crustal-scale cross sections this correlation of tectonic units yields a clearer

  20. Radionuclide activity and the immune system functioning in residents of radiation contaminated areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. L. Sokolenko

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research is to assess the relation of radioactive contamination degree to immune system functioning, in the absence or presence of additional potential immunosuppressants. To achieve the objective, during the period of 1995–2015 we examined 250 people, students of Cherkasy State University, who lived in the areas of enhanced radiation monitoring before. Also we evaluated the additional impact of the emotional stress caused by examinations on examined students. Indicators of cellular immunity were determined by immunophenotyping and dyeing using Romanowsky-Giemsa method. The level of immunoglobulins in blood serum was determined by radial immunodiffusion (Mancini method. The level of cortisol in blood serum was determined by immunoenzyme method. We have found that in absence of the emotional stress among residents of the areas contaminated with radionuclides, cortisol level remained at the upper limit of homeostatic norm. There is an average positive correlation between the activity of radionuclides in the territories of residence and the level of cortisol. There are marked average positive correlations between the activity of radionuclides and the level of neutrophils, and low positive correlations with the levels of IgG and IgM in blood serum. Average negative correlations between the activity of radionuclides and the following parameters are also observed: absolute and relative number of functionally mature T-lymphocytes with phenotype CD3+, absolute and relative number of their helper subpopulation CD4+, absolute and relative number of natural killer cells with phenotype CD16+; and strong negative correlations with immunoregulatory index CD4+/CD8+. Cortisol level shows the similar correlation with the same parameters, but correlation coefficient is lower. Under conditions of additional stress, caused by emotional load during the examinations, cortisol level significantly increases. This enhanced previously discovered

  1. Community Detection for Correlation Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mel MacMahon

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A challenging problem in the study of complex systems is that of resolving, without prior information, the emergent, mesoscopic organization determined by groups of units whose dynamical activity is more strongly correlated internally than with the rest of the system. The existing techniques to filter correlations are not explicitly oriented towards identifying such modules and can suffer from an unavoidable information loss. A promising alternative is that of employing community detection techniques developed in network theory. Unfortunately, this approach has focused predominantly on replacing network data with correlation matrices, a procedure that we show to be intrinsically biased because of its inconsistency with the null hypotheses underlying the existing algorithms. Here, we introduce, via a consistent redefinition of null models based on random matrix theory, the appropriate correlation-based counterparts of the most popular community detection techniques. Our methods can filter out both unit-specific noise and system-wide dependencies, and the resulting communities are internally correlated and mutually anticorrelated. We also implement multiresolution and multifrequency approaches revealing hierarchically nested subcommunities with “hard” cores and “soft” peripheries. We apply our techniques to several financial time series and identify mesoscopic groups of stocks which are irreducible to a standard, sectorial taxonomy; detect “soft stocks” that alternate between communities; and discuss implications for portfolio optimization and risk management.

  2. Community Detection for Correlation Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacMahon, Mel; Garlaschelli, Diego

    2015-04-01

    A challenging problem in the study of complex systems is that of resolving, without prior information, the emergent, mesoscopic organization determined by groups of units whose dynamical activity is more strongly correlated internally than with the rest of the system. The existing techniques to filter correlations are not explicitly oriented towards identifying such modules and can suffer from an unavoidable information loss. A promising alternative is that of employing community detection techniques developed in network theory. Unfortunately, this approach has focused predominantly on replacing network data with correlation matrices, a procedure that we show to be intrinsically biased because of its inconsistency with the null hypotheses underlying the existing algorithms. Here, we introduce, via a consistent redefinition of null models based on random matrix theory, the appropriate correlation-based counterparts of the most popular community detection techniques. Our methods can filter out both unit-specific noise and system-wide dependencies, and the resulting communities are internally correlated and mutually anticorrelated. We also implement multiresolution and multifrequency approaches revealing hierarchically nested subcommunities with "hard" cores and "soft" peripheries. We apply our techniques to several financial time series and identify mesoscopic groups of stocks which are irreducible to a standard, sectorial taxonomy; detect "soft stocks" that alternate between communities; and discuss implications for portfolio optimization and risk management.

  3. Memory Effects and Nonequilibrium Correlations in the Dynamics of Open Quantum Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozov, V. G.

    2018-01-01

    We propose a systematic approach to the dynamics of open quantum systems in the framework of Zubarev's nonequilibrium statistical operator method. The approach is based on the relation between ensemble means of the Hubbard operators and the matrix elements of the reduced statistical operator of an open quantum system. This key relation allows deriving master equations for open systems following a scheme conceptually identical to the scheme used to derive kinetic equations for distribution functions. The advantage of the proposed formalism is that some relevant dynamical correlations between an open system and its environment can be taken into account. To illustrate the method, we derive a non-Markovian master equation containing the contribution of nonequilibrium correlations associated with energy conservation.

  4. Accurate correlation energies in one-dimensional systems from small system-adapted basis functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Thomas E.; Burke, Kieron; White, Steven R.

    2018-02-01

    We propose a general method for constructing system-dependent basis functions for correlated quantum calculations. Our construction combines features from several traditional approaches: plane waves, localized basis functions, and wavelets. In a one-dimensional mimic of Coulomb systems, it requires only 2-3 basis functions per electron to achieve high accuracy, and reproduces the natural orbitals. We illustrate its effectiveness for molecular energy curves and chains of many one-dimensional atoms. We discuss the promise and challenges for realistic quantum chemical calculations.

  5. Prevalence and correlates of insufficient physical activity in school adolescents in Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Bimala; Chavez, Rosemary Cosme; Nam, Eun Woo

    2018-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence and correlates of insufficient physical activity in adolescents in Peru. METHODS We used a self-administered questionnaire developed from Global school-based Student Health Survey to collect information from secondary school students in North Lima and Callao in 2015. We carried out Poisson regression with robust variance using generalized linear models to estimate the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of insufficient physical activity for its correlates. RESULTS We have found that 78% of the adolescents did not meet the global recommendation of the World Health Organization on physical activity in the last week before the survey. Female respondents (APR = 1.13, 95%CI 1.04-1.21), respondents who perceived themselves as overweight (APR = 1.10, 95%CI 1.03-1.18), and respondents who consumed insufficient vegetables and fruits [no vegetables (APR = 1.30, 95%CI 1.06-1.59), no fruits (APR = 1.15, 95%CI 1.00-1.31) as compared to those who consumed ≥ 2 servings every day in the last seven days] were more likely to report insufficient physical activity. Adolescents who worked after school (APR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.84-0.99), had physical education classes five times per week (APR = 0.94, 95%CI 0.88-0.99), and had parental supervision (APR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.87-0.98) were less likely to report insufficient physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Sex, work after school, perceived body weight, physical education class, parental support, and healthy dietary behaviors were associated with insufficient physical activity. Attempts to improve physical activity should look for ways to enhance leisure-time physical activity, parental support, physical education classes, healthy dietary behaviors, and normal body weight maintenance in adolescents with integrated efforts from the family and school.

  6. Manually controlled neutron-activation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johns, R.A.; Carothers, G.A.

    1982-01-01

    A manually controlled neutron activation system, the Manual Reactor Activation System, was designed and built and has been operating at one of the Savannah River Plant's production reactors. With this system, samples can be irradiated for up to 24 hours and pneumatically transferred to a shielded repository for decay until their activity is low enough for them to be handled at a radiobench. The Manual Reactor Activation System was built to provide neutron activation of solid waste forms for the Alternative Waste Forms Leach Testing Program. Neutron activation of the bulk sample prior to leaching permits sensitive multielement radiometric analyses of the leachates

  7. Helichrysum gymnocephalum Essential Oil: Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic, Antimalarial and Antioxidant Activities, Attribution of the Activity Origin by Correlations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    François Couderc

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Helichrysum gymnocephalum essential oil (EO was prepared by hydrodistillation of its leaves and characterized by GC-MS and quantified by GC-FID. Twenty three compounds were identified. 1,8-Cineole (47.4%, bicyclosesquiphellandrene (5.6%, γ-curcumene (5.6%, α-amorphene (5.1% and bicyclogermacrene (5% were the main components. Our results confirmed the important chemical variability of H. gymnocephalum. The essential oil was tested in vitro for cytotoxic (on human breast cancer cells MCF-7, antimalarial (Plasmodium falciparum: FcB1-Columbia strain, chloroquine-resistant and antioxidant (ABTS and DPPH assays activities. H. gymnocephalum EO was found to be active against MCF-7 cells, with an IC50 of 16 ± 2 mg/L. The essential oil was active against P. falciparum (IC50 = 25 ± 1 mg/L. However, the essential oil exhibited a poor antioxidant activity in the DPPH (IC50 value > 1,000 mg/L and ABTS (IC50 value = 1,487.67 ± 47.70 mg/L assays. We have reviewed the existing results on the anticancer activity of essential oils on MCF-7 cell line and on their antiplasmodial activity against the P. falciparum. The aim was to establish correlations between the identified compounds and their biological activities (antiplasmodial and anticancer. β-Selinene (R² = 0.76, α-terpinolene (R² = 0.88 and aromadendrene (R² = 0.90 presented a higher relationship with the anti-cancer activity. However, only calamenene (R² = 0.70 showed a significant correlation for the antiplasmodial activity.

  8. Geometrical optics in correlated imaging systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Dezhong; Xiong Jun; Wang Kaige

    2005-01-01

    We discuss the geometrical optics of correlated imaging for two kinds of spatial correlations corresponding, respectively, to a classical thermal light source and a quantum two-photon entangled source. Due to the different features in the second-order spatial correlation, the two sources obey different imaging equations. The quantum entangled source behaves as a mirror, whereas the classical thermal source looks like a phase-conjugate mirror in the correlated imaging

  9. Soluble TAM receptor tyrosine kinases in rheumatoid arthritis: correlation with disease activity and bone destruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, L; Hu, F; Zhu, H; Liu, X; Shi, L; Li, Y; Zhong, H; Su, Y

    2018-04-01

    The TAM receptor tyrosine kinases (TAM RTK) are a subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases, the role of which in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus has been well explored, while their functions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of soluble TAM receptor tyrosine kinases (sAxl/sMer/sTyro3) in patients with RA. A total of 306 RA patients, 100 osteoarthritis (OA) patients and 120 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled into this study. The serum concentrations of sAxl/sMer/sTyro3 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), then the associations between sAxl/sMer/sTyro3 levels and clinical features of RA patients were analysed. We also investigated whether sTyro3 could promote osteoclast differentiation in vitro in RA patients. The results showed that compared with healthy controls (HCs), sTyro3 levels in the serum of RA patients were elevated remarkably and sMer levels were decreased significantly, whereas there was no difference between HCs and RA patients on sAxl levels. The sTyro3 levels were correlated weakly but positively with white blood cells (WBC), immunoglobulin (Ig)M, rheumatoid factor (RF), swollen joint counts, tender joint counts, total sharp scores and joint erosion scores. Conversely, there were no significant correlations between sMer levels and the above indices. Moreover, RA patients with high disease activity also showed higher sTyro3 levels. In-vitro osteoclast differentiation assay showed further that tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) + osteoclasts were increased significantly in the presence of sTyro3. Collectively, our study indicated that serum sTyro3 levels were elevated in RA patients and correlated positively with disease activity and bone destruction, which may serve as an important participant in RA pathogenesis. © 2017 British Society for Immunology.

  10. Enhancement and sign change of magnetic correlations in a driven quantum many-body system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Görg, Frederik; Messer, Michael; Sandholzer, Kilian; Jotzu, Gregor; Desbuquois, Rémi; Esslinger, Tilman

    2018-01-01

    Periodic driving can be used to control the properties of a many-body state coherently and to realize phases that are not accessible in static systems. For example, exposing materials to intense laser pulses makes it possible to induce metal-insulator transitions, to control magnetic order and to generate transient superconducting behaviour well above the static transition temperature. However, pinning down the mechanisms underlying these phenomena is often difficult because the response of a material to irradiation is governed by complex, many-body dynamics. For static systems, extensive calculations have been performed to explain phenomena such as high-temperature superconductivity. Theoretical analyses of driven many-body Hamiltonians are more challenging, but approaches have now been developed, motivated by recent observations. Here we report an experimental quantum simulation in a periodically modulated hexagonal lattice and show that antiferromagnetic correlations in a fermionic many-body system can be reduced, enhanced or even switched to ferromagnetic correlations (sign reversal). We demonstrate that the description of the many-body system using an effective Floquet-Hamiltonian with a renormalized tunnelling energy remains valid in the high-frequency regime by comparing the results to measurements in an equivalent static lattice. For near-resonant driving, the enhancement and sign reversal of correlations is explained by a microscopic model of the system in which the particle tunnelling and magnetic exchange energies can be controlled independently. In combination with the observed sufficiently long lifetimes of the correlations in this system, periodic driving thus provides an alternative way of investigating unconventional pairing in strongly correlated systems experimentally.

  11. Built environmental correlates of physical activity in China: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, Kristen

    2016-06-01

    China faces growing levels of physical inactivity and obesity, associated with increasing urbanization and changing lifestyles in recent years. China is expanding its cities to accommodate a growing urban population. This paper identifies built environment factors that are associated with physical activity in China. Findings can inform urban design and development in China to support increased physical activity. This paper is modeled on a review of built environment correlates of walking by Saelens and Handy (2008). Saelens and Handy reviewed research in developed countries. The present paper reviews 42 empirical studies that were conducted in China and were published between 2006 and 2014. Results discuss the association of built environment features and physical activity for transportation, recreation and work. Studies focus on adults and on major cities. Data on the built environment is typically self-reported. Strongest evidence was found for the positive association of physical activity with proximal non-residential locations, pedestrian infrastructure, aesthetics, and non-park physical activity facilities, and for the negative association of physical activity with urban residence. In terms of physical activity for transportation, evidence is strongest for associations between physical activity for transportation and proximal non-residential locations. More research is needed on the built environment and physical activity, especially including research on significant features of Chinese cities, such as air pollution, high density levels, traffic safety, and others. Research on associations between built environment features and physical activity should consider the specific social and built environment contexts of Chinese cities.

  12. Model of the Correlation between Lidar Systems and Wind Turbines for Lidar-Assisted Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schlipf, David; Cheng, Po Wen; Mann, Jakob

    2013-01-01

    - or spinner-based lidar system. If on the one hand, the assumed correlation is overestimated, then the uncorrelated frequencies of the preview will cause unnecessary control action, inducing undesired loads. On the other hand, the benefits of the lidar-assisted controller will not be fully exhausted......, if correlated frequencies are filtered out. To avoid these miscalculations, this work presents a method to model the correlation between lidar systems and wind turbines using Kaimal wind spectra. The derived model accounts for different measurement configurations and spatial averaging of the lidar system......Investigations of lidar-assisted control to optimize the energy yield and to reduce loads of wind turbines have increased significantly in recent years. For this kind of control, it is crucial to know the correlation between the rotor effective wind speed and the wind preview provided by a nacelle...

  13. A distributed timing system for synchronizing control and data correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stettler, M.; Thuot, M.; Dalesio, L.R.; Cole, R.; Fite, C.; Slentz, G.; Warren, D.

    1992-01-01

    Synchronization is necessary in experimental physics machines to provide positive control over related events. The Ground Test Accelerator (GTA) timing system provides this function through a distributed control system, known as the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). The EPICS timing system was designed to take advantage of a distributed architecture, and provides time stamping for synchronous data correlation as well as event control. The system has been successfully demonstrated on over a dozen controller nodes for operation and data analysis. The design of the hardware, software, and operational results are discussed. (author). 2 refs., 4 figs

  14. Long-Term Correlates of Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Norwegian Men and Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solbraa, Ane Kristiansen; Ekelund, Ulf; Holme, Ingar M; Graff-Iversen, Sidsel; Steene-Johannessen, Jostein; Aadland, Eivind; Anderssen, Sigmund Alfred

    2015-11-01

    Sex, age, body mass index (BMI), perceived health and health behavior are correlates known to affect physical activity and sedentary time. However, studies have often been cross-sectional, and less is known about long-term correlates. Thus, the aims were to investigate 1) the associations between a set of characteristics (demographic, biological, psychological, and behavioral) and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time at 13-year follow-up, and 2) the association between changes in these characteristics over time and physical activity and sedentary time. Baseline characteristics were collected in 40-year-olds in 1996, and follow-up data on objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time were obtained in 2009 (n = 240). Data were analyzed by multiple linear regressions. Self-reported physical activity (P physical activity (MVPA) whereas BMI (P = .034) and increased BMI (P = .014) were negatively associated with MVPA at follow-up. Women spent less time being sedentary than men (P = .019). Education (P < .001) was positively associated and improved perceived health (P = .010) was negatively associated with sedentary time at follow-up. MVPA and sedentary time at follow-up were associated with behavioral, biological and demographic correlates. However, the nature of our analyses prevents us from inferring causality.

  15. Nonequilibrium mode-coupling theory for dense active systems of self-propelled particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nandi, Saroj Kumar; Gov, Nir S

    2017-10-25

    The physics of active systems of self-propelled particles, in the regime of a dense liquid state, is an open puzzle of great current interest, both for statistical physics and because such systems appear in many biological contexts. We develop a nonequilibrium mode-coupling theory (MCT) for such systems, where activity is included as a colored noise with the particles having a self-propulsion force f 0 and a persistence time τ p . Using the extended MCT and a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem, we calculate the effective temperature T eff of the active fluid. The nonequilibrium nature of the systems is manifested through a time-dependent T eff that approaches a constant in the long-time limit, which depends on the activity parameters f 0 and τ p . We find, phenomenologically, that this long-time limit is captured by the potential energy of a single, trapped active particle (STAP). Through a scaling analysis close to the MCT glass transition point, we show that τ α , the α-relaxation time, behaves as τ α ∼ f 0 -2γ , where γ = 1.74 is the MCT exponent for the passive system. τ α may increase or decrease as a function of τ p depending on the type of active force correlations, but the behavior is always governed by the same value of the exponent γ. Comparison with the numerical solution of the nonequilibrium MCT and simulation results give excellent agreement with scaling analysis.

  16. Statistical Correlation of Low-Altitude ENA Emissions with Geomagnetic Activity from IMAGE MENA Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackler, D. A.; Jahn, J.- M.; Perez, J. D.; Pollock, C. J.; Valek, P. W.

    2016-01-01

    Plasma sheet particles transported Earthward during times of active magnetospheric convection can interact with exospheric/thermospheric neutrals through charge exchange. The resulting Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs) are free to leave the influence of the magnetosphere and can be remotely detected. ENAs associated with low-altitude (300-800 km) ion precipitation in the high-latitude atmosphere/ionosphere are termed low-altitude emissions (LAEs). Remotely observed LAEs are highly nonisotropic in velocity space such that the pitch angle distribution at the time of charge exchange is near 90deg. The Geomagnetic Emission Cone of LAEs can be mapped spatially, showing where proton energy is deposited during times of varying geomagnetic activity. In this study we present a statistical look at the correlation between LAE flux (intensity and location) and geomagnetic activity. The LAE data are from the MENA imager on the IMAGE satellite over the declining phase of solar cycle 23 (2000-2005). The SYM-H, AE, and Kp indices are used to describe geomagnetic activity. The goal of the study is to evaluate properties of LAEs in ENA images and determine if those images can be used to infer properties of ion precipitation. Results indicate a general positive correlation to LAE flux for all three indices, with the SYM-H showing the greatest sensitivity. The magnetic local time distribution of LAEs is centered about midnight and spreads with increasing activity. The invariant latitude for all indices has a slightly negative correlation. The combined results indicate LAE behavior similar to that of ion precipitation.

  17. Statistical correlation of low-altitude ENA emissions with geomagnetic activity from IMAGE/MENA observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackler, D. A.; Jahn, J.-M.; Perez, J. D.; Pollock, C. J.; Valek, P. W.

    2016-03-01

    Plasma sheet particles transported Earthward during times of active magnetospheric convection can interact with exospheric/thermospheric neutrals through charge exchange. The resulting Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs) are free to leave the influence of the magnetosphere and can be remotely detected. ENAs associated with low-altitude (300-800 km) ion precipitation in the high-latitude atmosphere/ionosphere are termed low-altitude emissions (LAEs). Remotely observed LAEs are highly nonisotropic in velocity space such that the pitch angle distribution at the time of charge exchange is near 90°. The Geomagnetic Emission Cone of LAEs can be mapped spatially, showing where proton energy is deposited during times of varying geomagnetic activity. In this study we present a statistical look at the correlation between LAE flux (intensity and location) and geomagnetic activity. The LAE data are from the MENA imager on the IMAGE satellite over the declining phase of solar cycle 23 (2000-2005). The SYM-H, AE, and Kp indices are used to describe geomagnetic activity. The goal of the study is to evaluate properties of LAEs in ENA images and determine if those images can be used to infer properties of ion precipitation. Results indicate a general positive correlation to LAE flux for all three indices, with the SYM-H showing the greatest sensitivity. The magnetic local time distribution of LAEs is centered about midnight and spreads with increasing activity. The invariant latitude for all indices has a slightly negative correlation. The combined results indicate LAE behavior similar to that of ion precipitation.

  18. Induction of system A amino acid transport activity through long-term treatment with ouabain: possible correlation with enhanced (Na+/K+)ATPase activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schenerman, M.A.; Leister, K.J.; Wang, S.Y.; Racker, E.

    1987-01-01

    Mouse embryo fibroblast cells (C3H-10T1/2) and the methylcholanthrene-transformed derivative (MCA-10T1/2) were treated with basal modified Eagles medium at varying ouabain concentrations ranging from 0.05 mM to 0.5 mM for 16 h in culture. After replacing the ouabain-containing medium with BME, System A ( 3 H-AlB uptake) and the (Na + /K + )ATPase pump activity (ouabain-sensitive 86 Rb + uptake) was increased 10-fold and 3-fold, respectively (at 0.4 mM ouabain) in confluent C3H-10T1/2 cells. System A and the (Na + /K + )ATPase activity was increased 15-fold and 5-fold, respectively in confluent MCA-10T1/2 cells but the increase was maximal at 0.2 mM ouabain. This treatment with ouabain increased the [Na + ]/sub i//[K + ]/sub i/ as measured by atomic absorption, and thereby decreased the Na + and K + electrochemical gradients. Their data show that the transformed cells were more sensitive to the internal ion inversion by ouabain than the C3H-10T1/2 cells. It appears, from data on hypertonicity and lipophilic cations that neither the chemical Na + gradient nor the negative membrane potential are the primary driving forces of System A transport

  19. [Retrospective analysis of correlative factors between digestive system injury and anticoagulant or antiplatelet-agents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Ning; Luo, Hesheng

    2014-05-27

    To explore the correlative factors and clinical characteristics of digestive system injury during the treatment of anticoagulant and (or) antiplatelet-agents. A total of 1 443 hospitalized patients on anticoagulant and (or) antiplatelet-agents from January 2010 to December 2013 at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were analyzed retrospectively. Their length of hospital stay was from 5 to 27 days. Most of them were elderly males (n = 880, 61.0%) with an average age of (62 ± 6) years. 1 138 patients (78.9%) were farmers, workers or someone without a specific occupation. During the treatment of anticoagulant/antiplatelet-agents, statistical difference existed (P = 0.01) between positively and negatively previous digestive disease groups for actively newly occurring digestive system injury (16.0% (41/256) vs 15.9% (189/1 187)). After the dosing of anticoagulant and (or) antiplatelet-agents, 57 (66.3%, 57/86) patients were complicated by hemorrhage of digestive tract, taking 62.9% (61/97) of all positive result patients for Helicobacter pylori test. Comparing preventive PPI group with no PPI group, there was no marked statistical differences (P = 2.67) for digestive system complication (including hemorrhage of digestive tract) while receiving anticoagulant and (or) antiplatelet-agents (13.9% (74/533) vs 17.1% (156/910)). During anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet-agent therapy, 185 patients (12.8%) were complicated by peptic ulcer or peptic ulcer with bleeding, 40 patients (2.8%) had erosive gastritis and 5 (0.3%) developed acute gastric mucosal lesions. And 42 of 76 patients complicated by hemorrhage of digestive tract underwent endoscopic hemostasis while 2 patients were operated. Ninety-seven patients (6.7%) died, including 61 (62.9%, 61/97) from hemorrhage of digestive tract. The remainder became cured, improved and discharged. Moreover, no significant statistical differences existed (P = 2.29) among three combination group (aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin), two

  20. Prevalence of Coxitis and its Correlation with Inflammatory Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajraktari, Ismet H; Krasniqi, Blerim; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Bexheti, Sadi; Bahtiri, Elton; Bajraktari, Halit; Luri, Besim

    2018-02-15

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease characterised by intra-articular and extra-articular manifestations but very rarely with coxitis. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of coxitis, clinical changes, and its correlation with the parameters of inflammatory activity. A cohort of 951 patients diagnosed with ACR/EULAR (American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism) 2010 criteria was enrolled in this prospective, observational and analytic research study. The CBC (Complete Blood Count), ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate), CRP(C - reactive protein), Anti CCP (Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides), X-ray examination of palms and pelvis, and the activity of the disease as measured by DAS - 28 (28 - joint disease activity score) were carried out in all subjects. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the group's characteristics, whereas Pearson correlation test was used to analyse the correlation between study variables. Of the total number of the subjects, 730 (76.8 %) were females, whereas 221 (23.2%) were males. The average age was 51.3, y/o while the most of them were between 40 - 49 y/o (32.6%). The prevalence of coxitis was 14.2%, mostly found in males (19.46%). The echosonografic prevalence of changes was 21.45%, while the radiological changes were 16.3%; in both cases, the changes were more expressed in males. The analysis showed that inflammatory parameters were significantly higher in patients with coxitis. Coxitis has high economic cost because it ends up with a mandatory need for a total hip joint prosthesis. Thus the results of this study can serve to plan and initiate early preventive measures.

  1. A Correlated Model for Evaluating Performance and Energy of Cloud System Given System Reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongli Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The serious issue of energy consumption for high performance computing systems has attracted much attention. Performance and energy-saving have become important measures of a computing system. In the cloud computing environment, the systems usually allocate various resources (such as CPU, Memory, Storage, etc. on multiple virtual machines (VMs for executing tasks. Therefore, the problem of resource allocation for running VMs should have significant influence on both system performance and energy consumption. For different processor utilizations assigned to the VM, there exists the tradeoff between energy consumption and task completion time when a given task is executed by the VMs. Moreover, the hardware failure, software failure and restoration characteristics also have obvious influences on overall performance and energy. In this paper, a correlated model is built to analyze both performance and energy in the VM execution environment given the reliability restriction, and an optimization model is presented to derive the most effective solution of processor utilization for the VM. Then, the tradeoff between energy-saving and task completion time is studied and balanced when the VMs execute given tasks. Numerical examples are illustrated to build the performance-energy correlated model and evaluate the expected values of task completion time and consumed energy.

  2. Correlates of Physical Activity in Asian Adolescents: A Literature Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Husna Hidayati

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Physical activity is important to prevent several chronic diseases in adulthood. Nowadays, young people do not regularly perform physical activity. Several factors may influence their decision. Most of studies were conducted in western countries. However the findings might not be generalized regarding the differences in culture and social condition. Therefore, reviewing the correlates of physical activity among adolescents in Asian countries is essential. Purpose: To update the state of knowledge on factors associated with adolescents’ physical activity in Asian countries. Methods: Literature review on existing articles retrieved from electronic databases was conducted. The review on factors of physical activity was set based on the setting of study, adolescents as participants of the study and the year of publication ranged from 2002-2011. Result: The findings compiled the evidence of relationships between physical activity and several influencing factors. Intrapersonal factors age, gender, socioeconomic status, parental education, and perceptions related to physical activity- perceived self efficacy, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers, interpersonal factors (family and peer influences and extra-personal factors (school policy and living arrangement were identified. Self efficacy was manifested as the strongest influencing factor in most studies. This review highlighted the cultural issues on physical activities of adolescents in Asian countries. Conclusion: This paper provided comprehensive knowledge related to factors influencing physical activity in Asian adolescents. The issue of cultural sensitivity should be considered in the future intervention program designed to improve physical activity of adolescents. Keyword: adolescent, physical activity, health Promotion, Asian countries

  3. Loss of consciousness is related to hyper-correlated gamma-band activity in anesthetized macaques and sleeping humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bola, Michał; Barrett, Adam B; Pigorini, Andrea; Nobili, Lino; Seth, Anil K; Marchewka, Artur

    2018-02-15

    Loss of consciousness can result from a wide range of causes, including natural sleep and pharmacologically induced anesthesia. Important insights might thus come from identifying neuronal mechanisms of loss and re-emergence of consciousness independent of a specific manipulation. Therefore, to seek neuronal signatures of loss of consciousness common to sleep and anesthesia we analyzed spontaneous electrophysiological activity recorded in two experiments. First, electrocorticography (ECoG) acquired from 4 macaque monkeys anesthetized with different anesthetic agents (ketamine, medetomidine, propofol) and, second, stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) from 10 epilepsy patients in different wake-sleep stages (wakefulness, NREM, REM). Specifically, we investigated co-activation patterns among brain areas, defined as correlations between local amplitudes of gamma-band activity. We found that resting wakefulness was associated with intermediate levels of gamma-band coupling, indicating neither complete dependence, nor full independence among brain regions. In contrast, loss of consciousness during NREM sleep and propofol anesthesia was associated with excessively correlated brain activity, as indicated by a robust increase of number and strength of positive correlations. However, such excessively correlated brain signals were not observed during REM sleep, and were present only to a limited extent during ketamine anesthesia. This might be related to the fact that, despite suppression of behavioral responsiveness, REM sleep and ketamine anesthesia often involve presence of dream-like conscious experiences. We conclude that hyper-correlated gamma-band activity might be a signature of loss of consciousness common across various manipulations and independent of behavioral responsiveness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Advanced driver assistance system: Road sign identification using VIAPIX system and a correlation technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouerhani, Y.; Alfalou, A.; Desthieux, M.; Brosseau, C.

    2017-02-01

    We present a three-step approach based on the commercial VIAPIX® module for road traffic sign recognition and identification. Firstly, detection in a scene of all objects having characteristics of traffic signs is performed. This is followed by a first-level recognition based on correlation which consists in making a comparison between each detected object with a set of reference images of a database. Finally, a second level of identification allows us to confirm or correct the previous identification. In this study, we perform a correlation-based analysis by combining and adapting the Vander Lugt correlator with the nonlinear joint transformation correlator (JTC). Of particular significance, this approach permits to make a reliable decision on road traffic sign identification. We further discuss a robust scheme allowing us to track a detected road traffic sign in a video sequence for the purpose of increasing the decision performance of our system. This approach can have broad practical applications in the maintenance and rehabilitation of transportation infrastructure, or for drive assistance.

  5. Correlation of expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and -2 in human gingival cells of periodontitis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyung-A; Chung, Soo-Bong; Hawng, Eun-Young; Noh, Seung-Hyun; Song, Kwon-Ho; Kim, Hanna-Hyun; Kim, Cheorl-Ho; Park, Young-Guk

    2013-02-01

    Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are capable of degrading extracellular matrix, and they are inducible enzymes depending on an inflammatory environment such as periodontitis and bacterial infection in periodontal tissue. Gingival inflammation has been postulated to be correlated with the production of MMP-2 and MMP-9. The objective of this study was to quantify the expression and activity of MMP-9 and -2, and to determine the correlation between activity and expression of these MMPs in human gingival tissues with periodontitis. The gingival tissues of 13 patients were homogenized in 500 µL of phosphate buffered saline with a protease inhibitor cocktail. The expression and activity of MMP-2 and -9 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis, and quantified by a densitometer. For the correlation line, statistical analysis was performed using the Systat software package. MMP-9 was highly expressed in all gingival tissue samples, whereas MMP-2 was underexpressed compared with MMP-9. MMP-9 activity increased together with the MMP-9 expression level, with a positive correlation (r=0.793, P=0.01). The correlation was not observed in MMP-2. The expression of MMP-2 and -9 might contribute to periodontal physiological and pathological processes, and the degree of MMP-9 expression and activity are predictive indicators relevant to the progression of periodontitis.

  6. Correlations Between Physical Activity, Smoking Habit And Attitude In Elderly With Incidence of Osteoporosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiki Familia Dimyati

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Osteoporosis was one of degenerative disease that is common in the elderly. There was a several of risk factors of osteoporosis. Two of them were physical activity and smoking habits. Attitude was one part of a person’s behavior that may affect the prevention of disease. This study aimed to analyze the affect of physical activity, smoking habits, and attitude of the elderly to incidence of osteoporosis. This study is an observational study with case control design. The number of samples in this study was 66 elderly who visited Osteoporosis Clinic Husada Utama Hospital in Surabaya. Respondent selection taken with systematic random sampling. The independent variables of this study were physical activity, smoking habit, and attitude, while the dependent variable was incidence of osteoporosis. Based on correlation analysis with logistic regression test showed there was a significant correlation (p<0,05 between physical activity, smoking habits, and attitude. Odds Ratio (OR in this study for physical activity was 14,764 ,smoking habit was 9,646 and attitude was 5,623. The conclusion of this study, there was physical activity as a dominant affect after controlled smoking habits and attitude to incidence of osteoporosis. The suggestion is to do physical activity three times a week, consume healthy food and beverage, take an enough sleep,reduce stress factors and stop smoking also.   Keywords: Physical activity, smoking habits, elderly

  7. Studies of the Correlation Between Ionospheric Anomalies and Seismic Activities in the Indian Subcontinent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasmal, S.; Chakrabarti, S. K.; Chakrabarti, S.

    2010-01-01

    The VLF (Very Low Frequency) signals are long thought to give away important information about the Lithosphere-Ionosphere coupling. It is recently established that the ionosphere may be perturbed due to seismic activities. The effects of this perturbation can be detected through the VLF wave amplitude. There are several methods to find this correlations and these methods can be used for the prediction of these seismic events. In this paper, first we present a brief history of the use of VLF propagation method for the study of seismo-ionospheric correlations. Then we present different methods proposed by us to find out the seismo-ionospheric correlations. At the Indian Centre for Space Physics, Kolkata we have been monitoring the VTX station at Vijayanarayanam from 2002. In the initial stage, we received 17 kHz signal and latter we received 18.2 kHz signal. In this paper, first we present the results for the 17 kHz signal during Sumatra earthquake in 2004 obtained from the terminator time analysis method. Then we present much detailed and statistical analysis using some new methods and present the results for 18.2 kHz signal. In order to establish the correlation between the ionospheric activities and the earthquakes, we need to understand what are the reference signals throughout the year. We present the result of the sunrise and sunset terminators for the 18.2 kHz signal as a function of the day of the year for a period of four years, viz, 2005 to 2008 when the solar activity was very low. In this case, the signal would primarily be affected by the Sun due to normal sunrise and sunset effects. Any deviation from this standardized calibration curve would point to influences by terrestrial (such as earthquakes) and extra-terrestrial (such as solar activities and other high energy phenomena). We present examples of deviations which occur in a period of sixteen months and show that the correlations with seismic events is significant and typically the highest deviation

  8. Boson spectra and correlations for thermal locally equilibrium systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinyukov, Y.M.

    1999-01-01

    The single- and multi-particle inclusive spectra for strongly inhomogeneous thermal boson systems are studied using the method of statistical operator. The thermal Wick's theorem is generalized and the analytical solution of the problem for a boost-invariant expanding boson gas is found. The results demonstrate the effects of inhomogeneity for such a system: the spectra and correlations for particles with wavelengths larger than the system's homogeneity lengths change essentially as compared with the results based on the local Bose-Einstein thermal distributions. The effects noticeably grow for overpopulated media, where the chemical potential associated with violation of chemical equilibrium is large enough. (author)

  9. Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in school children aged 8-10 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seabra, Ana C; Seabra, André F; Mendonça, Denisa M; Brustad, Robert; Maia, José A; Fonseca, António M; Malina, Robert M

    2013-10-01

    Understanding correlates of physical activity (PA) among children in different populations may contribute to fostering active lifestyles. This study considered gender differences in relationships between biologic (body mass index, BMI), demographic (socioeconomic sport status, SES) and psychosocial correlates of PA and level of PA in Portuguese primary school children. 683 children, aged 8-10 years, from 20 different elementary schools in northern Portugal were surveyed. Weight status was classified using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria for the BMI. Family SES was estimated from school records. PA level and psychosocial correlates (attraction to PA, perceived physical competence and parental socialization) were obtained with interview and standardized questionnaires, respectively. Sex-specific hierarchical multiple regression analyses (SPSS 18.0) were conducted and included two blocks of predictor variables (biologic and demographic, and psychosocial). Level of PA was significantly higher in boys than girls. Enjoyment of participation in vigorous PA was positively associated with level of PA. Perceived acceptance by peers in games and sports and parental encouragement were positively and significantly related to PA in girls. Perceived physical competence was positively and significantly related to PA in boys. Weight status and SES were not associated with PA. Boys and girls differed in perceived attractiveness of PA and perceived physical competence, both of which influenced level of PA. Differences in perceptions may be important aspects of motivation for PA in school children.

  10. Positive correlation between disease activity index and matrix metalloproteinases activity in a rat model of colitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Luiz Gustavo de; Cunha, André Luiz da; Duarte, Amaury Caiafa; Castañon, Maria Christina Marques Nogueira; Chebli, Júlio Maria Fonseca; Aguiar, Jair Adriano Kopke de

    2014-01-01

    Inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, comprising a broad spectrum of diseases those have in common chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, histological alterations and an increased activity levels of certain enzymes, such as, metalloproteinases. Evaluate a possible correlation of disease activity index with the severity of colonic mucosal damage and increased activity of metalloproteinases in a model of ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium. Colitis was induced by oral administration of 5% dextran sulfate sodium for seven days in this group (n=10), whereas control group (n=16) received water. Effects were analyzed daily by disease activity index. In the seventh day, animals were euthanized and hematological measurements, histological changes (hematoxylin and eosin and Alcian Blue staining), myeloperoxidase and metalloproteinase activities (MMP-2 and MMP-9) were determined. Dextran sulfate sodium group showed elevated disease activity index and reduced hematological parameters. Induction of colitis caused tissue injury with loss of mucin and increased myeloperoxidase (Pcorrelation with the degree of histopathological changes after induction of colitis, and this result may be related mainly to the increased activity of MMP-9 and mieloperoxidase.

  11. A CATASTROPHIC-CUM-RESTORATIVE QUEUING SYSTEM WITH CORRELATED BATCH ARRIVALS AND VARIABLE CAPACITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rakesh Kumar

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we study a catastrophic-cum-restorative queuing system with correlated batch arrivals and service in batches of variable sizes. We perform the transient analysis of the queuing model. We obtain the Laplace Transform of the probability generating function of system size. Finally, some particular cases of the model have been derived and discussed. Keywords: Queue length, Catastrophes, Correlated batch arrivals, Broadband services, Variable service capacity, and Restoration.

  12. A Tephra Database With an Intelligent Correlation System, Mono-Inyo Volcanic Chain, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bursik, M.; Rogova, G.

    2004-12-01

    We are assembling a web-accessible, relational database of information on past eruptions of the Mono-Inyo volcanic chain, eastern California. The PostgreSQL database structure follows the North American Data Model and CordLink. The database allows us to extract the features diagnostic of particular pyroclastic layers, as well as lava domes and flows. The features include depth in the section, layer thickness and internal stratigraphy, mineral assemblage, major and trace element composition, tephra componentry and granulometry, and radiocarbon age. Our working hypotheses are that 1) the database will prove useful for unraveling the complex recent volcanic history of the Mono-Inyo chain 2) aided by the use of an intelligent correlation system integrated into the database system. The Mono-Inyo chain consists of domes, craters and flows that stretch for 50 km north-south, subparallel to the Sierran range front fault system. Almost all eruptions within the chain probably occurred less than 50,000 years ago. Because of the variety of magma and eruption types, and the migration of source regions in time and space, it is nontrivial to discern patterns of behaviour. We have explored the use of multiple artificial neural networks combined within the framework of the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence to construct a hybrid information processing system as an aid in the correlation of Mono-Inyo pyroclastic layers. It is hoped that such a system could provide information useful to discerning eruptive patterns that would otherwise be difficult to sort and categorize. In a test case on tephra layers at known sites, the intelligent correlation system was able to categorize observations correctly 96% of the time. In a test case with layers at one unknown site, and using a pairwise comparison of the unknown site with the known sites, a one-to-one correlation between the unknown site and the known sites was found to sometimes be poor. Such a result could be used to aid a

  13. Muscular and systemic correlates of resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Cameron J; Churchward-Venne, Tyler A; Bellamy, Leeann; Parise, Gianni; Baker, Steven K; Phillips, Stuart M

    2013-01-01

    To determine relationships between post-exercise changes in systemic [testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin like grow factor 1 (IGF-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)], or intramuscular [skeletal muscle androgen receptor (AR) protein content and p70S6K phosphorylation status] factors in a moderately-sized cohort of young men exhibiting divergent resistance training-mediated muscle hypertrophy. Twenty three adult males completed 4 sessions•wk⁻¹ of resistance training for 16 wk. Muscle biopsies were obtained before and after the training period and acutely 1 and 5 h after the first training session. Serum hormones and cytokines were measured immediately, 15, 30 and 60 minutes following the first and last training sessions of the study. Mean fiber area increased by 20% (range: -7 to 80%; P<0.001). Protein content of the AR was unchanged with training (fold change = 1.17 ± 0.61; P=0.19); however, there was a significant correlation between the changes in AR content and fiber area (r=0.60, P=0.023). Phosphorylation of p70S6K was elevated 5 hours following exercise, which was correlated with gains in mean fiber area (r=0.54, P=0.007). There was no relationship between the magnitude of the pre- or post-training exercise-induced changes in free testosterone, GH, or IGF-1 concentration and muscle fiber hypertrophy; however, the magnitude of the post exercise IL-6 response was correlated with muscle hypertrophy (r=0.48, P=0.019). Post-exercise increases in circulating hormones are not related to hypertrophy following training. Exercise-induced changes in IL-6 correlated with hypertrophy, but the mechanism for the role of IL-6 in hypertrophy is not known. Acute increases, in p70S6K phosphorylation and changes in muscle AR protein content correlated with muscle hypertrophy implicating intramuscular rather than systemic processes in mediating hypertrophy.

  14. Effects of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral activation system (BAS), and emotion regulation on depression: A one-year follow-up study in Chinese adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanzhang; Xu, Yun; Chen, Zi

    2015-12-15

    Depression is a worldwide mental health problem among adolescents. The current study aimed to examine the roles of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral activation system (BAS), and emotion regulation on adolescent depression. A total of 330 Chinese adolescents were recruited to complete initial assessments of BIS/BAS, emotion regulation, and depression, with a follow-up after one year. Depression on these two occasions was positively correlated with gender, age, initial scores of BIS/BAS activity, and with Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire scores for self-blame, rumination, putting into perspective, catastrophizing, and blaming others, and negatively correlated with initial positive reappraisal scores. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that higher BIS activity, catastrophizing, rumination, and lower positive reappraisal predicted depression after one year. However, after controlling for initial depression, these variables were indirectly related to subsequent depression. Implications are discussed for assessments of depression and interventions targeted at the BIS, BAS, and emotion regulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Brain and behavioural correlates of action semantic deficits in autism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel Louise Moseley

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Action-perception circuits comprising neurons in the motor system have been proposed as main building blocks of higher cognition; accordingly, motor dysfunction should entail cognitive deficits. Autism spectrum conditions (ASC are marked by motor impairments but the implications of such motor dysfunction for higher cognition remain unclear. We here used word reading and semantic judgement tasks to interrogate action-related motor cognition and its corresponding fMRI brain activation in high-functioning adults with ASC. These participants exhibited hypoactivity of motor cortex in language processing relative to typically developing (TD controls. Crucially, we also found a deficit in semantic processing of action-related words, which, intriguingly, significantly correlated with their underactivation of motor cortex to these items. Furthermore, the word-induced hypoactivity in the motor system also predicted the severity of ASC as expressed by the number of autistic symptoms measured by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al, 2001. These significant correlations between word-induced activation of the motor system and a newly discovered semantic deficit in a condition known to be characterised by motor impairments, along with the correlation of such activation with general autistic traits confirm critical predictions of causal theories explaining cognitive and semantic deficits in ASC, in part, to dysfunctional action-perception circuits and resultant reduction of motor system activation.

  16. Evaluation of glymphatic system activity with the diffusion MR technique: diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) in Alzheimer's disease cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taoka, Toshiaki; Masutani, Yoshitaka; Kawai, Hisashi; Nakane, Toshiki; Matsuoka, Kiwamu; Yasuno, Fumihiko; Kishimoto, Toshifumi; Naganawa, Shinji

    2017-04-01

    The activity of the glymphatic system is impaired in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We evaluated the activity of the human glymphatic system in cases of AD with a diffusion-based technique called diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS). Diffusion tensor images were acquired to calculate diffusivities in the x, y, and z axes of the plane of the lateral ventricle body in 31 patients. We evaluated the diffusivity along the perivascular spaces as well as projection fibers and association fibers separately, to acquire an index for diffusivity along the perivascular space (ALPS-index) and correlated them with the mini mental state examinations (MMSE) score. We found a significant negative correlation between diffusivity along the projection fibers and association fibers. We also observed a significant positive correlation between diffusivity along perivascular spaces shown as ALPS-index and the MMSE score, indicating lower water diffusivity along the perivascular space in relation to AD severity. Activity of the glymphatic system may be evaluated with diffusion images. Lower diffusivity along the perivascular space on DTI-APLS seems to reflect impairment of the glymphatic system. This method may be useful for evaluating the activity of the glymphatic system.

  17. Correlation as a Determinant of Configurational Entropy in Supramolecular and Protein Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    For biomolecules in solution, changes in configurational entropy are thought to contribute substantially to the free energies of processes like binding and conformational change. In principle, the configurational entropy can be strongly affected by pairwise and higher-order correlations among conformational degrees of freedom. However, the literature offers mixed perspectives regarding the contributions that changes in correlations make to changes in configurational entropy for such processes. Here we take advantage of powerful techniques for simulation and entropy analysis to carry out rigorous in silico studies of correlation in binding and conformational changes. In particular, we apply information-theoretic expansions of the configurational entropy to well-sampled molecular dynamics simulations of a model host–guest system and the protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The results bear on the interpretation of NMR data, as they indicate that changes in correlation are important determinants of entropy changes for biologically relevant processes and that changes in correlation may either balance or reinforce changes in first-order entropy. The results also highlight the importance of main-chain torsions as contributors to changes in protein configurational entropy. As simulation techniques grow in power, the mathematical techniques used here will offer new opportunities to answer challenging questions about complex molecular systems. PMID:24702693

  18. Positive effects of neurofeedback on autism symptoms correlate with brain activation during imitation and observation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datko, Michael; Pineda, Jaime A; Müller, Ralph-Axel

    2018-03-01

    Autism has been characterized by atypical task-related brain activation and functional connections, coinciding with deficits in sociocommunicative abilities. However, evidence of the brain's experience-dependent plasticity suggests that abnormal activity patterns may be reversed with treatment. In particular, neurofeedback training (NFT), an intervention based on operant conditioning resulting in self-regulation of brain electrical oscillations, has shown increasing promise in addressing abnormalities in brain function and behavior. We examined the effects of ≥ 20 h of sensorimotor mu-rhythm-based NFT in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and a matched control group of typically developing children (ages 8-17). During a functional magnetic resonance imaging imitation and observation task, the ASD group showed increased activation in regions of the human mirror neuron system following the NFT, as part of a significant interaction between group (ASD vs. controls) and training (pre- vs. post-training). These changes were positively correlated with behavioral improvements in the ASD participants, indicating that mu-rhythm NFT may be beneficial to individuals with ASD. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. [Correlation between knowledge about the consequences of obesity and physical activity levels among university students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ocampo-Mascaró, Javier; Silva-Salazar, Vera; da Costa-Bullón, A Daniel

    2015-12-02

    Obesity is a growing public health issue. One of the main strategies to prevent it is physical activity. To determine if a correlation exists between awareness of the consequences of obesity and physical activity level. A cross-sectional study performed on a group of 215 students was conducted in 2013 and 2014. Non-health related program students were selected by convenience sampling at a university in Lima, Peru. Their physical activity level was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and knowledge about the consequences of obesity was assessed using the Obesity Risk Knowledge-10 scale (ORK-10). Each student was also asked to record the source where they obtained whatever information they knew about the topic. The median age of the participants was 20 (interquartile range of 4; 22-18), and 63% of the participants were female. According to the IPAQ, 53.9% of the participants recorded high levels of physical activity, 35.4% recorded moderate levels, and 10.7%, recorded low levels. While a low correlation between the ORK-10 score and the amount of METs/minute/week spent was found (rs=0.06), it was not significant (p=0.38). We found that people who were informed by the media or by healthcare personnel achieved higher scores on the ORK-10 scale than those who used other sources of information (p<0,05). There is a very low correlation between the knowledge about the consequences of obesity and a person’s physical activity level. A multidisciplinary approach that includes all determinants of physical activity is necessary in order to attain changes in people’s behavior.

  20. Dietary and activity correlates of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranjit, Nalini; Evans, Martin H; Byrd-Williams, Courtney; Evans, Alexandra E; Hoelscher, Deanna M

    2010-10-01

    To examine the dietary and activity correlates of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption by children in middle and high school. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 15,283 children in middle and high schools in Texas. Consumption of sodas and noncarbonated flavored and sports beverages (FSBs) were examined separately for their associations with the level of (1) unhealthy food (fried meats, French fries, desserts) consumption, (2) healthy food (vegetables, fruit, and milk) consumption, (3) physical activity including usual vigorous physical activity and participation in organized physical activity, and (4) sedentary activity, including hours spent watching television, using the computer, and playing video games. For both genders, consumption of soda and FSBs was systematically associated with a number of unhealthy dietary practices and with sedentary behaviors. However, consumption of FSBs showed significant positive graded associations with several healthy dietary practices and level of physical activity, whereas soda consumption showed no such associations with healthy behaviors. Consumption of FSBs coexists with healthy dietary and physical activity behaviors, which suggests popular misperception of these beverages as being consistent with a healthy lifestyle. Assessment and obesity-prevention efforts that target sugar-sweetened beverages need to distinguish between FSBs and sodas.

  1. PREFACE: Many-body correlations from dilute to dense nuclear systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otsuka, Takaharu; Urban, Michael; Yamada, Taiichi

    2011-09-01

    The International EFES-IN2P3 conference on "Many body correlations from dilute to dense nuclear systems" was held at the Institut Henri Poincaré (IHP), Paris, France, from 15-18 February 2011, on the occasion of the retirement of our colleague Peter Schuck. Correlations play a decisive role in various many-body systems such as nuclear systems, condensed matter and quantum gases. Important examples include: pairing correlations (Cooper pairs) which give rise to nuclear superfluidity (analogous to superconductivity in condensed matter); particle-hole (RPA) correlations in the description of the ground state beyond mean-field theory; clusters; and α-particle correlations in certain nuclei. Also, the nucleons themselves can be viewed as clusters of three quarks. During the past few years, researchers have started to study how the character of these correlations changes with the variation of the density. For instance, the Cooper pairs in dense matter can transform into a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of true bound states at low density (this is the BCS-BEC crossover studied in ultracold Fermi gases). Similar effects play a role in neutron matter at low density, e.g., in the "neutron skin" of exotic nuclei. The α-cluster correlation becomes particularly important at lower density, such as in the excited states of some nuclei (e.g., the α-condensate-like structure in the Hoyle state of 12C) or in the formation of compact stars. In addition to nuclear physics, topics from astrophysics (neutron stars), condensed matter, and quantum gases were discussed in 48 talks and 19 posters, allowing the almost 90 participants from different communities to exchange their ideas, experiences and methods. The conference dinner took place at the Musée d'Orsay, and all the participants enjoyed the very pleasant atmosphere. One session of the conference was dedicated to the celebration of Peter's retirement. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Peter all the best and we hope

  2. Superadditive correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giraud, B.G.; Heumann, J.M.; Lapedes, A.S.

    1999-01-01

    The fact that correlation does not imply causation is well known. Correlation between variables at two sites does not imply that the two sites directly interact, because, e.g., correlation between distant sites may be induced by chaining of correlation between a set of intervening, directly interacting sites. Such 'noncausal correlation' is well understood in statistical physics: an example is long-range order in spin systems, where spins which have only short-range direct interactions, e.g., the Ising model, display correlation at a distance. It is less well recognized that such long-range 'noncausal' correlations can in fact be stronger than the magnitude of any causal correlation induced by direct interactions. We call this phenomenon superadditive correlation (SAC). We demonstrate this counterintuitive phenomenon by explicit examples in (i) a model spin system and (ii) a model continuous variable system, where both models are such that two variables have multiple intervening pathways of indirect interaction. We apply the technique known as decimation to explain SAC as an additive, constructive interference phenomenon between the multiple pathways of indirect interaction. We also explain the effect using a definition of the collective mode describing the intervening spin variables. Finally, we show that the SAC effect is mirrored in information theory, and is true for mutual information measures in addition to correlation measures. Generic complex systems typically exhibit multiple pathways of indirect interaction, making SAC a potentially widespread phenomenon. This affects, e.g., attempts to deduce interactions by examination of correlations, as well as, e.g., hierarchical approximation methods for multivariate probability distributions, which introduce parameters based on successive orders of correlation. copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

  3. Correlation effects in superconducting quantum dot systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokorný, Vladislav; Žonda, Martin

    2018-05-01

    We study the effect of electron correlations on a system consisting of a single-level quantum dot with local Coulomb interaction attached to two superconducting leads. We use the single-impurity Anderson model with BCS superconducting baths to study the interplay between the proximity induced electron pairing and the local Coulomb interaction. We show how to solve the model using the continuous-time hybridization-expansion quantum Monte Carlo method. The results obtained for experimentally relevant parameters are compared with results of self-consistent second order perturbation theory as well as with the numerical renormalization group method.

  4. Correlated Levy Noise in Linear Dynamical Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srokowski, T.

    2011-01-01

    Linear dynamical systems, driven by a non-white noise which has the Levy distribution, are analysed. Noise is modelled by a specific stochastic process which is defined by the Langevin equation with a linear force and the Levy distributed symmetric white noise. Correlation properties of the process are discussed. The Fokker-Planck equation driven by that noise is solved. Distributions have the Levy shape and their width, for a given time, is smaller than for processes in the white noise limit. Applicability of the adiabatic approximation in the case of the linear force is discussed. (author)

  5. Geometric phases and quantum correlations of superconducting two-qubit system with dissipative effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue, Liyuan; Yu, Yanxia; Cai, Xiaoya; Pan, Hui; Wang, Zisheng

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • We find that the Pancharatnam phases include the information of quantum correlations. • We show that the sudden died and alive phenomena of quantum entanglement is original in the transition of Pancharatnam phase. • We find that the faster the Pancharatnam phases change, the slower the quantum correlations decay. • We find that a subspace of quantum entanglement can exist in the Y-state. • Our results provide a useful approach experimentally to implement the time-dependent geometric quantum computation. - Abstract: We investigate time-dependent Pancharatnam phases and the relations between such geometric phases and quantum correlations, i.e., quantum discord and concurrence, of superconducting two-qubit coupling system in dissipative environment with the mixture effects of four different eigenstates of density matrix. We find that the time-dependent Pancharatnam phases not only keep the motion memory of such a two-qubit system, but also include the information of quantum correlations. We show that the sudden died and alive phenomena of quantum entanglement are intrinsic in the transition of Pancharatnam phase in the X-state and the complex oscillations of Pancharatnam phase in the Y-state. The faster the Pancharatnam phases change, the slower the quantum correlations decay. In particular, we find that a subspace of quantum entanglement can exist in the Y-state by choosing suitable coupling parameters between two-qubit system and its environment, or initial conditions.

  6. Temporal cross-correlation asymmetry and departure from equilibrium in a bistable chemical system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bianca, C; Lemarchand, A

    2014-06-14

    This paper aims at determining sustained reaction fluxes in a nonlinear chemical system driven in a nonequilibrium steady state. The method relies on the computation of cross-correlation functions for the internal fluctuations of chemical species concentrations. By employing Langevin-type equations, we derive approximate analytical formulas for the cross-correlation functions associated with nonlinear dynamics. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the chemical master equation are performed in order to check the validity of the Langevin equations for a bistable chemical system. The two approaches are found in excellent agreement, except for critical parameter values where the bifurcation between monostability and bistability occurs. From the theoretical point of view, the results imply that the behavior of cross-correlation functions cannot be exploited to measure sustained reaction fluxes in a specific nonlinear system without the prior knowledge of the associated chemical mechanism and the rate constants.

  7. Correlation of endothelin-1 concentration and angiotensin-converting enzyme activity with the staging of liver fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kardum, Dusko; Fabijanić, Damir; Lukić, Anita; Romić, Zeljko; Petrovecki, Mladen; Bogdanović, Zoran; Jurić, Klara; Urek-Crncević, Marija; Banić, Marko

    2012-06-01

    Increased serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) activity and serum concentration of endothelin-1 (ET-1) were found in liver cirrhosis. We investigated a correlation between the different stages of liver fibrosis and SACE activity and serum ET-1 concentration. Seventy patients with pathohistologically established chronic liver disease were divided in three groups according to Ishak criteria for liver fibrosis: minimal fibrosis (Ishak score 0-1, n =20), medium fibrosis (Ishak score 2-5, n=20) and cirrhosis (Ishak score 6, n=30). SACE activity and ET-1 concentration were determined using commercial ELISA kits. SACE activity and ET-1 concentrations were proportional to the severity of disease, the highest being in patients with liver cirrhosis. Maximal increase in SACE activity was found between minimal and medium fibrosis while maximal increase in ET-1 concentration was revealed between medium fibrosis and cirrhosis. The analysis of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for SACE activity suggested a cut-off value to separate minimal from medium fibrosis at 59.00 U/L (sensitivity 100%, specificity 64.7%). The cut-off value for serum ET-1 concentration to separate medium fibrosis from cirrhosis was 12.4 pg/mL (sensitivity 96.8%, specificity 94.4%). A positive correlation between SACE activity and ET-1 concentration was registered (Spearman's ñ = 0.438, p = 0.004). Both SACE activity and ET-1 concentration were increased in all stages of liver fibrosis. Cut-off points for SACE activity and ET-1 concentration could be a biochemical marker for the progression of fibrosis. Positive correlation between SACE activity and ET-1 concentration might indicate their interaction in the development of liver cirrhosis.

  8. Electrophysiological correlates of competitor activation predict retrieval-induced forgetting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hellerstedt, Robin; Johansson, Mikael

    2014-06-01

    The very act of retrieval modifies the accessibility of memory for knowledge and past events and can also cause forgetting. A prominent theory of such retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) holds that retrieval recruits inhibition to overcome interference from competing memories, rendering these memories inaccessible. The present study tested a fundamental tenet of the inhibitory-control account: The competition-dependence assumption. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants engaged in a competitive retrieval task. Competition levels were manipulated within the retrieval task by varying the cue-item associative strength of competing items. In order to temporally separate ERP correlates of competitor activation and target retrieval, memory was probed with the sequential presentation of 2 cues: A category cue, to reactivate competitors, and a target cue. As predicted by the inhibitory-control account, competitors with strong compared with weak cue-competitor association were more susceptible to forgetting. Furthermore, competition-sensitive ERP modulations, elicited by the category cue, were observed over anterior regions and reflected individual differences in ensuing forgetting. The present study demonstrates ERP correlates of the reactivation of tightly bound associated memories (the competitors) and provides support for the inhibitory-control account of RIF.

  9. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in breast cancer - correlation with traditional prognostic factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lampelj, Maja; Arko, Darja; Cas-Sikosek, Nina; Kavalar, Rajko; Ravnik, Maja; Jezersek-Novakovic, Barbara; Dobnik, Sarah; Dovnik, Nina Fokter; Takac, Iztok

    2015-01-01

    Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) play a key role in tumour invasion and metastasis. High levels of both proteolytic enzymes are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between traditional prognostic factors and uPA and PAI-1 expression in primary tumour of breast cancer patients. 606 primary breast cancer patients were enrolled in the prospective study in the Department of gynaecological oncology and breast oncology at the University Medical Centre Maribor between the years 2004 and 2010. We evaluated the traditional prognostic factors (age, menopausal status, tumour size, pathohistological type, histologic grade, lymph node status, lymphovascular invasion and hormone receptor status), together with uPA and PAI-1. We used Spearman’s rank correlation, Mann Whitney U test and χ 2 test for statistical analysis. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between uPA and tumour size (p < 0.001), grade (p < 0.001), histological type (p < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.01) and a negative correlation between uPA and hormone receptor status (p < 0.001). They also indicate a positive correlation between PAI-1 and tumour size (p = 0.004), grade (p < 0.001), pathohistological type (p < 0.001) and negative correlation between PAI-1 and hormone receptor status (p = 0.002). Our study showed a relationship between uPA and PAI-1 and traditional prognostic factors. Their role as prognostic and predictive factors remains to be further evaluated

  10. The Role of screening in the strongly correlated 2D systems

    CERN Document Server

    Hwang, E H

    2003-01-01

    We investigate recently observed experiments in the strongly correlated 2D systems (r sub s >> 1) (low-density 2D plasmons, metallic behaviour of 2D systems and frictional drag resistivity between two 2D hole layers). We compare them with our theoretical results calculated within a conventional Fermi liquid theory with RPA screening.

  11. Monitoring Soil Microbial Activities in Different Cropping Systems Using Combined Methods

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YUAN Zhimin; LIU Haijun; HAN Jun; SUN Jingjing; WU Xiaoying; YAO Jun

    2017-01-01

    Cropping activities may affect soil microbial activities and biomass,which would affect C and N cycling in soil and thus the crop yields and quality.In the present study,a combination of microcalorimetric,enzyme activity (sucrase,urease,catalase,and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis),and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses was used to investigate microbial status of farmland soils,collected from 5 different sites in Huazhong Agriculture University,China.Our results showed that among the 5 sites,both positive and negative impacts of cropping activities on soil microbial activity were observed.Enzyme activity analysis showed that cropping activities reduced soil sucrase and urease activities,which would influence the C and N cycles in soil.Much more attentions should be given to microbial status affected by cropping activities in future.According to the correlation analysis,fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis showed a significantly (P < 0.05) negative correlation with the time to reach the maximum power output (R =--0.898),but a significantly (P < 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number (R =0.817).Soil catalase activity also showed a significantly (P < 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number (R =0.965).Using combined methods would provide virtual information of soil microbial status.

  12. [Chronic active hepatitis: clinical, biochemical, and histopathologic correlation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subauste, M C

    1989-01-01

    A retrospective study over 26 female patients with chronic active hepatitis was made. The mean age was 39 years old, the mean length of illness of 8 months; 5 patients had positive markers for hepatitis B. Patients were selected with the grade of histological activity: 8 patients had a mild form from disease (2A) and 16 with a severe one (2B). The predominant group was 2B. Severe inflammatory infiltration was the hallmark and multiobulillar necrosis, bridging, eosinophils and hiperplasia of kuppfer cells were found only in this group. Clinical features range from hepatic manifestations to systemic ones. Chronic active hepatitis may present with cholestasis, but the latter is not always related with the grade of activity. Group 2B had elevated aminotransferases and a low concentration for protrobine.

  13. Total and Direct Correlation Function Integrals from Molecular Simulation of Binary Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wedberg, Nils Hejle Rasmus Ingemar; O’Connell, John P.; Peters, Günther H.J.

    2011-01-01

    The possibility for obtaining derivative properties for mixtures from integrals of spatial total and direct correlation functions obtained from molecular dynamics simulations is explored. Theoretically well-supported methods are examined to extend simulation radial distribution functions to long...... are consistent with an excess Helmholtz energy model fitted to available simulations. In addition, simulations of water/methanol and water/t-butanol mixtures have been carried out. The method yields results for partial molar volumes, activity coefficient derivatives, and individual correlation function integrals...... in reasonable agreement with smoothed experimental data. The proposed method for obtaining correlation function integrals is shown to perform at least as well as or better than two previously published approaches....

  14. Developmental patterns and parental correlates of youth leisure-time physical activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Chun Bun; McHale, Susan M

    2015-02-01

    This study examined the developmental patterns and parental correlates of youth leisure-time physical activity from middle childhood through adolescence. On 5 occasions across 7 years, fathers, mothers, and children who were first- and second born from 201 European American, working- and middle-class families participated in home and multiple nightly phone interviews. Multilevel modeling revealed that, controlling for family socioeconomic status, neighborhood characteristics, and youth overweight status and physical health, leisure-time physical activity increased during middle childhood and declined across adolescence, and the decline was more pronounced for girls than for boys. Moreover, controlling for time-varying, parental work hours and youth interest in sports and outdoor activities, on occasions when fathers and mothers spent proportionally more time on these activities with youth than usual, youth also spent more total time on these activities than usual. The within-person association between mother-youth joint involvement and youth's total involvement in leisure-time physical activity reached statistical significance at the transition to adolescence, and became stronger over time. Findings highlight the importance of maintaining adolescents', especially girls', physical activity levels and targeting both fathers' and mothers' involvement to promote youth's physical activity. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  15. Correlation between Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Disease Activity of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a Cross-Sectional Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piroozmand, Ahmad; Haddad Kashani, Hamed; Zamani, Batool

    2017-02-01

    Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease for whose pathogenesis viral infections are important. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the main infectious etiological agent. This study aimed to quantitative evaluation of EBV in SLE patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 40 patients with SLE diagnosed based on American College of Rheumatology criteria were selected using purposive sampling. All were included in the study after obtaining informed consent for participation. Whole blood samples were taken and buffy coat preparations were isolated to determine viral load using the real-time polymerase chain reaction method and assessment with the SLE disease activity index (SLE-DAI). Results: From a total of 40 patients, 37 cases (92.5%) were women. The EBV test was positive in 67.5% and mean viral load was 5396 ± 1891.9 copy/ml. Twenty of forty patients had active and 50% inactive disease, mean EBV viral loads being 6798 and 28.25 copy/ml, respectively (P-value = 0.003). In terms of the severity of disease activity, 17.5 % of female patients had mild to moderate activity, whilst 32.5% of them had severe activity, with respective viral loads of 5,803.3 and 29.73 copy/ml (P-value = 0.003). Conclusion: The Epstein-Barr viral load in SLE patients with active disease was found to be markedly higher than in inactive cases. Thus, EBV may have an important role in the pathogenesis and activity of SLE. Creative Commons Attribution License

  16. Capacity of fully correlated MIMO system using character expansion of groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ejaz Khan

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available It is well known that the use of antenna arrays at both sides of communication link can result in high channel capacities provided that the propagation medium is rich scattering. In most previous works presented on MIMO wireless structures, Rayleigh fading conditions were considered. In this work, the capacity of MIMO systems under fully correlated (i.e., correlations between rows and columns of channel matrix fading is considered. We use replica method and character expansions to calculate the capacity of correlated MIMO channel in closed form. In our calculations, it is assumed that the receiver has perfect channel state information (CSI but no such information is available at the transmitter.

  17. Nailfold capillaroscopic changes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: correlations with disease activity, skin manifestation and nephritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shenavandeh, S; Habibi, S

    2017-08-01

    Introduction The clinical expression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the consequence of endothelial cell damage leading to serious multiple organ dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess the association between nailfold capillaroscopic changes and disease activity, skin and renal involvement in patients with SLE. Methods Demographic variables, clinical manifestations and laboratory data of 108 patients with SLE were investigated. Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) was performed in all patients. Result Morphological changes in NFC were observed in 102 out of 108 (94.4%) SLE patients. Minor changes were found in 33 (30.6%) and major changes in 69 (63.9%) cases. The disease activity was significantly higher in the patients with major changes ( p  0.05), except for the elongated capillary loops, which were seen more often in patients with renal involvement than in patients without it ( p < 0.03). Conclusion The results of the study showed that capillary changes (abnormal capillaroscopy) were very common in patients with SLE, although there were no specific patterns like the ones in scleroderma patients, and some changes may be associated with disease activity, especially in patients with active skin involvement.

  18. Enhancing non-local correlations in the bipartite partitions of two qubit-system with non-mutual interaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohamed, A.-B.A., E-mail: abdelbastm@yahoo.com [College of Sciences and Humanities, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Aflaj (Saudi Arabia); Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut (Egypt); Joshi, A., E-mail: mcbamji@gmail.com [Physics Department, Adelphi University Garden City, NY 11530 (United States); Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, RHIT, Terra Haute IN 47803 (United States); Hassan, S.S., E-mail: shoukryhassan@hotmail.com [Department of Mathematics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038 (Bahrain)

    2016-03-15

    Several quantum-mechanical correlations, notably, quantum entanglement, measurement-induced nonlocality and Bell nonlocality are studied for a two qubit-system having no mutual interaction. Analytical expressions for the measures of these quantum-mechanical correlations of different bipartite partitions of the system are obtained, for initially two entangled qubits and the two photons are in their vacuum states. It is found that the qubits-fields interaction leads to the loss and gain of the initial quantum correlations. The lost initial quantum correlations transfer from the qubits to the cavity fields. It is found that the maximal violation of Bell’s inequality is occurring when the quantum correlations of both the logarithmic negativity and measurement-induced nonlocality reach particular values. The maximal violation of Bell’s inequality occurs only for certain bipartite partitions of the system. The frequency detuning leads to quick oscillations of the quantum correlations and inhibits their transfer from the qubits to the cavity modes. It is also found that the dynamical behavior of the quantum correlation clearly depends on the qubit distribution angle.

  19. Study of temporal quantum correlations in decohering B and K meson systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naikoo, Javid; Alok, Ashutosh Kumar; Banerjee, Subhashish

    2018-03-01

    In this work we study temporal quantum correlations, quantified by Leggett-Garg (LG) and LG-type inequalities, in the B and K meson systems. We use the tools of open quantum systems to incorporate the effect of decoherence which is quantified by a single phenomenological parameter. The effect of C P violation is also included in our analysis. We find that the LG inequality is violated for both B and K meson systems, the violation being most prominent in the case of K mesons and least for Bs system. Since the systems with no coherence do not violate LGI, incorporating decoherence is expected to decrease the extent of violation of LGI and is clearly brought out in our results. We show that the expression for the LG functions depends upon an additional term, apart from the experimentally measurable meson transition probabilities. This term vanishes in the limit of zero decoherence. On the other hand, the LG-type parameter can be directly expressed in terms of transition probabilities, making it a more appropriate observable for studying temporal quantum correlations in neutral meson systems.

  20. Altered AKT1 and MAPK1 Gene Expression on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Correlation with T-Helper-Transcription Factors in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Garcia-Rodriguez

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Kinases have been implicated in the immunopathological mechanisms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE. v-akt murine-thymoma viral-oncogene-homolog 1 (AKT1 and mitogen-activated-protein-kinase 1 (MAPK1 gene expressions in peripheral mononuclear cells from thirteen SLE patients with inactive or mild disease were evaluated using quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase-chain-reaction and analyzed whether there was any correlation with T-helper (Th transcription factors (TF gene expression, cytokines, and S100A8/S100A9-(Calprotectin. Age- and gender-matched thirteen healthy controls were examined. AKT1 and MAPK1 expressions were upregulated in SLE patients and correlated with Th17-(Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR-C, T-regulatory-(Treg-(Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFB-2, and Th2-(interleukin (IL-5-related genes. MAPK1 expression correlated with Th1-(IL-12A, T-box TF-(T-bet, Th2-(GATA binding protein-(GATA-3, and IL-10 expressions. IL-10 expression was increased and correlated with plasma Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α and Th0-(IL-2, Th1-(IL-12A, T-bet, GATA3, Treg-(Forkhead/winged-helix transcription factor- (FOXP-3, and IL-6 expressions. FOXP3 expression, FOXP3/RORC, and FOXP3/GATA3 expression ratios were increased. Plasma IL-1β, IL-12(p70, Interferon-(IFN-γ, and IL-6 cytokines were augmented. Plasma IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-13 correlated with C-reactive protein, respectively. Increased Calprotectin correlated with neutrophils. Conclusion, SLE patients presented a systemic immunoinflammatory activity, augmented AKT1 and MAPK1 expressions, proinflammatory cytokines, and Calprotectin, together with increased expression of Treg-related genes, suggesting a regulatory feedback opposing the inflammatory activity.

  1. Sociodemographic and environmental correlates of active commuting in rural America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jessie X; Wen, Ming; Kowaleski-Jones, Lori

    2015-01-01

    This research investigated participation rates in 3 modes of active commuting (AC) and their sociodemographic and physical environmental correlates in rural America. The 2000 Census supplemented with other data sets were used to analyze AC rates in percentage of workers walking, biking, and taking public transportation to work in 14,209 nonmetropolitan rural tracts identified by RUCA codes, including 4,067 small rural and 10,142 town-micropolitan rural tracts. Sociodemographic and physical environmental variables were correlated with 3 AC modes simultaneously using Seemingly Unrelated Regression for nonmetro rural, and for small rural and town-micropolitan rural separately. The average AC rates in rural tracts were 3.63%, 0.26%, and 0.56% for walking, biking, and public transportation to work, respectively, with small rural tracts having a higher rate of walking but lower rates of biking and public transportation to work than town-micropolitan tracts. In general, better economic well-being was negatively associated with AC but percentage of college-educated was a positive correlate. Population density was positively associated with AC but greenness and proximity to parks were negative correlates. However, significant differences existed for different AC modes, and between small rural and town-micropolitan rural tracts. Sociodemographic factors explained more variance in AC than physical environmental factors but the detailed relationships were complex, varying by AC mode and by degree of rurality. Any strategy to promote AC in rural America needs to be sensitive to the population size of the area and assessed in a comprehensive manner to avoid a "one size fits all" approach. © 2014 National Rural Health Association.

  2. Anxiety, not anger, induces inflammatory activity: An avoidance/approach model of immune system activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moons, Wesley G; Shields, Grant S

    2015-08-01

    Psychological stressors reliably trigger systemic inflammatory activity as indexed by levels of proinflammatory cytokines. This experiment demonstrates that one's specific emotional reaction to a stressor may be a significant determinant of whether an inflammatory reaction occurs in response to that stressor. Based on extant correlational evidence and theory, a causal approach was used to determine whether an avoidant emotion (anxiety) triggers more inflammatory activity than an approach emotion (anger). In an experimental design (N = 40), a 3-way Emotion Condition × Time × Analyte interaction revealed that a writing-based anxiety induction, but not a writing-based anger induction, increased mean levels of interferon-γ (IFN- γ) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), but not interleukin-6 (IL-6) in oral mucous, F(2, 54) = 4.64, p = .01, ηp(²) = .15. Further, self-reported state anxiety predicted elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, all ΔR(²) >.06, ps emotions can differentially cause inflammatory activity and support a theoretical model explaining these effects based on the avoidance or approach motivations associated with emotions. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. To the theory of spin-charge separation in one-dimensional correlated electron systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zvyagin, A.A.

    2004-01-01

    Spin-charge separation is considered to be one of the key properties that distinguish low-dimensional electron systems from others. Three-dimensional correlated electron systems are described by the Fermi liquid theory. There, low-energy excitations (quasiparticles) are reminiscent of noninteracting electrons: They carry charges -e and spins 1/2 . It is believed that for any one-dimensional correlated electron system, low-lying electron excitations carry either only spin and no charge, or only charge without spin. That is why recent experiments looked for such low-lying collective electron excitations, one of which carries only spin, and the other carries only charge. Here we show that despite the fact that for exactly solvable one-dimensional correlated electron models there exist excitations which carry only spin and only charge, in all these models with short-range interactions the low-energy physics is described by low-lying collective excitations, one of which carries both spin and charge

  4. Correlating oxygen vacancies and phase ratio/interface with efficient photocatalytic activity in mixed phase TiO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verma, Ranjana; Samdarshi, S.K.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The correlation of interfacial behavior and oxygen vacancies in mixed phase titania nanoparticles on their performance as photocatalyst has been investigated to explain the impact of photoactivity under UV and visible irradiation compared to pristine counterparts. The defects at the junction effectively reduce the band gap as well decrease the carrier recombination to enhance the photocatalytic activity. - Highlights: • Pristine and mixed phases (A/R ratio) TiO 2 synthesized by sol gel route. • Photoactivity variation has been correlated with the changes in the phase ratio. • Enhanced UV and visible activity attributable to oxygen vacancy present at the interface. • Role of A/R ratio and oxygen vacancy in the photoactivity of mixed TiO 2 depicted through a model. - Abstract: The photocatalytic activity is a result of the synergy of a succession of phenomena-photogeneration, separation, and participation of the charge carriers in redox reaction at the catalyst surface. While the extent of photogeneration is assessable in terms of absorption spectrum (band gap), the redox reaction can be correlated to specific surface area. However the respective change in the photocatalytic activity has not been rationally and consistently correlated with the above mentioned parameters. A satisfactory explanation of suppression of recombination based on separation of carriers due to differential mobility/diffusivity in the material phase(s) and/or intrinsic potential barrier exists but its correlation with common identifiable parameter/characteristics is still elusive. This paper attempts to address this issue by correlating the carrier separation with the phase ratio (phase interface) in mixed phase titania and generalizing it with the presence of oxygen vacancy at the phase interface. It essentially appears to complete the quest for identifiable parameters in the sequence of phenomena, which endow a photocatalyst with an efficient activity level. It has

  5. CORRELATION OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL WITH BONE MINERAL DENSITY, CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS AND BODY COMPOSITION IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niyati N Khona

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Due to the hormonal changes in postmenopausal women they are prone for many complications like increased CVD risk factors, osteoporosis, obesity, mood swings and urinary incontinence. Physical inactivity in postmenopausal women leads to higher risk of developing CVD and osteoporosis. The objective was to find out the correlation of physical activity level with BMD, cardio-respiratory fitness and body composition in post-menopausal women Methods: 42 postmenopausal women were included. A detailed clinical evaluation with physical activity level (IPAQ-METS-mins/week, , BMD ( T-Scores, body composition (BMI, waist circumference, BIA & Skin fold calliper for fat %, cardio-respiratory fitness was measured by Balke protocol and VO2peak (ml/kg/min is estimated. Correlation of physical activity level with BMD, cardio-respiratory fitness and body composition were analysed using “Pearson’s product moment correlation co-efficient and Spearman’s rho.” Results: Spearman’s rank correlation rho for IPAQ with VO2 peak was 0.420,BMI was -0.388 and visceral fat was -0.384 indicating moderate positive correlation between IPAQ and cardio-respiratory fitness and weak negative correlation between IPAQ and BMI and visceral fat. Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient of IPAQ with BMD was 0.147, body fat was -0.234 and waist circumference was -0.256 indicating no correlation. P value was significant for correlation of IPAQ with CRF (0.006, BMI (0.011 and Visceral fat (0.012. Conclusion: There is moderate positive correlation between IPAQ and cardio-respiratory fitness, weak negative correlation between IPAQ and BMI and visceral fat and no correlation between IPAQ and BMD, body fat and waist circumference

  6. Systemic lupus erythematosus activity and beta two microglobulin levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thelma Larocca Skare

    Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE is an autoimmune disease with a cyclical clinical course. Evaluation of the clinical activity of this disease is important for choosing the correct treatment. The objective of this study was to analyze the value of beta-2 microglobulin (β2M serum levels in determining SLE clinical activity.DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analytical study conducted at the rheumatology outpatient clinic of a private university hospital.METHODS: 129 SLE patients were studied regarding disease activity using SLEDAI (SLE Disease Activity Index and cumulative damage using SLICC ACR (SLE International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index for SLE. At the same time, the β2M serum level, ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-dsDNA (anti-double-stranded DNA and C3 and C4 complement fractions were determined.RESULTS: β2M levels correlated positively with SLEDAI (P = 0.02 and ESR (P = 0.0009 and negatively with C3 (P = 0.007. Patients who were positive for anti-dsDNA had higher β2M serum levels (P = 0.009.CONCLUSION: β2M levels are elevated in SLE patients with active disease.

  7. NHS Trusts' clinical research activity and overall CQC performance - Is there a correlation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonker, L; Fisher, S J

    2015-11-01

    Since the late 2000's, the creation of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has transformed clinical research activity in the United Kingdom. This study sought to establish if there is a link between clinical research activity and overall NHS Trust performance. Retrospective cohort study. Data for NHS Trust performance were obtained from public databases, namely the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2013 risk rating for overall performance, and 2012-13 NIHR records for clinical research activity. Applying Spearman's rank analysis, none of the Trust categories showed a correlation with CQC risk rating: small hospitals, r = -0.062 (P = 0.76; n = 27); medium, r = -0.224 (P = 0.13; n = 47); large, r = -0.008 (P = 0.96; n = 57); academic, r = -0.18 (P = 0.41; n = 24). Similar results were observed when CQC risk rating was compared with the number of different clinical research studies conducted per Trust. The degree of NIHR National Portfolio clinical research activity is not significantly related to CQC risk rating, used as an indicator of overall NHS Trust performance. Other studies have previously shown that increased research activity correlates with improved mortality rates, one component of CQC risk rating scores. Alternative tools may have to be explored to evaluate the impact of clinical research on NHS Trusts and its patients. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Monitoring influenza activity in the United States: a comparison of traditional surveillance systems with Google Flu Trends.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin R Ortiz

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Google Flu Trends was developed to estimate US influenza-like illness (ILI rates from internet searches; however ILI does not necessarily correlate with actual influenza virus infections.Influenza activity data from 2003-04 through 2007-08 were obtained from three US surveillance systems: Google Flu Trends, CDC Outpatient ILI Surveillance Network (CDC ILI Surveillance, and US Influenza Virologic Surveillance System (CDC Virus Surveillance. Pearson's correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI were calculated to compare surveillance data. An analysis was performed to investigate outlier observations and determine the extent to which they affected the correlations between surveillance data. Pearson's correlation coefficient describing Google Flu Trends and CDC Virus Surveillance over the study period was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.79. The correlation between CDC ILI Surveillance and CDC Virus Surveillance over the same period was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.89. Most of the outlier observations in both comparisons were from the 2003-04 influenza season. Exclusion of the outlier observations did not substantially improve the correlation between Google Flu Trends and CDC Virus Surveillance (0.82; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.87 or CDC ILI Surveillance and CDC Virus Surveillance (0.86; 95%CI: 0.82, 0.90.This analysis demonstrates that while Google Flu Trends is highly correlated with rates of ILI, it has a lower correlation with surveillance for laboratory-confirmed influenza. Most of the outlier observations occurred during the 2003-04 influenza season that was characterized by early and intense influenza activity, which potentially altered health care seeking behavior, physician testing practices, and internet search behavior.

  9. Monitoring Influenza Activity in the United States: A Comparison of Traditional Surveillance Systems with Google Flu Trends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz, Justin R.; Zhou, Hong; Shay, David K.; Neuzil, Kathleen M.; Fowlkes, Ashley L.; Goss, Christopher H.

    2011-01-01

    Background Google Flu Trends was developed to estimate US influenza-like illness (ILI) rates from internet searches; however ILI does not necessarily correlate with actual influenza virus infections. Methods and Findings Influenza activity data from 2003–04 through 2007–08 were obtained from three US surveillance systems: Google Flu Trends, CDC Outpatient ILI Surveillance Network (CDC ILI Surveillance), and US Influenza Virologic Surveillance System (CDC Virus Surveillance). Pearson's correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to compare surveillance data. An analysis was performed to investigate outlier observations and determine the extent to which they affected the correlations between surveillance data. Pearson's correlation coefficient describing Google Flu Trends and CDC Virus Surveillance over the study period was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.79). The correlation between CDC ILI Surveillance and CDC Virus Surveillance over the same period was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.89). Most of the outlier observations in both comparisons were from the 2003–04 influenza season. Exclusion of the outlier observations did not substantially improve the correlation between Google Flu Trends and CDC Virus Surveillance (0.82; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.87) or CDC ILI Surveillance and CDC Virus Surveillance (0.86; 95%CI: 0.82, 0.90). Conclusions This analysis demonstrates that while Google Flu Trends is highly correlated with rates of ILI, it has a lower correlation with surveillance for laboratory-confirmed influenza. Most of the outlier observations occurred during the 2003–04 influenza season that was characterized by early and intense influenza activity, which potentially altered health care seeking behavior, physician testing practices, and internet search behavior. PMID:21556151

  10. Plasma kisspeptin and ghrelin levels are independently correlated with physical activity in patients with anorexia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmann, Tobias; Elbelt, Ulf; Haas, Verena; Ahnis, Anne; Klapp, Burghard F; Rose, Matthias; Stengel, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    While physical hyperactivity represents a frequent symptom of anorexia nervosa and may have a deleterious impact on the course of the disease, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Since several food intake-regulatory hormones affect physical activity, the aim of the study was to investigate the association of physical activity with novel candidate hormones (kisspeptin, ghrelin, oxyntomodulin, orexin-A, FGF-21, R-spondin-1) possibly involved in patients with anorexia nervosa. Associations with psychometric parameters and body composition were also assessed. We included 38 female anorexia nervosa inpatients (body mass index, BMI, mean ± SD: 14.8 ± 1.7 kg/m 2 ). Physical activity was evaluated using portable armband devices, body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Blood withdrawal (hormones measured by ELISA) and psychometric assessment of depressiveness (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), perceived stress (PSQ-20) and disordered eating (EDI-2) were performed at the same time. Patients displayed a broad spectrum of physical activity (2479-26,047 steps/day) which showed a negative correlation with kisspeptin (r = -0.41, p = 0.01) and a positive association with ghrelin (r = 0.42, p = 0.01). The negative correlation with oxyntomodulin (r = -0.37, p = 0.03) was lost after consideration of potential confounders by regression analysis. No correlations were observed between physical activity and orexin-A, FGF-21 and R-spondin-1 (p > 0.05). Kisspeptin was positively correlated with BMI and body fat mass and negatively associated with the interpersonal distrust subscale of the EDI-2 (p  0.05). In conclusion, kisspeptin is inversely and ghrelin positively associated with physical activity as measured by daily step counts in anorexia nervosa patients suggesting an implication of these peptide hormones in the regulation of physical activity in anorexia nervosa. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Toddler physical activity study: laboratory and community studies to evaluate accelerometer validity and correlates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erin R. Hager

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Toddlerhood is an important age for physical activity (PA promotion to prevent obesity and support a physically active lifestyle throughout childhood. Accurate assessment of PA is needed to determine trends/correlates of PA, time spent in sedentary, light, or moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA, and the effectiveness of PA promotion programs. Due to the limited availability of objective measures that have been validated and evaluated for feasibility in community studies, it is unclear which subgroups of toddlers are at the highest risk for inactivity. Using Actical ankle accelerometry, the objectives of this study are to develop valid thresholds, examine feasibility, and examine demographic/ anthropometric PA correlates of MVPA among toddlers from low-income families. Methods Two studies were conducted with toddlers (12–36 months. Laboratory Study (n = 24- Two Actical accelerometers were placed on the ankle. PA was observed using the Child Activity Rating Scale (CARS, prescribed activities. Analyses included device equivalence reliability (correlation: activity counts of two Acticals, criterion-related validity (correlation: activity counts and CARS ratings, and sensitivity/specificity for thresholds. Community Study (n = 277, low-income mother-toddler dyads recruited- An Actical was worn on the ankle for > 7 days (goal >5, 24-h days. Height/weight was measured. Mothers reported demographics. Analyses included frequencies (feasibility and stepwise multiple linear regression (sMLR. Results Laboratory Study- Acticals demonstrated reliability (r = 0.980 and validity (r = 0.75. Thresholds demonstrated sensitivity (86 % and specificity (88 %. Community Study- 86 % wore accelerometer, 69 % had valid data (mean = 5.2 days. Primary reasons for missing/invalid data: refusal (14 % and wear-time ≤2 days (11 %. The MVPA threshold (>2200 cpm yielded 54 min/day. In sMLR, MVPA was associated with age (older

  12. Correlates of physical activity in 2-year-old toddlers: The generation R study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijtzes, A.I.; Kooijman, M.N.; Kiefte-de Jong, J.C.; Vries, S.I. de; Henrichs, J.; Jansen, W.; Jaddoe, V.W.V.; Hofman, A.; Moll, H.A.; Raat, H.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To describe and identify correlates of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in 2-year-old toddlers. Study design: A total of 347 children participating in a birth cohort study wore a unaxial ActiGraph accelerometer during 1 weekday and 1 weekend day. Information

  13. Correlates of objectively measured physical activity in 5-6 year old preschool children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, L G; Kristensen, P L; Korsholm, L

    2015-01-01

    preschools. Percentage of total daily time spent in moderate and vigorously physical activity (MVPA) was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers over 5 preschool days and 2 days off. Thirty--nine potential correlates of child MVPA across 5 domains were tested for associations with gender specific MVPA...

  14. Correlation between biological activity and electron transferring of bovine liver catalase: Osmolytes effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tehrani, H. Sepasi; Moosavi-Movahedi, A.A.; Ghourchian, H.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Proline increases ET in Bovine Liver Catalase (BLC) whereas histidine decreases it. • Proline also increased the biological activity, whereas histidine decreased it. • Electron transferring and biological activity for BLC are directly correlated. • Proline causes favorable ET for BLC shown by positive E 1/2 (E°′) and negative ΔG. • Histidine makes ET unfavorable for BLC, manifested by E 1/2 (E°′) 0. -- Abstract: Catalase is a crucial antioxidant enzyme that protects life against detrimental effects of H 2 O 2 by disproportionating it into water and molecular oxygen. Effect of proline as a compatible and histidine as a non compatible osmolyte on the electron transferring and midpoint potential of catalase has been investigated. Proline increases the midpoint potential (ΔE m > 0), therefore causing the ΔG ET to be less positive and making the electron transfer reaction more facile whereas histidine decreases the E m (ΔE m ET , thereby rendering the electron transfer reaction less efficient. These results indicate the inhibitory effect of histidine evident by a −37% decrease in the cathodic peak current compared to 16% increase in the case of proline indicative of activation. The insight paves the tedious way towards our ultimate goal of elucidating a correlation between biological activity and electron transferring

  15. Muscular and systemic correlates of resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cameron J Mitchell

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To determine relationships between post-exercise changes in systemic [testosterone, growth hormone (GH, insulin like grow factor 1 (IGF-1 and interleukin 6 (IL-6], or intramuscular [skeletal muscle androgen receptor (AR protein content and p70S6K phosphorylation status] factors in a moderately-sized cohort of young men exhibiting divergent resistance training-mediated muscle hypertrophy. METHODS: Twenty three adult males completed 4 sessions•wk⁻¹ of resistance training for 16 wk. Muscle biopsies were obtained before and after the training period and acutely 1 and 5 h after the first training session. Serum hormones and cytokines were measured immediately, 15, 30 and 60 minutes following the first and last training sessions of the study. RESULTS: Mean fiber area increased by 20% (range: -7 to 80%; P<0.001. Protein content of the AR was unchanged with training (fold change = 1.17 ± 0.61; P=0.19; however, there was a significant correlation between the changes in AR content and fiber area (r=0.60, P=0.023. Phosphorylation of p70S6K was elevated 5 hours following exercise, which was correlated with gains in mean fiber area (r=0.54, P=0.007. There was no relationship between the magnitude of the pre- or post-training exercise-induced changes in free testosterone, GH, or IGF-1 concentration and muscle fiber hypertrophy; however, the magnitude of the post exercise IL-6 response was correlated with muscle hypertrophy (r=0.48, P=0.019. CONCLUSION: Post-exercise increases in circulating hormones are not related to hypertrophy following training. Exercise-induced changes in IL-6 correlated with hypertrophy, but the mechanism for the role of IL-6 in hypertrophy is not known. Acute increases, in p70S6K phosphorylation and changes in muscle AR protein content correlated with muscle hypertrophy implicating intramuscular rather than systemic processes in mediating hypertrophy.

  16. STUDY OF CORRELATION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVE PHASE OF THYROID EYE DISEASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok Kumar P

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available AIM Role of Interleukin-6 and HS-CRP Levels in the assessment of active thyroid eye disease. MATERIALS & METHODS A prospective observational study of 30 patients from the age group of 20-60 years with thyroid eye disease done at Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. All patients were subjected to detailed history, ocular examination, systemic examination, biochemical analysis and Imaging. Patients are categorised as mild, moderate and severe active disease based on clinical activity score. For the period of two years, patients are followed at regular periodic intervals according to the severity of disease and results were analysed. RESULTS Out of 30 patients studied, majority of the patients were females (60%, and 70% of the patients had bilateral disease. Among 30 patients, 83.33% in hyperthyroid state, 3.33% in Hypothyroid state, 13.33% in Euthyroid state (Table 3. Smoking being important risk factor in 30% among males. 50% of patients presented with mild disease, 30% with moderate disease, 0% with severe disease. IL-6, HS-CRP levels are increased only in patients with severe active disease (Table 6. Remission attained in all patients when treated earlier with steroids. CONCLUSION Identifying disease activity early and aggressive treatment with systemic steroids in active phase of moderate and severe disease has reduced the morbidity associated with disease. Correlation of IL-6, HS-CRP, TFT levels are significantly increased only in patients with active phase of severe thyroid eye disease but not significantly elevated in active phase of moderate disease. Another pitfall is IL-6 is an expensive ELISA based diagnosis. Thus, IL-6 & HS-CRP cannot be routinely used to screen patients with Thyroid eye disease.

  17. Nonequilibrium phase transitions, fluctuations and correlations in an active contractile polar fluid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gowrishankar, Kripa; Rao, Madan

    2016-02-21

    We study the patterning, fluctuations and correlations of an active polar fluid consisting of contractile polar filaments on a two-dimensional substrate, using a hydrodynamic description. The steady states generically consist of arrays of inward pointing asters and show a continuous transition from a moving lamellar phase, a moving aster street, to a stationary aster lattice with no net polar order. We next study the effect of spatio-temporal athermal noise, parametrized by an active temperature TA, on the stability of the ordered phases. In contrast to its equilibrium counterpart, we find that the active crystal shows true long range order at low TA. On increasing TA, the asters dynamically remodel, concomitantly we find novel phase transitions characterized by bond-orientational and polar order upon "heating".

  18. Correlation between the Physical Activity Level and Grade Point Averages of Faculty of Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imdat, Yarim

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study is to find the correlation that exists between physical activity level and grade point averages of faculty of education students. The subjects consist of 359 (172 females and 187 males) under graduate students To determine the physical activity levels of the students in this research, International Physical Activity…

  19. Structure-activity studies of dicationically substituted bis-benzimidazoles against Giardia lamblia: correlation of antigiardial activity with DNA binding affinity and giardial topoisomerase II inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, C A; Dykstra, C C; Naiman, N A; Cory, M; Fairley, T A; Tidwell, R R

    1993-01-01

    Nine dicationically substituted bis-benzimidazoles were examined for their in vitro activities against Giardia lamblia WB (ATCC 30957). The potential mechanisms of action of these compounds were evaluated by investigating the relationship among in vitro antigiardial activity and the affinity of the molecules for DNA and their ability to inhibit the activity of giardial topoisomerase II. Each compound demonstrated antigiardial activity, as measured by assessing the incorporation of [methyl-3H]thymidine by giardial trophozoites exposed to the test agents. Three compounds exhibited excellent in vitro antigiardial activities, with 50% inhibitory concentrations which compared very favorably with those of two currently used drugs, quinacrine HCl and metronidazole. Putative mechanisms of action for these compounds were suggested by the strong correlation observed among in vitro antigiardial activity and the affinity of the molecules for natural and synthetic DNA and their ability to inhibit the relaxation activity of giardial topoisomerase II. A strong correlation between the DNA binding affinity of these compounds and their inhibition of giardial topoisomerase II activity was also observed. Images PMID:8109934

  20. Gender differences in perceived environmental correlates of physical activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spence John C

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Limited research has been conducted on gender differences in perceived environmental correlates of physical activity (PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential role of gender in the link between perceived environment and PA. Methods Using a telephone-administered survey, data was collected on leisure time physical activity (LTPA, perceptions of the neighbourhood environment, and self-efficacy in a representative sample of 1209 adults from the province of Alberta, Canada. LTPA was regressed on ten measures of perceived neighbourhood environment and self-efficacy in a series of logistic regressions. Results Women were more likely than men to perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe to go for walks at night (χ2 = 67.46, p 2 = 6.73, p 2 = 11.50, p 2 = 4.30, p Conclusion The results provide additional support for the use of models in which gender is treated as a potential moderator of the link between the perceived environment and PA. Further, the results suggest the possibility of differential interventions to increase PA based on factors associated with gender.

  1. Levitation and percolation in quantum Hall systems with correlated disorder

    OpenAIRE

    Song, Hui; Maruyama, Isao; Hatsugai, Yasuhiro

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the integer quantum Hall system in a two dimensional lattice model with spatially correlated disorder by using the efficient method to calculate the Chern number proposed by Fukui et al. [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74, 1674 (2005)]. Distribution of charge density indicates that the extended states at the center of each Landau band have percolating current paths, which are topologically equivalent to the edge states that exist in a system with boundaries. As increasing the strength of d...

  2. Inner-shell correlations and Sturm expansions in coupled perturbation calculations of atomic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherstyuk, A.I.; Solov'eva, G.S.

    1995-01-01

    It is shown that virtual Hartree-Fock orbitals in Sturm-type expansions can be used to calculate the response of atomic systems to an external field within the framework of the coupled perturbation theory with allowance for correlation effects. The corrected electron-electron interaction in a system with field-distorted orbitals is considered by adding a nonlocal potential to a one-electron Hartree-Fock operator within each group of equivalent elections. The remaining correlation effects are calculated by solving a system of equations for corrections to the radial functions. The system is solved iteratively, with each subsequent iteration corresponding to a correction of an increasingly higher order in the electron--electron interaction. The explicit expression derived for the polarizability contains one-and two-particle radial integrals of the Sturm functions

  3. Correlates of daily leisure-time physical activity in a community sample : Narrow personality traits and practical barriers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gallagher, P.; Yancy, W.S.; Denissen, J.J.A.; Kühnel, A.; Voils, C.I.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: Previous studies examining correlates of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) have identified personality factors that are correlated with LTPA and practical factors that impede LTPA. The purpose of the present study was to test how several narrow traits predict daily reports of LTPA and

  4. Functional representation for the grand partition function of a multicomponent system of charged particles: Correlation functions of the reference system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O.V.Patsahan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Based on the method of collective variables (CV with a reference system, the exact expression for the functional of the grand partition function of a m-component ionic model with charge and size asymmetry is found. Particular attention is paid to the n-th particle correlation functions of the reference system which is presented as a m-component system of "colour" hard spheres of the same diameter. A two-component model is considered in more detail. In this case the recurrence formulas for the correlation functions are found. A general case of a m-component inhomogeneous system of the "colour" hard spheres is also analysed.

  5. Source Correlated Prompt Neutron Activation Analysis for Material Identification and Localization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canion, Bonnie; McConchie, Seth; Landsberger, Sheldon

    2017-07-01

    This paper investigates the energy spectrum of photon signatures from an associated particle imaging deuterium tritium (API-DT) neutron generator interrogating shielded uranium. The goal is to investigate if signatures within the energy spectrum could be used to indirectly characterize shielded uranium when the neutron signature is attenuated. By utilizing the correlated neutron cone associated with each pixel of the API-DT neutron generator, certain materials can be identified and located via source correlated spectrometry of prompt neutron activation gamma rays. An investigation is done to determine if fission neutrons induce a significant enough signature within the prompt neutron-induced gamma-ray energy spectrum in shielding material to be useful for indirect nuclear material characterization. The signature deriving from the induced fission neutrons interacting with the shielding material was slightly elevated in polyethylene-shielding depleted uranium (DU), but was more evident in some characteristic peaks from the aluminum shielding surrounding DU.

  6. Correlation interrelation between level of catecholamines and indices of cholinesterase system at minor radiation dose influence on liquidators of the Chernobyl NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makashev, Zh.K.; Zhurnist, A.G.; Uteshev, A.G.; Abylaev, Zh.A.

    2004-01-01

    For assessment of functional condition of sympathoadrenal system adrenalin (A) and noradrenaline (NA) concentrations were investigated as well as NA/A ratio in day's urine of Chernobyl NPP liquidators. Concurrently, it was determined the contents of acetylcholine and activity of cholinesterase in the blood serum of persons exposed to minor radiation dose with calculation of correlation Pearson coefficient. (author)

  7. Influence of meditation on anti-correlated networks in the brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoran eJosipovic

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Human experience can be broadly divided into those that are external and related to interaction with the environment, and experiences that are internal and self-related. The cerebral cortex appears to be divided into two corresponding systems: an extrinsic system composed of brain areas that respond more to external stimuli and tasks and an intrinsic system composed of brain areas that respond less to external stimuli and tasks. These two broad brain systems seem to compete with each other, such that their activity levels over time is usually anti-correlated, even when subjects are at rest and not performing any task. This study used meditation as an experimental manipulation to test whether this competition (anti-correlation can be modulated by cognitive strategy. Participants either fixated without meditation (fixation, or engaged in nondual awareness (NDA or focused attention (FA meditations. We computed inter-area correlations (functional connectivity between pairs of brain regions within each system, and between the entire extrinsic and intrinsic systems. Anti-correlation between extrinsic vs. intrinsic systems was stronger during FA meditation and weaker during NDA meditation in comparison to fixation (without mediation. However, correlation between areas within each system did not change across conditions. These results suggest that the anti-correlation found between extrinsic and intrinsic systems is not an immutable property of brain organization and that practicing different forms of meditation can modulate this gross functional organization in profoundly different ways.

  8. Influence of meditation on anti-correlated networks in the brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Josipovic, Zoran; Dinstein, Ilan; Weber, Jochen; Heeger, David J

    2011-01-01

    Human experiences can be broadly divided into those that are external and related to interaction with the environment, and experiences that are internal and self-related. The cerebral cortex appears to be divided into two corresponding systems: an "extrinsic" system composed of brain areas that respond more to external stimuli and tasks and an "intrinsic" system composed of brain areas that respond less to external stimuli and tasks. These two broad brain systems seem to compete with each other, such that their activity levels over time is usually anti-correlated, even when subjects are "at rest" and not performing any task. This study used meditation as an experimental manipulation to test whether this competition (anti-correlation) can be modulated by cognitive strategy. Participants either fixated without meditation (fixation), or engaged in non-dual awareness (NDA) or focused attention (FA) meditations. We computed inter-area correlations ("functional connectivity") between pairs of brain regions within each system, and between the entire extrinsic and intrinsic systems. Anti-correlation between extrinsic vs. intrinsic systems was stronger during FA meditation and weaker during NDA meditation in comparison to fixation (without mediation). However, correlation between areas within each system did not change across conditions. These results suggest that the anti-correlation found between extrinsic and intrinsic systems is not an immutable property of brain organization and that practicing different forms of meditation can modulate this gross functional organization in profoundly different ways.

  9. Personal, social, and game-related correlates of active and non-active gaming among dutch gaming adolescents : survey-based multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analyses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Simons, Monique; de Vet, Emely; Chinapaw, Mai Jm; de Boer, Michiel; Seidell, Jacob C; Brug, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Playing video games contributes substantially to sedentary behavior in youth. A new generation of video games-active games-seems to be a promising alternative to sedentary games to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. At this time, little is known about correlates of

  10. International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems 2017 (SCES2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-05-01

    The 2017 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, SCES 2017, took place at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic from July 17 to 21, 2017. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University.

  11. Modeling of Activated Sludge Process Using Sequential Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahsa Vajedi

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In this study, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS has been applied to model activated sludge wastewater treatment process of Mobin petrochemical company. The correlation coefficients between the input variables and the output variable were calculated to determine the input with the highest influence on the output (the quality of the outlet flow in order to compare three neuro-fuzzy structures with different number of parameters. The predictions of the neuro-fuzzy models were compared with those of multilayer artificial neural network models with similar structure. The comparison indicated that both methods resulted in flexible, robust and effective models for the activated sludge system. Moreover, the root mean square of the error for neuro-fuzzy and neural network models were 5.14 and 6.59, respectively, which means the former is the superior method.

  12. Structure-activity correlations for interactions of bicyclophosphorus esters and some polychlorocycloalkane and pyrethroid insecticides with the brain-specific t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casida, J.E.; Lawrence, L.J.

    1985-01-01

    [ 35 S]t-Butylbicyclophosphorothionate or [ 35 S]TBPS is an improved radioligand for the picrotoxinin binding site in rat brain synaptic membranes. The toxic isomers of the hexachlorocyclohexanes, polychlorobornanes, and chlorinated cyclodienes displace [ 35 S]TBPS with a stereospecificity and potency generally correlated with their mammalian toxicity. In a few cases this correlation is improved by correction for metabolic activation or detoxification on using a coupled brain receptor/liver microsomal oxidase system. The alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl pyrethroids, although less potent, inhibit [ 35 S]TBPS binding in a stereospecific manner correlated with their toxicity. Scatchard analyses indicate that these three classes of polychlorocycloalkane insecticides act at the TBPS binding site within the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-ionophore complex whereas the alpha-cyano pyrethroids interact with a closely associated site. These insecticides and TBPS analogs may serve as useful probes further to elucidate the topography of the TBPS binding site and its relationship to the chloride channel. 46 references

  13. Business cycles' correlation and systemic risk of the Japanese supplier-customer network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krichene, Hazem; Chakraborty, Abhijit; Inoue, Hiroyasu; Fujiwara, Yoshi

    2017-01-01

    This work aims to study and explain the business cycle correlations of the Japanese production network. We consider the supplier-customer network, which is a directed network representing the trading links between Japanese firms (links from suppliers to customers). The community structure of this network is determined by applying the Infomap algorithm. Each community is defined by its GDP and its associated business cycle. Business cycle correlations between communities are estimated based on copula theory. Then, based on firms' attributes and network topology, these correlations are explained through linear econometric models. The results show strong evidence of business cycle correlations in the Japanese production network. A significant systemic risk is found for high negative or positive shocks. These correlations are explained mainly by the sector and by geographic similarities. Moreover, our results highlight the higher vulnerability of small communities and small firms, which is explained by the disassortative mixing of the production network.

  14. Business cycles’ correlation and systemic risk of the Japanese supplier-customer network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Abhijit; Inoue, Hiroyasu; Fujiwara, Yoshi

    2017-01-01

    This work aims to study and explain the business cycle correlations of the Japanese production network. We consider the supplier-customer network, which is a directed network representing the trading links between Japanese firms (links from suppliers to customers). The community structure of this network is determined by applying the Infomap algorithm. Each community is defined by its GDP and its associated business cycle. Business cycle correlations between communities are estimated based on copula theory. Then, based on firms’ attributes and network topology, these correlations are explained through linear econometric models. The results show strong evidence of business cycle correlations in the Japanese production network. A significant systemic risk is found for high negative or positive shocks. These correlations are explained mainly by the sector and by geographic similarities. Moreover, our results highlight the higher vulnerability of small communities and small firms, which is explained by the disassortative mixing of the production network. PMID:29059233

  15. Validation of a maternal questionnaire on correlates of physical activity in preschool children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inskip Hazel M

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Valid measures of physical activity correlates in preschool children are lacking. This study aimed to assess the validity, factor structure and internal consistency of a maternal questionnaire on potential correlates of four-year-old children's physical activity. Methods The questionnaire was designed to measure the following constructs: child personal factors; parental support and self-efficacy for providing support; parental rules and restrictions; maternal attitudes and perceptions; maternal behaviour; barriers to physical activity; and the home and local environments. Two separate studies were conducted. Study I included 24 mothers of four-year-old children who completed the questionnaire then participated in a telephone interview covering similar items to the questionnaire. To assess validity, the agreement between interview and questionnaire responses was assessed using Cohen's kappa and percentage agreement. Study II involved 398 mothers of four-year-old children participating in the Southampton Women's Survey. In this study, principal components analysis was used to explore the factor structure of the questionnaire to aid future analyses with these data. The internal consistency of the factors identified was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Results Kappa scores showed 30% of items to have moderate agreement or above, 23% to have fair agreement and 47% to have slight or poor agreement. However, 89% of items had fair agreement as assessed by percentage agreement (≥ 66%. Limited variation in responses to variables is likely to have contributed to some of the low kappa values. Six questions had a low kappa and low percentage agreement (defined as poor validity; these included questions from the child personal factors, maternal self-efficacy, rules and restrictions, and local environment domains. The principal components analysis identified eleven factors and found several variables to stand alone. Eight of the composite

  16. Strongly correlated electron systems and neutron scattering. Magnetism, superconductivity, structural phase transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katano, Susumu [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1998-03-01

    Neutron scattering experiments in our group on strongly correlated electron systems are reviewed Metal-insulator transitions caused by structural phase transitions in (La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}) MnO{sub 3}, a novel magnetic transition in the CeP compound, correlations between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in UPd{sub 2}Al{sub 3} and so forth are discussed. Here, in this note, the phase transition of Mn-oxides was mainly described. (author)

  17. Behavioral activation and inhibition system's role in predicting addictive behaviors of patients with bipolar disorder of Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbasi, Moslem; Sadeghi, Hasan; Pirani, Zabih; Vatandoust, Leyla

    2016-01-01

    Background: Nowadays, prevalence of addictive behaviors among bipolar patients is considered to be a serious health threat by the World Health Organization. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of behavioral activation and inhibition systems in predicting addictive behaviors of male patients with bipolar disorder at the Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital. Materials and Methods: The research method used in this study is correlation. The study population consisted of 80 male patients with bipolar disorder referring to the psychiatrics clinics of Tehran city in 2014 who were referred to the Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital. To collect data, the international and comprehensive inventory diagnostic interview, behavioral activation and inhibition systems scale, and addictive behaviors scale were used. Results: The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between behavioral activation systems and addictive behaviors (addictive eating, alcohol addiction, television addiction, cigarette addiction, mobile addiction, etc.). In addition, correlation between behavioral inhibition systems and addictive behaviors (addictive eating, alcohol addiction, TV addiction, cigarette addiction, mobile addiction) is significantly negative. Finally, regression analysis showed that behavioral activation and inhibition systems could significantly predict 47% of addictive behaviors in patients with bipolar disorder. Conclusions: It can be said that the patients with bipolar disorder use substance and addictive behaviors for enjoyment and as pleasure stimulants; they also use substances to suppress unpleasant stimulants and negative emotions. These results indicate that behavioral activation and inhibition systems have an important role in the incidence and exacerbation of addictive behaviors. Therefore, preventive interventions in this direction seem to be necessary. PMID:28194203

  18. Blood troponin levels in acute cardiac events depends on space weather activity components (a correlative study).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoupel, Eliiyahu; Radishauskas, Richardas; Bernotiene, Gailute; Tamoshiunas, Abdonas; Virvichiute, Daiva

    2018-02-05

    Many biological processes are influenced by space weather activity components such as solar activity (SA), geomagnetic activity (GMA) and cosmic ray activity (CRA). Examples are total mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke (cerebrovascular accident), sudden cardiac death, some congenital maladies (congenital heart disease and Down syndrome), many events in neonatology, ophtalmology, blood pressure regulation, blood coagulation, inflammation, etc. The aim of this study was to check if the level of blood troponins (Tns) - markers of myocardial damage and recognized components of modern description of AMI - is connected with the mentioned space weather parameters. Patients admitted to a 3000-bed tertiary university hospital in Kaunas, Lithuania, with suspected AMI were the object of the study. Data for the time between 2008 and 2013 - 72 consecutive months - were studied. Of the patients, 1896 (1398 male, 498 female) had elevated troponin I (Tn I) or troponin T (Tn T, sensitive Tn) levels. Normal values were 0.00-0.03 ng/mL for Tn I and 0.00-14.00 ng/mL for Tn T. Monthly means and standard deviation of Tn I and Tn T were compared with monthly markers of SA, GMA and CRA. Pearson correlation coefficients and their probabilities were established (in addition to the consecutive graphs of both comparing physical and biological data). The cosmophysical data came from space service institutions in the United States, Russia and Finland. AMI was diagnosed in 1188 patients (62.66%), and intermediate coronary syndrome in 698 patients (36.81%). There were significant links of the Tn blood levels with four SA indices and CRA (neutron activity in imp/min); there was no significant correlation with GMA indices Ap and Cp (p=0.27 and p=0.235). Tn T levels significantly correlated with the GMA indices and not with the SA and CRA levels (Ap: r=0.77, p=0.0021; Cp: r=0.729, p=0.0047). First, the monthly level of blood Tn I in ACS is significantly correlated with the indices

  19. Enhanced activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 correlates with the degree of papillary thyroid carcinoma infiltration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marečko, Ilona; Cvejić, Dubravka; Šelemetjev, Sonja; Paskaš, Svetlana; Tatić, Svetislav; Paunović, Ivan; Savin, Svetlana

    2014-01-01

    Aim To determine whether matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) may be a useful adjunctive tool for predicting unfavorable biological behavior of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by evaluating the expression profile and proteolytic activity of MMP-9 in PTC by different techniques and correlating the findings with clinicopathological prognostic factors. Methods Immunohistochemical localization of MMP-9 was analyzed with antibodies specific for either total or active MMP-9. Activation ratios of MMP-9 were calculated by quantifying gel zymography bands. Enzymatic activity of MMP-9 was localized by in situ zymography after inhibiting MMP-2 activity. Results Immunostaining of total and active MMP-9 was observed in tumor tissue and occasionally in non-neoplastic epithelium. Only active MMP-9 was significantly associated with extrathyroid invasion, lymph-node metastasis, and the degree of tumor infiltration (P zymography revealed a correlation between the MMP-9 activation ratio and nodal involvement, extrathyroid invasion, and the degree of tumor infiltration. In situ zymography showed that gelatinases exerted their activity in tumor parenchymal and stromal cells. Moreover, after application of MMP-2 inhibitor, the remaining gelatinase activity, corresponding to MMP-9, was highest in cancers with the most advanced degree of tumor infiltration. Conclusions This is the first report suggesting that the evaluation of active MMP-9 by immunohistochemistry and determination of its activation ratio by gelatin zymography may be a useful adjunct to the known clinicopathological factors in predicting tumor behavior. Most important, in situ zimography with an MMP-2 inhibitor for the first time demonstrated a strong impact of MMP-9 activity on the degree of tumor infiltration during PTC progression. PMID:24778099

  20. Explicitly-correlated ring-coupled-cluster-doubles theory: Including exchange for computations on closed-shell systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hehn, Anna-Sophia; Holzer, Christof; Klopper, Wim, E-mail: klopper@kit.edu

    2016-11-10

    Highlights: • Ring-coupled-cluster-doubles approach now implemented with exchange terms. • Ring-coupled-cluster-doubles approach now implemented with F12 functions. • Szabo–Ostlund scheme (SO2) implemented for use in SAPT. • Fast convergence to the limit of a complete basis. • Implementation in the TURBOMOLE program system. - Abstract: Random-phase-approximation (RPA) methods have proven to be powerful tools in electronic-structure theory, being non-empirical, computationally efficient and broadly applicable to a variety of molecular systems including small-gap systems, transition-metal compounds and dispersion-dominated complexes. Applications are however hindered due to the slow basis-set convergence of the electron-correlation energy with the one-electron basis. As a remedy, we present approximate explicitly-correlated RPA approaches based on the ring-coupled-cluster-doubles formulation including exchange contributions. Test calculations demonstrate that the basis-set convergence of correlation energies is drastically accelerated through the explicitly-correlated approach, reaching 99% of the basis-set limit with triple-zeta basis sets. When implemented in close analogy to early work by Szabo and Ostlund [36], the new explicitly-correlated ring-coupled-cluster-doubles approach including exchange has the perspective to become a valuable tool in the framework of symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) for the computation of dispersion energies of molecular complexes of weakly interacting closed-shell systems.

  1. Geometric correlations and multifractals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amritkar, R.E.

    1991-07-01

    There are many situations where the usual statistical methods are not adequate to characterize correlations in the system. To characterize such situations we introduce mutual correlation dimensions which describe geometric correlations in the system. These dimensions allow us to distinguish between variables which are perfectly correlated with or without a phase lag, variables which are uncorrelated and variables which are partially correlated. We demonstrate the utility of our formalism by considering two examples from dynamical systems. The first example is about the loss of memory in chaotic signals and describes auto-correlations while the second example is about synchronization of chaotic signals and describes cross-correlations. (author). 19 refs, 6 figs

  2. Cerebral activation associated with visually evoked sexual arousal in the limbic system: functional MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eun, Sung Jong; Kong, Gwang Woo; Kim, Hyung Joong; Seo, Jeong Jin; Kang, Heoung Keun; Cho, Ki Hyun; Yoon, Ka Hyun; Kim, Kyung Yo

    2004-01-01

    To identify the brain centers associated with visually evoked sexual arousal in the human brain, and to investigate the neural mechanism for sexual arousal using functional MRI (fMRI). A total of 20 sexually potent volunteers consisting of 10 males (mean age: 24) and 10 females (mean age: 23) underwent fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner (GE Signa Horizon). The fMRI data were obtained from 7 slices (10 mm slice thickness) parallel to the AC-PC (anterior commissure and posterior commissure) line, giving a total of 511 MR images. The sexual stimulation consisted of a 1-minute rest with black screen, followed by a 4-minute stimulation by an erotic video film, and concluded with a 2-minute rest. The brain activation maps and their quantification were analyzed by the statistical parametric mapping (SPM 99) program. The brain activation regions associated with visual sexual arousal in the limbic system are the posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, hypothalamus, medial cingulate gyrus, thalamus, amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, insula, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus and putamen. Especially, the parahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and hypothalamus were highly activated in comparison with other areas. The overall activities of the limbic lobe, diencephalon, and basal ganglia were 11.8%, 10.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. In the correlation test between brain activity and sexual arousal, the hypothalamus and thalamus showed positive correlation, but the other brain areas showed no correlation. The fMRI is useful to quantitatively evaluate the cerebral activation associated with visually evoked, sexual arousal in the human brain. This result may be helpful by providing clinically valuable information on sexual disorder in humans as well as by increasing the understanding of the neuroanatomical correlates of sexual arousal

  3. Cerebral activation associated with visually evoked sexual arousal in the limbic system: functional MR imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eun, Sung Jong; Kong, Gwang Woo; Kim, Hyung Joong; Seo, Jeong Jin; Kang, Heoung Keun; Cho, Ki Hyun; Yoon, Ka Hyun [School of Medicine, Chonnam National Univ., Kwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyung Yo [Wonkwang Univ., Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

    2004-08-01

    To identify the brain centers associated with visually evoked sexual arousal in the human brain, and to investigate the neural mechanism for sexual arousal using functional MRI (fMRI). A total of 20 sexually potent volunteers consisting of 10 males (mean age: 24) and 10 females (mean age: 23) underwent fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner (GE Signa Horizon). The fMRI data were obtained from 7 slices (10 mm slice thickness) parallel to the AC-PC (anterior commissure and posterior commissure) line, giving a total of 511 MR images. The sexual stimulation consisted of a 1-minute rest with black screen, followed by a 4-minute stimulation by an erotic video film, and concluded with a 2-minute rest. The brain activation maps and their quantification were analyzed by the statistical parametric mapping (SPM 99) program. The brain activation regions associated with visual sexual arousal in the limbic system are the posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, hypothalamus, medial cingulate gyrus, thalamus, amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, insula, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus and putamen. Especially, the parahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and hypothalamus were highly activated in comparison with other areas. The overall activities of the limbic lobe, diencephalon, and basal ganglia were 11.8%, 10.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. In the correlation test between brain activity and sexual arousal, the hypothalamus and thalamus showed positive correlation, but the other brain areas showed no correlation. The fMRI is useful to quantitatively evaluate the cerebral activation associated with visually evoked, sexual arousal in the human brain. This result may be helpful by providing clinically valuable information on sexual disorder in humans as well as by increasing the understanding of the neuroanatomical correlates of sexual arousal.

  4. Correlates of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation Among Latino Children and Adolescents with Acanthosis Nigricans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Ming; Su, Dejun

    2015-10-01

    Little is known about leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) correlates in high-risk youth prone to obesity, insulin resistance, and associated morbidities. This study examined LTPA correlates among Latino youth identified with acanthosis nigricans (AN), a skin condition typically caused by metabolic impairment. Data were collected on 305 AN-positive Latino youth of ages 5-15 and one of their biological parents in 2012 from Texas. Ordinal logit regression was performed to analyze the data. Five health and behavioral LTPA correlates were identified, including child time spent in TV watching or videogame playing (OR of highest quartile vs. lowest quartile = 0.45; p = 0.01), child fair/poor health (OR 0.42; p = 0.01), parent obesity (OR 0.63; p = 0.06), parent daily physical exercise for more than 30 min (OR 2.20; p < 0.01), and parent housework time (OR 0.76; p < 0.05). Parent socioeconomic status was insignificant. For at-risk Latino youth, physical activity intervention strategies should take both behavioral and health factors into account.

  5. Dipeptidyl-peptidase IV activity is correlated with colorectal cancer prognosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorka Larrinaga

    Full Text Available Dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (EC 3.4.14.5 (DPPIV is a serine peptidase involved in cell differentiation, adhesion, immune modulation and apoptosis, functions that control neoplastic transformation. Previous studies have demonstrated altered expression and activity of tissue and circulating DPPIV in several cancers and proposed its potential usefulness for early diagnosis in colorectal cancer (CRC.The activity and mRNA and protein expression of DPPIV was prospectively analyzed in adenocarcinomas, adenomas, uninvolved colorectal mucosa and plasma from 116 CRC patients by fluorimetric, quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical methods. Results were correlated with the most important classic pathological data related to aggressiveness and with 5-year survival rates. Results showed that: 1 mRNA levels and activity of DPPIV increased in colorectal neoplasms (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.01; 2 Both adenomas and CRCs displayed positive cytoplasmic immunostaining with luminal membrane reinforcement; 3 Plasmatic DPPIV activity was lower in CRC patients than in healthy subjects (Mann-U test, p<0.01; 4 Plasmatic DPPIV activity was associated with worse overall and disease-free survivals (log-rank p<0.01, Cox analysis p<0.01.1 Up-regulation of DPPIV in colorectal tumors suggests a role for this enzyme in the neoplastic transformation of colorectal tissues. This finding opens the possibility for new therapeutic targets in these patients. 2 Plasmatic DPPIV is an independent prognostic factor in survival of CRC patients. The determination of DPPIV activity levels in the plasma may be a safe, minimally invasive and inexpensive way to define the aggressiveness of CRC in daily practice.

  6. Automated Radiology-Pathology Module Correlation Using a Novel Report Matching Algorithm by Organ System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dane, Bari; Doshi, Ankur; Gfytopoulos, Soterios; Bhattacharji, Priya; Recht, Michael; Moore, William

    2018-05-01

    Radiology-pathology correlation is time-consuming and is not feasible in most clinical settings, with the notable exception of breast imaging. The purpose of this study was to determine if an automated radiology-pathology report pairing system could accurately match radiology and pathology reports, thus creating a feedback loop allowing for more frequent and timely radiology-pathology correlation. An experienced radiologist created a matching matrix of radiology and pathology reports. These matching rules were then exported to a novel comprehensive radiology-pathology module. All distinct radiology-pathology pairings at our institution from January 1, 2016 to July 1, 2016 were included (n = 8999). The appropriateness of each radiology-pathology report pairing was scored as either "correlative" or "non-correlative." Pathology reports relating to anatomy imaged in the specific imaging study were deemed correlative, whereas pathology reports describing anatomy not imaged with the particular study were denoted non-correlative. Overall, there was 88.3% correlation (accuracy) of the radiology and pathology reports (n = 8999). Subset analysis demonstrated that computed tomography (CT) abdomen/pelvis, CT head/neck/face, CT chest, musculoskeletal CT (excluding spine), mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abdomen/pelvis, MRI brain, musculoskeletal MRI (excluding spine), breast MRI, positron emission tomography (PET), breast ultrasound, and head/neck ultrasound all demonstrated greater than 91% correlation. When further stratified by imaging modality, CT, MRI, mammography, and PET demonstrated excellent correlation (greater than 96.3%). Ultrasound and non-PET nuclear medicine studies demonstrated poorer correlation (80%). There is excellent correlation of radiology imaging reports and appropriate pathology reports when matched by organ system. Rapid, appropriate radiology-pathology report pairings provide an excellent opportunity to close feedback loop to the

  7. Correlation between Cholinesterase and Paraoxonase 1 Activities: Case Series of Pesticide Poisoning Subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Austin Richard

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Acute exposure to pesticide due to suicidal poisoning is the most extensive cause of pesticide exposure, compared with all other causes including agricultural or industrial exposure. Organophosphate (OP and carbamate group of pesticides can inhibit acetylcholinesterase; on the other hand, paraoxonase1 can detoxify organophosphate poisoning by hydrolyzing organophosphate metabolites. Methods: We have compared the serum paraoxonase1 status and cholinesterase activity of subjects who attempted to commit suicide by consuming OP pesticide. Cholinesterase and paraoxonase1 activity were measured spectrophotometrically using butyrylthiocholine and phenyl acetate as substrates, respectively. Results: A positive correlation was found between serum paraoxonase1 activity and cholinesterase activity among pesticide consumed subjects. Conclusion: Our results suggest that subjects with higher paraoxonase1 activity may have a better chance of detoxifying the lethal effect of acute organophosphate poisoning.

  8. Reduced butyrylcholinesterase activity is an early indicator of trauma-induced acute systemic inflammatory response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zivkovic AR

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Aleksandar R Zivkovic, Jochen Bender, Thorsten Brenner, Stefan Hofer,* Karsten Schmidt* Department of Anesthesiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Early diagnosis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome is fundamentally important for an effective and a goal-directed therapy. Various inflammation biomarkers have been used in clinical and experimental practice. However, a definitive diagnostic tool for an early detection of systemic inflammation remains to be identified. Acetylcholine (Ach has been shown to play an important role in the inflammatory response. Serum cholinesterase (butyrylcholinesterase [BChE] is the major Ach hydrolyzing enzyme in blood. The role of this enzyme during inflammation has not yet been fully understood. This study tests whether a reduction in the BChE activity could indicate the onset of the systemic inflammatory response upon traumatic injury. Patients and methods: This observational study measured BChE activity in patients with traumatic injury admitted to the emergency room by using point-of-care-test system (POCT. In addition, the levels of routine inflammation biomarkers during the initial treatment period were measured. Injury Severity Score was used to assess the trauma severity. Results: Altered BChE activity was correlated with trauma severity, resulting in systemic inflammation. Reduction in the BChE activity was detected significantly earlier compared to those of routinely measured inflammatory biomarkers. Conclusion: This study suggests that the BChE activity reduction might serve as an early indicator of acute systemic inflammation. Furthermore, BChE activity, measured using a POCT system, might play an important role in the early diagnosis of the trauma-induced systemic inflammation. Keywords: trauma, injury, early diagnostics, cholinergic, pseudocholinesterase, SIRS

  9. Correlation Assessment of Tax System Risk and Profitability in the Russian Regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Yuryevna Malkina

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The subject of the article is the risk, returnm and efficiency of the tax systems in the regions of the Russian Federation. Research methods: deflating GRP and tax revenues at regional level; calculating the standard deviations; G. Markowitz portfolio approach; W. Sharpe ratio calculating; correlation and regression analysis. Results obtained: 1 comparative risk profile of various taxes and their groups in the Russian Federation; 2 clustering the Russian regions in terms of risk and return of tax systems; 3 regression between the risk of regional tax systems, relative scale of regional economics and tax return based on panel data of the Russian regions in 2006-2012; 4 ranking of the RF regions on the effectiveness of their tax systems, estimated by W. Sharpe ratio. In the paper, the authors have concluded: 1 all taxes (tax group collected in the Russian regions demonstrate a positive statistical relationship between return and risk, but with different correlation; 2 the risk of regional tax system depends on the structure of tax revenues in given region, the risks of collected taxes and the covariance of different taxes revenues to each other, and joint effect of these factors is estimated by means of portfolio approach by G. Markowitz; 3 the correlation between return and risk of the tax systems of the subjects of Russian Federation considering the scale of regional economics accounts for 75 %; 4 the risk of the Russian tax system is significantly provided by 19 major high-risk regions with more than 65 share in the total state tax revenues; 5 the effectiveness of regional tax systems estimated by the Sharpe ratio depends on both the objective and subjective factors affecting the yield and volatility of tax revenues in a region. Obtained results can be used by researchers in further dynamic and comparative analysis of regional tax systems’ risk and return, as well as in identifying the reserves for increasing the regional tax policy

  10. [A correlation between diffusion kurtosis imaging and the proliferative activity of brain glioma].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonoyan, A S; Pronin, I N; Pitshelauri, D I; Shishkina, L V; Fadeeva, L M; Pogosbekyan, E L; Zakharova, N E; Shults, E I; Khachanova, N V; Kornienko, V N; Potapov, A A

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the study was to assess the capabilities of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in diagnosis of the glioma proliferative activity and to evaluate a relationship between the glioma proliferative activity index and diffusion parameters of the contralateral normal appearing white matter (CNAWM). The study included 47 patients with newly diagnosed brain gliomas (23 low grade, 13 grade III, and 11 grade IV gliomas). We determined a relationship between absolute and normalized parameters of the diffusion tensor (mean (MD), axial (AD), and radial (RD) diffusivities; fractional (FA) and relative (RA) anisotropies) and diffusion kurtosis (mean (MK), axial (AK), and radial (RK) kurtosis; kurtosis anisotropy (KA)) and the proliferative activity index in the most malignant glioma parts (pAK, and RK) and anisotropy (KA, FA, RA) values increased, and diffusivity (MD, AD, RD) values decreased as the glioma proliferative activity index increased. A strong correlation between the proliferative activity index and absolute RK (r=0,71; p=0.000001) and normalized values of MK (r=0.8; p=0.000001), AK (r=0.71; p=0.000001), RK (r=0.81; p=0.000001), and RD (r=-0.71; p=0.000001) was found. A weak, but statistically significant correlation between the glioma proliferative activity index and diffusion values RK (r=-0.36; p=0.014), KA (r=-0.39; p=0.007), RD (r=0.35; p=0.017), FA (r=-0.42; p=0.003), and RA (r=-0.41; p=0.004) of CNAWM was found. DKI has good capabilities to detect immunohistochemical changes in gliomas. DKI demonstrated a high sensitivity in detection of microstructural changes in the contralateral normal appearing white matter in patients with brain gliomas.

  11. Friction Factor Correlation for Regenerator Working in a Travelling-Wave Thermoacoustic System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatimah A. Z. Mohd Saat

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Regenerator is a porous solid structure which is important in the travelling-wave thermoacoustic system. It provides the necessary contact surface and thermal capacity for the working gas to undergo a thermodynamic cycle under acoustic oscillatory flow conditions. However, it also creates a pressure drop that could degrade the overall system performance. Ideally, in a travelling-wave system, the phase angle between oscillating pressure and velocity in the regenerator should be zero, or as close to zero as possible. In this study, the hydrodynamic condition of a regenerator has been investigated both experimentally (in a purpose-built rig providing a travelling-wave phasing and numerically. A two-dimensional ANSYS FLUENT CFD model, capturing the important features of the experimental conditions, has been developed. The findings suggest that a steady-state correlation, commonly used in designing thermoacoustic systems, is applicable provided that the travelling-wave phase angle is maintained. However, for coarse mesh regenerators, the results show interesting “phase shifting” phenomena, which may limit the correlation validity. Current experimental and CFD studies are important for predicting the viscous losses in future models of thermoacoustic systems.

  12. The Cross-Correlation Analysis of Indicators of the Scientific-Innovation and Educational Activity of the Regions of Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhuravka Andrey V.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The article is aimed at exploring the cross-correlation dependency between the 11 selected indicators of the scientific-innovation and educational activity of the regions of Ukraine over the past years using the standard features of the MS Excel software. The calculated values of the pairwise coefficients of Pearson correlation changed from 0,66 to 1. The worst-case correlation coefficient, which changed from 0,7 to 0,8, was observed only with the number of students at the beginning of the academic year 2015/16. The article provides seven selected equations of linear regression and their graphs, with the latter equation corresponding to the worst correlation coefficient between the number of students and doctoral candidates (R = 0,6574. The first five equations of linear regression conform to correlations between financing the costs for completing scientific and scientific-technical works by the regions of Ukraine and various indicators of the scientific-educational potential of personnel. In all five cases, there was a high correlation dependency. As result of the study, fairly high correlation relationships among all indicators have been obtained. Prospect for further research is accounting for a larger number of indicators of the scientific-innovation and educational activity of the regions of Ukraine.

  13. Broad-band spectral studies of optical lightnings and possible correlation with solar activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhat, C.L.; Sapru, M.L.; Kaul, R.K.; Razdan, H.

    1984-01-01

    Optical pulses from lightning discharges have been recorded in a ground-based experiment, meant primarily for the detection of cosmic X- and γ-ray bursts through the atmospheric fluorescence technique. It is shown that the spectral ratio Asub(v)/Asub(y), i.e. the ratio of pulse amplitudes in the violet to that in yellow wavelength bands (3400-4300 A and 4400-6000 A respectively) provides a good indication of the lightning channel temperature, the range of derived temperatures extending from 5.000 K to 60.000 K. Based on the distribution of observed Asub(v)/Asub(y) values on a daily basis, it has been possible to separate the observed lightning activity into two classes. One class of event is shown to be correlated with the peaking of the global atmospheric electric field and occurs preferentially on days when the ground-level cosmic ray intensity shows a significant decrease in association with an increase in geomagnetic activity. The results are discussed in terms of the contemporary views regarding solar control of atmospheric electricity and the various sun-weather correlations reported earlier. (author)

  14. Volatility and correlation-based systemic risk measures in the US market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Civitarese, Jamil

    2016-10-01

    This paper deals with the problem of how to use simple systemic risk measures to assess portfolio risk characteristics. Using three simple examples taken from previous literature, one based on raw and partial correlations, another based on the eigenvalue decomposition of the covariance matrix and the last one based on an eigenvalue entropy, a Granger-causation analysis revealed some of them are not always a good measure of risk in the S&P 500 and in the VIX. The measures selected do not Granger-cause the VIX index in all windows selected; therefore, in the sense of risk as volatility, the indicators are not always suitable. Nevertheless, their results towards returns are similar to previous works that accept them. A deeper analysis has shown that any symmetric measure based on eigenvalue decomposition of correlation matrices, however, is not useful as a measure of "correlation" risk. The empirical counterpart analysis of this proposition stated that negative correlations are usually small and, therefore, do not heavily distort the behavior of the indicator.

  15. GeoBioScience: Red Wood Ants as Bioindicators for Active Tectonic Fault Systems in the West Eifel (Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrich Schreiber

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In a 1.140 km² study area of the volcanic West Eifel, a comprehensive investigation established the correlation between red wood ant mound (RWA; Formica rufa-group sites and active tectonic faults. The current stress field with a NW-SE-trending main stress direction opens pathways for geogenic gases and potential magmas following the same orientation. At the same time, Variscan and Mesozoic fault zones are reactivated. The results showed linear alignments and clusters of approx. 3,000 RWA mounds. While linear mound distribution correlate with strike-slip fault systems documented by quartz and ore veins and fault planes with slickensides, the clusters represent crosscut zones of dominant fault systems. Latter can be correlated with voids caused by crustal block rotation. Gas analyses from soil air, mineral springs and mofettes (CO2, Helium, Radon and H2S reveal limiting concentrations for the spatial distribution of mounds and colonization. Striking is further the almost complete absence of RWA mounds in the core area of the Quaternary volcanic field. A possible cause can be found in occasionally occurring H2S in the fault systems, which is toxic at miniscule concentrations to the ants. Viewed overall, there is a strong relationship between RWA mounds and active tectonics in the West Eifel.

  16. Induction of system A amino acid transport activity through long-term treatment with ouabain: possible correlation with enhanced (Na/sup +//K/sup +/)ATPase activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schenerman, M.A.; Leister, K.J.; Wang, S.Y.; Racker, E.

    1987-05-01

    Mouse embryo fibroblast cells (C3H-10T1/2) and the methylcholanthrene-transformed derivative (MCA-10T1/2) were treated with basal modified Eagles medium at varying ouabain concentrations ranging from 0.05 mM to 0.5 mM for 16 h in culture. After replacing the ouabain-containing medium with BME, System A (/sup 3/H-AlB uptake) and the (Na/sup +//K/sup +/)ATPase pump activity (ouabain-sensitive /sup 86/Rb/sup +/ uptake) was increased 10-fold and 3-fold, respectively (at 0.4 mM ouabain) in confluent C3H-10T1/2 cells. System A and the (Na/sup +//K/sup +/)ATPase activity was increased 15-fold and 5-fold, respectively in confluent MCA-10T1/2 cells but the increase was maximal at 0.2 mM ouabain. This treatment with ouabain increased the (Na/sup +/)/sub i//(K/sup +/)/sub i/ as measured by atomic absorption, and thereby decreased the Na/sup +/ and K/sup +/ electrochemical gradients. Their data show that the transformed cells were more sensitive to the internal ion inversion by ouabain than the C3H-10T1/2 cells. It appears, from data on hypertonicity and lipophilic cations that neither the chemical Na/sup +/ gradient nor the negative membrane potential are the primary driving forces of System A transport.

  17. Investigation of Condensation Heat Transfer Correlation of Heat Exchanger Design in Secondary Passive Cooling System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ju, Yun Jae; Lee, Hee Joon [Kookmin Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hanok; Lee, Taeho; Park, Cheontae [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-12-15

    Recently, condensation heat exchangers have been studied for applications to the passive cooling systems of nuclear plants. To design vertical-type condensation heat exchangers in secondary passive cooling systems, TSCON (Thermal Sizing of CONdenser), a thermal sizing program for a condensation heat exchanger, was developed at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). In this study, the existing condensation heat transfer correlation of TSCON was evaluated using 1,157 collected experimental data points from the heat exchanger of a secondary passive cooling system for the case of pure steam condensation. The investigation showed that the Shah correlation, published in 2009, provided the most satisfactory results for the heat transfer coefficient with a mean absolute error of 34.8%. It is suggested that the Shah correlation is appropriate for designing a condensation heat exchanger in TSCON.

  18. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1 in breast cancer - correlation with traditional prognostic factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lampelj Maja

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1 play a key role in tumour invasion and metastasis. High levels of both proteolytic enzymes are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between traditional prognostic factors and uPA and PAI-1 expression in primary tumour of breast cancer patients.

  19. Uncertainty analysis of reactor safety systems with statistically correlated failure data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dezfuli, H.; Modarres, M.

    1985-01-01

    The probability of occurrence of the top event of a fault tree is estimated from failure probability of components that constitute the fault tree. Component failure probabilities are subject to statistical uncertainties. In addition, there are cases where the failure data are statistically correlated. Most fault tree evaluations have so far been based on uncorrelated component failure data. The subject of this paper is the description of a method of assessing the probability intervals for the top event failure probability of fault trees when component failure data are statistically correlated. To estimate the mean and variance of the top event, a second-order system moment method is presented through Taylor series expansion, which provides an alternative to the normally used Monte-Carlo method. For cases where component failure probabilities are statistically correlated, the Taylor expansion terms are treated properly. A moment matching technique is used to obtain the probability distribution function of the top event through fitting a Johnson Ssub(B) distribution. The computer program (CORRELATE) was developed to perform the calculations necessary for the implementation of the method developed. The CORRELATE code is very efficient and consumes minimal computer time. This is primarily because it does not employ the time-consuming Monte-Carlo method. (author)

  20. Electronic correlation studies. III. Self-correlated field method. Application to 2S ground state and 2P excited state of three-electron atomic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lissillour, R.; Guerillot, C.R.

    1975-01-01

    The self-correlated field method is based on the insertion in the group product wave function of pair functions built upon a set of correlated ''local'' functions and of ''nonlocal'' functions. This work is an application to three-electron systems. The effects of the outer electron on the inner pair are studied. The total electronic energy and some intermediary results such as pair energies, Coulomb and exchange ''correlated'' integrals, are given. The results are always better than those given by conventional SCF computations and reach the same level of accuracy as those given by more laborious methods used in correlation studies. (auth)

  1. SPATIAL CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL AND WEEDS IN TWO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valter Roberto Schaffrath

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The spatial correlation between soil properties and weeds is relevant in agronomic and environmental terms. The analysis of this correlation is crucial for the interpretation of its meaning, for influencing factors such as dispersal mechanisms, seed production and survival, and the range of influence of soil management techniques. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial correlation between the physical properties of soil and weeds in no-tillage (NT and conventional tillage (CT systems. The following physical properties of soil and weeds were analyzed: soil bulk density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, aeration capacity of soil matrix, soil water content at field capacity, weed shoot biomass, weed density, Commelina benghalensis density, and Bidens pilosa density. Generally, the ranges of the spatial correlations were higher in NT than in CT. The cross-variograms showed that many variables have a structure of combined spatial variation and can therefore be mapped from one another by co-kriging. This combined variation also allows inferences about the physical and biological meanings of the study variables. Results also showed that soil management systems influence the spatial dependence structure significantly.

  2. Mycobacteria-specific cytokine responses as correlates of treatment response in active and latent tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clifford, Vanessa; Tebruegge, Marc; Zufferey, Christel; Germano, Susie; Forbes, Ben; Cosentino, Lucy; McBryde, Emma; Eisen, Damon; Robins-Browne, Roy; Street, Alan; Denholm, Justin; Curtis, Nigel

    2017-08-01

    A biomarker indicating successful tuberculosis (TB) therapy would assist in determining appropriate length of treatment. This study aimed to determine changes in mycobacteria-specific antigen-induced cytokine biomarkers in patients receiving therapy for latent or active TB, to identify biomarkers potentially correlating with treatment success. A total of 33 adults with active TB and 36 with latent TB were followed longitudinally over therapy. Whole blood stimulation assays using mycobacteria-specific antigens (CFP-10, ESAT-6, PPD) were done on samples obtained at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. Cytokine responses (IFN-γ, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-10, IL-13, IP-10, MIP-1β, and TNF-α) in supernatants were measured by Luminex xMAP immunoassay. In active TB cases, median IL-1ra (with CFP-10 and with PPD stimulation), IP-10 (CFP-10, ESAT-6), MIP-1β (ESAT-6, PPD), and TNF-α (ESAT-6) responses declined significantly over the course of therapy. In latent TB cases, median IL-1ra (CFP-10, ESAT-6, PPD), IL-2 (CFP-10, ESAT-6), and IP-10 (CFP-10, ESAT-6) responses declined significantly. Mycobacteria-specific cytokine responses change significantly over the course of therapy, and their kinetics in active TB differ from those observed in latent TB. In particular, mycobacteria-specific IL-1ra responses are potential correlates of successful therapy in both active and latent TB. Copyright © 2017 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Correlation between the meteorological data acquisition systems of the Centro Experimental ARAMAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Rando M.; Beu, Cássia M.L., E-mail: rando.oliveira@marinha.mil.br, E-mail: cassia.beu@marinha.mil.br [Centro Tecnológico da Marinha em São Paulo (CEA/CTMSP), Iperó, SP (Brazil). Centro Experimental ARAMAR

    2017-07-01

    Centro Experimental ARAMAR (CEA) is a Brazilian Navy Technological Center located in the rural area of lperó (São Paulo State), about 10-km distant from the nearest urban area. One of the most important activities at CEA is the nuclear fuel cycle research, as well as the development of a small-scale pressurized water reactor (PWR) land based prototype, The Laboratório Radioecológico (LAR E) is responsible for the meteorological observation program which relies on an automatic data collection system, The following variables are continuously measured: pressure, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity, The obtained data is refined and used in the annual reports to Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), and are an important input data for atmospheric dispersion models. Due to the construction of the Laboratório de Geraç!o Nucleoclétrica (LABGENE), it will be necessary to change tbe location of the towers and meteorological sensors, Thus, since 20 14, a new set of towers and sensors (Torre Nova) are in operation. The new location is 900 m distant from the old set (Torre Velha). Therefore, CEA has currently two meteorological data acquisition systems operating concurrently for approximately three years. The present work aims to compare the meteorological data of both systems in order to verify their agreement. The meteorological time series of both systems were submitted to a statistical analysis to evaluate their correlation. The results of this work confirm the compatibility of the two systems, showing that the Torre Velha can be deactivated without impairment to the meteorological time series. (author)

  4. Correlation between the meteorological data acquisition systems of the Centro Experimental ARAMAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Rando M.; Beu, Cássia M.L.

    2017-01-01

    Centro Experimental ARAMAR (CEA) is a Brazilian Navy Technological Center located in the rural area of lperó (São Paulo State), about 10-km distant from the nearest urban area. One of the most important activities at CEA is the nuclear fuel cycle research, as well as the development of a small-scale pressurized water reactor (PWR) land based prototype, The Laboratório Radioecológico (LAR E) is responsible for the meteorological observation program which relies on an automatic data collection system, The following variables are continuously measured: pressure, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity, The obtained data is refined and used in the annual reports to Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), and are an important input data for atmospheric dispersion models. Due to the construction of the Laboratório de Geraç!o Nucleoclétrica (LABGENE), it will be necessary to change tbe location of the towers and meteorological sensors, Thus, since 20 14, a new set of towers and sensors (Torre Nova) are in operation. The new location is 900 m distant from the old set (Torre Velha). Therefore, CEA has currently two meteorological data acquisition systems operating concurrently for approximately three years. The present work aims to compare the meteorological data of both systems in order to verify their agreement. The meteorological time series of both systems were submitted to a statistical analysis to evaluate their correlation. The results of this work confirm the compatibility of the two systems, showing that the Torre Velha can be deactivated without impairment to the meteorological time series. (author)

  5. Improved decryption quality and security of a joint transform correlator-based encryption system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilardy, Juan M.; Millán, María S.; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet

    2013-02-01

    Some image encryption systems based on modified double random phase encoding and joint transform correlator architecture produce low quality decrypted images and are vulnerable to a variety of attacks. In this work, we analyse the algorithm of some reported methods that optically implement the double random phase encryption in a joint transform correlator. We show that it is possible to significantly improve the quality of the decrypted image by introducing a simple nonlinear operation in the encrypted function that contains the joint power spectrum. This nonlinearity also makes the system more resistant to chosen-plaintext attacks. We additionally explore the system resistance against this type of attack when a variety of probability density functions are used to generate the two random phase masks of the encryption-decryption process. Numerical results are presented and discussed.

  6. Improved decryption quality and security of a joint transform correlator-based encryption system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilardy, Juan M; Millán, María S; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet

    2013-01-01

    Some image encryption systems based on modified double random phase encoding and joint transform correlator architecture produce low quality decrypted images and are vulnerable to a variety of attacks. In this work, we analyse the algorithm of some reported methods that optically implement the double random phase encryption in a joint transform correlator. We show that it is possible to significantly improve the quality of the decrypted image by introducing a simple nonlinear operation in the encrypted function that contains the joint power spectrum. This nonlinearity also makes the system more resistant to chosen-plaintext attacks. We additionally explore the system resistance against this type of attack when a variety of probability density functions are used to generate the two random phase masks of the encryption–decryption process. Numerical results are presented and discussed. (paper)

  7. A normalisation for the four - detector system for gamma - gamma angular correlation studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiang, G.C.; Chen, C.H.; Niu, W.F.

    1994-01-01

    A normalisation method for the multiple - HPGe - detector system is described. The system consists of four coaxial HPGe detectors with a CAMAC event - by - event data acquisition system, enabling to measure six gamma -gamma coincidences of angles simultaneously. An application for gamma - gamma correlation studies of Kr 82 is presented and discussed. 3 figs., 6 refs. (author)

  8. Correlations of plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration with ambulatory blood pressure responses to nebivolol and valsartan, alone and in combination, in hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giles, Thomas D; Bakris, George; Oparil, Suzanne; Weber, Michael A; Li, Huiling; Mallick, Madhuja; Bharucha, David B; Chen, ChunLin; Ferguson, William G

    2015-11-01

    After demonstration of the antihypertensive efficacy of the combination of the beta-blocker nebivolol and the angiotensin receptor blocker valsartan in an 8-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (N = 4161), we now report the effects of this treatment on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in a substudy (n = 805). Plasma renin activity increased with valsartan (54%-73%) and decreased with nebivolol (51%-65%) and the combination treatment (17%-39%). Plasma aldosterone decreased with individual treatments (valsartan, 11%-22%; nebivolol, 20%-26%), with the largest reduction (35%) observed with maximum combination dose (20 mg nebivolol/320 mg valsartan). Baseline ln(plasma renin activity) correlated with the 8-week reductions in 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP following treatments with the combination (all doses combined, P = .003 and P valsartan. Baseline ln(aldosterone) correlated with 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP reductions following combination treatment only (P < .001 and P = .005). The implications of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system effects of this beta blocker-angiotensin receptor blocker combination should be explored further. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. [Correlation analysis of G870A CCND1 gene polymorphism with digestive system tumors].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shu-Min; Shi, Ya-Lin

    2016-11-20

    To study the correlation of G870A CCND1 gene polymorphism and digestive system tumors. From August 2010 to August 2014, 164 digestive system cancer patients (including 82 patients with gastric cancer and 82 with colorectal cancer) and 82 healthy subjects (control group) were examined with PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The distribution of CCND1 gene G870A frequency in the 3 groups and its association with tumor staging and grading were analyzed. The frequencies of the GG, GA and AA genotypes in G870A CCND1 gene loci in patients with gastric cancer and colorectal cancer differed significantly from those in the control group (Pdigestive system tumors (Pdigestive system cancer risk than the GG genotype (Pdigestive system tumors. The allele A is associated with an increased risk of digestive system tumors and correlated with the tumor differentiation and staging of the tumor.

  10. Quantum simulation of strongly correlated condensed matter systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofstetter, W.; Qin, T.

    2018-04-01

    We review recent experimental and theoretical progress in realizing and simulating many-body phases of ultracold atoms in optical lattices, which gives access to analog quantum simulations of fundamental model Hamiltonians for strongly correlated condensed matter systems, such as the Hubbard model. After a general introduction to quantum gases in optical lattices, their preparation and cooling, and measurement techniques for relevant observables, we focus on several examples, where quantum simulations of this type have been performed successfully during the past years: Mott-insulator states, itinerant quantum magnetism, disorder-induced localization and its interplay with interactions, and topological quantum states in synthetic gauge fields.

  11. Nonvolcanic Tremor Activity is Highly Correlated With Slow Slip Events, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostoglodov, V.; Shapiro, N.; Larson, K. M.; Payero, J. S.; Husker, A.; Santiago, L. A.; Clayton, R. W.

    2008-12-01

    Significant activity of nonvolcanic tremor (NVT) has been observed in the central Mexico (Guerrero) subduction zone since 2001 when continuous seismic records became available. Although the quality of these records is poor, it is possible to estimate a temporal variation of energy in the range of 1-2Hz (best signal/noise ratio for the NVT). These clearly indicate a maximum of NVT energy release (En) during the 2001-2002 and 2006 large aseismic slow slip events (SSE) registered by the Guerrero GPS network. In particular En is higher for the 2001-2002 SSE which had larger surface displacements and extension than the 2006 SSE. A more detailed and accurate study of NVT activity was carried out using the data collected during the MASE experiment in Mexico. MASE consisted of 100 broad band seismometers in operation for ~2.5 years (2005-2007) along the profile oriented SSW-NNE from Acapulco, and crossing over the subduction zone for a distance of ~500 km. Epicenters and depths of individual tremor events determined using the envelope cross-correlation technique have rather large uncertainties, partly originated from the essentially 2D geometry of the network. The 'energy' approach is more efficient in this case because it provides an average NVT activity evolution in time and space. The data processing consists of a band pass (1-2Hz) filter of the raw 100 Hz sampled N-S component records, application a 10 min-width median filter to eliminate the effect of local seismic events and noise, and integration of the energy and normalization of daily En using an average coda amplitude from several regional earthquakes of M~5. A time-space distribution of En reveals a strong correlation between NVT energy release and the 2006 SSE, which also replicates the two-phase character of this slow event and a migration of the slow slip maximum from North to South. There are also a few clear episodes of relatively high NVT energy release that do not correspond to any significant geodetic

  12. Elevated serum cytokines correlated with altered behavior, serum cortisol rhythm, and dampened 24-hour rest-activity patterns in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rich, Tyvin; Innominato, Pasquale F; Boerner, Julie; Mormont, M Christine; Iacobelli, Stefano; Baron, Benoit; Jasmin, Claude; Lévi, Francis

    2005-03-01

    Incapacitating symptom burden in cancer patients contributes to poor quality of life (QOL) and can influence treatment outcomes because of poor tolerance to therapy. In this study, the role of circulating cytokines in the production symptoms in cancer patients is evaluated. Eighty patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with either normal (group I, n = 40) or dampened (group II, n = 40) 24-hour rest/activity patterns measured by actigraphy were identified. Actigraphy patterns were correlated with QOL indices, serum cortisol obtained at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and with serum levels of transforming growth factor-alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) obtained at 8:00 a.m. and analyzed in duplicate by ELISA. Cytokine levels and survival were also correlated. Group II patients had significantly higher pre treatment levels of all three cytokines, displayed significantly poorer emotional and social functioning, had higher fatigue, more appetite loss, and poorer performance status compared with group I patients. Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and IL-6 were significantly increased in the patients with WHO performance status >1 and in those with appetite loss. Fatigue was significantly associated with elevated TGF-alpha only. IL-6 was increased in those patients with extensive liver involvement and multiple organ replacement, and it was significantly correlated with dampened cortisol rhythm. In a multivariate analysis, IL-6 was correlated with poor treatment outcome. Significant correlations were found between serum levels of TGF-alpha and IL-6, circadian patterns in wrist activity and serum cortisol and tumor-related symptoms in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. These data support the hypothesis that some cancer patient's symptoms of fatigue, poor QOL, and treatment outcome are related to tumor or host generated cytokines and could reflect cytokine effects on the circadian timing system. This interplay between cytokine

  13. Assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis: correlations with disease activity indices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.M. Perrotta

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to evaluate atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS through the assessment of morphological and functional measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Twenty patients [M/F=12/8, age (median/range 43.5/28-69 years; disease duration (median/range 9.7/1-36 years] with AS classified according to modified New York criteria and twenty age and sex related healthy controls with negative past medical history for cardiovascular events were enrolled in the study. In all patients and controls, the intima-media thickness (IMT of common carotid artery, carotid bulb and internal carotid artery, and the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD of non-dominant arm brachial artery were determined, using a sonographic probe Esaote GPX (Genoa, Italy. Furthermore, we assess the main disease activity and disability indices [bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score-eritrosedimentation rate (ASDAS-ESR, ASDAS-C-reactive protein (CRP, bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index and acute phase reactants. Plasmatic values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride and homocysteine were carried out in all twenty patients. IMT at carotid bulb was significant higher in patients than in controls (0.67 mm vs 0.54 mm; P=0.03. FMD did not statistically differ between patients and controls (12.5% vs 15%; P>0.05. We found a correlation between IMT at carotid bulb and ESR (rho 0.43; P=0.04. No correlation was found between FMD and disease activity and disability indices. This study showed that in AS patients, without risk factors for cardiovascular disease, carotid bulb IMT, morphological index of subclinical atherosclerosis, is higher than in controls.

  14. Correlation transfer from basal ganglia to thalamus in Parkinson's disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamela, Reitsma; Brent, Doiron; Jonathan, Rubin

    2011-01-01

    Spike trains from neurons in the basal ganglia of parkinsonian primates show increased pairwise correlations, oscillatory activity, and burst rate compared to those from neurons recorded during normal brain activity. However, it is not known how these changes affect the behavior of downstream thalamic neurons. To understand how patterns of basal ganglia population activity may affect thalamic spike statistics, we study pairs of model thalamocortical (TC) relay neurons receiving correlated inhibitory input from the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi), a primary output nucleus of the basal ganglia. We observe that the strength of correlations of TC neuron spike trains increases with the GPi correlation level, and bursty firing patterns such as those seen in the parkinsonian GPi allow for stronger transfer of correlations than do firing patterns found under normal conditions. We also show that the T-current in the TC neurons does not significantly affect correlation transfer, despite its pronounced effects on spiking. Oscillatory firing patterns in GPi are shown to affect the timescale at which correlations are best transferred through the system. To explain this last result, we analytically compute the spike count correlation coefficient for oscillatory cases in a reduced point process model. Our analysis indicates that the dependence of the timescale of correlation transfer is robust to different levels of input spike and rate correlations and arises due to differences in instantaneous spike correlations, even when the long timescale rhythmic modulations of neurons are identical. Overall, these results show that parkinsonian firing patterns in GPi do affect the transfer of correlations to the thalamus. PMID:22355287

  15. Momentum distributions for two-electron systems: electron correlation and the Coulomb hole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banyard, K.E.; Reed, C.E.

    1978-01-01

    By evaluating the distribution function f(p 12 ), where p 12 ) in momentum space can be investigated. difference[p 1 - p 2 ] the concept of a Coulomb hole Δf(p 12 ) in momentum space can be investigated. Results are presented for the isoelectronic systems H - , He and Li + . The electron correlation within each CI wavefunction was analysed into its radial and angular components so that the structure and composition of Δf(p 12 ) could be assessed. The two-particle momentum radial density distribution and several two-particle expectation quantities are also examined. The present findings indicate, that in momentum space, the radial components of correlation produce effects characteristic of total correlation in position space whereas, by contrast, angular correlation creates an opposite effect. Thus the shape and formation of Δf(p 12 ) proves to be considerably more complex than that found for its counterpart in position space. The results also reveal a noticeable change in the relative importance of the components of correlation as the momentum increases. (author)

  16. Renormalization of correlations in a quasiperiodically forced two-level system: quadratic irrationals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mestel, B D; Osbaldestin, A H

    2004-01-01

    Generalizing from the case of golden mean frequency to a wider class of quadratic irrationals, we extend our renormalization analysis of the self-similarity of correlation functions in a quasiperiodically forced two-level system. We give a description of all piecewise-constant periodic orbits of an additive functional recurrence generalizing that present in the golden mean case. We establish a criterion for periodic orbits to be globally bounded, and also calculate the asymptotic height of the main peaks in the correlation function

  17. Quantum correlations between each two-level system in a pair of atoms and general coherent fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Abdel-Khalek

    Full Text Available The quantitative description of the quantum correlations between each two-level system in a two-atom system and the coherent fields initially defined in a coherent state in the framework of power-law potentials (PLPCSs is considered. Specifically, we consider two atoms locally interacting with PLPCSs and take into account the different terms of interactions, the entanglement and quantum discord are studied including the time-dependent coupling and photon transition effects. Using the monogamic relation between the entanglement of formation and quantum discord in tripartite systems, we show that the control and preservation of the different kinds of quantum correlations greatly benefit from the combination of the choice of the physical quantities. Finally, we explore the link between the dynamical behavior of quantum correlations and nonclassicality of the fields with and without atomic motion effect. Keywords: Quantum correlations, Monogamic relation, Coherent states, Power-law potentials, Wehrl entropy

  18. Eigenvalue distributions of correlated multichannel transfer matrices in strongly scattering systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sprik, R.; Tourin, A.; de Rosny, J.; Fink, M.

    2008-01-01

    We experimentally study the effects of correlations in the propagation of ultrasonic waves in water from a multielement source to a multielement detector through a strongly scattering system of randomly placed vertical rods. Due to the strong scattering, the wave transport in the sample is in the

  19. Lung disease associated with progressive systemic sclerosis. Assessment of interlobar variation by bronchoalveolar lavage and comparison with noninvasive evaluation of disease activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, K.S.; Smith, E.A.; Kinsella, M.; Schabel, S.I.; Silver, R.M.

    1990-01-01

    Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), or scleroderma, is a disease of unknown etiology that involves many organ systems, including the lungs. The interstitial lung disease of systemic sclerosis is becoming an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality. This process has been previously evaluated with single-site bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), gallium scanning, pulmonary function testing, and, occasionally, by open lung biopsy. As BAL has been shown to correlate well with open lung biopsy in systemic sclerosis, we sought to determine if single-site BAL accurately reflects alveolitis in a second site in the lung, and if BAL results correlate with other noninvasive tests of lung inflammation: gallium uptake, chest radiography, or arterial blood gas analysis. We performed 17 studies in 13 patients with scleroderma and found no significant lobar differences in lavage results or gallium scanning. By our criteria for normal versus active alveolitis, only two of 17 patient lavages would have been classified as normal by one side and abnormal by the other side. Although percent gallium uptake was equal bilaterally and supported the concept of alveolitis uniformity, gallium uptake intensity did not correlate with activity as measured by BAL. Furthermore, chest radiograph and arterial blood gas analysis did not correlate with BAL results or gallium scanning. We believe these data support the suitability of single-site lavage in the investigation of systemic-sclerosis-associated alveolitis and diminish the importance of gallium scanning in the investigation of systemic sclerosis pulmonary disease

  20. Strong correlation in acene sheets from the active-space variational two-electron reduced density matrix method: effects of symmetry and size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelzer, Kenley; Greenman, Loren; Gidofalvi, Gergely; Mazziotti, David A

    2011-06-09

    Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic molecules with importance in several branches of science, including medicine, combustion chemistry, and materials science. The delocalized π-orbital systems in PAHs require highly accurate electronic structure methods to capture strong electron correlation. Treating correlation in PAHs has been challenging because (i) traditional wave function methods for strong correlation have not been applicable since they scale exponentially in the number of strongly correlated orbitals, and (ii) alternative methods such as the density-matrix renormalization group and variational two-electron reduced density matrix (2-RDM) methods have not been applied beyond linear acene chains. In this paper we extend the earlier results from active-space variational 2-RDM theory [Gidofalvi, G.; Mazziotti, D. A. J. Chem. Phys. 2008, 129, 134108] to the more general two-dimensional arrangement of rings--acene sheets--to study the relationship between geometry and electron correlation in PAHs. The acene-sheet calculations, if performed with conventional wave function methods, would require wave function expansions with as many as 1.5 × 10(17) configuration state functions. To measure electron correlation, we employ several RDM-based metrics: (i) natural-orbital occupation numbers, (ii) the 1-RDM von Neumann entropy, (iii) the correlation energy per carbon atom, and (iv) the squared Frobenius norm of the cumulant 2-RDM. The results confirm a trend of increasing polyradical character with increasing molecular size previously observed in linear PAHs and reveal a corresponding trend in two-dimensional (arch-shaped) PAHs. Furthermore, in PAHs of similar size they show significant variations in correlation with geometry. PAHs with the strictly linear geometry (chains) exhibit more electron correlation than PAHs with nonlinear geometries (sheets).

  1. Narrative Inquiry With Activity Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa C. Yamagata-Lynch

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this article is to introduce activity systems as a methodological tool in narrative inquiry to gain a holistic understanding of socially shared experiences from an examination of documents. The research question was how can qualitative researchers use activity systems as a tool for engaging in narrative inquiry of socially shared experiences to uncover new meanings by constructing a story? In this article, we share a sample analysis of our experience relying on documents and media as a form of narrative to begin to understand the socially shared human activity associated with net neutrality and its potential impact on U.S. residents. We end this article with reflections of lessons learned from our activity systems guided story construction process.

  2. Stellar Obliquity and Magnetic Activity of Planet-hosting Stars and Eclipsing Binaries Based on Transit Chord Correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Fei; Winn, Joshua N.; Berta-Thompson, Zachory; Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto; Albrecht, Simon

    2018-04-01

    The light curve of an eclipsing system shows anomalies whenever the eclipsing body passes in front of active regions on the eclipsed star. In some cases, the pattern of anomalies can be used to determine the obliquity Ψ of the eclipsed star. Here we present a method for detecting and analyzing these patterns, based on a statistical test for correlations between the anomalies observed in a sequence of eclipses. Compared to previous methods, ours makes fewer assumptions and is easier to automate. We apply it to a sample of 64 stars with transiting planets and 24 eclipsing binaries for which precise space-based data are available, and for which there was either some indication of flux anomalies or a previously reported obliquity measurement. We were able to determine obliquities for 10 stars with hot Jupiters. In particular we found Ψ ≲ 10° for Kepler-45, which is only the second M dwarf with a measured obliquity. The other eight cases are G and K stars with low obliquities. Among the eclipsing binaries, we were able to determine obliquities in eight cases, all of which are consistent with zero. Our results also reveal some common patterns of stellar activity for magnetically active G and K stars, including persistently active longitudes.

  3. DSN Beowulf Cluster-Based VLBI Correlator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogstad, Stephen P.; Jongeling, Andre P.; Finley, Susan G.; White, Leslie A.; Lanyi, Gabor E.; Clark, John E.; Goodhart, Charles E.

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) requires a broadband VLBI (very long baseline interferometry) correlator to process data routinely taken as part of the VLBI source Catalogue Maintenance and Enhancement task (CAT M&E) and the Time and Earth Motion Precision Observations task (TEMPO). The data provided by these measurements are a crucial ingredient in the formation of precision deep-space navigation models. In addition, a VLBI correlator is needed to provide support for other VLBI related activities for both internal and external customers. The JPL VLBI Correlator (JVC) was designed, developed, and delivered to the DSN as a successor to the legacy Block II Correlator. The JVC is a full-capability VLBI correlator that uses software processes running on multiple computers to cross-correlate two-antenna broadband noise data. Components of this new system (see Figure 1) consist of Linux PCs integrated into a Beowulf Cluster, an existing Mark5 data storage system, a RAID array, an existing software correlator package (SoftC) originally developed for Delta DOR Navigation processing, and various custom- developed software processes and scripts. Parallel processing on the JVC is achieved by assigning slave nodes of the Beowulf cluster to process separate scans in parallel until all scans have been processed. Due to the single stream sequential playback of the Mark5 data, some ramp-up time is required before all nodes can have access to required scan data. Core functions of each processing step are accomplished using optimized C programs. The coordination and execution of these programs across the cluster is accomplished using Pearl scripts, PostgreSQL commands, and a handful of miscellaneous system utilities. Mark5 data modules are loaded on Mark5 Data systems playback units, one per station. Data processing is started when the operator scans the Mark5 systems and runs a script that reads various configuration files and then creates an experiment-dependent status database

  4. Channel correlation of free space optical communication systems with receiver diversity in non-Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jing; Fu, Yulong; Tan, Liying; Yu, Siyuan; Xie, Xiaolong

    2018-05-01

    Spatial diversity as an effective technique to mitigate the turbulence fading has been widely utilized in free space optical (FSO) communication systems. The received signals, however, will suffer from channel correlation due to insufficient spacing between component antennas. In this paper, the new expressions of the channel correlation coefficient and specifically its components (the large- and small-scale channel correlation coefficients) for a plane wave with aperture effects are derived for horizontal link in moderate-to-strong turbulence, using a non-Kolmogorov spectrum that has a generalized power law in the range of 3-4 instead of the fixed classical Kolmogorov power law of 11/3. And then the influence of power law variations on the channel correlation coefficient and its components are analysed. The numerical results indicated that various value of the power law lead to varying effects on the channel correlation coefficient and its components. This work will help with the further investigation on the fading correlation in spatial diversity systems.

  5. Antiprotozoal activities of benzimidazoles and correlations with beta-tubulin sequence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katiyar, S K; Gordon, V R; McLaughlin, G L; Edlind, T D

    1994-01-01

    Benzimidazoles have been widely used since the 1960s as anthelmintic agents in veterinary and human medicine and as antifungal agents in agriculture. More recently, selected benzimidazole derivatives were shown to be active in vitro against two protozoan parasites, Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia, and clinical studies with AIDS patients have suggested that microsporidia are susceptible as well. Here, we first present in vitro susceptibility data for T. vaginalis and G. lamblia using an expanded set of benzimidazole derivatives. Both parasites were highly susceptible to four derivatives, including mebendazole, flubendazole, and fenbendazole (50% inhibitory concentrations of 0.005 to 0.16 microgram/ml). These derivatives also had lethal activity that was time dependent: 90% of T. vaginalis cells failed to recover following a 20-h exposure to mebendazole at 0.17 microgram/ml. G. lamblia, but not T. vaginalis, was highly susceptible to five additional derivatives. Next, we examined in vitro activity of benzimidazoles against additional protozoan parasites: little or no activity was observed against Entamoeba histolytica, Leishmania major, and Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Since the microtubule protein beta-tubulin has been identified as the benzimidazole target in helminths and fungi, potential correlations between benzimidazole activity and beta-tubulin sequence were examined. This analysis included partial sequences (residues 108 to 259) from the organisms mentioned above, as well as the microsporidia Encephalitozoon hellem and Encephalitozoon cuniculi and the sporozoan Cryptosporidium parvum. beta-tubulin residues Glu-198 and, in particular, Phe-200 are strong predictors of benzimidazole susceptibility; both are present in Encephalitozoon spp. but absent in C. parvum. PMID:7811023

  6. Preliminary Correlations for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Sizing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Álvaro Gómez-Rodríguez

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The field of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS is currently undergoing a noteworthy expansion. The diverse types of missions that these aircraft can accomplish, both in military and civil environments, have motivated an increase of interest in their study and applications. The methods chosen to develop this study are based on the statistical analysis of a database including numerous models of RPAS and the estimation of different correlations in order to develop a design method for rapid sizing of H-tail RPAS. Organizing the information of the database according to relevant characteristics, information relative to the state-of-the-art design tendencies can be extracted, which can serve to take decisions relative to the aerodynamic configuration or the power plant in the first phases of the design project. Furthermore, employing statistical correlations estimated from the database, a design method for rapid-sizing of H-tail RPAS has been conducted, which will be focused on the sizing of the wing and tail surfaces. The resulting method has been tested by applying it to an example case so as to validate the proposed procedure.

  7. Correlates of home and neighbourhood-based physical activity in UK 3-4-year-old children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hnatiuk, Jill A; Hesketh, Kathryn R; van Sluijs, Esther M F

    2016-12-01

    Identifying context-specific correlates of home- and neighbourhood-based physical activity in preschool-aged children may help improve intervention program development for these settings. A total of 153 3-4-year-old children were recruited through preschool settings in Cambridgeshire (January-July 2013). Children wore Actiheart accelerometers for ≤7 days to assess their sedentary time (ST), light-(LPA) and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). A parent-completed questionnaire assessed correlates across the ecological model and the child's preschool attendance during the measurement week. Only accelerometer data for times when children were at home were used. Multilevel models (Level 1: days; Level 2: child) examined associations between maternal-reported exposure variables and each outcome (children's home- and neighbourhood-based ST, LPA and MVPA) (main analysis). Further analyses included the subsample of children with complete paternal correlates data (father analysis). In the main analyses, children with older siblings engaged in less ST. Children whose mothers reported being 'moderately inactive' or 'active' (vs. inactive) engaged in less LPA, while children whose mothers worked >35 h week -1 engaged in less MVPA. More equipment at home was associated with lower LPA but greater MVPA. In the father analysis, father's television viewing before 6 pm was associated with greater ST and less MVPA in children; the negative association between mother's activity and children's LPA was retained. Family demographics and parental behaviours appear to have the strongest association with children's home- and neighbourhood-based ST, LPA and MVPA. This study further highlights the importance of examining both maternal and paternal behaviours. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.

  8. Individual, social and physical environmental correlates of children's active free-play: a cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ball Kylie

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Children's unstructured outdoor free-play (or active free-play has the potential to make an important contribution to children's overall physical activity levels. Limited research has, however, examined physical activity in this domain. This study examined associations between individual, social and physical environmental factors and the frequency with which children play in particular outdoor locations outside school hours. This study also investigated whether the frequency of playing in outdoor locations was associated with children's overall physical activity levels. Methods Participants including 8-9 year old children and their parents (n = 187 were recruited from a selection of primary schools of varying socioeconomic status across metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Parents completed a survey and children's overall physical activity levels were measured by accelerometry. Regression models examined the odds of children playing in various outdoor settings according to particular correlates. Results Inverse associations were found between preference for activities not involving physical activity, and the likelihood of children playing in the yard at home on the weekend (OR = 0.65; CI = 0.45,0.95. Positive correlates of children playing in their own street included: parental perceptions that it was safe for their child to play in their street (weekdays [OR = 6.46; CI = 2.84,14.71], weekend days [OR = 6.01; CI = 2.68,13.47]; children having many friends in their neighbourhood (OR = 2.63; CI = 1.21,5.76; and living in a cul-de-sac (weekdays [OR = 3.99; CI = 1.65,9.66], weekend days [OR = 3.49; CI = 1.49,8.16]. Positive correlates of more frequent play in the park/playground on weekdays included family going to the park together on a weekly basis on weekdays (OR = 6.8; CI = 3.4,13.6; and on weekend days (OR = 7.36; CI = 3.6,15.0. No differences in mean mins/day of moderate-vigorous physical activity were found between children

  9. Positive correlation between blood pressure or heart rate and chymase-dependent angiotensin II-forming activity in circulating mononuclear leukocytes measured by new ELISA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamura, Keisuke; Okuda, Tetsu; Shirai, Kazuyuki; Urata, Hidenori

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to establish a convenient clinically applicable assay method for chymase-dependent angiotensin II forming activity of circulating mononuclear leukocytes (CML), which was potentially a marker of tissue chymase activity. Using this method, association between CML chymase activity and clinical parameters was determined. Cardiovascular outpatients (n = 170) without taking antihypertensive medication were recruited. An ELISA for chymase-dependent angiotensin II-forming activity in CML was established using Nma /Dnp-modified angiotensin I. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age and male gender were significant independent determinants of the increased CML chymase activity. After adjustment by age and gender, the CML chymase activity was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and the brain natriuretic peptide level. The relation between blood pressure and CML chymase activity suggests that it might reflect that increased tissue chymase activity contributes to systemic high blood pressure and heart rate because plasma chymase is inactive due to inhibitory plasma inhibitors.

  10. Analysis of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and its active components by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy combined with two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Yizhen; Lv, Beiran; Wang, Jingjuan; Liu, Yang; Sun, Suqin; Xiao, Yao; Lu, Lina; Xiang, Li; Yang, Yanfang; Qu, Lei; Meng, Qinghong

    2016-01-15

    As complicated mixture systems, active components of Chuanxiong Rhizoma are very difficult to identify and discriminate. In this paper, the macroscopic IR fingerprint method including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the second derivative infrared spectroscopy (SD-IR) and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2DCOS-IR), was applied to study and identify Chuanxiong raw materials and its different segmented production of HPD-100 macroporous resin. Chuanxiong Rhizoma is rich in sucrose. In the FT-IR spectra, water eluate is more similar to sucrose than the powder and the decoction. Their second derivative spectra amplified the differences and revealed the potentially characteristic IR absorption bands and combined with the correlation coefficient, concluding that 50% ethanol eluate had more ligustilide than other eluates. Finally, it can be found from 2DCOS-IR spectra that proteins were extracted by ethanol from Chuanxiong decoction by HPD-100 macroporous resin. It was demonstrated that the above three-step infrared spectroscopy could be applicable for quick, non-destructive and effective analysis and identification of very complicated and similar mixture systems of traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Thermo-active building systems and sound absorbers: Thermal comfort under real operation conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Köhler, Benjamin; Rage, Nils; Chigot, Pierre

    2018-01-01

    Radiant systems are established today and have a high ecological potential in buildings while ensuring thermal comfort. Free-hanging sound absorbers are commonly used for room acoustic control, but can reduce the heat exchange when suspended under an active slab. The aim of this study...... is to evaluate the impact on thermal comfort of horizontal and vertical free-hanging porous sound absorbers placed in rooms of a building cooled by Thermo-Active Building System (TABS), under real operation conditions. A design comparing five different ceiling coverage ratios and two room types has been...... implemented during three measurement periods. A clear correlation between increase of ceiling coverage ratio and reduction of thermal comfort could not be derived systematically for each measurement period and room type, contrarily to what was expected from literature. In the first two monitoring periods...

  12. Weather is not significantly correlated with destination-specific transport-related physical activity among adults: A large-scale temporally matched analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Casey P; Zhang, Kai; Salvo, Deborah

    2017-08-01

    Weather is an element of the natural environment that could have a significant effect on physical activity. Existing research, however, indicates only modest correlations between measures of weather and physical activity. This prior work has been limited by a failure to use time-matched weather and physical activity data, or has not adequately examined the different domains of physical activity (transport, leisure, occupational, etc.). Our objective was to identify the correlation between weather variables and destination-specific transport-related physical activity in adults. Data were sourced from the California Household Travel Survey, collected in 2012-3. Weather variables included: relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, and precipitation. Transport-related physical activity (walking) was sourced from participant-recorded travel diaries. Three-part hurdle models were used to analyze the data. Results indicate statistically or substantively insignificant correlations between the weather variables and transport-related physical activity for all destination types. These results provide the strongest evidence to date that transport-related physical activity may occur relatively independently of weather conditions. The knowledge that weather conditions do not seem to be a significant barrier to this domain of activity may potentially expand the universe of geographic locations that are amenable to environmental and programmatic interventions to increase transport-related walking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Real-time fMRI neurofeedback of the mediodorsal and anterior thalamus enhances correlation between thalamic BOLD activity and alpha EEG rhythm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zotev, Vadim; Misaki, Masaya; Phillips, Raquel; Wong, Chung Ki; Bodurka, Jerzy

    2018-02-01

    Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) with simultaneous EEG allows volitional modulation of BOLD activity of target brain regions and investigation of related electrophysiological activity. We applied this approach to study correlations between thalamic BOLD activity and alpha EEG rhythm. Healthy volunteers in the experimental group (EG, n = 15) learned to upregulate BOLD activity of the target region consisting of the mediodorsal (MD) and anterior (AN) thalamic nuclei using rtfMRI-nf during retrieval of happy autobiographical memories. Healthy subjects in the control group (CG, n = 14) were provided with a sham feedback. The EG participants were able to significantly increase BOLD activities of the MD and AN. Functional connectivity between the MD and the inferior precuneus was significantly enhanced during the rtfMRI-nf task. Average individual changes in the occipital alpha EEG power significantly correlated with the average MD BOLD activity levels for the EG. Temporal correlations between the occipital alpha EEG power and BOLD activities of the MD and AN were significantly enhanced, during the rtfMRI-nf task, for the EG compared to the CG. Temporal correlations with the alpha power were also significantly enhanced for the posterior nodes of the default mode network, including the precuneus/posterior cingulate, and for the dorsal striatum. Our findings suggest that the temporal correlation between the MD BOLD activity and posterior alpha EEG power is modulated by the interaction between the MD and the inferior precuneus, reflected in their functional connectivity. Our results demonstrate the potential of the rtfMRI-nf with simultaneous EEG for noninvasive neuromodulation studies of human brain function. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Ileal Crohn disease: mural microvascularity quantified with contrast-enhanced US correlates with disease activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Franco, Antonio; Di Veronica, Alessandra; Armuzzi, Alessandro; Roberto, Italia; Marzo, Manuela; De Pascalis, Barbara; De Vitis, Italo; Papa, Alfredo; Bock, Enrico; Danza, Francesco M; Bonomo, Lorenzo; Guidi, Luisa

    2012-02-01

    To quantitatively assess microvascular activation in the thickened ileal walls of patients with Crohn disease (CD) by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) and evaluate its correlation with widely used indexes of CD activity. This prospective study was approved by the ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. The authors examined 54 consecutively enrolled patients (mean age, 35.29 years; age range, 18-69 years; 39 men, 15 women) with endoscopically confirmed CD of the terminal ileum. Ileal wall segments thicker than 3 mm were examined with low-mechanical-index contrast-enhanced US and a second-generation US contrast agent. The authors analyzed software-plotted time-enhancement intensity curves to determine the maximum peak intensity (MPI) and wash-in slope coefficient (β) and evaluated their correlation with (a) the composite index of CD activity (CICDA), (b) the CD activity index (CDAI), and (c) the simplified endoscopic score for CD (SES-CD, evaluated in 37 patients) for the terminal ileum. Statistical analysis was performed with the Mann-Whitney test, Spearman rank test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. MPI and β coefficients were significantly increased in the 36 patients with a CICDA indicative of active disease (P<.0001 for both), the 33 patients with a CDAI of at least 150 (P<.032 and P<.0074, respectively), and the 26 patients with an SES-CD of at least 1 (P<.0001 and P<.002, respectively). ROC analysis revealed accurate identification (compared with CICDA) of active CD with an MPI threshold of 24 video intensity (VI) (sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 83%) and a β coefficient of 4.5 VI/sec (sensitivity, 86%; specificity, 83%). Contrast-enhanced US of the ileal wall is a promising method for objective, reproducible assessment of disease activity in patients with ileal CD. © RSNA, 2011

  15. The correlation between physical activity and grade point average for health science graduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Eugenia C; Hernandez, Erika C; Coltrane, Ambrosia K; Mancera, Jayme M

    2014-01-01

    Researchers have reported positive associations between physical activity and academic achievement. However, a common belief is that improving academic performance comes at the cost of reducing time for and resources spent on extracurricular activities that encourage physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported physical activity and grade point average (GPA) for health science graduate students. Graduate students in health science programs completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and reported their academic progress. Most participants (76%) reported moderate to vigorous physical activity levels that met or exceeded the recommended levels for adults. However, there was no significant correlation between GPA and level of physical activity. Negative findings for this study may be associated with the limited range of GPA scores for graduate students. Future studies need to consider more sensitive measures of cognitive function, as well as the impact of physical activity on occupational balance and health for graduate students in the health fields. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

  16. Reliability Assessment of IGBT Modules Modeled as Systems with Correlated Components

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kostandyan, Erik; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    2013-01-01

    configuration. The estimated system reliability by the proposed method is a conservative estimate. Application of the suggested method could be extended for reliability estimation of systems composing of welding joints, bolts, bearings, etc. The reliability model incorporates the correlation between...... was applied for the systems failure functions estimation. It is desired to compare the results with the true system failure function, which is possible to estimate using simulation techniques. Theoretical model development should be applied for the further research. One of the directions for it might...... be modeling the system based on the Sequential Order Statistics, by considering the failure of the minimum (weakest component) at each loading level. The proposed idea to represent the system by the independent components could also be used for modeling reliability by Sequential Order Statistics....

  17. Multi-level examination of correlates of active transportation to school among youth living within 1 mile of their school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gropp, Kathleen M; Pickett, William; Janssen, Ian

    2012-10-16

    Active transportation to school is a method by which youth can build physical activity into their daily routines. We examined correlates of active transportation to school at both individual- (characteristics of the individual and family) and area- (school and neighborhood) levels amongst youth living within 1 mile (1.6 km) of their school. Using the 2009/10 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey, we selected records of students (n = 3 997) from 161 schools that resided in an urban setting and lived within 1 mile from their school. Student records were compiled from: (1) individual-level HBSC student questionnaires; (2) area-level administrator (school) questionnaires; and (3) area-level geographic information system data sources. The outcome, active transportation to school, was determined via a questionnaire item describing the method of transportation that individual students normally use to get to school. Analyses focused on factors at multiple levels that potentially contribute to student decisions to engage in active transportation. Multi-level logistic regression analyses were employed. Approximately 18% of the variance in active transportation was accounted for at the area-level. Several individual and family characteristics were associated with engagement in active transportation to school including female gender (RR vs. males = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.80-0.91), having ≥2 cars in the household (RR vs. no cars = 0.87, 0.74-0.97), and family socioeconomic status (RR for 'not well off' vs. 'very well off' = 1.14, 1.01-1.26). Neighborhood characteristics most strongly related to active transportation were: the length of roads in the 1 km buffer (RR in quartile 4 vs. quartile 1 = 1.23, 1.00-1.42), the amount of litter in the neighborhood (RR for 'major problem' vs. 'no problem' = 1.47, 1.16-1.57), and relatively hot climates (RR in quartile 4 vs. quartile 1 = 1.33 CI, 1.05-1.53). Engagement in active transportation to school was related

  18. Many-particle correlations in quasi-two-dimensional electron-hole systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikolaev, Valentin

    2002-01-01

    This thesis reports a theoretical investigation of many-particle correlation effects in semiconductor heterostructures containing quantum wells. Particular attention is paid towards quasi-particle pair correlations. Using the Green's function technique and the ladder approximation as a basis, the generalized mass action law, which describes the redistribution of particles between correlated and uncorrelated states in quasi-two-dimensional systems for different temperatures and total densities, is derived. The expression is valid beyond the low-density limit, which allows us to investigate the transition of the system from a dilute exciton gas to a dense electron-hole plasma. A generalized Levinson theorem, which takes k-space filling into account, is formulated. Screening in quasi-two-dimensional systems is analyzed rigorously. Firstly, the qualitatively new mechanism of static local screening by indirect excitons is studied using the simple Thomas-Fermi approximation. Then, a detailed many-body description suitable for a proper account of dynamic screening by a quasi-2D electron-hole plasma, and consistent with the previously derived mass action law, is provided. The generalized Lindhard approximation and excitonic plasmon-pole approximations are also derived. The theory is applied to single and double quantum wells. A self-consistent procedure is developed for numerical investigation of the ionization degree of an electron-hole plasma at different values of temperature/exciton Rydberg ratios. This procedure accounts for screening, k-space filling (exciton bleaching), and the formation of excitons. An abrupt jump in the value of the ionization degree that happens with an increase of the carrier density or temperature (Mott transition) is found in a certain density-temperature region. It has been found that the critical density of the Mott transition for indirect excitons may be much smaller than that for direct excitons. A suggestion has been made that some of the

  19. Counting systems characterization for air activity measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vijayakumar, B.; Balamurugan, M.; Ravi, P.M.

    2018-01-01

    Air activity measurements are carried out continuously at all the nuclear power plant (NPP) sites both during pre-operational phase and also during operation of nuclear facility. These measurements provide a trend line for the background air activity in the surrounding environments of an operating NPP. Any increase in air activity over the benchmark level becomes very handy to investigate the releases from the station and to give feedback to the operators of NPP about the prevailing air activity levels and their correlation to the plant releases. This paper compiles the results obtained for air filter samples using different counters operating in GM region and also plastic scintillators

  20. Physical Activity Correlates for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Middle School Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Chien-Yu; Tsai, Chia-Liang; Hsieh, Kai-Wen

    2011-01-01

    This study examined potential correlates that might influence physical activity (PA) of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in physical education. Students with (n = 19) and without (n = 76) ASD wore an accelerometer during physical education. Data were collected in 38 physical education lessons. The results showed that (a) students…

  1. Strongly correlated photons generated by coupling a three- or four-level system to a waveguide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Huaixiu; Gauthier, Daniel J.; Baranger, Harold U.

    2012-04-01

    We study the generation of strongly correlated photons by coupling an atom to photonic quantum fields in a one-dimensional waveguide. Specifically, we consider a three-level or four-level system for the atom. Photon-photon bound states emerge as a manifestation of the strong photon-photon correlation mediated by the atom. Effective repulsive or attractive interaction between photons can be produced, causing either suppressed multiphoton transmission (photon blockade) or enhanced multiphoton transmission (photon-induced tunneling). As a result, nonclassical light sources can be generated on demand by sending coherent states into the proposed system. We calculate the second-order correlation function of the transmitted field and observe bunching and antibunching caused by the bound states. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the proposed system can produce photon pairs with a high degree of spectral entanglement, which have a large capacity for carrying information and are important for large-alphabet quantum communication.

  2. Correlates of physical activity level among hemodialysis patients in Selangor, Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, S W; Chan, Y M; Lim, T S

    2011-12-01

    There is mounting evidence demonstrating the importance of adequate physical activity to promote better well-being among hemodialysis patients. Available data pertaining to the levels of physical activity and its determinants among hemodialysis patients is, however, scarce in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are hence to determine the levels of physical activity and it associated factors among hemodialysis patients. A total of 70 subjects were recruited from three dialysis centres in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted to obtain socio-demographic data and subjects' knowledge on dietary sources. Medical history, biochemical parameters and weight status were obtained from medical records. Physical activity level (PAL) was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). A total of 81.4% and 18.6% of the respondents had low and moderate PALs, respectively. Thus, none of the respondents had high PAL. Serum creatinine, education level, personal income and knowledge score on potassium-related medical complications were factors found to correlate significantly with PAL. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher PAL was predicted by a lower knowledge score on dietary sodium source, higher education and higher serum creatinine. Despite consistent documentation of the potential positive impact of physical exercise on hemodialysis outcomes, the level of physical activity remains low among these patients. It is hoped that these findings can add to the existing body of knowledge and serve as a supporting document for the formulation of appropriate interventions to improve the status of physical activity among hemodialysis patients in Malaysia.

  3. Comparison of cumulative dissipated energy delivered by active-fluidic pressure control phacoemulsification system versus gravity-fluidics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Salinas, Roberto; Garza-Leon, Manuel; Saenz-de-Viteri, Manuel; Solis-S, Juan C; Gulias-Cañizo, Rosario; Quiroz-Mercado, Hugo

    2017-08-22

    To compare the cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), aspiration time and estimated aspiration fluid utilized during phacoemulsification cataract surgery using two phacoemulsification systems . A total of 164 consecutive eyes of 164 patients undergoing cataract surgery, 82 in the active-fluidics group and 82 in the gravity-fluidics group were enrolled in this study. Cataracts graded NII to NIII using LOCS II were included. Each subject was randomly assigned to one of the two platforms with a specific configuration: the active-fluidics Centurion ® phacoemulsification system or the gravity-fluidics Infiniti ® Vision System. CDE, aspiration time (AT) and the mean estimated aspiration fluid (EAF) were registered and compared. A mean age of 68.3 ± 9.8 years was found (range 57-92 years), and no significant difference was evident between both groups. A positive correlation between the CDE values obtained by both platforms was verified (r = 0.271, R 2  = 0.073, P = 0.013). Similarly, a significant correlation was evidenced for the EAF (r = 0.334, R 2  = 0.112, P = 0.046) and AT values (r = 0.156, R 2  = 0.024, P = 0.161). A statistically significantly lower CDE count, aspiration time and estimated fluid were obtained using the active-fluidics configuration when compared to the gravity-fluidics configuration by 19.29, 12.10 and 9.29%, respectively (P = 0.001, P Infiniti ® IP system for NII and NIII cataracts.

  4. Activity-dependent increases in local oxygen consumption correlate with postsynaptic currents in the mouse cerebellum in vivo

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiesen, Claus; Caesar, Kirsten; Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund

    2011-01-01

    Evoked neural activity correlates strongly with rises in cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)) and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Activity-dependent rises in CMRO(2) fluctuate with ATP turnover due to ion pumping. In vitro studies suggest that increases in cytosolic Ca(2+) stimulate oxidative m...

  5. Non-equilibrium magnetic interactions in strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Secchi, A., E-mail: a.secchi@science.ru.nl [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands); Brener, S.; Lichtenstein, A.I. [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universitat Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, D-20355 Hamburg (Germany); Katsnelson, M.I. [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2013-06-15

    We formulate a low-energy theory for the magnetic interactions between electrons in the multi-band Hubbard model under non-equilibrium conditions determined by an external time-dependent electric field which simulates laser-induced spin dynamics. We derive expressions for dynamical exchange parameters in terms of non-equilibrium electronic Green functions and self-energies, which can be computed, e.g., with the methods of time-dependent dynamical mean-field theory. Moreover, we find that a correct description of the system requires, in addition to exchange, a new kind of magnetic interaction, that we name twist exchange, which formally resembles Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya coupling, but is not due to spin–orbit, and is actually due to an effective three-spin interaction. Our theory allows the evaluation of the related time-dependent parameters as well. -- Highlights: •We develop a theory for magnetism of strongly correlated systems out of equilibrium. •Our theory is suitable for laser-induced ultrafast magnetization dynamics. •We write time-dependent exchange parameters in terms of electronic Green functions. •We find a new magnetic interaction, a “twist exchange”. •We give general expressions for magnetic noise in itinerant-electron systems.

  6. Obesity and Other Correlates of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors among US High School Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Lowry

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Understanding correlates of physical activity (PA can help inform and improve programs that promote PA among youth. We analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study, a representative sample of US students in grades 9–12. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between PA correlates (obesity, physical education classes, sports team participation, attitude toward PA, adult support for PA, and environmental support for PA and participation in daily PA (DPA, vigorous PA (VPA, muscle-strengthening activity (MSA, viewing television (TV, and using computers or video games (C/VG. A positive attitude toward PA and adult support for PA were both associated with increased PA and decreased sedentary behavior. However, among students who lived in neighborhoods that were not safe for PA, a positive attitude toward PA was not associated with increased DPA or decreased sedentary behavior and was less strongly associated with VPA and MSA. Efforts to increase PA among youth should promote a positive attitude toward PA among youth and encourage adult family members to support their efforts to be active. Policies that promote safe neighborhoods may work synergistically with a positive attitude toward PA to increase participation in PA and decrease sedentary behaviors.

  7. Correlations between in situ denitrification activity and nir-gene abundances in pristine and impacted prairie streams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, David W.; Trippett, Clare; Dodds, Walter K.; O'Brien, Jonathan M.; Banner, Eric B.K.; Head, Ian M.; Smith, Marilyn S.; Yang, Richard K.; Knapp, Charles W.

    2010-01-01

    Denitrification is a process that reduces nitrogen levels in headwaters and other streams. We compared nirS and nirK abundances with the absolute rate of denitrification, the longitudinal coefficient of denitrification (i.e., K den , which represents optimal denitrification rates at given environmental conditions), and water quality in seven prairie streams to determine if nir-gene abundances explain denitrification activity. Previous work showed that absolute rates of denitrification correlate with nitrate levels; however, no correlation has been found for denitrification efficiency, which we hypothesise might be related to gene abundances. Water-column nitrate and soluble-reactive phosphorus levels significantly correlated with absolute rates of denitrification, but nir-gene abundances did not. However, nirS and nirK abundances significantly correlated with K den , as well as phosphorus, although no correlation was found between K den and nitrate. These data confirm that absolute denitrification rates are controlled by nitrate load, but intrinsic denitrification efficiency is linked to nirS and nirK gene abundances. - Denitrification efficiency best correlated to nirS and nirK gene abundances.

  8. Correlation Of An E-Nose System For Odor Assessment Of Shoe/Sock Systems With A Human Sensory Panel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horras, Stephan; Reimann, Peter; Schuetze, Andreas; Gaiotto, Alessandra; Mayer, Maria

    2009-01-01

    Evaluation of strength and quality of smell is today still primarily done with human sensory panels. For a range of applications, technical systems for an objective smell assessment would provide a great benefit in R and D and also day-to-day application. The project presented here specifically addresses the problem of assessing the strength and unpleasantness of smell caused by sweat in shoes and socks by an E-nose system. The ultimate goal is to provide a tool for developing improved shoe/sock systems with optimized materials.The main approach to achieve this goal is to find a correlation between the assessment of a human sensory panel and the complex sensor response patterns of an E-Nose system to appraise the smell of sweat in shoes and socks. Therefore a range of test persons wear shoes and socks under defined ambient conditions in a controlled test environment as well as during everyday use. Afterwards the smell of the shoes and socks is both measured with the E-Nose system and assessed by a human sensory panel. We report here the results of the first larger test series and the identified correlation between the E-Nose system and the human assessment of the smell of sweat.

  9. The correlation between mannanase and cellulase activities towards fibre content of palm oil sludge fermented with Aspergillus niger

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Purwadaria

    1998-12-01

    Full Text Available Enzyme (mannanase and cellulase activities and fibre (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin contents were determined during the fermentation course of palm oil sludge with Aspergillus niger TL (wild type and A. niger ES I (an asporogenous mutant. The analyses were carried out at the incubation time of 3 and 4 days of aerobic fennentation and at 2 days of anaerobic fermentation afterward. The correlations between mamlanase activity with hemicellulose content and cellulose activity with cellulose content were calculated by linear regression . The activities of matutanase and cellulase are increasing during the aerobic fennentation, while in the anaerobic fennentation the enzyme activities are decreasing due to instability of the enzymes. The enzyme activities of ESI are higher than the TL. The regression coefficient is highly significant for correlation between mamlanase and hemicellulose content of fermented product by ESI (r = 0.83; P0 .05 . Marutanase and cellulase activities were also detected after the fermented product dried at 60°C which indicated the enzymes are quite stable .

  10. Weak correlations between hemodynamic signals and ongoing neural activity during the resting state

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winder, Aaron T.; Echagarruga, Christina; Zhang, Qingguang; Drew, Patrick J.

    2017-01-01

    Spontaneous fluctuations in hemodynamic signals in the absence of a task or overt stimulation are used to infer neural activity. We tested this coupling by simultaneously measuring neural activity and changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV) in the somatosensory cortex of awake, head-fixed mice during periods of true rest, and during whisker stimulation and volitional whisking. Here we show that neurovascular coupling was similar across states, and large spontaneous CBV changes in the absence of sensory input were driven by volitional whisker and body movements. Hemodynamic signals during periods of rest were weakly correlated with neural activity. Spontaneous fluctuations in CBV and vessel diameter persisted when local neural spiking and glutamatergic input was blocked, and during blockade of noradrenergic receptors, suggesting a non-neuronal origin for spontaneous CBV fluctuations. Spontaneous hemodynamic signals reflect a combination of behavior, local neural activity, and putatively non-neural processes. PMID:29184204

  11. A project proposal on Patterns and correlates of physical activity in families on Lolland-Falster

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Therese; Jepsen, Randi; Grøntved, Anders

    explanations for the inconsistent findings might be the use of different methodology for assessment of-as well as use of different definitions of physical activity. Current studies suggest that parental modeling effects in regard to physical activity differ by gender. Furthermore the influence of one versus...... two physically active parents may contribute positively to the physical activity level of the children in the family. Use of screen-based electronic media (e.g. smartphone-and tablet) may have considerably changed the way the families interact with each other. Research on these newer forms of media...... and correlates of physical activity in 1250 families on Lolland and Falster. Physical activity will be assessed objectively by using two accelerometers for seven consecutive days. Questionnaire about physical activity will be applied. Perspectives: Understanding whether or how primary caregivers influence...

  12. Right inferior frontal cortex activity correlates with tolcapone responsivity in problem and pathological gamblers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew S. Kayser

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Failures of self-regulation in problem and pathological gambling (PPG are thought to emerge from failures of top-down control, reflected neurophysiologically in a reduced capacity of prefrontal cortex to influence activity within subcortical structures. In patients with addictions, these impairments have been argued to alter evaluation of reward within dopaminergic neuromodulatory systems. Previously we demonstrated that augmenting dopamine tone in frontal cortex via use of tolcapone, an inhibitor of the dopamine-degrading enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT, reduced delay discounting, a measure of impulsivity, in healthy subjects. To evaluate this potentially translational approach to augmenting prefrontal inhibitory control, here we hypothesized that increasing cortical dopamine tone would reduce delay discounting in PPG subjects in proportion to its ability to augment top-down control. To causally test this hypothesis, we administered the COMT inhibitor tolcapone in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study of 17 PPG subjects who performed a delay discounting task while functional MRI images were obtained. In this subject population, we found that greater BOLD activity during the placebo condition within the right inferior frontal cortex (RIFC, a region thought to be important for inhibitory control, correlated with greater declines in impulsivity on tolcapone versus placebo. Intriguingly, connectivity between RIFC and the right striatum, and not the level of activity within RIFC itself, increased on tolcapone versus placebo. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that tolcapone-mediated increases in top-down control may reduce impulsivity in PPG subjects, a finding with potential translational relevance for gambling disorders, and for behavioral addictions in general.

  13. Correlating In Vitro Splice Switching Activity With Systemic In Vivo Delivery Using Novel ZEN-modified Oligonucleotides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzan M Hammond

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Splice switching oligonucleotides (SSOs induce alternative splicing of pre-mRNA and typically employ chemical modifications to increase nuclease resistance and binding affinity to target pre-mRNA. Here we describe a new SSO non-base modifier (a naphthyl-azo group, “ZEN™” to direct exon exclusion in mutant dystrophin pre-mRNA to generate functional dystrophin protein. The ZEN modifier is placed near the ends of a 2′-O-methyl (2′OMe oligonucleotide, increasing melting temperature and potency over unmodified 2′OMe oligonucleotides. In cultured H2K cells, a ZEN-modified 2′OMe phosphorothioate (PS oligonucleotide delivered by lipid transfection greatly enhanced dystrophin exon skipping over the same 2′OMePS SSO lacking ZEN. However, when tested using free gymnotic uptake in vitro and following systemic delivery in vivo in dystrophin deficient mdx mice, the same ZEN-modified SSO failed to enhance potency. Importantly, we show for the first time that in vivo activity of anionic SSOs is modelled in vitro only when using gymnotic delivery. ZEN is thus a novel modifier that enhances activity of SSOs in vitro but will require improved delivery methods before its in vivo clinical potential can be realized.

  14. Physical and Social-Motivational Contextual Correlates of Youth Physical Activity in Underresourced Afterschool Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarrett, Nicole; Sorensen, Carl; Cook, Brittany Skiles

    2015-01-01

    Afterschool programs (ASPs) have become increasingly recognized as a key context to support youth daily physical activity (PA) accrual. The purpose of the present study was to assess the physical and social-motivational climate characteristics of ASPs associated with youth PA, and variations in contextual correlates of PA by youth sex. Systematic…

  15. [Soluble interleukin 2 receptor as activity parameter in serum of systemic and discoid lupus erythematosus].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, C; Zillikens, D; Tony, H P; Hartmann, A A; Burg, G

    1993-05-01

    The evaluation of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is important for selection of the appropriate therapeutic regimen. In addition to the clinical picture, various laboratory parameters are taken into account. However, no validated criteria for the evaluation of the disease activity in SLE have yet been established. Recently, serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) have been proposed as a potential parameter for disease activity in SLE. However, the studies reported on this subject so far have focused mainly on certain subsets of the disease, and the evaluation of the disease activity was based on a very limited number of parameters. In the present study, we determined serum levels of sIL-2R in 23 patients with SLE and 30 patients with discoid LE (DLE). Evaluation of disease activity in SLE was based on a comprehensive scale which considered numerous clinical signs and laboratory parameters. In SLE, serum levels of sIL-2R showed a better correlation with disease activity than all the other parameters investigated, including proteinuria, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum globulin concentration, titre of antibodies against double-stranded DNA, serum albumin concentration, serum complement levels and white blood cell count. For the first time, we report on elevated serum levels of sIL-2R in DLE, which also correlated with disease activity.

  16. Demographic and psychosocial correlates of sexual activity in older Chinese people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shuyan; Yan, Elsie

    2016-03-01

    This study examines sexual activity and associated psychosocial factors in older Chinese people. Sexuality continues to play a pivotal role in our lives even as we grow old. There is, however, very limited research on the topic in older populations. Cross-sectional survey. A representative sample of 688 older Chinese people (>60 years old) were individually interviewed on their demographic characteristics; their interest in, knowledge of and perceived control over sexual activities; and their engagement in sexual activity. The results show that 51·32% of men and 41·26% of women reported engaging in some form of sexual activity. Sexual intercourse and caressing were commonly reported. A multiple regression analysis also showed that a higher level of sexual activity was associated with being younger, living with a spouse, having a strong interest in sex, having sufficient knowledge of elder sexuality and a high perceived control over sex. Distinct predictive factors in each gender were observed. A high level of perceived control was associated with a higher level of sexual activity in males but not females. A series of binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the demographic and psychosocial correlates of sexual activity. With the exception of the use of objects (sex toys), sexual activities were consistently associated with being younger; living with a spouse; and having high levels of interest, knowledge and perceived control. A sizable amount of older Chinese people engage in varying degrees of sexual activity, and most are still interested in sex. Frontline health professionals need to be aware of the growing needs for sex education in older persons, particular attention should be paid to discuss the limitations brought about by various chronic conditions associated with ageing and their relevance to elder sexuality. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. BEC-BCS-laser crossover in Coulomb-correlated electron-hole-photon systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, M; Kamide, K; Ogawa, T; Yamamoto, Y

    2012-01-01

    Many-body features caused by Coulomb correlations are of great importance for understanding phenomena pertaining to polariton systems in semiconductor microcavities, i.e. electron-hole-photon systems. Remarkable many-body effects are shown to exist in both thermal-equilibrium phases and non-equilibrium lasing states. We then show a unified framework for connecting the thermal-equilibrium and the non-equilibrium steady states based on a non-equilibrium Green's function approach. Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC)-Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS)-laser crossovers are investigated by using this approach. (paper)

  18. Correlation among Singlet-Oxygen Quenching, Free-Radical Scavenging, and Excited-State Intramolecular-Proton-Transfer Activities in Hydroxyflavones, Anthocyanidins, and 1-Hydroxyanthraquinones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagaoka, Shin-Ichi; Bandoh, Yuki; Nagashima, Umpei; Ohara, Keishi

    2017-10-26

    Singlet-oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) quenching, free-radical scavenging, and excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT) activities of hydroxyflavones, anthocyanidins, and 1-hydroxyanthraquinones were studied by means of laser, stopped-flow, and steady-state spectroscopies. In hydroxyflavones and anthocyanidins, the 1 O 2 quenching activity positively correlates to the free-radical scavenging activity. The reason for this correlation can be understood by considering that an early step of each reaction involves electron transfer from the unfused phenyl ring (B-ring), which is singly bonded to the bicyclic chromen or chromenylium moiety (A- and C-rings). Substitution of an electron-donating OH group at B-ring enhances the electron transfer leading to activation of the 1 O 2 quenching and free-radical scavenging. In 3-hydroxyflavones, the OH substitution at B-ring reduces the activity of ESIPT within C-ring, which can be explained in terms of the nodal-plane model. As a result, the 1 O 2 quenching and free-radical scavenging activities negatively correlate to the ESIPT activity. A catechol structure at B-ring is another factor that enhances the free-radical scavenging in hydroxyflavones. In contrast to these hydroxyflavones, 1-hydroxyanthraquinones having an electron-donating OH substituent adjacent to the O-H---O═C moiety susceptible to ESIPT do not show a simple correlation between their 1 O 2 quenching and ESIPT activities, because the OH substitution modulates these reactions.

  19. STING activation enhances cetuximab-mediated NK cell activation and DC maturation and correlates with HPV+ status in head and neck cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Shanhong; Concha-Benavente, Fernando; Shayan, Gulidanna; Srivastava, Raghvendra M; Gibson, Sandra P; Wang, Lin; Gooding, William E; Ferris, Robert L

    2018-03-01

    The intracellular DNA sensor stimulator of interferon genes (STING) has recently been shown to play a vital role in anti-viral and anti-tumor immune responses stimulating cytokine production. While human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causative agent for a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with unique etiology and clinical outcome, how the STING pathway is regulated in a virus-induced tumor microenvironment is not well understood. Since STING inactivation likely reflects immunoescape via innate immunity, we hypothesized that its restoration would improve efficacy of the immune modulatory monoclonal antibody (mAb), cetuximab. We correlated STING protein expression with clinical parameters by immunohistochemistry (n = 106) and its mRNA expression from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) in HNSCC tissue specimens. STING protein expression was tested for association with cancer-specific survival (CSS). We further examined the impact of STING activation on cetuximab-mediated immunity using an in vitro NK:DC:tumor cells co-culture system. In this study, we found that expression of STING both at the protein and mRNA level was higher in HPV positive (HPV + ) specimens but unrelated to TNM stage or cancer-specific survival. Our in vitro studies verified that STING activation enhanced cetuximab mediated NK cell activation and DC maturation. Our findings suggest a novel role of STING in HPV-related carcinogenesis, in which activation of the STING signaling pathway may facilitate anti-tumor response in HNSCC patients, particularly in combination with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as cetuximab, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  20. Territorial'no-politicheskie i regional'nye geopoliticheskie sistemy: sootnoshenie ponjatij [Territorial-political and regional geopolitical systems: correlation of concepts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yelatskov Alexey

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The article examines the notions of ‘territorial political system’ and ‘regional geopolitical system' as well as a correlation between them from the viewpoint of the socalled activity-based geospatial approach. A regional geopolitical system includes geopolitical relations between the states within the region and those with powerful external actors. A geopolitical region itself can be characterized by integration, autonomization or a permanent geopolitical conflict. A territorial political system is studied in a broad sense (all political phenomena of a certain territory and in a narrow context (geopolitical relations of a certain territory. The latter is considered to be a subsystem of regional geopolitical system. The research results can be applied in the study of geopolitical regions and geopolitical systems. The article develops a methodology for regional geopolitical and political geographical studies. The author wishes to thank his colleagues from Saint Petersburg State University for their comments on earlier versions.

  1. Bound states in strongly correlated magnetic and electronic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trebst, S.

    2002-02-01

    A novel strong coupling expansion method to calculate two-particle spectra of quantum lattice models is developed. The technique can be used to study bosonic and fermionic models and in principle it can be applied to systems in any dimension. A number of strongly correlated magnetic and electronic systems are examined including the two-leg spin-half Heisenberg ladder, the dimerized Heisenberg chain with a frustrating next-nearest neighbor interaction, coupled Heisenberg ladders, and the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model. In the various models distinct bound states are found below the two-particle continuum. Quantitative calculations of the dispersion, coherence length and binding energy of these bound states are used to describe spectroscopic experiments on (Ca,La) 14 Cu 24 O 41 and NaV 2 O 5 . (orig.)

  2. φφ Back-to-Back Correlations in Finite Expanding Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padula, S. S.; Krein, G.; Hama, Y.; Panda, P. K.; Csoergo, T.

    2006-01-01

    Back-to-Back Correlations (BBC) of particle-antiparticle pairs are predicted to appear if hot and dense hadronic matter is formed in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. The BBC are related to in-medium mass-modification and squeezing of the quanta involved. Although the suppression of finite emission times were already known, the effects of finite system sizes and of collective phenomena had not been studied yet. Thus, for testing the survival and magnitude of the effect in more realistic situations, we study the BBC when mass-modification occurs in a finite sized, thermalized medium, considering a non-relativistically expanding fireball with finite emission time, and evaluating the width of the back-to-back correlation function. We show that the BBC signal indeed survives the expansion and flow effects, with sufficient magnitude to be observed at RHIC

  3. Correlations in clusters and related systems. New perspectives on the many-body problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connerade, J.P.

    1996-01-01

    The contents of the present volume are the proceedings of an Adriatico Research Conference, held at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste from 26 to 29 July 1994. The theme of the conference covered many aspects of cooperative effects, beginning with giant resonances in many-electron systems, and particularly in new objects such as metallic clusters, in which collective electron dynamics are a novel feature. The relationship of these resonances with comparable features in nuclear and solid state physics was extensively discussed. Related effects, such as instabilities of valence both in clusters and in solids were explored. Clusters allow one to track the evolution of certain properties from the free atom to the solid state limits as a function of size. The giant resonances concerned not only intra-atomic excitations, but also correlated motions of all delocalized electrons within the cluster. Other systems with unusual properties, such as negative ions, in which correlations play an important role, were also considered. Finally, dynamical effects and the possible interactions between electron-electron correlations and high laser fields were envisaged

  4. Correlation between observable of four nucleon system in two-body model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barlette, V.E.

    1988-01-01

    The four nucleon system with effective nucleon-trinucleon interaction for s waves in states of spin Y = 0 and isospin Y = 0, is studied. The correlations between four nucleon systemn and scattering wavelength, binding energies and, coulomb energy of four nucleons are investigated by N/D method considering only the excited state. (M.C.K.)

  5. Development and clinical application of a computer-aided real-time feedback system for detecting in-bed physical activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Liang-Hsuan; Chiang, Shang-Lin; Wei, Shun-Hwa; Lin, Chueh-Ho; Sung, Wen-Hsu

    2017-08-01

    Being bedridden long-term can cause deterioration in patients' physiological function and performance, limiting daily activities and increasing the incidence of falls and other accidental injuries. Little research has been carried out in designing effective detecting systems to monitor the posture and status of bedridden patients and to provide accurate real-time feedback on posture. The purposes of this research were to develop a computer-aided system for real-time detection of physical activities in bed and to validate the system's validity and test-retest reliability in determining eight postures: motion leftward/rightward, turning over leftward/rightward, getting up leftward/rightward, and getting off the bed leftward/rightward. The in-bed physical activity detecting system consists mainly of a clinical sickbed, signal amplifier, a data acquisition (DAQ) system, and operating software for computing and determining postural changes associated with four load cell sensing components. Thirty healthy subjects (15 males and 15 females, mean age = 27.8 ± 5.3 years) participated in the study. All subjects were asked to execute eight in-bed activities in a random order and to participate in an evaluation of the test-retest reliability of the results 14 days later. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to compare the system's determinations of postural states with researchers' recordings of postural changes. The test-retest reliability of the system's ability to determine postures was analyzed using the interclass correlation coefficient ICC(3,1). The system was found to exhibit high validity and accuracy (r = 0.928, p system was particularly accurate in detecting motion rightward (90%), turning over leftward (83%), sitting up leftward or rightward (87-93%), and getting off the bed (100%). The test-retest reliability ICC(3,1) value was 0.968 (p system developed in this study exhibits satisfactory validity and reliability in detecting changes in

  6. Correlation of administered activity and dosimetric data in patients treated with 131MIBG therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castellani, M.; Chiesa, C.; Aliberti, G.; Maccauro, M.; Seregni, E.; Lorenzoni, A.; Luksch, R.

    2015-01-01

    Full text of publication follows. Aims: the purpose of the study was to optimized 131-MIBG (or 131 I-MIBG) therapy in children and adults patients with neural crest tumors, by correlating the administered pro/KXg activity to whole-body dosimetry and hematologic toxicity. Materials and methods: from September 2003, to June 2012 twenty-four patients (9 children, 15 adults) (13 neuroblastoma, 9 pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma, 2 medullary thyroid carcinoma) treated with 131 I-MIBG were enrolled in the study. In each patient dosimetric estimation was carried out with MIRD method after patient therapy, using imaging acquisition or probe determination (from 1 to 168 hours). Hematological toxicity was evaluated according to WHO grade by weekly blood count for at least 6 weeks or until recovery. Whole Body Dose (WBD) was correlated with administered pro/KXg activity and bone marrow toxicity. Results: a total of forty-five dosimetric studies have been performed, 16/45 in children and 29/45 in adult patients. Administered activity ranged from 7.4 to 16.65 GBq, corresponding in children to 5-21 mCi/KXg (median 10 mCi/KXg) and in adults to 3-7 mCi/KXg. (median 5 mCi/KXg). In 4 patients (3 children, 1 adult) 2 weeks after 131 I-MING therapy autologous stem cell transplantations were performed. Grade II-III hematological toxicity was observed in all children and in 6/15 adult patient. Whole Body Dose ranged from 1 Gy to 3.6 Gy (median 1.7 Gy) in children, meanwhile it ranged between 0.55 and 1.87 Gy (median 0.96 Gy) in adults. In 5/16 children studies WBD was about 2 Gy and one child received a dose of 3.6 Gy (0.4 Gy/GBq), corresponding to an activity of 18 mCi/KXg. Conclusion: contrary to published data in children the pro/KXg activity is not a good predictor of WBD. In these cases WBD calculation can be affected by the presence of large tumor masses which overestimates the absorbed dose. In any case the administration of activity superior to 15 mCi/KXg is known to be associated

  7. Linear Analysis of Autonomic Activity and Its Correlation with Creatine Kinase-MB in Overt Thyroid Dysfunctions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mavai, Manisha; Singh, Yogendra Raj; Gupta, R C; Mathur, Sandeep K; Bhandari, Bharti

    2018-04-01

    Autonomic activity may be deranged in thyroid dysfunctions and may lead to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Myopathy is a common manifestation in thyroid disorders and may be associated with raised serum creatine kinase (CK). We hypothesized that cardiovascular abnormality in thyroid dysfunction may manifest as raised CK-MB. This study was designed to investigate the correlation of CK and its isoform CK-MB with thyroid profile and linear parameters of heart rate variability (HRV). The study was conducted on 35 hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients each, and 25 age-matched healthy controls. Autonomic activity was assessed by simple short term 5-min HRV. Biochemical evaluation of serum thyroid profile, CK-NAC and CK-MB were estimated in all the subjects. Our results demonstrated low HRV in hypo- as well as hyperthyroid patients. We observed significantly higher serum CK levels in hypothyroid patients when compared to hyperthyroids and controls. However, no significant differences were observed in CK-MB levels in the three groups. Significant positive correlation of CK with TSH and negative correlation with some HRV parameters (LF power, HF power, total power, SDNN, RMSSD) was observed in hypothyroid patients. Whereas correlation of CK-MB with thyroid profile as well as HRV parameters was non-significant in all the groups. Based on the CK and CK-MB findings and their correlation, we conclude that the cardiovascular changes seen in thyroid dysfunctions may primarily be due to autonomic imbalance without apparent cardiac muscle involvement. Whereas, raised CK levels indicate predominantly skeletal muscle involvement in hypothyroid patients.

  8. Strongly Correlated Electron Systems: An Operatorial Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Ciolo, Andrea; Avella, Adolfo

    2018-05-01

    We discuss the operatorial approach to the study of strongly correlated electron systems and show how the exact solution of target models on small clusters chosen ad-hoc (minimal models) can suggest very efficient bulk approximations. We use the Hubbard model as case study (target model) and we analyze and discuss the crucial role of spin fluctuations in its 2-site realization (minimal model). Accordingly, we devise a novel three-pole approximation for the 2D case, including in the basic field an operator describing the dressing of the electronic one by the nearest-neighbor spin-fluctuations. Such a solution is in very good agreement with the exact one in the minimal model (2-site case) and performs very well once compared to advanced (semi-)numerical methods in the 2D case, being by far less computational-resource demanding.

  9. Prevalence of Asymptomatic Arterial Hypertension and Its Correlation with Inflammatory Activity in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajraktari, Ismet H; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Berisha, Idriz; Lahu, Ali; Kryeziu, Avni; Durmishi, Bastri; Bajraktari, Halit; Bahtiri, Elton

    2017-08-15

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease that worsens during the course of the disease and can cause disability. Early RA refers to the onset of symptoms within the past 3 months. In RA, increased levels of mediators of inflammation may cause arterial stiffness consequently leading to arterial hypertension. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic arterial hypertension in early RA patients as well as the correlation with parameters of inflammation. One hundred and seventy-nine early RA patients diagnosed in agreement with ACR/EULAR (American College of Rheumatology/ European League against Rheumatism) 2010 criteria were consecutively included in the study. CRP (C-reactive protein) and anti CCP (Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides) serum levels, WBC (white blood cells) count and ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate), likewise DAS-28 (28-joint disease activity score) were determined in all included patients. Parametric tests were used to compare the characteristics of the groups and to test the correlation of the variables. Statistical data analysis revealed that a majority of the patients were females (n = 141; 78.7%); the mean age at RA onset was 49.13 ± 12.13 years. Overall prevalence of hypertension was 44.13 % (n = 79). In comparison with the normotensive patients, the hypertensive patients were older and had significantly higher values of CRP, ESR, anti-CCP and DAS-28. A highly significant positive correlation between all the study parameters and systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed. Presence of significantly higher values of CRP, ESR, anti-CCP and DAS-28 in hypertensive patients indicate that inflammation is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. In this context, early screening for arterial hypertension and adequate therapeutic measures should be considered in early RA patients.

  10. Mean activity coefficient measurement and thermodynamic modelling of the ternary mixed electrolyte (MgCl_2 + glucose + water) system at T = 298.15 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rouhi, Azam; Bagherinia, Mohammad Ali

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The main goal of the work is to provide precise thermodynamic data for the system. • The method used was potentiometric method. • Pitzer ion interaction model and modified TCPC model were used. • The mass fractions of glucose were (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40)%. • The ionic strengths were from 0.0010 to 6.0000 mol · kg"−"1. - Abstract: In this work, the mean activity coefficients of MgCl_2 in pure water and (glucose + water) mixture solvent were determined using a galvanic cell without liquid junction potential of type: (Mg"2"+ + ISE)|MgCl_2 (m), glucose (wt.%), H_2O (100 wt.%)|AgCl|Ag. The measurements were performed at T = 298.15 K. Total ionic strengths were from (0.0010 to 6.0000) mol · kg"−"1. The various (glucose + water) mixed solvents contained (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40)% mass fractions percentage of glucose respectively. The mean activity coefficients measured were correlated with Pitzer ion interaction model and the Pitzer adjustable parameters were determined. Then these parameters were used to calculate the thermodynamics properties for under investigated system. The results showed that Pitzer ion interaction model can satisfactory describe the investigated system. The modified three-characteristic-parameter correlation (TCPC) model was applied to correlate the experimental activity coefficient data for under investigation electrolyte system, too.

  11. Extractable Work from Correlations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martí Perarnau-Llobet

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Work and quantum correlations are two fundamental resources in thermodynamics and quantum information theory. In this work, we study how to use correlations among quantum systems to optimally store work. We analyze this question for isolated quantum ensembles, where the work can be naturally divided into two contributions: a local contribution from each system and a global contribution originating from correlations among systems. We focus on the latter and consider quantum systems that are locally thermal, thus from which any extractable work can only come from correlations. We compute the maximum extractable work for general entangled states, separable states, and states with fixed entropy. Our results show that while entanglement gives an advantage for small quantum ensembles, this gain vanishes for a large number of systems.

  12. Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with the positions of nearby active galactic nuclei

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abraham, J.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Aguirre, C.; Allard, D.; Allekotte, I.; Allen, J.; Allison, P.; Alvarez-Muniz, J.; Ambrosio, M.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andringa, S.; Anzalone, A.; Aramo, C.; Argiro, S.; Arisaka, K.; Armengaud, E.; Arneodo, F.; Arqueros, F.; Asch, T.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Atulugama, B. S.; Aublin, J.; Ave, M.; Avila, G.; Baecker, T.; Badagnani, D.; Barbosa, A. F.; Barnhill, D.; Barroso, S. L. C.; Bauleo, P.; Beatty, J. J.; Beau, T.; Becker, B. R.; Becker, K. H.; Bellido, J. A.; BenZvi, S.; Berat, C.; Bergmann, T.; Bernardini, P.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Blanch-Bigas, O.; Blanco, F.; Blasi, P.; Bleve, C.; Bluemer, H.; Bohacova, M.; Bonifazi, C.; Bonino, R.; Brack, J.; Brogueira, P.; Brown, W. C.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Burton, R. E.; Busca, N. G.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Cai, B.; Camin, D. V.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Carvalho, W.; Castellina, A.; Catalano, O.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cester, R.; Chauvin, J.; Chiavassa, A.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chou, A.; Chye, J.; Clay, R. W.; Colombo, E.; Conceicao, R.; Connolly, B.; Contreras, F.; Coppens, J.; Cordier, A.; Cotti, U.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Creusot, A.; Criss, A.; Cronin, J.; Curutiu, A.; Dagoret-Campagne, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; De Donato, C.; Bg, S. J. de Jong; De La Vega, G.; de Mello, W. J. M.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Souza, V.; del Peral, L.; Deligny, O.; Della Selva, A.; Delle Fratte, C.; Dembinski, H.; Di Giulio, C.; Diaz, J. C.; Diep, P. N.; Dobrigkeit, C.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dong, P. N.; Dornic, D.; Dorofeev, A.; dos Anjos, J. C.; Dova, M. T.; D'Urso, D.; Dutan, I.; DuVernois, M. A.; Engel, R.; Epele, L.; Escobar, C. O.; Etchegoyen, A.; Luis, P. Facal San; Falcke, H.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Ferrer, F.; Ferry, S.; Fick, B.; Filevich, A.; Filipcic, A.; Fleck, I.; Fracchiolla, C. E.; Fulgione, W.; Garcia, B.; Gaimez, D. Garcia; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Garrido, X.; Geenen, H.; Gelmini, G.; Gemmeke, H.; Ghia, P. L.; Giller, M.; Glass, H.; Gold, M. S.; Golup, G.; Albarracin, F. Gomez; Berisso, M. Gomez; Herrero, R. Gomez; Goncalves, P.; do Amaral, M. Goncalves; Gonzalez, D.; Gonzalezc, J. G.; Gonzalez, M.; Gora, D.; Gorgi, A.; Gouffon, P.; Grassi, V.; Grillo, A. F.; Grunfeld, C.; Guardincerri, Y.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Gutierrez, J.; Hague, J. D.; Hamilton, J. C.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harmsma, S.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hauschildt, T.; Healy, M. D.; Hebbeker, T.; Hebrero, G.; Heck, D.; Hojvat, C.; Holmes, V. C.; Homola, P.; Hoerandel, J.; Horneffer, A.; Horvat, M.; Hrabovsky, M.; Huege, T.; Hussain, M.; Larlori, M.; Insolia, A.; Ionita, F.; Italiano, A.; Kaducak, M.; Kampert, K. H.; Karova, T.; Kegl, B.; Keilhauer, B.; Kemp, E.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Knapik, R.; Knapp, J.; Koanga, V. -H.; Krieger, A.; Kroemer, O.; Kuempel, D.; Kunka, N.; Kusenko, A.; La Rosa, G.; Lachaud, C.; Lago, B. L.; Lebrun, D.; LeBrun, P.; Lee, J.; de Oliveira, M. A. Leigui; Lopez, R.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Leuthold, M.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Aguera, A. Lopez; Bahilo, J. Lozano; Garcia, R. Luna; Maccarone, M. C.; Macolino, C.; Maldera, S.; Mancarella, G.; Mancenido, M. E.; Mandatat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Maris, I. C.; Falcon, H. R. Marquez; Martello, D.; Martinez, J.; Bravo, O. Martinez; Mathes, H. J.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Maurizio, D.; Mazur, P. O.; McCauley, T.; McEwen, M.; McNeil, R. R.; Medina, M. C.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Meli, A.; Melo, D.; Menichetti, E.; Menschikov, A.; Meurer, Chr.; Meyhandan, R.; Micheletti, M. I.; Miele, G.; Miller, W.; Mollerach, S.; Monasor, M.; Ragaigne, D. Monnier; Montanet, F.; Morales, B.; Morello, C.; Moreno, J. C.; Morris, C.; Mostafa, M.; Muller, M. A.; Mussa, R.; Navarra, G.; Navarro, J. L.; Navas, S.; Necesal, P.; Nellen, L.; Newman-Holmes, C.; Newton, D.; Nhung, P. T.; Nierstenhoefer, N.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Nozka, L.; Oehlschlaeger, J.; Ohnuki, T.; Olinto, A.; Olmos-Gilbaja, V. M.; Ortiz, M.; Ortolani, F.; Ostapchenko, S.; Otero, L.; Pacheco, N.; Selmi-Dei, D. Pakk; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Parente, G.; Parizot, E.; Parlati, S.; Pastor, S.; Patel, M.; Paul, T.; Pavlidou, V.; Payet, K.; Pech, M.; Pekala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Pepe, I. M.; Perrone, L.; Petrera, S.; Petrinca, P.; Petrov, Y.; Pichel, A.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pimenta, M.; Pinto, T.; Pirronello, V.; Pisanti, O.; Platino, M.; Pochon, J.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Quel, E. J.; Rautenberg, J.; Redondo, A.; Reucroft, S.; Revenu, B.; Rezende, F. A. S.; Ridky, J.; Riggi, S.; Risse, M.; Riviere, C.; Rizi, V.; Roberts, M.; Robledo, C.; Rodriguez, G.; Martino, J. Rodriguez; Rojo, J. Rodriguez; Rodriguez-Cabo, I.; Rodriguez-Frias, M. D.; Ros, G.; Rosado, J.; Roth, M.; Rouille-d'Orfeuil, B.; Roulet, E.; Roverok, A. C.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Salina, G.; Sanchez, F.; Santander, M.; Santo, C. E.; Santos, E. M.; Sarazin, F.; Sarkar, S.; Sato, R.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schmidt, F.; Schmidt, T.; Scholten, O.; Schovanek, P.; Schuessler, F.; Sciutto, S. J.; Scuderi, M.; Segreto, A.; Semikoz, D.; Settimo, M.; Shellard, R. C.; Sidelnik, I.; Siffert, B. B.; Sigl, G.; De Grande, N. Smetniansky; Smialkowski, A.; Smida, R.; Smith, A. G. K.; Smith, B. E.; Snow, G. R.; Sokolsky, P.; Sommers, P.; Sorokin, J.; Spinka, H.; Squartini, R.; Strazzeri, E.; Stutz, A.; Suarez, F.; Suomijarvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Sutherland, M. S.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Takahashi, J.; Tamashiro, A.; Tamburro, A.; Tascau, O.; Tcaciuc, R.; Thao, N. T.; Thomas, D.; Ticona, R.; Tiffenberg, J.; Timmermans, C.; Tkaczyk, W.; Peixoto, C. J. Todero; Tome, B.; Tonachini, A.; Torres, I.; Travnicek, P.; Tripathi, A.; Tristram, G.; Tscherniakhovski, D.; Tueros, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Galicia, J. F. Valdes; Valino, I.; Valore, L.; van den Berg, A. M.; van Elewyck, V.; Vazquez, R. A.; Veberic, D.; Veiga, A.; Velarde, A.; Venters, T.; Verzi, V.; Videla, M.; Villasenor, L.; Vorobiov, S.; Voyvodic, L.; Wahlberg, H.; Wainberg, O.; Warner, D.; Watson, A. A.; Westerhoff, S.; Wieczorek, G.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczynska, B.; Wilczynski, H.; Wileman, C.; Winnick, M. G.; Wu, H.; Wundheiler, B.; Yamamoto, T.; Younk, P.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zech, A.; Zepeda, A.; Ziolkowski, M.

    Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory provide evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of the cosmic rays with the highest-energies, which are correlated with the positions of relatively nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) [Pierre Auger Collaboration, Science 318 (2007) 938]. The

  13. Light-Cone and Diffusive Propagation of Correlations in a Many-Body Dissipative System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernier, Jean-Sébastien; Tan, Ryan; Bonnes, Lars; Guo, Chu; Poletti, Dario; Kollath, Corinna

    2018-01-12

    We analyze the propagation of correlations after a sudden interaction change in a strongly interacting quantum system in contact with an environment. In particular, we consider an interaction quench in the Bose-Hubbard model, deep within the Mott-insulating phase, under the effect of dephasing. We observe that dissipation effectively speeds up the propagation of single-particle correlations while reducing their coherence. In contrast, for two-point density correlations, the initial ballistic propagation regime gives way to diffusion at intermediate times. Numerical simulations, based on a time-dependent matrix product state algorithm, are supplemented by a quantitatively accurate fermionic quasiparticle approach providing an intuitive description of the initial dynamics in terms of holon and doublon excitations.

  14. Nonlinear Analysis on Cross-Correlation of Financial Time Series by Continuum Percolation System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Hongli; Wang, Jun

    We establish a financial price process by continuum percolation system, in which we attribute price fluctuations to the investors’ attitudes towards the financial market, and consider the clusters in continuum percolation as the investors share the same investment opinion. We investigate the cross-correlations in two return time series, and analyze the multifractal behaviors in this relationship. Further, we study the corresponding behaviors for the real stock indexes of SSE and HSI as well as the liquid stocks pair of SPD and PAB by comparison. To quantify the multifractality in cross-correlation relationship, we employ multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis method to perform an empirical research for the simulation data and the real markets data.

  15. Performance Analysis of Production Systems with Correlated Demand via Diffusion Approximations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingdong Lu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the performance of a production system with correlated demand through diffusion approximation. The key performance metric under consideration is the extreme points that this system can reach. This problem is mapped to a problem of characterizing the joint probability density of a two-dimensional Brownian motion and its coordinate running maximum. To achieve this goal, we obtain the stationary distribution of a reflected Brownian motion within the positive quarter-plane, which is of independent interest, through investigating a solution of an extended Helmhotz equation.

  16. Early 'visual' cortex activation correlates with superior verbal memory performance in the blind.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amedi, Amir; Raz, Noa; Pianka, Pazit; Malach, Rafael; Zohary, Ehud

    2003-07-01

    The visual cortex may be more modifiable than previously considered. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in ten congenitally blind human participants, we found robust occipital activation during a verbal-memory task (in the absence of any sensory input), as well as during verb generation and Braille reading. We also found evidence for reorganization and specialization of the occipital cortex, along the anterior-posterior axis. Whereas anterior regions showed preference for Braille, posterior regions (including V1) showed preference for verbal-memory and verb generation (which both require memory of verbal material). No such occipital activation was found in sighted subjects. This difference between the groups was mirrored by superior performance of the blind in various verbal-memory tasks. Moreover, the magnitude of V1 activation during the verbal-memory condition was highly correlated with the blind individual's abilities in a variety of verbal-memory tests, suggesting that the additional occipital activation may have a functional role.

  17. Clinical and MRI correlation in multiple system atrophy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Negoro, Kiyoshi; Morimatsu, Mitsunori (Yamaguchi Univ., Ube (Japan). School of Medicine)

    1994-05-01

    By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we studied 11 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA): 5 olivo-pontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), 2 Shy-Drager syndrome (SDS), and 4 striatonigral degeneration (SND). The diagnoses of OPCA, SDS and SND were clinically made. The MR images were performed on 1.5 tesla MRI unit (Siemens Asahi Medical, Magnetom H15), using a T[sub 2]-weighted spin echo (SE) sequence (TR: 2000-3000 ms, TE: 80-90 ms), a T[sub 1]-weighted SE sequence (TR: 550, TE: 15), and a proton density-weighted (PD) SE sequence (TR: 2000-3000, TE: 12-22). In the patients with OPCA, MRI revealed cerebellar and brainstem atrophy and degeneration of pontine transverse fibers more marked than in the patients with SDS and SND. T[sub 2]-weighted images showed low intensity in posterolateral putamina in one OPCA patient and all of SDS and SND patients. PD images demonstrated the abnormal slit-like high signals in posterolateral putamina in three SND. The degree of cerebellar ataxia was not well correlated with cerebellar and brainstem atrophy and degeneration of pontine transverse fibers. There was a positive correlation between the atrophy of cerebellum and brainstem and the duration of cerebellar ataxia. In most of the patients with Parkinsonism, MRI demonstrated abnormal low signals in putamina on T[sub 2]-weighted images. There were positive correlations between the abnormal low signals putamina and the duration and severity of Parkinsonism. Though abnormal low signals in lateral putamina may be seen in normal aging and other disorders on T[sub 2]-weighted images, it is useful to evaluate Parkinsonism in MSA. We believe that the abnormal slit-like high signals in posterolateral putamina in MSA may suggest loss of neurons and gliosis. (author).

  18. White matter correlates of neuropsychological dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rex E Jung

    Full Text Available Patients diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus have similar levels of neuropsychological dysfunction (i.e., 20-50% as those with Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (NPSLE. We hypothesized a gradient between cognition and white matter integrity, such that strongest brain-behavior relationships would emerge in NPSLE, intermediate in non-NPSLE, and minimal in controls. We studied thirty-one patients (16 non-NPSLE; 15 NPSLE, ranging in age from 18 to 59 years old (100% female, and eighteen age and gender matched healthy controls. DTI examinations were performed on a 1.5T scanner. A broad neuropsychological battery was administered, tapping attention, memory, processing speed, and executive functioning. The Total z-score consisted of the combined sum of all neuropsychological measures. In control subjects, we found no significant FA-Total z-score correlations. NPSLE, non-NPSLE, and control subjects differed significantly in terms of Total z-score (NPSLE = -2.25+/-1.77, non-NPSLE = -1.22+/-1.03, Controls = -0.10+/-.57; F = 13.2, p<.001. In non-NPSLE subjects, FA within the right external capsule was significantly correlated with Total z-score. In NPSLE subjects, the largest FA-Total z-score clusters were observed within the left anterior thalamic radiation and right superior longitudinal fasciculus. In subsequent analyses the largest number of significant voxels linked FA with the Processing Speed z-score in NPSLE. The current results reflect objective white matter correlates of neuropsychological dysfunction in both NPSLE and (to a lesser degree in non-NPSLE. non-NPSLE and NPSLE subjects did not differ significantly in terms of depression, as measured by the GDI; thus, previous hypotheses suggesting moderating effects of depression upon neuropsychological performance do not impact the current FA results.

  19. Performance analysis of MIMO wireless optical communication system with Q-ary PPM over correlated log-normal fading channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huiqin; Wang, Xue; Lynette, Kibe; Cao, Minghua

    2018-06-01

    The performance of multiple-input multiple-output wireless optical communication systems that adopt Q-ary pulse position modulation over spatial correlated log-normal fading channel is analyzed in terms of its un-coded bit error rate and ergodic channel capacity. The analysis is based on the Wilkinson's method which approximates the distribution of a sum of correlated log-normal random variables to a log-normal random variable. The analytical and simulation results corroborate the increment of correlation coefficients among sub-channels lead to system performance degradation. Moreover, the receiver diversity has better performance in resistance of spatial correlation caused channel fading.

  20. Stochastic resonance in a time-delayed mono-stable system with correlated multiplicative and additive white noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yu-Rong

    2011-01-01

    This paper considers the stochastic resonance for a time-delayed mono-stable system, driven by correlated multiplicative and additive white noise. It finds that the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) varies non-monotonically with the delayed times. The SNR varies non-monotonically with the increase of the intensities of the multiplicative and additive noise, with the increase of the correlation strength between the two noises, as well as with the system parameter. (general)

  1. A flexible time recording and time correlation analysis system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shenhav, N.J.; Leiferman, G.; Segal, Y.; Notea, A.

    1983-01-01

    A system was developed to digitize and record the time intervals between detection event pulses, feed to its input channels from a detection device. The accumulated data is transferred continuously in real time to a disc through a PDP 11/34 minicomputer. Even though the system was designed for a specific scope, i.e., the comparative study of passive neutron nondestructive assay methods, it can be characterized by its features as a general purpose time series recorder. The time correlation analysis is performed by software after completion of the data accumulation. The digitizing clock period is selectable and any value, larger than a minimum of 100 ns, may be selected. Bursts of up to 128 events with a frequency up to 10 MHz may be recorded. With the present recorder-minicomputer combination, the maximal average recording frequency is 40 kHz. (orig.)

  2. Systems Studies Department FY 78 activity report. Volume 2. Systems analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gold, T.S.

    1979-02-01

    The Systems Studies Department at Sandia Laboratories Livermore (SLL) has two primary responsibilities: to provide computational and mathematical services and to perform systems analysis studies. This document (Volume 2) describes the FY Systems Analysis highlights. The description is an unclassified overview of activities and is not complete or exhaustive. The objective of the systems analysis activities is to evaluate the relative value of alternative concepts and systems. SLL systems analysis activities reflect Sandia Laboratory programs and in 1978 consisted of study efforts in three areas: national security: evaluations of strategic, theater, and navy nuclear weapons issues; energy technology: particularly in support of Sandia's solar thermal programs; and nuclear fuel cycle physical security: a special project conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Highlights of these activities are described in the following sections. 7 figures

  3. The activity of the endocannabinoid metabolising enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase in subcutaneous adipocytes correlates with BMI in metabolically healthy humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Stephen PH

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The endocannabinoid system (ECS is a ubiquitously expressed signalling system, with involvement in lipid metabolism and obesity. There are reported changes in obesity of blood concentrations of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA and 2-arachidonoylglcyerol (2-AG, and of adipose tissue expression levels of the two key catabolic enzymes of the ECS, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH and monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL. Surprisingly, however, the activities of these enzymes have not been assayed in conditions of increasing adiposity. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether FAAH and MGL activities in human subcutaneous adipocytes are affected by body mass index (BMI, or other markers of adiposity and metabolism. Methods Subcutaneous abdominal mature adipocytes, fasting blood samples and anthropometric measurements were obtained from 28 metabolically healthy subjects representing a range of BMIs. FAAH and MGL activities were assayed in mature adipocytes using radiolabelled substrates. Serum glucose, insulin and adipokines were determined using ELISAs. Results MGL activity showed no relationship with BMI or other adiposity indices, metabolic markers (fasting serum insulin or glucose or serum adipokine levels (adiponectin, leptin or resistin. In contrast, FAAH activity in subcutaneous adipocytes correlated positively with BMI and waist circumference, but not with skinfold thickness, metabolic markers or serum adipokine levels. Conclusions In this study, novel evidence is provided that FAAH activity in subcutaneous mature adipocytes increases with BMI, whereas MGL activity does not. These findings support the hypothesis that some components of the ECS are upregulated with increasing adiposity in humans, and that AEA and 2-AG may be regulated differently.

  4. Phase correlation and clustering of a nearest neighbour coupled oscillators system

    CERN Document Server

    Ei-Nashar, H F

    2002-01-01

    We investigated the phases in a system of nearest neighbour coupled oscillators before complete synchronization in frequency occurs. We found that when oscillators under the influence of coupling form a cluster of the same time-average frequency, their phases start to correlate. An order parameter, which measures this correlation, starts to grow at this stage until it reaches maximum. This means that a time-average phase locked state is reached between the oscillators inside the cluster of the same time- average frequency. At this strength the cluster attracts individual oscillators or a cluster to join in. We also observe that clustering in averaged frequencies orders the phases of the oscillators. This behavior is found at all the transition points studied.

  5. Phase correlation and clustering of a nearest neighbour coupled oscillators system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    EI-Nashar, Hassan F.

    2002-09-01

    We investigated the phases in a system of nearest neighbour coupled oscillators before complete synchronization in frequency occurs. We found that when oscillators under the influence of coupling form a cluster of the same time-average frequency, their phases start to correlate. An order parameter, which measures this correlation, starts to grow at this stage until it reaches maximum. This means that a time-average phase locked state is reached between the oscillators inside the cluster of the same time- average frequency. At this strength the cluster attracts individual oscillators or a cluster to join in. We also observe that clustering in averaged frequencies orders the phases of the oscillators. This behavior is found at all the transition points studied. (author)

  6. Increase in MST activity correlates with visual motion learning: A functional MRI study of perceptual learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larcombe, Stephanie J; Kennard, Chris; Bridge, Holly

    2018-01-01

    Repeated practice of a specific task can improve visual performance, but the neural mechanisms underlying this improvement in performance are not yet well understood. Here we trained healthy participants on a visual motion task daily for 5 days in one visual hemifield. Before and after training, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the change in neural activity. We also imaged a control group of participants on two occasions who did not receive any task training. While in the MRI scanner, all participants completed the motion task in the trained and untrained visual hemifields separately. Following training, participants improved their ability to discriminate motion direction in the trained hemifield and, to a lesser extent, in the untrained hemifield. The amount of task learning correlated positively with the change in activity in the medial superior temporal (MST) area. MST is the anterior portion of the human motion complex (hMT+). MST changes were localized to the hemisphere contralateral to the region of the visual field, where perceptual training was delivered. Visual areas V2 and V3a showed an increase in activity between the first and second scan in the training group, but this was not correlated with performance. The contralateral anterior hippocampus and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontal pole showed changes in neural activity that also correlated with the amount of task learning. These findings emphasize the importance of MST in perceptual learning of a visual motion task. Hum Brain Mapp 39:145-156, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Correlation of the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) System with the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS): Introduction of the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren, Sean N.; Kallu, Raj R.; Barnard, Chase K.

    2016-11-01

    Underground gold mines in Nevada are exploiting increasingly deeper ore bodies comprised of weak to very weak rock masses. The Rock Mass Rating (RMR) classification system is widely used at underground gold mines in Nevada and is applicable in fair to good-quality rock masses, but is difficult to apply and loses reliability in very weak rock mass to soil-like material. Because very weak rock masses are transition materials that border engineering rock mass and soil classification systems, soil classification may sometimes be easier and more appropriate to provide insight into material behavior and properties. The Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) is the most likely choice for the classification of very weak rock mass to soil-like material because of its accepted use in tunnel engineering projects and its ability to predict soil-like material behavior underground. A correlation between the RMR and USCS systems was developed by comparing underground geotechnical RMR mapping to laboratory testing of bulk samples from the same locations, thereby assigning a numeric RMR value to the USCS classification that can be used in spreadsheet calculations and geostatistical analyses. The geotechnical classification system presented in this paper including a USCS-RMR correlation, RMR rating equations, and the Geo-Pick Strike Index is collectively introduced as the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR). It is the authors' hope that this system will aid in the classification of weak rock masses and more usable design tools based on the RMR system. More broadly, the RMR-USCS correlation and the W-RMR system help define the transition between engineering soil and rock mass classification systems and may provide insight for geotechnical design in very weak rock masses.

  8. Evaluation of Organic Matter Removal Efficiency and Microbial Enzyme Activity in Vertical-Flow Constructed Wetland Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiaoling Xu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, enzyme activities and their relationships to organics purification were investigated in three different vertical flow constructed wetlands, namely system A (planting Pennisetum sinese Roxb, system B (planting Pennisetum purpureum Schum., and system C (no plant. These three wetland systems were fed with simulation domestic sewage at an influent flow rate of 20 cm/day. The results showed that the final removal efficiency of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD in these three systems was 87%, 85% and 63%, respectively. Planting Pennisetum sinese Roxb and Pennisetum purpureum Schum. could improve the amount of adsorption and interception for organic matter in the substrate, and the amount of interception of organic matter in planting the Pennisetum sinese Roxb system was higher than that in planting the Pennisetum purpureum Schum. system. The activities of enzymes (urease, phosphatase and cellulase in systems A and B were higher than those in system C, and these enzyme activities in the top layer (0–30 cm were significantly higher than in the other layers. The correlations between the activities of urease, phosphatase, cellulase and the COD removal rates were R = 0.815, 0.961 and 0.973, respectively. It suggests that using Pennisetum sinese Roxb and Pennisetum purpureum Schum. as wetland plants could promote organics removal, and the activities of urease, phosphatase and cellulase in those three systems were important indicators for COD purification from wastewater. In addition, 0–30 cm was the main function layer. This study could provide a theoretical basis for COD removal in the wetland system and supply new plant materials for selection.

  9. Physical protection system using activated barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timm, R.E.; Zinneman, T.E.; Haumann, J.R.; Flaugher, H.A.; Reigle, D.L.

    1984-03-01

    The Argonne National Laboratory has recently installed an activated barrier, the Access Denial System, to upgrade its security. The technology of this system was developed in the late 70's by Sandia National Laboratory-Albuquerque. The Argonne National Laboratory is the first Department of Energy facility to use this device. Recent advancements in electronic components provide the total system support that makes the use of an activated barrier viable and desirable. The premise of an activated barrier is that it is deployed after a positive detection of an adversary is made and before the adversary can penetrate vital area. To accomplish this detection, sophisticated alarms, assessment, and communications must be integrated into a system that permits a security inspector to make a positive evaluation and to activate the barrier. The alarm sensor locations are selected to provide protection in depth. Closed circuit television is used with components that permit multiple video frames to be stored for automated, priority-based playback to the security inspector. Further, algorithms permit look-ahead surveillance of vital areas so that the security inspector can activate the access denial system in a timely manner and not be restricted to following the adversaries' penetration path(s)

  10. Neuropsychological correlates of cognitive, emotional-affective and auto-activation apathy in Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perri, Roberta; Turchetta, Chiara Stella; Caruso, Giulia; Fadda, Lucia; Caltagirone, Carlo; Carlesimo, Augusto Giovanni

    2018-01-31

    Apathy symptoms include different dimensions: cognitive (C), emotional-affective (E-Aff) and auto-activation; they have been related to dysfunctions of the dorsolateral, orbito-basal prefrontal cortex and the subcortical frontal connections to the basal ganglia, respectively. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), an association has been found between apathy severity and both executive deficits and atrophy of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex; however, it is not clear whether these associations concern only the cognitive aspects of apathy. Furthermore, whether there is an association in AD between E-aff apathy and theory of mind (ToM),the cognitive functions subsumed by the orbito-basal prefrontal cortex, has not been investigated. Aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between C, E-Aff and auto-activation apathy and performance on tasks investigating executive and ToM cognitive functions in AD. For this purpose, 20 AD patients with apathy and 20 matched controls were submitted to an executive and ToM neuropsychological assessment. Apathy was assessed with a weekly diary (ApD) created specifically to assist caregivers in quantifying the C, E-Aff and auto-activation symptomatology of apathy. Correlational analyses showed that AD patients' scores on the Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST) and Emotion Attribution tasks were correlated with most ApD scores. However, regression analyses showed that C diary scores were predicted by MCST performance, E-Aff diary scores by performance on the E-Attribution task and ApD scores measuring auto-activation apathy were predicted by both the MCST and the Emotion Attribution scores. These results confirm the co-occurrence of apathy and executive-function deficits in AD and suggest a specific association between AD patients' executive deficits and the cognitive component of apathy. Furthermore, they document, for the first time, an association between poor performance on tests assessing ToM abilities and the emotional

  11. An Appropriate Wind Model for Wind Integrated Power Systems Reliability Evaluation Considering Wind Speed Correlations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajesh Karki

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Adverse environmental impacts of carbon emissions are causing increasing concerns to the general public throughout the world. Electric energy generation from conventional energy sources is considered to be a major contributor to these harmful emissions. High emphasis is therefore being given to green alternatives of energy, such as wind and solar. Wind energy is being perceived as a promising alternative. This source of energy technology and its applications have undergone significant research and development over the past decade. As a result, many modern power systems include a significant portion of power generation from wind energy sources. The impact of wind generation on the overall system performance increases substantially as wind penetration in power systems continues to increase to relatively high levels. It becomes increasingly important to accurately model the wind behavior, the interaction with other wind sources and conventional sources, and incorporate the characteristics of the energy demand in order to carry out a realistic evaluation of system reliability. Power systems with high wind penetrations are often connected to multiple wind farms at different geographic locations. Wind speed correlations between the different wind farms largely affect the total wind power generation characteristics of such systems, and therefore should be an important parameter in the wind modeling process. This paper evaluates the effect of the correlation between multiple wind farms on the adequacy indices of wind-integrated systems. The paper also proposes a simple and appropriate probabilistic analytical model that incorporates wind correlations, and can be used for adequacy evaluation of multiple wind-integrated systems.

  12. Ovary activation does not correlate with pollen and nectar foraging specialization in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meagan A. Simons

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Social insect foragers may specialize on certain resource types. Specialization on pollen or nectar among honeybee foragers is hypothesized to result from associations between reproductive physiology and sensory tuning that evolved in ancestral solitary bees (the Reproductive Ground-Plan Hypothesis; RGPH. However, the two non-honeybee species studied showed no association between specialization and ovary activation. Here we investigate the bumblebee B. impatiens because it has the most extensively studied pollen/nectar specialization of any bumblebee. We show that ovary size does not differ between pollen specialist, nectar specialist, and generalist foragers, contrary to the predictions of the RGPH. However, we also found mixed support for the second prediction of the RGPH, that sensory sensitivity, measured through proboscis extension response (PER, is greater among pollen foragers. We also found a correlation between foraging activity and ovary size, and foraging activity and relative nectar preference, but no correlation between ovary size and nectar preference. In one colony non-foragers had larger ovaries than foragers, supporting the reproductive conflict and work hypothesis, but in the other colony they did not.

  13. Data-based diffraction kernels for surface waves from convolution and correlation processes through active seismic interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chmiel, Malgorzata; Roux, Philippe; Herrmann, Philippe; Rondeleux, Baptiste; Wathelet, Marc

    2018-05-01

    We investigated the construction of diffraction kernels for surface waves using two-point convolution and/or correlation from land active seismic data recorded in the context of exploration geophysics. The high density of controlled sources and receivers, combined with the application of the reciprocity principle, allows us to retrieve two-dimensional phase-oscillation diffraction kernels (DKs) of surface waves between any two source or receiver points in the medium at each frequency (up to 15 Hz, at least). These DKs are purely data-based as no model calculations and no synthetic data are needed. They naturally emerge from the interference patterns of the recorded wavefields projected on the dense array of sources and/or receivers. The DKs are used to obtain multi-mode dispersion relations of Rayleigh waves, from which near-surface shear velocity can be extracted. Using convolution versus correlation with a grid of active sources is an important step in understanding the physics of the retrieval of surface wave Green's functions. This provides the foundation for future studies based on noise sources or active sources with a sparse spatial distribution.

  14. Ovary activation does not correlate with pollen and nectar foraging specialization in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simons, Meagan A; Smith, Adam R

    2018-01-01

    Social insect foragers may specialize on certain resource types. Specialization on pollen or nectar among honeybee foragers is hypothesized to result from associations between reproductive physiology and sensory tuning that evolved in ancestral solitary bees (the Reproductive Ground-Plan Hypothesis; RGPH). However, the two non-honeybee species studied showed no association between specialization and ovary activation. Here we investigate the bumblebee B. impatiens because it has the most extensively studied pollen/nectar specialization of any bumblebee. We show that ovary size does not differ between pollen specialist, nectar specialist, and generalist foragers, contrary to the predictions of the RGPH. However, we also found mixed support for the second prediction of the RGPH, that sensory sensitivity, measured through proboscis extension response (PER), is greater among pollen foragers. We also found a correlation between foraging activity and ovary size, and foraging activity and relative nectar preference, but no correlation between ovary size and nectar preference. In one colony non-foragers had larger ovaries than foragers, supporting the reproductive conflict and work hypothesis, but in the other colony they did not.

  15. Digital optical correlator x-ray telescope alignment monitoring system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lis, Tomasz; Gaskin, Jessica; Jasper, John; Gregory, Don A.

    2018-01-01

    The High-Energy Replicated Optics to Explore the Sun (HEROES) program is a balloon-borne x-ray telescope mission to observe hard x-rays (˜20 to 70 keV) from the sun and multiple astrophysical targets. The payload consists of eight mirror modules with a total of 114 optics that are mounted on a 6-m-long optical bench. Each mirror module is complemented by a high-pressure xenon gas scintillation proportional counter. Attached to the payload is a camera that acquires star fields and then matches the acquired field to star maps to determine the pointing of the optical bench. Slight misalignments between the star camera, the optical bench, and the telescope elements attached to the optical bench may occur during flight due to mechanical shifts, thermal gradients, and gravitational effects. These misalignments can result in diminished imaging and reduced photon collection efficiency. To monitor these misalignments during flight, a supplementary Bench Alignment Monitoring System (BAMS) was added to the payload. BAMS hardware comprises two cameras mounted directly to the optical bench and rings of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted onto the telescope components. The LEDs in these rings are mounted in a predefined, asymmetric pattern, and their positions are tracked using an optical/digital correlator. The BAMS analysis software is a digital adaption of an optical joint transform correlator. The aim is to enhance the observational proficiency of HEROES while providing insight into the magnitude of mechanically and thermally induced misalignments during flight. Results from a preflight test of the system are reported.

  16. Sensor-Based Auto-Focusing System Using Multi-Scale Feature Extraction and Phase Correlation Matching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinbeum Jang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel auto-focusing system based on a CMOS sensor containing pixels with different phases. Robust extraction of features in a severely defocused image is the fundamental problem of a phase-difference auto-focusing system. In order to solve this problem, a multi-resolution feature extraction algorithm is proposed. Given the extracted features, the proposed auto-focusing system can provide the ideal focusing position using phase correlation matching. The proposed auto-focusing (AF algorithm consists of four steps: (i acquisition of left and right images using AF points in the region-of-interest; (ii feature extraction in the left image under low illumination and out-of-focus blur; (iii the generation of two feature images using the phase difference between the left and right images; and (iv estimation of the phase shifting vector using phase correlation matching. Since the proposed system accurately estimates the phase difference in the out-of-focus blurred image under low illumination, it can provide faster, more robust auto focusing than existing systems.

  17. Drug-related cue induced craving and the correlation between the activation in nucleus accumbens and drug craving: a fMRI study on heroin addicts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yarong; Yang Lanying; Li Qiang; Yang Weichuan; Du Pang; Wang Wei

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To explore the neural mechanism underlying the craving of heroin addicts induced by picture-cue and the correlation between the brain activation degree in nucleus accumbens (NAc)/ the ventral striatum and the scores of patients self-report craving. Methods: Twelve active heroin addicts and 12 matched healthy controls underwent fMRI scan while viewing drug-related pictures and neutral pictures presented in a block design paradigm after anatomical scanning in GE 3.0 T scanner. The fMRI data were analyzed with SPM 5. The change of craving scores was tested by Wilcoxon signed rank test. The Pearson correlation between the activation of NAc/the ventral striatum and the heroin craving score was tested by SPSS 13.0. Results: The craving scores of heroin addicts ranged from 0 to 3.70 (median 0.15) before exposed to drug cue and 0 to 5.10 (median 3.25) after viewing drug-related pictures and showed statistical significance (Z=-2.666, P<0.05). There were 16 activated brain areas when heroin dependent patients exposed to visual drug-related cue vs. neutral visual stimuli. The activation brain regions belonged to two parts, one was limbic system (amygdale, hippocampus, putamen, anterior cingulate cortex and caudate), another was brain cortex (middle frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, precentral gyrus, middle temporal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, fusiform gyrus, precuneus and middle occipital gyrus). The MR signal activation magnitude of heroin addicts ranged from 0.19 to 3.50. The result displayed a significant positive correlation between the cue-induced fMRI activation in NAc/the ventral striatum and heroin craving severity (r=0.829, P<0.05). Conclusion: Heroin shared the same neural circuitry in part with other drugs of abuse for cue-induced craving, including brain reward circuitry, visualspatial attention circuit and working memory region. In addition, the dysfunction of NAc/the ventral striatum may attribute to heroin-related cue induced craving

  18. Motivational Correlates of Physical Activity in Persons with an Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutzler, Y.; Korsensky, O.

    2010-01-01

    Background: The purpose of this study is to systematically retrieve, examine and discuss scientific studies focusing on motivational correlates that both contribute to, and can be assumed to be effects of, participation in sport, recreation, or health-related physical activities in persons with intellectual disability (ID). Methods: A systematic…

  19. Precise timing correlation in telemetry recording and processing systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickett, R. B.; Matthews, F. L.

    1973-01-01

    Independent PCM telemetry data signals received from missiles must be correlated to within + or - 100 microseconds for comparison with radar data. Tests have been conducted to determine RF antenna receiving system delays; delays associated with wideband analog tape recorders used in the recording, dubbing and repdocuing processes; and uncertainties associated with computer processed time tag data. Several methods used in the recording of timing are evaluated. Through the application of a special time tagging technique, the cumulative timing bias from all sources is determined and the bias removed from final data. Conclusions show that relative time differences in receiving, recording, playback and processing of two telemetry links can be accomplished with a + or - 4 microseconds accuracy. In addition, the absolute time tag error (with respect to UTC) can be reduced to less than 15 microseconds. This investigation is believed to be the first attempt to identify the individual error contributions within the telemetry system and to describe the methods of error reduction within the telemetry system and to describe the methods of error reduction and correction.

  20. Cardiac glycoside activities link Na(+)/K(+) ATPase ion-transport to breast cancer cell migration via correlative SAR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magpusao, Anniefer N; Omolloh, George; Johnson, Joshua; Gascón, José; Peczuh, Mark W; Fenteany, Gabriel

    2015-02-20

    The cardiac glycosides ouabain and digitoxin, established Na(+)/K(+) ATPase inhibitors, were found to inhibit MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell migration through an unbiased chemical genetics screen for cell motility. The Na(+)/K(+) ATPase acts both as an ion-transporter and as a receptor for cardiac glycosides. To delineate which function is related to breast cancer cell migration, structure-activity relationship (SAR) profiles of cardiac glycosides were established at the cellular (cell migration inhibition), molecular (Na(+)/K(+) ATPase inhibition), and atomic (computational docking) levels. The SAR of cardiac glycosides and their analogs revealed a similar profile, a decrease in potency when the parent cardiac glycoside structure was modified, for each activity investigated. Since assays were done at the cellular, molecular, and atomic levels, correlation of SAR profiles across these multiple assays established links between cellular activity and specific protein-small molecule interactions. The observed antimigratory effects in breast cancer cells are directly related to the inhibition of Na(+)/K(+) transport. Specifically, the orientation of cardiac glycosides at the putative cation permeation path formed by transmembrane helices αM1-M6 correlates with the Na(+) pump activity and cell migration. Other Na(+)/K(+) ATPase inhibitors that are structurally distinct from cardiac glycosides also exhibit antimigratory activity, corroborating the conclusion that the antiport function of Na(+)/K(+) ATPase and not the receptor function is important for supporting the motility of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Correlative SAR can establish new relationships between specific biochemical functions and higher-level cellular processes, particularly for proteins with multiple functions and small molecules with unknown or various modes of action.