The Texas Advanced Directive Law: Unfinished Business.

PubMed

Kapottos, Michael; Youngner, Stuart

2015-01-01

The Texas Advance Directive Act allows physicians and hospitals to overrule patient or family requests for futile care. Purposefully not defining futility, the law leaves its determination in specific cases to an institutional process. While the law has received several criticisms, it does seem to work constructively in the cases that come to the review process. We introduce a new criticism: While the law has been justified by an appeal to professional values such as avoiding harm to patients, avoiding the provision of unseemly care, and good stewardship of medical resources, it is applied incompletely. It allows physicians and institutional committees to refuse "futile" treatments desired by patients and families while at the same time providing no way of regulating physicians who recommend or even push "futile" treatments in similar cases. In this sense, the TADA is incomplete on its own terms.

Multivariate curve resolution of incomplete fused multiset data from chromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses for drug photostability studies.

PubMed

De Luca, Michele; Ragno, Gaetano; Ioele, Giuseppina; Tauler, Romà

2014-07-21

An advanced and powerful chemometric approach is proposed for the analysis of incomplete multiset data obtained by fusion of hyphenated liquid chromatographic DAD/MS data with UV spectrophotometric data from acid-base titration and kinetic degradation experiments. Column- and row-wise augmented data blocks were combined and simultaneously processed by means of a new version of the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) technique, including the simultaneous analysis of incomplete multiset data from different instrumental techniques. The proposed procedure was applied to the detailed study of the kinetic photodegradation process of the amiloride (AML) drug. All chemical species involved in the degradation and equilibrium reactions were resolved and the pH dependent kinetic pathway described. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dehydration upon admission is a risk factor for incomplete recovery of renal function in children with haemolytic uremic syndrome.

PubMed

Ojeda, José M; Kohout, Isolda; Cuestas, Eduardo

2013-01-01

Haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the most common cause of acute renal failure and the second leading cause of chronic renal failure in children. The factors that affect incomplete renal function recovery prior to hospital admission are poorly understood. To analyse the risk factors that determine incomplete recovery of renal function prior to hospitalisation in children with HUS. A retrospective case-control study. age, sex, duration of diarrhoea, bloody stools, vomiting, fever, dehydration, previous use of antibiotics, and incomplete recovery of renal function (proteinuria, hypertension, reduced creatinine clearance, and chronic renal failure during follow-up). Patients of both sexes under 15 years of age were included. Of 36 patients, 23 were males (65.3%; 95%CI: 45.8 to 80.9), with an average age of 2.5 ± 1.4 years. Twenty-one patients required dialysis (58%; 95% CI: 40.8 to 75.8), and 13 (36.1%; 95% CI: 19.0 to 53.1) did not recover renal function. In the bivariate model, the only significant risk factor was dehydration (defined as weight loss >5%) [(OR: 5.3; 95% CI: 1.4 to 12.3; P=.0220]. In the multivariate analysis (Cox multiple regression), only dehydration was marginally significant (HR: 95.823; 95% CI: 93.175 to 109.948; P=.085). Our data suggest that dehydration prior to admission may be a factor that increases the risk of incomplete recovery of renal function during long-term follow-up in children who develop HUS D+. Consequently, in patients with diarrhoea who are at risk of HUS, dehydration should be strongly avoided during outpatient care to preserve long-term renal function. These results must be confirmed by larger prospective studies.

The multiple-hit pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

PubMed

Buzzetti, Elena; Pinzani, Massimo; Tsochatzis, Emmanuel A

2016-08-01

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly prevalent and represents a growing challenge in terms of prevention and treatment. Despite its high prevalence, only a small minority of affected patients develops inflammation and subsequently fibrosis and chronic liver disease, while most of them only exhibit simple steatosis. In this context, the full understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is of extreme importance; despite advances in this field, knowledge on the pathogenesis of NAFLD is still incomplete. The 'two-hit' hypothesis is now obsolete, as it is inadequate to explain the several molecular and metabolic changes that take place in NAFLD. The "multiple hit" hypothesis considers multiple insults acting together on genetically predisposed subjects to induce NAFLD and provides a more accurate explanation of NAFLD pathogenesis. Such hits include insulin resistance, hormones secreted from the adipose tissue, nutritional factors, gut microbiota and genetic and epigenetic factors. In this article, we review the factors that form this hypothesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Safety assessment for In-service Pressure Bending Pipe Containing Incomplete Penetration Defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, M.; Tang, P.; Xia, J. F.; Ling, Z. W.; Cai, G. Y.

2017-12-01

Incomplete penetration defect is a common defect in the welded joint of pressure pipes. While the safety classification of pressure pipe containing incomplete penetration defects, according to periodical inspection regulations in present, is more conservative. For reducing the repair of incomplete penetration defect, a scientific and applicable safety assessment method for pressure pipe is needed. In this paper, the stress analysis model of the pipe system was established for the in-service pressure bending pipe containing incomplete penetration defects. The local finite element model was set up to analyze the stress distribution of defect location and the stress linearization. And then, the applicability of two assessment methods, simplified assessment and U factor assessment method, to the assessment of incomplete penetration defects located at pressure bending pipe were analyzed. The results can provide some technical supports for the safety assessment of complex pipelines in the future.

An incomplete assembly with thresholding algorithm for systems of reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions IAT for reaction-diffusion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Peter K.

2003-07-01

Solving systems of reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions can be prohibitively expensive both in terms of storage and CPU time. Herein, I present a new incomplete assembly procedure that is designed to reduce storage requirements. Incomplete assembly is analogous to incomplete factorization in that only a fixed number of nonzero entries are stored per row and a drop tolerance is used to discard small values. The algorithm is incorporated in a finite element method-of-lines code and tested on a set of reaction-diffusion systems. The effect of incomplete assembly on CPU time and storage and on the performance of the temporal integrator DASPK, algebraic solver GMRES and preconditioner ILUT is studied.

Cross-sectional study of female sex workers in Soweto, South Africa: Factors associated with HIV infection

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Introduction In South Africa, the rate of HIV in the sex worker (SW) population is exceedingly high, but critical gaps exist in our understanding of SWs and the factors that make them vulnerable to HIV. This study aimed to estimate HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs) in Soweto, South Africa, and to describe their sexual behavior and other factors associated with HIV infection. Methods A cross-sectional, respondent-driven sampling (RDS) recruitment methodology was used to enroll 508 FSWs based in Soweto. Data were collected using a survey instrument, followed by two HIV rapid tests. Raw and RDS adjusted data were analyzed using a chi-squared test of association and multivariate logistic regression to show factors associated with HIV infection. Findings HIV prevalence among FSWs was 53.6% (95% CI 47.5–59.9). FSWs were almost exclusively based in taverns (85.6%) and hostels (52.0%). Less than a quarter (24.4%) were under 25 years of age. Non-partner violence was reported by 55.5%, 59.6% of whom were HIV-infected. Advancing age, incomplete secondary schooling, migrancy and multiple clients increased the likelihood of HIV acquisition: >30 years of age was associated with a 4.9 times (95% CI 2.6–9.3) increased likelihood of HIV; incomplete secondary schooling almost tripled the likelihood (AOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.6–5.0); being born outside of the Gauteng province increased the likelihood of HIV 2.3 times (95% CI 1.3–4.0); and having more than five clients per day almost doubled the likelihood (AOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.2). Conclusion Our findings highlight the extreme vulnerability of FSWs to HIV. Advancing age, limited education and multiple clients were risk factors associated with HIV, strongly driven by a combination of structural, biological and behavioral determinants. Evidence suggests that interventions need to be carefully tailored to the varying profiles of SW populations across South Africa. Soweto could be considered a microcosm of South Africa in terms of the epidemic of violence and HIV experienced by the SW population, which is influenced by factors often beyond an individual level of control. While describing a hitherto largely undocumented population of FSWs, our findings confirm the urgent need to scale up innovative HIV prevention and treatment programs for this population. PMID:28981511

Cardiovascular Consequences of Metabolic Syndrome

PubMed Central

Tune, Johnathan D.; Goodwill, Adam G.; Sassoon, Daniel J.; Mather, Kieren J.

2017-01-01

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as the concurrence of obesity-associated cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, decreased HDL cholesterol, and/or hypertension. Earlier conceptualizations of the MetS focused on insulin resistance as a core feature, and it is clearly coincident with the above list of features. Each component of the MetS is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and the combination of these risk factors elevates rates and severity of cardiovascular disease, related to a spectrum of cardiovascular conditions including microvascular dysfunction, coronary atherosclerosis and calcification, cardiac dysfunction, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. While advances in understanding the etiology and consequences of this complex disorder have been made, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms remain incompletely understood, and it is unclear how these concurrent risk factors conspire to produce the variety of obesity-associated adverse cardiovascular diseases. In this review we highlight current knowledge regarding the pathophysiologic consequences of obesity and the MetS on cardiovascular function and disease, including considerations of potential physiologic and molecular mechanisms that may contribute to these adverse outcomes. PMID:28130064

Task Parallel Incomplete Cholesky Factorization using 2D Partitioned-Block Layout

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Kyungjoo; Rajamanickam, Sivasankaran; Stelle, George Widgery

We introduce a task-parallel algorithm for sparse incomplete Cholesky factorization that utilizes a 2D sparse partitioned-block layout of a matrix. Our factorization algorithm follows the idea of algorithms-by-blocks by using the block layout. The algorithm-byblocks approach induces a task graph for the factorization. These tasks are inter-related to each other through their data dependences in the factorization algorithm. To process the tasks on various manycore architectures in a portable manner, we also present a portable tasking API that incorporates different tasking backends and device-specific features using an open-source framework for manycore platforms i.e., Kokkos. A performance evaluation is presented onmore » both Intel Sandybridge and Xeon Phi platforms for matrices from the University of Florida sparse matrix collection to illustrate merits of the proposed task-based factorization. Experimental results demonstrate that our task-parallel implementation delivers about 26.6x speedup (geometric mean) over single-threaded incomplete Choleskyby- blocks and 19.2x speedup over serial Cholesky performance which does not carry tasking overhead using 56 threads on the Intel Xeon Phi processor for sparse matrices arising from various application problems.« less

Analytical procedures for estimating structural response to acoustic fields generated by advanced launch systems, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elishakoff, Isaac; Lin, Y. K.; Zhu, Li-Ping; Fang, Jian-Jie; Cai, G. Q.

1994-01-01

This report supplements a previous report of the same title submitted in June, 1992. It summarizes additional analytical techniques which have been developed for predicting the response of linear and nonlinear structures to noise excitations generated by large propulsion power plants. The report is divided into nine chapters. The first two deal with incomplete knowledge of boundary conditions of engineering structures. The incomplete knowledge is characterized by a convex set, and its diagnosis is formulated as a multi-hypothesis discrete decision-making algorithm with attendant criteria of adaptive termination.

Predictors of outcome in patients with advanced nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors.

PubMed

Yetisyigit, Tarkan; Babacan, Nalan; Urun, Yuksel; Seber, Erdogan Selcuk; Cihan, Sener; Arpaci, Erkan; Yildirim, Nuriye; Aksoy, Sercan; Budakoglu, Burcin; Zengin, Nurullah; Oksuzoglu, Berna; Yalcin, Banu Cicek; Alkis, Necati

2014-01-01

Predictor factors determining complete response to treatment are still not clearly defined. We aimed to evaluate clinicopathological features, risk factors, treatment responses, and survival analysis of patient with advanced nonseminomatous GCTs (NSGCTs). Between November 1999 and September 2011, 140 patients with stage II and III NSGCTs were referred to our institutions and 125 patients with complete clinical data were included in this retrospective study. Four cycles of BEP regimen were applied as a first-line treatment. Salvage chemotherapy and/or high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous stem cell transplantation were given in patients who progressed after BEP chemotherapy. Post-chemotherapy surgery was performed in selected patients with incomplete radiographic response and normal tumor markers. The median age was 28 years. For the good, intermediate and poor risk groups, compete response rates (CRR) were, 84.6%, 67.9% and 59.4%, respectively. Extragonadal tumors, stage 3 disease, intermediate and poor risk factors, rete testis invasion were associated with worse outcomes. There were 32 patients (25.6%) with non-CR who were treated with salvage treatment. Thirty-one patients died from GCTs and 94% of them had stage III disease. Even though response rates are high, some patients with GCTs still need salvage treatment and cure cannot be achieved. Non-complete response to platinium-based first-line treatment is a negative prognostic factor. Our study confirmed the need for a prognostic and predictive model and more effective salvage approaches.

Technology Assessment for Powertrain Components Final Report CRADA No. TC-1124-95

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tokarz, F.; Gough, C.

LLNL utilized its defense technology assessment methodologies in combination with its capabilities in the energy; manufacturing, and transportation technologies to demonstrate a methodology that synthesized available but incomplete information on advanced automotive technologies into a comprehensive framework.

State estimation with incomplete nonlinear constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yuan; Wang, Xueying; An, Wei

2017-10-01

A problem of state estimation with a new constraints named incomplete nonlinear constraint is considered. The targets are often move in the curve road, if the width of road is neglected, the road can be considered as the constraint, and the position of sensors, e.g., radar, is known in advance, this info can be used to enhance the performance of the tracking filter. The problem of how to incorporate the priori knowledge is considered. In this paper, a second-order sate constraint is considered. A fitting algorithm of ellipse is adopted to incorporate the priori knowledge by estimating the radius of the trajectory. The fitting problem is transformed to the nonlinear estimation problem. The estimated ellipse function is used to approximate the nonlinear constraint. Then, the typical nonlinear constraint methods proposed in recent works can be used to constrain the target state. Monte-Carlo simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness proposed method in state estimation with incomplete constraint.

Weighted graph based ordering techniques for preconditioned conjugate gradient methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clift, Simon S.; Tang, Wei-Pai

1994-01-01

We describe the basis of a matrix ordering heuristic for improving the incomplete factorization used in preconditioned conjugate gradient techniques applied to anisotropic PDE's. Several new matrix ordering techniques, derived from well-known algorithms in combinatorial graph theory, which attempt to implement this heuristic, are described. These ordering techniques are tested against a number of matrices arising from linear anisotropic PDE's, and compared with other matrix ordering techniques. A variation of RCM is shown to generally improve the quality of incomplete factorization preconditioners.

[Vulvovaginal candidiasis: An old disease with new challenges].

PubMed

Miró, María Soledad; Rodríguez, Emilse; Vigezzi, Cecilia; Icely, Paula Alejandra; Gonzaga de Freitas Araújo, Marcelo; Riera, Fernando Oscar; Vargas, Lara; Abiega, Claudio; Caeiro, Juan Pablo; Sotomayor, Claudia Elena

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is an old disease that, even in a modern world, continues to have a high incidence. Despite the therapeutic advances, treatments are not always effective, and our understanding of the pathogenesis of this fungal infection is still incomplete. A discussion is presented in this article on the most significant developments related to the fungal virulence factors, the role of the immunological mechanisms involved in the vaginal protection, and the genetic alterations that confer susceptibility to the recurrent form of this mycosis. Current treatments, the use of new agents with antifungal activity, as well as the development of strategies, such as vaccination, are approached in the context of the complex scenario that governs the interactions between Candida and its host. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Advance Directives and Powers of Attorney in Intensive Care Patients.

PubMed

de Heer, Geraldine; Saugel, Bernd; Sensen, Barbara; Rübsteck, Charlotte; Pinnschmidt, Hans O; Kluge, Stefan

2017-06-05

Advance directives and powers of attorney are increasingly common, yet data on their use in clinical situations remain sparse. In this single center cross-sectional study, we collected data by questionnaire from 1004 intensive care patients in a university hospital. The frequencies of advance directives and powers of attorney were determined, and the factors affecting them were studied with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Usable data were obtained from 998 patients. 51.3% stated that they had prepared a document of at least one of these two kinds. Among them, 39.6% stated that they had given the relevant document(s) to the hospital, yet such documents were present in the patient's hospital record for only 23%. 508 patients stated their reasons for preparing an advance directive or a power of attorney: the most common reason (48%) was the fear of being at other people's mercy, of the lack of self-determination, or of medical overtreatment. The most important factors associated with a patient's statement that he/she had prepared such a document were advanced age (advance directive: 1.022 [1.009; 1.036], p = 0.001; power of attorney: 1.027 [1.014; 1.040], p<0.001) and elective admission to the hospital (advance directive: 1.622 [1.138; 2.311], p<0.007; power of attorney: 1.459 [1.049; 2.030], p = 0.025). 39.8% of the advance directives and 44.1% of the powers of attorney that were present in the hospital records were poorly interpretable because of the incomplete filling-out of preprinted forms. Half of the patients who did not have such a document had already thought of preparing one, but had not yet done so. For patients hospitalized in intensive care units, there should be early discussion about the presence or absence of documents of these kinds and early evaluation of the patient's concrete wishes in critical situations. Future studies are needed to determine how best to assure that these documents will be correctly prepared and then given over to hospital staff so that they can take their place in the patient's record.

Cardiac Channelopathies and Sudden Death: Recent Clinical and Genetic Advances.

PubMed

Fernández-Falgueras, Anna; Sarquella-Brugada, Georgia; Brugada, Josep; Brugada, Ramon; Campuzano, Oscar

2017-01-29

Sudden cardiac death poses a unique challenge to clinicians because it may be the only symptom of an inherited heart condition. Indeed, inherited heart diseases can cause sudden cardiac death in older and younger individuals. Two groups of familial diseases are responsible for sudden cardiac death: cardiomyopathies (mainly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy) and channelopathies (mainly long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, short QT syndrome, and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia). This review focuses on cardiac channelopathies, which are characterized by lethal arrhythmias in the structurally normal heart, incomplete penetrance, and variable expressivity. Arrhythmias in these diseases result from pathogenic variants in genes encoding cardiac ion channels or associated proteins. Due to a lack of gross structural changes in the heart, channelopathies are often considered as potential causes of death in otherwise unexplained forensic autopsies. The asymptomatic nature of channelopathies is cause for concern in family members who may be carrying genetic risk factors, making the identification of these genetic factors of significant clinical importance.

77 FR 24436 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Wisconsin; Milwaukee-Racine...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

.... How did EPA address missing data? V. Proposed Action VI. What is the effect of this action? VII.... ** Indicates incomplete data due to monitor shut down. IV. How did EPA address missing data? Appendix N of 40... in Milwaukee, where there are missing or incomplete data due to monitor shutdown or other factors...

Geographic Medical History: Advances in Geospatial Technology Present New Potentials in Medical Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faruque, F. S.; Finley, R. W.

2016-06-01

Genes, behaviour, and the environment are known to be the major risk factors for common diseases. When the patient visits a physician, typical questions include family history (genes) and lifestyle of the patient (behaviour), but questions concerning environmental risk factors often remain unasked. It is ironic that 25 centuries ago Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, noted the importance of environmental exposure in medical investigation as documented in his classic work, "Airs, Waters, Places", yet the practice of routinely incorporating environmental risk factors is still not in place. Modern epigenetic studies have found that unhealthy lifestyle and environmental factors can cause changes to our genes that can increase disease risk factors. Therefore, attempting to solve the puzzle of diseases using heredity and lifestyle alone will be incomplete without accounting for the environmental exposures. The primary reason why environmental exposure has not yet been a routine part of the patient's medical history is mostly due to our inability to provide clinicians useful measures of environmental exposures suitable for their clinical practices. This presentation will discuss advances in geospatial technology that show the potential to catalyse a paradigm shift in medical practice and health research by allowing environmental risk factors to be documented as the patient's "Geographic Medical History". In order to accomplish this we need information on: a) relevant spatiotemporal environmental variables, and b) location of the individual in that person's dynamic environment. Common environmental agents that are known to interact with genetic make-up include air pollutants, mold spores, pesticides, etc. Until recently, the other component, location of an individual was limited to a static representation such as residential or workplace location. Now, with the development of mobile technology, changes in an individual's location can be tracked in real time if necessary. Technological advancements in the areas of estimating environmental agents and identifying locations of individuals at flexible spatio-temporal scales now present the potential of a paradigm shift in clinical practices by incorporating "Geographic Medical History" into determining disease risk factors.

Variation in spectral response of soybeans with respect to illumination, view, and canopy geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranson, K. J.; Biehl, L. L.; Bauer, M. E.

1984-01-01

Comparisons of the spectral response for incomplete (well-defined row structure) and complete (overlapping row structure) canopies of soybeans indicated a greater dependence on Sun and view geometry for the incomplete canopies. Red and near-IR reflectance for the incomplete canopy decreased as solar zenith angle increased for a nadir view angle until the soil between the plant rows was completely shaded. Thereafter for increasing solar zenith angle, the red reflectance leveled off and the near-IR reflectance increased. A 'hot spot' effect was evident for the red and near-IR reflectance factors. The 'hot spot' effect was more pronounced for the red band based on relative reflectance value changes. The ratios of off-nadir to nadir acquired data reveal that off-nadir red band reflectance factors more closely approximated straightdown measurements for time periods away from solar noon. Normalized difference generally approximated straightdown measurements during the middle portion of the day.

Revitalizing Personalized Medicine: Respecting Biomolecular Complexities Beyond Gene Expression

PubMed Central

Jayachandran, D; Ramkrishna, U; Skiles, J; Renbarger, J; Ramkrishna, D

2014-01-01

Despite recent advancements in “omic” technologies, personalized medicine has not realized its fullest potential due to isolated and incomplete application of gene expression tools. In many instances, pharmacogenomics is being interchangeably used for personalized medicine, when actually it is one of the many facets of personalized medicine. Herein, we highlight key issues that are hampering the advancement of personalized medicine and highlight emerging predictive tools that can serve as a decision support mechanism for physicians to personalize treatments. PMID:24739991

Groundwater withdrawals under drought: reconciling GRACE and land surface models in the United States High Plains Aquifer

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Advanced Land Surface Models (LSM) offer a powerful tool for studying hydrological variability. Highly managed systems, however, present a challenge for these models, which typically have simplified or incomplete representations of human water use. Here we examine recent groundwater declines in the ...

Incomplete colonoscopy: Maximizing completion rates of gastroenterologists

PubMed Central

Brahmania, Mayur; Park, Jei; Svarta, Sigrid; Tong, Jessica; Kwok, Ricky; Enns, Robert

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND Cecal intubation is one of the goals of a quality colonoscopy; however, many factors increasing the risk of incomplete colonoscopy have been implicated. The implications of missed pathology and the demand on health care resources for return colonoscopies pose a conundrum to many physicians. The optimal course of action after incomplete colonoscopy is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To assess endoscopic completion rates of previously incomplete colonoscopies, the methods used to complete them and the factors that led to the previous incomplete procedure. METHODS: All patients who previously underwent incomplete colonoscopy (2005 to 2010) and were referred to St Paul’s Hospital (Vancouver, British Columbia) were evaluated. Colonoscopies were re-attempted by a single endoscopist. Patient charts were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients (29 males) with a mean (± SD) age of 58±13.2 years were included in the analysis. Thirty patients (33%) had their initial colonoscopy performed by a gastroenterologist. Indications for initial colonoscopy included surveillance or screening (23%), abdominal pain (15%), gastrointestinal bleeding (29%), change in bowel habits or constitutional symptoms (18%), anemia (7%) and chronic diarrhea (8%). Reasons for incomplete colonoscopy included poor preparation (11%), pain or inadequate sedation (16%), tortuous colon (30%), diverticular disease (6%), obstructing mass (6%) and stricturing disease (10%). Reasons for incomplete procedures in the remaining 21% of patients were not reported by the referring physician. Eighty-seven (97%) colonoscopies were subsequently completed in a single attempt at the institution. Seventy-six (84%) colonoscopies were performed using routine manoeuvres, patient positioning and a variable-stiffness colonoscope (either standard or pediatric). A standard 160 or 180 series Olympus gastroscope (Olympus, Japan) was used in five patients (6%) to navigate through sigmoid diverticular disease; a pediatric colonoscope was used in six patients (7%) for similar reasons. Repeat colonoscopy on the remaining three patients (3%) failed: all three required surgery for strictures (two had obstructing malignant masses and one had a severe benign obstructing sigmoid diverticular stricture). CONCLUSION: Most patients with previous incomplete colonoscopy can undergo a successful repeat colonoscopy at a tertiary care centre with instruments that are readily available to most gastroenterologists. Other modalities for evaluation of the colon should be deferred until a second attempt is made at an expert centre. PMID:22993727

Factors contributing to nursing task incompletion as perceived by nurses working in Kuwait general hospitals.

PubMed

Al-Kandari, Fatimah; Thomas, Deepa

2009-12-01

Unfinished care has a strong relationship with quality of nursing care. Most issues related to tasks incompletion arise from staffing and workload. This study was conducted to assess the workload of nurses, the nursing activities (tasks) nurses commonly performed on medical and surgical wards, elements of nursing care activities left incomplete by nurses during a shift, factors contributing to task incompletion and the relationship between staffing, demographic variables and task incompletion. Exploratory survey using a self-administered questionnaire developed from IHOC survey, USA. All full time registered nurses working on the general medical and surgical wards of five government general hospitals in Kuwait. Research assistants distributed and collected back the questionnaires. Four working days were given to participants to complete and return the questionnaires. A total of 820 questionnaires were distributed and 95% were returned. Descriptive and inferential analysis using SPSS-11. The five most frequently performed nursing activities were: administration of medications, assessing patient condition, preparing/updating nursing care plans, close patient monitoring and client health teaching. The most common nursing activities nurses were unable to complete were: comfort talk with patient and family, adequate documentation of nursing care, oral hygiene, routine catheter care and starting or changing IV fluid on time. Tasks were more complete when the nurse-patient load was less than 5. Nurses' age and educational background influenced task completion while nurses' gender had no influence on it. Increased patient loads, resulting in increased frequency of nursing tasks and non-nursing tasks, were positively correlated to incompletion of nursing activities during the shift. Emphasis should be given to maintaining the optimum nurse-patient load and decreasing the non-nursing workload of nurses to enhance the quality of nursing care.

[To cognize retinitis pigmentosa with scientific view].

PubMed

Li, Gen-lin

2009-03-01

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common inherited eye disease that usually leads into blind, and is high simplex and clinical heterogeneity. Recent years, some new hereditary forms have been found, such as digenic RP, mitochondrial RP, incomplete dominant inheritance RP. The phenotype of RP is multiplicity. Incompatible phenomenon between genotype and phenotypes was shown in some genes such as peripherin/RDS, RHO, RP2 and RP3. The complicated phenotype was shown in the rare RP forms, such as centricity RP, stemma RP, retinitis pigmentosa sine pigmento, and retinal degeneration slow. Retinal transplantation, retinal implantation, drug and neurotrophic factor therapy, and gene therapy have been well studied worldwide and presented some hopeful efficacy. Ophthalmologists and practitioners should cognize the new advance and new knowledge on RP therapy with a scientific view for better serving the RP patients.

Risk factors for incomplete immunization in children with HIV infection.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Sangeeta Das; Bhattacharyya, Subhasish; Chatterjee, Devlina; Niyogi, Swapan Kumar; Chauhan, Nageshwar; Sudar, A

2014-09-01

To document the immunization rates, factors associated with incomplete immunization, and missed opportunities for immunizations in children affected by HIV presenting for routine outpatient follow-up. A cross-sectional study of immunization status of children affected by HIV presenting for routine outpatient care was conducted. Two hundred and six HIV affected children were enrolled. The median age of children in this cohort was 6 y. One hundred ninety seven of 206 children were HIV infected, nine were HIV exposed, but indeterminate. Fifty (25 %) children had incomplete immunizations per the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) of India. Hundred percent of children had received OPV. Ninety three percent of children got their UIP vaccines from a government clinic. Children with incomplete immunization were older, median age of 8 compared to 5 (p = 0.003). Each year of maternal education increased the odds of having a child with complete UIP immunizations by 1.18 (p = 0.008)-children of mothers with 6 y of education compared to those with no education were seven times more likely to have complete UIP vaccine status. The average number of visits to the clinic by an individual child in a year was 4. This represents 200 missed opportunities for immunizations. HIV infected children are at risk for incomplete immunization coverage though they regularly access medical care. Including routine immunizations, particularly catch-up immunizations in programs for HIV infected children maybe an effective way of protecting these children from vaccine preventable disease.

Predictors of incomplete immunization coverage among one to five years old children in Togo.

PubMed

Landoh, Dadja Essoya; Ouro-Kavalah, Farihétou; Yaya, Issifou; Kahn, Anna-Lea; Wasswa, Peter; Lacle, Anani; Nassoury, Danladi Ibrahim; Gitta, Sheba Nakacubo; Soura, Abdramane Bassiahi

2016-09-13

Incompleteness of vaccination coverage among children is a major public health concern because itcontinues to sustain a high prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases in some countries. In Togo, very few data on the factors associated with incomplete vaccination coverage among children have been published. We determined the prevalence of incomplete immunization coverage in children aged one to five years in Togo and associated factors. This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data from the 2010 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS4) conducted in 2010 among children aged 1 to 5 years in Togo. This survey was conducted over a period of two months from September to November, 2010. During Togo'sMICS4 survey, 2067 children met the inclusion criteria for our study. Female children accounted for 50.9 % (1051/2067) of the sample and 1372 (66.4 %) lived in rural areas. The majority of children (92.2 %; 1905/2067) lived with both parents and 30 % of the head of households interviewed were not schooled (620/2067). At the time of the survey, 36.2 % (750/2067) of the children had not received all vaccines recommended by Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with incompleteness of immunization at 1 year were: health region of residences (Maritime aOR = 0.650; p = 0.043; Savanes: aOR = 0.324; p <0.001), non-schooled mother (aOR = 1.725; p = 0.002),standard of living (poor: aOR = 1.668; p = 0.013; medium: aOR = 1.393; p = 0.090) and the following characteristics of the household heads: sex (aOR = 1.465; p = 0.034), marital status (aOR = 1.591; p = 0.032), education level(non-educated: aOR = 1.435; p = 0.027. The incomplete immunization coverage among children in Togo remains high. It is necessary to strengthen health promotion among the population in order to improve the use of immunization services that are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality among under five years old children.

Sensitivity of low-energy incomplete fusion to various entrance-channel parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Harish; Tali, Suhail A.; Afzal Ansari, M.; Singh, D.; Ali, Rahbar; Kumar, Kamal; Sathik, N. P. M.; Ali, Asif; Parashari, Siddharth; Dubey, R.; Bala, Indu; Kumar, R.; Singh, R. P.; Muralithar, S.

2018-03-01

The disentangling of incomplete fusion dependence on various entrance channel parameters has been made from the forward recoil range distribution measurement for the 12C+175Lu system at ≈ 88 MeV energy. It gives the direct measure of full and/or partial linear momentum transfer from the projectile to the target nucleus. The comparison of observed recoil ranges with theoretical ranges calculated using the code SRIM infers the production of evaporation residues via complete and/or incomplete fusion process. Present results show that incomplete fusion process contributes significantly in the production of α xn and 2α xn emission channels. The deduced incomplete fusion probability (F_{ICF}) is compared with that obtained for systems available in the literature. An interesting behavior of F_{ICF} with ZP ZT is observed in the reinvestigation of incomplete fusion dependency with the Coulomb factor (ZPZT), contrary to the recent observations. The present results based on (ZPZT) are found in good agreement with recent observations of our group. A larger F_{ICF} value for 12C induced reactions is found than that for 13C, although both have the same ZPZT. A nonsystematic behavior of the incomplete fusion process with the target deformation parameter (β2) is observed, which is further correlated with a new parameter (ZP ZT . β2). The projectile α -Q-value is found to explain more clearly the discrepancy observed in incomplete fusion dependency with parameters ( ZPZT) and (ZP ZT . β2). It may be pointed out that any single entrance channel parameter (mass-asymmetry or (ZPZT) or β2 or projectile α-Q-value) may not be able to explain completely the incomplete fusion process.

Chapter 13: Recent Advances on the Genomics of Litter- and Soil-Inhabiting Agaricomycetes

Treesearch

Phil Kersten; Dan Cullen

2013-01-01

Woody biomass makes up the major portion of terrestrial carbon, and forest ecosystems contain enormous reservoirs of lignocellulose belowground, in dead trees, and litter. Decomposition of this recalcitrant material and mobilization of nutrients are essential for forest health [reviewed by Boddy and Watkinson (1995)]. Although mechanisms are incompletely understood,...

Single-molecule sequencing and optical mapping yields an improved genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) with chromosome-scale contiguity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although draft genomes are available for most agronomically important plant species, the majority are incomplete, highly fragmented, and often riddled with assembly and scaffolding errors. These assembly issues hinder advances in tool development for functional genomics and systems biology. Here we ...

Hepatitis B vaccination coverage and risk factors associated with incomplete vaccination of children born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers, Denmark, 2006 to 2010.

PubMed

Kunoee, Asja; Nielsen, Jens; Cowan, Susan

2016-01-01

In Denmark, universal screening of pregnant women for hepatitis B has been in place since November 2005, with the first two years as a trial period with enhanced surveillance. It is unknown what the change to universal screening without enhanced surveillance has meant for vaccination coverage among children born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers and what risk factors exist for incomplete vaccination. This retrospective cohort study included 699 children of mothers positive for HBsAg. Information on vaccination and risk factors was collected from central registers. In total, 93% (651/699) of the children were vaccinated within 48 hours of birth, with considerable variation between birthplaces. Only 64% (306/475) of the children had received all four vaccinations through their general practitioner (GP) at the age of two years, and 10% (47/475) of the children had received no hepatitis B vaccinations at all. Enhanced surveillance was correlated positively with coverage of birth vaccination but not with coverage at the GP. No or few prenatal examinations were a risk factor for incomplete vaccination at the GP. Maternity wards and GPs are encouraged to revise their vaccination procedures and routines for pregnant women, mothers with chronic HBV infection and their children.

Risk factor assessment of endoscopically removed malignant colorectal polyps.

PubMed

Netzer, P; Forster, C; Biral, R; Ruchti, C; Neuweiler, J; Stauffer, E; Schönegg, R; Maurer, C; Hüsler, J; Halter, F; Schmassmann, A

1998-11-01

Malignant colorectal polyps are defined as endoscopically removed polyps with cancerous tissue which has invaded the submucosa. Various histological criteria exist for managing these patients. To determine the significance of histological findings of patients with malignant polyps. Five pathologists reviewed the specimens of 85 patients initially diagnosed with malignant polyps. High risk malignant polyps were defined as having one of the following: incomplete polypectomy, a margin not clearly cancer-free, lymphatic or venous invasion, or grade III carcinoma. Adverse outcome was defined as residual cancer in a resection specimen and local or metastatic recurrence in the follow up period (mean 67 months). Malignant polyps were confirmed in 70 cases. In the 32 low risk malignant polyps, no adverse outcomes occurred; 16 (42%) of the 38 patients with high risk polyps had adverse outcomes (p<0.001). Independent adverse risk factors were incomplete polypectomy and a resected margin not clearly cancer-free; all other risk factors were only associated with adverse outcome when in combination. As no patients with low risk malignant polyps had adverse outcomes, polypectomy alone seems sufficient for these cases. In the high risk group, surgery is recommended when either of the two independent risk factors, incomplete polypectomy or a resection margin not clearly cancer-free, is present or if there is a combination of other risk factors. As lymphatic or venous invasion or grade III cancer did not have an adverse outcome when the sole risk factor, operations in such cases should be individually assessed on the basis of surgical risk.

Bifactor Models Show a Superior Model Fit: Examination of the Factorial Validity of Parent-Reported and Self-Reported Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders in Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Rodenacker, Klaas; Hautmann, Christopher; Görtz-Dorten, Anja; Döpfner, Manfred

2016-01-01

Various studies have demonstrated that bifactor models yield better solutions than models with correlated factors. However, the kind of bifactor model that is most appropriate is yet to be examined. The current study is the first to test bifactor models across the full age range (11-18 years) of adolescents using self-reports, and the first to test bifactor models with German subjects and German questionnaires. The study sample included children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 years recruited from a German clinical sample (n = 1,081) and a German community sample (n = 642). To examine the factorial validity, we compared unidimensional, correlated factors and higher-order and bifactor models and further tested a modified incomplete bifactor model for measurement invariance. Bifactor models displayed superior model fit statistics compared to correlated factor models or second-order models. However, a more parsimonious incomplete bifactor model with only 2 specific factors (inattention and impulsivity) showed a good model fit and a better factor structure than the other bifactor models. Scalar measurement invariance was given in most group comparisons. An incomplete bifactor model would suggest that the specific inattention and impulsivity factors represent entities separable from the general attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder construct and might, therefore, give way to a new approach to subtyping of children beyond and above attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Pushing Economies (and Students) outside the Factor Price Equalization Zone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oslington, Paul; Towers, Isaac

2009-01-01

Despite overwhelming empirical evidence of the failure of factor price equalization, most teaching of international trade theory (even at the graduate level) assumes that economies are incompletely specialized and that factor price equalization holds. The behavior of trading economies in the absence of factor price equalization is not well…

Factors Related to Incomplete Treatment of Breast Cancer in Kumasi, Ghana

PubMed Central

Obrist, Mark; Osei-Bonsu, Ernest; Ahwah, Baffour; Watanabe-Galloway, Shinobu; Merajver, Sofia D.; Schmid, Kendra; Soliman, Amr S.

2014-01-01

Purpose The burden of cancer in Africa is an enlarging public health challenge. Breast cancer in Ghana is the second most common cancer among Ghanaian women and the proportion of diagnosed patients who complete prescribed treatment is estimated to be very limited, thereby potentially adding to lower survival and poor quality of life after diagnosis. The objective of this study was to identify the patient and system factors related to incomplete treatment of breast cancer among patients. Methods This study was conducted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. We interviewed 117 breast cancer patients and next of kin of breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2008 to 2010. Results Islamic religion, seeking treatment with traditional healers, and lack of awareness about national health insurance coverage of breast cancer treatment were predictors of incomplete treatment. Conclusions The results of this study support that Ghanaian women with diagnosed breast cancer have multiple addressable and modifiable patient factors that may deter them from completing the prescribed treatment. The results highlight the need for developing and testing specific interventions about the importance of completing treatment with a special focus on addressing religious, cultural, and system navigation barriers in developing countries. PMID:25282667

Risk factors for massive postpartum bleeding in pregnancies in which incomplete placenta previa are located on the posterior uterine wall

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyun Jung; Lee, Young Jai; Ahn, Eun Hee; Kim, Hyeon Chul; Jung, Sang Hee; Chang, Sung Woon

2017-01-01

Objective To identify factors associated with massive postpartum bleeding in pregnancies complicated by incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall. Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed. We identified 210 healthy singleton pregnancies with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall, who underwent elective or emergency cesarean section after 24 weeks of gestation between January 2006 and April 2016. The cases with intraoperative blood loss (≥2,000 mL) or transfusion of packed red blood cells (≥4) or uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy were defined as massive bleeding. Results Twenty-three women experienced postpartum profuse bleeding (11.0%). After multivariable analysis, 4 variables were associated with massive postpartum hemorrhage (PPH): experience of 2 or more prior uterine curettage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29 to 15.48; P=0.018), short cervical length before delivery (<2.0 cm) (aOR, 7.13; 95% CI, 1.01 to 50.25; P=0.049), fetal non-cephalic presentation (aOR, 12.48; 95% CI, 1.29 to 121.24; P=0.030), and uteroplacental hypervascularity (aOR, 6.23; 95% CI, 2.30 to 8.83; P=0.001). Conclusion This is the first study of cases with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall, which were complicated by massive PPH. Our findings might be helpful to guide obstetric management and provide useful information for prediction of massive PPH in pregnancies with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall. PMID:29184859

Risk factors for massive postpartum bleeding in pregnancies in which incomplete placenta previa are located on the posterior uterine wall.

PubMed

Lee, Hyun Jung; Lee, Young Jai; Ahn, Eun Hee; Kim, Hyeon Chul; Jung, Sang Hee; Chang, Sung Woon; Lee, Ji Yeon

2017-11-01

To identify factors associated with massive postpartum bleeding in pregnancies complicated by incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall. A retrospective case-control study was performed. We identified 210 healthy singleton pregnancies with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall, who underwent elective or emergency cesarean section after 24 weeks of gestation between January 2006 and April 2016. The cases with intraoperative blood loss (≥2,000 mL) or transfusion of packed red blood cells (≥4) or uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy were defined as massive bleeding. Twenty-three women experienced postpartum profuse bleeding (11.0%). After multivariable analysis, 4 variables were associated with massive postpartum hemorrhage (PPH): experience of 2 or more prior uterine curettage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29 to 15.48; P =0.018), short cervical length before delivery (<2.0 cm) (aOR, 7.13; 95% CI, 1.01 to 50.25; P =0.049), fetal non-cephalic presentation (aOR, 12.48; 95% CI, 1.29 to 121.24; P =0.030), and uteroplacental hypervascularity (aOR, 6.23; 95% CI, 2.30 to 8.83; P =0.001). This is the first study of cases with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall, which were complicated by massive PPH. Our findings might be helpful to guide obstetric management and provide useful information for prediction of massive PPH in pregnancies with incomplete placenta previa located on the posterior uterine wall.

The dual role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in cancer biology.

PubMed

Bertazza, Loris; Mocellin, Simone

2010-01-01

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a cytokine with well known anticancer properties and is being utilized as anticancer agent for the treatment of patients with locally advanced solid tumors. However, TNF role in cancer biology is debated. In fact, in spite of the wealth of evidence supporting its antitumor activity, the cascade of molecular events underlying TNF-mediated tumor regression observed in vivo is still incompletely elucidated. Furthermore, some preclinical findings suggest that TNF may even promote cancer development and progression. With this work we intend to summarize the molecular biology of TNF (with particular regard to its tumor-related activities) and review the experimental and clinical evidence currently available describing the complex and sometime apparently conflicting relationship between this cytokine, cancer biology and antitumor therapy. We also propose a model to explain the dual effect of TNF based on the exposure time and cytokine levels reached within the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we overview recent research findings that might lead to new ways for exploiting the anticancer potential of TNF in the clinical setting.

Advances in IBS 2016: A Review of Current and Emerging Data.

PubMed

Schoenfeld, Philip S

2016-08-01

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic intermittent abdominal pain and associated diarrhea (IBS-D), constipation (IBS-C), or both. IBS can significantly impact patient function and quality of life. The diagnosis of IBS is based on the presence of characteristic symptoms, the exclusion of concerning features, and selected tests to exclude organic diseases that can mimic IBS. The pathophysiology of IBS remains incompletely understood, and new contributing factors have been identified over the past decade. Altered gut immune activation, intestinal permeability, and the intestinal and colonic microbiome may be important factors. Poorly absorbed carbohydrates have been implicated in triggering IBS symptoms. Increasing evidence supports the benefit of a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). Although there are several randomized controlled trials of probiotics in IBS, they are typically poorly designed and have not consistently demonstrated efficacy. Until recently, there were few effective treatments for IBS-D. Data from recent clinical trials support the use of rifaximin, eluxadoline, and peppermint oil. Options for the treatment of IBS-C include lubiprostone and linaclotide.

Advances in IBS 2016: A Review of Current and Emerging Data

PubMed Central

Schoenfeld, Philip S.

2016-01-01

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic intermittent abdominal pain and associated diarrhea (IBS-D), constipation (IBS-C), or both. IBS can significantly impact patient function and quality of life. The diagnosis of IBS is based on the presence of characteristic symptoms, the exclusion of concerning features, and selected tests to exclude organic diseases that can mimic IBS. The pathophysiology of IBS remains incompletely understood, and new contributing factors have been identified over the past decade. Altered gut immune activation, intestinal permeability, and the intestinal and colonic microbiome may be important factors. Poorly absorbed carbohydrates have been implicated in triggering IBS symptoms. Increasing evidence supports the benefit of a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). Although there are several randomized controlled trials of probiotics in IBS, they are typically poorly designed and have not consistently demonstrated efficacy. Until recently, there were few effective treatments for IBS-D. Data from recent clinical trials support the use of rifaximin, eluxadoline, and peppermint oil. Options for the treatment of IBS-C include lubiprostone and linaclotide. PMID:28070176

Urodynamic findings in women with pelvic organ prolapse and obstructive voiding symptoms.

PubMed

Dain, Lena; Auslander, Ron; Rosen, Talma; Segev, Yakir; Goldschmidt, Eyal; Abramov, Yoram

2010-11-01

To determine whether obstructive voiding symptoms in women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were associated with objective bladder outflow tract obstruction. We reviewed preoperative data from patients with advanced POP who underwent surgical correction at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, between December 1, 2005, and November 30, 2007. Obstructive voiding symptoms were recorded from Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 questionnaires. Of the 81 women aged 44-80 years who were included in the study, 40 (49.4%) reported incomplete bladder emptying preoperatively. There was no significant difference between these women and asymptomatic women in terms of demographic and clinical parameters such as age, parity, and stage of prolapse. Furthermore, there was no significant difference with regard to postvoid residual bladder volume (52.8 ± 65.8 vs 41.6 ± 41.2 mL), maximal (23.8 ± 11 vs 21.9 ± 9.6 mL/second) and average (10.3 ± 6.2 vs 9.3 ± 4 mL/second) urinary flow velocities, prevalence of increased postvoid residual volume (10.0% vs 4.8%), or obstructive urinary flow (17.5% vs 7.3%). Almost half of all women with advanced POP experienced incomplete bladder emptying; however, this symptom did not correlate with objective urodynamic bladder outflow tract obstruction. Copyright © 2010 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New findings on venous thrombogenesis

PubMed Central

Byrnes, James R.; Wolberg, Alisa S.

2017-01-01

Summary Venous thrombosis (VT) is the third most common cause of cardiovascular death worldwide. Complications from VT and pulmonary embolism are the leading cause of lost disability-adjusted life years. Risks include genetic (e.g., non-O blood group, activated protein C resistance, hyperprothrombinemia) and acquired (e.g., age, surgery, cancer, pregnancy, immobilisation, female hormone use) factors. Pathophysiologic mechanisms that promote VT are incompletely understood, but involve abnormalities in blood coagulability, vessel function, and flow (so-called Virchow’s Triad). Epidemiologic studies of humans, animal models, and biochemical and biophysical investigations have revealed contributions from extrinsic, intrinsic, and common pathways of coagulation, endothelial cells, leukocytes, red blood cells, platelets, cell-derived microvesicles, stasis-induced changes in vascular cells, and blood rheology. Knowledge of these mechanisms may yield new therapeutic targets. Characterisation of mechanisms that mediate VT formation and stability, particularly in aging, are needed to advance understanding of VT. PMID:27878206

Determinant factors of gender identity: a commentary.

PubMed

Liao, Lih-Mei; Audi, Laura; Magritte, Ellie; Meyer-Bahlburg, Heino F L; Quigley, Charmian A

2012-12-01

Paediatric specialists involved in the care of children with disorders of sex development may be expected to provide straightforward answers to questions concerning the "true sex" of a child, reflecting common perceptions of sex/gender as an immutable binary biological reality. This article highlights how much more broad and complex the topic of gender identity and its development is. Many theories have been put forward to advance knowledge of gender identity. Against the breadth and depth of this vast topic, the current overview is inevitably incomplete. It begins by arguing for a more consistent use of 'sex' and 'gender'. It considers in turn three influential theoretical frameworks that lend themselves to empirical research. These are: 1) the role of the brain; 2) the role of socialisation; and 3) multi-dimensional gender development. The article ends by suggesting potentially fruitful questions and areas for future research. Copyright © 2012 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mining the human gut microbiome for novel stress resistance genes

PubMed Central

Culligan, Eamonn P.; Marchesi, Julian R.; Hill, Colin; Sleator, Roy D.

2012-01-01

With the rapid advances in sequencing technologies in recent years, the human genome is now considered incomplete without the complementing microbiome, which outnumbers human genes by a factor of one hundred. The human microbiome, and more specifically the gut microbiome, has received considerable attention and research efforts over the past decade. Many studies have identified and quantified “who is there?,” while others have determined some of their functional capacity, or “what are they doing?” In a recent study, we identified novel salt-tolerance loci from the human gut microbiome using combined functional metagenomic and bioinformatics based approaches. Herein, we discuss the identified loci, their role in salt-tolerance and their importance in the context of the gut environment. We also consider the utility and power of functional metagenomics for mining such environments for novel genes and proteins, as well as the implications and possible applications for future research. PMID:22688726

Risk factors of prolonged mechanical ventilation following open heart surgery: what has changed over the last decade?

PubMed

Siddiqui, Muhammad-Mujtaba Ali; Paras, Iftikhar; Jalal, Anjum

2012-09-01

To identify the risk factors for prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation after open heart surgery in Pakistan. This study is based on retrospective analysis of database. We conducted study of all patients who underwent open heart surgery at CPE Institute of Cardiology, Multan from March 2009 to May 2011. The data was retrieved from the database in the form of electronic spreadsheet which was then analyzed using SPSS software. The patients with incomplete data entries were removed from the analysis resulting in a set of 1,617 patients. The data of each patient consisted of 65 preoperative, operative and postoperative variables. The data was summarized as means, medians and standard deviations for numeric variables and frequencies and percentages or categoric variables. These risk factors were compared using Chi-sqaure test. Their ODDs ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ODD's Ratios and P values were calculated. Out of a total of 1,617 patients, 77 patients (4.76%) had prolonged ventilation for a cumulated duration of more than over 24 hours. Preoperative renal failure, emphysema, low EF (<30%), urgent operation, preoperative critical state, prolonged bypass time, prolonged cross clamp time, complex surgical procedures and peri-operative myocardial infarction were found to be risk factors for PIMV. Old age, female gender, advanced ASA class, advanced NYHA class, diabetes mellitus, smoking, history of COPD, redo surgery, left main stenosis, obesity and use of intra-aortic balloon pump were not found to have significant ODDs ratios for PIMV. The patients with prolonged ventilation had significantly high mortality i.e. 32.47% while the normal ventilation group had 0.32% overall mortality. Many of the previously considered risk factors for prolonged ventilation after open heart study are no more significant risk factors. However, prolonged ventilation continues to be associated with very high mortality.

Positive peritoneal cytology at interval surgery is a poor prognostic factor in patients with stage T3c advanced ovarian carcinoma: A retrospective study.

PubMed

Nagasaka, Kazunori; Kawana, Kei; Tomio, Kensuke; Tsuruga, Tetsushi; Mori-Uchino, Mayuyo; Miura, Shiho; Tanikawa, Michihiro; Miyamoto, Yuichiro; Ikeda, Yuji; Sone, Kenbun; Adachi, Katsuyuki; Matsumoto, Yoko; Arimoto, Takahide; Oda, Katsutoshi; Osuga, Yutaka; Fujii, Tomoyuki

2015-05-01

The purpose of our study is to investigate clinically significant prognostic factors at the time of interval surgery (IS), comprising interval look surgery and interval debulking surgery, for T3c (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIIc to IV) advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) patients during primary treatment. We reviewed records of patients with T3c AOC who underwent IS following neoadjuvant chemotherapy or up-front primary debulking surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy at our institution between January 1996 and December 2010. For analysis of prognostic factors, cytology of peritoneal exfoliative cells at IS was added to clinicopathological variables. A retrospective analysis was performed on 50 cases. The median age was 61.1 years (range, 38-78), with median follow-up of 45.9 months (range, 12-122). Macroscopic tumors were completely resected in 32 cases (64%) at IS. Univariate analyses of clinicopathological factors for IS identified preoperative serum cancer antigen-125 levels (≥20 IU/mL; P = 0.0539), number of residual lesions at IS (≥20; P = 0.0554), incomplete surgery at IS (P = 0.0171) and positive peritoneal cytology at IS (P = 0.0015) as significant factors for prognosis regarding progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis identified positive peritoneal cytology (P = 0.0303) as a unique independent predictor of poor prognosis in PFS. Positive peritoneal cytology at IS appears to be a significant factor for poor prognosis in PFS, which may provide useful information for post-IS chemotherapy planning. IS in the treatment of AOC may be useful for not only complete resection, but also for identification of patients with poor prognosis. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2014 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A Factor Analysis of Learning Data and Selected Ability Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Dorothy L.

1976-01-01

A verbal concept-learning task permitting the externalizing and quantifying of learning behavior and 16 ability tests were administered to female graduate students. Data were analyzed by alpha factor analysis and incomplete image analysis. Six alpha factors and 12 image factors were extracted and orthogonally rotated. Four areas of cognitive…

The Devil Is in the Details: Incomplete Reporting in Preclinical Animal Research.

PubMed

Avey, Marc T; Moher, David; Sullivan, Katrina J; Fergusson, Dean; Griffin, Gilly; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Hutton, Brian; Lalu, Manoj M; Macleod, Malcolm; Marshall, John; Mei, Shirley H J; Rudnicki, Michael; Stewart, Duncan J; Turgeon, Alexis F; McIntyre, Lauralyn

2016-01-01

Incomplete reporting of study methods and results has become a focal point for failures in the reproducibility and translation of findings from preclinical research. Here we demonstrate that incomplete reporting of preclinical research is not limited to a few elements of research design, but rather is a broader problem that extends to the reporting of the methods and results. We evaluated 47 preclinical research studies from a systematic review of acute lung injury that use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a treatment. We operationalized the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) reporting guidelines for pre-clinical studies into 109 discrete reporting sub-items and extracted 5,123 data elements. Overall, studies reported less than half (47%) of all sub-items (median 51 items; range 37-64). Across all studies, the Methods Section reported less than half (45%) and the Results Section reported less than a third (29%). There was no association between journal impact factor and completeness of reporting, which suggests that incomplete reporting of preclinical research occurs across all journals regardless of their perceived prestige. Incomplete reporting of methods and results will impede attempts to replicate research findings and maximize the value of preclinical studies.

Completeness assessment of type II active pharmaceutical ingredient drug master files under generic drug user fee amendment: review metrics and common incomplete items.

PubMed

Zhang, Huyi; Li, Haitao; Song, Wei; Shen, Diandian; Skanchy, David; Shen, Kun; Lionberger, Robert A; Rosencrance, Susan M; Yu, Lawrence X

2014-09-01

Under the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) of 2012, Type II active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) drug master files (DMFs) must pay a user fee and pass a Completeness Assessment (CA) before they can be referenced in an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), ANDA amendment, or ANDA prior approval supplement (PAS). During the first year of GDUFA implementation, from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013, approximately 1,500 Type II API DMFs received at least one cycle of CA review and more than 1,100 Type II DMFs were deemed complete and published on FDA's "Available for Reference List". The data from CA reviews were analyzed for factors that influenced the CA review process and metrics, as well as the areas of DMF submissions which most frequently led to an incomplete CA status. The metrics analysis revealed that electronic DMFs appear to improve the completeness of submission and shorten both the review and response times. Utilizing the CA checklist to compile and proactively update the DMFs improves the chance for the DMFs to pass the CA in the first cycle. However, given that the majority of DMFs require at least two cycles of CA before being deemed complete, it is recommended that DMF fees are paid 6 months in advance of the ANDA submissions in order to avoid negatively impacting the filling status of the ANDAs.

Advancing adolescent maternal development: a grounded theory.

PubMed

Atkinson, Leah D; Peden-McAlpine, Cynthia J

2014-01-01

This paper reports a substantive grounded theory called the theory of Advancing Adolescent Maternal Development. A grounded theory approach was used. Thirty public health nurses working with adolescent clients in a state public health nurse home visiting program volunteered to participate in this study. The basic social psychological problem that emerged from the data was incomplete and at risk adolescent maternal development. Social support and public health nursing interventions are central in the problem resolution process which occurs in stages. Study results can be used to inform the nursing care of pregnant and parenting adolescents. © 2014.

Management of chronic spinal cord dysfunction.

PubMed

Abrams, Gary M; Ganguly, Karunesh

2015-02-01

Both acute and chronic spinal cord disorders present multisystem management problems to the clinician. This article highlights key issues associated with chronic spinal cord dysfunction. Advances in symptomatic management for chronic spinal cord dysfunction include use of botulinum toxin to manage detrusor hyperreflexia, pregabalin for management of neuropathic pain, and intensive locomotor training for improved walking ability in incomplete spinal cord injuries. The care of spinal cord dysfunction has advanced significantly over the past 2 decades. Management and treatment of neurologic and non-neurologic complications of chronic myelopathies ensure that each patient will be able to maximize their functional independence and quality of life.

Distributed control systems with incomplete and uncertain information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jingpeng

Scientific and engineering advances in wireless communication, sensors, propulsion, and other areas are rapidly making it possible to develop unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) with sophisticated capabilities. UAVs have come to the forefront as tools for airborne reconnaissance to search for, detect, and destroy enemy targets in relatively complex environments. They potentially reduce risk to human life, are cost effective, and are superior to manned aircraft for certain types of missions. It is desirable for UAVs to have a high level of intelligent autonomy to carry out mission tasks with little external supervision and control. This raises important issues involving tradeoffs between centralized control and the associated potential to optimize mission plans, and decentralized control with great robustness and the potential to adapt to changing conditions. UAV capabilities have been extended several ways through armament (e.g., Hellfire missiles on Predator UAVs), increased endurance and altitude (e.g., Global Hawk), and greater autonomy. Some known barriers to full-scale implementation of UAVs are increased communication and control requirements as well as increased platform and system complexity. One of the key problems is how UAV systems can handle incomplete and uncertain information in dynamic environments. Especially when the system is composed of heterogeneous and distributed UAVs, the overall system complexity is increased under such conditions. Presented through the use of published papers, this dissertation lays the groundwork for the study of methodologies for handling incomplete and uncertain information for distributed control systems. An agent-based simulation framework is built to investigate mathematical approaches (optimization) and emergent intelligence approaches. The first paper provides a mathematical approach for systems of UAVs to handle incomplete and uncertain information. The second paper describes an emergent intelligence approach for UAVs, again in handling incomplete and uncertain information. The third paper combines mathematical and emergent intelligence approaches.

Advances in the Use of DNA Barcodes to Build a Community Phylogeny for Tropical Trees in a Puerto Rican Forest Dynamics Plot

Treesearch

W. John Kress; David L. Erickson; Nathan G. Swenson; Jill Thompson; Maria Uriarte; Jess K. Zimmerman; Jerome Chave

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: Species number, functional traits, and phylogenetic history all contribute to characterizing the biological diversity in plant communities. The phylogenetic component of diversity has been particularly difficult to quantify in species-rich tropical tree assemblages. The compilation of previously published (and often incomplete) data on evolutionary...

Memory and Depressive Symptoms Are Dynamically Linked among Married Couples: Longitudinal Evidence from the AHEAD Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerstorf, Denis; Hoppmann, Christiane A.; Kadlec, Kelly M.; McArdle, John J.

2009-01-01

This study examined dyadic interrelations between episodic memory and depressive symptom trajectories of change in old and advanced old age. The authors applied dynamic models to 10-year incomplete longitudinal data of initially 1,599 married couples from the study of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (M[subscript age] = 75 years at…

Incomplete mobilization of the maxilla resulting in failed maxillary distraction: a case report.

PubMed

Alkan, Alper; Inal, Samet; Baş, Burcu; Ozer, Mete

2007-12-01

Maxillary distraction osteogenesis has become an accepted alternative method in the treatment of patients with severe maxillary hypoplasia in craniofacial syndromes and cleft-related deformities. Insufficient distraction, undesirable soft tissue changes, and occurrence of defective distraction vectors are among the potential complications of intraoral maxillary distraction osteogenesis. A 2-stage procedure combining maxillary advancement by distraction technique with genioplasty and mandibular setback surgery was planned to correct jaw deformities in a 22-year-old patient with severe maxillary retrusion, mandibular prognathism, and excessive lower facial height. In the first stage, osteotomies were performed and maxilla was lightly mobilized after down-fracture. Distractors were placed to the maxilla intraorally. During activation period, the maxilla rotated in a clockwise direction, producing a discrepancy between the planned and the actual vectors. Complete distraction was unsatisfactory and the complication was due to surgical technique. This case report presents the failure of maxillary distraction due to incomplete mobilization of the maxilla. Treatment of the case was achieved by the conventional osteotomy techniques at final operation. The maxilla was successfully advanced to the desired position producing good occlusion and an improved facial profile.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in human pulp cells of teeth with complete and incomplete root development.

PubMed

Caviedes-Bucheli, J; Canales-Sánchez, P; Castrillón-Sarria, N; Jovel-Garcia, J; Alvarez-Vásquez, J; Rivero, C; Azuero-Holguín, M M; Diaz, E; Munoz, H R

2009-08-01

To quantify the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in human pulp cells of teeth with complete or incomplete root development, to support the specific role of IGF-1 in cell proliferation during tooth development and pulp reparative processes. Twenty six pulp samples were obtained from freshly extracted human third molars, equally divided in two groups according to root development stage (complete or incomplete root development). All samples were processed and immunostained to determine the expression of IGF-1 and PCNA in pulp cells. Sections were observed with a light microscope at 80x and morphometric analyses were performed to calculate the area of PCNA and IGF-1 immunostaining using digital image software. Mann-Whitney's test was used to determine statistically significant differences between groups (P < 0.05) for each peptide and the co-expression of both. Expression of IGF-1 and PCNA was observed in all human pulp samples with a statistically significant higher expression in cells of pulps having complete root development (P = 0.0009). Insulin-like growth factor-1 and PCNA are expressed in human pulp cells, with a significant greater expression in pulp cells of teeth having complete root development.

High-Intensity Locomotor Exercise Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.

PubMed

Leech, Kristan A; Hornby, T George

2017-03-15

High-intensity locomotor exercise is suggested to contribute to improved recovery of locomotor function after neurological injury. This may be secondary to exercise-intensity-dependent increases in neurotrophin expression demonstrated previously in control subjects. However, rigorous examination of intensity-dependent changes in neurotrophin levels is lacking in individuals with motor incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of locomotor exercise intensity on peripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in individuals with incomplete SCI. We also explored the impact of the Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene on intensity-dependent changes. Serum concentrations of BDNF and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), as well as measures of cardiorespiratory dynamics, were evaluated across different levels of exercise intensity achieved during a graded-intensity, locomotor exercise paradigm in 11 individuals with incomplete SCI. Our results demonstrate a significant increase in serum BDNF at high, as compared to moderate, exercise intensities (p = 0.01) and 15 and 30 min post-exercise (p < 0.01 for both), with comparison to changes at low intensity approaching significance (p = 0.05). Serum IGF-1 demonstrated no intensity-dependent changes. Significant correlations were observed between changes in BDNF and specific indicators of exercise intensity (e.g., rating of perceived exertion; R = 0.43; p = 0.02). Additionally, the data suggest that Val66Met SNP carriers may not exhibit intensity-dependent changes in serum BDNF concentration. Given the known role of BDNF in experience-dependent neuroplasticity, these preliminary results suggest that exercise intensity modulates serum BDNF concentrations and may be an important parameter of physical rehabilitation interventions after neurological injury.

High-Intensity Locomotor Exercise Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

PubMed Central

Leech, Kristan A.

2017-01-01

Abstract High-intensity locomotor exercise is suggested to contribute to improved recovery of locomotor function after neurological injury. This may be secondary to exercise-intensity–dependent increases in neurotrophin expression demonstrated previously in control subjects. However, rigorous examination of intensity-dependent changes in neurotrophin levels is lacking in individuals with motor incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of locomotor exercise intensity on peripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in individuals with incomplete SCI. We also explored the impact of the Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene on intensity-dependent changes. Serum concentrations of BDNF and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), as well as measures of cardiorespiratory dynamics, were evaluated across different levels of exercise intensity achieved during a graded-intensity, locomotor exercise paradigm in 11 individuals with incomplete SCI. Our results demonstrate a significant increase in serum BDNF at high, as compared to moderate, exercise intensities (p = 0.01) and 15 and 30 min post-exercise (p < 0.01 for both), with comparison to changes at low intensity approaching significance (p = 0.05). Serum IGF-1 demonstrated no intensity-dependent changes. Significant correlations were observed between changes in BDNF and specific indicators of exercise intensity (e.g., rating of perceived exertion; R = 0.43; p = 0.02). Additionally, the data suggest that Val66Met SNP carriers may not exhibit intensity-dependent changes in serum BDNF concentration. Given the known role of BDNF in experience-dependent neuroplasticity, these preliminary results suggest that exercise intensity modulates serum BDNF concentrations and may be an important parameter of physical rehabilitation interventions after neurological injury. PMID:27526567

Fourth-dimensional changes in nasolabial dimensions following rotation-advancement repair of unilateral cleft lip.

PubMed

Mulliken, John B; LaBrie, Richard A

2012-02-01

Repair of unilateral cleft lip requires three-dimensional craftsmanship and understanding four-dimensional changes. Ninety-nine children with unilateral complete or incomplete cleft lip were measured by direct anthropometry following rotation-advancement repair (intraoperatively) and again in childhood. Changes in heminasal width, labial height, and labial width were analyzed and compared measures depending on whether the cleft was incomplete/complete or involved left/right side. Average heminasal width (sn-al) was set 1 mm less on the cleft side and measured only 0.7 mm less at 6 years. Labial height (sn-cphi) was slightly greater on the cleft side at repair and matched the noncleft side at follow-up. Vertical dimension (sbal-cphi) was slightly less at operation; the percent change was the same on both sides. Transverse labial width (cphi-ch) was set short on the cleft side and lengthened disproportionately, resulting in less than 1 mm difference at 6 years. All anthropometric dimensions grew less in complete cleft lips compared with incomplete forms; however, only labial height and width were significantly different. There were no disparities in nasolabial growth between left- and right-sided cleft lips. Cleft side alar base drifts laterally and should be positioned slightly more medial and secured to nasalis or periosteum. Growth in labial height lags and, therefore, the repaired side should be equal to or slightly greater than on the normal side, particularly in a complete labial cleft. Transverse labial width grows more on the cleft side; thus, lateral Cupid's bow peak point can be marked closer to the commissure to match the labial height on the noncleft side. Therapeutic, IV.

Influential Factors in Incomplete Acquisition and Attrition of Young Heritage Speakers' Vocabulary Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gharibi, Khadijeh; Boers, Frank

2017-01-01

This study investigates whether young heritage speakers, either simultaneous or sequential bilinguals, have limited vocabulary knowledge in their family language compared to matched monolingual counterparts and, if so, what factors help to account for this difference. These factors include age, age at emigration, length of emigration, frequency of…

A population neuroscience approach to the study of cerebral small vessel disease in mid- and late-life: an Invited Review.

PubMed

Jorgensen, Dana R; Shaaban, C Elizabeth; Wiley, Clayton A; Gianaros, Peter J; Mettenburg, Joseph; Rosano, Caterina

2018-02-02

Aging in later life engenders numerous changes to the cerebral microvasculature. Such changes can remain clinically silent, but are associated with greater risk for negative health outcomes over time. Knowledge is limited about the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of potentially detrimental changes in the cerebral microvasculature that occur with advancing age. In this review, we summarize literature on aging of the cerebral microvasculature, and we propose a conceptual framework to fill existing research gaps and advance future work on this heterogeneous phenomenon. We propose that the major gaps in this area are attributable to an incomplete characterization of cerebrovascular pathology, the populations being studied, and the temporality of exposure to risk factors. Specifically, currently available measures of age-related cerebral microvasculature changes are indirect, primarily related to parenchymal damage rather than direct quantification of small vessel damage-limiting the understanding of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) itself. Moreover, studies seldom account for variability in the health-related conditions or interactions with risk factors, which are likely determinants of cSVD pathogenesis. Lastly, study designs are predominantly cross-sectional, and/or have relied on single time point measures, leaving no clear evidence of time trajectories of risk factors or of change in cerebral microvasculature. We argue that more resources should be invested in (1) developing methodological approaches and basic science models to better understand the pathogenic and etiological nature of age-related brain microvascular diseases, and (2) implementing state-of-the-science population study designs that account for the temporal evolution of cerebral microvascular changes in diverse populations across the life-span.

Risk factor assessment of endoscopically removed malignant colorectal polyps

PubMed Central

Netzer, P; Forster, C; Biral, R; Ruchti, C; Neuweiler, J; Stauffer, E; Schonegg, R; Maurer, C; Husler, J; Halter, F; Schmassmann, A

1998-01-01

Background—Malignant colorectal polyps are defined as endoscopically removed polyps with cancerous tissue which has invaded the submucosa. Various histological criteria exist for managing these patients. 
Aims—To determine the significance of histological findings of patients with malignant polyps. 
Methods—Five pathologists reviewed the specimens of 85 patients initially diagnosed with malignant polyps. High risk malignant polyps were defined as having one of the following: incomplete polypectomy, a margin not clearly cancer-free, lymphatic or venous invasion, or grade III carcinoma. Adverse outcome was defined as residual cancer in a resection specimen and local or metastatic recurrence in the follow up period (mean 67months). 
Results—Malignant polyps were confirmed in 70 cases. In the 32 low risk malignant polyps, no adverse outcomes occurred; 16(42%) of the 38 patients with high risk polyps had adverse outcomes (p<0.001). Independent adverse risk factors were incomplete polypectomy and a resected margin not clearly cancer-free; all other risk factors were only associated with adverse outcome when in combination. 
Conclusion—As no patients with low risk malignant polyps had adverse outcomes, polypectomy alone seems sufficient for these cases. In the high risk group, surgery is recommended when either of the two independent risk factors, incomplete polypectomy or a resection margin not clearly cancer-free, is present or if there is a combination of other risk factors. As lymphatic or venous invasion or grade III cancer did not have an adverse outcome when the sole risk factor, operations in such cases should be individually assessed on the basis of surgical risk. 

 Keywords: malignant polyps; colon cancer; colonoscopy; polypectomy; histology PMID:9824349

Leap Before You Look: Information Gathering In the PUCCINI Planner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golden, Keith; Lau, Sonie (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

Most of the work in planning with incomplete information takes a "look before you leap" perspective: Actions must be guaranteed to have their intended effects before they can be executed. We argue that this approach is impossible to follow in many real-world domains. The agent may not have enough information to ensure that an action will have a given effect in advance of executing it. This paper describes PUCCINI, a partial order planner used to control the Internet Softbot (Etzioni & Weld 1994). PUCCINI takes a different approach to coping with incomplete information: "Leap before you look!" PUCCINI doesn't require actions to be known to have the desired effects before execution. However, it still maintains soundness, by requiring the effects to be verified eventually. We discuss how this is achieved using a simple generalization of causal links.

Probabilistic failure assessment with application to solid rocket motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jan, Darrell L.; Davidson, Barry D.; Moore, Nicholas R.

1990-01-01

A quantitative methodology is being developed for assessment of risk of failure of solid rocket motors. This probabilistic methodology employs best available engineering models and available information in a stochastic framework. The framework accounts for incomplete knowledge of governing parameters, intrinsic variability, and failure model specification error. Earlier case studies have been conducted on several failure modes of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. Work in progress on application of this probabilistic approach to large solid rocket boosters such as the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor for the Space Shuttle is described. Failure due to debonding has been selected as the first case study for large solid rocket motors (SRMs) since it accounts for a significant number of historical SRM failures. Impact of incomplete knowledge of governing parameters and failure model specification errors is expected to be important.

New Advances in Molecular Therapy for Muscle Repair after Diseases and Injuries

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

frequently disabling injuries sustained by athletes and soldiers. Although injured muscles heal naturally, the regeneration is very slow and often...yields incomplete functional recovery. In injured muscle, regeneration begins shortly after injury, but the healing process is rather inefficient and is...skin disorders), can reduce muscle fibrosis and consequently improve muscle healing , resulting in nearly complete recovery after laceration or strain

A Preliminary Bayesian Analysis of Incomplete Longitudinal Data from a Small Sample: Methodological Advances in an International Comparative Study of Educational Inequality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Chueh-An; Maier, Kimberly S.

2009-01-01

The capacity of Bayesian methods in estimating complex statistical models is undeniable. Bayesian data analysis is seen as having a range of advantages, such as an intuitive probabilistic interpretation of the parameters of interest, the efficient incorporation of prior information to empirical data analysis, model averaging and model selection.…

Circumscribing Circumscription. A Guide to Relevance and Incompleteness,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-10-01

other rules of conjecture, to account for resource limitations. P "- h’ MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY A.I. Memo...of conjecture, to account for resource limitations. This report describes research done at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Massachusetts...Institute of Technology. Support for the laboratory’s artificial intelligence research is provided in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency

Increasing Second Language Learners' Production and Comprehension of Developmentally Advanced Syntactic Forms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gámez, Perla B.; Vasilyeva, Marina

2015-01-01

This investigation extended the use of the priming methodology to 5- and 6-year-olds at the beginning stages of learning English as a second language (L2). In Study 1, 14 L2 children described transitive scenes without an experimenter's input. They produced no passives and minimal actives; most of their utterances were incomplete. In Study 2, 56…

Recent advances in electronic structure theory and their influence on the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Langhoff, Stephen R.; Taylor, Peter R.

1989-01-01

Recent advances in electronic structure theory and the availability of high speed vector processors have substantially increased the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surfaces. The recently developed atomic natural orbital approach for basis set contraction has reduced both the basis set incompleteness and superposition errors in molecular calculations. Furthermore, full CI calculations can often be used to calibrate a CASSCF/MRCI approach that quantitatively accounts for the valence correlation energy. These computational advances also provide a vehicle for systematically improving the calculations and for estimating the residual error in the calculations. Calculations on selected diatomic and triatomic systems will be used to illustrate the accuracy that currently can be achieved for molecular systems. In particular, the F + H2 yields HF + H potential energy hypersurface is used to illustrate the impact of these computational advances on the calculation of potential energy surfaces.

Recent advances in electronic structure theory and their influence on the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Langhoff, Stephen R.; Taylor, Peter R.

1988-01-01

Recent advances in electronic structure theory and the availability of high speed vector processors have substantially increased the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surfaces. The recently developed atomic natural orbital approach for basis set contraction has reduced both the basis set incompleteness and superposition errors in molecular calculations. Furthermore, full CI calculations can often be used to calibrate a CASSCF/MRCI approach that quantitatively accounts for the valence correlation energy. These computational advances also provide a vehicle for systematically improving the calculations and for estimating the residual error in the calculations. Calculations on selected diatomic and triatomic systems will be used to illustrate the accuracy that currently can be achieved for molecular systems. In particular, the F+H2 yields HF+H potential energy hypersurface is used to illustrate the impact of these computational advances on the calculation of potential energy surfaces.

Association Between Incomplete Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy and Survival for Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

PubMed Central

Sun, Zhifei; Adam, Mohamed A.; Kim, Jina; Palta, Manisha; Czito, Brian G.; Migaly, John; Mantyh, Christopher R.

2017-01-01

Importance Failing to complete chemotherapy adversely affects survival in patients with colorectal cancer. However, the effect of incomplete delivery of neoadjuvant radiotherapy is unclear. Objective To determine whether incomplete radiotherapy delivery is associated with worse clinical outcomes and survival. Design, Setting, and Participants Data on 17 600 patients with stage II to III rectal adenocarcinoma from the 2006-2012 National Cancer Database who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection were included. Multivariable regression methods were used to compare resection margin positivity, permanent colostomy rate, 30-day readmission, 90-day mortality, and overall survival between patients who received complete (45.0-50.4 Gy) and incomplete (<45.0 Gy) doses of radiation as preoperative therapy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measure was overall survival; short-term perioperative and oncologic outcomes encompassing margin positivity, permanent ostomy rate, postoperative readmission, and postoperative mortality were also assessed. Results Among 17 600 patients included, 10 862 were men, with an overall median age of 59 years (range, 51-68 years). Of these, 874 patients (5.0%) received incomplete doses of neoadjuvant radiation. The median radiation dose received among those who did not achieve complete dosing was 34.2 Gy (interquartile range, 19.8-40.0 Gy). Female sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.69; 95% CI, 0.59-0.81; P < .001) and receiving radiotherapy at a different hospital than the one where surgery was performed (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.62-0.85; P < .001) were independent predictors of failing to achieve complete dosing; private insurance status was predictive of completing radiotherapy (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.16-2.21; P = .004). At 5-year follow-up, overall survival was improved among patients who received a complete course of radiotherapy (3086 [estimated survival probability, 73.2%] vs 133 [63.0%]; P < .001). After adjustment for demographic, clinical, and tumor characteristics, patients receiving a complete vs incomplete radiation dose had a similar resection margin positivity (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.72-1.35; P = .92), permanent colostomy rate (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.70-1.32; P = .81), 30-day readmission rate (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.67-1.27; P = .62), and 90-day mortality (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.33-1.54; P = .41). However, a complete radiation dose had a significantly lower risk of long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.59-0.84; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance Achieving a target radiation dose of 45.0 to 50.4 Gy is associated with a survival benefit in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Aligning all aspects of multimodal oncology care may increase the probability of completing neoadjuvant therapy. PMID:28273303

Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000-30,000 years before present.

PubMed

Fujita, Masaki; Yamasaki, Shinji; Katagiri, Chiaki; Oshiro, Itsuro; Sano, Katsuhiro; Kurozumi, Taiji; Sugawara, Hiroshi; Kunikita, Dai; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Kano, Akihiro; Okumura, Tomoyo; Sone, Tomomi; Fujita, Hikaru; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Naruse, Toru; Kondo, Megumi; Matsu'ura, Shuji; Suwa, Gen; Kaifu, Yousuke

2016-10-04

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000-30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world's oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region.

Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000–30,000 years before present

PubMed Central

Fujita, Masaki; Yamasaki, Shinji; Katagiri, Chiaki; Oshiro, Itsuro; Sano, Katsuhiro; Kurozumi, Taiji; Sugawara, Hiroshi; Kunikita, Dai; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Kano, Akihiro; Okumura, Tomoyo; Sone, Tomomi; Fujita, Hikaru; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Naruse, Toru; Kondo, Megumi; Matsu’ura, Shuji; Suwa, Gen; Kaifu, Yousuke

2016-01-01

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000−30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world’s oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region. PMID:27638208

Phytoremediation: State-of-the-art and a key role for the plant microbiome in future trends and research prospects.

PubMed

Thijs, Sofie; Sillen, Wouter; Weyens, Nele; Vangronsveld, Jaco

2017-01-02

Phytoremediation is increasingly adopted as a more sustainable approach for soil remediation. However, significant advances in efficiency are still necessary to attain higher levels of environmental and economic sustainability. Current interventions do not always give the expected outcomes in field settings due to an incomplete understanding of the multicomponent biological interactions. New advances in -omics are gradually implemented for studying microbial communities of polluted land in situ. This opens new perspectives for the discovery of biodegradative strains and provides us new ways of interfering with microbial communities to enhance bioremediation rates. This review presents retrospectives and future perspectives for plant microbiome studies relevant to phytoremediation, as well as some knowledge gaps in this promising research field. The implementation of phytoremediation in soil clean-up management systems is discussed, and an overview of the promoting factors that determine the growth of the phytoremediation market is given. Continuous growth is expected since elimination of contaminants from the environment is demanded. The evolution of scientific thought from a reductionist view to a more holistic approach will boost phytoremediation as an efficient and reliable phytotechnology. It is anticipated that phytoremediation will prove the most promising for organic contaminant degradation and bioenergy crop production on marginal land.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma: emerging role of translocations and gene fusions

PubMed Central

Wysocki, Piotr T.; Izumchenko, Evgeny; Meir, Juliet; Ha, Patrick K.; Sidransky, David; Brait, Mariana

2016-01-01

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), the second most common salivary gland malignancy, is notorious for poor prognosis, which reflects the propensity of ACC to progress to clinically advanced metastatic disease. Due to high long-term mortality and lack of effective systemic treatment, the slow-growing but aggressive ACC poses a particular challenge in head and neck oncology. Despite the advancements in cancer genomics, up until recently relatively few genetic alterations critical to the ACC development have been recognized. Although the specific chromosomal translocations resulting in MYB-NFIB fusions provide insight into the ACC pathogenesis and represent attractive diagnostic and therapeutic targets, their clinical significance is unclear, and a substantial subset of ACCs do not harbor the MYB-NFIB translocation. Strategies based on detection of newly described genetic events (such as MYB activating super-enhancer translocations and alterations affecting another member of MYB transcription factor family-MYBL1) offer new hope for improved risk assessment, therapeutic intervention and tumor surveillance. However, the impact of these approaches is still limited by an incomplete understanding of the ACC biology, and the manner by which these alterations initiate and drive ACC remains to be delineated. This manuscript summarizes the current status of gene fusions and other driver genetic alterations in ACC pathogenesis and discusses new therapeutic strategies stemming from the current research. PMID:27533466

Longwall top coal caving (LTCC) mining technologies with roof softening by hydraulic fracturing method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klishin, V.; Nikitenko, S.; Opruk, G.

2018-05-01

The paper discusses advanced top coal caving technologies for thick coal seams and addresses some issues of incomplete coal extraction, which can result in the environmental damage, landscape change, air and water pollution and endogenous fires. The authors put forward a fundamentally new, having no equivalent and ecology-friendly method to difficult-to-cave roof coal – directional hydraulic fracturing and nonexplosive disintegration.

Comorbidity and prognosis in advanced hypopharyngeal-laryngeal cancer under combined therapy.

PubMed

Montero, Elena Hernández; Trufero, Javier Martínez; Romeo, Javier Azúa; Terré, Fernando Clau

2008-01-01

The success of combined treatment in head and neck cancer resides largely in its completion, which can be compromised when the patient's general health status is precarious. The objective of this investigation was to study the role of comorbidity as a prognostic factor in a large, homogeneous population affected by locally advanced pharyngeal-laryngeal cancer, under a combined protocol treatment. The a priori hypothesis is that comorbidity strongly conditions overall survival and specific overall survival in these patients and can aid in the selection and individualization of treatments. After a 24-month follow-up, a univariate and multivariate retrospective analysis of survival and prognostic factors was performed using 14 clinical, pathological and molecular variables including the comorbidity index calculated following the Picarillo method. The settings were the Otolaryngology, Oncology and Pathology Departments of the Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain, a referral center of the National Health System. Of the original 114 patients selected, 15 were withdrawn because the tumor spread to maxillofacial areas, or due to the lack of attendance at the clinic, incomplete clinical data or coexistent primary tumors. The group under analysis consisted of the 99 remaining patients affected by stage III and IV laryngeal and/or hypopharyngeal cancers that had not received previous treatments. The main outcomes to analyze were overall survival, specific overall survival and relative risk. Overall survival at 2.5 years was 68.1% (95% CI, 57.7-78.5). Specific overall survival at 2.5 years was 74.8% (95% CI, 64.9-84.6). In the multivariate analysis, tumor staging, neoadjuvant chemotherapy response and comorbidity (RR = 1.55 and 1.44 for overall and specific overall survival, respectively) present themselves as three prognostic factors independent of overall and specific overall survival. The role of comorbidity as an independent prognostic factor in patients affected by laryngeal and/or hypopharyngeal cancer treated with chemo-radiotherapy should be taken into account in the tailoring of treatments and the improvement of therapeutic results.

Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: The remarkable anti-aging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in modern societies, and advancing age is the major risk factor for CVD. Arterial dysfunction, characterized by large elastic artery stiffening and endothelial dysfunction, is the key event leading to age-associated CVD. Our work shows that regular aerobic exercise inhibits large elastic artery stiffening with aging (optimizes arterial compliance) and preserves endothelial function. Importantly, among previously sedentary late middle-aged and older adults, aerobic exercise improves arterial stiffness and enhances endothelial function in most groups and, therefore, also can be considered a treatment for age-associated arterial dysfunction. The mechanisms by which regular aerobic exercise destiffens large elastic arteries are incompletely understood, but existing evidence suggests that reductions in oxidative stress associated with decreases in both adventitial collagen (fibrosis) and advanced glycation end-products (structural protein cross-linking molecules), play a key role. Aerobic exercise preserves endothelial function with aging by maintaining nitric oxide bioavailability via suppression of excessive superoxide-associated oxidative stress, and by inhibiting the development of chronic low-grade vascular inflammation. Recent work from our laboratory supports the novel hypothesis that aerobic exercise may exert these beneficial effects by directly inducing protection to aging arteries against multiple adverse factors to which they are chronically exposed. Regular aerobic exercise should be viewed as a “first line” strategy for prevention and treatment of arterial aging and a vital component of a contemporary public health approach for reducing the projected increase in population CVD burden. PMID:24855137

Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: The remarkable anti-aging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries.

PubMed

Seals, Douglas R

2014-09-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in modern societies, and advancing age is the major risk factor for CVD. Arterial dysfunction, characterized by large elastic artery stiffening and endothelial dysfunction, is the key event leading to age-associated CVD. Our work shows that regular aerobic exercise inhibits large elastic artery stiffening with aging (optimizes arterial compliance) and preserves endothelial function. Importantly, among previously sedentary late middle-aged and older adults, aerobic exercise improves arterial stiffness and enhances endothelial function in most groups and, therefore, also can be considered a treatment for age-associated arterial dysfunction. The mechanisms by which regular aerobic exercise destiffens large elastic arteries are incompletely understood, but existing evidence suggests that reductions in oxidative stress associated with decreases in both adventitial collagen (fibrosis) and advanced glycation end-products (structural protein cross-linking molecules), play a key role. Aerobic exercise preserves endothelial function with aging by maintaining nitric oxide bioavailability via suppression of excessive superoxide-associated oxidative stress, and by inhibiting the development of chronic low-grade vascular inflammation. Recent work from our laboratory supports the novel hypothesis that aerobic exercise may exert these beneficial effects by directly inducing protection to aging arteries against multiple adverse factors to which they are chronically exposed. Regular aerobic exercise should be viewed as a "first line" strategy for prevention and treatment of arterial aging and a vital component of a contemporary public health approach for reducing the projected increase in population CVD burden. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Proceedings from the Third National Institutes of Health International Congress on Advances in Uterine Leiomyoma Research: comprehensive review, conference summary and future recommendations

PubMed Central

Segars, James H.; Parrott, Estella C.; Nagel, Joan D.; Guo, Xiaoxiao Catherine; Gao, Xiaohua; Birnbaum, Linda S.; Pinn, Vivian W.; Dixon, Darlene

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Uterine fibroids are the most common gynecologic tumors in women of reproductive age yet the etiology and pathogenesis of these lesions remain poorly understood. Age, African ancestry, nulliparity and obesity have been identified as predisposing factors for uterine fibroids. Symptomatic tumors can cause excessive uterine bleeding, bladder dysfunction and pelvic pain, as well as associated reproductive disorders such as infertility, miscarriage and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Currently, there are limited noninvasive therapies for fibroids and no early intervention or prevention strategies are readily available. This review summarizes the advances in basic, applied and translational uterine fibroid research, in addition to current and proposed approaches to clinical management as presented at the ‘Advances in Uterine Leiomyoma Research: 3rd NIH International Congress’. Congress recommendations and a review of the fibroid literature are also reported. METHODS This review is a report of meeting proceedings, the resulting recommendations and a literature review of the subject. RESULTS The research data presented highlights the complexity of uterine fibroids and the convergence of ethnicity, race, genetics, epigenetics and environmental factors, including lifestyle and possible socioeconomic parameters on disease manifestation. The data presented suggest it is likely that the majority of women with uterine fibroids will have normal pregnancy outcomes; however, additional research is warranted. As an alternative to surgery, an effective long-term medical treatment for uterine fibroids should reduce heavy uterine bleeding and fibroid/uterine volume without excessive side effects. This goal has not been achieved and current treatments reduce symptoms only temporarily; however, a multi-disciplined approach to understanding the molecular origins and pathogenesis of uterine fibroids, as presented in this report, makes our quest for identifying novel targets for noninvasive, possibly nonsystemic and effective long-term treatment very promising. CONCLUSIONS The Congress facilitated the exchange of scientific information among members of the uterine leiomyoma research and health-care communities. While advances in research have deepened our knowledge of the pathobiology of fibroids, their etiology still remains incompletely understood. Further needs exist for determination of risk factors and initiation of preventive measures for fibroids, in addition to continued development of new medical and minimally invasive options for treatment. PMID:24401287

Re-sprains during the first 3 months after initial ankle sprain are related to incomplete recovery: an observational study.

PubMed

van Middelkoop, Marienke; van Rijn, Rogier M; Verhaar, Jan A N; Koes, Bart W; Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita M A

2012-01-01

What are prognostic factors for incomplete recovery, instability, re-sprains and pain intensity 12 months after patients consult primary care practitioners for acute ankle sprains? Observational study. One hundred and two patients who consulted their general practitioner or an emergency department for an acute ankle sprain were included in the study. Possible prognostic factors were assessed at baseline and at 3 months follow-up. Outcome measures assessed at 12 months follow-up were self-reported recovery, instability, re-sprains and pain intensity. At 3 months follow-up, 65% of the participants reported instability and 24% reported one or more re-sprains. At 12 months follow-up, 55% still reported instability and more than 50% regarded themselves not completely recovered. None of the factors measured at baseline could predict the outcome at 12 months follow-up. Additionally, prognostic factors from the physical examination of the non-recovered participants at 3 months could not be identified. However, among the non-recovered participants at 3 months follow-up, re-sprains and self-reported pain at rest at 3 months were related to incomplete recovery at 12 months. A physical examination at 3 months follow-up for the non-recovered ankle sprain patient seems to have no additional value for predicting outcome at 12 months. However, for the non-recovered patients at 3 months follow-up, self-reported pain at rest and re-sprains during the first 3 months of follow-up seem to have a prognostic value for recovery at 12 months. Copyright © 2012 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by .. All rights reserved.

Sessile Serrated Adenomas: How to Detect, Characterize and Resect

PubMed Central

Ma, Michael X.; Bourke, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Serrated polyps are important contributors to the burden of colorectal cancers (CRC). These lesions were once considered to have no malignant potential, but currently up to 30% of all CRC are recognized to arise from the serrated neoplasia pathway. The primary premalignant lesions are sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps), although traditional serrated adenomas are relatively uncommon. Compared to conventional adenomas, SSA/Ps are morphologically subtle with indistinct borders, may be difficult to detect endoscopically, are more prevalent than previously thought, are associated with synchronous and metachronous advanced neoplasia, and have a higher risk of incomplete resection. Although many lesions remain “dormant,” progressive disease is associated with the development of dysplasia and more rapid progression to CRC. As a result, SSA/Ps are strongly implicated in the development of interval cancers. These factors represent unique challenges that require a meticulous approach to their management. In this review, we summarize the contemporary literature on the characterization, detection and resection of SSA/Ps. PMID:28494577

Automatic lung lobe segmentation using particles, thin plate splines, and maximum a posteriori estimation.

PubMed

Ross, James C; San José Estépar, Rail; Kindlmann, Gordon; Díaz, Alejandro; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Silverman, Edwin K; Washko, George R

2010-01-01

We present a fully automatic lung lobe segmentation algorithm that is effective in high resolution computed tomography (CT) datasets in the presence of confounding factors such as incomplete fissures (anatomical structures indicating lobe boundaries), advanced disease states, high body mass index (BMI), and low-dose scanning protocols. In contrast to other algorithms that leverage segmentations of auxiliary structures (esp. vessels and airways), we rely only upon image features indicating fissure locations. We employ a particle system that samples the image domain and provides a set of candidate fissure locations. We follow this stage with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to eliminate poor candidates and then perform a post-processing operation to remove remaining noise particles. We then fit a thin plate spline (TPS) interpolating surface to the fissure particles to form the final lung lobe segmentation. Results indicate that our algorithm performs comparably to pulmonologist-generated lung lobe segmentations on a set of challenging cases.

Automatic Lung Lobe Segmentation Using Particles, Thin Plate Splines, and Maximum a Posteriori Estimation

PubMed Central

Ross, James C.; Estépar, Raúl San José; Kindlmann, Gordon; Díaz, Alejandro; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Silverman, Edwin K.; Washko, George R.

2011-01-01

We present a fully automatic lung lobe segmentation algorithm that is effective in high resolution computed tomography (CT) datasets in the presence of confounding factors such as incomplete fissures (anatomical structures indicating lobe boundaries), advanced disease states, high body mass index (BMI), and low-dose scanning protocols. In contrast to other algorithms that leverage segmentations of auxiliary structures (esp. vessels and airways), we rely only upon image features indicating fissure locations. We employ a particle system that samples the image domain and provides a set of candidate fissure locations. We follow this stage with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to eliminate poor candidates and then perform a post-processing operation to remove remaining noise particles. We then fit a thin plate spline (TPS) interpolating surface to the fissure particles to form the final lung lobe segmentation. Results indicate that our algorithm performs comparably to pulmonologist-generated lung lobe segmentations on a set of challenging cases. PMID:20879396

Neuroinflammatory Mechanisms of Connective Tissue Fibrosis: Targeting Neurogenic and Mast Cell Contributions

PubMed Central

Monument, Michael J.; Hart, David A.; Salo, Paul T.; Befus, A. Dean; Hildebrand, Kevin A.

2015-01-01

Significance: The pathogenesis of fibrogenic wound and connective tissue healing is complex and incompletely understood. Common observations across a vast array of human and animal models of fibroproliferative conditions suggest neuroinflammatory mechanisms are important upstream fibrogenic events. Recent Advances: As detailed in this review, mast cell hyperplasia is a common observation in fibrotic tissue. Recent investigations in human and preclinical models of hypertrophic wound healing and post-traumatic joint fibrosis provides evidence that fibrogenesis is governed by a maladaptive neuropeptide-mast cell-myofibroblast signaling pathway. Critical Issues: The blockade and manipulation of these factors is providing promising evidence that if timed correctly, the fibrogenic process can be appropriately regulated. Clinically, abnormal fibrogenic healing responses are not ubiquitous to all patients and the identification of those at-risk remains an area of priority. Future Directions: Ultimately, an integrated appreciation of the common pathobiology shared by many fibrogenic connective tissue conditions may provide a scientific framework to facilitate the development of novel antifibrotic prevention and treatment strategies. PMID:25785237

Disease networks. Uncovering disease-disease relationships through the incomplete interactome.

PubMed

Menche, Jörg; Sharma, Amitabh; Kitsak, Maksim; Ghiassian, Susan Dina; Vidal, Marc; Loscalzo, Joseph; Barabási, Albert-László

2015-02-20

According to the disease module hypothesis, the cellular components associated with a disease segregate in the same neighborhood of the human interactome, the map of biologically relevant molecular interactions. Yet, given the incompleteness of the interactome and the limited knowledge of disease-associated genes, it is not obvious if the available data have sufficient coverage to map out modules associated with each disease. Here we derive mathematical conditions for the identifiability of disease modules and show that the network-based location of each disease module determines its pathobiological relationship to other diseases. For example, diseases with overlapping network modules show significant coexpression patterns, symptom similarity, and comorbidity, whereas diseases residing in separated network neighborhoods are phenotypically distinct. These tools represent an interactome-based platform to predict molecular commonalities between phenotypically related diseases, even if they do not share primary disease genes. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A hierarchical nest survival model integrating incomplete temporally varying covariates

PubMed Central

Converse, Sarah J; Royle, J Andrew; Adler, Peter H; Urbanek, Richard P; Barzen, Jeb A

2013-01-01

Nest success is a critical determinant of the dynamics of avian populations, and nest survival modeling has played a key role in advancing avian ecology and management. Beginning with the development of daily nest survival models, and proceeding through subsequent extensions, the capacity for modeling the effects of hypothesized factors on nest survival has expanded greatly. We extend nest survival models further by introducing an approach to deal with incompletely observed, temporally varying covariates using a hierarchical model. Hierarchical modeling offers a way to separate process and observational components of demographic models to obtain estimates of the parameters of primary interest, and to evaluate structural effects of ecological and management interest. We built a hierarchical model for daily nest survival to analyze nest data from reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the Eastern Migratory Population. This reintroduction effort has been beset by poor reproduction, apparently due primarily to nest abandonment by breeding birds. We used the model to assess support for the hypothesis that nest abandonment is caused by harassment from biting insects. We obtained indices of blood-feeding insect populations based on the spatially interpolated counts of insects captured in carbon dioxide traps. However, insect trapping was not conducted daily, and so we had incomplete information on a temporally variable covariate of interest. We therefore supplemented our nest survival model with a parallel model for estimating the values of the missing insect covariates. We used Bayesian model selection to identify the best predictors of daily nest survival. Our results suggest that the black fly Simulium annulus may be negatively affecting nest survival of reintroduced whooping cranes, with decreasing nest survival as abundance of S. annulus increases. The modeling framework we have developed will be applied in the future to a larger data set to evaluate the biting-insect hypothesis and other hypotheses for nesting failure in this reintroduced population; resulting inferences will support ongoing efforts to manage this population via an adaptive management approach. Wider application of our approach offers promise for modeling the effects of other temporally varying, but imperfectly observed covariates on nest survival, including the possibility of modeling temporally varying covariates collected from incubating adults. PMID:24340185

A hierarchical nest survival model integrating incomplete temporally varying covariates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Converse, Sarah J.; Royle, J. Andrew; Adler, Peter H.; Urbanek, Richard P.; Barzan, Jeb A.

2013-01-01

Nest success is a critical determinant of the dynamics of avian populations, and nest survival modeling has played a key role in advancing avian ecology and management. Beginning with the development of daily nest survival models, and proceeding through subsequent extensions, the capacity for modeling the effects of hypothesized factors on nest survival has expanded greatly. We extend nest survival models further by introducing an approach to deal with incompletely observed, temporally varying covariates using a hierarchical model. Hierarchical modeling offers a way to separate process and observational components of demographic models to obtain estimates of the parameters of primary interest, and to evaluate structural effects of ecological and management interest. We built a hierarchical model for daily nest survival to analyze nest data from reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the Eastern Migratory Population. This reintroduction effort has been beset by poor reproduction, apparently due primarily to nest abandonment by breeding birds. We used the model to assess support for the hypothesis that nest abandonment is caused by harassment from biting insects. We obtained indices of blood-feeding insect populations based on the spatially interpolated counts of insects captured in carbon dioxide traps. However, insect trapping was not conducted daily, and so we had incomplete information on a temporally variable covariate of interest. We therefore supplemented our nest survival model with a parallel model for estimating the values of the missing insect covariates. We used Bayesian model selection to identify the best predictors of daily nest survival. Our results suggest that the black fly Simulium annulus may be negatively affecting nest survival of reintroduced whooping cranes, with decreasing nest survival as abundance of S. annulus increases. The modeling framework we have developed will be applied in the future to a larger data set to evaluate the biting-insect hypothesis and other hypotheses for nesting failure in this reintroduced population; resulting inferences will support ongoing efforts to manage this population via an adaptive management approach. Wider application of our approach offers promise for modeling the effects of other temporally varying, but imperfectly observed covariates on nest survival, including the possibility of modeling temporally varying covariates collected from incubating adults.

Increased instrument intelligence--can it reduce laboratory error?

PubMed

Jekelis, Albert W

2005-01-01

Recent literature has focused on the reduction of laboratory errors and the potential impact on patient management. This study assessed the intelligent, automated preanalytical process-control abilities in newer generation analyzers as compared with older analyzers and the impact on error reduction. Three generations of immuno-chemistry analyzers were challenged with pooled human serum samples for a 3-week period. One of the three analyzers had an intelligent process of fluidics checks, including bubble detection. Bubbles can cause erroneous results due to incomplete sample aspiration. This variable was chosen because it is the most easily controlled sample defect that can be introduced. Traditionally, lab technicians have had to visually inspect each sample for the presence of bubbles. This is time consuming and introduces the possibility of human error. Instruments with bubble detection may be able to eliminate the human factor and reduce errors associated with the presence of bubbles. Specific samples were vortexed daily to introduce a visible quantity of bubbles, then immediately placed in the daily run. Errors were defined as a reported result greater than three standard deviations below the mean and associated with incomplete sample aspiration of the analyte of the individual analyzer Three standard deviations represented the target limits of proficiency testing. The results of the assays were examined for accuracy and precision. Efficiency, measured as process throughput, was also measured to associate a cost factor and potential impact of the error detection on the overall process. The analyzer performance stratified according to their level of internal process control The older analyzers without bubble detection reported 23 erred results. The newest analyzer with bubble detection reported one specimen incorrectly. The precision and accuracy of the nonvortexed specimens were excellent and acceptable for all three analyzers. No errors were found in the nonvortexed specimens. There were no significant differences in overall process time for any of the analyzers when tests were arranged in an optimal configuration. The analyzer with advanced fluidic intelligence demostrated the greatest ability to appropriately deal with an incomplete aspiration by not processing and reporting a result for the sample. This study suggests that preanalytical process-control capabilities could reduce errors. By association, it implies that similar intelligent process controls could favorably impact the error rate and, in the case of this instrument, do it without negatively impacting process throughput. Other improvements may be realized as a result of having an intelligent error-detection process including further reduction in misreported results, fewer repeats, less operator intervention, and less reagent waste.

The Synthesis of 44Ti and 56Ni in Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chieffi, Alessandro; Limongi, Marco

2017-02-01

We discuss the influence of rotation on the combined synthesis of {}44{Ti} and {}56{Ni} in massive stars. While {}56{Ni} is significantly produced by both complete and incomplete explosive Si burning, {}44{Ti} is mainly produced by complete explosive Si burning, with a minor contribution (in standard non-rotating models) from incomplete explosive Si burning and O burning (both explosive and hydrostatic). We find that, in most cases, the thickness of the region exposed to incomplete explosive Si burning increases in rotating models (initial velocity, v ini = 300 km s-1) and since {}56{Ni} is significantly produced in this zone, the fraction of mass coming from the complete explosive Si burning zone necessary to get the required amount of {}56{Ni} reduces. Therefore the amount of {}44{Ti} ejected for a given fixed amount of {}56{Ni} decreases in rotating models. However, some rotating models at [Fe/H] = -1 develop a very extended O convective shell in which a consistent amount of {}44{Ti} is formed, preserved, and ejected in the interstellar medium. Hence a better modeling of the thermal instabilities (convection) in the advanced burning phases together with a critical analysis of the cross sections of the nuclear reactions operating in O burning are relevant for the understanding of the synthesis of {}44{Ti}.

Internal Structure of Mini-CEX Scores for Internal Medicine Residents: Factor Analysis and Generalizability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, David A.; Beckman, Thomas J.; Mandrekar, Jayawant N.; Pankratz, V. Shane

2010-01-01

The mini-CEX is widely used to rate directly observed resident-patient encounters. Although several studies have explored the reliability of mini-CEX scores, the dimensionality of mini-CEX scores is incompletely understood. Objective: Explore the dimensionality of mini-CEX scores through factor analysis and generalizability analysis. Design:…

An Examination of Factors and Attitudes that Influence Reporting Fraudulent Claims in an Academic Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmichael, Anna M.; Krueger, Lacy E.

2014-01-01

The study examined potential factors and attitudes associated with providing fraudulent academic claims. A total of 319 students completed an online survey which involved reading a vignette about an incomplete assignment. Participants reported whether they would contact their instructor to gain an extension, expressed their confidence in the…

Current Developments in Cost Accounting/Performance Measuring Systems for Implementing Advanced Manufacturing Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-01

incomplete accounting of benefits, few strategic projects will * be adopted. Nanni , et al [21], provide similar discussion regarding a benefit analysis in...management tends to ignore the fact that minimizing costs within departments does not guarantee minimization of overall costs ( Nanni (21]). Sullivan, et...changes in the manufacturing environment. The author also remarks that these cost systems need to be modified or replaced by entirely new systems

Polarimetric Intensity Parameterization of Radar and Other Remote Sensing Sources for Advanced Exploitation and Data Fusion: Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

is theoretically similar to the concept of “partial or compact polarimetry”, yields comparable results to full or quadrature-polarized systems by...to the emerging “compact polarimetry” methodology [9]-[13] that exploits scattering system response to an incomplete set of input EM field components...a scattering operator or matrix. Although as theoretically discussed earlier, performance of such fully-polarized radar system (i.e., quadrature

Complete Metabolic Response of Advanced Melanoma to Vemurafenib Assessed with FDG-PET-CT at 85 Hours.

PubMed

Pascal, Pierre; Dercle, Laurent; Weyts, Kathleen; Meyer, Nicolas; Courbon, Fréderic

2018-05-01

Vemurafenib improves the management of advanced melanoma due to selective inhibition of the mutated BRAF V600E kinase. FDG-PET-CT is a tool for the evaluation of the biologic impact of inhibiting mutant BRAF. With vemurafenib at day 15, all the patients had at least partial metabolic response. Reductions in uptake correlate with longer progression free survival. In this case, incomplete information provided by the patient led to the performance of his third PET 85 hours after the introduction of vemurafenib. This early case of complete metabolic response suggests that FDG-PET-CT is a useful marker of early biologic response to vemurafenib.

Advances in color science: from retina to behavior

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Soumya; Field, Greg D.; Horwitz, Gregory D.; Johnson, Elizabeth N.; Koida, Kowa; Mancuso, Katherine

2010-01-01

Color has become a premier model system for understanding how information is processed by neural circuits, and for investigating the relationships among genes, neural circuits and perception. Both the physical stimulus for color and the perceptual output experienced as color are quite well characterized, but the neural mechanisms that underlie the transformation from stimulus to perception are incompletely understood. The past several years have seen important scientific and technical advances that are changing our understanding of these mechanisms. Here, and in the accompanying minisymposium, we review the latest findings and hypotheses regarding color computations in the retina, primary visual cortex and higher-order visual areas, focusing on non-human primates, a model of human color vision. PMID:21068298

Predictors of incompletion of immunization among children residing in the slums of Kathmandu valley, Nepal: a case-control study.

PubMed

Shrestha, Sumina; Shrestha, Monika; Wagle, Rajendra Raj; Bhandari, Gita

2016-09-13

Immunization is one of the most effective health interventions averting an estimated 2-3 million deaths every year. In Nepal, as in most low-income countries, infants are immunized with standard WHO recommended vaccines. However, 16.4 % of children did not receive complete immunization by 12 months of age in Nepal in 2011. Studies from different parts of the world showed that incomplete immunization is even higher in slums. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of incompletion of immunization among children aged 12-23 months living in the slums of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The unmatched case-control study was conducted in 22 randomly selected slums of Kathmandu Valley. The sampling frame was first identified by complete enumeration of entire households of the study area from which 59 incompletely immunized children as cases and 177 completely immunized children as controls were chosen randomly in 1:3 ratio. Data were collected from the primary caretakers of the children. Backward logistic regression with 95 % confidence interval and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) were applied to assess the factors independently associated with incomplete immunization. Twenty-six percent of the children were incompletely vaccinated. The coverage of BCG vaccine was 95.0 % while it was 80.5 % for measles vaccine. The significant predictors of incomplete immunization were the home delivery of a child, the family residing on rent, a primary caretaker with poor knowledge about the schedule of vaccination and negative perception towards vaccinating a sick child, conflicting priorities, and development of abscess following immunization. Reduction of abscess formation rate can be a potential way to improve immunization rates. Community health volunteers should increase their follow-up on children born at home and those living in rent. Health institutions and volunteers should be influential in creating awareness about immunization, its schedule, and post-vaccination side effects.

Adolescent girls define menstruation: a multiethnic exploratory study.

PubMed

Orringer, Kelly; Gahagan, Sheila

2010-09-01

Incomplete understanding of menstruation may place girls at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancy. Prior research suggests that European American and African American girls incompletely understand menstruation, yet little is known about menstrual knowledge in other ethnic groups. Using audiotaped focus group and individual interviews with 73 African American, Mexican American, Arab American, and European American girls, we assessed girls' menstrual understanding. Responses included reproduction, growing up, cleansing, messages about femininity, and not knowing. We found ethnic differences in the prominence of these themes. We learned that social and cultural factors play an important role in transmission of menstrual knowledge.

Platelet function analysis with two different doses of aspirin.

PubMed

Aydinalp, Alp; Atar, Ilyas; Altin, Cihan; Gülmez, Oykü; Atar, Asli; Açikel, Sadik; Bozbaş, Hüseyin; Yildirir, Aylin; Müderrisoğlu, Haldun

2010-06-01

We aimed to compare the level of platelet inhibition using the platelet function analyzer (PFA)-100 in patients receiving low and medium doses of aspirin. On a prospective basis, 159 cardiology outpatients (83 men, 76 women; mean age 60.9 ± 9.9 years) taking 100 mg/day or 300 mg/day aspirin at least for the previous 15 days were included. Of these, 79 patients (50%) were on 100 mg and 80 patients (50.3%) were on 300 mg aspirin treatment. Blood samples were collected between 09:30 and 11:00 hours in the morning. Platelet reactivity was measured with the PFA-100 system. Incomplete platelet inhibition was defined as a normal collagen/epinephrine closure time (< 165 sec) despite aspirin treatment. Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patient groups taking 100 mg or 300 mg aspirin were similar. The overall prevalence of incomplete platelet inhibition was 22% (35 patients). The prevalence of incomplete platelet inhibition was significantly higher in patients treated with 100 mg of aspirin (n = 24/79, 30.4%) compared with those treated with 300 mg of aspirin (n = 11/80, 13.8%) (p = 0.013). In univariate analysis, female sex (p = 0.002) and aspirin dose (p = 0.013) were significantly correlated with incomplete platelet inhibition. In multivariate analysis, female sex (OR: 0.99; 95% CI 0.9913-0.9994; p = 0.025) and aspirin dose (OR: 3.38; 95% CI 1.4774-7.7469; p = 0.003) were found as independent factors predictive of incomplete platelet inhibition. Our findings suggest that treatment with higher doses of aspirin can reduce incomplete platelet inhibition especially in female patients.

Identifying novel genetic determinants of hemostatic balance.

PubMed

Ginsburg, D

2005-08-01

Incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity confound the diagnosis and therapy of most inherited thrombotic and hemorrhagic disorders. For many of these diseases, some or most of this variability is determined by genetic modifiers distinct from the primary disease gene itself. Clues toward identifying such modifier genes may come from studying rare Mendelian disorders of hemostasis. Examples include identification of the cause of combined factor V and VIII deficiency as mutations in the ER Golgi intermediate compartment proteins LMAN1 and MCFD2. These proteins form a cargo receptor that facilitates the transport of factors V and VIII, and presumably other proteins, from the ER to the Golgi. A similar positional cloning approach identified ADAMTS-13 as the gene responsible for familial TTP. Along with the work of many other groups, these findings identified VWF proteolysis by ADAMTS-13 as a key regulatory pathway for hemostasis. Recent advances in mouse genetics also provide powerful tools for the identification of novel genes contributing to hemostatic balance. Genetic studies of inbred mouse lines with unusually high and unusually low plasma VWF levels identified polymorphic variation in the expression of a glycosyltransferase gene, Galgt2, as an important determinant of plasma VWF levels in the mouse. Ongoing studies in mice genetically engineered to carry the factor V Leiden mutation may similarly identify novel genes contributing to thrombosis risk in humans.

Anti-angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment: Current evidence and future perspectives

PubMed Central

Welker, Martin-Walter; Trojan, Joerg

2011-01-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most common cancer diseases worldwide. Arterial hypervascularisation is an essential step for HCC tumorigenesis and can be targeted by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). This interventional method is the standard treatment for patients with intermediate stage HCC, but is also applied as “bridging” therapy for patients awaiting liver transplantation in many centers worldwide. Usually the devascularization effect induced by TACE is transient, consequently resulting in repeated cycles of TACE every 4-8 wk. Despite documented survival benefits, TACE can also induce the up-regulation of proangiogenic and growth factors, which might contribute to accelerated progression in patients with incomplete response. In 2007, sorafenib, a multi-tyrosine kinase and angiogenesis inhibitor, was approved as the first systemic treatment for advanced stage HCC. Other active targeted compounds, either inhibitors of angiogenesis and/or growth factors, are currently being investigated in numerous clinical trials. To overcome revascularisation or tumor progression under TACE treatment it seems therefore attractive to combine TACE with systemic targeted agents, which might theoretically block the effects of proangiogenic and growth factors. Over the last 12 mo, several retrospective or prospective cohort studies combining TACE and sorafenib have been published. Nevertheless, robust results of the efficacy and tolerability of such combination strategies as proven by randomized, controlled trials are awaited in the next two years. PMID:21912449

Search for Expectancy-Inconsistent Information Reduces Uncertainty Better: The Role of Cognitive Capacity

PubMed Central

Strojny, Paweł; Kossowska, Małgorzata; Strojny, Agnieszka

2016-01-01

Motivation and cognitive capacity are key factors in people’s everyday struggle with uncertainty. However, the exact nature of their interplay in various contexts still needs to be revealed. The presented paper reports on two experimental studies which aimed to examine the joint consequences of motivational and cognitive factors for preferences regarding incomplete information expansion. In Study 1 we demonstrate the interactional effect of motivation and cognitive capacity on information preference. High need for closure resulted in a stronger relative preference for expectancy-inconsistent information among non-depleted individuals, but the opposite among cognitively depleted ones. This effect was explained by the different informative value of questions in comparison to affirmative sentences and the potential possibility of assimilation of new information if it contradicts prior knowledge. In Study 2 we further investigated the obtained effect, showing that not only questions but also other kinds of incomplete information are subject to the same dependency. Our results support the expectation that, in face of incomplete information, motivation toward closure may be fulfilled efficiently by focusing on expectancy-inconsistent pieces of data. We discuss the obtained effect in the context of previous assumptions that high need for closure results in a simple processing style, advocating a more complex approach based on the character of the provided information. PMID:27047422

Cavitation of deep lacunar infarcts in patients with first-ever lacunar stroke: a 2-year follow-up study with MR.

PubMed

Loos, Caroline M J; Staals, Julie; Wardlaw, Joanna M; van Oostenbrugge, Robert J

2012-08-01

Studies in patients with lacunar stroke often assess the number of lacunes. However, data on how many symptomatic lacunar infarcts cavitate into a lacune are limited. We assessed the evolution of symptomatic lacunar infarcts over 2-year follow-up. In 82 patients with first-ever lacunar stroke with a lacunar infarct in the deep brain regions (excluding the centrum semiovale), we performed a brain MR at presentation and 2 years later. We classified cavitation of lacunar infarcts at baseline and on follow-up MR as absent, incomplete, or complete. We recorded time to imaging, infarct size, and vascular risk factors. On baseline MR, 38 (46%) index infarcts showed complete or incomplete cavitation. Median time to imaging was 8 (0-73) days in noncavitated and 63 (1-184) days in cavitated lesions (P<0.05). On follow-up imaging, 94% of the lacunar infarcts were completely or incompletely cavitated, most had reduced in diameter, and 5 (6%) had disappeared. Vascular risk factors were not associated with cavitation. Cavitation and lesion shrinkage were seen in almost all symptomatic lacunar infarcts in the deep brain regions over 2-year follow-up. Counting lacunes in these specific regions at a random moment might slightly, however not substantially, underestimate the burden of deep lacunar infarction.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Anemia in Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jin-Ding; Lin, Pei-Ying; Lin, Lan-Ping; Hsu, Shang-Wei; Loh, Ching-Hui; Yen, Chia-Feng; Fang, Wen-Hui; Chien, Wu-Chien; Tang, Chi-Chieh; Wu, Chia-Ling

2010-01-01

Anemia is known to be a significant public health problem in many countries. Most of the available information is incomplete or limited to special groups such as people with intellectual disability. The present study aims to provide the information of anemia prevalence and associated risk factors of children and adolescents with intellectual…

Endoscopic papillectomy: risk factors for incomplete resection and recurrence during long-term follow-up.

PubMed

Ridtitid, Wiriyaporn; Tan, Damien; Schmidt, Suzette E; Fogel, Evan L; McHenry, Lee; Watkins, James L; Lehman, Glen A; Sherman, Stuart; Coté, Gregory A

2014-02-01

Endoscopic papillectomy is increasingly used as an alternative to surgery for ampullary adenomas and other noninvasive ampullary lesions. To measure short-term safety and efficacy of endoscopic papillectomy, define patient and lesion characteristics associated with incomplete endoscopic resection, and measure adenoma recurrence rates during long-term follow-up. Retrospective cohort study. Tertiary-care academic medical center. All patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary lesions between July 1995 and June 2012. Endoscopic papillectomy. Patient and lesion characteristics associated with incomplete endoscopic resection and ampullary adenoma-free survival analysis. We identified 182 patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy, 134 (73.6%) having complete resection. Short-term adverse events occurred in 34 (18.7%). Risk factors for incomplete resection were jaundice at presentation (odds ratio [OR] 0.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.69; P = .009), occult adenocarcinoma (OR 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01-0.36; P = .002), and intraductal involvement (OR 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11-0.75; P = .011). The en bloc resection technique was strongly associated with a higher rate of complete resection (OR 4.05; 95% CI, 1.71-9.59; P = .001). Among patients with ampullary adenoma who had complete resection (n = 107), 16 patients (15%) developed recurrence up to 65 months after resection. Retrospective analysis. Jaundice at presentation, occult adenocarcinoma in the resected specimen, and intraductal involvement are associated with a lower rate of complete resection, whereas en bloc papillectomy increases the odds of complete endoscopic resection. Despite complete resection, recurrence was observed up to 5 years after papillectomy, confirming the need for long-term surveillance. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Incomplete adherence among treatment-experienced adults on antiretroviral therapy in Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia

PubMed Central

Denison, Julie A.; Koole, Olivier; Tsui, Sharon; Menten, Joris; Torpey, Kwasi; van Praag, Eric; Mukadi, Ya Diul; Colebunders, Robert; Auld, Andrew F.; Agolory, Simon; Kaplan, Jonathan E.; Mulenga, Modest; Kwesigabo, Gideon P.; Wabwire-Mangen, Fred; Bangsberg, David R.

2016-01-01

Objectives To characterize antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence across different programmes and examine the relationship between individual and programme characteristics and incomplete adherence among ART clients in sub-Saharan Africa. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods Systematically selected ART clients (≥18 years; on ART ≥6 months) attending 18 facilities in three countries (250 clients/facility) were interviewed. Client self-reports (3-day, 30-day, Case Index ≥48 consecutive hours of missed ART), healthcare provider estimates and the pharmacy medication possession ratio (MPR) were used to estimate ART adherence. Participants from two facilities per country underwent HIV RNA testing. Optimal adherence measures were selected on the basis of degree of association with concurrent HIV RNA dichotomized at less than or greater/equal to 1000 copies/ml. Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted for site-level clustering, assessed associations between incomplete adherence and individual and programme factors. Results A total of 4489 participants were included, of whom 1498 underwent HIV RNA testing. Nonadherence ranged from 3.2% missing at least 48 consecutive hours to 40.1% having an MPR of less than 90%. The percentage with HIV RNA at least 1000 copies/ml ranged from 7.2 to 17.2% across study sites (mean = 9.9%). Having at least 48 consecutive hours of missed ART was the adherence measure most strongly related to virologic failure. Factors significantly related to incomplete adherence included visiting a traditional healer, screening positive for alcohol abuse, experiencing more HIV symptoms, having an ART regimen without nevirapine and greater levels of internalized stigma. Conclusion Results support more in-depth investigations of the role of traditional healers, and the development of interventions to address alcohol abuse and internalized stigma among treatment-experienced adult ART patients. PMID:25686684

Bayesian CP Factorization of Incomplete Tensors with Automatic Rank Determination.

PubMed

Zhao, Qibin; Zhang, Liqing; Cichocki, Andrzej

2015-09-01

CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP) tensor factorization of incomplete data is a powerful technique for tensor completion through explicitly capturing the multilinear latent factors. The existing CP algorithms require the tensor rank to be manually specified, however, the determination of tensor rank remains a challenging problem especially for CP rank . In addition, existing approaches do not take into account uncertainty information of latent factors, as well as missing entries. To address these issues, we formulate CP factorization using a hierarchical probabilistic model and employ a fully Bayesian treatment by incorporating a sparsity-inducing prior over multiple latent factors and the appropriate hyperpriors over all hyperparameters, resulting in automatic rank determination. To learn the model, we develop an efficient deterministic Bayesian inference algorithm, which scales linearly with data size. Our method is characterized as a tuning parameter-free approach, which can effectively infer underlying multilinear factors with a low-rank constraint, while also providing predictive distributions over missing entries. Extensive simulations on synthetic data illustrate the intrinsic capability of our method to recover the ground-truth of CP rank and prevent the overfitting problem, even when a large amount of entries are missing. Moreover, the results from real-world applications, including image inpainting and facial image synthesis, demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches for both tensor factorization and tensor completion in terms of predictive performance.

Planning for natural regeneration of hardwoods in the Coastal Plain

Treesearch

Robert L. Johnson

1978-01-01

Hardwood species reproduce through seeding and sprouting. Frequent selective cuttings and small, incomplete openings favor tolerant species; the opposite conditions favor intolerants. Factors to be considered in evaluating and predicting reproduction before harvest are listed.

Chromatic dispersion concentrator applied to photovoltaic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sassi, G.

1980-01-01

The aim of this paper is to show how it is possible to realize a chromatic dispersion concentrator which collects the different monochromatic components of the solar spectrum separately in subsequently concentric rings in the focal zone. This comes about without an increase in the energetic losses compared to any other type of concentrator. If different photovoltaic elements with energy gaps equal to the photon energy falling on the focal zone are put in the latter, energy losses due to incomplete utilization of the solar spectrum and to incomplete utilization of the energy of a single photon can be drastically reduced. How the losses due to the voltage factor and the fill-factor of the photovoltaic elements of the system can be reduced compared to the normal silicon cells is also demonstrated. The other contributions to losses in the conversion process have only been mentioned, foreseeing their possible variation.

Krylov subspace methods on supercomputers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saad, Youcef

1988-01-01

A short survey of recent research on Krylov subspace methods with emphasis on implementation on vector and parallel computers is presented. Conjugate gradient methods have proven very useful on traditional scalar computers, and their popularity is likely to increase as three-dimensional models gain importance. A conservative approach to derive effective iterative techniques for supercomputers has been to find efficient parallel/vector implementations of the standard algorithms. The main source of difficulty in the incomplete factorization preconditionings is in the solution of the triangular systems at each step. A few approaches consisting of implementing efficient forward and backward triangular solutions are described in detail. Polynomial preconditioning as an alternative to standard incomplete factorization techniques is also discussed. Another efficient approach is to reorder the equations so as to improve the structure of the matrix to achieve better parallelism or vectorization. An overview of these and other ideas and their effectiveness or potential for different types of architectures is given.

Epidemic forecasting is messier than weather forecasting: The role of human behavior and internet data streams in epidemic forecast

DOE PAGES

Moran, Kelly Renee; Fairchild, Geoffrey; Generous, Nicholas; ...

2016-11-14

Mathematical models, such as those that forecast the spread of epidemics or predict the weather, must overcome the challenges of integrating incomplete and inaccurate data in computer simulations, estimating the probability of multiple possible scenarios, incorporating changes in human behavior and/or the pathogen, and environmental factors. In the past 3 decades, the weather forecasting community has made significant advances in data collection, assimilating heterogeneous data steams into models and communicating the uncertainty of their predictions to the general public. Epidemic modelers are struggling with these same issues in forecasting the spread of emerging diseases, such as Zika virus infection andmore » Ebola virus disease. While weather models rely on physical systems, data from satellites, and weather stations, epidemic models rely on human interactions, multiple data sources such as clinical surveillance and Internet data, and environmental or biological factors that can change the pathogen dynamics. We describe some of similarities and differences between these 2 fields and how the epidemic modeling community is rising to the challenges posed by forecasting to help anticipate and guide the mitigation of epidemics. Here, we conclude that some of the fundamental differences between these 2 fields, such as human behavior, make disease forecasting more challenging than weather forecasting.« less

Epidemic forecasting is messier than weather forecasting: The role of human behavior and internet data streams in epidemic forecast

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moran, Kelly Renee; Fairchild, Geoffrey; Generous, Nicholas

Mathematical models, such as those that forecast the spread of epidemics or predict the weather, must overcome the challenges of integrating incomplete and inaccurate data in computer simulations, estimating the probability of multiple possible scenarios, incorporating changes in human behavior and/or the pathogen, and environmental factors. In the past 3 decades, the weather forecasting community has made significant advances in data collection, assimilating heterogeneous data steams into models and communicating the uncertainty of their predictions to the general public. Epidemic modelers are struggling with these same issues in forecasting the spread of emerging diseases, such as Zika virus infection andmore » Ebola virus disease. While weather models rely on physical systems, data from satellites, and weather stations, epidemic models rely on human interactions, multiple data sources such as clinical surveillance and Internet data, and environmental or biological factors that can change the pathogen dynamics. We describe some of similarities and differences between these 2 fields and how the epidemic modeling community is rising to the challenges posed by forecasting to help anticipate and guide the mitigation of epidemics. Here, we conclude that some of the fundamental differences between these 2 fields, such as human behavior, make disease forecasting more challenging than weather forecasting.« less

"TRP inflammation" relationship in cardiovascular system.

PubMed

Numata, Tomohiro; Takahashi, Kiriko; Inoue, Ryuji

2016-05-01

Despite considerable advances in the research and treatment, the precise relationship between inflammation and cardiovascular (CV) disease remains incompletely understood. Therefore, understanding the immunoinflammatory processes underlying the initiation, progression, and exacerbation of many cardiovascular diseases is of prime importance. The innate immune system has an ancient origin and is well conserved across species. Its activation occurs in response to pathogens or tissue injury. Recent studies suggest that altered ionic balance, and production of noxious gaseous mediators link to immune and inflammatory responses with altered ion channel expression and function. Among plausible candidates for this are transient receptor potential (TRP) channels that function as polymodal sensors and scaffolding proteins involved in many physiological and pathological processes. In this review, we will first focus on the relevance of TRP channel to both exogenous and endogenous factors related to innate immune response and transcription factors related to sustained inflammatory status. The emerging role of inflammasome to regulate innate immunity and its possible connection to TRP channels will also be discussed. Secondly, we will discuss about the linkage of TRP channels to inflammatory CV diseases, from a viewpoint of inflammation in a general sense which is not restricted to the innate immunity. These knowledge may serve to provide new insights into the pathogenesis of various inflammatory CV diseases and their novel therapeutic strategies.

Educational paper: Retinopathy of prematurity.

PubMed

Casteels, Ingele; Cassiman, Catherine; Van Calster, Joachim; Allegaert, Karel

2012-06-01

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a proliferative retinal vascular disease affecting the premature infant with an incompletely vascularized retina. The spectrum of ophthalmological findings in ROP exists from minimal sequelae, which do not affect vision, to bilateral retinal detachment and total blindness. With the increased survival of very small infants, retinopathy of prematurity has become one of the leading causes of childhood blindness. Over the past two decades, major advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of ROP, to a large extent as a result of changes in clinical risk factors (oxygen and non-oxygen related) and characteristics observed in ROP cases. This article provides a literature review on the evolution in clinical characteristics, classification and treatment modalities and indications of ROP. Special attention is hereby paid to the neonatal factors influencing the development of ROP and to the necessity for everyone caring for premature babies to have a well-defined screening and treatment protocol for ROP. Such screening protocol needs to be based on a unit-specific ROP risk profile and, consequently, may vary between different European regions. Retinopathy of prematurity is an important cause of ocular morbidity and blindness in children. With better understanding of the pathogenesis, screening and treatment guidelines have changed over time and are unit specific.

Epidemic Forecasting is Messier Than Weather Forecasting: The Role of Human Behavior and Internet Data Streams in Epidemic Forecast

PubMed Central

Moran, Kelly R.; Fairchild, Geoffrey; Generous, Nicholas; Hickmann, Kyle; Osthus, Dave; Priedhorsky, Reid; Hyman, James; Del Valle, Sara Y.

2016-01-01

Mathematical models, such as those that forecast the spread of epidemics or predict the weather, must overcome the challenges of integrating incomplete and inaccurate data in computer simulations, estimating the probability of multiple possible scenarios, incorporating changes in human behavior and/or the pathogen, and environmental factors. In the past 3 decades, the weather forecasting community has made significant advances in data collection, assimilating heterogeneous data steams into models and communicating the uncertainty of their predictions to the general public. Epidemic modelers are struggling with these same issues in forecasting the spread of emerging diseases, such as Zika virus infection and Ebola virus disease. While weather models rely on physical systems, data from satellites, and weather stations, epidemic models rely on human interactions, multiple data sources such as clinical surveillance and Internet data, and environmental or biological factors that can change the pathogen dynamics. We describe some of similarities and differences between these 2 fields and how the epidemic modeling community is rising to the challenges posed by forecasting to help anticipate and guide the mitigation of epidemics. We conclude that some of the fundamental differences between these 2 fields, such as human behavior, make disease forecasting more challenging than weather forecasting. PMID:28830111

The importance of pro-inflammatory signaling in neonatal NEC

PubMed Central

Frost, Brandy L.; Jilling, Tamas; Caplan, Michael S.

2008-01-01

Despite modern medical advances, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units, affecting 10 percent of premature neonates born weighing less than 1500 grams. Although many advances have been made in the understanding of this disease, the etiology and pathophysiology remain incompletely understood, and treatment is limited to supportive care. In recent years, studies have focused on the role of the inflammatory cascade and its’ impact on the disease process, and investigators are evaluating strategies to attenuate inflammatory signaling that might prevent and/or ameliorate neonatal NEC. In this review, we examine the key points in the signaling pathways involved in NEC, and potential strategies for prevention and treatment of this dreaded disease. PMID:18346533

Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

PubMed Central

Wolters, Paul J.; Collard, Harold R.; Jones, Kirk D.

2014-01-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrosing interstitial lung disease associated with aging that is characterized by the histopathological pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia. Although an understanding of the pathogenesis of IPF is incomplete, recent advances delineating specific clinical and pathologic features of IPF have led to better definition of the molecular pathways that are pathologically activated in the disease. In this review we highlight several of these advances, with a focus on genetic predisposition to IPF and how genetic changes, which occur primarily in epithelial cells, lead to activation of profibrotic pathways in epithelial cells. We then discuss the pathologic changes within IPF fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix, and we conclude with a summary of how these profibrotic pathways may be interrelated. PMID:24050627

A phase I study of combination vaccine treatment of five therapeutic epitope-peptides for metastatic colorectal cancer; safety, immunological response, and clinical outcome.

PubMed

Hazama, Shoichi; Nakamura, Yusuke; Takenouchi, Hiroko; Suzuki, Nobuaki; Tsunedomi, Ryouichi; Inoue, Yuka; Tokuhisa, Yoshihiro; Iizuka, Norio; Yoshino, Shigefumi; Takeda, Kazuyoshi; Shinozaki, Hirokazu; Kamiya, Akira; Furukawa, Hiroyuki; Oka, Masaaki

2014-03-10

To evaluate the safety of combination vaccine treatment of multiple peptides, phase I clinical trial was conducted for patients with advanced colorectal cancer using five novel HLA-A*2402-restricted peptides, three peptides derived from oncoantigens, ring finger protein 43 (RNF43), 34 kDa-translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOMM34), and insulin-like growth factor-II mRNA binding protein 3 (KOC1), and the remaining two from angiogenesis factors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and VEGFR2. Eighteen HLA- A*2402-positive colorectal cancer patients who had failed to standard therapy were enrolled in this study. 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg or 3.0 mg each of the peptides was mixed with incomplete Freund's adjuvant and then subcutaneously injected at five separated sites once a week. We also examined possible effect of a single site injection of "the cocktail of 5 peptides" on the immunological responses. ELISPOT assay was performed before and after vaccinations in the schedule of every 4 weeks. The vaccine treatment using multiple peptides was well tolerated without any severe treatment-associated systemic adverse events. Dose-dependent induction of peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes was observed. The single injection of "peptides cocktail" did not diminish the immunological responses. Regarding the clinical outcome, one patient achieved complete response and 6 patients revealed stable disease for 4 to 7 months. The median overall survival time (MST) was 13.5 months. Patients, in which we detected induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific to 3 or more peptides, revealed significantly better prognosis (MST; 27.8 months) than those with poorer immune responses (MST; 3.7 months) (p = 0.032). Our cancer vaccine treatment using multiple peptides is a promising approach for advanced colorectal cancer with the minimum risk of systemic adverse reactions. UMIN-CTR number UMIN000004948.

Rotation to a Partially Specified Target Matrix in Exploratory Factor Analysis: How Many Targets?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Nicholas D.; Ahn, Soyeon; Jin, Ying

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the number of targets specified on the quality of exploratory factor analysis solutions with a complex underlying structure and incomplete substantive measurement theory. Three Monte Carlo studies were performed based on the ratio of the number of observed variables to the number of…

Culture as a variable in health research: perspectives and caveats.

PubMed

Al-Bannay, Hana; Jarus, Tal; Jongbloed, Lyn; Yazigi, Maya; Dean, Elizabeth

2014-09-01

To augment the rigor of health promotion research, this perspective article describes how cultural factors impact the outcomes of health promotion studies either intentionally or unintentionally. It proposes ways in which these factors can be addressed or controlled in designing studies and interpreting their results. We describe how variation within and across cultures can be considered within a study, e.g. the conceptualization of research questions or hypotheses, and the methodology including sampling, surveys and interviews. We provide multiple examples of how culture influences the interpretation of study findings. Inadequately accounting or controlling for cultural variations in health promotion studies, whether they are planned or unplanned, can lead to incomplete research questions, incomplete data gathering, spurious results and limited generalizability of the findings. In health promotion research, factors related to culture and cultural variations need to be considered, acknowledged or controlled irrespective of the purpose of the study, to maximize the reliability, validity and generalizability of study findings. These issues are particularly relevant in contemporary health promotion research focusing on global lifestyle-related conditions where cultural factors have a pivotal role and warrant being understood. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Is curettage needed for uncomplicated incomplete spontaneous abortion?

PubMed

Ballagh, S A; Harris, H A; Demasio, K

1998-11-01

Spontaneous abortion occurs in 15% to 20% of all human pregnancies. Since the late 1800s, the management of incomplete spontaneous abortion has focused on using curettage to empty the uterus as quickly as possible. This practice began to reduce blood loss and infection and has been unquestioned for 4 decades. In today's medical climate, few spontaneous abortions are the resuslt of illegal manipulation, given the availability of legal pregnancy termination. Antibiotics and transfusions are available, should complications arise in conservatively managed cases. Two prospective randomized trials suggest that conservative management may be advantageous for women who have stable vital signs without evidence of infection. They will have fewer perforations and, possibly, fewer infections and uterine synechiae with expectant or medical management. Larger trials should be undertaken to critically assess surgical evacuation compared to medical management, factoring in the psychologic impact of treatment. We believe that medical management will prove to be the most appropriate treatment for uncomplicated spontaneous incomplete abortion in the 21st century.

Maintaining vigilance on a simulated ATC monitoring task across repeated sessions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-03-01

Maintaining alertness to information provided visually is an important aspect of air traffic controllers' work. Improper or incomplete scanning and monitoring behavior is often referred to as one of the causal factors associated with operational erro...

Improving outcome of sensorimotor functions after traumatic spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Dietz, Volker

2016-01-01

In the rehabilitation of a patient suffering a spinal cord injury (SCI), the exploitation of neuroplasticity is well established. It can be facilitated through the training of functional movements with technical assistance as needed and can improve outcome after an SCI. The success of such training in individuals with incomplete SCI critically depends on the presence of physiological proprioceptive input to the spinal cord leading to meaningful muscle activations during movement performances. Some actual preclinical approaches to restore function by compensating for the loss of descending input to spinal networks following complete/incomplete SCI are critically discussed in this report. Electrical and pharmacological stimulation of spinal neural networks is still in the experimental stage, and despite promising repair studies in animal models, translations to humans up to now have not been convincing. It is possible that a combination of techniques targeting the promotion of axonal regeneration is necessary to advance the restoration of function. In the future, refinement of animal models according to clinical conditions and requirements may contribute to greater translational success.

Problem of two-level hierarchical minimax program control the final state of regional social and economic system with incomplete information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shorikov, A. F.

2016-12-01

In this article we consider a discrete-time dynamical system consisting of a set a controllable objects (region and forming it municipalities). The dynamics each of these is described by the corresponding linear or nonlinear discrete-time recurrent vector relations and its control system consist from two levels: basic level (control level I) that is dominating level and auxiliary level (control level II) that is subordinate level. Both levels have different criterions of functioning and united by information and control connections which defined in advance. In this article we study the problem of optimization of guaranteed result for program control by the final state of regional social and economic system in the presence of risks vectors. For this problem we propose a mathematical model in the form of two-level hierarchical minimax program control problem of the final states of this system with incomplete information and the general scheme for its solving.

[Successful repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and incomplete endocardial cushion defect associated with left isomerism].

PubMed

Mizuno, A; Nakamura, Y; Takayasu, H; Saitoh, H

1993-05-01

Successful repair of a 8-month-old girl with polysplenia was reported. The cardiovascular anomalies were TAPVC (II b), incomplete ECD, interruption of inferior vena cava with hemiazygos continuation, bilateral superior vena cava, and left superior vena cava draining into the coronary sinus. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established with ascending aortic perfusion and caval cannulation. A left superior vena cava was directly cannulated after establishing partial bypass. In this case the left pulmonary vein drained into the right atrium near the orifice of the coronary sinus, so the atrial septal flap was made and sutured between the orifice of the left pulmonary vein and the coronary sinus in order to avoid late pulmonary vein obstruction. Then, atrium was separated by an intraatrial baffle which was sutured to the atrial septal flap. Recently, it becomes possible to surgical repair of polysplenia syndrome according to the advancements of the diagnostic methods, cardiopulmonary bypass, and the technique of the open heart surgery.

An empirical investigation of incompleteness in a large clinical sample of obsessive compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Sibrava, Nicholas J; Boisseau, Christina L; Eisen, Jane L; Mancebo, Maria C; Rasmussen, Steven A

2016-08-01

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentations. To advance our understanding of this heterogeneity we investigated the prevalence and clinical features associated with incompleteness (INC), a putative underlying core feature of OCD. We predicted INC would be prominent in individuals with OCD and associated with greater severity and impairment. We examined the impact of INC in 307 adults with primary OCD. Participants with clinically significant INC (22.8% of the sample) had significantly greater OCD severity, greater rates of comorbidity, poorer ratings of functioning, lower quality of life, and higher rates of unemployment and disability. Participants with clinically significant INC were also more likely to be diagnosed with OCPD and to endorse symmetry/exactness obsessions and ordering/arranging compulsions than those who reported low INC. Our findings provide evidence that INC is associated with greater severity, comorbidity, and impairment, highlighting the need for improved assessment and treatment of INC in OCD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Empirical Investigation of Incompleteness in a Large Clinical Sample of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Sibrava, Nicholas J.; Boisseau, Christina L.; Eisen, Jane L.; Mancebo, Maria C.; Rasmussen, Steven A.

2016-01-01

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentations. To advance our understanding of this heterogeneity we investigated the prevalence and clinical features associated with incompleteness (INC), a putative underlying core feature of OCD. We predicted INC would be prominent in individuals with OCD and associated with greater severity and impairment. We examined the impact of INC in 307 adults with primary OCD. Participants with clinically significant INC (22.8% of the sample) had significantly greater OCD severity, greater rates of comorbidity, poorer ratings of functioning, lower quality of life, and higher rates of unemployment and disability. Participants with clinically significant INC were also more likely to be diagnosed with OCPD and to endorse symmetry/exactness obsessions and ordering/arranging compulsions than those who reported low INC. Our findings provide evidence that INC is associated with greater severity, comorbidity, and impairment, highlighting the need for improved assessment and treatment of INC in OCD. PMID:27268401

Does implementation matter if comprehension is lacking? A qualitative investigation into perceptions of advance care planning in people with cancer.

PubMed

Ugalde, Anna; O'Callaghan, Clare; Byard, Clem; Brean, Samantha; MacKay, Jenelle; Boltong, Anna; Davoren, Sondra; Lawson, Deborah; Parente, Phillip; Michael, Natasha; Livingston, Patricia

2018-05-11

While advance care planning holds promise, uptake is variable and it is unclear how well people engage with or comprehend advance care planning. The objective of this study was to explore how people with cancer comprehended advance care plans and examine how accurately advance care planning documentation represented patient wishes. This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Data collection comprised interviews and an examination of participants' existing advance care planning documentation. Participants included those who had any diagnosis of cancer with an advance care plan recorded: Refusal of Treatment Certificate, Statement of Choices, and/or Enduring Power of Attorney (Medical Treatment) at one cancer treatment centre. Fourteen participants were involved in the study. Twelve participants were female (86%). The mean age was 77 (range: 61-91), and participants had completed their advance care planning documentation between 8 and 72 weeks prior to the interview (mean 33 weeks). Three themes were evident from the data: incomplete advance care planning understanding and confidence, limited congruence for attitude and documentation, advance care planning can enable peace of mind. Complete advance care planning understanding was unusual; most participants demonstrated partial comprehension of their own advance care plan, and some indicated very limited understanding. Participants' attitudes and their written document congruence were limited, but advance care planning was seen as helpful. This study highlighted advance care planning was not a completely accurate representation of patient wishes. There is opportunity to improve how patients comprehend their own advance care planning documentation.

Conservation economics. Comment on "Using ecological thresholds to evaluate the costs and benefits of set-asides in a biodiversity hotspot".

PubMed

Finney, Christopher

2015-02-13

Banks-Leite et al. (Reports, 29 August 2014, p. 1041) conclude that a large-scale program to restore the Brazilian Atlantic Forest using payments for environmental services (PES) is economically feasible. They do not analyze transaction costs, which are quantified infrequently and incompletely in the literature. Transaction costs can exceed 20% of total project costs and should be included in future research. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Neural network based inspection of voids and karst conduits in hydro-electric power station tunnels using GPR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, Gokhan; Eren, Levent

2018-04-01

This paper reports on the fundamental role played by Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), alongside advanced processing and presentation methods, during the tunnel boring project at a Dam and Hydro-Electric Power Station. It identifies from collected GPR data such issues as incomplete grouting and the presence of karst conduits and voids and provides full details of the procedures adopted. In particular, the application of collected GPR data to the Neural Network (NN) method is discussed.

Clinical antibacterial effectiveness and biocompatibility of gaseous ozone after incomplete caries removal.

PubMed

Krunić, Jelena; Stojanović, Nikola; Đukić, Ljiljana; Roganović, Jelena; Popović, Branka; Simić, Ivana; Stojić, Dragica

2018-06-01

To evaluate local effect of gaseous ozone on bacteria in deep carious lesions after incomplete caries removal, using chlorhexidine as control, and to investigate its effect on pulp vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Antibacterial effect was evaluated in 48 teeth with diagnosed deep carious lesion. After incomplete caries removal, teeth were randomly allocated into two groups regarding the cavity disinfectant used: ozone (open system) or 2% chlorhexidine. Dentin samples were analyzed for the presence of total bacteria and Lactobacillus spp. by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. For evaluation of ozone effect on dental pulp, 38 intact permanent teeth indicated for pulp removal/tooth extraction were included. After cavity preparation, teeth were randomly allocated into two groups: ozone group and control group. VEGF/nNOS level and SOD activity in dental pulp were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and spectrophotometric method, respectively. Ozone application decreased number of total bacteria (p = 0.001) and Lactobacillus spp. (p < 0.001), similarly to chlorhexidine. The VEGF (p < 0.001) and nNOS (p = 0.012) levels in dental pulp after ozone application were higher, while SOD activity was lower (p = 0.001) comparing to those in control pulp. Antibacterial effect of ozone on residual bacteria after incomplete caries removal was similar to that of 2% chlorhexidine. Effect of ozone on pulp VEGF, nNOS, and SOD indicated its biocompatibility. Ozone appears as effective and biocompatible cavity disinfectant in treatment of deep carious lesions by incomplete caries removal technique.

Dioxins and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Review (EHP)

EPA Science Inventory

In spite of its large public health burden, the risk factors for cardiovascular disease remain incompletely understood. Here we review the association of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality with exposure to dioxin, a pollutant resulting from the production and combustion of ch...

Matrix Gla Protein polymorphism, but not concentrations, is associated with radiographic hand osteoarthritis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective. Factors associated with mineralization and osteophyte formation in osteoarthritis (OA) are incompletely understood. Genetic polymorphisms of matrix Gla protein (MGP), a mineralization inhibitor, have been associated clinically with conditions of abnormal calcification. We therefore evalua...

A proposed ecosystem services classification system to support green accounting

EPA Science Inventory

There are a multitude of actual or envisioned, complete or incomplete, ecosystem service classification systems being proposed to support Green Accounting. Green Accounting is generally thought to be the formal accounting attempt to factor environmental production into National ...

Recommendations for shoulder restraint installation in general aviation aircraft.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1966-09-01

The use of inadequate or incomplete body restraint systems is a major factor in the current trend of increasing serious and fatal type injuries reported from general aviation accidents. An analysis of these accident injuries and conditions clearly in...

High-Resolution Metabolomics: Review of the Field and Implications for Nursing Science and the Study of Preterm Birth.

PubMed

Li, Shuzhao; Dunlop, Anne L; Jones, Dean P; Corwin, Elizabeth J

2016-01-01

Most complex health conditions do not have a single etiology but rather develop from exposure to multiple risk factors that interact to influence individual susceptibility. In this review, we discuss the emerging field of metabolomics as a means by which metabolic pathways underlying a disease etiology can be exposed and specific metabolites can be identified and linked, ultimately providing biomarkers for early detection of disease onset and new strategies for intervention. We present the theoretical foundation of metabolomics research, the current methods employed in its conduct, and the overlap of metabolomics research with other "omic" approaches. As an exemplar, we discuss the potential of metabolomics research in the context of deciphering the complex interactions of the maternal-fetal exposures that underlie the risk of preterm birth, a condition that accounts for substantial portions of infant morbidity and mortality and whose etiology and pathophysiology remain incompletely defined. We conclude by providing strategies for including metabolomics research in future nursing studies for the advancement of nursing science. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Immortal Senescence.

PubMed

Bianchi-Smiraglia, Anna; Lipchick, Brittany C; Nikiforov, Mikhail A

2017-01-01

Activation of oncogenic signaling paradoxically results in the permanent withdrawal from cell cycle and induction of senescence (oncogene-induced senescence (OIS)). OIS is a fail-safe mechanism used by the cells to prevent uncontrolled tumor growth, and, as such, it is considered as the first barrier against cancer. In order to progress, tumor cells thus need to first overcome the senescent phenotype. Despite the increasing attention gained by OIS in the past 20 years, this field is still rather young due to continuous emergence of novel pathways and processes involved in OIS. Among the many factors contributing to incomplete understanding of OIS are the lack of unequivocal markers for senescence and the complexity of the phenotypes revealed by senescent cells in vivo and in vitro. OIS has been shown to play major roles at both the cellular and organismal levels in biological processes ranging from embryonic development to barrier to cancer progression. Here we will briefly outline major advances in methodologies that are being utilized for induction, identification, and characterization of molecular processes in cells undergoing oncogene-induced senescence. The full description of such methodologies is provided in the corresponding chapters of the book.

Levels and trends of child and adult mortality rates in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1990-2013; protocol of the NASBOD study.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Younes; Parsaeian, Mahboubeh; Farzadfar, Farshad; Kasaeian, Amir; Mehdipour, Parinaz; Sheidaei, Ali; Mansouri, Anita; Saeedi Moghaddam, Sahar; Djalalinia, Shirin; Mahmoudi, Mahmood; Khosravi, Ardeshir; Yazdani, Kamran

2014-03-01

Calculation of burden of diseases and risk factors is crucial to set priorities in the health care systems. Nevertheless, the reliable measurement of mortality rates is the main barrier to reach this goal. Unfortunately, in many developing countries the vital registration system (VRS) is either defective or does not exist at all. Consequently, alternative methods have been developed to measure mortality. This study is a subcomponent of NASBOD project, which is currently conducting in Iran. In this study, we aim to calculate incompleteness of the Death Registration System (DRS) and then to estimate levels and trends of child and adult mortality using reliable methods. In order to estimate mortality rates, first, we identify all possible data sources. Then, we calculate incompleteness of child and adult morality separately. For incompleteness of child mortality, we analyze summary birth history data using maternal age cohort and maternal age period methods. Then, we combine these two methods using LOESS regression. However, these estimates are not plausible for some provinces. We use additional information of covariates such as wealth index and years of schooling to make predictions for these provinces using spatio-temporal model. We generate yearly estimates of mortality using Gaussian process regression that covers both sampling and non-sampling errors within uncertainty intervals. By comparing the resulted estimates with mortality rates from DRS, we calculate child mortality incompleteness. For incompleteness of adult mortality, Generalized Growth Balance, Synthetic Extinct Generation and a hybrid of two mentioned methods are used. Afterwards, we combine incompleteness of three methods using GPR, and apply it to correct and adjust the number of deaths. In this study, we develop a conceptual framework to overcome the existing challenges for accurate measuring of mortality rates. The resulting estimates can be used to inform policy-makers about past, current and future mortality rates as a major indicator of health status of a population.

Review of Reliability-Based Design Optimization Approach and Its Integration with Bayesian Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiangnan

2018-03-01

A lot of uncertain factors lie in practical engineering, such as external load environment, material property, geometrical shape, initial condition, boundary condition, etc. Reliability method measures the structural safety condition and determine the optimal design parameter combination based on the probabilistic theory. Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is the most commonly used approach to minimize the structural cost or other performance under uncertainty variables which combines the reliability theory and optimization. However, it cannot handle the various incomplete information. The Bayesian approach is utilized to incorporate this kind of incomplete information in its uncertainty quantification. In this paper, the RBDO approach and its integration with Bayesian method are introduced.

Treatment of ovarian cancer with surgery, short-course chemotherapy and whole abdominal radiation.

PubMed

Buser, K; Bacchi, M; Goldhirsch, A; Greiner, R; Diener, P; Sessa, C; Jungi, W F; Forni, M; Leyvraz, S; Engeler, V

1996-01-01

The primary aim was to induce a high number of pCR in early (FIGO IC, IIB + C) - and advanced (FIGO III-IV) - stage ovarian cancer with a surgery plus 4 cycles of cisplatin and melphalan (PAMP) regimen. The second objective was to prevent relapse with WAR in patients in remission after chemotherapy. 218 eligible patients were treated after staging laparotomy with cisplatin 80 mg/sqm i.v. on day 1 and melphalan 12 mg/sqm i.v. on day 2 q 4 weeks. Response was verified by second-look laparotomy. WAR was carried out with the open field technique on a linear accelerator (daily dose: 1.3 Gy, total dose: 29.9 Gy) in patients with pathological or clinical CR or pathological PR with microscopical residual disease. 146/218 patients (67%, 95% CI: 61%-73%) responded to PAMP: 56 (26%) achieved pCR, 24 (11%), cCR, 56 (26%) pPR and 10 (5%) cPR (c = clinical, p = pathological). Multivariate analyses revealed that in advanced stages (92 cases in remission), the achievement of pCR was the most important factor for longer time to failure (TTF) and survival. Only 51/118 (43%) patients in remission received WAR. Early-stage patients <= 55 years were more likely to have WAR than patients older than 55 years (77% vs. 23%; p = 0.02). Advanced-stage patients with cCR were less likely to be irradiated than patients with pCR or pPR (10% vs. 51%; p = 0.003). Toxicity of PAMP was acceptable with 10% of WHO grade 4 hematologic toxicity. Acute hematological toxicity of WAR caused interruption (33%) or incompleteness (33%) of irradiation in the majority of patients. PAMP is an effective treatment for advanced ovarian cancer with a 67% response rate after 4 cycles. For the majority of patients in remission, WAR as a consolidation treatment was hardly feasible. For these patients new treatment modalities to consolidate remission are needed.

Pre-operative imaging of rectal cancer and its impact on surgical performance and treatment outcome.

PubMed

Beets-Tan, R G H; Lettinga, T; Beets, G L

2005-08-01

To discuss the ability of pre-operative MRI to have a beneficial effect on surgical performance and treatment outcome in patients with rectal cancer. A description on how MRI can be used as a tool so select patients for differentiated neoadjuvant treatment, how it can be used as an anatomical road map for the resection of locally advanced cases, and how it can serve as a tool for quality assurance of both the surgical procedure and overall patient management. As an illustration the proportion of microscopically complete resections of the period 1993-1997, when there was no routine pre-operative imaging, is compared to that of the period 1998-2002, when pre-operative MR imaging was standardized. The proportion of R0 resections increased from 92.5 to 97% (p=0.08) and the proportion of resections with a lateral tumour free margin of >1mm increased from 84.4 to 92.1% (p=0.03). The incomplete resections in the first period were mainly due to inadequate surgical management of unsuspected advanced or bulky tumours, whereas in the second period insufficient consideration was given to extensive neoadjuvant treatment when the tumour was close to or invading the mesorectal fascia on MR. There are good indications that in our setting pre-operative MR imaging, along with other improvements in rectal cancer management, had a beneficial effect on patient outcome. Audit and discussion of the incomplete resections can lead to an improved operative and perioperative management.

Predictors of seizure freedom after incomplete resection in children.

PubMed

Perry, M S; Dunoyer, C; Dean, P; Bhatia, S; Bavariya, A; Ragheb, J; Miller, I; Resnick, T; Jayakar, P; Duchowny, M

2010-10-19

Incomplete resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is the most important predictor of poor outcome after resective surgery for intractable epilepsy. We analyzed the contribution of preoperative and perioperative variables including MRI and EEG data as predictors of seizure-free (SF) outcome after incomplete resection. We retrospectively reviewed patients <18 years of age with incomplete resection for epilepsy with 2 years of follow-up. Fourteen preoperative and perioperative variables were compared in SF and non-SF (NSF) patients. We compared lesional patients, categorized by reason for incompleteness, to lesional patients with complete resection. We analyzed for effect of complete EEG resection on SF outcome in patients with incompletely resected MRI lesions and vice versa. Eighty-three patients with incomplete resection were included with 41% becoming SF. Forty-eight lesional patients with complete resection were included. Thirty-eight percent (57/151) of patients with incomplete resection and 34% (47/138) with complete resection were excluded secondary to lack of follow-up or incomplete records. Contiguous MRI lesions were predictive of seizure freedom after incomplete resection. Fifty-seven percent of patients incomplete by MRI alone, 52% incomplete by EEG alone, and 24% incomplete by both became SF compared to 77% of patients with complete resection (p = 0.0005). Complete resection of the MRI- and EEG-defined EZ is the best predictor of seizure freedom, though patients incomplete by EEG or MRI alone have better outcome compared to patients incomplete by both. More than one-third of patients with incomplete resection become SF, with contiguous MRI lesions a predictor of SF outcome.

42 CFR 438.6 - Contract requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE General Provisions § 438.6 Contract requirements. (a) Regional...) Terminology. As used in this paragraph, the following terms have the indicated meanings: (i) Actuarially sound... adjustments to account for factors such as medical trend inflation, incomplete data, MCO, PIHP, or PAHP...

42 CFR 438.6 - Contract requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE General Provisions § 438.6 Contract requirements. (a) Regional...) Terminology. As used in this paragraph, the following terms have the indicated meanings: (i) Actuarially sound... adjustments to account for factors such as medical trend inflation, incomplete data, MCO, PIHP, or PAHP...

42 CFR 438.6 - Contract requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MANAGED CARE General Provisions § 438.6 Contract requirements. (a) Regional...) Terminology. As used in this paragraph, the following terms have the indicated meanings: (i) Actuarially sound... adjustments to account for factors such as medical trend inflation, incomplete data, MCO, PIHP, or PAHP...

The recovery status from delayed graft function can predict long-term outcome after deceased donor kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Lee, Juhan; Song, Seung Hwan; Lee, Jee Youn; Kim, Deok Gie; Lee, Jae Geun; Kim, Beom Seok; Kim, Myoung Soo; Huh, Kyu Ha

2017-10-20

The effect of delayed graft function (DGF) recovery on long-term graft outcome is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the association of DGF recovery status with long-term outcome. We analyzed 385 recipients who underwent single kidney transplantation from brain-dead donors between 2004 and 2015. Patients were grouped according to renal function at 1 month post-transplantation: control (without DGF); recovered DGF (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ); and incompletely recovered DGF group (GFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ). DGF occurred in 104 of 385 (27%) recipients. Of the DGF patients, 70 recovered from DGF and 34 incompletely recovered from DGF. Death-censored graft survival rates for control, recovered DGF, and incompletely recovered DGF groups were 95.3%, 94.7%, and 80.7%, respectively, at 5 years post-transplantation (P = 0.003). Incompletely recovered DGF was an independent risk factor for death-censored graft loss (HR = 3.410, 95%CI, 1.114-10.437). DGF was associated with increased risk for patient death regardless of DGF recovery status. Mean GFRs at 5 years were 65.5 ± 20.8, 62.2 ± 27.0, and 45.8 ± 15.4 mL/min/1.73 m 2 for control, recovered, and incompletely recovered DGF groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Control group and recovered DGF patients had similar renal outcomes. However, DGF was associated with increased risk for patient death regardless of DGF recovery status.

Methane, Black Carbon, and Ethane Emissions from Natural Gas Flares in the Bakken Shale, North Dakota.

PubMed

Gvakharia, Alexander; Kort, Eric A; Brandt, Adam; Peischl, Jeff; Ryerson, Thomas B; Schwarz, Joshua P; Smith, Mackenzie L; Sweeney, Colm

2017-05-02

Incomplete combustion during flaring can lead to production of black carbon (BC) and loss of methane and other pollutants to the atmosphere, impacting climate and air quality. However, few studies have measured flare efficiency in a real-world setting. We use airborne data of plume samples from 37 unique flares in the Bakken region of North Dakota in May 2014 to calculate emission factors for BC, methane, ethane, and combustion efficiency for methane and ethane. We find no clear relationship between emission factors and aircraft-level wind speed or between methane and BC emission factors. Observed median combustion efficiencies for methane and ethane are close to expected values for typical flares according to the US EPA (98%). However, we find that the efficiency distribution is skewed, exhibiting log-normal behavior. This suggests incomplete combustion from flares contributes almost 1/5 of the total field emissions of methane and ethane measured in the Bakken shale, more than double the expected value if 98% efficiency was representative. BC emission factors also have a skewed distribution, but we find lower emission values than previous studies. The direct observation for the first time of a heavy-tail emissions distribution from flares suggests the need to consider skewed distributions when assessing flare impacts globally.

Risk factors leading to mucoperiosteal flap necrosis after primary palatoplasty in patents with cleft palate.

PubMed

Rossell-Perry, Percy; Figallo-Hudtwalcker, Olga; Vargas-Chanduvi, Roberto; Calderon-Ayvar, Yvette; Romero-Narvaez, Carolina

2017-10-01

Few studies have been published reporting risk factors for flap necrosis after primary palatoplasty in patients with cleft palate. This complication is rare, and the event is a disaster for both the patient and the surgeon. This study was performed to explore the associations between different risk factors and the development of flap necrosis after primary palatoplasty in patients with cleft palate. This is a case-control study. A 20 years retrospective analysis (1994-2015) of patients with nonsyndromic cleft palate was identified from medical records and screening day registries). Demographical and risk factor data were collected using a patient´s report, including information about age at surgery, gender, cleft palate type, and degree of severity. Odds ratios and 95% confident intervals were derived from logistic regression analysis. All cases with diagnoses of flap necrosis after primary palatoplasty were included in the study (48 patients) and 156 controls were considered. In multivariate analysis, female sex, age (older than 15 years), cleft type (bilateral and incomplete), and severe cleft palate index were associated with significantly increased risk for flap necrosis. The findings suggest that female sex, older age, cleft type (bilateral and incomplete), and severe cleft palatal index may be associated with the development of flap necrosis after primary palatoplasty in patients with cleft palate.

Treatment of diabetic retinopathy: Recent advances and unresolved challenges.

PubMed

Stewart, Michael W

2016-08-25

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Remarkable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of DR have been made during the past 30 years, but several important management questions and treatment deficiencies remain unanswered. The global diabetes epidemic threatens to overwhelm resources and increase the incidence of blindness, necessitating the development of innovative programs to diagnose and treat patients. The introduction and rapid adoption of intravitreal pharmacologic agents, particularly drugs that block the actions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and corticosteroids, have changed the goal of DR treatment from stabilization of vision to improvement. Anti-VEGF injections improve visual acuity in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) from 8-12 letters and improvements with corticosteroids are only slightly less. Unfortunately, a third of patients have an incomplete response to anti-VEGF therapy, but the best second-line therapy remains unknown. Current first-line therapy requires monthly visits and injections; longer acting therapies are needed to free up healthcare resources and improve patient compliance. VEGF suppression may be as effective as panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, but more studies are needed before PRP is abandoned. For over 30 years laser was the mainstay for the treatment of DME, but recent studies question its role in the pharmacologic era. Aggressive treatment improves vision in most patients, but many still do not achieve reading and driving vision. New drugs are needed to add to gains achieved with available therapies.

Recurrence rates and clinical outcome for dogs with grade II mast cell tumours with a low AgNOR count and Ki67 index treated with surgery alone.

PubMed

Smith, J; Kiupel, M; Farrelly, J; Cohen, R; Olmsted, G; Kirpensteijn, J; Brocks, B; Post, G

2017-03-01

Grade II mast cell tumours (MCT) are tumours with variable biologic behaviour. Multiple factors have been associated with outcome, including proliferation markers. The purpose of this study was to determine if extent of surgical excision affects recurrence rate in dogs with grade II MCT with low proliferation activity, determined by Ki67 and argyrophilic nucleolar organising regions (AgNOR). Eighty-six dogs with cutaneous MCT were evaluated. All dogs had surgical excision of their MCT with a low Ki67 index and combined AgNORxKi67 (Ag67) values. Twenty-three (27%) dogs developed local or distant recurrence during the median follow-up time. Of these dogs, six (7%) had local recurrence, one had complete and five had incomplete histologic margins. This difference in recurrence rates between dogs with complete and incomplete histologic margins was not significant. On the basis of this study, ancillary therapy may not be necessary for patients with incompletely excised grade II MCT with low proliferation activity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparing the refuge strategy for managing the evolution of insect resistance under different reproductive strategies.

PubMed

Crowder, David W; Carrière, Yves

2009-12-07

Genetically modified (GM) crops are used extensively worldwide to control diploid agricultural insect pests that reproduce sexually. However, future GM crops will likely soon target haplodiploid and parthenogenetic insects. As rapid pest adaptation could compromise these novel crops, strategies to manage resistance in haplodiploid and parthenogenetic pests are urgently needed. Here, we developed models to characterize factors that could delay or prevent the evolution of resistance to GM crops in diploid, haplodiploid, and parthenogenetic insect pests. The standard strategy for managing resistance in diploid pests relies on refuges of non-GM host plants and GM crops that produce high toxin concentrations. Although the tenets of the standard refuge strategy apply to all pests, this strategy does not greatly delay the evolution of resistance in haplodiploid or parthenogenetic pests. Two additional factors are needed to effectively delay or prevent the evolution of resistance in such pests, large recessive or smaller non-recessive fitness costs must reduce the fitness of resistance individuals in refuges (and ideally also on GM crops), and resistant individuals must have lower fitness on GM compared to non-GM crops (incomplete resistance). Recent research indicates that the magnitude and dominance of fitness costs could be increased by using specific host-plants, natural enemies, or pathogens. Furthermore, incomplete resistance could be enhanced by engineering desirable traits into novel GM crops. Thus, the sustainability of GM crops that target haplodiploid or parthenogenetic pests will require careful consideration of the effects of reproductive mode, fitness costs, and incomplete resistance.

Spinal Cystic Echinococcosis – A Systematic Analysis and Review of the Literature: Part 1. Epidemiology and Anatomy

PubMed Central

Neumayr, Andreas; Tamarozzi, Francesca; Goblirsch, Sam; Blum, Johannes; Brunetti, Enrico

2013-01-01

Bone involvement in human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is rare, but affects the spine in approximately 50% of cases. Despite significant advances in diagnostic imaging techniques as well as surgical and medical treatment of spinal CE, our basic understanding of the parasite's predilection for the spine remains incomplete. To fill this gap, we systematically reviewed the published literature of the last five decades to summarize and analyze the currently existing data on epidemiological and anatomical aspects of spinal CE. PMID:24086783

Curated eutherian third party data gene data sets.

PubMed

Premzl, Marko

2016-03-01

The free available eutherian genomic sequence data sets advanced scientific field of genomics. Of note, future revisions of gene data sets were expected, due to incompleteness of public eutherian genomic sequence assemblies and potential genomic sequence errors. The eutherian comparative genomic analysis protocol was proposed as guidance in protection against potential genomic sequence errors in public eutherian genomic sequences. The protocol was applicable in updates of 7 major eutherian gene data sets, including 812 complete coding sequences deposited in European Nucleotide Archive as curated third party data gene data sets.

The Johns Hopkins RTR Consortium: A Collaborative Approach to Advance Translational Science and Standardize Clinical Monitoring of Restorative Transplantation - Immunomodulation and Tolerance Induction after VCA using Biologic Agent (cTLA4-Ig) and Donor Bone Marrow Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

group, Pig 22227, was due to a gastrointestinal bleed , related to either infectious gastroenteritis/colitis or stress ulcer formation. The third... upper extremity transplantation. Delays in progress and incomplete groups will be discussed in detail in Section 5 – Changes/Problems. Table 1...Implemented successfully first clinical protocol for upper extremity transplantation using donor bone marrow cell therapies and tacrolimus

Health Care in China.

PubMed

Younger, David S

2016-11-01

China has recently emerged as an important global partner. However, like other developing nations, China has experienced dramatic demographic and epidemiologic changes in the past few decades. Population discontent with the health care system has led to major reforms. China's distinctive health care system, including its unique history, vast infrastructure, the speed of health reform, and economic capacity to make important advances in health care, nonetheless, has incomplete insurance coverage for urban and rural dwellers, uneven access, mixed quality of health care, increasing costs, and risk of catastrophic health expenditures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The synthesis paradigm in genetics.

PubMed

Rice, William R

2014-02-01

Experimental genetics with model organisms and mathematically explicit genetic theory are generally considered to be the major paradigms by which progress in genetics is achieved. Here I argue that this view is incomplete and that pivotal advances in genetics--and other fields of biology--are also made by synthesizing disparate threads of extant information rather than generating new information from experiments or formal theory. Because of the explosive expansion of information in numerous "-omics" data banks, and the fragmentation of genetics into numerous subdisciplines, the importance of the synthesis paradigm will likely expand with time.

Combustion and Heat Transfer Studies Utilizing Advanced Diagnostics: Fuels Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-01

octanol ), through the addition of additives to typical JP-8. Fuel and ketone (2- octanone ) were added to the fuel, and the Pri~F-2827 is a non-hydx-o-treated...40.97 propylbenzene 59. 41.30 propynylbenzene 60. 42.02 3,4-dimethyl2,5-furnandione 61. 42.43 1- octanol ? 62. 42.69 I-phenylethanone 63. 42.76 ? 64...23. 17.47 3-methylcyclopentanone 24. 19.51 2-heptanone 25. 19.86 cyclohexanone 26. 20.56 Incomplete MS, pentyl acetate? 27. 22.43 2- octanone 11 0 CD

The Psychology of Judgment for Outdoor Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clement, Kent

Judgment is the process of making decisions with incomplete information concerning either the outcomes or the decision factors. Sound judgment that leads to good decisions is an essential skill needed by adventure education and outdoor leadership professionals. Cognitive psychology provides several theories and insights concerning the accuracy of…

Risk factors for severe acute malnutrition in children below 5 y of age in India: a case-control study.

PubMed

Mishra, Kirtisudha; Kumar, Praveen; Basu, Srikanta; Rai, Kiran; Aneja, Satinder

2014-08-01

To determine the possible risk factors for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children below 5 y admitted in a hospital in north India. This case-control study was conducted in a medical college hospital in children below 5 y of age. All cases of SAM (diagnosed as per WHO definition) between 6 and 59 mo of age were compared with age-matched controls with weight for height above -2SD of WHO 2006 growth standards. Data regarding socio-demographic parameters, feeding practices and immunization were compared between the groups by univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. A total of 76 cases and 115 controls were enrolled. Among the 14 factors compared, maternal illiteracy, daily family income less than Rs. 200, large family size, lack of exclusive breast feeding in first 6 mo, bottle feeding, administration of pre-lacteals, deprivation of colostrum and incomplete immunization were significant risk factors for SAM. Regarding complementary feeding, it was the consistency, rather than the age of initiation, frequency and variety which showed a significant influence on occurrence of SAM. Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk of SAM was independently associated with 6 factors, namely, illiteracy among mothers, incomplete immunization, practice of bottle feeding, consistency of complementary feeding, deprivation of colostrum and receipt of pre-lacteals at birth. The present study identifies certain risk factors which need to be focused on during health planning and policy making related to children with SAM in India.

[Medical prescription and informed consent for the use of physical restraints in nursing homes in the Canary Islands (Spain)].

PubMed

Estévez-Guerra, Gabriel J; Fariña-López, Emilio; Penelo, Eva

To identify the frequency of completion of informed consent and medical prescription in the clinical records of older patients subject to physical restraint, and to analyse the association between patient characteristics and the absence of such documentation. A cross-sectional and descriptive multicentre study with direct observation and review of clinical records was conducted in nine public nursing homes, comprising 1,058 beds. 274 residents were physically restrained. Informed consent was not included in 82.5% of cases and was incomplete in a further 13.9%. There was no medical prescription in 68.3% of cases and it was incomplete in a further 12.0%. The only statistical association found was between the lack of prescription and the patients' advanced age (PR=1.03; p <0.005). Failure to produce this documentation contravenes the law. Organisational characteristics, ignorance of the legal requirements or the fact that some professionals may consider physical restraint to be a risk-free procedure may explain these results. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Numerical algorithms for finite element computations on concurrent processors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, J. M.

1986-01-01

The work of several graduate students which relate to the NASA grant is briefly summarized. One student has worked on a detailed analysis of the so-called ijk forms of Gaussian elemination and Cholesky factorization on concurrent processors. Another student has worked on the vectorization of the incomplete Cholesky conjugate method on the CYBER 205. Two more students implemented various versions of Gaussian elimination and Cholesky factorization on the FLEX/32.

Longitudinal Mercury Monitoring Within the Japanese and Korean Communities (United States): Implications for Exposure Determination and Public Health Protection

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Estimates of exposure to toxicants are predominantly obtained from single timepoint data. Fishconsumption guidance based on these data may be incomplete as recommendations are unlikely to consider impact from factors such as intraindividual variability, seasonal dif...

School Finance Reform: Factors that Mediate Legal Initiatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweetland, Scott R.

2000-01-01

Although the Ohio Supreme Court announced its unconstitutionality verdict 3 years ago, litigation and outcomes are incomplete. Due to legislative and referenda failures, implementation has reverted to the judiciary branch. An effective solution may be to address school-finance reform on a case-by-case basis. (Contains 35 references.) (MLH)

Examining the Factors That Facilitate Athletic Training Faculty Socialization into Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Barrett, Jessica L.; Nottingham, Sara

2016-01-01

Context: Doctoral education is the mechanism whereby athletic trainers can develop an awareness of their future roles and responsibilities in higher education. Evidence suggests that doctoral education may provide an incomplete understanding of these roles and responsibilities, warranting further investigation. Objective: To gain a better…

Exploring Incomplete Rating Designs with Mokken Scale Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wind, Stefanie A.; Patil, Yogendra J.

2018-01-01

Recent research has explored the use of models adapted from Mokken scale analysis as a nonparametric approach to evaluating rating quality in educational performance assessments. A potential limiting factor to the widespread use of these techniques is the requirement for complete data, as practical constraints in operational assessment systems…

Novel Pieces for the Emerging Picture of Sulfoximines in Drug Discovery: Synthesis and Evaluation of Sulfoximine Analogues of Marketed Drugs and Advanced Clinical Candidates.

PubMed

Sirvent, Juan Alberto; Lücking, Ulrich

2017-04-06

Sulfoximines have gained considerable recognition as an important structural motif in drug discovery of late. In particular, the clinical kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, roniciclib (pan-CDK inhibitor), BAY 1143572 (P-TEFb inhibitor), and AZD 6738 (ATR inhibitor), have recently drawn considerable attention. Whilst the interest in this underrepresented functional group in drug discovery is clearly on the rise, there remains an incomplete understanding of the medicinal-chemistry-relevant properties of sulfoximines. Herein we report the synthesis and in vitro characterization of a variety of sulfoximine analogues of marketed drugs and advanced clinical candidates to gain a better understanding of this neglected functional group and its potential in drug discovery. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Angiogenesis in the Regulation of Cutaneous Wound Repair

PubMed Central

Johnson, Kelly E.; Wilgus, Traci A.

2014-01-01

Significance: Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from existing vessels, is an important aspect of the repair process. Restoration of blood flow to damaged tissues provides oxygen and nutrients required to support the growth and function of reparative cells. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most potent proangiogenic growth factors in the skin, and the amount of VEGF present in a wound can significantly impact healing. Recent Advances: The activity of VEGF was once considered to be specific for endothelial cells lining the inside of blood vessels, partly because VEGF receptor (VEGFR) expression was believed to be restricted to endothelial cells. It is now known, however, that VEGFRs can be expressed by a variety of other cell types involved in wound repair. For example, keratinocytes and macrophages, which both carry out important functions during wound healing, express VEGFRs and are capable of responding directly to VEGF. Critical Issues: The mechanisms by which VEGF promotes angiogenesis are well established. Recent studies, however, indicate that VEGF can directly affect the activity of several nonendothelial cell types present in the skin. The implications of these extra-angiogenic effects of VEGF on wound repair are not yet known, but they suggest that this growth factor may play a more complex role during wound healing than previously believed. Future Directions: Despite the large number of studies focusing on VEGF and wound healing, it is clear that the current knowledge of how VEGF contributes to the repair of skin wounds is incomplete. Further research is needed to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of VEGF activities during the wound healing process. PMID:25302139

Lung cancer in the very elderly: incidence, presentation, and diagnostic decision-making. A retrospective analysis at a teaching community hospital

PubMed Central

Ayyappan, Sabarish; Gonzalez, Claudia; Yarlagadda, Roopa; Zakharia, Yousef; Woodlock, Timothy J.

2011-01-01

Background and objectives Lung cancer presentation and decision-making in the very elderly patient population, 80 years of age and older, was studied given the projected increase in cancer incidence in the very elderly and yet only limited management guidelines. Design and setting A 10-year experience at the Unity Health System of Rochester, NY, was reviewed using tumor registry data for the entire lung cancer population plus focused medical record review of very elderly patients. A questionnaire survey on the clinical approach to lung cancer in the elderly was distributed to medical staff involved in their care. Participants, measurements, and results Of 997 patients, approximately 100 cases each year, the very elderly comprised 18% of patients from year 1998 through 2002, and 23% from year 2003 through 2007. One-third of the very elderly were diagnosed with lung cancer on clinical grounds without tissue confirmation. The majority of this group had cardio-pulmonary symptoms and an advanced clinical stage. The very elderly had no tissue sampling as per their own decision in 12 of 44 of cases, per family decision in 28 of 44, and per physician and other input in 4 of 44. Physicians stated that patient wishes and health-related factors, more so than socio-economic factors, were primary concerns for management decision-making. Conclusions The number of very elderly lung cancer patients in this community setting has been significant and appears to be increasing. These patients were more likely to have an incomplete diagnostic work-up, with patient and family wishes being the major factor in medical decision-making. The physician approach to these patients emphasized patient autonomy and medical factors. PMID:23882335

Does the Breast Cancer Age at Diagnosis Differ by Ethnicity? A Study on Immigrants to Sweden

PubMed Central

Hemminki, Kari; Sundquist, Jan; Brandt, Andreas

2011-01-01

Background. Age-specific incidence rates for breast cancer in low-risk and high-risk ethnic populations differ by age at which the incidence maximum is reached: around 50 years in low-risk populations and over 60 years in high-risk populations. The interpretation of these differences remains unsettled, one line primarily referring to biological differences, the second one to cohort effects of rapidly increasing rates in young populations, and the third one to incomplete registration of cancer in the elderly. Methods. The nationwide Family-Cancer Database was used to analyze standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and age at diagnosis of breast cancer in female immigrants to Sweden by their region of origin compared with women native to Sweden matched on birth year and other relevant factors. Results. We showed first that the SIRs for breast cancer were lower in many immigrant groups compared with natives of Sweden; women from Turkey had the lowest SIR of 0.45, followed by those from Chile (0.54) and Southeast Asia (0.57). Women from nine regions showed an earlier mean age at diagnosis than their matched Swedish controls, the largest differences being 5.5 years for women from Turkey, 5.1 years for those from Asian Arab and “Other African” countries, 4.3 years for those from Iran, and 4.0 years for those from Iraq. Conclusions. The results show that in many immigrant groups, the diagnostic age is earlier (<50 years) than in natives of Sweden (>50 years), suggesting that true biological factors underlie the differences. These factors may explain much of the international variation in breast cancer incidence. Identifying these factors should advance understanding of breast cancer etiology and prevention. PMID:21266400

Does the breast cancer age at diagnosis differ by ethnicity? A study on immigrants to Sweden.

PubMed

Hemminki, Kari; Mousavi, Seyed Mohsen; Sundquist, Jan; Brandt, Andreas

2011-01-01

Age-specific incidence rates for breast cancer in low-risk and high-risk ethnic populations differ by age at which the incidence maximum is reached: around 50 years in low-risk populations and over 60 years in high-risk populations. The interpretation of these differences remains unsettled, one line primarily referring to biological differences, the second one to cohort effects of rapidly increasing rates in young populations, and the third one to incomplete registration of cancer in the elderly. The nationwide Family-Cancer Database was used to analyze standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and age at diagnosis of breast cancer in female immigrants to Sweden by their region of origin compared with women native to Sweden matched on birth year and other relevant factors. We showed first that the SIRs for breast cancer were lower in many immigrant groups compared with natives of Sweden; women from Turkey had the lowest SIR of 0.45, followed by those from Chile (0.54) and Southeast Asia (0.57). Women from nine regions showed an earlier mean age at diagnosis than their matched Swedish controls, the largest differences being 5.5 years for women from Turkey, 5.1 years for those from Asian Arab and "Other African" countries, 4.3 years for those from Iran, and 4.0 years for those from Iraq. The results show that in many immigrant groups, the diagnostic age is earlier (<50 years) than in natives of Sweden (>50 years), suggesting that true biological factors underlie the differences. These factors may explain much of the international variation in breast cancer incidence. Identifying these factors should advance understanding of breast cancer etiology and prevention.

Matriculation Research Report: Incomplete Grades; Data & Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerda, Joe

The policy on incomplete grades at California's College of the Canyons states that incompletes may only be given under circumstances beyond students' control and that students must make arrangements with faculty prior to the end of the semester to clear the incomplete. Failure to complete an incomplete may result in an "F" grade. While…

Use of evidential reasoning and AHP to assess regional industrial safety

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhichao; Chen, Tao; Qu, Zhuohua; Ji, Xuewei; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Hui

2018-01-01

China’s fast economic growth contributes to the rapid development of its urbanization process, and also renders a series of industrial accidents, which often cause loss of life, damage to property and environment, thus requiring the associated risk analysis and safety control measures to be implemented in advance. However, incompleteness of historical failure data before the occurrence of accidents makes it difficult to use traditional risk analysis approaches such as probabilistic risk analysis in many cases. This paper aims to develop a new methodology capable of assessing regional industrial safety (RIS) in an uncertain environment. A hierarchical structure for modelling the risks influencing RIS is first constructed. The hybrid of evidential reasoning (ER) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is then used to assess the risks in a complementary way, in which AHP is hired to evaluate the weight of each risk factor and ER is employed to synthesise the safety evaluations of the investigated region(s) against the risk factors from the bottom to the top level in the hierarchy. The successful application of the hybrid approach in a real case analysis of RIS in several major districts of Beijing (capital of China) demonstrates its feasibility as well as provides risk analysts and safety engineers with useful insights on effective solutions to comprehensive risk assessment of RIS in metropolitan cities. The contribution of this paper is made by the findings on the comparison of risk levels of RIS at different regions against various risk factors so that best practices from the good performer(s) can be used to improve the safety of the others. PMID:29795593

Update on Vascular Cognitive Impairment Associated with Subcortical Small-Vessel Disease

PubMed Central

Wallin, Anders; Román, Gustavo C.; Esiri, Margaret; Kettunen, Petronella; Svensson, Johan; Paraskevas, George P.; Kapaki, Elisabeth

2018-01-01

Subcortical small-vessel disease (SSVD) is a disorder well characterized from the clinical, imaging, and neuropathological viewpoints. SSVD is considered the most prevalent ischemic brain disorder, increasing in frequency with age. Vascular risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, elevated homocysteine, and obstructive sleep apnea. Ischemic white matter lesions are the hallmark of SSVD; other pathological lesions include arteriolosclerosis, dilatation of perivascular spaces, venous collagenosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, microbleeds, microinfarcts, lacunes, and large infarcts. The pathogenesis of SSVD is incompletely understood but includes endothelial changes and blood-brain barrier alterations involving metalloproteinases, vascular endothelial growth factors, angiotensin II, mindin/spondin, and the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Metabolic and genetic conditions may also play a role but hitherto there are few conclusive studies. Clinical diagnosis of SSVD includes early executive dysfunction manifested by impaired capacity to use complex information, to formulate strategies, and to exercise self-control. In comparison with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), patients with SSVD show less pronounced episodic memory deficits. Brain imaging has advanced substantially the diagnostic tools for SSVD. With the exception of cortical microinfarcts, all other lesions are well visualized with MRI. Diagnostic biomarkers that separate AD from SSVD include reduction of cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β (Aβ)42 and of the ratio Aβ42/Aβ40 often with increased total tau levels. However, better markers of small-vessel function of intracerebral blood vessels are needed. The treatment of SSVD remains unsatisfactory other than control of vascular risk factors. There is an urgent need of finding targets to slow down and potentially halt the progression of this prevalent, but often unrecognized, disorder. PMID:29562536

Use of evidential reasoning and AHP to assess regional industrial safety.

PubMed

Chen, Zhichao; Chen, Tao; Qu, Zhuohua; Yang, Zaili; Ji, Xuewei; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Hui

2018-01-01

China's fast economic growth contributes to the rapid development of its urbanization process, and also renders a series of industrial accidents, which often cause loss of life, damage to property and environment, thus requiring the associated risk analysis and safety control measures to be implemented in advance. However, incompleteness of historical failure data before the occurrence of accidents makes it difficult to use traditional risk analysis approaches such as probabilistic risk analysis in many cases. This paper aims to develop a new methodology capable of assessing regional industrial safety (RIS) in an uncertain environment. A hierarchical structure for modelling the risks influencing RIS is first constructed. The hybrid of evidential reasoning (ER) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is then used to assess the risks in a complementary way, in which AHP is hired to evaluate the weight of each risk factor and ER is employed to synthesise the safety evaluations of the investigated region(s) against the risk factors from the bottom to the top level in the hierarchy. The successful application of the hybrid approach in a real case analysis of RIS in several major districts of Beijing (capital of China) demonstrates its feasibility as well as provides risk analysts and safety engineers with useful insights on effective solutions to comprehensive risk assessment of RIS in metropolitan cities. The contribution of this paper is made by the findings on the comparison of risk levels of RIS at different regions against various risk factors so that best practices from the good performer(s) can be used to improve the safety of the others.

Inflammation and hypoxia in the kidney: friends or foes?

PubMed

Haase, Volker H

2015-08-01

Hypoxic injury is commonly associated with inflammatory-cell infiltration, and inflammation frequently leads to the activation of cellular hypoxia response pathways. The molecular mechanisms underlying this cross-talk during kidney injury are incompletely understood. Yamaguchi and colleagues identify CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein δ as a cytokine- and hypoxia-regulated transcription factor that fine-tunes hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling in renal epithelial cells and thus provide a novel molecular link between hypoxia and inflammation in kidney injury.

DO THE RADIOLOGICAL CRITERIA WITH THE USE OF RISK FACTORS IMPACT THE FORECASTING OF ABDOMINAL NEUROBLASTIC TUMOR RESECTION IN CHILDREN?

PubMed

Penazzi, Ana Cláudia Soares; Tostes, Vivian Siqueira; Duarte, Alexandre Alberto Barros; Lederman, Henrique Manoel; Caran, Eliana Maria Monteiro; Abib, Simone de Campos Vieira

2017-01-01

The treatment of neuroblastoma is dependent on exquisite staging; is performed postoperatively and is dependent on the surgeon's expertise. The use of risk factors through imaging on diagnosis appears as predictive of resectability, complications and homogeneity in staging. To evaluate the traditional resectability criteria with the risk factors for resectability, through the radiological images, in two moments: on diagnosis and in pre-surgical phase. Were analyzed the resectability, surgical complications and relapse rate. Retrospective study of 27 children with abdominal and pelvic neuroblastoma stage 3 and 4, with tomography and/or resonance on the diagnosis and pre-surgical, identifying the presence of risk factors. The mean age of the children was 2.5 years at diagnosis, where 55.6% were older than 18 months, 51.9% were girls and 66.7% were in stage 4. There was concordance on resectability of the tumor by both methods (INSS and IDRFs) at both moments of the evaluation, at diagnosis (p=0.007) and post-chemotherapy (p=0.019); In this way, all resectable patients by IDRFs in the post-chemotherapy had complete resection, and the unresectable ones, 87.5% incomplete. There was remission in 77.8%, 18.5% relapsed and 33.3% died. Resectability was similar in both methods at both pre-surgical and preoperative chemotherapy; preoperative chemotherapy increased resectability and decreased number of risk factors, where the presence of at least one IDRF was associated with incomplete resections and surgical complications; relapses were irrelevant.

Increased thrombin generation in a mouse model of cancer cachexia is partially interleukin-6 dependent.

PubMed

Reddel, C J; Allen, J D; Ehteda, A; Taylor, R; Chen, V M Y; Curnow, J L; Kritharides, L; Robertson, G

2017-03-01

Essentials Cancer cachexia and cancer-associated thrombosis have not previously been mechanistically linked. We assessed thrombin generation and coagulation parameters in cachectic C26 tumor-bearing mice. C26 mice are hypercoagulable, partially corrected by blocking tumor derived interleukin-6. Coagulability and anti-inflammatory interventions may be clinically important in cancer cachexia. Background Cancer cachexia and cancer-associated thrombosis are potentially fatal outcomes of advanced cancer, which have not previously been mechanistically linked. The colon 26 (C26) carcinoma is a well-established mouse model of complications of advanced cancer cachexia, partially dependent on high levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) produced by the tumor. Objectives To assess if cancer cachexia altered the coagulation state and if this was attributable to tumor IL-6 production. Methods In male BALB/c*DBA2 (F1 hybrid) mice with a C26 tumor we used modified calibrated automated thrombogram and fibrin generation (based on overall hemostatic potential) assays to assess the functional coagulation state, and also examined fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelet count, tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and hepatic expression of coagulation factors by microarray. C26 mice were compared with non-cachectic NC26, pair-fed and sham control mice. IL-6 expression in C26 cells was knocked down by lentiviral shRNA constructs. Results C26 mice with significant weight loss and highly elevated IL-6 had elevated thrombin generation, fibrinogen, ESR, platelets and TFPI compared with all control groups. Fibrin generation was elevated compared with pair-fed and sham controls but not compared with NC26 tumor mice. Hepatic expression of coagulation factors and fibrinolytic inhibitors was increased. Silencing IL-6 in the tumor significantly, but incompletely, attenuated the increased thrombin generation, fibrinogen and TFPI. Conclusions Cachectic C26 tumor-bearing mice are in a hypercoagulable state, which is partly attributable to IL-6 release by the tumor. The findings support the importance of the coagulation state in cancer cachexia and the clinical utility of anti-inflammatory interventions. © 2017 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Comparison of reporting phase I trial results in ClinicalTrials.gov and matched publications.

PubMed

Shepshelovich, D; Goldvaser, H; Wang, L; Abdul Razak, A R; Bedard, P L

2017-12-01

Background Data on completeness of reporting of phase I cancer clinical trials in publications are lacking. Methods The ClinicalTrials.gov database was searched for completed adult phase I cancer trials with reported results. PubMed was searched for matching primary publications published prior to November 1, 2016. Reporting in primary publications was compared with the ClinicalTrials.gov database using a 28-point score (2=complete; 1=partial; 0=no reporting) for 14 items related to study design, outcome measures and safety profile. Inconsistencies between primary publications and ClinicalTrials.gov were recorded. Linear regression was used to identify factors associated with incomplete reporting. Results After a review of 583 trials in ClinicalTrials.gov , 163 matching primary publications were identified. Publications reported outcomes that did not appear in ClinicalTrials.gov in 25% of trials. Outcomes were upgraded, downgraded or omitted in publications in 47% of trials. The overall median reporting score was 23/28 (interquartile range 21-25). Incompletely reported items in >25% publications were: inclusion criteria (29%), primary outcome definition (26%), secondary outcome definitions (53%), adverse events (71%), serious adverse events (80%) and dates of study start and database lock (91%). Higher reporting scores were associated with phase I (vs phase I/II) trials (p<0.001), multicenter trials (p<0.001) and publication in journals with lower impact factor (p=0.004). Conclusions Reported results in primary publications for early phase cancer trials are frequently inconsistent or incomplete compared with ClinicalTrials.gov entries. ClinicalTrials.gov may provide more comprehensive data from new cancer drug trials.

Air impacts of increased natural gas acquisition, processing, and use: a critical review.

PubMed

Moore, Christopher W; Zielinska, Barbara; Pétron, Gabrielle; Jackson, Robert B

2014-01-01

During the past decade, technological advancements in the United States and Canada have led to rapid and intensive development of many unconventional natural gas plays (e.g., shale gas, tight sand gas, coal-bed methane), raising concerns about environmental impacts. Here, we summarize the current understanding of local and regional air quality impacts of natural gas extraction, production, and use. Air emissions from the natural gas life cycle include greenhouse gases, ozone precursors (volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides), air toxics, and particulates. National and state regulators primarily use generic emission inventories to assess the climate, air quality, and health impacts of natural gas systems. These inventories rely on limited, incomplete, and sometimes outdated emission factors and activity data, based on few measurements. We discuss case studies for specific air impacts grouped by natural gas life cycle segment, summarize the potential benefits of using natural gas over other fossil fuels, and examine national and state emission regulations pertaining to natural gas systems. Finally, we highlight specific gaps in scientific knowledge and suggest that substantial additional measurements of air emissions from the natural gas life cycle are essential to understanding the impacts and benefits of this resource.

Education of tobacco use prevention and cessation for dental professionals--a paradigm shift.

PubMed

Davis, Joan M; Ramseier, Christoph A; Mattheos, Nikos; Schoonheim-Klein, Meta; Compton, Sharon; Al-Hazmi, Nadia; Polychronopoulou, Argy; Suvan, Jean; Antohé, Magda E; Forna, Doriana; Radley, Nicki

2010-02-01

The use of tobacco continues to be a substantial risk factor in the development and progression of oral cancer, periodontitis, implant failure and poor wound healing. Dental and dental hygiene education providers have made great advances towards the incorporation of tobacco education into their curricula in recent years. Unfortunately, however, both medical and dental education research has consistently reported schools providing only basic knowledge-based curricula that rarely incorporate more effective, behaviourally-based components affecting long-term change. The limited training of oral healthcare students, at least in part, is reflected in practising dental professionals continuing to report offering incomplete tobacco interventions. In order to prepare the next generation of oral healthcare providers, this paper proposes a paradigm shift in how tobacco use prevention and cessation (TUPAC) may be incorporated into existing curricula. It is suggested that schools should carefully consider: to what level of competency should TUPAC be trained in dental and dental hygiene schools; the importance of establishing rapport through good communication skills; the core knowledge level for TUPAC; suggested instructional and assessment strategies; the importance of continuing professional education for the enhancement of TUPAC.

[Peripheral nerve repair: 30 centuries of scientific research].

PubMed

Desouches, C; Alluin, O; Mutaftschiev, N; Dousset, E; Magalon, G; Boucraut, J; Feron, F; Decherchi, P

2005-11-01

Nerve injury compromises sensory and motor functions. Techniques of peripheral nerve repair are based on our knowledge regarding regeneration. Microsurgical techniques introduced in the late 1950s and widely developed for the past 20 years have improved repairs. However, functional recovery following a peripheral mixed nerve injury is still incomplete. Good motor and sensory function after nerve injury depends on the reinnervation of the motor end plates and sensory receptors. Nerve regeneration does not begin if the cell body has not survived the initial injury or if it is unable to initiate regeneration. The regenerated axons must reach and reinnervate the appropriate target end-organs in a timely fashion. Recovery of motor function requires a critical number of motor axons reinnervating the muscle fibers. Sensory recovery is possible if the delay in reinnervation is short. Many additional factors influence the success of nerve repair or reconstruction. The timing of the repair, the level of injury, the extent of the zone of injury, the technical skill of the surgeon, and the method of repair and reconstruction contribute to the functional outcome after nerve injury. This review presents the recent advances in understanding of neural regeneration and their application to the management of primary repairs and nerve gaps.

New advances in the understanding and treatment of axial spondyloarthritis: from chance to choice

PubMed Central

Dubash, Sayam; McGonagle, Dennis; Marzo-Ortega, Helena

2017-01-01

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that encompasses ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as well as non-radiographic axial disease (nr-axSpA) and can lead to chronic pain, structural damage and disability. The introduction of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) drugs for AS heralded a new era of drug therapeutics for what was previously a largely untreatable disease. This has now been expanded with the licensing of secukinumab, an interleukin 17A (IL-17A) inhibitor for the treatment of AS. Although biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are not a first line treatment option in AS or axSpA, they are highly effective following incomplete or no response to physiotherapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Current research strategies aim to test whether the desired treatment goal of disease remission may now be achievable with early and stratified use of bDMARDs in both AS and nr-axSpA. This review summarizes the current literature on axSpA including pathophysiology, treatment indications, radiographic progression and the evidence for new developments in the treatment of both AS and nr-axSpA. PMID:29511503

Renal Transport of Uric Acid: Evolving Concepts and Uncertainties

PubMed Central

Bobulescu, Ion Alexandru; Moe, Orson W.

2013-01-01

In addition to its role as a metabolic waste product, uric acid has been proposed to be an important molecule with multiple functions in human physiology and pathophysiology and may be linked to human diseases beyond nephrolithiasis and gout. Uric acid homeostasis is determined by the balance between production, intestinal secretion, and renal excretion. The kidney is an important regulator of circulating uric acid levels, by reabsorbing around 90% of filtered urate, while being responsible for 60–70% of total body uric acid excretion. Defective renal handling of urate is a frequent pathophysiologic factor underpinning hyperuricemia and gout. In spite of tremendous advances over the past decade, the molecular mechanisms of renal urate transport are still incompletely understood. Many transport proteins are candidate participants in urate handling, with URAT1 and GLUT9 being the best characterized to date. Understanding these transporters is increasingly important for the practicing clinician as new research unveils their physiology, importance in drug action, and genetic association with uric acid levels in human populations. The future may see the introduction of new drugs that specifically act on individual renal urate transporters for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. PMID:23089270

Advanced glycation end products induce cell cycle arrest and proinflammatory changes in osteoarthritic fibroblast-like synovial cells

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Introduction Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been introduced to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). The influence of AGEs on osteoarthritic fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS) has been incompletely understood as yet. The present study investigates a potential influence of AGE-modified bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA) on cell growth, and on the expression of proinflammatory and osteoclastogenic markers in cultured FLS. Methods FLS were established from OA joints and stimulated with AGE-BSA. The mRNA expression of p27Kip1, RAGE (receptor for AGEs), nuclear factor kappa B subunit p65 (NFκB p65), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin was measured by real-time PCR. The respective protein expression was evaluated by western blot analysis or ELISA. NFκB activation was investigated by luciferase assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Cell cycle analysis, cell proliferation and markers of necrosis and early apoptosis were assessed. The specificity of the response was tested in the presence of an anti-RAGE antibody. Results AGE-BSA was actively taken up into the cells as determined by immunohistochemistry and western blots. AGE-induced p27Kip1 mRNA and protein expression was associated with cell cycle arrest and an increase in necrotic, but not apoptotic cells. NFκB activation was confirmed by EMSAs including supershift experiments. Anti-RAGE antibodies attenuated all AGE-BSA induced responses. The increased expression of RAGE, IL-6 and TNF-α together with NFκB activation indicates AGE-mediated inflammation. The decreased expression of RANKL and osteoprotegerin may reflect a diminished osteoclastogenic potential. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that AGEs modulate growth and expression of genes involved in the pathophysiological process of OA. This may lead to functional and structural impairment of the joints. PMID:19735566

Factors Influencing Enrolment: A Case Study from Birth to Twenty, the 1990 Birth Cohort in Soweto-Johannesburg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richter, Linda M.; Panday, Saadhna; Norris, Shane A.

2009-01-01

Longitudinal studies offer significant advantages in rendering data commensurate with the complexity of human development. However, incomplete enrolment and attrition over time can introduce bias. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of evaluative information on cohorts in developing countries. This paper documents various strategies adopted to…

Effects of Missing Data Methods in SEM under Conditions of Incomplete and Nonnormal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Jian; Lomax, Richard G.

2017-01-01

Using Monte Carlo simulations, this research examined the performance of four missing data methods in SEM under different multivariate distributional conditions. The effects of four independent variables (sample size, missing proportion, distribution shape, and factor loading magnitude) were investigated on six outcome variables: convergence rate,…

SOURCE SAMPLING FINE PARTICULATE MATTER--INSTITUTIONAL OIL-FIRED BOILER

EPA Science Inventory

EPA seeks to understand the correlation between ambient fine PM and adverse human health effects, and there are no reliable emission factors to use for estimating PM2.5 or NH3. The most common source of directly emitted PM2.5 is incomplete combustion of fossil or biomass fuels. M...

Adolescent immunization rates and the effect of socio-demographic factors on immunization in a cosmopolitan city (ERZURUM) in the eastern Turkey.

PubMed

Alp, Handan; Altinkaynak, Sevin; Arikan, Duygu; Ozyazicioğlu, Nurcan

2006-04-01

Pediatric vaccinations have decreased the incidence and mortality from infectious diseases in children, but adolescents continue to be adversely affected by vaccine preventable disease. The present study was performed to determine the status of adolescents immunization and to investigate the effect of several socio-demographic factors on immunization. Using the cluster-sampling method, 817 adolescents were selected in 24 high schools (15,000 students) in central district of Erzurum (Turkey). Adolescents were categorized as completely vaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, unvaccinated or vaccination status unknown. Of the 817 adolescents, 6.9% were completely vaccinated, 24.4% were incompletely vaccinated and 64.1% were unvaccinated. The vaccination status of 4.6% of adolescents was unknown. A significantly correlation was seen between the number of siblings, the level of mother and father education, the level of parent's socio-economics status, health insurance and immunization status. Our findings indicated a small percentage of adolescents receive all of the recommended vaccine. In immunization programs in Turkey, priority should be given to increase adolescent immunization rate with a middle school and/or adolescents, vaccination.

Comparison of Implicit Schemes for the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Stuart E.

1995-01-01

For a computational flow simulation tool to be useful in a design environment, it must be very robust and efficient. To develop such a tool for incompressible flow applications, a number of different implicit schemes are compared for several two-dimensional flow problems in the current study. The schemes include Point-Jacobi relaxation, Gauss-Seidel line relaxation, incomplete lower-upper decomposition, and the generalized minimum residual method preconditioned with each of the three other schemes. The efficiency of the schemes is measured in terms of the computing time required to obtain a steady-state solution for the laminar flow over a backward-facing step, the flow over a NACA 4412 airfoil, and the flow over a three-element airfoil using overset grids. The flow solver used in the study is the INS2D code that solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations using the method of artificial compressibility and upwind differencing of the convective terms. The results show that the generalized minimum residual method preconditioned with the incomplete lower-upper factorization outperforms all other methods by at least a factor of 2.

Conserved patterns of incomplete reporting in pre-vaccine era childhood diseases

PubMed Central

Gunning, Christian E.; Erhardt, Erik; Wearing, Helen J.

2014-01-01

Incomplete observation is an important yet often neglected feature of observational ecological timeseries. In particular, observational case report timeseries of childhood diseases have played an important role in the formulation of mechanistic dynamical models of populations and metapopulations. Yet to our knowledge, no comprehensive study of childhood disease reporting probabilities (commonly referred to as reporting rates) has been conducted to date. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of measles and whooping cough reporting probabilities in pre-vaccine United States cities and states, as well as measles in cities of England and Wales. Overall, we find the variability between locations and diseases greatly exceeds that between methods or time periods. We demonstrate a strong relationship within location between diseases and within disease between geographical areas. In addition, we find that demographic covariates such as ethnic composition and school attendance explain a non-trivial proportion of reporting probability variation. Overall, our findings show that disease reporting is both variable and non-random and that completeness of reporting is influenced by disease identity, geography and socioeconomic factors. We suggest that variations in incomplete observation can be accounted for and that doing so can reveal ecologically important features that are otherwise obscured. PMID:25232131

Studying hardness, workability and minimum bending radius in selectively laser-sintered Ti–6Al–4V alloy samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkina, N. V.; Nosova, Y. A.; Balyakin, A. V.

2018-03-01

This research is relevant as it tries to improve the mechanical and service performance of the Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy obtained by selective laser sintering. For that purpose, sintered samples were annealed at 750 and 850°C for an hour. Sintered and annealed samples were tested for hardness, workability and microstructure. It was found that incomplete annealing of selectively laser-sintered Ti–6Al–4V samples results in an insignificant reduction in hardness and ductility. Sintered and incompletely annealed samples had a hardness of 32..33 HRC, which is lower than the value of annealed parts specified in standards. Complete annealing at temperature 850°C reduces the hardness to 25 HRC and ductility by 15...20%. Incomplete annealing lowers the ductility factor from 0.08 to 0.06. Complete annealing lowers that value to 0.025. Complete annealing probably results in the embrittlement of sintered samples, perhaps due to their oxidation and hydrogenation in the air. Optical metallography showed lateral fractures in both sintered and annealed samples, which might be the reason why they had lower hardness and ductility.

Retention among North American HIV-infected persons in clinical care, 2000-2008.

PubMed

Rebeiro, Peter; Althoff, Keri N; Buchacz, Kate; Gill, John; Horberg, Michael; Krentz, Hartmut; Moore, Richard; Sterling, Timothy R; Brooks, John T; Gebo, Kelly A; Hogg, Robert; Klein, Marina; Martin, Jeffrey; Mugavero, Michael; Rourke, Sean; Silverberg, Michael J; Thorne, Jennifer; Gange, Stephen J

2013-03-01

Retention in care is key to improving HIV outcomes. The goal of this study was to describe 'churn' in patterns of entry, exit, and retention in HIV care in the United States and Canada. Adults contributing ≥1 CD4 count or HIV-1 RNA (HIV-lab) from 2000 to 2008 in North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design clinical cohorts were included. Incomplete retention was defined as lack of 2 HIV-laboratories (≥90 days apart) within 12 months, summarized by calendar year. Beta-binomial regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of factors associated with incomplete retention. Among 61,438 participants, 15,360 (25%) with incomplete retention significantly differed in univariate analyses (P < 0.001) from 46,078 (75%) consistently retained by age, race/ethnicity, HIV risk, CD4, antiretroviral therapy use, and country of care (United States vs. Canada). From 2000 to 2004, females (OR = 0.82, CI: 0.70 to 0.95), older individuals (OR = 0.78, CI: 0.74 to 0.83 per 10 years), and antiretroviral therapy users (OR = 0.61, CI: 0.54 to 0.68 vs. all others) were less likely to have incomplete retention, whereas black individuals (OR = 1.31, CI: 1.16 to 1.49, vs. white), those with injection drug use HIV risk (OR = 1.68, CI: 1.49 to 1.89, vs. noninjection drug use), and those in care longer (OR = 1.09, CI: 1.07 to 1.11 per year) were more likely to have incomplete retention. Results from 2005 to 2008 were similar. From 2000 to 2008, 75% of the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design population was consistently retained in care with 25% experiencing some changes in status or churn. In addition to the programmatic and policy implications, the findings of this study identify patient groups who may benefit from focused retention efforts.

Retention Among North American HIV–infected Persons in Clinical Care, 2000–2008

PubMed Central

Rebeiro, Peter; Althoff, Keri N.; Buchacz, Kate; Gill, M. John; Horberg, Michael; Krentz, Hartmut; Moore, Richard; Sterling, Timothy R.; Brooks, John T.; Gebo, Kelly A.; Hogg, Robert; Klein, Marina; Martin, Jeffrey; Mugavero, Michael; Rourke, Sean; Silverberg, Michael J.; Thorne, Jennifer; Gange, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

Background Retention in care is key to improving HIV outcomes. Our goal was to describe “churn” in patterns of entry, exit, and retention in HIV care in the US and Canada. Methods Adults contributing ≥1 CD4 count or HIV-1 RNA (HIV-lab) from 2000–2008 in North American Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD) clinical cohorts were included. Incomplete retention was defined as lack of 2 HIV-labs (≥90 days apart) within 12 months, summarized by calendar year. We used beta-binomial regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of factors associated with incomplete retention. Results Among 61,438 participants, 15,360 (25%) with incomplete retention significantly differed in univariate analyses (p<0.001) from 46,078 (75%) consistently retained by age, race/ethnicity, HIV risk, CD4, ART use, and country of care (US vs. Canada). From 2000–2004, females (OR=0.82, CI:0.70–0.95), older individuals (OR=0.78, CI:0.74–0.83 per 10 years), and ART users (OR= 0.61, CI:0.54–0.68 vs all others) were less likely to have incomplete retention, while black individuals (OR=1.31, CI:1.16–1.49, vs. white), those with injection drug use (IDU) HIV risk (OR=1.68, CI:1.49–1.89, vs. non-IDU) and those in care longer (OR=1.09, CI:1.07–1.11 per year) were more likely to have incomplete retention. Results from 2005–2008 were similar. Discussion From 2000 to 2008, 75% of the NA-ACCORD population was consistently retained in care with 25% experiencing some change in status, or churn. In addition to the programmatic and policy implications, our findings identify patient groups who may benefit from focused retention efforts. PMID:23242158

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Merchant, Thomas E., E-mail: thomas.merchant@stjude.or; Chitti, Ramana M.; Li Chenghong

Purpose: To identify risk factors associated with incomplete neurological recovery in pediatric patients with infratentorial ependymoma treated with postoperative conformal radiation therapy (CRT). Methods: The study included 68 patients (median age +- standard deviation of 2.6 +- 3.8 years) who were followed for 5 years after receiving CRT (54-59.4 Gy) and were assessed for function of cranial nerves V to VII and IX to XII, motor weakness, and dysmetria. The mean (+- standard deviation) brainstem dose was 5,487 (+-464) cGy. Patients were divided into four groups representing those with normal baseline and follow-up, those with abnormal baseline and full recovery,more » those with abnormal baseline and partial or no recovery, and those with progressive deficits at 12 (n = 62 patients), 24 (n = 57 patients), and 60 (n = 50 patients) months. Grouping was correlated with clinical and treatment factors. Results: Risk factors (overall risk [OR], p value) associated with incomplete recovery included gender (male vs. female, OR = 3.97, p = 0.036) and gross tumor volume (GTV) (OR/ml = 1.23, p = 0.005) at 12 months, the number of resections (>1 vs. 1; OR = 23.7, p = 0.003) and patient age (OR/year = 0.77, p = 0.029) at 24 months, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunting (Yes vs. No; OR = 21.9, p = 0.001) and GTV volume (OR/ml = 1.18, p = 0.008) at 60 months. An increase in GTV correlated with an increase in the number of resections (p = 0.001) and CSF shunting (p = 0.035); the number of resections correlated with CSF shunting (p < 0.0001), and male patients were more likely to undergo multiple tumor resections (p = 0.003). Age correlated with brainstem volume (p < 0.0001). There were no differences in outcome based on the absolute or relative volume of the brainstem that received more than 54 Gy. Conclusions: Incomplete recovery of brainstem function after CRT for infratentorial ependymoma is related to surgical morbidity and the volume and the extent of tumor.« less

Progressive Occlusion of Small Saccular Aneurysms Incompletely Occluded After Stent-Assisted Coil Embolization : Analysis of Related Factors and Long-Term Outcomes.

PubMed

Lim, Jeong Wook; Lee, Jeongjun; Cho, Young Dae

2017-08-08

Incompletely occluded aneurysms after coil embolization are subject to recanalization but occasionally progress to a totally occluded state. Deployed stents may actually promote thrombosis of coiled aneurysms. We evaluated outcomes of small aneurysms (<10 mm) wherein saccular filling with contrast medium was evident after stent-assisted coiling, assessing factors implicated in subsequent progressive occlusion. Between September 2012 and June 2016, a total of 463 intracranial aneurysms were treated by stent-assisted coil embolization. Of these, 132 small saccular aneurysms displayed saccular filling with contrast medium in the immediate aftermath of coiling. Progressive thrombosis was defined as complete aneurysmal occlusion at the 6‑month follow-up point. Rates of progressive occlusion and factors predisposing to this were analyzed via binary logistic regression. In 101 (76.5%) of the 132 intracranial aneurysms, complete occlusion was observed in follow-up imaging studies at 6 months. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that progressive occlusion was linked to smaller neck diameter (odds ratio [OR] = 1.533; p = 0.003), hyperlipidemia (OR = 3.329; p = 0.036) and stent type (p = 0.031). The LVIS stent is especially susceptible to progressive thrombosis, more so than Neuroform (OR = 0.098; p = 0.008) or Enterprise (OR = 0.317; p = 0.098) stents. In 57 instances of progressive thrombosis, followed for ≥12 months (mean 25.0 ± 10.7 months), 56 (98.2%) were stable, with minor recanalization noted once (1.8%) and no major recanalization. Aneurysms associated with smaller diameter necks, hyperlipidemic states and LVIS stent deployment may be inclined to possible thrombosis, if occlusion immediately after stent-assisted coil embolization is incomplete. In such instances, excellent long-term durability is anticipated.

Work Domain Analysis Methodology for Development of Operational Concepts for Advanced Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hugo, Jacques

2015-05-01

This report describes a methodology to conduct a Work Domain Analysis in preparation for the development of operational concepts for new plants. This method has been adapted from the classical method described in the literature in order to better deal with the uncertainty and incomplete information typical of first-of-a-kind designs. The report outlines the strategy for undertaking a Work Domain Analysis of a new nuclear power plant and the methods to be used in the development of the various phases of the analysis. Basic principles are described to the extent necessary to explain why and how the classical method wasmore » adapted to make it suitable as a tool for the preparation of operational concepts for a new nuclear power plant. Practical examples are provided of the systematic application of the method and the various presentation formats in the operational analysis of advanced reactors.« less

Progress in Top-Down Proteomics and the Analysis of Proteoforms

PubMed Central

Toby, Timothy K.; Fornelli, Luca; Kelleher, Neil L.

2017-01-01

From a molecular perspective, enactors of function in biology are intact proteins that can be variably modified at the genetic, transcriptional, or post-translational level. Over the past 30 years, mass spectrometry (MS) has become a powerful method for the analysis of proteomes. Prevailing bottom-up proteomics operates at the level of the peptide, leading to issues with protein inference, connectivity, and incomplete sequence/modification information. Top-down proteomics (TDP), alternatively, applies MS at the proteoform level to analyze intact proteins with diverse sources of intramolecular complexity preserved during analysis. Fortunately, advances in prefractionation workflows, MS instrumentation, and dissociation methods for whole-protein ions have helped TDP emerge as an accessible and potentially disruptive modality with increasingly translational value. In this review, we discuss technical and conceptual advances in TDP, along with the growing power of proteoform-resolved measurements in clinical and translational research. PMID:27306313

Prenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly.

PubMed

Kousa, Youssef A; du Plessis, Adré J; Vezina, Gilbert

2018-05-17

Holoprosencephaly is a spectrum of congenital defects of forebrain development characterized by incomplete separation of the cerebral hemispheres. In vivo diagnosis can be established with prenatal brain imaging and disease severity correlates with extent of abnormally developed brain tissue. Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the past 25 years and their application to the fetus have enabled diagnosis of holoprosencephaly in utero. Here, we report on the prenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly using MRI as part of a diagnostic and management evaluation at a tertiary and quaternary referral center. Using an advanced MRI protocol and a 1.5-Tesla magnet, we show radiographic data diagnostic for the holoprosencephaly spectrum, including alobar, semilobar, lobar, middle interhemispheric, and septopreoptic variant. Accurate prenatal evaluation is important because the severity of imaging findings correlates with postnatal morbidity and mortality in holoprosencephaly. Therefore, this work has implications for the evaluation, diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling that families can receive during a pregnancy. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

LONG RANGE REGULATION OF V(D)J RECOMBINATION

PubMed Central

Proudhon, Charlotte; Hao, Bingtao; Raviram, Ramya; Chaumeil, Julie; Skok, Jane A.

2015-01-01

Given their essential role in adaptive immunity, antigen receptor loci have been the focus of analysis for many years and are among a handful of the most well studied genes in the genome. Their investigation led initially to a detailed knowledge of linear structure and characterization of regulatory elements that confer control of their rearrangement and expression. However, advances in DNA FISH and imaging combined with new molecular approaches that interrogate chromosome conformation have led to a growing appreciation that linear structure is only one aspect of gene regulation and in more recent years the focus has switched to analyzing the impact of locus conformation and nuclear organization on control of recombination. Despite decades of work and intense effort from numerous labs we are still left with an incomplete picture of how antigen receptor loci are regulated. This chapter summarizes our advances to date and points to areas that need further investigation. PMID:26477367

Zooming In on Plant Hormone Analysis: Tissue- and Cell-Specific Approaches.

PubMed

Novák, Ondřej; Napier, Richard; Ljung, Karin

2017-04-28

Plant hormones are a group of naturally occurring, low-abundance organic compounds that influence physiological processes in plants. Our knowledge of the distribution profiles of phytohormones in plant organs, tissues, and cells is still incomplete, but advances in mass spectrometry have enabled significant progress in tissue- and cell-type-specific analyses of phytohormones over the last decade. Mass spectrometry is able to simultaneously identify and quantify hormones and their related substances. Biosensors, on the other hand, offer continuous monitoring; can visualize local distributions and real-time quantification; and, in the case of genetically encoded biosensors, are noninvasive. Thus, biosensors offer additional, complementary technologies for determining temporal and spatial changes in phytohormone concentrations. In this review, we focus on recent advances in mass spectrometry-based quantification, describe monitoring systems based on biosensors, and discuss validations of the various methods before looking ahead at future developments for both approaches.

Vaccine coverage and determinants of incomplete vaccination in children aged 12-23 months in Dschang, West Region, Cameroon: a cross-sectional survey during a polio outbreak.

PubMed

Russo, Gianluca; Miglietta, Alessandro; Pezzotti, Patrizio; Biguioh, Rodrigue Mabvouna; Bouting Mayaka, Georges; Sobze, Martin Sanou; Stefanelli, Paola; Vullo, Vincenzo; Rezza, Giovanni

2015-07-10

Inadequate immunization coverage with increased risk of vaccine preventable diseases outbreaks remains a problem in Africa. Moreover, different factors contribute to incomplete vaccination status. This study was performed in Dschang (West Region, Cameroon), during the polio outbreak occurred in October 2013, in order to estimate the immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months, to identify determinants for incomplete vaccination status and to assess the risk of poliovirus spread in the study population. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in November-December 2013, using the WHO two-stage sampling design. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from consenting parents of children aged 12-23 months. Vaccination coverage was assessed by vaccination card and parents' recall. Chi-square test and multilevel logistic regression model were used to identify the determinants of incomplete immunization status. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Overall, 3248 households were visited and 502 children were enrolled. Complete immunization coverage was 85.9% and 84.5%, according to card plus parents' recall and card only, respectively. All children had received at least one routine vaccination, the OPV-3 (Oral Polio Vaccine) coverage was >90%, and 73.4% children completed the recommended vaccinations before 1-year of age. In the final multilevel logistic regression model, factors significantly associated with incomplete immunization status were: retention of immunization card (AOR: 7.89; 95% CI: 1.08-57.37), lower mothers' utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services (AOR:1.25; 95% CI: 1.07-63.75), being the ≥ 3(rd) born child in the family (AOR: 425.4; 95% CI: 9.6-18,808), younger mothers' age (AOR: 49.55; 95% CI: 1.59-1544), parents' negative attitude towards immunization (AOR: 20.2; 95% CI: 1.46-278.9), and poorer parents' exposure to information on vaccination (AOR: 28.07; 95 % CI: 2.26-348.1). Longer distance from the vaccination centers was marginally significant (p = 0.05). Vaccination coverage was high; however, 1 out of 7 children was partially vaccinated, and 1 out of 4 did not complete timely the recommended vaccinations. In order to improve the immunization coverage, it is necessary to strengthen ANC services, and to improve parents' information and attitude towards immunization, targeting younger parents and families living far away from vaccination centers, using appropriate communication strategies. Finally, the estimated OPV-3 coverage is reassuring in relation to the ongoing polio outbreak.

General relaxation schemes in multigrid algorithms for higher order singularity methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oskam, B.; Fray, J. M. J.

1981-01-01

Relaxation schemes based on approximate and incomplete factorization technique (AF) are described. The AF schemes allow construction of a fast multigrid method for solving integral equations of the second and first kind. The smoothing factors for integral equations of the first kind, and comparison with similar results from the second kind of equations are a novel item. Application of the MD algorithm shows convergence to the level of truncation error of a second order accurate panel method.

Autosomal dominant juvenile recurrent parotitis.

PubMed Central

Reid, E; Douglas, F; Crow, Y; Hollman, A; Gibson, J

1998-01-01

Juvenile recurrent parotitis is a common cause of inflammatory salivary gland swelling in children. A variety of aetiological factors has been proposed for the condition. Here we present a family where four members had juvenile recurrent parotitis and where two other family members may have had an atypical form of the condition. The segregation pattern in the family is consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance and this suggests that, at least in some cases, genetic factors may be implicated in juvenile recurrent parotitis. PMID:9610807

Some Families of the Incomplete H-Functions and the Incomplete \\overline H -Functions and Associated Integral Transforms and Operators of Fractional Calculus with Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, H. M.; Saxena, R. K.; Parmar, R. K.

2018-01-01

Our present investigation is inspired by the recent interesting extensions (by Srivastava et al. [35]) of a pair of the Mellin-Barnes type contour integral representations of their incomplete generalized hypergeometric functions p γ q and p Γ q by means of the incomplete gamma functions γ( s, x) and Γ( s, x). Here, in this sequel, we introduce a family of the relatively more general incomplete H-functions γ p,q m,n ( z) and Γ p,q m,n ( z) as well as their such special cases as the incomplete Fox-Wright generalized hypergeometric functions p Ψ q (γ) [ z] and p Ψ q (Γ) [ z]. The main object of this paper is to study and investigate several interesting properties of these incomplete H-functions, including (for example) decomposition and reduction formulas, derivative formulas, various integral transforms, computational representations, and so on. We apply some substantially general Riemann-Liouville and Weyl type fractional integral operators to each of these incomplete H-functions. We indicate the easilyderivable extensions of the results presented here that hold for the corresponding incomplete \\overline H -functions as well. Potential applications of many of these incomplete special functions involving (for example) probability theory are also indicated.

Influence of tumor cell proliferation and sex-hormone receptors on effectiveness of radiation therapy for dogs with incompletely resected meningiomas.

PubMed

Théon, A P; Lecouteur, R A; Carr, E A; Griffey, S M

2000-03-01

To assess the influence of tumor cell proliferation and sex-hormone receptors on the efficacy of megavoltage irradiation for dogs with incompletely resected meningiomas. Longitudinal clinical trial. 20 dogs with incompletely resected intracranial meningiomas. Dogs were treated with 48 Gy of radiation administered 3 times per week on an alternate-day schedule of 4 Gy/fraction for 4 weeks, using bilateral parallel-opposed fields. Tumor proliferative fraction measured by immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PFPCNA index) ranged from 10 to 42% (median, 24%). Progesterone receptor immunoreactivity was detected in 70% of tumors. Estrogen receptor immunoreactivity was not detected. An inverse correlation was found between detection of progesterone receptors and the PFPCNA index. The overall 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 68%. The only prognostic factor that significantly affected PFS rate was the PFPCNA index. The 2-year PFS was 42% for tumors with a high PFPCNA index (value > or = 24%) and 91% for tumors with a low PFPCNA index (value < 24%). Tumors with a high PFPCNA index were 9.1 times as likely to recur as were tumors with a low PFPCNA index. This study confirms the value of irradiation for dogs with incompletely resected meningiomas. Prognostic value of the PFPCNA index suggests-that duration of treatment and interval from surgery to start of irradiation may affect outcome. Loss of progesterone receptors in some tumors may be responsible for an increase in PFPCNA index and may indirectly affect prognosis after radiation therapy.

Failsafe modes in incomplete minority game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Xiaobo; Wan, Shaolong; Chen, Wen

2009-09-01

We make a failsafe extension to the incomplete minority game model, give a brief analysis on how incompleteness will effect system efficiency. Simulations that limited incompleteness in strategies can improve the system efficiency. Among three failsafe modes, the “Back-to-Best” mode brings most significant improvement and keeps the system efficiency in a long range of incompleteness. A simple analytic formula has a trend which matches simulation results. The IMMG model is used to study the effect of distribution, and we find that there is one junction point in each series of curves, at which system efficiency is not influenced by the distribution of incompleteness. When pIbar > the concentration of incompleteness weakens the effect. On the other side of , concentration will be helpful. When pI is close to zero agents using incomplete strategies have on average better profits than those using standard strategies, and the “Back-to-Best” agents have a wider range of pI to win.

Identification of SLC20A1 and SLC15A4 among other genes as potential risk factors for combined pituitary hormone deficiency.

PubMed

Simm, Franziska; Griesbeck, Anne; Choukair, Daniela; Weiß, Birgit; Paramasivam, Nagarajan; Klammt, Jürgen; Schlesner, Matthias; Wiemann, Stefan; Martinez, Cristina; Hoffmann, Georg F; Pfäffle, Roland W; Bettendorf, Markus; Rappold, Gudrun A

2017-10-26

PurposeCombined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is characterized by a malformed or underdeveloped pituitary gland resulting in an impaired pituitary hormone secretion. Several transcription factors have been described in its etiology, but defects in known genes account for only a small proportion of cases.MethodsTo identify novel genetic causes for congenital hypopituitarism, we performed exome-sequencing studies on 10 patients with CPHD and their unaffected parents. Two candidate genes were sequenced in further 200 patients. Genotype data of known hypopituitary genes are reviewed.ResultsWe discovered 51 likely damaging variants in 38 genes; 12 of the 51 variants represent de novo events (24%); 11 of the 38 genes (29%) were present in the E12.5/E14.5 pituitary transcriptome. Targeted sequencing of two candidate genes, SLC20A1 and SLC15A4, of the solute carrier membrane transport protein family in 200 additional patients demonstrated two further variants predicted as damaging. We also found combinations of de novo (SLC20A1/SLC15A4) and transmitted variants (GLI2/LHX3) in the same individuals, leading to the full-blown CPHD phenotype.ConclusionThese data expand the pituitary target genes repertoire for diagnostics and further functional studies. Exome sequencing has identified a combination of rare variants in different genes that might explain incomplete penetrance in CPHD.Genetics in Medicine advance online publication, 26 October 2017; doi:10.1038/gim.2017.165.

Epidemic Forecasting is Messier Than Weather Forecasting: The Role of Human Behavior and Internet Data Streams in Epidemic Forecast.

PubMed

Moran, Kelly R; Fairchild, Geoffrey; Generous, Nicholas; Hickmann, Kyle; Osthus, Dave; Priedhorsky, Reid; Hyman, James; Del Valle, Sara Y

2016-12-01

Mathematical models, such as those that forecast the spread of epidemics or predict the weather, must overcome the challenges of integrating incomplete and inaccurate data in computer simulations, estimating the probability of multiple possible scenarios, incorporating changes in human behavior and/or the pathogen, and environmental factors. In the past 3 decades, the weather forecasting community has made significant advances in data collection, assimilating heterogeneous data steams into models and communicating the uncertainty of their predictions to the general public. Epidemic modelers are struggling with these same issues in forecasting the spread of emerging diseases, such as Zika virus infection and Ebola virus disease. While weather models rely on physical systems, data from satellites, and weather stations, epidemic models rely on human interactions, multiple data sources such as clinical surveillance and Internet data, and environmental or biological factors that can change the pathogen dynamics. We describe some of similarities and differences between these 2 fields and how the epidemic modeling community is rising to the challenges posed by forecasting to help anticipate and guide the mitigation of epidemics. We conclude that some of the fundamental differences between these 2 fields, such as human behavior, make disease forecasting more challenging than weather forecasting. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Integrating Participatory Design and Health Literacy to Improve Research and Interventions.

PubMed

Neuhauser, Linda

2017-01-01

Health communication is an essential health promotion strategy to convert scientific findings into actionable, empowering information for the public. Health communication interventions have shown positive outcomes, but many efforts have been disappointing. A key weakness is that expert-designed health communication is often overly generic and not adequately aligned with the abilities, preferences and life situations of specific audiences. The emergence of the field of health literacy is providing powerful theoretical guidance and practice strategies. Health literacy, in concert with other determinants of health, has greatly advanced understanding of factors that facilitate or hinder health promotion at individual, organizational and community settings. However, health literacy models are incomplete and interventions have shown only modest success to date. A challenge is to move beyond the current focus on individual comprehension and address deeper factors of motivation, self-efficacy and empowerment, as well as socio-environmental influences, and their impact to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. Integrating participatory design theory and methods drawn from social sciences and design sciences can significantly improve health literacy models and interventions. Likewise, researchers and practitioners using participatory design can greatly benefit from incorporating health literacy principles into their efforts. Such interventions at multiple levels are showing positive health outcomes and reduction of health disparities, but this approach is complex and not yet widespread. This chapter focuses on research findings about health literacy and participatory design to improve health promotion, and practical guidance and case examples for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

Factors Associated with Incomplete Reporting of HIV and AIDS by Uganda's Surveillance System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akankunda, Denis B.

2014-01-01

Background: Over the last 20 years, Uganda has piloted and implemented various management information systems (MIS) for better surveillance of HIV/AIDS. With support from the United States Government, Uganda introduced the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) in 2012. However, districts have yet to fully adapt to this system given a…

Regional data to support biodiversity assessments: terrestrial vertebrate and butterfly data from the Southwest

Treesearch

Darren J. Bender; Curtis H. Flather; Kenneth R. Wilson; Gordon C. Reese

2005-01-01

Spatially explicit data on the location of species across broad geographic areas greatly facilitate effective conservation planning on lands managed for multiple uses. The importance of these data notwithstanding, our knowledge about the geography of biodiversity is remarkably incomplete. An important factor contributing to our ignorance is that much of the...

A Cell Size Theory of Aging.

PubMed

Patra, Krushna C; Bardeesy, Nabeel

2018-06-18

The factors determining longevity of different animals are incompletely defined. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Anzi et al. (2018) show that distinct strategies for postnatal pancreatic growth operate in different mammals and correlate with lifespan, with short-lived species exhibiting increasing pancreatic cell size and long-lived animals increasing cell number. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Cross-Site Comparison of Factors Influencing Soil Nitrification Rates in Northeastern USA Forested Watersheds

Treesearch

Donald S. Ross; Beverley C. Wemple; Austin E. Jamison; Guinevere Fredriksen; James B. Shanley; Gregory B. Lawrence; Scott W. Bailey; John L. Campbell

2009-01-01

Elevated N deposition is continuing on many forested landscapes around the world and our understanding of ecosystem response is incomplete. Soil processes, especially nitrification, are critical. Many studies of soil N transformations have focused on identifying relationships within a single watershed but these results are often not transferable. We studied 10 small...

Maturational and Non-Maturational Factors in Heritage Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Ji Hye

2012-01-01

This dissertation aims to understand the maturational and non-maturational aspects of early bilingualism and language attrition in heritage speakers who have acquired their L1 incompletely in childhood. The study highlights the influential role of age and input dynamics in early L1 development, where the timing of reduction in L1 input and the…

Efficient network disintegration under incomplete information: the comic effect of link prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Suo-Yi; Wu, Jun; Lü, Linyuan; Li, Meng-Jun; Lu, Xin

2016-03-01

The study of network disintegration has attracted much attention due to its wide applications, including suppressing the epidemic spreading, destabilizing terrorist network, preventing financial contagion, controlling the rumor diffusion and perturbing cancer networks. The crux of this matter is to find the critical nodes whose removal will lead to network collapse. This paper studies the disintegration of networks with incomplete link information. An effective method is proposed to find the critical nodes by the assistance of link prediction techniques. Extensive experiments in both synthetic and real networks suggest that, by using link prediction method to recover partial missing links in advance, the method can largely improve the network disintegration performance. Besides, to our surprise, we find that when the size of missing information is relatively small, our method even outperforms than the results based on complete information. We refer to this phenomenon as the “comic effect” of link prediction, which means that the network is reshaped through the addition of some links that identified by link prediction algorithms, and the reshaped network is like an exaggerated but characteristic comic of the original one, where the important parts are emphasized.

Familial central precocious puberty suggests autosomal dominant inheritance.

PubMed

de Vries, Liat; Kauschansky, Arieh; Shohat, Mordechai; Phillip, Moshe

2004-04-01

The prevalence of precocious puberty is higher in certain ethnic groups, and some cases may be familial. The aim of this study was to investigate the mode of inheritance of familial precocious puberty and to identify characteristics that distinguish familial from isolated precocious puberty. Of the 453 children referred to our center for suspected precocious puberty between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2000, 156 (147 girls and 9 boys) were found to have idiopathic central precocious puberty, which was familial in 43 (42 girls and 1 boy) (27.5%). Data of the familial and sporadic cases were compared. The familial group was characterized by a significantly lower maternal age at menarche than the sporadic group (mean, 11.47 +/- 1.96 vs. 12.66 +/- 1.18 yr; P = 0.0001) and more advanced puberty at admission (Tanner stage 2, 56.5% vs. 78.1%; P = 0.006). Segregation analysis was used to study the mode of inheritance. The segregation ratio for precocious puberty was 0.38 (0.45 after exclusion of young siblings) assuming incomplete penetrance and 0.58 (0.65 after exclusion of young siblings) assuming complete ascertainment. These results suggest autosomal dominant transmission with incomplete, sex-dependent penetrance.

Advancing reference emission levels in subnational and national REDD+ initiatives: a CLASlite approach

PubMed Central

Asner, Gregory P; Joseph, Shijo

2015-01-01

Conservation and monitoring of tropical forests requires accurate information on their extent and change dynamics. Cloud cover, sensor errors and technical barriers associated with satellite remote sensing data continue to prevent many national and sub-national REDD+ initiatives from developing their reference deforestation and forest degradation emission levels. Here we present a framework for large-scale historical forest cover change analysis using free multispectral satellite imagery in an extremely cloudy tropical forest region. The CLASlite approach provided highly automated mapping of tropical forest cover, deforestation and degradation from Landsat satellite imagery. Critically, the fractional cover of forest photosynthetic vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, and bare substrates calculated by CLASlite provided scene-invariant quantities for forest cover, allowing for systematic mosaicking of incomplete satellite data coverage. A synthesized satellite-based data set of forest cover was thereby created, reducing image incompleteness caused by clouds, shadows or sensor errors. This approach can readily be implemented by single operators with highly constrained budgets. We test this framework on tropical forests of the Colombian Pacific Coast (Chocó) – one of the cloudiest regions on Earth, with successful comparison to the Colombian government’s deforestation map and a global deforestation map. PMID:25678933

SSPACE-LongRead: scaffolding bacterial draft genomes using long read sequence information

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The recent introduction of the Pacific Biosciences RS single molecule sequencing technology has opened new doors to scaffolding genome assemblies in a cost-effective manner. The long read sequence information is promised to enhance the quality of incomplete and inaccurate draft assemblies constructed from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. Results Here we propose a novel hybrid assembly methodology that aims to scaffold pre-assembled contigs in an iterative manner using PacBio RS long read information as a backbone. On a test set comprising six bacterial draft genomes, assembled using either a single Illumina MiSeq or Roche 454 library, we show that even a 50× coverage of uncorrected PacBio RS long reads is sufficient to drastically reduce the number of contigs. Comparisons to the AHA scaffolder indicate our strategy is better capable of producing (nearly) complete bacterial genomes. Conclusions The current work describes our SSPACE-LongRead software which is designed to upgrade incomplete draft genomes using single molecule sequences. We conclude that the recent advances of the PacBio sequencing technology and chemistry, in combination with the limited computational resources required to run our program, allow to scaffold genomes in a fast and reliable manner. PMID:24950923

Efficient network disintegration under incomplete information: the comic effect of link prediction.

PubMed

Tan, Suo-Yi; Wu, Jun; Lü, Linyuan; Li, Meng-Jun; Lu, Xin

2016-03-10

The study of network disintegration has attracted much attention due to its wide applications, including suppressing the epidemic spreading, destabilizing terrorist network, preventing financial contagion, controlling the rumor diffusion and perturbing cancer networks. The crux of this matter is to find the critical nodes whose removal will lead to network collapse. This paper studies the disintegration of networks with incomplete link information. An effective method is proposed to find the critical nodes by the assistance of link prediction techniques. Extensive experiments in both synthetic and real networks suggest that, by using link prediction method to recover partial missing links in advance, the method can largely improve the network disintegration performance. Besides, to our surprise, we find that when the size of missing information is relatively small, our method even outperforms than the results based on complete information. We refer to this phenomenon as the "comic effect" of link prediction, which means that the network is reshaped through the addition of some links that identified by link prediction algorithms, and the reshaped network is like an exaggerated but characteristic comic of the original one, where the important parts are emphasized.

Efficient network disintegration under incomplete information: the comic effect of link prediction

PubMed Central

Tan, Suo-Yi; Wu, Jun; Lü, Linyuan; Li, Meng-Jun; Lu, Xin

2016-01-01

The study of network disintegration has attracted much attention due to its wide applications, including suppressing the epidemic spreading, destabilizing terrorist network, preventing financial contagion, controlling the rumor diffusion and perturbing cancer networks. The crux of this matter is to find the critical nodes whose removal will lead to network collapse. This paper studies the disintegration of networks with incomplete link information. An effective method is proposed to find the critical nodes by the assistance of link prediction techniques. Extensive experiments in both synthetic and real networks suggest that, by using link prediction method to recover partial missing links in advance, the method can largely improve the network disintegration performance. Besides, to our surprise, we find that when the size of missing information is relatively small, our method even outperforms than the results based on complete information. We refer to this phenomenon as the “comic effect” of link prediction, which means that the network is reshaped through the addition of some links that identified by link prediction algorithms, and the reshaped network is like an exaggerated but characteristic comic of the original one, where the important parts are emphasized. PMID:26960247

Bias-Corrected Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing for Rapid, Multiplexed Detection of Actionable Alterations in Cell-Free DNA from Advanced Lung Cancer Patients.

PubMed

Paweletz, Cloud P; Sacher, Adrian G; Raymond, Chris K; Alden, Ryan S; O'Connell, Allison; Mach, Stacy L; Kuang, Yanan; Gandhi, Leena; Kirschmeier, Paul; English, Jessie M; Lim, Lee P; Jänne, Pasi A; Oxnard, Geoffrey R

2016-02-15

Tumor genotyping is a powerful tool for guiding non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) care; however, comprehensive tumor genotyping can be logistically cumbersome. To facilitate genotyping, we developed a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay using a desktop sequencer to detect actionable mutations and rearrangements in cell-free plasma DNA (cfDNA). An NGS panel was developed targeting 11 driver oncogenes found in NSCLC. Targeted NGS was performed using a novel methodology that maximizes on-target reads, and minimizes artifact, and was validated on DNA dilutions derived from cell lines. Plasma NGS was then blindly performed on 48 patients with advanced, progressive NSCLC and a known tumor genotype, and explored in two patients with incomplete tumor genotyping. NGS could identify mutations present in DNA dilutions at ≥ 0.4% allelic frequency with 100% sensitivity/specificity. Plasma NGS detected a broad range of driver and resistance mutations, including ALK, ROS1, and RET rearrangements, HER2 insertions, and MET amplification, with 100% specificity. Sensitivity was 77% across 62 known driver and resistance mutations from the 48 cases; in 29 cases with common EGFR and KRAS mutations, sensitivity was similar to droplet digital PCR. In two cases with incomplete tumor genotyping, plasma NGS rapidly identified a novel EGFR exon 19 deletion and a missed case of MET amplification. Blinded to tumor genotype, this plasma NGS approach detected a broad range of targetable genomic alterations in NSCLC with no false positives including complex mutations like rearrangements and unexpected resistance mutations such as EGFR C797S. Through use of widely available vacutainers and a desktop sequencing platform, this assay has the potential to be implemented broadly for patient care and translational research. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

Bias-corrected targeted next-generation sequencing for rapid, multiplexed detection of actionable alterations in cell-free DNA from advanced lung cancer patients

PubMed Central

Paweletz, Cloud P.; Sacher, Adrian G.; Raymond, Chris K.; Alden, Ryan S.; O'Connell, Allison; Mach, Stacy L.; Kuang, Yanan; Gandhi, Leena; Kirschmeier, Paul; English, Jessie M.; Lim, Lee P.; Jänne, Pasi A.; Oxnard, Geoffrey R.

2015-01-01

Purpose Tumor genotyping is a powerful tool for guiding non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) care, however comprehensive tumor genotyping can be logistically cumbersome. To facilitate genotyping, we developed a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay using a desktop sequencer to detect actionable mutations and rearrangements in cell-free plasma DNA (cfDNA). Experimental Design An NGS panel was developed targeting 11 driver oncogenes found in NSCLC. Targeted NGS was performed using a novel methodology that maximizes on-target reads, and minimizes artifact, and was validated on DNA dilutions derived from cell lines. Plasma NGS was then blindly performed on 48 patients with advanced, progressive NSCLC and a known tumor genotype, and explored in two patients with incomplete tumor genotyping. Results NGS could identify mutations present in DNA dilutions at ≥0.4% allelic frequency with 100% sensitivity/specificity. Plasma NGS detected a broad range of driver and resistance mutations, including ALK, ROS1, and RET rearrangements, HER2 insertions, and MET amplification, with 100% specificity. Sensitivity was 77% across 62 known driver and resistance mutations from the 48 cases; in 29 cases with common EGFR and KRAS mutations, sensitivity was similar to droplet digital PCR. In two cases with incomplete tumor genotyping, plasma NGS rapidly identified a novel EGFR exon 19 deletion and a missed case of MET amplification. Conclusion Blinded to tumor genotype, this plasma NGS approach detected a broad range of targetable genomic alterations in NSCLC with no false positives including complex mutations like rearrangements and unexpected resistance mutations such as EGFR C797S. Through use of widely available vacutainers and a desktop sequencing platform, this assay has the potential to be implemented broadly for patient care and translational research. PMID:26459174

Human genetics and molecular mechanisms of vein of Galen malformation.

PubMed

Duran, Daniel; Karschnia, Philipp; Gaillard, Jonathan R; Karimy, Jason K; Youngblood, Mark W; DiLuna, Michael L; Matouk, Charles C; Aagaard-Kienitz, Beverly; Smith, Edward R; Orbach, Darren B; Rodesch, Georges; Berenstein, Alejandro; Gunel, Murat; Kahle, Kristopher T

2018-04-01

Vein of Galen malformations (VOGMs) are rare developmental cerebrovascular lesions characterized by fistulas between the choroidal circulation and the median prosencephalic vein. Although the treatment of VOGMs has greatly benefited from advances in endovascular therapy, including technical innovation in interventional neuroradiology, many patients are recalcitrant to procedural intervention or lack accessibility to specialized care centers, highlighting the need for improved screening, diagnostics, and therapeutics. A fundamental obstacle to identifying novel targets is the limited understanding of VOGM molecular pathophysiology, including its human genetics, and the lack of an adequate VOGM animal model. Herein, the known human mutations associated with VOGMs are reviewed to provide a framework for future gene discovery. Gene mutations have been identified in 2 Mendelian syndromes of which VOGM is an infrequent but associated phenotype: capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome ( RASA1) and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia ( ENG and ACVRL1). However, these mutations probably represent only a small fraction of all VOGM cases. Traditional genetic approaches have been limited in their ability to identify additional causative genes for VOGM because kindreds are rare, limited in patient number, and/or seem to have sporadic inheritance patterns, attributable in part to incomplete penetrance and phenotypic variability. The authors hypothesize that the apparent sporadic occurrence of VOGM may frequently be attributable to de novo mutation or incomplete penetrance of rare transmitted variants. Collaboration among treating physicians, patients' families, and investigators using next-generation sequencing could lead to the discovery of novel genes for VOGM. This could improve the understanding of normal vascular biology, elucidate the pathogenesis of VOGM and possibly other more common arteriovenous malformation subtypes, and pave the way for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with VOGM.

DO THE RADIOLOGICAL CRITERIA WITH THE USE OF RISK FACTORS IMPACT THE FORECASTING OF ABDOMINAL NEUROBLASTIC TUMOR RESECTION IN CHILDREN?

PubMed Central

PENAZZI, Ana Cláudia Soares; TOSTES, Vivian Siqueira; DUARTE, Alexandre Alberto Barros; LEDERMAN, Henrique Manoel; CARAN, Eliana Maria Monteiro; ABIB, Simone de Campos Vieira

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The treatment of neuroblastoma is dependent on exquisite staging; is performed postoperatively and is dependent on the surgeon’s expertise. The use of risk factors through imaging on diagnosis appears as predictive of resectability, complications and homogeneity in staging. Aim: To evaluate the traditional resectability criteria with the risk factors for resectability, through the radiological images, in two moments: on diagnosis and in pre-surgical phase. Were analyzed the resectability, surgical complications and relapse rate. Methods: Retrospective study of 27 children with abdominal and pelvic neuroblastoma stage 3 and 4, with tomography and/or resonance on the diagnosis and pre-surgical, identifying the presence of risk factors. Results: The mean age of the children was 2.5 years at diagnosis, where 55.6% were older than 18 months, 51.9% were girls and 66.7% were in stage 4. There was concordance on resectability of the tumor by both methods (INSS and IDRFs) at both moments of the evaluation, at diagnosis (p=0.007) and post-chemotherapy (p=0.019); In this way, all resectable patients by IDRFs in the post-chemotherapy had complete resection, and the unresectable ones, 87.5% incomplete. There was remission in 77.8%, 18.5% relapsed and 33.3% died. Conclusions: Resectability was similar in both methods at both pre-surgical and preoperative chemotherapy; preoperative chemotherapy increased resectability and decreased number of risk factors, where the presence of at least one IDRF was associated with incomplete resections and surgical complications; relapses were irrelevant. PMID:29257841

49 CFR 568.4 - Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... manufacturing operation on the incomplete vehicle. (3) Identification of the incomplete vehicle(s) to which the document applies. The identification shall be by vehicle identification number (VIN) or groups of VINs to... 49 Transportation 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers...

49 CFR 568.4 - Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... manufacturing operation on the incomplete vehicle. (3) Identification of the incomplete vehicle(s) to which the document applies. The identification shall be by vehicle identification number (VIN) or groups of VINs to... 49 Transportation 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers...

49 CFR 568.4 - Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... manufacturing operation on the incomplete vehicle. (3) Identification of the incomplete vehicle(s) to which the document applies. The identification shall be by vehicle identification number (VIN) or groups of VINs to... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers...

49 CFR 529.4 - Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete automobile... AUTOMOBILES § 529.4 Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, §§ 529.5 and 529.6, each incomplete automobile manufacturer is considered, with...

49 CFR 529.4 - Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete automobile... AUTOMOBILES § 529.4 Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, §§ 529.5 and 529.6, each incomplete automobile manufacturer is considered, with...

49 CFR 529.4 - Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete automobile... AUTOMOBILES § 529.4 Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, §§ 529.5 and 529.6, each incomplete automobile manufacturer is considered, with...

49 CFR 529.4 - Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete automobile... AUTOMOBILES § 529.4 Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, §§ 529.5 and 529.6, each incomplete automobile manufacturer is considered, with...

49 CFR 529.4 - Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete automobile... AUTOMOBILES § 529.4 Requirements for incomplete automobile manufacturers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, §§ 529.5 and 529.6, each incomplete automobile manufacturer is considered, with...

Specialist Endoscopists Are Associated with a Decreased Risk of Incomplete Polyp Resection During Endoscopic Mucosal Resection in the Colon.

PubMed

Tavakkoli, Anna; Law, Ryan J; Bedi, Aarti O; Prabhu, Anoop; Hiatt, Tadd; Anderson, Michelle A; Wamsteker, Erik J; Elmunzer, B Joseph; Piraka, Cyrus R; Scheiman, James M; Elta, Grace H; Kwon, Richard S

2017-09-01

Endoscopic experience is known to correlate with outcomes of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), particularly complete resection of the polyp tissue. Whether specialist endoscopists can protect against incomplete polypectomy in the setting of known risk factors for incomplete resection (IR) is unknown. We aimed to characterize how specialist endoscopists may help to mitigate the risk of IR of large sessile polyps. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent EMR at the University of Michigan from January 1, 2006, to November 15, 2015. The primary outcome was endoscopist-reported polyp tissue remaining at the end of the initial EMR attempt. Specialist endoscopists were defined as endoscopists who receive tertiary referrals for difficult colonoscopy cases and completed at least 20 EMR colonic polyp resections over the study period. A total of 257 patients with 269 polyps were included in the study. IR occurred in 40 (16%) cases. IR was associated with polyp size ≥ 40 mm [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38-7.93], flat/laterally spreading polyps (aOR 2.61, 95% CI 1.24-5.48), and difficulty lifting the polyp (aOR 11.0, 95% CI 2.66-45.3). A specialist endoscopist performing the initial EMR was protective against IR, even in the setting of risk factors for IR (aOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04-0.41). IR is associated with polyp size ≥ 40 mm, flat and/or laterally spreading polyps, and difficulty lifting the polyp. A specialist endoscopist initiating the EMR was protective of IR.

High ambient temperature and risk of intestinal obstruction in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Ooi, Chee Y; Jeyaruban, Christina; Lau, Jasmine; Katz, Tamarah; Matson, Angela; Bell, Scott C; Adams, Susan E; Krishnan, Usha

2016-04-01

Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome (DIOS) and constipation in cystic fibrosis (CF) are conditions associated with impaction and/or obstruction by abnormally viscid mucofaecal material within the intestinal lumen. Dehydration has been proposed as a risk factor for DIOS and constipation in CF. The study primarily aimed to determine whether warmer ambient temperature and lower rainfall are risk factors for DIOS and constipation in CF. Hospitalisations for DIOS (incomplete or complete) and/or constipation were retrospectively identified (2000-2012). Genotype, phenotype, temperatures and rainfall data (for the week preceding and season of hospitalisation) were collected. Twenty-seven DIOS (59.3% incomplete; 40.7% complete) and 44 constipation admissions were identified. All admitted patients were pancreatic insufficient. Meconium ileus was significantly more likely in DIOS than constipation (64.7% vs. 33.3%; P = 0.038) and in complete than incomplete DIOS (100% vs. 57.1%; P = 0.04). The maximum temperature of the week before DIOS admission (mean (standard deviation) = 28.0 (5.8) °C) was significantly higher than the maximum temperature of the season of admission (25.2 (3.4) °C; P = 0.002). Similarly, the maximum temperature of the week before hospitalisation for constipation (mean (standard deviation) = 27.9 (6.3) °C) was significantly warmer compared with the season of admission (24.0 (4.1) °C; P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between levels of rainfall during the week before hospitalisation and the season of admission for both DIOS and constipation. Relatively high ambient temperature may play a role in the pathogenesis of DIOS and constipation in CF. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Risk Analyses of Pressure Ulcer in Tetraplegic Spinal Cord-Injured Persons: A French Long-Term Survey.

PubMed

Le Fort, Marc; Espagnacq, Maude; Perrouin-Verbe, Brigitte; Ravaud, Jean-François

2017-09-01

To identify the long-term clinical, individual, and social risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers (PUs) in traumatic spinal cord-injured persons with tetraplegia (TSCIt). Cohort survey with self-applied questionnaires in 1995 and 2006. Thirty-five French-speaking European physical medicine and rehabilitation centers participating in the Tetrafigap surveys. Tetraplegic adults (N=1641) were surveyed after an initial posttraumatic period of at least 2 years. Eleven years later, a follow-up was done for 1327 TSCIt, among whom 221 had died and 547 could be surveyed again. Not applicable. The proportion of PUs documented at the various defined time points, relative to the medical and social situations of the TSCIt, by using univariate analyses followed by logistic regression. Of the participants, 73.4% presented with a PU during at least 1 period after their injury. Four factors had an effect on the occurrence of PUs in the long-term. Protective features for this population were incomplete motor impairment (odds ratio, 0.5) and the ability to walk (odds ratio, 0.2), whereas a strong predictive factor was the development of a PU during the initial posttrauma phase (odds ratio, 2.7). Finally, a significant situational factor was the lack of a social network (odds ratio, 3.1). We believe that the highlighting of a motor incomplete feature of SCI (protective against the development of a PU) and of a medical risk factor, an early PU (which served as a definitive marker of the trajectory of TSCIt), together with a social situational factor, indicates the crucial role of initial management and long-term follow-up. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation Alters Corticospinal Output in Patients with Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

PubMed Central

Fassett, Hunter J.; Turco, Claudia V.; El-Sayes, Jenin; Lulic, Tea; Baker, Steve; Richardson, Brian; Nelson, Aimee J.

2017-01-01

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is intended primarily to alter corticospinal excitability, creating an attractive opportunity to alter neural output following incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). This study is the first to assess the effects of iTBS in SCI. Eight individuals with chronic incomplete SCI were studied. Sham or real iTBS was delivered (to each participant) over primary motor and somatosensory cortices in separate sessions. Motor-evoked potential (MEP) recruitment curves were obtained from the flexor carpi radialis muscle before and after iTBS. Results indicate similar responses for iTBS to both motor and somatosensory cortex and reduced MEPs in 56.25% and increased MEPs in 25% of instances. Sham stimulation exceeded real iTBS effects in the remaining 18.25%. It is our opinion that observing short-term neuroplasticity in corticospinal output in chronic SCI is an important advance and should be tested in future studies as an opportunity to improve function in this population. We emphasize the need to re-consider the importance of the direction of MEP change following a single session of iTBS since the relationship between MEP direction and motor function is unknown and multiple sessions of iTBS may yield very different directional results. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of including sham control in the experimental design. The fundamental point from this pilot research is that a single session of iTBS is often capable of creating short-term change in SCI. Future sham-controlled randomized trials may consider repeat iTBS sessions to promote long-term changes in corticospinal excitability. PMID:28824536

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation Alters Corticospinal Output in Patients with Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.

PubMed

Fassett, Hunter J; Turco, Claudia V; El-Sayes, Jenin; Lulic, Tea; Baker, Steve; Richardson, Brian; Nelson, Aimee J

2017-01-01

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is intended primarily to alter corticospinal excitability, creating an attractive opportunity to alter neural output following incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). This study is the first to assess the effects of iTBS in SCI. Eight individuals with chronic incomplete SCI were studied. Sham or real iTBS was delivered (to each participant) over primary motor and somatosensory cortices in separate sessions. Motor-evoked potential (MEP) recruitment curves were obtained from the flexor carpi radialis muscle before and after iTBS. Results indicate similar responses for iTBS to both motor and somatosensory cortex and reduced MEPs in 56.25% and increased MEPs in 25% of instances. Sham stimulation exceeded real iTBS effects in the remaining 18.25%. It is our opinion that observing short-term neuroplasticity in corticospinal output in chronic SCI is an important advance and should be tested in future studies as an opportunity to improve function in this population. We emphasize the need to re-consider the importance of the direction of MEP change following a single session of iTBS since the relationship between MEP direction and motor function is unknown and multiple sessions of iTBS may yield very different directional results. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of including sham control in the experimental design. The fundamental point from this pilot research is that a single session of iTBS is often capable of creating short-term change in SCI. Future sham-controlled randomized trials may consider repeat iTBS sessions to promote long-term changes in corticospinal excitability.

Solar and Volcanic Modulation of Little Ice Age Climate in the Tropical Andes, Venezuela

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polissar, P. J.; Abbott, M. B.; Wolfe, A. P.; Rull, V.; Bezada, M.

2004-12-01

The underlying causes of late-Holocene climate variability in the tropics are incompletely understood. Here, we report a 1500-year reconstruction of climate history in the Venezuelan Andes using lake sediment records from four sites. This reconstruction is based upon accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon and Pb-210 dating, sedimentology, magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry, pollen and stable isotope (C, N) measurements. In the Laguna Mucubaji watershed four distinct glacial advances occurred between 1250 and 1810 A.D. The earliest advance began during an extended period of higher global volcanic activity. The subsequent three advances were coincident with minima in solar activity (reconstructed from Be-10 and C-14 records). The Mucubají glacial activity in the Venezuelan Andes coincides with other records of Little Ice Age (LIA) glacial advances in S. America. Comparison of modern glacier equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) in Venezuela with the Mucubaji LIA glacier ELA indicates an ELA depression of at least 300 m. Both a decline in temperature and increase in precipitation are required to explain the ELA depression. The precipitation increase is supported by increased catchment erosion recorded in L. Blanca sediments. Pollen records from two sites in the Venezuelan Andes also indicate wetter and colder conditions during the LIA.

7 CFR 1000.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing... advanced pricing factors. Class prices per hundredweight of milk containing 3.5 percent butterfat, component prices, and advanced pricing factors shall be as follows. The prices and pricing factors described...

Treatment of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis with Cardiac Extension following Incomplete Resection.

PubMed

Doyle, Mathew P; Li, Annette; Villanueva, Claudia I; Peeceeyen, Sheen C S; Cooper, Michael G; Hanel, Kevin C; Fermanis, Gary G; Robertson, Greg

2015-01-01

Aim. Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with cardiac extension (CE) is a rare variant of benign uterine leiomyoma. Incomplete resection has a recurrence rate of over 30%. Different hormonal treatments have been described following incomplete resection; however no standard therapy currently exists. We review the literature for medical treatments options following incomplete resection of IVL with CE. Methods. Electronic databases were searched for all studies reporting IVL with CE. These studies were then searched for reports of patients with inoperable or incomplete resection and any further medical treatments. Our database was searched for patients with medical therapy following incomplete resection of IVL with CE and their results were included. Results. All studies were either case reports or case series. Five literature reviews confirm that surgery is the only treatment to achieve cure. The uses of progesterone, estrogen modulation, gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonism, and aromatase inhibition have been described following incomplete resection. Currently no studies have reviewed the outcomes of these treatments. Conclusions. Complete surgical resection is the only means of cure for IVL with CE, while multiple hormonal therapies have been used with varying results following incomplete resection. Aromatase inhibitors are the only reported treatment to prevent tumor progression or recurrence in patients with incompletely resected IVL with CE.

Treatment of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis with Cardiac Extension following Incomplete Resection

PubMed Central

Doyle, Mathew P.; Li, Annette; Villanueva, Claudia I.; Peeceeyen, Sheen C. S.; Cooper, Michael G.; Hanel, Kevin C.; Fermanis, Gary G.; Robertson, Greg

2015-01-01

Aim. Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with cardiac extension (CE) is a rare variant of benign uterine leiomyoma. Incomplete resection has a recurrence rate of over 30%. Different hormonal treatments have been described following incomplete resection; however no standard therapy currently exists. We review the literature for medical treatments options following incomplete resection of IVL with CE. Methods. Electronic databases were searched for all studies reporting IVL with CE. These studies were then searched for reports of patients with inoperable or incomplete resection and any further medical treatments. Our database was searched for patients with medical therapy following incomplete resection of IVL with CE and their results were included. Results. All studies were either case reports or case series. Five literature reviews confirm that surgery is the only treatment to achieve cure. The uses of progesterone, estrogen modulation, gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonism, and aromatase inhibition have been described following incomplete resection. Currently no studies have reviewed the outcomes of these treatments. Conclusions. Complete surgical resection is the only means of cure for IVL with CE, while multiple hormonal therapies have been used with varying results following incomplete resection. Aromatase inhibitors are the only reported treatment to prevent tumor progression or recurrence in patients with incompletely resected IVL with CE. PMID:26783463

Spinal cord injuries functional rehabilitation - Traditional approaches and new strategies in physiotherapy.

PubMed

de Almeida, Patrícia Maria Duarte

2006-02-01

Considering the body structures and systems loss of function, after a Spinal Cord Injury, with is respective activities limitations and social participation restriction, the rehabilitation process goals are to achieve the maximal functional independence and quality of life allowed by the clinical lesion. For this is necessary a rehabilitation period with a rehabilitation team, including the physiotherapist whose interventions will depend on factors such degree of completeness or incompleteness and patient clinical stage. Physiotherapy approach includes several procedures and techniques related with a traditional model or with the recent perspective of neuronal regeneration. Following a traditional model, the interventions in complete A and incomplete B lesions, is based on compensatory method of functional rehabilitation using the non affected muscles. In the incomplete C and D lesions, motor re-education below the lesion, using key points to facilitate normal and selective patterns of movement is preferable. In other way if the neuronal regeneration is possible with respective function improve; the physiotherapy approach goals are to maintain muscular trofism and improve the recruitment of motor units using intensive techniques. In both, there is no scientific evidence to support the procedures, exists a lack of investigation and most of the research are methodologically poor. © 2006 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia/SPP.

Cockpit resources management and the theory of the situation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolman, L.

1984-01-01

The cockpit resource management (CRM) and hypothetical cockpit situations are discussed. Four different conditions which influence pilot action are outlined: (1) wrong assumptions about a situation; (2) stress and workload; (3) frustration and delays to cause risk taking; and (4) ambigious incomplete or contradicting information. Human factors and behavior, and pilot communication and management in the simulator are outlined.

Predictors of Criminal Charges for Youth in Public Mental Health during the Transition to Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pullmann, M. D.

2010-01-01

Dual involvement with the mental health system and justice system is relatively frequent for young adults with mental health problems, yet the research on factors predictive of dual involvement is incomplete. This study extends past research on predictors of criminal charges for people in the public mental health system in four ways. First, this…

Cluster analysis as a tool for evaluating the exploration potential of Known Geothermal Resource Areas

DOE PAGES

Lindsey, Cary R.; Neupane, Ghanashym; Spycher, Nicolas; ...

2018-01-03

Although many Known Geothermal Resource Areas in Oregon and Idaho were identified during the 1970s and 1980s, few were subsequently developed commercially. Because of advances in power plant design and energy conversion efficiency since the 1980s, some previously identified KGRAs may now be economically viable prospects. Unfortunately, available characterization data vary widely in accuracy, precision, and granularity, making assessments problematic. In this paper, we suggest a procedure for comparing test areas against proven resources using Principal Component Analysis and cluster identification. The result is a low-cost tool for evaluating potential exploration targets using uncertain or incomplete data.

Cluster analysis as a tool for evaluating the exploration potential of Known Geothermal Resource Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindsey, Cary R.; Neupane, Ghanashym; Spycher, Nicolas

Although many Known Geothermal Resource Areas in Oregon and Idaho were identified during the 1970s and 1980s, few were subsequently developed commercially. Because of advances in power plant design and energy conversion efficiency since the 1980s, some previously identified KGRAs may now be economically viable prospects. Unfortunately, available characterization data vary widely in accuracy, precision, and granularity, making assessments problematic. In this paper, we suggest a procedure for comparing test areas against proven resources using Principal Component Analysis and cluster identification. The result is a low-cost tool for evaluating potential exploration targets using uncertain or incomplete data.

Efforts to enhance blood stem cell engraftment: Recent insights from zebrafish hematopoiesis

PubMed Central

Perlin, Julie R.; Robertson, Anne L.

2017-01-01

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important therapy for patients with a variety of hematological malignancies. HSCT would be greatly improved if patient-specific hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) could be generated from induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro. There is an incomplete understanding of the genes and signals involved in HSC induction, migration, maintenance, and niche engraftment. Recent studies in zebrafish have revealed novel genes that are required for HSC induction and niche regulation of HSC homeostasis. Manipulation of these signaling pathways and cell types may improve HSC bioengineering, which could significantly advance critical, lifesaving HSCT therapies. PMID:28830909

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

PubMed

Burkholder, Bryn M

2015-11-01

The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease, including current treatment options and new research directions. Recent publications on VKH disease show an increased focus on the immunogenetics and immune pathways associated with the development of VKH disease. There have also been advances in imaging modalities and techniques that may help to better elucidate the disease process in eyes with VKH disease. VKH disease is an autoimmune, multisystem inflammatory disorder, the cause of which is still incompletely understood. Continued research may elucidate the causes and triggers of immune dysregulation in this disease, and in doing so, identify novel therapeutic targets.

Environmental Impact Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peddie, Catherine

2001-01-01

Aircraft emissions are deposited throughout the atmosphere, and at the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere they have greater potential to change ozone abundance and affect climate. There are significant uncertainties arising from the incomplete knowledge of the composition and evolution of the exhaust emissions, particularly regarding reactive trace species, particles, and their gaseous precursors. NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has considered its role in answering these challenges and has been committed to strengthening its aerosol/particulate research capabilities with initial emphasis on establishing advanced measurement systems and a particulate database. Activities currently supported by the NASA Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Program and accomplishment up to date will be described.

Tree-Structured Infinite Sparse Factor Model

PubMed Central

Zhang, XianXing; Dunson, David B.; Carin, Lawrence

2013-01-01

A tree-structured multiplicative gamma process (TMGP) is developed, for inferring the depth of a tree-based factor-analysis model. This new model is coupled with the nested Chinese restaurant process, to nonparametrically infer the depth and width (structure) of the tree. In addition to developing the model, theoretical properties of the TMGP are addressed, and a novel MCMC sampler is developed. The structure of the inferred tree is used to learn relationships between high-dimensional data, and the model is also applied to compressive sensing and interpolation of incomplete images. PMID:25279389

Pulsar statistics and their interpretations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnett, W. D.; Lerche, I.

1981-01-01

It is shown that a lack of knowledge concerning interstellar electron density, the true spatial distribution of pulsars, the radio luminosity source distribution of pulsars, the real ages and real aging rates of pulsars, the beaming factor (and other unknown factors causing the known sample of about 350 pulsars to be incomplete to an unknown degree) is sufficient to cause a minimum uncertainty of a factor of 20 in any attempt to determine pulsar birth or death rates in the Galaxy. It is suggested that this uncertainty must impact on suggestions that the pulsar rates can be used to constrain possible scenarios for neutron star formation and stellar evolution in general.

Shin splints. Diagnosis, management, prevention.

PubMed

Moore, M P

1988-01-01

Our knowledge of the etiology of shin splints is incomplete. Biomechanical abnormalities are likely to be major factors in predisposing certain persons to such injury. Also, training errors are major etiologic factors. Because shin splints result from mechanical overload of various elements of the musculoskeletal system of the leg that exceed their adaptive remodeling capacity, rest and recovery should be emphasized as an important aspect of sports training. Accurate and prompt diagnosis reduces the severity and duration of the injury. Management should consist of measures to reduce inflammation and pain and to identify possible biomechanical factors that may be correctable by strengthening and flexibility exercises or by the use of an orthotic device.

The Nature of Self-Regulatory Fatigue and "Ego Depletion": Lessons From Physical Fatigue.

PubMed

Evans, Daniel R; Boggero, Ian A; Segerstrom, Suzanne C

2015-07-30

Self-regulation requires overriding a dominant response and leads to temporary self-regulatory fatigue. Existing theories of the nature and causes of self-regulatory fatigue highlight physiological substrates such as glucose, or psychological processes such as motivation, but these explanations are incomplete on their own. Historically, theories of physical fatigue demonstrate a similar pattern of useful but incomplete explanations, as recent views of physical fatigue emphasize the roles of both physiological and psychological factors. In addition to accounting for multiple inputs, these newer views also explain how fatigue can occur even in the presence of sufficient resources. Examining these newer theories of physical fatigue can serve as a foundation on which to build a more comprehensive understanding of self-regulatory fatigue that integrates possible neurobiological underpinnings of physical and self-regulatory fatigue, and suggests the possible function of self-regulatory fatigue. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

The nature of self-regulatory fatigue and “ego depletion”: Lessons from physical fatigue

PubMed Central

Evans, Daniel R.; Boggero, Ian A.; Segerstrom, Suzanne C.

2016-01-01

Self-regulation requires overriding a dominant response, and leads to temporary self-regulatory fatigue. Existing theories of the nature and causes of self-regulatory fatigue highlight physiological substrates such as glucose or psychological processes such as motivation, but these explanations are incomplete on their own. Historically, theories of physical fatigue demonstrate a similar pattern of useful but incomplete explanations, as recent views of physical fatigue emphasize the roles of both physiological and psychological factors. In addition to accounting for multiple inputs, these newer views also explain how fatigue can occur even in the presence of sufficient resources. Examining these newer theories of physical fatigue can serve as a foundation on which to build a more comprehensive understanding of self-regulatory fatigue that integrates possible neurobiological underpinnings of physical and self-regulatory fatigue, and suggests the possible function of self-regulatory fatigue. PMID:26228914

Radiation detector device for rejecting and excluding incomplete charge collection events

DOEpatents

Bolotnikov, Aleksey E.; De Geronimo, Gianluigi; Vernon, Emerson; Yang, Ge; Camarda, Giuseppe; Cui, Yonggang; Hossain, Anwar; Kim, Ki Hyun; James, Ralph B.

2016-05-10

A radiation detector device is provided that is capable of distinguishing between full charge collection (FCC) events and incomplete charge collection (ICC) events based upon a correlation value comparison algorithm that compares correlation values calculated for individually sensed radiation detection events with a calibrated FCC event correlation function. The calibrated FCC event correlation function serves as a reference curve utilized by a correlation value comparison algorithm to determine whether a sensed radiation detection event fits the profile of the FCC event correlation function within the noise tolerances of the radiation detector device. If the radiation detection event is determined to be an ICC event, then the spectrum for the ICC event is rejected and excluded from inclusion in the radiation detector device spectral analyses. The radiation detector device also can calculate a performance factor to determine the efficacy of distinguishing between FCC and ICC events.

A Study of Incomplete Abortion Following Medical Method of Abortion (MMA).

PubMed

Pawde, Anuya A; Ambadkar, Arun; Chauhan, Anahita R

2016-08-01

Medical method of abortion (MMA) is a safe, efficient, and affordable method of abortion. However, incomplete abortion is a known side effect. To study incomplete abortion due to medication abortion and compare to spontaneous incomplete abortion and to study referral practices and prescriptions in cases of incomplete abortion following MMA. Prospective observational study of 100 women with first trimester incomplete abortion, divided into two groups (spontaneous or following MMA), was administered a questionnaire which included information regarding onset of bleeding, treatment received, use of medications for abortion, its prescription, and administration. Comparison of two groups was done using Fisher exact test (SPSS 21.0 software). Thirty percent of incomplete abortions were seen following MMA; possible reasons being self-administration or prescription by unregistered practitioners, lack of examination, incorrect dosage and drugs, and lack of follow-up. Complications such as collapse, blood requirement, and fever were significantly higher in these patients compared to spontaneous abortion group. The side effects of incomplete abortions following MMA can be avoided by the following standard guidelines. Self medication, over- the-counter use, and prescription by unregistered doctors should be discouraged and reported, and need of follow-up should be emphasized.

Estimate of true incomplete exchanges using fluorescence in situ hybridization with telomere probes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, H.; George, K.; Yang, T. C.

1998-01-01

PURPOSE: To study the frequency of true incomplete exchanges in radiation-induced chromosome aberrations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human lymphocytes were exposed to 2 Gy and 5 Gy of gamma-rays. Chromosome aberrations were studied using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique with whole chromosome-specific probes, together with human telomere probes. Chromosomes 2 and 4 were chosen in the present study. RESULTS: The percentage of incomplete exchanges was 27% when telomere signals were not considered. After excluding false incomplete exchanges identified by the telomere signals, the percentage of incomplete exchanges decreased to 11%. Since telomere signals appear on about 82% of the telomeres, the percentage of true incomplete exchanges should be even lower and was estimated to be 3%. This percentage was similar for chromosomes 2 and 4 and for doses of both 2 Gy and 5 Gy. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of true incomplete exchanges is significantly lower in gamma-irradiated human lymphocytes than the frequencies reported in the literature.

Human papillomavirus genome integration in squamous carcinogenesis: what have next-generation sequencing studies taught us?

PubMed

Groves, Ian J; Coleman, Nicholas

2018-05-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with ∼5% of all human cancers, including a range of squamous cell carcinomas. Persistent infection by high-risk HPVs (HRHPVs) is associated with the integration of virus genomes (which are usually stably maintained as extrachromosomal episomes) into host chromosomes. Although HRHPV integration rates differ across human sites of infection, this process appears to be an important event in HPV-associated neoplastic progression, leading to deregulation of virus oncogene expression, host gene expression modulation, and further genomic instability. However, the mechanisms by which HRHPV integration occur and by which the subsequent gene expression changes take place are incompletely understood. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) of both RNA and DNA has allowed powerful interrogation of the association of HRHPVs with human disease, including precise determination of the sites of integration and the genomic rearrangements at integration loci. In turn, these data have indicated that integration occurs through two main mechanisms: looping integration and direct insertion. Improved understanding of integration sites is allowing further investigation of the factors that provide a competitive advantage to some integrants during disease progression. Furthermore, advanced approaches to the generation of genome-wide samples have given novel insights into the three-dimensional interactions within the nucleus, which could act as another layer of epigenetic control of both virus and host transcription. It is hoped that further advances in NGS techniques and analysis will not only allow the examination of further unanswered questions regarding HPV infection, but also direct new approaches to treating HPV-associated human disease. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Prospective Phase 2 Multicenter Study for the Efficacy of Radiation Therapy Following Incomplete Transarterial Chemoembolization in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Chihwan; Koom, Woong Sub; Kim, Tae Hyun

2014-12-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of radiation therapy (RT) following incomplete transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods and Materials: The study was designed as a prospective phase 2 multicenter trial. Patients with unresectable HCC, who had viable tumor after TACE of no more than 3 courses, were eligible. Three-dimensional conformal RT (3D-CRT) was added for HCC treatment with incomplete uptake of iodized oil, and the interval from TACE to RT was 4 to 6 weeks. The primary endpoint of this study was the tumor response after RT following incomplete TACEmore » in unresectable HCC. Secondary endpoints were patterns of failure, progression-free survival (PFS), time to tumor progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) rates at 2 years, and treatment-associated toxicity. Survival was calculated from the start of RT. Results: Between August 2008 and December 2010, 31 patients were enrolled. RT was delivered at a median dose of 54 Gy (range, 46-59.4 Gy) at 1.8 to 2 Gy per fraction. A best objective in-field response rate was achieved in 83.9% of patients, with complete response (CR) in 22.6% of patients and partial response in 61.3% of patients within 12 weeks post-RT. A best objective overall response rate was achieved in 64.5% of patients with CR in 19.4% of patients and PR in 45.1% of patients. The 2-year in-field PFS, PFS, TTP, and OS rates were 45.2%, 29.0%, 36.6%, and 61.3%, respectively. The Barcelona Clinic liver cancer stage was a significant independent prognostic factor for PFS (P=.023). Classic radiation-induced liver disease was not observed. There were no treatment-related deaths or hepatic failure. Conclusions: Early 3D-CRT following incomplete TACE is a safe and practical treatment option for patients with unresectable HCC.« less

Clinical Evaluation of Papilla Reconstruction Using Subepithelial Connective Tissue Graft

PubMed Central

Kaushik, Alka; PK, Pal; Chopra, Deepak; Chaurasia, Vishwajit Rampratap; Masamatti, Vinaykumar S; DK, Suresh; Babaji, Prashant

2014-01-01

Objective: The aesthetics of the patient can be improved by surgical reconstruction of interdental papilla by using an advanced papillary flap interposed with subepithelial connective tissue graft. Materials and Methods: A total of fifteen sites from ten patients having black triangles/papilla recession in the maxillary anterior region were selected and subjected to presurgical evaluation. The sites were treated with interposed subepithelial connective tissue graft placed under a coronally advance flap. The integrity of the papilla was maintained by moving the whole of gingivopapillary unit coronally. The various parameters were analysed at different intervals. Results: There was a mean decrease in the papilla presence index score and distance from contact point to gingival margin, but it was statistically not significant. Also, there is increase in the width of the keratinized gingiva which was statistically highly significant. Conclusion: Advanced papillary flap with interposed sub–epithelial connective tissue graft can offer predictable results for the reconstruction of interdental papilla. If papilla loss occurs solely due to soft-tissue damage, reconstructive techniques can completely restore it; but if due to periodontal disease involving bone loss, reconstruction is generally incomplete and multiple surgical procedures may be required. PMID:25386529

Fracturing as a Quantitative Indicator of Lava Flow Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilburn, C. R.; Solana, C.

2005-12-01

The traditional classification of lava flows into pahoehoe and aa varieties reflects differences in how a flow can fracture its surface during advance. Both types of lava have a low strength upon eruption and require surface cooling to produce a crust that can fracture. Among pahoehoe lavas, applied stresses are small enough to allow the growth of a continuous crust, which is broken intermittently as the flow advances by propagating a collection of lava tongues. Among aa lavas, in contrast, applied stresses are large enough to maintain persistent crustal failure. The differences in fracturing characteristics has been used to quantify the transition between flow regimes and suggests that shear fracture may dominate tensile failure. Applied to Lanzarote, the model confirms the inference from incomplete eye-witness accounts of the 1730-36 Timanfaya eruption that pahoehoe flows were able to advance about an order of magnitude more quickly than would have been expected by analogy with Hawaiian pahoehoe flow-fields of similar dimensions. Surface texture and morphology, therefore, are insufficient guides for constraining the rate and style of pahoehoe emplacement. Applications include improved hazard assessments during effusive eruptions and new evaluations of the emplacement conditions for very large-volume pahoehoe lava flows.

The social and behavioral influences (SBI) study: study design and rationale for studying the effects of race and activation on cancer pain management.

PubMed

Elias, Cezanne M; Shields, Cleveland G; Griggs, Jennifer J; Fiscella, Kevin; Christ, Sharon L; Colbert, Joseph; Henry, Stephen G; Hoh, Beth G; Hunte, Haslyn E R; Marshall, Mary; Mohile, Supriya Gupta; Plumb, Sandy; Tejani, Mohamedtaki A; Venuti, Alison; Epstein, Ronald M

2017-08-25

Racial disparities exist in the care provided to advanced cancer patients. This article describes an investigation designed to advance the science of healthcare disparities by isolating the effects of patient race and patient activation on physician behavior using novel standardized patient (SP) methodology. The Social and Behavioral Influences (SBI) Study is a National Cancer Institute sponsored trial conducted in Western New York State, Northern/Central Indiana, and lower Michigan. The trial uses an incomplete randomized block design, randomizing physicians to see patients who are either black or white and who are "typical" or "activated" (e.g., ask questions, express opinions, ask for clarification, etc.). The study will enroll 91 physicians. The SBI study addresses important gaps in our knowledge about racial disparities and methods to reduce them in patients with advanced cancer by using standardized patient methodology. This study is innovative in aims, design, and methodology and will point the way to interventions that can reduce racial disparities and discrimination and draw links between implicit attitudes and physician behaviors. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ , #NCT01501006, November 30, 2011.

Advances in understanding of mammalian penile evolution, human penile anatomy and human erection physiology: Clinical implications for physicians and surgeons

PubMed Central

Hsieh, Cheng-Hsing; Liu, Shih-Ping; Hsu, Geng-Long; Chen, Heng-Shuen; Molodysky, Eugen; Chen, Ying-Hui; Yu, Hong-Jeng

2012-01-01

Summary Recent studies substantiate a model of the tunica albuginea of the corpora cavernosa as a bi-layered structure with a 360° complete inner circular layer and a 300° incomplete outer longitudinal coat spanning from the bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus proximally and extending continuously into the distal ligament within the glans penis. The anatomical location and histology of the distal ligament invites convincing parallels with the quadrupedal os penis and therefore constitutes potential evidence of the evolutionary process. In the corpora cavernosa, a chamber design is responsible for facilitating rigid erections. For investigating its venous factors exclusively, hemodynamic studies have been performed on both fresh and defrosted human male cadavers. In each case, a rigid erection was unequivocally attainable following venous removal. This clearly has significant ramifications in relation to penile venous surgery and its role in treating impotent patients. One deep dorsal vein, 2 cavernosal veins and 2 pairs of para-arterial veins (as opposed to 1 single vein) are situated between Buck’s fascia and the tunica albuginea. These newfound insights into penile tunical, venous anatomy and erection physiology were inspired by and, in turn, enhance clinical applications routinely encountered by physicians and surgeons, such as penile morphological reconstruction, penile implantation and penile venous surgery. PMID:22739749

Massive stars in advanced evolutionary stages, and the progenitor of GW150914

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamann, Wolf-Rainer; Oskinova, Lidia; Todt, Helge; Sander, Andreas; Hainich, Rainer; Shenar, Tomer; Ramachandran, Varsha

2017-11-01

The recent discovery of a gravitational wave from the merging of two black holes of about 30 solar masses each challenges our incomplete understanding of massive stars and their evolution. Critical ingredients comprise mass-loss, rotation, magnetic fields, internal mixing, and mass transfer in close binary systems. The imperfect knowledge of these factors implies large uncertainties for models of stellar populations and their feedback. In this contribution we summarize our empirical studies of Wolf-Rayet populations at different metallicities by means of modern non-LTE stellar atmosphere models, and confront these results with the predictions of stellar evolution models. At the metallicity of our Galaxy, stellar winds are probably too strong to leave remnant masses as high as ~30 M⊙, but given the still poor agreement between evolutionary tracks and observation even this conclusion is debatable. At the low metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud, all WN stars which are (at least now) single are consistent with evolving quasi-homogeneously. O and B-type stars, in contrast, seem to comply with standard evolutionary models without strong internal mixing. Close binaries which avoided early merging could evolve quasi-homogeneously and lead to close compact remnants of relatively high masses that merge within a Hubble time.

Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

PubMed Central

Cho, Won-Sang; Park, Sukh Que; Ko, Jun Kyeung; Kim, Dae-Won; Park, Jung Cheol; Yeon, Je Young; Chung, Seung Young; Chung, Joonho; Joo, Sung-Pil; Hwang, Gyojun; Kim, Deog Young; Chang, Won Hyuk; Choi, Kyu-Sun; Lee, Sung Ho; Sheen, Seung Hun; Kang, Hyun-Seung; Kim, Byung Moon; Bae, Hee-Joon; Oh, Chang Wan; Park, Hyeon Seon

2018-01-01

Despite advancements in treating ruptured cerebral aneurysms, an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is still a grave cerebrovascular disease associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Based on the literature published to date, worldwide academic and governmental committees have developed clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to propose standards for disease management in order to achieve the best treatment outcomes for aSAHs. In 2013, the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgeons issued a Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs. The group researched all articles and major foreign CPGs published in English until December 2015 using several search engines. Based on these articles, levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were determined by our society as well as by other related Quality Control Committees from neurointervention, neurology and rehabilitation medicine. The Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs includes risk factors, diagnosis, initial management, medical and surgical management to prevent rebleeding, management of delayed cerebral ischemia and vasospasm, treatment of hydrocephalus, treatment of medical complications and early rehabilitation. The CPGs are not the absolute standard but are the present reference as the evidence is still incomplete, each environment of clinical practice is different, and there is a high probability of variation in the current recommendations. The CPGs will be useful in the fields of clinical practice and research. PMID:29526058

Narrating consciousness: language, media and embodiment.

PubMed

Hayles, N Katherine; Pulizzi, James J

2010-01-01

Although there has long been a division in studies of consciousness between a focus on neuronal processes or conversely an emphasis on the ruminations of a conscious self, the long-standing split between mechanism and meaning within the brain was mirrored by a split without, between information as a technical term and the meanings that messages are commonly thought to convey. How to heal this breach has posed formidable problems to researchers. Working through the history of cybernetics, one of the historical sites where Claude Shannon's information theory quickly became received doctrine, we argue that the cybernetic program as it developed through second-order cybernetics and autopoietic theory remains incomplete. In this article, we return to fundamental questions about pattern and noise, context and meaning, to forge connections between consciousness, narrative and media. The thrust of our project is to reintroduce context and narrative as crucial factors in the processes of meaning-making. The project proceeds along two fronts: advancing a theoretical framework within which context plays its property central role; and demonstrating the importance of context by analyzing two fictions, Stanislaw Lem's "His Master's Voice" and Joseph McElroy's "Plus," in which context has been deformed by being wrenched away from normal human environments, with radical consequences for processes of meaning-making.

Advancing Understanding of Emissions from Oil and Natural ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Executive Summary Environmentally responsible development of oil and gas assets requires well-developed emissions inventories and measurement techniques to verify emissions and the effectiveness of control strategies. To accurately model the oil and gas sector impacts on air quality, it is critical to have accurate activity data, emission factors and chemical speciation profiles for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This report describes a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) Region 8 Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) effort executed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 to FY 2016 that aimed to improve information on upstream oil and production emissions and identify areas where future work is needed. The project involved both field activities and data analysis and synthesis work with emphasis on product-related VOC emissions from well pads. In oil and gas basins with significant condensate and oil production, VOC emissions from well pads primarily arise from the separation of gas and liquid products and the storage process, with the control of emissions usually accomplished by enclosed combustion devices (ECDs), such as flares. Fugitive emissions of VOCs can originate from leaks and from potentially ineffective control systems. In the case of ECDs, byproducts of incomplete combustion may produce more highly reactive ozone precursor species. For both compliance and scientific purposes, the abili

Barriers for Deriving Transgene-Free Pig iPS Cells with Episomal Vectors.

PubMed

Du, Xuguang; Feng, Tao; Yu, Dawei; Wu, Yuanyuan; Zou, Huiying; Ma, Shuangyu; Feng, Chong; Huang, Yongye; Ouyang, Hongsheng; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Pan, Dengke; Li, Ning; Wu, Sen

2015-11-01

To date no authentic embryonic stem cell (ESC) line or germline-competent-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line has been established for large animals. Despite this fact, there is an impression in the field that large animal ESCs or iPSCs are as good as mouse counterparts. Clarification of this issue is important for a healthy advancement of the stem cell field. Elucidation of the causes of this failure in obtaining high quality iPSCs/ESCs may offer essential clues for eventual establishment of authentic ESCs for large animals including humans. To this end, we first generated porcine iPSCs using nonintegrating replicating episomal plasmids. Although these porcine iPSCs met most pluripotency criteria, they could neither generate cloned piglets through nuclear transfer, nor contribute to later stage chimeras through morula injections or aggregations. We found that the reprogramming genes in iPSCs could not be removed even under negative selection, indicating they are required to maintain self-renewal. The persistent expression of these genes in porcine iPSCs in turn caused differentiation defects in vivo. Therefore, incomplete reprogramming manifested by a reliance on sustained expression of exogenous-reprogramming factors appears to be the main reason for the inability of porcine iPSCs to form iPSC-derived piglets. © 2015 AlphaMed Press.

Quality of Online Resources for Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

PubMed

De Groot, Lauren; Harris, Ilene; Regehr, Glenn; Tekian, Ara; Ingledew, Paris-Ann

2017-10-18

The Internet is increasingly a source of information for pancreatic cancer patients. This disease is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage; therefore, timely access to high-quality information is critical. Our purpose is to systematically evaluate the information available to pancreatic cancer patients on the internet. An internet search using the term "pancreatic cancer" was performed, with the meta-search engines "Dogpile", "Yippy" and "Google". The top 100 websites returned by the search engines were evaluated using a validated structured rating tool. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using kappa statistics and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Amongst the 100 websites evaluated, etiology/risk factors and symptoms were the most accurately covered (70 and 67% of websites). Prevention, treatment and prognosis were the least accurate sections (55, 55 and 43% of websites). Prevention and prognosis were also the least likely to be covered with 63 and 51 websites covering these, respectively. Only 40% of websites identified an author. Twenty-two percent of websites were at a university reading level. The majority of online information is accurate but incomplete. Websites may lack information on prognosis. Many websites are outdated and lacked author information, and readability levels are inappropriate. This knowledge can inform the dialogue between healthcare providers and patients.

A national physician survey of diagnostic error in paediatrics.

PubMed

Perrem, Lucy M; Fanshawe, Thomas R; Sharif, Farhana; Plüddemann, Annette; O'Neill, Michael B

2016-10-01

This cross-sectional survey explored paediatric physician perspectives regarding diagnostic errors. All paediatric consultants and specialist registrars in Ireland were invited to participate in this anonymous online survey. The response rate for the study was 54 % (n = 127). Respondents had a median of 9-year clinical experience (interquartile range (IQR) 4-20 years). A diagnostic error was reported at least monthly by 19 (15.0 %) respondents. Consultants reported significantly less diagnostic errors compared to trainees (p value = 0.01). Cognitive error was the top-ranked contributing factor to diagnostic error, with incomplete history and examination considered to be the principal cognitive error. Seeking a second opinion and close follow-up of patients to ensure that the diagnosis is correct were the highest-ranked, clinician-based solutions to diagnostic error. Inadequate staffing levels and excessive workload were the most highly ranked system-related and situational factors. Increased access to and availability of consultants and experts was the most highly ranked system-based solution to diagnostic error. We found a low level of self-perceived diagnostic error in an experienced group of paediatricians, at variance with the literature and warranting further clarification. The results identify perceptions on the major cognitive, system-related and situational factors contributing to diagnostic error and also key preventative strategies. • Diagnostic errors are an important source of preventable patient harm and have an estimated incidence of 10-15 %. • They are multifactorial in origin and include cognitive, system-related and situational factors. What is New: • We identified a low rate of self-perceived diagnostic error in contrast to the existing literature. • Incomplete history and examination, inadequate staffing levels and excessive workload are cited as the principal contributing factors to diagnostic error in this study.

Influence of incomplete fusion on complete fusion at energies above the Coulomb barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuaib, Mohd; Sharma, Vijay R.; Yadav, Abhishek; Sharma, Manoj Kumar; Singh, Pushpendra P.; Singh, Devendra P.; Kumar, R.; Singh, R. P.; Muralithar, S.; Singh, B. P.; Prasad, R.

2017-10-01

In the present work, excitation functions of several reaction residues in the system 19F+169Tm, populated via the complete and incomplete fusion processes, have been measured using off-line γ-ray spectroscopy. The analysis of excitation functions has been done within the framework of statistical model code pace4. The excitation functions of residues populated via xn and pxn channels are found to be in good agreement with those estimated by the theoretical model code, which confirms the production of these residues solely via complete fusion process. However, a significant enhancement has been observed in the cross-sections of residues involving α-emitting channels as compared to the theoretical predictions. The observed enhancement in the cross-sections has been attributed to the incomplete fusion processes. In order to have a better insight into the onset and strength of incomplete fusion, the incomplete fusion strength function has been deduced. At present, there is no theoretical model available which can satisfactorily explain the incomplete fusion reaction data at energies ≈4-6 MeV/nucleon. In the present work, the influence of incomplete fusion on complete fusion in the 19F+169Tm system has also been studied. The measured cross-section data may be important for the development of reactor technology as well. It has been found that the incomplete fusion strength function strongly depends on the α-Q value of the projectile, which is found to be in good agreement with the existing literature data. The analysis strongly supports the projectile-dependent mass-asymmetry systematics. In order to study the influence of Coulomb effect ({Z}{{P}}{Z}{{T}}) on incomplete fusion, the deduced strength function for the present work is compared with the nearby projectile-target combinations. The incomplete fusion strength function is found to increase linearly with {Z}{{P}}{Z}{{T}}, indicating a strong influence of Coulomb effect in the incomplete fusion reactions.

Cardiovascular Redox and Ox Stress Proteomics

PubMed Central

Kumar, Vikas; Calamaras, Timothy Dean; Haeussler, Dagmar; Colucci, Wilson Steven; Cohen, Richard Alan; McComb, Mark Errol; Pimentel, David

2012-01-01

Abstract Significance: Oxidative post-translational modifications (OPTMs) have been demonstrated as contributing to cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. These modifications have been identified using antibodies as well as advanced proteomic methods, and the functional importance of each is beginning to be understood using transgenic and gene deletion animal models. Given that OPTMs are involved in cardiovascular pathology, the use of these modifications as biomarkers and predictors of disease has significant therapeutic potential. Adequate understanding of the chemistry of the OPTMs is necessary to determine what may occur in vivo and which modifications would best serve as biomarkers. Recent Advances: By using mass spectrometry, advanced labeling techniques, and antibody identification, OPTMs have become accessible to a larger proportion of the scientific community. Advancements in instrumentation, database search algorithms, and processing speed have allowed MS to fully expand on the proteome of OPTMs. In addition, the role of enzymatically reversible OPTMs has been further clarified in preclinical models. Critical Issues: The identification of OPTMs suffers from limitations in analytic detection based on the methodology, instrumentation, sample complexity, and bioinformatics. Currently, each type of OPTM requires a specific strategy for identification, and generalized approaches result in an incomplete assessment. Future Directions: Novel types of highly sensitive MS instrumentation that allow for improved separation and detection of modified proteins and peptides have been crucial in the discovery of OPTMs and biomarkers. To further advance the identification of relevant OPTMs in advanced search algorithms, standardized methods for sample processing and depository of MS data will be required. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 17, 1528–1559. PMID:22607061

Nephrolithiasis in renal tubular acidosis.

PubMed

Buckalew, V M

1989-03-01

Renal tubular acidosis is a term applied to several conditions in which metabolic acidosis is caused by specific defects in renal tubular hydrogen ion secretion. Three types of renal tubular acidosis generally are recognized based on the nature of the tubular defect. Nephrolithiasis occurs only in type I renal tubular acidosis, a condition marked by an abnormality in the generation and maintenance of a hydrogen ion gradient by the distal tubule. A forme fruste of type I renal tubular acidosis has been described in which the characteristic defect in distal hydrogen ion secretion occurs in the absence of metabolic acidosis (incomplete renal tubular acidosis). Type I renal tubular acidosis is a heterogeneous disorder that may be hereditary, idiopathic or secondary to a variety of conditions. Secondary type I renal tubular acidosis in sporadic cases is associated most commonly with autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, and it occurs more frequently in women than men. Nephrolithiasis, which may occur in any of the subsets of type I renal tubular acidosis, accounts for most of the morbidity in adults and adolescents. Major risk factors for nephrolithiasis include alkaline urine, hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia. In addition, we found hyperuricosuria in 21 per cent of the patients with type I renal tubular acidosis with nephrolithiasis. The most frequently occurring risk factor, hypocitraturia, is due to decreased filtered load and/or to increased tubular reabsorption of filtered citrate. While increased tubular reabsorption may be due to systemic acidosis, hypocitraturia occurs in incomplete renal tubular acidosis. Furthermore, alkali therapy (either bicarbonate or citrate salts) increases citrate excretion in complete and incomplete type I renal tubular acidosis. These data suggest that hypocitraturia in type I renal tubular acidosis may be due to a defect in proximal tubule function. Hypercalciuria appears to have 2 causes. It may be due to metabolic acidosis, usually in children with a hereditary defect in urine acidification. In other cases familial idiopathic hypercalciuria causes nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis resulting in distal tubular damage and type I renal tubular acidosis. In these latter cases hypercalciuria is present in complete and incomplete type I renal tubular acidosis. Potassium citrate appears to reduce calcium excretion in both types of hypercalciuric type I renal tubular acidosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Failure of conservative treatment with Gastrografin® for adhesive small bowel obstruction after colorectal surgery.

PubMed

Miquel, Jordi; Biondo, Sebastiano; Kreisler, Esther; Uribe, Catalina; Trenti, Loris

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors related with failure of conservative management of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) in patients with previous colorectal surgery. Patients admitted with the diagnosis of ASBO after previous colorectal resection, were included. All patients underwent administration of Gastrografin®. Abdominal radiography was done after 24 h, to confirm the presence of contrast in colon (incomplete obstruction) or not (complete obstruction). Several factors were investigated to study their relationship with the failure of conservative management. Failure of conservative management was considered when emergency operation was needed to solve ASBO. Incomplete obstruction was observed in 174 episodes (93.0%) while in 13 (7.0%) was complete. One hundred seventy-one ASBO episodes (91.4%) responded successfully to nonoperative treatment and 16 (8.6%) required emergency surgery. Five patients needed bowel resection. Results on the diagnostic test with Gastrografin® showed a sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 99%, positive predictive value 92%, and negative predictive value 98%. Age over 75 years was the only predictive factor for failure of conservative management. The median waiting time from the radiologic confirmation of complete obstruction to surgery was higher in patients requiring bowel resection when compared to those who did not need resection. The use of Gastrografin® in ASBO after colorectal resection is a safe and useful tool for the indication of conservative management. Age over 75 years is a predictive factor for need of surgery. Surgery should be performed no later than the following 24 h of confirmed complete obstruction.

Techniques and Software for Monolithic Preconditioning of Moderately-sized Geodynamic Stokes Flow Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanan, Patrick; May, Dave A.; Schenk, Olaf; Bollhöffer, Matthias

2017-04-01

Geodynamics simulations typically involve the repeated solution of saddle-point systems arising from the Stokes equations. These computations often dominate the time to solution. Direct solvers are known for their robustness and ``black box'' properties, yet exhibit superlinear memory requirements and time to solution. More complex multilevel-preconditioned iterative solvers have been very successful for large problems, yet their use can require more effort from the practitioner in terms of setting up a solver and choosing its parameters. We champion an intermediate approach, based on leveraging the power of modern incomplete factorization techniques for indefinite symmetric matrices. These provide an interesting alternative in situations in between the regimes where direct solvers are an obvious choice and those where complex, scalable, iterative solvers are an obvious choice. That is, much like their relatives for definite systems, ILU/ICC-preconditioned Krylov methods and ILU/ICC-smoothed multigrid methods, the approaches demonstrated here provide a useful addition to the solver toolkit. We present results with a simple, PETSc-based, open-source Q2-Q1 (Taylor-Hood) finite element discretization, in 2 and 3 dimensions, with the Stokes and Lamé (linear elasticity) saddle point systems. Attention is paid to cases in which full-operator incomplete factorization gives an improvement in time to solution over direct solution methods (which may not even be feasible due to memory limitations), without the complication of more complex (or at least, less-automatic) preconditioners or smoothers. As an important factor in the relevance of these tools is their availability in portable software, we also describe open-source PETSc interfaces to the factorization routines.

Influence of cold storage prior to and after ripening on quality factors and sensory attributes of ‘Hass’ avocados

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Partially-ripened avocados are often held in cold storage in an attempt to enable the consistent delivery of ripe fruit to food service or retail outlets, although the effect on the quality of such fruit is incompletely understood. ‘Hass’ avocados were ripened to near ripeness (13.3 - 17.8 N) at 20 ...

Categorization of videogames: some comments on 'Children and electronic games' by Funk, et al.

PubMed

Griffiths, M

2000-06-01

Comments are made on an article by Funk, et al. about children and electronic games. This author argues the cross-cultural differences and developmental effects must be taken into account and that the categorization system of videogames based on content is incomplete or too general to cover the complex actions of contemporary videogames. These factors alone may have implications for research.

Quantitative and qualitative verification of data quality in the childbirth registers of two rural district hospitals in Western Kenya.

PubMed

Chiba, Yoko; Oguttu, Monica A; Nakayama, Takeo

2012-06-01

to verify the data quality of childbirth registers and explore factors that influence quality at two rural district hospitals in Western Kenya. a retrospective comparative case study for data quality of the 2006 childbirth registers by quantitative and qualitative methods. Siaya and Bondo District Hospitals. after confirming the physical condition and availability of childbirth registers, the total number of births; number of complete/incomplete data; and number of complete data that were illegible, incorrectly coded, inappropriate and unrecognised were verified quantitatively to evaluate accuracy and completeness. Data categories and instructions were examined qualitatively to assess the relevance, completeness and accuracy of the data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants to capture their views and factors that influence data quality. the childbirth registers used by the two hospitals were not developed by the Ministry of Health, and their supply to Bondo was interrupted. Of the 30 data categories in the registers, five for Siaya and 23 for Bondo were more than 20% incomplete. Data for number of antenatal consultations and use of human immunodeficiency virus drugs were at least 50% incomplete for both hospitals. The percentage of illegible, incorrectly coded and inappropriate data was relatively low, and only the place of residence had unrecognised data. Data categories in the registers did not correspond well with those of monthly reports, and inappropriate instructions suggested hidden inaccuracy among apparently valid data. Organisational impediments of the health information system in general, perinatal and intrapartum contexts were identified. data quality of the childbirth registers was unsatisfactory. Influential factors were primarily organisational and technical, which may have had an adverse effect on midwives' record keeping behaviour. data quality of the registers can be improved by re-examining technical challenges and organisational impediments at different levels. Midwives' awareness of data quality needs to be increased by sharing the purpose of the childbirth registers. Strong political commitment is also indispensable for putting these findings into action. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of incomplete annealing on the temperature dependence of sheet resistance and gage factor in aluminum and phosphorus implanted silicon on sapphire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pisciotta, B. P.; Gross, C.

1976-01-01

Partial annealing of damage to the crystal lattice during ion implantation reduces the temperature coefficient of resistivity of ion-implanted silicon, while facilitating controlled doping. Reliance on this method for temperature compensation of the resistivity and strain-gage factor is discussed. Implantation conditions and annealing conditions are detailed. The gage factor and its temperature variation are not drastically affected by crystal damage for some crystal orientations. A model is proposed to account for the effects of electron damage on the temperature dependence of resistivity and on silicon piezoresistance. The results are applicable to the design of silicon-on-sapphire strain gages with high gage factors.

Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) and NeuroImaging: the state-of-the-art, new insights and prospects in basic and clinical neuroscience.

PubMed

Soekadar, Surjo R; Herring, Jim Don; McGonigle, David

2016-10-15

Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) of the brain has attracted an increased interest in recent years. Yet, despite remarkable research efforts to date, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of tES' effects are still incompletely understood. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the state-of-the-art in studies combining tES and neuroimaging, while introducing most recent insights and outlining future prospects related to this new and rapidly growing field. The findings reported here combine methodological advancements with insights into the underlying mechanisms of tES itself. At the same time, they also point to the many caveats and specific challenges associated with such studies, which can arise from both technical and biological sources. Besides promising to advance basic neuroscience, combined tES and neuroimaging studies may also substantially change previous conceptions about the methods of action of electric or magnetic stimulation on the brain. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Pathological implications of cell cycle re-entry in Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Bonda, David J; Lee, Hyun-pil; Kudo, Wataru; Zhu, Xiongwei; Smith, Mark A; Lee, Hyoung-gon

2010-06-29

The complex neurodegeneration underlying Alzheimer disease (AD), although incompletely understood, is characterised by an aberrant re-entry into the cell cycle in neurons. Pathological evidence, in the form of cell cycle markers and regulatory proteins, suggests that cell cycle re-entry is an early event in AD, which precedes the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Although the exact mechanisms that induce and mediate these cell cycle events in AD are not clear, significant advances have been made in further understanding the pathological role of cell cycle re-entry in AD. Importantly, recent studies indicate that cell cycle re-entry is not a consequence, but rather a cause, of neurodegeneration, suggesting that targeting of cell cycle re-entry may provide an opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Moreover, multiple inducers of cell cycle re-entry and their interactions in AD have been proposed. Here, we review the most recent advances in understanding the pathological implications of cell cycle re-entry in AD.

Proteomic profiling of human plasma for cancer biomarker discovery.

PubMed

Huang, Zhao; Ma, Linguang; Huang, Canhua; Li, Qifu; Nice, Edouard C

2017-03-01

Over the past decades, substantial advances have been made in both the early diagnosis and accurate prognosis of many cancers because of the impressive development of novel proteomic strategies. However, it remains difficult to standardize proteomic approaches. In addition, the heterogeneity of proteins in distinct tissues results in incomplete population of the whole proteome, which inevitably limits its clinical practice. As one of the most complex proteomes in the human body, the plasma proteome contains secreted proteins originating from multiple organs and tissues, making it a favorable matrix for comprehensive biomarker discovery. Here, we will discuss the roles of plasma proteome profiling in cancer biomarker discovery and validation, and highlight both the inherent advantages and disadvantages. Although several hurdles lay ahead, further advances in this technology will greatly increase our understanding of cancer biology, reveal new biomarkers and biomarker panels, and open a new avenue for more efficient early diagnosis and surveillance of cancer, leading toward personalized medicine. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Micro-algae come of age as a platform for recombinant protein production

PubMed Central

Specht, Elizabeth; Miyake-Stoner, Shigeki

2010-01-01

A complete set of genetic tools is still being developed for the micro-alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Yet even with this incomplete set, this photosynthetic single-celled plant has demonstrated significant promise as a platform for recombinant protein expression. In recent years, techniques have been developed that allow for robust expression of genes from both the nuclear and plastid genome. With these advances, many research groups have examined the pliability of this and other micro-algae as biological machines capable of producing recombinant peptides and proteins. This review describes recent successes in recombinant protein production in Chlamydomonas, including production of complex mammalian therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies at levels sufficient for production at economic parity with existing production platforms. These advances have also shed light on the details of algal protein production at the molecular level, and provide insight into the next steps for optimizing micro-algae as a useful platform for the production of therapeutic and industrially relevant recombinant proteins. PMID:20556634

Long-Range Regulation of V(D)J Recombination.

PubMed

Proudhon, Charlotte; Hao, Bingtao; Raviram, Ramya; Chaumeil, Julie; Skok, Jane A

2015-01-01

Given their essential role in adaptive immunity, antigen receptor loci have been the focus of analysis for many years and are among a handful of the most well-studied genes in the genome. Their investigation led initially to a detailed knowledge of linear structure and characterization of regulatory elements that confer control of their rearrangement and expression. However, advances in DNA FISH and imaging combined with new molecular approaches that interrogate chromosome conformation have led to a growing appreciation that linear structure is only one aspect of gene regulation and in more recent years, the focus has switched to analyzing the impact of locus conformation and nuclear organization on control of recombination. Despite decades of work and intense effort from numerous labs, we are still left with an incomplete picture of how the assembly of antigen receptor loci is regulated. This chapter summarizes our advances to date and points to areas that need further investigation. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Induced effects of advanced oxidation processes

PubMed Central

Liu, Peng; Li, Chaolin; Zhao, Zhuanjun; Lu, Gang; Cui, Haibo; Zhang, Wenfang

2014-01-01

Hazardous organic wastes from industrial, military, and commercial activities represent one of the greatest challenges to human beings. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are alternatives to the degradation of those organic wastes. However, the knowledge about the exact mechanisms of AOPs is still incomplete. Here we report a phenomenon in the AOPs: induced effects, which is a common property of combustion reaction. Through analysis EDTA oxidation processes by Fenton and UV-Fenton system, the results indicate that, just like combustion, AOPs are typical induction reactions. One most compelling example is that pre-feeding easily oxidizable organic matter can promote the oxidation of refractory organic compound when it was treated by AOPs. Connecting AOPs to combustion, it is possible to achieve some helpful enlightenment from combustion to analyze, predict and understand AOPs. In addition, we assume that maybe other oxidation reactions also have induced effects, such as corrosion, aging and passivation. Muchmore research is necessary to reveal the possibilities of induced effects in those fields. PMID:24503715

Induced effects of advanced oxidation processes.

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Li, Chaolin; Zhao, Zhuanjun; Lu, Gang; Cui, Haibo; Zhang, Wenfang

2014-02-07

Hazardous organic wastes from industrial, military, and commercial activities represent one of the greatest challenges to human beings. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are alternatives to the degradation of those organic wastes. However, the knowledge about the exact mechanisms of AOPs is still incomplete. Here we report a phenomenon in the AOPs: induced effects, which is a common property of combustion reaction. Through analysis EDTA oxidation processes by Fenton and UV-Fenton system, the results indicate that, just like combustion, AOPs are typical induction reactions. One most compelling example is that pre-feeding easily oxidizable organic matter can promote the oxidation of refractory organic compound when it was treated by AOPs. Connecting AOPs to combustion, it is possible to achieve some helpful enlightenment from combustion to analyze, predict and understand AOPs. In addition, we assume that maybe other oxidation reactions also have induced effects, such as corrosion, aging and passivation. Muchmore research is necessary to reveal the possibilities of induced effects in those fields.

Effects of unconventional breakup modes on incomplete fusion of weakly bound nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz-Torres, Alexis; Quraishi, Daanish

2018-02-01

The incomplete fusion dynamics of 6Li+209Bi collisions at energies above the Coulomb barrier is investigated. The classical dynamical model implemented in the platypus code is used to understand and quantify the impact of both 6Li resonance states and transfer-triggered breakup modes (involving short-lived projectile-like nuclei such as 8Be and 5Li) on the formation of incomplete fusion products. Model calculations explain the experimental incomplete-fusion excitation function fairly well, indicating that (i) delayed direct breakup of 6Li reduces the incomplete fusion cross sections and (ii) the neutron-stripping channel practically determines those cross sections.

Computability, Gödel's incompleteness theorem, and an inherent limit on the predictability of evolution

PubMed Central

Day, Troy

2012-01-01

The process of evolutionary diversification unfolds in a vast genotypic space of potential outcomes. During the past century, there have been remarkable advances in the development of theory for this diversification, and the theory's success rests, in part, on the scope of its applicability. A great deal of this theory focuses on a relatively small subset of the space of potential genotypes, chosen largely based on historical or contemporary patterns, and then predicts the evolutionary dynamics within this pre-defined set. To what extent can such an approach be pushed to a broader perspective that accounts for the potential open-endedness of evolutionary diversification? There have been a number of significant theoretical developments along these lines but the question of how far such theory can be pushed has not been addressed. Here a theorem is proven demonstrating that, because of the digital nature of inheritance, there are inherent limits on the kinds of questions that can be answered using such an approach. In particular, even in extremely simple evolutionary systems, a complete theory accounting for the potential open-endedness of evolution is unattainable unless evolution is progressive. The theorem is closely related to Gödel's incompleteness theorem, and to the halting problem from computability theory. PMID:21849390

Recent advances in f-element separations based on a new method for the production of pentavalent americium in acidic solution

DOE PAGES

Mincher, Bruce J.; Schmitt, Nicholas C.; Schuetz, Brian K.; ...

2015-03-11

The peroxydisulfate anion has long been used for the preparation of hexavalent americium (Am VI) from the normally stable Am III valence state in mildly acidic solutions. However, there has been no satisfactory means to directly prepare the pentavalent state (Am V) in that medium. Some early literature reports indicated that the peroxydisulfate oxidation was incomplete, and silver ion catalysis in conjunction with peroxydisulfate became accepted as the means to ensure quantitative generation of Am VI. Incomplete oxidation would be expected to leave residual Am III, or to produce Am V in treated solutions. However, until recently, the use ofmore » peroxydisulfate as an Am V reagent has not been reported. Here, parameters influencing the oxidation were investigated, including peroxydisulfate and acid concentration, temperature, duration of oxidative treatment, and the presence of higher concentrations of other redox active metals such as plutonium. Using optimized conditions determined here, quantitative Am V was prepared in an acidic solution and the UV/Vis extinction coefficients of the Am V 513 nm peak were measured over a range of nitric acid concentrations. Furthermore, the utility of Am V for separations from the lanthanides and curium by solvent extraction, organic column chromatography and inorganic ion exchangers was also investigated.« less

Variation in breast cancer risk associated with factors related to pregnancies according to truncating mutation location, in the French National BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations carrier cohort (GENEPSO)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Introduction Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 confer a high risk of breast cancer (BC), but the magnitude of this risk seems to vary according to the study and various factors. Although controversial, there are data to support the hypothesis of allelic risk heterogeneity. Methods We assessed variation in BC risk according to factors related to pregnancies by location of mutation in the homogeneous risk region of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in 990 women in the French study GENEPSO by using a weighted Cox regression model. Results Our results confirm the existence of the protective effect of an increasing number of full-term pregnancies (FTPs) toward BC among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (≥3 versus 0 FTPs: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.33 to 0.81). Additionally, the HR shows an association between incomplete pregnancies and a higher BC risk, which reached 2.39 (95% CI = 1.28 to 4.45) among women who had at least three incomplete pregnancies when compared with women with zero incomplete pregnancies. This increased risk appeared to be restricted to incomplete pregnancies occurring before the first FTP (HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.63). We defined the TMAP score (defined as the Time of Breast Mitotic Activity during Pregnancies) to take into account simultaneously the opposite effect of full-term and interrupted pregnancies. Compared with women with a TMAP score of less than 0.35, an increasing TMAP score was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of BC (P trend = 0.02) which reached 1.97 (95% CI = 1.19 to 3.29) for a TMAP score >0.5 (versus TMAP ≤0.35). All these results appeared to be similar in BRCA1 and BRCA2. Nevertheless, our results suggest a variation in BC risk associated with parity according to the location of the mutation in BRCA1. Indeed, parity seems to be associated with a significantly decreased risk of BC only among women with a mutation in the central region of BRCA1 (low-risk region) (≥1 versus 0 FTP: HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.55) (Pinteraction <10-3). Conclusions Our findings show that, taking into account environmental and lifestyle modifiers, mutation position might be important for the clinical management of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and could also be helpful in understanding how BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are involved in BC. PMID:22762150

Variation in breast cancer risk associated with factors related to pregnancies according to truncating mutation location, in the French National BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations carrier cohort (GENEPSO).

PubMed

Lecarpentier, Julie; Noguès, Catherine; Mouret-Fourme, Emmanuelle; Gauthier-Villars, Marion; Lasset, Christine; Fricker, Jean-Pierre; Caron, Olivier; Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique; Berthet, Pascaline; Faivre, Laurence; Bonadona, Valérie; Buecher, Bruno; Coupier, Isabelle; Gladieff, Laurence; Gesta, Paul; Eisinger, François; Frénay, Marc; Luporsi, Elisabeth; Lortholary, Alain; Colas, Chrystelle; Dugast, Catherine; Longy, Michel; Pujol, Pascal; Tinat, Julie; Lidereau, Rosette; Andrieu, Nadine

2012-07-03

Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 confer a high risk of breast cancer (BC), but the magnitude of this risk seems to vary according to the study and various factors. Although controversial, there are data to support the hypothesis of allelic risk heterogeneity. We assessed variation in BC risk according to factors related to pregnancies by location of mutation in the homogeneous risk region of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in 990 women in the French study GENEPSO by using a weighted Cox regression model. Our results confirm the existence of the protective effect of an increasing number of full-term pregnancies (FTPs) toward BC among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (≥3 versus 0 FTPs: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.33 to 0.81). Additionally, the HR shows an association between incomplete pregnancies and a higher BC risk, which reached 2.39 (95% CI = 1.28 to 4.45) among women who had at least three incomplete pregnancies when compared with women with zero incomplete pregnancies. This increased risk appeared to be restricted to incomplete pregnancies occurring before the first FTP (HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.63). We defined the TMAP score (defined as the Time of Breast Mitotic Activity during Pregnancies) to take into account simultaneously the opposite effect of full-term and interrupted pregnancies. Compared with women with a TMAP score of less than 0.35, an increasing TMAP score was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of BC (P trend = 0.02) which reached 1.97 (95% CI = 1.19 to 3.29) for a TMAP score >0.5 (versus TMAP ≤0.35). All these results appeared to be similar in BRCA1 and BRCA2. Nevertheless, our results suggest a variation in BC risk associated with parity according to the location of the mutation in BRCA1. Indeed, parity seems to be associated with a significantly decreased risk of BC only among women with a mutation in the central region of BRCA1 (low-risk region) (≥1 versus 0 FTP: HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.55) (Pinteraction <10-3). Our findings show that, taking into account environmental and lifestyle modifiers, mutation position might be important for the clinical management of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and could also be helpful in understanding how BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are involved in BC.

Ischemic Stroke Profile, Risk Factors, and Outcomes in India: The Indo-US Collaborative Stroke Project.

PubMed

Sylaja, P N; Pandian, Jeyaraj Durai; Kaul, Subhash; Srivastava, M V Padma; Khurana, Dheeraj; Schwamm, Lee H; Kesav, Praveen; Arora, Deepti; Pannu, Aman; Thankachan, Tijy K; Singhal, Aneesh B

2018-01-01

The Indo-US Collaborative Stroke Project was designed to characterize ischemic stroke across 5 high-volume academic tertiary hospitals in India. From January 2012 to August 2014, research coordinators and physician coinvestigators prospectively collected data on 2066 patients with ischemic stroke admitted <2 weeks after onset. Investigator training and supervision and data monitoring were conducted by the US site (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston). The mean age was 58.3±14.7 years, 67.2% men. The median admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 10 (interquartile range, 5-15) and 24.5% had National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ≥16. Hypertension (60.8%), diabetes mellitus (35.7%), and tobacco use (32.2%, including bidi/smokeless tobacco) were common risk factors. Only 4% had atrial fibrillation. All patients underwent computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging; 81% had cerebrovascular imaging. Stroke etiologic subtypes were large artery (29.9%), cardiac (24.9%), small artery (14.2%), other definite (3.4%), and undetermined (27.6%, including 6.7% with incomplete evaluation). Intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis was administered in 13%. In-hospital mortality was 7.9%, and 48% achieved modified Rankin Scale score 0 to 2 at 90 days. On multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus predicted poor 3-month outcome and younger age, lower admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and small-artery etiology predicted excellent 3-month outcome. These comprehensive and novel clinical imaging data will prove useful in refining stroke guidelines and advancing stroke care in India. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Recommendations for a first Core Outcome Measurement set for complex regional PAin syndrome Clinical sTudies (COMPACT)

PubMed Central

Grieve, Sharon; Perez, Roberto SGM; Birklein, Frank; Brunner, Florian; Bruehl, Stephen; Harden R, Norman; Packham, Tara; Gobeil, Francois; Haigh, Richard; Holly, Janet; Terkelsen, Astrid; Davies, Lindsay; Lewis, Jennifer; Thomassen, Ilona; Connett, Robyn; Worth, Tina; Vatine, Jean-Jacques; McCabe, Candida S

2017-01-01

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a persistent pain condition that remains incompletely understood and challenging to treat. Historically, a wide range of different outcome measures have been used to capture the multidimensional nature of CRPS. This has been a significant limiting factor in the advancement of our understanding of the mechanisms and management of CRPS. In 2013, an international consortium of patients, clinicians, researchers and industry representatives was established, to develop and agree on a minimum core set of standardised outcome measures for use in future CRPS clinical research, including but not limited to clinical trials within adult populations The development of a core measurement set was informed through workshops and supplementary work, using an iterative consensus process. ‘What is the clinical presentation and course of CRPS, and what factors influence it?’ was agreed as the most pertinent research question that our standardised set of patient-reported outcome measures should be selected to answer. The domains encompassing the key concepts necessary to answer the research question were agreed as: pain, disease severity, participation and physical function, emotional and psychological function, self efficacy, catastrophizing and patient's global impression of change. The final core measurement set included the optimum generic or condition-specific patient-reported questionnaire outcome measures, which captured the essence of each domain, and one clinician reported outcome measure to capture the degree of severity of CRPS. The next step is to test the feasibility and acceptability of collecting outcome measure data using the core measurement set in the CRPS population internationally. PMID:28178071

Teenage pregnancy.

PubMed

Molina Cartes, Ramiro; González Araya, Electra

2012-01-01

Teen pregnancy is a social problem not resolved in developing and some developed countries. Adolescent fecundity has become the most exact bio-demographic and health indicator of development. In developing countries that are expected to follow the sexual behaviour patterns of developed countries, without offering the levels of education and services for adolescents, the consequences will be adolescent fecundity and STI prevalence increase. The ignorance about sexuality and reproduction both in parents, teachers and adolescents increases the early initiation of coital relations and of unwanted pregnancies. Extreme poverty and being the son or daughter of an adolescent mother are risk factors of repeating the early pregnancy model. The application of predictive risk criteria in pregnant adolescents to facilitate the rational use of Health Services to diminish the maternal and perinatal mortality is discussed as well as the social factors associated with adolescent pregnancy as socioeconomic levels, structure - types and characteristics of the family, early leaving school, schooling after delivery, female employment, lack of sexual education, parental and family attitudes in different periods of adolescent pregnancy, adolescent decisions on pregnancy and children, unstable partner relationship and adoption as an option. Social consequences are analyzed as: incomplete education, more numerous families, difficulties in maternal role, abandonment by the partner, fewer possibilities of having a stable, qualified and well-paid job, greater difficulty in improving their socioeconomic level and less probability of social advancement, lack of protection of the recognition of the child. Finally, based on evidence, some measures that can reduce adverse consequences on adolescent mothers, fathers and their children are suggested. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Guidance for Avoiding Incomplete Premanufacture Notices or Bona Fides in the New Chemicals Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains documents to help you avoid having an incomplete Premanufacture notice or Bona Fide . The documents go over the chemical identity requirements and common errors that result in incompletes.

Estimate of the frequency of true incomplete exchanges in human lymphocytes exposed to 1 GeV/u Fe ions in vitro

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, H.; George, K.; Yang, T. C.

1999-01-01

PURPOSE: To study the frequency of true incomplete exchanges induced by high-LET radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human lymphocytes were exposed to 1 GeV/u Fe ions (LET = 140 keV/microm). Chromosome aberrations were analysed by a fluorescence in situ hybridization using a combination of whole-chromosome-specific probes and human telomere probes. Chromosomes 1, 3 and 4 were investigated. RESULTS: The percentage of incomplete exchanges was between 23 and 29% if telomere signals were not considered. The percentage decreased to approximately 10% after ruling out false incomplete exchanges containing telomere signals. The final estimation of true incomplete exchanges was <10%. CONCLUSION: Within a degree of uncertainty, the percentage of true incomplete exchanges in 1 GeV/u Fe ion-irradiated human lymphocytes was similar to that induced by gamma rays.

Unsymmetric ordering using a constrained Markowitz scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amestoy, Patrick R.; Xiaoye S.; Pralet, Stephane

2005-01-18

We present a family of ordering algorithms that can be used as a preprocessing step prior to performing sparse LU factorization. The ordering algorithms simultaneously achieve the objectives of selecting numerically good pivots and preserving the sparsity. We describe the algorithmic properties and challenges in their implementation. By mixing the two objectives we show that we can reduce the amount of fill-in in the factors and reduce the number of numerical problems during factorization. On a set of large unsymmetric real problems, we obtained the median reductions of 12% in the factorization time, of 13% in the size of themore » LU factors, of 20% in the number of operations performed during the factorization phase, and of 11% in the memory needed by the multifrontal solver MA41-UNS. A byproduct of this ordering strategy is an incomplete LU-factored matrix that can be used as a preconditioner in an iterative solver.« less

Correlation between compliance and brace treatment in juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: SOSORT 2014 award winner

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Over the last years, evidence has accumulated in support of bracing as an effective treatment option in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Yet, little information is available on the impact of compliance on the outcome of conservative treatment in scoliotic subjects. The aim of the present study was to prospectively evaluate the association between compliance to brace treatment and the progression of scoliotic curve in patients with idiopathic adolescent (AIS) or juvenile scoliosis (JIS). Methods Among 1.424 patients treated for idiopathic scoliosis, 645 were eligible for inclusion criteria. Three outcomes were distinguished in agreement with the SRS criteria: curve correction, curve stabilization and curve progression. Brace wearing was assessed by one orthopaedic surgeon (LA) and scored on a standardized form. Compliance to treatment was categorized as complete (brace worn as prescribed), incomplete A (brace removed for 1 month), incomplete B (brace removed for 2 months), incomplete C (brace removed during school hours), and incomplete D (brace worn overnight only). Chi square test, T test or ANOVA and ANOVA for repeated measures tests were used as statistical tests. Results The results from our study showed that at follow-up the compliance was: Complete 61.1%; Incomplete A 5.2%; Incomplete B 10.7%; Incomplete C 14.2%; Incomplete D 8.8%. Curve correction was accomplished in 301/319 of Complete, 19/27 Incomplete A, 25/56 Incomplete B, 52/74 Incomplete C, 27/46 Incomplete D. Cobb mean value was 29.8 ± 7.5 SD at beginning and 17.1 ± 10.9 SD at follow-up. Both Cobb and Perdriolle degree amelioration was significantly higher in patients with complete compliance over all other groups, both in juvenile, both in adolescent scoliosis. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of surgical treatment was 2.1% among patients with definite outcome and 12.1% among those with drop-out. Treatment compliance showed significant interactions with time. Conclusion Curve progression and referral to surgery are lower in patients with high brace compliance. Bracing discontinuation up to 1 month does not impact on the treatment outcome. Conversely, wearing the brace only overnight is associated with a high rate of curve progression. PMID:24995038

Carbofluoresceins and Carborhodamines as Scaffolds for High-Contrast Fluorogenic Probes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Fluorogenic molecules are important tools for advanced biochemical and biological experiments. The extant collection of fluorogenic probes is incomplete, however, leaving regions of the electromagnetic spectrum unutilized. Here, we synthesize green-excited fluorescent and fluorogenic analogues of the classic fluorescein and rhodamine 110 fluorophores by replacement of the xanthene oxygen with a quaternary carbon. These anthracenyl “carbofluorescein” and “carborhodamine 110” fluorophores exhibit excellent fluorescent properties and can be masked with enzyme- and photolabile groups to prepare high-contrast fluorogenic molecules useful for live cell imaging experiments and super-resolution microscopy. Our divergent approach to these red-shifted dye scaffolds will enable the preparation of numerous novel fluorogenic probes with high biological utility. PMID:23557713

Detecting Edges in Images by Use of Fuzzy Reasoning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominguez, Jesus A.; Klinko, Steve

2003-01-01

A method of processing digital image data to detect edges includes the use of fuzzy reasoning. The method is completely adaptive and does not require any advance knowledge of an image. During initial processing of image data at a low level of abstraction, the nature of the data is indeterminate. Fuzzy reasoning is used in the present method because it affords an ability to construct useful abstractions from approximate, incomplete, and otherwise imperfect sets of data. Humans are able to make some sense of even unfamiliar objects that have imperfect high-level representations. It appears that to perceive unfamiliar objects or to perceive familiar objects in imperfect images, humans apply heuristic algorithms to understand the images

Single molecule data under scrutiny. Comment on "Extracting physics of life at the molecular level: A review of single-molecule data analyses" by W. Colomb & S.K. Sarkar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohland, Thorsten

2015-06-01

Single Molecule Detection and Spectroscopy have grown from their first beginnings into mainstream, mature research areas that are widely applied in the biological sciences. However, despite the advances in technology and the application of many single molecule techniques even in in vivo settings, the data analysis of single molecule experiments is complicated by noise, systematic errors, and complex underlying processes that are only incompletely understood. Colomb and Sarkar provide in this issue an overview of single molecule experiments and the accompanying problems in data analysis, which have to be overcome for a proper interpretation of the experiments [1].

Outcomes and prognostic factors of fecal microbiota transplantation in patients with slow transit constipation: results from a prospective study with long-term follow-up.

PubMed

Ding, Chao; Fan, Wenting; Gu, Lili; Tian, Hongliang; Ge, Xiaolong; Gong, Jianfeng; Nie, Yongzhan; Li, Ning

2018-05-01

Gut microbiota may contribute to regulate colonic motility, which is involved in the etiology of constipation. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been demonstrated to restore intestinal homeostasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of FMT for the treatment of slow transit constipation (STC). Fifty-two patients with STC received standardized FMT and were followed up for 6 months. Bowel habit, colonic transit time, constipation-related symptoms (PAC-SYM score), quality of life (PAC-QOL score), treatment satisfaction scores and adverse events were monitored. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients having on average three or more complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) per week. The primary efficacy endpoint was achieved in 50.0%, 38.5% and 32.7% of patients over week intervals 3-4, 9-12 and 21-24, respectively ( P  < 0.01 for all comparisons). Significant improvements were also observed in other bowel movement assessments, colonic transit time, constipation-related symptoms and quality of life; but all improvements diminished at weeks 12 and 24. Incompleteness of evacuation served as the only factor associated with efficacy. No serious treatment-related adverse events were observed. This study suggested FMT was effective and safe for STC, while a late loss of efficacy was also observed. A lower degree of sensation of incompleteness predicted a better outcome.

Dynamic Risk Stratification in Stage I Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients Younger Than 45 Years of Age.

PubMed

Sung, Tae-Yon; Cho, Jae Won; Lee, Yu-Mi; Lee, Yi Ho; Kwon, Hyemi; Jeon, Min Ji; Kim, Won Gu; Choi, Young Jun; Song, Dong Eun; Chung, Ki-Wook; Yoon, Jong Ho; Hong, Suck Joon

2017-11-01

This study validated the dynamic risk stratification (DRS) system with regard to its association with structural recurrence and risk factors associated with non-excellent responses in patients <45 years with stage I classical papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This historical cohort study included 598 patients with stage I classical PTC <45 years of age treated with total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine remnant ablation (n = 440), total thyroidectomy without radioactive iodine remnant ablation (n = 23), and thyroid lobectomy alone (n = 135). The median follow-up period was 123 months. Structural recurrence occurred in 4.2% (n = 18/432) of the patients with an excellent response, 17.1% (18/105) of patients with an indeterminate response, 44.7% (17/38) of patients with a biochemically incomplete response, and 82.6% (19/23) of patients with a structurally incomplete response (p < 0.001) during the follow-up. The disease-free survival curves of each response showed significant differences (p < 0.001). Extensive extrathyroidal extension and extranodal extension were the independent risk factors associated with non-excellent response (p < 0.05). DRS may reduce unnecessary additional treatments by reclassifying initial risk estimates of structural recurrence. Furthermore, applying the risk factors associated with non-excellent response to initial therapy may be a more useful and viable surrogate of the risk for structural recurrence in stage I PTC patients <45 years of age.

[Clinical analysis of 942 cases of Kawasaki disease].

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Li, Qiu; Zhao, Xiao-dong; Tang, Xue-mei; Wang, Xiao-gang; Wang, Mo; Wu, Dao-qi; Ou, Qian; Yang, Xi-qiang

2006-05-01

The study was designed to investigate the clinical characteristics and the effects of therapeutic proposal on Kawasaki disease (KD). Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment for totally 942 patients with KD hospitalized during Jan, 2000 to Dec, 2004 were reviewed. Clinical features of typical and incomplete KD were compared. Also, influential factors for KD resistant to intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) therapy were analyzed. Five hundred and ten cases were followed up for analyzing the prognosis of coronary artery lesion (CAL). (1) 774 cases were diagnosed as typical KD, and 168 cases as incomplete KD. The incidence of infants with incomplete KD was higher than that of infants with typical KD (18.5% vs. 10.1%, P < 0.01). As compared with typical KD, the cases of incomplete KD had a long duration of fever before final diagnosis [(7.7 +/- 2.9) d vs. (7.0 +/- 2.4) d, P < 0.01], high hemoglobin level [Hb, (106.6 +/- 13.4) g/L vs. (103.5 +/- 12.3) g/L, P < 0.01], high hematocrit [Hct, (32.0 +/- 4.3)% vs. (31.0 +/- 4.0)%, P < 0.01], and high prevalence of CAL (23.8% vs. 16.8%, P < 0.05), respectively. The occurrence rate and emerging time of clinical manifestations in incomplete KD and in typical KD were presented, respectively: non-exudative conjunctivitis [occurrence rate, 64.9% vs. 93.5%; emerging time, (4.4 +/- 1.4) d vs. (4.0 +/- 1.6) d, respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)], erythema and cracking of lips [occurrence rate, 50.6% vs. 94.8%; emerging time, (4.9 +/- 1.4) d vs. (4.5 +/- 1.6) d, respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)], rash [occurrence rate, 35.1% vs. 87.7%; emerging time, (3.9 +/- 1.9) d vs. (3.4 +/- 1.7) d, respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)], erythema and edema of extremity [occurrence rate, 26.8% vs. 71.4%; emerging time, (6.7 +/- 1.5) d vs. (5.3 +/- 1.7) d, respectively (P < 0.01)], cervical lymphadenopathy [occurrence rate, 34.5% vs. 68.0%; emerging time, (4.3 +/- 2.5) d vs. (3.6 +/- 2.2) d, respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)], strawberry tongue [occurrence rate, 31.0% vs. 59.8%; emerging time, (5.6 +/- 2.2) d vs. (4.9 +/- 1.8) d, respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)], membranous desquamation of fingertips [occurrence rate, 34.5% vs. 56.3%; emerging time, (11.7 +/- 3.3) d vs. (10.3 +/- 2.7) d, respectively (P < 0.01)], and desquamation peri-anus [occurrence rate, 42.9% vs. 50.0%; emerging time, (6.7 +/- 2.7) d vs. (6.9 +/- 2.5) d, respectively (P > 0.05)]. Except for peri-anus desquamation, other clinical manifestations in incomplete KD were sporadical as compared to typical KD. (2) Six per cent (51/857) of cases were resistant to the IVIG therapy. As compared to the group responding to IVIG therapy, high prevalence of CAL (31.4% vs. 17.1%, P < 0.05), long fever duration [(10.6 +/- 3.9) d vs. (7.5 +/- 2.3) d, P < 0.01], low Hb level [(99.9 +/- 14.1) g/L vs. (104.3 +/- 12.4) g/L, P < 0.01], low Hct [(30.1 +/- 4.5)% vs. (31.2 +/- 4.0)%, P < 0.05], low platelet [PLT, (256.9 +/- 142.4) x 10(9)/L vs. (309.7 +/- 131.5) x 10(9)/L, P < 0.05], and low albumin level [ALB, (27.8 +/- 8.4) g/L vs. (33.5 +/- 6.7) g/L, P < 0.01] were found in the group resistant to IVIG therapy, respectively. (3) In patients who received IVIG 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg, the recovery rates from CAL were 83.1% and 89.7% (P > 0.05), respectively. The prevalence of CAL in those without CAL in acute and subacute stages was 0.9% and 3.5% (P > 0.05), respectively, during 2 year-follow-up period. (1) Infants appeared to have more chances to suffer from incomplete KD. Incomplete KD had high prevalence of CAL. The peri-anus desquamation might be an important clue for early diagnosis of incomplete KD. (2) In acute stage, the influential factors for KD resistance to IVIG therapy included prolonged fever, non-elevated PLT, and persistent decrease in Hb, Hct and ALB levels. (3) Children receiving IVIG 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg had the similar effects on recovery and prevention from CAL within the first two years after KD onset.

The Effects of Source, Revision Possibility, and Amount of Feedback on Marketing Students' Impressions of Feedback on an Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackerman, David S.; Dommeyer, Curt J.; Gross, Barbara L.

2017-01-01

This study examines how three factors affect students' reactions to critical feedback on an assignment--amount of feedback (none vs. low amount vs. high amount), source of feedback (instructor-provided feedback vs. peer-provided feedback), and the situational context of the feedback (revision of paper is or is not possible). An incomplete 3 × 2 ×…

Phase Diversity and Polarization Augmented Techniques for Active Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

build up a system model for use in algorithm development. 32 IV. Conventional Imaging and Atmospheric Turbulence With an understanding of scalar...28, 59, 115 Cholesky Factorization, 14, 42 C2n, see Turbulence Coherent Image Model, 36 Complete Data, see EM Algorithm Complex Coherence...Data, see EM Algorithm Homotopic, 62 Impulse Response, 34, 44 Incoherent Image Model, 36 Incomplete Data, see EM Algorithm Lo- Turbulence Outer Scale

Sparse and incomplete factorial matrices to screen membrane protein 2D crystallization

PubMed Central

Lasala, R.; Coudray, N.; Abdine, A.; Zhang, Z.; Lopez-Redondo, M.; Kirshenbaum, R.; Alexopoulos, J.; Zolnai, Z.; Stokes, D.L.; Ubarretxena-Belandia, I.

2014-01-01

Electron crystallography is well suited for studying the structure of membrane proteins in their native lipid bilayer environment. This technique relies on electron cryomicroscopy of two-dimensional (2D) crystals, grown generally by reconstitution of purified membrane proteins into proteoliposomes under conditions favoring the formation of well-ordered lattices. Growing these crystals presents one of the major hurdles in the application of this technique. To identify conditions favoring crystallization a wide range of factors that can lead to a vast matrix of possible reagent combinations must be screened. However, in 2D crystallization these factors have traditionally been surveyed in a relatively limited fashion. To address this problem we carried out a detailed analysis of published 2D crystallization conditions for 12 β-barrel and 138 α-helical membrane proteins. From this analysis we identified the most successful conditions and applied them in the design of new sparse and incomplete factorial matrices to screen membrane protein 2D crystallization. Using these matrices we have run 19 crystallization screens for 16 different membrane proteins totaling over 1,300 individual crystallization conditions. Six membrane proteins have yielded diffracting 2D crystals suitable for structure determination, indicating that these new matrices show promise to accelerate the success rate of membrane protein 2D crystallization. PMID:25478971

Evaluation of transcatheter arterial embolization therapy on hepatocellular carcinomas using contrast-enhanced harmonic power Doppler sonography: comparison with CT, power Doppler sonography, and dynamic MRI.

PubMed

Shima, Toshihide; Mizuno, Masayuki; Otsuji, Hideaki; Mizuno, Chiemi; Obata, Hirozumi; Park, Hyohun; Nakajo, Shinobu; Okanoue, Takeshi

2005-09-01

The aim of this study was to assess and compare the sensitivity of power Doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced sonography, plain computed tomography (CT), and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules incompletely treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). A total of 63 unresectable HCC nodules were examined in this study. The HCCs were treated with TAE. All patients underwent plain CT, power Doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced harmonic power Doppler sonography, and dynamic MRI 1 week after TAE. The sensitivity of each modality to incompletely treated HCC nodules was compared. Detection of the residual viable HCC on angiography or tumor biopsy was regarded as the gold standard for the diagnosis of incomplete treatment. Twenty-four nodules (38%) were diagnosed as incompletely treated. The sensitivities of plain CT, power Doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced harmonic power Doppler sonography, and dynamic MRI to these incompletely treated nodules were 42% (10/24), 46% (11/24), 88% (21/24), and 79% (19/24), respectively. Eighty percent (19 nodules) of the 24 incompletely treated nodules were located within a depth of less than 8 cm. The sensitivities of plain CT, power Doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced harmonic power Doppler sonography, and dynamic MRI to these superficial incompletely treated nodules were 37% (7/19), 53% (10/19), 100% (19/19), and 74% (14/19), respectively. In contrast, the sensitivities of each modality to deeply located nodules were 60% (3/5), 20% (1/5), 40% (2/5), and 100% (5/5), respectively. Plain CT and power Doppler sonography had a low sensitivity to HCC nodules incompletely treated with TAE. Except for those that were deeply located, contrast-enhanced harmonic sonography showed the highest sensitivity in detecting incompletely treated HCC nodules.

Impact of the addition of new vaccines in the early childhood schedule on vaccine coverage by 24 months of age from 2006 to 2016 in Quebec, Canada.

PubMed

Kiely, Marilou; Boulianne, Nicole; Talbot, Denis; Ouakki, Manale; Guay, Maryse; Landry, Monique; Zafack, Joseline; Sauvageau, Chantal; De Serres, Gaston

2018-07-05

Between 2004 and 2016, in the province of Quebec (Canada), 4 new antigens were added in the early childhood vaccine schedule from birth to 18 months, increasing the number of injections or doses needed from 7 to 12. These additions may have decreased the proportion of children who had received all recommended vaccines. To assess the impact of the introduction of new vaccines to the childhood schedule on the 24-month vaccine coverage from 2006 to 2016 and identify factors associated with incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age. We used the data from six cross-sectional vaccine coverage surveys conducted every two years which included a total of 3515 children aged 2 years old and randomly selected from the Quebec public health insurance database. Factors associated with an incomplete vaccine status by 24 months were identified with multivariable logistic regression. Despite the addition of 4 new vaccine antigens since 2004, the vaccine coverage remained high from 2006 (82.4%) through 2016 (88.3%) for vaccines present in the schedule since 2006. In 2016, vaccine coverage was 78.2% for all vaccines included in the schedule. The vaccine coverage of new vaccines increases rapidly within 2 years of their introduction. For both new and older vaccines, incomplete vaccine status by 24 months of age is associated with a delay of 30 days or more in receiving the vaccines scheduled at 2 and 12 months of age. Increasing to 12 the number of doses in the recommended schedule has slightly reduced the vaccine coverage by 24 months of age and the vaccine coverage of vaccines already in the schedule remained stable over the years. Future additions to the vaccine schedule may not be similarly accepted by the population and this will require continuing the monitoring of vaccine coverage. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic inequalities are still a barrier to full child vaccine coverage in the Brazilian Amazon: a cross-sectional study in Assis Brasil, Acre, Brazil.

PubMed

Branco, Fernando Luiz Cunha Castelo; Pereira, Thasciany Moraes; Delfino, Breno Matos; Braña, Athos Muniz; Oliart-Guzmán, Humberto; Mantovani, Saulo Augusto Silva; Martins, Antonio Camargo; Oliveira, Cristieli Sérgio de Menezes; Ramalho, Alanderson Alves; Codeço, Claudia Torres; da Silva-Nunes, Mônica

2014-11-27

Vaccines are very important to reduce morbidity and mortality by preventable infectious diseases, especially during childhood. Optimal coverage is not always achieved, for several reasons. Here we assessed vaccine coverage for the first 12 months of age in children between 12 and 59 months old, residing in the urban area of a small Amazonian city, and factors associated with incomplete vaccination. A census was performed in the urban area of Assis Brasil, in the Brazilian Amazon, in January 2010, with mothers of 282 children aged 12 to 59 months old, using structured interviews and data from vaccination cards. Mixed logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with incomplete vaccination schemes. Only 82.6% of all children had a completed the basic vaccine scheme for the first year of life. Vaccine coverage ranged from 52.7% coverage (oral rotavirus vaccine) to 99.7% coverage (for Bacille Calmette-Guérin). The major deficiencies occurred in doses administered after the first six months of life. Incomplete vaccination was associated with not having enough income to buy a house (aOR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.06-4.21), low maternal schooling (aOR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.28 - 5.29) , and time of residence of the child in the urban area of the city (aOR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.55 - 0.95). This study showed that vaccine coverage in the first twelve months of life in Assis Brasil is similar to other areas in the Amazon and it is below the coverage postulated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Low vaccine coverage was associated with socioeconomic inequities that still prevail in the Brazilian Amazon. Short and long-term strategies must be taken to update child vaccines and increase vaccine coverage in the Amazon.

Incomplete childhood immunization with new and old vaccines and associated factors: BRISA birth cohort, São Luís, Maranhão State, Northeast Brazil.

PubMed

Silva, Francelena de Sousa; Barbosa, Yonna Costa; Batalha, Mônica Araújo; Ribeiro, Marizélia Rodrigues Costa; Simões, Vanda Maria Ferreira; Branco, Maria Dos Remédios Freitas Carvalho; Thomaz, Érika Bárbara Abreu Fonseca; Queiroz, Rejane Christine de Sousa; Araújo, Waleska Regina Machado; Silva, Antônio Augusto Moura da

2018-03-12

This study estimated the percentages of incomplete immunization with new vaccines and old vaccines and associated factors in children 13 to 35 months of age belonging to a birth cohort in São Luís, the capital of Maranhão State, Brazil. The sample was probabilistic, with 3,076 children born in 2010. Information on vaccination was obtained from the Child's Health Card. The new vaccines, namely those introduced in 2010, were meningococcal C and 10-valent pneumococcal, and the old vaccines, or those already on the childhood immunization schedule, were BCG, hepatitis B, human rotavirus, polio, tetravalent (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae b), yellow fever, and triple viral (measles, mumps, rubella). The study used hierarchical modeling and Poisson regression with robust variance. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. Incomplete immunization was higher with new vaccines (51.1%) than with old vaccines (33.2%). Children 25 to 35 months of age (PR = 1.27; 95%CI: 1.14-1.41) and those in economic classes D/E (PR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.06-1.35) were only significantly associated with new vaccines; low maternal schooling (PR = 1.58; 95%CI: 1.21-2.06), unavailability of outpatient and/or hospital care for the child (PR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.04-1.38), and unavailability of the vaccine in health services (PR: 1.28; 95%CI: 1.12-1.46) were only associated with old vaccines. Immunization strategies should consider the vulnerability of older preschool-age children and those belonging to classes D and E, especially when new vaccines are introduced, as well as children of mothers with low schooling. Strategies should also address problems with the availability of health services and vaccines.

49 CFR 630.6 - Late and incomplete reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Late and incomplete reports. 630.6 Section 630.6 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.6 Late and incomplete reports. (a) Late reports...

49 CFR 630.6 - Late and incomplete reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Late and incomplete reports. 630.6 Section 630.6 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.6 Late and incomplete reports. (a) Late reports...

49 CFR 630.6 - Late and incomplete reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Late and incomplete reports. 630.6 Section 630.6 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.6 Late and incomplete reports. (a) Late reports...

49 CFR 630.6 - Late and incomplete reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Late and incomplete reports. 630.6 Section 630.6 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.6 Late and incomplete reports. (a) Late reports...

49 CFR 630.6 - Late and incomplete reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Late and incomplete reports. 630.6 Section 630.6 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.6 Late and incomplete reports. (a) Late reports...

7 CFR 1006.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1006.50 Section 1006.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1007.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1007.50 Section 1007.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1126.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1126.50 Section 1126.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1131.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1131.50 Section 1131.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1005.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1005.50 Section 1005.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1032.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1032.50 Section 1032.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1001.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1001.50 Section 1001.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1033.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1033.50 Section 1033.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued..., and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

Postpartum hemorrhage prevention in Nepal: a program assessment.

PubMed

Rajbhandari, Swaraj Pradhan; Aryal, Kamal; Sheldon, Wendy R; Ban, Bharat; Upreti, Senendra Raj; Regmi, Kiran; Aryal, Shilu; Winikoff, Beverly

2017-06-05

In 2009, the Nepal Ministry of Health and Population launched a national program for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) during home births that features advance distribution of misoprostol to pregnant women. In the years since, the government has scaled-up the program throughout much of the country. This paper presents findings from the first large-scale assessment of the effectiveness of the advance distribution program. Data collection was carried out in nine districts and all three ecological zones. To assess knowledge, receipt and use of misoprostol, household interviews were conducted with 2070 women who had given birth within the past 12 months. To assess supply and provision of misoprostol, interviews were conducted with 270 Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) and staff at 99 health facilities. Among recently delivered women, only 15% received information about misoprostol and 13% received misoprostol tablets in advance of delivery. Yet 87% who received advance misoprostol and delivered at home used it for PPH prevention. Among FCHVs, 96% were providing advance misoprostol for PPH prevention; however 81% had experienced at least one misoprostol stock out within the past year. About one-half of FCHVs were providing incomplete information about the use of misoprostol; in addition, many did not discuss side effects, how to recognize PPH or where to go if PPH occurs. Among health facilities, just one-half had sufficient misoprostol stock, while 95% had sufficient oxytocin stock, at the time of this assessment. In Nepal, women who receive advance misoprostol are both willing and able to use the medication for PPH prevention during home births. However the supply and personnel challenges identified raise questions about scalability and impact of the program over the long-term. Further assessment is needed.

Assessment of stem cell differentiation based on genome-wide expression profiles.

PubMed

Godoy, Patricio; Schmidt-Heck, Wolfgang; Hellwig, Birte; Nell, Patrick; Feuerborn, David; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Kattler, Kathrin; Walter, Jörn; Blüthgen, Nils; Hengstler, Jan G

2018-07-05

In recent years, protocols have been established to differentiate stem and precursor cells into more mature cell types. However, progress in this field has been hampered by difficulties to assess the differentiation status of stem cell-derived cells in an unbiased manner. Here, we present an analysis pipeline based on published data and methods to quantify the degree of differentiation and to identify transcriptional control factors explaining differences from the intended target cells or tissues. The pipeline requires RNA-Seq or gene array data of the stem cell starting population, derived 'mature' cells and primary target cells or tissue. It consists of a principal component analysis to represent global expression changes and to identify possible problems of the dataset that require special attention, such as: batch effects; clustering techniques to identify gene groups with similar features; over-representation analysis to characterize biological motifs and transcriptional control factors of the identified gene clusters; and metagenes as well as gene regulatory networks for quantitative cell-type assessment and identification of influential transcription factors. Possibilities and limitations of the analysis pipeline are illustrated using the example of human embryonic stem cell and human induced pluripotent cells to generate 'hepatocyte-like cells'. The pipeline quantifies the degree of incomplete differentiation as well as remaining stemness and identifies unwanted features, such as colon- and fibroblast-associated gene clusters that are absent in real hepatocytes but typically induced by currently available differentiation protocols. Finally, transcription factors responsible for incomplete and unwanted differentiation are identified. The proposed method is widely applicable and allows an unbiased and quantitative assessment of stem cell-derived cells.This article is part of the theme issue 'Designer human tissue: coming to a lab near you'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Factors associated with clinical and virological response in patients treated with oseltamivir or zanamivir for influenza A during the 2008-2009 winter.

PubMed

Blanchon, T; Mentré, F; Charlois-Ou, C; Dornic, Q; Mosnier, A; Bouscambert, M; Carrat, F; Duval, X; Enouf, V; Leport, C

2013-02-01

Oseltamivir or zanamivir are effective in outpatients with seasonal influenza; however, factors associated with response have been incompletely described. During the 2008/2009 epidemic, in a randomized trial for influenza A-infected outpatients, clinical (time to alleviation of flu-related symptoms) and virological (rate of patients with day 2 nasal viral load <200 cgeq/μL) responses to oseltamivir or zanamivir were assessed and associated factors were determined using multivariate analysis. For oseltamivir (141 patients) and zanamivir (149 patients) median times to alleviation of symptoms were 3 and 4 days, respectively; 59% and 34% had virological response. For oseltamivir, a lower clinical response was associated with female gender (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36-0.79), baseline symptoms score >14 (HR, 0.47; 0.32-0.70), viral load ≥5 log cgeq/μL (HR, 0.63; 0.43-0.93), and initiation of antibiotics (HR, 0.30; 0.12-0.76); a lower virological response was associated with female gender (OR, 0.45; 0.21-0.96), baseline viral load ≥5 log cgeq/μL (OR, 0.40; 0.20-0.84) and days 0-2 incomplete compliance (OR, 0.31; 0.10-0.98). For zanamivir, virological response was associated with age ≥50 years (OR, 0.29; 0.10-0.85) and initiation of antibiotics at baseline (OR, 4.24; 1.07-17.50). Factors associated with lower response to neuraminidase inhibitors in outpatients appeared to be easily identifiable during routine clinical examination and, when appropriate, by nasal sampling at baseline. The unknown association between gender and response to oseltamivir was not explained by compliance. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

43 CFR 46.125 - Incomplete or unavailable information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Incomplete or unavailable information. 46... THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969 Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality § 46.125 Incomplete or unavailable information. In circumstances where the provisions of 40 CFR 1502.22...

43 CFR 46.125 - Incomplete or unavailable information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Incomplete or unavailable information. 46... THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969 Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality § 46.125 Incomplete or unavailable information. In circumstances where the provisions of 40 CFR 1502.22...

49 CFR 568.4 - Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Requirements for incomplete vehicle manufacturers. 568.4 Section 568.4 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN TWO OR MORE STAGES-ALL INCOMPLETE, INTERMEDIATE AND...

7 CFR 1030.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1030.50 Section 1030.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

7 CFR 1124.50 - Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1124.50 Section 1124.50 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.50. ...

Degradation of Alzheimer's amyloid fibrils by microglia requires delivery of ClC-7 to lysosomes

PubMed Central

Majumdar, Amitabha; Capetillo-Zarate, Estibaliz; Cruz, Dana; Gouras, Gunnar K.; Maxfield, Frederick R.

2011-01-01

Incomplete lysosomal acidification in microglia inhibits the degradation of fibrillar forms of Alzheimer's amyloid β peptide (fAβ). Here we show that in primary microglia a chloride transporter, ClC-7, is not delivered efficiently to lysosomes, causing incomplete lysosomal acidification. ClC-7 protein is synthesized by microglia but it is mistargeted and appears to be degraded by an endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway. Activation of microglia with macrophage colony-stimulating factor induces trafficking of ClC-7 to lysosomes, leading to lysosomal acidification and increased fAβ degradation. ClC-7 associates with another protein, Ostm1, which plays an important role in its correct lysosomal targeting. Expression of both ClC-7 and Ostm1 is increased in activated microglia, which can account for the increased delivery of ClC-7 to lysosomes. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism of lysosomal pH regulation in activated microglia that is required for fAβ degradation. PMID:21441306

Delamination measurement of a laminates composite panel due to hole punching based on the focus variation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, A. B.; Zain, M. S. M.; Abdullah, M. S.; Samad, Z.

2017-07-01

Structural materials, such as composite panels, must be assembled, and such panels are typically constructed via the insertion of a fastener through a drilled hole. The main problem encountered in drilling is delamination, which affects assembly strength. The cost of drilling is also high because of the severe wear on drill bits. The main goal of this research is to develop a new punching method as an alternative to drilling during hole preparation. In this study, the main objective is to investigate the effect of different puncher profiles on the quality of holes punched into carbon fiber reinforcement polymer (CFRP) composite panels. Six types of puncher profiles were fabricated with minimum die clearance (1%), and two quality aspects, namely, incomplete shearing and delamination factor, were measured. The conical puncher incurred the least defects in terms of delamination and yielded an acceptable amount of incomplete shearing in comparison with the other punchers.

IRF4 haploinsufficiency in a family with Whipple’s disease

PubMed Central

Guérin, Antoine; Kerner, Gaspard; Marr, Nico; Markle, Janet G; Fenollar, Florence; Wong, Natalie; Boughorbel, Sabri; Avery, Danielle T; Ma, Cindy S; Bougarn, Salim; Bouaziz, Matthieu; Béziat, Vivien; Della Mina, Erika; Oleaga-Quintas, Carmen; Lazarov, Tomi; Worley, Lisa; Nguyen, Tina; Patin, Etienne; Deswarte, Caroline; Martinez-Barricarte, Rubén; Boucherit, Soraya; Ayral, Xavier; Edouard, Sophie; Boisson-Dupuis, Stéphanie; Rattina, Vimel; Bigio, Benedetta; Vogt, Guillaume; Geissmann, Frédéric; Quintana-Murci, Lluis; Chaussabel, Damien; Tangye, Stuart G; Raoult, Didier; Abel, Laurent; Bustamante, Jacinta

2018-01-01

Most humans are exposed to Tropheryma whipplei (Tw). Whipple’s disease (WD) strikes only a small minority of individuals infected with Tw (<0.01%), whereas asymptomatic chronic carriage is more common (<25%). We studied a multiplex kindred, containing four WD patients and five healthy Tw chronic carriers. We hypothesized that WD displays autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance, with age-dependent incomplete penetrance. We identified a single very rare non-synonymous mutation in the four patients: the private R98W variant of IRF4, a transcription factor involved in immunity. The five Tw carriers were younger, and also heterozygous for R98W. We found that R98W was loss-of-function, modified the transcriptome of heterozygous leukocytes following Tw stimulation, and was not dominant-negative. We also found that only six of the other 153 known non-synonymous IRF4 variants were loss-of-function. Finally, we found that IRF4 had evolved under purifying selection. AD IRF4 deficiency can underlie WD by haploinsufficiency, with age-dependent incomplete penetrance. PMID:29537367

Invariant protection of high-voltage electric motors of technological complexes at industrial enterprises at partial single-phase ground faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramovich, B. N.; Sychev, Yu A.; Pelenev, D. N.

2018-03-01

Development results of invariant protection of high-voltage motors at incomplete single-phase ground faults are observed in the article. It is established that current protections have low action selectivity because of an inadmissible decrease in entrance signals during the shirt circuit occurrence in the place of transient resistance. The structural functional scheme and an algorithm of protective actions where correction of automatic zero sequence currents signals of the protected accessions implemented according to the level of incompleteness of ground faults are developed. It is revealed that automatic correction of zero sequence currents allows one to provide the invariance of sensitivity factor for protection under the variation conditions of a transient resistance in the place of damage. Application of invariant protection allows one to minimize damages in 6-10 kV electrical installations of industrial enterprises for a cause of infringement of consumers’ power supply and their system breakdown due to timely localization of emergency of ground faults modes.

Effect of Health Literacy on Research Follow-up

PubMed Central

Leak, Cardella; Goggins, Kathryn; Schildcrout, Jonathan S.; Theobald, Cecelia; Donato, Katharine M.; Bell, Susan P.; Schnelle, John; Kripalani, Sunil

2016-01-01

Previous research has not examined the effect of health literacy on research subjects' completion of scheduled research follow-up. This article evaluates patient factors associated with incomplete research follow-up at three time points after enrollment in a large, hospital-based prospective cohort study. Predictor variables included health literacy, age, race, gender, education, employment status, difficulty paying bills, hospital diagnosis, length of stay, self-reported global health status, depression, perceived health competence, medication adherence and healthcare system distrust. In a sample of 2042 patients, multivariable models demonstrated that lower health literacy and younger age were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of completing research follow-up interviews at 2-3 days, 30 days and 90 days after hospital discharge. Additionally, patients who had less education, were currently employed, and had moderate financial stress were less likely to complete 90-day follow-up. This study is the first to demonstrate that lower health literacy is a significant predictor of incomplete research follow-up. PMID:26513035

47 CFR 73.4015 - Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective. 73.4015 Section 73.4015 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION....4015 Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective. See Public Notice, FCC...

47 CFR 73.4015 - Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective. 73.4015 Section 73.4015 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION....4015 Applications for AM and FM construction permits, incomplete or defective. See Public Notice, FCC...

19 CFR 146.35 - Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) FOREIGN TRADE ZONES Admission of Merchandise to a Zone § 146.35 Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation. (a) General. Temporary deposit of...

Estimating inbreeding rates in natural populations: addressing the problem of incomplete pedigrees

Treesearch

Mark P. Miller; Susan M. Haig; Jonathan D. Ballou; Ashley Steel

2017-01-01

Understanding and estimating inbreeding is essential for managing threatened and endangered wildlife populations. However, determination of inbreeding rates in natural populations is confounded by incomplete parentage information. We present an approach for quantifying inbreeding rates for populations with incomplete parentage information. The approach exploits...

19 CFR 146.35 - Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) FOREIGN TRADE ZONES Admission of Merchandise to a Zone § 146.35 Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation. (a) General. Temporary deposit of...

19 CFR 146.35 - Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) FOREIGN TRADE ZONES Admission of Merchandise to a Zone § 146.35 Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation. (a) General. Temporary deposit of...

19 CFR 146.35 - Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) FOREIGN TRADE ZONES Admission of Merchandise to a Zone § 146.35 Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation. (a) General. Temporary deposit of...

19 CFR 146.35 - Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) FOREIGN TRADE ZONES Admission of Merchandise to a Zone § 146.35 Temporary deposit in a zone; incomplete documentation. (a) General. Temporary deposit of...

40 CFR 86.085-20 - Incomplete vehicles, classification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., classification. (a) An incomplete truck less than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating shall be classified by... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Incomplete vehicles, classification... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE HIGHWAY VEHICLES AND ENGINES General...

Likelihood of Incomplete Kidney Tumor Ablation with Radio Frequency Energy: Degree of Enhancement Matters.

PubMed

Lay, Aaron H; Stewart, Jeremy; Canvasser, Noah E; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A; Gahan, Jeffrey C

2016-07-01

Larger size and clear cell histopathology are associated with worse outcomes for malignant renal tumors treated with radio frequency ablation. We hypothesize that greater tumor enhancement may be a risk factor for radio frequency ablation failure due to increased vascularity. A retrospective review of patients who underwent radio frequency ablation for renal tumors with contrast enhanced imaging available was performed. The change in Hounsfield units (HU) of the tumor from the noncontrast phase to the contrast enhanced arterial phase was calculated. Radio frequency ablation failure rates for biopsy confirmed malignant tumors were compared using the chi-squared test. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to assess predictive variables for radio frequency ablation failure. Disease-free survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. A total of 99 patients with biopsy confirmed malignant renal tumors and contrast enhanced imaging were identified. The incomplete ablation rate was significantly lower for tumors with enhancement less than 60 vs 60 HU or greater (0.0% vs 14.6%, p=0.005). On multivariate logistic regression analysis tumor enhancement 60 HU or greater (OR 1.14, p=0.008) remained a significant predictor of incomplete initial ablation. The 5-year disease-free survival for size less than 3 cm was 100% vs 69.2% for size 3 cm or greater (p <0.01), while 5-year disease-free survival for HU change less than 60 was 100% vs 92.4% for HU change 60 or greater (p=0.24). Biopsy confirmed malignant renal tumors, which exhibit a change in enhancement of 60 HU or greater, experience a higher rate of incomplete initial tumor ablation than tumors with enhancement less than 60 HU. Size 3 cm or greater portends worse 5-year disease-free survival after radio frequency ablation. The degree of enhancement should be considered when counseling patients before radio frequency ablation. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulating Exposure Concentrations of Engineered Nanomaterials in Surface Water Systems: Release of WASP8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knightes, C. D.; Bouchard, D.; Zepp, R. G.; Henderson, W. M.; Han, Y.; Hsieh, H. S.; Avant, B. K.; Acrey, B.; Spear, J.

2017-12-01

The unique properties of engineered nanomaterials led to their increased production and potential release into the environment. Currently available environmental fate models developed for traditional contaminants are limited in their ability to simulate nanomaterials' environmental behavior. This is due to an incomplete understanding and representation of the processes governing nanomaterial distribution in the environment and by scarce empirical data quantifying the interaction of nanomaterials with environmental surfaces. The well-known Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) was updated to incorporate nanomaterial-specific processes, specifically hetero-aggregation with particulate matter. In parallel with this effort, laboratory studies were used to quantify parameter values parameters necessary for governing processes in surface waters. This presentation will discuss the recent developments in the new architecture for WASP8 and the newly constructed Advanced Toxicant Module. The module includes advanced algorithms for increased numbers of state variables: chemicals, solids, dissolved organic matter, pathogens, temperature, and salinity. This presentation will focus specifically on the incorporation of nanomaterials, with the applications of the fate and transport of hypothetical releases of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) and Graphene Oxide (GO) into the headwaters of a southeastern US coastal plains river. While this presentation focuses on nanomaterials, the advanced toxicant module can also simulate metals and organic contaminants.

Acute exposure to wood smoke from incomplete combustion--indications of cytotoxicity.

PubMed

Muala, Ala; Rankin, Gregory; Sehlstedt, Maria; Unosson, Jon; Bosson, Jenny A; Behndig, Annelie; Pourazar, Jamshid; Nyström, Robin; Pettersson, Esbjörn; Bergvall, Christoffer; Westerholm, Roger; Jalava, Pasi I; Happo, Mikko S; Uski, Oskari; Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta; Kelly, Frank J; Mudway, Ian S; Blomberg, Anders; Boman, Christoffer; Sandström, Thomas

2015-10-29

Smoke from combustion of biomass fuels is a major risk factor for respiratory disease, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to wood smoke from incomplete combustion would elicit airway inflammation in humans. Fourteen healthy subjects underwent controlled exposures on two separate occasions to filtered air and wood smoke from incomplete combustion with PM1 concentration at 314 μg/m(3) for 3 h in a chamber. Bronchoscopy with bronchial wash (BW), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and endobronchial mucosal biopsies was performed after 24 h. Differential cell counts and soluble components were analyzed, with biopsies stained for inflammatory markers using immunohistochemistry. In parallel experiments, the toxicity of the particulate matter (PM) generated during the chamber exposures was investigated in vitro using the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line. Significant reductions in macrophage, neutrophil and lymphocyte numbers were observed in BW (p < 0.01, <0.05, <0.05, respectively) following the wood smoke exposure, with a reduction in lymphocytes numbers in BAL fluid (<0.01. This unexpected cellular response was accompanied by decreased levels of sICAM-1, MPO and MMP-9 (p < 0.05, <0.05 and <0.01). In contrast, significant increases in submucosal and epithelial CD3+ cells, epithelial CD8+ cells and submucosal mast cells (p < 0.01, <0.05, <0.05 and <0.05, respectively), were observed after wood smoke exposure. The in vitro data demonstrated that wood smoke particles generated under these incomplete combustion conditions induced cell death and DNA damage, with only minor inflammatory responses. Short-term exposure to sooty PAH rich wood smoke did not induce an acute neutrophilic inflammation, a classic hallmark of air pollution exposure in humans. While minor proinflammatory lymphocytic and mast cells effects were observed in the bronchial biopsies, significant reductions in BW and BAL cells and soluble components were noted. This unexpected observation, combined with the in vitro data, suggests that wood smoke particles from incomplete combustion could be potentially cytotoxic. Additional research is required to establish the mechanism of this dramatic reduction in airway leukocytes and to clarify how this acute response contributes to the adverse health effects attributed to wood smoke exposure. NCT01488500.

Targeted Lymphoma Cell Death by Novel Signal Transduction Modifications

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

CD22), and mediating the secretion of a pro-apoptotic soluble factor. To test this hypothesis we used immobilized peptide 41 to mediate...the syntheses. The columns were tightly capped and mixed by tumbling for 2 h to overnight at room temperature. The ninhydrin test (Kaiser et al. 1970...was used to test for the completion of the coupling reaction. For those coupling reactions determined to be incomplete, fresh BOP, DIEA, and HOBt

A high-fat diet containing whole walnuts (Juglans regia) reduces tumour size and growth along with plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dietary fat is linked to prostate cancer (PCa), the most commonly diagnosed male cancer, but the nature and strength of the relationships between total fat, n-6 and n-3 fatty acids and PCa remain incompletely understood. Transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice (N=10-12 per grou...

The presence of advanced lesions and associating risk factors for advanced cervical carcinoma in patients with atypical sguamous cells of undetermined significance.

PubMed

Sun, L L; Chen, W; Fan, Y Y; Wang, M L; Wang, L N

2015-01-01

To characterize histopathological status, high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infection status, and associated risk factors in patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Cervical biopsies obtained from 130 ASCUS patients were subjected to histopathological examination and hr-HPV testing. Associations between advanced lesions and hr-HPV load or age were analyzed, and the confounding factors for high-grade cervical lesions were identified. Cervical biopsies from ASCUS patients had a wide range of pathological states, ranging from normal to invasive cervical carcinoma. High-risk HPV infection was significantly associated with advanced cervical lesions in ASCUS patients; hr-HPV infection and the number of gestations were risk factors for developing advanced cervical disease. A significant portion of ASCUS patients harbor advanced cervical lesions. The number of gestations and hr-HPV infection can increase the risk of developing advanced cervical lesions in ASCUS patients.

7 CFR 1126.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1126.53 Section 1126.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1030.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1030.53 Section 1030.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1033.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1033.53 Section 1033.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1005.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1005.53 Section 1005.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1032.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1032.53 Section 1032.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1006.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1006.53 Section 1006.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1001.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1001.53 Section 1001.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1131.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1131.53 Section 1131.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1007.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1007.53 Section 1007.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

The Incomplete Conditional Stellar Mass Function: Unveiling the Stellar Mass Functions of Galaxies at 0.1 < Z < 0.8 from BOSS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Hong; Yang, Xiaohu; Lu, Yi

2018-05-01

We propose a novel method to constrain the missing fraction of galaxies using galaxy clustering measurements in the galaxy conditional stellar mass function (CSMF) framework, which is applicable to surveys that suffer significantly from sample selection effects. The clustering measurements, which are not sensitive to the random sampling (missing fraction) of galaxies, are widely used to constrain the stellar–halo mass relation (SHMR). By incorporating a missing fraction (incompleteness) component into the CSMF model (ICSMF), we use the incomplete stellar mass function and galaxy clustering to simultaneously constrain the missing fractions and the SHMRs. Tests based on mock galaxy catalogs with a few typical missing fraction models show that this method can accurately recover the missing fraction and the galaxy SHMR, hence providing us with reliable measurements of the galaxy stellar mass functions. We then apply it to the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) over the redshift range of 0.1 < z < 0.8 for galaxies of M * > 1011 M ⊙. We find that the sample completeness for BOSS is over 80% at z < 0.6 but decreases at higher redshifts to about 30%. After taking these completeness factors into account, we provide accurate measurements of the stellar mass functions for galaxies with {10}11 {M}ȯ < {M}* < {10}12 {M}ȯ , as well as the SHMRs, over the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.8 in this largest galaxy redshift survey.

Reliability of TMS metrics in patients with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Potter-Baker, K A; Janini, D P; Frost, F S; Chabra, P; Varnerin, N; Cunningham, D A; Sankarasubramanian, V; Plow, E B

2016-11-01

Test-retest reliability analysis in individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of neurophysiological metrics acquired with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in individuals with chronic incomplete tetraplegia. Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. TMS metrics of corticospinal excitability, output, inhibition and motor map distribution were collected in muscles with a higher MRC grade and muscles with a lower MRC grade on the more affected side of the body. Metrics denoting upper limb function were also collected. All metrics were collected at two sessions separated by a minimum of two weeks. Reliability between sessions was determined using Spearman's correlation coefficients and concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs). We found that TMS metrics that were acquired in higher MRC grade muscles were approximately two times more reliable than those collected in lower MRC grade muscles. TMS metrics of motor map output, however, demonstrated poor reliability regardless of muscle choice (P=0.34; CCC=0.51). Correlation analysis indicated that patients with more baseline impairment and/or those in a more chronic phase of iSCI demonstrated greater variability of metrics. In iSCI, reliability of TMS metrics varies depending on the muscle grade of the tested muscle. Variability is also influenced by factors such as baseline motor function and time post SCI. Future studies that use TMS metrics in longitudinal study designs to understand functional recovery should be cautious as choice of muscle and clinical characteristics can influence reliability.

Augmentation of Voluntary Locomotor Activity by Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation in Motor-Incomplete Spinal Cord-Injured Individuals.

PubMed

Hofstoetter, Ursula S; Krenn, Matthias; Danner, Simon M; Hofer, Christian; Kern, Helmut; McKay, William B; Mayr, Winfried; Minassian, Karen

2015-10-01

The level of sustainable excitability within lumbar spinal cord circuitries is one of the factors determining the functional outcome of locomotor therapy after motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. Here, we present initial data using noninvasive transcutaneous lumbar spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to modulate this central state of excitability during voluntary treadmill stepping in three motor-incomplete spinal cord-injured individuals. Stimulation was applied at 30 Hz with an intensity that generated tingling sensations in the lower limb dermatomes, yet without producing muscle reflex activity. This stimulation changed muscle activation, gait kinematics, and the amount of manual assistance required from the therapists to maintain stepping with some interindividual differences. The effect on motor outputs during treadmill-stepping was essentially augmentative and step-phase dependent despite the invariant tonic stimulation. The most consistent modification was found in the gait kinematics, with the hip flexion during swing increased by 11.3° ± 5.6° across all subjects. This preliminary work suggests that tSCS provides for a background increase in activation of the lumbar spinal locomotor circuitry that has partially lost its descending drive. Voluntary inputs and step-related feedback build upon the stimulation-induced increased state of excitability in the generation of locomotor activity. Thus, tSCS essentially works as an electrical neuroprosthesis augmenting remaining motor control. Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

75 FR 70237 - California State Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Standards; California Heavy-Duty On-Highway Otto...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

... Standards; California Heavy-Duty On-Highway Otto-Cycle Engines and Incomplete Vehicle Regulations; Notice of... California's Heavy-Duty On-Highway Otto-Cycle Engines and Incomplete Vehicle Regulations. SUMMARY: The... its heavy-duty Otto-cycle engines and incomplete vehicle regulations for the 2004, 2005 through 2007...

Intensities of drilling predation of molluscan assemblages in intertidal and subtidal soft substrates in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handler, Sabine M.; Albano, Paolo G.; Bentlage, Rudolf; Drummond, Hannah; García-Ramos, Diego A.; Zuschin, Martin

2016-04-01

Intensities of drilling predation of molluscan assemblages in intertidal and subtidal soft substrates in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf Sabine Maria Handler1, Paolo G. Albano1, Rudolf Bentlage2, Hannah Drummond2, D.A. García-Ramos1, Martin Zuschin1 1 Department of Paleontology, University of Vienna, Austria 2 St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York 13617, USA Trace fossils left by predators in the skeleton of their prey are arguably one of the most powerful sources of direct data on predator-prey interactions available in the fossil record. Drill holes, especially those attributed to naticid and muricid gastropods, are unambiguous marks of predation and allow discriminating between successful and unsuccessful predation attempts (complete and incomplete holes, respectively). Latitude and water depth influence drilling frequency. We inspected death assemblages of an intertidal flat and of two subtidal (water depth between 6 and 20 m) sandy sites in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, to determine the patterns of predation on shelled molluscs along the depth gradient. The study is based on ~7,000 and ~60,000 shells from the intertidal and subtidal, respectively. Drilling Frequency (DF, the number of drilled individuals), Incomplete Drilling Frequency (IDF, number of incomplete drill holes), and Prey Effectiveness (ratio between the number of incomplete drill holes and the total number of drilling attempts) were used as metrics of drilling intensity. We observed major differences between the intertidal and subtidal study areas. Drilling frequencies were generally remarkably low and intertidal flats showed a much lower drilling frequency than the subtidal (1.4% and 6.7%, respectively). In the subtidal, we observed significant differences of drilling intensity among bivalve species and between the two sites. However, predation metrics did not correlate with environmental factors such as substrate type and depth, nor with species life habits such as infaunal vs. epifaunal and death assemblage indices such as diversity, abundance and evenness. The abundance of naticid and muricid predators in the living and death assemblage also did not correlate with predation intensities, with the single exception of muricid abundance in the LA at one of the two subtidal sites. The study shows that bivalve predation intensity in the studied area is highly variable among prey species and depth zones (intertidal vs subtidal), but poorly dependant upon other environmental and community structure factors. Results for gastropods are currently being analysed.

Perspective for special Gurdon issue for differentiation: can cell fusion inform nuclear reprogramming?

PubMed

Burns, David; Blau, Helen M

2014-07-01

Nuclear reprogramming was first shown to be possible by Sir John Gurdon over a half century ago. The process has been revolutionized by the production of induced pluripotent cells by overexpression of the four transcription factors discovered by Shinya Yamanaka, which now enables mammalian applications. Yet, reprogramming by a few transcription factors remains incomplete and inefficient, whether to pluripotent or differentiated cells. We propose that a better understanding of mechanistic insights based on developmental principles gained from heterokaryon studies may inform the process of directing cell fate, fundamentally and clinically. Copyright © 2014 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enrichment of cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by optimizing the hanging drop method.

PubMed

Chen, Ming; Lin, Yong-Qing; Xie, Shuang-Lun; Wu, Hong-Fu; Wang, Jing-Feng

2011-04-01

Hanging drop (HD) culture is used to induce differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into other cell types including cardiomyocytes. However, the factors affecting cardiac differentiation of ESCs with this method remain incompletely understood. We have investigated the effects of the starting number of ESCs in embryoid bodies (EBs) and the time of EB adherence to gelatin-coated plates on cardiac differentiation: cardiac differentiation was increased in the EBs by a larger number of ESCs and was decreased by plating EBs at day 4 or earlier. These two factors can thus be optimized to enrich the cardiac differentiation in ESCs using the HD method.

Improvement of heavy-heavy current for calculation of B̅ → D(*)lv̅ form factors using Oktay-Kronfeld heavy quarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, Jon A.; Jang, Yong-Chull; Lee, Weonjong; Leem, Jaehoon

2018-03-01

The CKM matrix element |Vcb| can be extracted by combining data from experiments with lattice QCD results for the semileptonic form factors for the B̅ → D(*)lv̅ decays. The Oktay-Kronfeld (OK) action was designed to reduce heavy-quark discretization errors to below 1%, or through O(λ3) in HQET power counting. Here we describe recent progress on bottom-to-charm currents improved to the same order in HQET as the OK action, and correct formerly reported results of our matching calculations, in which the operator basis was incomplete.

Implicit solvers for unstructured meshes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatakrishnan, V.; Mavriplis, Dimitri J.

1991-01-01

Implicit methods for unstructured mesh computations are developed and tested. The approximate system which arises from the Newton-linearization of the nonlinear evolution operator is solved by using the preconditioned generalized minimum residual technique. These different preconditioners are investigated: the incomplete LU factorization (ILU), block diagonal factorization, and the symmetric successive over-relaxation (SSOR). The preconditioners have been optimized to have good vectorization properties. The various methods are compared over a wide range of problems. Ordering of the unknowns, which affects the convergence of these sparse matrix iterative methods, is also investigated. Results are presented for inviscid and turbulent viscous calculations on single and multielement airfoil configurations using globally and adaptively generated meshes.

Modeling Long-term Behavior of Stock Market Prices Using Differential Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaoxiang; Zhao, Conan; Mazilu, Irina

2015-03-01

Due to incomplete information available in the market and uncertainties associated with the price determination process, the stock prices fluctuate randomly during a short period of time. In the long run, however, certain economic factors, such as the interest rate, the inflation rate, and the company's revenue growth rate, will cause a gradual shift in the stock price. Thus, in this paper, a differential equation model has been constructed in order to study the effects of these factors on the stock prices. The model obtained accurately describes the general trends in the AAPL and XOM stock price changes over the last ten years.

Recombinant epidermal growth factor-like domain-1 from coagulation factor VII functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles for targeted glioma magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Liu, Heng; Chen, Xiao; Xue, Wei; Chu, Chengchao; Liu, Yu; Tong, Haipeng; Du, Xuesong; Xie, Tian; Liu, Gang; Zhang, Weiguo

The highly infiltrative and invasive nature of glioma cells often leads to blurred tumor margins, resulting in incomplete tumor resection and tumor recurrence. Accurate detection and precise delineation of glioma help in preoperative delineation, surgical planning and survival prediction. In this study, recombinant epidermal growth factor-like domain-1, derived from human coagulation factor VII, was conjugated to iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) for targeted glioma magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The synthesized EGF1-EGFP-IONPs exhibited excellent targeting ability toward tissue factor (TF)-positive U87MG cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro, and demonstrated persistent and efficient MR contrast enhancement up to 12 h for preclinical glioma models with high targeting specificity in vivo. They hold great potential for clinical translation and developing targeted theranostics against brain glioma.

Furosemide/Fludrocortisone Test and Clinical Parameters to Diagnose Incomplete Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis in Kidney Stone Formers.

PubMed

Dhayat, Nasser A; Gradwell, Michael W; Pathare, Ganesh; Anderegg, Manuel; Schneider, Lisa; Luethi, David; Mattmann, Cedric; Moe, Orson W; Vogt, Bruno; Fuster, Daniel G

2017-09-07

Incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis is a well known cause of calcareous nephrolithiasis but the prevalence is unknown, mostly due to lack of accepted diagnostic tests and criteria. The ammonium chloride test is considered as gold standard for the diagnosis of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis, but the furosemide/fludrocortisone test was recently proposed as an alternative. Because of the lack of rigorous comparative studies, the validity of the furosemide/fludrocortisone test in stone formers remains unknown. In addition, the performance of conventional, nonprovocative parameters in predicting incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis has not been studied. We conducted a prospective study in an unselected cohort of 170 stone formers that underwent sequential ammonium chloride and furosemide/fludrocortisone testing. Using the ammonium chloride test as gold standard, the prevalence of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis was 8%. Sensitivity and specificity of the furosemide/fludrocortisone test were 77% and 85%, respectively, yielding a positive predictive value of 30% and a negative predictive value of 98%. Testing of several nonprovocative clinical parameters in the prediction of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis revealed fasting morning urinary pH and plasma potassium as the most discriminative parameters. The combination of a fasting morning urinary threshold pH <5.3 with a plasma potassium threshold >3.8 mEq/L yielded a negative predictive value of 98% with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 77% for the diagnosis of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis. The furosemide/fludrocortisone test can be used for incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis screening in stone formers, but an abnormal furosemide/fludrocortisone test result needs confirmation by ammonium chloride testing. Our data furthermore indicate that incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis can reliably be excluded in stone formers by use of nonprovocative clinical parameters. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Evaluation of Revascularization Subtypes in Octogenarians Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

PubMed Central

Aziz, Abdulhameed; Lee, Anson M.; Pasque, Michael K.; Lawton, Jennifer S.; Moazami, Nader; Damiano, Ralph J.; Moon, Marc R.

2009-01-01

Background Recent data suggest that octogenarians’ long-term survival after complete CABG revascularization is superior to incomplete revascularization. Discriminating between variable definitions of “complete” complicates interpretation of survival data. We aimed to clarify octogenarian long-term survival rates by stratifying revascularization subtypes. Methods and Results From 1986 to 2007, 580 patients 80 to 94 years of age underwent CABG. Functional complete revascularization was defined as at least one graft to all diseased coronary vessels with greater than 50% stenosis. Traditional complete revascularization was defined as one graft to each major arterial system with at least 50% stenosis. Incomplete revascularization was defined as leaving diseased, ungrafted regions. Revascularization was functional in 279 (48%), traditional in 181 (31%), and incomplete in 120 (21%). Long-term survival was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Of 537 operative survivors, there were 402 late deaths. Cumulative long-term survival totaled 2,890 patient-years. Late survival (Kaplan-Meier) was similar between functional (6.8 years, mean) and traditional (6.7 years) groups (p=0.51), but diminished with incomplete (4.2 years) revascularization (p=0.007). Survival by group at 5 years was: 59±3% functional, 57±4% traditional, and 45±5% incomplete. Survival at 8 years was: 40±3% functional, 37±4% traditional, and 26±5% incomplete. To minimize selection bias in patients with limited life expectancy, Kaplan-Meier analysis was repeated including only patients with survival greater than 12 months. Survival was again impaired with incomplete revascularization (p=0.04), and there was no difference between functional and traditional complete revascularization (p=0.73). Conclusions Bypassing all diseased arterial vessels after revascularization does not afford significant long-term survival advantage compared to a traditional approach. Incomplete revascularization, related to more extensive disease, is associated with an 18% decline in survival. These data suggest that it is important to avoid incomplete revascularization in octogenarians, but the supplementary endeavor required to perform functional complete revascularization does not improve survival. PMID:19752388

A novel flexible cuff-like microelectrode for dual purpose, acute and chronic electrical interfacing with the mouse cervical vagus nerve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caravaca, A. S.; Tsaava, T.; Goldman, L.; Silverman, H.; Riggott, G.; Chavan, S. S.; Bouton, C.; Tracey, K. J.; Desimone, R.; Boyden, E. S.; Sohal, H. S.; Olofsson, P. S.

2017-12-01

Objective. Neural reflexes regulate immune responses and homeostasis. Advances in bioelectronic medicine indicate that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can be used to treat inflammatory disease, yet the understanding of neural signals that regulate inflammation is incomplete. Current interfaces with the vagus nerve do not permit effective chronic stimulation or recording in mouse models, which is vital to studying the molecular and neurophysiological mechanisms that control inflammation homeostasis in health and disease. We developed an implantable, dual purpose, multi-channel, flexible ‘microelectrode’ array, for recording and stimulation of the mouse vagus nerve. Approach. The array was microfabricated on an 8 µm layer of highly biocompatible parylene configured with 16 sites. The microelectrode was evaluated by studying the recording and stimulation performance. Mice were chronically implanted with devices for up to 12 weeks. Main results. Using the microelectrode in vivo, high fidelity signals were recorded during physiological challenges (e.g potassium chloride and interleukin-1β), and electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve produced the expected significant reduction of blood levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in endotoxemia. Inflammatory cell infiltration at the microelectrode 12 weeks of implantation was limited according to radial distribution analysis of inflammatory cells. Significance. This novel device provides an important step towards a viable chronic interface for cervical vagus nerve stimulation and recording in mice.

Face off against ROS: Tcof1/Treacle safeguards neuroepithelial cells and progenitor neural crest cells from oxidative stress during craniofacial development.

PubMed

Sakai, Daisuke; Trainor, Paul A

2016-09-01

One-third of all congenital birth defects affect the head and face, and most craniofacial anomalies are considered to arise through defects in the development of cranial neural crest cells. Cranial neural crest cells give rise to the majority of craniofacial bones, cartilages and connective tissues. Therefore, understanding the events that control normal cranial neural crest and subsequent craniofacial development is important for elucidating the pathogenetic mechanisms of craniofacial anomalies and for the exploring potential therapeutic avenues for their prevention. Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a congenital disorder characterized by severe craniofacial anomalies. An animal model of TCS, generated through mutation of Tcof1, the mouse (Mus musculus) homologue of the gene primarily mutated in association with TCS in humans, has recently revealed significant insights into the pathogenesis of TCS. Apoptotic elimination of neuroepithelial cells including neural crest cells is the primary cause of craniofacial defects in Tcof1 mutant embryos. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that induce tissue-specific apoptosis remains incomplete. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis TCS. Furthermore, we discuss the role of Tcof1 in normal embryonic development, the correlation between genetic and environmental factors on the severity of craniofacial abnormalities, and the prospect for prenatal prevention of craniofacial anomalies. © 2016 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Face off against ROS: Tcof1/Treacle safeguards neuroepithelial cells and progenitor neural crest cells from oxidative stress during craniofacial development

PubMed Central

Sakai, Daisuke; Trainor, Paul A.

2016-01-01

One-third of all congenital birth defects affect the head and face, and most craniofacial anomalies are considered to arise through defects in the development of cranial neural crest cells. Cranial neural crest cells give rise to the majority of craniofacial bones, cartilages and connective tissues. Therefore understanding the events that control normal cranial neural crest and subsequent craniofacial development is important for elucidating the pathogenetic mechanisms of craniofacial anomalies and for the exploring potential therapeutic avenues for their prevention. Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a congenital disorder characterized by severe craniofacial anomalies. An animal model of TCS, generated through mutation of Tcof1, the mouse (Mus musculus) homologue of the gene primarily mutated in association with TCS in humans, has recently revealed significant insights into the pathogenesis of TCS. Apoptotic elimination of neuroepithelial cells including neural crest cells is the primary cause of craniofacial defects in Tcof1 mutant embryos. However our understanding of the mechanisms that induce tissue-specific apoptosis remains incomplete. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis TCS. Furthermore, we discuss the role of Tcof1 in normal embryonic development, the correlation between genetic and environmental factors on the severity of craniofacial abnormalities, and the prospect for prenatal prevention of craniofacial anomalies. PMID:27481486

Distinct biological subtypes and patterns of genome evolution in lymphoma revealed by circulating tumor DNA.

PubMed

Scherer, Florian; Kurtz, David M; Newman, Aaron M; Stehr, Henning; Craig, Alexander F M; Esfahani, Mohammad Shahrokh; Lovejoy, Alexander F; Chabon, Jacob J; Klass, Daniel M; Liu, Chih Long; Zhou, Li; Glover, Cynthia; Visser, Brendan C; Poultsides, George A; Advani, Ranjana H; Maeda, Lauren S; Gupta, Neel K; Levy, Ronald; Ohgami, Robert S; Kunder, Christian A; Diehn, Maximilian; Alizadeh, Ash A

2016-11-09

Patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) exhibit marked diversity in tumor behavior and outcomes, yet the identification of poor-risk groups remains challenging. In addition, the biology underlying these differences is incompletely understood. We hypothesized that characterization of mutational heterogeneity and genomic evolution using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling could reveal molecular determinants of adverse outcomes. To address this hypothesis, we applied cancer personalized profiling by deep sequencing (CAPP-Seq) analysis to tumor biopsies and cell-free DNA samples from 92 lymphoma patients and 24 healthy subjects. At diagnosis, the amount of ctDNA was found to strongly correlate with clinical indices and was independently predictive of patient outcomes. We demonstrate that ctDNA genotyping can classify transcriptionally defined tumor subtypes, including DLBCL cell of origin, directly from plasma. By simultaneously tracking multiple somatic mutations in ctDNA, our approach outperformed immunoglobulin sequencing and radiographic imaging for the detection of minimal residual disease and facilitated noninvasive identification of emergent resistance mutations to targeted therapies. In addition, we identified distinct patterns of clonal evolution distinguishing indolent follicular lymphomas from those that transformed into DLBCL, allowing for potential noninvasive prediction of histological transformation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that ctDNA analysis reveals biological factors that underlie lymphoma clinical outcomes and could facilitate individualized therapy. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Advancing decadal-scale climate prediction in the North Atlantic sector.

PubMed

Keenlyside, N S; Latif, M; Jungclaus, J; Kornblueh, L; Roeckner, E

2008-05-01

The climate of the North Atlantic region exhibits fluctuations on decadal timescales that have large societal consequences. Prominent examples include hurricane activity in the Atlantic, and surface-temperature and rainfall variations over North America, Europe and northern Africa. Although these multidecadal variations are potentially predictable if the current state of the ocean is known, the lack of subsurface ocean observations that constrain this state has been a limiting factor for realizing the full skill potential of such predictions. Here we apply a simple approach-that uses only sea surface temperature (SST) observations-to partly overcome this difficulty and perform retrospective decadal predictions with a climate model. Skill is improved significantly relative to predictions made with incomplete knowledge of the ocean state, particularly in the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific oceans. Thus these results point towards the possibility of routine decadal climate predictions. Using this method, and by considering both internal natural climate variations and projected future anthropogenic forcing, we make the following forecast: over the next decade, the current Atlantic meridional overturning circulation will weaken to its long-term mean; moreover, North Atlantic SST and European and North American surface temperatures will cool slightly, whereas tropical Pacific SST will remain almost unchanged. Our results suggest that global surface temperature may not increase over the next decade, as natural climate variations in the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific temporarily offset the projected anthropogenic warming.

Effects of kidney or kidney-pancreas transplantation on plasma pentosidine.

PubMed

Hricik, D E; Schulak, J A; Sell, D R; Fogarty, J F; Monnier, V M

1993-02-01

Tissue and plasma concentrations of pentose-derived glycation end-products ("pentosidine") are elevated in diabetic patients with normal renal function and in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients with end-stage renal disease. To determine the effects of correcting hyperglycemia and/or renal failure on the accumulation of pentosidine, we used reverse phase and ion exchange high performance liquid chromatography to measure this advanced glycation end-product in plasma proteins of diabetic and nondiabetic transplant recipients at various time intervals after kidney-pancreas or kidney transplantation. Changes in plasma pentosidine levels after transplantation were compared to changes in simultaneously obtained glycohemoglobin levels. Both kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation were accompanied by a dramatic, but incomplete, reduction of plasma pentosidine concentrations within three months of transplantation. Kidney-pancreas transplantation resulted in normal glycohemoglobin levels within three months but offered no advantage over kidney transplantation alone in the partial correction of plasma pentosidine levels. There was no correlation between posttransplant plasma pentosidine and glycohemoglobin levels in either diabetic or nondiabetic transplant recipients. We conclude that renal failure is the major factor accounting for the accumulation of pentosidine in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients with end-stage renal disease. Restoration of euglycemia after kidney-pancreas transplantation provides no additional benefit in reducing plasma pentosidine levels to that achieved by correction of renal failure after kidney transplantation alone.

Attention to pain! A neurocognitive perspective on attentional modulation of pain in neuroimaging studies.

PubMed

Torta, D M; Legrain, V; Mouraux, A; Valentini, E

2017-04-01

Several studies have used neuroimaging techniques to investigate brain correlates of the attentional modulation of pain. Although these studies have advanced the knowledge in the field, important confounding factors such as imprecise theoretical definitions of attention, incomplete operationalization of the construct under exam, and limitations of techniques relying on measuring regional changes in cerebral blood flow have hampered the potential relevance of the conclusions. Here, we first provide an overview of the major theories of attention and of attention in the study of pain to bridge theory and experimental results. We conclude that load and motivational/affective theories are particularly relevant to study the attentional modulation of pain and should be carefully integrated in functional neuroimaging studies. Then, we summarize previous findings and discuss the possible neural correlates of the attentional modulation of pain. We discuss whether classical functional neuroimaging techniques are suitable to measure the effect of a fluctuating process like attention, and in which circumstances functional neuroimaging can be reliably used to measure the attentional modulation of pain. Finally, we argue that the analysis of brain networks and spontaneous oscillations may be a crucial future development in the study of attentional modulation of pain, and why the interplay between attention and pain, as examined so far, may rely on neural mechanisms shared with other sensory modalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Systematic Reviews and Reporting Guidelines to Advance the Implementation of the 3Rs

PubMed Central

Avey, Marc T; Fenwick, Nicole; Griffin, Gilly

2015-01-01

In 1959, Russell and Burch published The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, which included concrete advice on factors that they considered would govern progress in the implementation of these principles (enunciated as the 3Rs [Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement in animal-based studies]). One challenge to the implementation of the 3Rs was identified as information retrieval. Here, we further explore this challenge—the need for ‘research on research’—and the role that systematic reviews and reporting guidelines can play in implementation of the 3Rs. First, we examine the 2-fold nature of the challenge of information retrieval: 1) the identification of relevant publications spread throughout a large population of nonrelevant publications and 2) the incomplete reporting of relevant details within those publications. Second, we evaluate how systematic reviews and reporting guidelines can be used generally to address this challenge. Third, we assess the explicit reporting of the 3Rs in a cohort of preclinical animal systematic reviews. Our results show that Reduction methods are the most commonly reported by authors of systematic reviews but that, in general, reporting on how findings relate to the 3Rs is limited at best. Although systematic reviews are excellent tools for resolving the challenge of information retrieval, their utility for making progress in implementation of the 3Rs may be limited unless authors improve their reporting of these principles. PMID:25836961

Connecting the coronaries: How the coronary plexus develops and is functionalized

PubMed Central

Dyer, Laura; Pi, Xinchun; Patterson, Cam

2015-01-01

The establishment of the coronary circulation is one of the final critical steps during heart development. Despite decades of research, our understanding of how the coronary vasculature develops and connects to the aorta remains limited. This review serves two specific purposes: it addresses recent advances in understanding the origin of the coronary endothelium, and it then focuses on the last crucial step of coronary vasculature development, the connection of the coronary plexus to the aorta. The chick and quail animal models have yielded most of the information for how these connections form, starting with a fine network of vessels that penetrate the aorta and coalesce to form two distinct ostia. Studies in mouse and rat confirm that at least some of these steps are conserved in mammals, but gaps still exist in our understanding of mammalian coronary ostia formation. The signaling cues necessary to guide the coronary plexus to the aorta are also incompletely understood. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1 and its downstream targets are among the few identified genes that promote the formation of the coronary stems. Together, this review summarizes our current knowledge of coronary vascular formation and highlights the significant gaps that remain. In addition, it highlights some of the coronary artery anomalies known to affect human health, demonstrating that even seemingly subtle defects arising from incorrect coronary plexus formation can result in significant health crises. PMID:25173872

Neuronal correlates of the five factor model (FFM) of human personality: Multimodal imaging in a large healthy sample.

PubMed

Bjørnebekk, Astrid; Fjell, Anders M; Walhovd, Kristine B; Grydeland, Håkon; Torgersen, Svenn; Westlye, Lars T

2013-01-15

Advances in neuroimaging techniques have recently provided glimpse into the neurobiology of complex traits of human personality. Whereas some intriguing findings have connected aspects of personality to variations in brain morphology, the relations are complex and our current understanding is incomplete. Therefore, we aimed to provide a comprehensive investigation of brain-personality relations using a multimodal neuroimaging approach in a large sample comprising 265 healthy individuals. The NEO Personality Inventory was used to provide measures of core aspects of human personality, and imaging phenotypes included measures of total and regional brain volumes, regional cortical thickness and arealization, and diffusion tensor imaging indices of white matter (WM) microstructure. Neuroticism was the trait most clearly linked to brain structure. Higher neuroticism including facets reflecting anxiety, depression and vulnerability to stress was associated with smaller total brain volume, widespread decrease in WM microstructure, and smaller frontotemporal surface area. Higher scores on extraversion were associated with thinner inferior frontal gyrus, and conscientiousness was negatively associated with arealization of the temporoparietal junction. No reliable associations between brain structure and agreeableness and openness, respectively, were found. The results provide novel evidence of the associations between brain structure and variations in human personality, and corroborate previous findings of a consistent neuroanatomical basis of negative emotionality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New insights into the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy.

PubMed

Yeo, See Cheng; Cheung, Chee Kay; Barratt, Jonathan

2018-05-01

IgA nephropathy is the most common form of glomerulonephritis in many parts of the world and remains an important cause of end-stage renal disease. Current evidence suggests that IgA nephropathy is not due to a single pathogenic insult, but rather the result of multiple sequential pathogenic "hits". An abnormally increased level of circulating poorly O-galactosylated IgA1 and the production of O-glycan-specific antibodies leads to the formation of IgA1-containing immune complexes, and their subsequent mesangial deposition results in inflammation and glomerular injury. While this general framework has formed the foundation of our current understanding of the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy, much work is ongoing to try to precisely define the genetic, epigenetic, immunological, and molecular basis of IgA nephropathy. In particular, the precise origin of poorly O-galactosylated IgA1 and the inciting factors for the production of O-glycan-specific antibodies continue to be intensely evaluated. The mechanisms responsible for mesangial IgA1 deposition and subsequent renal injury also remain incompletely understood. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the key steps involved in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy. It is hoped that further advances in our understanding of this common glomerulonephritis will lead to novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and targeted therapies to ameliorate disease progression.

Integrated structural biology and molecular ecology of N-cycling enzymes from ammonia-oxidizing archaea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tolar, Bradley B.; Herrmann, Jonathan; Bargar, John R.

In this paper, knowledge of the molecular ecology and environmental determinants of ammonia-oxidizing organisms is critical to understanding and predicting the global nitrogen (N) and carbon cycles, but an incomplete biochemical picture hinders in vitro studies of N-cycling enzymes. Although an integrative structural and dynamic characterization at the atomic scale would advance our understanding of function tremendously, structural knowlede of key N-cycling enzymes from ecologically-relevant ammonia oxidizers is unfortunately extremely limited. Here, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for examining the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing organisms, particularly uncultivated Thaumarchaeota, though (meta)genome-driven structural biology of the enzymes ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) andmore » nitrite reductase (NirK).« less

Biologic Therapy and Asthma.

PubMed

Viswanathan, Ravi K; Busse, William W

2018-02-01

Although airway inflammation is an intrinsic and key feature of asthma, this response varies in its intensity and translation to clinical characteristics and responsiveness to treatment. The observations that clinical heterogeneity is an important aspect of asthma and a feature that likely dictates and determines responses to treatment in severe asthma, patient responsiveness to medication is incomplete, and risks for exacerbation are increased. The development of biologics, which target selected and specific components of inflammation, has been a promising advance to achieve asthma control in patients with severe disease. This article reviews the current biologics available and under development and how their use has affected asthma and which subpopulations appear to benefit the greatest. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Integrated structural biology and molecular ecology of N-cycling enzymes from ammonia-oxidizing archaea

DOE PAGES

Tolar, Bradley B.; Herrmann, Jonathan; Bargar, John R.; ...

2017-07-05

In this paper, knowledge of the molecular ecology and environmental determinants of ammonia-oxidizing organisms is critical to understanding and predicting the global nitrogen (N) and carbon cycles, but an incomplete biochemical picture hinders in vitro studies of N-cycling enzymes. Although an integrative structural and dynamic characterization at the atomic scale would advance our understanding of function tremendously, structural knowlede of key N-cycling enzymes from ecologically-relevant ammonia oxidizers is unfortunately extremely limited. Here, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for examining the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing organisms, particularly uncultivated Thaumarchaeota, though (meta)genome-driven structural biology of the enzymes ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) andmore » nitrite reductase (NirK).« less

Detection of buried objects by fusing dual-band infrared images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clark, G.A.; Sengupta, S.K.; Sherwood, R.J.

1993-11-01

We have conducted experiments to demonstrate the enhanced detectability of buried land mines using sensor fusion techniques. Multiple sensors, including visible imagery, infrared imagery, and ground penetrating radar (GPR), have been used to acquire data on a number of buried mines and mine surrogates. Because the visible wavelength and GPR data are currently incomplete. This paper focuses on the fusion of two-band infrared images. We use feature-level fusion and supervised learning with the probabilistic neural network (PNN) to evaluate detection performance. The novelty of the work lies in the application of advanced target recognition algorithms, the fusion of dual-band infraredmore » images and evaluation of the techniques using two real data sets.« less

Statistical strategy for anisotropic adventitia modelling in IVUS.

PubMed

Gil, Debora; Hernández, Aura; Rodriguez, Oriol; Mauri, Josepa; Radeva, Petia

2006-06-01

Vessel plaque assessment by analysis of intravascular ultrasound sequences is a useful tool for cardiac disease diagnosis and intervention. Manual detection of luminal (inner) and media-adventitia (external) vessel borders is the main activity of physicians in the process of lumen narrowing (plaque) quantification. Difficult definition of vessel border descriptors, as well as, shades, artifacts, and blurred signal response due to ultrasound physical properties trouble automated adventitia segmentation. In order to efficiently approach such a complex problem, we propose blending advanced anisotropic filtering operators and statistical classification techniques into a vessel border modelling strategy. Our systematic statistical analysis shows that the reported adventitia detection achieves an accuracy in the range of interobserver variability regardless of plaque nature, vessel geometry, and incomplete vessel borders.

Integrated structural biology and molecular ecology of N-cycling enzymes from ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

PubMed

Tolar, Bradley B; Herrmann, Jonathan; Bargar, John R; van den Bedem, Henry; Wakatsuki, Soichi; Francis, Christopher A

2017-10-01

Knowledge of the molecular ecology and environmental determinants of ammonia-oxidizing organisms is critical to understanding and predicting the global nitrogen (N) and carbon cycles, but an incomplete biochemical picture hinders in vitro studies of N-cycling enzymes. Although an integrative structural and dynamic characterization at the atomic scale would advance our understanding of function tremendously, structural knowledge of key N-cycling enzymes from ecologically relevant ammonia oxidizers is unfortunately extremely limited. Here, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for examining the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing organisms, particularly uncultivated Thaumarchaeota, through (meta)genome-driven structural biology of the enzymes ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and nitrite reductase (NirK). © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mann, R.C.; Fujimura, K.; Unseren, M.A.

One of the frontiers in intelligent machine research is the understanding of how constructive cooperation among multiple autonomous agents can be effected. The effort at the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR)at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) focuses on two problem areas: (1) cooperation by multiple mobile robots in dynamic, incompletely known environments; and (2) cooperating robotic manipulators. Particular emphasis is placed on experimental evaluation of research and developments using the CESAR robot system testbeds, including three mobile robots, and a seven-axis, kinematically redundant mobile manipulator. This paper summarizes initial results of research addressing the decoupling of positionmore » and force control for two manipulators holding a common object, and the path planning for multiple robots in a common workspace. 15 refs., 3 figs.« less

Minimax terminal approach problem in two-level hierarchical nonlinear discrete-time dynamical system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shorikov, A. F., E-mail: afshorikov@mail.ru

We consider a discrete–time dynamical system consisting of three controllable objects. The motions of all objects are given by the corresponding vector nonlinear or linear discrete–time recurrent vector relations, and control system for its has two levels: basic (first or I level) that is dominating and subordinate level (second or II level) and both have different criterions of functioning and united a priori by determined informational and control connections defined in advance. For the dynamical system in question, we propose a mathematical formalization in the form of solving a multistep problem of two-level hierarchical minimax program control over the terminalmore » approach process with incomplete information and give a general scheme for its solving.« less

Social marketing in public health.

PubMed

Grier, Sonya; Bryant, Carol A

2005-01-01

Social marketing, the use of marketing to design and implement programs to promote socially beneficial behavior change, has grown in popularity and usage within the public health community. Despite this growth, many public health professionals have an incomplete understanding of the field. To advance current knowledge, we provide a practical definition and discuss the conceptual underpinnings of social marketing. We then describe several case studies to illustrate social marketing's application in public health and discuss challenges that inhibit the effective and efficient use of social marketing in public health. Finally, we reflect on future developments in the field. Our aim is practical: to enhance public health professionals' knowledge of the key elements of social marketing and how social marketing may be used to plan public health interventions.

Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: definitional clarification and perspectives on future research.

PubMed

McLain, David L; Kefallonitis, Efstathios; Armani, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Ambiguity tolerance is an increasingly popular subject for study in a wide variety of fields. The definition of ambiguity tolerance has changed since its inception, and accompanying that change are changes in measurement and the research questions that interest researchers. There is a wealth of opportunity for research related to ambiguity tolerance and recent advances in neuroscience, measurement, trait research, perception, problem solving, and other fields highlight areas of interest and point to issues that need further attention. The future of ambiguity tolerance research is promising and it is expected that future studies will yield new insights into individual differences in reactions to the complex, unfamiliar, confusing, indeterminate, and incomplete stimuli that fall within the conceptual domain of ambiguity.

The role of technology in clinician-to-clinician communication.

PubMed

McElroy, Lisa M; Ladner, Daniela P; Holl, Jane L

2013-12-01

Incomplete, fragmented and poorly organised communications contribute to more than half the errors that lead to adverse and sentinel events. Meanwhile, communication software and devices with expanding capabilities are rapidly proliferating and being introduced into the healthcare setting. Clinicians face a large communication burden, which has been exacerbated by the additional challenge of selecting a mode of communication. In addition to specific communication devices, some hospitals have implemented advanced technological systems to assist with communication. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence of the specific advantages and disadvantages of the different devices used for communication. Given the increasing quantities of information transmitted to and by clinicians, evaluations of how communication methods and devices can improve the quality, safety and outcomes of healthcare are needed.

Long-term benefit of PD-L1 blockade in lung cancer associated with JAK3 activation

PubMed Central

Van Allen, Eliezer M.; Golay, Hadrien G.; Liu, Yan; Koyama, Shohei; Wong, Karrie; Taylor-Weiner, Amaro; Giannakis, Marios; Harden, Maegan; Rojas-Rudilla, Vanesa; Chevalier, Aaron; Thai, Tran; Lydon, Christine; Mach, Stacy; Wong, Joshua A.; Rabin, Alexandra R.; Helmkamp, Joshua; Sholl, Lynette; Carter, Scott L.; Oxnard, Geoffrey; Janne, Pasi; Getz, Gad; Lindeman, Neal; Hammerman, Peter S.; Garraway, Levi A.; Hodi, F. Stephen; Rodig, Scott; Dranoff, Glenn; Wong, Kwok-Kin; Barbie, David A.

2015-01-01

PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade occasionally results in durable clinical responses in advanced metastatic cancers. However, mechanism-based predictors of response to this immunotherapy remain incompletely characterized. We performed comprehensive genomic profiling on a tumor and germline sample from a patient with refractory lung adenocarcinoma who achieved marked long-term clinical benefit from anti-PD-L1 therapy. We discovered activating somatic and germline amino acid variants in JAK3 that promoted PD-L1 induction in lung cancer cells and in the tumor immune microenvironment. These findings suggest that genomic alterations that deregulate cytokine receptor signal transduction could contribute to PD-L1 activation and engagement of the PD-1 immune checkpoint in lung cancer. PMID:26014096

Drowning stars: Reassessing the role of astrocytes in brain edema

PubMed Central

Thrane, Alexander S.; Thrane, Vinita Rangroo; Nedergaard, Maiken

2014-01-01

Edema formation frequently complicates brain infarction, tumors and trauma. Despite the significant mortality of this condition, current treatment options are often ineffective or incompletely understood. Recent studies have revealed the existence of a brain-wide paravascular pathway for cerebrospinal (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) exchange. The current review critically examines the contribution of this ‘glymphatic’ system to the main types of brain edema. We propose that in cytotoxic edema, energy depletion enhances glymphatic CSF influx, whilst suppressing ISF efflux. We also argue that paravascular inflammation or ‘paravasculitis’ plays a critical role in vasogenic edema. Finally, recent advances in diagnostic imaging of glymphatic function may hold the key to defining the edema profile of individual patients and thus enable more targeted therapy. PMID:25236348

Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: definitional clarification and perspectives on future research

PubMed Central

McLain, David L.; Kefallonitis, Efstathios; Armani, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Ambiguity tolerance is an increasingly popular subject for study in a wide variety of fields. The definition of ambiguity tolerance has changed since its inception, and accompanying that change are changes in measurement and the research questions that interest researchers. There is a wealth of opportunity for research related to ambiguity tolerance and recent advances in neuroscience, measurement, trait research, perception, problem solving, and other fields highlight areas of interest and point to issues that need further attention. The future of ambiguity tolerance research is promising and it is expected that future studies will yield new insights into individual differences in reactions to the complex, unfamiliar, confusing, indeterminate, and incomplete stimuli that fall within the conceptual domain of ambiguity. PMID:25972818

Tbx1 regulates oral epithelial adhesion and palatal development

PubMed Central

Funato, Noriko; Nakamura, Masataka; Richardson, James A.; Srivastava, Deepak; Yanagisawa, Hiromi

2012-01-01

Cleft palate, the most frequent congenital craniofacial birth defect, is a multifactorial condition induced by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. In addition to complete cleft palate, a large number of human cases involve soft palate cleft and submucosal cleft palate. However, the etiology of these forms of cleft palate has not been well understood. T-box transcriptional factor (Tbx) family of transcriptional factors has distinct roles in a wide range of embryonic differentiation or response pathways. Here, we show that genetic disruption of Tbx1, a major candidate gene for the human congenital disorder 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (Velo-cardio-facial/DiGeorge syndrome), led to abnormal epithelial adhesion between the palate and mandible in mouse, resulting in various forms of cleft palate similar to human conditions. We found that hyperproliferative epithelium failed to undergo complete differentiation in Tbx1-null mice (Tbx1−/−). Inactivation of Tbx1 specifically in the keratinocyte lineage (Tbx1KCKO) resulted in an incomplete cleft palate confined to the anterior region of the palate. Interestingly, Tbx1 overexpression resulted in decreased cell growth and promoted cell-cycle arrest in MCF7 epithelial cells. These findings suggest that Tbx1 regulates the balance between proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes and is essential for palatal fusion and oral mucosal differentiation. The impaired adhesion separation of the oral epithelium together with compromised palatal mesenchymal growth is an underlying cause for various forms of cleft palate phenotypes in Tbx1−/− mice. Our present study reveals new pathogenesis of incomplete and submucous cleft palate during mammalian palatogenesis. PMID:22371266

Data Linkage: A powerful research tool with potential problems

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Policy makers, clinicians and researchers are demonstrating increasing interest in using data linked from multiple sources to support measurement of clinical performance and patient health outcomes. However, the utility of data linkage may be compromised by sub-optimal or incomplete linkage, leading to systematic bias. In this study, we synthesize the evidence identifying participant or population characteristics that can influence the validity and completeness of data linkage and may be associated with systematic bias in reported outcomes. Methods A narrative review, using structured search methods was undertaken. Key words "data linkage" and Mesh term "medical record linkage" were applied to Medline, EMBASE and CINAHL databases between 1991 and 2007. Abstract inclusion criteria were; the article attempted an empirical evaluation of methodological issues relating to data linkage and reported on patient characteristics, the study design included analysis of matched versus unmatched records, and the report was in English. Included articles were grouped thematically according to patient characteristics that were compared between matched and unmatched records. Results The search identified 1810 articles of which 33 (1.8%) met inclusion criteria. There was marked heterogeneity in study methods and factors investigated. Characteristics that were unevenly distributed among matched and unmatched records were; age (72% of studies), sex (50% of studies), race (64% of studies), geographical/hospital site (93% of studies), socio-economic status (82% of studies) and health status (72% of studies). Conclusion A number of relevant patient or population factors may be associated with incomplete data linkage resulting in systematic bias in reported clinical outcomes. Readers should consider these factors in interpreting the reported results of data linkage studies. PMID:21176171

7 CFR 1124.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1124.53 Section 1124.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

Investigation of the material flow and texture evolution in friction-stir welded aluminum alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Suk Hoon; Han, Heung Nam; Oh, Kyu Hwan; Cho, Jae-Hyung; Lee, Chang Gil; Kim, Sung-Joon

2009-12-01

The material flow and crystallographic orientation in aluminum alloy sheets joined by friction stir welding (FSW) were investigated by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). The microstructure and microtexture of the material near the stir zone was found to be influenced by the rotational behavior of the tool pin. It was found that, during FSW, the forward movement of the tool pin resulted in loose contact between the tool pin and the receding material at the advancing side. This material behavior inside the joined aluminum plates was also observed by an X-ray micrograph by inlaying a gold marker into the plates. As the advancing speed of the tool increases at a given rotation speed, the loose contact region widens. As the microtexture of the material near the stir zone is very close to the simple shear texture on the basis of the frame of the tool pin in the normal and tangent directions, the amount of incompletely rotated material due to the loose contact could be estimated from the tilt angle of the shear texture in the pole figure around the key hole.

Issues related to the use of genetic material and information.

PubMed

Giarelli, E; Jacobs, L A

2000-04-01

To review issues regarding the use of genetic materials and information. Professional literature, regional and federal legislation. An analysis is provided of the relationship among advances in genetic technology, use of genetic material and information, and the development of laws that protect the interests of donors, researchers, and insurers. Rapid technological achievements have generated complex questions that are difficult to answer. The Human Genome Project began and the scientific discoveries were put to use before adequate professional and public debate on the ethical, legal, social, and clinical issues. The term "proper use" of genetic material and information is not defined consistently. An incomplete patchwork of protective state and federal legislation exists. Many complicated issues surround the use and potential misuse of genetic material and information. Rapidly advancing technology in genetics makes it difficult for regulations that protect individuals and families to keep pace. Oncology nurses need to recognize their role as change agents, understand genetic technology, and advocate for patients by participating in the debate on the proper use and prevention of misuse of genetic material and information.

Driving CAR-Based T-Cell Therapy to Success

PubMed Central

Jena, Bipulendu; Moyes, Judy S; Huls, Helen; Cooper, Laurence JN

2014-01-01

T-cells that have been genetically modified, activated, and propagated ex vivo can be infused to control tumor progression in patients who are refractory to conventional treatments. Early-phase clinical trials demonstrate that the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) CD19 can be therapeutically engaged through the enforced expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on clinical-grade T-cells. Advances in vector design, the architecture of the CAR molecule especially as associated with T-cell co-stimulatory pathways, and understanding of the tumor microenvironment, play significant roles in the successful treatment of medically fragile patients. However, some recipients of CAR+ T-cells demonstrate incomplete responses. Understanding the potential for treatment failure provides a pathway to improve the potency of adoptive transfer of CAR+ T-cells. High throughput single-cell analyses to understand the complexity of the inoculum coupled with animal models may provide insight into the therapeutic potential of genetically modified T-cells. This review focusses on recent advances regarding the human application of C19-specific CAR+ T-cells and explores how their success for hematologic cancers can provide a framework for investigational treatment of solid tumor malignancies. PMID:24488441

Predicting first fall in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease: Insights from a fall-naïve cohort.

PubMed

Lord, Sue; Galna, Brook; Yarnall, Alison J; Coleman, Shirley; Burn, David; Rochester, Lynn

2016-12-01

Falls are common and associated with reduced independence and mortality in Parkinson's disease. Previous research has been conducted on falls-prevalent or advanced disease cohorts. This study identifies risk factors for first fall for 36 months in a newly diagnosed, falls-naïve cohort. A total of 121 consecutive Parkinson's disease patients were recruited. Falls data were collected prospectively during 36 months from diagnosis via monthly falls diaries and telephone follow-up for 117 participants. Assessment comprised a comprehensive battery of clinical, gait, and cognitive measures. Significant predictors were identified from decision-tree analysis and survival analysis with time to first fall during 36 months as the dependent variable. At baseline, 26 (22%) participants reported retrospective falls. At 36 months, the remaining cohort (n = 91) comprised 47 fallers (52%) and 30 (33%) nonfallers and 14 (15%) participants with incomplete diaries. Fallers presented with a significantly higher disease severity, poorer ability to stand on one leg, slower gait speed, increased stance time variability, and higher swing time asymmetry. Median time to first fall was 847 days. Gait speed, stance time, and Hoehn & Yahr III stage emerged as significant predictors of first fall, hazard ratio 3.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58 to 7.48), 3.31(95% CI 1.40 to 7.80), and 2.80 (95% CI 1.38 to 5.65), respectively. The hazard ratio for risk factors combined was 7.82 (CI 2.80 to 21.84). Interventions that target gait deficit and postural control in early Parkinson's disease may limit the potential for first fall. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

In Situ Bioremediation of Chlorinated Ethenes in Hydraulically-Tight Sediments: Challenges and Limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, M.; Yoshikawa, M.; Takeuchi, M.; Komai, T.

2011-12-01

Chlorinated ethenes, like perchloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), have been widely used by many industries, especially in developed countries like Japan. Because of their wide applications, lack of proper regulation, poor handing, storage and disposal practices in the past, chlorinated ethenes have become a type of the most prevalent contaminants for soils and groundwater pollution. For the sake of their degradability, bioremediation has been considered as a potentially cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for cleanup of chlorinated ethenes in situ. In this presentation, we briefly overview the status of soil and groundwater pollution, the recent amendment of the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act in Japan, comparison between the bioremediation and other techniques like pump and treat, and the mechanisms of reductive dechlorination, direct oxidation and co-metabolism of chlorinated ethenes. We then introduce and discuss some recent challenges and advancements in in-situ bioremediation including technologies for accelerating bio-degradation of chlorinated ethenes, technologies for assessing diffusive properties of dissolved hydrogen in hydraulically-tight soil samples, and combination of bioremediation with other techniques like electro-kinetic approach. Limiting factors that may cause incomplete remediation and/or ineffectiveness of bioremediation are examined from biochemical, geochemical and hydro-geological aspects. This study reconfirmed and illustrated that: 1) The key factor for an effective bioremediation is how to disperse a proper accelerating agent throughout the polluted strata, 2) The effective diffusion coefficient of dissolved hydrogen in geologic media is relatively big and is almost independent on their permeability, and 3) To effectively design and perform an accelerated bioremediation, a combination of natural migration with pressurized injection and/or other approaches, like electro-migration, for stimulating mass transport could be necessary depending on the hydraulic properties, like porosity and permeability of a stratum.

CD151, a novel host factor of nuclear export signaling in influenza virus infection.

PubMed

Qiao, Yongkang; Yan, Yan; Tan, Kai Sen; Tan, Sheryl S L; Seet, Ju Ee; Arumugam, Thiruma Valavan; Chow, Vincent T K; Wang, De Yun; Tran, Thai

2018-05-01

Despite advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of influenza A virus (IAV) infection, the crucial virus-host interactions during the viral replication cycle still remain incomplete. Tetraspanin CD151 is highly expressed in the human respiratory tract, but its pathological role in IAV infection is unknown. We sought to characterize the functional role and mechanisms of action of CD151 in IAV infection of the upper and lower respiratory tracts with H1N1 and H3N2 strains. We used CD151-null mice in an in vivo model of IAV infection and clinical donor samples of in vitro-differentiated human nasal epithelial cells cultured at air-liquid interface. As compared with wild-type infected mice, CD151-null infected mice exhibited a significant reduction in virus titer and improvement in survival that is associated with pronounced host antiviral response and inflammasome activation together with accelerated lung repair. Interestingly, we show that CD151 complexes newly synthesized viral proteins with host nuclear export proteins and stabilizes microtubule complexes, which are key processes necessary for the polarized trafficking of viral progeny to the host plasma membrane for assembly. Our results provide new mechanistic insights into our understanding of IAV infection. We show that CD151 is a critical novel host factor of nuclear export signaling whereby the IAV nuclear export uses it to complement its own nuclear export proteins (a site not targeted by current therapy), making this regulation unique, and holds promise for the development of novel alternative/complementary strategies to reduce IAV severity. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustainable Control of Water-Related Infectious Diseases: A Review and Proposal for Interdisciplinary Health-Based Systems Research

PubMed Central

Batterman, Stuart; Eisenberg, Joseph; Hardin, Rebecca; Kruk, Margaret E.; Lemos, Maria Carmen; Michalak, Anna M.; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Renne, Elisha; Stein, Howard; Watkins, Cristy; Wilson, Mark L.

2009-01-01

Objective Even when initially successful, many interventions aimed at reducing the toll of water-related infectious disease have not been sustainable over longer periods of time. Here we review historical practices in water-related infectious disease research and propose an interdisciplinary public health oriented systems approach to research and intervention design. Data sources On the basis of the literature and the authors’ experiences, we summarize contributions from key disciplines and identify common problems and trends. Practices in developing countries, where the disease burden is the most severe, are emphasized. Data extraction We define waterborne and water-associated vectorborne diseases and identify disciplinary themes and conceptual needs by drawing from ecologic, anthropologic, engineering, political/economic, and public health fields. A case study examines one of the classes of water-related infectious disease. Data synthesis The limited success in designing sustainable interventions is attributable to factors that include the complexity and interactions among the social, ecologic, engineering, political/economic, and public health domains; incomplete data; a lack of relevant indicators; and most important, an inadequate understanding of the proximal and distal factors that cause water-related infectious disease. Fundamental change is needed for research on water-related infectious diseases, and we advocate a systems approach framework using an ongoing evidence-based health outcomes focus with an extended time horizon. The examples and case study in the review show many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations, data fusion techniques, and other advances. Conclusions The proposed framework will facilitate research by addressing the complexity and divergent scales of problems and by engaging scientists in the disciplines needed to tackle these difficult problems. Such research can enhance the prevention and control of water-related infectious diseases in a manner that is sustainable and focused on public health outcomes. PMID:19654908

Soil moisture control of sap-flow response to biophysical factors in a desert-shrub species, Artemisia ordosica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zha, Tianshan; Qian, Duo; Jia, Xin; Bai, Yujie; Tian, Yun; Bourque, Charles P.-A.; Ma, Jingyong; Feng, Wei; Wu, Bin; Peltola, Heli

2017-10-01

The current understanding of acclimation processes in desert-shrub species to drought stress in dryland ecosystems is still incomplete. In this study, we measured sap flow in Artemisia ordosica and associated environmental variables throughout the growing seasons of 2013 and 2014 (May-September period of each year) to better understand the environmental controls on the temporal dynamics of sap flow. We found that the occurrence of drought in the dry year of 2013 during the leaf-expansion and leaf-expanded periods caused sap flow per leaf area (Js) to decline significantly, resulting in transpiration being 34 % lower in 2013 than in 2014. Sap flow per leaf area correlated positively with radiation (Rs), air temperature (T), and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) when volumetric soil water content (VWC) was greater than 0.10 m3 m-3. Diurnal Js was generally ahead of Rs by as much as 6 hours. This time lag, however, decreased with increasing VWC. The relative response of Js to the environmental variables (i.e., Rs, T, and VPD) varied with VWC, Js being more strongly controlled by plant-physiological processes during periods of dryness indicated by a low decoupling coefficient and low sensitivity to the environmental variables. According to this study, soil moisture is shown to control sap-flow (and, therefore, plant-transpiration) response in Artemisia ordosica to diurnal variations in biophysical factors. This species escaped (acclimated to) water limitations by invoking a water-conservation strategy with the regulation of stomatal conductance and advancement of Js peaking time, manifesting in a hysteresis effect. The findings of this study add to the knowledge of acclimation processes in desert-shrub species under drought-associated stress. This knowledge is essential in modeling desert-shrub-ecosystem functioning under changing climatic conditions.

Optimizing Balanced Incomplete Block Designs for Educational Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Linden, Wim J.; Veldkamp, Bernard P.; Carlson, James E.

2004-01-01

A popular design in large-scale educational assessments as well as any other type of survey is the balanced incomplete block design. The design is based on an item pool split into a set of blocks of items that are assigned to sets of "assessment booklets." This article shows how the problem of calculating an optimal balanced incomplete block…

Outcome of conservative treatment for Little League shoulder in young baseball players: factors related to incomplete return to baseball and recurrence of pain.

PubMed

Harada, Mikio; Takahara, Masatoshi; Maruyama, Masahiro; Kondo, Mikiro; Uno, Tomohiro; Takagi, Michiaki; Mura, Nariyuki

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with poor results and pain recurrence in young baseball players with Little League shoulder (LLS). Eighty-seven young baseball players with LLS (mean age, 12.1 years) underwent conservative treatment. Of the players, 68 (78%) underwent conservative treatment involving the prohibition of throwing for an average of 1.2 months whereas the remaining 19 (22%) continued throwing with limitations. We analyzed the factors associated with poor results at 2 months and pain recurrence. At 2 months, 18% of participants reported the presence of pain, and the results regarding the return to baseball were as follows: complete return in 43%, incomplete return in 33%, and no return in 24%. A total of 83 subjects (95%) had completely returned at an average of 2.8 months. Pain recurrence was present in 20 subjects (25%) at an average of 6.2 months. Statistical analysis showed that the following factors were significantly associated with poor results at 2 months: longer period from initial presentation to throwing prohibition and worse shoulder flexibility (P = .04 and P = .01, respectively). It also revealed that the following factors were significantly associated with pain recurrence: higher frequency of pain at 2 months and longer duration until complete return (P = .0003 and P = .04, respectively). It is important for subjects with LLS to be prohibited from throwing immediately after initial presentation. Good shoulder flexibility was associated with a return to baseball without pain. A complete return in subjects who had pain at 2 months was significantly delayed, and these subjects exhibited more rapidly recurring pain after their return. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alzheimer's disease master regulators analysis: search for potential molecular targets and drug repositioning candidates.

PubMed

Vargas, D M; De Bastiani, M A; Zimmer, E R; Klamt, F

2018-06-23

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial and complex neuropathology that involves impairment of many intricate molecular mechanisms. Despite recent advances, AD pathophysiological characterization remains incomplete, which hampers the development of effective treatments. In fact, currently, there are no effective pharmacological treatments for AD. Integrative strategies such as transcription regulatory network and master regulator analyses exemplify promising new approaches to study complex diseases and may help in the identification of potential pharmacological targets. In this study, we used transcription regulatory network and master regulator analyses on transcriptomic data of human hippocampus to identify transcription factors (TFs) that can potentially act as master regulators in AD. All expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database using the GEOquery package. A normal hippocampus transcription factor-centered regulatory network was reconstructed using the ARACNe algorithm. Master regulator analysis and two-tail gene set enrichment analysis were employed to evaluate the inferred regulatory units in AD case-control studies. Finally, we used a connectivity map adaptation to prospect new potential therapeutic interventions by drug repurposing. We identified TFs with already reported involvement in AD, such as ATF2 and PARK2, as well as possible new targets for future investigations, such as CNOT7, CSRNP2, SLC30A9, and TSC22D1. Furthermore, Connectivity Map Analysis adaptation suggested the repositioning of six FDA-approved drugs that can potentially modulate master regulator candidate regulatory units (Cefuroxime, Cyproterone, Dydrogesterone, Metrizamide, Trimethadione, and Vorinostat). Using a transcription factor-centered regulatory network reconstruction we were able to identify several potential molecular targets and six drug candidates for repositioning in AD. Our study provides further support for the use of bioinformatics tools as exploratory strategies in neurodegenerative diseases research, and also provides new perspectives on molecular targets and drug therapies for future investigation and validation in AD.

SOX4 is essential for prostate tumorigenesis initiated by PTEN ablation | Office of Cancer Genomics

Cancer.gov

Understanding remains incomplete of the mechanisms underlying initiation and progression of prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men. The transcription factor SOX4 is overexpressed in many human cancers, including prostate cancer, suggesting it may participate in prostate tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated this possibility by genetically deleting Sox4 in a mouse model of prostate cancer initiated by loss of the tumor suppressor Pten.

Challenges and opportunities in the design and construction of a GIS-based emission inventory infrastructure for the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

PubMed

Fagbeja, Mofoluso A; Hill, Jennifer L; Chatterton, Tim J; Longhurst, James W S; Akpokodje, Joseph E; Agbaje, Ganiy I; Halilu, Shaba A

2017-03-01

Environmental monitoring in middle- and low-income countries is hampered by many factors which include enactment and enforcement of legislations; deficiencies in environmental data reporting and documentation; inconsistent, incomplete and unverifiable data; a lack of access to data; and technical expertise. This paper describes the processes undertaken and the major challenges encountered in the construction of the first Niger Delta Emission Inventory (NDEI) for criteria air pollutants and CO 2 released from the anthropogenic activities in the region. This study focused on using publicly available government and research data. The NDEI has been designed to provide a Geographic Information System-based component of an air quality and carbon management framework. The NDEI infrastructure was designed and constructed at 1-, 10- and 20-km grid resolutions for point, line and area sources using industry standard processes and emission factors derived from activities similar to those in the Niger Delta. Due to inadequate, incomplete, potentially inaccurate and unavailable data, the infrastructure was populated with data based on a series of best possible assumptions for key emission sources. This produces outputs with variable levels of certainty, which also highlights the critical challenges in the estimation of emissions from a developing country. However, the infrastructure is functional and has the ability to produce spatially resolved emission estimates.

Neuropathogenesis of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: roles for immune activation, HIV blipping and viral tropism.

PubMed

Chen, Maria F; Gill, Alexander J; Kolson, Dennis L

2014-11-01

The purpose of this study is to discuss why HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) persist despite apparently effective HIV suppression by highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART). As many as 50% of HIV-infected individuals suffer from HAND despite ART suppression of HIV replication to apparently undetectable levels in most treated individuals. Prior to ART, HIV-associated dementia (HAD), the severest form of HAND, affected nearly 20% of infected individuals; HAD now affects only nearly 2% of ART-treated persons, although less severe HAND forms persist. Recent studies link persistent immune activation, inflammation and viral escape/blipping in ART-treated individuals, as well as comorbid conditions, to HIV disease progression and increased HAND risk. Despite sustained HIV suppression in most ART-treated individuals, indicated by routine plasma monitoring and occasional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monitoring, 'blips' of HIV replication are often detected with more frequent monitoring, thus challenging the concept of viral suppression. Although the causes of HIV blipping are unclear, CSF HIV blipping associates with neuroinflammation and, possibly, central nervous system (CNS) injury. The current theory that macrophage-tropic HIV strains within the CNS predominate in driving HAND and these associated factors is now also challenged. Protection of the CNS by ART is incomplete, probably due to combined effects of incomplete HIV suppression, persistent immune activation and host comorbidity factors. Adjunctive therapies to ART are necessary for more effective protection.

Local and Regional Determinants of an Uncommon Functional Group in Freshwater Lakes and Ponds

PubMed Central

McCann, Michael James

2015-01-01

A combination of local and regional factors and stochastic forces is expected to determine the occurrence of species and the structure of communities. However, in most cases, our understanding is incomplete, with large amounts of unexplained variation. Using functional groups rather than individual species may help explain the relationship between community composition and conditions. In this study, I used survey data from freshwater lakes and ponds to understand factors that determine the presence of the floating plant functional group in the northeast United States. Of the 176 water bodies surveyed, 104 (59.1%) did not contain any floating plant species. The occurrence of this functional group was largely determined by local abiotic conditions, which were spatially autocorrelated across the region. A model predicting the presence of the floating plant functional group performed similarly to the best species-specific models. Using a permutation test, I also found that the observed prevalence of floating plants is no different than expected by random assembly from a species pool of its size. These results suggest that the size of the species pool interacts with local conditions in determining the presence of a functional group. Nevertheless, a large amount of unexplained variation remains, attributable to either stochastic species occurrence or incomplete predictive models. The simple permutation approach in this study can be extended to test alternative models of community assembly. PMID:26121636

Albinism in the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) and other owls

Treesearch

Pentti Alaja; Heimo Mikkola

1997-01-01

An incomplete albino Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) was observed in Vesanto and Kajaani, Finland, 1994-1995. The literature pertaining to albinism in owls indicates that total and incomplete albinism has only been reported in 13 different owl species, the Great Gray Owl being the only species with more than five records. Thus six to seven incomplete...

Estimation from incomplete multinomial data. Ph.D. Thesis - Harvard Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Credeur, K. R.

1978-01-01

The vector of multinomial cell probabilities was estimated from incomplete data, incomplete in that it contains partially classified observations. Each such partially classified observation was observed to fall in one of two or more selected categories but was not classified further into a single category. The data were assumed to be incomplete at random. The estimation criterion was minimization of risk for quadratic loss. The estimators were the classical maximum likelihood estimate, the Bayesian posterior mode, and the posterior mean. An approximation was developed for the posterior mean. The Dirichlet, the conjugate prior for the multinomial distribution, was assumed for the prior distribution.

Spin distribution of evaporation residues formed in complete and incomplete fusion in 16O+154Sm system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, D.; Linda, Sneha B.; Giri, Pankaj K.; Mahato, Amritraj; Tripathi, R.; Kumar, Harish; Afzal Ansari, M.; Sathik, N. P. M.; Ali, Rahbar; Kumar, Rakesh; Muralithar, S.; Singh, R. P.

2017-11-01

Spin distributions for several evaporation residues populated in the 16O+154Sm system have been measured at projectile energy ≈ 6.2 MeV/A by using the charged particle-γ-coincidence technique. The measured spin distributions of the evaporation residues populated through incomplete fusion associated with 'fast' α and 2α-emission channels are found to be entirely different from fusion-evaporation channels. It is observed that the mean input angular momentum for the evaporation residues formed in incomplete fusion channel is relatively higher than that observed for evaporation residues in complete fusion channels. The feeding intensity profile of evaporation residues populated through complete fusion and incomplete fusion have also been studied. The incomplete fusion channels are found to have narrow range feeding only for high spin states, while complete fusion channels are strongly fed over a broad spin range and widely populated. Comparison of present results with earlier data suggests that the mean input angular momentum values are relatively smaller for spherical target than that of deformed target using the same projectile and incident energy highlighting the role of target deformation in incomplete fusion dynamics.

Predictions interact with missing sensory evidence in semantic processing areas.

PubMed

Scharinger, Mathias; Bendixen, Alexandra; Herrmann, Björn; Henry, Molly J; Mildner, Toralf; Obleser, Jonas

2016-02-01

Human brain function draws on predictive mechanisms that exploit higher-level context during lower-level perception. These mechanisms are particularly relevant for situations in which sensory information is compromised or incomplete, as for example in natural speech where speech segments may be omitted due to sluggish articulation. Here, we investigate which brain areas support the processing of incomplete words that were predictable from semantic context, compared with incomplete words that were unpredictable. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants heard sentences that orthogonally varied in predictability (semantically predictable vs. unpredictable) and completeness (complete vs. incomplete, i.e. missing their final consonant cluster). The effects of predictability and completeness interacted in heteromodal semantic processing areas, including left angular gyrus and left precuneus, where activity did not differ between complete and incomplete words when they were predictable. The same regions showed stronger activity for incomplete than for complete words when they were unpredictable. The interaction pattern suggests that for highly predictable words, the speech signal does not need to be complete for neural processing in semantic processing areas. Hum Brain Mapp 37:704-716, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Uncertainties in scaling factors for ab initio vibrational zero-point energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irikura, Karl K.; Johnson, Russell D.; Kacker, Raghu N.; Kessel, Rüdiger

2009-03-01

Vibrational zero-point energies (ZPEs) determined from ab initio calculations are often scaled by empirical factors. An empirical scaling factor partially compensates for the effects arising from vibrational anharmonicity and incomplete treatment of electron correlation. These effects are not random but are systematic. We report scaling factors for 32 combinations of theory and basis set, intended for predicting ZPEs from computed harmonic frequencies. An empirical scaling factor carries uncertainty. We quantify and report, for the first time, the uncertainties associated with scaling factors for ZPE. The uncertainties are larger than generally acknowledged; the scaling factors have only two significant digits. For example, the scaling factor for B3LYP/6-31G(d) is 0.9757±0.0224 (standard uncertainty). The uncertainties in the scaling factors lead to corresponding uncertainties in predicted ZPEs. The proposed method for quantifying the uncertainties associated with scaling factors is based upon the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, published by the International Organization for Standardization. We also present a new reference set of 60 diatomic and 15 polyatomic "experimental" ZPEs that includes estimated uncertainties.

Early predictors of outcome after mild traumatic brain injury (UPFRONT): an observational cohort study.

PubMed

van der Naalt, Joukje; Timmerman, Marieke E; de Koning, Myrthe E; van der Horn, Harm J; Scheenen, Myrthe E; Jacobs, Bram; Hageman, Gerard; Yilmaz, Tansel; Roks, Gerwin; Spikman, Jacoba M

2017-07-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for most cases of TBI, and many patients show incomplete long-term functional recovery. We aimed to create a prognostic model for functional outcome by combining demographics, injury severity, and psychological factors to identify patients at risk for incomplete recovery at 6 months. In particular, we investigated additional indicators of emotional distress and coping style at 2 weeks above early predictors measured at the emergency department. The UPFRONT study was an observational cohort study done at the emergency departments of three level-1 trauma centres in the Netherlands, which included patients with mTBI, defined by a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13-15 and either post-traumatic amnesia lasting less than 24 h or loss of consciousness for less than 30 min. Emergency department predictors were measured either on admission with mTBI-comprising injury severity (GCS score, post-traumatic amnesia, and CT abnormalities), demographics (age, gender, educational level, pre-injury mental health, and previous brain injury), and physical conditions (alcohol use on the day of injury, neck pain, headache, nausea, dizziness)-or at 2 weeks, when we obtained data on mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), emotional distress (Impact of Event Scale), coping (Utrecht Coping List), and post-traumatic complaints. The functional outcome was recovery, assessed at 6 months after injury with the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE). We dichotomised recovery into complete (GOSE=8) and incomplete (GOSE≤7) recovery. We used logistic regression analyses to assess the predictive value of patient information collected at the time of admission to an emergency department (eg, demographics, injury severity) alone, and combined with predictors of outcome collected at 2 weeks after injury (eg, emotional distress and coping). Between Jan 25, 2013, and Jan 6, 2015, data from 910 patients with mTBI were collected 2 weeks after injury; the final date for 6-month follow-up was July 6, 2015. Of these patients, 764 (84%) had post-traumatic complaints and 414 (45%) showed emotional distress. At 6 months after injury, outcome data were available for 671 patients; complete recovery (GOSE=8) was observed in 373 (56%) patients and incomplete recovery (GOSE ≤7) in 298 (44%) patients. Logistic regression analyses identified several predictors for 6-month outcome, including education and age, with a clear surplus value of indicators of emotional distress and coping obtained at 2 weeks (area under the curve [AUC]=0·79, optimism 0·02; Nagelkerke R 2 =0·32, optimism 0·05) than only emergency department predictors at the time of admission (AUC=0·72, optimism 0·03; Nagelkerke R 2 =0·19, optimism 0·05). Psychological factors (ie, emotional distress and maladaptive coping experienced early after injury) in combination with pre-injury mental health problems, education, and age are important predictors for recovery at 6 months following mTBI. These findings provide targets for early interventions to improve outcome in a subgroup of patients at risk of incomplete recovery from mTBI, and warrant validation. Dutch Brain Foundation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complementary Hypotheses on Contributors to the Obesity Epidemic.

PubMed

Davis, Rachel A H; Plaisance, Eric P; Allison, David B

2018-01-01

Increased rates of obesity have occurred within virtually every race, age, sex, ethnicity, and economic group. Despite substantial punditry on the issue, the exact reasons are incompletely known. The two most common factors cited as contributing to the obesity epidemic, and those whose causal influence on increasing obesity levels in the population are often presumed unequivocally, are food marketing practices and institutionally driven reductions in physical activity. These have been called "the big two." This Perspective builds on previous writings in this area to introduce additional factors that may contribute to the obesity epidemic. It is emphasized that there may be other factors working in combination with the big two, influencing body fatness through effects on energy intake, energy expenditure, and/or nutrient partitioning. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Combustion kinetics and emission characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from polylactic acid combustion.

PubMed

Chien, Yi-Chi; Liang, Chenju; Liu, Shou-Heng; Yang, Shu-Hua

2010-07-01

This study investigates the combustion kinetics and emission factors of 16 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in polylactic acid (PLA) combustion. Experimentally, two reactions are involved in the PLA combustion process that potentially result in the release of lactide, acetaldehyde, and n-hexaldehyde. The products may continuously be oxidized to form carbon dioxide (CO2) and some PAHs produced because of incomplete combustion. The analytical results indicate that the emission factors for PAHs are in the range of not detectable to 98.04 microg/g. The emission factors are much lower than those of poly(ethylene terephalate) (PET) and other combustion of plastics. Results from this work suggest that combustion is a good choice for waste PLA disposal.

Blood N-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide and Interleukin-17 for Distinguishing Incomplete Kawasaki Disease from Infectious Diseases.

PubMed

Wu, Ling; Chen, Yuanling; Zhong, Shiling; Li, Yunyan; Dai, Xiahua; Di, Yazhen

2015-06-01

To explore the diagnostic value of blood N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and interleukin-17(IL-17) for incomplete Kawasaki disease. Patients with Kawasaki disease, Incomplete Kawasaki disease and unclear infectious fever were included in this retrospective study. Their clinical features, and laboratory test results of blood NT-proBNP and IL-17 were collected and compared. 766 patients with complete clinical information were recruited, consisting of 291 cases of Kawasaki disease, 74 cases of incomplete Kawasaki disease, and 401 cases of unclear infectious diseases. When the consistency with indicator 2 and 3 in Kawasaki disease diagnosis criteria was assessed with blood IL-17 ?11.55 pg/mL and blood NT-proBNP ? 225.5 pg/dL as the criteria, the sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki disease and infectious diseases reached 86.5% and 94.8%, respectively. When we chose the consistency with indicator 1 and 2 in Kawasaki disease diagnosis criteria, the appearance of decrustation and/or the BCG erythema, blood IL-17 ?11.55 pg/mL and blood NT-Pro BNP ?225.5 pg/dL as the criteria, the sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki disease and infectious diseases was 43.2% and 100%, respectively. Blood NT-proBNP and IL-17 are useful laboratory indicators for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki disease and infectious diseases at the early stage.

Development and validation of an algorithm to complete colonoscopy using standard endoscopes in patients with prior incomplete colonoscopy

PubMed Central

Rogers, Melinda C.; Gawron, Andrew; Grande, David; Keswani, Rajesh N.

2017-01-01

Background and study aims  Incomplete colonoscopy may occur as a result of colon angulation (adhesions or diverticulosis), endoscope looping, or both. Specialty endoscopes/devices have been shown to successfully complete prior incomplete colonoscopies, but may not be widely available. Radiographic or other image-based evaluations have been shown to be effective but may miss small or flat lesions, and colonoscopy is often still indicated if a large lesion is identified. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an algorithm to determine the optimum endoscope to ensure completion of the examination in patients with prior incomplete colonoscopy. Patients and methods  This was a prospective cohort study of 175 patients with prior incomplete colonoscopy who were referred to a single endoscopist at a single academic medical center over a 3-year period from 2012 through 2015. Colonoscopy outcomes from the initial 50 patients were used to develop an algorithm to determine the optimal standard endoscope and technique to achieve cecal intubation. The algorithm was validated on the subsequent 125 patients. Results  The overall repeat colonoscopy success rate using a standard endoscope was 94 %. The initial standard endoscope specified by the algorithm was used and completed the colonoscopy in 90 % of patients. Conclusions  This study identifies an effective strategy for completing colonoscopy in patients with prior incomplete examination, using widely available standard endoscopes and an algorithm based on patient characteristics and reasons for prior incomplete colonoscopy. PMID:28924595

Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) regulates proinflammatory activation of monocytes

PubMed Central

Das, Hiranmoy; Kumar, Ajay; Lin, Zhiyong; Patino, Willmar D.; Hwang, Paul M.; Feinberg, Mark W.; Majumder, Pradip K.; Jain, Mukesh K.

2006-01-01

The mechanisms regulating activation of monocytes remain incompletely understood. Herein we provide evidence that Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) inhibits proinflammatory activation of monocytes. In vitro, KLF2 expression in monocytes is reduced by cytokine activation or differentiation. Consistent with this observation, KLF2 expression in circulating monocytes is reduced in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions such as coronary artery disease. Adenoviral overexpression of KLF2 inhibits the LPS-mediated induction of proinflammatory factors, cytokines, and chemokines and reduces phagocytosis. Conversely, short interfering RNA-mediated reduction in KLF2 increased inflammatory gene expression. Reconstitution of immunodeficient mice with KLF2-overexpressing monocytes significantly reduced carrageenan-induced acute paw edema formation. Mechanistically, KLF2 inhibits the transcriptional activity of both NF-κB and activator protein 1, in part by means of recruitment of transcriptional coactivator p300/CBP-associated factor. These observations identify KLF2 as a novel negative regulator of monocytic activation. PMID:16617118

Epidemiology of ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Permuth-Wey, Jennifer; Sellers, Thomas A

2009-01-01

Ovarian cancer represents the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the world, and causes more deaths per year than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Despite the high incidence and mortality rates, the etiology of this disease is poorly understood. Established risk factors for ovarian cancer include age and having a family history of the disease, while protective factors include increasing parity, oral contraceptive use, and oophorectomy. Lactation, incomplete pregnancies, and surgeries such as hysterectomy and tubal ligation may confer a weak protective effect against ovarian cancer. Infertility may contribute to ovarian cancer risk among nulliparous women. Other possible risk factors for ovarian cancer include postmenopausal hormone-replacement therapy and lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Many of the causes of ovarian cancer are yet to be identified. Additional research is needed to better understand the etiology of this deadly disease.

Risk factors for community-acquired bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Lundbo, Lene Fogt; Benfield, Thomas

2017-06-01

Bacterial meningitis is a significant burden of disease and mortality in all age groups worldwide despite the development of effective conjugated vaccines. The pathogenesis of bacterial meningitis is based on complex and incompletely understood host-pathogen interactions. Some of these are pathogen-specific, while some are shared between different bacteria. We searched the database PubMed to identify host risk factors for bacterial meningitis caused by the pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae type b, because they are three most common causative bacteria beyond the neonatal period. We describe a number of risk factors; including socioeconomic factors, age, genetic variation of the host and underlying medical conditions associated with increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections in both children and adults. As conjugated vaccines are available for these infections, it is of utmost importance to identify high risk patients to be able to prevent invasive disease.

The role of deposits in tsunami risk assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jaffe, B.

2008-01-01

An incomplete catalogue of tsunamis in the written record hinders tsunami risk assessment. Tsunami deposits, hard evidence of tsunami, can be used to extend the written record. The two primary factors in tsunami risk, tsunami frequency and magnitude, can be addressed through field and modeling studies of tsunami deposits. Recent research has increased the utility of tsunami deposits in tsunami risk assessment by improving the ability to identify tsunami deposits and developing models to determine tsunami magnitude from deposit characteristics. Copyright ASCE 2008.

Preconditioned conjugate gradient methods for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatakrishnan, V.

1990-01-01

The compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved for a variety of two-dimensional inviscid and viscous problems by preconditioned conjugate gradient-like algorithms. Roe's flux difference splitting technique is used to discretize the inviscid fluxes. The viscous terms are discretized by using central differences. An algebraic turbulence model is also incorporated. The system of linear equations which arises out of the linearization of a fully implicit scheme is solved iteratively by the well known methods of GMRES (Generalized Minimum Residual technique) and Chebyschev iteration. Incomplete LU factorization and block diagonal factorization are used as preconditioners. The resulting algorithm is competitive with the best current schemes, but has wide applications in parallel computing and unstructured mesh computations.

Cell Penetrating Bispecific Antibodies for Targeting Oncogenic Transcription Factors in Advanced Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

biochemical and biologic assay systems. The final specific aim was tol examine the ability of the bispecific antibody to perturb the growth of prostate ...designated by other documentation. TITLE: Cell-Penetrating Bispecific Antibodies for Targeting Oncogenic Transcription Factors in Advanced Prostate ...Bispecific Antibodies for Targeting Oncogenic Transcription Factors in Advanced Prostate Cancer Michael Lilly, MD Richard Weisbart, MD Medical

Evaluation of esophageal function in patients with esophageal motor abnormalities using multichannel intraluminal impedance esophageal manometry.

PubMed

Cho, Yu Kyung; Choi, Myung-Gyu; Park, Jae Myung; Oh, Jung Hwan; Paik, Chang Nyol; Lee, Joon Wook; Lee, In Seok; Kim, Sang Woo; Chung, In-Sik

2006-10-21

To evaluate the functional aspect of esophageal motility in healthy subjects and in patients who were referred for esophageal function testing using multichannel intraluminal impedance-esophageal manometry (MII-EM), and to assess the clinical utility of MII-EM. From September 2003 to January 2004, we performed the MII-EM on healthy volunteers and all the patients who were referred for esophageal function testing. Each patient received 10 liquid and 10 viscous swallows. We analyzed the results, the impedance and the manometric findings. Some of the subjects had additional ambulatory 24-h pH study performed to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Among 89 studied subjects, the MII-EM findings showed normal esophageal motility in 50 (56.17%), ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) in 17 (19.10%), nutcracker esophagus in 7 (7.86%), achalasia in 4 (4.49%), and scleroderma esophagus in 11 (12.35%) cases. The completeness and the speed of bolus transit were in the order of nutcracker esophagus, normal manometry and IEM. Some of the swallows showing normal manometry and IEM had incomplete transit. In the achalasia and scleroderma esophagus, almost all the swallows had incomplete transit. The body amplitudes were higher for the swallows with complete transit than for the swallows with incomplete transit. There was not a significant difference in the manometric and impedance findings between the subjects with and without GERD. MII-EM is a useful tool in assessing the esophageal function in the patients having esophageal motility abnormality. The primary factors influencing the bolus transit are the amplitude of the esophageal body and normal peristalsis.

Vaccination Coverage and Timelines Among Children 0-6 Months in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Zivich, Paul N; Kiketa, Landry; Kawende, Bienvenu; Lapika, Bruno; Yotebieng, Marcel

2017-05-01

Objectives The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is one of the ten countries, which accounts for 60% of unvaccinated children worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess predictors of incomplete and untimely immunization among a cohort of infants recruited at birth and followed up through 24 weeks in Kinshasa. Methods Complete immunization for each vaccine was defined as receiving all the recommended doses. Untimely immunization was defined as receiving the given dose before (early) or after (delayed) the recommended time window. Infants not immunized by the end of the follow-up time were considered missing. Multivariate hierarchical model and generalized logistic model were used to assess the independent contribution of each socio-economic and demographic factors considered to complete immunization and timeliness, respectively. Results Overall, of 975 infants from six selected clinics included in the analysis 84.7% were fully immunized the three doses of DTP or four doses of Polio by 24 weeks of age. Independently of the vaccine considered, the strongest predictor of incomplete and untimely immunization was the clinic in which the infant was enrolled. This association was strengthened after adjustment for socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Education and the socio-economic status also were predictive of completion and timeliness of immunization in our cohort. Discussion In conclusion, the strongest predictor for incomplete and untimely immunization among infants in Kinshasa was the clinics in which they were enrolled. The association was likely due to the user fee for well-baby clinic visits and its varying structure by clinic.

“No Clinical Puzzles More Interesting”: Harvey Cushing and Spinal Trauma, The Johns Hopkins Hospital 1896-1912

PubMed Central

Dasenbrock, Hormuzdiyar H.; Pendleton, Courtney; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron A.; Witham, Timothy F.; Gokaslan, Ziya L.; Quinones-Hinojosa, Alfredo; Bydon, Ali

2015-01-01

Although Harvey Cushing played a central role in the establishment of neurosurgery in the United States, his work on the spine remains largely unknown. This article is not only the first time that Cushing's spinal cases while he was at Johns Hopkins have been reported, but also the first time his management of spinal trauma has been described. We report on 12 patients that Cushing treated from 1898 to 1911 who have never been reported before, including blunt and penetrating injuries, complete and incomplete spinal cord lesions, and both immediate and delayed presentations. Cushing performed laminectomies within 24 hours on patients with immediate presentations—both complete and incomplete spinal cord lesions. Among those with delayed presentations, Cushing did laminectomies on patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries. By the end of his tenure at Hopkins, Cushing advocated nonoperative treatment for all patients with complete spinal cord lesions. Four patients died while an inpatient, with meningitis and cystitis leading to the death of 1 and 3 patients, respectively. Cystitis was treated with intravesicular irrigation; an indwelling catheter was placed by a suprapubic cystostomy in four. Cushing was one of the first to report the use of x-ray in a spine patient, in a case that may have been one factor leading to his interest in the nervous system; Cushing also routinely obtained radiographs in those with spinal trauma. These cases illustrate Cushing's dedication to and rapport with his patients, even in the face of a dismal prognosis. PMID:21135734

Clinical and electrophysiologic correlates of quantitative sensory testing in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Hayes, Keith C; Wolfe, Dalton L; Hsieh, Jane T; Potter, Patrick J; Krassioukov, Andrei; Durham, Carmen E

2002-11-01

To determine the degree of association among indices of preserved sensation derived from quantitative sensory testing (QST), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), and the clinical characteristics of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A controlled correlational study of diverse measures of preserved sensory function. Regional SCI rehabilitation center in Ontario, Canada. Thirty-three patients with incomplete SCI and 14 able-bodied controls. Not applicable. QST measures of perceptual threshold for temperature and vibration, American Spinal Injury Association sensory scores (light touch, pinprick), and tibial nerve SEPs. There was a low degree of association (kappa) between QST results and sensory scores (|kappa|=.05-.44). QST measures yielded greater numbers of patients with SCI being classified as impaired, suggesting a greater sensitivity of QST to detect more subtle sensory deficits. QST measures of vibration threshold generally corresponded to the patients' SEP recordings. QST measures of modalities conveyed within the same tract were significantly (P<.05) correlated (|r|=.46-.84) in patients with SCI, but not in controls, whereas those modalities mediated by different pathways had lower and generally nonsignificant correlations (|r|=.05-.44) in both patients and controls. The low degree of association between QST measures and sensory scores is likely attributable to measurement limitations of both assessments, as well as various neuroanatomic and neuropathologic factors. QST provides more sensitive detection of preserved sensory function than does standard clinical examination in patients with incomplete SCI. Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

For 481 biomedical open access journals, articles are not searchable in the Directory of Open Access Journals nor in conventional biomedical databases

PubMed Central

Andresen, Kristoffer; Pommergaard, Hans-Christian; Rosenberg, Jacob

2015-01-01

Background. Open access (OA) journals allows access to research papers free of charge to the reader. Traditionally, biomedical researchers use databases like MEDLINE and EMBASE to discover new advances. However, biomedical OA journals might not fulfill such databases’ criteria, hindering dissemination. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a database exclusively listing OA journals. The aim of this study was to investigate DOAJ’s coverage of biomedical OA journals compared with the conventional biomedical databases. Methods. Information on all journals listed in four conventional biomedical databases (MEDLINE, PubMed Central, EMBASE and SCOPUS) and DOAJ were gathered. Journals were included if they were (1) actively publishing, (2) full OA, (3) prospectively indexed in one or more database, and (4) of biomedical subject. Impact factor and journal language were also collected. DOAJ was compared with conventional databases regarding the proportion of journals covered, along with their impact factor and publishing language. The proportion of journals with articles indexed by DOAJ was determined. Results. In total, 3,236 biomedical OA journals were included in the study. Of the included journals, 86.7% were listed in DOAJ. Combined, the conventional biomedical databases listed 75.0% of the journals; 18.7% in MEDLINE; 36.5% in PubMed Central; 51.5% in SCOPUS and 50.6% in EMBASE. Of the journals in DOAJ, 88.7% published in English and 20.6% had received impact factor for 2012 compared with 93.5% and 26.0%, respectively, for journals in the conventional biomedical databases. A subset of 51.1% and 48.5% of the journals in DOAJ had articles indexed from 2012 and 2013, respectively. Of journals exclusively listed in DOAJ, one journal had received an impact factor for 2012, and 59.6% of the journals had no content from 2013 indexed in DOAJ. Conclusions. DOAJ is the most complete registry of biomedical OA journals compared with five conventional biomedical databases. However, DOAJ only indexes articles for half of the biomedical journals listed, making it an incomplete source for biomedical research papers in general. PMID:26038727

For 481 biomedical open access journals, articles are not searchable in the Directory of Open Access Journals nor in conventional biomedical databases.

PubMed

Liljekvist, Mads Svane; Andresen, Kristoffer; Pommergaard, Hans-Christian; Rosenberg, Jacob

2015-01-01

Background. Open access (OA) journals allows access to research papers free of charge to the reader. Traditionally, biomedical researchers use databases like MEDLINE and EMBASE to discover new advances. However, biomedical OA journals might not fulfill such databases' criteria, hindering dissemination. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a database exclusively listing OA journals. The aim of this study was to investigate DOAJ's coverage of biomedical OA journals compared with the conventional biomedical databases. Methods. Information on all journals listed in four conventional biomedical databases (MEDLINE, PubMed Central, EMBASE and SCOPUS) and DOAJ were gathered. Journals were included if they were (1) actively publishing, (2) full OA, (3) prospectively indexed in one or more database, and (4) of biomedical subject. Impact factor and journal language were also collected. DOAJ was compared with conventional databases regarding the proportion of journals covered, along with their impact factor and publishing language. The proportion of journals with articles indexed by DOAJ was determined. Results. In total, 3,236 biomedical OA journals were included in the study. Of the included journals, 86.7% were listed in DOAJ. Combined, the conventional biomedical databases listed 75.0% of the journals; 18.7% in MEDLINE; 36.5% in PubMed Central; 51.5% in SCOPUS and 50.6% in EMBASE. Of the journals in DOAJ, 88.7% published in English and 20.6% had received impact factor for 2012 compared with 93.5% and 26.0%, respectively, for journals in the conventional biomedical databases. A subset of 51.1% and 48.5% of the journals in DOAJ had articles indexed from 2012 and 2013, respectively. Of journals exclusively listed in DOAJ, one journal had received an impact factor for 2012, and 59.6% of the journals had no content from 2013 indexed in DOAJ. Conclusions. DOAJ is the most complete registry of biomedical OA journals compared with five conventional biomedical databases. However, DOAJ only indexes articles for half of the biomedical journals listed, making it an incomplete source for biomedical research papers in general.

In vitro analysis of RQC activities provides insights into the mechanism and function of CAT tailing

PubMed Central

Osuna, Beatriz A; Howard, Conor J; KC, Subheksha; Frost, Adam; Weinberg, David E

2017-01-01

Ribosomes can stall during translation due to defects in the mRNA template or translation machinery, leading to the production of incomplete proteins. The Ribosome-associated Quality control Complex (RQC) engages stalled ribosomes and targets nascent polypeptides for proteasomal degradation. However, how each RQC component contributes to this process remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that key RQC activities—Ltn1p-dependent ubiquitination and Rqc2p-mediated Carboxy-terminal Alanine and Threonine (CAT) tail elongation—can be recapitulated in vitro with a yeast cell-free system. Using this approach, we determined that CAT tailing is mechanistically distinct from canonical translation, that Ltn1p-mediated ubiquitination depends on the poorly characterized RQC component Rqc1p, and that the process of CAT tailing enables robust ubiquitination of the nascent polypeptide. These findings establish a novel system to study the RQC and provide a framework for understanding how RQC factors coordinate their activities to facilitate clearance of incompletely synthesized proteins. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27949.001 PMID:28718767

Fast animation of lightning using an adaptive mesh.

PubMed

Kim, Theodore; Lin, Ming C

2007-01-01

We present a fast method for simulating, animating, and rendering lightning using adaptive grids. The "dielectric breakdown model" is an elegant algorithm for electrical pattern formation that we extend to enable animation of lightning. The simulation can be slow, particularly in 3D, because it involves solving a large Poisson problem. Losasso et al. recently proposed an octree data structure for simulating water and smoke, and we show that this discretization can be applied to the problem of lightning simulation as well. However, implementing the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient (ICCG) solver for this problem can be daunting, so we provide an extensive discussion of implementation issues. ICCG solvers can usually be accelerated using "Eisenstat's trick," but the trick cannot be directly applied to the adaptive case. Fortunately, we show that an "almost incomplete Cholesky" factorization can be computed so that Eisenstat's trick can still be used. We then present a fast rendering method based on convolution that is competitive with Monte Carlo ray tracing but orders of magnitude faster, and we also show how to further improve the visual results using jittering.

Missing and discrepant data on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q): Quantity, quality, and implications.

PubMed

Kelly, Nichole R; Cotter, Elizabeth W; Lydecker, Janet A; Mazzeo, Suzanne E

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine relations among missing and discrepant data on the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q; Fairburn & Beglin, 1994) and individual demographic factors and eating disorder symptoms. Data from 3968 men and women collected in five independent studies were examined. Descriptive statistics were used to detect the quantity of missing and discrepant data, as well as independent samples t-tests and chi-square analyses to examine group differences between participants with and without missing or discrepant data. Results indicated significant differences in data completeness by participant race/ethnicity and severity of eating disorder symptoms. White participants were most likely to provide complete survey responses, and Asian American participants were least likely to provide complete survey responses. Participants with incomplete surveys reported greater eating disorder symptoms and behaviors compared with those with complete surveys. Similarly, those with discrepant responses to behavioral items reported greater eating disorder symptoms and behaviors compared with those with congruent responses. Practical implications and recommendations for reducing and addressing incomplete data on the EDE-Q are discussed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Incomplete augmented Lagrangian preconditioner for steady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations.

PubMed

Tan, Ning-Bo; Huang, Ting-Zhu; Hu, Ze-Jun

2013-01-01

An incomplete augmented Lagrangian preconditioner, for the steady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations discretized by stable finite elements, is proposed. The eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrix are analyzed. Numerical experiments show that the incomplete augmented Lagrangian-based preconditioner proposed is very robust and performs quite well by the Picard linearization or the Newton linearization over a wide range of values of the viscosity on both uniform and stretched grids.

An Overview of Advanced Elastomeric Seal Development and Testing Capabilities at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunlap, Patrick H., Jr.

2014-01-01

NASA is developing advanced space-rated elastomeric seals to support future space exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, near Earth asteroids, and other destinations. This includes seals for a new docking system and vehicle hatches. These seals must exhibit extremely low leak rates to ensure that astronauts have sufficient breathable air for extended missions. Seal compression loads must be below prescribed limits so as not to overload the mechanisms that compress them, and seal adhesion forces must be low to allow the sealed interface to be separated when required (e.g., during undocking or hatch opening). NASA Glenn Research Center has developed a number of unique test fixtures to measure the leak rates and compression and adhesion loads of candidate seal designs under simulated thermal, vacuum, and engagement conditions. Tests can be performed on fullscale seals with diameters on the order of 50 in., subscale seals that are about 12 in. in diameter, and smaller specimens such as O-rings. Test conditions include temperatures ranging from -238 to 662degF (-150 to 350degC), operational pressure gradients, and seal-on-seal or seal-on-flange mating configurations. Nominal and off-nominal conditions (e.g., incomplete seal compression) can also be simulated. This paper describes the main design features and capabilities of each type of test apparatus and provides an overview of advanced seal development activities at NASA Glenn.

An Overview of Advanced Elastomeric Seal Development and Testing Capabilities at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunlap, Patrick H.

2014-01-01

NASA is developing advanced space-rated elastomeric seals to support future space exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, near Earth asteroids, and other destinations. This includes seals for a new docking system and vehicle hatches. These seals must exhibit extremely low leak rates to ensure that astronauts have sufficient breathable air for extended missions. Seal compression loads must be below prescribed limits so as not to overload the mechanisms that compress them, and seal adhesion forces must be low to allow the sealed interface to be separated when required (e.g., during undocking or hatch opening). NASA Glenn Research Center has developed a number of unique test fixtures to measure the leak rates and compression and adhesion loads of candidate seal designs under simulated thermal, vacuum, and engagement conditions. Tests can be performed on full-scale seals with diameters on the order of 50 in., subscale seals that are about 12 in. in diameter, and smaller specimens such as O-rings. Test conditions include temperatures ranging from -238 to 662 F (-150 to 350 C), operational pressure gradients, and seal-on-seal or seal-on-flange mating configurations. Nominal and off-nominal conditions (e.g., incomplete seal compression) can also be simulated. This paper describes the main design features and capabilities of each type of test apparatus and provides an overview of advanced seal development activities at NASA Glenn.

Confidentiality and spatially explicit data: Concerns and challenges

PubMed Central

VanWey, Leah K.; Rindfuss, Ronald R.; Gutmann, Myron P.; Entwisle, Barbara; Balk, Deborah L.

2005-01-01

Recent theoretical, methodological, and technological advances in the spatial sciences create an opportunity for social scientists to address questions about the reciprocal relationship between context (spatial organization, environment, etc.) and individual behavior. This emerging research community has yet to adequately address the new threats to the confidentiality of respondent data in spatially explicit social survey or census data files, however. This paper presents four sometimes conflicting principles for the conduct of ethical and high-quality science using such data: protection of confidentiality, the social–spatial linkage, data sharing, and data preservation. The conflict among these four principles is particularly evident in the display of spatially explicit data through maps combined with the sharing of tabular data files. This paper reviews these two research activities and shows how current practices favor one of the principles over the others and do not satisfactorily resolve the conflict among them. Maps are indispensable for the display of results but also reveal information on the location of respondents and sampling clusters that can then be used in combination with shared data files to identify respondents. The current practice of sharing modified or incomplete data sets or using data enclaves is not ideal for either the advancement of science or the protection of confidentiality. Further basic research and open debate are needed to advance both understanding of and solutions to this dilemma. PMID:16230608

Intracapsular implant rupture: MR findings of incomplete shell collapse.

PubMed

Soo, M S; Kornguth, P J; Walsh, R; Elenberger, C; Georgiade, G S; DeLong, D; Spritzer, C E

1997-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and significance of the MR findings of incomplete shell collapse for detecting implant rupture in a series of surgically removed breast prostheses. MR images of 86 breast implants in 44 patients were studied retrospectively and correlated with surgical findings at explantation. MR findings included (a) complete shell collapse (linguine sign), 21 implants; (b) incomplete shell collapse (subcapsular line sign, teardrop sign, and keyhole sign), 33 implants; (c) radial folds, 31 implants; and (d) normal, 1 implant. The subcapsular line sign was seen in 26 implants, the teardrop sign was seen in 27 implants, and the keyhole sign was seen in 23 implants. At surgery, 48 implants were found to be ruptured and 38 were intact. The MR findings of ruptured implants showed signs of incomplete collapse in 52% (n = 25), linguine sign in 44% (n = 21), and radial folds in 4% (n = 2). The linguine sign perfectly predicted implant rupture, but sensitivity was low. Findings of incomplete shell collapse improved sensitivity and negative predictive values, and the subcapsular line sign produced a significant incremental increase in predictive ability. MRI signs of incomplete shell collapse were more common than the linguine sign in ruptured implants and are significant contributors to the high sensitivity and negative predictive values of MRI for evaluating implant integrity.

Study of incomplete fusion reaction dynamics in 13C +165 Ho system and its dependence on various entrance channel parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tali, Suhail A.; Kumar, Harish; Ansari, M. Afzal; Ali, Asif; Singh, D.; Ali, Rahbar; Giri, Pankaj K.; Linda, Sneha B.; Parashari, Siddharth; Kumar, R.; Singh, R. P.; Muralithar, S.

2018-02-01

The excitation functions for the evaporation residues populated in the interaction of 13C +165 Ho system have been measured at projectile energies ≈ 4-7 MeV/nucleon. Stacked foil activation technique followed by off-line γ-ray spectroscopy have been employed in the present work. The experimentally measured cross-sections are analyzed in the frame work of statistical model code PACE4, which takes into account only the complete fusion reaction cross-sections. The evaporation residues populated via xn and pxn channels were found to be in good agreement with the PACE4 predictions, while a significant enhancement in the measured cross-sections over PACE4 predictions is observed in case of α-emitting channels, which may be attributed to the incomplete fusion process. For the better understanding of incomplete fusion dynamics, the incomplete fusion fraction has also been deduced and its sensitivity with various entrance channel parameters like: projectile energy, mass-asymmetry, projectile structure in terms of Qα-value and Coulomb effect has been studied in the present work. The incomplete fusion fraction is found to increase with increasing the projectile energy and a strong projectile structure dependent mass-asymmetry systematic is also observed. The incomplete fusion fraction is also found to be small for more negative Qα-value projectile (13C) induced reactions as compared to less negative Qα-value projectiles (12C, 16O and 20Ne) induced reactions with the same target nucleus 165Ho. An interesting trend is obtained on further investigation of incomplete fusion dependence on Coulomb effect (ZPZT).

Gender-Specific Differences in All-Cause Mortality Between Incomplete and Complete Revascularization in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease.

PubMed

Dimitriu-Leen, Aukelien C; Hermans, Maaike P J; van Rosendael, Alexander R; van Zwet, Erik W; van der Hoeven, Bas L; Bax, Jeroen J; Scholte, Arthur J H A

2018-03-01

The best revascularization strategy (complete vs incomplete revascularization) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is still debated. The interaction between gender and revascularization strategy in patients with STEMI on all-cause mortality is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate gender-specific difference in all-cause mortality between incomplete and complete revascularization in patients with STEMI and multi-vessel coronary artery disease. The study population consisted of 375 men and 115 women with a first STEMI and multi-vessel coronary artery disease without cardiogenic shock at admission or left main stenosis. The 30-day and 5-year all-cause mortality was examined in patients categorized according to gender and revascularization strategy (incomplete and complete revascularization). Within the first 30 days, men and women with incomplete revascularization were associated with higher mortality rates compared with men with complete revascularization. However, the gender-strategy interaction variable was not independently associated with 30-day mortality after STEMI when corrected for baseline characteristics and angiographic features. Within the survivors of the first 30 days, men with incomplete revascularization (compared with men with complete revascularization) were independently associated with all-cause mortality during 5 years of follow-up (hazard ratios 3.07, 95% confidence interval 1.24;7.61, p = 0.016). In contrast, women with incomplete revascularization were not independently associated with 5-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratios 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.14;2.51, p = 0.48). In conclusion, no gender-strategy differences occurred in all-cause mortality within 30 days after STEMI. However, in the survivors of the first 30 days, incomplete revascularization in men was independently associated with all-cause mortality during 5-year follow-up, but this was not the case in women. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of input angular momentum and target deformation on the incomplete-fusion dynamics in the 16O+154Sm system at ELab=6.1 MeV/nucleon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, D.; Linda, Sneha B.; Giri, Pankaj K.; Mahato, Amritraj; Tripathi, R.; Kumar, Harish; Ansari, M. Afzal; Sathik, N. P. M.; Ali, Rahbar; Kumar, R.; Muralithar, S.; Singh, R. P.

2018-06-01

Spin distributions of nine evaporation residues 164Yb(x n ) , 163Tm(p x n ) , Er,167168(2 p x n ) , Ho-161163(α p x n ) , 164Dy(α 2 p x n ) , and 160Dy(2 α x n ) produced through complete- and incomplete-fusion reactions have been measured in the system 16O+154Sm at projectile energy =6.1 MeV /nucleon using the in-beam charged-particle (Z =1 ,2 )-γ-ray coincidence technique. The results indicate the occurrence of incomplete fusion involving the breakup of 16O into 4He+12C and/or 8Be+8Be followed by fusion of one of the fragments with target nucleus 154Sm. The pattern of measured spin distributions of the evaporation residues produced through complete and incomplete fusion are found to be entirely different from each other. It has been observed from these present results that the mean input angular momentum for the evaporation residues produced through complete fusion is relatively lower than that of evaporation residues produced through incomplete-fusion reactions. The pattern of feeding intensity of evaporation residues populated through complete- and incomplete-fusion reactions has also been studied. The evaporation residues populated through complete-fusion channels are strongly fed over a broad spin range and widely populated, while evaporation residues populated through incomplete-fusion reactions are found to have narrow range feeding only for high spin states. Comparison of present results with earlier data suggests that the value of mean input angular momentum is relatively higher for a deformed target and more mass asymmetric system than that of a spherical target and less mass asymmetric system by using the same projectile and the same energy. Thus, present results indicate that the incomplete-fusion reactions not only depend on the mass asymmetry of the system, but also depend on the deformation of the target.

Robotic-assisted Heller myotomy: a modern technique and review of outcomes.

PubMed

Afaneh, Cheguevara; Finnerty, Brendan; Abelson, Jonathan S; Zarnegar, Rasa

2015-06-01

Achalasia is a debilitating esophageal motility disorder characterized by incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and lack of peristalsis. Manometry is the gold standard for diagnosis and laparoscopic Heller myotomy has been the gold standard for definitive therapy. However, current advances in surgical technology have introduced the robotic platform as a viable approach for this procedure. The safety and efficacy has been clearly established with comparable operative times to laparoscopy in experienced hands. Importantly, the rate of resolution of dysphagia postoperatively is over 80% which is comparable to laparoscopic outcomes. Moreover, some literature suggests lower esophageal perforation rates utilizing the robotic platform. Nevertheless, costs remain one of the largest barriers to widespread use of the robotic platform and future studies should aim to identify strategies in cost reduction.

Generation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using RNA-Based Sendai Virus System and Pluripotency Validation of the Resulting Cell Population.

PubMed

Chichagova, Valeria; Sanchez-Vera, Irene; Armstrong, Lyle; Steel, David; Lako, Majlinda

2016-01-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a platform for studying human disease in vitro, increase our understanding of human embryonic development, and provide clinically relevant cell types for transplantation, drug testing, and toxicology studies. Since their discovery, numerous advances have been made in order to eliminate issues such as vector integration into the host genome, low reprogramming efficiency, incomplete reprogramming and acquisition of genomic instabilities. One of the ways to achieve integration-free reprogramming is by using RNA-based Sendai virus. Here we describe a method to generate hiPSCs with Sendai virus in both feeder-free and feeder-dependent culture systems. Additionally, we illustrate methods by which to validate pluripotency of the resulting stem cell population.

Pneumococcal Capsular Polysaccharide Immunity in the Elderly

PubMed Central

Ferreira, Daniela M.; Gordon, Stephen B.; Rylance, Jamie

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Immunity to pneumococcal infections is impaired in older people, and current vaccines are poorly protective against pneumococcal disease in this population. Naturally acquired immunity to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides develops during childhood and is robust in young adults but deteriorates with advanced age. In particular, antibody levels and function are reduced in older people. Pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for people >65 years old. However, the benefits of polysaccharide and protein-conjugated vaccines in this population are small, because of both serotype replacement and incomplete protection against vaccine serotype pneumococcal disease. In this review, we overview the immune mechanisms by which naturally acquired and vaccine-induced pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide immunity declines with age, including altered colonization dynamics, reduced opsonic activity of antibodies (particularly IgM), and impaired mucosal immunity. PMID:28424198

Wikipedia : its reliability and social role

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusaka, Kyuhachi

This article discusses Japanese Wikipedia's reliability and its social role as a free, collaborative, multilingual Internet encyclopedia supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Japanese Wikipedia's reliability is explained from several surveys. The central concern is how the nature of encyclopedia and Wikipedia affects the quality of Wikipedia's articles. Wikipedia's core content policies such as verifiability, no original research and a neutral point of view will make articles better. But incomplete or poorly written first drafts exist because Wikipedia is a work in progress. The article also argues that social role of online encyclopedia which provides knowledge for all. Knowledge-based society or/and advanced information society require public understanding of science and other expertise. Online encyclopedia attributed to a reliable, published source using an inline citation will guide anyone to specialized knowledge.

Research and development at ORNL/CESAR towards cooperating robotic systems for hazardous environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, R. C.; Fujimura, K.; Unseren, M. A.

1992-01-01

One of the frontiers in intelligent machine research is the understanding of how constructive cooperation among multiple autonomous agents can be effected. The effort at the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) focuses on two problem areas: (1) cooperation by multiple mobile robots in dynamic, incompletely known environments; and (2) cooperating robotic manipulators. Particular emphasis is placed on experimental evaluation of research and developments using the CESAR robot system testbeds, including three mobile robots, and a seven-axis, kinematically redundant mobile manipulator. This paper summarizes initial results of research addressing the decoupling of position and force control for two manipulators holding a common object, and the path planning for multiple robots in a common workspace.

“Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn”

PubMed Central

Evans, Robert G.

2014-01-01

Four years ago, Michelle Holmes, Wendy Chen and collegues reported a significant negative correlation between aspirin use and breast cancer (Holmes et al. 2010). This summer, they noted that no randomized trials have been initiated that test this potentially important association. Why not? Pharmaceutical companies fund most drug research; there is no profit in aspirin. This explanation is incomplete. The deeper issue is a mismatch between the public interest in advancing research, and the interests of the institutions that governments subsidize in different ways for that purpose. In addition to patent protection, governments directly fund public granting agencies and provide the tax relief offered by private charities. Like pharmaceutical companies, these have their own “stakeholders” and objectives. Nobody, it appears, is interested in aspirin. PMID:25617511

Understanding tumor anabolism and patient catabolism in cancer-associated cachexia

PubMed Central

Schcolnik-Cabrera, Alejandro; Chávez-Blanco, Alma; Domínguez-Gómez, Guadalupe; Dueñas-González, Alfonso

2017-01-01

Cachexia is a multifactorial paraneoplastic syndrome commonly associated with advanced stages of cancer. Cachexia is responsible for poor responses to antitumoral treatment and death in close to one-third of affected patients. There is still an incomplete understanding of the metabolic dysregulation induced by a tumor that leads to the appearance and persistence of cachexia. Furthermore, cachexia is irreversible, and there are currently no guidelines for its diagnosis or treatments for it. In this review, we aim to discuss the current knowledge about cancer-associated cachexia, starting with generalities about cancer as the generator of this syndrome, then analyzing the characteristics of cachexia at the biochemical and metabolic levels in both the tumor and the patient, and finally discussing current therapeutic approaches to treating cancer-associated cachexia. PMID:28560061

Evolving Concepts of Pulmonary Hypertension Secondary to Left Heart Disease.

PubMed

Ramu, Bhavadharini; Thenappan, Thenappan

2016-04-01

Pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease is the most common form of pulmonary hypertension. Although its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, it is now well recognized that the presence of pulmonary hypertension is associated with a worse prognosis. Right ventricular failure has independent and additive prognostic value over pulmonary hypertension for adverse outcomes in left heart disease. Recently, several new terminologies have been introduced to better define and characterize the nature and severity of pulmonary hypertension. Several new treatment options including the use of pulmonary arterial hypertension specific therapies are being considered, but there is lack of evidence. Here, we review the recent advances in this field and summarize the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities of use in the management of pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease.

Refining metabolic models and accounting for regulatory effects.

PubMed

Kim, Joonhoon; Reed, Jennifer L

2014-10-01

Advances in genome-scale metabolic modeling allow us to investigate and engineer metabolism at a systems level. Metabolic network reconstructions have been made for many organisms and computational approaches have been developed to convert these reconstructions into predictive models. However, due to incomplete knowledge these reconstructions often have missing or extraneous components and interactions, which can be identified by reconciling model predictions with experimental data. Recent studies have provided methods to further improve metabolic model predictions by incorporating transcriptional regulatory interactions and high-throughput omics data to yield context-specific metabolic models. Here we discuss recent approaches for resolving model-data discrepancies and building context-specific metabolic models. Once developed highly accurate metabolic models can be used in a variety of biotechnology applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drowning stars: reassessing the role of astrocytes in brain edema.

PubMed

Thrane, Alexander S; Rangroo Thrane, Vinita; Nedergaard, Maiken

2014-11-01

Edema formation frequently complicates brain infarction, tumors, and trauma. Despite the significant mortality of this condition, current treatment options are often ineffective or incompletely understood. Recent studies have revealed the existence of a brain-wide paravascular pathway for cerebrospinal (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) exchange. The current review critically examines the contribution of this 'glymphatic' system to the main types of brain edema. We propose that in cytotoxic edema, energy depletion enhances glymphatic CSF influx, whilst suppressing ISF efflux. We also argue that paravascular inflammation or 'paravasculitis' plays a critical role in vasogenic edema. Finally, recent advances in diagnostic imaging of glymphatic function may hold the key to defining the edema profile of individual patients, and thus enable more targeted therapy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epigenetics of prostate cancer and the prospect of identification of novel drug targets by RNAi screening of epigenetic enzymes.

PubMed

Björkman, Mari; Rantala, Juha; Nees, Matthias; Kallioniemi, Olli

2010-10-01

Alterations in epigenetic processes probably underlie most human malignancies. Novel genome-wide techniques, such as chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing, have become state-of-the-art methods to map the epigenomic landscape of development and disease, such as in cancers. Despite these advances, the functional significance of epigenetic enzymes in cancer progression, such as prostate cancer, remain incompletely understood. A comprehensive mapping and functional understanding of the cancer epigenome will hopefully help to facilitate development of novel cancer therapy targets and improve future diagnostics. The authors have developed a novel cell microarray-based high-content siRNA screening technique suitable to address the putative functional role and impact of all known putative and novel epigenetic enzymes in cancer, including prostate cancer.

The past, present and future of pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell Burnell, Jocelyn

2017-12-01

On the 50th anniversary of the accidental discovery of pulsars (pulsating radio stars, also known as neutron stars) I reflect on the process of their detection and how our understanding of these stars gradually grew. Fifty years on, we have a much better (but still incomplete) understanding of these extreme objects, which I summarize here. The study of pulsars is advancing several areas of fundamental physics, including general relativity, particle physics, condensed-matter physics, and radiation processes in extreme electric and magnetic fields. New observational facilities coming online in the radio regime (such as the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array precursors) will revolutionize the search for pulsars by accessing thousands more, thus ushering in a new era of discovery for the field.

DNA methylation at a bovine alpha satellite I repeat CpG site during development following fertilization and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

PubMed

Couldrey, Christine; Wells, David N

2013-01-01

Incomplete epigenetic reprogramming is postulated to contribute to the low developmental success following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Here, we describe the epigenetic reprogramming of DNA methylation at an alpha satellite I CpG site (αsatI-5) during development of cattle generated either by artificial insemination (AI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) and SCNT. Quantitative methylation analysis identified that SCNT donor cells were highly methylated at αsatI-5 and resulting SCNT blastocysts showed significantly more methylation than IVF blastocysts. At implantation, no difference in methylation was observed between SCNT and AI in trophoblast tissue at αsatI-5, however, SCNT embryos were significantly hyper-methylated compared to AI controls at this time point. Following implantation, DNA methylation at αsatI-5 decreased in AI but not SCNT placental tissues. In contrast to placenta, the proportion of methylation at αsatI-5 remained high in adrenal, kidney and muscle tissues during development. Differences in the average proportion of methylation were smaller in somatic tissues than placental tissues but, on average, SCNT somatic tissues were hyper-methylated at αsatI-5. Although sperm from all bulls was less methylated than somatic tissues at αsatI-5, on average this site remained hyper-methylated in sperm from cloned bulls compared with control bulls. This developmental time course confirms that epigenetic reprogramming does occur, at least to some extent, following SCNT. However, the elevated methylation levels observed in SCNT blastocysts and cellular derivatives implies that there is either insufficient time or abundance of appropriate reprogramming factors in oocytes to ensure complete reprogramming. Incomplete reprogramming at this CpG site may be a contributing factor to low SCNT success rates, but more likely represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of incompletely reprogramming. Until protocols ensure the epigenetic signature of a differentiated somatic cell is reset to a state resembling totipotency, the efficiency of SCNT is likely to remain low.

DNA Methylation at a Bovine Alpha Satellite I Repeat CpG Site during Development following Fertilization and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

PubMed Central

Couldrey, Christine; Wells, David N.

2013-01-01

Incomplete epigenetic reprogramming is postulated to contribute to the low developmental success following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Here, we describe the epigenetic reprogramming of DNA methylation at an alpha satellite I CpG site (αsatI-5) during development of cattle generated either by artificial insemination (AI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) and SCNT. Quantitative methylation analysis identified that SCNT donor cells were highly methylated at αsatI-5 and resulting SCNT blastocysts showed significantly more methylation than IVF blastocysts. At implantation, no difference in methylation was observed between SCNT and AI in trophoblast tissue at αsatI-5, however, SCNT embryos were significantly hyper-methylated compared to AI controls at this time point. Following implantation, DNA methylation at αsatI-5 decreased in AI but not SCNT placental tissues. In contrast to placenta, the proportion of methylation at αsatI-5 remained high in adrenal, kidney and muscle tissues during development. Differences in the average proportion of methylation were smaller in somatic tissues than placental tissues but, on average, SCNT somatic tissues were hyper-methylated at αsatI-5. Although sperm from all bulls was less methylated than somatic tissues at αsatI-5, on average this site remained hyper-methylated in sperm from cloned bulls compared with control bulls. This developmental time course confirms that epigenetic reprogramming does occur, at least to some extent, following SCNT. However, the elevated methylation levels observed in SCNT blastocysts and cellular derivatives implies that there is either insufficient time or abundance of appropriate reprogramming factors in oocytes to ensure complete reprogramming. Incomplete reprogramming at this CpG site may be a contributing factor to low SCNT success rates, but more likely represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of incompletely reprogramming. Until protocols ensure the epigenetic signature of a differentiated somatic cell is reset to a state resembling totipotency, the efficiency of SCNT is likely to remain low. PMID:23383311

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Prognostic Factors and Oncologic Outcome Analysis

PubMed Central

Magge, Deepa; Zenati, Mazen S.; Austin, Frances; Mavanur, Arun; Sathaiah, Magesh; Ramalingam, Lekshmi; Jones, Heather; Zureikat, Amer H.; Holtzman, Matthew; Ahrendt, Steven; Pingpank, James; Zeh, Herbert J.; Bartlett, David L.; Choudry, Haroon A.

2014-01-01

Background Most patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) present with late-stage, unresectable disease that responds poorly to systemic chemotherapy while, at the same time, effective targeted therapies are lacking. We assessed the efficacy of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) in MPM. Methods We prospectively analyzed 65 patients with MPM undergoing CRS/HIPEC between 2001 and 2010. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox-regression models identified prognostic factors affecting oncologic outcomes. Results Adequate CRS was achieved in 56 patients (CC-0 = 35; CC-1 = 21), and median simplified peritoneal cancer index (SPCI) was 12. Pathologic assessment revealed predominantly epithelioid histology (81 %) and biphasic histology (8 %), while lymph node involvement was uncommon (8 %). Major postoperative morbidity (grade III/IV) occurred in 23 patients (35 %), and 60-day mortality rate was 6 %. With median follow-up of 37 months, median overall survival was 46.2 months, with 1-, 2-, and 5-year overall survival probability of 77, 57, and 39 %, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 13.9 months, with 1-, 2-, and 5-year disease failure probability of 47, 68, and 83 %, respectively. In a multivariate Cox-regression model, age at surgery, SPCI >15, incomplete cytoreduction (CC-2/3), aggressive histology (epithelioid, biphasic), and postoperative sepsis were joint significant predictors of poor survival (chi square = 42.8; p = 0.00001), while age at surgery, SPCI >15, incomplete cytoreduction (CC-2/3), and aggressive histology (epithelioid, biphasic) were joint significant predictors of disease progression (Chi square = 30.6; p = 0.00001). Conclusions Tumor histology, disease burden, and the ability to achieve adequate surgical cytoreduction are essential prognostic factors in MPM patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC. PMID:24322529

Long-term mortality in HIV-positive individuals virally suppressed for >3 years with incomplete CD4 recovery.

PubMed

Engsig, Frederik N; Zangerle, Robert; Katsarou, Olga; Dabis, Francois; Reiss, Peter; Gill, John; Porter, Kholoud; Sabin, Caroline; Riordan, Andrew; Fätkenheuer, Gerd; Gutiérrez, Félix; Raffi, Francois; Kirk, Ole; Mary-Krause, Murielle; Stephan, Christoph; de Olalla, Patricia Garcia; Guest, Jodie; Samji, Hasina; Castagna, Antonella; d'Arminio Monforte, Antonella; Skaletz-Rorowski, Adriane; Ramos, Jose; Lapadula, Giuseppe; Mussini, Cristina; Force, Lluís; Meyer, Laurence; Lampe, Fiona; Boufassa, Faroudy; Bucher, Heiner C; De Wit, Stéphane; Burkholder, Greer A; Teira, Ramon; Justice, Amy C; Sterling, Tim R; M Crane, Heidi; Gerstoft, Jan; Grarup, Jesper; May, Margaret; Chêne, Geneviève; Ingle, Suzanne M; Sterne, Jonathan; Obel, Niels

2014-05-01

Some human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) with low CD4 counts achieve viral suppression but not CD4 cell recovery. We aimed to identify (1) risk factors for failure to achieve CD4 count >200 cells/µL after 3 years of sustained viral suppression and (2) the association of the achieved CD4 count with subsequent mortality. We included treated HIV-infected adults from 2 large international HIV cohorts, who had viral suppression (≤500 HIV type 1 RNA copies/mL) for >3 years with CD4 count ≤200 cells/µL at start of the suppressed period. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for incomplete CD4 recovery (≤200 cells/µL) and Cox regression to identify associations with mortality. Of 5550 eligible individuals, 835 (15%) did not reach a CD4 count >200 cells/µL after 3 years of suppression. Increasing age, lower initial CD4 count, male heterosexual and injection drug use transmission, cART initiation after 1998, and longer time from initiation of cART to start of the virally suppressed period were risk factors for not achieving a CD4 count >200 cells/µL. Individuals with CD4 ≤200 cells/µL after 3 years of viral suppression had substantially increased mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.86-3.61) compared with those who achieved CD4 count >200 cells/µL. The increased mortality was seen across different patient groups and for all causes of death. Virally suppressed HIV-positive individuals on cART who do not achieve a CD4 count >200 cells/µL have substantially increased long-term mortality.

Modeling Cyber Conflicts Using an Extended Petri Net Formalism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakrzewska, Anita N; Ferragut, Erik M

2011-01-01

When threatened by automated attacks, critical systems that require human-controlled responses have difficulty making optimal responses and adapting protections in real- time and may therefore be overwhelmed. Consequently, experts have called for the development of automatic real-time reaction capabilities. However, a technical gap exists in the modeling and analysis of cyber conflicts to automatically understand the repercussions of responses. There is a need for modeling cyber assets that accounts for concurrent behavior, incomplete information, and payoff functions. Furthermore, we address this need by extending the Petri net formalism to allow real-time cyber conflicts to be modeled in a way thatmore » is expressive and concise. This formalism includes transitions controlled by players as well as firing rates attached to transitions. This allows us to model both player actions and factors that are beyond the control of players in real-time. We show that our formalism is able to represent situational aware- ness, concurrent actions, incomplete information and objective functions. These factors make it well-suited to modeling cyber conflicts in a way that allows for useful analysis. MITRE has compiled the Common Attack Pattern Enumera- tion and Classification (CAPEC), an extensive list of cyber attacks at various levels of abstraction. CAPEC includes factors such as attack prerequisites, possible countermeasures, and attack goals. These elements are vital to understanding cyber attacks and to generating the corresponding real-time responses. We demonstrate that the formalism can be used to extract precise models of cyber attacks from CAPEC. Several case studies show that our Petri net formalism is more expressive than other models, such as attack graphs, for modeling cyber conflicts and that it is amenable to exploring cyber strategies.« less

Factors influencing advanced practitioners' ability to enact leadership: a case study within Irish healthcare.

PubMed

Higgins, Agnes; Begley, Cecily; Lalor, Joan; Coyne, Imelda; Murphy, Kathy; Elliott, Naomi

2014-10-01

To report the factors that influence clinical specialists' and advanced nurse practitioners' ability to enact their clinical and professional leadership roles; findings from the SCAPE study. The importance of leadership for specialist and advanced practitioners is highlighted in the international literature and is considered an important factor in the provision of improved patient outcomes. Despite many studies identifying the barriers in developing and integrating new specialist/advanced practice roles into health services, little is known about the factors that influence the leadership dimension of their role. A case study design involving 23 clinical specialist/advanced practitioners working in Ireland and multidisciplinary team members working with them, was used. Data were collected using interview, observation and documentary analysis. Four mediating factors influence the specialist/advanced practitioner's ability to perform a leadership role, namely the presence of a framework for the professional development of the role; opportunities to act as leaders; mechanisms for sustaining leadership; and personal attributes of practitioners. Nursing/midwifery leaders and managers at all levels have a key role in supporting leadership potential, through countering the negative impact of professional isolation, expanding opportunities for specialist/advanced practitioners to influence policy and network with wider professional groups. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Knowledge translation of research findings.

PubMed

Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Eccles, Martin P; Lavis, John N; Hill, Sophie J; Squires, Janet E

2012-05-31

One of the most consistent findings from clinical and health services research is the failure to translate research into practice and policy. As a result of these evidence-practice and policy gaps, patients fail to benefit optimally from advances in healthcare and are exposed to unnecessary risks of iatrogenic harms, and healthcare systems are exposed to unnecessary expenditure resulting in significant opportunity costs. Over the last decade, there has been increasing international policy and research attention on how to reduce the evidence-practice and policy gap. In this paper, we summarise the current concepts and evidence to guide knowledge translation activities, defined as T2 research (the translation of new clinical knowledge into improved health). We structure the article around five key questions: what should be transferred; to whom should research knowledge be transferred; by whom should research knowledge be transferred; how should research knowledge be transferred; and, with what effect should research knowledge be transferred? We suggest that the basic unit of knowledge translation should usually be up-to-date systematic reviews or other syntheses of research findings. Knowledge translators need to identify the key messages for different target audiences and to fashion these in language and knowledge translation products that are easily assimilated by different audiences. The relative importance of knowledge translation to different target audiences will vary by the type of research and appropriate endpoints of knowledge translation may vary across different stakeholder groups. There are a large number of planned knowledge translation models, derived from different disciplinary, contextual (i.e., setting), and target audience viewpoints. Most of these suggest that planned knowledge translation for healthcare professionals and consumers is more likely to be successful if the choice of knowledge translation strategy is informed by an assessment of the likely barriers and facilitators. Although our evidence on the likely effectiveness of different strategies to overcome specific barriers remains incomplete, there is a range of informative systematic reviews of interventions aimed at healthcare professionals and consumers (i.e., patients, family members, and informal carers) and of factors important to research use by policy makers. There is a substantial (if incomplete) evidence base to guide choice of knowledge translation activities targeting healthcare professionals and consumers. The evidence base on the effects of different knowledge translation approaches targeting healthcare policy makers and senior managers is much weaker but there are a profusion of innovative approaches that warrant further evaluation.

Measurement of excitation functions of evaporation residues in the 16O+124Sn reaction and investigation of the dependence of incomplete fusion dynamics on entrance channel parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, D.; Linda, Sneha B.; Giri, Pankaj K.; Mahato, Amritraj; Tripathi, R.; Kumar, Harish; Tali, Suhail A.; Parashari, Siddharth; Ali, Asif; Dubey, Rakesh; Ansari, M. Afzal; Kumar, R.; Muralithar, S.; Singh, R. P.

2018-06-01

Excitation functions for the 11 evaporation residues populated through complete and/or incomplete fusion in 16O+124Sn system at low projectile energies ≈3 -7 MeV /nucleon have been measured. Recoil catcher activation technique followed by offline γ -ray spectrometry has been employed. Some of the evaporation residues are found to have contributions from precursor decays. The precursor contributions have been separated out from the measured cumulative cross-sections of evaporation residues. Independent cross-sections are compared with statistical model code PACE-4 predictions. The evaporation residues produced through x n and pxn channels are found to be well reproduced with the PACE-4 predictions after subtraction of precursor decay contributions. A substantial enhancement in the measured excitation functions over their theoretical predictions for the evaporation residues produced in α -emitting channels has been observed, which is attributed to the presence of incomplete fusion of projectile with target at these low energies. The present study shows that the incomplete fusion and the break-up probability of the incident 16O into α clusters (i.e., break-up of 16O into 12C+α and/or 8Be+8Be ) increases with projectile energy. The present data suggests that the deformation of target is highlighting the important role to affect the ICF reactions independently with different projectiles. The comparison of the present study with literature data also shows that the ICF probability depends on various entrance channel parameters, namely, projectile energy, entrance channel mass-asymmetry, α -Q value, Coulomb factor (ZPZT) , deformation parameter (β2), and their combinations. Moreover, the combined parameters ZPZT.β2 and μECAS.β2 are not found suitable to explain whole ICF characteristics, particularly for spherical and slightly deformed targets. On the other hand, the combined parameter ZPZT.μECAS has been found to explain more precisely the ICF dynamics as compared to other single and combined entrance channel parameters.

Incomplete Augmented Lagrangian Preconditioner for Steady Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations

PubMed Central

Tan, Ning-Bo; Huang, Ting-Zhu; Hu, Ze-Jun

2013-01-01

An incomplete augmented Lagrangian preconditioner, for the steady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations discretized by stable finite elements, is proposed. The eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrix are analyzed. Numerical experiments show that the incomplete augmented Lagrangian-based preconditioner proposed is very robust and performs quite well by the Picard linearization or the Newton linearization over a wide range of values of the viscosity on both uniform and stretched grids. PMID:24235888

The s-Ordered Fock Space Projectors Gained by the General Ordering Theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farid, Shähandeh; Mohammad, Reza Bazrafkan; Mahmoud, Ashrafi

2012-09-01

Employing the general ordering theorem (GOT), operational methods and incomplete 2-D Hermite polynomials, we derive the t-ordered expansion of Fock space projectors. Using the result, the general ordered form of the coherent state projectors is obtained. This indeed gives a new integration formula regarding incomplete 2-D Hermite polynomials. In addition, the orthogonality relation of the incomplete 2-D Hermite polynomials is derived to resolve Dattoli's failure.

Stepping responses to treadmill perturbations vary with severity of motor deficits in human SCI.

PubMed

Chu, Virginia Way Tong; Hornby, T George; Schmit, Brian D

2018-04-18

In this study, we investigated the responses to tread perturbations during human stepping on a treadmill. Our approach was to test the effects of perturbations to a single leg using a split-belt treadmill in healthy participants and in participants with varying severity of spinal cord injury (SCI). We recruited 11 people with incomplete SCI and 5 noninjured participants. As participants walked on an instrumented treadmill, the belt on one side was stopped or accelerated briefly during mid to late stance. A majority of participants initiated an unnecessary swing when the treadmill was stopped in mid stance, although the likelihood of initiating a step was decreased in participants with more severe SCI. Accelerating or decelerating one belt of the treadmill during stance altered the characteristics of swing. We observed delayed swing initiation when the belt was decelerated (i.e. the hip was in a more flexed position at time of swing) and advanced swing initiation with acceleration (i.e. hip extended at swing initiation). Further, the timing and leg posture of heel strike appeared to remain constant, reflected by a sagittal plane hip angle at heel strike that remained the same regardless of the perturbation. In summary, our results supported the current understanding of the role of sensory feedback and central drive in the control of stepping in participants with incomplete SCI and noninjured participants. In particular, the observation of unnecessary swing during a stop perturbation highlights the interdependence of central and sensory drive in walking control.

Borderline tumors of the ovary: A clinicopathological study

PubMed Central

Yasmeen, Samia; Hannan, Abdul; Sheikh, Fareeha; Syed, Amir Ali; Siddiqui, Neelam

2017-01-01

Objective: To report experience with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) in a developing country like Pakistan with limited resources and weak database of health system. Methods: Patients with BOTs managed at Shaukat Khanum Cancer hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from 2004 to 2014 were included and reviewed retrospectively. Data was recorded on histopathological types, age, CA-125, stage of disease, treatment modalities and outcomes. Results: Eighty-six patients with BOT were included with a median age of 35 years. Forty-two (49%) patients had serous BOTs and 43 (50%) had mucinous BOTs, while one (1%) had mixed type. Using FIGO staging, 80 patients had stage I; two patients had IIA, IIB and stage III each. Median follow-up time was 31.5 months. All patients had primary surgery. Seventy (81%) patients underwent complete surgical resection of tumor. Forty-three (50%) patients had fertility preserving surgery. Seventy-three (85%) patients remained in remission. Recurrent disease was observed in 13 (15%) patients. Median time to recurrence was 22 months. On further analysis, age above forty years, late stage at diagnosis and incomplete surgery were significantly associated with invasive recurrence. Conclusion: Despite a low malignant potential, relapses may occur in patients above forty years of age, incomplete surgery and staging information and advanced stage at presentation. Fertility sparing surgery should be considered in young patients. Complete excision of tumor and prolonged follow-up are advised because recurrence and transformation to invasive carcinoma may occur. PMID:28523039

Genetics in Parkinson disease: Mendelian versus non-Mendelian inheritance.

PubMed

Hernandez, Dena G; Reed, Xylena; Singleton, Andrew B

2016-10-01

Parkinson's disease is a common, progressive neurodegenerative disorder, affecting 3% of those older than 75 years of age. Clinically, Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with resting tremor, postural instability, rigidity, bradykinesia, and a good response to levodopa therapy. Over the last 15 years, numerous studies have confirmed that genetic factors contribute to the complex pathogenesis of PD. Highly penetrant mutations producing rare, monogenic forms of the disease have been discovered in singular genes such as SNCA, Parkin, DJ-1, PINK 1, LRRK2, and VPS35. Unique variants with incomplete penetrance in LRRK2 and GBA have been shown to be strong risk factors for PD in certain populations. Additionally, over 20 common variants with small effect sizes are now recognized to modulate the risk for PD. Investigating Mendelian forms of PD has provided precious insight into the pathophysiology that underlies the more common idiopathic form of disease; however, no treatment methodologies have developed. Furthermore, for identified common risk alleles, the functional basis underlying risk principally remains unknown. The challenge over the next decade will be to strengthen the findings delivered through genetic discovery by assessing the direct, biological consequences of risk variants in tandem with additional high-content, integrated datasets. This review discusses monogenic risk factors and mechanisms of Mendelian inheritance of Parkinson disease. Highly penetrant mutations in SNCA, Parkin, DJ-1, PINK 1, LRRK2 and VPS35 produce rare, monogenic forms of the disease, while unique variants within LRRK2 and GBA show incomplete penetrance and are strong risk factors for PD. Additionally, over 20 common variants with small effect sizes modulate disease risk. The challenge over the next decade is to strengthen genetic findings by assessing direct, biological consequences of risk variants in tandem with high-content, integrated datasets. This article is part of a special issue on Parkinson disease. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

The identification of transcription factors expressed in the notochord of Ciona intestinalis adds new potential players to the Brachyury gene regulatory network

PubMed Central

José-Edwards, Diana S.; Kerner, Pierre; Kugler, Jamie E.; Deng, Wei; Jiang, Di; Di Gregorio, Anna

2013-01-01

The notochord is the distinctive characteristic of chordates; however, the knowledge of the complement of transcription factors governing the development of this structure is still incomplete. Here we present the expression patterns of seven transcription factor genes detected in the notochord of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis at various stages of embryonic development. Four of these transcription factors, Fos-a, NFAT5, AFF and Klf15, have not been directly associated with the notochord in previous studies, while the others, including Spalt-like-a, Lmx-like and STAT5/6-b, display evolutionarily conserved expression in this structure as well as in other domains. We examined the hierarchical relationships between these genes and the transcription factor Brachyury, which is necessary for notochord development in all chordates. We found that Ciona Brachyury regulates the expression of most, although not all, of these genes. These results shed light on the genetic regulatory program underlying notochord formation in Ciona and possibly other chordates. PMID:21594950

CO2 Emissions Embodied in Interprovincial Electricity Transmissions in China.

PubMed

Qu, Shen; Liang, Sai; Xu, Ming

2017-09-19

Existing studies on the evaluation of CO 2 emissions due to electricity consumption in China are inaccurate and incomplete. This study uses a network approach to calculate CO 2 emissions of purchased electricity in Chinese provinces. The CO 2 emission factors of purchased electricity range from 265 g/kWh in Sichuan to 947 g/kWh in Inner Mongolia. We find that emission factors of purchased electricity in many provinces are quite different from the emission factors of electricity generation. This indicates the importance of the network approach in accurately reflecting embodied emissions. We also observe substantial variations of emissions factors of purchased electricity within subnational grids: the provincial emission factors deviate from the corresponding subnational-grid averages from -58% to 44%. This implies that using subnational-grid averages as required by Chinese government agencies can be quite inaccurate for reporting indirect CO 2 emissions of enterprises' purchased electricity. The network approach can improve the accuracy of the quantification of embodied emissions in purchased electricity and emission flows embodied in electricity transmission.

Analysis of the correlative factors for velopharyngeal closure of patients with cleft palate after primary repair.

PubMed

Chen, Qi; Li, Yang; Shi, Bing; Yin, Heng; Zheng, Guang-Ning; Zheng, Qian

2013-12-01

The objective of this study was to analyze the correlative factors for velopharyngeal closure of patients with cleft palate after primary repair. Ninety-five nonsyndromic patients with cleft palate were enrolled. Two surgical techniques were applied in the patients: simple palatoplasty and combined palatoplasty with pharyngoplasty. All patients were assessed 6 months after the operation. The postoperative velopharyngeal closure (VPC) rate was compared by χ(2) test and the correlative factors were analyzed with logistic regression model. The postoperative VPC rate of young patients was higher than that of old patients, the group with incomplete cleft palate was higher than the group with complete cleft palate, and combined palatoplasty with pharyngoplasty was higher than simple palatoplasty. Operative age, cleft type, and surgical technique were the contributing factors for postoperative VPC rate. Operative age, cleft type, and surgical technique were significant factors influencing postoperative VPC rate of patients with cleft palate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Scalable Distribution Network Risk Evaluation Framework via Symbolic Dynamics

PubMed Central

Yuan, Kai; Liu, Jian; Liu, Kaipei; Tan, Tianyuan

2015-01-01

Background Evaluations of electric power distribution network risks must address the problems of incomplete information and changing dynamics. A risk evaluation framework should be adaptable to a specific situation and an evolving understanding of risk. Methods This study investigates the use of symbolic dynamics to abstract raw data. After introducing symbolic dynamics operators, Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and Kullback-Leibler relative entropy are used to quantitatively evaluate relationships between risk sub-factors and main factors. For layered risk indicators, where the factors are categorized into four main factors – device, structure, load and special operation – a merging algorithm using operators to calculate the risk factors is discussed. Finally, an example from the Sanya Power Company is given to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. Conclusion Distribution networks are exposed and can be affected by many things. The topology and the operating mode of a distribution network are dynamic, so the faults and their consequences are probabilistic. PMID:25789859

Advancing the Careers of Women with Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metz, Isabel

2005-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to assess whether differences exist in the barriers reported by, and in the person- and situation-centred factors related to the managerial advancement of, women with and without children. The study also seeks to examine whether having children influences womens advancement, by affecting person-situation factors such as…